Mobile Technology

Mobile Technology and Mobile Service Provider in Malaysia



Introduction
            Mobile computing can be defined as a computing environment over physical mobility. This technology enables peoples to access network service at any place, anytime, and anywhere. The user of mobile computing environment will be able to access data, information or other logical objects from any device in any network while on the move. Mobile computing s used in different contexts with different names such as Mobile Computing, Anywhere, Anytime Information, Virtual Home Environment, Nomadic Computing, Ubiquitous Computing, and many others. Computing environment can be defined as mobile if it supports one or more of the characteristics such as User Mobility, Network Mobility, Bearer Mobility, device mobility, session mobility, service mobility, and host mobility.  Mobile computing system allows a user to perform a task from anywhere using a computing device in the public, corporate, and personal information spaces.

Mobile Technologies
            The evolution of mobile computing can be seen through the evolution of wireless data. The evolution of wireless technology has been defined in generations which is the first generation is well known as 1G technology, followed by 2G technology, 3G technology with 2.5G technology followed by 2.75G technology as an intermediate between 2G and 3G technology, and the latest technology is 4G technology.


            1G (or 1-G) refers to the first-generation of wireless telephone technology, mobile communications. 1G technology were introduced at 1980s and an analog telecommunications standards. 1G technology uses FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) technology for modulation. The first 1G network launched was the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) in Japan in 1979. The next 1G network technology is Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT). NMT is the first fully automatic cellular phone system that introduced. There are two variants of NMT which is NMT-450 and NMT-900 which the numbers indicate the frequency band that uses with NMT-900 carries more channels than NMT-450 network. In 1982, Advance Mobile Phone Technology (AMPS) was introduced by AT&T. Analog AMPS was then superseded by Digital AMPS in 1990.
            In 2G technology, voice is digitized over a circuit. Using modems, a data connection is established between device and the network. This technique is similar to what happen in a dial-up network over analog telephone at home. One of the network technologies in 2G is GSM (global System for Mobile Communications). GSM uses a combination of FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) and TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access). In this 2G network technology, SMS (Short Message Service) was introduced which enable sending and receiving text message to, and from. GSM supports data access over CSD (Circuit Switched Data). GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is a technology that introduced letter and well known as 2.5G technology. GPRS is the next phase within the evolution of GSM, support data over packets. WAP is a data service supported by GPRS and GSM to access internet and remote data services. Technology 2.7G network introduced a service called EDGE (Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution). This technology allows improved data transmission rates, as an extension on top of standard GSM technology. EDGE is considered as pre-3G technology and standardized by 3GPP as part of the GSM family.
            Third Generation or 3G wireless technology uses Spread Spectrum techniques for media access and encoding. In 3G, both data and voice use packets. The 3G evolution allowed mobile telephone users to user audio, video applications and also a graphics using their phone. 3G technologies also offer user to watch streaming video through mobile telephone. 3G is known as high speed IP data networks and mobile broadband. 3G technology uses packet switching rather than circuit switching for data transmission and makes the internet surfing faster and more convenient. UMTS and CDMA2000 are example of 3G networks.
            The latest technology is Fourth Generation or 4G network. 4G technology is design to deliver fast wireless broadband services to mobile devices. 4G network use an encoding method OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing). The 4g technology enable more simultaneous user per call which is offer higher reliability and less dropped calls. Example of services in 4G technology network is WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), and HC-SDMA.

Mobile Service Providers in Malaysia

            Celcom operator is owned by Axiata Group Berhad. Celcom provides GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and HSDPA technology to their customers. Celcom offer both prepaid and postpaid pelan to its customers. Services plans for customers that offered by Celcom is Celcom Biz, Celcom Exec, Celcom Family 1 + 5, Celcom Blue, Celcom Xpax, U.O.X, S.O.X, and etc. These plans are different from other plans and the target user also different. For example, for Celcom U.O.X (University Of X) pelan is basically for customers aged between 18 and 25 years old. For Celcom S.O.X (School Of X) is only for Customers aged between 12 to 18 years old. The Celcom Biz plans targeting business people as users for the plans. There also a plans for foreigner from another country that offered by Celcom like Celcom Exec. These plans enable customers to calls to foreign country like Indonesia, India, China, Vietnam and other countries at the lower rate compare to normal plans. Celcom also offers a plan for family like Celcom Xpax that allows them to register a limited numbers (8 numbers for normal Xpax pelan) to their account to gets special services such as lower call and messaging rate. To attract more customers, Celcom make strategies such as free calls and SMSs during customer’s birthday, a plan for buying a hand phone and many others.

            DiGi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd is owned in majority by Telenor ASA of Norway with 49 percent of share. Technologies that offered by DiGi is GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and HSPA (Turbo 3G). Like others mobile service providers, DiGi offers a plans to their customers such as postpaid, prepaid, DiGi Internet, DiGi Business, and also International Calls Services. Under the prepaid, example plans that offered is DiGi Best, DiGi Easy, and Prepaid BlackBerry plans. Plans under postpaid is DG30, DG50, DG150, DiGi Smart pelan and iDiGi. Digi provides services including voice under their prepaid and postpaid plans, SMS, data plans and services, international roaming, international calling cars, and WAP services.

            Maxis Communication berhad is owned by Ananda Krishnan and Saudi Telecom Company (25%). Technologies that used by Maxis is GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and HSPA. Hotlink is a popular prepaid brand service that introduced by maxis in 1990. Another services that offered by Maxis is VSAT services which is communication based on satellite. Maxis also offer BlackBerry based mobile services. As other mobile service providers, Maxis offer prepaid call plans, monthly subscription plans, International Roaming, MMS, WAP, Residential Fixed Line services, and broadband Internet Plans.

These three mobile service providers Maxis, Celcom, and DiGi is the most popular mobile network operator in Malaysia. Other mobile network operators in Malaysia is U Moblie, TuneTalk, XOX COM, Redtone, Happy Prepaid, Merchantrade, OKTEL and many more.


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