GSM is basically what the rest of ther world uses, we are on CDMA/TDMA techgnologies for cellphones. With GSM becoming more popular, do you think that eventually all phones in US will be on GSM900 or GSM1800 standard?
May mean massive investment in infrastructure and massive sales of handsets?
would any of you switch to GSM phones, if you had the choice
Do GSM phones use satellites? Cause in most cases that doesnt require huge investments except the one off thing.
Of the big carriers in the USA ... T-Mobile, Cingular and AT&T all are either totally GSM or are on the GSM bandwagon. Sprint is stuck on PCS and Verizon is still on 1x. Not sure what is Nextel, but I don't think they are on GSM. It will take a lot of time for these three to move to GSM and by that time, the technology would move much ahead. DoCoMo is investing in US for the 4G system, but it will only be in pilot even after a couple of years.
Personally, I don't think its important which system Europe and Asia will be using in a couple of years, but I think it will be useful for everyone if all major developers of the cellular technology agree on common standards so cellphone users can roam around the world and still be able to use the same phone and the same number.
Going forward the convergance of PDA and cellphone/digital camera will increase, so voice-data networks need to be upgraded anyway to provide decent speeds. At this point, I think AT&T is the only one promising anything close to 384k downstream using wireless. There is a lot of potential there.
Faisal we dont really have a full 3G revolution in wireless communications, 4G is going to be ways off. DoCoMo is the company to watch as it has been setting the benchmark in terms of product and service innovation for other carriers.
one thing that has been an issue with cellular communications in general is the SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) ratings.. basically how much radiation does the phone throw in your head..lower in North America compared to the rest of the world, but the standards may be changing since the last guidelines were developed during the analog phone era.
other issue effecting new product development is power source, all the new features are draining on the battery..so a balance between technology/safety and battery life is needed. With an average consumer replacing his/her phone in 18 months in US the market is dynamic enough that investment in new products by companies could be profitable.
Ok.. can someone explain to me what exactly is a 3G?
I mean, where do we fit the push by US carriers to offer faster data network along with cellphone... u know the whole Blackberry, Treo, Smartphone thing... where the same gadget is doing cellphone, PDA, browsing, instant messaging blah blah.
Is it 3G? And what is 4G?
Faisal, this is courtesey of three-g-.net
Let me know if you want me to translate it into english :)
here goes..
"3G" stands for the "third generation" of mobile phones. Basically, a 3G device will provide a huge range of new functionality to your mobile. Up until now, your mobile phone has mainly been used only to carry voice messages, with maybe a bit of SMS text as well. 3G will allow simultaneous transfer of speech, data, text, pictures, audio and video. So now it's really inappropriate to talk about a "3G mobile phone". Instead we talk about a "3G Device".
A 3G device will blur traditional boundaries of technology - computing, communications, and consumer devices. Your 3G device will be your PC, your phone, and your PDA all in one. It would not be too much of an exaggeration to say that people will live their lives around their 3G devices. You'll have the world at your fingertips: anything, anytime, anywhere (hence, 3G has been called Martini-flavoured!).
3G will provide:
High-speed, mobile access to the Internet.
Your choice of entertainment on demand. This will include movies (on the device's high-resolution screen) and music (on the device's in-built MP3 player).
Video-conferencing (using the device's in-built micro video camera).
Mobile shopping (m-commerce). Browse available items and pay using electronic cash.
Travel information: congested roads, flight departures. And if you get lost, find your current location. Also get location services, e.g., suggesting nearby restaurants. In the U.S., when an emergency call (911) is made from a cellular phone the user's location can now be traced (so-called Enhanced 911, or E-911).
And I suppose you could always use it as a phone ...
The Technological Challenges
This is all highly ambitious stuff, and it raises a number of major technical challenges:
Firstly, the rate of data which a 3G device will be able to receive and transmit will be far higher than existing mobile phones. For example, in order to watch movies (streaming video) on a 3G device, the data rate requirement will be as much as 100 times greater than that currently achievable on existing phones. More than anything, a 3G device is going to have to be FAST. In fact, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) defines a 3G device solely in terms of its transmission speed (if your phone can transmit at 144Kbps, it's a 3G phone).
A very attractive feature of 3G is that you will be able to use your device anywhere in the world. This "global roaming" ability will require a major effort on the development of unified, worldwide standard(s).
Security of 3G devices is going to be vitally important. A 3G device will effectively be a "wallet" for your electronic cash, and a safety deposit box containing your personal e-mail. 3G devices will clearly be an attractive target for thieves. A 3G device must be rendered useless as soon as it is lost. This could be achieved by using a PIN or a removable smart card. Or, in 21st century fashion, voice, fingerprint, or iris recognition ("biometrics"). A stolen 3G device could have a GPS distress beacon which informs the police of its position.
A small, portable device used for so many functions for extended periods will require advances in rechargeable battery technology.
Dodgy Finances
Some pessimistic voices have emerged, questioning the viability of 3G. The problem arises from the fact that 3G services will require bandwidth (data transfer rates) far greater than current 2G phones. This will only be possible through huge investment in new radio licences and transmission infrastructure: the UK and German 3G licence auctions raised $35 and $46 billion, respectively (the 3G spectrum licence auctions are covered in depth in the section on 3G Spectrum).
Telecoms operators have been willing to spend these huge sums as they have believed that they will be able to charge premium rates for the new services they will be able to offer their customers. However, there has been a great deal of recent speculation that these debt mountains will cripple operators. Doubts have also been raised about the 3G business model: will these operators ever get their money back? And will the customers come when 3G services are launched? Nobody really knows.
*3G will provide:
High-speed, mobile access to the Internet.
Your choice of entertainment on demand. This will include movies (on the device's high-resolution screen) and music (on the device's in-built MP3 player).
Video-conferencing (using the device's in-built micro video camera).
Mobile shopping (m-commerce). Browse available items and pay using electronic cash.
Travel information: congested roads, flight departures. And if you get lost, find your current location. Also get location services, e.g., suggesting nearby restaurants. In the U.S., when an emergency call (911) is made from a cellular phone the user's location can now be traced (so-called Enhanced 911, or E-911).
And I suppose you could always use it as a phone ... *
Other than the roaming the world part, the rest of the stuff now is available in US with most carriers. My phone has the e911 GPS system. There are camera phones all over the place. Phones with MP3 players are also coming along. Not sure if any carrier is showing movies on demand (who the heck wants to view a movie on a 1.5" screen!). Video conferencing...not many, I guess.
So, are most big carriers in US on 3G or not?
no they are not, they are nto quite 2G either thats why the *******ized 2.5G term was born..