neration 2.5 or 3. There is no question that these networks will provide much more robust data capabilities, as they will be built on packet- based network technologies. Some 3G developers are pushing for an all IP mobile environment, from the air interface to the user's device and all across the network. Japan currently leads the world in 3G mobile technology development, with its largest national provider, NTT DoCoMo, the first to announce 3G service roll-outs. Japan also has experienced higher take-rates for 2.5G mobile Internet services than either Europe or the United States. DoCoMo's iMode service, often considered similar but superior to WAP, has gained great popularity with Japanese mobile users and is being considered for adoption in many parts of the world, including with some of the largest providers in the United States Europe is ahead of the United States in moving to a 3G mobile environment. The European network is built on the Global Standard for Mobile communications (GSM) standard, making the network relatively uniform in technology and implementation throughout the continent and Great Britain. This uniformity is allowing European mobile operators' networks to evolve nearly in lock step. Hence, the European mobile community already is implementing general packet radio service (GPRS) overlays on their GSM networks. GPRS runs over the circuit-switched GSM network, but actually carries traffic in packets to optimize available capacity and prepare the network to migrate to an all-packet environment. By optimizing capacity, GPRS can provide three or four times the data support of regular GSM networks. The ultimate vision - 3G - will rely on proposed Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS) standards that are being designed for a market where data traffic exceeds voice traffic on mobile networks, and where nearly half of all mobile subscribers use 3G services actively. The United States faces a steeper climb to 3G than does Europe because mobile operators have chosen their own network technol