4 G 4G , short for fourth generation , is the fourth generation of mobile telecommunications technology, succeeding 3G . A 4G system must provide capabilities defined by ITU in IMT Advanced . Potential and current applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony , gaming services, high-definition mobile TV , video conferencing, 3D television , and cloud computing ] Two 4G candidate systems are commercially deployed: the Mobile WiMAX standard (first used in South Korea in 2007), and the first-release Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard (in Oslo, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden since 2009). It has however been debated if these first-release versions should be considered to be 4G or not, as discussed in the technical definition section below ] In the United States, Sprint (previously Clear wire ) has deployed Mobile WiMAX networks since 2008, while Metro PCS became the first operator to offer LTE service in 2010. USB wireless modems were amo