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3G or 4G, What’s the difference?

As the world increasingly does away with cables and goes the wireless way new technologies are not only driving access speeds but also change. José R. De Souza talks to Jihad Srage, Qualcomm’s Vice President for Business Development in the region, about new technology, mobile entertainment and the next big thing

How would you describe Qualcomm in a Tweet (140 characters or less)?

Qualcomm’s inventions are driving the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other.

In the simplest of terms, how would you describe the difference between 3G and 4G technologies?

3G supports a wide variety of mobile voice and data applications — music, video, mobile games, social networking and much more. The idea behind 4G is that it will support similar services at faster speeds. However, there’s a lot of exaggerated talk and misunderstanding about 4G right now. Some people are talking about 4G having mobile data speeds that you can’t even get now using a landline connection. There is also a mistaken belief that mobile operators will walk into work one day, switch off their 3G network and switch on 4G. If this were true, what would happen to consumers with 3G devices? You would wake up one day and have no mobile service!

The reality is that the fastest mobile network in the world right now — Telstra’s Next G network in Australia — is based on 3G HSPA+ technology. This is the same technology used by Etisalat, du, Mobily and others for their high-speed 3G services. Certainly, mobile operators in the Middle East will look to implement new networks in the years ahead.

While they’re making these plans, though, they’ll continue to use and upgrade their existing networks, making them faster and faster using the latest 3G technologies. This is good for consumers because they don’t need to wait for 4G to begin enjoying high-speed mobile services.

As the world becomes increasingly wireless, what’s the next big thing?

There are many big things but one of the most exciting is the convergence of wireless and consumer electronics. People have so many wires and cables attached to home entertainment centers, and the eventual goal is to replace these with a single, high-speed digital connection. New and exciting technologies are on the horizon for consumers, such as augmented reality. The digital and physical world will merge in a seamless way — you’re not going to think of it as wireless, but just that you are connected to everyone, and to everything around you.

Mobile devices are increasingly playing the role of information and entertainment centres. What can consumers in the Middle East expect to see more of in the not-so-distant future?

As mobile devices are increasingly playing the role of information and entertainment centers, this will add a burden on operators to upgrade their networks in order to meet the high volume demand.

However, the return is promising enough to encourage operators to invest in this domain. 3G has allowed a wide variety of services, taking into consideration that the most advanced development of the GSM, which is “Edge” technology, could not have allowed such services.

The Middle East will experience tangible growth in the numbers of smart phones which have an important advantage at several levels. Smart phones are not just phones for voice and SMS services but they offer a wide range of applications that will need developers for Arabization and local customization.

This will create a need for local developers to create such applications. It will create new types of jobs, which will be highly rewarding to the whole community.

Qualcomm talks about the potential for wireless education. Tell us more about it.

Qualcomm believes that access to wireless education technology and digital content are key factors to improving academic achievement. Just as business professionals now connect with their colleagues, business systems and documents through mobile technologies outside of the traditional 9-5 workday, students should have access to connect with their learning communities and education materials 24/7.

The early teenage years are a critical time in every person’s life. Parents, friends and teachers will make an enormous impact on a child’s study habits, commitment to learning and ultimately his or her future.

—joserdesouza@gmail.com