AN OVERVIEW OF WIRELESS NETWORKS - 51ST IIS 2005

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In choosing between wire and wireless networks; convenience, cost, performance and security issues have to be taken into consideration. The birth of wireless communication was when the first operational cellular communication system was introduced and deployed in Norway in 1981. This was followed by similar systems in the US and the UK. The first generation (1G) systems provided voice transmissions using only analog modulation frequency around 900 MHz. Second generation (2G) is the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and was introduced in 1991 in Europe. At the end of 1997, GSM service was available in more than 100 countries, especially in Europe and Asia. GSM provides voice and limited data services and uses digital modulation with improved audio quality. The 2.5G systems were introduced in 2000 and enhance the data capacity of GSM and mitigate some of its limitations. The third generation (3G) cellular service is the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) also introduced in 2000. The third generation (3G) sustains higher data rates and has opened the door to internet based applications. The challenge of today’s wireless systems is to achieve the goals of true broadband cellular service referred to as the fourth generation (4G). This 4G is intended to provide high speed, high capacity, low cost per bit, and IP based services which are necessary to accommodate growing traffic in 2010 and thereafter. In this paper, we present a broad overview of the evolution of wireless systems, examine the limitations of the above mentioned generations of wireless systems, and look at its present and future challenges and applications.

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