| gest and the most important development that | | | | supporting data communications. However, with |
| has impacted and is still developing the | | | | growing interest, it is possible to support voice |
| telecommunications field is the unparalleled growth | | | | telephone services through WiFi’s. |
| of mobile telephone and internet services. The | | | | Though one might think WiFi’s and 3G are |
| benefits of data communication through the email | | | | different, they have many common features. The |
| and the web, has been widely enabled with the | | | | first and foremost similarity is that both are |
| help of the internet, whereas mobile services has | | | | wireless, thus avoiding the need to install cables |
| enabled stay connected anywhere | | | | and helps in mobility. Since both are wireless, they |
| telephony. Now these two different technologies | | | | both can be scaled up. Both can be installed |
| are converging and offering much better services | | | | swiftly and with less installation cost and |
| interactive multimedia services along with the | | | | manpower. Since these both are wireless, they |
| mobility of the wireless phones. While 3G offers a | | | | offer more mobility by letting the equipments to |
| top-down, service provider approach to deliver | | | | be moved wherever the end user wants and the |
| wireless internet access, WiFi offers a | | | | ability to stay connected even around vast areas. |
| decentralized approach centered to the end-user. | | | | Both the technologies are edge-networked |
| 3G is a technology for the mobile service | | | | technologies. Both the technologies offer |
| providers who own and operate their own | | | | broadband data service, although the data |
| wireless networks and sell to the end-users, their | | | | transfer rates may vary and almost always the |
| mobile services. 3G is the latest generation of | | | | WiFi will surpass the 3G. The key feature is that a |
| mobile technology and can support high bandwidth | | | | range of useful and common features are |
| digital communications. The chief focus of wireless | | | | supported by the two technologies, including voice, |
| mobile services has been shifted from only voice | | | | data and media streaming real-time. |
| telephony to voice telephony and data services. | | | | With so many similarities, let us see how different |
| 3G can support data services from 380 kbps to 2 | | | | they are now. Firstly the business models and the |
| Mbps. | | | | deployment models are different. 3G is the most |
| Although these rates are below that offered by | | | | preferred technology to upgrade or expand |
| the current DSL or cable modems, it is expected | | | | capacity over existing telephone services. Here |
| to grow and support higher bandwidths in future. | | | | service providers own and manage their own |
| WiFi is the popular name for the wireless Ethernet | | | | infrastructure and sell the service upon that |
| 802.11b standard for WLANs. These operate in | | | | infrastructure. Whereas WiFi has evolved from |
| the unlicensed spectrum of 2.4GHz band. Current | | | | the computer industry and the makers usually sell |
| generation of WiFi technology supports up to | | | | the infrastructure to the end-users in terms of |
| 11Mbps of data transfer within 100m from the | | | | boxes etc. the spectrum policy and management |
| base station. These are deployed as a part of a | | | | is different in both the technologies. WiFi services |
| bigger private network in a campus or a | | | | are long established than the 3G network in OECD |
| corporate. The base station is mostly manned by | | | | countries. Voice services are better in 3G |
| the end-user community. Since the coverage of | | | | technology as they were designed particularly for |
| each base station is only about a couple of | | | | those attributes. |
| hundred meters, contiguous WiFi connection is | | | | Thus we can find a future development in |
| given using multiple base stations connected in the | | | | integrating both these technologies to create |
| outer perimeter of the base station. Unlike mobile | | | | better services in voice and multimedia so as to |
| services, WiFi’s were mainly centered upon | | | | benefit the end-user. |