Now that 3G systems such as UMTS are under full deployment, the industry is looking forward to what comes next. While some say that WiMAX is a 4G system, the IEEE and the WiMAX forum think that 802.16e is rather a 3G technology and have asked the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) to include this standard … Continue reading If WiMAX Becomes a 3G (IMT-2000) Standard, What’s Left for 4G?
I have to admit I had William Webb’s latest book „Wireless Communications – The Future“ at home for a couple of months before I finally came around to read it back to back. A mistake, as it turned out, to wait that long. As title suggests, the book deals with the future of wireless telecommunications, … Continue reading Review: Wireless Communications – The Future
So far I’ve tested HSDPA all across Europe and have enthusiastically reported the great results on this blog (see here). Usually, I use HSDPA in a nomadic fashion, i.e. while being at home, in hotel rooms, on customer sites, etc. This is simple for the network, not much mobility management, no handover, stable radio environments, … Continue reading 3G and HSDPA Internet Access On A High Speed Train
As a frequent traveler I often use Vodafone Germany’s Websession offer which lets me connect wirelessly to the Internet in most countries in Europe and also in some countries overseas using 3G UMTS or 3.5G HSDPA. I’ve first reported about the details of the offer here and also posted reports of how well it performs … Continue reading Vodafone WebSessions Tested in A1’s 3G Network in Austria
Carlo Longino points out on his blog that Steve Jobs has said battery capacities and immature 3G chipsets that take too much power are the reason the iPhone doesn’t have any 3G capabilities. If you want to build a phone these days that is designed for only being used for a two minute voice call … Continue reading Why Does The iPhone Not Have 3G On Board? – I Don’t Think It’s the Power Consumption
Lately, I’ve stumbled over statements like "Our WiMAX product supports 802.16e Wave 1 and 2 feature sets". It’s mentioned a lot but nobody goes into the details of what kind of features the different "waves", or versions, actually contain. So I’ve done some research on my own. I still don’t have all the details, but … Continue reading WiMAX Waves
HSDPA, EVDO, WIMAX, LTE, you name them, they all go advertising these days with "mobile can now do broadband, too". I think this is true to a certain extent, if one keeps in mind that overall capacity that can be delivered by a mobile system in a densely populated area can not match capacity of … Continue reading Broadband Was Yesteray – Wideband’s The Future
These days most 3G operators offer 3G or HSDPA data cards or USB modems that come bundled with a 24 month subscription. In some countries they also sell them without a subscription but in most cases the data cards are still locked to SIM cards of the operator. As I travel a lot this a … Continue reading How To Get An Unlocked USB HSDPA Adapter
Lately, I’ve been thinking a bit how different wireless systems deal with the fact that the power output of a mobile phone is much lower than the power output of the base station. In practice this means that uplink data rates per mobile phone can not reach the same level as in the downlink. Most … Continue reading Deep Inside The Network: How UMTS And WiMAX Deal With Limited Uplink Power
Ericsson recently announced that they will stop their WiMAX development and that they will instead accelerate their LTE development. The Register has taken up on this and has published a very interesting article by Wireless Watch on which companies are pushing WiMAX and which companies are rather opposed. So if you are interested in the … Continue reading Insight Into Who Backs WiMAX And Who Opposes It