Is 4G backwards compatible with 3G?

[slim_boy_fat]

My friends on the West coast would be glad to have ANY mobile phone signal [due to the topography].

 

[ukracer]

Yes, but is that whilst acting as the hotspot for several devices and needing to get out of earshot of staff / customers

I would have thought so.

 

[hotponyshoes]

It would just be better all round if they left the 3g network operational or at least made the new 4/5g stations compatible with it.
I appreciate it's probably a few years old now and declining in use but there is a lot of perfectly good hardware in circulation that's probably going to end up in landfill when it gets switched off.

 

[mr_splatter]

The reason to remove the 3G network is to free up spectrum for the newer 5G standard. There isn't really any way of making 4/5 G compatible with 3G as such, it is more that the terminals support the different standards or not. (I work in mobile networks and used to be the Program Manager for the NB-IoT standard rollout for one of the large network providers someone mentioned earlier in the thread which is a low data rate, high coverage standard that can be used for a lot of applications like smart metering)

There were some internal studies done on the impact of switching off 2G and 3G and the conclusion was that there is far more equipment currently connected to 2G (GPRS) than 3G equipment. However, that is still a headache to those connected to 3G meaning a replacement of equipment if the terminals can't fall back to 2G. 5G is an amazing technology technically speaking but my fear is that it will only work well in the dense areas and leave people in rural and hard to reach locations out in the cold and not getting the benefits.

 

[Justme]

You'll have plenty of range outdoors. There isn't much to get in the way.

the square type connect by bluetooth so limited range

 

[reb78]

5G is an amazing technology technically speaking but my fear is that it will only work well in the dense areas and leave people in rural and hard to reach locations out in the cold and not getting the benefits.

If they continue to provide 4G in rural areas I would be happy. 5G is faster than I need and we use a 4G router to deliver wifi to our house - it works perfectly. Speeds are regularly 40mbs plus and upload speeds nearly always around 10mbs.

 

[bump]

the square type connect by bluetooth so limited range

Ah can't do much when that's a combination of the wavelength and power output by design.

The most pointless thing I ever found was a bluetooth irc app. You needed a phone to act as a hub, so everyone was in the same room

 

[George Erasmus]

They are soon to start to turn off 3G and 2G to make space for 5g gear in the equipment cabinets. I’m not aware they have started thou, might be the 3g cell was overloaded with subscribers?

worth getting 4g sorted…

2G won't get turned off as it has best reach and penetration of ll the other variants

 

[PhillipM]

Yes, but is that whilst acting as the hotspot for several devices and needing to get out of earshot of staff / customers?

Should be on any decent phone. I can run a 2.4ghz hotspot, a 5ghz hotspot, connect to a wifi network and use 5g data and take a call, no problem

 

[Dev]

2G won't get turned off as it has best reach and penetration of ll the other variants

Yes it will.

Switching off the UK’s 2G and 3G mobile networks: what you need to know

The 2G and 3G mobile networks are gradually being switched off over the next few years. Here’s what this means for you as a customer.

www.ofcom.org.uk

The lower band frequencies, which as you rightly say have better range and penetration, will be reused by 5G.

Range isn’t as much of an issue when you can get low earth orbit satellite 4G base stations now (though not licensed in the Uk at the minute I think)

 

[500e]

We have 5g phones which show full signal but wont connect to tAt home have to hang out of bedroom window to get a good 4g signal.he net, next day ok, also voice that wont stay connected for more than 2/3 minutes without distortion, ring off make a new call rinse and repeat
The boys have different make phones and all suffer to some extent

 

[hotponyshoes]

Ha! 4 years on and I still have not really sorted this out!

1 of the original card terminals packed up.
The battery life was poor on another.
So I purchased 1 newer machine that works with 4g. Works great in some places. Terrible in others (ie, nothing at all)

The 2 previous 3g machines work ok on a hotspot on a phone. 3 will connect but seem slower than just using 2 card machines and making customers wait.

The phone I am using for this is a Samsung S10.
I also got a Samsung S20 to see if that would work with 3 or 4 machines any better.

But, I'm having a problem with that phone because it won't connect to the WiFi in my house. Well, it connects to the WiFi but gives a 'connected-no internet' message.
So my next mission was to sort that out but that job has probably been waiting a year now..

 

[ajlelectronics]

Ha! 4 years on and I still have not really sorted this out!

1 of the original card terminals packed up.
The battery life was poor on another.
So I purchased 1 newer machine that works with 4g. Works great in some places. Terrible in others (ie, nothing at all)

The 2 previous 3g machines work ok on a hotspot on a phone. 3 will connect but seem slower than just using 2 card machines and making customers wait.

The phone I am using for this is a Samsung S10.
I also got a Samsung S20 to see if that would work with 3 or 4 machines any better.

But, I'm having a problem with that phone because it won't connect to the WiFi in my house. Well, it connects to the WiFi but gives a 'connected-no internet' message.
So my next mission was to sort that out but that job has probably been waiting a year now..

Would you like a free Square terminal? Bluetooth to your 'phone and somit uses whatever network connection is available to it. I don't use it anymore now I have closed the shop.