High Speed Data--1G, 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 802.11

This section details the data capabilities of each network technology. Sections include:

 

The table below details the data rates available on each type of wireless service. Note that while most industry sources consider EDGE and 1xRTT to be 2.5G, some have designated them as 2.75G which is a fairer designation.

  Data Rate Typical Data Rate Maximum Connection Type Generation (Industry Designation)

Carriers (California)

  Kb/s Kb/s      
AMPS 4.8 9.6 Circuit 1G Verizon, AT&T
TDMA 9.6 9.6 Circuit 1G AT&T
GSM 9.6 9.6 Circuit 1G T-Mobile, Cingular, AT&T
CDMA 14.4 14.4 Circuit 2G Sprint, Verizon
iDEN 15 20 Packet 2G Nextel
GPRS (GSM) 20-40 115 Packet 2.5G AT&T, Cingular, T-Mobile
1xRTT (CDMA) 50-80 153 Packet 2.75G Sprint, Verizon
EDGE (GSM) 144 384 Packet 2.75G AT&T, Cingular, T-Mobile
UMTS (W-CDMA) 144 2000 Packet 3G ("True 3G") AT&T
1xEV (CDMA2000) 150 2000 Packet 3G ("True 3G") Sprint, Verizon
1xEVDO (CDMA2000 ) 600-1200 2500 Packet 3G ("True 3G") Sprint, Verizon

Italics and strikethrough means that the service is not yet deployed in this area

Here is another format that may be easier to understand:

Generation

1G

2G

3G ("True 3G")

Sub-Level   2.0

2.50

2.75

 
Maximum (Kb/s)       9.6       9.6 14.4 20     115   153 384     2000 2000       2500
Typical (Kb/s)         4.8            9.6 14.4 15        40    80 144       144  150         600-1200
Technology            AMPS                TDMA GSM CDMA  iDEN          GPRS    1xRTT EDGE        UMTS 1xEV        1xEVDO
                                                 

Check the charges for data before you select a carrier because the charges for data vary significantly between carriers.

Who Stole the Definition of 3G?
Cingular appears to claim that EDGE is actually 3G, even though the industry definition is that 3G must be capable of 2Mb/s. Cingular is not the first company to try to re-define 3G to suit their own agenda, nor are they the most egregious offender; if you read Cingular's statement very carefully you'll see that technically they are saying that EDGE provides "3G capabilities," and they don't explicitly claim that EDGE is 3G. AT&T claims "next generation services and devices," without claiming that they are providing 3G (which they are not), though in other statements they do admit that EDGE is not 3G.  

See the article Who Stole the Definition of 3G? which states: "99 percent of "3G service providers" are missing part of the criteria." There are definitions of 3G that state that >144Kb/s qualifies as 3G, in which case both 1xRTT and EDGE could conceivably be defined as 3G. On this web site I will use the accepted industry definitions--3G must be capable of 2Mb/s.

CDMA2000 & UMTS Interoperability
There is work underway to have interoperability between CDMA2000 3X and GSM UMTS. The kink is AT&T and Cingular's deployment of EDGE in the U.S, while the European and Asian GSM carriers are moving to the faster UMTS. The result may be that with a U.S. GSM phone may not be usable in Europe or Asia for high speed data (but could still be used for voice and low speed data).

There are three big problems with W-CDMA at this time:

1. It doesn't work very well
2. There is not enough spectrum for it
3. There is no demand for it

3G is going nowhere at this time. AT&T recently stated that they have seen no demand for it, and are delaying deployment (see article). The deployment by one of Japan's carriers has been a flop (W-CDMA). CDMA 3G has enjoyed modest success in Japan and Korea. In the U.S., widespread deployment of 802.11b in public places is "good enough" for many businessmen, while those that MUST have mobile wireless data coverage are able to use the 2.5G infrastructure for e-mail and vital communications (though web browsing is painfully slow).

One of the biggest blows to 3G is the financial community's lack of confidence in its success. As broker Nomura stated: "As 802.11 [WLAN] bandwidth is free and as the technology offers considerably more bandwidth than 3G, we believe it can only lead to greater pressure on wireless data tariffs. This is great news for consumers, but a threat for mobile operators." Nomura goes on to state: "The next few years, we suspect, will also prove that 802.11 [WLAN] can develop faster than 3G. Techniques, such as packet relay, will enable large "mesh networks" of 802.11 [WLAN] base-stations to be built covering high-density areas like London and New York. Voice will also be carried increasingly over 802.11 [WLAN]." You can read the whole article at: http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/May2002/3448.htm


802.11b
Much to the dismay of the cellular carriers, 802.11b is being deployed much faster than 3G, and offers higher data rates. Unless you need web access in a car or on a train, 802.11b can often serve your needs at a much lower cost. 802.11b is becoming ubiquitous in public places like cafes, bookstores, and airports, and there is an underground movement to set up free 802.11b access points across the country and across the world. There is a good article about this in Scientific American. T-Mobile is the leader in paid 802.11b access, setting up "Hot Spots" at Starbucks, Border's Books, and in American Airlines lounges.

There is work going on to slightly modify 802.11b to make it an alternative to DSL and broadband.

You can greatly increase the range of 802.11b with an antenna you build with an empty Pringles can. See article.

Wireless LANs gaining over cellular, see: http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/ptech/03/13/wlan.cellular.idg/index.html

See a good Doonesbury strip on 802.11


Etherlinx
Etherlinx is an enhancement of 802.11b. The Etherlinx system replaces standard 802.11b software with proprietary code that extends the range of the hardware, then places it in a self-installing antenna with two repeaters – one built around the Etherlinx technology (that extends the system range), the other around 802.11 (to deliver the signal to a subscriber).


iBurst, UWB, Mesh Networks
802.11 is not the only technology that is threatening 3G. iBurst, UWB, Mesh Networks are other disruptive technologies than offer many of the benefits of 3G at a fraction of the cost. None are as seamless as 3G, but they threaten to skim off most of the cream.


Bottom Line on High Speed Data
Verizon and Sprint have the best high-speed data implementation at this time, though AT&T, Cingular and T-Mobile are only a little slower.

CDMA has the edge in data rates for 1G & 2.5G, and will have a big advantage when 3G is deployed because the U.S. GSM carriers are not planning to go to true 3G.

Whether or not the faster data rates of CDMA matter to you depends on your eventual use of mobile web services. The 2.5G difference is small, and the 5x advantage of CDMA2000 3x versus GSM-EDGE is of benefit to few users. It's almost like the difference between a 500Mhz Celeron computer and a 2Ghz Pentium 4 computer to someone who is only doing web browsing or running Microsoft Office; there is no difference (much to the dismay of Intel).

If 3G is priced right, and has sufficient capacity, it could be a viable alternative to cable modems and DSL.

It looks like the ubiquitous presence of 802.11b is going to kill most of the potential of 3G.

 


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