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Wireless Carriers in Canada

Can you hear me now?

Trevor Bidyk

ITEC 264 Mobile Applications

November 17, 2010



Wireless Carriers in Canada

Canada’s First Taste of Wireless

The first company to offer wireless service was in 1983, by Cantel Cellular Radio Group.Cantel was an alliance between Rogers Communications and a new subsidiary from Bell

Canada, aptly name Bell Cellular. Cantel was also responsible for much of the guidance the

Canadian Government needed when mobile phones were first introduced. In 1895, Cantel

started offering mobile service to the public. Eventually, Rogers would take complete control of

Cantel and Bell would launch their own wireless network. From there, the wireless market has

grown to what we have today.

Many things have changed in the twenty-five years since wireless service was first

introduced in Canada. Today, three major wireless carriers exist in Canada as well as thirteen

other smaller wireless carriers. Canada has over twenty-three and a half million wireless

subscribers as of August 2010. This is about sixty-four percent of the total population, meaning

that nearly three-quarters of the Canadian population actively owns a mobile device. More and

more Canadians are dropping their fixed landline telephones for more convenience, being

mobile as well as for more sophisticated mobile devices.

Table of Contents

Wireless Carriers in Canada ...................................................................................................... 2

Canada’s First Taste of Wireless ........................................................................................ 2

Canada Versus the World ................................................................................................... 3

Definitions and Terminology ................................................................................................ 4

Bell Mobility ............................................................................................................................ 5

Virgin Mobile Canada .......................................................................................................... 5

Solo Mobile ......................................................................................................................... 5

Rogers Wireless ..................................................................................................................... 7Fido ..................................................................................................................................... 7

Chatr ................................................................................................................................... 8

Telus Mobility ......................................................................................................................... 9

Koodo Mobile .....................................................................................................................10

Mike ...................................................................................................................................10



Multiplexing ...........................................................................................................................11

Code Division Multiple Access ...........................................................................................11

Time Division Multiple Access ............................................................................................12

FDMA: Frequency Division Multiple Access .......................................................................12

cdmaOne and CDMA2000 .....................................................................................................14

cdmaOne ...........................................................................................................................14

CDMA2000 ........................................................................................................................15

Global System For Mobile Communications ..........................................................................16

Short message service .......................................................................................................17

General Packet Radio Service ...........................................................................................17

Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution ..........................................................................18

Evolved EDGE ...................................................................................................................18

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System ......................................................................19

Wideband Code Division Multiple Access ..........................................................................20

High Speed Packet Access ................................................................................................20

AMPS and D-AMPS ..............................................................................................................21

Advanced Mobile Phone System .......................................................................................21

Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System .............................................................................22

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................23

References ............................................................................................................................24

Canada Versus the World

Canada however does not rank high world-wide in wireless penetration. Canada ranks

in the mid-thirties, trailing behind the United States, in third place with ninety-one percent

penetration. Exact numbers are unknown because many countries have out-dated data thatcannot be compared to more recent sources. Many countries in Europe and Asia have near

hundred percent penetration or well over a hundred percent. Statistics even go as far to

suggest that mobile devices such as cellphones and smartphones will replace conventional

computers (Wood, 2010).



Definitions and Terminology

A wireless carrier, formally known as a mobile network operator, is a service provider

that owns and operates a wireless network. In Canada, wireless carriers are considered

telecommunication common carrier and are required to license certain radio spectrums. Being

a telecommunication common carrier means that the carrier are bound to follow the

Telecommunication Act , which was put into law in 1993. This legislation creates a common

standard of service for all Canadians as well as establishes safe and responsible business

practices. Industry Canada, a department of the Government of Canada, handles radio

spectrum allocation and licensing. Radio spectrum is licensed via auction format and licences

are required to be renewed every ten years.

A mobile device is any device that that is capable of communicating over a wirelessspecification. A device could be a cell phone, an enhanced smart phone, mobile internet

access points, personal organizers, global positioning systems as well as new automobiles.

The ability to receive and transmit over the wireless network is referred to as service. Many

other abbreviations and anonyms exist in the wireless world. These will be explained after the

brief introductions to Canada’s three biggest wireless carriers. Many other wireless carriers exist

in Canada, often either as a small regional provider or as virtual wireless carriers. Virtual

wireless carriers only operate as a brand and do not own any actual physical property. Virtual

wireless carriers will use the equipment and infrastructure of other wireless carriers and brand itas their own through mutual agreements.



Bell Mobility

Bell Canada was founded by none other than Alexander Graham Bell himself. Bell lived

most of his life in Nova Scotia, meaning that the invention of the telephone is greatly part ofCanada’s history and heritage. Bell Mobility is owned by Bell Canada and is the second largest

wireless carrier in Canada. Bell was one of the founding stakeholders in Cantel Cellular Radio

Group, Canada’s first wireless carrier. Within two years of highly successful operations, Rogers

bought out the complete ownership of Cantel. At the same time, Bell started their own wireless

carrier, named Bell Cellular. In 1993, the name was changed to Bell Mobility. In 2006, Bell

merged with Aliant, the main landline and wireless carrier of the eastern Canadian provinces.

As well Bell operates two virtual carriers: Virgin Mobile Canada and Solo Mobile. Bell primarily

operates in eastern Canada in the highly-dense areas of Ontario and Québec, but offersnationwide service across Canada. Bell fights a close fight with Rogers Wireless, with a slightly

smaller share of the wireless market.

Bell Mobility has approximately seven million wireless subscribers; this gives Bell thirty-

three percent of the Canadian wireless market (Hardy, 2010). Bell serves its subscribers with a

CDMA2000 network as well as a UMTS network with HSPA data access. The UTMS network is

shared with Telus Mobility. Plans for the future include upgrade the UTMS incrementally to

increase data speeds and bandwidth.

Virgin Mobile Canada

Virgin Mobile Canada was founded in 2005, between the Virgin Group and Bell Canada.

Initially, Virgin Mobile Canada used three different networks: Bell’s, Rogers’ and Telus’. Virgin

was established as a low cost prepaid service, orientated at first time buyers and students.

Now, Virgin offers both prepaid and post-paid cellular service. In 2009, Bell acquired the

majority of Virgin Mobile Canada and now exclusively operates it as a subsidiary of Bell

Canada. Virgin Mobile Canada now uses Bell’s CDMA2000 and UTMS networ ks.

Solo Mobile

Solo Mobile was launched as Bell’s prepaid wireless subsidiary. Initially, it was launched

as a media rich service, offering video, music, gaming and Internet options. However, Solo



Mobile was not successful initially and was rebranded as a more budget conscious prepaid

service, offered towards youth demographics such as high school and college students.

Devices offered both on Bell and Solo are generally less expensive on Solo. Solo Mobile has

full access to both Bell’s nationwide CDM A2000 and UMTS networks.



Rogers Wireless

Rogers Wireless is the oldest wireless carrier in Canada. Rogers Wireless is owned by

Rogers Communications, one of the largest corporations in Canada. The origins of Rogersstems from Edward S. Rogers Sr. Rogers Sr. made his claim to fame by invented the

alternating current radio tube. This allowed radios to use alternating current, the type of

electricity used in houses. However, Rogers Sr. died an early death and his business was sold

off. His son, the famous Edward Rogers Jr., more commonly known as Ted Rogers, took what

his father had started and launched his own broadcasting company. From there, the company

expanded into cable television and eventually into the wireless market. In 1983, Rogers helped

found the first wireless carrier in Canada, Cantel Cellular Radio Group. Rogers

Communications took control of Cantel, with many name changes, Rogers Wireless is now thelargest wireless carrier in Canada. Rogers acquired Fido Solutions in 2004, which was

Canada’s first GSM carrier. Fido was launched in 1996 by T -Mobile, a telecom from Germany

and the United States. Upon the purchase of Fido, Rogers had the largest share of wireless

subscribers in Canada; taking the title from main competition, Bell Mobility. Today, Bell and

Rogers continue to fight for the position of first place.

Rogers Wireless has almost nine million wireless subscribers as of September 2010.

This gives Rogers thirty-seven percent of the Canadian market (Hardy, 2010). This makes

Rogers the largest wireless carrier in Canada. Rogers owns two subsidiaries: Fido and Chatr.

Rogers Wireless currently operates a GSM with EDGE network. This allows Rogers’

subscribers to use a variety of compatible devices on their wireless network. As well, Rogers

uses UMTS and HSPDA for newer and currently deploying network upgrades. In addition to

these networks, LTE networks are currently being deployed in eastern Canada.

Fido

Fido was the first wireless carrier in Canada to introduce a GSM network. Fido was an

innovative company in its time; Fido was the first Canadian wireless provider to use billing by

the second, which meant that calls were billed by the second and not rounded up to the minute.

As well, Fido provided various unlimited plans for low prices. Often, plans includes free

unlimited calling between Fido wireless subscribers. Fido was also the first wireless carrier to



offer GPRS on its GSM network. Fido today, still uses all its own equipment and controlling

computers. This makes Fido a subsidiary and not a virtual carrier like Chatr. Rogers has

upgraded all of Fido’s equipment to meet the same standards and services as the rest of

Rogers (Wikipedia contributors, 2010).

Chatr

Chatr is Rogers subsidiary was announced in July 2010 and targets looking for low-

priced and budget conscious service. Chatr competes with Bell’s Solo Mobile and Telus’ Koodo

Mobile. Chatr uses the same network as Rogers Wireless and Fido. Chatr currently is in the

process of starting up and doesn’t of fer full service across Canada yes. Chatr currently plans to

deploy in central markets in Canada such as Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto,

and Vancouver (Melanson, 2010).



Telus Mobility

Telus is the newest of the telecoms in Canada. Instead of being founded by a famous

icon or anything special, Telus was created in 1990 by the Alberta government as a holdingcompany for privatizing the Alberta Government Telephones Commission, more commonly

known by the acronym AGT. The Alberta Government Telephones Commission was founded in

1906 by the Alberta Government, by buying the Albertan business and infrastructure created by

the Bell Telephone Company. The telecom was run as a crown company by the Alberta

government, until 1990. In 1995, Telus bought Edmonton Telephones, or Ed Tell, gaining a

monopoly of the telephone communications market in Alberta. In 1998, Telus merged with BC

Tel, another holding company for the government-owned telecom company. With the merger

between Telus and BC Tell, the company became incorporated and the name Telus was kept.In the Telus-BC Tel merger, the corporation had moved its headquarters from Edmonton,

Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia, where it resides today. In late 1999, Telus had over

twenty-two percent of the telephone communications market in Canada (Hunter, 1998).

The modern image of Telus, defined by their slogan “The future is friendly,” was taken in

1999 when Telus acquired Clearnet Communications. Clearnet was a company founded in 1984

in Scarborough, Ontario. This acquisition allowed for Telus to expand into the enormous

eastern market in Ontario and Québec. Along with gaining the largest wireless markets in

Canada, Telus also gained the branding and image the company still uses today. Clearnet also

had a revolutionary way of selling their mobile phones: ordinary retail stores (Macklem, 2000).

Telus runs two subsidiaries, Koodo Mobile and Mike. Koodo Mobile runs as a virtual carrier and

Mike runs its own independent network.

As of September 2010, Telus Mobility has almost seven million subscribers, or thirty

percent of the Canadian mobile market. This places Telus as the third largest wireless carrier in

Canada, behind Rogers Wireless and Bell Mobility (Telus Mobility, 2010). Telus uses many

different wireless specifications to connect their mobile devices, such as: CDMA, UMTS andiDEN. In addition, Telus employs EV-DO and WiDEN specifications for wireless data

communications. In 2009, Telus and Bell launched a new state-of-the-art UMTS and HSPA+

wireless network. Plans exist to upgrade the networks to LTE, another advanced wireless

network specification that will offer even more features and faster download speeds.



Koodo Mobile

Koodo Mobile is Telus’ new virtual carrier and was launched in 2008. Koodo markets

their services to mobile clients that want a reasonably-priced, simple and lean phone service – meaning users do not have to pay for any features they do not want. Koodo offers mobile

devices and plans based upon a “tab,” instead of fixed -term contracts. Using a Koodo tab,

clients pay off a minimum of ten percent of each monthly bill towards the cost of the phone.

When the phone has been paid for, a client can continue to pay the ten percent of each bill in

order to be able to earn credits towards the purchase of a new device. Koodo uses flexible

month by month billing, allowing its client to only select plans and features as required. Clients

are able to change their features and rates at any without penalty. Being a subsidiary of Telus,

Koodo has access to the complete Telus CDMA and UMTS nationwide network.

Mike

Mike is not a virtual carrier like Koodo Mobile; Mike actually has its own set of

infrastructure and specifications. Mike is wireless network offered by Telus primarily aimed at

clients and businesses requiring extensive long-distance communication. Mike uses the

Motorola specification iDEN. The services offered on the Mike network are very similar to Telus’

CDMA networks. Mike also offers the WiDEN extension, which allows for faster datacommunications. One feature that does distinguish Mike is a feature called push to talk. Push

to talk allows for communication between mobile devices via the wireless network but without

dialling numbers or using minutes. The functionality is very similar to a walkie-talkie, except that

communication is handled by the wireless network. Providers using the iDEN specification are

much more rare than any other specification, because of the proprietary nature as well as the

limited available of mobile devices. Most of the mobile devices are made by Motorola, however

many devices, such as the Blackberry, are made by companies such as RIM.



Multiplexing

Wireless communication is much like communication with wires. Standards of

communication must exist or else communication will be impaired, full of interference and noise.Similar to how circuit boards can only have so many circuits; wireless communication only has a

limited set of useable channels. Instead of wires, wireless communication uses frequencies, a

certain division in the wireless spectrum.

With cellular specifications, resources are limited, because wireless carriers are only

assigned a certain number of usable frequencies. Using the licensing acquired from Industry

Canada, wireless carriers are assigned a division of the wireless spectrum. Interference in

wireless specifications essentially is the breakdown of functionality; interferences causes

devices to not be able to communicate properly. If the wireless spectrum was to be compared

to the OSI model, the physical layer would be analogous to the transmitting and receiving

hardware as well as the wireless spectrum. The link layer would be analogous to a technique

called multiplexing, the lowest level of communication specifications in a system. Three

different basic levels of multiplexing exist and are similar to multiplexing techniques in wired

communications.

Code Division Multiple Access

The first multiplexing technique is called code division multiple access. Code division

allows many different devices to use the same frequency effectively. Code division is

essentially assigning each block of data, called a packet, a special code. The transmitting tower

will assign the device a code upon initialization on the network. All communication between the

mobile device and tower will be encoded using the code. This allows devices that do not

recognize the code to not be able to use or read the packet of data. Often this code is used with

an encryption scheme so that wireless sniffer devices cannot simply read the data over the air.

A couple of wireless specifications that use the code division multiplexing technique are

global positioning system (GPS), cdmaOne, CDMA2000 and universal mobile telephone system

(UMTS). Code division is used in a variety of generation of wireless specifications and

technologies. Code division has a couple of advantages over other multiplexing schemes:

efficient use of resources and scalability of the scheme; resistance to jamming; and resistance



to unintended listening. However, code division does require more computing resources as well

as transmission power.

Time Division Multiple AccessThe second multiplexing technique, time division multiple access uses timing to

communicate over the same frequency. Instead of assigning a code to each packet, the device

and tower will negotiate times to transmit and receive packets. Time division does require

precise time management, because if either end attempts to communicate at the wrong time,

the data will become corrupt. Time division makes efficient use of frequency because of the fact

that devices generally only need to send update information and rarely need constant and

immediate access to the network. When a device requires more bandwidth or time, such as in a

call, the device will negotiate more time, allowing more bandwidth between the tower anddevice.

Time division is used mostly in second generation wireless specifications, such as global

systems for mobile communications (GSM), digital advanced mobile phone systems (D-AMPS)

and integrated digital network (iDEN). Time division is also used widely in satellite

communications and in combination with code division in newer wireless and radio

specifications. Advantages of time division are: the efficient use of resources in lower densities

and bandwidth; less transceiving power is required; and more synchronized devices (because of

the need to keep precise track of time). Time division does not scale quite as well as other

multiplexing schemes without dynamic time division, which is a complex system that computes

varying time frames based upon the load on the tower. As well, time division is subject to

interference if the timing is off, which is often because of the mobile nature of mobile devices. A

problem is presented when a device is introduced to the network, because no negotiations have

occurred with the tower yet to set timing. Positioning systems, which is used for distance

calculations, and algorithms to find an appropriate way to time their introduction to the network

do make joining a time division network much more reliably.

FDMA: Frequency Division Multiple Access

Frequency division multiple access uses different frequencies to separate

communication. A tower would negotiate a specific frequency for each device on the network.



This is the simplest of the multiplexing schemes and requires the least computing resources.

This technique while simple, is extremely inefficient with handling limited frequencies.

Advanced mobile phone system (AMPS) used frequency division to multiplex. No other modern

wireless specifications specifically use frequency division, however it is often used in

combination with other multiplexing techniques in newer wireless and radio specifications.Advantages of frequency division is the ease of implementations. However, using a single

frequency per device can quickly exhaust the limited number of frequencies a wireless carrier is

assigned. As well, frequency division is very prone to signal jamming and cross talk, which is

other devices communicating over the same frequencies; interference.

Today, no single multiplexing technique is used. These three listed are not the only

techniques, many others exist using principles of these three as well as advanced mathematical

algorithms. Wikipedia uses an excellent analogy to compare the three basic methods of

multiplexing:

“ An analogy to the problem of multiple access [multiplexing] is a room (channel) in which

people wish to talk to each other simultaneously. To avoid confusion, people could take

turns speaking (time division), speak at different pitches (frequency division), or speak in

different languages (code division). CDMA is analogous to the last example where

people speaking the same language can understand each other, but other languages

are perceived as noise and rejected ” (Code division multiple access, 2010).



cdmaOne and CDMA2000

The acronym CDMA is often confused for the wireless specifications cdmaOne and

CDMA2000. Both cdmaOne and CDMA2000 use code division multiple access to provideservice to several devices on a single frequency. Today, the technology behind cdmaOne and

CDMA2000 founding specification, are used in the latest generation wireless specifications.

cdmaOne

cdmaOne was the wireless technology to ever use code division as a multiplexing

technique, on such a wide scale, after global positioning system (GPS). cdmaOne was created

by Qualcomm in 1995 as an experimental internal project. CdmaOne is considered a secondgeneration specification (2G). cdmaOne primarily competed with digital advanced mobile phone

systems (D-AMPS) and global system for mobile communications (GSM). cdmaOne had limited

support for data, mainly for the short messaging service (SMS). Many different revisions exist of

this specification, most created because standardization never existed in the time of release.

Each revision improved the standardization process as well as the functionality. Wireless

specifications, especially code division based, were unproven and unknown of their large-scale

effects. cdmaOne was a proving ground for many wireless technologies to come. cdmaOne is

formally known as Interim Standard 95 or IS-95.

The transmission from the network to the device is called forward transmission while the

opposite is called reverse. Transmissions on cdmaOne are called channels. All data packets

are given an error-correcting code, which allows for any loss of data to be recovered. All towers

broad cast at least three control channels: a pilot channel, a sync channel and at least one

paging channel. A pilot channel is what devices and other towers use to locate towers. A sync

channel is used to synchronise the time of the device with the network and prepare it for

service. Once the device is in service, the device will listen on a paging channel to wait for

instructions. Instructions may be an incoming call, a network overhead or a data request.

When the paging channel instructs that a device needs to set up a call or transceive data, such

as an incoming or outgoing call, the tower and device will set up a traffic channel.



CDMA2000

CDMA2000 is the evolution of the cdmaOne specification. CDMA2000 once again code

division for multiplexing and is completely backwards compatible with cdmaOne devices and

networks. Qualcomm owns most of the rights to this specification and had a significant hand in

the creation of this specification. CDMA2000 is a third generation wireless technology (3G).CDMA2000 and cdmaOne share most of their architecture; the primary difference between the

two are much improved voice qualities and data speeds. In order to be considered a 3G

specification, data transfers must not interrupt voice calls and vice versa. CDMA2000 was

given many different revisions, mainly to enhance data transmission speeds (CDMA

Development Group, 2010).

The initial revision is called CDMA2000 1x. This specification had identical data speeds

of the previous cdmaOne specification, however with revised architecture to more reliably

deliver data. The next revision, 1xRTT, roughly doubled the data speeds. The next revision,

which was more of an brew between two specifications, was CDMA2000 1xEV-DO. The voice

and control structures remained very similar, with the data side being radically changed: both

code division and time division are now used to communicate data back and forth on the

network. This greatly improved the data performance of the specification. This revision is one

of the most popular revisions of CDMA2000 and cdmaOne specifications to date. For example,

every CDMA2000 network in the United States have been upgraded to the latest revision

(CDMA Development Group, 2010).



Global System For Mobile Communications

Global system for mobile communications is the leading wireless telecommunications.

GSM is actually a backronym, GSM originally stood for Groupe Spécial Mobile, a French groupcreated to develop the specification. Now, GSM stands for global system for mobile

communications. Today, GSM is maintained by the GSM Association. GSM is considered a

second generation technology, alongside its primary competition, cdmaOne. GSM is

responsible for many of the features we take for granted now in wireless devices. A couple of

these features are: roaming, subscriber identity modules (SIM cards), short message service

(SMS) and emergency telephone number (112 or 911). Being used by nearly eighty percent of

the mobile networks in the world, a GSM compatible phone is able to travel nearly anywhere in

the world (GSM World, 2009).

In 1982, the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations

created the Groupe Spécial Mobile for the purpose of creating a wireless specification that could

be used across Europe. The specification was finally published eight years later and first

implemented in Finland a year later.

GSM operates on the nine hundred and eighteen hundred megahertz frequency range in

Europe and eight hundred and fifty and nineteen hundred megahertz range in North America.

The difference in frequencies is because during the inception of GSM, the intended ranges werealready allocated in North America by advanced mobile phone system (AMPS) networks.

However, most handsets use chipsets that are completely compatible with using either set of

frequencies. GSM calls for two levels of security, one was sufficiently secure in the eighties and

nineties and the other significantly less secure. However, with the power of modern computers,

any ordinary computer is capable of breaking the security GSM networks employ.

GSM operates using a multiplexing technique known as time division multiple access.

This means that each mobile device on the network is assigned a time when it is allowed to

transmit or receive. The concept of subscriber identity modules (SIM cards) originated so that

clients were able to quickly switch handsets as well as to be able to identify themselves outside

of their home network. This allows for clients to use any compatible device that they chose,

instead of only devices chosen by their wireless carrier. Additionally to the information related

to the subscriber, the card also is capable of containing the client’s phone num ber book, SMS

messages and carrier-specific emergency telephone number. The design of the SIM card



changed throughout the years to increase security, improve features and reduce the size of the

card. Before GSM, access to emergency phone numbers was not universal. The number to

dial in the event of an emergency often varied between carriers, especially the culturally-

different Europe. GSM implemented an emergency feature which would dial the correct

emergency telephone number. GSM devices are designed and required to be able to call anemergency telephone number even if the device was locked or the device was not a registered

client, meaning an active paying client, on the network. In Europe, this number is 112 and in

North America, it is 911.

Short message service

The GSM specification introduced a feature most people would not be able to live

without today, the short message service, known as text messaging. The GSM specificationimplement a data feature called short message service. In GSM, devices have to communicate

often with towers or else towers would consider the phone to have dropped off the network and

to no longer connect calls. These communications back and forth often contained very little

data and had a lot of space for other communications. Short message service was designed to

be able to be sent during these times of minimal activity. In order to be able to communicate

“piggy back” style, these messages had to be extremely short to fit in between network

overhead communications. A maximum message size was a hundred and forty bytes, or a

hundred and sixty characters (using seven bit characters). Nearly every wireless specificationtoday has implemented the SMS specification. SMS is even implanted in most satellite

specifications and landline communications. Because of how limited in length SMS messages

are, devices often automatically split these messages. Upon receiving, the device will see a

special header that will signify another part of the message is arriving.

General Packet Radio Service

The GSM specification does not have any medium for transmitting data, besides networkoverhead functions. General packet radio service allows for GSM networks to transmit and

receive data communications. GPRS was introduced in 1997 and GSM networks that

implement GPRS are considered second and a half generation technologies (2.75G). GPRS

requires hardware upgrades in order to be implemented. GPRS offers speeds that rival the

average fierce and mighty dial up modem. Connections also were best-effort delivery, which



meant that data could possibly become lost in transit. As well, GPRS was prioritized lower than

all other wireless functions such as listening, waiting and calling.

Enhanced Data Rates for GSM EvolutionIn 1999, Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) was introduced to the GSM

specification. GSM networks that implemented EDGE are considered third generation

technologies (3G). EDGE is a software upgrade from GPRS compatible networks. This allows

wireless carriers to perform upgrades upon their network without any hardware upgrades.

EDGE uses extremely sophisticated algorithms, multiplexing techniques and coding schemes to

offer significantly faster data speeds than offered with GPRS. Using many newly developed

fancy acronyms, which no one knows every single definition; GPRS is one of the most

sophisticated technologies used in wireless specifications. Data speeds are much faster thanGPRS, up to three times as fast. Most handsets capable of GSM with EDGE are compatible

with wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) with high speed packet access (HSPA)

(Ericsson, 2009).

Evolved EDGE

An update to EDGE called Evolved EDGE, which allows for data speeds similar to a high

speed ADSL. However, no network currently uses Evolved EDGE. Evolved EDGE was createdso that existing GSM networks with GPRS or EDGE did not need to invest in more hardware,

which allowed them to remain competitive with newer third generation networks. Networks that

use Evolved EDGE are considered third generation technologies (3G).



Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

UMTS, universal mobile telecommunications system, is a specification from 3GPP, the

3rd

Generation Partnership Project. 3GPP is a partnership between many companies across theglobe to set a global specification; allowing networks and devices to be useful around the world.

UMTS is not one just one single specification. Rather, UMTS is an interchangeable set of

wireless specifications. UMTS is a third generation technology and is evolving into a fourth

generation technology as well. UMTS networks were designed from the ground up to be able to

roam on other UMTS networks. This means, in general, that a UTMS compatible phone will

work on any UMTS network worldwide (3GPP, 2010).

The most common specification used within UMTS is wideband code division multiple

access (W-CDMA) and high speed packet access (HSPA) for data. Many wireless carriers

moving to evolved high speed packet access (HSPA+), for data transfers. Other specifications

that are also used are: time division code division multiple access (TD-CDMA), time division

synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA).

UMTS was developed as the next generation specification successor to global system

for mobile communications (GSM) and is based heavily upon GSM and CDMA2000. UMTS

borrows time division, code division and frequency division for accessing and sharing

frequencies, creating a hybrid capable of higher bandwidth at the same time supporting moremobile devices. UMTS uses a subscriber identity module, or SIM card, which is backwards

compatible with GSM devices. This allows clients to use any UMTS compatible by simply

changing out their SIM card. UMTS uses different frequency bands than GSM or CDMA2000.

While increasing costs of initial deployment, this does allow for expansion in the future. While

not compatible on GSM networks, UMTS often have backward compatibility on GSM networks

(Spectrum efficiency, 2010). However, UMTS itself is not backwards compatible with any

network specifications. UMTS is designed to work on frequencies around the two gigahertz

range, in order to be globally compatible. In Canada, providers currently deploying UMTS usethe eight hundred and fifty megahertz and nineteen hundred megahertz range. Future

deployments in Canada will also include the twenty-one hundred ranges.



Wideband Code Division Multiple Access

Wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) is a specification created by the

Japanese company NTT DoCoMo. W-CDMA operates using two different frequencies for

transmitting and receiving. This is mainly to reduce interference while transmitting and

receiving. W-CDMA was created for reducing costs, improving data speeds and improvingreliability. During the conception of W-CDMA, emphasis was placed on having bandwidth for

video calling. In the Japanese market, video calling is used much more than in the Canadian

market (Lardinois, 2010).

High Speed Packet Access

High speed packet access (HSPA), is used exclusively for data transfers. HSPA is a

combination of two related specifications: high speed downlink packet access and high speeduplink packet access (downloading, uploading). HSPA has incremental upgrades that allow

wireless carriers to continually improve the data speeds as the technology matures.

Improvements to the specification already exist, such as (HSPA+) and dual-cell HSPA, which

can effectively double to quadruple data speeds to mobile device. HSPA+ in particular will

provide more functionality for poor-reception areas (3GPP, 2010). HSPA uses advanced

algorithms and wireless tactics to reduce latency and improve lost data. Both of these

specifications are completely compatible on frequencies used with W-CDMA, which is why

HSPA is so common with W-CDMA and UTMS (GSA, 2008).



AMPS and D-AMPS

Advanced mobile phone system (AMPS) was the first commercially successful wireless

specification. AMPS was introduced in 1983 in the United States and two years later inCanada. AMPS was developed by Bell. AMPS is an extremely interesting specification,

because of how basic it truly was. AMPS didn’t support any type of data transfer, only calling.

However, because of AMPS, the mobile industry was able to take off as quickly as it did. AMPS

had the longest run of any cell phone technology, from 1983 to late 2008. Most likely, no

wireless specification will ever see that length of use ever again. AMPS is a first generation

technology (1G), however the difference between zero generation and first generation are

subtle. The main difference is that a first generation specifications are computer controlled and

able to communicate with landline telephone systems.

General Motor’s OnStar system uses AMPS for communications to their line of

automobiles. This posed a massive problem for users when the network was shut down in

2008. Owners of these automobiles were required to purchase upgrades to their OnStar

systems in order to continue service (OnStar, n.d.).

Advanced Mobile Phone System

AMPS occupied a significant band of the wireless spectrum when it was used. AMPS

used frequency division multiple access, which meant every device was allocated its own

frequency. AMPS used two separate frequencies, one for transmitting and one for receiving;

meaning each device actually occupied two frequencies. Using this inefficient system, a

wireless network could easily consume every frequency possible in urban environments. The

massive growth of the mobile market was a problem for many years in the eighties. The huge

demand for mobile freedom could have never been predicted. Wireless carriers at the time had

very little money and no one was willing to invest in a brand new industry (Bloom, 2010). As

well, the term cell and cell phone was coined with AMPS, which featured cell shaped service

areas. AMPS was one of the first services to use features such as voice mail and caller

identification. Nowadays, every telecommunication method has these services; even toasters

can take messages now.



Like any emerging technology, AMPS was plagued with many problems. Despite these

problems however, this specification was a pioneering success. AMPS had three pressing

problems with it: easily susceptible to interference; lack of security; and cloning. Because of

how AMPS was designed to communicate, using only empty frequency ranges to separate

other frequencies, interference was a common sound heard on wireless networks. As well,many electronics could introduce interference to devices, causing a poor signal or call quality.

AMPS employed absolutely no security measures, besides an identification system called

electronic serial number (ESN). Calls and ESN’s were not encrypted or scrambled in any way

over the air. Anyone with a scanner could scan frequencies used in AMPS and listen to

conversations. ESN’s could uniquely identify phones on the networ k, for billing and legitimate

usage purposes. However, ESN’s could be copied because they were transmitted in plain text

over the air. Once a hacker was able to catch an ESN over the air, they would be able to assign

to their own phone and make calls as if they were the same phone that was cloned. This was amassive problem and was a cat and mouse chase until AMPS was discontinued. Wireless

carriers had little protection against cloning.

Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System

AMPS has a successor called digital advanced mobile phone system. D-AMPS was

essentially a completely digital version of AMPS. D-AMPS used time division multiple access

which split each frequency into three time slots, allowing for three times as many devices.Along with this, voice calls were digitally compressed, allowing for even more capacity on the

network. Switching to digital fixed all of the issues with AMPS and greatly improved the

reliability of the networks. However, it didn’t introduce much new functionality. Otherw ise, D-

AMPS used the same frequencies, equipment and retained backwards compatibly. D-AMPS

used an encryption scheme that prevented scanners and cloners to listen in and clone devices.

With the introduction of D-AMPS, cloning was almost eliminated. With revisions, D-AMPS

supported short message service (SMS) and basic data support. D-AMPS is considered a

second generation technology (2G). Most wireless carriers no longer employ D-AMPS in favourof the modern GSM with EDGE or CDMA2000 (Farley 2006).



Conclusion

This paper only scratches the surface of the true wireless world. Even just in Canada, a

country rich with current and modern wireless infrastructure despite low penetration rates. Thethree largest wireless carriers, Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and Telus Mobility make up nearly

ninety-nine percent of the wireless market in Canada. The approximately twenty three other

wireless carriers make up approximately one percent of the market and generally serve small

regions. Exact information is unable for these smaller wireless carriers because they often do

not publish exact and recent information. This could be because they are virtual wireless

carriers or currently in testing and deployment.

As Telus says, “the future is friendly.” The world of wireless is rapidly evolving

and changing every day. Devices continue to shrink in size, becoming vastly more powerful and

increasing battery life.



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