Higher-quality music and video consumption on mobile devices is driving the popularity of new 4G capability provided locally by Vodafone.
4G, based on the LTE standard, is the next generation mobile communication technology promising high speeds that are comparable to fixed-line broadband at home or at the office.
Andrew de La Torre, head of technology at Vodafone, at the moment the only 4G provider in Malta, confirmed that, since the launch of the technology late last year, the take-up has been very encouraging and they are moving ahead with plans to extend the coverage in the country.
“We have seen very positive adoption of 4G which has been fully in line with our forecasts. This has been helped significantly by the release of an increasing number of 4G-capable devices – and we have seen strong take-up among our customers of 4G handsets accordingly. Well over half the smartphones Vodafone currently offers are already 4G capable,” explained Mr de La Torre.
The service was commercially launched in selected areas, including Valletta and Sliema/St Julian’s, late last year but the footprint has been increased over time as mobile sites are converted to offer 4G.
Vodafone confirmed it will soon announce new zones where the service will be available. More details on the areas offering 4G are available on the company’s website at www.vodafone.com.mt.
The company reassured users that where 4G is not yet available, their devices will seamlessly fall back to the 3G network which is capable of delivering high-speed data up to 42Mb/s.
Delivering high internet access speeds brings a change in attitude and usage from users who can benefit from a richer experience, not just in terms of raw speed but also in quality.
“We have certainly observed that once customers upgrade to 4G, their appetite for data increases and their average usage is much higher than customers using 3G. You see that a lot of this increased usage is driven by the consumption of higher quality video and music, reflecting the higher capabilities of 4G in delivering the richest web content with the best experience,” confirmed Vodafone’s head of technology.
i-Tech did extensive trials of 4G over a 4G-enabled smartphone over a period of two months and the results showed download speeds up to 88Mb/s and upload speeds of up to 16Mb/s in the Valletta/Floriana and Sliema/St Julian’s areas. The upload speed is actually much higher than what average residential fixed-line broadband internet offers right now.
The trial also confirmed how much data-hungry 4G is. A month’s allocation of data download barely consumed on average with 3G was gobbled up in less than two weeks with 4G.
“Those speeds are definitely achievable in the areas of best coverage on the Vodafone 4G network,” confirmed Mr de La Torre. “In fact, the download speed you quote is close to the highest currently possible with the type of device being used, but we have seen much higher upload speeds. It should be remembered though that as with any mobile technology, 4G speeds will vary depending on the signal strength, the type of device being used, and the number of users in the same area as you at the time. So these figures are higher than the speeds we usually quote to our customers, as we prefer to refer to speeds that are closer to the average experience a user will get over time.
A month’s allocation of data download … was gobbled up in less thantwo weeks with 4G
“As a technology, 4G is more than capable of delivering speeds comparable to the best fixed-line offerings available, and is certainly able to deliver the very highest quality content available on the internet today.
However, Vodafone insists that 4G’s attractiveness is not just in the higher internet access speed.
“The 4G data experience is about much more than just the headline speeds, but also the low delay and hence high responsiveness of 4G when compared to other mobile technologies. When interacting with complex and rich internet content and websites, this benefit makes an enormous difference to the overall user experience.
“It is this low delay or ‘latency’ that really helps 4G compete as a technology with even the best fixed-line systems enabling delay-sensitive applications like gaming or remote control of devices possible,” he concluded.