Industry insiders are reluctant to predict the direction that less-than-immediate future technology might take, but 4G enhancements are expected to include worldwide roaming capability.

About Fourth-Generation Wireless
Fourth-generation wireless, the stage of broadband mobile communications that will follow the still-burgeoning third generation (3G) that is expected to reach maturity between 2003-2005. 4G services are expected to be introduced first in Japan, as early as 2006 - four years ahead of the previous target date. The major distinction of 4G over 3G communications is increased data transmission rates, just as it is for 3G over 2G and 2.5G (the present state of wireless services, hovering somewhere between 2G and 3G). According to NTT-DoCoMo, the leading Japanese wireless company, the current download speed for i-Mode (mobile internet service) data is - theoretically - 9.6 Kbps, although in practice the rates tend to be slower. 3G rates are expected to reach speeds 200 times that, and 4G to yield further increases, reaching 20-40 Mbps (about 10-20 times the current rates of ADSL service).

4G is expected to deliver more advanced versions of the same improvements promised by 3G, such as enhanced multimedia, smooth streaming video, universal access, and portability across all types of devices. Industry insiders are reluctant to predict the direction that less-than-immediate future technology might take, but 4G enhancements are expected to include worldwide roaming capability. As was projected for the ultimate 3G system, 4G might actually connect the entire globe and be operable from any location on - or above - the surface of the earth.