Cellular operators pushing ahead with high-speed data
Vodacom has recently introduced high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) technology on its network, which provides speeds up to 1,8mbps, and third generation (3G) users can access this service at no extra cost, says Chris Ross, managing executive for products and services at Vodacom.
Mobile executives who are already using 3G data cards can upgrade this device and access HSDPA on their existing contracts. About 45000 users are accessing the 3G network for mobile data, he says.
Vodacom has introduced free e-mail mailboxes for HSDPA users who have data cards. Those connecting their laptops and PDAs to the HSDPA service with a 3G cellphone can obtain a Vodacom e-mail mailbox for R29 a month, says Ross.
He says HSDPA is backward compatible with 3G, EDGE and GPRS, and users will be able to roam between these services as they move from one location to another, depending on coverage.
“The reason we can provide this backward compatibility is that all these technologies run on the existing GSM network infrastructure,” says Ross
He says SA is one of the first countries to introduce HSDPA on mobile networks. The next step forward — high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA ), which will be launched in the next 12 month, will offer speeds of up to 3,6mbps.
“The plan is to move to 10mbps in the next two to three years.”
Ross says Vodacom has a test licence for WiMAX, an emerging broadband technology that offers speeds of up to 10mbps over distances up to 50km.
“We are evaluating the use of WiMAX to transport bulk voice and data traffic between base stations.”
If this happens it will provide a fast wide-area data communication backbone that can be linked to local area networks (LANs), for example in office parks and even entire communities, he says.
But WiMAX will require a radio network that is as different to GSM as microwave, he says.
Ross says speeds across the GSM network can increase potentially to 10mbp, which is equivalent to that currently being delivered by WiMAX.
From a mobile data coverage perspective, GPRS access extends to everywhere where Vodacom has cellular masts, covering 97,5% of the population, and EDGE is available on 34% of the network, says Ross.
3G currently provides coverage to 16% of the population, mainly in metropolitan areas, he says.
Ross says the implementation of HSDPA consists of a software upgrade, and the technology is being rolled out in all the areas where there is existing 3G coverage.
The GPRS service is adequate for accessing data from a cellular phone or personal digital assistant (PDA), especially with the latest software solutions that compress the size of the data being downloaded. But users that are downloading applications such as e-mail and contact lists will need faster access, says Ross.
He says data connectivity over the cellular network is more secure than using a WiFi wireless network because the data is encrypted automatically.
This is particularly relevant when users are connecting to their corporate data from airports and other public places. By contrast, wireless LANs are vulnerable to signal spillage and unauthorised users piggy-backing on the bandwidth and accessing confidential data files, he says.
It is easier to manage this type of security risk in the corporate environment, but individuals do not always take the same precautions with their wireless network at home, says Ross
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