3G refers to the collection of third generation cellular technologies that are designed to allow mobile cellular operators to offer

integrated data and voice services over cellular networks.

Wi-Fi refers to the 802.11b wireless Ethernet standard that was designed to support wireless LANs .

Both the technologies have redefined Wireless communication at the present and are expected to take it to an entire new horizon in the future.

 What is 3G? 3G is a Technology for Mobile service providers. Application services include wide-area wireless voice telephone, mobile Internet access, video calls and mobile TV, all in a mobile environment. Recent 3G releases often denoted 3.5G and 3.75G, also provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to even laptops and smartphones. Compared to the older 2G and 2.5G standards, a 3G system must allow simultaneous use of speech and data services, and provide peak data rates of at least 200 Kbit/s .

 3G boasts bandwidth speeds up to 3.6 mbps to a stationary client and up to 384 kbps to any mobile client. The latest release, HSPA+, can provide peak data rates up to 56 Mbit/s in the downlink in theory (28 Mbit/s in existing services) and 22 Mbit/s in the uplink. 4G systems are expected to appear in 2011-2013, and 5G systems after 2020. 4G is expected to bring in High-Definition multimedia content into the mobile sector.

 The 3G (UMTS and CDMA2000) research and development projects started in 1992. The first pre-commercial 3G network was launched by NTT DoCoMo in Japan branded FOMA, in May of 2001 on a pre-release of W-CDMA technology. The first commercial launch of 3G was also by NTT DoCoMo in Japan on October 1, 2001. The second network of 3G was launched by SK Telecom in South Korea on the CDMA2000 1xEV-DO technology. By June 2007 200 million 3G subscribers had been connected. Out of 3 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide this is only 6.7%. India joined the 3G club with the Launching of its first ever 3G Service Provider B.S.N.L 3G in 2008.

 Wi-Fi is the popular name for the wireless Ethernet 802.11b standard for WLANS. A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a personal computer, video game console, mobile phone, MP3 player or any smart phone can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. The coverage of one or more (interconnected) access points called hotspots can comprise an area as small as a few rooms or as large as many square kilometers. Wi-Fi LANS operate using unlicensed spectrum . Each base station can support connections only over a range of a hundred meters.

 Commercial Wi-Fi

Available at places like cafeterias, Airports, Railway stations, Malls.

WiSE Technologies provides commercial hotspots for airports, universities, and independent cafes in the US. T-Mobile provides hotspots in many palces in the U.S and UK. Pacific Century Cyber works provides hotspots in Pacific Coffee shops in Hong Kong .

 Free Wifi

Many Smaller Countries and Municipalities provide Free Wi-Fi hotspots and residential Wi-Fi internet access to everyone . Many Universities provide free Wi-Fi internet access.

 Wi-Fi networks support roaming, in which a mobile client station such as a laptop computer can move from one access point to another as the user moves around a building or area. Many access points and network interfaces support various degrees of encryption to protect traffic from interception/congestion. Wi-Fi is a global set of standards. Unlike cellular carriers, the same Wi-Fi client works in different countries around the world .

 Similarities Both are wireless Both technologies are wireless, which avoids the need to install cable drops to each device when compared to wire line alternatives and facilitates mobility. Both are access Technology Both 3G and Wi-Fi are access or edge-network technologies. This means they offer alternatives to the last-kilometer wire line network. Both offer broadband data service Both 3G and Wi-Fi support broadband data service, although, the data rate offered by Wi-Fi (11 Mbps) is substantially higher than the couple of 100 kbps expected from 3G services.

 Dissimilarities The important ways in which Wi-Fi and 3G approaches to offering broadband wireless access services are substantively different. Current business models/deployment are 3G represents an extension of the mobile serviceprovider model. This is the technology of choice for upgrading existing mobile telephone services to expand capacity and add enhanced services. Spectrum policy and management One of the key distinctions between 3G and Wi-Fi. Mobile Technology use licensed spectrum, while Wi-Fi uses unlicensed shared spectrum

 Licensed spectrum is expensive. Unlicensed spectrum used by Wi-Fi imposes strict power limits on users. It is easier for a 3G provider to market a service. A Wi-Fi network can address the problem of congestion associated with users on the same Wi-Fi network. Status of Technology development different The two technology differ with respect to their stage of development in a number of ways. The distinguishing feature of 3G is their embedded support for voice services.

Service/Business model
3G is more developed than Wi-Fi as a business and service model.

Wi-Fi is more developed with respect to the upstream supplier markets.

Potential advantages of 3G over Wi-Fi is that 3G offers better support for private communications than does WiFi.

 Wi-Fi is good for competition The success of Wi-Fi wireless local access alternatives is likely to be good for local competition . If both 3G and Wi-Fi survive, then the diversity of visible networking infrastructure strategies will be conductive to greater facilities-based competition. Success of the Wi-Fi service model could help unlock the substantial investment in private networking infrastructure that could be used as the basis for constructing an alternative infrastructure to cable wire line networks.

 Wi-Fi and 3G can complement each other for a mobile provider Each of the technology has distinct advantages over the other that would allow each to offer higher quality services. Spectrum policy is key One of the key distinguishing features between 3G and Wi-Fi is the use of licensed verses unlicensed spectrum. 3G secondary markets would allow more flexible management of property rights. The emergence of spectrum markets may make it possible to adopt a suitable mechanism for addressing congestion issues.

 Success of Wi-Fi is potentially good for multimedia content Multimedia content benefits for higher bandwidth services so the ability to support higher speed wireless access may help encourage the development of broadband multimedia content. Technical progress favors heterogeneous future Future for both the technologies is vivid with unending possibilities.

 This presentation offers a qualitative comparison of two wireless technologies that could be viewed simultaneously as substitute and

complementary paths for

broadband wireless access. The two

technologies are 3G, which is the preferred path for mobile providers, and Wi-Fi , which is one of the many WLAN technologies.

 www.wikipedia.org www.google.co.in www.sciencedirect.com William Lehr, Lee W. McKnight, Wireless Internet access: 3G vs. Wi-Fi? "What really is a Third Generation (3G)(3G) Mobile Technology" http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/imt2000/DocumentsIMT2000/What_really_3G.pdf. .