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New deal paves way for 3G iPhones

updated 05:00 pm EDT, Fri September 7, 2007

3G iPhones on the way


Wireless technology company InterDigital today announced that it has inked a seven-year licensing agreement with Apple to provide wireless technology for the company's iPhone as well as any future handsets, according to Reuters. InterDigital designs, develops, and provides advanced wireless technology to power voice as well as data communications. The company is a well known developer of wireless communications in the tech industry responsible for creating technology embedded in every 2G (EDGE), 2.5G, and 3G (HSDPA) device on the market. At least one analyst believes the new deal spans 2G and 3G cellular technologies covering bandwidth allocation as well as roaming and power efficiency controls. The analyst also thinks the deal will likely include some form of packet data coding and delivery.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. Buran

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2000

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    09/07, 05:32pm | report spam | Reply |

    Waiting for 3G myself

    This is what I'm waiting for: a 3G iPhone. I don't care about the price cut. I want faster service. The original price is worth it to me for fast cell data service and some more iPod storage space -- 8GB is just a tad too small for me. 16 or more, please.

  1. chas_m

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    Joined: Aug 2001

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    09/07, 05:46pm | report spam | Reply |

    retrofit?

    Will it be possible for this technology to be incorporated into all iphones via software, meaning older iPhones won't become obsolete as quickly?

  1. dliup

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    Joined: Jan 2006

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    09/07, 05:48pm | report spam | Reply |

    over estimation of 3g

    Maximum theoritical data transfer speed for 3G UMTS (WCDMA) is actually 2Mbps. However, in real life, telco provides max of around 400 to 800kbps, however most phones only accepts 384kbps download speed, so REAL speed of 3G is more like 75% of 384kbps, IF there is a good signal. Therefore 200 to 250 kbps on EDGE isn't all that slow.

  1. dliup

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    Joined: Jan 2006

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    09/07, 06:01pm | report spam | Reply |

    by the way...

    BTW, I have seen windows mobile phones using a faster connection (on WIFI) rendering truncated mobi version of a web site (with less graphics and data). IT TAKES ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME as iPhone rendering a real web page using EDGE!

    And of course the browser with mobi web page on windows mobile comes no way near iPhone's usability. So the lesson is that don't believe in the hype made by industry dinasaurs unless you compare real life usability head to head.

    But as human nature, we always want something faster. Give it to me now. Faster! Bring it faster! =)

  1. vasic

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    Joined: May 2005

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    09/07, 06:22pm | report spam | Reply |

    3G reality in US

    3G (on any carrier) in the US is still more-or-less a pipe dream. When you look at their 3G coverage maps, you see these swaths of light blue (or red, or yellow), with a rew spots of dark blue (or dark red, or darker yellow). It turns out that the brighter colour represents planned coverage that's "coming soon" (industry speak for next 3-10 years); dark specks on the map are actual, current coverage. Unless you are in a metro area (and plan never to take your cellphone outside of that area), you're stuck with plain old GPRS/EDGE.

    Then there is the muscle power of those phones; in the end, your bottleneck isn't your pipe; it's your browser.

  1. maybesew

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    Joined: Apr 2007

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    09/07, 06:48pm | report spam | Reply |

    3G reality

    3G = short battery life. You think you want a 3G phone because you want faster service, which is natural. But what you don't realize is what the trade-off is in battery life. You don't want it.

    And coverage areas, pick a small country on the map in europe. h*** throw a dart at a map of europe. It's likely that whatever country you hit, has just as many cell phone towers as the entire united states.

    3G is not the magic bullet.

  1. henjin

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    Joined: May 2007

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    09/07, 07:41pm | report spam | Reply |

    smoke

    This is all show. Jobs does this smoke play. Reality 3G iPhones are already here but waiting for Jobs next little ego show. The iPhone cannot even hope to really go beyond fashion freaks and Apple's core base unless it does one thing really well. Safari is the key and it is crippled by EDGE. And I think we'll hear about 3g with the launch in Europe and U.K. Anyone buying today is really buying an end of line product. Why consumers put up with this I do not know, it's just a slow moving paper weight at the moment. Safari is great but it's not that great. Really nothing is that great. The phones real value price is $199. But g3 is a must for anyone wanting to enjoy OSX on the iPhone.

  1. ptkdude

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    Joined: Feb 2006

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    09/07, 08:58pm | report spam | Reply |

    Correction

    To correct the story: 2G is GSM, TDMA or CDMA, 2.5G is EDGE, 3G is WCDMA, UMTS and HSPDA

  1. bfalchuk

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    Joined: Jul 2003

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    09/07, 09:56pm | report spam | Reply |

    Corrected correction

    ptkdude, actually, since we're talking about data, 2G would be GPRS, and 2.5G is EDGE. GSM, TDMA and CDMA are on the voice side, and don't follow the evolution (though, for CDMA, the voice capabilities evolve with the data, hence names like EV-DO, or Evolution - data only, and EV-DV, meaning evolution - data & voice).

    Anyway, a minor point, but 2G isn't technically referring to GSM. It's referring to the GPRS part, which is just a solution for data over GSM.

  1. Fast iBook

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    Joined: Mar 2003

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    09/07, 11:50pm | report spam | Reply |

    iWant iPhone...

    iWant iPhone. iDon't need 3g. I need a phone, maps, visual voicemail, and i have wireless at home, etc etc, i don't need 3g and will be getting an iPhone as soon as i can afford the monthly bill increase. Anyone worrying about edge vs 3g needs to realize that edge is much less demanding on the battery. i know this, because i've used an iPhone on loan for several weeks to compare them. Devices used were iPhone vs 3g razr also on loan.

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