Era of 4G to bring changes to nation

China's government issued fourth-generation mobile network licenses to the country's three telecom operators on Dec 4, paving the way for the country's 1.2 billion mobile subscribers to have higher-speed Internet access at their fingertips.

Every advance in technology may have a big impact on people's lives, as well as a country's economic and social landscape. Since 4G telecom services have not actually taken off in China, we can only imagine the diverse applications and changes that the technology will bring.

The speed of 4G networks is going to be much faster than anything now available, with a download speed of up to 100 megabits per second. In that case, people can watch videos and download a movie within minutes on their cell phones.

Analysts expect online video to become the star of the 4G stage. Mobile gaming, an industry that heated up in 2013, is also likely to be one of the fields that are most influenced by the adoption of 4G technology.