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Mobile broadband
Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access via mobile networks.
Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a
tablet/smartphone (possibly tethered) or other mobile device. The first wireless Internet access
became available in 1991 as part of the second generation (2G) of mobile phone technology.
Higher speeds became available in 2001 and 2006 as part of the third (3G) and fourth (4G)
generations. In 2011, 90% of the world's population lived in areas with 2G coverage, while 45%
lived in areas with 2G and 3G coverage.[1] Mobile broadband uses the spectrum of 225 MHz to
3700 MHz.[2]

A mobile broadband modem in the

ExpressCard form factor for laptop
computers

HTC ThunderBolt, the second

commercially available LTE
smartphone

Description

Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access delivered through cellular
towers to computers and other digital devices using portable modems. Although broadband has

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a technical meaning, wireless-carrier marketing uses the phrase "mobile broadband" as a

synonym for mobile Internet access. Some mobile services allow more than one device to be
connected to the Internet using a single cellular connection using a process called tethering.[3]

The bit rates available with Mobile broadband devices support voice and video as well as other
data access. Devices that provide mobile broadband to mobile computers include:

PC cards, also known as PC data cards, and Express cards

Mini PCI and Mini PCI Express cards that are integrated into the laptop

USB and mobile broadband modems, also known as connect cards

portable devices with built-in support for mobile broadband, such as laptops,
smartphones/tablets, PDAs, and other mobile Internet devices.

Internet access subscriptions are usually sold separately from mobile service subscriptions.

Generations

Roughly every ten years, new mobile network technology and infrastructure involving a change in
the fundamental nature of the service, non-backwards-compatible transmission technology,
higher peak data rates, new frequency bands, and/or wider channel frequency bandwidth in
Hertz, becomes available. These transitions are referred to as generations. The first mobile data
services became available during the second generation (2G).[4][5][6]

Second generation (2G) from 1991:

Speeds in kbit/s down and up
• GSM CSD 9.6
• CDPD up to 19.2
• GSM GPRS (2.5G) 56–115
• GSM EDGE (2.75G) up to 237

Third generation (3G) from 2001:

Speeds in Mbit/s down up
• UMTS W-CDMA 0.4
• UMTS HSPA 14.4 5.8
• UMTS TDD 16
• CDMA2000 1xRTT 0.3 0.15
• CDMA2000 EV-DO 2.5–4.9 0.15–1.8
• GSM EDGE-Evolution 1.6 0.5

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Fourth generation (4G) from 2006:

Speeds in Mbit/s down u
• HSPA+ 21–672 5.8–
• Mobile WiMAX (802.16) 37–365 17–
• LTE 100–300 50
• LTE-Advanced:
• while moving at high
100
speeds
• while stationary or
up to 100
moving at low speeds
• MBWA (802.20) 80

Fifth generation (5G) from 2018:

Speeds in Mbit/s down
400–
• HSPA+ 20
25000
• Mobile WiMAX (802.16) 300–700 1
• 5G 400–3000 50

[7]

The download (to the user) and upload (to the Internet) data rates given above are peak or
maximum rates and end users will typically experience lower data rates.

WiMAX was originally developed to deliver fixed wireless service with wireless mobility added in
2005. CDPD, CDMA2000 EV-DO, and MBWA are no longer being actively developed.

Coverage

Mobile broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012

as a percentage of a country's population
Source: International Telecommunication Union.[8]

In 2011, 90% of the world's population lived in areas with 2G coverage, while 45% lived in areas
with 2G and 3G coverage,[1] and 5% lived in areas with 4G coverage. By 2017 more than 90% of

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the world's population is expected to have 2G coverage, 85% is expected to have 3G coverage,
and 50% will have 4G coverage.[9]

A barrier to mobile broadband use is the coverage provided by the mobile service networks. This
may mean no mobile network or that service is limited to older and slower mobile broadband
technologies. Customers will not always be able to achieve the speeds advertised due to mobile
data coverage limitations including distance to the cell tower. In addition, there are issues with
connectivity, network capacity, application quality, and mobile network operators' overall
inexperience with data traffic.[10] Peak speeds experienced by users are also often limited by the
capabilities of their mobile phone or other mobile device.[9]

Subscriptions and usage

Worldwide broadband subscriptions[11]

Users 2007 2010 2016 2019[12]

World population[13] 6.6 billion 6.9 billion 7.3 billion 7.75 billion

Fixed broadband 5% 8% 11.9% 14.5%

Developing world 2% 4% 8.2% 11.2%

Developed world 18% 24% 30.1% 33.6%

Mobile broadband 4% 11% 49.4% 83%

Developing world 1% 4% 40.9% 75.2%

Developed world 19% 43% 90.3% 121.7%

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Broadband subscriptions by region[14]

Subscription Place 2007 2010 2014 2019[15]

Africa 0.1% 0.2% 0.4% 0.4%

Americas 11% 14% 17% 22%

Arab States 1% 2% 3% 8.1%

Fixed Asia and Pacific 3% 6% 8% 14.4%

Commonwealth of
2% 8% 14% 19.8%
Independent States

Europe 18% 24% 28% 31.9%

Africa 0.2% 2% 19% 34%

Americas 6% 23% 59% 104.4%

Arab States 0.8% 5% 25% 67.3%

Mobile Asia and Pacific 3% 7% 23% 89%

Commonwealth of
0.2% 22% 49% 85.4%
Independent States

Europe 15% 29% 64% 97.4%

At the end of 2012 there were estimated to be 6.6 billion mobile network subscriptions
worldwide (89% penetration), representing roughly 4.4 billion subscribers (many people have
more than one subscription). Growth has been around 9% year-on-year.[16] Mobile phone
subscriptions were expected to reach 9.3 billion in 2018.[9]

At the end of 2012 there were roughly 1.5 billion mobile broadband subscriptions, growing at a
50% year-on-year rate.[16] Mobile broadband subscriptions were expected to reach 6.5 billion in
2018.[9]

Mobile data traffic doubled between the end of 2011 (~620 Petabytes in Q4 2011) and the end of
2012 (~1280 Petabytes in Q4 2012).[16] This traffic growth is and will continue to be driven by
large increases in the number of mobile subscriptions and by increases in the average data traffic
per subscription due to increases in the number of smartphones being sold, the use of more
demanding applications and in particular video, and the availability and deployment of newer 3G
and 4G technologies capable of higher data rates. Total mobile broadband traffic was expected
to increase by a factor of 12 to roughly 13,000 PetaBytes by 2018 .[9]

On average, a mobile laptop generates approximately seven times more traffic than a
smartphone (3 GB vs. 450 MB/month). This ratio was forecast to fall to 5 times (10 GB vs. 2
GB/month) by 2018. Traffic from mobile devices that tether (share the data access of one device

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with multiple devices) can be up to 20 times higher than that from non-tethering users and
averages between 7 and 14 times higher.[9]

It has also been shown that there are large differences in subscriber and traffic patterns between
different provider networks, regional markets, device and user types.[9]

Demand from emerging markets has fuelled growth in both mobile device and mobile
broadband subscriptions and use. Lacking widespread fixed-line infrastructure, many emerging
markets use mobile broadband technologies to deliver affordable high-speed internet access to
the mass market.[17]

One common use case of mobile broadband is among the construction industry.[18]

Development

Service mark for GSMA mobile

broadband

In use and under active development

GSM family

In 1995 telecommunication, mobile phone, integrated-circuit, and laptop computer

manufacturers formed the GSM Association to push for built-in support for mobile-broadband
technology on notebook computers. The association established a service mark to identify
devices that include Internet connectivity.[19] Established in early 1998, the global Third
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) develops the evolving GSM family of standards, which
includes GSM, EDGE, WCDMA/UMTS, HSPA, LTE and 5G NR.[20] In 2011 these standards were the
most used method to deliver mobile broadband. With the development of the 4G LTE signalling
standard, download speeds could be increased to 300 Mbit/s per second within the next several
years.[21]

IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX)

The IEEE working group IEEE 802.16, produces standards adopted in products using the WiMAX
trademark. The original "Fixed WiMAX" standard was released in 2001 and "Mobile WiMAX" was

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added in 2005.[22] The WiMAX Forum is a non-profit organization formed to promote the
adoption of WiMAX compatible products and services.[23]

In use, but moving to other protocols

CDMA family

Established in late 1998, the global Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) develops the
evolving CDMA family of standards, which includes cdmaOne, CDMA2000, and CDMA2000 EV-
DO. CDMA2000 EV-DO is no longer being developed.[24]

IEEE 802.20

In 2002, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) established a Mobile
Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) working group.[25] They developed the IEEE 802.20 standard
in 2008, with amendments in 2010.[26]

Edholm's law

Edholm's law in 2004 noted that the bandwidths of wireless cellular networks have been
increasing at a faster pace compared to wired telecommunications networks.[27] This is due to
advances in MOSFET wireless technology enabling the development and growth of digital
wireless networks.[28] The wide adoption of RF CMOS (radio frequency CMOS), power MOSFET
and LDMOS (lateral diffused MOS) devices led to the development and proliferation of digital
wireless networks in the 1990s, with further advances in MOSFET technology leading to rapidly
increasing network bandwidth since the 2000s.[29][30][31]

See also

3G and 4G Mobile VoIP

Broadband Internet SDIO card, an extension of the SD specification to include I/O

access functions

Digital Britain Tethering

MiFi 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), evolving GSM family of

specifications
Mobile Enterprise
3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), evolving CDMA family
Mobile phone
of specifications

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2. Spectrum Dashboard (http://reboot.fcc.gov/reform/systems/spectrum-dashboard/about) Archived (h

ttps://web.archive.org/web/20191222091548/http://reboot.fcc.gov/reform/systems/spectrum-dashboa
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website

3. Mustafa Ergen (2009). Mobile Broadband: including WiMAX and LTE. Springer Science+Business Media.
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4. "Overview on mobile broadband technologies" (http://tech.ebu.ch/docs/events/mobile-broadband11/

presentations/ebu_mobile-broadband11_lebrun.pdf) , EBU (European Broadcasting Union) workshop
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5. "Evolution of Mobile Wireless Communication Networks: 1G to 4G" (http://www.iject.org/pdf/amit.pd

f) , Kumar, Liu, Sengupta, and Divya, Vol. 1, Issue 1 (December 2010), International Journal on
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facts/default.aspx) . Telecommunication Development Bureau, International Telecommunication Union
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https://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/worldpoptotal.php) . International
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17. Wakchoi (2021-12-05). "Mobile Data, a Great Equaliser? The Cyber Bedouin" (https://thecyberbedouin.c
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21. "What is the future of mobile broadband?" (https://archive.today/20130222210128/http://vergelijkmob

ielinternet.nl/what-is-the-future-of-mobile-broadband-en/) . Vergelijk Mobiel Internet. Archived from
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22. "IEEE Approves IEEE 802.16m - Advanced Mobile Broadband Wireless Standard" (http://standards.ieee.
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2.20.html) . Official standard. IEEE Standards Association. Retrieved July 16, 2011.

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27. Cherry, Steven (2004). "Edholm's law of bandwidth". IEEE Spectrum. 41 (7): 58–60.
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31. O'Neill, A. (2008). "Asad Abidi Recognized for Work in RF-CMOS". IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society
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85694) . ISSN 1098-4232 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1098-4232) .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wireless modems.

GSM Association (https://web.archive.org/web/20110222090438/http://www.gsmworld.co

m/) , official website for the worldwide trade group representing GSM operators

3GPP official website (http://www.3gpp.org/)

3GPP2 official website (http://www.3gpp2.org) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/200401

23013738/http://3gpp2.org/) 2004-01-23 at the Wayback Machine

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