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Experimental 4G Phone Service Faster Than Cable

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the screaming-speeds-for-screaming dept.

JymBrittain writes "NewScientist reports that Japanese researchers have achieved blistering rates of transmission for cell phones that allowed for viewing of 32 high definition video streams, while traveling in an automobile at 20 kilometers per hour. From the article: "Officials from NTT DoCoMo say the phones could receive data at 100 megabits per second on the move and at up to a gigabit per second while static. At this rate, an entire DVD could be downloaded within a minute." These transmission rates were achieved using new experimental methods of multiplexing."

22 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. Yay! by Daxster · · Score: 5, Funny

    32 simultaneous porn streams?! Oh my! I don't need to be going at 20mph for that..

    --
    Death by snoo-snoo!
    1. Re:Yay! by KillShill · · Score: 5, Funny

      not ALL of you anyway.

      --
      Science : Proprietary , Knowledge : Open Source
  2. Wow by Tidal+Flame · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wow. But if you think the data rates are amazing, imagine what the cost is going to be!

    1. Re:Wow by nmb3000 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Given that you could get a 50mbps DSL connection for less than $40/month in Japan, I would assume not much.

      Hey now. Some parts of the US aren't quite as far behind as others :)

      For example, in my city they are just finishing installation of a citywide fiber network. Very freaking awesome, but what's better is that I can get (and am going to) an amazing Internet connection. For $40/mo I get 20Mbps download and upload with a public IP. That's right, $40/mo, and when I asked about running my own server they said, "That's fine, just don't host anything illegal." Double that and you get unlimited local and long distance VoIP and local cable in addition to 20Mbps Internet.

      See? Fiber really is good for you! :)

      --
      "What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
      /)
    2. Re:Wow by ceejayoz · · Score: 5, Funny

      On behalf of much of Slashdot, let me say this:

      You bastard.

      Can I come live with you?

  3. 20 kilometers per hour! by Beatlebum · · Score: 5, Funny

    20 kilometers per hour!

    OMG, that's incredible.

  4. A minute? Sure... by dasOp · · Score: 5, Interesting

    if your device has enough memory to hold it and is fast enough cpu-wise to sustain a decent gbit pipe.

    Regular consumer pc having drives fast enough to get a dvd in a minute? Good thing we nerds get to the good stuff before anyone else. :)

    1. Re:A minute? Sure... by djupedal · · Score: 5, Informative

      if your device has enough memory to hold it and is fast enough cpu-wise to sustain a decent gbit pipe. Regular consumer pc having drives fast enough to get a dvd in a minute?

      It's not about a device having enough memory to hold the download - it is about having a pipe that can push large amounts of data. Streaming video/audio, which will come to a handset or other mobile device thru the air.

      I think the DVD comparison is more about size than content.

      There is no need for movies to be gb's when viewed on a handset - As an example, my phone (Motorola E680i) plays .3gp video and the file size for an entire DVD is less than 50mb. I converted the Terminator DVD for use on my PSP (MP4) and it comes down to 287 mb, with stereo and wonderful clarity. No need to download 5+gb's just to watch a movie.

      If you talk about a 7" widescreen LCD for use in a car, then you would see files larger, but again, nothing along the lines of 5+gb.

      The content won't be targeted for download and storage, just streaming. Of course, some of us will find an excuse to archive it, but that's another story...

  5. Thanks, NTT DoCoMo Officials, for the perspective by Fhqwhgadss · · Score: 5, Funny
    At this rate, an entire DVD could be downloaded within a minute.

    At this rate the technology will never reach the USA. Thanks for pointing that out right away jerks.

    --
    How does a 7-person democracy cut a pie? Into 4 pieces.
  6. What about my nads? by sockonafish · · Score: 5, Funny

    If I left the phone in my pocket while torrenting an ISO to my Powerbook with an 802.11g link, would I be rendered sterile?

  7. Re:20 kmph? by Daxster · · Score: 5, Funny

    Everyone's favourite unit..
    http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=20+kilometers+ per+hour+in+furlongs+per+fortnight&meta=

    20 kilometers per hour = 33 404.9153 furlongs per fortnight

    --
    Death by snoo-snoo!
  8. In other news... by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hollywood surrenders. Film at 11.

  9. Just what I always wanted... by dal20402 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...a render farm made up of cellphones.

  10. This remids me.... by LothDaddy · · Score: 5, Funny
    A man with a 4G cell phone receiving data at 100mbs leaves Dallas on a train traveling to Amarilo at 20kps. A second man leaves Amarillo riding on a train headed to Dallas at 10kph. His 3G cell phone is receiving data at 500kbs. Which one will download more porn first?

    Neither, there's no f'ing cell receiption between Amarillo and Dallas. Thought that was a math problem huh?!

  11. FAQ by vidnet · · Score: 4, Interesting

    1. Why do they keep adding all these new features? I just want a plain phone.

    Get a Vodafone Simply and go read People magazine instead of slashdot.

    2. Yeah, that's great and all, but when do we get this for our laptops?

    The same time we get it for our phones. While irda and bluetooth can't handle these kinds of rates, usb, wireless usb or the next generation connection interface will. (4G is still years and years away)

  12. But what if there was 1 million of them by CastrTroy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Somehow, I don't think the phones could acheive the same bandwidth if there was 1 million of them withing an area the size of a normal city. There's limited bandwidth on the airwaves. Might be good for broadcasting video streams, but if everyone wants different data, it won't work. Besides, we already had technology to transmit 30 channels of video to handheld viewers 20 years ago.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    1. Re:But what if there was 1 million of them by cnettel · · Score: 4, Interesting
      I can promise you that the analog receivers of 1985 didn't reconstruct a signal that was on par with normal definition of today and far below a HD stream.

      Also, I seem to remember that one part of the multiplexing ideas for 4G was too use differently oriented antennas, dynamically adapting a signal mixing scheme to filter out the signal minus most interferences and echos, as those shouldn't be uniform for different polarizations. Therefore, saying that there simply can't be enough available bandwidth in the air isn't that relevant. We are still far from the theoretical maximums, and this kind of approach also opens the possibility of nearby transmitters sharing the same frequency with less jamming. Sure, these numbers might be optimistic, but if proper multiplexing gets into the standard, 4G will be far more interesting from a technological standpoint than 3G. Did I mention lower transmission power? (at least when not maxing the connection)

  13. Welcome to the world's most powerful technological by plasmacutter · · Score: 5, Funny

    backwater.. the USA. where you too can get a mere 3 mbit/s monodirectional while people in scandanavia and japan get 20 megabits minimum, and will soon have gigabit service to their phones. I would like to personally thank the FCC for fostering the competition necessary to get us here.

    --
    VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
  14. But the cost... by guard952 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, with telcos providing data at 2c per kB, downloading that DVD in less than a minute will cost you $98,000.

    Surely it's gotta be cheaper to just buy a helicopter and fly to the video store.

  15. Sigh.... by Quixote · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I am sick of these optimistic figures (to put it mildly).
    It is fine for 1 cellphone to receive 100Mbps.
    But how does it scale? Remember, there will be about 10000 users within range of a base. Can the base pump out 1Tbps of data? (Remember, the users could be watching live HD video at the same time).

  16. /. reported 3 times the speed over a year ago by sidney · · Score: 4, Interesting

    NTT DoCoMo's 4G Tests Hit 300Mbps

    Posted by CmdrTaco on 06:55 AM June 2nd, 2004
    from the and-i-still-can't-get-cable dept.

    haunebu writes "'Your brand-spankin'-new 3G phone is nearing obsolesence: NTT DoCoMo reveals the results from a new 4G test system.' says TheFeature. While in a car moving at 30kph, DoCoMo engineers managed a peak throughput of 300Mbps and a sustained transfer rate of 135Mbps with their new variable spreading factor orthogonal frequency code division multiplexing (WSF-OFCDM) downstream technology. Who comes up with these names, and how does Japan manage to stay lightyears ahead of everyone else in wireless?"

  17. Cable will use a similiar tech in the near future by papasui · · Score: 5, Interesting

    DOCSIS 3 will use a channel bonding technique to achieve similiar speeds through coaxial. Essentially by reclaiming analog channel space by converting to all digital systems (I'm beta testing this right now) in the next 3 years that same analog space can be phased out giving back all the waste channel space without needing upgrade the cable system itself to support higher frequencies. What this basically does in layman terms is instead of sending all the data across the same frequency it breaks the data up across multiple frequencies in parallel.

    Something to the effect of:

    Old
    699Mhz 11111111
    New
    699Mhz 1
    689Mhz 1
    679Mhz 1
    669Mhz 1
    659Mhz 1
    649Mhz 1
    639Mhz 1
    629Mhz 1

    It probably will take 6mhz, not 10mhz but by allowing some space between the carriers it avoids some noise between them.