Emerging Technologies
Introduction
The technology of today’s world has advanced with a rapid pace in the last 30 years. Products which were not deemed possible or were only parts of science fiction are now materializing right before our eyes. Science and Technology have enable mankind to travel to the moon and to manufacture products on the microscopic scale. This is truly a world of emerging technologies and the advancement of scientific knowledge.
The emerging technology that I am going to discuss for project is 4G (4th Generation) Cellular communication technology. Cell phones and wireless technology are now embedded in our lives and our social survival depends upon these products (Annadata, 2010). So it is only natural that this field of communication has much faster advancement rate than any other technological field. 4G technology in cell phone communication basically refers to the advancement of certain features in cell phones like the provision of ultra-high speed internet access, IP telephony, high definition gaming service, high definition mobile TV, the option of video conferencing and potential aspect of 3D television viewing.
4G is a successor to the 3G mobile technology and improves on many of its aspects and features. The data transmission speed is much higher in this technology and it provides nearly 300 mbps of data transfer rate compared to the 3.1 mbps rate of 3G. The uploading rate of this technology has also increased from 50 Mb/s to an amazing 500 Mb/s speed level (Garcia, 2005). These are only one of the few improvements that this technology is going to bring if it gets implemented in the cellular communication field. Although, analysts sometimes pronounce fewer improvements in 4G compared to the 3G technology, it is still an emerging technology and promises a lot of innovation in terms of cell phone communication field.
Capabilities of 4G
4G technology is being hailed as the true successor of 3G technology and promises to offer a much smoother flow of information as compared to the 3G technology. It has immense capabilities that offer improvement in nearly every aspect of the cell phone communication field (Huang & Gerber, 2012). To measure its capability, we can take a look at its different features that are convincing enough to say that this is truly a ‘next generation’ cell phone communication service. Some of its capabilities are:
It has a high data throughput rate which truly pushes the boundaries of normal data transfer rates. As mentioned before, the 3G technology could only handle a data transfer rate of about 3.1 Mb/s while 4G technology grants the right to push this up to 300 Mb/s which is an amazing figure.
Another important feature is the high upload and download rate offered by the 4G technology. Previously, the 3G networks offered speeds of about 50 Mb/s in the upload category while 100 Mb/s was the peak download rate. In contrast, 4G offers an uploading speed of 500 Mb/s (Krendzel, 2005) and its downloading speeds fall in the Gigabit range amounting to about an amazing 1 GB/s. This is certainly a huge leap in the aspect of data transfer.
The switching technique which was utilized by the 3G network was based on packet switching which somewhat limited its capabilities. 4G technology on the other hands offer both packet switching and message switching to make it easier for the network providers and consumers to switch to any different baseband.
The 4G technology also offers better response time in terms of communication service and data transfer rates. There are hardly any lags in this service and offer service speeds at nearly lightning pace. Individuals who are most interested in obtaining a lag free service (Kumaravel, 2011) will greatly benefit from this service as it provides them with this opportunity. This is one of the most important applications of this technology as it will offer super-fast speed to the users in terms of both voice and data connections.
Sector associated with 4G technology
The main use of 4G technology is in the communications sector. Cell phone networks and those corporates which offer wireless communication services are projected to benefit most from this technology. Previously, it was the 3G technology that made it possible for the cellphone networks to offer video calls and high speed internet access (Saraf, 2008). However, with the introduction of 4G technology, such features have been improved a lot and because of the implication of this technology in this sector, the communications and IT field is expected to grow at a much larger pace.
Since 4G technology offers much high data and voice communication transfer rates, the telecommunication companies are trying hard to utilize its potential. In these times, people prefer those services that are lag free and offer quick and speedy connectivity (Towsley, 2012). 4G technology does exactly that and with communication companies implementing it in their profile, it will guarantee them more consumers which will have a positive effect on their income statements.

4G benefits in UAE
4G technology has numerous benefits that are not limited to any specific area or country. UAE is no exception and hence it is extremely beneficial for it to offer this service. The world of today is considered a global village due to the advancement in the technological field (Annadata, 2010) and it has become essential for people to connect with each other all around the world. With the implementation of 4G technology, faster connections will become possible and it will make it easier for people to connect to the world.
Since the technology is emerging, applying it early into the nation’s communication system will be extremely beneficial. The amount of benefit that a country can get from this technology depends upon the type of sector that it will be implemented. The speed of this technology makes it advantageous for those people (Garcia, 2005) who are frequent travellers and their businesses are based on this aspect. This technology can act in their favor.
The reliability of this technology also provides it with another important aspect if it is considered to be implemented in UAE. Most of the consumer market in UAE prefers those types of communication networks that have a reliable service and offer excellent connectivity. If a company is to implement a 4G network, then this will mean a positive move on both parties end.
Another feature of 4G technology that can benefit the UAE market is of video conferencing. Previously, the 3G technology offered only a one-on-one video calls service (Huang & Gerber, 2012) where the individuals were limited to talking with only each other. However, 4G promises a video conferencing option where more than 2 people can join a video call and communicate with each other. For large corporations residing in UAE, this can become an extremely attracting factor.
Factors promoting the growth of 4G Technology
Most of the states in the world have already begun to implement 4G technology as their primary network source. There are different factors that promote the growth of this technology most important of which is the provision of high speed services (Krendzel, 2005). As discussed earlier, the world of today is quite fast paced and it requires the appropriate speed to keep up. This factor promotes the use of this technology on a large scale as speed carries considerable importance in life of both large corporations and specific individuals.
Another important factor here is the demand of high capacity network. Most of the individuals now demand that the carrier service they are going to use should allow them to transfer the data in large amounts. This means that the network should have high capacity to handle large amounts of data (Kumaravel, 2011) and make sure that the whole transmission remains smooth.
Cost is also another factor that is helping to promote this technology. 4G technology has the capability to offer lower cost per bit on the network and the users see this as an option of saving and cost cutting. The provision of IP based services for video, data and voice (Saraf, 2008) are also gaining quite a lot of popularity in recent times and hence they are acting as an important factor in the promotion of 4G technology in the country.
Limiting factors of 4G Technology
An important limitation of 4G technology is that while it improves the overall quality of the webpage, it can increase the cost of the usage of this service. The device will be able to handle most of the data coverage but it will burn up more cost (Towsley, 2012) because the data flow will be much higher. Extensive usage of internet or web based application can become restricted due to this feature of 4G technology.
Since 4G is a new technology, the implementation of this technology will mean that the older devices will become obsolete and rendered useless. This change will probably hurt a lot of people since switching to the latest device capable (Annadata, 2010) of supporting this technology will become a hassle for them. This can drive the cost up significantly and can even bring negative reactions towards the sudden change.
The initial investment and setup cost associated with this technology is huge since it requires change on all levels. The towers that were previously broadcasting 3G signals would have to be fitted with 4G capable transmitters (Garcia, 2005) and this will increase the cost dramatically. The limitation factors associated with the 4G technology are mostly related to the budget and hence it is deemed as the most important limitation factor of this technology.
Future of 4G Technology
The high speed and stability offered by the 4G technology might appear as attracting to many of the interested parties out there but they come at a cost. Considering the current situation of this technology, only few states in the world have done proper research on it and have implemented it in their network carriers (Huang & Gerber, 2012). This means that there still exist a relatively high potential for this technology in other markets of the world.
The 4G technology is being hailed as the key to future cell phone communications because of its extensive applicability in different aspects of the communication and IT field. Its fast, it’s innovative and it’s reliable, (Krendzel, 2005) three of the most important features demanded by consumers these days. Keeping in point its different aspects, it can be confidently said that this technology will surely become a norm in the near future.

Conclusion
It can be safely concluded that although 4G technology is an emerging technology, it holds immense power in the mind of communication and IT gurus who are truly aware of its benefits. The extensive list of its features coupled with the amazing scope of applicability, 4G technology truly seems like a dream come true for communication experts (Kumaravel, 2011). Its uses are not just limited to data transfers or voice communication, this technology also has immense applications in other social fields too.
Being an emerging technology, the full potential of this technology still not has been tapped yet. Increased initial costs, expensive switching expense and territorial limitation has made the spread of this technology a little slow. However with the advancement in science and technology, these hurdles will soon be overcome (Towsley, 2012) and when this happens, 4G technology will become the main source of communication technology in the world.

References

Annadata, V. (2010). 4G-Quadruple Play High Speed Mobile Broadband Technologies. Tech Mahindra, 03-07.
Garcia, A. L. (2005). Requirements for the Operations and Management of 4G Networks. Univ of Toronto, 01-16.
Huang, J., & Gerber, A. (2012). A Close Examination of Performance and Power Characteristics of 4G LTE Networks. LTE Network, 01-14.
Krendzel, A. (2005). Network Planning Aspects for 3G/4G Mobile Systems. Tampere University of Technology, 56-71.
Kumaravel. (2011). Comparative Study of 3G and 4G in Mobile Technology. IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, 256-263.
Saraf, S. (2008). Cooperative Networks for 4G. Network Review, 01-11.
Towsley, D. (2012). Characterizing 4G and 3G Networks: Supporting Mobility with Multi-Path TCP. UMass Amherst Technical Report, 01-13