{"id":1654,"date":"2025-11-02T16:58:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T16:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drwebseo.com\/news\/?p=1654"},"modified":"2025-11-02T17:26:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T17:26:42","slug":"which-country-launched-the-4g-network-first-and-when","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drwebseo.com\/news\/which-country-launched-the-4g-network-first-and-when\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Country Launched the 4G Network First and When?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]
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Who launched the 4G network first \u2014 and when?<\/h1>\n

Who launched the world\u2019s first 4G network, and when did it happen?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Answer\u00a0<\/h2>\n

The first widely recognized commercial LTE (Long Term Evolution) \u2014 commonly called \u201c4G\u201d \u2014 was launched by TeliaSonera in the Scandinavian capitals of Stockholm (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway) on 14 December 2009<\/strong>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, if you define \u201c4G\u201d more broadly to include earlier mobile broadband technologies marketed as 4G (for example, Mobile WiMAX, WiBro and early HSPA+), there were earlier commercial rollouts in several countries (notably South Korea and some operators in Asia and the US) before 2009. The answer therefore depends on the technology and the definition you use. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Why the question has more than one correct-looking answer<\/h2>\n

\u201c4G\u201d was originally defined by the ITU as a set of standards called IMT-Advanced \u2014 a strict technical benchmark that required very high peak speeds and other criteria. Early evolutions of 3G (like HSPA+) and the first releases of LTE and Mobile WiMAX did not always meet the literal IMT-Advanced spec, but the industry quickly began using \u201c4G\u201d as a marketing term for much faster mobile broadband services. In December 2010 the ITU acknowledged that evolved 3G technologies such as LTE and WiMAX (and their improvements) could legitimately be considered 4G in practice. That\u2019s why timelines look different depending on whether you use a strict or practical definition. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The two main technologies people mean by \u201c4G\u201d<\/h2>\n
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  1. \n

    LTE (Long Term Evolution)<\/strong> \u2014 evolved from GSM\/UMTS ecosystems and ultimately became the global 4G standard. The first commercial LTE deployment that many sources recognize was by TeliaSonera in Sweden and Norway on 14 Dec 2009<\/strong>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e \/ 802.16m)<\/strong> \u2014 a competing technology that saw early commercial launches in several markets and was often marketed as \u201c4G\u201d in places where it was deployed (for example, certain Korean, Russian, U.S. and Asian deployments). These earlier WiMAX rollouts complicate claims about who was \u201cfirst.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    A short timeline of early 4G-era launches<\/h2>\n