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It doesn't matter that Apple's 'iPhone 8' may not support 4G Gigabit LTE or 5G

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A report claiming Apple's "iPhone 8" won't supporting some next-generation connectivity generated some confusion about the new device's prospects — but it really won't matter. AppleInsider explains the technology, and why the next crop of iPhones won't be impacted if Apple limits connectivity speed.

Apple not supporting the latest and greatest connectivity and speeds in networking isn't new. The iPhone 3GS shipped when LTE was coming out, and more recently, the Qualcomm modem in some iPhones was limited somewhat so that it and the Intel modem in some devices would perform the same across the board.

Couple Apple's periodic reticence to adopt the new technologies, some practicality hurdles, and the company's licensing battle with Qualcomm, and it actually seems probable that it won't support 4G Gigabit LTE, or 5G in the next batch of iPhones.

5G isn't even close

The so-called "5G" is the next wave of telecommunications coming from the carriers. There are no standards for the technology yet, with research going in a few different directions.

As promised the "5G Standard" demands 100 megabits per second for metropolitan areas, better spectrum efficiency, lower latency, and "tens of megabits" for tens of thousands of users.

How often can you say that you meet peak connectivity requirements now?

While the U.S. has set aside 5G spectrum, there's not much there, yet. There's no delivery technology standard, and Verizon and AT&T are part of the effort in the U.S. with competing efforts to set the standard for the future.

At the earliest, there will be 5G networks available beyond limited testing in the end of 2018. However, wide-spread use of the technology isn't expected until 2020 with deployments stretching well into the next decade. Where we stand today is not all that dissimilar to the initial 4G research a decade ago versus today's deployments.

Qualcomm does supply chips for 5G, but not in any real quantity such as what Apple would need — yet.

4G Gigabit LTE

Gigabit LTE is the latest evolutionary step in the current 4G wireless standard. In theory, speeds can peak at 1 gigbit per second, but actual delivered speed is significantly less.

The technology needs a few factors to succeed — 4x4 MIMO, 256QAM, and carrier aggregation.

The first, 4x4 MIMO, is essentially multiple antennae in the same device to pick up a variety of signals. This leads into carrier aggregation allowing for multiple cell signals to be received by the phone. The third factor, 256QAM, implements a different modulation of the wireless signal, allowing for more data to be included per packet in the same amount of airtime.

The first US phone capable of connecting to 4G at Gigabit speeds is the Samsung Galaxy S8.

In the U.S., T-Mobile promised "up to double" non-Gigabit LTE connection speeds in "nearly 300 cities nationwide" when the Samsung Galaxy S8 launched. In actuality, and specified in the very small print on the bottom of the announcement, the speeds are available only in parts of the cities serviced by the technology, as cell tower upgrades to support it aren't trivial.

AT&T and Verizon promise deployments beyond a market or two at some point in 2017.

Practical matters of gigabit internet speeds

Promotional materials from T-Mobile and others promise two-hour movie downloads in 15 seconds. However, it's not that simple.

Fiberoptic internet provides, like Google Fiber, and FiOS Gigabit, can generously simulate 4G Gigabit LTE minus all of the pitfalls of a wireless transmission. Even given ideal circumstances, the test points out a key weakness of user speeds that fast — possible peak reception is impacted by delivery speed.

Apple and Google servers in the dead of night deliver about 60 megabytes per second (0.48 gigabits per second) at fastest, with Amazon doling out about 65 MB/sec. These numbers drop to around 30 MB/sec during peak times. Other providers and servers are notably slower.

In our tests on a FiOS Gigabit wired connection, Netflix delivered about 30 MB/sec at best during times of low traffic, with Facebook doling out about 20 MB/sec. CNN delivers about 12 megabytes per second, with other top-tier providers falling off from there.

Existing "regular" LTE in a best-case scenario can handle about 30 megabytes per second — but reception limitations which are more profoundly aggravated when using 4G Gigabyte LTE cut that back realistically to about 8 megabytes per second during peak use times.

Even given a device capable of handling 4G Gigabit LTE with the phone user outside, with line-of-sight to a cell tower, in the limited service areas that support the technology, you still can't utilize the speed that the new technology delivers and remain in acceptable use policies — today. And, how often can you say that you meet peak connectivity requirements now?

If you're in a more rural area, LTE speeds can only get faster — but they won't until the carriers make it so.

Well, what about the "iPhone 11?"

We're not saying that 4G Gigabit LTE and 5G aren't important. The improvements to the networks for 4G Gigabit LTE pave the way to 5G, with carrier aggregation and 256QAM needed for all of the implementations so far.

Faster data transfers mean requests are fulfilled quicker, leading to less congested airwaves overall. This doesn't necessarily mean better universal speeds, but it does cut back one source of wireless slowdown in peak traffic times.

In theory, the internet backbone will be enhanced as well to support use of the higher speed, mitigating the delivered speeds from server farms somewhat. But, this is not at all certain, given an assortment of factors ranging from lack of corporate will, or the actual physical ability to do so.

But, none of these things are important this year, or in 2018 — and probably not until 2020 or later.



65 Comments

sdw2001 23 Years · 17460 comments

Definitely doesn't matter.  I live in the Philly exurbs (barely) and LTE service is better but spotty.  It even drops in more suburban areas at times.  I won't hold my breath on 5G.  

techprod1gy 11 Years · 838 comments

I know it probably doesn't matter to most of the populations in large metros but for where I live 4G filled in a lot of gaps where there was no coverage due to the extended range it provided. Can I assume 5G will provide even wider coverage? If so that would be again beneficial in some small town USA scenarios.

Mike Wuerthele 8 Years · 6906 comments

I know it probably doesn't matter to most of the populations in large metros but for where I live 4G filled in a lot of gaps where there was no coverage due to the extended range it provided. Can I assume 5G will provide even wider coverage? If so that would be again beneficial in some small town USA scenarios.

Since there's a couple of competing "standards" at the moment, it's hard to tell right now. That picture will be clearer at some point in 2018.

rob53 13 Years · 3313 comments

I know it probably doesn't matter to most of the populations in large metros but for where I live 4G filled in a lot of gaps where there was no coverage due to the extended range it provided. Can I assume 5G will provide even wider coverage? If so that would be again beneficial in some small town USA scenarios.

No, I don't think that is an expectation you should hope for. LTE hasn't offered that extended coverage over 3G/4G. Coverage only depends on the number and location of cellular towers. I'm sure someone will say I'm wrong but the best way to extend coverage along with faster cellular speed is to install more towers. If you live in an area where your line of sight horizon is a couple states away, you'll have better coverage with a more powerful signal but in many areas, including large metropolitan areas, line of sight is at the end of your street or around a corner. I get better coverage by going upstairs, down the street or a couple miles away where I have line of sight to the towers. Many cities are run by old people without any idea how these things operate and they'd rather not install cell towers no matter how much they're made to look like trees or hidden by structures they've already approved. My stupid HOA says I can't install old fashion antennas, only satellite dishes. I have some large trees around my house and would love to hide a cell tower up through the trees but even my forward thinking city council doesn't want to do it. 

It's my understanding that right now 5G is limited to very short distances. I get 200+Mbps over WiFi in my house on my iPhone 6S. I don't expect to see anything near this speed in the near future and even if I did, I can't see a need for it. So what if I could download a 2 hour movie in 15 secs, I can't watch it that fast!

rotateleftbyte 12 Years · 1630 comments

Samsung will have the bragging rights "We can do 1Gb. Apple Can't"
Expect TV adverts all over the place saying this about the time of the phone release.

It won't matter one bit that the carrier infrastructure nor that the 5G standard is ratified, Apple will lose out. The Phone buying public will see that one phone can do it and the iPhone can't. They'll buy the one that can despite the fact that no one could use it this side of 2020.

Sorry apple but those are the fact of life. Personally, I don't care but Data speeds are important to quite a few people.