NETWORK HUB A network hub or repeater hub is a device for connecting multiple twisted pair or fiber optic Ethernet

devices together and making them act as a single network segment. Hubs work at the physical layer (layer 1) of the O ! model. "he device is a form of multiport repeater. #epeater hubs also participate in collision detection$ forwarding a %am signal to all ports if it detects a collision. Hubs also often come with a &'( and)or A*! connector to allow connection to legacy 1+&A E, or 1+&A E- network segments. "he availability of low.priced network switches has largely rendered hubs obsolete but they are still seen in older installations and more speciali/ed applications. Technical information A network hub is a fairly unsophisticated broadcast device. Hubs do not manage any of the traffic that comes through them$ and any packet entering any port is broadcast out on all other ports. ince every packet is being sent out through all other ports$ packet collisions result0which greatly impedes the smooth flow of traffic. "he need for hosts to be able to detect collisions limits the number of hubs and the total si/e of a network built using hubs (a network built using switches does not have these limitations). 1or 1+ 2bit)s networks$ up to - segments (3 hubs) are allowed between any two end stations. 1or 1++ 2bit)s networks$ the limit is reduced to 4 segments (, hubs) between any two end stations$ and even that is only allowed if the hubs are of the low delay variety. ome hubs have special (and generally manufacturer specific) stack ports allowing them to be combined in a way that allows more hubs than simple chaining through Ethernet cables$ but even so$ a large 1ast Ethernet network is likely to re5uire switches to avoid the chaining limits of hubs. 2ost hubs detect typical problems$ such as e6cessive collisions and %abbering on individual ports$ and partition the port$ disconnecting it from the shared medium. "hus$ hub.based Ethernet is generally more robust than coa6ial cable.based Ethernet (e.g. 1+&A E,)$ where a misbehaving device can adversely affect the entire collision domain. Even if not partitioned automatically$ a hub makes troubleshooting easier because status lights can indicate the possible problem source or$ as a last resort$ devices can be disconnected from a hub one at a time much more easily than a coa6ial cable. "hey also remove the need to troubleshoot faults on a huge cable with multiple taps. Hubs are classified as 7ayer 1 (8hysical 7ayer)devices in the O ! model. At the physical layer$ hubs support little in the way of sophisticated networking. Hubs do not read any of the data passing through them and are not aware of their source or destination. Essentially$ a hub simply receives incoming packets$ regenerates the electrical signal$ and broadcasts these packets out to all other devices on the network. Uses

Historically$ the main reason for purchasing hubs rather than switches was their price. "his has largely been eliminated by reductions in the price of switches$ but hubs can still be useful in special circumstances9

1or inserting a protocol analy/er into a network connection$ a hub is an alternative to a network tap or port mirroring. ome computer clusters re5uire each member computer to receive all of the traffic going to the cluster. A hub will do this naturally: using a switch re5uires special configuration. ;hen a switch is accessible for end users to make connections$ for e6ample$ in a conference room$ an ine6perienced or careless user (or saboteur) can bring down the network by connecting two ports together$ causing a loop. "his can be prevented by using a hub$ where a loop will break other users on the hub$ but not the rest of the network. (!t can also be prevented by buying switches that can detect and deal with loops$ for e6ample by implementing the panning "ree 8rotocol.) A hub with a 1+&A E, port can be used to connect devices that only support 1+&A E, to a modern network. "he same goes for linking in an old thicknet network segment using an A*! port on a hub (individual devices that were intended for thicknet can be linked to modern Ethernet by using an A*!.1+&A E. " transceiver).

Code di ision multiple access (C!"#) is a channel access method utili/ed by various radio communication technologies. !t should not be confused with the mobile phone standards called cdmaOne and (<2A,+++ (which are often referred to as simply =(<2A=)$ which use (<2A as an underlying channel access method. One of the basic concepts in data communication is the idea of allowing several transmitters to send information simultaneously over a single communication channel. "his allows several users to share a bandwidth of different fre5uencies. "his concept is called multiple6ing. (<2A employs spread.spectrum technology and a special coding scheme (where each transmitter is assigned a code) to allow multiple users to be multiple6ed over the same physical channel. &y contrast$ time division multiple access (T!"#) divides access by time$ while fre5uency.division multiple access ($!"#) divides it by fre5uency. (<2A is a form of =spread.spectrum= signaling$ since the modulated coded signal has a much higher data bandwidth than the data being communicated. An analogy to the problem of multiple access is a room (channel) in which people wish to communicate with each other. "o avoid confusion$ people could take turns speaking (time division)$ speak at different pitches (fre5uency division)$ or speak in different languages (code division). (<2A is analogous to the last e6ample where people speaking the same language can understand each other$ but not other people. imilarly$ in radio (<2A$ each group of users is given a shared code. 2any codes occupy the same channel$ but only users associated with a particular code can understand each other. (<2A ((ode.<ivision 2ultiple Access) refers to any of several protocols used in so. called second.generation (,>) and third.generation (4>) wireless communications. As the term implies$ (<2A is a form of multiple6ing$ which allows numerous signals to occupy a single transmission channel$ optimi/ing the use of available bandwidth. "he technology is used in ultra.high.fre5uency (*H1) cellular telephone systems in the ?++. 2H/ and 1.@.>H/ bands. (<2A employs analog.to.digital conversion (A<() in combination with spread spectrum technology. Audio input is first digiti/ed into binary elements. "he fre5uency of the transmitted signal is then made to vary according to a defined pattern (code)$ so it can be intercepted only by a receiver whose fre5uency response is programmed with the same code$ so it follows e6actly along with the transmitter fre5uency. "here are trillions of possible fre5uency.se5uencing codes$ which enhances privacy and makes cloning difficult. "he (<2A channel is nominally 1.,4 2H/ wide. (<2A networks use a scheme called soft handoff$ which minimi/es signal breakup as a handset passes from one cell to another. "he combination of digital and spread.spectrum modes supports several times as many signals per unit bandwidth as analog modes. (<2A is compatible with other cellular technologies: this allows for nationwide roaming.

"he original (<2A standard$ also known as (<2A One and still common in cellular telephones in the *. .$ offers a transmission speed of only up to 13.3 Abps in its single channel form and up to 11- Abps in an eight.channel form. (<2A,+++ and wideband (<2A deliver data many times faster. %teps in C!"# "odulation (<2A is a spread spectrum multiple access techni5ue. A spread spectrum techni5ue is one which spreads the bandwidth of the data uniformly for the same transmitted power. preading code is a pseudo.random code which has a narrow Ambiguity function unlike other narrow pulse codes. !n (<2A a locally generated code runs at a much higher rate than the data to be transmitted. <ata for transmission is simply logically BO# (e6clusive O#) added with the faster code. "he figure shows how spread spectrum signal is generated. "he data signal with pulse duration of Tb is BO# added with the code signal with pulse duration of Tc. ('ote9 bandwidth is proportional to 1 ) T where T C bit time) "herefore$ the bandwidth of the data signal is 1 ) Tb and the bandwidth of the spread spectrum signal is 1 ) Tc. ince Tc is much smaller than Tb$ the bandwidth of the spread spectrum signal is much larger than the bandwidth of the original signal. "he ratio Tb ) Tc is called spreading factor or processing gain and determines to certain e6tent the upper limit of total number of users supported simultaneously by a base station

Each user in a (<2A system uses a different code to modulate their signal. (hoosing the codes used to modulate the signal is very important in the performance of (<2A systems. "he best performance will occur when there is good separation between the signal of a desired user and the signals of other users. "he separation of the signals is made by correlating the received signal with the locally generated code of the desired user. !f the signal matches the desired userDs code then the correlation function will be high and the system can e6tract that signal. !f the desired userDs code has nothing in common with the signal the correlation should be as close to /ero as possible (thus eliminating the signal): this is referred to as cross correlation. !f the code is correlated with the signal at any time offset other than /ero$ the correlation should be as close to /ero as possible. "his is referred to as auto.correlation and is used to re%ect multi.path interference.

!n general$ (<2A belongs to two basic categories9 synchronous (orthogonal codes) and asynchronous (pseudorandom codes). &%" (&lobal %'stem for "obile Communications9 originally from Groupe Spcial Mobile) is the most popular standard for mobile telephone systems in the world. "he > 2 Association$ its promoting industry trade organi/ation of mobile phone carriers and manufacturers$ estimates that ?+E of the global mobile market uses the standard. > 2 is used by over 4 billion people across more than ,1, countries and territories. !ts ubi5uity enables international roaming arrangements between mobile phone operators$ providing subscribers the use of their phones in many parts of the world. > 2 differs from its predecessor technologies in that both signaling and speech channels are digital$ and thus > 2 is considered a second generation (,>) mobile phone system. "his also facilitates the wide.spread implementation of data communication applications into the system. Enhanced <ata #ates for > 2 Evolution (> 2 E<>E) is a 4> version of the protocol. "he ubi5uity of implementation of the > 2 standard has been an advantage to both consumers$ who may benefit from the ability to roam and switch carriers without replacing phones$ and also to network operators$ who can choose e5uipment from many > 2 e5uipment vendors. > 2 also pioneered low.cost implementation of the short message service ( 2 )$ also called te6t messaging$ which has since been supported on other mobile phone standards as well. "he standard includes a worldwide emergency telephone number feature (11,). 'ewer versions of the standard were backward.compatible with the original > 2 system. 1or e6ample$ #elease D@F of the standard added packet data capabilities by means of >eneral 8acket #adio ervice (>8# ). Cellular radio network > 2 is a cellular network$ which means that mobile phones connect to it by searching for cells in the immediate vicinity. "here are five different cell si/es in a > 2 network0 macro$ micro$ pico$ femto and umbrella cells. "he coverage area of each cell varies according to the implementation environment. 2acro cells can be regarded as cells where the base station antenna is installed on a mast or a building above average roof top level. 2icro cells are cells whose antenna height is under average roof top level: they are typically used in urban areas. 8icocells are small cells whose coverage diameter is a few do/en metres: they are mainly used indoors. 1emtocells are cells designed for use in residential or small business environments and connect to the service providerGs network via a broadband internet connection. *mbrella cells are used to cover shadowed regions of smaller cells and fill in gaps in coverage between those cells. (ell hori/ontal radius varies depending on antenna height$ antenna gain and propagation conditions from a couple of hundred meters to several tens of kilometres. "he longest distance the > 2 specification supports in practical use is 4- kilometres (,, mi). "here are also several implementations of the concept of an e6tended cell$ where the cell radius

could be double or even more$ depending on the antenna system$ the type of terrain and the timing advance. !ndoor coverage is also supported by > 2 and may be achieved by using an indoor picocell base station$ or an indoor repeater with distributed indoor antennas fed through power splitters$ to deliver the radio signals from an antenna outdoors to the separate indoor distributed antenna system. "hese are typically deployed when a lot of call capacity is needed indoors: for e6ample$ in shopping centers or airports. However$ this is not a prere5uisite$ since indoor coverage is also provided by in.building penetration of the radio signals from any nearby cell. "he modulation used in > 2 is >aussian minimum.shift keying (>2 A)$ a kind of continuous.phase fre5uency shift keying. !n >2 A$ the signal to be modulated onto the carrier is first smoothed with a >aussian low.pass filter prior to being fed to a fre5uency modulator$ which greatly reduces the interference to neighboring channels (ad%acent. channel interference). &%" carrier fre(uencies > 2 networks operate in a number of different carrier fre5uency ranges (separated into > 2 fre5uency ranges for ,> and *2" fre5uency bands for 4>). 2ost ,> > 2 networks operate in the @++ 2H/ or 1?++ 2H/ bands. ome countries in the Americas (including (anada and the *nited tates) use the ?-+ 2H/ and 1@++ 2H/ bands because the @++ and 1?++ 2H/ fre5uency bands were already allocated. 2ost 4> &%" E<>E networks in Europe operate in the ,1++ 2H/ fre5uency band. "he rarer 3++ and 3-+ 2H/ fre5uency bands are assigned in some countries where these fre5uencies were previously used for first.generation systems. > 2.@++ uses ?@+H@1- 2H/ to send information from the mobile station to the base station (uplink) and @4-H@I+ 2H/ for the other direction (downlink)$ providing 1,3 #1 channels (channel numbers 1 to 1,3) spaced at ,++ kH/. <uple6 spacing of 3- 2H/ is used. !n some countries the > 2.@++ band has been e6tended to cover a larger fre5uency range. "his De6tended > 2D$ E.> 2$ uses ??+H@1- 2H/ (uplink) and @,-H@I+ 2H/ (downlink)$ adding -+ channels (channel numbers @F- to 1+,4 and +) to the original > 2.@++ band. "ime division multiple6ing is used to allow eight full.rate or si6teen half.rate speech channels per radio fre5uency channel. "here are eight radio timeslots (giving eight burst periods) grouped into what is called a "<2A frame. Half rate channels use alternate frames in the same timeslot. "he channel data rate for all ? channels is ,F+.?44 kbit)s$ and the frame duration is 3.I1- ms. "he transmission power in the handset is limited to a ma6imum of , watts in > 2?-+)@++ and 1 watt in > 21?++)1@++.

)oice codecs > 2 has used a variety of voice codecs to s5uee/e 4.1 kH/ audio into between I.- and 14 kbit)s. Originally$ two codecs$ named after the types of data channel they were allocated$ were used$ called Half #ate (I.- kbit)s) and 1ull #ate (14 kbit)s). "hese used a system based upon linear predictive coding (78(). !n addition to being efficient with bitrates$ these codecs also made it easier to identify more important parts of the audio$ allowing the air interface layer to prioriti/e and better protect these parts of the signal. > 2 was further enhanced in 1@@F with the Enhanced 1ull #ate (E1#) codec$ a 1,., kbit)s codec that uses a full rate channel. 1inally$ with the development of *2" $ E1# was refactored into a variable.rate codec called A2#.'arrowband$ which is high 5uality and robust against interference when used on full rate channels$ and less robust but still relatively high 5uality when used in good radio conditions on half.rate channels. Network structure

"he structure of a > 2 network "he network behind the &%" seen by the customer is large and complicated in order to provide all of the services which are re5uired. !t is divided into a number of sections and these are each covered in separate articles.

"he &ase tation ubsystem (the base stations and their controllers). the 'etwork and witching ubsystem (the part of the network most similar to a fi6ed network). "his is sometimes also %ust called the core network. "he >8# (ore 'etwork (the optional part which allows packet based !nternet connections). "he Operations support system (O ) for maintenance of the network..

&%" ser ice securit' > 2 was designed with a moderate level of service security. "he system was designed to authenticate the subscriber using a pre.shared key and challenge.response. (ommunications between the subscriber and the base station can be encrypted. "he development of *2" introduces an optional *niversal ubscriber !dentity 2odule (* !2)$ that uses a longer authentication key to give greater security$ as well as mutually authenticating the network and the user . whereas > 2 only authenticates the user to the network (and not vice versa). "he security model therefore offers confidentiality and authentication$ but limited authori/ation capabilities$ and no non.repudiation. > 2 uses several cryptographic algorithms for security. "he A-)1 and A-), stream ciphers are used for ensuring over.the.air voice privacy. A-)1 was developed first and is a stronger algorithm used within Europe and the *nited tates: A-), is weaker and used in other countries. erious weaknesses have been found in both algorithms9 it is possible to break A-), in real.time with a cipherte6t.only attack$ and in 1ebruary ,++?$ 8ico (omputing$ !nc revealed its ability and plans to commerciali/e 18>As that allow A-)1 to be broken with a rainbow table attack.J13K "he system supports multiple algorithms so operators may replace that cipher with a stronger one. On ,? <ecember ,++@ >erman computer engineer Aarsten 'ohl announced that he had cracked the A-)1 cipher.J1-K According to 'ohl$ he developed a number of rainbow tables (static values which reduce the time needed to carry out an attack) and have found new sources for known plainte6t attacks. He also said that it is possible to build =a full > 2 interceptor ... from open source components= but that they had not done so because of legal concerns. !n ,+1+$ threatpost.com reported that =A group of cryptographers has developed a new attack that has broken Aasumi$ the encryption algorithm used to secure traffic on 4> > 2 wireless networks. "he techni5ue enables them to recover a full key by using a tactic known as a related.key attack$ but e6perts say it is not the end of the world for Aasumi. Aasumi is the name for the A-)4 algorithm$ used to secure most 4> &%" E<>E traffic. Although security issues remain for > 2 newer standards and algorithms may address this. 'ew attacks are growing in the wild which take advantage of poor security implementations$ architecture and development for smart phone applications. ome wiretapping and eavesdropping techni5ues hi%ack the audio input and output providing an opportunity for a 4rd party to listen in to the conversation. Although this threat is

mitigated by the fact the attack has to come in the form of a "ro%an$ malware or a virus and might be detected by security software. Emer*in* Wireless Technolo*ies A look into the future of wireless communications beyond 3G Although the new$ third generation (4>) wireless technology has not yet been implemented$ leading companies in the industry are already laying the groundwork for what some are calling fourth generation (3>) technology. "he first generation (1>) and second generation (,>) of mobile telephony were intended primarily for voice transmission. "he third generation of mobile telephony (4>) will serve both voice and data applications. "here really is no clear definition of what 3> will be. !t is generally accepted that 3> will be a super.enhanced version of 4> H i.e.$ an entirely packet switched network with all digital network elements and e6tremely high available bandwidth. 1or the most part$ it is believed that 3> will bring true multimedia capabilities such as high.speed data access and video conferencing to the handset. !t is also envisioned that 3> systems will be deployed with software defined radios$ allowing the e5uipment to be upgraded to new protocols and services via software upgrades. 3> also holds the promise of worldwide roaming using a single handheld device. Wireless &enerations #t+a+&lance As with all technology progressions$ the Lne6tM upgrades must be in planning and development phases while its predecessors are being deployed. "his statement holds true with all mobile telecommunications to date. !t seems that it will also hold true for the ne6t generations of wireless networks. "he original analog cellular systems are considered the first generation of mobile telephony (1>). !n the early 1@?+s$ 1> systems were deployed. At the same time$ the cellular industry began developing the second generation of mobile telephony (,>). "he difference between 1> and ,> is in thesignaling techni5ues used9 1> used analog signaling$ ,> used digital signaling. As e6perience shows$ the lead.time for mobile phone systems development is about 1+ years. !t was not until the early to mid 1@@+s that ,> was deployed. 8rimary thinking and conceptdevelopment on 4> generally began around 1@@1 as ,> systems %ust started to roll out. ince the general model of 1+ years to develop a new mobile system is being followed$ that timeline would suggest 3> should be operational some time around ,+11. 3> would build on the second phase of 4>$ when all networks are e6pected to embrace !nternet protocol (!8) technology. <uring the last year$ companies such as Ericsson$ 2otorola$ 7ucent$ 'ortel and Nualcomm came up with =4>.plus= concepts that would push performance of approved$ though still emerging$ standards beyond current ones. ,nteroperabilit' and the E olution of Network #rchitectures One of the most challenging issues facing deployment of 3> technologies is how to make the network architectures compatible with each other. 'ew signaling techni5ues are being designed specifically to enhance todayDs second generation (,>) networks$ deliver unprecedented functionality for 4>$ and successfully drive the 1ourth >eneration (3>) of wireless$ thus delivering immediate and long.term benefits to carriers. ;ith the architecture of each generation of wireless devices addressed in the development of advanced technologies$ carriers can easily evolve their systems without additional network modifications$ significantly reducing costs and implementation time. (urrently$ different wireless technologies (e.g.$ > 2$ (<2A$ and "<2A1) are used throughout

the world for the ,>$ ,.->$ and eventually 4> networks. "here are two approaches being used to develop 3> access techni5ues9 46#"" (currently 16#"" for ,.- and 4>) and ;ideband (<2A (;.(<2A). "hese disparate access techni5ues currently do not interoperate. "his issue may be solved with software defined radios. 7inkAir (ommunications is developing a new access technology called large.area.synchroni/ed code.division multiple access (7A .(<2A). 7A (<2A will be compatible with all current and future standards$ and there is a relatively easy transition from e6isting systems to 7A .(<2A (using software defined radios). 7inkAir emphasi/es that 7A (<2A will accommodate all the advanced technologies planned for 3> and that 7A (<2A will further enhance either 46#"" or ;.(<2A systemGs performance and capacity. ,nternet %peeds ,.-> is the interim solution for current ,> networks to have 4> functionality. ,.-> networks are being designed such that a smooth transition (software upgrade) to 4> can be reali/ed. ,.-> networks currently offer true data speeds up to ,?kbps. !n comparison$ the theoretical speed of 4> can be up to , 2bps$ i.e.$ appro6imately ,++ times faster than previous ,> networks. "his added speed and throughput will make it possible to run applications such as streaming video clips. !t is anticipated that 3> speeds could be as high as 1++ 2bps. "hus$ 3> will represent another 5uantum leap in mobile !nternet speeds and picture 5uality. Ericsson confirms that 3> could bring connection speeds of up to -+ times faster than 4> networks and could offer three.dimensional visual e6periences for the first time. "he following graph represents what has been the typical progression of wireless communications9

-ualit' of %er ice Challen*es !n wireless networks$ Nuality of ervice (NO ) refers to the measure of the performance for a system reflecting its transmission 5uality and service availability (e.g.$ 3> is

1+

e6pected to have at least a reliability of @@.@@E). upporting NO in 3> networks will be a ma%or challenge. ;hen considering NO $ the ma%or hurdles to overcome in 3> include9 varying rate channel characteristics$ bandwidth allocations$ fault tolerance levels$ and handoff support among heterogeneous wireless networks. 1ortunately$ NO support can occur at the packet$ transaction$ circuit$ and network levels. NO will be able to be tweaked at these different operating levels$ making the network more fle6ible and possibly more tolerant to NO issues. Oarying rate channel characteristics refers to the fact that 3> applications will have varying bandwidth and transition rate re5uirements. !n order to provide solid network access to support the anticipated 3> applications$ the 3> networks must be designed with both fle6ibility and scalability. Oarying rate channel characteristics must be considered to effectively meet user deand and ensure efficient network management. pectrum is a finite resource. !n current wireless systems$ fre5uency licensing and efficient spectrum management are key issues. !n 3> systems$ bandwidth allocations may still be a concern. Another concern is interoperability between the signaling techni5ues that are planned to be used in 3> (e.g.$ 46#""$ ;(<2A). !n comparison with current ,> and ,.-> networks$ 3> will have more fault tolerance capabilities built.in to avoid unnecessary network failure$ poor coverage$and dropped calls. 3> technology promises to enhance NO by the use of better diagnostic techni5ues and alarms tools. 3> will have better support of roaming and handoffs across heterogeneous networks. *sers$ even in todayGs wireless market$ demand service transparency and roaming. 3> may support interoperability between disparate network technologies by using techni5ues such as 7A .(<2A signaling. Other solutions such as software defined radios could also support roaming across disparate network technologies in 3> systems. "hese ma%or challenges to NO in 3> networks are currently being studied and solutions are being developed. <evelopers believe that NO in 3> will rival that of any current ,> or ,.-> network. !t is anticipated that the NO in 3> networks will closely appro6imate the NO re5uirements in the wireline environment (@@.@@@E reliability). .& #pplications and Their Benefits to /ublic %afet' One of the most notable advanced applications for 3> systems is locationbased services. 3> location applications would be based on visuali/ed$ virtual navigation schemes that would support a remote database containing graphical representations of streets$ buildings$ and other physical characteristics of a large metropolitan area. "his database could be accessed by a subscriber in a moving vehicle e5uipped with the appropriate wireless device$ which would provide the platform on which would appear a virtual representation of the environment ahead. 1or e6ample$ one would be able to see the internal layout of a building during an emergency rescue. "his type of application is sometimes referred to as ="elegeoprocessing=$ which is a combination of >eographical !nformation ystems (>! ) and >lobal 8ositioning ystems (>8 ) working in concert over a high.capacity wireless mobile system. "elegeoprocessing over 3> networks will make it possible for the public safety community to have wireless operational functionality and speciali/ed applications for everyday operations$ as well as for crisis management. "he emergence of ne6t generation wireless technologies will enhance the effectiveness of the e6isting methods used by public safety. 4> technologies and beyond could possibly bring the following new features to public safety9

11

1. Virtual navigation9 As described$ a remote database contains the graphical representation of streets$ buildings$ and physical characteristics of a large metropolis. &locks of this database are transmitted in rapid se5uence to a vehicle$ where a rendering program permits the occupants to visuali/e the environment ahead. "hey may also =virtually= see the internal layout of buildings to plan an emergency rescue$ or to plan to engage hostile elements hidden in the building. ,. Tele-medicine9 A paramedic assisting a victim of a traffic accident in a remote location could access medical records (e.g.$ 6.rays) and establish a video conference so that a remotely based surgeon could provide Lon.sceneM assistance. !n such a circumstance$ the paramedic could relay the victimDs vital information (recorded locally) back to the hospital in real time$ for review by the surgeon. 4. Crisis-management applications9 "hese arise$ for e6ample$ as a result of natural disasters where the entire communications infrastructure is in disarray. !n such circumstances$ restoring communications 5uickly is essential. ;ith wideband wireless mobile communications$ both limited and complete communications capabilities$ including !nternet and video services$ could be set up in a matter of hours. !n comparison$ it may take days or even weeks to re.establish communications capabilities when a wireline network is rendered inoperable. 0imitations of .& Although the concept of 3> communications shows much promise$ there are still limitations that must be addressed.One ma%or limitation is operating area. Although ,> networks are becoming more ubi5uitous$ there are still many areas not served. #ural areas and many buildings in metropolitan areas are not being served well by e6isting wireless networks. "his limitation of todayGs networks will carry over into future generations of wireless systems. "he hype that is being created by 4> networks is giving the general public unrealistic e6pectations of always on$ always available$ anywhere$ anytime communications. "he public must reali/e that although high.speed data communications will be delivered$ it will not be e5uivalent to the wired !nternet H at least not at first. !f measures are not taken now to correct perception issues$ when 4> and later 3> services are deployed$ there may be a great deal of disappointment associated with the deployment of the technology$ and perceptions could become negative. !f this were to happen$ neither 4> nor 3> may reali/e its full potential. Another limitation is cost. "he e5uipment re5uired to implement a ne6tgeneration network is still very e6pensive. (arriers and providers have to plan carefully to make sure that e6penses are kept realistic. One techni5ue currently being implemented in Asian networks is a 8ay.8er.*se model of services. "his model will be difficult to implement in the *nited tates$ where the public is used to a service.for.free model (e.g.$ the !nternet).

1,