The impressive uptake of mobile broadband services based on High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is founded on excellent performance, low cost and seamless fall-back to GPRS/EDGE, which results in great coverage from day one. New technologies are being developed to further improve the coexistence of GSM and WCDMA and pave the way for the introduction of LTE.
The impressive uptake of mobile data shows how a true mass market for mobile broadband services can be created through a combination of seamless service coverage as the network evolves, attractive service pricing and availability of a range of affordable devices.
Mobile broadband is the fastest growing business opportunity for mobile operators today. Among mobile operators in mature markets, mobile data is overtaking messaging as a revenue source – and growing by 50 percent per year – making it the biggest success since voice.
The three generations of 3GPP radio technologies – GSM, WCDMA/HSPA and LTE – are predicted to account for more than 90 percent of mobile data usage. While the split between these technologies, over time and in different markets or geographical areas, is less certain, it is clear that they will continue to coexist into the foreseeable future. This means that operators will need to manage the three generations of 3GPP in parallel.
The good news for the operator community is that the standards’ architects have borne this in mind as radio technology has evolved.
In addition, new solutions and approaches to radio network design and operation are being developed that will enable operators to optimize their use of GSM, WCDMA and LTE network resources at all stages of market development – whether as stand-alone networks or as multi-standard coverage solutions. These include reuse of core networks, multi-standard radio access network (RAN) solutions, transmission networks and powerful tools that enable operators to manage more with less effort. Features such as multi-standard radio and increased integration of operation and maintenance (O&M) systems support the coexistence by, for example, enabling dynamic traffic load-sharing across the different radio networks.
The strength of the evolutionary 3GPP standard is being proved by the strong business case for, and rapid uptake of, HSPA technology. Continued coexistence and seamless technological evolution prepare the way for the exciting new possibilities enabled by LTE.
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