STUDY OF 3G TECHNOLOGY

INTRODUCTION: 3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. Application services include wide-area wireless voice telephone, mobile Internet access, video calls and mobile TV, all in a mobile environment. Several telecommunications companies market wireless mobile Internet services as 3G, indicating that the advertised service is provided over a 3G wireless network. Services advertised as 3G are required to meet IMT-2000 technical standards, including standards for reliability and speed (data transfer rates). To meet the IMT-2000 standards, a system is required to provide peak data rates of at least 200 kbit/s (about 0.2 Mbit/s). However, many services advertised as 3G provide higher speed than the minimum technical requirements for a 3G service. Recent 3G releases, often denoted 3.5G and 3.75G, also provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to smart phones and mobile modems in laptop computers. The following standards are typically branded 3G:

the UMTS system, first offered in 2001, standardized by 3GPP, used primarily in Europe, Japan, China (however with a different radio interface) and other regions predominated by GSM 2G system infrastructure. The cell phones are typically UMTS and GSM hybrids. Several radio interfaces are offered, sharing the same infrastructure: o The original and most widespread radio interface is called W-CDMA. o The TD-SCDMA radio interface was commercialised in 2009 and is only offered in China. o The latest UMTS release, HSPA+, can provide peak data rates up to 56 Mbit/s in the downlink in theory (28 Mbit/s in existing services) and 22 Mbit/s in the uplink. the CDMA2000 system, first offered in 2002, standardized by 3GPP2, used especially in North America and South Korea, sharing infrastructure with the IS-95 2G standard. The cell phones are typically CDMA2000 and IS-95 hybrids. The latest release EVDO Rev B offers peak rates of 14.7 Mbit/s downstream

ARCHITECTURE:

The following is a brief description of each protocol layer in a 3G wireless network infrastructure: Global Mobility Management (GMM): protocol that includes attach, detach, security, and routing area update functionality. Node B Application Part (NBAP): provides procedures for paging distribution, broadcast system information and management of dedicated and logical resources. Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP): maps higher level characteristics onto the characteristics of the underlying radio-interface protocols. PDCP also provides protocol transparency for higher layer protocols. Radio Link Control (RLC): provides a logical link control over the radio interface. Medium Access Control (MAC): controls the access signaling (request and grant) procedures for the radio channel. Radio resource Control (RRC): manages the allocation and maintenance of radio communication paths. Radio Access Network Application Protocol (RANAP): encapsulates higher layer signaling. Manages the signaling and GTP connections between RNC and 3G-SGSN, and signaling and circuit-switched connections between RNC and 3G MSC. Radio Network Service Application Part (RNSAP): provides the communication between RNCs. GPRS Tunnel Protocol (GTP): protocol that tunnels the protocol data units through the IP backbone by adding routing information. GTP operates on top of TCP/UDP over IP. Mobile Application Part (MAP): supports signaling between SGSN/GGSN and HLR/AuC/EIR.

AAL2 Signaling (Q.2630.1, Q.2150.1, Q.2150.2, AAL2 SSSAR, and AAL2 CPS): protocols suite used to transfer voice over ATM backbone using ATM adaptation layer 2. Sigtran (SCTP, M3UA): protocols suite used to transfer SCN signaling protocols over IP network.

3G networks offer greater security than their 2G predecessors. By allowing the UE (User Equipment) to authenticate the network it is attaching to, the user can be sure the network is the intended one and not an impersonator. 3G networks use the KASUMI block crypto instead of the older A5/1 stream cipher. However, a number of serious weaknesses in the KASUMI cipher have been identified. In addition to the 3G network infrastructure security, end-to-end security is offered when application frameworks such as IMS are accessed, although this is not strictly a 3G SECURITY ISSUES:

Although 3G was successfully introduced to users across the world, some issues are debated by 3G providers and users: Expensive input fees for the 3G service licenses Numerous differences in the licensing terms Large amount of debt currently sustained by many telecommunication companies, which makes it a challenge to build the necessary infrastructure for 3G Lack of member state support for financially troubled operators Expense of 3G phones Lack of buy-in by 2G mobile users for the new 3G wireless services Lack of coverage, because it is still a new service High prices of 3G mobile services in some countries, including Internet access Current lack of user need for 3G voice and data services in a hand-held device high power usage.

3G SPECIFICATIONS: Third Generation Partnership Program (3GPP) came into existence in December 1998. the objectives of this body can broadly be classified as follows: 1. To produce Technical Specifications for 3G mobile system, which could be applicable globally. 2. In addition to provide specification for 3G, it is also to give Technical Specifications for maintenance and development of GSM,GPRS, EDGE etc.

3. The 3G system for which design specifications are to be worked out consists of The Access Network and the Core Network. The access network primarily consists of UTRA (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) interface. For the purpose of developing these specifications, a TSG (Technical Specifications Group) has been formed. This TSG consists of five different TSGs depending upon the network component they are dealing with. They are as follows: a) b) c) d) e) Core Network TSG. GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network TSG, known as GERANTSG. Terminal TSG. Radio Access Network TSG, known as RANTSG. Services and System Aspects TSG.

ADVANTAGES: 3G networks offer the users advantages such as: New radio spectrum to relieve overcrowding in existing systems. More bandwidth, security and reliability. Interoperability between service providers. Fixed and variable data rates. Asymmetric data rates. Backward compatibility of devices with existing networks. Always-online devices, 3G will use IP connectivity. IP is packet based (not circuit based). Rich multimedia services.

DISADVANTAGES: There are some issues in deploying 3G: The cost of upgrading base station and cellular infrastructure to 3G is likely to be very high. Requires different handsets and there is the issue of handset availability. 3G handsets will be a complex product. Roaming and making both data/voice works has not yet been fully and seamlessly operational. Also the higher power requirement (more bits with the same energy/bit) demand a larger handset, shorter talk time, and larger batteries). Customers will prefer to have upgradeability/dual operation of existing handsets. Base stations need to be closer to each other thus involving more cost. Content Provisioning to make services popular.

FEATURES OF 3G: High Speed and High Bandwidth Usage High bandwidth when compared to 2G the measure of the transmission capacity is one of the selling points of 3G. This allows you to quickly and easily access all of your favorite online multimedia and Internet tools, just like you were sitting at the front of your home computer. You can pay bills on the spot, update social networking status and check your e-mails, all on the go. Always-Online Devices Another advantage of the 3G technology is that it can utilize the packet-based Internet protocol connectivity of your device. This means that your mobile device will always be set to be online and will be ready for on the click Internet access. However, you will not pay for the connection until you start sending or receiving packet data, such as sending an email or looking at a web page on the peek. Associated and High Costs To support the 3rd generation technology, updates need to be made to the current cellular infrastructure so the 3g can be enabled on the mobile phone. According to 3G Internet, this means installing a new 3G equipment at every current cellular base station and acquiring some new frequencies for enabling 3G transmissions. 3G is very costly but worth its price due to its stability to work very fast. Power Requirements In addition to being more and more expensive, 3G handsets also requires so much power than most of the 2G models. According to Silicon Press(a Gadget Guide) , this extra power requirement can lead to translation to larger batteries, shortage of usage periods between recharging and more heavy handsets overall.

APPLICATIONS OF 3G: The bandwidth and location information available to 3G devices gives rise to applications not previously available to mobile phone users. Some of the applications are:

Mobile TV Video on demand Videoconferencing Telemedicine Location-based services

DMB in South Korea Mobile television usually means television watched on a small handheld device. It may be a pay TV service broadcast on mobile phone networks or received free-to-air via terrestrial television stations from either regular broadcast or a special mobile TV transmission format. Some mobile televisions can also download television shows from the internet, including recorded TV programs and podcasts which are downloaded and stored on the mobile device for later viewing. The first pocket sized mobile television was sold to the public by Clive Sinclair in January 1977. It was called the Microvision or the MTV-1. It had a 2in CRT screen and was also the first television which could pick up signals in various countries. Mobile TV is starting to gain some traction; According to the Harvard Business Review, the growing adoption of smartphones allowed users to watch as much mobile video in three days of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as they watched throughout the entire 2008 Beijing Olympics- an increase of 564%.

CONCLUSION: Third-generation (3G) cellular systems such as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems) and CDMA2000 (Code-Division Multiple Access) Systems are designed to provide high bit rate data services that enable multimedia communications. Such third-generation cellular systems allow highquality images and video to be transmitted and received. The third-generation cellular systems also provide open-access capabilities where value-added services, e.g., location-based services, can be introduced by third-party providers. While the 3G standards are being drafted, and equipment for thirdgeneration cellular systems is being designed, wireless LAN systems are introduced into our daily lives to meet our demand for wireless data services while on the move.