Mobile broadband technology facilitates wireless high speed internet access through portable modem. In this technology digital information is transmitted and received through radio signals. The same technology is used by cell phones. The main difference between regular cell phone technology and mobile broadband technology is that in the case of former, only voice data is communicated, and in the case of latter other types of data like web pages, emails, various types of files are passed on. Various standards adopted by mobile broadband technology are GPRS, IPW, LTE, 3G, WiMAX, Flash-OFDMA, EV-DO, etc. Among the standards, EV-DO and EDGE are widely used on GSM network while HSPDA, HSUPA and HSPA are employed on 3G, Foma and UMTS network.

Categories of mobile network technologies

Cell phone network technologies could be divided into two categories- Global Systems for Mobile communication (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). These two technologies are popular different parts of the world. Europeans prefer GSM while Americans' first choice is CDMA. The prime technical difference between these two technologies is based on sharing of the space on radio spectrum. Divergent algorithms are used by these two technologies. This feature enables numerous cell phone users to share radio frequencies without creating disturbances in each others' networks.

3G technology

The most popular standard among all mobile broadband technology standards id 3G or third generation mobile technology. This technology has been developed simultaneously by both GSM and CDMA. Both networks employ their own version of 3G technology to provide high speed internet access to their users.

GSM network features

GSM broadband networks employ the HSDPA technology. HSDPA is the abbreviation of High Speed Down-link Packet Access. HSPDA enabled network can transmit and receive both data and voice signals. This unique feature of this technology allows it users to browse the internet and converse at the same time. In this technology data transfer speed is increased considerably by focusing on downloading information rather than uploading. The average downloading speed of HSDPA is 400Kbps-700Kbps. Special networking hardware is required to access HSDPA mobile broadband. A PC card with broadband features could which be plugged into a laptop is a popular device. Also a gadget with built-in HSDPA card could be used. It is imperative to be I the range of HSDPA signal zone.

CDMA network features

EV-DO technology is used by CDMA broadband networks. EV-DO stands for Evolution Data Optimized. It operates on a part of cell phone network which is dedicated to data only. A huge amount of bandwidth is required for voice calls. CDMA networks increases data transmission rate to a great extent by segregating the data channel from voice channel. It enhances the network speed and thus multimedia, email and internet works much faster. The drawback of CDMA is that conversation and internet browsing cannot go on simultaneously. The average speed of EV-DO is 300Kbps-400Kbps. To access an EV-DO networked-DO hardware is required. This hardware is generally connected to a laptop through an USB port or other standard PC card slots. It acts as an antenna to transmit and receive broadband signals. For fast mobile broadband communication, the device should be within the range of EV-DO network.