The Guru Speaks -- Japan's PHS, UPDATED W/IMAGES!

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That's right, another damn column. This one is going to be more obscure, as I'll be looking at various wireless standards from all over the world and then share my thoughts as SP's Undisputed Master of Phones.

I was reading an article about LTE, and I took a look at the older standards, and in 2G, I stumbled upon an article about PHS, and I started reading, and realized, hey, this is actually not a bad idea at all.

PHS stands for Personal Handyphone System. Unlike GSM/CDMA/iDEN/HSPA networks, PHS uses pico cells, which are the smallest cells available. A PHS base station has a transmission power of 500 mW and range typically measures in tens or at most hundreds of meters (some can range up to about 2 kilometres in line-of-sight).

PHS cells' limited range and low transmission power means it's well-suited for dense urban areas. More PHS cells would be needed to cover an entire city VS a GSM/CDMA/HSPA/iDEN network but more cells means more available resources, which means less strain on the network during peak hours.

PHS also does data at roughly 64K, though Willcom has developed the new generation of PHS, which reportedly can dish out speeds similar to HSPA at roughly 20MB/sec. Amazing that a 2G standard, tweaked a little can become such a powerful monster. Obviously, Willcom's commitment to developing the new generation of PHS phones and base stations shows they place a lot of faith in the standard, and maybe somewhere down the line, we could see PHS as a 4G or 5G standard, who knows?

To wrap this [censored] up (hey, I had to swear at least *once*), the fact that a lower capital is needed to roll out a PHS network, along with the lower-cost phones, makes PHS a solution that shouldn't be overlooked. I'd be thrilled to get my hands on a PHS phone, even if just to say I HAVE one.

And, here is a picture of a PHS cell site, just to give a visual idea on just how small PHS cells are.