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| iPhone 4S can connect to the Internet via 3G network. Siri and data runs faster on 3G than on Edge. |
I see several questions about iPhone 4S and 3G network allover the the Internet. While there are pretty good answers, there are also all sorts of "less than correct" questions (yep, questions) when it comes to 3G settings in the iPhone 4S. To understand how iPhone 4S works with a 3G network, you need to understand what 3G is exactly and what purpose it serves to your daily mobile needs. Below, I have tried to translate to "English" all the engineering stuffs I have learned from my Communication Theory classes I, II, III and IV in college. Hopefully, this set of frequently asked questions will make iPhone 4S and 3G network a clear and extremely easy to understand topic. Let's begin.
Can iPhone 4S "turn off" 3G?
No. 3G is a technology used in mobile telecommunications; it is a collection of different classes of systems that defines how we communicate with our mobile devices today. It exists whether your iPhone 4S is fully functional, turned off, in upside down position, or whatever. 3G is independent of iPhone 4S, or any other phones for that matter. But most phones, including iPhone 4S, depend on the 3G network for some of its features to be functional.
3G is a revision or an improvement to how we used to communicate over mobile phones, in much the same way as the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 together change the way we experience smart phones. 3G is not merely an idea or a process of routing calls. It is made up of actual systems with hardware level details that take care of signal transmissions, and all that. What your iPhone 4S has is the capability to connect to an existing 3G network. If a phone does not have this capability, it can still make calls using earlier telecommunication standards, but it can't make use of 3G's advantages.
So what do people mean when they say "How can I turn off 3G in iPhone 4S"?
Since what iPhone 4S (or any other phone) has is the capability to connect to a 3G network, by saying "turn off 3G in iPhone 4S" do people, perhaps, want to know how to turn off the phone's capability to connect to a 3G network? Well the answer is, that's not possible with iPhone 4S. iPhone 4S is a 3G-capable phone. Period. I am going to make an attempt at an analogy here: If you don't like Japanese foods, don't order Sushi because Sushi is a Japanese food. Your iPhone 4S is always going to be a 3G-capable phone. There is no way to change that. Unless you open it up, identify every hardware inside that's responsible for 3G connections (which in most cases are shared hardware for 2G), and then remove it. Wanting iPhone 4S to not use its 3G capabilities is like wanting wasabi to not have a sting. And wasabi without a sting is not wasabi. There's no other version of iPhone 4S that exists which does not have a 3G capability. 3G is faster, and iPhone 4S is marketed to be the "most amazing iPhone yet". iPhone 4S will fail to live up to its full features if it will not connect to 3G.
So the 3G-capability of iPhone 4S is always on. Does that mean that all my calls and data requests are always placed over the 3G network?
It's all about 3G network coverage. Connection to the 3G network is decided only by a "handshake" between your iPhone 4S and your carrier's base station. This is the case for most 3G-capable phones. While 3G is the most popular mobile telecommunication standard today, your Telco gets to decide where and where not to install a 3G equipment. If you are in a place where your Telco does not have a lot of subscribers, then the chances that they have installed 3G equipment on the base stations in that area are very low. So in that case your iPhone 4S, with all its 3G capability, still won't be able to detect a 3G network, and so you wont' be able to use 3G for calls, data, emails, etc. Since voice can be placed over 3G and 2G, and since both standards can and do exist simultaneously, you still can make a call as long as your iPhone 4S detects cellular signal coverage (the signal bars are still there on your phone). The network over which your calls are placed is decided by the phone-base station "handshake" (happens during the time before you hear the first ring) and your permission is not needed.
If my iPhone 4S cannot detect my carrier's 3G network, will I still be able to use data services?
Yes but only if your iPhone 4S can detect your carrier's EDGE (2.75G) network. If your carrier does not support this in your current location as well, then you won't be able to access data services. Data is faster with 3G than with EDGE.
What does Settings > General > Network > Cellular Data OFF do?
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| When the iPhone 4S Cellular Data Network is toggled on, a connection to 3G can be established. |
When you or an installed app initiates any data requests, your iPhone 4S will only use a Wi-Fi network, and not its internal 3G or 2G hardware to connect and process requests to your carrier.
That completes the iPhone 4S and 3G Network Frequently Asked Questions. There's probably a lot more to ask, but the answers above pretty much explain the basic things that you need to know to understand iPhone 4S and 3G network, and how they both work. If you like to add more questions, post them in the comments section. If you feel like a more technical explanation about iPhone 4S and 3G network would be helpful, let me know.