America split over 4G technology
With 2008 just around the corner and the British government and telecoms operators currently debating how best to ensure the country doesn't get left behind technologically, the biggest news concerning next generation networks is currently coming from across the Atlantic.
In comparison to the 24 mbps broadband speed currently allowed for Britain's copper-wire based telephony networks, the US is one of a number of countries currently boasting speeds in excess of 40 mbps, with some analysts claiming that 100 mbps is not unheard of in certain parts of the world.
In such countries, the higher speeds currently on offer have in turn fuelled greater demand among both corporate and private users, meaning most of the recent developments have come about as a reaction to users' needs.
An example of this is the launch of a new service from new-operator Helio, which allows its subscribers to log onto YouTube from their mobile handsets and also use GPS technologies to attach coordinates to videos they capture.
However, according to industry experts, including the vice president of media at Helio, Rob Gelick, such applications represent just the tip of the 4G iceberg.
"Once there's a bigger pipe, people can upload much more significantly rich videos" Mr Gelick stated.
The biggest bone of contention in the US market is not how or when the next generation network should be rolled out but rather whether the next generation of handsets to support the networks would use Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax (a technology similar to WiFi which provides longer-range broadband signals and thereby minimises black-spots) for intensive data connections.
After all, according to Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney: "In the cellular world, it's all about handsets.
"If you have a new network and no handsets, who cares?" he told the Chicago Tribune.
Just last month Verizon Wireless, one of the leading operators in the US market, revealed that it is to work with LTE for its 4G networks, while rival Sprint is backing WiMax and is currently developing a version for computers as well as mobile phones.
Interestingly however, Sprint recently backed out of plans to construct a national wireless network using WiMax in collaboration with Clearwire, an initiative which would have given the technology a significant head-start.
Furthermore, Motorola is currently hedging its bets and possibly stretching its finances by working with LTE technologies as part of its '4G vision', while also simultaneously carrying out 40 WiMax trials across the globe, including in the Indian market.
According to some experts, the smart money would be on LTE in the long-run, though companies with the resources, such as Motorola, may well invest in WiMax as the technology is already closer to hand.
"LTE will be bigger, but it's coming later and there's more of an opportunity to use WiMax now" Philip Solis, principal analyst for mobile broadband at ABI Research told the Tribune.
As Mr Gelick states, "social networking, media sharing and the way people connect in general is fundamentally changing on wireless" and the collapse of the Sprint-Clearwire partnership is unlikely to slow the widespread deployment of WiMax over the coming months and years.
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