Mobile broadband

Mobile broadband is a way to connect to the Internet using special mobile (cell) networks. You can use it with devices like a portable modem, wireless modem, tablet, or smartphone. Some people also share the connection from a smartphone with another device by tethering.

The first time people could use the Internet this way was in 1991, as part of the second generation of mobile phones, called 2G. Faster speeds came later in 2001 and 2006 with the third (3G) and fourth (4G) generations of mobile technology.

By 2011, most of the world had access to these mobile networks. About 90% of people lived in places with the older 2G networks, and 45% had access to the faster 2G and 3G networks. Mobile broadband works using radio waves between 225 MHz and 3700 MHz.

Description

Mobile broadband is a way to get online using cellular towers. It lets computers and other devices connect to the Internet through things like portable modems. Sometimes, one device can share its connection with others through a process called tethering.

There are many devices that can help you get mobile broadband, like PC cards, USB modems, and even smartphones or tablets. Usually, you need to buy a separate plan for Internet access.

Generations

Every ten years or so, new mobile network technology becomes available. These updates bring changes in how the service works, higher speeds, new frequency bands, and wider channels. These changes are called "generations." The first mobile data services started with the second generation, or 2G.

The speeds mentioned are the highest possible, but most users will experience slower speeds in real use.

WiMAX was created to provide fixed wireless service and added mobility in 2005. CDPD, CDMA2000 EV-DO, and MBWA are no longer being developed.

Coverage

In 2011, about 90% of people around the world could get the internet using older mobile networks, called 2G. About 45% could use both 2G and newer 3G networks, and 5% had the newest 4G networks at that time. By 2017, experts thought more than 90% of the world would have 2G coverage, 85% would have 3G, and 50% would have 4G.

One challenge with mobile internet is that not all places have strong signals. This means some areas might not have any mobile network, or the network might be slower. People might not get the speeds they expect because of things like how far they are from a cell tower. There can also be problems with how well the network can handle many users at once, and sometimes the apps or devices people use aren’t perfect either.

Subscriptions and usage

By the end of 2012, there were about 6.6 billion mobile network subscriptions around the world, meaning roughly 4.4 billion people were using them. The number of these subscriptions was growing by about 9% each year and was expected to reach 9.3 billion by 2018.

There were also about 1.5 billion mobile broadband subscriptions at the end of 2012, and this number was growing very fast—about 50% each year. It was expected to reach 6.5 billion by 2018. The amount of data sent over these mobile networks doubled between the end of 2011 and the end of 2012. This growth is happening because more people are using mobile devices, more smartphones are being sold, and people are using apps and videos that need more data. New technologies also help send more data faster. By 2018, the amount of data was expected to grow twelve times larger.

On average, a laptop connected to mobile broadband uses about seven times more data than a smartphone. But this difference was expected to get smaller by 2018. Some devices share their connection with other devices, which can use even more data.

Different places and types of users have different patterns of use. Growing demand in places without many wired internet connections has helped increase mobile broadband use around the world.

Development

In use and under active development

GSM family

Further information: List of LTE networks and List of HSPA+ networks

In 1995, companies that make phones, tiny parts for computers, and laptops joined together to support mobile broadband on computers. They created a special sign to show which devices could connect to the Internet. In 1998, a group called the Third Generation Partnership Project began working on improving mobile phone standards. By 2011, these standards were the most common way to get mobile broadband. With new technology called LTE, download speeds could get much faster in the coming years.

IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX)

Further information: List of deployed WiMAX networks

A group called IEEE made standards for a technology called WiMAX. The first version came out in 2001, and a version that worked while moving came out in 2005. The WiMAX Forum is an organization that helps people use WiMAX products and services.

In use, but moving to other protocols

CDMA family

Further information: List of CDMA2000 networks

In 1998, another group called 3GPP2 started working on standards for CDMA technology. This includes older versions like cdmaOne and newer ones like CDMA2000. Development of CDMA2000 EV-DO has stopped.

IEEE 802.20

In 2002, IEEE created a group to work on mobile broadband. They finished the IEEE 802.20 standard in 2008 and added more to it in 2010.

Edholm's law

Main article: Edholm's law

In 2004, people noticed that wireless networks, like those used in cell phones, were getting faster much quicker than wired networks. This happened because new technology made it easier to build and grow digital wireless networks. Important advances in technology helped create and spread these networks in the 1990s, and since the 2000s, they have kept getting faster.