4G is finally here. Though it will initially be available only in a few major Canadian cities, it will be available. With Telus officially announcing the rolling out of this technology starting in mid-2011, the prediction made by Deloitte’s Technology Media Telecommunications earlier this year appears to be coming true.

The report had suggested that the adoption of 4G might be slower than expected as some mobile providers have not fully utilized their existing 3G spectrum. Whatever it is, some of us will be using 4G soon. But what exactly is 4G? The term “4G” has been highly used with different carriers having their own definitions for the term making us more confused by the day.

4G, in simple terms, refers to wireless network-based on fourth-generation technology which will provide faster wireless service over 3G. It will be much more reliable and faster than the existing 3G wireless network, and the technology has been developed to cater to consumer’s growing demand for data to power their smartphones and tablet devices.

4G mobile technology and wireless carriers will have to implement one of the two systems, either Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) or Long Term Evolution (LTE) for the service to work. As far as Telus, the pioneer here, is concerned; it will be deploying LTE network and operate on the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS). Rogers, Bell, and Wind Mobile have also been thinking of using the same system but they have not made any announcements yet.

The transition from 3G to 4G will take some time. In fact, some of it has already been done. In 2009, Telus and Bell had brought forth 3G HSPA+ wireless network (also known as 3.5G). The 4G wireless network, according to Telus, will appear in early 2012 (remember, only in major cities) and it will take a short while for the service to be available nationwide.