Four generations of cellular telephony

First generation cell phones were used only for analog voice conversation. The second generation was digital, but fairly slow. Still, some are using them for e-mail, Web surfing, sending photographs, and vertical Internet applications. The roll out of the third generation of cellular phones has begun, with the US several years behind leading Asian nations. Standards development for the next generation of cellular communication has begun, and will roll out during the next decade.

Decade 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Coverage Outdoor In/outdoor global roaming global roaming
Applications Business voice Consumer voice Voice and some data Data including voice
Data speed 9.6-28kbps up to 100 kbps up to 2 mbps, slower in a car 100 mbps
Status Obsolete Deploying (rapidly in developing nations) Deploying now Standards work beginning
Connection mode Circuit Circuit Packet -- always on Packet -- always on

 

The third generation of cellular radio infrastructure is rolling out in the US. Several Asian and European nations are several years ahead of the US in third-generation cellular deployment and application. Current US offerings include:

Vendor Advertised Speed Price Technology family Status
AT&T, Cingular, T-Mobile 250 kbps not set GSM 15-20 cities
Sprint PCS 400-700 kbps $40+, based on usage CDMA 34 cities initially
Verizon wireless 4-700 kbps $80 per month, unlimited CDMA 50 large cities

 

Cell phones require large investments in antennae and radios. The antennae on the left were installed on the stadium light pole of a school which leases the antenna space for $6,000 a year. The towers on the right are disguised.

There are many cellular towers near CSUDH.

Inmarsat offers connectivity using LEO satellites from nearly anywhere on the globe.

Finally, we should note that the WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) standard includes a mobile standard which may compete with cellular connectivity once devices are delivered and certified.

3G Today has current information on global deployment, applications, and devices for third-generation cellular.