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47% of Users Feel They Don't Need 4G
26% Think all 4G Technology is the Same
by Karl Bode Thursday 23-Aug-2012 tags: coverage · business · wireless · stats · wireless
Based on a recent survey of 3,000 individuals by investment firm Piper Jaffray, 47% of those polled state they don't really need 4G connectivity. 26% of those polled indicated they feel all 4G network technologies are the same, and just 15% of those polled said that 4G LTE is the best network technology. The confusion surrounding 4G technology extends to wireless carriers, with 51% stating they don't know who has the best 4G network or that all 4G networks are the same. The confusion is not too surprising given that in 2010 the ITU buckled to the whims of wireless marketing departments and basically declared that everything short of a can and strings could be declared 4G. As a result, carriers call pretty much anything 4G, and all boldly declare that they operate the nation's largest 4G wireless network.

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BF69
Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN

47% of Americans believe

in ghosts, bigfoot, UFOs and Elvis still being alive.

verizonlteda

@myvzw.com

Re: 47% of Americans believe

So true lol.
Chubbysumo

join:2009-12-01
Superior, WI
Reviews:
·Charter
said by BF69:

in ghosts, bigfoot, UFOs and Elvis still being alive.

50% of all stats are completely made up, and the other 50% are intentionally misrepresented to say something they really don't. Never take stats for face as said, unless you can look at the raw data. In this case, no one will ever see the raw data, and its probably a small sample size too.
frdrizzt

join:2008-05-03
Ronkonkoma, NY
Reviews:
·Optimum Online

Re: 47% of Americans believe

said by Chubbysumo:

said by BF69:

in ghosts, bigfoot, UFOs and Elvis still being alive.

50% of all stats are completely made up, and the other 50% are intentionally misrepresented to say something they really don't. Never take stats for face as said, unless you can look at the raw data. In this case, no one will ever see the raw data, and its probably a small sample size too.

It's 3000 people, and that means 1410 people of the 3000 state they do not need 4G. 780 of 3000 think all 4G technologies are the same. 450 out of 3000 think 4G is the best network technology. 1530 think that they do not know which network has the best 4G network.

All figures +/-15 people (half a percent). I obviously can't tell you the overlap, but they tell you all you need to know about the sample size. It's fairly small, but regardless, it implies that a large number of people have no clue about 4G.
Richardhi

join:2011-03-14
Honolulu, HI
Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable

Re: 47% of Americans believe we dont need 4G

Again ill say that 4G LTE was only invented for Verizon to try and get an upper hand on AT&T when the iphone was only on AT&Ts network. and i don't remember anyone not being satisfied with 3G, At least 3G is real. All in know is that so called 4G phones use battery way to fast, everyone that i know with a 4G phone is always plugged in charging it. Must be from the 4 it displays rather then the 3 because my 3G iphone is faster then all my friends phones. LTE stands for (Lie.To.Everyone) or (Long.Term.Evolution) witch says yes we will improve our network but not now, but in the near future. That's just like lying to everyone. 47% should be more like 25% of people think we don't need 4G because if you believe that 4G is real and you are getting it then you people deserve to be lied to. its just like that commercial whit the lady that believes everything on the internet. People are so dumb in today's world....

No one ever asked what happen to all the information and paperwork that was lost in the 911 attack on the world trad.... im sure if we still had that info we would not be in as much dept as they say we are.... also try and input 1billion dollars into a normal calculator..... you wont be able to do it.....??????? Nothing is real anymore..... except love and comedy.......

Ericthorn
It only hurts when I laugh
Premium
join:2001-08-10
Paragould, AR
said by BF69:

in ghosts, bigfoot, UFOs and Elvis still being alive.

While that's funny, how does that equate to not needing 4G? Are you saying 47% of people don't believe it's real, or don't know that they do need it?

I don't need 4G. But I do believe in UFO's. Not the other three though.
--
Ever try stuffing a melted marshmallow up a wildcat's ass? It can be done, but you have to like your job. - This Is The Way The World Ends by James Morrow - Join a DC club, it can't hurt you!

antdude
A Ninja Ant
Premium,VIP
join:2001-03-25
United State
kudos:4
Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
said by BF69:

in ghosts, bigfoot, UFOs and Elvis still being alive.

You for the fake moon landing. :P

plencnerb
Premium
join:2000-09-25
Elgin, IL
kudos:2

Add me to the 47% group

I have no need for 4G anything. I have a perfect working desktop computer in my house that allows me to connect to any site that I need to. I can stream music and videos, play games (both online and off), send e-mail, surf web pages, and so on, all from the comfort of my own home.

When I am out an about, I have my LG Cell phone which does exactly what I need it to: MAKE PHONE CALLS. It does not access the internet at all, and that is why I got it. I don't need to check my e-mail every 5 seconds, find out what all my 1000's of friends are doing every second on facebook or myspace, or follow the thousands of tweets that mean nothing to me, or keep up with the latest stock quotes, sports scores, or whatever people use their 4g phones for. If I'm out and about, its because I am going somewhere (grocery shopping, paying bills, seeing a movie, visiting a theme park, riding my bike, the list goes on).

None of that for me involves being connected to the internet. I'll connect when I am back home.

--Brian
--
============================
--Brian Plencner

E-Mail: CoasterBrian72Cancer@gmail.com
Note: Kill Cancer to Reply via e-mail

BF69
Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN

Re: Add me to the 47% group

said by plencnerb:

I have no need for 4G anything. I have a perfect working desktop computer in my house that allows me to connect to any site that I need to. I can stream music and videos, play games (both online and off), send e-mail, surf web pages, and so on, all from the comfort of my own home.

When I am out an about, I have my LG Cell phone which does exactly what I need it to: MAKE PHONE CALLS. It does not access the internet at all, and that is why I got it. I don't need to check my e-mail every 5 seconds, find out what all my 1000's of friends are doing every second on facebook or myspace, or follow the thousands of tweets that mean nothing to me, or keep up with the latest stock quotes, sports scores, or whatever people use their 4g phones for. If I'm out and about, its because I am going somewhere (grocery shopping, paying bills, seeing a movie, visiting a theme park, riding my bike, the list goes on).

None of that for me involves being connected to the internet. I'll connect when I am back home.

--Brian

A) Good for you

B) Everyone is supposed to be like you? You think you are better than everyone else?

C) If you needed to use GPS you might want a data connection so you can access maps.

D) You could be in an area where you need to contact someone but the phone coverage sucks. At least with the data you could have other ways to communicate with people.

E) Eventually even voice is going to go over LTE.

pclover

join:2008-08-02
Santa Cruz, CA

Re: Add me to the 47% group

Umm you can download offline maps with google maps over wifi. Works fine and no need for a data connection. Google added this feature.

plencnerb
Premium
join:2000-09-25
Elgin, IL
kudos:2
said by BF69:

B) Everyone is supposed to be like you? You think you are better than everyone else?

I never said that, and I don't feel I'm better then everyone else. I'm just saying that I'm part of the 47% that don't feel they need to have a 4G connection. Its not that important to me. However, everyone has a right to use whatever devices fit their lifestyle, and in no way am I saying you (or anyone) must live their life the same way that I do.

said by BF69:

C) If you needed to use GPS you might want a data connection so you can access maps.

When I'm in my car, I have a Garmin Nnüvi model #1350LMT. Last time I looked, I did not need 4G to be able to use that, and it has everything on it that I need to get from point A to point B. Now, if that uses 4G to do that, I was unaware of it. If it does not, then why have a smartphone or other device when I already have a GPS that fits my needs? Besides, that is the only time, and the only reason I got a GPS: For use in my car when I'm driving somewhere that I have never been to before. Outside of that, I never use it.

said by BF69:

D) You could be in an area where you need to contact someone but the phone coverage sucks. At least with the data you could have other ways to communicate with people.

So far, I have not found an area that I go to that the coverage is poor. If I ever run into that, its probably that I'm on vacation or something, and I would just find another way to contact someone if the need arose.

said by BF69:

E) Eventually even voice is going to go over LTE.

Well, when that does happen, and I'm forced to switch phones, then so be it. However, I'll make sure to either disable any internet (data) features on the phone, and make sure I don't get billed for them. If that's not possible, then I will just go without. Its not that big of a deal to me.

--Brian
--
============================
--Brian Plencner

E-Mail: CoasterBrian72Cancer@gmail.com
Note: Kill Cancer to Reply via e-mail

gooberGrape

@csiweb.net

iPhone 4 gets great speeds

When it works. AT&T's network tops out at 5M down, 1M up on my iPhone 4, without HSPA+/4G capability. That's better than DSL, and compares to local fiber speeds. With everything capped at 5GB as a data plan, why are carriers building out LTE anyways? I see why VZ is, they have to to compete with HSPA+. But this buildout defeats the purpose if it's so expensive to buy that it requires a second mortgage on a house to pay carriers for.

SHoTTa35

@optonline.net

I'm kinda one of them...

I can say other than the promise of VoLTE and it's HD Voice I don't need "4G" speeds. Last speedtest I did on my phone worked out to about 5Mbps (on AT&T with SGS2) which is plenty as I don't try to view "Full web" on my tiny screen phone. I prefer mobile sites or apps to give me just the information I need rather than tons of apps taking up space.

My "Faug G" speeds are more than enough for now anyways, maybe for a Tablet or something i might want faster speeds but my phone, i'll take the lowly HSPA+ versions of phones vs the LTE ones which suck battery like a vampire at prom!
kaila

join:2000-10-11
Lincolnshire, IL

There's been so much doubletalk....

purposeful misrepresentation, lies and damn lies, it's no wonder the many users are confused over what 4G really is. Add in the restrictions and rising overall costs of mobile data now that 4G is rolling out, it's no wonder a sizable percentage don't want it.

tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO
kudos:1

Re: There's been so much doubletalk....

said by kaila:

purposeful misrepresentation, lies and damn lies, it's no wonder the many users are confused over what 4G really is. Add in the restrictions and rising overall costs of mobile data now that 4G is rolling out, it's no wonder a sizable percentage don't want it.

4g is a marketing term. Little more. The fact that people get so pissy about it is fascinating.

If I'm getting 12mbps on my Galaxy Nexus, I don't really care if it's WiMax, LTE, or HSPA+. The result is what matters, not the marketing.
--
"What makes us omniscient? Have we a record of omniscience? ...If we can't persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we'd better reexamine our reasoning."
-United States Secretary of Defense (1961-1968) Robert S. McNamara
tmc8080

join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

how about this..

how about consumers just go back to buying talk and text?

if the cellcos don't want to play nice with pricing.. just stop demanding data services and smart phones.. there, problem solved..

Steve Mehs
Gun Control Is Using A Steady Hand
Premium
join:2005-07-16

Re: how about this..

said by tmc8080:

how about consumers just go back to buying talk and text?

if the cellcos don't want to play nice with pricing.. just stop demanding data services and smart phones.. there, problem solved..

Why?

Just having talk and text won’t let me check sports scores with ESPN Score Center when I can’t be near a TV, stream live NASCAR races when I’m not near a TV, check my online banking and transfer money between accounts on a whim, receive emails when and for how much my paycheck is and when it get deposited to my account along with email alerts of possible fraudulent activity with my credit cards. Can’t buy movie tickets on Fandango, can’t find new places to eat at with Urbanspoon and can’t remotely program my DVRs with talk and text.

I like that song that’s playing over the loudspeaker at JC Pennys, what’s it called? Oh yeah, text and talk means no Soundhound. Is that lamp really a good deal Pennys, or can I get it cheaper on Amazon, oopps that right, talk and text only means no Amazon or eBay apps since they need a data connection. No data also means I can’t use Google Navigation to find places went I get sent into unfamiliar areas for work, and it also means that I can’t stream Sirius XM or Pandora for 10+ hours a day while working,

I am not exactly sure what I would do my a smartphone, if I have talk and text only, makes one of my favorite electronic toys all but useless.

I'd never give up having a smartphone. Simply not worth living if I don't have 24/7 connectivity to the internet.
--
For the future of our nation, we must unite and vote out the terrorist known as Hussein Obama. Come November 6 2012 we must remove the socialist pig out of office and get our country back on the RIGHT track.

Jon Geb
Wal-Mart Sucks

join:2001-01-09
Howell, MI

Re: how about this..

Perfect response... my thoughts exactly.
rdmiller

join:2005-09-23
Richmond, VA

47 percenter here

I welcome this debate, even though my dumb phone doesn't do any Gs.
bemis

join:2008-07-18
Reading, MA
Reviews:
·Comcast
·Verizon FiOS

Only 47%?

I'm frankly surprised it's that low.

I have an iPhone 4, which is of course 3G. I have no reason to upgrade to a 4G phone because the current phone does everything I need already--I can do video chat, I can watch Netflix, I can stream YouTube, I can send large pictures (2MB) in a relatively short time, I can view maps real-time.

Now, when my signal is weak, and I'm running at slower speeds, yeah OK I'd like more speed... but that would be an issue with 4G as well.

So yeah, I would guess that many people don't need 4G, at most they they need stronger 3G signal...

djrobx

join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
kudos:1
Reviews:
·VOIPo
·Verizon Wireless..
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T U-Verse

Re: Only 47%?

So yeah, I would guess that many people don't need 4G, at most they they need stronger 3G signal...

I'm 50/50. It depends on the carrier.

I have a Verizon iPad and an AT&T iPhone 4.

On AT&T I don't need LTE (real 4G) yet. On HSPA, it gets speed tests of around 3-6mbps and everything works pretty well.
On Verizon we badly need LTE. With Verizon 3G, I'm lucky to break 160kbps and it's slow as molasses just pulling up websites. It has nothing to do with signal strength, it's the same all over town.

We're in a suburb of LA with 176,000 people.

-- Rob
--
AT&T U-Hearse - RIP Unlimited Internet 1995-2011
Rethink Billable.
floydb1982

join:2004-08-25
Kent, WA

True 4G is 100Mbps

True 4G is 100Mbps but nobody offers such a connection so they offer fake 4G.

BF69
Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN

Re: True 4G is 100Mbps

said by floydb1982:

True 4G is 100Mbps but nobody offers such a connection so they offer fake 4G.

Why do you need 100 Mbps so you can hit your 2 GB cap in 3 minutes? Hell my HOME cable internet connection tops out at 30 Mbps.

IowaCowboy
Want to go back to Iowa
Premium
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA
Reviews:
·Comcast
·Verizon Broadban..

Big difference

I can tell you firsthand that 4G is faster than 3G and much faster than 1xRTT.

The data speeds on my iPad 3 are much faster than on my iPhone 4.

I can't wait for a 4G iPhone.

The LTE network feels just like a cable modem where 3G feels like DSL.
--
I wish I still lived in Iowa; Everything there from rent and groceries to Cable TV is much cheaper in Iowa (especially with an overbuilder in town).

aaronwt
Premium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS

Re: Big difference

said by IowaCowboy:

I can tell you firsthand that 4G is faster than 3G and much faster than 1xRTT.

The data speeds on my iPad 3 are much faster than on my iPhone 4.

I can't wait for a 4G iPhone.

The LTE network feels just like a cable modem where 3G feels like DSL.

That pretty much describes the difference I see on Verizon with my 4G phone. I need a 4G connection now since I use an Amazon cloud drive to store my music, pictures and home videos. WIth a 4G connection I can play and view content from the drive right away. almost like it was stored locally. While with a 3G connection it's too slow to even listen to the music since it takes too long to download from very slow connection. Fortunately in the DC area I pretty much have 4G all the time. Except when the phone sometimes gets stuck in 3G mode (Since the phone updated the android OS recently)

dslisgreat

@gwi.net
Hey now, my local provider offers 20mbps ADSL2+ service. It's quite a bit cheaper than the local cable offerings as well.

Morac
Cat god

join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ
kudos:1
Reviews:
·Comcast
said by IowaCowboy:

I can't wait for a 4G iPhone.

I have 4G on my iPhone. Well at least according to AT&T I do.

I'm sure that doesn't help help the 4G cause when people with "4G" are only pulling 200 kbps in places.
--
The Comcast Disney Avatar has been retired.
brianiscool

join:2000-08-16
Tampa, FL
kudos:1

office

I am always working on a computer. Why would I need internet on my phone?

BF69
Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN

Re: office

said by brianiscool:

I am always working on a computer. Why would I need internet on my phone?

if you need to use your GPS it would be nice to have maps.

goathouse

@myvzw.com
you're you. many other people depend on their smartphones for almost all of their internet needs, and sometimes services that you can't even get on a traditional computer. get with the times.

Scorpion

@comcast.net
Same here. I would never pay for the outrageous fees for a data plan.

BF69
Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN

Re: office

said by Scorpion :

Same here. I would never pay for the outrageous fees for a data plan.

you will pay for data eventually. for example new Verizon customers HAVE to get the Share Plans. The only choice you have is to choose the lowest data plan since you don't use any.

Cjaiceman
Premium,MVM
join:2004-10-12
Parker, CO
kudos:2

Dont underestimate the power of stupid people...

... in large numbers....

Good going phone companies, confusing the average consumer has screwed the rest of us that understand it and want it to go faster.
--
TorDek: "DSLR... Here, were not just experts... were also vindictive bastards..."

cowboyro

join:2000-10-11
Shelton, CT

I don't need 4G either...

All I need is a solid 1-2M connection. That's more than enough to accommodate anything on a smartphone.
Those who have laptops and need to transfer huge amounts of data fast are a different story.

Thistool

@144.70.2.x

Re: I don't need 4G either...

phablets to big to be a phone to small to be a tablet. These are becoming way more common im a early adopter using unlimitied s3 on verizon. What i do today with my mini tablet is probably more then most, data hog the whole nine. Funny though my usage from 5 years ago is pretty much common place today, for most people. In the future as tech improves you will not do much with a laptop desktop wired connection it will be wireless. Fake 4g today will become standard tomorrow. I cant understand why so many here on this board are quick to say, "I dont need that, Im fine with the slower connection". 100 years ago people did not need to fly either now, practically a standard?
BiggA

join:2005-11-23
EARTH

I know, and I don't really care

The only time I'd actually need LTE is when I'm going to Manhattan. Otherwise, HSPA+ is more than enough for my needs. In fact, the building I will be working in has AT&T repeaters in it, and I get 5 bars with 5+mbps there consistently on my iPhone.

Lone Wolf
Independent Voter, Buy Gold and Guns
Premium
join:2001-12-30
USA
kudos:1
Reviews:
·Verizon Online DSL
·Comcast

Galaxy Nexus 3G

My unlocked Samsung Galaxy Nexus was not available in 4G. For me 3G works well and I believe the 47% is way too low.

Most people don't know what UMTS, 3G, 4G, WCDMA, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA, LTE, GSM are and I would bet that over 80% of the people don't care. There are lies, damn lies and statistics.

I found that if my friends get their text messages, sports scores or Facebook notifications 5 seconds before I do it's not important to me.
--
»www.teamovercome.net/
»www.galaxynexusforum.com/

SysOp

join:2001-04-18
Douglasville, GA
Reviews:
·voip.ms
·T-Mobile US

On the net much?

Don't get enough at home, work or school? Need to be jacked in everywhere? When you don't have wifi, get 4G.
ArizonaSteve

join:2004-01-31
Apache Junction, AZ
Reviews:
·T-Mobile US
·voip.ms
·Sipgate VOIP
·CenturyLink

T-Mobile 3G and 4G are almost the same speed!

On T-Mobile I get around 4-5mb on 4G and 3-7mb on 3G. The OpenSignalMaps app calls their towers 3.5G and the fastest speed I ever got on 4G was 5.6mb but either way it's more than adequate since there's no need for really fast speed on a phone. Everything on my phone including watching Netflix will run with just 1.5-2mb.
They avoided the real problem which is low caps and high costs.

SysOp

join:2001-04-18
Douglasville, GA
Reviews:
·voip.ms
·T-Mobile US

1 edit

Re: T-Mobile 3G and 4G are almost the same speed!

That's because it's not fourth generation, it's a patch. Which is smart from an investors standpoint. Edge in the sticks, HSPA in rural areas, HSPA+ in sub-urban areas, and LTE in the city.

1st Gen= Analog
2nd Gen= GSM/GPRS/EDGE
3rd Gen= UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+
4th Gen= LTE

Once the UMTS network is complete; simply turn off GSM.

simlesa
Premium
join:2006-04-14
Astoria, NY

Alternatives?

This article is misleading in the sense that it doesn't offer the alternatives. Do people not need 4G because they are happy with 3G? Because they don't go online? Because they can't get 4G?

I personally prefer a reliable data connection over the extra speeds of 4G over 3G. I have a Droid Razr, and the worst thing is the lag created when switching between 4G and 3G. Unless I'm tethering to a laptop, I'm fully satisfied with getting 3 Mbps when I'm not home. Only about 10 years ago, I was happy with a 14.4 kbps dial-up connection with my cell phone. At least it allowed me to go online. As long as the tower is not saturated, and I can take advantage of the speeds 3G offers. I expect in few years, as the standard keeps going up, I'm sure I will need higher speeds. But for now, I'm happy with 3G speeds.

--Luko

Anonymous_
Anonymous
Premium
join:2004-06-21
127.0.0.1
kudos:2

EDGE

Edge works fine for me

I do not see how you would need more then 300kbps on a mobile device with such as small screen

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