The differences between cellular standards

from TECHBOOK | Jan 26, 2023 at 12:10 p.m

If you go online with your mobile phone while you’re out and about, you’ll have noticed that sometimes the internet speed is shown as 4G, sometimes as LTE and more and more often as 5G. TECHBOOK explains the differences and how you can check whether the cell phone is actually transmitting in the displayed network.

Mobile internet with gigabit speeds

The history of the mobile internet goes back a long way. As early as the 1980s, it was possible – albeit rudimentary from today’s perspective – to access e-mails while on the go with early mobile computers via the analogue mobile network of the time. When GSM was officially introduced in 1990, Internet access was finally possible via mobile phones. However, the data connection was based on an inefficient and above all slow CSD connection (Circuit Switch Data). Only with the worldwide launch of the GSM extension GPRS in 2001 did the speed of mobile data transmission increase to a usable level – it was more or less the starting signal for the mobile Internet as we know it today. However, at the time hardly anyone expected that two decades later data transmissions at gigabit level would be possible via the mobile network.

This gigabit speed has been possible in Germany since the introduction of LTE Advanced in 2014. At least theoretically. Because the users have to share the available bandwidth within a radio cell, the maximum speeds are never actually reached in practice.

LTE and 4G – differences in detail

Thrown into one pot by many providers for marketing reasons, many today understand LTE and 4G to be the same. In fact, the terms have different meanings:

The LTE mobile communications standard, short for Long Term Evolution, was introduced for the first time in 2010 as part of the third generation of mobile communications (3G). LTE thus belongs to the class that also includes UMTS and HSPA. Accordingly, it received the identifier 3.9G. In the beginning, the LTE networks allowed a maximum transmission rate of 50 Mbit/s (megabits per second), which should triple within the next three years to up to 150 Mbit/s.

However, it was only with the introduction of LTE Advanced in 2014 that the maximum possible data rates rose to the aforementioned gigabit level. LTE Advanced is also known as LTE-A or LTE+, but as an extension of the simple LTE, it belongs to a new, fourth generation of mobile communications (4G). Existing LTE networks can be upgraded to LTE Advanced relatively easily with a software update, but the difference between the two generations was enormous. Compared to LTE, LTE Advanced allows usable transfer rates of 1000 Mbit/s or 1 Gbit/s in download and up to 500 Mbit/s in upload. The new standard supports what is known as carrier aggregation, allowing network operators flexible use of the available radio spectrum. Furthermore, the response times, the so-called latency times, are significantly lower and radio cells have more capacity, so that more users benefit from high performance at the same time.

In summary this means:

• LTE in Germany does not meet the criteria for the 4G standard, so from a technical point of view it is only 3.9G – contrary to many advertisements. The maximum download speed is 150 megabits per second.
• 4G stands for the fourth-generation mobile communications standard, which was introduced in 2014 with LTE Advanced and on which various criteria have been agreed internationally. 4G is a placeholder for “International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced”.

In the meantime, however, there has also been an increase in LTE Advanced – namely LTE Advanced Pro, also known as 4.5G. This optimized stage increases the performance level in the network significantly. The network operator Vodafone, for example, benefits from this with its tariffs of up to 500 Mbit/s.

Also read: This network operator gives you the best reception

5G – significantly faster, but different frequencies

But it can be even faster: the latest mobile communications standard is called 5G. This is the first time that the systems and frequencies used up to now have been separated. Because 5G is not so easy to retrofit to the existing cell phone masts. The reason for this: the so-called “millimeter wave technology”. The 5G mobile radio waves are between 1 and 10 millimeters long and are therefore much more compressed than previous mobile radio waves (several centimetres). In order to relieve the current network, higher frequencies between 6 and 300 gigahertz (GHz) are also used. For comparison: the current mobile network operates in the spectrum between 0.8 and 2.6 GHz.

However, to bring the higher frequencies and shorter waves to the user, there is still some obstacles:

• Since the waves can no longer penetrate walls and obstacles so easily, a multiple number of antennas are required, which means that the radio cells have to be arranged more closely
• Fast response times below one millisecond require more antennas per cell than users (MIMO)

Also read: Many 5G smartphones have problems transmitting via 5G

However, critics fear higher radiation exposure from 5G and the resulting health effects that cannot yet be calculated. You can also read from our colleagues at FITBOOK which health consequences of smartphone use general can have.

This shows that the smartphone transmits via 5G

In order to actually be able to use 5G, the standard must be available in the region in which you are located. On the other hand, the corresponding end device must also have the technical possibilities for this, just like the booked mobile phone tariff. If all three requirements are met, you can use the cell phone settings to check whether the device is actually transmitting in 5G. This works with both Android and iOS, although the designations between the systems differ slightly.

How to check 5G status on Android:

• Go to “Connections” in the settings menu.
• From there, select “Mobile Networks”.
• You will then find the corresponding information under “Network mode”.

How to check 5G status on iPhone:

• Go to “Cellular” in the settings menu.
• Then open the “Data Options” or “Settings” tab.
• Then go to “Mobile Data”.
• Finally, you will get the relevant information under the “Data Options” tab.

5G display not always correct

In the meantime, 5G coverage has already started in many countries – including Germany. In this country, however, it is often based on the 4G networks, so it is not offered as a stand-alone standard (NSA, stands for non-stand-alone). The real advantages of 5G – including the high speeds and short latency times – are therefore only offered by the 5G networks in Germany in certain expansion areas. In addition, the expansion is often still limited to the metropolitan areas. And he brings some there Advantages compared to previous mobile phone technologies:

• Theoretical speeds of up to 100 Gbps (100 times faster than 4G), the fastest speed measured to date is 1.8 Gbps
• very low latency times for real-time reactions
• Use of higher frequency ranges with increased frequency capacity at the same time

The NSA approach just described can sometimes create problems and confusion for users. For example, if the settings confirm the 5G option, a 5G symbol should also be visible in the menu bar at the top of the home display. This symbol is usually located directly next to the other network information, such as which network from which provider you are using.

In general, however, you have to be careful with this symbol. If it says 5G there, it can also mean that due to the nature of the German 5G network, components of the 4G network are still being used, which then has a corresponding effect on performance. This display error can be caused by the mobile phone itself as well as by the network operator or provider.

From 1G to 5G: The importance of cellular standards

Even with the predecessor standards, there was always confusion about the designations. TECHBOOK explains which mobile phone abbreviations mean what:

• 5G: The fifth generation of mobile communications is currently being expanded worldwide. In Germany, the standard is already available in more and more regions and cities. Both O2 and Telekom, Vodafone and 1&1 offer corresponding tariffs.
• 4G, LTE Advanced (2014): The expansion stage of LTE describes the change to the fourth generation of mobile communications, 4G. Up to 300 to 400 Mbit/s in download and up to 1000 Mbit/s or 1 Gbit/s in upload are possible here. At the same time, latency times have been reduced and radio capacities increased. By bundling frequency bands, a theoretical download speed of up to 500 Mbit/s can be achieved, which corresponds to LTE Advanced Pro or 4.5G.
• LTE (2010): This standard is based on the UMTS infrastructure. The first expansion stage LTE is sometimes also referred to as 3.9G and allows a maximum bandwidth of up to 50 Mbit/s (download).
• 3.5G, HSPA (2006): Extension of UMTS with bandwidths of up to 42 Mbit/s.
• 3G, UMTS (2004): This mobile radio standard uses a new radio access technology to enable the simultaneous transmission and reception of multiple data streams. Bandwidth: initially up to 384 kbit/s. The 3G networks in Germany have now been largely switched off – in favor of the newer 4G/5G networks.
• 2.75G, EDGE (2006): Further development of GSM by using a more efficient modulation method. The first iPhone used EDGE, bandwidth: mostly up to 150 kbit/s.
• 2.5G, GPRS (2001): Digital Data Transmission. Packet-switched technology achieves higher bandwidths, usually up to 55 kbit/s, by bundling several GSM channels.
• 2G: Digital voice transmission in the D network (1992) with the internationally successful GSM standard. Transmission is circuit-switched, bandwidth: 9.6 or 14.4 kbit/s. With the D-Netze, the Bundespost is getting a private competitor (D2 Mannesmann) for the first time.
• 1G: Mobile telephony in the first generation still worked with analogue voice transmission: A network (1958), B network (1972) and C network (1986). With the A network, the connections still had to be switched by hand. From the B network, the participants could choose themselves. The C network was able to pass on active radio connections when changing a radio cell.