Does the future bode well for real-time audio data?
Wireless is moving toward the so-called 3G, the third generation of wireless technology, following analog (1G) and PCS (2G). 3G promises rates from 384 kbps to 2 Mbps in a stationary environment, supporting wide-bandwidth needs such as full-motion video. While the bandwidth will remain Internet protocol-based and subject to congestion, design for multimedia and wide bandwidth will help reduce todays limitations. Early 3G networks have already begun to spring up. In Japan, NTT DoCoMo launched its 3G “FOMA” service in October 2001, and European networks are in development. Implementation in North America should be introduced in the upcoming years.
