JPL's Wireless Communication Reference Website Chapter: Network Concepts and Standards

3G Wireless Communication Systems

The definition of Third Generation systems started as early as 1985. The impossible name of FPLMTS was dropped and IMT-2000 was adopted. Also the name Universal Mobile telephone system (UMTS) is used. The prime goals were:

• Data rates of 384 k to 2Mbit/s, to be extended towards 20Mbit/s
• increased spectrum efficiency, including dynamic assignments of radio resources
• new services, including data
• increased flexibility
• seamless roaming

The systems solutions are:

• Wideband CDMA, or W-CDMA, which is compatible with GSM-MAP
• cdma2000, which is backward compatible with IS-95B

Cellular and cordless converge into future systems, such as UMTS

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