Mobile broadband

For fixed wireless Internet access, see Wireless broadband.

A mobile broadband modem in the ExpressCard form factor for laptop computers

T-Mobile Universal Mobile Telecommunications System PC Card modem

Service mark for GSMA mobile broadband

A mobile phone includes a modem that can be used for Internet access.

Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access through a portable modem, mobile phone (called "cell phones" in North America and South Africa) or other mobile device.

Description

Although broadband has a technical meaning, the phrase "mobile broadband" is a wireless carrier marketing term for Internet access. Bit rates of broadband support voice and video as well as other data access.^[1]:3 Devices that provide mobile broadband to mobile computers include: PC cards also known as PC data card or Connect cards, USB modems, USB sticks often called "dongles", and portable devices with built-in support for mobile broadband (like notebooks, netbooks and Mobile Internet Devices. Notebooks with built-in mobile broadband modules are offered by many laptop manufacturers.

The GSM Association of telecommunication manufacturers, mobile phone producers, integrated circuit manufacturers and notebook manufacturers have joined forces to push built-in support for mobile broadband technology on notebook computers.^[2] The association established a service mark to identify devices that include Internet connectivity with devices not usually associated with it.^[2]

North America refers to mobile phones as cell phones. However all non-satellite mobile access technologies are cellular designs, but only CDMA-1 (EVDO related), GSM (GPRS/EDGE), UMTS/WCDMA/3G/FOMA/T-CDMA (HSPDA, HSUPA, HSPA, HSPA+) were originally intended for voice telephone calls. LTE and Mobile WiMax are data only, using VOIP for voice. Flash-OFDMA, IPW (derived from CDMA) and iBurst are also Data only networks. In theory also you could have an ERAN based EDGE2 network with no GPRS or GSM voice. Voice and SMS pays for the mobile phone networks.

Various network standards may be used, such as GPRS, 3G, WiMAX, LTE, Flash-OFDM, IPW, iBurst UMTS/HSPA, EV-DO and some portable satellite-based systems.^[1] However mostly the term refers to EVDO (sister system to CDMA-1), EDGE on GSM and HSPDA/HSUPA/HSPA on UMTS/3G/Foma. Such systems piggyback on the mobile phone infrastructure (EDGE, HSPA etc. actually share spectrum with voice calls, which have priority). The actual "non-Mobile Phone" Mobile networks are very small subscriber base (Mobile WiMax, iBurst, Flash-OFDMA, IPW and portable Satellite terminals) compared to fixed wireless broadband. A common vendor tactic is to quote the peak speed for the entire channel. This capacity can be shared among other users, or limited in other ways as the network becomes more popular.^[3]

Development

Huawei CDMA2000 Evolution-Data Optimized USB wireless modem model E226

In 2002, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) established a Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) working group.^[4] They developed the IEEE 802.20 standard in 2008, with amendments in 2010.^[5] Another working group, IEEE 802.16, produced standards adopted in products using the WiMAX trademark.^[6]

A barrier to mobile broadband was the coverage the mobile phone networks can provide. In many areas customers will not be able to achieve the speeds advertised due to mobile data coverage limitations. In addition, there are issues with connectivity, network capacity, application quality, and mobile network operators' overall inexperience with data traffic.^[7]

Demand from emerging markets fueled growth in mobile broadband . Without a widespread fixed line infrastructure, many emerging markets leapfrog developed markets and use mobile broadband technologies to deliver high-speed internet access to the mass market.

The global Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) family of standards - which includes GSM, EDGE, WCDMA, HSPA and LTE – is the most widespread way to deliver mobile broadband. 3GPP standards are serving about 90 percent of the world’s mobile subscribers.^{[citation needed]}

After mobile broadband subscribers hit 500 million in 2010, at the end of 2011 Ericsson predicted it will be doubled to a billion. 400 million come from Asia Pacific region, followed by North America and Western Europe with more than 200 million subscriptions each.^[8]

Ireland

In 2009 3 Ireland (part of Hutchison Whampoa) started an add-on roll out of their 3G/HSPA Mobile Phone service Marketed as Broadband and with the contract to supply the NBS. This is regarded as a catastrophe for prospective Broadband users.^[9]

United Kingdom

In October 2008, a steering group known as Digital Britain was set up, with the aim of promoting digital telecommunications in the United Kingdom. The conclusion of the steering group was a recommendation that the government took up, namely to have 100% broadband coverage, with a minimum speed of 2Mbps in the United Kingdom by the year 2012. Mobile "broadband" using 3G is not now expected to be able to ensure 2Mbit/s broadband coverage to the more remote areas of the UK as coverage is too poor and contention too high. Another suggestion is Ka Satellite for Rural areas, which may be very cheap by the end of 2010 if Eutelsat's KA-SAT is successfully launched. There is also a smaller Ka Sat in 2010 from Avanti. However Satellite latency is about 790ms.

Types of devices used

• PDA
• smartphone, Mobile phone
• USB flash drive, (dongle)
• Compact Flash
• PC Card, ExpressCard
• SDIO
• MiFi

Service providers

There are competing common carriers in most nations. Some of these cellular networks and the carrier's service plans are:

North America

• Canada providers
  • List of Canadian mobile phone companies
• United States providers
  • T-Mobile USA
  • AT&T Mobility
  • Verizon Wireless
  • Sprint Nextel
  • US Cellular
  • Cricket Communications
  • MetroPCS Wireless, Inc.
  • Virgin Mobile
  • Simple Mobile
  • Clearwire provides wireless internet but not mobile phone service
• Mexico providers
  • Telcel
  • Iusacell

Oceania

• Australia providers
  • Telstra
  • Optus
  • 3 Mobile
  • Virgin Mobile
  • Vodafone
• New Zealand providers
  • Telecom Xtra
  • Vodafone
  • 2degrees

Africa

• South Africa providers
  • Vodacom
  • MTN
  • Cell C
  • 8ta
• Zimbabwe providers
  • Econet Wireless

Europe

• Belgian providers:
  • ClearWire
  • Proximus
  • Mobistar
  • BASE
• Bulgaria providers:
  • Mobiltel
  • Globul
  • Vivacom
• Czech
  • Telefonica O2
  • T-Mobile
  • Vodafone
• Danish providers:
  • TDC
  • Telia
  • Telenor
  • 3
  • Clearwire
• Finnish providers:
  • DNA Oy
  • Elisa Oyj
  • Saunalahti
  • Sonera
  • Vodafone
• German providers
  • T-mobile
  • Vodafone
  • E-Plus
  • O2 plc
• Ireland providers
  • O2 (Ireland)
  • Vodafone Ireland
  • 3 (telecommunications)
  • Meteor (mobile network)
• Portuguese providers
  • TMN
  • Vodafone
  • Optimus
  • Meo, Sapo, ZON as MVNOs using the above main networks as carriers.
  • Zapp (Portuguese branch)
• Slovakia providers
  • Orange (brand)
  • Telefonica O2
  • T-Mobile
• Spanish providers:
  • Movistar
  • Vodafone
  • Orange (brand)
  • Yoigo
• Swedish providers:
  • 3 (telecommunications)
  • Telenor
  • Tele2
  • Telia
• United Kingdom providers
  • T-mobile
  • Vodafone
  • O2 plc
  • Orange SA
  • 3 (telecommunications)
• United Kingdom Ofcom accredited impartial comparison service for broadband
  • Simplifydigital

Asia

• Korea providers
  • KT
  • SKT
  • LGT
• Pakistan providers
  • Ufone
  • PTCL
  • Wateen
  • Warid
  • Zong
• Japanese providers:
  • NTT docomo
  • au (mobile phone operator)
  • SoftBank Mobile
  • EMOBILE Limited
  • Willcom
• Indian providers:
  • MTNL
  • BSNL
  • VSNL
  • Airtel
  • Aircel
  • Idea Cellular
  • Loop Mobile
  • MTS India
  • Vodafone Essar
  • Tata Indicom
  • Tata Docomo
  • Tikona Digital Networks
  • Reliance Mobile
  • Spice Telecom
  • S Tel
  • Virgin Mobile India
  • Videocon Mobile Service
  • Uninor
• Indonesian providers
  • Indosat
  • XL
  • Telkomsel
  • Axis
  • 3
• Israeli providers
  • Cellcom^{[disambiguation needed ]}
  • Orange Israel
  • Pelephone
• P.R.China providers
  • China Mobile(CMCC)
  • China Unicom
  • China Telecom
• Filipino providers:
  • Globe Tattoo(Globe Telecom)
  • Smart Bro(Smart Communications/PLDT)
  • Sun Cellular/Digitel
• Malaysia providers
  • Celcom
  • DiGi Telecommunications
  • Maxis Communications
• Singapore providers
  • SingTel
  • StarHub
  • M1
• Sri Lanka Providers
  • Mobitel
  • Airtel
  • Etisalat

Device manufacturers

ZTE Corporation Cherry Mobile Danger Freewave Technologies HTC Corporation Hewlett Packard (HP) Huawei LG Electronics Motorola Nokia Novatel Wireless

Option N.V. Panasonic Research In Motion (BlackBerry) Samsung Sierra Wireless Sony Ericsson Telit Tekelec Qualcomm

Technologies

GPRS (2.5G) CDPD CDMA2000 EDGE UMTS (3G) GPRS Core Network IP Multimedia Subsystem

HSDPA (3.5G) iBurst (pre-4G) HiperMAN (pre-4G) WiMAX (pre-4G) WiBro (pre-4G)

See also

Mobile VoIP Broadband Internet access Broadband Mobile Enterprise Dongle Smartphone

Tethering mobile modem wireless modem Netbook Laptop Connect card

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Mustafa Ergen (2009). Mobile Broadband: including WiMAX and LTE. Springer Science+Business Media. ISBN 978-0-387-68189-4. http://www.springerlink.com/content/978-0-387-68189-4. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Service mark: The global technology identifer". GSM Association. http://www.gsmworld.com/our-work/mobile_broadband/service_mark/index.htm. Retrieved July 17, 2011. 
3. ^ "Is Mobile "midband" in Ireland Destroying broadband Infrastructure?". Ireland Offline opinion piece. August 29, 2009. http://irelandoffline.org/2009/08/is-mobile-midband-in-ireland-destroying-broadband-infrastructure/. Retrieved July 17, 2011. 
4. ^ "IEEE 802.20 Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA)". Working group web site. http://ieee802.org/20/. Retrieved July 16, 2011. 
5. ^ "IEEE 802.20 Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA)". Official standard. IEEE Standards Association. http://standards.ieee.org/about/get/802/802.20.html. Retrieved July 16, 2011. 
6. ^ "IEEE Approves IEEE 802.16m - Advanced Mobile Broadband Wireless Standard". IEEE Standards Association. March 31, 2011. http://standards.ieee.org/news/2011/80216m.html. Retrieved June 16, 2011. 
7. ^ DPI and Mobile Broadband White Paper; http://www.thetanetworks.com/resources/white-papers
8. ^ Mobile broadband subscriptions to bypass 1bn in 2011 http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/19891-mobile-broadband-subscripti/
9. ^ Michael Watterson. "The Great Irish Broadband and NBS Scams". Watty Stuff blog. http://www.wattystuff.net/issues/mobile-and-nbs/. Retrieved July 17, 2011. 

External links

Some Comparisons between Dialup (narrowband), Mobile (Midband) and true always on Broadband: [1] linking to OECD, FCC and Irish Government Definitions. Explanation as to why mobile performance is often 1/10 of the advertised speed, drops connections and may not connect [2] at all.