The popularity of streaming video, social networking and personal navigation services may lead one to believe that every global consumer has a third generation (3G) cellular phone surfing the mobile Web at multi-megabit speeds. Surprisingly, mobile operators in more than 100 countries — greater than half of all recognized countries — have yet to deploy their first 3G services. And many more markets only have a single 3G service operational. The consensus from industry analysts is that the majority of cellular handsets in 2013 will still rely on 2G mobile voice technology. Mobile voice, once the “bread and butter” of cellular operator revenues, is capped through “all you can eat” monthly plans while engaging data services that place the resources of the Web in one’s hand are the revenue growth driver. Operators of second-generation (2G) GSM and CDMA networks want to participate in the continued explosion of mobile data services, but find 3G a short-term play.

Instead, they’re considering a move directly to fourth-generation (4G) technologies, such as the IEEE’s WiMAX standard or 3GPP’s upcoming Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol. Major 3G operators and new entrants are not resting on their laurels either. Each group is assembling 4G strategies now for introductions in the 2010~2012 timeframe. 4G networks promise new revenue streams and opportunities to lure subscribers into high-speed utopia.

Operators who haven’t made the jump to 3G could benefit from early 4G adoption as a leap-frog strategy. Mobile WiMAX is the only commercially available 4G network and client device solution available in today’s market. With the earliest commercial LTE deployments still one to three years away, LTE will be positioned to enable service providers to attempt catching up with their WiMAX competitors. Offering the latest mobile voice and data services is more critical in markets where 3G services have yet to become established. This is particularly true of emerging markets where operators have recently been awarded 3G licenses, such as China and India. The late entry of these markets has providers questioning the significance and depth of their 3G deployment, pondering a shift in investment towards next-generation solutions. 4G networks promise significant performance enhancements for data services, while the primary motivation for operators is the efficient use of spectrum afforded by these optimized protocols.

Russia’s Scartel is an example of a new carrier entrant moving directly to 4G. The recently announced Yota service offers IP-only aircards and a combo GSM/WiMAX handset from vendor HTC Corp. A voice call on the 2G/4G phone uses the GSM radio when calling another mobile phone; uses voice over WiMAX (VoIP) when calling another Yota handset; using WiMAX exclusively for high-speed data services and mobile web. Scartel is deploying 1,600 WiMAX base stations from Samsung operating in the 2.5 GHz frequency band. The cellular voice service operates in tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 900/1800/1900 MHz.

3G operators are making and will continue the move to 4G. However, it is not a direct cutover from one service to the next. In all cases, 3G operators are providing an overlay network that offers the best in voice and data options. South Korea’s KT combines EV-DO (launched in 2002) with mobile WiMAX and HSPA with mobile WiMAX (3G and 4G) using handset PDAs from Samsung and LG Electronics. US carrier Sprint Nextel has announced plans to combine use of its CDMA network with mobile WiMAX in 2009. The same dual-mode network strategy is expected by more mobile carriers using WiMAX and eventually LTE will enter the market as an additional 4G choice. LTE is expected to become commercially available in Japan and the United States in the 2010~2011 timeframe followed by other markets.

When considering 4G options, operators heavily invested in 3G face a different dilemma. While working to identify profitability of their 3G services, these carriers are drawing up strategies that alter their circuit-switched network core designed for voice to support native IP services, like those found in the enterprise organization. The move to IP networks (whether WiMAX, LTE, or future 4G standards approved by the United Nations’ ITU) is a “forklift” upgrade, meaning that much of the core network provided by the operator must be converted to use IP networking equipment instead of a software or line card change. 2G/3G networks and 4G networks also use different spectrum. The desire for broadband speeds by hundreds of users at greater than 1 Mbps requires access to 10, 20 and ideally 30 MHz of spectrum per market (for a 3:1 frequency reuse reducing interference between base station sectors). As a result, WiMAX and LTE require new spectrum, base stations, additional backhaul, client radios and upgrades to the core network that support the high rates demanded by IP traffic.

Skipping an entire mobile technology generation is not a new concept. By 2003, the introduction of 3G had been delayed a couple years from early estimates giving carriers reason to start looking at alternatives. Move ahead six years and the situation is very similar. The largest wireless carriers, primarily operating in mature markets, have moved to 3G, while the majority of countries and global subscribers remain locked in to 2G mobile voice service. The time to market advantage that mobile WiMAX offers for implementing 4G today is an opportunity for operators to provide mobile broadband services to all device types, close the digital divide and generate incremental revenue.

Subscribers have spoken and data is the new voice. Operators are grappling with voice consumption peaking and declining average revenue per user (ARPU), resulting in carrier focus shifting to delivery of high-speed data services. Third-generation (3G) mobile phone experiences are acceptable, providing good audio quality, small form-factor and long battery life. Next-generation radio technology to satisfy delivery of broadband content and applications — previously available only in the home or office — are ready now. These fourth-generation (4G) mobile communications systems promise a swift departure from 3G and the legacy cell phone. In advance of a formal blessing for 4G technical standards by the United Nations’ ITU-R committee in 2010, the first commercial contender is WiMAX. The competing LTE protocol is expected commercially in the 2010–2011 timeframe. What makes this next-generation a leap beyond 3G and the economic challenge of voice?

Similar to the concept of Web 2.0, 4G services are about the experience. Content and applications typically found on the personal computer are now available on mobile WiMAX devices anytime and anywhere. These new wireless systems are based on the same Internet standards used for home and office broadband, rather than walled-garden mobile voice networks. Cellular networks are optimized into several small spectrum channels for voice calls. Mobile broadband protocols, such as WiMAX, achieve multi-megabit performance using a larger amount of spectrum. In broadband networks, voice becomes another application transported over the larger pipe. Greater data capacity to each subscriber means a wider variety of applications and revenue-bearing services.

Mobile operators are eager to migrate to 4G because it shifts the behavior of where users consume applications. Transferring the use of Internet applications to a computing device on the person creates a greater percentage of eyeballs using the carrier’s service in more places. The installed base of laptop computers are the first to gain this capability through the addition of a peripheral aircard or dongle. The emergence of netbooks and ultra-mobile computers from Acer, ASUS, Dell, Lenovo, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba also include WiMAX options. As services proliferate, specialized consumer electronics products fill the need for vertical applications, including mobile Internet devices, home gateways, multiplayer gaming systems, along with vehicle information and entertainment systems.

New bandwidth-hungry applications are gearing up for broader availability of mobile broadband data. Camera-enabled 4G devices transmit real-time audio and video to a media streaming site that broadcasts it to an audience or stores it on a network server. Why is this mobile form of video conferencing valuable? One parent can attend a child’s sporting event or school activity while simultaneously sharing it with family members anywhere in the world. Dashboard cameras in public safety vehicles collect evidence at incidents. A broader digital history of community and society forms as citizen journalists contribute content. These “lifecasting” events pair the broadband uplink speeds of WiMAX with location awareness to drive demand for data, while retaining voice services.

The advent of the iPhone is an evolutionary step towards an open mobile Web experience, though it remains a closed device on a closed cellular network. Apple succeeded in delivering a platform with a reasonable screen size that serves as a Web browser, 3G phone, and integrated music player. With all that goodness in a small case, it falls short of the open device on an open network that compels users to migrate usage to a mobile network. Complaints of inconsistent 3G coverage, Internet performance judged using an unrestricted Wi-Fi connection and crashes like a computer operating system have tainted initial experiences to the “open” movement.

Beyond any device or performance shortcomings, a truly open network is missing from 3G business models. One cannot stream NPR audio on the open Android-powered device using the closed T-Mobile network. Users crave an experience like DSL where any application is available at all times. Operators seeking to monetize data services are pursuing tiered performance tariffs and valuable lifestyle applications for security, education, television, audio/video, image and content storage, and multi-player gaming. It’s time for operators to sign off on the 4G business plan and lay claim to their data market.

Powered by Intel’s Menlow platform with an Atom Z520 processor and Windows XP OS, the viliv S5 is equipped with a 4.8-inch LCD screen, DDR2 1GB SDRAM and 30GB/60GB HDD. Offering 6 hours battery life, it also supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, mobile WiMAX, DMB Mobile TV and GPS functions.

Sprint launched 4G in Baltimore in September and plans to launch in other markets across the country throughout 2009. The device will enable customers to experience high-speed Internet access, greater productivity and enhanced multimedia quality throughout 4G markets, and offer access to the existing Sprint 3G network virtually everywhere else. This is the first product available in the US to offer both 3G and 4G connectivity.

“Sprint intends to be the leader in 4G and bring the wireless Internet to life,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “This first-of-its-kind device allows our customers to take the Internet with them essentially wherever they go by gaining enhanced speed and capability in 4G markets and the nationwide coverage of our 3G network across the rest of the country.”

4G mobile broadband represents a shift in the way people will use mobile broadband. Businesses, consumers and governments will be able to extend their Internet experience beyond home or office use. For the business customer, a typical user experience might be the ability to participate in a video conference from anywhere within the coverage area in a 4G-enabled city while sharing and retrieving large data files in just seconds. For consumers, it might be the ability to download a song in several seconds or a movie in significantly less than an hour while in the park or moving through the city, three to five times faster than 3G networks.

Sprint’s 3G/4G USB modem will access mobile multimedia applications at average downlink speeds of 2-4 Mbps within the existing Baltimore Sprint 4G service area. Where Sprint 4G service has yet to launch, the dual-mode device will operate on the Nationwide Sprint Mobile Broadband 3G Network at average downlink speeds of 600 Kbps – 1.4 Mbps.

The Sprint 3G/4G USB Modem U300, manufactured by Franklin Wireless, connects to a standard USB port. The device is priced at $149.99 with a two-year subscriber agreement, after a $50 mail-in-rebate. Beginning Dec. 21, customers can purchase the USB data card via the Sprint direct business sales force, at most Baltimore-area Sprint stores and at select Baltimore-area retailers. Starting in January, the device will also be available in Baltimore-area Best Buy stores. With the Sprint 3G/4G USB Modem, customers living in and traveling to Baltimore will be able to work even faster while on-the-go. For $79.99 - just a $20 premium on any mobile broadband connection plan - customers will have simple-to-use access to the best possible mobile broadband connection: 3G or 4G. The Sprint Connection Manager recognizes and connects to the fastest connection available.

“The availability of this first dual-mode mobile broadband device further demonstrates Sprint’s leadership in 3G and 4G services,” said Todd Rowley, vice president of Sprint 4G. “Our future device portfolio of single-mode 4G devices, embedded 4G laptops and dual-mode 3G/4G devices will continue to demonstrate our commitment to WiMAX.”

Milcom is deploying WiMAX systems at Amata Industrial Park, Thailand’s biggest industrial park located outside of Bangkok, to deliver 802.16e-2005 trial services to the region’s business users. The network will incorporate a new high-power outdoor Remote Radio Head based on Redline’s 4th generation technologies and its WiMAX Forum Certified RedMAX 4C RPM (RedMAX Personal Modem) subscriber units.

System integrator Tech Mahindra will install RedMAX 4C mobile WiMAX radios to power multi-city networks. Read more at WiMax.com

The outdoor WiMAX base station (HopMAX 2000 series) and subscriber radios (HopMAX 1000 series) are based on the 802.16e-2005 standard and WiMAX Forum Wave2 certification requirements, though neither has completed formal certification. The HopMAX base station supports the 2.5~2.7 GHz or 3.3~3.8 GHz frequency spectrum bands with up to 1,000 simultaneous subscriber station connections. The compact design provides deployment flexibility where weight and cost impair equipment mounting choices.

Hopling has introduced 802.16e-2005 radios for outdoor fixed wireless applications. The full story is available at WiMax.com

“We are proud to announce the launch and make it happen despite the prevailing situation,” said Wilson Varghese, Kalimat Telecom CEO and President. “We are targeting customers like large commercial facilities, residential areas and government institutions. As you know many investors do not want to go to Iraq, but we managed to invest … and we are slowly getting there.”

The national operator has picked Redline for fixed wireless services to enterprises in Iraq.

Alcatel-Lucent uses partners for WiMAX customer CPE solutions under a program called “Open CPE”. “The involvement of device manufacturers such as D-Link will be instrumental in ensuring our customers benefit from the great diversity of WiMAX devices and superior quality of service in all frequency bands”, said Karim El Naggar, VP and Head of Alcatel-Lucent’s WiMAX activities.

The SOHO networking equipment provider has resumed efforts to enter the mobile WiMAX subscriber market through the Middle East. Read more at WiMax.com

Vice president Stuart Carlaw notes that, “The public safety wireless communications market for technology and geographic location has solidified. North America is dominated by P25, while the rest of the world seems set on the European-developed TETRA standard with isolated islands of P25 in the Asia-Pacific region and legacy TETRAPOL in France.”

In the United States, public safety agencies apply for funding grants to obtain the equipment and training they need. This decentralized procurement means that the funding mechanisms do not make coordination easy. In Europe, several blue light networks are funded on a nationwide basis. The European model is also largely privatized: rather than government being the provider of these services, it is private cellular operators; O2 plays this role for the UK’s Airwave system.

Carlaw adds, “First responder terminal vendors see the fragmented, but huge and less mature, US market as the greatest opportunity for the future, although it must be recognized that penetration into this market is difficult due to technology choice and to Motorola’s preeminent market position.”

In a unanimous 5-0 vote Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission approved a plan to combine Sprint’s mobile WiMAX network with Clearwire’s pre-WiMAX network. Google Inc., Intel Corp. and a group of cable companies are contributing investors into the $14.6 billion venture, which will carry Clearwire’s name. The Department of Justice indicated that it will allow the deal to proceed, but will continue to monitor it for anti-competitive practices.

Sprint’s joint venture with Clearwire and investments from Google, Intel and cable companies are cleared to form a national WiMAX network provider in the United States. More on this news can be found at WiMax.com