4G

4G refers to the fourth generation of cellular network technology, introduced in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Compared to preceding third-generation (3G) technologies, 4G has been designed to support all-IP communications and broadband services, and eliminates circuit switching in voice telephony. It also has considerably higher data bandwidth compared to 3G, enabling a variety of data-intensive applications such as high-definition media streaming and the expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The earliest deployed technologies marketed as "4G" were Long-Term Evolution (LTE), developed by the 3GPP group, and Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, based on IEEE specifications. These provided significant enhancements over previous 3G and 2G.