In the simplest way, the difference between them is speed. E is for EDGE
(2.75G), which is an enhanced form of what in old phones used to be
called GPRS (2.5 G). It has relatively slow data rates of around 236kbps
(1mbps peak speed). But actual usage speeds are often lower. Don’t
expect to stream a video with E showing on your network bar.
What Is 3G Network & WCDMA?
3G is the next one. It uses WCDMA
signalling. The data rates here are comparable to edge but It offers
better quality, better latency, lower delay, so making it more suitable
for audio, video and streaming services.
Meaning of H, H+ And Their Differences
H is HSPA which stands for high speed
packet access. It’s an improvement over 3G and is mix of HSDPA
(downlink) and HSUPA (uplink). Major changes were done on the radio side
which increased the data rates to up to 3 and 7Mbps (in theory, its
more). Many Smartphone users in Nigeria will have noticed that H has
replaced 3G on their phones
H+ is Evolved HSPA. HSPA was further
improved into HSPA+ where new technologies like MIMO antennas were
introduced which boosted the data to faster speeds of around 160Mbps
downloads and around 15Mbps uploads (the data rate for H+ is generally
advertised 21Mbps). H+ shows up on my network screen and although I have
never experienced download speeds of greater than 1.3mbps, I find the
browsing experience on H+ very satisfactory.
What Is A 4G Network? How Is It Different From 3G?
4G networks have begun to appear across
Europe and America, and we can expect the technology to arrive Nigeria
soon. I will definitely keep you posted.
Note that if you subscribe to a 3G plan,
you have subscribed to all the above network types. Your mobile phone
first looks out for cells/towers which are H+ capable; if it fails it
tries the lower ones. When 3G is not at all available, the mobile phone
falls back to Edge.
Also, if you observe when you are in
Edge, your calls and data will not work together. This is because voice
and data calls use the same infrastructure in 2G whereas in 3G (or H or
H+) you will be able to browse on your phone while you are on call. This
is because data and voice are separated and can work distinctly in a 3G
network.
