Category: 3G

SlashGear has gotten their hands on the new Novatel MiFi 2352. What makes this different from the previous version offered by Verizon and Sprint? Well, this one is GSM based and could see 3G download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbits and upload speeds of nearly 5.76 Mbits. For a detailed review, including unboxing pictures...

WiMAX has a reason to celebrate. The International Telecommunications Union has just approved the non-cellular technology as part of a 3G standard. This means that operators with 3G spectrum in their 2.5 GHz bands globally can use WiMAX to build out a spectrum. The last interface added was back in 1999 when ITU added IMT-2000...

Though no one contests that mobile WiMax has been gathering momentum, some doubt whether the technology will deliver what it promises in terms of performance. Sprint Nextel believes its mobile WiMax network, which it will roll out in 2008, allows for download speeds of 2 Mbps to 4 Mbps and upload speeds of about 1...

Verizon Wireless is upgrading its network with CDMA 1x EV-DO Revision A to enable faster BroadbandAccess wireless data services in several U.S. cities. The said technology delivers downstream speeds ranging from 450K to 800Kbps and upstream speeds between 300K and 400Kbps. BroadbandAccess subscribers pay a monthly fee starting from $60 -- if they already have...

UK's 3G market is circumspect over Ofcom's announcement on spectrum auction. The public sale, the first in six years, will involve the 2500-2690 MHz band, which the British regulator deemed compatible with 3G and mobile WiMax. Although stating that it welcomed the proposal, O2 urged Ofcom to retain its current condition demanding that 3G operators...

Analysts believe it will take another five years for WiMax to challenge 3G in the Asia Pacific region. According to In-Stat analyst Bryan Wang, WiMax users will grow to 14 million by 2011. This is just about 8 percent of the Asian 3G market by that time, as per the prediction of Frost & Sullivan...

Sprint CTO Barry West regards WiMax the 4G technology because not only is it faster, it is also cheaper. According to West, WiMax causes a 10-fold improvement in the price-per-bit as it uses a wider channel. The current CDMA networks run on a 1.25-MHz channel and can deliver a maximum of 4 bits per hertz,...

T-Mobile USA is due to begin offering a new service for mobile phone users that will allow seamless switching between its cellular network and their home Wi-Fi networks. The company will use unlicensed mobile access or UMA to enable the new service. T-Mobile, several blogs reported, has performed a trial of the service in the...

Sony has announced it's new WI-FI instant messaging device, Mylo. Mylo stands for 'My Life Online' and is aimed at heavy music and instant messaging users. The unit will be able to surf the web as well as make Skype calls, all over WiFi. The device is touted as a personel communicator and features a...

Blackberry addicts rejoice! WiFi/cellular dual mode is coming. The dual mode will mean that WiFi enabled business and campuses can reduce the cellular data usage, but still allow travel and roaming. Also planned is blackberry software for other devices such as palm handhelds. Via [techworld.com]

Virgin Trains has elected to use WiMax to enable passengers get Internet connection from their seat. QinetiQ Rail is providing the technology and has installed it on the company's Pendolino train. CEO Magnus McEwen-King expects the application of the WiMax-and-satellite combination to bring down costs. "If we were to use WiMax throughout the whole route...

Samsung is getting ready in a big way to jump on WiMax. They are preparing a GSM/WiMax phone as well as PCMCIA cards and base stations for fixed and mobile WiMax. The first products should be seen in the first half of 2007. Via [techworld.com]

Samsung is first out of the gate with a dual mode CDMA/WiMax phone. Details are scarce, but it appears to use a Korean variant of WiMax called WiBro. No details on availablity but it is a step in the direction of convergance. Via [vnunet.com]

Ovum analyst Julien Grivolas expects faster third-generation mobile services to become mainstream consumer service by 2008. The analyst firm believes users of High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) in Western Europe will grow to 16.5 million in two years and 50 million through 2010. Grivolas ascribed the high estimated uptake to the reality that HSDPA recycles...

WiMax and 3G are destined to compete in the Austrlian market. Unfortunatly WiMax has a mobility problem, it's limited to fixed location installations right now. 3G on the other hand has mobility. The future won't be decided till 2009, but content seems to be a big factor in which will win. Via [pcworld.idg.com.au]