The 3G GSM & CDMA in India

Reliance Indiamobile has heated the 'VAS on mobile' market with its Rconnect services which provides 144kbps Internet Access on its CDMA Mobiles. The Indian telecom operators are testing similar services and finding out the best suitable options through EDGE (GSM) or EV DO (CDMA)
Business Line India Reports :

CELLULAR subscribers can now get Live TV, watch videos and experience high speed Internet surfing on their mobile handsets with Idea Cellular and Hutch, on Wednesday, announcing the launch of EDGE (Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution) services. The service which has been launched for the first time in the country is capable of data downloads with speeds of 160 kilo bits per second compared to existing speeds of 40 kbps. Airtel is also planning a pan India roll-out by December.

While subscribers of Idea Cellular can avail the service for a flat fee of Rs 500 per month, Hutch users can avail the service for a monthly fee of Rs 100 plus additional charges for downloads. For example, every game downloaded would cost Rs 50 and a ringtone download Rs 10. Idea Cellular subscribers also have the option of paying 5 paise per kilobyte. Subscribers will need EDGE-enabled handsets also to avail the service.

What is EDGE ? (GSMWorld.com)

Further enhancements in data capability over the core GSM network will be provided with the introduction of Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution - known as EDGE*. This will achieve the delivery of advanced mobile services such as the downloading of video and music clips, full multimedia messaging, high-speed colour Internet access and e-mail on the move.

EDGE (or Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) is a 3G technology that delivers broadband-like data speeds to mobile devices. It allows consumers to connect to the Internet and send and receive data, including digital images, web pages and photographs, three times faster than possible with an ordinary GSM/GPRS network. EDGE enables GSM operators to offer higher-speed mobile-data access, serve more mobile-data customers, and free up GSM network capacity to accommodate additional voice traffic.

What is EV-DO ?(Motorola)

1xEV-DO provides a true broadband service over mobile. With Peak Data Rate of 2.4 Mbps and Average Data Rate similar to wire-line broadband technologies, 1XEV-DO not only brings a superior end-user experience in wireless access to the Internet, but also enables a series of new applications and services