Cellular has had “Generations” as markers of the technology for a long time now. They are unofficial milestones in cellular development. To be more official you need to look into 3GPP and the Release versions as well as User Catagories for speeds.

2G had 2.5G with Higher Data Rates, GPRS, and Edge. I remember setting up serial modem connections where it acted like a landline dial up connection.

3G had 3.5G with Higher Download Speed (HSDPA) before Higher Upload Speed was added with HSUPA. Finally being called just HSPA – High Speed Packet Access. I remember cellular routers having just HSUPA and then finally they came out with HSDPA, like I said which just became HSPA.

4G also now has 4.5G – which is LTE Advanced Pro. 4G LTE being Long Term Evolution. The system was already digital … the core became all packet switched instead of having circuit switched as in 3G and 2G. 4.5G advances 4G LTE a lot. At first LTE Advanced, and now LTE Advanced Pro. We have 600Mb/s LTE-A and 1200Mb/s Advanced Pro. These are of course the system max for the technology … where average user speeds will be less depending on tower(s) loading conditions. 600M might mean user speeds of 60Mb/s. 1200M might mean user speeds of 120Mb/s. Considering the fastest for 4G LTE on average was around 20Mb/s that’s a big improvement. We have both 600M LTE-A and 1200M LTE-A PRO systems available. LTE-A PRO might not be available in your area. You should check with your cellular provider as to if it is available. AT&T is calling this “5G Evolution”.

5G Is being worked on … being tested and deployed in phases. Is it available where you are or where you travel to? You’ll have to ask. LTE – LTE-A is already a mature technology. 5G will use LTE to assist it for quite some time. 5G will need more radio heads … smaller towers closer to user areas. 5G will use some existing bands (sub 6 Ghz bands) and Millimeter (High Ghz > 6Ghz bands.) The Millimeter wave bands help with the expected much faster speeds … but don’t travel as far or penetrate objects (walls, vehicles) as well as the lower bands. Antennas are going to be a fun thing for boats and other vehicles. We will have to see what antennas come out, what becomes available. These things take time. Just like equipment such as routers (even smart phones) takes time to be developed and released for sale.

Meanwhile we have, like I said, LTE Advanced Pro 1200M and LTE Advanced 600M systems available today. Many of which use modem expansion (add-on) slots – that can take newer modems as they become available. Again this is the 4.5G mentioned above, available now.

Alan Spicer Telecom / Marine Telecom

+1 954 354 2748

communications @ marinetelecom.net

These are available now. And are supposedly future upgradable to 5G as that rolls out. You can’t change the built-in modem but these routers come with an MC-400 modem slot for future upgradability by purchasing these modems.

LTE User CAT 18 (3GPP Release 13) – 1.2Gbps Max DL Rate – 2 x 2, 4 x 4, 8 x 8 MIMO. Modem has 4 ports for 4 X 4 MIMO. (To do that on a marine vessel [or any vehicle] you need 4 topside antennas or an antenna with 4 discrete elements with their own coax downlead.)
(Note: LAA may not be as obscure as they are leading us to believe. It’s in the Qualcomm chipset, in the Telit card … hard to believe they did that just for AT&T.)
“That peak 1Gbps speed, however, is only available in the “parts of 31 cities” that have AT&T’s obscure LTE-LAA network, with “more than 400” 5G Evolution markets peaking at a lower speed of 400Mbps. Small businesses with basic connectivity needs may be able to rely on 400Mbps for everything they need today, but multiple concurrent users could easily choke an LTE modem.”
https://venturebeat.com/2018/12/13/cradlepoint-offers-5g-upgradeable-routers-ahead-of-att-network-launch/

RF Bands
• LTE FDD: B1, B25(B2), B3, B66(B4),
B26(B5), B7, B8, B12(17), B13,
B14, B20, B28, B29(DL), B30, B32(DL), B71
• LTE TDD: B38, B39, B40, B41, B42, B46(DL),
B48
• WCDMA: B1, B2, B4, B5, B8

Qualcomm X20 based …
The Snapdragon X20 LTE modem is designed to provide vastly expanded spectrum flexibility compared to the previous generation. With support for up to 5x carrier aggregation, up to 4×4 MIMO on three aggregated carriers and up to 12 LTE spatial streams, it can help many more operators around the world deploy Gigabit LTE service. Additionally, with support for License Assisted Access (LAA), Snapdragon X20 helps allow operators with as little as 10MHz of licensed spectrum tap into unlicensed spectrum to deploy Gigabit LTE, relieving congestion in crowded areas. So, even at the busiest times, you can get the service you need, when you need it, on your device.

Alan Spicer Telecom / Marine Telecom

+1 954 354 2748

communications @ marinetelecom.net

https://opensignal.com/reports/2018/07/usa/state-of-the-mobile-network

4G speeds are on the rise once again in the U.S. Operators are beginning to cross the 20 Mbps barrier for 4G download speeds, but perhaps more telling are the results we’re seeing on the regional level. In big cities like New York and Detroit we’re measuring 4G connections in excess of 30 Mbps, an indication of network capabilities to come. Analyzing more than 8 billion measurements, OpenSignal once again revisits the U.S., comparing the 3G and 4G metrics of the country’s big four service providers.

Alan Spicer Telecom / Marine Telecom

+1 954 354 2748

communications @ marinetelecom.net