Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)

or Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS), is a digital mobile phone technology that allows increased data transmission rates and improved data transmission reliability. Although technically a 3G network technology, it is generally classified as the unofficial standard 2.75G, due to its slower network speed. EDGE has been introduced into GSM networks around the world since 2003, initially in North America. EDGE can be used for any packet switched application, such as an Internet connection. High-speed data applications such as video services and other multimedia benefit from EGPRS' increased data capacity. EDGE Circuit Switched is a possible future development. EDGE Evolution continues in Release 7 of the 3GPP standard providing doubled performance e.g. to complement High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA).

Contents
[hide]

1 Technology o 1.1 Transmission techniques o 1.2 EGPRS modulation and coding scheme (MCS) o 1.3 Classification o 1.4 EDGE Evolution 2 Networks o 2.1 Europe and CIS o 2.2 Africa o 2.3 Middle East o 2.4 Asia o 2.5 Asia and Far East o 2.6 Australasia 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Technology
EDGE/EGPRS is implemented as a bolt-on enhancement for 2G and 2.5G GSM and GPRS networks, making it easier for existing GSM carriers to upgrade to it. EDGE/EGPRS is a superset to GPRS and can function on any network with GPRS deployed on it, provided the carrier implements the necessary upgrade. Although EDGE requires no hardware or software changes to be made in GSM core networks, base stations must be modified. EDGE compatible transceiver units must be installed and the base station subsystem (BSS) needs to be upgraded to support EDGE. New mobile terminal hardware and software is also required to decode/encode the new modulation and coding schemes and carry the higher user data rates to implement new services.

[edit] Transmission techniques

In addition to Gaussian minimum-shift keying (GMSK), EDGE uses higher-order PSK/8 phase shift keying (8PSK) for the upper five of its nine modulation and coding schemes. EDGE produces a 3-bit word for every change in carrier phase. This effectively triples the gross data rate offered by GSM. EDGE, like GPRS, uses a rate adaptation algorithm that adapts the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) according to

the quality of the radio channel, and thus the bit rate and robustness of data transmission. It introduces a new technology not found in GPRS, Incremental Redundancy, which, instead of retransmitting disturbed packets, sends more redundancy information to be combined in the receiver. This increases the probability of correct decoding. EDGE can carry data speeds up to 236.8 kbit/s for 4 timeslots (theoretical maximum is 473.6 kbit/s for 8 timeslots) in packet mode and will therefore meet the International Telecommunications Union's requirement for a 3G network, and has been accepted by the ITU as part of the IMT-2000 family of 3G standards. It also enhances the circuit data mode called HSCSD, increasing the data rate of this service.

[edit] EGPRS modulation and coding scheme (MCS)

Coding and modulation Speed Modulation scheme (MCS) (kbit/s/slot) MCS-1 8.80 GMSK MCS-2 11.2 GMSK MCS-3 14.8 GMSK MCS-4 17.6 GMSK MCS-5 22.4 8-PSK MCS-6 29.6 8-PSK MCS-7 44.8 8-PSK MCS-8 54.4 8-PSK MCS-9 59.2 8-PSK

[edit] Classification
Whether EDGE is 2G or 3G depends on implementation. While Class 3 and below EDGE devices clearly are not 3G, class 4 and above devices perform at a higher bandwidth than other technologies conventionally considered as 2G as 1xRTT). Because of the variability, EDGE is generally classified as 2.75G network technology.

[edit] EDGE Evolution

EDGE Evolution improves on EDGE in a number of ways. Latencies are reduced by lowering the Transmission Time Interval by half (from 20 ms to 10 ms). Bit rates are increased up to 1 MBit/s peak speed and latencies down to 100 ms using dual carriers, higher symbol rate and higher-order modulation (32QAM and 16QAM instead of 8-PSK), and turbo codes to improve error correction. And finally signal quality is improved using dual antennas. An EDGE Evolution terminal or network can support some of these improvements, or roll them out in stages.

[edit] Networks
EDGE is actively supported by GSM operators in North America. Some GSM operators elsewhere viewed UMTS as the ultimate upgrade path and either planned to skip EDGE altogether or use it outside the UMTS coverage area. However, the high cost and slow uptake of UMTS have resulted in fairly common support for EDGE in the global GSM/GPRS market. The following companies have EDGE networks in operation: Operator' Alltel AT&T Mobility Centennial Wireless Country United States United States United States

Chinook Wireless Cincinnati Bell Corr Wireless Edge Wireless i wireless Mid-Tex Cellular Petrocom Plateau Wireless PSC Wireless Suncom T-Mobile Unicel Viaero Westlink XIT Communications Ancel Uruguay (nationwide) Movistar Uruguay (almost nationwide) Orange Rogers Fido Telcel movistar TIM Claro Telemig Celular Oi Tigo movistar Claro Tigo Claro Digicel Jamaica BSNL Airtel Vodafone Idea Telenor Pakistan Tigo Tigo Comcel VOX Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago EntelPCS BTC Digitel movistar CTI Argentina (almost nationwide) Porta

United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United States Uruguay Uruguay Dominican Republic Canada Canada Mexico Mexico Brazil Brazil Brazil (the state of Minas Gerais) Brazil Guatemala Guatemala Guatemala Honduras Honduras Jamaica India India India India Pakistan Paraguay Colombia Colombia Paraguay Trinidad and Tobago Chile The Bahamas Venezuela Venezuela Argentina Ecuador

[edit] Europe and CIS

Multi-country operators:

Orange has EDGE networks in Belgium, France, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, UK, Moldova (see Orange Moldova) and Switzerland. T-Mobile O2 (launched for UK iPhone release date of November 9th)

Single country operators:

Austria: Mobilkom Austria provides an EDGE network [1] Armenia: VivaCell provides full EDGE network. [2] Azerbaijan: Azercell has EDGE network in Baku, the capital. Bakcell has EDGE network in Baku and some other major cities. Belarus: Velcom is constructing EDGE network and has partly opened it [3] Belgium: BASE (almost nationwide) Bulgaria: Mobiltel has EDGE coverage in the South part and will gradually expand it in the North part of the country in 2007. Croatia: VIPnet [4] and T-Mobile have EDGE coverage. Czech Republic: Vodafone has large EDGE coverage, including all the main cities, O2 Czech Republic uses EDGE at new cells. T-Mobile uses EDGE in main cities and surrounding areas. Denmark: Telia has EDGE coverage in 98.7% of the country Finland: TeliaSonera and Elisa Oyj have large EDGE coverage including all the main cities; also Dna Finland is constructing a large EDGE/UMTS network and has partly opened it France: Bouygues Tlcom has now an EDGE Network that covers 95% of the population; it is the largest EDGE implementation in France [5] Georgia: Beeline (communications) has full EDGE MSC9 network [6], Geocell has EDGE networks [7] Germany: Vodafone are currently upgrading to EDGE in regions with no UMTS coverage, T-Mobile finished upgrading in spring 2007 Hungary: Pannon GSM have a wide coverage of EDGE, even in some rural areas in addition to major cities and motorways Iceland: Vodafone Iceland has EDGE coverage throughout the country from 2007 Iceland: Siminn has EDGE coverage Ireland: Meteor Mobile Communciations, has EDGE throughout the country from 2007; also Vodafone Ireland, has an EDGE network where GPRS is supported. O2 Ireland now have upgraded to EDGE Italy: TIM supports EDGE wherever GPRS is already supported; also Wind is upgrading the existing network to EDGE, while it is already available in several cities Jersey: Jersey Telecom has EDGE coverage Latvia: LMT has an EDGE network since 2005 Malta: GO has an EDGE network [8] as of 2006 [9] Lithuania: Bite Lietuva has a nationwide EDGE network in the country, and was one of the first to launch it in Europe (December 2003) Moldova: Moldcell has EDGE networks in large cities [10] Netherlands: Telfort had full EDGE coverage, however this was phased out as of July 2007. Norway: Telenor and Netcom both operate separate, nation-wide networks. Both have complete EDGE coverage. Poland: Era andPlus have EDGE coverage. Romania: Orange Romania Russia: MegaFon, Mobile TeleSystems, Beeline have partial EDGE coverage. Regional GSM operators, such as BWC in Irkutsk Oblast, VNTC in Primorsky Krai and ETK also have partial EDGE coverage. Serbia: Telenor Serbia has partial EDGE coverage Slovenia: Si.mobil - Vodafone has EDGE 90% coverage, all major settlements are covered [11] Sweden: Telia/TeliaSonera has EDGE coverage

Switzerland: Sunrise a subsidiary of TDC has EDGE that cover 99% of the population and was first with EDGE in the country; also Swisscom thru Swisscom Mobile's EDGE (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) network has EDGE networks that cover 99% of the population. Turkey: Turkcell and Avea have EDGE coverage. Ukraine: UMC was the first mobile operator in the country and today provides for more than 16 millions of subscribers an opportunity to communicate using EDGE; also Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest mobile operator with more than 20 million subscribers, offers EDGE in selected cities and plans to extend coverage nationwide in 2007; Life:) third largest mobile operator in Ukraine with more than 6 million subscribers having 80% coverage of inhabited territories with EDGE enabled network. United Kingdom: Telefnica O2 are in the process of upgrading their network to support EDGE, in order to support the iPhone. [1] [2] [3] Orange UK already have EDGE deployed across parts of their network. Spain: Orange, movistar, Vodafone and Yoigo has EDGE networks. Yoigo only has EDGE coverage, while the other three has also a GSM 900/1800 MHz network.

[edit] Africa
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)

Botswana: Mascom has rolled out EDGE country wide. Egypt: Mobinil Kenya: Safaricom has introduced this service to enhance the Mobile Internet speeds that subscribers currently experience on their GPRS network; also Celtel has launched EDGE in Nairobi and GPRS countrywide Liberia: Libercell has introduced the EGPRS technology South Africa: Cell C has EDGE coverage; MTN and Vodacom has EDGE coverage for large areas Mozambique: Vodacom has EDGE coverage for large areas Tunisia: Tunisiana Zambia: Celtel has launched EDGE in Lusaka and GPRS countrywide Tanzania: Vodacom has introduced 3G and EDGE technology Mauritius: Cellplus(Mauritius Telecom) and Emtel has introduced 3G and EDGE technology countrywide

[edit] Middle East

This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)

Bahrain: Zain (formerly MTC) has 3.5G and EDGE coverage Kuwait: Zain and Wataniya both have EDGE coverage in Kuwait. Israel: Cellcom has EDGE coverage Palestine: Jawal has EDGE coverage over a 2G network Iran: MTN Irancell has EDGE in every city which has MTN Irancell coverage. Saudi Arabia: Mobily has EDGE technology as the base for all of the telecomunication towers but in the cities it has 3G also in their network. Saudi Arabia: Aljawal.STC has EDGE technology United Arab Emirates: ETISALAT has a wide EDGE coverage that covers most of the seven emirates. Egypt: the three operators (Mobinil, Vodafone Egypt & Etisalat-Masr) offer EDGE technology for their clients.

[edit] Asia

Operator GrameenPhone Banglalink Aktel Warid Telecom China Mobile CSL Peoples Airtel BSNL MTNL !dea Vodafone Telkomsel Excelcom Indosat DiGi Maxis Mobile Mero Mobile Mobilink Telenor (Pakistan) Warid Telecom Ufone SMART StarHub Dialog GSM DTAC True Move Advanced Info Service

Country Bangladesh (Covers all part of Bangladesh) Bangladesh Bangladesh Bangladesh (Covers all part of Bangladesh) China (In Major cities) Hong Kong Hong Kong India (In Major cities) India (Covers all part of India) India India India (In Major cities) Indonesia Indonesia [[Indonesia] Malaysia Malaysia Nepal Pakistan (Available in Islamabad) Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan Philippines Singapore Sri Lanka Thailand Thailand Thailand

[edit] Asia and Far East

Bangladesh: Grameenphone have launched EDGE services and covers all part of the country and the service is much better than any other broadband operators in Bangladesh.As its users mount to a great number,its speed is quite poor in recent times Bangladesh: Warid Telecom have launched EDGE services recently. China: China Mobile launched EDGE services in Guangdong province in 2005. Shanghai has good EDGE coverage through China Mobile (2007)

Hong Kong: Peoples; also CSL, under the brands 1O1O and One2Free

India: Bharti Airtel, MTNL, !dea and Vodafone under the brand Hutch have launched EDGE services. As of July 2007, BSNL's plans for introducing the service are pending since year 2003.district headquarters are currently under the reach of EDGE of BSNL[4][12] [13] [14] Indonesia: Telkomsel, Excelcom, and Indosat provide EDGE network Malaysia: DiGi has reasonable EDGE coverage, particularly in West Malaysia. Coverage in East Malaysia is currently limited to Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and several main town centres. DiGi streams its MobileTV service over its EDGE network; also Maxis Mobile provides an EDGE network Nepal: Spice Nepal "Mero Mobile" has EDGE coverage in major cities

Pakistan: Mobilink and Warid Telecom are testing EDGE services in major cities. Telenor (Pakistan) provides EDGE coverage throughout Pakistan and is the only operator in Pakistan currently providing Mobile TV over its EDGE network. Philippines: SMART has a wide EDGE coverage over the Philippine archipelago. PLDT, the parent company of SMART, also offers the PLDT WeRoam GPRS/EDGE wireless internet service Sri Lanka: Dialog GSM offers EDGE Coverage in Major Cities. Thailand: DTAC provides nationwide EDGE coverage[15]. Advanced Info Service (AIS) also has a nationwide EDGE coverage. The third largest mobile operator, True Move, has deployed EDGE in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area.

[edit] Australasia

Australia: Telstra has nationwide EDGE coverage (approximately 96% of population). New Zealand: Nationwide EDGE coverage across main metropolitan areas on Vodafone NZ's mobilize network, for corporate and industrial use only. New Zealand's public use only available via Australia's Telstra network. Samoa: Digicel Pacific (previously Telecom NZ) is still under initiation. Fiji: Vodafone (Fiji) and Digicel Pacific has no EDGE service.

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)

is one of the third-generation (3G) cell phone technologies. Currently, the most common form of UMTS uses W-CDMA as the underlying air interface. It is standardized by the 3GPP, and is the European answer to the ITU IMT-2000 requirements for 3G cellular radio systems.

To differentiate UMTS from competing network technologies, UMTS is sometimes marketed as 3GSM, emphasizing the combination of the 3G nature of the technology and the GSM standard which it was designed to succeed.

Contents
[hide]

1 Preface 2 Features 3 Deployment 4 Technology 5 3G external modems 6 Interoperability and global roaming 7 Spectrum allocation 8 Other competing standards 9 Problems and issues 10 See also 11 Literature 12 References 13 External links

[edit] Preface
This article discusses the technology, business, usage and other aspects encompassing and surrounding UMTS, the 3G successor to GSM which utilizes the W-CDMA air interface and GSM infrastructures. Any issues relating strictly to the W-CDMA interface itself may be better described in the W-CDMA page.

[edit] Features
UMTS, using W-CDMA, supports up to 14.0 Mbit/s data transfer rates in theory (with HSDPA), although at the moment users in deployed networks can expect a transfer rate of up to 384 kbit/s for R99 handsets, and 3.6 Mbit/s for HSDPA handsets in the downlink connection. This is still much greater than the 9.6 kbit/s of a single GSM error-corrected circuit switched data channel or multiple 9.6 kbit/s channels in HSCSD (14.4 kbit/s for CDMAOne), andin competition to other network technologies such as CDMA2000, PHS or WLANoffers access to the World Wide Web and other data services on mobile devices. Precursors to 3G are 2G mobile telephony systems, such as GSM, IS-95, PDC, PHS and other 2G technologies deployed in different countries. In the case of GSM, there is an evolution path from 2G, called GPRS, also known as 2.5G. GPRS supports a much better data rate (up to a theoretical maximum of 140.8 kbit/s, though typical rates are closer to 56 kbit/s) and is packet switched rather than connection oriented (circuit switched). It is deployed in many places where GSM is used. E-GPRS, or EDGE, is a further evolution of GPRS and is based on more modern coding schemes. With EDGE the actual packet data rates can reach around 180 kbit/s (effective). EDGE systems are often referred as "2.75G Systems". Since 2006, UMTS networks in many countries have been or are in the process of being upgraded with High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), sometimes known as 3.5G. Currently, HSDPA enables downlink transfer speeds of up to 7.2 Mbit/s. Work is also progressing on improving the uplink transfer speed with the High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA). Longer term, the 3GPP Long Term Evolution project plans to move UMTS to 4G speeds of 100 Mbit/s down and 50 Mbit/s up, using a next generation air interface technology based upon OFDM.

UMTS supports mobile videoconferencing, although experience in Japan and elsewhere has shown that user demand for video calls is not very high. Other possible uses for UMTS include the downloading of music and video content, as well as live TV.

[edit] Deployment
See also: List of Deployed UMTS networks

[edit] Technology
The following information does not apply to non-UMTS systems that use the W-CDMA air interface, such as FOMA UMTS combines the W-CDMA, TD-CDMA, or TD-SCDMA air interfaces, GSM's Mobile Application Part (MAP) core, and the GSM family of speech codecs. In the most popular cellular mobile telephone variant of UMTS, W-CDMA is currently used. Note that other wireless standards use W-CDMA as their air interface, including FOMA. UMTS over W-CDMA uses a pair of 5 MHz channels. In contrast, the competing CDMA2000 system uses one or more arbitrary 1.25 MHz channels for each direction of communication. UMTS and other W-CDMA systems are widely criticized for their large spectrum usage, which has delayed deployment in countries that acted relatively slowly in allocating new frequencies specifically for 3G services (such as the United States). The specific frequency bands originally defined by the UMTS standard are 1885-2025 MHz for the mobileto-base (uplink) and 2110-2200 MHz for the base-to-mobile (downlink). In the US, 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz will be used instead, as the 1900 MHz band was already utilized.[1] Additionally, in some countries UMTS operators use the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands (independently, meaning uplink and downlink are within the same band), notably in the US by AT&T Mobility. Also in Finland opened UMTS900 network, planned for more rural areas and other hard coverage areas over the GSM shared 900 MHz spectrum, supported currently by Elisa and Nokia (by model 6121 classic) and also encouraged by the local regulatives. For existing GSM operators, it is a simple but costly migration path to UMTS: much of the infrastructure is shared with GSM, but the cost of obtaining new spectrum licenses and overlaying UMTS at existing towers can be prohibitively expensive. A major difference of UMTS compared to GSM is the air interface forming GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network (GeRAN). It can be connected to various backbone networks like the Internet, ISDN, GSM or to a UMTS network. GeRAN includes the three lowest layers of OSI model. The network layer (OSI 3) protocols form the Radio Resource Management protocol (RRM). They manage the bearer channels between the mobile terminals and the fixed network including the handovers.

[edit] 3G external modems

Using a cellular router, PCMCIA or USB card, customers are able to access 3G broadband services, regardless of their choice of computer (such as a tablet PC or a PDA). Some software installs itself from the modem, so that in some cases absolutely no knowledge of technology is required to get online in moments. Using a phone that supports 3G and Bluetooth 2.0, multiple Bluetooth-capable laptops can be connected to the Internet. The phone acts as a router, but via Bluetooth rather than wireless networking (802.11) or a USB connection.

[edit] Interoperability and global roaming

At the air interface level, UMTS itself is incompatible with GSM. UMTS phones and UMTS data cards sold in Europe, the United States, much of Asia, and South Africa, are UMTS/GSM dual-mode devices, hence they are backwards compatible with regular GSM networks. If a UMTS customer travels to an area without UMTS coverage, a UMTS phone will automatically switch to GSM (roaming charges may apply). If the customer travels outside of UMTS coverage during a call, the call will be transparently handed off to available GSM coverage. Regular GSM phones cannot be used on the UMTS networks. This article or section deals primarily with the United States and does not represent a worldwide view of the subject.
Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

Softbank (formerly Vodafone Japan, formerly J-Phone) operates a 3G network based on UMTS compatible W-CDMA technology, that launched in December 2002. Lack of investment in the network through 2003 meant that coverage was slow to expand and subscriber numbers remained low. The network was publicly relaunched in October 2004 and again in 2005, and Vodafone now claims network coverage of 99% of the population, while 15% of their subscribers are 3G users. NTT DoCoMo's 3G network, FOMA, was the first commercial network using W-CDMA since 2002. The first W-CDMA version used by NTT DoCoMo was incompatible with the UMTS standard at the radio level, however USIM cards used by FOMA phones are compatible with GSM phones, so that USIM card based roaming is possible from Japan to GSM areas without any problem. Today the NTT DoCoMo network as well as all the W-CDMA networks in the world use the standard version of UMTS, allowing potential global roaming. Whether and under which conditions roaming can actually be used by subscribers depends on the commercial agreements between operators. All UMTS/GSM dual-mode phones should accept existing GSM SIM cards. Sometimes, you are allowed to roam on UMTS networks using GSM SIM cards from the same provider. In the United States, UMTS is currently offered by AT&T Mobility on 850 MHz and 1900 MHz, due to the limitations of the spectrum available to them at the time they launched UMTS service. T-Mobile will be rolling out UMTS on the 2100/1700 MHz AWS frequencies, but has been delayed by a lack of spectrum availability. Because of the frequencies used, early models of UMTS phones designated for the US will likely not be operable overseas and vice versa; other standards, notably GSM, have faced similar problems, an issue dealt with by the adoption of multi-band phones. Most UMTS licensees seem to consider ubiquitous, transparent global roaming an important issue.

[edit] Spectrum allocation

Main article: UMTS frequency bands Over 120 licenses have already been awarded to operators worldwide (as of December 2004), specifying WCDMA radio access technology that builds on GSM. In Europe, the license process occurred at the end of the technology bubble, and the auction mechanisms for allocation set up in some countries resulted in some extremely high prices being paid, notable in the UK and Germany. In Germany, bidders paid a total 50.8 billion euros for six licenses, two of which were subsequently abandoned and written off by their purchasers (Mobilcom and the Sonera/Telefonica consortium). It has been suggested that these huge license fees have the character of a very large tax paid on income expected 10 years down the road - in any event they put some European telecom operators close to bankruptcy (most notably KPN). Over the last few years some operators have written off some or all of the license costs.

The UMTS spectrum allocated in Europe is already used in North America. The 1900 MHz range is used for 2G (PCS) services, and 2100 MHz range is used for satellite communications. Regulators have however, freed up some of the 2100 MHz range for 3G services, together with the 1700 MHz for the uplink. UMTS operators in North America who want to implement a European style 2100/1900 MHz system will have to share spectrum with existing 2G services in the 1900 MHz band. 2G GSM services elsewhere use 900 MHz and 1800 MHz and therefore do not share any spectrum with planned UMTS services. AT&T Wireless launched UMTS services in the United States by the end of 2004 strictly using the existing 1900 MHz spectrum allocated for 2G PCS services. Cingular acquired AT&T Wireless in 2004 and has since then launched UMTS in select US cities. Initial rollout of UMTS in Canada will also be handled exclusively by the 1900 MHz band. T-Mobile's roll-out of UMTS in the US will focus on the 2100/1700 MHz bands just auctioned. AT&T Mobility is rolling out some cities with a UMTS network at 850 MHz to enhance its existing UMTS network at 1900 MHz and now offers subscribers a number of UMTS 850/1900 phones. In Australia, Telstra rolled out the NextG network, a 3G UMTS network operating in the 850 MHz band to replace the existing CDMA network (February 2008) and enhance its existing 2100 MHz UMTS network. The 850 MHz band provides greater coverage compared to equivalent 1700/1900/2100 MHz networks, and is best suited to regional areas where greater distances separate subscriber and base station.

[edit] Other competing standards

There are other competing 3G standards, such as FOMA, CDMA2000 and TD-SCDMA, though UMTS can use the latter's air interface standard. FOMA and UMTS similarly share the W-CDMA air interface system. On the Internet access side, competing systems include WiMAX and Flash-OFDM. Different variants of UMTS compete with different standards. While this article has largely discussed UMTS-FDD, a form oriented for use in conventional cellular-type spectrum, UMTS-TDD, a system based upon a TD-CDMA air interface, is used to provide UMTS service where the uplink and downlink share the same spectrum, and is very efficient at providing asymmetric access. It provides more direct competition with WiMAX and similar Internet-access oriented systems than conventional UMTS. Both the CDMA2000 and W-CDMA air interface systems are accepted by ITU as part of the IMT-2000 family of 3G standards, in addition to UMTS-TDD's TD-CDMA, Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) and China's own 3G standard, TD-SCDMA. CDMA2000's narrower bandwidth requirements make it easier than UMTS to deploy in existing spectrum along with legacy standards. In some, but not all, cases, existing GSM operators only have enough spectrum to implement either UMTS or GSM, not both. For example, in the US D, E, and F PCS spectrum blocks, the amount of spectrum available is 5 MHz in each direction. A standard UMTS system would saturate that spectrum. In many markets however, the co-existence issue is of little relevance, as legislative hurdles exist to codeploying two standards in the same licensed slice of spectrum. Most GSM operators in North America as well as others around the world have accepted EDGE as a temporary 3G solution. AT&T Wireless launched EDGE nationwide in 2003, AT&T launched EDGE in most markets and T-Mobile USA has launched EDGE nationwide as of October 2005. Rogers Wireless launched nation-wide EDGE service in late 2003 for the Canadian market. Bit Lietuva (Lithuania) was one of the first operators in Europe to launch EDGE in December 2003. TIM (Italy) launched EDGE in 2004. The benefit of EDGE is that it leverages existing GSM spectrums and is compatible with existing GSM handsets. It is also much easier, quicker, and considerably cheaper for wireless carriers to "bolt-on" EDGE functionality by upgrading their existing GSM transmission hardware to support EDGE than having to install almost all brand-new equipment to deliver UMTS. EDGE provides a short-term upgrade path for GSM operators and directly competes with CDMA2000.

[edit] Problems and issues

Some countries, such as the United States and Japan, have allocated spectrum differently from the ITU Recommendations, so that the spectrum bands most commonly used for UMTS (UMTS-2100) have not been available. In those countries, alternative bands are used, preventing the interoperability of existing UMTS-2100 equipment, and requiring the design and manufacture of different equipment for the use in these markets. As is the case with GSM today, this presumably will mean that standard UMTS equipment will not work in those markets, and some will work only in them, while some more-expensive equipment may be available that works in all markets. It also diminishes the economy of scale and benefit to users and network providers from the network effect that would have existed if these countries and the ITU had been able to agree on universally-applicable frequencies. In the early days of UMTS there were issues with rollout:

overweight handsets with poor battery life; problems with handover from UMTS to GSM, connections being dropped or handovers only possible in one direction (UMTS GSM) with the handset only changing back to UMTS after hanging up, even if UMTS coverage returnsin most networks around the world this is no longer an issue; for fully fledged UMTS incorporating Video on Demand features, one base station needs to be set up every 11.5 km (0.620.93 mi). While this is economically feasible in urban areas, it is infeasible in less populated suburban and rural areas; in Ireland, Severe issues were encountered by users of 3G mobile broadband data modems on the rollout of their mobile broadband. It is not compatible with SMTP email programs and it is not possible to pop your hotmail to Microsoft Outlook. It is also not possible to receive automatic Software Updates on Apple computers as the internet connection times out.

Some of these issues may still be ongoing; for instance, Apple, Inc. cited UMTS power consumption as the reason that the iPhone only supports EDGE.