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Au-2G 3G Next-G 4G - Whats The Difference
Au-2G 3G Next-G 4G - Whats The Difference
Au-2G 3G Next-G 4G - Whats The Difference
au
http://www.telcoantennas.com.au/site/guide-to-mobile-networks
1G - Analog
Introduced in 1987 by Telecom (known today as Telstra), Australia received its
first cellular mobile phone network utilising a 1G analog system. The analog
network was responsible for those bulky handheld 'bricks' that you might have
had the displeasure of using and your wallet the displeasure of buying (originally
retailed at around $4250).
The technology behind 1G was the AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System)
network. Permanently switched off at the end of 1999, AMPS was a voice-only
network operating on the 800MHz band. Being a primitive radio technology,
AMPS operated in the same manner as a regular radio transmission, much like
your UHF radio where the 800MHz band was split up into a number of channels
(395 voice, 21 control) via FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access). Each
channel was 30KHz wide and could support only one user at any time, meaning
that the maximum number of mobile phone users per cell tower was 395. The
tower assessed the signal strength of each user and assigned channels
dynamically, ensuring that channels could be reused by multiple towers without
interference.
Problematic? Yes, and not just a limited number of users..
Just like your UHF radio, anyone with a radio scanner capable of
receiving/transmitting on the 800MHz band could drop in on your call. Being
analog, the 800MHz band was also susceptible to background noise and static
caused by nearby electronic devices. However the simplicity of the AMPS design
meant it did have one advantage over later 2G networks - coverage. An AMPS
user could connect to a cell tower as far as the signal could be transmitted (often
>40km depending on terrain).
At its peak, the 1G network had around 2 million subscribers.
2G - Digital
Fast forward to 1993 Telecom, now known as Telstra, introduces the digital network. The introduction came about
to overcome many of the issues with the AMPS network highlighted above, with network congestion and security
being the most important two motivators. With this new technology came many of the services we now take for
granted - text messaging, multimedia messaging, internet access, etc, and also introduced us to the SIM card.
This fancy new digital network is called GSM - Global System for Mobile Communication, and its technological
backbone of choice is TDMA (similar to FDMA). The radio frequency band utilised by GSM is the 900MHz
spectrum and later introduced on the 1800MHz band.
So how is this network any better than AMPS? The secret lies in TDMA - Time Division Multiple Access. The
FDMA component splits the 900MHz (actually 890MHz to 915MHz) band into 124 channels that are 200KHz
wide. The 'time' component then comes into play in which each channel is split into eight 0.577us
bursts,significantly increasing the maximum number of users at any one time. We don't hear a 'stuttering' of a
persons voice thanks to the wonders of digital compression codecs, which we're not going to go into here.
Aside from more users per cell tower, the digital network offers many other important
features:
- digital encryption (64bit A5/1 stream cipher)
- packet data (used for MMS/Internet access)
- SMS text messaging
- caller ID and other similar network features.
Problems? You bet. Unlike its AMPS predecessor, GSM is limited severely in range.
The TDMA technology behind the 2G network means that if a mobile phone cannot
respond within its given timeslot (0.577us bursts) the phone tower will drop you and
begin handling another call. Aside from this, packet data transmission rates on GSM
are extremely slow, and if you're on Vodafone/3/Virgin/Optus you've probably had first
hand experience on this when you go outside your networks defined 'coverage zone'.
To overcome these two problems we're going to introduce two new networks - CDMA
and EDGE.
CDMA
Code Division Multiple Access. This branch of 2G was introduced by Telstra in September 1999 as a replacement
for customers who could receive a good signal on AMPS, but were outside GSM's limited range. The extended
range is achieved by removing the 'time' based multiplexing with a code-based multiplexing. A lower frequency
band (800MHz) also assisted in range by reduced path loss and attenuation.
Picture a room full of people having conversations - under TDMA each person takes their turn talking (ie time
division), conversely CDMA allows many people to talk at the same time but is the equivalent of each person
speaking a different language, ie in a unique code. This of course isn't exactly how it works, if you want to know
more there are some resources at the bottom of the page.
EDGE
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution. GSM introduced a GPRS based packet data network in 2001, with a
max speed of around 60-80kbps (downlink), equating to a download speed of 10kB/s - slightly faster than dial-up.
EDGE was later introduced as a bolt-on protocol (no new technology was required) increasing the data rate of the
2G network to around 237kbps (29kB/s).
Image: rfcafe.com
to about 94%. As expected, the higher 2100MHz component suffers far more attenuation and FSPL and is often
considered a 'short range' mobile network which is why a lower 900MHz network is required to service many
regional and rural areas.
Next-G - 3G on Steroids
To overcome the coverage limitations of regular 3G, Telstra
introduced its Next-G network (considered a '3.5G' network) in late
2006, operating on the 850MHz spectrum. The lower radio
frequency coupled with a far greater number of phone towers is
responsible for Telstra's Next-G network being over twice the
geographical size (around 2.2 million square km) of any other
network, and servicing 99% of Australian residences.
Aside from coverage, the other major selling point behind the NextG network is its blisteringly fast network speed. Rated up to 42Mbps
(up to 5.25MB/s) the network has the ability to operate faster than
the theoretical maximum of most high speed cable internet services.
This is the result of an enhanced packet data network - HSPA+
which was implemented in 2008 as an upgrade to large portions of the Telstra network.
HSPA+ also known as Evolved HSPA, utilises Dual Carrier technology and 64QAM modulation order to deliver
these high speeds. HSPA+ is responsible for the 'Elite' and 'Ultimate' series modems released in 2010, with the
Elite capable of up to 21Mbps, and the Ultimate up to 42Mbps.
The Ultimate series modems theoretically double the speed of the Elite device by the utilisation of Dual Carrier
HSPA+. This big increase in speed is achieved by the use of dual antennas, you can think of an Ultimate modem
as having two Elite modems in the one unit. Combining this technology with MIMO "Multiple In Multiple Out"
architecture we can hope to see speeds increased to 84Mbps (ie doubling the 42Mbps) on the Telstra Next-G
network in the near future.
http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/nextg/index.html?vid=1
4G - LTE-Advanced
Initially available in major cities, airports and selected regional areas in October 2011, Telstra's 4G network offers
significantly faster speeds, lower latency, and reduced network congestion.
The 4G network is based on LTE-Advanced - 3GPP Long Term Evolution. LTE is a series of upgrades to existing
UMTS technology and will be rolled out on Telstra's existing 1800MHz frequency band. This new network boosts
peak downloads speeds up to 100Mbps and 50Mbps upload, latency reduced from around 300ms to less than
100ms, and significantly lower congestion. For more technical details on peak 4G speeds check out our fastest 4G
speed guide.
Most areas in Australia 4G has a 15MHz bandwidth and operates on the following frequency ranges:
Tower Tx: 1805-1820MHz
Tower Rx: 1710-1725MHz
New South Wales and Victoria have a much smaller bandwidth of 10MHz and operate on the following
frequencies:
Tower Tx: 1805-1815MHz
Tower Rx: 1710-1720MHz
4G bandwidth (ie the width of frequencies we can send and receive on) is critical in supporting high speed and a
high number of users. Because in order for your connection not to get confused with someone else's, each user is
allocated a small sliver of frequencies that they can transmit on and nobody else can. You'll notice this most during
peak usage hours, where as more people start using the tower it will reduce the width of your (and everyone
else's) sliver of frequencies, resulting in each person getting a reduced download/upload speed.
Naturally this is a very simplified explanation (for more info read up on OFDMA and SCFDMA) but for our
purposes it will suffice.
Why 1800MHz?
Given the big reduction in coverage you might be wondering why Telstra chose to deploy its 4G network on the
1800MHz band. Like most decisions the biggest factor governing the choice is money. Already licensed by Telstra,
the underutilised 1800MHz network was previously used to provide 2G voice calling and text messaging services,
and 2G EDGE data services (often indicated by the 'E' symbol on your phone). By converting this band from 2G
over to 4G, the network can be deployed with drastically reduced cost and time to market. Instead of building new
cell towers, the existing 1800MHz antennas could be swapped with antennas designed for MIMO LTE services
and other hardware changes kept to a minimum.
The limited choice of available mobile spectrum means that for the next few years 1800MHz will remain the band
of choice for 4G services. Around 2015 the 700MHz "digital dividend" band will become available and we can
expect to see a much higher performing 4G network with far greater coverage, speed and signal penetration.
Internet? Your 4G connection is only as fast as what the phone tower can provide you. Older EDGE or HSPA
networks can get away with E1 or optical fibre backhaul links (ie the link that connects the tower into the wider
network), but LTE services require a far more advanced Ethernet-based backhaul link. The transition from circuitswitched to packet switched (IP based) networks affords better QoS (through MPLS and other link/network layer
protocols) and significant reductions in latency.
MIMO
4G uses a technology called MIMO "Multiple In Multiple Out" where your modem uses two separate antennas at
once to deliver super fast speeds.
Normal 3G and Next-G signals are broadcast vertically polarised, where the wave travels "up and down". LTE
MIMO waves are slant polarised where each wave is rotated 45 degrees from the horizontal, mirrored so the first
is at 45 degrees and the other at 135 degrees. This smart little trick is called polarisation diversity and allows your
modem to distinguish two independent streams of data over the same frequency allocated by the cell tower.
Because our modem has two internal antennas each responsible for receiving one stream of data, it is absolutely
crucial we have two separate external antennas. We cannot use a 'Y' patch lead or some other trick to connect
both ports of the modem into one antenna, nor can we connect both external antennas into one port.
It is important to know MIMO is switched
on and off by the modem. The decision
whether to use MIMO is negotiated with
the cell tower, whereby the quality of the
received and transmitted signals are
assessed (a metric known as CQI). When
signal strength or quality is low it's difficult
for the modem to distinguish between the
two data streams, so when signal levels
drop below a certain threshold level,
MIMO is switched off and the modem
operates with only one antenna (Port 1 on
Sierra Wireless modems).
Useful Reading
GSM/AMPS/CDMA - http://www.apms.com.au/papers/cdma.html
QAM - http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/pm-phase-modu...