With the introduction of wireless technology, it's no more necessary to stay seated at a particular place to get the Internet service. Most of the portable PCs now have built-in wireless facility to let its users surf the net. Recently cellphones have also come up with wireless Internet access facility. Increasingly mobile phone operators are becoming the key players in distributing this service to the people.

Mobile phone operators in developed countries have already included this facility in their service; they are in fact emerging as the potential competitors of ISPs. From technical point of view and keeping in mind the subscriber base, Bangladesh is still at the nascent stage of this connectivity. But this technology holds out a bright future, as the Internet is gradually becoming commonplace in the country.

Now in Bangladesh, CityCell, Grameenphone, Aktel, Teletalk and Warid Telecom offer mobile Internet service to their subscribers. CityCell uses CDMA technology while others the GSM. In this article I'll try to highlight all these services to the StarTech readers.

CityCell
CityCell (Pacific Bangladesh Telecoms Limited) is the trailblazer in cellphone in the country. Now they have introduced a mobile Internet service named 'mycitycell ZOOM' for business people and general customers as well. This technology allows subscribers to enjoy high speed Internet from any place within the CityCell network.

'mycitycell ZOOM' is a brand name for data service from CityCell. It includes a number of services such as data, SMS and voice. These services run on CityCell's existing CDMA2000 1X platform. The users get the service with a minimum speed of 38 kbps and 153.6 kbps to the maximum, with 72~80 kbps being the average. CityCell says the performance of this service is quite impressive when compared to GPRS and EDGE.

A subscriber needs to purchase a RIM (Removable Identification Module) in order to activate the data service. CityCell offers separate data devices for PC and laptop; special software is bundled with each device. Subscribers are required to insert the RIM into the data device. After essential software configuration they get connected to the Internet.

Data devices are of two types--USB data modem and PCMCIA data card. USB data modem can be used with both PC and laptop computer through USB interface. On the other hand, PCMCIA data card can be used only with laptop computers, which are equipped with Type-II PCMCIA slot. It cannot be used with mini PCMCIA slots. Two cell phone models--Nokia 3155 and Nokia 6235--can also be used as the data device.

Subscriber can initiate or receive voice call from the laptop. It's also possible to interchange RIM between CityCell's CDMA2000 1X data card and any CDMA mobile phone. In addition to voice call, subscribers can also send in and receive SMS from the laptop, including multiple SMS options. CityCell presently covers 61 districts and 470 upazilas of the country with simultaneous fibre optics and VSAT backup.

CityCell's package Zoom Saver (no data limit) charges 0.02 taka for every kilobyte; other packages such as Zoom 100 (100MB fixed), Zoom 300 (300MB fixed) and Zoom 3GB (3GB fixed) have Tk 300, 450 and 1500 monthly charge respectively.

Grameenphone
Grameenphone is the first GSM-based cellphone operator in Bangladesh and boasts the largest subscriber base. They have introduced cutting edge mobile

Technology EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution) in order to promote mobile Internet service. According to Grameenphone, EDGE is eight times faster than GPRS.

EDGE technology allows subscribers to download multimedia contents, send in and receive emails and MMS. GrameenPhone offers two different packages for pre-paid and post-paid users.

Package one is available for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers. It's basically pay-as-you-go which means no monthly fixed charge. It only requires browsing charge (Tk 0.02/kb) and content download fee. Content download fee entails price of content and charge for downloading.

Package two is only for postpaid subscribers. Subscribers have to pay a monthly fee of Tk 1,000 for unlimited browsing. Well, they have to bear content download fee separately.

Only GPRS/EDGE enabled cellphones enjoy this service. When a subscriber comes under EDGE coverage, the cellphone indicates it by an icon or indicator. During voice call, EDGE connection gets suspended and automatically resumes once the call is over.

Aktel
Aktel provides data service under the name 'Spice'. It's basically a GPRS technology. Spice allows subscribers to download video clips, animation, polyphonic ring tone, sending/receiving MMS and others. Postpaid customers can browse the Internet using a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or use a GPRS enabled handset as a modem to surf net from PC. Presently, Spice service is available in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Rajshahi. Two packages are on offer. Package one is available by default and the tariff rate is 15 paisa per KB (including WAP and net browsing). Package two charges Tk 750 a month with no ceiling on browsing.

Teletalk
Teletalk also launched its data service for its subscribers. A subscriber can use their GPRS enabled handset or purchase a GPRS modem to enjoy this service. Basic handset set-up including configure APN is required to activate the service. GPRS modem comes bundled with special software which the user needs to install in their PC or laptop. Teletalk charges Tk 800/month for the data service.

Warid Telecom
Warid Telecom, the sixth cellphone operator in the country offers data service to its customers. The method to access their service is quite simple and straightforward. If you've bought a Warid connection to access data service, you need not enter the handset's model name and model number into your phone. As soon as you insert the Warid SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) into your cellphone for the first time, it'll automatically initiate a handset configuration request. If the handset is GPRS/EDGE compatible, a flash message with handset configuration settings appears to you. You need to save this message in order to activate the GPRS/EDGE service. Data service charge includes Internet browsing Tk 0.02/KB, WAP Tk 0.02/KB, MMS Tk 5.00/MMS (outgoing only).

Mobile Internet is a promising technology that can pave the way for spreading the Internet across the country. It can also play a pivotal role in narrowing the digital divide.