Difference Between UMTS and W-CDMA UMTS vs.

W-CDMA Universal Mobil Telecommunications System (also known as UMTS) is a third generation (or 3G) telecommunications technology for mobile electronics. The most common form of UMTS makes use of W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, which is an air interface standard that is a compulsory feature of any mobile telecommunications device of the 3G network). However, the system makes use of TD-CDMA (Time Division CDMA) and TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous CDMA). UMTS is a complete network system. As such it also covers the radio access network, the core network, and the authentication of users using the USIM cards (or Subscriber Identity Module). W-CDMA is an air interface standard that is most notably found in 3G mobile telecommunications networks. It is the most widely used member of the UMTS family and is, in fact, often times used synonymously for UMTS. It makes use of the DS-CDMA channel access method as well as the FDD duplexing method in order to achieve higher speeds and to also support more users in comparison to most of the time division multiple access schemes (or TDMA). It uses the same basic network that is found in the 2G GSM networks. This enables dual mode operation as well as with the GSM/EDGE another trait it shares in common with other members of the UMTS family. UMTS requires the use of new base stations as well as new frequency allocations. Despite these restrictions, however, UMTS is closely related to GSM (that is Global System for Mobile Communications, the most popular standard for mobile communication technology) and builds upon the concepts of GSM most UTMS handsets support GSM in order to allow dual mode operation without any issues. W-CDMA includes a plethora of key features. These features include, but are not limited to, radio channels that are 5 MHz wide, a chip rate of 3.84 Mcps, variable mission on a 10 ms frame basis, multicode transmission, adaptive power control based on the Signal to Interference Ratio (or SIR), multiuser detection as well as smart antennae (which can be used to increase the capacity and coverage of the device), and multiple types of handoff (or handover) between different calls (which include soft handoff, softer handoff, and hard handoff). Summary: 1. UMTS is a 3G telecommunications technology that makes use of the W-CDMA as well as other permutations therein; W-CDMA is an air interface standard found in 3G mobile telecommunications networks and is a member of the UMTS family. 2. UMTS requires new base station and frequency allocations to thrive; W-CDMA makes use of the DS-CDMA channel access method as well as the FDD duplexing method to achieve higher speeds and support more users. 3. UMTS has a theoretical transfer speed of 21 Mbit/s; W-DCMA includes radio channels that are 5MHz wide and a chip rate of Mcps.

Difference Between UMTS and HSDPA UMTS vs. HSDPA The Universal Mobil Telecommunications System (also known as UMTS) is a third generation (or 3G) telecommunications technology for mobile electronics. The most common form of UMTS makes use of W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, which is an air interface standard that is a compulsory feature of any mobile telecommunications device of the 3G network). However, the system makes use of TD-CDMA (Time Division CDMA) and TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous CDMA). UMTS is a complete network system. As such, it also covers the radio access network, the core network, and the authentication of users using the USIM cards (or Subscriber Identity Module). High Speed Downlink Packet Access (also known as HSDPA) is also part of the 3G network; however, it is of an enhanced nature. It is a protocol that is used in mobile telephony communications in the High Speed Packet Access family a combination of the HSDPA and HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) that extends and improves the performance of those WCDMA protocols that are currently in existence. As such, those networks that are part of the UMTS are capable of reaching higher data transfer speeds and capacities. UMTS requires the use of new base stations, as well as new frequency allocations. Despite these restrictions, however, UMTS is closely related to GSM (that is Global System for Mobile Communications, the most popular standard for mobile communication technology), and builds upon the concepts of GSM most UTMS handsets support GSM in order to allow dual mode operation without any issues. For HSDPA to function properly, a new transport layer channel had to be created (High Speed Downlink Shard Channel, or HS-DSCH) and added to the W-CDMA specification. By introducing three new physical layer channels (HS-SCCH, HSDPCCH, and HS-PDSCH), the HSDPA network is capable of informing the user that the desired data will be sent, acknowledging information and current channel quality, and calculating how much data to send to any device the user uses in the next transmission, respectively. UMTS has a theoretical maximum data transfer of 21 Mbits/s (in the HSDPA form). However, for those currently using UMTS handsets, an expected transfer rate of 384 kbit/s and 7.2 Mbit/s is a more accurate expectation for R99 handsets and HSDPA handsets, respectively. Most HSDPA technology shows a theoretical transfer rate of 1.8, 3.6, 7.2, and 14.0 Mbit/s. However, there are further speed increases with the availability of the HSPA+ (providing speeds of up to 42 Mbit/s on the downlink, and 84 Mbit/s with the Release 9). Summary: 1. UMTS is a 3G telecommunications technology that makes use of the W-CDMA, as well as other permutations therein; HSDPA is part of the 3G network, but is part of the High Speed Packet Access family, therefore capable of elevated performance.

2. UMTS requires new base station and frequency allocations to thrive; a new transport layer channel had to be created and combined with W-CDMA specifications in order for UMTS to function. 3. UMTS has a theoretical transfer speed of 21 Mbit/s; HSDPA has a theoretical transfer rate of up to 14.0 Mbit/s.

Difference Between GSM and UMTS GSM vs UMTS GSM is an abbreviation of Global System for Mobile communication, originally it is known as Group Special Mobile. It is mobile telephony system that sets the standards on how mobile telecommunications work. It encompasses everything in reference to mobile communications. However, in this context of comparing GSM and UMTS, we will refer to GSM as a service or technology. GSM is a second generation (2G) telecommunications technology which is launched early in the 90s. Eventually, it increased its speed and added more functionality like General Packet Radio System ( GPRS) to the system which enhanced it to 2.5G status. 2.5G has data rates up to about 144kbit/s. It typically uses a variation of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA). Today, in a global scale, GSM is still widely used mobile service. There are about 700 mobile networks that provide GSM services across more than 200 countries. Statistically, more than 80 percent of all global mobile connections are GSM. With GSM, subscribers can still continue using their mobile phones when traveling to other countries because GSM network operators have expansive roaming agreements with foreign operators. UMTS is the third generation (3G) of mobile telecommunications technology. It is the latest commercially available technology that mobile phones, PDAs, and smart phones are using today. With this development, internet access (email and web browsing), video calling and messaging, and text messaging (SMS) are now possible along with traditional phone tasks. People can now do the activities they normally do with an internet-connected home computer while on the trot. Imagine yourself traveling the world and still able to email, video conference, and watch streaming videos using your smartphone. Currently, it can offer transfer speeds of about 3.6 Mbits per second and even more, which can make data transfer seamless and downloads relatively fast. Unlike GSM, UMTS is mainly based on CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) scheme and now combines it with TDMA. However, UMTS is still new as there are only a few areas and networks that support the technology. Even with countries that support it may have set different spectrum, thus interoperability does not work fully when moving from one nation to another nation with drastically different spectrum. There are also problems regarding the compatibility between UMTS and GSM, which frequently led to connections being dropped. But this is being remedied by UMTS/GSM dual-mode devices. With that feature, UMTS phones that go out of UMTS network boundaries will be transferred to GSM coverage. Transfer of network can happen mid-call.

Summary: 1. UMTS has faster data transfer rates than GSM. 2. GSM is 2G and 2.5G while UMTS is already 3G. 3. GSM is a rather old technology while UMTS is newer. 4. GSM is typically based on TDMA while UMTS is mainly CDMA-based. 5. Currently, GSM is still the most widely used technology today while UMTS is still in its infancy, slowly creeping forward.

Difference Between WCDMA and GSM WCDMA vs GSM WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiplexing Access) and GSM are two technologies that are used in mobile telecommunications. The difference between these two is that GSM is a 2G technology and WCDMA is a part of the newer 3G group of technologies. Being newer and more advanced, WCDMA is now the technology that people want and it is slowly being deployed in a lot of areas that are already being occupied by GSM. Sooner or later, the WCDMA network would equal the coverage of GSM, making the GSM network redundant. With this said, it is clear that the GSM network is slowly being phased out and replaced with the newer and better WCDMA. But for now, GSM is still the most widespread technology that is used in the whole world. Surpassing all other 2G and 3G alternatives. The primary reason why telecommunications companies are having problems with rapidly deploying is the difference in the frequency bands they use. Because of this, GSM only phones, cannot communicate with WCDMA only networks and vice versa. In order to circumvent this, it has become common for most phone manufacturers to include multiple frequency bands for both 2G networks and 3G networks. This ensures that their mobile phones can be used in almost any network and any location in the world. Telecommunications companies need to deploy a WCDMA network over their existing GSM network to provide 3G services while still maintaining compatibility with older mobile phones that are not compatible with WCDMA. Although WCDMA support has become quite common in most mobile phones, there are still some models that do not support it. When you are buying a mobile phone, you should look at its specifications in order to make sure that it supports WCDMA and the frequencies available in your area. This is to ensure that you can use it in your countrys networks. Even non-GSM networks are choosing to add WCDMA support as it is the most popular 3G technology. Sooner or later older and competing network standards, namely GSM, CDMA, and EV-DO, would probably be phased out and replaced with WCDMA. Summary: 1.WCDMA is a 3G technology while GSM is a 2G technology

2.GSM is slowly being phased out in favor of CDMA 3.GSM is still more widespread than CDMA 4.WCDMA and GSM uses different frequency bands 5.WCDMA offers much faster data speeds than GSM 6.WCDMA would soon replace GSM

Difference Between HSDPA and HSUPA HSDPA vs HSUPA HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), commonly referred to as 3.5G, is an upgrade to WCDMA networks that allows for much higher data speeds for internet connectivity. There are two aspects to this technology and each is more or less independent of the other. HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) is the one that improves the downlink of the data transmission while HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) is the one that improves the uplink or transmission from the mobile device to the network. Common practices that would be affected by having HSDPA include watching online videos, browsing sites, downloading files, and a lot more. If you usually send emails with large attachments, upload files to sites, or seed files in a file sharing network, then HSUPA would improve the speed at which you do your tasks. It is common practice for most mobile networks to deploy HSDPA first before doing HSUPA. Based on the usage patterns of majority of the population, internet bandwidth usage is asymmetrical. This means that we often download more compared to uploading. Telecoms know this and that is why they want to improve downlink as soon as its possible. There are areas in the world where only HSDPA is deployed while HSUPA is still pretty much absent. Mainly because telecoms want to allocate as much bandwidth to downlink as they can while spending as little as they could. Even when fully deployed HSDPA would still have much higher speeds compared to HSUPA. This is in keeping with the asymmetric use of the bandwidth. Allocating equal bandwidth to each would result in a huge waste for the bandwidth allocated to the uplink. Although most telecoms do not deploy HSDPA and HSUPA at the same time, it should not be an issue for users in buying mobile phones. Most of the recent mobile phones that support the HSPA technology already have both HSDPA and HSUPA.

Getting one or the other would just then depend on when your network decides to deploy either technology in your area. Summary: 1. HSDPA is the side of the technology that brings information down to the user while HSUPA is the side of the technology that brings information up from the user 2. HSDPA affects downloading and browsing while HSUPA affects uploading files and sending emails 3. HSDPA is often deployed way ahead of HSUPA 4. HSDPA has much faster speeds compared to HSUPA

Difference Between UMTS and WCDMA Network Technologies UMTS vs WCDMA Network Technologies The third generation of technologies for mobile networks has added a lot of new features aside from the typical calling and messaging capabilities of older 2G networks. With them come a number of new terminologies that can seem confusing. Two of these technologies are UMTS and WCDMA. The main difference between UMTS and WCDMA is that the former is a cellular technology while the latter is one of the air interfaces that it used in order to communicate with the actual device. UMTS stands for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, and it succeeds the older GSM networks. It significantly increases data speeds up to 45Mbps with HSPA+ activated, but most deployments offer maximum speeds of 7Mbps. Aside from WCDMA, which is the most popular air interface in use in mobile networks, there are also other air interfaces that include UTRA-TDD HCR and TD-SCDMA. These three air interfaces behave in different manners while achieving the same exact goal; facilitating the flow of data from a mobile device to the base station over the air. The specifics are handled by WCDMA or the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, which is based on CDMA, a competing standard to GSM. It utilizes two 5MHz channels, one for the downlink (from base station to mobile device) and another for the uplink (from the mobile device to the base station). The 5MHz channel is a fourfold increase when compared to the 1.25MHz channel used by the older CDMA standard. The increased bandwidth is aided by a variety of multiplexing techniques in order to increase the number of users who can be accommodated on the channel while increasing the total bandwidth that can be utilized for the data.

The prominent use of WCDMA has made it synonymous to UMTS. When using either term, most people are actually referring to the very same thing. The use of one or the other is widely accepted, and there should be no worries that you may be using the incorrect term. Summary: 1.UMTS is a cellular technology while WCDMA is one of its air interfaces. 2.UMTS and WCDMA are often used interchangeably.