11-02-2013, 11:06 AM
3G TECHNOLOGY (Third Generation)
3G TECHNOLOGY.docx (Size: 304.17 KB / Downloads: 26)
INTRODUCTION
What is 3G Technology?
As the telecommunication industry moves forward, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has proposed 3G telecommunication standards to ensure the cost-effective availability of high-bandwidth, high-quality, wireless multimedia applications and the mobile communications. Based on the International Telecommunication Union, 3G is a third generation mobile phone technology and it is also referred UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System). 3G offers more great features, services and more capacity to the mobile phone operators. Today, approximately 200 3G networks are operating in more than 40 countries of the world and there are millions of the 3G subscribers in the world.
The most significant features of the 3G technology is that is supports greater voice and data capacity and higher data transfer rate at the lowest cost both in the rural and urban areas. 3G uses the radio spectrum, which allows the transmission of 384 kb/s for the mobile systems and the 2mb/s for the stationary systems. Today more telecommunication networks in the world are being upgraded to the 3G technologies because of its greater features, scalability, higher voice and data transfer rates and better performance than the 2G technologies.
HISTORY
The first pre-commercial 3G network was launched by NTT Docomo in Japan branded FOMA, in May 2001.The first commercial US 3G network was by Monet Mobile Networks in 2003.In 2008, India entered into 3G Mobile arenas with the launch of 3G enabled Mobile services by (MTNL).
1G Technology (First Generation)
• Almost all of the systems of this generation were Analog systems where voice was considered to be the main traffic.
• 1G wireless networks used analog radio signals. Through 1G, a voice call gets modulated to a higher frequency of about 150MHz and up as it is transmitted between radio towers. This is done using a technique called Frequency-Division Multiple Access (FDMA).
• These systems could often be listened to by third parties.
Drawbacks of 1G:-
1G compares unfavorably to its successors. It has low capacity, unreliable handoff, poor voice links, and no security at all since voice calls were played back in radio towers, making these calls susceptible to unwanted eavesdropping by third parties.
TDMA-based 2G standards:-
It includes the following:
Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), used worldwide;
Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN), developed by Motorola and Used in the United States and Canada;
Interim Standard 136 (IS-136) or Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), used in north and south America; and Personal Digital Cellular (PDC), used in Japan.
IS-95, on the other hand, is CDMA-based. It was developed by Qualcomm, and is alternately known as TIA-EIA-95 or cdma one. 2G cell phone units were generally smaller than 1G unit, since they emitted less radio power. Another advantage of 2G over 1G is that the battery life of a 2G handset lasts longer, again due to the lower-powered radio signals. Since it transmitted data through digital signals, 2G also offered additional services such as SMS and e-mail. Its lower power emissions also made 2G handsets safer for consumers to use.
5G Technology (Second and a Half Generation)
2.5G, which stands for “second and a half generation,” is a cellular wireless technology developed in between its predecessor, 2G, and its successor, 3G.
“2.5G” is an informal term, invented solely for marketing purposes, unlike “2G” or “3G” which are officially defined standards based on those defined by the International Telecommunication (ITU). The term “2.5G” usually describes a 2G cellular system combined with General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), or other services not generally found in 2G or 1G networks.
GPRS is a service commonly associated with 2.5G technology. It has data transmission rates of 28 kbps or higher. GPRS came after the development of the Global System for Mobile (GSM) service, which is classified as 2G technology, and it was succeeded by the deve- lopment of the Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service (UMTS), which is classified as 3G technology Improved 2G networks (GPRS) manages to support few of applications like web browsing, emailing, video streaming, Multimedia messaging service etc. therefore GPRS can also be said that it is 2.5 generation technology.
WIDEBAND-CODE DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS
(Universal Mobile Telecommunications System)
WCDMA is a wideband spread-spectrum 3G mobile telecommunication air
interface that utilizes code division multiple access .It provides simultaneous
support for a wide range of services with different characteristics on a common
5MHz carrier.
The term WCDMA also refers to one of the International Telecommunications
Union’s IMT-2000 standards, a type of 3G cellular network. WCDMA is the
technology behind the 3G UMTS standard and is closely allied with the 2G
GSM standard. It provides new service capabilities, increased network capacity
and reduced cost for voice and data services. The term ‘WCDMA Evolved’ describes the evolution of WCDMA, addressing both operators’ needs for efficiency and users’ demands for enhanced experience and convenience. The first steps of this evolution are HSDPA and Enhanced Uplink
CONCLUSION
3G is considered to be the evolution of existing mobile communications. In the light of the discussion in this paper, there is strong evidence to suggest that the main outcome of using 3G networks and services will be to get access to the same services with faster data connection speed. Furthermore, it seems that the success of 3G lies in its ability to serve not only mobile users but in providing access to the Internet with data cards inserted in laptops. Thus, 3G networks will serve the same purpose as LAN and WAN networks. In terms of business opportunities, telecommunication companies„¢ main source of income is still coming from voice-centric services. For example, the mobile operator Hutchinson, offering services purely in 3G networks, announced this autumn 2006 that its main source of income comes from discount packets that offer free speech time in 3G networks.