What is 4G to a layman?

In light of the recent woo-ha about Singapore's operators launching new 4G commercial plans and reducing data limit, many people are concerned over this new 4G service.

I was asked the questions "What is this 4G thing?", "What is the extra features (the extra "G") ?" by a few friends. My reply to them was "new technology, faster speed". That was all I can say to make things simpler to understand.

But if you like to know, you can always read up the Wikipedia on 4G: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G

And if you don't want the technical jargon, here is what you might wanna know.

4G is the fourth generation (and thus 4G) of mobile communication standards.
Things progressed, LTE is recognised as a forerunner to 4G standards.
Anyway, operators use 4G and LTE loosely to promote their services.
It is no more circuit switching, but all IP (Internet Protocol) based.

To a consumer like you and me, the only thing we see is:

Faster downloads
Speedier uploads.

Both are actually the result of higher speeds of 4G.

A few questions to ask before signing up for 4G services/

Do I need this 4G service now?
Do I have the coverage at my area (e.g. workplace/ home/ etc)?
Is it affordable?
Do I have the necessary equipment to access the faster network? If no, is the upgrade worth the deal?

What is my take? Will I sign up?

As of this post, I don't really need that high speed connection on mobile. Here are the reasons

Although there are significant improvements over speed and access, I don't have the time to use data on mobile. I use data on mobile while travelling, or waiting for friends. Half the time, you don't get a good connection (even 3G or 2G) in the older MRT tunnels,I don't think the coverage of 4G will reach there soon?
I have a fixed line Internet at home that satisfies my Internet usage.

Well, so what is your choice?

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