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One glaring difference between a 3G and 4G LTE cell tower is that the network coverage or maximum range of 3G or non-VoLTE voice calls and SMS is about 32km while for that of 4G VoLTE voice calls and SMS (plus Internet data) is only 5km(for 800MHz; and only 2km for 2600MHz). From 32km to 5km is a huge difference in terms of coverage for voice calls = more 4G LTE cell towers will be needed to replace one 3G cell tower, especially in suburban, small town and rural areas. For those who mostly make voice calls while travelling outstation and visiting remote stores in rural areas, eg salespersons, the transition from 3G to 4G LTE and 5G will be a problem, ie much less 4G LTE/5G network coverage for VoLTE voice calls.
....... Note that the max range of the slower 3G Internet data is similar to 4G LTE/5G Internet data, depending on the frequency used.

What about 2G.? If 2G is retained when 3G is sunset by MCMC in 2022, then no problem with network coverage for 2G or non-VoLTE voice calls and SMS, but only for those legacy Big 3 celcos who still maintain 2G networks.
....... Latecomer small celcos like U Mobile do not have legacy 2G networks = when 3G is sunset, its subscribers will have to make do with 4G VoLTE voice calls and SMS only, which has much less coverage compared to 3G/2G non-VoLTE voice calls and SMS. The last-comers and newest celcos, YES and TM Unifi Mobile, do not even have their own 3G network, ie they only have 4G LTE networks.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Sep 24 2021, 08:54 PM

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https://smallbusiness.chron.com/far-can-cel...gnal-32124.html - How Far Can a Cell Tower Be for a Cellphone to Pick Up the Signal?
Maximum Distance

A typical cellphone has enough power to reach a cell tower up to 45 miles away. Depending on the technology of the cellphone network, the maximum distance may be as low as 22 miles because the signal otherwise takes too long for the highly accurate timing of the cellphone protocol to work reliably. Usually cellphone signals don't reach anywhere near these maximum distances. Typical cell size outside of urban areas means cellphone signals may have to travel up to several miles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_site#Range
The maximum range of a mast (where it is not limited by interference with other masts nearby) depends on the same considerations. In any case the limiting factor is the ability of a low-powered personal cell phone to transmit back to the mast. As a rough guide, based on a tall mast and flat terrain, it may be possible to get between 50 and 70 km (30–45 miles). When the terrain is hilly, the maximum distance can vary from as little as 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) due to encroachment of intermediate objects into the wide center fresnel zone of the signal.[6] Depending on terrain and other circumstances, a GSM Tower can replace between 2 and 50 miles (80 km) of cabling for fixed wireless networks.[7] In addition, some technologies, such as GSM, have an additional absolute maximum range of 35 kilometres (22 mi), which is imposed by technical limitations. CDMA and IDEN have no such limit defined by timing.

This should be the maximum range for 3G voice calls/SMS, not for 3G Internet data, ie a max range of about 35km.

https://opencellid.org/#zoom=17&lat=3.78671&lon=101.85573
Actual cell tower information at Raub, Pahang shows that the range for some 4G LTE cell towers are up to 4km, but most of them are at around 1km range only. This should be the maximum range for 4G LTE Internet data and VoLTE.

https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/netw...ired/m-p/110958 - 4G distance from tower | Explanation required
January 2013

In response to Lathania

Hi Guys,

Aside from the link above, there's some more useful pages on our site for locating nearby 4G towers, as well as an explanation of Telstra 4G, MIMO, and of course using external antennas on the Telstra 4G network.

http://telcoantennas.com.au/site/telstra-4g-explained

http://telcoantennas.com.au/site/locating-telstra-4g-tower

TLDR? range with an external antenna can extend as far as 40km (a number of customers on islands off the coast of QLD), 25-30km over land with good line of sight, but most commonly about 15km for most rural areas. With no external antenna connections are generally limited to 3-7km, hence why coverage maps suggest about 5km.
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Sorry for a correction, ie a 2G/3G/4G digital cell tower can serve up to 480 active Internet/voice-calls/SMS users at the same time. Only the 1G analog cell tower can serve up to only 60 active voice-calls/SMS users at the same time.

Please correct the above information if applicable, eg about the max range of a 3G/4G cell tower.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Sep 16 2020, 11:25 PM

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Maybe it's time for you to buy a 4G modem-router dongle. Quite cheap yo.! .......


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A 4G LTE modem-router dongle when paired with a high-end unlimited-hotspot phone plan like Digi Infinite 150 and TM UF Bebas Weekly/Monthly, allows the subscriber to do their online stuffs with a computer, instead of the limited handphone, eg serious office work, video-editing, CAD, CGI movie-making, website development, etc. Some people prefer or need computers for their online activities and work.

Note that it is illegal for phone plan subscribers to use modded 4G LTE modems or the PdaNet+ app to bypass the monthly hotspot-data limit = if detected by the celcos = suspended, terminated, blacklisted or CTOS.

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PS - High-end 4G LTE modem-routers(> RM500) even has a RJ11 connection for the home push-button telephone which uses the mobile number of the SIM card for voice calls.
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Yes. - Deep Packet Inspection software to inspect the device-type and web-traffic of suspects.

menj was recently arrested at his house for downloading childporn to his computer from P2P websites because both the police and ISP can detect such illegal online activities, what more the illegal use of phone plans. .......

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/5028675 - menj kena tangkap [UPDATE 3.0], famous /k porn peddler
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Sep 25 2020, 12:10 PM

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VPN cannot prevent the celcos' Deep Packet Inspection software from identifying the suspects wrt device-type and web-traffic or the VPN being used.

DPI on celco subscribers is not allowed by the US government, not so in Malaysia. So, the use of VPN by Americans in USA is more effective against the celco ISP and police/NSA.
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Cannot compare Singapore with Malaysia because Singapore has no Taman Negara that covers hundreds of acres of land with many parts having zero population = no point putting up a 4G cell tower there. Anyway, to cover any remote/rural areas in Malaysia, there is Satellite Internet - Maxis ConnectMe service, where ONE RM199 monthly subscription for 30Mbps can be shared by about 10 households (= RM20 monthly for 3Mbps each) within a 1km range by setting up a Wifi CPE transceiver device, .......

https://shopee.com.my/Sis%E2%99%A5COMFAST-3...AiABEgLihPD_BwE - Sis♥COMFAST 300Mbps Outdoor CPE 2.4GHz Monitoring CPE IP65 POE SSID Wireless Bridge for Security and Monitoring - RM76
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PS - TM VSAT is another Satellite ISP but only for enterprises and organizations, eg eco-tourism hotels/homestays, offshore oil rigs, etc, ie not for consumers.
Eg ....... https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020...ternet-coverage - 2020/09/22/sararwak-approves-rm50mil-vsat-project-to-improve-internet-coverage
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Sep 25 2020, 12:54 PM

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Afaik, such encryption only prevents man-in-the-middle/MITM attacks that could inspect users' transmitted passwords and other oersonal data. Such encyption does not prevent the celco using DPI software from inspecting the subscribers' web-traffic or the websites they have visited, eg by the celco staff visiting the same illegal website the subscribers had visited earlier.

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The celcos likely can also do browser-fingerprinting of subscribers with their specialized software ....... https://panopticlick.eff.org/ - Is your browser safe against tracking?
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Looks like Sarawak is connecting her rural folks with Maxis's ConnectMe Satellite Internet. .......

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021...-chief-minister - 2021/04/06 - Broadband-for-150-rural-sites-in-Sarawak-by-year-end-says-Chief-Minister
"KUCHING: Up to 150 rural sites across Sarawak will have high-speed broadband connectivity by the end of this year, says Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg (pic).

The Chief Minister said this would be achieved through the Sarawak Rural Broadband Network, which is being implemented by the state-owned Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC).

He said the state government had allocated RM200mil to SDEC for the initiative, which deploys fixed wireless access technology to provide broadband services in targeted locations including schools, longhouses, community centres and religious institutions. ...

In his speech earlier, Abang Johari said the network would provide broadband with a speed of 30 megabits per second (mbps), enabling villagers and students to connect to the world. ..."
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I believe Measat, Maxis, Astro, etc have the same owner, ie Ananda Krishnan. If I stated Measat's ConnectMe Satellite Internet, readers may not get the connection to the owner Ananda Krishnan. Most readers know Maxis is owned by him. .......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usaha_Tegas
"Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian investment holding company led by billionaire Ananda Krishnan. Its principal investments include telecommunications, media, property, and oil & gas companies. Through itself or its subsidiaries, it holds significant interests in the public-listed entities Maxis Berhad, Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd, and Bumi Armada Berhad. ...

List of investments

Usaha Tegas's investments includes significant shareholdings in various industries.

Maxis Communications Berhad
Maxis Berhad (listed on Bursa Malaysia) (65%)[2]
Aircel Ltd (74%)[2]
Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd
Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad [3]
Astro Overseas Ltd
Tanjong PLC[4]
TGV Cinemas
Tropical Islands Resort
Bumi Armada Berhad
Pexco NV[2]
IHH Healthcare Berhad[2]
MEASAT Satellite Systems
Sri Lanka Telecom PLC (44.98%)
Johnston Press PLC "
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Apr 6 2021, 09:52 PM

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From your link, .......
"However, the SMS delivery mechanism is somewhat different. "

So, 2G/3G SMS is also different from 4G LTE SMS, ie different protocol. I believe 4G SMS is called IMS. .......

https://www.gl.com/newsletter/short-message...newsletter.html - Short Message Service (SMS) Test Solutions over LTE/IMS, UMTS and GSM Networks - 15 June 2018
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2G will be all the celcos' fallback for voice calls/SMS once 3G is sunset at end 2021 in Malaysia, eg U Mobile has a multi-year RAN-Share agreement with Celcom for 2G.

3G frequencies are being refarmed for 4G.
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Likely because a 4G LTE cell tower has a maximum range of only 5km/3miles while a 3G/2G cell tower has a max range of 32km/20 miles, wrt a handphone receiving voice calls/SMS. The larger coverage by 3G/2G cell towers is crucial in rural areas, eg emergency 999 calls.

Why 4G LTE cell towers have such a short range.? = likely because it is a pure Internet protocol like VoIP = needs much more power to transmit over long range of 32km/20 miles = can be harmful to the health of nearby residents. .......

https://www.zdnet.com/article/nbn-approache...f-7-kilometres/ - NBN-approaches-1Gbps-using-mmWave-5G-over-distances-of-7-kilometres - 12 Jan 2021
= using more powerful 5G uni-directional mmWave(24GHz - 86GHz) transceivers for Fixed Wireless Internet. Afaik, max range of a normal 5G mmWave multi-directional (= low-power) smallcell base-station is about 400m only - normally only deployed in downtown city areas, shopping malls, stadiums, concert halls or places with high foot-traffic.
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This post has been edited by lurkingaround: Sep 24 2021, 08:58 PM

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Looks like you are correct, ie the celcos can choose the power-setting for their 4G/3G/2G cell towers to have different range depending on the deployment area, eg urban/city or rural areas. My apologies. .......

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_(telecomm...ation)#Features - 4G LTE
"Support for cell sizes from tens of metres radius (femto and picocells) up to 100 km (62 miles) radius macrocells. In the lower frequency bands to be used in rural areas, 5 km (3.1 miles) is the optimal cell size, 30 km (19 miles) having reasonable performance, and up to 100 km cell sizes supported with acceptable performance. In the city and urban areas, higher frequency bands (such as 2.6 GHz in EU) are used to support high-speed mobile broadband. In this case, cell sizes may be 1 km (0.62 miles) or even less."
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Isn't YES 4G got no 2G/3G fallback, ie can only make 4G VoLTE calls and IMS = the phone must be on their VoLTE whitelist.?
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2G/3G and 4G LTE technologies are totally different and non-compatible. VoLTE(= Voice over LTE/4G) is like VoIP, ie more towards Internet technology for voice transmission of data packets through Fibre-optic cables.

2G/3G use the old Voice over 2G/3G and SMS technology = reliance on Fibre-optic cables is optional, ie not modern 4G VoLTE and IMS.

Voice over LTE = VoLTE , and ...
Text Message over LTE = IMS, not SMS.

So, 4G LTE cell towers need to be configured for VoLTE and IMS for the latest smartphones that have default setting of 4G LTE and/or 5G LTE. Maxis seems to have not done so. Celcom has = Celcom has been proactively shutting down 3G technology in many of it's cell towers after having configured them for VoLTE and IMS.

YES celco only has cell towers transceiving on 4G LTE frequency Bands, ie no 2G/3G = all it's 4G LTE cell towers have been configured for VoLTE and IMS, ie no Voice over 2G/3G and no SMS = YES subscribers must use modern smartphones with VoLTE and IMS.

OTOH, both 2G/3G(= Edge/HSPA+) and 4G LTE technologies can use Internet data but at different speeds, eg 4G LTE gives normal speed of about 30Mbps per frequency Band. Hence, all cell towers have backhaul connections to the HSBB Fiber Internet network, eg the celcos pay TM HSBB Wholesale about RM90 per 30Mbps bandwidth = RM9 per 3Mbps. Hence, Maxis Hotlink Unlimited Prepaid is priced at RM35 for 6Mbps.
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@ HippyTony, ....... If the iPhone cannot use 2G frequency bands, once 3G is shut downed, your wife may need to change her prepaid plan to use 4G LTE, VoLTE and IMS.

@ wkn, ....... Afaik, most phone plans have separate charges for voice-calls, text messages and Internet data. Maybe you only need to shop around for the right new plan for your mum, eg Yoodo(= MVNO riding on Celcom's network).
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