General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)

GPRS is a packet-based wireless communication service that provides data rates from 56 up to 114 Kbps and a continuous connection to the Internet for mobile phone and computer users. The higher data rates allows users to take part in video-conferences and interact with multimedia Web sites and similar applications using mobile handheld devices as well as notebook computers. GPRS is based on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and complements existing services such as circuit-switched cellular phone connections and the Short Message Service (SMS). Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) UMTS is a Third Generation (3G) mobile system being developed by ETSI within the ITU’s IMT-2000 framework. It will provide data speeds up to 2 Mbps, making portable videophones a reality. UMTS has the support of many major telecommunications operators and manufacturers because it represents a unique opportunity to create a mass market for highly personalized and user-friendly mobile access to the Information Society. UMTS seeks to build on and extend the capability of today’s mobile, cordless and satellite technologies by providing increase capacity, data capability and a far greater range of services using an innovative radio access scheme and an enhanced, evolving core network. Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) WLAN Wi-Fi or IEEE 802.11 is a standard radio technology used for wireless local area networks (WLANs). It is a standard that has been developed by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers). Wi-Fi, like it is commonly called is composed of several standards operating in different radio frequencies: 802.11b is a standard for wireless LANs operating in the 2.4 GHz spectrum with a maximum bandwidth of 11 Mbps. Wi-Fi networks are becoming common in cities and towns worldwide — Internet cafes and coffee shops are popping up everywhere! — as well as in public areas like airports, hotels and convention centers or anywhere people gather. Some wireless HotSpot networks require you to manually configure your access connection; others work with your Wi-Fi radio to automatically log on. Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) The introduction of EDGE in GSM phase 2+ enhances existing GPRS/GSM infrastructure, allowing 3G speeds up to 384 kbps. Unlike UMTS that uses licensed WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) frequency bands, EDGE is able to use existing GSM/GPRS frequency bands (800, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz) to offer comparable speeds and compliance with IMT-2000. GPRS and EDGE share the same symbol throughput rate but the latter uses symbols representing 3 bits instead of 1. In order to achieve this EDGE uses a new modulation technique called 8-phase shift keying (8PSK) and 9 different coding schemes (compare to GPRS which has 4). This means consumers can connect to the Internet and send and receive data, including digital images, web pages and photographs, three times faster than possible with an ordinary GSM/GPRS network connection. More info on: http://www.gsmworld.com/technology/edge/index.shtml/ High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) HSDPA, High Speed Downlink Packet Access, offers breakthrough data speeds – up to five times (10 Mbps) higher than is possible in the most advanced 3G networks – as well as two-fold base station capacity. For end-users this means shorter service response times and less delay. HSDPA is based on WCDMA evolution, standardized as part of 3GPP Release 5 WCDMA specifications. The new modulation method of HSDPA greatly improves the peak data rate and throughput, which enhances spectral efficiency. In addition to these benefits, users will perceive faster connections to services through shorter round trip times. As a result of these enhancements, operators using HSDPA will be able to support considerably higher numbers of high data rate users on a single radio carrier than is possible with any existing 3G technology.