Mobile Phone Connectivity

Wireless Connections

These were purely analog systems that were conceived and designed for voice calls and very little else. Modems existed that could communicate over these networks -- some handsets even had them built-in -- but because analog cellular connections were susceptible to far more noise than conventional landlines, transfer speeds were ridiculously slow. And even if they'd been fast, it wouldn't have really mattered; per-minute rates in the 80s made cellphones luxuries and Wall Street powerbroker business necessities, not must-haves for the everyman.

2G

The early nineties saw the rise of the first digital cellular networks, which had a number of obvious benefits over the analog networks they were supplanting: improved sound quality, better security, and higher total capacity.

GSM got off to an early start in Europe. Many such networks supported text messaging and they also supported something called CSD, circuit-switched data. This meant that data could be transferred at higher speeds (e.g. 14.4 kbps)

2.5G

The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) marked a watershed moment in cellular history in 1997, because it added the ablility for GSM networks tp permit "always-on" data services. No more dial-up. It allowed real world speed of up to 40 kbps and allowed operators to effectively bill by the kilobyte, rather than by the minute.

EDGE (2.75G?)

Enhanced Data-rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) was conceived as an easy way for operators of GSM networks to squeeze some extra juice out of their 2.5G networks without investing large sums of money. With an EDGE-compatible phone, you could get speeds over double what you got on GPRS.

3G

The common term used to describe third-generation mobile telephone services. It includes a set of protocols and standards for connecting wirelessly from mobile devices to the internet. These protocols allowed for much higher bandwidth.

3.5G

HSDPA would add significantly faster downlink speeds, and HSUPA would do the same for the uplink over the original 3G protocols.

Further refinements would produce HSPA+, dual-carrier HSPA+, and HSPA+ Evolution.

4G

In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. There is still some debate as to which protocols and standards constitute 4G as opposed to a slightly upgraded version of 3G. In South Africa Cell C advertised their 21Mb/s connection as “4Gs” – supposedly stands for “for great speed”. The other cellular companies took them to court and Cell C were forced to remove this slogan.

Wimax and LTE have generally been thought of as 4G technologies - but do not meet the raw speed requirements of a 4G network. 4G networks should reach mobile speeds of over 100Mbps.

WiMax

An incremental improvement in wireless networking (Wi-Fi) technology that allows high speed wireless connectivity over ranges of 20 – 30 km. Uses the 802.16 wireless standard.

LTE

LTE is a high speed mobile network. All the major mobile players in South Africa are ready to roll out LTE networks.

See: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/17/2g-3g-4g-and-everything-in-between-an-engadget-wireless-prim/

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is a standard for communication between computers using radio waves. Also known as 802.11 x where the x refers to letters such as a, b, g & n. The letter refers to the bandwidth of the implementation of the standard – 802.11b is 11 mbps whilst 802.11g is 54 mbps. This type of wireless communication technology is built into many new laptops / mobile devices and is the technology used when wireless 'Hotspots' are provided. 802.11n is the newest kind of Wi-Fi and offers speeds up to 500Mbps.

Access Point

An access point provides wireless access to a network. Devices connected to an access point can communicate with other devices on the network. They may also connect to the Internet if the access point is linked to an Internet connection, which is commonly the case. Access points that use Wi-Fi are also called base stations.

Hotspot

A hotspot is a physical location that offers internet access over a wireless LAN through the use of a shared internet connection and a single router. Hotspots can typically be found in coffee shops and various other public establishments throughout much of North America and Europe.

A location where wireless network connectivity is provided for public / paying subscribers. Typically found in airports, hotels, coffee shops, etc. Hotspots have a limited range depending on the power of the radio antenna used. Typically uses the 802.11x wireless standard.

See: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hotspot.htm

Short-Range Wireless

IrDA

The Infrared Data Association defines physical specifications communications protocol standards for the short-range exchange of data over infrared light, for uses such as personal area networks (PANs).

Infra-Red

Infrared is a line-of-sight wireless technology used over short distances. E.g. used between older cellphones.

Bluetooth

This proprietary wireless technology enables communication between Bluetooth-compatible devices. It is used for short-range connections between desktop and laptop computers, PDAs (like the Palm Pilot or Handspring Visor), digital cameras, scanners, cellular phones, and printers.

Fixed Connections

Dial-Up Internet Access

Dial-up Internet access is a form of Internet access that uses the fixed line telephone network to establish a dialed connection to an Internet service provider (ISP) via telephone lines. Dial-up connections require a modem (both on the user's and the ISP's side) to convert analogue signal to digital signals and vice versa.

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)

ISDN is an international communications standard for sending voice, video, and data over digital telephone lines or normal telephone wires. It is similar to dial up as the devices still need to "Dial up" but it is digital as opposed to analogue. ISDN is much faster and far more expensive than dial-up. The original version of ISDN supports data transfer rates of 64 Kbps (64,000 bits per second) but a later version, called B-ISDN, uses broadband transmission and is able to support transmission rates of 1.5 Mbps. B-ISDN requires fiber optic cables and is not widely available.

Leased Lines (Diginet)

Diginet Leased Lines provide a high quality, high reliability, low latency, guaranteed low contention ratio option for Internet connectivity. Diginet does not require dial-up - it is always connected. It is also very expensive. Many companies still use Diginet lines in South Africa where reliability is essential.

Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)

A form of data communications technology that allows high speed data transfer over conventional copper lines. The technology uses a signal that can only be transmitted over short distances (usually within 5 km of a compatible exchange). Asynchronous means that the upload speed and download speed differ. Usually download speeds are considerably higher than upload speeds. Synchronous DSL (SDSL) has a 1:1 contention ratio (i.e. download and upload speeds are equal).

Power Line Networking (PLN)

Power Line Networking is a proposed standard for using power lines (yes, your ESCOM electricity line) as the backbone for networking into every household. It has the great benefit of using existing infrastructure.

See: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/power-network.htm, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-power-line-networking.htm

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