3G UMTS / HSDPA versus Alternative Mobile Technologies

US : Led by Cingular Wireless in the U.S., operators worldwide are about to start deploying High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), one of the most powerful cellular-data technologies ever developed. 3G Americas today published a white paper, prepared by independent wireless consultant Peter Rysavy of Rysavy Research, which examines the performance of the GSM family of data technologies -- GPRS, EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA -- how they work, and their position relative to some competing technologies.

The white paper, Data Capabilities: GPRS to HSDPA and Beyond confirms previous collaborative research on HSDPA, an enhancement to UMTS for packet data that delivers average data throughput rates to the subscriber of 550-1100 Kbps and peak theoretical rates of 14 Mbps. The paper also reconfirms that HSDPA with its enhanced features could increase spectral efficiency by a factor of 2.5 -- 3.5x when operators complete an upgrade of their UMTS networks.

"The GSM family is a portfolio of complementary technologies that realize the full potential of wireless data," commented Chris Pearson, President of 3G Americas. "Proportionally, as customer uptake for high-speed wireless data applications increases, so will the need for more spectral capacity, greater throughput, improved latency and lower cost per bit of data. Thus, operators and customers will benefit with UMTS/HSDPA which will deliver across the board with the added value of global roaming in the 65 countries where UMTS is or will soon be deployed."

Some of the key observations and conclusions of the paper include:

-- UMTS/HSDPA represents tremendous radio innovation and capability,
allowing it to support a wide variety of applications, including voice
and data on the same devices.
-- Various enhancements are planned for HSDPA that will extend UMTS/HSDPA
capability even further, beginning with an enhanced uplink (HSUPA),
advanced receivers and then intelligent antennas/MIMO.
-- OFDM is a good candidate technology for next generation systems
employing wide radio channels. However, it does not offer compelling
advantages over UMTS in radio channels of 10 MHz or less. Initial
versions of IEEE 802.16e are likely to have spectral efficiency
similar to HSDPA.
-- Ongoing UMTS evolution includes significant enhancements with each new
specification release, including higher throughput rates, enhanced
multimedia support, and integration with wireless local area network
(WLAN) technology.
"The GPRS to HSDPA evolution provides one of the most robust technology portfolios and an optimum framework for realizing the inevitable mass market potential for mobile wireless data," confirmed the paper's author Peter Rysavy. "And that technology roadmap will continue as new enhancements are being considered for both 3GPP's Release 7 and Long Term Evolution Project. It's obvious why more than 30 operators have announced their deployment of UMTS/HSDPA and it is expected that most all GSM operators will evolve to this technology."

The white paper, Data Capabilities: GPRS to HSDPA and Beyond is available for free download at the 3G Americas' website: www.3gamericas.org.

About 3G Americas: Unifying the Americas through Wireless Technology

The mission of 3G Americas is to promote and facilitate the seamless deployment throughout the Americas of GSM and its evolution to 3G and beyond. The organization fully supports the Third Generation technology migration strategy to EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA adopted by many operators in the Americas that is expected to account for up to 85% of next-generation customers worldwide. 3G Americas is headquartered in Bellevue, WA with an office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Dallas, TX. For more information, visit our website at www.3gamericas.org.

3G Americas' Board of Governor members include: Andrew Corporation, Cingular Wireless (USA), Cable & Wireless (West Indies), Ericsson, Gemplus, HP, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Openwave Systems, Research In Motion, Rogers Wireless (Canada), Siemens, T-Mobile USA, Telcel (Mexico), and Texas Instruments.

Glossary of Terms:

GPRS -- General Packet Radio Service
EDGE -- Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution
UMTS -- Universal Mobile Telephone Service
HSDPA -- High Speed Downlink Packet Access
HSUPA -- High Speed Uplink Packet Access
MIMO -- Multiple Input Multiple Output
3GPP -- Third Generation Partnership Project
OFDM -- Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing