It's very easy to lose sight of where we want to reach, as we
get caught up with new developments and exciting technologies that take our
breath away. As we jump from one technology to the next, we forget what the
jargon stands for.
Life without GSM or CDMA-is it imaginable? But how many users
know what they stand for? What about GPRS and EDGE? And now we have to figure
out terms such as HSDPA, WiMAX...
Many of us use phones that are EDGE-enabled. GSM (oh, that's
the global system of mobile communications) is a 2G (generation) technology.
EDGE is a notch above the 2.5G technology GPRS (general packet radio service),
but not quite third generation, so it's often referred to as 2.75G. It stands
for enhanced data rates for GSM evolution. Till November last year, there were
156 commercial GSM/EDGE networks in 92 countries across the world. More than 500
user devices have been launched that support GSM/EDGE.
So what does EDGE deliver? It can provide up to three times
the data capacity of GPRS. This translates into an operator being able to handle
three times more subscribers than his GPRS network. Or the operator can just add
extra capacity to the voice communications. What's up next? EDGE evolution, a
set of enhancements that are being standardized by the 3rd Generation
Partnership Project (3GPP) for release this year to enhance bit rates, reduce
latency, and increase spectral efficiency. With this, users are expected to
experience mobile broadband comparable to a 500 Kbps ADSL line.
Then there is WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access).
While it shares transmission techniques with CDMA, it's seen as the way to go 3G
for GSM operators. WCDMA can support voice, video, data, and images, at up to 2
Mbps (local access) or 384 Kbps (wide area access). According to March 2007
estimates of GSA (the global mobile suppliers association), 155 3G/WCDMA
networks have been launched in 68 countries, which cater to 113 mn subscribers.
And there are over 650 WCDMA-capable products available for use.
|
Services cannot be limited to voice alone. Data-based
services through which the users can watch movies, play games... live more
comfortable lives are the pressing needs |
We also hear about HSDPA, which is the next in the WCDMA
evolution phase. It stands for high speed downlink packet access, which is meant
to get five times better data rates than WCDMA. It creates a separate downlink
channel within WCDMA, which will, theoretically, support speeds of 8-10 Mbps.
And as far as classifications go, HSDPA finds itself getting called 3.5G in
various quarters. Fifty-four countries across the world have deployed 104 HSDPA
networks. Over 250 products are said to be available that support HSDPA. In
March last year, Ericsson was the first company to demo an HSDPA network in
India. Meanwhile, it's upload counterpart, high speed uplink packet access is
finding its place on some networks across the world this year.
We have no dearth of technologies, acronyms, or jargons. What
we do have is a dearth of ways to get voice and data access to all parts of the
country. And what the user needs is reliable service at inexpensive rates. And
by all accounts there has been an explosive growth in these. Going forward, that
service cannot be limited to voice services alone. Data-based services through
which the user can watch movies, play games, get education, understand health
issues and live more comfortable lives are the pressing needs.
It would be great if we moved beyond measuring the number of
connections that we are adding. And start measuring the rate at which new
applications are being added and the impact that they have on personal and
business life. That would make the acronyms more meaningful-even if we do not
know what they stand for.
Shyam malhotra
editor-in-chief VOICE&DATA
shyamm@cybermedia.co.in
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