What Is 3G In GSM?

Third generation (3G) is the generic term used for the next generation of mobile communications systems. These have been created to support the effective delivery of a range of multimedia services. In addition, they provide more efficient systems for the over-the-air transmission of existing services, such as voice, text and data that are available today.

Developed by the global GSM community as its chosen path for 3G evolution, UMTS is one of the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU's) family of third-generation mobile communications systems. UMTS uses a W-CDMA air interface, which lead some to refer to the technology as simply W-CDMA, creating confusion in the marketplace.
The global 3G Partnership Project (3GPP), a collaboration of telecommunications standards bodies, is the organisation through which much of the technical specifications are devised. The GSM Association is a market representation Partner of the 3GPP, as such it provides the 3GPP with market advice and a consensus view of market requirements from the operator community.
The use of the W-CDMA air interface significantly increases the data transfer rate of GSM networks, offering average downlink rates of around 300 kbit/s.

One of the most important characteristics of 3GSM is that it has been developed to be backward compatible with GSM systems, which have been deployed by 680 operators in more than 200 countries and territories. This interoperability of systems and services will ensure the continuation of the worldwide roaming experience users have enjoyed with GSM.