Alice in Telecomland

Introduction:

UMTS is a technology which is going to be introduced in Pakistan near future. It is one of the 3G technology which can also be developed into 4 G technology. It is close to GSM/EDGE because the concept of UMTS is same as GSM. UMTS handsets also support GSM. Therefore, UMTS is also marketed as 3GSM. UMTS also covers the radio access network (UTRAN), the core network (MAP) as well as authentication of users via USIM cards.

The high data speeds of UMTS are now most often utilised for Internet access in US and Japan. The network offers very high data transmission speeds, wide coverage, fast service, and customers will have access to third generation mobile services such as video calls and Mobile TV. This involves opportunities for transmissions of live images, and faster Internet connection speeds.

Requirements:

To access this technology and to enjoy new 3G services, customers will need UMTS handsets, and users must be within an area that has 3G coverage. Regular phone calls will be charged as today, depending on subscription plan.

Features:

UMTS, using W-CDMA, supports up to 21 Mbit/s data transfer rates (with HSDPA). This is still much greater than the 9.6 kbit/s of a single GSM circuit switched data channel or multiple 9.6 kbit/s channels in HSCSD. Since 2006, UMTS networks in many countries have been implemented. In many countries the process is in the process of being upgraded with High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), also known as 3.5G. Currently, HSDPA enables downlink transfer speeds of up to 21 Mbit/s.

UMTS uses the same core network standard as GSM/EDGE. This allows a simple migration for exiting GSM operators. However, the migration path to UMTS is still costly, while much of the core infrastructure is shared with GSM, the cost of obtaining new spectrum licenses and overlaying UMTS at existing towers is high.

Issues/problems:

In the early days of UMTS, many issues arose. The significant issue was heavy handsets. Another issue involved call reliability, related to problems with handover from UMTS to GSM. Customers found their connections being dropped as handovers were possible only in one direction (UMTS → GSM). But now in most countries this is no longer an issue. The next problem in UMTS was spectrum allocation for frequency. In US and Japan, they have allocated spectrum differently from the ITU recommendations. In these 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. But this is not a big deal as it also happened with GSM in its early days.

UMTS in Pakistan:

In Pakistan, UMTS will be introduced soon by Telenor. According to PTA, “UMTS is the Next Upcoming Mobile Cellular Technology in Pakistan to be implemented”. Motorola is also offering high performance UMTS and HSPA end to end solutions; including Radio Access Network (RAN), Operations and Management, Core Network and Network Support Services.

The work of developing the UMTS network will start shortly and, according to the license conditions, Telenor will open the network in November or December this year. Approx 200,000 people will then have coverage where they live. The third-generation network will allow for new services and solutions, but will also function closely with the GSM/GPRS network. New services will be introduced so that they work in both networks and utilize the individual network’s properties to the full.