3G vs. 4G: What's the difference?


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SALT LAKE CITY -- The ads for wireless services touting 4G service are as commonplace as car commercials.

But what exactly is 4G, and how much better is it than 3G?


4G stands for 4th generation, the newest and fastest network currently available.

"The whole G-way of counting what wireless networks we're on is sort of an invention, but 4G just stands for 4th generation, the latest generation, the fastest through-puts," explains PC Magazine Editor-In-Chief Dan Costa.

Costa says super-fast network connections are imperative now that people use smartphones for work and pleasure, like live TV viewing or watching movies.

"So your 4G connection can get ten times the through-put of a 3G connection and on some networks, it's radically, radically faster," he says.

4G is also expected to solve 3G's most persistent problem, the dreaded dropped call.

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