Not sure what the differences are between 3G and 4G? 4G and 5G? Or 5G and 5G+? In this article, we take a journey through the generations of mobile/cellular technology, highlight key distinctions and compare their real-life download speeds against each other.
Mobile cellular technology has revolutionised the way we communicate, work, and entertain ourselves. Each successive generation has brought significant advancements, transforming our mobile experience from simple voice calls to lightning-fast data streaming and beyond. Last week, the regional mobile/cellular carrier, Liberty Caribbean, announced that it will be deploying 5G+, which seemed to be a variation—and potentially an improvement—of the 5G standard. At the time of writing, there has been a limited rollout of 5G across the Caribbean region, and consequently, limited discourse on the different standards that exist and can be implemented.
Over 14 years ago, we published a primer, EDGE, WiMAX, 3G, 4G: what’s the difference?, which discussed some of the popular standards in the Caribbean region at the time. Though it has been a useful reference, it is now dated and could do with being updated to include some of the newer technologies, such as 5G and 5G+, which we undertake in the sections that follow.
Mobile/cellular technology generations 101
Mobile/cellular technology is typically described in terms of “generations” (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G), where each generation has its own unique characteristics, including radio, core network, and service capabilities. A summary of each generation is outlined below, and important sub-standards are highlighted as appropriate.
2G (second generation) was introduced in the early 1990s and marked a pivotal shift from analogue to digital communication. The technology supported digital voice,Short Message Service (SMS) and basic data. Early 2G (and specifically the Global System for Mobile (GSM) standard transmitted at a handful of kilobits per second. Later 2G evolutions, such as GPRS and EDGE, enjoyed transmission speeds of tens or a few hundred kilobits per second, enabling very light web/email use.
3G (third generation) was launched in the early 2000s and brought Internet Protocol (IP) data as a first-class service and multimedia, such as video calls, basic mobile web browsing and streaming, to mobile/cellular devices. The transmission speed for basic 3G (UMTS) was hundreds of kbps. Later, HSPA and HSPA+ boosted typical downloads into the single-to-double-digit megabits per second range, which is generally adequate for streaming standard-definition video.
4G (fourth generation), especially the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced standards, began rolling out in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The standard made mobile broadband “all IP”: higher spectral efficiency, much higher peak rates and far lower latency than 3G. Hence, it can support high-definition video streaming, online gaming, voice over IP, and overall, considerably faster uploads and downloads. Early LTE raised typical mobile download speeds to tens or low hundreds of Mbps; LTE-Advanced (sometimes marketed as “LTE+” or “4G+”) pushed theoretical peaks toward 1 Gbps and beyond under ideal conditions.
5G (fifth generation) was first commercially deployed in the late 2010s, represents a monumental leap forward, not just in speed, but in its potential to transform various industries and applications. It is a family of radio technologies that operate across low-, mid- and high-frequency bands and focuses not only on higher peak throughput (multi-hundreds of Mbps to multi-Gbps in ideal cases) but also on considerably lower latency, massive device density, increased reliability and network programmability (slicing). Actual user speeds vary widely by spectrum band (being used. For example, if operating in a low-frequency band, wide coverage but modest speeds would be achieved, whilst a good balance would be enjoyed with a mid-band operation, and very high speed but limited range with high-band use.
“5G+” is not a single international technical standard, but rather an operator/marketing label to indicate enhanced 5G performance, such as due to mid-band or millimetre-wave deployments, or use of higher frequency millimetre-wave (mmWave) spectrum, or the inclusion of some vendor/operator-specific advanced features. For example, some operators use “5G+” to mean mmWave or enhanced mid-band coverage that delivers much higher speeds than their baseline 5G, which might be ideal for dense urban areas and specific enterprise applications.
5G-Advanced continues the evolution of the 5G standard by optimising the network to deliver the original 5G vision consistently and efficiently, rather than increasing the absolute peak speed number. It comprises standardised enhancements to capacity, energy efficiency, artificial intelligence/machine learning-assisted operation, uplink/downlink performance and new use-case support — but still within the 5G family.
6G (sixth generation, projected) is expected to be the successor to 5G, which is still being widely deployed. The 6G standard is expected to be finalised before 2030, and deployment to occur soon thereafter. 6G is expected to build upon 5G’s capabilities and introduce new paradigms in connectivity, including
- Terabit-per-second (Tbps) speeds
- Sub-millisecond latency that would enable real-time immersive experiences.
- AI-Native networks that are inherently intelligent, self-optimising, and predictive.
- Ubiquitous connectivity with seamless integration with satellite networks and other emerging communication technologies.
- Enhanced sensing and imaging, with 6G networks potentially acting as distributed sensor arrays, enabling highly accurate localisation, mapping, and even gesture recognition without dedicated sensors.
- Truly Immersive XR (Extended Reality), enabling realistic holographic communication and fully immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences. (Source: ericsson.com)
Upload and download speed comparison across generations
Exhibit 1 is a comparison of theoretical peak upload and download speeds for each generation and sub-standard. It is emphasised that actual speeds can vary significantly based on, among other things, network congestion, coverage, device capabilities, and environmental factors.
To illustrate the practical impact of these speeds, Exhibit 2 presents the approximate download times for various types of content. These calculations are for illustrative purposes and are based on theoretical peak speeds. They do not account for network overhead or real-world variability.
Practical takeaways
The future of mobile technology promises a world where connectivity is not just fast but intelligent, ubiquitous, and deeply integrated into our physical and digital realities. The jump from 3G to 4G was an important inflexion point: to move from mobile to a true broadband, low-latency, IP-native platform that facilitates streaming, cloud apps and app stores. On the other hand, 5G introduced a broad platform idea: low latency, network slicing, and support for massive IoT configurations. However, although the theoretical transmission speeds might be impressive, real user experience depends heavily on which spectrum bands (low, mid, high/mmWave) an operator deploys.
Image credit: freepik
