Gazing into the Future of Wireless Technology

iPass white paper takes an early look at 4G technology.

Wondering what all the fuss is around 4G? Confused by acronyms like WiMAX and LTE? Concerned about what it all means for you and your business? Don't worry; iPass has the info you need. Read on to learn about 4G—the next big thing in enterprise mobility.

The Shape of Things to Come
Today, people primarily use their mobile phones and handheld devices for voice and texting, while occasionally composing an email here and there. The fourth generation of wireless technologies, "4G" for short, promises to radically expand the way you use your mobile devices when on the go. Audio and video download and streaming, virtual collaboration, blogging and other such applications will all dramatically change the mobile user experience. As a result, companies will be able to unify their communications: including phone, voicemail, email, IM, Internet, IPTV and high-quality video meetings.

4G Defined
4G at its most basic level is defined as an all-IP, low-latency network that will enable high-speed access to the Internet and enterprise applications. 4G networks will operate at least four times faster than the newest 3G networks with a lower cost per bit. Sounds pretty enticing, doesn't it?

Meet the Candidates

• Two technologies are vying to become the standard: WiMAX and LTE. WiMAX stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. It is based on the IEEE 802.16 family of standards and delivers wireless broadband data at up to 70 Mbps in each direction. WiMAX is already standardized and in use in more than 300 commercial WiMAX deployments in 118 countries. Some 120 of those networks are mobile. In the U.S., it is backed by a consortium of companies that include Intel, Motorola, Google, Sprint Nextel and major cable operators. An upgrade to the standard known as 802.16m is due out in 2010.
• LTE is short for Long Term Evolution. It is an extension to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS). LTE is being backed by leading telecommunications companies that include AT&T, Verizon, France Telecom, Vodafone, T-Mobile, NTT DOCOMO and China Mobile among others. While LTE is not yet standardized, tests with pre-standard equipment have delivered peak speeds of over 100 Mbps. Industry analysts expect the first commercial availability to occur in 2010.

Who's Got the Upper Hand?
Each of the leading 4G technologies has the deck stacked in a unique way:

• Among WiMAX's many advantages, it enjoys a healthy head start over LTE and will greatly benefit from Intel's Centrino 2 chips, which integrate WiMAX and Wi-Fi connectivity into mobile devices. It also should be less expensive than LTE for non-3G operators to deploy. LTE, although it will come out later than WiMAX, is the natural migration choice of GSM and UMTS operators worldwide and promises higher speeds than WiMAX and better in-building signal penetration.

So Which Standard Will Win Out?
Realistically, that's anyone's guess at the moment. However, it's unlikely that one technology will win outright in the global marketplace, and predictions of long-term market share range widely. iPass believes that mobile WiMAX and LTE will each succeed, dominating different regions while competing vibrantly in others.

Learn more about how to prepare your business for 4G by reading the iPass white paper.