Mobile 100Mbps broadband on the way

[BGonaSTICK]

While today's 3G connectivity seems positively zippy at 1.8Mbps, some of the biggest names in telecoms are clubbing together to work on a standard that could boost mobile speeds to 100Mbps.

Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, Orange and its parent company France Telecom, T-Mobile and Vodafone have all announced their intention to work together on promoting LTE (long-term evolution), a super high-speed version of 3G.

The collaboration, under the banner of the LTE/SAE (Systems Architecture Initiative) Trial Initiative, will start work this month with a view to showcasing the standard.

The initiative will arrange field tests, interoperability experiments and customer trials to promote the 3G variant. The joint efforts are scheduled to last between 18 and 24 months.

According to the group, the technology is "expected to enable lower operating costs for operators as well as higher data-rate, lower latency end-user services and an improved end-user wireless mobility experience".

It's thought LTE networks will start to be rolled out from 2009 to 2010 and could cost operators $18bn.

[BGonaSTICK]

Does anyone here make use of the positively 'zippy' 3G at 1.8Mbps for surfing?!?

Do you even use mobile internet-based services?

Do you ever use a 3G service to connect your laptop up to the rest of the world when away from home?

If so, how do you find it?

Do you think operators have any chance of clawing back the huge amounts of money they spent on their 3G licenses?

[Unknown user #1]

Does anyone here make use of the positively 'zippy' 3G at 1.8Mbps for surfing?!?

No. It never been faster than 512K on my laptop.

Do you even use mobile internet-based services?

Yes, all the time. Both on my laptop (3G card) and on my PDA phone (web-n-walk)

Do you ever use a 3G service to connect your laptop up to the rest of the world when away from home?

Yes, but it costs a fortune. The roaming charges are extortionate, prepare to pay up to 15 EUR/MB (that's MegaByte, not GigaByte!).

If so, how do you find it?

When it works, it is OK. The only problem is pricing, so if there is a chance for me to get WiFi access (usually much cheaper) when I am on a move, then I'd rather go that route.

Do you think operators have any chance of clawing back the huge amounts of money they spent on their 3G licenses?

I don't think business users generate that much profit for them. Probably the biggest chunk of their earnings coming from kids downloading stupid ringtones and texts (never understood the idea behing SMS but I guess I am simply old-fashioned).

[Gav]

100Mbits? Thats crap lol. Its not going to happen for a long time yet. 100Mbit is hard to deliver through any medium.

I use mobile net. I've got a T Mobile MDA Vario 2 PDA/SmartPhone.

I pay £12.50 a month for unlimited (UK) internet, on both my phone and my laptop. Phone connects to laptop via bluetooth, its very nice

The MDA Vario 2 supports HSDPA, which is really fast, how fast I'm not sure though because there are different standards in different countries.

I love it though, £12.50? Not bad, I think there is a 40GB Limit on what you use.

I could pay an extra tenner to use VOiP, I don't see the point though, I get loads of calls inclusive anyway.


For international uses, I've got a cross-country dial up package & I've got an American phone thingy, with the 'T-Mobile Total Internet' for $50 a month - also unlimited net. Very handy because I'm in the States a lot.

[Analoguesat]

Theres no 3G coverage in the Borders as far as I know. Edinburgh will be the nearest....