| Technique | Where Used |
|---|
| CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) | Used by WCDMA/HSDPA and CDMA2000 |
| OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) | Key tech in phys layer of WiMAX and 802.11a and 802.11n. Likely to be used for Evolved 3G and 4G. Supports strong spectral efficiency and high data rates |
| HSPDA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) | 3G techmax peak rates of 10Mbps |
| Higher Order Modulation | WiMAX specifies QPSK, 16-QAM and 64 QAM. HSPDA and CDMA2000 use QPSK and 16-QAM |
| Advanced Coding | WiMAX and 3G use advanced coding methods such as Turbo codes and Low Density Parity Codes (LDPC) |
| Adaptive Modulation and Coding | WiMAX and 3G use adaptive radio links that adjust to dynamic radio conditions. |
| Efficient Scheduling | WiMAX and 3G schedule transmissions to favor users wth best instantaneous radio conditions |
| Mobile Receive Diversity | Multiple receivers enhances system capacity. Used in 1xEV-DO, planned for HSDPA and WiMAX |
| Channel Equalization | Specfied for WiMAX and planned for 3G systems. More difficult to do with CDMA than OFDM |
| Adaptive Antenna Systems | Beam steering from the base station increases system capacity. Being specified for WiMAX with pre-standard implementations already available. Under consideration for Evolved 3G |
| MIMO | Under consideration for WiMAX, HSDPA and Evolved 3G |
| VoIP | Planned for WiMAX. On roadmap for 3G and Evolved 3G |