evdomanuals.com

Broadband everywhere! New data technologies from major carriers will deliver over 1 Mb/s to mobile phone handsets and laptop computers in major metropolitan areas across the United States by the end of 2006. The ability to tap into a fast, low-latency network is changing the way people do business and causing a few developers to rethink their applications for an always-on broadband connected user with constant access to his or her personal device.

EV-DO is a high-speed data technology currently deployed by CDMA carriers in major markets. The latest version of EV-DO, revision A, promises up download speeds up to 3.1 Mb/s, upload speeds as fast as 1.8 Mb/s, and latency as low as 50ms. This low latency makes VoIP and video chat a reality over cellular-based networks. EV-DO is available through Sprint branded as Mobile Broadband for laptops or PowerVision for phone handsets. EV-DO is also available through Verizon Wireless branded as BroadbandAccess for laptops or V Cast for phone handsets.

HSDPA is a competing standard for GSM networks. It is capable of download speeds up to 3.6 Mb/s and uploads of 384 Kb/s. HSDPA allows simultaneous voice and data and can downgrade to older UMTS when a newer network is not available. Cingular brands their HSDPA offering as BroadbandConnect.

What would you do with a 1 Mb/s always-on connection in your pocket, on your laptop, or any other device? Om and I talk discuss current offerings from major U.S. carriers as well as some of the applications that are already taking advantage of these new ubiquitous broadband connections.

Why WiMax?
But the advantage of Mobile WiMax isn’t just that individual download speeds will rise. It’s that Sprint’s virtual “pipes” will be able to support more simultaneous users at less cost, West said, and that WiMax chips cost “around 1/10″ the price of those of competing technologies.

Sprint will deploy WiMax on 2.5 Ghz spectrum covering 85% of the nation’s top 100 markets. West said Sprint also looked at Flarion’s Flash-OFDM technology (which we reviewed when Nextel tested it in North Carolina) and IPWireless’ UMTS-TDD technology, but neither were good fits.

Flash-OFDM “worked extremely well … [but] it’s only available in what’s called frequency division duplexing, and the spectrum we own is more conducive to time division duplexing,” West said. UMTS-TDD, meanwhile, didn’t have the “ecosystem” Sprint was looking for.

WiMax has traditionally been considered a competitor to cable Internet access for homes. But Sprint’s joint ventures with major cable companies, including Time Warner and Comcast, will continue, Forsee said, with the cable companies having the option to participate in 4G.

Sprint announced today major network enhancements in Seattle, Las Vegas and Milwaukee markets. Upgrades to the Sprint Power Vision Network to the new EV-DO Revision A technology will allow consumers to take advantage of higher data transfer rates for enhanced data communications. Sprint Power Vision users in these markets should experience significantly faster average upload speeds of 300-400 kbps (compared with 50-70 kbps of current EV-DO networks). Average download speeds should also increase to 450–800 kbps from 400-700 kbps.

Overall, Sprint plans to reach more than 200 million people in the U.S. with mobile broadband data services (including both EV-DO Revisions 0 and A) in 220 major metropolitan areas across the country with its Power Vision network by the end of 2006. By 3Q 2007, Sprint’s Power Vision network is expected to be completely upgraded to the faster EV-DO Revision A.

The upgrade to EV-DO Revision A is expected to further drive Sprint’s wireless data leadership as customers will be able to use the upgraded network to utilize applications such as all IP video telephony, high-performance push-to-talk (walkie-talkie service), multi-user video conferencing, real-time gaming and video streaming as they become available.

Over the last year, Verizon Wireless has been repeatedly slammed online for their misleading tactic of selling their wireless EVDO service as “unlimited” but then cutting off users who use too much. For a while this was a “fuzzy cap” where they wouldn’t even tell you how much. It was estimated at 10gigs per month, though more recent comments from the company suggest that it’s actually 5 gigs. As for why this isn’t false advertising, Verizon Wireless execs have been doing some fancy footwork to explain how they mean “unlimited amounts of data for certain types of data.” Then, they claim that if you use more than 5 gigs a month, the only way you could possibly be doing so is if you’ve been using that data that isn’t unlimited — and, in fact, isn’t allowed. That would include things like videos. Understood? They claim it’s “very clear.” Apparently, however, it’s not so clear to whoever Verizon Wireless had create their TV advertisements. PCS Intel is noting that a new TV commercial for the Motorola Q phone on Verizon Wireless shows it streaming video — which, if you recall, is a big no-no, and the type of thing that will get you kicked off the network. There are some cases where you can stream video: if you are watching it through Verizon Wireless’ walled garden “V-CAST” service — but PCS Intel points out that V-CAST isn’t actually available on the Motorola Q. So, at what point does it become false advertising? They talked their way out of the phrase “unlimited” by using corporate doublespeak. How do they explain away their own commercial showing people streaming video against their terms of service?

David Sims writes a great piece on CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision A technology and it is faster as you would expect that traditional EVDO. Verizon and Lucent are trialing this new technology and I can’t wait till it comes out. I can’t tell you how many times this network has saved me in the last year or so since I have had it.

Revision A enables users to receive data (forward link) at speeds of theoretically up to 3.1 Megabits per second, and send data (reverse link) at speeds of theoretically up to 1.8 Mbps. I suppose these terms are Lucent wireless speak for upload and download.

Now I was never able to reach theoretical speeds before the upgrade and I am sure I wont be able to with the upgrade. All I can ask for is that I get a proportional speed jump and I will be happy. I have probably saved a grand total of $50 over the past year by not using WiFi connections when EVDO is available. Certainly the technology didn’t pay for itself but when you factor in the arcane logons you need to do to get on various WiFi connections and the credit card verification, etc. EVDO sometimes can save your life just by being faster to sign on to than WiFi.

The great thing now is that we will be able to use the network for VoIP and video which makes it all the more useful. The question is when do we need to scrap our cable modems and DSL?

I don’t get wireless access at home at all but for millions of people this solution could do the trick for them. The question is, will we need new modems to access this new technology? We will have to wait till 2006 until it is rolled out. Until then, find your closest WiFi hotspot and logon.

Alltel EVDO phones are now equipped with Calltel software. A widget platform for Alltel EVDO phones and other mobile devices as well, that provides a small amount of insight into the design. Just as desktop widgets had provided PC users with simple navigation in the face of expansive content, frog and Alltel agreed to create a platform for widgets in the mobile space. Giving Alltel EVDO phones another edge against its competitors, the basic idea is to put customer’s favorite functions and information front and center with one click of the Celltop icon on the bottom of the phone’s main screen. Once pressed, the application loads as many as 20 customized “cells”, displaying them two at a time, adjacent with each other. The choices include categories such as news, weather and stocks, as well as more personal interests such as ringtones and individual sports, ranging from basketball to skiing. This allows Alltel EVDO phone users to manage and have easy access to their important files, from personal stocks to the SMS inbox, from local weather to the latest sports score. Rather than forcing consumers to scroll menus, type search items and await connection, Celltop would bring this information to Alltel EVDO phones.

Alltel EVDO phone user? Check your phone compatibility and download Celltop here!