Wednesday, October 27, 2004
SORTING OUT THE Gs
ALFRED SIEW talks about the good, the bad and the ugly of 3G mobile phones
What is 3G?
There was, well, 1G, characterised by the analogue 'brick' phones of the 1980s. 2G refers to digital systems such as GSM and CDMA which emerged in the 1990s - and are probably what you are handling now.
The 2.5G phones are GSM phones which have general packet radio service (GPRS) technology built in. GPRS lets people connect to the Internet with their phones better than plain Jane 2G, or GSM, phones because GPRS transfers data using a packet-based network, as a computer would.
3G technology allows you to do what you do on broadband now - surf the web, download songs and watch videos - wherever you go. 3G networks promise speedy data downloads 'anytime, anywhere'. It's much like upgrading from a slow 56Kbps dial-up to a broadband service.
A totally new cellphone network has to be built from scratch for 3G, which is expected to co-exist with 2G networks for many years because many users are still on GSM.
What can I do with 3G?
Whatever you can do with the extra speed, like surf the Web wirelessly while travelling in a cab. An MP3 track will take about a minute to download. And you can watch streamed videos of, say, David Beckham's free kick, while you are out and about.
Most phones will also come with video cameras, meaning you can make video calls to friends who have 3G phones or video phones at home (SingTel has plans to offer such a service).
Isn't 3G plagued with problems?
The biggest problem facing 3G is the weight of expectation. With all the hype surrounding it, it doesn't have much time for teething problems. Early phones suffer from short battery life and dropped calls when people move from a 3G to a 2G network. But you can make video calls and download videos on the go, so the technology is fulfilling some of its promi-ses despite the problems.
Why has it taken so long to come here?
The first 3G service was rolled out in Japan by NTT DoCoMo in October 2001, so it has been around for a few years now. Cellphone operators in other countries, such as Singapore, are taking more time to test how well the phones work with their networks, so that the service does not bomb at launch.
What happens to GSM?
It's still around and will let you make calls in areas where there is no 3G coverage. Most 3G phones will support both W-CDMA (wideband CDMA, a 3G standard used here) and GSM. In other words, you have two phones in one.
So you won't have to worry about a lack of coverage even when you go into an underground car park - an expected 3G blindspot.
The main problem is moving from a 3G network to a 2.5G one. Your phone will automatically connect to a 2.5G network if it can't find a 3G network. But if you walk from a 3G to a 2.5G area while talking on the phone, you may get a dropped call.
That's because the phone and the wireless network don't yet have the intelligence to hand over the call seamlessly from one network to the next.
How much will 3G phones and services cost?
Local pricing is not available yet because telcos are still firming up their prices. But phones are expected to cost as much as current high-end phones.
The Sony Ericsson Z1010, for example, goes for A$649 (S$789) with 3 Australia (www.three.com.au). A 3G service plan goes for A$99 per month.
What is 3G?
There was, well, 1G, characterised by the analogue 'brick' phones of the 1980s. 2G refers to digital systems such as GSM and CDMA which emerged in the 1990s - and are probably what you are handling now.
The 2.5G phones are GSM phones which have general packet radio service (GPRS) technology built in. GPRS lets people connect to the Internet with their phones better than plain Jane 2G, or GSM, phones because GPRS transfers data using a packet-based network, as a computer would.
3G technology allows you to do what you do on broadband now - surf the web, download songs and watch videos - wherever you go. 3G networks promise speedy data downloads 'anytime, anywhere'. It's much like upgrading from a slow 56Kbps dial-up to a broadband service.
A totally new cellphone network has to be built from scratch for 3G, which is expected to co-exist with 2G networks for many years because many users are still on GSM.
What can I do with 3G?
Whatever you can do with the extra speed, like surf the Web wirelessly while travelling in a cab. An MP3 track will take about a minute to download. And you can watch streamed videos of, say, David Beckham's free kick, while you are out and about.
Most phones will also come with video cameras, meaning you can make video calls to friends who have 3G phones or video phones at home (SingTel has plans to offer such a service).
Isn't 3G plagued with problems?
The biggest problem facing 3G is the weight of expectation. With all the hype surrounding it, it doesn't have much time for teething problems. Early phones suffer from short battery life and dropped calls when people move from a 3G to a 2G network. But you can make video calls and download videos on the go, so the technology is fulfilling some of its promi-ses despite the problems.
Why has it taken so long to come here?
The first 3G service was rolled out in Japan by NTT DoCoMo in October 2001, so it has been around for a few years now. Cellphone operators in other countries, such as Singapore, are taking more time to test how well the phones work with their networks, so that the service does not bomb at launch.
What happens to GSM?
It's still around and will let you make calls in areas where there is no 3G coverage. Most 3G phones will support both W-CDMA (wideband CDMA, a 3G standard used here) and GSM. In other words, you have two phones in one.
So you won't have to worry about a lack of coverage even when you go into an underground car park - an expected 3G blindspot.
The main problem is moving from a 3G network to a 2.5G one. Your phone will automatically connect to a 2.5G network if it can't find a 3G network. But if you walk from a 3G to a 2.5G area while talking on the phone, you may get a dropped call.
That's because the phone and the wireless network don't yet have the intelligence to hand over the call seamlessly from one network to the next.
How much will 3G phones and services cost?
Local pricing is not available yet because telcos are still firming up their prices. But phones are expected to cost as much as current high-end phones.
The Sony Ericsson Z1010, for example, goes for A$649 (S$789) with 3 Australia (www.three.com.au). A 3G service plan goes for A$99 per month.
# posted by MiDBA @ 10/27/2004 01:08:00 AM 
