"Montelco: Decoding Mobile Network Symbols and Choosing the Right Mobile Subscription"

2023-05-14 08:00:59

MontelcoThe observant smartphone users among us might have already thought about it: the numbers and letters you see appearing in the top corner of your smartphone screen when you’re surfing a mobile network. But what do these symbols mean and what do they say about the coverage of the mobile network you are surfing on? Montelco.be explains to you.

You’ve probably noticed it when you’re on the train scrolling through Instagram, for example: the regularly changing symbols at the top of your smartphone screen. One moment you see 4G, suddenly H+ or E appears, only to see 4G reappear a minute later. You may have also noticed that mobile surfing suddenly becomes less fluid, which translates into the fact that you have trouble viewing your Instagram videos or stories. Rather annoying, then.

The changing symbols at the top of your smartphone screen obviously have something to do with the quality of the mobile network you are surfing on at the time. Indeed, it is not as good everywhere. It is therefore useful to know what to expect from the mobile network, and the corresponding browsing experience, when you see the 4G, 3G, E or other symbols appear at the top of your screen.

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4G or LTE

Let’s start with what is the standard for mobile coverage today: 4G. Today, all smartphones are compatible with the 4G network. This technology allows surfing at speeds of up to 20 Mbps. In some places, you will benefit from 4G+, which allows speeds of up to 75 Mbps.

Depending on your smartphone or carrier, you’ll also see ‘LTE’ or ‘long term evolution’: the technology that emerged to enable 4G speeds when they were previously impossible. Don’t worry: LTE and 4G essentially mean the same thing. So, if you see “LTE” on your cell phone, you can assume that you are surfing via 4G.

Whether you’re on 4G, 4G+ or LTE, mobile internet speeds allow for a virtually limitless mobile browsing experience, where you can scroll, watch movies or make video calls at your leisure.

E, 3G, H and H+

While 4G allows speeds between 20 and 75 Mbps, these are much lower when surfing on the 3G network: around 10 Mbps. In addition, the 4G network provides a more stable connection, which allows you to call and surf at the same time. The speeds offered by the 3G network certainly make it possible to discuss or view information and photos. On the other hand, it is much more difficult to watch videos, unless you do so in low resolution. The advantage of 3G internet is that it is more economical than 4G internet.

In many cases, your device will also use some kind of “intermediate network”, between 3G and 4G: H or H+. These networks are also often referred to as 3.5G or 3.75G. Its speeds approach those of 4G.

At the very bottom of the list of mobile internet connections is the edge network, abbreviated as “E”. This connection is very slow and concerns areas where the 3G or 4G network does not offer coverage. You can chat or send WhatsApp messages, but you won’t be able to make video calls or watch videos.

The latest generation: 5G

Finally, we should also talk about the 5G network: the fastest mobile network currently. There are two conditions for this: your provider must offer the 5G network (in the form of a 5G subscription) and your smartphone must be compatible with 5G.

In theory, the 5G network enables mobile internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps, which is several times faster than 4G. This means that you can, for example, make video calls continuously and watch videos in very high resolution, in many cases even while using other applications at the same time.

Today, the 5G network is already available in around 200 locations in Belgium, spread over around 100 cities. On the Belgian coast, 5G is available everywhere. Operators with a 5G license in our country are currently working on the further deployment of 5G.

A big data consumer? Then this comparison with the 10 cheapest mobile plans with more than 20 GB of data is for you.

The right subscription

It is not difficult to know which mobile subscription to choose according to the different types of networks. All mobile plans available on the market today offer at least 4G+ speeds. The only question you need to ask yourself is how much mobile data you need each month.

It’s only when you want 5G speeds that things change. For example, if you often need to make video calls when you’re on the go, a 5G subscription is certainly not a luxury. In Belgium, for the moment, only Proximus and the operators using the Proximus network, namely Mobile Vikings and Youfone, offer separate 5G subscriptions.

With a subscription of 10 GB per month and unlimited call minutes and SMS for 15 euros per month, Mobile Vikings already offers the most advantageous formula in this area, as shown by a comparison carried out by Montelco.be. Looking for larger data volumes? With Youfone, you receive 40 GB of mobile data and 200 call minutes for 22 euros per month.

Also read on Montelco.be:

Which telecom operators have the most outages? And are you still entitled to compensation?

Lots of changes in the Belgian telecom market, but is it always for the benefit of the consumer?

Some tips to optimize the speed of your fast internet

This article is brought to you by our partner Montelco.be.
Montelco.be is an independent telecommunications comparator for internet, mobile telephony, television and fixed telephony.