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Is 3G Irrelevant?

An anonymous reader writes "Network Magazine asks 'Are We Better Off Without 3G?' in which the author notes that many networkers are giving up on 3G as a data services alternative due to high deployment costs and slower speeds vs. Wi-Fi. Given these issues, are we likely to see carriers like Nextel bypassing 3G for 4G technologies such as OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) by Flarion Technologies?"

14 of 252 comments (clear)

  1. OFDM != 4G by Wesley+Felter · · Score: 5, Informative

    OFDM is an encoding, not a protocol. Both Wi-Fi and WiMax (802.16) use OFDM, and I wouldn't be surprised if 4G (802.20) systems end up using it as well.

    1. Re:OFDM != 4G by Artemis+P.+Fonswick · · Score: 4, Informative

      OFDM is more resistant to multipath effects. In conventional spread spectrum, data is pumped rapidly through a single carrier, modulated by a spreading code. With OFDM, the data is modulated and sent across a large number of closely spaced RF carriers at the same time. Sort of like parallel, as opposed to serial transmission. Because the bits are sent in parallel, they can individually be sent at a much slower rate, while still yielding the same overall transmission throughput. Because each bit is "on the air" for a longer period of time, there are less problems with multipath effects.

      --


      Kudos to you, my good man.
  2. Re:Naw.... by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 2, Informative

    Apparently ye olde slashdot filter removed the joke just after the . in the above post because it was written in the forbidden greater-than and less-than signs.

    Meant to say that:

    It's not any more irrelevent than IPV6 or (insert ISDN-style or .net-style standard or technology here).

    --
    The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
  3. Re:what 3g? by jaoswald · · Score: 2, Informative

    Japan has a land area of about 378,000 km^2, or 146,000 mi^2. That is between Arizona and Montana in area; only about 15% smaller than California. Connecticut is about 5,500 mi^2. So Japan is over 25x the size of Connecticut.

  4. Re:tech, who has it?? by rkz · · Score: 2, Informative

    Singapore, Japan, Finland?

  5. Re:Nextel by Y! · · Score: 2, Informative

    Yeah CDMA PTT more like Push, Wait, then Talk.
    Call setup will have a least a ten second pause from the time you hit the button till you can talk, EVERY time you talk. Unlike the 2 second MAX to start a call and the less than 1 second to continue the call that nextel has.

    If you want to roam get an i2000 nextel/gsm phone.

    And the other carriers would kill to have that kind of a lock on "business" customers.

    The only real danger is that Verizons PTT will suck so bad that it will sour the entire market for the feature.

  6. Re:3G is a pathetic disappointment... by rcs1000 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Not only that but (and I speak as a 3 subscriber myself)...

    * You can get picture messaging on 2G phones. It works well, and there is (some) interoperability between networks.

    * The Internet access speed is LOWER than 2G's GPRS. I mean, what?

    * The picture call feature is useless. The picture lags the voice by several seconds, making it almost completely unusable. Aaaarggghh.

    Just my thoughts...

    Robert

    --
    --- My dad's political betting
  7. Oh, but it can by SpiffyMarc · · Score: 2, Informative

    What does 3G have to do with Wi-Fi?

    Google for WiMax. Here's a link to get you started.

    From a random article about the WiMax 802.16a standard: "802.16 WirelessMAN (Metropolitan Area Network) fixed wireless broadband, has a range of up to about 30 miles with data transfer speeds of up to 70mbps". Also, "802.16a is considered the next step beyond WiFi because it is optimized for broadband operation, fixed and later mobile".

  8. Re:"Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing" by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 3, Informative

    We use it for TV transmission in the UK.

    --
    That was classic intercourse!
  9. Well... by dcs · · Score: 2, Informative

    Meanwhile, The Register reports that in one place in Asia where WiFi *is* widely spread, they gave up on it and went 3G.

    --
    (8-DCS)
  10. Re:I use 3G in the USA, right now by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 2, Informative

    In the UK, 3Gs data speeds aren't any better than GSM/HSCSD/GPRS, which is what I currently use with my Palm Tungsten T, Nokia 8910 combination. Bluetooth lets you live the dream! (well, it let's you pick up and send email)

    --
    That was classic intercourse!
  11. Re:OFDM? by luisdom · · Score: 2, Informative

    Maybe because he supposed that this is a technical enuogh forum in which people can google for this stuff?
    Google first link:
    ODFM Forum

  12. Iowa... what? by debugdave · · Score: 2, Informative

    You don't think farmers in Iowa need cell phones? They do. With email and all that. They need voice plus data. I guess technically those people don't need the internet either, right?
    I used to sell mobile phones, and I also live in IA. I can say without a doubt there is a need for reliable voice / data on the cornfields as well as in the city.
    Just because there is'nt a lot of people does'nt mean there is'nt a lot going on.

    dave

  13. Don't forget about W-OFDM by Lawmeister · · Score: 2, Informative

    The Wideband-OFDM also shows lots of promise: from patent holder Wi-LAN:

    http://www.wilan.com/technology/main1.html

    Wi-LANâ(TM)s Wideband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (W-OFDM) is a transmission scheme that enables data to be encoded on multiple high-speed radio frequencies concurrently. This allows for greater security, increased amounts of data being sent, and the industries most efficient use of bandwidth. W-OFDM is the basis of the IEEE standard 802.11a, which is the foundation of the proposed IEEE standard 802.16. It is a patented technology in the United States under patent number 5,282,222 and in Canada under patent number 2,064,975. W-OFDM technology is currently used in Wi-LAN's broadband wireless access systems.

    W-OFDM enables the implementation of low power multipoint RF networks that minimize interference with adjacent networks. This reduced interference enables independent channels to operate within the same band allowing multipoint networks and point-to-point backbone systems to be overlaid in the same frequency band.