The limitations of 3G networks have confined gaming to an "asynchronous" model. These are games like Scrabble, where one player takes his turn placing a word on the board, and then the other player is notified when the network is ready for the next move. Such games don't require fast network connections or low latency rates.

But because 4G networks are able to deliver more data packets (upstream and downstream) at a more predictable rate and with less latency, a whole new class of games is becoming possible on mobile devices. The games we're used to playing on a home PC with a wired broadband connection will become possible on devices connected on a cellular network.

4G networks will be able to accommodate "synchronous" gaming--games in which players make quick moves in reaction to the moves of other players, or to the moves of a virtual opponent created by the game at the server. In a shooter game Player A might be dodging the shots fired by Player B in real time, while reacting to the evasive moves of his opponent to decide where to . In order for that quick interplay to work, players must be able to see and hear these events almost immediately when they happen.

Another (more peaceful) example is Rock Band, which was featured in a 4G demonstration by Verizon at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In the game a group of mobile players must play in unison with the music generated by the game, following visual cues on the screen. Meanwhile, they must play in unison with other (mobile) band members in real time.

These "synchronous" games rely on very fast download speeds to convey a high-definition gaming environment to the mobile device, and to communicate the movement of the game to all players quickly. Very low latency is needed to communicate the moves of the players almost instantaneously to the server and to each other. Such games also rely greatly on the reliability of the network connection; the network can compensate for a certain number of lost packets, but if too many are lost the fluidity of the game breaks down. And finally, the network must allow for very little jitter, meaning that the rate at which the packets flow back and forth between the players and the server remains relatively constant and does not slow down and speed up drastically.