Mobile broadband

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A mobile broadband modem in the ExpressCard form factor for laptop computers Expresscard 34.jpg
A mobile broadband modem in the ExpressCard form factor for laptop computers
HTC ThunderBolt, the second commercially available LTE smartphone HTC Thunderbolt.jpg
HTC ThunderBolt, the second commercially available LTE smartphone

Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access via mobile (cell) networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a tablet/smartphone (possibly tethered) or other mobile device. The first wireless Internet access became available in 1991 as part of the second generation (2G) of mobile phone technology. Higher speeds became available in 2001 and 2006 as part of the third (3G) and fourth (4G) generations. In 2011, 90% of the world's population lived in areas with 2G coverage, while 45% lived in areas with 2G and 3G coverage. [1] Mobile broadband uses the spectrum of 225 MHz to 3700 MHz. [2]

Contents

Description

Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access delivered through cellular towers to computers and other digital devices using portable modems. Although broadband has a technical meaning, wireless-carrier marketing uses the phrase "mobile broadband" as a synonym for mobile Internet access. Some mobile services allow more than one device to be connected to the Internet using a single cellular connection using a process called tethering. [3]

The bit rates available with Mobile broadband devices support voice and video as well as other data access. Devices that provide mobile broadband to mobile computers include:

Internet access subscriptions are usually sold separately from mobile service subscriptions.

Generations

Roughly every ten years, new mobile network technology and infrastructure involving a change in the fundamental nature of the service, non-backwards-compatible transmission technology, higher peak data rates, new frequency bands, and/or wider channel frequency bandwidth in Hertz, becomes available. These transitions are referred to as generations. The first mobile data services became available during the second generation (2G). [4] [5] [6]

Second generation (2G)  from 1991:
Speeds in kbit/sdown and up
• GSM CSD 9.6
• CDPD up to 19.2
• GSM GPRS (2.5G)56–115
• GSM EDGE (2.75G) up to 237
Third generation (3G)  from 2001:
Speeds in Mbit/sdownup
• UMTS W-CDMA 0.4
• UMTS HSPA 14.45.8
• UMTS TDD 16
• CDMA2000 1xRTT 0.30.15
• CDMA2000 EV-DO 2.5–4.90.15–1.8
• GSM EDGE-Evolution  1.60.5
Fourth generation (4G)  from 2006:
Speeds in Mbit/sdownup
• HSPA+ 21–6725.8–168
• Mobile WiMAX (802.16)37–36517–376
• LTE 100–30050–75
• LTE-Advanced: 
 • while moving at high speeds100
 • while stationary or moving at low speedsup to 1000
• MBWA (802.20)80
Fifth generation (5G)  from 2018:
Speeds in Mbit/sdownup
• HSPA+ 400–25000200–3000
• Mobile WiMAX (802.16)300–700186–400
• 5G 400–3000500–1500

[7]

The download (to the user) and upload (to the Internet) data rates given above are peak or maximum rates and end users will typically experience lower data rates.

WiMAX was originally developed to deliver fixed wireless service with wireless mobility added in 2005. CDPD, CDMA2000 EV-DO, and MBWA are no longer being actively developed.

Coverage

Mobile broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012 as a percentage of a country's population Source: International Telecommunication Union. MobileBroadbandInternetPenetrationWorldMap 2013.svg
Mobile broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012
as a percentage of a country's population
Source: International Telecommunication Union.

In 2011, 90% of the world's population lived in areas with 2G coverage, while 45% lived in areas with 2G and 3G coverage, [1] and 5% lived in areas with 4G coverage. By 2017 more than 90% of the world's population is expected to have 2G coverage, 85% is expected to have 3G coverage, and 50% will have 4G coverage. [9]

A barrier to mobile broadband use is the coverage provided by the mobile service networks. This may mean no mobile network or that service is limited to older and slower mobile broadband technologies. Customers will not always be able to achieve the speeds advertised due to mobile data coverage limitations including distance to the cell tower. In addition, there are issues with connectivity, network capacity, application quality, and mobile network operators' overall inexperience with data traffic. [10] Peak speeds experienced by users are also often limited by the capabilities of their mobile phone or other mobile device. [9]

Subscriptions and usage

Worldwide broadband subscriptions [11]
Users2007201020162019 [12]
World population [13] 6.6 billion6.9 billion7.3 billion7.75 billion
Fixed broadband5%8%11.9%14.5%
Developing world2%4%8.2%11.2%
Developed world18%24%30.1%33.6%
Mobile broadband4%11%49.4%83%
Developing world1%4%40.9%75.2%
Developed world19%43%90.3%121.7%
Broadband subscriptions by region [14]
SubscriptionPlace2007201020142019 [15]
FixedAfrica0.1%0.2%0.4%0.4%
Americas11%14%17%22%
Arab States1%2%3%8.1%
Asia and Pacific3%6%8%14.4%
Commonwealth of
Independent States		2%8%14%19.8%
Europe18%24%28%31.9%
MobileAfrica0.2%2%19%34%
Americas6%23%59%104.4%
Arab States0.8%5%25%67.3%
Asia and Pacific3%7%23%89%
Commonwealth of
Independent States		0.2%22%49%85.4%
Europe15%29%64%97.4%

At the end of 2012 there were estimated to be 6.6 billion mobile network subscriptions worldwide (89% penetration), representing roughly 4.4 billion subscribers (many people have more than one subscription). Growth has been around 9% year-on-year. [16] Mobile phone subscriptions were expected to reach 9.3 billion in 2018. [9]

At the end of 2012 there were roughly 1.5 billion mobile broadband subscriptions, growing at a 50% year-on-year rate. [16] Mobile broadband subscriptions were expected to reach 6.5 billion in 2018. [9]

Mobile data traffic doubled between the end of 2011 (~620 Petabytes in Q4 2011) and the end of 2012 (~1280 Petabytes in Q4 2012). [16] This traffic growth is and will continue to be driven by large increases in the number of mobile subscriptions and by increases in the average data traffic per subscription due to increases in the number of smartphones being sold, the use of more demanding applications and in particular video, and the availability and deployment of newer 3G and 4G technologies capable of higher data rates. Total mobile broadband traffic was expected to increase by a factor of 12 to roughly 13,000 PetaBytes by 2018 . [9]

On average, a mobile laptop generates approximately seven times more traffic than a smartphone (3 GB vs. 450 MB/month). This ratio was forecast to fall to 5 times (10 GB vs. 2 GB/month) by 2018. Traffic from mobile devices that tether (share the data access of one device with multiple devices) can be up to 20 times higher than that from non-tethering users and averages between 7 and 14 times higher. [9]

It has also been shown that there are large differences in subscriber and traffic patterns between different provider networks, regional markets, device and user types. [9]

Demand from emerging markets has fuelled growth in both mobile device and mobile broadband subscriptions and use. Lacking widespread fixed-line infrastructure, many emerging markets use mobile broadband technologies to deliver affordable high-speed internet access to the mass market. [17]

One common use case of mobile broadband is among the construction industry. [18]

Development

Service mark for GSMA mobile broadband Mobile Broadband service mark.jpg
Service mark for GSMA mobile broadband

In use and under active development

GSM family

In 1995 telecommunication, mobile phone, integrated-circuit, and laptop computer manufacturers formed the GSM Association to push for built-in support for mobile-broadband technology on notebook computers. The association established a service mark to identify devices that include Internet connectivity. [19] Established in early 1998, the global Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) develops the evolving GSM family of standards, which includes GSM, EDGE, WCDMA/UMTS, HSPA, LTE and 5G NR. [20] In 2011 these standards were the most used method to deliver mobile broadband.[ citation needed ] With the development of the 4G LTE signalling standard, download speeds could be increased to 300 Mbit/s per second within the next several years. [21]

IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX)

The IEEE working group IEEE 802.16, produces standards adopted in products using the WiMAX trademark. The original "Fixed WiMAX" standard was released in 2001 and "Mobile WiMAX" was added in 2005. [22] The WiMAX Forum is a non-profit organization formed to promote the adoption of WiMAX compatible products and services. [23]

In use, but moving to other protocols

CDMA family

Established in late 1998, the global Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) develops the evolving CDMA family of standards, which includes cdmaOne, CDMA2000, and CDMA2000 EV-DO. CDMA2000 EV-DO is no longer being developed. [24]

IEEE 802.20

In 2002, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) established a Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) working group. [25] They developed the IEEE 802.20 standard in 2008, with amendments in 2010. [26]

Edholm's law

Edholm's law in 2004 noted that the bandwidths of wireless cellular networks have been increasing at a faster pace compared to wired telecommunications networks. [27] This is due to advances in MOSFET wireless technology enabling the development and growth of digital wireless networks. [28] The wide adoption of RF CMOS (radio frequency CMOS), power MOSFET and LDMOS (lateral diffused MOS) devices led to the development and proliferation of digital wireless networks in the 1990s, with further advances in MOSFET technology leading to rapidly increasing network bandwidth since the 2000s. [29] [30] [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Packet Radio Service</span> Packet oriented mobile data service on 2G and 3G

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), also called 2.5G, is a mobile data standard on the 2G cellular communication network's global system for mobile communications (GSM). Networks and mobile devices with GPRS started to roll out around the year 2001. At the time of introduction it offered for the first time seamless mobile data transmission using packet data for an "always-on" connection, providing improved Internet access for web, email, WAP services, and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).

The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP, UMTS is a component of the International Telecommunication Union IMT-2000 standard set and compares with the CDMA2000 standard set for networks based on the competing cdmaOne technology. UMTS uses wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA) radio access technology to offer greater spectral efficiency and bandwidth to mobile network operators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless network</span> Computer network not fully connected by cables

A wireless network is a computer network that uses wireless data connections between network nodes. Wireless networking allows homes, telecommunications networks and business installations to avoid the costly process of introducing cables into a building, or as a connection between various equipment locations. Admin telecommunications networks are generally implemented and administered using radio communication. This implementation takes place at the physical level (layer) of the OSI model network structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3G</span> Third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology

3G is the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology. It is the upgrade to 2G, 2.5G, GPRS and 2.75G Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution networks, offering faster data transfer, and better voice quality. This network was superseded by 4G, and later by 5G. This network is based on a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile telecommunications services and networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications set by the International Telecommunication Union. 3G is used in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WiMAX</span> Wireless broadband standard

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a family of wireless broadband communication standards based on the IEEE 802.16 set of standards, which provide physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) options.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CDMA2000</span> Family of 3G mobile technology standards

CDMA2000 is a family of 3G mobile technology standards for sending voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. It is developed by 3GPP2 as a backwards-compatible successor to second-generation cdmaOne (IS-95) set of standards and used especially in North America and South Korea.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) was a collaboration between telecommunications associations to make a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone system specification within the scope of the ITU's IMT-2000 project. In practice, 3GPP2 was the standardization group for CDMA2000, the set of 3G standards based on the earlier cdmaOne 2G CDMA technology.

4G is the fourth generation of broadband cellular network technology, succeeding 3G and preceding 5G. A 4G system must provide capabilities defined by ITU in IMT Advanced. Potential and current applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, and 3D television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolution-Data Optimized</span> Telecommunications standard for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals

Evolution-Data Optimized is a telecommunications standard for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals, typically for broadband Internet access. EV-DO is an evolution of the CDMA2000 (IS-2000) standard which supports high data rates and can be deployed alongside a wireless carrier's voice services. It uses advanced multiplexing techniques including code-division multiple access (CDMA) as well as time-division multiplexing (TDM) to maximize throughput. It is a part of the CDMA2000 family of standards and has been adopted by many mobile phone service providers around the world particularly those previously employing CDMA networks. It is also used on the Globalstar satellite phone network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access</span> Multi-user version of OFDM digital modulation

Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) is a multi-user version of the popular orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) digital modulation scheme. Multiple access is achieved in OFDMA by assigning subsets of subcarriers to individual users. This allows simultaneous low-data-rate transmission from several users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wi-Fi calling</span> Protocol that extends mobile voice, data and multimedia applications over IP networks

Wi-Fi calling, also called VoWiFi, refers to mobile phone voice calls and data that are made over IP networks using Wi-Fi, instead of the cell towers provided by cellular networks. Using this feature, compatible handsets are able to route regular cellular calls through a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) network with broadband Internet, while seamlessly change connections between the two where necessary. This feature makes use of the Generic Access Network (GAN) protocol, also known as Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Femtocell</span> Small, low-power cellular base station

In telecommunications, a femtocell is a small, low-power cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business. A broader term which is more widespread in the industry is small cell, with femtocell as a subset. It typically connects to the service provider's network via the Internet through a wired broadband link ; current designs typically support four to eight simultaneously active mobile phones in a residential setting depending on version number and femtocell hardware, and eight to sixteen mobile phones in enterprise settings. A femtocell allows service providers to extend service coverage indoors or at the cell edge, especially where access would otherwise be limited or unavailable. Although much attention is focused on WCDMA, the concept is applicable to all standards, including GSM, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA, WiMAX and LTE solutions.

A wide variety of different wireless data technologies exist, some in direct competition with one another, others designed for specific applications. Wireless technologies can be evaluated by a variety of different metrics of which some are described in this entry.

The 3GPP has defined the Voice Call Continuity (VCC) specifications in order to describe how a voice call can be persisted, as a mobile phone moves between circuit switched and packet switched radio domains.

In telecommunications, long-term evolution (LTE) is a standard for wireless broadband communication for mobile devices and data terminals, based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA standards. It improves on those standards' capacity and speed by using a different radio interface and core network improvements. LTE is the upgrade path for carriers with both GSM/UMTS networks and CDMA2000 networks. Because LTE frequencies and bands differ from country to country, only multi-band phones can use LTE in all countries where it is supported.

International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced are the requirements issued by the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2008 for what is marketed as 4G mobile phone and Internet access service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile broadband modem</span> Modem providing Internet access via a wireless connection

A mobile broadband modem, also known as wireless modem or cellular modem, is a type of modem that allows a personal computer or a router to receive wireless Internet access via a mobile broadband connection instead of using telephone or cable television lines. A mobile Internet user can connect using a wireless modem to a wireless Internet Service Provider (ISP) to get Internet access.

3G mobile telephony was relatively slow to be adopted globally. In some instances, 3G networks do not use the same radio frequencies as 2G so mobile operators must build entirely new networks and license entirely new frequencies, especially so to achieve high data transmission rates. Other delays were due to the expenses of upgrading transmission hardware, especially for UMTS, whose deployment required the replacement of most broadcast towers. Due to these issues and difficulties with deployment, many carriers delayed acquisition of these updated capabilities.

Mobile Broadband Plus (MBB+) is a term for wireless Internet access through mobile devices. Mobile Broadband Plus is distinct from traditional mobile broadband by featuring global Internet access, providing international mobile services without roaming charges.

References

  1. 1 2 "The World in 2011: ITC Facts and Figures", International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Geneva, 2011
  2. ↑ Spectrum Dashboard Archived 2019-12-22 at the Wayback Machine , Federal Communications Commission official website
  3. ↑ Mustafa Ergen (2009). Mobile Broadband: including WiMAX and LTE. Springer Science+Business Media. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-68192-4. ISBN   978-0-387-68189-4.
  4. ↑ "Overview on mobile broadband technologies", EBU (European Broadcasting Union) workshop on mobile broadband technologies, Qualcomm, 12 May 2011
  5. ↑ "Evolution of Mobile Wireless Communication Networks: 1G to 4G", Kumar, Liu, Sengupta, and Divya, Vol. 1, Issue 1 (December 2010), International Journal on Electronics & Communication Technology (IJECT), pp. 68-72, ISSN   2230-7109
  6. ↑ "About 3GPP: The Generations of 3GPP Systems", 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), retrieved 27 February 2013
  7. ↑ "Qualcomm's simulated 5G tests shows how fast real-world speeds could actually be". 2018-02-25.
  8. ↑ "Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012", Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ericsson Mobility Report Archived 2012-12-02 at the Wayback Machine , Ericsson, November 2012
  10. ↑ Mobile Broadband, Best Broadband Reports, December 2013
  11. ↑ "Measuring digital development: Facts and figures 2019". Telecommunication Development Bureau, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  12. ↑ Estimate.
  13. ↑ "Total Midyear Population for the World: 1950-2050"". International Programs Center for Demographic and Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2017-04-17. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  14. ↑ "Measuring digital development: Facts and figures 2019". Telecommunication Development Bureau, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  15. ↑ Estimate
  16. 1 2 3 Ericsson Mobility Report: Interim Update, Ericsson, February 2013
  17. ↑ Wakchoi (2021-12-05). "Mobile Data, a Great Equaliser? The Cyber Bedouin". The Cyber Bedouin. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  18. ↑ "4G WiFi for Construction Sites | Bytes Digital".
  19. ↑ "Service mark: The global technology identifer". GSM Association. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  20. ↑ "About 3GPP", 3GPP website, retrieved 27 February 2013
  21. ↑ "What is the future of mobile broadband?". Vergelijk Mobiel Internet. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  22. ↑ "IEEE Approves IEEE 802.16m - Advanced Mobile Broadband Wireless Standard". IEEE Standards Association. March 31, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  23. ↑ "WiMAX Forum Overview". Archived from the original on 28 July 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  24. ↑ "About 3GPP2" Archived 2020-02-18 at the Wayback Machine , 3GPP2 website, retrieved 27 February 2013
  25. ↑ "IEEE 802.20 Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA)". Working group web site. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  26. ↑ "IEEE 802.20 Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA)". Official standard. IEEE Standards Association . Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  27. ↑ Cherry, Steven (2004). "Edholm's law of bandwidth". IEEE Spectrum. 41 (7): 58–60. doi:10.1109/MSPEC.2004.1309810. S2CID   27580722.
  28. ↑ Jindal, Renuka P. (2009). "From millibits to terabits per second and beyond - over 60 years of innovation". 2009 2nd International Workshop on Electron Devices and Semiconductor Technology. pp. 1–6. doi:10.1109/EDST.2009.5166093. ISBN   978-1-4244-3831-0. S2CID   25112828.
  29. ↑ Baliga, B. Jayant (2005). Silicon RF Power MOSFETS. World Scientific. ISBN   9789812561213.
  30. ↑ Asif, Saad (2018). 5G Mobile Communications: Concepts and Technologies. CRC Press. pp. 128–134. ISBN   9780429881343.
  31. ↑ O'Neill, A. (2008). "Asad Abidi Recognized for Work in RF-CMOS". IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society Newsletter. 13 (1): 57–58. doi:10.1109/N-SSC.2008.4785694. ISSN   1098-4232.
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