The Performance of HSDPA (3.5 G) Network for Application in a Navigation System for Visually Impaired People

This paper presents the outcome of the research study conducted as a part of the ongoing development of the Brunel navigation system for the blind. The main aim of the study was to carry out a performance assessment to be used with high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) 3.5G wireless technology for utilization in Brunel visually impaired navigation system. The performance assessment was focused on the following 3.5G link features: delay, throughput, jitter and packet loss. These features were chosen to be assessed because they have a significant impact on the overall performance of the navigation system. The assessment involved the use of the 3.5G networks by T- Mobile and Vodafone. The study was conducted at Brunel University campus in Uxbridge, where the navigation system for the visually impaired is being developed. The results show that the HSDPA can be successfully used to establish the navigation system for the visually impaired people.