Table 1 Wireless network technologies and user perceived data transfer rates

2G-GSM (early 1990s)

9.6 to 115 kbps

About 10 kbps

2.5G-GPRS (2001)

9.6 to 171.2 kbps

Between 30 and 50 kbps

2.5G-EDGE (2003)

9.6 to 384 kbps

Between 75 and 135 kbps

3G-UMTS (Release 99, 2001)

144 kbps to 2 Mbps

Between 200 and 300 kbps

3.5G-HSPA (Rel. 7, 2007)

DL: 14.4 Mbps

DL: 1 to 4 Mbps

(HSDPA, Rel. 5, 2005)

UL: 5.76 Mbps

UL: 500 kbps to 2 Mbps

(HSUPA, Rel. 6, 2008)

HSPA + (Rel. 7, 2007)

DL: 21.6 Mbps

DL: ~2 to ~9 Mbps

UL: 11.5 Mbps

UL: 1 to 4 Mbps

HSPA + (DL: 64 QAM, UL: 16 QAM, dual carrier, 10 + 5 MHz)

DL: 42 Mbps

DL: 3.8 to 17.6 Mbps

UL: 11.5 Mbps

UL: 1 to 4 Mbps

3.5G-Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e, 2005)

DL: 46 Mbps

DL: UL: 1 to 5 Mbps

UL: 4 Mbps

3.9G LTE (Rel. 8, 2008)

DL: 300 Mbps (20 MHz)

DL: 6.5 to 26 Mbps (10 MHz)

UL: 71 (20 MHz)

UL: 6.0 to 13.0 (10 MHz)

4G-LTE-advanced (Rel. 10, 2010)

DL: 1.2 Gbps

TBD

UL: 568 Mbps

4G-WirelessMAN-advanced (IEEE 802.16 m, 2010)

DL: > 1 Gbps

TBD

UL: > 100 Mbps

5G by 2020?

TBD

TBD