3G mobile communications systems in India

3G mobile communications systems, due to succeed to the Present 2G such as the GSM, will be able to provide users with a large range of high throughput capacity multimedia Services and applications. These new possibilities will be founded upon three main innovations: founded upon three main innovations:
• Broadband radio-frequency access allowing rates up
to 2 Mbit/s;
• Intelligent network (IN) architecture allowing to
create a single access mode to the services for the
user whatever the network he uses, and to provide
numerous supplementary services;
• Convergence between fixed and mobile networks
(FMC) is in progress.
Considering the multimedia nature of the services envisaged, it is to be expected that alliances will be set up between the actors of several industries: telecommunications,
computer and audio-visual industries [2]. For developing a new mobile service based on 3G a huge investment is required. Therefore, it is necessary to have a
market study and understand what costumers need.
India will soon join the elite club of countries that have 3G mobile services with Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) setting up India’s first 3G networks in Delhi and Mumbai. The network will have a capacity of 4m lines and will be operational next year. First, the basics. The total investment in the project will be to the tune of Rs 4,000 crore. The company has already started discussions with equipment suppliers.
On August 1, 2008, India joined the elite list of countries to announce a policy for third generation mobile service that will enable customers to enjoy voice, video, data and downloading facilities on theirThe much-awaited 3G policy would allow up to 10 players in a service area including foreign companies. India has 60 MHz of 3G spectrum available. The auction will take place in the 2.1 GHz band. The government has set a base price of Rs 2,020 crore (Rs 20.20 billion) for each bid for a pan-India license. Initially, there will be three to five operators to sell the 3G services, including state-run BSNL and MTNL. The state-run telecom firms have an edge to start the 3G services earlier than others as they do not have to bid for the spectrum as they only have to match the highest bid in their respective circles.
There is no firm date set for the auction of 3G spectrum, but it is likely to take place before February 2009 since the government may need the money to keep its deficit within control; current estimates put the initial entry fee bids that the government will get at anywhere between Rs 30,000 crore (Rs 300 billion) and Rs 40,000 crore (Rs 400 billion). In that case, by about December 2009, India may get broadband-type internet speeds on mobile phones. That, in turn, will allow users to view movies on their mobile phones, conduct video telephony while on the move, and so on. How do 3G services help us? 3G services enable video broadcast and data-intensive services such as stock transactions, e-learning and telemedicine through wireless communications All telecom operators are waiting to launch 3G in India to cash in on revenues by providing high-end services to customers, which are voice data and video enabled. India lags behind many Asian countries in introducing 3G services. Packet-based data provides several advantages over the existing circuit-switched techniques used for carrying mobile voice. It allows higher call volumes and support for multimedia data applications, such as video and photography. Users will be charged on how much data they transmit, not on how much time they are connected to the network, because with 3G you are constantly online and only pay for the information you receive
Cheaper, and better, phones With 3G mobile services, which provide high-speed downloads of data, movies and videos, around six month away, mobile phone makers are getting ready to offer handsets for as little as Rs 3,500, against the currently available minimum price of over Rs 8,000. Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies is already in talks with leading Indian operators of GSM mobile services to sell a 3G entry-level phone within $80 to $100. South Korean electronics giant LG Electronics has the KU250 3G phone model, which is positioned as one of the cheapest phones in this category around the globe. "We will launch an adaptation of this model in India for around $100. Motorola India also expects prices to fall dramatically. It expects the prices of phones to come down to Rs 4,000-5,000. Motorola has about three 3G models that range from Rs 14,000 to Rs 19,000. Also, contrary to common belief, 3G will not be a premium service. Operators said a start-up package could cost around Rs 299, which is roughly what consumers pay for a fixed broadband service. Unlimited downloading may require subscribers to pay Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 a month.How is 3G different from 2G and 4G? While 2G stands for second-generation wireless telephone technology, 1G networks used are analog, 2G networks are digital and 3G (third-generation) technology is used to enhance mobile phone standards. While 2G is focused on voice, 3G supports high-speed data of at least 144 kbps enabling broadband Internet access on the mobile, and 'triple play' features like mobile TV and converged communication services. 3G helps to simultaneously transfer both voice data (a telephone call) and non-voice data (such as downloading information, exchanging e-mail, and instant messaging. The highlight of 3G is video telephony. 4G technology stands to be the future standard of wireless devices. Currently, Japanese company NTT DoCoMo and Samsung are testing 4G communication. What are the issues regarding 3G for providers and users? 3G has successfully been introduced in Europe. But several issues continue to hamper its growth. High spectrum licensing fees for the 3G services. Huge capital required to build infrastructure for 3G services. Health impact of electromagnetic waves. Prices are very high for 3G mobile services. Will 2G users switch to 3G services? Takes time to catch up as the service is new. In how many countries does 3G exist? There are about 60 3G networks across 25 countries. In Asia, Europe and the United States, telecom firms use Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology. The WCDMA standard provides seamless global evolution from today's GSM with support of the worlds' largest mobile operators. WCDMA technology is built on open standards, wide ranging mobile multimedia possibility, and vast potential economies of scale with the support of around 100 terminal designs to operate 3G mobile networks. 3G services were introduced in Europe in 2003. In which country was 3G spectrum first introduced? Japan was the first country to introduce 3G on a large commercial scale. In 2005, about 40 per cent of subscribers used only 3G networks. It is expected that during 2006 the subscribers would move from 2G to 3G and upgrade to the next 3.5 G level. The success of 3G in Japan also shows that video telephony was the killer application for 3G networks. Downloading music was the biggest draw in 3G services. India, which has 287 million wireless subscribers, saw its mobile user base grow 25 times in the last five years making it the second largest wireless market in the world after China.
For the geeks, here’s what the tech-tonic shift is all about: 3G services allow high-speed mobile broadband access at a speed of more than 386 kbps. This will be a techie’s dream come true. 3G technology enables you to work out of your mobile instrument. It becomes your work station with high-speed bandwidth enabling video downloads and other critical functions. Mobile subscribers in India will soon have access to wireless applications and the internet at broadband speeds with the latest 3G CDMA devices. 3G services have already become popular in Japan, UK, Hong Kong, Australia, Sweden and Denmark. NTT DoCoMo has a subscriber base of more than 3.5m in Japan. Swedish mobile service provider ‘3’ has a subscriber base of 350,000 in Sweden and Denmark, adding around 150,000 customers since mid-August. In UK, Hutchison is the 3G service provider. 3G services enable high data applications. Therefore, the average revenue per user from 3G subscribers is more than that of ordinary mobile subscribers. Internationally, revenues from 3G services is about 60% higher than that of ordinary mobile services.