G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the

International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union.[1] Application services include wide-area wireless voice telephone, mobile Internet access, video calls and mobile TV, all in a mobile environment. To meet the IMT-2000 standards, a system is required to provide peak data rates of at least 200 kbit/s. Recent 3G releases, often denoted 3.5G and 3.75G, also provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to smartphones and mobile modems in laptop computers. The following standards are typically branded 3G:

the UMTS system, first offered in 2001, standardized by 3GPP, used primarily in Europe, Japan, China (however with a different radio interface) and other regions predominated by GSM 2G system infrastructure. The cell phones are typically UMTS and GSM hybrids. Several radio interfaces are offered, sharing the same infrastructure: o The original and most widespread radio interface is called W-CDMA. o The TD-SCDMA radio interface was commercialised in 2009 and is only offered in China. o The latest UMTS release, HSPA+, can provide peak data rates up to 56 Mbit/s in the downlink in theory (28 Mbit/s in existing services) and 22 Mbit/s in the uplink. the CDMA2000 system, first offered in 2002, standardized by 3GPP2, used especially in North America and South Korea, sharing infrastructure with the IS-95 2G standard. The cell phones are typically CDMA2000 and IS-95 hybrids. The latest release EVDO Rev B offers peak rates of 14.7 Mbit/s downstream.

The above systems and radio interfaces are based on kindred spread spectrum radio transmission technology. While the GSM EDGE standard ("2.9G"), DECT cordless phones and Mobile WiMAX standards formally also fulfill the IMT-2000 requirements and are approved as 3G standards by ITU, these are typically not branded 3G, and are based on completely different technologies. A new generation of cellular standards has appeared approximately every tenth year since 1G systems were introduced in 1981/1982. Each generation is characterized by new frequency bands, higher data rates and non backwards compatible transmission technology. The first release of the 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard does not completely fulfill the ITU 4G requirements called IMT-Advanced. First release LTE is not backwards compatible with 3G, but is a pre-4G or 3.9G technology, however sometimes branded "4G" by the service providers. Its evolution LTE Advanced is a 4G technology. WiMAX is another technology verging on or marketed as 4G.

Contents
[hide]

1 Overview o 1.1 Detailed breakdown of 3G systems 2 History 3 Adoption o 3.1 Africa o 3.2 Asia 3.2.1 Pakistan 3.2.2 Bangladesh 3.2.3 China 3.2.4 India 3.2.5 North Korea 3.2.6 Philippines o 3.3 Europe o 3.4 North America o 3.5 Middle East o 3.6 Turkey o 3.7 New Zealand 4 Features o 4.1 Data rates o 4.2 Security o 4.3 Applications of 3G 5 Evolution 6 See also 7 References

Overview
The following common standards comply with the IMT2000/3G standard:

EDGE, a revision by the 3GPP organization to the older 2G GSM based transmission methods, utilizing the same switching nodes, basestation sites and frequencies as GPRS, but new basestation and cellphone RF circuits. It is based on the three times as efficient 8PSK modulation scheme as supplement to the original GMSK modulation scheme. EDGE is still used extensively due to its ease of upgrade from existing 2G GSM infrastructure and cell-phones. o EDGE combined with the GPRS 2.5G technology is called EGPRS, and allows peak data rates in the order of 200 kbit/s, just as the original UMTS WCDMA versions, and thus formally fulfills the IMT2000 requirements on 3G systems. However, in practice EDGE is seldom marketed as a 3G system, but a 2.9G system. EDGE shows slightly better system spectral efficiency than the original UMTS and CDMA2000 systems, but it is difficult to reach much higher peak data rates due to the limited GSM spectral bandwidth of 200 kHz, and it is thus a dead end.

EDGE was also a mode in the IS-135 TDMA system, today ceased. Evolved EDGE, the latest revision, has peaks of 1 Mbit/s downstream and 400kbit/s upstream, but is not commercially used. The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, created and revised by the 3GPP. The family is a full revision from GSM in terms of encoding methods and hardware, although some GSM sites can be retrofitted to broadcast in the UMTS/W-CDMA format. o W-CDMA is the most common deployment, commonly operated on the 2100 MHz band. A few others use the 900 and 1850 MHz bands. o HSPA is a revision and upgrade to W-CDMA UMTS, used by AT&T Wireless, Telstra and Telecom NZ, typically broadcasting on the 850 MHz band. HSPA requires updates to the HSPA+ a revision and upgrade of HSPA, can provide peak data rates up to 56 Mbit/s in the downlink in theory (28 Mbit/s in existing services) and 22 Mbit/s in the uplink. It utilises multiple base stations to potentially double the channels available utilising MIMO principles. The CDMA2000 system, or IS-2000, standardized by 3GPP2 (differing from the 3GPP, updating the IS-95 CDMA system, used especially in North America and South Korea. o EVDO Rev. B is the latest update, offering downstream peak rates of 14.7 Mbit/s. It is used primarily by the US carrier Verizon.
o o

While DECT cordless phones and Mobile WiMAX standards formally also fulfill the IMT2000 requirements, they are not usually considered due to their rarity and unsuitability for usage with mobile phones.

Detailed breakdown of 3G systems

The 3G (UMTS and CDMA2000) research and development projects started in 1992. In 1999, ITU approved five radio interfaces for IMT-2000 as a part of the ITU-R M.1457 Recommendation; WiMAX was added in 2007.[2] There are evolutionary standards (EDGE and CDMA) that are backwards-compatible extensions to pre-existing 2G networks as well as revolutionary standards that require all-new network hardware and frequency allocations. The cell phones used utilise UMTS in combination with 2G GSM standards and bandwidths, but do not support EDGE.[3] The latter group is the UMTS family, which consists of standards developed for IMT-2000, as well as the independently developed standards DECT and WiMAX, which were included because they fit the IMT-2000 definition. Overview of 3G/IMT-2000 standards[4] ITU IMT-2000 common name(s) compliant standards TDMA Single-Carrier EDGE (UWC-136) (IMT-SC)

bandwidth of data EDGE Evolution

pre-4G duplex channel upgrade likely FDD TDMA discontinued

descri

evolut upgrad

GSM/
1]

CDMA Multi-Carrier CDMA2000 (IMT-MC) CDMA Direct Spread (IMT-DS) CDMA TDD (IMT-TC) FDMA/TDMA (IMT-FT) IP-OFDMA W-CDMA[nb 4] UMTS
3] [nb

EV-DO

UMB[nb 2]

TD-CDMA[nb 5] HSPA TD-SCDMA[nb

6]

LTE

TDD DECT none WiMAX (IEEE 802.16)

evolut upgrad cdmaO 95) CDMA family revolu upgrad earlier family shortstanda FDMA/TDMA cordle phone OFDMA

1. ^ Can also be used as an upgrade to PDC or D-AMPS. 2. ^ development halted in favour of LTE.[5] 3. ^ also known as FOMA;[6] UMTS is the common name for a standard that encompasses multiple air interfaces. 4. ^ also known as UTRA-FDD; W-CDMA is sometimes used as a synonym for UMTS, ignoring the other air interface options.[6] 5. ^ also known as UTRA-TDD 3.84 Mcps high chip rate (HCR) 6. ^ also known as UTRA-TDD 1.28 Mcps low chip rate (LCR) While EDGE fulfills the 3G specifications, most GSM/UMTS phones report EDGE ("2.75G") and UMTS ("3G") functionality.

History
The first pre-commercial 3G network was launched by NTT DoCoMo in Japan, branded as FOMA. It was first available in May 2001 as a pre-release (test) of W-CDMA technology. [7] The first commercial launch of 3G was also by NTT DoCoMo in Japan on 1 October 2001, although it was initially somewhat limited in scope;[8][9] broader availability of the system was delayed by apparent concerns over its reliability.[10] The second network to go commercially live was by SK Telecom in South Korea on the CDMA-based 1xEV-DO technology in January 2002. By May 2002 the second South Korean 3G network was by KT on EV-DO and thus the Koreans were the first to see competition among 3G operators. The first European pre-commercial network was an UTMS network on the Isle of Man by Manx Telecom, the operator then owned by British Telecom, and the first commercial

network (also UTMS based W-CDMA) in Europe was opened for business by Telenor in December 2001 with no commercial handsets and thus no paying customers. The first commercial United States 3G network was by Monet Mobile Networks, on CDMA2000 1x EV-DO technology, but this network provider later shut down operations. The second 3G network operator in the USA was Verizon Wireless in July 2002 also on CDMA2000 1x EV-DO.[11] AT&T Mobility is also a true 3G UMTS network, having completed its upgrade of the 3G network to HSUPA. The first pre-commercial demonstration network in the southern hemisphere[dubious discuss] was built in Adelaide, South Australia by m.Net Corporation in February 2002 using UMTS on 2100 MHz. This was a demonstration network for the 2002 IT World Congress. The first commercial 3G network was launched by Hutchison Telecommunications branded as Three in March 2003. Emtel Launched the first 3G network in Africa. By June 2007, the 200 millionth 3G subscriber had been connected. Out of 3 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide this is only 6.7%. In the countries where 3G was launched first Japan and South Korea 3G penetration is over 70%.[12] In Europe the leading country is Italy with a third of its subscribers migrated to 3G. Other leading countries by 3G migration include UK, Austria, Australia and Singapore at the 20% migration level. A confusing statistic is counting CDMA2000 1x RTT customers as if they were 3G customers. If using this definition, then the total 3G subscriber base would be 475 million at June 2007 and 15.8% of all subscribers worldwide.

Adoption
3G was relatively slow to be adopted globally. In some instances, 3G networks do not use the same radio frequencies as 2G so mobile operators must build entirely new networks and license entirely new frequencies, especially so to achieve high-end data transmission rates. Other delays were due to the expenses of upgrading transmission hardware, especially for UMTS, whose deployment required the replacement of most broadcast towers. Due to these issues and difficulties with deployment, many carriers were not able to or delayed acquisition of these updated capabilities. In December 2007, 190 3G networks were operating in 40 countries and 154 HSDPA networks were operating in 71 countries, according to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA). In Asia, Europe, Canada and the USA, telecommunication companies use W-CDMA technology with the support of around 100 terminal designs to operate 3G mobile networks. Roll-out of 3G networks was delayed in some countries by the enormous costs of additional spectrum licensing fees. (See Telecoms crash.) The license fees in some European countries were particularly high, bolstered by government auctions of a limited number of licenses and sealed bid auctions, and initial excitement over 3G's potential.

The 3G standard is perhaps well known because of a massive expansion of the mobile communications market post-2G and advances of the consumer mophone. An especially notable development during this time is the smartphone (for example, the iPhone, and the Android family), combining the abilities of a PDA with a mobile phone, leading to widespread demand for mobile internet connectivity. 3G has also introduced the term "mobile broadband" because its speed and capability make it a viable alternative for internet browsing, and USB Modems connecting to 3G networks are becoming increasingly common.

[edit] Africa
The first African use of 3G technology was a 3G video call made in Johannesburg on the Vodacom network in November 2004. The first commercial launch was by Emtel-ltd in Mauritius in 2004. In late March 2006, a 3G service was provided by the new company Wana in Morrocco. In May 2007, Safaricom launched 3G services in Kenya while later that year by Vodacom Tanzania also started providing services and in Somaliland, Telesom started first 3G services on 3 July 2011, to both prepaid and postpaid subscription customers.

[edit] Asia
Asia is also using 3G services very well. A lot of companies like Dialog Axiata PLC (First to serve 3G Service in South Asia in 2006), BSNL, WorldCall, PTCL, Maxis, Vodafone, Airtel, DoCoMo, Aircel, Reliance have released their 3G services.

[edit] Pakistan
Pakistan's biggest telecommunication company PTCL launched its 3G network, EVO, in mid-2008 and has since then established itself in this sector. It provides 3G services in 105 cities across Pakistan. Omantel's WorldCall also provides 3G services in 50 cities Pakistanwide. On 14 August 2010. Pakistan became the first country in the world to experience EVDO's RevB 3G technology that offers maximum speeds of 9.3 Mbit/s. At present the services of EVO Nitro (brand name (R)) are only available to residents of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawer and Islamabad.

[edit] Bangladesh
Two operators, Qubee and Banglalion, currently offer 4G WiMAX data services around Bangladesh. CityCell operates a nationwide third-generation CDMA2000 network capable of delivering super-fast mobile broadband. All GSM voice networks are still on 2G due a government indecision to provide 3G GSM/UMTS licences.

[edit] China
China announced in May 2008, that the telecoms sector was re-organized and three 3G networks would be allocated so that the largest mobile operator, China Mobile, would retain its GSM customer base. China Unicom would retain its GSM customer base but relinquish its CDMA2000 customer base, and launch 3G on the globally leading W-CDMA (UMTS) standard. The CDMA2000 customers of China Unicom would go to China Telecom, which would then launch 3G on the CDMA2000 1x EV-DO standard. This meant that China would have all three main cellular technology 3G standards in commercial use. Finally in January 2009, Ministry of industry and Information Technology of China awarded licenses of all three standards: TD-SCDMA to China Mobile, W-CDMA to China Unicom and CDMA2000 to China Telecom. The launch of 3G occurred on 1 October 2009, to coincide with the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China.

[edit] India
11 December 2008, India entered the 3G arena with the launch of 3G enabled Mobile and Data services by Government owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd MTNL in Delhi and later inMumbai.MTNL becomes the first 3G Mobile service provider in India. After MTNL, another state opertaor Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL)launched 3G services on 22 Feb 2009 in Chennai and later launched 3G as Nationwide. The auction of 3G wireless spectrum was announced in April 2010 and 3G Spectrum allocated to all private operators on 1 September 2010. The first Private-sector service provider that launched 3G services is Tata DoCoMo, on November 5, 2010. And the second is by Reliance Communications, December 13, 2010. Vodafone Launched their 3G by mid of March,2011 . Then, Bharti Airtel launched their 3G services on 24 January 2011 in Bangalore and also launched in Delhi & Jaipur on March 4, 2011(not GSM but only USB estick). Aircel also launched 3G in Kolkata in the month of February.Idea also launched its 3G services in mid April. Other providers like Virgin are expected to launch 3G services by Q1 2011. All the operators provide 3G services on the 2100 MHz band. As of now, the Government owned BSNL is the most successful company with the subscribers of 3G service. It has more than 3 million subscribers of its 3G service. It also has the widest coverage with around 826 cities across the country. The private operators like IDEA and Reliance are increasing their 3G coverage as well as the number of subscribers. The 3G service is used by the minority users in the country who own 3G handsets and the prices of the 3G services are currently out of reach of the pockets of most Indians. This led to the slow adoption of 3G. but the scenario is changing quickly with the introduction of cheap 3G handsets.

[edit] North Korea

North Korea has had a 3G network since 2008, which is called Koryolink, a joint venture between Egyptian company Orascom Telecom Holding and the state-owned Korea Post and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC) is North Korea's only 3G Mobile operator, and one of only two mobile companies in the country. According to Orascom quoted in BusinessWeek, the company had 125,661 subscribers in May 2010. The Egyptian company owns 75 percent of Koryolink, and is known to invest in infrastructure for mobile technology in developing nations. It covers Pyongyang, and five additional cities and eight highways and railways. Its only competitor, SunNet, uses GSM technology and suffers from poor call quality and disconnections.[13] Phone numbers on the network are prefixed with +850 (0)192.[14]

[edit] Philippines
3G services were made available in the Philippines on December 008.[15]

[edit] Europe
In Europe, mass market commercial 3G services were introduced starting in March 2003 by 3 (Part of Hutchison Whampoa) in the UK and Italy. The European Union Council suggested that the 3G operators should cover 80% of the European national populations by the end of 2005.

[edit] North America

In Canada, Bell Mobility, SaskTel[16] and Telus launched a 3G EVDO network in 2005.[17] Rogers Wireless was the first to implement UMTS technology, with HSDPA services in eastern Canada in late 2006.[18] Realizing they would miss out on roaming revenue from the 2010 Winter Olympics, Bell and Telus formed a joint venture and rolled out a shared HSDPA network using Nokia Siemens technology.

[edit] Middle East

Mobitel Iraq is the first mobile 3G operator in Iraq. It was launched commercially on February 2007. MTN Syria is the first mobile 3G operator in Syria. It was launched commercially on May 2010.

[edit] Turkey
Turkcell, Avea and Vodafone launched their 3G networks commercially on 30 July 2009 at the same time. Turkcell and Vodafone launched their 3G service on all provincial centres. Avea launched it on 16 provincial centres. It was after Turkey's monopoly mobile operator Turkcell accepted number portability, mobile operators attended frequency band auction

and frequencies for 3G usage distributed around mobile operators. Turkcell got A band, Vodafone B and Avea C. Currently Turkcell and Vodafone have 3G networks on most of crowded cities and towns. Turkey has 3.9G networks now.

New Zealand
In late 2005, Vodafone NZ Launched their 3G Network, followed by Telecom NZ's XT Network in 2008, and Newcomer 2degrees running off a combination of Vodafone's 3G towers and their own in 2009. 2degrees has since built more towers, and is now mostly self sufficient.

Features
Data rates
ITU has not provided a clear definition of the data rate users can expect from 3G equipment or providers. Thus users sold 3G service may not be able to point to a standard and say that the rates it specifies are not being met. While stating in commentary that "it is expected that IMT-2000 will provide higher transmission rates: a minimum data rate of 2 Mbit/s for stationary or walking users, and 384 kbit/s in a moving vehicle,"[19] the ITU does not actually clearly specify minimum or average rates or what modes of the interfaces qualify as 3G, so various rates are sold as 3G intended to meet customers expectations of broadband data.

Security
3G networks offer greater security than their 2G predecessors. By allowing the UE (User Equipment) to authenticate the network it is attaching to, the user can be sure the network is the intended one and not an impersonator. 3G networks use the KASUMI block crypto instead of the older A5/1 stream cipher. However, a number of serious weaknesses in the KASUMI cipher have been identified.[20] In addition to the 3G network infrastructure security, end-to-end security is offered when application frameworks such as IMS are accessed, although this is not strictly a 3G property.

[edit] Applications of 3G
The bandwidth and location information available to 3G devices gives rise to applications not previously available to mobile phone users. Some of the applications are:

Mobile TV Video on demand Videoconferencing Telemedicine Location-based services

[edit] Evolution
Both 3GPP and 3GPP2 are currently working on extensions to 3G standard that are based on an all-IP network infrastructure and using advanced wireless technologies such as MIMO, these specifications already display features characteristic for IMT-Advanced (4G), the successor of 3G. However, falling short of the bandwidth requirements for 4G (which is 1 Gbit/s for stationary and 100 Mbit/s for mobile operation), these standards are classified as 3.9G or Pre-4G. 3GPP plans to meet the 4G goals with LTE Advanced, whereas Qualcomm has halted development of UMB in favour of the LTE family.[5] On 14 December 2009, Telia Sonera announced in an official press release that "We are very proud to be the first operator in the world to offer our customers 4G services."[21] With the launch of their LTE network, initially they are offering pre-4G (or beyond 3G) services in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway.

[edit] See also

Mobile radio telephone (also known as "0G") 1G 2G 4G Telesom

[edit] References
1. ^ Clint Smith, Daniel Collins. "3G Wireless Networks", page 136. 2000. 2. ^ ITU. "ITU Radiocommunication Assembly approves new developments for its 3G standards". press release. http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2007/30.html. Retrieved 1 June 2009. 3. ^ ITU. "What really is a Third Generation (3G)(3G) Mobile Technology" (PDF). http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/imt2000/DocumentsIMT2000/What_really_3G.pdf. Retrieved 1 June 2009. 4. ^ ITU-D Study Group 2. "Guidelines on the smooth transition of existing mobile networks to IMT-2000 for developing countries (GST); Report on Question 18/2". http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-d/opb/stg/D-STG-SG02.18-1-2006-PDFE.pdf. Retrieved 1 June 2009. 5. ^ a b Qualcomm halts UMB project, Reuters, 13 November 2008 6. ^ a b 3GPP notes that there currently existed many different names for the same system (eg FOMA, W-CDMA, UMTS, etc); "Draft summary minutes, decisions and actions from 3GPP Organizational Partners Meeting#6, Tokyo, 9 October 2001" (PDF). p. 7. http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/op/OP_07/DOCS/pdf/OP6_13r1.pdf. 7. ^ "The history of UMTS and 3G development". http://www.umtsworld.com/umts/history.htm.

8. ^ "World's first 3G launch on 1 October severely restricted (hktdc.com)". http://info.hktdc.com/imn/01100401/info14.htm. 9. ^ "broadbandmag.co.uk/3G grinds to a start". http://www.broadbandmag.co.uk/analysis/3G/3G.html. 10. ^ "DoCoMo Delays 3G Launch". http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2001/04/43253. 11. ^ "Verizon Wireless Launching New High-Speed 3G Wireless Network". http://news.vzw.com/news/2002/06/pr2002-06-28.html. 12. ^ "Plus 8 Star presentation, "Is 3G a Dog or a Demon Hints from 7 years of 3G Hype in Asia"". Plus8star.com. 2008-06-11. http://www.plus8star.com/? p=123. Retrieved 2010-09-06. 13. ^ "Cell phone demand stays strong in North Korea". Business Week. 200912-08. http://www.businessweek.com/idg/2010-05-13/cell-phone-demand-staysstrong-in-north-korea.html. Retrieved 2010-09-06. 14. ^ Telephone numbers in North Korea 15. ^ http://www.physorg.com/news9436.html 16. ^ http://www.nortel.com/corporate/news/newsreleases/2005b/06_30_05_sasktel.html 17. ^ http://www.cellphones.ca/news/post001469/ 18. ^ Kapica Jack (2006-11-02). "Rogers unveils new wireless network". The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/article853485.ece. Retrieved 2010-03-22. 19. ^ "Cellular Standards for the Third Generation". ITU. 1 December 2005. Archived from the original on 24 May 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080524050117/http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/imt2000/technology.html#Cellular%20Standards%20for%20the%20Third %20Generation. 20. ^ "Security for the Third Generation (3G) Mobile System". Network Systems & Security Technologies. http://www.isrc.rhul.ac.uk/useca/OtherPublications/3G_UMTS%20Security.pdf. 21. ^ "first in the world with 4G services". TeliaSonera. 2009-12-14. http://www.teliasonera.com/News-and-Archive/Press-releases/2009/TeliaSonerafirst-in-the-world-with-4G-services/. Retrieved 2010-09-06. BSNL 3G Services Now In 826 Cities In India

3G (third generation of mobile telephony)

3G refers to the third generation of mobile telephony (that is, cellular) technology. The third generation, as the name suggests, follows two earlier generations.

The first generation (1G) began in the early 80's with commercial deployment of Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) cellular networks. Early AMPS networks used Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (FDMA) to carry analog voice over channels in the 800 MHz frequency band. The second generation (2G) emerged in the 90's when mobile operators deployed two competing digital voice standards. In North America, some operators adopted IS-95, which used Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) to multiplex up to 64 calls per channel in the 800 MHz band. Across the world, many operators adopted the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) standard, which used Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) to multiplex up to 8 calls per channel in the 900 and 1800 MHz bands. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) defined the third generation (3G) of mobile telephony standards IMT-2000 to facilitate growth, increase bandwidth, and support more diverse applications. For example, GSM could deliver not only voice, but also circuitswitched data at speeds up to 14.4 Kbps. But to support

Learn More

Wireless Networks WiMAX, 3G and Wireless Broadband Mobile Basics

mobile multimedia applications, 3G had to deliver packet-switched data with better spectral efficiency, at far greater speeds. However, to get from 2G to 3G, mobile operators had make "evolutionary" upgrades to existing networks while simultaneously planning their "revolutionary" new mobile broadband networks. This lead to the establishment of two distinct 3G families: 3GPP and 3GPP2. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) was formed in 1998 to foster deployment of 3G networks that descended from GSM. 3GPP technologies evolved as follows. General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) offered speeds up to 114 Kbps. Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) reached up to 384 Kbps. UMTS Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) offered downlink speeds up to 1.92 Mbps. High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) boosted the downlink to 14Mbps. LTE Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) is aiming for 100 Mbps. GPRS deployments began in 2000, followed by EDGE in 2003. While these technologies are defined by IMT-2000, they are sometimes called "2.5G" because they did not offer

multi-megabit data rates. EDGE has now been superceded by HSDPA (and its uplink partner HSUPA). According to the 3GPP, there were 166 HSDPA networks in 75 countries at the end of 2007. The next step for GSM operators: LTE E-UTRA, based on specifications completed in late 2008. A second organization, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) -- was formed to help North American and Asian operators using CDMA2000 transition to 3G. 3GPP2 technologies evolved as follows. One Times Radio Transmission Technology (1xRTT) offered speeds up to 144 Kbps. Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) increased downlink speeds up to 2.4 Mbps. EV-DO Rev. A boosted downlink peak speed to 3.1 Mbps and reduced latency. EV-DO Rev. B can use 2 to 15 channels, with each downlink peaking at 4.9 Mbps. Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) was slated to reach 288 Mbps on the downlink. 1xRTT became available in 2002, followed by commercial EV-DO Rev. 0 in 2004. Here again, 1xRTT is referred to as "2.5G" because it served as a transitional step to EV-DO. EV-DO standards were extended twice Revision A services emerged in 2006 and are now being succeeded by products that use Revision B to increase data rates by transmitting over multiple channels. The 3GPP2's next-generation technology, UMB, may not catch on, as many CDMA operators are now planning to evolve to LTE instead. In fact, LTE and UMB are often called 4G (fourth generation) technologies because they increase downlink speeds an order of magnitude. This label is a bit premature because what constitutes "4G" has not yet been standardized. The ITU is currently considering candidate technologies for inclusion in the 4G IMT-Advanced standard, including LTE, UMB, and WiMAX II. Goals for 4G include data rates of least 100 Mbps, use of OFDMA transmission, and packet-switched delivery of IP-based voice, data, and streaming multimedia.

3G
Analog cellular phones were the first generation while digital marked the second generation. 3G is loosely defined, but generally includes high data speeds, always-on data access, and greater voice capacity. The high data speeds are possibly the most prominent feature, and certainly the most hyped. They enable such advanced features as live, streaming video.

There are several different 3G technology standards. The most prevalent is UMTS, which is based on WCDMA (the terms WCDMA and UMTS are often used interchangeably). Related terms:

UMTS WCDMA(Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access)

0-9
2G | 3G | 3GP video | 802.11

A
A-GPS (Assisted GPS) | A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) | AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) | Accelerometer | Airplane mode | Alarm Clock | Alphanumeric | AMOLED display (Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) | Analog | Android | Antenna | APN (Access Point Name) | Audio jack | Auto-focus | AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile)

B
Band | Bandwidth | Bar | Base Station | Bit | Bluetooth | bps (Bits per Second) | Broadband | Browser | Byte

C
Calculator | Calendar | Call alerts | Calling Plan | Camera | Capacitive Touchscreen | Car Kit | Carrier | CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) | CDMA2000 | Cell | cHTML (Compact HyperText Markup Language) | CIF (Common Intermediate Format) | Clamshell | CMOS (Complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor) | Concatenated SMS | CPU (Central Processing Unit) | Crosstalk | CSTN (Color Super Twisted Nematic) | CTIA | Custom ringtones

D
D-Pad (Direction Pad) | Digital Zoom | Display type | DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) | DNSe (Digital Natural Sound engine) | Downlink | DRM (Digital Rights Management) | Dual-band | Dual-Mode | DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) | Dynamic Memory

E
EDGE (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) | EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) | EGPRS | EGSM (Extended GSM) | Email client | EMS (Enhanced Message Service) | EV-DO | EVDV | Exchangeable covers | External Antenna Jack | External Display

F
FCC (Federal Communications Commission) | Feature Phone | Femtocell | Firmware | Fixed-focus | Flash Memory | Flight mode | Flip-down phone | FM Radio | FM Transmitter | Form factor | FOTA (Firmware Over-The-Air) | FPS (Frames Per Second) | Frame Error Rate | Frequency | FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

G
GB (Gigabyte) | Gbps (Gigabits per second) | Geo-tag | GPRS | GPS (Global Positioning System) | gpsONE | gpsOneXTRA Assistance technology

H
H.263 | Half-QWERTY keyboard layout | Handwriting recognition | Haptics | Hot Spot | Hot Swap | HSCSD (High-Speed Circuit Switched Data) | HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) | HSP (Headset Profile) | HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access) | HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) | Hz (Hertz)

I
iDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network) | IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) | IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) | IP (Internet Protocol) | IrDA (Infrared Data Association)

J
Java

K
KB (Kilobyte) | Kbps (Kilobits per second) | Key Guard | Key Lock Switch

L
Land line | LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) | LED (Light-Emitting Diode) | Li-Ion (Lithium Ion) | Li-Polymer (Lithium Polymer) | Linux | Location-Based Services (LBS) | Lock code | Long SMS | Long term evolution (LTE) | Loudspeaker

M
Macro | mAh | Mass Storage mode | MB (Megabyte) | Mbps (Megabit per second) | Megapixel | Memory card slot | Memory effect | Messaging | MHz (Megahertz) | Micro USB | microSD | microSDHC | Microsoft Exchange (Server) | MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) | MIDP (Mobile Information Device Profile) | Mil-Spec (MIL-STD) | Mini-USB | miniSD | MMC | MMCmobile | MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) | Mobile games | Mobile IM (Instant Messaging) | Mobile WiMAX | Modem | Monochrome | MP3 (MPEG Layer 3) | MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) | MPEG-4 video | Music playback time (battery life) | Music Player

N
NAND Memory | Network capacity | Network coverage | NFC (Near Field Communication) | NiCd (Nickel Cadmium) | NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) | NOR Memory | Numeric keypad

O
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) | OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) | Optical Zoom | OS (Operating System) | OTA (Over-The-Air)

P
Packet Data | Pager | PC Sync | PCS (Personal Communications Service) | PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) | Phone Book Access (PBA) | Phonebook | PIM (Personal Information Manager/Management) | PIN code (Personal Identification Number) | Pixel | Polyphonic ringtones | POP3 (Post Office Protocol) | Port | Predictive text input | PTT (Push-To-Talk) | PUK Code (PIN UnlocK Code) | Push

Q
QCIF (Quarter Common Intermediate Format) | Quad-band | QVGA (Quarter Video Graphics Array) | QWERTY keyboard layout

R
RAM (Random-Access Memory) | RBDS (Radio Broadcast Data System) | RDS (Radio Data System) | Resistive touchscreen | Resolution | Ringer ID | Ringing profiles | Ringtone | Roaming | ROM (Read-Only Memory) | RS-MMC (Reduced-Size Multi Media Card) | RSA (Rural Service Area) | RSS (Rich Site Summary) | Ruggedized (Rugged)

S
S60 user interface | SAP (SIM Access Profile) | SAR (Specific absorption rate) | SD (Secure Digital) | Side Keys | SIM | SIM lock | Single-Band | Skin | Smartphone | SMIL |

SMS (Short Messaging Service) | SNS (Social network service) | Soft keys | Soft Reset | Speed Dial | Stand-by time (battery life) | Stereo Speakers | Streaming Video | Stylus | SubQCIF | SVGA | Symbian | SyncML

T
Talk time (battery life) | TCP/IP | TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) | TEST | Tethering | Text messaging (texting) | TFD (Thin Film Diode) | TFT (Thin Film Transistor) | Theme | To-Do list | Trackball | Transflash | Transflective | Tri-band

U
UI (User Interface) | UIQ | UMA | UMTS | Unlocked phone | Upload | UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) | USB (Universal Serial Bus) | USIM

V
VGA (Video Graphics Array) | Video call | Video Codec | Voice dialing | Voice mail | Voice memo | VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) | VPN (Virtual Private Network)

W
WAP (Wireless Application protocol) | WCDMA(Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) | Wi-Fi | Windows Mobile | Wireless email | WLAN | WMV (Windows Media Video)

X
Xenon flash

Introduction
Third generation (3G) networks were conceived from the Universal MobileTelecommunications Service (UMTS) concept for high speed networks for enabling a variety of data intensive applications. 3G systems consist of the two main standards, CDMA2000 and W-CDMA, as well as other 3G variants such as NTT DoCoMo's Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access (FOMA) and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) used primarily in China.

Data Speed
The data speed of 3G is determined based on a combination of factors including the chip rate, channel structure, power control, and synchronization.

An example of calculating the theoretical 3G data speed is as follows:

W-CDMA assigned code 400-500 Kpbs/code. 6 codes X 400 > 2Mbps (UMTS target for 3G data speed in fixed location)

Actual data speeds will vary in accordance with several factors including:

Number of users in cell/sector Distance of user from cell User is moving or stationary Network operator capacity and network optimization requirements

1xEV-DO is a data-only solution, supporting a theoretical data speed of up to 2.457 Mbps 1xEV-DV is a data and voice solution, supporting a theoretical data speed of up to 3.072 Mbps FOMA has two operational modes, supporting a dedicated 64 Kbps connection or a 384 Kbps downlink/64 Kbps uplink best-effort connection. TD-SCDMA can operate in 1.6 MHz or 5 MHz mode for 2 Mbps or 6 Mpbs respectively

Comparison of W-CDMA to CDMA2000

Both use a coding scheme that separates each subscriber from other subscribers Both use control channels to manage the network W-CDMA and CDMA2000 are not compatible from the perspective that they have different chip rates - 3.84 MCPS for W-CDMA vs. 1.2888 MCPS for CMDA2000. W-CDMA uses a 5 MHz channel. Initially, CDMA2000 uses only a 1.25 MHz channel, but with CDMA2000 3x, three 1.25 MHz channels can be combined to form a super channel structure. W-CDMA is synchronous, relying on mobile station time measurements between two base stations, rather than using GPS as CDMA2000 does. There are three modes of operation for W-CDMA/CDMA2000:

Direct Sequence (DS) W-CDMA (UMTS) for Frequency Divsion Duplex (FDD) W-CDMA Time Division Duplex (TDD) CDMA2000 Multi-carrier FDD

Each of the three radio interface methods may be employed on either a GSM or ANSI-based Core Network (CN). IS-833 is a standard, developed by the 3GPP2, to support CDMA2000 1xRTT Radio Access Network (RAN) to interface with a GSM CN. RAN upgrade required includes CDMA base station and BSC. CN upgrade required includes CDMA PDSN and AAA server.

Impetus for 3G
The major impetus for 3G is to provide for faster data speed for data-intensive applications such as video. In addition, 3G to providing faster data speeds on a per-user basis, 3G is also helpful to provide greater overall capacity for voice and data users. For example, NTT DoCoMo's plan to migrate iMode users from the 2G PDC network to FOM is driven by overall capacity concerns, as apposed to individual user data speed requirement.

3G Architecture
W-CDMA uses the same CN as GPRS, utilizing existing infrastruture such as the GGSN and SGSN. W-CDMA, however, does require new RAN infrastructure such as the Node B, which replaces the BTS, and the Radio Network Controller (RNC), which replaces the BSC. Ultimately, the W-CDMA CN will evolve to comprise a full Mobile IP infrastructure including Media Gateway (MGW) and Media Gateway Controller (MGC) equipment for VoIP and other new equipment such as the HSS and CSDF. CDMA2000 starts with new channel cards and then migrates to a full Mobile IP infrastructure requiring new Core Network (CN) infrastructure such as the AAA server and Packet Data Server Node (PDSN).

It's boom time for mobile phones in India [ Images ]. And people are looking forward to
more information, faster data access and multimedia services through their mobile phones. 3G technology is here to turn this dream into reality. It's a technology anxiously awaited by telecom operations and subscribers in India. How long do you have to wait? Not very long! India is all set to launch 3G mobile telephone services by June 2007. According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Nripendra Misra, a total of 32.5 MHz is available for allocation within the next 6-9 months.

Trai has also recommended auctioning 200 MHz for broadband wireless access services like Wimax (worldwide interoperability for microwave access) and has proposed a national frequency management board to oversee spectrum availability and its efficient use. He hopes that the allocated spectrum would be enough for the next two years and said Trai would recommend freeing up more spectrum for those who lose out in this auction. So what is 3G spectrum all about? Read on. What is spectrum? Radio spectrum refers to a range of radio frequencies. The bandwidth of a radio signal is the difference between the upper and lower frequencies of the signal. For example, in the case of a voice signal having a minimum frequency of 200 hertz (Hz) and a maximum frequency of 3,000 Hz, the bandwidth is 2,800 Hz (3 KHz). The amount of bandwidth needed for 3G services could be as much as 15-20 Mhz, whereas for 2G services a bandwidth of 30-200 KHz is used. Hence, for 3G huge bandwidth is required. How is 3G different from 2G and 4G? While 2G stands for second-generation wireless telephone technology, 1G networks used are analog, 2G networks are digital and 3G (third-generation) technology is used to enhance mobile phone standards. 3G helps to simultaneously transfer both voice data (a telephone call) and non-voice data (such as downloading information, exchanging e-mail, and instant messaging. The highlight of 3G is video telephony. 4G technology stands to be the future standard of wireless devices. Currently, Japanese company NTT DoCoMo and Samsung are testing 4G communication. How will 3G services help you? 3G services will enable video broadcast and data-intensive services such as stock transactions, e-learning and telemedicine through wireless communications All telecom operators are waiting to launch 3G in India to cash in on revenues by providing high-end services to customers, which are voice data and video enabled. India lags behind many Asian countries in introducing 3G services. What is Trai's recommendation on 3G pricing? The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended auctioning radio frequencies for 3G telecom services at a reserve price of Rs 1,050 crore (Rs 10.50 billion) to companies seeking to offer nationwide high-speed Internet and streaming video.

The base price for spectrum in cities like Mumbai [ Images ] and Delhi [ Images ] and Category A telecom circles is Rs 80 crore (Rs 800 million); in cities like Chennai and Kolkata [ Images ] and Category B circles Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million); and in all other cities Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million). What are the frequency bands and quota for CDMA? Trai has recommended three sets of frequency bands - 450 mhz, 800 mhz and 2.1 ghz. For CDMA players like Reliance [ Get Quote ] and Tata Teleservices [ Get Quote ] 1.25 MHz each is offered. CDMA operators are free to bid both in the 2.1 GHz and the 450 MHz bands, but they will be allocated spectrum only in one. The pricing of these two bands is linked to the auction in the 2.1 GHz band. CDMA operators will pay the same as the second-highest GSM bidder. And if there is more than one claimant in the 450 MHz band, the reserve price will be half of that arrived at in the 2.1 GHz band. Another rider is that if the highest bid is a quarter more than the lowest, the lowest bidder has to raise its bid to 75 per cent of the winning bid. But CDMA operators are likely to face problems. Operating 3G services on 450 MHz is a problem because we they do not have dual-band phones that work both in 450 MHz and in 800 MHz (the band in which CDMA operates in India). What are the issues regarding 3G for providers and users? 3G has successfully been introduced in Europe. But several issues continue to hamper its growth. High spectrum licensing fees for the 3G services Huge capital required to build infrastructure for 3G services. Health impact of electromagnetic waves. Prices are very high for 3G mobile services. Will 2G users switch to 3G services. Takes time to catch up as the service is new. What are the issues regarding 3G pricing? Pricing has been a cause of concern. Spectrum auctions ran into billions of euros in Europe. In Europe, spectrum licensing fees were collected years before the 3G service was developed and it required huge investments to build 3G networks, hitting mobile operators' margins.

However, in Japan [ Images ] and South Korea, spectrum licensing fees were not applicable as the focus of these countries were national IT infrastructure development. Which companies have applied for 3G license? 3G spectrum has been provided to GSM players like BSNL, MTNL [ Get Quote ], Bharti, and Hutch to carry out an interface check on a non-commercial basis ahead of the start of 3G mobile services. Trial spectrum has been given for a period of one month. This will be only 1/1000th of the actual 3G spectrum capability. Apart frm PSU majors, spectrum for carrying out 3G trials has been given to all those who have applied under the National Frequency Allocation Plan on the 2.1 GHz band. GSM players operate on 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz, while CDMA players operate on 800 MHz. What is the pricing issue in India? While Tatas have welcomed Trai's Rs 1,400-crore (Rs 14 billion) base price for a nationwide rollout of 3G services, the rest of the players find the price too exorbitant. Bharti-Airtel is disappointed with the pricing as they were expecting it to be Rs 300-400 crore (Rs 3-4 billion). The reserve price is a disincentive for telecom companies in India. Bharti has appealed to lower the prices specially for rural penetration. The Cellular Operators Association of India and the Association of Unified Service Providers of India are studying TRAI's recommendations and have not given their comments. However, Trai chairman Nripendra Misra has said that there is no reason to worry as players will not bid exorbitantly and derail the auction. Misra said telecom operators had matured from their experiences and global developments, and would bid sincerely. Where was 3G spectrum first introduced? Japan was the first country to introduce 3G on a large commercial scale. In 2005, about 40 per cent of subscribers used only 3G networks. It is expected that during 2006 the subscribers would move from 2G to 3G and upgrade to the next 3.5 G level. The success of 3G in Japan also shows that video telephony was the killer application for 3G networks. Downloading music was the biggest draw in 3G services. In how many countries does 3G exist? There are about 60 3G networks across 25 countries . In Asia, Europe and the USA, telecom firms use WCDMA technology. The WCDMA standard provides seamless global evolution from today's GSM with support of the worlds' largest mobile operators.

WCDMA technology is built on open standards, wide ranging mobile multimedia possibility, and vast potential economies of scale with the support of around 100 terminal designs to operate 3G mobile networks. 3G services were introduced in Europe in 2003.
What is 3G?

3G is the next generation of mobile communications systems. It enhances the services such as multimedia, high speed mobile broadband, internet access with the ability to view video footage on your mobile handset. With a 3G phone and access to the 3G network you can make video calls, watch live TV, access the high speed internet, receive emails and download music tracks, as well as the usual voice call and messaging services found on a mobile phone, like person to person video, live streaming, downloadable video of entertainment, news, current affairs and sport content and video messaging
3GWhere can I view the demonstration of 3G ?

ou can view the demonstration of 3G at the CSC ( Customer Care Center ) and BSNL website
Can I get 3G services on my existing Number?

Yes
Will I get remote access to CCTV footage?

Yes, you can access CCTV footage or any other similar application by using 3G service as a connecting media between the CCTV server and your 3G service enabled handset.
Which all other operators in India provide 3G services ?

Only BSNL & MTNL are providing 3G services in India .

How much data will I use while viewing video ?

If youre downloading a video thats meant for a mobile screen, 1mb per minute is a good rule of thumb. Using this rule, a 4 minute video clip would use around 4MB of your daily or monthly allowance. If the video was meant for a TV or PC Screen, or it is over 5 min long, we wouldnt recommend downloading it to your phone, as it may struggle to play it back And you may not have enough storage space on your phone. A better solution for your mobile is to stream the Video.
Can I get 3G broadband without plugging a USB modem or data card ?

Yes, 3G broadband can be accessed through Handset supporting 3G.

How can I search and download a specific movie from a specific site ?

You can log on to the required website by using 3G service of BSNL. Alternatively, you can download a specific movie by surfing BSNL 3G portal
Can I upload any user generated content through 3G ?

You can upload any thing to internet cloud through 3G as 3G is a media to access internet cloud
Maximum file size to upload

You can upload any file size. Large file size requires more time to upload
Will I be paid for the content ?

The internet cloud on which you upload contents may pay you for your content and not the 3G service provider.
What is the difference between WI-MAX , WI -FI (wireless internet) and 3G ?

WI-MAX & WI-FI are primarily for internet/data service whereas 3G is for internet/data as well as voice service. Roaming facility in case of 3G is better as compared to these services.