Internet Access Technologies

The important networks considered in the telecommunications system model of internet are two: Access and Transport networks. Lets to focus in the first one.

ACCESS NETWORKS

We got here two topologies:

-Wired: xDSL (Metallic cable), FTTx (Optical fiber)

-Wireless: Cellular, WiMax,WLAN, Satellite, Cordless...

Internet traffic has accommodated to the rates provided by the new telecommunications techniques and a big part of this traffic is consisting on Residential Internet (and also residential unicast TV). But global mobile traffic has increased also and with CISCO's graphs in sight we can observe that more of these traffic has video content.

GSM (2G) Global System for Mobile:  has been the base for all the mobile telephone networks. The new generations are using concepts provided by this standard

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)  is a development of the standard GSM that reach the rates around 170 kbps. It was a big investment for GSM infrastructure but with a low cost. Some new services that appears for mobiles was: WWW, FTP, email, GSM/GPS,

EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global/GSM Evolution). System installed over GSM networks that can be seen like a evolution of GPRS.

UMTS (3G): Project developed by 3GPP wich provides higher QoS, ie: in video MPEG.

HSPA (High Speed Packet Access): improve the packet data performance in UMTS.

HSPA+:  Provides an evolution using WCDMA, a higher order of modulation, combining multiple cells in one (with the technique Dual-cell_HSDPA and MIMO techniques.

LTE (4G): Deliver higher levels of capability. Will coexist with WCDMA and HSPA. And it introduce a new radio interface technology OFDMA