Bangkok--21 Jan--Farh Agency During the past several months we have heard about the benefits that 3G provides to the entire wireless value chain, but what are some tangible benefits that 3G brings to operators? As 3G (EV-DO/WCDMA/HSPA) continues to expand and to reach more markets in the world, a clear opportunity that becomes available for operators is the access to a wide array of high-quality devices enabled to offer broadband services. 3G offers operators greater diversity across all segments—from numerous low-cost handsets, data cards, and USB modems to a plethora of high-end smartphones, laptops, PDAs, and fixed-wireless gateways. According to the combined figures from the CDG (CDMA Development Group) and the GSMA, more than 1,000 3G devices are available today for operators to use to differentiate themselves and stimulate customer interest. In addition, more than 100 3G laptop models are available from more than 16 vendors today. The embedded 3G success story is encouraging more vendors to incorporate EV-DO and HSDPA modems in their laptops alongside Wi-Fi? and Bluetooth?. ABI Research estimates that 3G-embedded laptop shipments will increasingly outpace WiMAX-embedded counterparts in the years to come.3G Provides Service and Deployment Flexibility A flexible, high-capacity 3G system enables a broad variety of services. Operators can allocate available capacity for more users, or to provide higher data rates. Flexible 3G broadband networks can also address all market segments—from fixed to mobile services, from basic access to rich services, from low- to high-end segments and from voice- or data-only to bundled voice and data services. Operators can adapt their mix of voice and data offerings over time, and in response to adoption, withouthardware changes. Such flexibility reduces riskand fully monetizes the network. Operators are free to pursue their preferred strategy for augmenting data capacity as needed. For example, they can apportion more capacity for data (relative to voice), or they can deploy separate or additional data carriers. 3G technologies also enable operators to offer multicast services (like TV or data-casts) in-band, using technologies like Platinum Multicast or MBMS. Alternatively, 3G can provide greater capacity for multicast offerings via well-integrated out-of-band, single-frequency networks and multimode devices (using technologies like MediaFLO? or DVB?-H).Many Operators Provide Innovative IP-based 3G Services Today Many innovative operators are offering a wide range of 3G services and devices today. 3G enables operators to tap into targeted revenue streams, whether these involve best-effort browsing, email, video calling, social networks, user-generated content, music downloads, low-latency gaming, video streams on demand or one of many other services. 3G enables a dazzling panoply of services with a single network or with a combination of integrated networks, depending on an operator’s strategy. It is perhaps not clear to many that 3G enables all of these services with IP-based deployments today—no circuit-switched infrastructure is required. Greenfield operators can deploy EV-DO Rev. A or HSUPA networks to provide data and/or voice services without circuit-switched equipment. 3G service flexibility arises not only because 3G fully supports IP-based applications, but also because 3G provides comprehensive Quality of Service (QoS) for all IP applications. These QoS mechanisms effectively prioritize delay-sensitive flows (e.g., VoIP) over best-effort ones (e.g., Web browsing). In conjunction with the low latency of EV-DO Rev. A or HSPA, these mechanisms provide excellent ear-to-mouth delay (telco-grade VoIP). The latest 3G networks exhibit fast connection times for services like Push to Talk (PTT), and also assure continuity of delay-sensitive applications during handoffs.. The efficiency of 3G networks is enabling mobile broadband pricing that is approaching cable and DSL levels. The cost of service plans is decreasing, especially in competitive markets in Europe and North America. In some cases, operators are offering flat-rate consumer pricing monthly, capped data plans, data-only plans and bundled data with voice.3G Provides Mature Mobile Services Today 3G technologies such as EV-DO, WCDMA/UMTS and HSPA have evolved from systems designed for mobility and offer seamless mobile broadband today around the world. According to various industry sources, over 230 operators are currently offering services to an estimated 110 million subscribers over EV-DO and HSPA broadband networks. Nearly 100 vendors are fielding 3G device and infrastructure solutions today. Furthermore, this vendor constellation is stable, because it is mature and proven. Voraparn E. (COCO) GM of Farh Agency Tel0 2616 0991-2 MB: 0891444014 อีเมล์ :[email protected]