Does 4G really matter?

In fact 4G does not matter today apart to a very small number of users. Looking at mobile users as a whole, only about a quarter of all subscriptions have any type of data plan, so today data (internet, IP streaming etc) is a small niche market and priced at the businessman or high-end consumer. Looking outside the USA (where the '4G' products are currently being pushed), India has not yet even migrated to 3G, so the next phase will be a long time coming.

As you suggest, Chad, a key problem is backhaul and data network capacity in the current carriers. They never built-out the network with data in mind, and the growth has taken them by surprise. When you look at the economics of it, it doesn't make any sense for them to invest significantly here. The upgrade will cost a lot of money, but all-you-can eat data plans mean that they don't get payback as the users use more. Many carriers are now starting to talk about tiered plans and different QoS for different levels of payment. In actual fact today it makes more sense for users to use the WiFi capability that is often built into their smartphones, but the telcos don't like this solution as, by and large, the commercial WiFi companies have different owners.

'4G' as it is offered in the USA today is really just an exercise in branding and telcos positioning themselves as 'leading edge' companies.