What is a 3G network and what does it do on a cellphone?

Question

What is a 3G network and what does it do on a cellphone?

Answer 1

Nearly every wireless carrier has 3G abilities...just in different forms. Verizon Wireless is the biggest carrier of 3G. They offer it throughout most of their network. Sprint also has it. Sprint has very little on network coverage, therefore very little 3G service. The following carriers are known users of 3G. I will also list the type of 3G it is. For different technologies GSM (SIM Card using) compared to CDMA (no SIM Cards) this will vary.



GSM:



Cingular Wireless/ATT Mobility-GPRS, EDGE

T-Mobile-GPRS, EDGE



CDMA:



Verizon Wireless/ALLTEL (now same company effective June 2008)-1X RTT, EV-DO, EV-DO Rev A. (EXCLUSIVE!!)

Sprint PCS-1X PCS, EV-DO

US Cellular-1X RTT, EV-DO



The features of these can vary depending on your phone, and what the wireless carrier chooses to use it for. For Cingular it will speed up your internet and offer Cingular Video. For Verizon it would offer VCAST Video/Music, speeds for mobile internet twice the speed of dsl. In select markets where EV-DO rev A is, you will be able to take advantage of the fastest mobile internet ever created. Also, in this area their mobile TV becomes available. With Sprint, it would only provide faster speeds and Sprint Video services.



EDGE is available in more markets for GSM carriers than CDMA carriers have their EV-DO in. EV-DO is more reliable and takes longer to build. With Cingular, they contantly have EDGE services not working. With Verizon...EV-DO never has had a reported issue yet!

Answer 2

They can if you get an adapter from a carrier such as verizon or ATT, however the monthly charges are a bit expensive. Plus 3G was developed for cell phones. The coverage areas would be the same as the networks 3G coverage for cell phones.

Answer 3

3G technologies enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephony and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment. Typically, they provide service at 5-10 Mb per second.





4G (also known as beyond 3G), an acronym for Fourth-Generation Communications System, is a term used to describe the next step in wireless communications. A 4G system will be able to provide a comprehensive IP solution where voice, data and streamed multimedia can be given to users on an "Anytime, Anywhere" basis, and at higher data rates than previous generations. There is no formal definition for what 4G is; however, there are certain objectives that are projected for 4G.



These objectives include: that 4G will be a fully IP-based integrated system. This will be achieved after wired and wireless technologies converge and will be capable of providing between 100 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s speeds both indoors and outdoors, with premium quality and high security. 4G will offer all types of services at an affordable cost.[1]





Unlike IEEE 802.11 networks, 3G networks are wide area cellular telephone networks which evolved to incorporate high-speed internet access and video telephony. IEEE 802.11 (common names Wi-Fi or WLAN) networks are short range, high-bandwidth networks primarily developed for data.



Cingular has it, Verizon has it, and T-Mobile will be launching it this year.