Types of 3G

There are two main flavors of 3G: UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone Service), which is rolled out over existing GSM networks, and CDMA2000, which brings 3G speeds to CDMA networks; for a detailed explanation of terms, see the glossary. Both UMTS and CDMA2000--which has two high-speed offshoots, the data-only 1xEV-DO and the voice-plus-data 1xEV-DV--are already available in major cities and select suburban areas with further expansion set for the future. Speeds for both should be about DSL level. AT&T has also launched a 3.5G speed network in 2006 dubbed HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), which starts off at around 1.8Mbps and can theoretically get speeds of up to a blistering 14.4Mbps. There have also been talks of 4G technologies such as WiMax, which should provide even faster speeds.



Of course, you'll need a 3G-capable phone to use one of the new high-speed networks. After a slow start, a wide assortment of 3G handsets is now available from the carriers. All the mobiles offer support for the new 3G networks, and they come in a variety of styles, from stylish and trendy--such as the LG Venus VX8800 for Verizon--to simple and functional, as in the Samsung SPH-M520 for Sprint. For a complete list of phones, see the next page or all new cell phone reviews. As for 3.5G phones, HSDPA-supported phones include the LG CU720 Shine and the AT&T Tilt.

Laptop users also can take advantage of 3G networks for on-the-go broadband without a Wi-Fi network; all you need is a carrier-supplied PC Card. There are PC cards for both EV-DO and HSDPA networks.

Services and speeds 

	Technology	Speeds	Features
1G	AMPS	n/a	Analog (voice only)
2G	GSM CDMA iDen	Less than 20Kbps	Voice; SMS; conference calls; caller ID; push to talk
2.5G	GPRS 1xRTT EDGE	30Kbps to 90Kbps	MMS; images; Web browsing; short audio/video clips; games, applications, and ring tone downloads
3G	UMTS 1xEV-DO	144Kbps to 2Mbps	Full-motion video; streaming music; 3D gaming; faster Web browsing
3.5G	HSDPA (upgrade for UMTS) 1xEV-DV	384Kbps to 14.4Mbps	On-demand video; videoconferencing
4G and beyond	WiMax*	100Mbps to 1Gbps	High-quality streaming video; high-quality videoconferencing; Voice-over-IP telephony

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