Mobile technologies have developed enormously; one of the main developments is the emergence of 4G technology. It’s a word that you’ve certainly encountered in your daily life, but what is 4G? And is Nokia Lumia 1520 4G capable? We will answer these and other questions related to Nokia Lumia 1520 4G technology in the following article.
is the Nokia Lumia 1520 4G-compatible phone?
Yes. 4G is one of Nokia Lumia 1520 inherent attributes.
How do you tell whether Nokia Lumia 1520 is 4G-enabled or not?
It’s not rocket science to find out whether your device is 4G-enabled, but it’s still necessary to know how to do it. Because you don’t want to be left over with a device lacking an essential technology nowadays.
You can check the information directly by googling the phone name or model number, and checking on the official site of the manufacturer or any other dependable website. If you are a classic person, you can check the manual or the device package.
Another easy method is checking the status bar while the cellular data is on, if the Nokia Lumia 1520 4G data is activated, then you will notice a 4G or LTE sign there. If it’s not present then you have to consider another method.
How to switch to 4G on Nokia Lumia 1520?
If you want to activate your Nokia Lumia 1520 4G network, then follow the instructions (it might vary a bit from the settings on your own device):
1- From Home screen, choose Apps.
2- From the Apps tab, choose ALL SETTINGS.
3- Select mobile+SIM (or cellular+SIM).
4- Make sure the Data connection is on.
5- Select Highest connection speed.
6- Choose 4G or LTE option.
Note: If you want to switch off 4G then choose a lower network type (such as 3G).
Get to know what 4G is on Nokia Lumia 1520
4G is the fourth generation of mobile telecommunication. It was first released in 2009 in South Korea, and it was deployed after that all around the world until it became the fastest and most used network in mobiles.
The provider of 4G network specifications is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), it has also identified 5G, and 3G specifications before that. The ITU specifies what internet speeds and what latency limits are acceptable to call a network protocol a 4G.
Many protocols passed the test and qualified as 4G, the most important are LTE, LTE+, and HSPA+.
Advantages of 4G on Nokia Lumia 1520
4G was established to offer a more reliable internet connection on phones, and that’s truly what it did. 4G technology provides much enhanced downloading and uploading speeds than 3G.
The average 3G speed ranges from 1.5 to 9 Mbit/s, while the average 4G internet speed ranges between 15 to 90 Mbit/s, it can reach as high as 900 Mbit/s.
Another significant criterion of 4G, is its low latency. We can present latency as the time needed to transfer data or the delay between the action and the actual execution. Lesser latency means a better user experience. 4G has 100% better latency than 3G. The average 4G latency is 50 ms.
With the assistance of the VoLTE standard, 4G now presents better voice quality in phone calls and gives users the capability to navigate the internet while making calls.
All of these advantages combined with the low cost of 4G augmented the use of Nokia Lumia 1520 4G technology, to include better video conferencing, online gaming, and other real-time interactions.
What are 4G bands? And which bands are supported on your Nokia Lumia 1520?
4G and other mobile technologies use radio waves to transmit data. These waves have different lengths and frequencies. To avoid interference between signals, governments and the ITU regulated which regions use which frequencies for 4G.
Each region has been designated certain frequency intervals called bands. Band number 7 and band number 28 (as an example) are used in the whole world.
What you should be aware of as a consumer is that each cellular operator grants specific bands according to the area, and different phones support different bands. So you have to make sure that your Nokia Lumia 1520 supports the bands provided by your local carrier.
Here are the Nokia Lumia 15204G-supported bands:
1, 3, 7, 8, 20 – RM-937;2, 4, 5, 7, 17 – RM-938, RM-940;.
Nokia Lumia 1520 4G Technology Questions & Answers
How to know if 4G coverage is accessible in my zone?
Before choosing your mobile provider you need to make sure it has 4G coverage in your area. The easiest way to do so is by calling them and asking. Another option is to check their official website or any legit coverage map on the internet.
Why I’m not getting 4G although the settings are right?
If you own a phone that has 4G, and you don’t have a 4G connection, it might be that you are not on a 4G plan. Check your internet provider plans, or give them a call to enable it. If they don’t have a 4G offer, then you might want to change your cellular operator.
What is 4G LTE?
4G LTE is a term used interchangeably with 4G and LTE, which deceives users. technically speaking, LTE is NOT 4G. LTE stands for “Long Term Evolution”, a communication technology that developed from 3G but is still not as fast as 4G. However, some companies commercialize it as 4G.
The difference between 4G and LTE became more ambiguous when LTE-A (LTE – Advanced) emerged. LTE-A has almost the same speed as 4G technology.
Are GSM and CDMA the same as 4G LTE?
Before the launch of 4G LTE, the most supported standards were GSM (2G/3G) and CDMA (2G/3G). GSM is an initialism for “Global System for Mobile communication” and as its name suggests, it’s a standard that is used broadly by most cellular operators.
CDMA on the other hand stands for “Code-Division Multiple Access”, don’t get worried by the name it’s just another standard. what you need to know about it is that it’s not as widespread as GSM, and CDMA mobiles are often locked to a single carrier and cannot be shifted.
When considering purchasing either a GSM or CDMA mobile, you have to take into account the carrier coverage in your zone. Some providers support only GSM and others support only CDMA.
You have to also consider whether you need roaming or not, if you travel a lot then CDMA could be a problem. Not to mention that the perfect option is a phone that is compatible with both.
4G technology didn’t support voice calls when it was first launched, so it was reliant on GSM and CDMA standards, but with the rise of VoLTE standard it became self-reliant, so you don’t have to care so much about GSM/CDMA.
Will 4G phones stop operating?
2G and 3G networks are being withdrawn around the world because 4G is everywhere and has all the previous generations’ functionalities at better speeds. So it is a valid question to ask if the appearance of 5G networks will provoke the shutdown of 4G.
The answer to that is: No. Your Nokia Lumia 1520 4G technology will stay valuable for a few more years.
4G Networks will stay available for at least 10 to 20 years, depending on the area, mobile providers, and phone manufacturers. As things were for previous generations, 4G and 5G will exist and work together, meaning phones supporting 5G will support 4G too as a fallback.
Is 4G still valuable presently?
Yes, it is. Although the high speeds of 5G, 4G is still acceptable and provides sufficient speed for most of the use cases. 4G network is bigger than 5G, which means you can find it almost all over the globe. Another advantage of 4G is the low cost. Because 5G is still too cost-intensive to be a reliable alternative.