Written by:

Andrei Dulski, Hans Beijner and Hans Herbertsson

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WCDMA is quickly establishing itself as the dominant technology for global third-generation mobile systems (3G), giving operators the means of delivering advanced communication and broadband services to mobile and fixed users alike. These services are already a commercial reality in many cities and urban centers around the world. And now, with the broadband capabilities made possible by high-speed packet access (HSPA), 3G is set to bring cost-effective coverage to rural areas as well. For the first time, end users in rural areas will thus be able to obtain true, cost-effective fixed and mobile broadband services with international roaming capability.

A 3G network is more than an enhanced mobile telephone network. In addition to voice service, it also delivers video telephony, mobile small-screen television, a wide range of data services, and broadband internet connectivity for fixed and mobile users. This multiservice capability (and associated revenue streams) is what makes rural 3G an attractive and strategic investment for mobile operators, because they need only deploy and manage one network based on one technology that delivers a homogenous service offering at unprecedented cost levels.

Broadband for all

Efforts to bring mass-market broadband services to rural areas coincide with an initiative announced by the European Commission.1 The initiative, called Bridging the broadband gap, is intended to bring high-speed broadband internet to all Europeans, in particular to EU's less-developed areas. The understated rural capability of 3G is a key enabler for realizing this vision of Broadband for all in which broadband internet connections are a prerequisite for e-business, growth and jobs throughout the economy. Ericsson fully agrees with the Commission's conclusion that an environment in which open market forces stimulate competition among players benefits not only the telecommunications industry but also consumers and society as a whole.

The issue of rural broadband is not limited to Europe, however - it is a common global challenge. In this context, Telstra, which operates in Australia, a country with huge geographical expanses and low population densities, is at the forefront of global technological innovation, providing great strategic insight into how 3G networks can serve as commercially viable enablers of communication and broadband services, even in areas with extremely low population density.

Rural 3G service offering

Being an evolution of the GSM standard (2G), one might wrongly assume that WCDMA is merely enhanced technology for mobile telephony services. But in reality, WCDMA networks are true multiservice networks whose capabilities are unmatched by any other technology. A WCDMA network is nothing less than a wireless broadband network with full support for mobility, which among other things, can also deliver traditional mobile telephony. Therefore in rural areas, a WCDMA network constitutes a cost-effective way of rapidly deploying residential broadband services. Third-generation services with mass-market potential include

• mobile telephony;
• video telephony;
• basic data services, such as SMS and MMS;
• advanced data applications, including music downloads to a mobile handset;
• mobile broadband targeting laptop users;
• fixed-wireless broadband (ADSL alternative);
• mobile small-screen TV streaming;
• fixed PSTN-equivalent telephony; and
• government, health and educational services. 

Many of these services target traditional mobile handset terminals, while others, such as mobile broadband, are primarily used by laptop users who require fast, always-on internet access with full mobility and everywhere availability. Fixed-wireless broadband and PSTN telephony give mobile operators the means of delivering non-mobile residential services over wireless mobile networks.