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Showcasing 3G future in Bangladesh

21 August 2008, 18:00 PM
STAR TECH
Safayet Ullah

Top: A medical staff performs a ECG of a patient over 3G networks.
Below: A computer screen shows the patient.,medical technician and the remote doctor connected through a 3G network inside the Alokito Bangladesh ambulance.Photo: Anisur Rahman

Sirajul Islam, a sixty year old man, during his morning walk in the Gulshan area, saw an ambulance with a crowd of people surrounding it. His curiosity took him to the spot, where he found that he could get a medical checkup done by doctors sitting miles away from the ambulance. Seeing this as an opportunity, he requested for a checkup. The officials in the ambulance took his ECG, medical history and details and sent them through telemedicine software and hardware to a medical specialist in a distant hospital. After checking the details and seeing the patient live through video conferencing, the doctor prescribed Islam as needed. My friends, the above story is not a futuristic one, but of here and now, thanks to a pilot project 'Alokito Bangladesh' (Enlightened Bangladesh) led by Ericsson Bangladesh Ltd. The project, which has just been started on trial basis uses 3G/HSPA(3rd generation/High Speed Packet Access) technology. The ehealth application under the 3G demo was conducted with assistance from Apollo Hospital, India and Bangladesh. 3G/HSPA is the technology that enables people to communicate with high-speed data transfer and enjoy services like Video Call, Mobile TV, High Speed Mobile Broadband etc. Arun Bansal, president and country manger, Ericsson Bangladesh said, "I believe 3G/HSPA has tremendous future in Bangladesh, one of the fastest growing mobile markets of the world." He also added, "Ericsson Bangladesh is really privileged to be a part of such a pioneering project and I would like to thank BTRC for giving us the opportunity and the support to demonstrate the first 3G/HSPA trial in Bangladesh." The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) gave Ericsson Bangladesh permission to deploy a demo 3G/HSPA network in the Dhaka region on October 10, 2007. The given bandwidth was 1920MHz to 1925MHz for uplink and 2110MHz to 2115MHz for downlink. Possible Applications of 3G Networks
A large segment of the Bangladeshi population still has no access to modern health care services due to lack of proper infrastructure. As a result, a good number of people in the rural area die due to insufficient access to good doctors and diagnosis. For such people, this latest technology could be a new ray of light if implemented across the country's rural areas. In fact, the health sector is not the only sector that will benefit. The education sector can also take advantage of this technology by extending the knowledge of skilled teachers to rural students. In the transportation sector, video surveillance systems can monitor traffic congestion. There are more fascinating things that 3G/HSPA can make possible, for example, you can watch your new-born baby at home while you are on the move or in the office through mobile video call. Remote Surveillance is the latest in mobile security - offering the freedom to view live images or videos captured from cameras installed directly on a PC or your mobile/PDA. For TV buffs, it's good news too. With the new Mobile TV, you can watch your favorite programs wherever you are. Now you may ask, why do we need 3G networks to get these features? Why 3G networks?
The answer is that HSPA data transmission has the capability to deliver at speeds of up to 14.4Mbit/s on the downlink and 5.8Mbit/s on the uplink which is much greater than the 9.6 kbit/s of a single GSM error-corrected circuit switched data channel or multiple 9.6 kbit/s channels in HSCSD (14.4 kbit/s for CDMAOne), According to sources from Ericsson, 512Kbps bandwidth will allow users to make video calls, run E-Learning, E-medicine or E-surveillance software, as well as play video on Demand without disruption. Technicalities
Currently in Bangladesh, five mobile operators - GrameenPhone, Banglalink, AKTEL, Warid and Teletalk use the GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) technology and only CityCell uses the CDMAOne technology. GSM is a cellular network, which means that mobile phones connect to its network by searching for cells in the nearest surrounding area. GSM networks operate in four different frequency ranges namely 850/900/1800/1900 MHz. Most GSM networks operate in the 900/1800 MHz bands. Lets take a look at how the GSM network system works for 2G networks. The network can be divided into three sections. One is the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) which consists of Base Transceiver Station (BTS), Base Station Controller (BSC), and Packet Control Unit (PCU). The next section is Network Switching Subsystem (NSS) which consists of Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Home Location Register (HLR), Visitor Location Register (VLR), Authentication Center (AUC) and Equipment Identity Register (EIR). The last segment is the GPRS Core Network, which consists of Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) and Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN). All GSM operators more or less, have these common elements for its 2G/2.5G networks. Difference between 2G and 3G
The basic difference between 2G and 3G networks is the Radio Network Controller (RNC), which works for 3G as the BSC of 2G, and the Node B, which works as the BTS. Compared to GSM, UMTS networks initially required a higher base station density. For a full-fledged UMTS incorporating video on demand features, one base station needed to be set up every 1km to 1.5 km. This was the case when only the 2100 MHz band was being used, however the problem has been solved by using lower-frequency bands (such as 850 and 900 MHz). Ericsson is conducting its 3G trial by using the site and transmission networks of three telecom operators - Warid Telecom International Bangladesh, Grameenphone, and Telecom Malaysia International (Bangladesh), which operates under the brand name AKTEL. According to sources, it is possible to upgrade to 3G network in six to twelve months, and hopefully, the people of Bangladesh will enjoy the high speed of 3G at the beginning or middle of year 2010.

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