3G. Wireless Communication Solutions

3G

Third Generation - the next generation of wireless technology beyond personal communications services. The World Administrative Radio Conference assigned 230 megahertz of spectrum at 2 GHz for multimedia 3G networks. These networks must be able to transmit wireless data at 144 kilobits per second at mobile user speeds, 384 KBPS at pedestrian user speeds and 2 megabits per second in fixed locations.

3GPP

The group that was set up to produce globally applicable Technical Specifications and Technical Reports for a 3rd Generation Mobile System based on evolved GSM core networks. It produced the standards for W-CDMA (UMTS). Later the scope of the organisation was widened to include the maintenance and development of the GSM Technical Specifications and Reports.

802.11

IEEE 802.11 or Wi-Fi denotes a set of Wireless LAN standards developed by working group 11 of the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee (IEEE 802). The term is also used to refer to the original 802.11, which is now sometimes called “802.11legacy”. Wireless LAN standards including a (54 Mbps [18-22 Mbps throughput]), b (11 Mbps [6 Mbps throughput]), d (internationalization), e (enhanced Media Access Control layer for QoS) and g (harmonizes a and b)

802.16 or WiMAX

WiMAX, an acronym that stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a certification mark for products that pass conformity and interoperability tests for the IEEE 802.16 standards. IEEE 802.16 is working group number 16 of IEEE 802, specialising in point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access. Throughput can reach 75 Mbps and does not require line-of-sight to operate. The 802.16e extension adds roaming outside of a “home” service area. Reach can extend from one mile at full speed to 30 miles at reduced throughput.

Bandwidth

In computer networks, bandwidth is often used as a synonym for data transfer rate - the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second). This kind of bandwidth is usually expressed in bits (of data) per second (bps). Occasionally, it’s expressed as bytes per second (Bps). A modem that works at 57,600 bps has twice the bandwidth of a modem that works at 28,800 bps.

Broadband

Broadband refers to a type of network connection that supports a very high bit rate, as opposed to “narrowband,” which supports a lower bit rate. The higher the bit rate, which is a measure of speed of transmission of bits per second (bps), the faster the transmission will occur in a given period of time. Deliverd via DSL or cable service, bandwidth: >128 Kilo Bits per second (KBPS)

CDMA

Code Division Multiple Access: a digital wireless telephony transmission technique.
1. CDMA allows multiple frequencies to be used simultaneously (Spread Spectrum). The CDMA idea was originally developed for military use over 30 years ago.

2. The CDMA standards used for second-generation mobile telephony are the IS-95 standards championed by QUALCOMM.

CDMA2000

CDMA2000 is a 3G mobile telecommunications standard that uses CDMA, a modulation scheme for digital radio, to send voice, data and signalling data (such as a dialled telephone number) between mobile telephones and cell sites.

DECT

DECT or Digital Enhanced (former European) Cordless Telecommunications is an ETSI standard for digital portable phones, commonly used for domestic or corporate use. DECT can also be used for wireless data transfers

DVB-H

DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld) is a standard specified by the DVB Organization specifically for the broadcasting of TV-like content and data to handheld devices, such as mobile phones.

DVB-H is based closely on DVB-T, the standard for broadcast digital TV in most of Europe.

EDGE

Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) is a digital mobile phone technology which acts as a bolt-on enhancement to 2G and 2.5G (a.k.a.GPRS) networks. This technology is working in TDMA and GSM networks. EDGE (also known as EGPRS) is a superset to GPRS and can function on any network with GPRS deployed on it (provided the carrier implements the necessary upgrades).

EVDO, EV-DO, EvDO, 1xEV-DO or 1xEvDO

Evolution Data Only, Evolution Data Optimized, often abbreviated as EVDO, EV-DO, EvDO, 1xEV-DO or 1xEvDO is a wireless radio broadband data protocol being adopted by many CDMA mobile phone providers in Japan, Korea, Israel, the United States, and Canada as part of the CDMA2000 standard.

GPRS

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a mobile data service available to users of GSM mobile phones. It is often described as “2.5G”, that is, a technology between the second (2G) and third (3G) generations of mobile telephony. It provides moderate speed data transfer, by using unused TDMA channels in the GSM network.

GPS

The Global Positioning System, usually called GPS (the US military refers to it as NAVSTAR GPS), is a satellite navigation system used for determining one’s precise location and providing a highly accurate time reference almost anywhere on Earth or in Earth orbit. It uses an intermediate circular orbit (ICO) satellite constellation of at least 24 satellites.

GSM

Global System for Mobile Communication. Originally developed as a pan-European standard for digital mobile telephony, GSM has become the world’s most widely used mobile system. It is used on the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies in Europe, Asia and Australia, and the MHz 1900 frequency in North America and Latin America. Originally it defined as a pan-European open standard for a digital cellular telephone network to support voice, data, text messaging and cross-border roaming. GSM is now one of the world’s main 2G digital wireless standards.

HSDPA

High-Speed Downlink Packet Access or HSDPA is a mobile telephony protocol. Also called 3.5G (or “3½G”). High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is a packet-based data service in W-CDMA downlink with data transmission up to 8-10 Mbit/s (and 20 Mbit/s for MIMO systems) over a 5MHz bandwidth in WCDMA downlink.

IMAP

The Internet Message Access Protocol (commonly known as IMAP, and previously called Interactive Mail Access Protocol) is an application layer Internet protocol used for accessing email on a remote server from a local client. IMAP and POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) are the two most prevalent Internet standard protocols for email retrieval.

IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem)

IMS is a general-purpose, open industry standard for voice and multimedia communications over packet-based IP networks. It is a core network technology that can serve as a low-level foundation for technologies like Voice over IP (VoIP), Push-To-Talk (PTT), Push-To-View, Video Calling, and Video Sharing. IMS is based primarily on SIP (session initiation protocol).

The idea behind IMS is to eventually move all voice and multimedia communication (mobile and fixed) to flexible, packet-based technologies derived from Internet protocols. It is intended to eventually replace all circuit-based technologies currently used in mobile networks, although it can easily be phased in, in a piecemeal fashion, integrating with circuit-based technologies and existing billing systems, etc.

IP PBX

The Internet Protocol Private Branch eXchange (IP PBX) is telephone switching equipment that resides in a private business instead of the telephone company. An IP PBX delivers employees dial-tone, the ability to conference, transfer, and dial other employees by extension number as well as many other features. Voice transmissions are sent via data packets over a data network instead of the traditional phone network.

MMS

One of the breakthrough applications on GPRS is multimedia messaging service (MMS), which provides the customer the ability to communicate not just in voice or text but also in full colour images. Now one can communicate emotions; with photographs, voice clips and text to your near and dear ones. Just in case the receiver does not have an MMS handset, the photograph can be accessed from a dedicated website designed.

MPEG

Moving Pictures Experts Group.
1. An ISO (International Standards Organization) group that sets standards for compressing and storing video, audio, and animation in digital form.
2. The standards set by this group. PEG is a lossy compression method.MPEG-1 is a standard for CD-ROM video and audio.MPEG-2 is a standard for full-screen, broadcast quality video.MPEG-4 is a standard for video telephony.

OFDM

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), also sometimes called discrete multitone modulation (DMT), is a transmission technique based upon the idea of frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) where multiple signals are sent out at different frequencies. Most people are familiar with FDM from the use of radio and television: normally, each station is designated to broadcast at a particular frequency or channel.

PDA

Personal digital assistants (PDAs or palmtops) are handheld devices that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. A basic PDA usually includes a clock, date book, address book, task list, memo pad and a simple calculator. One major advantage of using PDAs is their ability to synchronize data with desktop and notebook computers.

Palm OS

Palm OS is an operating system made by PalmSource, Inc. for personal digital assistants (PDAs) manufactured by various licensees. In May 2005, PalmSource sold the rights to the Palm name to PalmOne. As of May 2005, the new name for Palm OS (and PalmSource) has not been announced.

Pocket PC

A Pocket PC is a computer in a handheld size that runs a variation of the operating system Windows CE. It has many capabilities of modern desktop PCs. Currently there are thousands of applications for Pocket PC, many free. Some of these devices, running Microsoft Windows Mobile 2005 Phone Edition, also include mobile phone features. Pocket PCs can also be used with many other add-ons like GPS receivers or barcode readers.

PTT (Push-To-Talk)

Is a two-way communication service that works like a “walkie talkie”. A normal cell phone call is full-duplex, meaning both parties can hear each other at the same time. PTT is half-duplex, meaning communication can only travel in one direction at any given moment. To control which person can speak and be heard, PTT requires the person speaking to press a button while talking and then release it when they are done. The listener then presses their button to respond.

Quad-Band

It designates to a GSM phone that supports all four major GSM frequency bands, making it compatible with all major GSM networks worldwide.

The four bands include the 850 and 1900 MHz bands - used in the Americas - and 900 / 1800, used in most other parts of the world.

A tri-band phone supporting the 900 / 1800 / 1900 bands, a quad-band phone adds support for GSM 850 for full coverage in the Americas.

A tri-band phone supporting the 850 / 1800 / 1900 bands, a quad-band phone adds support for GSM 900 for full coverage in Europe and Asia.

Q.W.E.R.T.Y

QWERTY (pronounced “kwerty”) is the modern-day layout of letters on most English language computer and typewriter keyboards. It takes its name from the first six letters shown on the keyboard’s top row of letters.

QoS

QoS is a general term that incorporates bandwidth, latency, and jitter to describe a network’s ability to customize the treatment of specific classes of data. For example, QoS can be used to prioritize video transmissions over Web-browsing traffic. Advanced networks can offer greater control over how data traffic is classified into classes and greater flexibility as to how the treatment of that traffic is differentiated from other traffic.

SIM

Subscriber Identity Module. The SIM card is the smart card inserted inside all GSM phones. It identifies the user account to the network, handles authentication and provides data storage for basic user data and network information. It may also contain some applications that run on a compatible phone.

SIP

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a multimedia and telephony protocol that provides services including call forwarding, number delivery, authentication and other telecoms applications. The protocol can set up, control and tear down sessions including internet telephone calls and multimedia conferences.

Smartphone

A Smartphone is generally considered any handheld device that integrates personal information management and mobile phone capabilities in the same device. Often, this includes adding phone functions to already capable PDAs or putting “smart” capabilities, such as PDA functions, into a mobile phone.

SMS

Short Message Service a text message service that enables users to send short messages (160 characters) to other users. SMS is similar to paging, and in some countries paging networks have been replaced by SMS.

Symbian

Formerly Psion Software, Symbian is a joint venture between Psion, Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola to promote the EPOC operating system for wireless information devices. Symbian’s main product is EPOC (derived from epoch – the beginning of an era), a 32-bit operating environment which has already been proven in the Psion Series 5 palmtop computer. EPOC comprises a suite of applications, customizable user interfaces, connectivity options and a range of development tools.

TDD

Time Division Duplex. This will be the second variation of W-CDMA which will be standardised towards the end of 2001, to appear commercially towards the end of 2003. This version is especially suited to indoor environments where there is a need for high traffic density.

TDMA

Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) is a technology for shared medium (usually radio) networks. It allows several users to share the same frequency by dividing it into different time slots. The users transmit in rapid succession, one after the other, each using their own timeslot. This allows multiple users to share the same transmission medium (e.g. radio frequency) whilst using only the part of its bandwidth they require.

UMA

Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) provides access to cellular mobile voice and data services over unlicensed spectrum technologies, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (802.11).

A UMA phone will use a cellular network (GSM, CDMA, etc.) when out and about, and automatically switch to a UMA-enabled Bluetooth or Wi-Fi local network when in range, such as at home or in the office.

UMTS

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is one of the third-generation (3G) mobile phone technologies. It uses W-CDMA as the underlying standard, is standardized by the 3GPP, and represents the European answer to the ITU IMT-2000 requirements for 3G Cellular radio systems.

UMTS TDD or (TD-CDMA)

UMTS TDD Mobile Broadband technology is a packet data implementation of the international 3GPP Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) standard. Unlike W-CDMA which uses FDD (Frequency Division), UMTS TDD uses Time-Division-Duplexing (TDD) and is designed to work in a single unpaired frequency band.

One of the largest benefits of using TDD is that TDD supports variable asymmetry, meaning an operator can dictate how much capacity is allocated to downlink versus uplink. As the traffic patterns for data typically heavily favor the downlink, this results in better use of spectrum assets and higher efficiency.

VoIP (Voice-over-IP)

Voice-over-IP is a telephony term describing the facilities for managing the delivery of voice using IP. It involves sending voice information in some digital form in discrete packets rather than in the traditional circuit-oriented format of the PSTN. One advantage of VoIP is toll bypass–that is, avoiding the tolls charged for ordinary telephone service. Many organizations use VoIP internally over WAN links to reduce telephony service costs.

VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) is a private data network that makes use of the public telecommunication infrastructure, maintaining privacy through the use of a tunneling protocol and security procedures. The idea of the VPN is to give the company the same capabilities at much lower cost by using the shared public infrastructure rather than a private one.

WAP

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is an open international standard for applications that use wireless communication, for example Internet access from a mobile phone. WAP was designed to provide services equivalent to a Web browser with some mobile-specific additions, being specifically designed to address the limitations of very small portable devices.

WCDMA

Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) is a type of 3G cellular network. WCDMA is the technology behind UMTS (a.k.a. 3GSM) and is allied with the 2G GSM standard. WCDMA supports very high-speed multimedia services such as full-motion video, Internet access and video conferencing.

Web Conferencing

Web conferencing is used to hold group meetings or live presentations over the Internet. In the early years of the Internet, the terms “web conferencing” and “computer conferencing” were often used to refer to group discussions conducted within a message board (via posted text messages), but the term has evolved to refer specifically to “live” or “synchronous” meetings, while the posted message variety of discussion is called a “forum”, “message board”, or “bulletin board”.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi (or Wi-fi, WiFi, Wifi, wifi), short for “Wireless Fidelity”, is a set of product compatibility standards for wireless local area networks (WLAN) based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications. New standards beyond the 802.11 specifications, such as 802.16(WiMAX), are currently in the works and offer many enhancements, anywhere from longer range to greater transfer speeds.

WiMAX

WiMAX, an acronym that stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a certification mark for products that pass conformity and interoperability tests for the IEEE 802.16 standards. IEEE 802.16 is working group number 16 of IEEE 802, specialising in point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access. Throughput can reach 75 Mbps and does not require line-of-sight to operate. The 802.16e extension adds roaming outside of a “home” service area. Reach can extend from one mile at full speed to 30 miles at reduced throughput.

Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile is a compact operating system for mobile devices based on the Microsoft Win32 API. Devices which run Windows Mobile include Pocket PCs, Smartphone, features many “pocket” versions of popular Microsoft applications, such as Pocket Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer and Portable Media Center. It is designed to be similar to desktop versions of Windows.

WLAN

A wireless LAN or WLAN is a wireless local area network that uses radio waves as its carrier: the last link with the users is wireless, to give a network connection to all users in the surrounding area. Areas may range from a single room to an entire campus. The backbone network usually uses cables, with one or more wireless access points connecting the wireless users to the wired network.