Mobile Broadband Technology (EVO in Pakistan)

Mobile broadband is powered by the same technology that makes cell phones work. For mobile broadband, the packets of information would be other types of data like e-mails, Web pages, music files and streaming video.

Mobile broadband is also known as 3G, or third-generation cell-phone technology. Both GSM and CDMA have developed their own 3G technology solutions for delivering high-speed Internet access to mobile devices.

The CDMA-based mobile broadband technology is called EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data Only). The trick behind EV-DO is that it runs over a part of the cellular network devoted entirely to data. By separating the data channel from the voice channel, the network can maximize data transfers and provide higher-speed access to e-mail, the Internet and multimedia. EV-DO is the equivalent of DSL. To use an EV-DO network, you need to either have a device that's already loaded with EV-DO hardware (like a Blackberry or other smart phone) or a special network card that plugs into your laptop.

GSM's answer to EV-DO is something called HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access). Unlike EV-DO, an HSDPA network can handle both voice and data transfers, so you can talk to mom and surf the Web at the same time. It maximizes data transfer speeds by focusing on downloading information, not uploading. HSDPA advertises average download speeds between 400 to 700 Kbps.

Like EV-DO, you'll need special network hardware to access HSDPA mobile broadband. You either need a device with a built-in HSDPA card or a special PC card that plugs into a laptop computer. You'll also need to be within range of an HSDPA signal, which is concentrated in metropolitan city centers and along major highways.

Features of Mobile Broadband Services

With Broadband Connect, you can send e-mails, instant messages, browse the Web at speeds between 400 and 1.4Mbps, watch TV shows, and even record and share live video during a phone call. But to access all of these Broadband Connect services, you need to be within coverage range. Right now, that's confined to the nation's largest cities.

What you pay to access these mobile broadband networks depends on what device you're going to use. There are four basic options for connecting to a 3G network:

1. 3G cell phone
2. PDA/smart phone
3. laptop computer with a PC card
4. laptop computer using a cell phone as a modem