Wireless Internet Reviews

3G and 4G are terms that are used somewhat loosely in the industry. Third-generation (3G) technologies such as WiMAX are already gaining a foothold in the industry with several rollouts already in place. Fourth-generation (4G) networks are less mature and will be two or three years out in terms of deployment, which will give 3G technologies such as WiMAX a big advantage just in terms of timeliness. While LTE will be able to offer up to 100Mbps downstream speeds, up to five times that of WiMAX, LTE installations will not realistically be ready until 2012.

While Sprint is the only major carrier with a major 3G WiMAX strategy, the other three are focusing on 4G technologies such as Long Term Evolution (LTE). As a practical matter, proponents of LTE may wish to follow the lead of Intel, which has suggested a convergence between LTE and WiMAX.

All of the major telecom carriers have 3G strategies, and most are working on 4G. AT&T for example, is moving ahead rapidly on its own 3G deployment, with a major expansion of their 3G wireless broadband service underway at present. The carrier plans to deploy 3G wireless broadband to 80 more cities in 2008, bringing the total to about 350. Most notably, the Apple iPhone, which uses AT&T wireless service exclusively, has moved to 3G and is expecting good results.

The next-generation iPhone will include several 3G features, including support for several third-party applications, as well as a faster network. Of course, Apple is not the only player in 3G by a long shot, even if they are the most vocal about it. Three of the four major cellular carriers have 3G networks. Besides AT&T (the iPhone partner), 3G networks are also available at Sprint-Nextel and Verizon, with support for several high-end smartphone handsets. All three networks have high-speed services.

The fourth major carrier, T-Mobile, has plans to roll out their own 3G network this year. Sprint-Nextel is by far the most aggressive of the four, with plans to build out a nationwide broadband wireless network. Sprint’s goal of delivering wireless broadband to 100 million customers by the end of 2008 will do a lot more than make Sprint a lot of money. This aggressive plan will make WiMAX, the leading 3G technology, mainstream—and will push other carriers to move more aggressively with their own 3G plans. And with nationwide markets like this one, broadband will be delivered into many more markets than currently exists, since the network will also cover rural and more isolated markets.

3G wireless adds a new layer of flexibility, and many notebook manufacturers today build in the capability to connect to the Internet via a 3G cellular network. Similarly, many carriers are offering Internet services with their 3G cellular offerings, a service that will become increasingly in demand and necessary as more smartphones and portable multifunction devices come with the ability to surf the Web.

Some analysts advise caution however, suggesting that operators must pay special attention to capacity and performance. Several constraints exist, including cost and capacity, which will limit the ability of 3G cellular networks to support Internet services.

3G services, particularly mobile broadband services, are making big changes not only in how people access the Internet, but also in what they are accessing. With the ability to access the Internet on a smartphone, or even an ordinary cell phone, new services are arising to accommodate the new level of connectivity, and creating a whole new category of “m-commerce.” These new applications are already providing next-generation services such as online mapping applications, and Web 2.0 applications that are based on mobility such as informational applications that provide details of the nearest restaurant.

As a result, while the big telecom carriers are the greatest beneficiaries of 3G networks, several smaller entrepreneurial companies have emerged as well to take advantage of the growing 3G infrastructure and provide these new applications that were never before possible.

3G and the Smartphone

The emergence of 3G networks will have a big impact on the state of the smartphone. First designed for corporate users, with products such as the BlackBerry, smartphones have quickly infiltrated the consumer market, creating enormous demand for mobile broadband. Increasingly, there has been a focus on cross-over mobile devices, which target both the business user and the consumer—recognizing that they are often one and the same.

With more Web 2.0 applications becoming available on 3G networks, business users will start to make greater use of their smartphones, taking them home and on vacation, and enjoying all of those extra consumer-oriented applications that are starting to appear. The closed iPhone notwithstanding, smartphones are creating a new era of openness, particularly with offerings such as the Google Android-based phone. In addition, the recent FCC spectrum auction changed the rules, creating a wide swath of spectrum that carries with it several requirements for openness, including the ability to use any wireless device and to use any mobile broadband application.

These factors will change the way 3G Internet mobility operates, finally allowing these mobile devices to achieve their fullest potential with a wide variety of 3G applications. 3G devices will be more feature-rich as well as more powerful.

Third generation wireless technology takes connectivity to the next level, creating the potential for smart consumer devices, home automation and much more. The first major innovation was to move Internet access from the desktop to the mobile device and smartphone, and now the next major step is to bring it everywhere else.

Internet access under 3G and 4G networks will no longer be the exclusive domain of computers and smartphones. Internet connectivity could ultimately connect consumer devices, automobiles and more. This year, for example, Chrysler announced that 2009 vehicles will include mobile Internet access as a standard feature. All vehicles will include UConnect Web, a service that will add 3G cellular Internet connectivity via Wi-Fi, to allow passengers to use notebooks or smartphones while in the vehicle.

Customer Premises Equipment

A significant downside, at least for the present, is the cost of customer premises equipment for 3G wireless broadband services, and this will be an obstacle to wider levels of acceptance among consumers who are accustomed to low-cost or subsidized cable or DSL boxes.

WiMAX and other types of 3G wireless broadband networks will require subscribers to install equipment expected to cost in the $200 to $300 range. Consumers on the cutting edge will not balk so much at the cost. Evidence of this has already been seen with the costly iPhone, initially priced at $600 (but quickly decreasing in sticker price).

In the medium-term though, to gain a wider base of consumers, providers of these services are likely to offer incentives, low-cost leases, or outright subsidies to entice more consumers to the table. Long-term, the problem will take care of itself, as the actual cost of 3G services like WiMAX will decrease over time and the technology will become cheaper in real terms.

3G in Other Countries

While the US may have some of the most tech-savvy consumers, 3G Internet is gaining a faster rate of saturation in other countries, just because conventional 2G wired Internet is already entrenched in North America. In fact, the first 3G networks were rolled out in Japan by NTT DoCoMo. Asia had a significant headstart in rolling out 3G networks, and according to the NTIA, that headstart has been a key component of the economic foundation of many Asian and European countries.

Emerging global marketplaces which lack broadband of any type are now looking to deploy high-speed Internet for the first time, and without an installed base of wired connectivity, it makes more sense to go directly to wireless. This is already being seen in several countries throughout Asia and Eastern Europe.

Taiwan in particular has a very aggressive wireless broadband program in place, with the government granting several licenses and asking that carriers build out their WiMAX networks within the next year. It’s no wonder that Taiwan is taking an aggressive stance in building out 3G Internet, since almost all of the chipsets and related devices are manufactured there.

What is 4G?

3G networks are here to stay, and are very quickly going to dominate the market. Consumers will have Internet access wherever they go, on a wireless basis, at broadband speeds. There is however, some marketing talk about 4G networks under development, although this doesn’t mean much at the present time, and in fact, there is really no solid definition of 4G, outside of the technology that will come next after 3G that has not yet been invented.

We can assume however, that 4G will offer even higher data rates, and new features that may include things like video chat and a wide variety of streaming services, including television broadcasts, and even global mobility; allowing for such exotic capabilities as carrying your smartphone with you to a beach resort in Thailand, while still receiving local phone calls from back home and watching your favorite local broadcast news show while sipping your Mai Tai out of a coconut.