 Wi-Fi*, a definition:
Wi-Fi is a network providing wireless broadband access to e-mail and corporate
intranets** via a computer or a PDA compatible with the Internet.
Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) is the commercial name of the IEEE 802.11b network
protocol. It belongs to the wireless Ethernet family of technologies, also known
as wireless LAN (local area network) or radio LAN.
Wi-Fi provides a very broad bandwidth in the 2.4-gigahertz (GHz) frequency band:
The main attraction of WiFi is that it eliminates wires.
Wi-Fi, GPRS and
UMTS, complementary technologies:
- Wi-Fi
WiFi is the perfect complement to business service access in areas covered by
GSM/GPRS and UMTS.
Wherever users are, they can access their services (e-mail, intranet and the
Internet) transparently, with the simultaneous benefit of:
-
the wide international coverage provided by GSM/GPRS,
-
UMTS coverage in all built-up areas,
-
the WiFi network in hotspots.
- GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) or 2.5G (generation between GSM and UMTS)
Sometimes known as "2.5G", GPRS enables data to be transferred in "packets" on
the GSM network and therefore offers the same coverage as the GSM network.
It offers a host of mobile applications: visiting Wap sites, downloading ringtones,
logos, circulating multimedia files, e-mails, surfing on the Web, etc.
The passband offered by GPRS offers a theoretical bandwidth of 54.4 kbit/s.
GPRS can be used on an autonomous device like a WAP mobile or the new generation
of smartphones.
- UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) or 3G (third generation)
With a theoretical bandwidth of 384 kbit/s***, the new UMTS network offers a
superior passband and therefore bandwidth compared with the GPRS passband.
 This broader bandwidth makes it more convenient to use existing GPRS services
(e-mail, the Internet, etc) but also offers a series of new services such as videophone
and mobile video. The increase in the passband will therefore support a whole generation of new
mobile phone applications that previously required a PC: videoconferencing, sending
videos and audio messages, downloading reports and surfing on the Web, all this
much more conveniently.
Devices: With the development of 3G has come a new generation of mobile devices:
3G and 3G/GPRS telephones, while 3G can also be used on a laptop.
* WiFi is a registered trade mark belonging to the Wi-Fi Alliance.
** If supported by your company's network.
*** Theoretical bandwidth of 384 kbits/s when receiving UMTS standard data (3G).
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