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GSM is the current standard which is 2G. GPRS is the packet-based upgrade to GSM networks and is considered 2.5G. You could say that Sprint's PCS network is also 2.5G since it has similar data speeds even though their newer handsets are more advance than most GPRS handsets. Sprint likes to call their network 3G but as amagab pointed out, that's marketing BS. WCDMA is the true 3G technology that everyone is waiting for. It'll provide far greater data bandwidth. 3G handsets will take advantage of the bandwidth and have more features than anything we have today.
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Posted: 2002-11-07 10:32:00
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Ok thanks, just wondering, so AT&T is 2.5G ??
And i assume these features woudl be true videoconferencing , and other features??
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Posted: 2002-11-07 10:46:00
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I'm not sure about true video-conferencing although that would be really sweet. We'll probably see something with pretty low frame-rates. Having true streaming video being up- and downloaded simultaneously might be too much even for 3G. But 4G networks are already being tested...
We'll definitely see one-way streaming video downloads, online multi-player games, and media-rich browser environments similar to the true WWW. Japan already has that with their i-mode technology. That's why they have a market for mobile phones which are so much cooler than anywhere else. It'll be a while (we're talking years) before we get that far.
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Posted: 2002-11-07 11:01:00
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gsmwraith> let me answer your question in a very short simple way:
GSM: is the digital mobile phone system that is supported in Europe, most of Asia, Australia, and by some poviders in the US (T-Mobile, Cingular, and to some extent AT&T).
3G: is the new technology that will enable mobile phones to support streaming video (video conference calls, TV, etc). 3G is short for third generation.
WCDMA: is the 3G technology that is supported by GSM providers. The other alternative is CDMA2000, which is the technology that Sprint and Qualcom supports.
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Posted: 2002-11-07 11:03:00
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Looks like I might need to move!!!
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Posted: 2002-11-07 11:03:00
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Japan are very fortunate to be such a small country. They can implement new technology very fast. Wish the rest of the world had iMode too. However, it's annoying not being able to use my GSM phone when travelling there.
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Posted: 2002-11-07 11:09:00
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@ama ===>> Do you have to buy a phone when you travel there or do they "rent" them.??
just wondering.
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Posted: 2002-11-07 11:14:00
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Well, most of my travelling has been in GSM markets. So I just bring my excellent T68i. Going to Japan you would have to rent a phone. However, they are currently installing the WCDMA technology so when the 3G phones are on the market you'll be able to use them there too.
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Posted: 2002-11-07 11:19:00
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amagab, some carriers in Europe have been offering i-mode since this summer. It isn't the same as in Japan - it runs on GPRS. But the content is the same since i-mode is just a content protocol and has the potential to work with any phone that supports cHTML. I'm hoping we'll see i-mode here long before 3g gets implemented. Especially since DoCoMo, who developed i-mode, owns part of AT&T wireless.
Hmm, as an island, maybe Hawaii would be a good place to test 3G in the US...
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Posted: 2002-11-07 11:31:00
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It sure would be...if only they would understand that. No one cares about Hawaii. It's just an island far out somewhere... Problem is also that even the people here don't care. I'm constantly trying to explain to people here that there is technology beyond 2G. People don't understand that there is a great potential for development here in Hawaii. Maybe with the new governor there will be some positive change. That is a political issue...and I can go on and on with that...but this is not really a forum for that kind of discussion.
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Posted: 2002-11-07 11:46:00
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