In the United States, three large cellular-service providers offer mobile broadband services on their networks. Sprint and Verizon are both CDMA networks, so their services are based on EV-DO technology. AT&T, formerly Cingular, is a GSM network, so it’s offering an HSDPA mobile broadband service.

Mobile broadband services provide fast and easy ways to connect even from coffee shops.

All three of these companies have built nationwide cellular networks. But not every part of the network is created equal. If you’re in a major metropolitan area, then you’ll have the most data services available to you. But if you’re out in a rural area, you may be limited to simply making phone calls or browsing the Web at dial-up speeds.

For example, AT&T’s mobile broadband service is called BroadbandConnect. With BroadbandConnect, you can send e-mails, instant messages, browse the Web at speeds between 400 and 700Kbps, watch TV shows, and even record and share live video during a phone call.

But to access all of these BroadbandConnect services, you need to be within coverage range of AT&T’s 3G network. Right now, that’s confined to the nation’s largest cities. If you’re outside of that coverage area, you can still access some data services like e-mail, text messaging and Web browsing, but at speeds between 75 and 135Kbps.

Sprint and Verizon’s services are the same. With Sprint’s mobile broadband service, you can use your cell phone to send e-mails, listen to streaming radio stations, download songs and music videos, watch live TV, share photos, play games and browse the Web at speeds between 600Kbps and 1.4Mbps (megabytes per second).

But like AT&T, the most data services and the best connection speeds are only available in 3G coverage areas, which are usually found in the nation’s biggest cities. On the fringes of these coverage areas are mobile broadband roaming areas, which offer limited multimedia and data services. Even further outside major cities is the regular Sprint nationwide cellular network, with basic data services and connection speeds between 50 and 70Kbps, similar to dial-up.

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:

• 3G cell phone
• PDA/smartphone
• laptop computer with a PC card
• laptop computer using a cell phone as a modem

For each of these options, the cellular providers offer several different mobile broadband payment plans. There’s usually an option for unlimited monthly access, which is the most expensive plan. Another option is to pick a plan that allows for a maximum amount of data transfer a month. Sprint, for example, has an option for laptop users to pay $39.99 a month for 40MB (megtabytes) of data transfer over the network. Verizon has a 5GB (gigabyte) plan for $59.99 a month. To give you an idea of what that means, Verizon says you could send 1,747,627 e-mails a month before reaching 5GB, or look up nearly 35,000 Web pages

Cellular providers generally package their mobile broadband services for cell phone users. Sprint’s package is called Power Vision and AT&T’s is called MEdia Net. You pay extra for these packages on top of your regular calling plan. Or you can sign up for an all-inclusive plan that gives you a certain amount of anytime minutes per month, plus unlimited mobile broadband usage. With a PDA or smartphone, you can choose from unlimited or maximum data usage plus a voice-calling plan.

If you don’t want to sign up for a monthly plan, you can actually pay by the kilobyte of data transfer. Sprint, for example, charges three cents a kilobyte for mobile broadband access without a monthly plan.

Now let’s break down the terms and fees of a mobile broadband plan.

Terms and Fees of Mobile Broadband Services

Mobile broadband is a brand new technology, so expect to pay a premium to use it. Like all cellular services, mobile broadband requires a one- or two-year contract. If you cancel the contract early, the cellular provider can charge an early termination fee up to $200.

Most mobile broadband services require the use of a card, that allows users to access the Internet.

If you’re going to use a cell phone for mobile broadband access, you might also need to buy a new phone. Cellular providers require that you use certain phones to access certain services. If you want to sign up for AT&T’s BroadbandConnect service, for example, you’ll choose from a dozen or so phones that have the right hardware and software to handle Web browsing and multimedia playback. And if you don’t sign up for an all-inclusive voice and data plan, then you’ll have to sign up for some kind of voice plan in addition to the mobile broadband contract.

The nice part is that the cellular providers often offer steep rebates and discounts when you buy a phone with a voice or data plan. Some phones and PC cards are even free after all of the instant discounts, online savings and mail-in rebates.

Make sure you read your mobile broadband contract closely and pay attention to all of the surcharges and taxes that apply. When you’re quoted a monthly charge of $39.99 a month, that doesn’t include any of the extra fees that will show up on your monthly bill. Let’s talk about a few of them:

• Most cellular service contracts come with a one-time activation fee of around $35.
• Some contracts require a deposit. Depending on your credit history, that deposit could be as low as $50 or as high as $1,000.
• Cellular services are subject to state and local taxes. Depending on where you live, those could add between 4 and 35 percent to your monthly bill.
• Phone companies are required to contribute to a federal fund for providing phone access to low-income individuals and families. This is called the Universal Service Fund (USF). As of April 1, 2008, the FCC is charging 11.3 percent per telephone line, also known as the Federal Universal Service Charge.
• There are also various regulatory and administrative charges that add up to around one dollar a month.

Some mobile broadband services have roaming areas that extend into parts of Mexico and Canada. Generally, if you use data or mobile broadband services within one of these extended roaming areas, you’ll be charged an extra fee based on a set price per kilobyte or megabyte of data transfer.

We hope this has been a helpful introduction to the exciting possibilities of mobile broadband. For more information about mobile broadband services, wireless technology and related topics, check out the links on the next page.

Almost anything and everything in today’s world is unlimited. The world has come to a stage where technology and advancement has made it possible to procure almost everything in limitless quantities. So why not unlimited broadband too? Broadband is available today in both options; limited and unlimited. The influx of better infrastructure and better technology has now made broadband services possible in urban, semi-urban and rural areas also. From the time when only a dial-up connection was accessible in rural areas, companies have made headway into villages and areas where laying cables are impossible. Satellite Internet is the new phenomenon which can even provide competitive business broadband services in rural villages.

The minimum threshold for an Internet service to be termed as a broadband service is 768 Kbps of download speed. Most business broadband providers now have a minimum speed of 2 Mbps to a maximum of 24 Mbps. The higher the speed limit, the more expensive the broadband connection. A huge range of frequencies available has now made it viable for multiple users to log on to a single server and experience the same speed. Even during peak traffic hours like in the evenings or weekends, broadband services with reliable speeds are available for home as well as business purposes.

Small and medium businesses have long realized the need of a good business broadband connection. Whereas unlimited broadband is available for residential as well as business purposes, broadband services for businesses are expensive. But the huge number of competition in the market have steadily brought down prices and unlimited broadband for trade, commerce and industry is now available at unbeatable tariffs.

Broadband services can be obtained as monthly subscriptions. For a fixed fee which depends on the download speed and data transmission, you can access broadband Internet. When broadband is limited, you subscribe for services on a particular speed under a specific download limit crossing which you will have to pay for extra usages. For example, you may take a monthly subscription for Rs.899 which provides speeds upto 2 Mbps and has a download limit of 10 GB. If you cross the limit of 10 GB in a month, you will end up paying more than Rs.899 for extra usage.
Unlimited broadband is different because you don’t have a limit. You can download unlimited music, movies and wallpapers from the Internet all at a fixed rate. For example, you may have a monthly plan of Rs.1099 for a download speed of 2 Mbps. For Rs.1099 you can explore and download all you like.

When choosing a business broadband service, the most important things you have to keep in mind and compare are the subscription package, download speed, extra charges and after sales services. For a business situation you cannot compromise on any of these parameters.

Simply put, broadband integrates cable modem and DSL and allows the Internet connection to transmit anything faster than 56 kilobits per second, the basic dial up speed. It wasn’t until 2000, that the popularity of broadband Internet increased. It became known as “high speed Internet” and with the blink of an eye, you could travel across the ocean to a whole new world. The performance of broadband Internet is many times faster than a dial up modem. Broadband could also carry another name, “narrowband” which suggests no standard bitrate defined by the industry and the risk of a compromised Internet connection speed.

Cable modems and DSL are the standard technologies used for broadband. Also on the scene are the newer technologies such as optical fiber and VDSL which promises higher speed Internet connections. Depending on what you need the Internet for, speed can make all the difference in the world. It will take time research the best broadband Internet service that will meet your needs as they may very well be different than someone else’s.

Although the use of fiber optic Internet services has become recent, consumers are able to access broadband Internet using cost effective means, even covering larger distances.

Perhaps the greatest challenge of a broadband Internet service is to provide needed services in scarcely populated areas. Thousands of dollars are required in providing equipment to offer Internet services to the people and many times this can not be done. Service providers fear they will not be able to recover their costs and choose not to incorporate low density populated areas. Adding to this dilemma is the type of phone service offered in these rural communities. If it is of poor quality, than broadband Internet will be compromised and there could be problems signing onto the Internet or being “dumped off” at the most inopportune time. There are some areas where Wi-Fi networks take over when there is no access to DSL or cable Internet. In other countries, HSDPA, EV-DO and stationary broadband WiMax are used to gain access to high speed mobile Internet.

Especially in times of economic hardship, many online businesses are now having their beginnings in a private home. Entrepreneurs rely heavily on a reliable broadband Internet service for daily communications and worldwide access. As does the business man with many holdings covering the globe. At times, on the spot decisions need to be made and a reliable broadband Internet access can make all the financial difference in the world for many people involved.

The variety of broadband media services that consumers will receive is only limited by the creativity of network, service, and content providers. While research is being conducted regularly to determine demand for specific services, one thing is clear—for broadband media services to have successful deployment, the services will have to add value to individual lives. User interface (UI) is an important component of this, and the interface and controls have to make sense for users. Ideally, users would control and access content with familiar remote-control devices and create and select content via customized on-screen menus according to their preferences. An example would be a single on-screen menu (viewable on the users TV, PC, etc) that provides access to the home DVD collection, music library, video game library, Internet and e-mail, e-greetings library, family photos, broadcast TV, pay-per-view options, and more. In the office, a single interface could provide access to employee-training videos, industry discussion forums, Internet and e-mail, and other company news and information. Since ease of use is a crucial part of the overall solution, companies are actively researching consumer preferences for integrated media interfaces to offer a variety of options that address individual tastes.The three cornerstones of Broadband Media Services are

• truly customized “per customer,” “per media type” access to multimedia content
• content “on demand”—what you want, when you want it
• advanced interactivity

With that in mind, broadband media services are probably best described as a mix of

• Internet applications (interactive surfing of the WWW)
• e-commerce
• pay-per-view
• interactive targeted marketing

To better understand the potential of broadband media services, here are a few real-world examples of services that are being intensively developed and tested:

Media on Demand

On-demand experiences are a cornerstone of broadband media services in that users can consume content when it is convenient for them, as opposed to planning viewing or listening times around a preconceived, generic broadcast schedule. Generally, a media on demand (MOD) system’s primary goal is for a client to request video or music and have it play back without interruptions, with little or no delay. MOD means that the content starts playing back from the beginning or from some specified point as opposed to joining a transmission in progress. An MOD server operating on the Internet today uses IP protocols to deliver the data. These protocols define how the server encapsulates the media file into packets and how a client decodes the received data. In MOD, content is “streamed” to the viewer in real-time. The recipient may choose whether to view the content the same time it is streamed (which is possible) or save the content in the video server to view another time.

Much more than movies or VOD, MOD could be anything—music, interactive games, university courses, vacation videos, replays from last night’s hockey game, a scene from your favorite music video, a video phone call with grandma and the kids, your real-time stock portfolio with different scenarios e-mailed from your broker, a live Webcast for work. You get the idea! The premise of broadband media services is the same in that all digital content transmitted through IP networks can be “streamed” to devices and/or saved in servers, merged with other content, and ultimately viewed and interacted with. And, you will have fast, seamless access to it via a customized on-screen menu, viewable from different devices such as TV sets in different rooms of the house or PCs at the home or office. Here are two examples:

• It’s Saturday night and you feel like staying home and watching a movie. You heard about a great foreign movie but you haven’t been able to find it near your home. You log on to your broadband media services because you know your personal video search engine will help you locate the movie online. Then you will buy it and have it “streamed” to you instantly, but only after you’ve seen a preview. After you watch the movie, you notice a personalized message from the provider indicating the release date of another movie by the same director, along with a preview of the movie and an offer for 20 percent off your next purchase. Since you enjoyed this movie so much, you go ahead and order it in advance and specify the date you’d like it to be sent to your home server. Then you click on your “late night music” selections on your entertainment menu and play a few tracks from your jazz music library before you finally doze off.
• Your daughter’s friend from school just got a new interactive video game for her birthday and your daughter has been rightly chosen to be the first to play with her. The only problem is, your daughter is tired from a long day by the seaside and she doesn’t want to get up from the sofa. So, you fire up the laptop and drop it in her lap while her friend streams the game from her home server to yours. As your daughter desperately tries to outwit her friend at the game with the help of your speedy WLAN laptop connection, her friend has unwittingly downloaded a few “hints” from a private Internet site only available to buyers of the game. Feeling guilty after beating your daughter five games in a row, her friend decides to send a quick video demonstrating the hints for a more even match tomorrow.

Live IP Broadcasting

Of course live broadcasts exist today, but broadcasting of live events in real-time over the Internet provides a completely new range of entertainment possibilities that can be offered to end-users. There are no channel limitations and the coverage is global. Live video feed can be captured using real-time video encoders and then streamed to video servers. Broadcasting of live streams could also mean receiving satellite, cable, or terrestrial TV channels and encoding them into the IP network. Here are some examples of what IP broadcasting will mean:

• You’ve recently moved out of the country. You like your new home and job but you miss the local news back in your hometown, and especially the extensive coverage of your old high school football team that recently made it to the playoffs. With IP broadcasting, you can watch your local news every night and you won’t miss a thing. And, you can have the local broadcast of all the playoff games “streamed” to you via IP broadcasting.
• You have tickets to the symphony but your boss just handed you a last-minute business assignment so you won’t be able to go. No problem. You can have the symphony “streamed” to you in real time and keep it on in the background, while you’re working, hearing it just as if you were there live. Since you’ve saved it on your home server, you can replay it again and again for the full video experience later.

Regional production of global sports events, concerts, and local events in real-time will become a reality and will create new revenue streams for operators. For consumers, IP broadcasting will become as close to “being there” for the live event as one could possibly get and allow people to keep close ties with favorite local programming around the globe.

New revenue opportunities abound for service providers, as broadband media services will enable advanced targeted marketing messages. Broadband media services will create new classes of advertising such as on-demand marketing, where companies provide audio and video messages to consumers who express interest in a particular product. Automakers, for example, could offer one- or two-minute video clips demonstrating the features of specific new car models. Broadband media services will enable marketers to reach consumers near the time of the purchase consideration, with content targeted directly to the actual purchase decision-makers.

Some additional revenue-generating possibilities that operators and advertisers will enjoy are

• e-commerce. Transaction commissions on e-commerce via retailers on the system.
• real-estate charge. Monthly “rent” charged to each retailer on the system including links to retail sites and a number of pages on cache memory.
• network games. End-users or groups of end-users pay for getting access to the latest games over the network.
• sponsoring packages. Arrangements for retailers to be primary or secondary service providers in a service category (hub) with exclusive exposure possibilities on portal and hubs (fixed monthly or quarterly fees).
• pop-up specials. Pop-up on-screen banners with save, open, or close functionality. An interactive alternative to TV program sponsorships or as interactive add-ons to traditional commercials. Sales synergies with hard-drive space sales.
• Internet access. Sales margin on fast Internet access sold via the system.
• hard-drive space sales. “Rent” charged to advertisers for hard-disk space necessary to display products, product catalogues, or other direct-marketing pieces via the TV. Based on alternative costs of traditional direct-marketing distribution.
• subscription. Membership fees for access to extra or enhanced services.
• digital TV sales. Sales of broadcast entertainment.

So while high speed and shared access to Internet services, media delivery, and local networks provide endless possibilities for consumers, it can also create new revenue streams for operators, media companies, and service providers, through, among other things, multiplied use of access networks, branded media portals, interactive advertising, and e-commerce.

Broadband media services enable operators to capture part of households’ new TV and video services and bundle them with traditional voice services, reducing customer churn and margin pressure. Everyone will benefit. Operators and service providers will provide access to services; network providers will generate revenues by maintaining and managing modular and scalable network enhancements and add-ons; content providers will create and license new content; advertisers will target customer user groups better than ever; and end-users will enjoy a new level of personalized services.