Tablet World.pdf

FEATURE 4G tablets
4G tablets in the UK
The 4G mobile network is fast enough to let you enjoy the web at Wi-Fi-like
speeds, but you’ll need compatible hardware to take advantage
16 TABLETWORLD
You’ve probably heard of 4G, but what is it? In short, it’s the name given
to the fourth-generation mobile network, just as the previous generation
is known as 3G. Another piece of jargon, which you’ll often see tagged
on to the end of 4G, is ‘LTE’. This stands for Long Term Evolution, a type of 4G
technology. 4G LTE aims to offer faster, more reliable mobile broadband to
devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.
In general, 4G is around five times faster than existing 3G networks. It can
theoretically provide download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps),
but you won’t see this in real-world use.
Unless you buy a fourth-generation iPad (note that the third-generation iPad
doesn’t support the 1,800MHz 4G network offered by EE) or iPad mini, your
tablet won’t natively support 4G. We expect more 4G-enabled tablets to arrive
in 2013; in the meantime, you can use your tablet’s Wi-Fi connection to take
advantage of a 4G mobile hotspot, or tether it to a 4G-capable smartphone.
This is because 4G and 3G networks use different frequencies to transmit
data, so your modem must supports the new frequencies to be compatible.
Although 4G is new to the UK and us Brits like to think we’re running the
latest technology, it’s actually been around for many years. Two forms of 4G are
in use today: WiMAX and LTE. You may have heard of WiMAX before, since it
was trialled in the UK in 2009. But WiMAX began three years previous to that,
with the first network launched by South Korean firm KT in 2006.
“Although
4G is new
to the UK
and us Brits
like to think
we’r running
the latest
technology,
it’s been
around for
many years”