Fourth-generation technology great hope of phone industry

Global mobile operators and device makers are betting that the next level of transmission technology will boost mobile phone use in a way that third-generation technology has so far failed to do.

Fourth-generation (4G) mobile technology now being developed would allow two-way communication in voice, video and data on a scale that was previously impossible, companies said at a Samsung 4G Forum mobile conference in South Korea.

4G would allow mobile users on the go to enjoy services they can now get through personal computers with high-speed broadband connections.

"4G is to deliver high-speed broadband for data- and visual-centric information. Everything before 4G is voice-centric," said Ali Tabassi, Sprint Nextel vice-president for innovative technology.

Operators have spent billions to speed up their mobile networks to offer video, photos, internet access and other services which they hope will boost revenues and make up for the lacklustre growth of voice calls.

But growth in use of third-generation (3G) services has been slower than expected.

3G technology, which allows video calls and wireless internet access, has yet to become widespread and has caused concerns that it may not generate enough profit to justify the amount spent to build the networks.

"3G was a failure," said Kim Ki-ho, Samsung's senior vice-president for telecommunications networks. "The market did not respond, and it is already becoming an old-fashioned technology."

Others disagree. Kristin Rinne, chief technology officer for Cingular Wireless, said: "We're just beginning to hit that exponential curve in terms of data usage [in 3G]. We're going to have to demonstrate we can deliver those products and services to customers. If that doesn't happen, there isn't a need for 4G."

Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc is among a handful of operators that have seen some success with 3G. Users of its 3G service known as FOMA are more than 50 per cent of its total subscribers.

The International Telecommunication Union defines 4G as a wireless technology that transfers data at 100 megabits a second while the user is moving and 1 gigabit a second when stationary.

At the highest speed, users can download a movie in 5.6 seconds and send 100 songs in 2.4 seconds, according to Samsung Electronics, which presented a 4G service demonstration at the forum.

The spectrum for 4G service will be allocated at a global conference in October next year, and the commercial introduction is expected after standard-setting around 2010.

"After 2010, 4G will become the mobile service that embraces everything," said Lee Ki-tae, president of Samsung's telecommunication networks business.

Sprint Nextel said this month it would spend up to US$3 billion over two years to build a 4G network using WiMax technology with Samsung, Motorola and Intel.

- REUTERS