Over recent years, telecommunications has been a

fast-growing industry, with the focus shifting from voice-centric to

one that is data oriented, enabling through middleware the ability to
provide a complete communications package instead of having
multiple devices and technologies. This growth can be seen in the
increasing revenues of major telecommunications carriers and the
continued entry into the marketplace of new competitive carriers.

1 Generation
st

The first generation of mobile cellular telecommunications system

appeared in the 1980s. The first generation was not the beginning of
mobile communications, as there were several mobile radio
networks in existence before then, but they were not cellular systems
either. The capacity of these early networks, and the support for the
mobility was weaker.

In mobile cellular networks the coverage area is

divided into small cells, and thus the same frequencies can be used
several times without disruptive interference, which increases the
system capacity. The first generation used analog transmission
technique for traffic, which was almost entirely voice.

2 Generation
nd

The second generation (2G) mobile cellular systems

use digital radio transmission for traffic whereas it was analog
technique in the first generation. The 2g have much higher capacity
than the first generation systems. One frequency channel is
simultaneously divided among several users (either by code or time
division). Hierarchical cell structures –in which the service area is
covered by macro cells, microcells, and picocells-enhance the
system capacity even further.

There are four main standards for

2G systems:
 1. Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications and its
derivatives.
2. Digital AMPS (D-AMPS)
3. Code division multiple access (CDMA) IS-95
4. Personal digital cellular (PDC)

GSM is by far the most successful and widely used 2G system.

Originally designed as a pan-European standard it was quickly
adopted all over the world. Today it accounts for over 80% of all
subscribers around the world.

Generation 2.5
“Generation 2.5” is a designation that broadly includes
all advanced upgrades for the 2G networks. These upgrades may in
fact sometimes provide the same capabilities as the planned 3G
systems. The boundary line between 2G and 2.5G is a hazy one. It is
difficult to say when a 2G becomes a 2.5G system in a technical
sense.
A 2.5 GSM system generally includes at least one of the
following

a. High speed circuit switched data (HSCSD)

b. General Packet Data Services (GPRS)
c. Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE)

HSCSD is only a temporary solution for mobile data

transmission needs. It will only be used in those
networks where there is a high demand for quick data
transfer and something is needed to keep the customer
happy while waiting for 3G to arrive.

The next solution is GPRS. With this technology, the

data rates can be pushed to 115 Kbps, or even higher.

The third improvement to GSM is EDGE. The idea

behind EDGE is a new modulation scheme called "eight
phase shifting keying” (8PSK). It increase the data rates
of standard GSM up to threefold
 Third Generation (3G)

The rapid development of mobile

telecommunications was one of the most notable success stories of
the 1990s. The 2G networks began their operation in the year 1991,
and since then they have been expanding and evolving continuously.
In September 2002 there were 460 GSM networks on air worldwide,
together serving 747.5 million subscribers.
The first 3G network offered for commercial use was launched
in Japan by NTT DoCoMo. The network had the brand name
FOMA and was introduced in May 2001 on a W-CDMA
technology pre-release. The initial commercial launch of 3G
was also done by NTT DoCoMo in Japan. This happened on
October 1, 2001, although the technology was still very limited
in terms of scope at the beginning. The broad availability, due
to inadequate reliability had to be delayed.

SK Telecom from South Korea was the second network that

was released commercially live. This was on the 1xEV-DO
technology dated January 2002. In May 2002, the second 3G
network from South Korea was on EV-DO by KTF, posing
Koreans as the first to view the competition of all 3G
operators.

Isle of Man by Manx Telcom was the first pre-commercial

network released from Europe. At that time, the operator went
by the name British Telecom. Telenor opened the first
commercial network in Europe for business in December
2001. There were no commercial handsets, however, so there
was also zero clients. These were on the W-CDMA
technology.

The United States

The first 3G network in the United States that was released
commercially was by Monet Mobile Networks. This was on
CDMA2000 1x EV-DO technology. Later on, the network
provider had to shut down operations. Verizon Wireless
released the second 3G network operator in the United States
in October 2003.

This was on CDMA2000 EV-DO, with a strongly growing

network since. More and more countries adopted the changing
technology and incorporated the use of 3G with mobile
phones and handsets. Today, 3G is a very common feature
among modern models and designs, with more innovations
and heightened efficiency being introduced every year.

What is 3G technology?

The whole world is talking about 3G technology and here in

India we have heard and read a lot about the 3G auction on
digital and print media. But what is 3G technology? 3G is said
to be the next generation of mobile communications system. But
what does this mean for the end user? BSNL 3G facilitates high
speed mobile broadband, video calling, mobile TV, and more on
your mobile phones, wherever you are! While cell phones
brought about a mobile communication revolution in India with
a huge number of people owning mobile phones and thereby
getting the ability to communicate, wherever they are.3G may
trigger a mobile internet revolution in India! Well, what is
mobile internet or mobile broadband? Mobile broadband is
basically wireless internet access, which enables you to access
internet anywhere, whether you are in the house or on the move!
Thus, 3G network will let you make video calls, watch live TV,
access the high speed internet, receive emails and download
music tracks other than the usual voice call and messaging
services found on a 2G network (the network which people use
currently). While 2G enabled mobile voice calls and text
messaging (SMS), 3G network will let you make video calls i.e.
you will be able to see the other person with whom you are
talking to! But, to enjoy video calling, you should have a smart
phone (3G handset) that facilitates video calling and the basic
mobile phone wouldn’t suffice. In case, you want to connect
your laptop or PDA (personal digital assistant) to 3G network,
like while moving in a vehicle, you will require to connect your
3G handset to the computer through data cable, infrared or blue
tooth. You may also buy a 3G data card and use the same with
your computer to access high speed 3G network. It is not just
video calling but you will also be able to watch live TV and
browse the web, wherever you are. You can not only remain in
touch with your friends and dear ones but you will also not miss
any action on TV or on the internet like live streaming,
downloadable video of entertainment, news, current affairs and
sports content! you can even access CCTV footage or any other
similar application by using 3G service as a connecting media
between the CCTV server and your 3G service enabled handset!
You will also be able to pay utility bills and carry out mobile
banking in due course of time and the BSNL 3G network will
provide secure connectivity between the handset and the internet
cloud!

What is USIM?
USIM stand for Universal Subscriber Identification Module and
it is a SIM card for 3G services with Storage capacity of 128
KB.BSNL 3G plans will soon be available across the whole of
India and the services include Video call facility, Mobile
broadband, Mobile TV content available on BSNL 3G Portal
etc. If you are already a BSNL 2G user, then you can get 3G
services on your existing Number and your number will not
change if you upgrade to 3G! You may continue to use the
existing 2G SIM without any charge or may opt for a new 3G
USIM with higher memory for Rs.59. A common question that
may arise how is 3G broadband different from other wireless
broadband technologies like wi-fi or wimax. While wimax &
wi-fi are primarily for internet/data services 3G is for
internet/data as well as voice service. Roaming facility in case
of 3G is far better than the wi-fi or wimax broadband services.
In 3G broadband, the connectivity speed will be almost
comparable to the wire line broadband. Practically, you will get
broadband experience with speed better than 384 KBPS! Since
3G is letting you watch videos on the move, yet another
common question that arises is how much data will I use while
viewing video? f you are downloading a video that is meant for
a mobile screen, 1mb per minute is a good rule of thumb. Using
this rule, a 4 minute video clip would use around 4MB of your
daily or monthly allowance. If the video was meant for a TV or
PC Screen, or it is over 5 min long, it is generally not
recommended to download the video to your phone, as it may
struggle to play it back and you may not have enough storage
space on your phone. A better solution for your mobile would be
to stream the Video. BSNL also offer BSNL 3G data cards that
can be connected at PCMCIA slot and USB port of laptop.
These 3G data cards are plug and play devices and the download
speed presently available with these cards is 3.6 Mbps. In due
course, other types of 3G data cards will also be made available.
You can view the demonstration of BSNL 3G at the CSC
(Customer Care Center) and BSNL website. Now you know
what is 3G, USIM and 3G broadband, let use see what are the
BSNL 3G plans that are available for you to subscribe.