Differences and Similarities Between 4G And 5G Networks (1)

4G mobile networks have now entered a stage of rapid popularization, and at the same time, 5G standards have also begun to emerge. These standards may not be unfamiliar to most people, but do you really understand them and know the difference? Recently, the technology website Android Authority gave a detailed introduction to the two mobile network standards of 4G and 5G.

4G standard analysis

4G and LTE technologies are synonymous, both are evolutions of the existing 3G wireless standard. In fact, LTE is an advanced form of 3G that marks the transition from hybrid data/voice networks to data-only IP networks.

The reason why LTE can achieve higher data throughput mainly depends on two key technologies: MIMO and OFDM. The latter stands for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, a spectrally efficient scheme that enables higher data rates and allows multiple users to share a common frequency band.

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology uses multiple antennas at the transmitter and receiver, further improving data throughput and spectral efficiency. It uses sophisticated digital signal processing techniques to set up multiple data streams within the same frequency band. Early LTE networks can support 2x2 MIMO in both uplink and downlink.

The LTE standard uses frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) two forms of duplex work. However, governments around the world are profiting from selling LTE spectrum without any planning or consideration, which also results in 44 confusing frequency bands for LTE today.

Finally, it should be pointed out that there are different types of LTE networks. From a consumer perspective, these types are mainly differentiated by theoretical speed.