4G cellular, or fourth-generation cellular, is a mobile telecommunications technology that provides faster data speeds, lower latency, and improved network capacity compared to 3G technology. It was first introduced in the late 2000s and is now the dominant cellular technology in many parts of the world.
The history of 4G cellular can be traced back to the mid-2000s, when telecommunications companies began working on a new technology that would provide faster data speeds and better support for mobile internet browsing, multimedia content, and other data-intensive applications. This new technology, which was initially called Long-Term Evolution (LTE), was developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a collaboration between telecommunications standards organizations around the world.
LTE was officially launched in 2008 and quickly became the dominant 4G cellular standard in many parts of the world. LTE was based on a technology called Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), which enabled faster data speeds and better network capacity compared to 3G technology.
In addition to faster data speeds, 4G technology also enabled a range of new services and applications, including high-definition video streaming, online gaming, and other data-intensive applications. This helped to drive the growth of the mobile internet and paved the way for the modern smartphone.
Over time, 4G technology continued to evolve, with improvements such as LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro, which provided even faster data speeds and better network capacity. Today, 4G networks are the standard in many parts of the world, providing fast and reliable mobile connectivity for billions of people.
While newer technologies such as 5G are now available, 4G technology remains an important part of the mobile telecommunications landscape and is likely to continue to be widely used for many years to come.