3G Service

3G is the third generation of wireless technologies. It comes with enhancements over previous wireless technologies, like high-speed transmission, advanced multimedia access and global roaming. 3G is mostly used with mobile phones and handsets as a means to connect the phone to the Internet or other IP networks in order to make voice and video calls, to download and upload data and to surf the net.

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How 3G is better? 3G has the following enhancements over 2.5G and previous networks: • Several times higher data speed; • Enhanced audio and video streaming; • Video-conferencing support; • Web and WAP browsing at higher speeds; • IPTV (TV through the Internet) support.

What is required for using 3G? • The first thing you require is a device (e.g. a mobile phone) that is 3G compatible. This is where the name 3G phone comes from - a phone that has 3G functionality; nothing to do with the number of cameras or the memory it has. An example is the iPhone 3G. • 3G phones commonly have two cameras since the technology allows the user to have video calls, for which a user-facing camera is required for capturing him/her. • Unlike with Wi-Fi which you can get for free in hotspots, you need to be subscribed to a service provider to get 3G network connectivity. We often call this kind of service a data plan or network plan. • Your device is connected to the 3G network through its SIM card (in the case of a mobile phone) or its 3G data card (which can be of different types: USB, PCMCIA etc.), which are both generally provided/sold by the service provider. Through that, you get connected to the Internet whenever you are within a 3G network. Even if you are not in one, you can still use 2G or 2.5G services provided by the service provider.

3G is not very cheap, but it is worthwhile for users that need connectivity on the move. Some providers offer it within a somewhat costly package, but most of them have plans where the user pays for the amount of data transferred. This is because the technology is packet-based.

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