3G is a type of internet service offered by wireless phone providers. Depending on a particular area, the user will be able to get around 1 - 3 Mb/s. Recently, various wireless phone providers (i.e.: Verizon, T Mobile, AT&T, Sprint) have announced a new 4G. If you take the ratio from the average speeds from 1G to 2G to 3G, the speed of 4G should be in the 100s of Mb/s range. In the fall of 2010, T-Mobile announced that they have created a phone that offers 4G speeds. This was a surprise to everyone. Since, the 4G that we know isn't in the 100s of Mb/s, but more like in the 15 Mb/s range, this isn't truly 4G. But instead, it is a marketing campaign run by first T-Mobile, and then after to compete, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. Don't get me wrong, having a slightly faster internet available on some phones in some area is great, but, realistically, the 4G some people know and love, isn't really 4G.
Sources:
http://www.newser.com/story/104741/todays-4g-isnt-actually-4g.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carly_Foulkes
Written by Jacob Alford