For smartphone users throughout the UK, the well-established 3G
service has supplied a strong and adequately fast data
connection for a number of years now. However, the eagle-eyed
among our readers may have seen a steadily increasing amount of
news and discussion about 4G and how it is going to change the
digital landscape for mobile. But for most people, the idea of
what 4G is and what it can do for them is still somewhat
confusing with reams of speculation and conjecture centring on
the potential new technologies. So, in a bid to make things
clearer to the average consumer, we take look at what 4G is, how
it works, what it offers, why it has taken so long to hit the UK
and what it will offer upon its arrival. What is 4G? At its most
basic, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless
technology and, rather unsurprisingly, surpasses the standards
set by 2G and 3G. Although originally set out by the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a network that
can deliver download data speeds of between