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Overview
Although the technology behind 3G
may seem complicated, the ways in which 3G will affect all of our lives
are easy to imagine. Just imagine having a combined camera, videocamera,
computer, stereo, and radio included in your mobile phone. Rich-media
information and entertainment will be at your fingertips whenever you want
anywhere there is a wireless network.
Mobile communication is moving from simple voice to rich media, where we
use more of our senses to intensify our experiences. |
| But not all of this will happen at
once. 3G is an evolution to a communications ideal that no one completely
understands yet. What we do know is that mobile multimedia will hit the
Japanese markets in 2001, and Europe and North America will follow soon
after. |
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| 3G
brings together high-speed radio access and IP-based services into one,
powerful environment. The step towards IP is vital. IP is packet-based,
which in simple terms, means users can be "on line" at all
times, but without having to pay until we actually send or receive data.
The connectionless nature of IP also makes access a lot faster: file
downloads can take a few seconds and we can be connected to our corporate
network with a single click.
3G introduces wideband radio communications, with access speeds of up
to 2Mbit/s. Compared with today's mobile networks, 3G will significantly
boost network capacity - so operators will be able to support more users,
as well as offer more sophisticated services.
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3G - At home
3G is going to affect our home and social lives in many ways. The services
that 3G enables will help us to manage our personal information, simplify
tasks such as grocery shopping, make better use of our time and offer
services that are just fun to use. Operators will be able to develop
myriad new service opportunities to attract and retain new customers. Here
are some examples:
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- You're sitting on a train and use this "dead" time to log
on to your bank account, check your balance and pay a few bills - all
through your 3G device. You save time and can be smarter about
managing your finances.
- On a touring vacation, you arrive in a new city. You haven't made
any reservations in advance, because you can do this when you get
there, by using your 3G handset to obtain up-to-date information,
including hotel vacancies. Having booked a room, you can use your
mobile to view video clips of local tourist attractions and talk to
someone from the local tourist information bureau at the same time.
- At work you receive a message from your "smart"
refrigerator at home. The message tells you that certain items need
restocking and an order has already been prepared for the local
grocery store, which you can approve, so that your groceries are ready
to collect on the way home.
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3G - At work
3G will not just support the needs of businesspeople who travel a lot, but
will also help new, flexible working practices, such as home-working and
remote access to corporate networks outside traditional working hours.
Businesspeople are often high-volume airtime users, so they represent a
big opportunity for mobile operators. Here are some examples:
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- You are on the road, and urgently need to discuss a draft
presentation with a number of colleagues back in the office. Pulling
into a service station, you use your 3G device to hold a telemeeting
with your colleagues and, at the same time, you can all view the draft
presentation and make changes on line.
- A maintenance engineer is repairing some equipment on a client's
premises and hits a problem. Using his 3G device, he contacts his
department and downloads a demonstration video that guides him through
the repair process.
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Technology
3G brings together two powerful forces: wideband radio communications and
IP-based services. Together, these lay the groundwork for advanced Mobile
Internet services, including personalized portals,
"infotainment", mobile commerce and unified messaging
-encompassing high-speed data, superior quality voice and video and
location-based services.
Making 3G a reality depends on technology developments in different areas.
These include amendments to the radio interface to support wideband
communications and in the core network. Supporting technologies, such as
WAP and Bluetooth, also have an important role to play. This section
provides a brief overview of some of the main technologies and
developments involved. Ericsson supports all of these technologies and has
played an active role in their development. |
Related Readings
Bluetooth
GSM
GPRS
3G
WAP
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