The most significant feature offered by third generation (3G) mobile technologies is the capacity to support greater numbers of voice and data customers — especially in urban centres — as well as higher data rates at lower incremental cost than 2G.
By using the radio spectrum in bands identified, which is provided by the ITU for Third Generation IMT-2000 mobile services, it subsequently licensed to operators. 3G uses 5 MHz channel carrier width to deliver significantly higher data rates and increased capacity compared with 2G networks.
The 5 MHz channel carrier provides optimum use of radio resources for operators who have been granted large, contiguous blocks of spectrum. On the other hand, it also helps to reduce the cost to 3G networks while being capable of providing extremely high-speed data transmission to users.
It also allows the transmission of 384kbps for mobile systems and 2Mbps for stationary systems. 3G users are expected to have greater capacity and improved spectrum efficiency, which will allow them to access global roaming between different 3G networks.
3G System Capabilities
Capability to support circuit and packet data at high bit rates:
* 144 kilobits/second or higher in high mobility (vehicular) traffic
* 384 kilobits/second for pedestrian traffic
* 2 Megabits/second or higher for indoor traffic
Interoperability and roaming
Common billing/user profiles:
* Sharing of usage/rate information between service providers
* Standardized call detail recording
* Standardized user profiles
Capability to determine geographic position of mobiles and report it to both the network and the mobile terminal
Support of multimedia services/capabilities:
* Fixed and variable rate bit traffic
* Bandwidth on demand
* Asymmetric data rates in the forward and reverse links
* Multimedia mail store and forward
* Broadband access up to 2 Megabits/second
With Third Generation (3G), the information is split into separate but related “packets” before being transmitted and reassembled at the receiving end. Packet switching is similar to a jigsaw puzzle- the image that the puzzle represents is divided into pieces at the manufacturing factory and put into a plastic bag. During transportation of the now boxed jigsaw from the factory to the end user, the pieces get jumbled up. When the recipient empties the bag with all the pieces, they are reassembled to form the original image. All the pieces are all related and fit together, but the way they are transported and assembled varies.
Packet switched data formats are much more common than their circuit switched counterparts. Other examples of packet-based data standards include TCP/IP, X.25, Frame Relay and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). As such, whilst packet switching is new to the GSM world, it is well established elsewhere. In the mobile world, CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data), PDCP (Personal Digital Cellular Packet), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and wireless X.25 technologies have been in operation for several years. X.25 is the international public access packet radio data network standard.
HIGH SPEED
Speeds of up to 2 Megabits per second (Mbps) are achievable with Third Generation (3G). The data transmission rates will depend upon the environment the call is being made in- it is only indoors and in stationary environments that these types of data rates will be available. For high mobility, data rates of 144 kbps are expected to be available- this is only about three times the speed of today’s fixed telecoms modems.
NEW APPLICATIONS, BETTER APPLICATIONS
Third Generation (3G) facilitates several new applications that have not previously been readily available over mobile networks due to the limitations in data transmission speeds. These applications range from Web Browsing to file transfer to Home Automation- the ability to remotely access and control in-house appliances and machines. Because of the bandwidth increase, these applications will be even more easily available with 3G than they were previously with interim technologies such as GPRS.
SERVICE ACCESS
To use Third Generation (3G), users specifically need:
* A mobile phone or terminal that supports Third Generation (3G)
* A subscription to a mobile telephone network that supports Third Generation (3G)
* Use of Third Generation (3G) must be enabled for that user.Automatic access to the 3G may be allowed by some mobile network operators, others will charge a monthly subscription and require a specific opt-in to use the service as they do with other nonvoice mobile services
* Knowledge of how to send and/ or receive Third Generation (3G) information using their specific model of mobile phone, including software and hardware configuration (this creates a customer service requirement)
* A destination to send or receive information through Third Generation (3G). From day one, Third Generation (3G) users can access any web page or other Internet applications- providing an immediate critical mass of users.
These user requirements are not expected to change much for the meaningful use of 3G.
Advantages of 3G
3G will provide a number of important benefits, particularly when it comes to data connections. First, 3G will offer much higher bandwidth than 2G networks, with a maximum potential of 2Mbps for fixed indoor connections, 384Kbps for slow-moving connections in pedestrian traffic, and 144Kbps in high-mobility, vehicular traffic. Depending on network congestion and other live operating conditions, actual connection speeds will likely be 30 to 40 percent of these figures, but still several magnitudes faster than what's offered today.
Second, 3G network connections will be "always on" connections, making them much more usable for data than today's dial-up architectures, and enabling push-style applications such as e-mail (including hefty attachments), calendar updates, news alerts, and instant messaging. Lastly, 3G is a packet-switched technology for both voice and data, and in most cases it will use the same IP protocol as the Internet. Packet switching divides data streams into encapsulated chunks of data, adds destination information for transport, and then reassembles the data stream at the other end of the connection. Such a technology obviates the need for dedicated connections, allowing more network capacity as well as simultaneous voice and data connections.