4G

HTC releases WiMAX handset

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:55:56 -0500

HTC is releasing a Windows Mobile handset in Russia that will work on GSM and WiMAX networks. Russian network operator Scartel will begin selling the HTC Max 4G on Nov. 26. The device will enable voice calls on any GSM network and will switch automatically to VoIP on Scartel's WiMAX network.

Yota's WiMAX network will also allow subscribers to download and watch videos on the large, 3.8-inch touchscreen on the handset. The device can also display up to nine television channels simultaneously, carries a 5-megapixel camera for digital photos and a secondary camera for video calling.

For more:
- check out PCWorld

Related articles:
HTC launches Windows Mobile powered Diamond
HTC CEO: 600K G1s sold by end of the year

ZTE to build R&D for LTE

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:10:23 -0500

Chinese telecom equipment provider ZTE plans to build a research and development team for LTE and 4G projects with more than 2,000 employees, reports Sohu. The company has partnered with 4G research entities including those housed at Tsinghua University, Southeast University and Beijing Jiaotong University, said Hu Jian, chief of ZTE's Communications Standard Department. Article

AT&T announces initiative to bring connectivity to consumer electronics

Lynnette Luna — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:34:19 -0400

AT&T announced an initiative to bring wireless connectivity to new consumer electronics devices and applications--including personal computers, mobile Internet devices or mini computers, in-car entertainment and navigation systems, cameras and machine-to-machine communications solutions.

AT&T appointed Glenn Lurie to head the Emerging Devices initiative. The initiative is similar to what Sprint and Clearwire envision for WiMAX. Clearwire, which is expected to bring Sprint's WiMAX business in the fold by the end of the year, wants to embed WiMAX chips into a plethora of devices. Verizon Wireless is working closely with device makers and distribution partners to build momentum behind this "wireless in every device" vision.

What will be interesting to see is the amount of control AT&T tries to wield over the process as such a move could relegate an operator to a "dumb pipe" status. The Clearwire open-access network is envisioned to enable a whole host of devices and applications without Clearwire touching the process. Interestingly, Ben Wolff, CEO of Clearwire, said his company is actually concerned about becoming a commodity because of this open-access strategy.

"The expectation is that we want to sell value-added services," Wolff said during FierceWireless' virtual event, The Future of 4G. "We have to be able to deliver services in a way that has the right to earn the customer's business. Our view is people will be able to use us just for access if they want, but our job is creating enhanced services that our customers really want."

For more:
- read FierceWireless
- And, check out our "Future of 4G" virtual event. All panel sessions will be archived for several months. Register here.

Canada's CDMA operators defect to HSPA/LTE

Lynnette Luna — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:18:18 -0400

Canada's Bell Canada and Telus Mobility announced plans to overlay their CDMA networks with HSPA technology by 2010 with an eventual move to LTE technology. The announcement builds on the CDMA network-sharing deal the two CDMA operators have had in place since 2001.

The move follows Verizon Wireless' decision to deploy LTE in the 700 MHz spectrum it won earlier this year. However, Verizon is skipping an HSPA deployment, choosing to continue investing in its EV-DO network that will likely complement the new LTE network for some time. Telus said the HSPA deployment would enable "a smoother transition to long term evolution (LTE) technology."

"Bell's transition to the global 4G LTE standard with a combined EV-DO and HSPA network path aligns us with more than 30 major carriers worldwide planning a similar move to LTE," said Stephen Howe, CTO with the operator. "This broad global technology ecosystem will mean a fast, efficient and cost-effective network transition to 4G LTE, and access to the broadest possible range of next-generation phones and data services."

Telus Mobility and Bell Canada both won spectrum in Canada's AWS-1 auction.

For more:
- read RCR News

Related article:
Canadian spectrum auction garners $4.25B

4G Timeline

Jim Barthold — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:03:45 -0400

With mobile WiMAX pushing from behind and revenue opportunities looming ahead, 4G likely will become a reality faster than originally conceived and perhaps even before it's needed. "The current mobile technology has some way to go over the next couple years to really boost download speeds to match WiMAX or come close to matching it," said Stuart Little, director of corporate marketing for Harris Stratex, adding that 3.5G and HSPA may be able to handle the job and that LTE will only feel pressure if "WiMAX really picks up." WiMAX is a wild card. Sprint Nextel is one of the largest operators to commit to mobile WiMAX--either with XOHM or the new Clearwire. "I don't see many mobile operators elsewhere in the world looking at WiMAX as their 4G technology. All the mobile operators are sinking loads of money into their 3G systems and LTE is another change-out of the whole access infrastructure. That's a big step."

Pre-LTE trials are under way this year and DoCoMo in Japan is moving ahead with pre-LTE rollouts now. The question is when carriers will feel pressured to evolve. "It must be remembered that HSPA+ with 2x2 MIMO will provide theoretical data capabilities of 42 Mbps on the downlink and 11.4 Mbps on the uplink with typical possible user speeds of each 10 Mbps downlink and 5 Mbps uplink," said Chris Pearson, president/senior operating officer of 3G Americas. "Thus, with a growing base of 3.3 billion GSM subscribers and great technology capabilities...there is no urgency to move to LTE." It still should happen sooner than many have predicted and "will be deployed in 2010 but should be considered as an eloquent evolution over time," Pearson said. Jarich had a similar timeline, suggesting that DoCoMo "wants to move early, maybe two years from now. For Verizon it may be 2010-2011. And for European operators, 2013 may make more sense. Two years from now we'll have some stuff up and running, especially with DoCoMo."

A lot of it will be based on the impact of mobile WiMAX. "WiMAX will have a reasonable footprint by the end of 2009 with LTE 18 to 24 months behind it," said Jim Orr, principal network architect at Fujitsu. "The U.S. driver is dominated by the dearth of an upgrade path for EVDO. Verizon does not want to spend any more money than absolutely necessary on a platform that has no upgrade path and will push the technology as fast as possible."

The 4G vision: Wireless embedded in every device

Jim Barthold — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:28:40 -0400

4G's success may be linked to being available in as many devices--including talking appliances--as possible to drive down infrastructure costs and drive up market usage. Once one gets past the obvious connections--smart devices, laptops and even regular mobile phones--the possibilities seem limitless and potentially silly.

"I don't think the industry should be using examples of your dishwasher being connected," Chris Pearson, president/senior operating officer of 3G Americas said.

OK, then what should the industry be talking about? To some extent, it's whether the chicken or the egg will arrive first.

"Operators want to get this embedded in all sorts of devices so they can find new ways of making money but to get it embedded in all these devices you have to have a network that's really scalable," Peter Jarich, research director of Current Analysis said. "There is an issue of scale and getting enough of these out to drive the costs down and yet someone has to take the lead to begin with."

One way to do that is to integrate as many capabilities as possible into multi-function chips. This would start by adding more functions to currently subsidized devices--mobile phones, PDAs and dongles--then bridging into the consumer market with non-subsidized products ranging from MP3 players to those joked-about appliances that would take advantage of high-speed broadband connectivity.

Of course much of this depends on the type of content running on those applications. That steps into the extraordinarily sticky wicket that is intellectual property rights (IPR). If someone develops it, someone else is expected to pay. If the cost's are too high, the entire pyramid becomes a slab in the desert with nothing on top but sand, or, in this case, silicon.

"Let's make sure we get the IPR costs down. And make sure we know what's going on with how much this costs, so we don't end up driving the cost up so much we can't get it into consumer products," Jarich said.

Lower IPR, subsidized devices to start, and finally more integrated silicon will help on the consumer side. On the carrier side, there's an even better reason for moving it into as many devices as possible and making LTE the 4G of choice.

"LTE is very good for operators in terms of the cost of the network and the operational costs. LTE is supposed to be much cheaper to operate in terms of cost-per-megabit being delivered to customers," Stuart Little, director of corporate marketing for Harris Stratex said.

Click here for more on the 4G Vision panel...

Next-gen applications in the 4G world

Jim Barthold — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:25:49 -0400

When it comes to 4G and the applications that will ride on it, speed sells. "It's just about broadband access to whatever you want. It's not an application but it's more of a business model that we're going to get people access to the real Internet," said Peter Jarich, research director of Current Analysis. Of course the one immediate application that will take obvious advantage of a broader pipe is video. You can do video with 3G, and you can do a pretty good job with some of the more advanced HSPA systems, but 4G promises speeds that can make it a game-changing app that subscribers will pay more to get. "The real benefit is for real-time streaming video," said Stuart Little, director of corporate marketing for Harris Stratex. "That's the whole YouTube phenomenon; watching online videos through news feeds or sports."

The big key for any successful application is "finding a product that catches the imagination of the folks who don't mind spending their money on something new," said Jim Orr, principal network architect at Fujitsu, suggesting a further take on the video application. "Within a few years a DVR networked to the outside world with various wireless technologies will be available" making it possible to receive information in moving vehicles. "It is highly likely that each owner will be able to request video content either from a public or home service so their content will move with them. "Moving content at high speeds is a killer ap because "there is no one application that will drive monetization of the 4G world," said Chris Pearson, president/senior operating officer of 3G Americas. Instead, by providing broadband speeds to mobile devices 4G will drive "hyper-connectivity" for multiple applications, including, of course, interactive gaming.

"They're going to have such tremendous download speeds with 4G it doesn't make much sense to be developing all these standards and these massive download speeds just to do email and talk," concluded Little.

Click here to read about our Next Gen panel...

Clash of the Titans: Harmonization of WiMAX and LTE

Lynnette Luna — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:39:21 -0400

By Robert Syputa

First, let's make our opinion clear: harmonization of WiMAX and LTE makes good sense for the development of the industry. Participants from both the WiMAX and LTE camp and IEEE and ETSI 3GPP standards organizations have recognized the need to collaborate on development of communications. Vodafone is among operators that have called for the merging of WiMAX and LTE because this will reduce conflicts and costs for the industry. The long-term trends in technology, regulation, ecosystem consolidation and globalization contribute to the rationale that wireless systems should strive to achieve common air interfaces where feasible. The primary obstacle to achieving harmonization of WiMAX and LTE is simply the commercial self-interests that prevent a common push forward.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini and Sean Maloney, head of Intel's sales and marketing, have called for harmonization between WiMAX and LTE, pointing out the goals of unified broadband communications and common use of technologies. Maloney came close to substantiating our forecast that Intel will eventually provide combined support regardless of whether the standards groups achieve official harmonization in remarks about providing a multi-mode WiMAX plus LTE chipset. "We don't have any plans to do that yet," Maloney said. "It would certainly be a nice long term goal."

Harmonization has become a hot topic because of heightened competition between WiMAX and LTE for a role in molding development of the next generation of wireless, 4G. While we do not think the current stage of development of WiMAX or LTE qualifies as 4G, both systems are frameworks for evolution to 4G.

Several factors within wireless developments compel harmonization:

Pursuit of IMT-Advanced as the path to 4G
Both existing 3G, ‘fixed' and new spectrum will be consolidated
Multiple scale and application support
Common SDR (Software Defined Radio) base stations
Common Integrated Circuits
Use of 80 percent to 90 percent common technologies
Globalization of R&D
Need for reduced cost for embedded applications & digital divide
Harmonization of wireless standards is a stated goal of 3GPP
Common ‘modular concept' for harmonization across systems

If we take a ‘30,000 foot perspective' at the evolution of communications, it becomes clear that arriving at common air interfaces is now not only feasible but also a desirable result. Leading wireless suppliers have consolidated in order to leverage content, services and applications across networks. Technology used in WiMAX and LTE are converging because both camps have come to similar conclusions on the technologies needed to form the next-generation evolutionary framework. In brief, the framework includes OFDMA, MIMO and Adaptive Antenna Systems (AAS) smart antenna technologies, and IP-based adaptive network architecture. The few significant differences between WiMAX and LTE are surmountable and can fit within the capabilities of increasingly adaptive radio techniques and smart IP-based network developments.

Further, societal demands for digital inclusion, a growing need for education, enterprise and government communications, harnessing of communications as an alternative to travel, and better use of spectrum resources compels a unified approach to wireless.

The evolution to 4G involves the interests and interdependencies of multiple IPR stakeholders. As demonstrated in recent court cases, IPR disputes outside of wireless can result in trade sanctions and imposition of royalty settlements. The convergence of segments of technology further compels standards groups and individual companies to reach mutual accommodation of interests.

The International Telecommunication Union has recognized these trends in development of IMT-Advanced, the next generation communications system beyond IMT-2000. IMT-Advanced calls for transformation of the mobile wireless industry that will see integration of wired and wireless network communications and consolidation of wireless spectrum access. Mobile WiMAX (based on 802.16e and first-up version of 3G-LTE) is the debarkation point to 4G: the common vision of 4G will be more fully realized as these platforms progress to the common goal of IMT-Advanced.

The details of how technologies are developed, IPR licensing is structured and negotiated, and commerce develops is intricate and rapidly changing. Individual companies must ultimately compete based on market acceptance of their products and services. However, the overriding interests of all participants to seek greater fulfillment of the use of technology should compel companies, organizations, and governments to cooperate across barriers that otherwise stall progress.

Ron Resnick, president of the WiMAX Forum, has said that the harmonization between WiMAX and LTE is "really up to the operators if that's what they want to do." That is the deciding factor that will determine to what extent WiMAX and LTE harmonize within the standards groups. Make no mistake, the technologies, ICs, devices, and systems are in the process of converging. Whether this occurs harmoniously or with excess rancor is up to the industry.

Robert Syputa is a senior analyst with Maravedis Inc., a research and analysis firm focusing on broadband wireless technologies including WiMAX, 802.20, TD-CDMA and Wireless Local Loop Systems.

The should LTE-merge-with-WiMAX argument surfaces

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:59:58 -0400

The whole LTE-should-be-merged-with-WiMAX or vice versa idea is being talked about again. This time Intel's Sean Meloney, executive vice president and general manager of the sales and marketing group, says the two standards should be harmonized because they are about "80 percent" similar but that WiMAX is a couple of years ahead of LTE. He also said customers will be confused by the competing 4G technologies. Maloney says that Intel is looking into ways to integrate the two technologies and it is technically possible for Intel to create a chip set that could be used for WiMAX and LTE.

Of course, this news comes just a day after Intel announced that it is preparing to re-enter the mobile-phone market. Intel's CEO Paul Otellini told the Financial Times that as mobile devices become more powerful and adoption of computer-like applications rises, Intel is in a position to make inroads into the mobile-phone market.

Ask any executive in the WiMAX/LTE space and they say that the two should be merged, but the point of view is different depending on who you talk to. A man like Barry West, current CTO of Sprint, would welcome LTE into the WiMAX fold, as would President and Chairman of the WiMAX Forum Ron Resnick. Vodafone head Arun Sarin, whose company has chosen LTE, says WiMAX would work best as a subset of LTE.

Perhaps Resnick put it best when I interviewed him back in March about the prospect: "I think it's wonderful if we can make that happen whereby we figure out how to take the two and make it work so that no one loses."

The argument reminds me of the 3G standards-setting process back in the 1990s. CDMA advocates wanted one standard that was backward compatible with IS-95, while the GSM community opted for a CDMA-based standard, WCDMA, but didn't want it to be compatible with the IS-95 version given the time-to-market advantage CDMA operators would have. 3GPP subsequently opted to go with a version that had a different chip rate and other technical differences.

I see a similar political view brewing with LTE and WiMAX. The WiMAX community is looking at 802.16m as its 4G standard as the current standard has been accepted as an IMT-2000 technology. That, of course, will have to be backward compatible with 802.16. And if there is any merger, it's likely that 802.16m will be the standard to merge for 4G. With that, however, WiMAX operators will have an advantage in terms of backward compatibility. If that is the case, it's likely the LTE camp would rather stay with a separate technology and take advantage of the economies of scale it would receive as a result.

It has worked out that way in the 3G world. CDMA 1xEV-DO has been ahead in deployments, but WCDMA appears to be the winner today as a host of companies flipped from CDMA to the GSM 3G path for better economies of scale.--Lynnette

Report: Vodafone chief to announce departure

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

According to the Financial Times, Vodafone chief executive Arun Sarin is expected to announce his departure from the global operator giant in July. Vittorio Colao, currently Vodafone's deputy chief executive and head of the company's European business will replace Sarin.

Sarin has most recently been a vocal debater when it comes to the company's choice of LTE and his desire to see WiMAX as a subset of the 4G technology. In 2005, Sarin was strongly criticized for the company's slowing financial results. Some investors called for him to resign. Today, the operator is posting solid profits.

To read more about Sarin's departure:
- check out this Financial Times report

Related stories:
- Vodafone CEO: WiMAX has a home in LTE. See this Vodafone LTE story
- Sprint's CTO attacks LTE. See this Sprint WiMAX story

Femtocell announcements bring market momentum; questions still remain

Thu, 22 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

A few big announcements in the femtocell arena this week should give this market some good momentum. First, Qualcomm made a significant yet unknown investment in ip.access' Oyster 3G system, which uses the residential broadband connection to deliver a 3G signal in the home. The move is seen as validating the femtocell concept, especially since Qualcomm is so adept at making the right technology investments.

The Femto Forum also came to an agreement on a standard way femtocells should connect with the mobile core network. The agreement is welcome news as a number of vendors have come up with their own connection standards. Since femtocells are expected to take on various forms with differing capabilities serving different market segments, no operator wants to be locked into a single type of home base station. That fear has discouraged some operators from making the leap from trial to soft commercial launches.

Moreover, picoChip unveiled its first reference designs for LTE femtocells and picocells, which will enable the company's existing femtocell customers--which include ip.access and Ubiquisys--to upgrade to LTE. That's important because it has been suggested that LTE/4G femtocells could be the starting point for 4G deployments. Operators could actually begin their 4G deployment in the customer's home and 3G as the fallback network.

Of course, at least two big unknowns remain: marketing and cost. Will operators market the service as a boon for voice or data? How does one create a clear message around the femtocell market given its own value propositions? Why would I, as a consumer, need another box in my house? How fast can vendors drive down the price of such a nascent technology? At what price will the service attract a mass number of users? The questions are still numerous at this point.

Continuing with the femtocell theme, check out a preview of the latest Industry Voices article from Maravedis below. FierceBroadbandWireless will be featuring a monthly column from Maravedis analysts Adlane Fellah and Robert Syputa. Maravedis is a research and analysis firm focusing on Broadband Wireless technologies including WiMAX, 802.20, TD-CDMA and Wireless Local Loop Systems. For more information, see www.maravedis-bwa.com. --Lynnette

P.S.--Due to the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, FierceBroadbandWireless will be delivered to your inbox on Tuesday, May 27. Enjoy the holiday weekend.

Alltel chooses LTE for 4G

Mon, 19 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

In a move that is not surprising, Alltel announced it was committed to evolving its network to LTE during the next five years. The decision isn't surprising given the fact that Alltel typically follows in Verizon's footsteps when it comes to technology decisions. Earlier this year Verizon committed to the LTE standard to align itself with partner Vodafone.

"We do currently plan to move towards LTE in the three-to-five year timeframe vs. WiMAX, but we're still early in that," Alltel President and CEO Scott Ford said during the operator's first-quarter conference call.

Alltel's COO Jeff Fox, however, noted that the carrier won't be talking seriously about LTE this year. "We are working through our planning phase and will be talking to our board about all that over the next two quarters," Fox said. "Certainly there's no money for 4G evolution anytime in our near-term plans, and so I think from a cash-flow perspective you should not expect to see us talking about 4G anytime at least in 2008." Plus, does Alltel have enough spectrum to deploy LTE? The operator didn't win anything at the 700 MHz auction.

For more on Alltel's LTE choice:
- read this RCR article

Operators reveal 700 MHz plans: LTE the big winner

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:59:58 -0400

The CTIA trade show would have been much more livelier had the winners of the 700 MHz auction been allowed to detail their plans for the spectrum. But the FCC anti-collusion restrictions were lifted April 3 in the afternoon, when the show floor had closed for the year.

Verizon Wireless executives on Friday morning assured investors the company's $9.36 billion investment in 700MHz spectrum will provide a long-term foundation for Verizon's business. Specifically, the company said that this year it will be conducting field trials of LTE. In 2009 it will select vendors, conduct some advanced device trials with a deployment planned for the second half of that year. By 2010 the operator plans to launch commercially and have rapid acceleration of its footprint.

Meanwhile AT&T, which spent $6.6 billion in the 700 MHz auction for B-block licenses, will also deploy LTE. The new B-block spectrum will be combined with AT&T's spectrum it acquired from Aloha Partners last year. Kris Rinne, senior vice president, architecture and planning at AT&T told the audience at last week's FierceMarkets Path to 4G conference, which was co-located with the CTIA show, that the company will likely deploy LTE in the 2010 time frame.

Interestingly, it doesn't appear AT&T has any open access plans for its spectrum and and in fact said the open-access stipulations placed on Verizon's C-block spectrum will give it an advantage in the market.

"With fewer costly and complex regulations, we have the certainty and flexibility needed to move faster in rolling out new mobile technology and more customer choices in devices and applications," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T's wireless business in a press release. "We will put our spectrum to work so that customers can do more with their wireless devices, the user experience is superb, and wireless connectivity can be embedded in more devices."

And we were under the impression that open access fosters customer choice in devices and applications.

With the two largest mobile operators now deploying the same 4G technology it should be interesting to see how each positions themselves in the market. For one, open access is a cumbersome thing. For the other, open access will make it the preferred partners for developers.

I also want to share with you some of the tidbits I learned at CTIA last week:

One CDMA vendor I talked to believes UMB, the 4G path for CDMA, is nearly dead. KDDI is reportedly the only operator interested in deploying it but only if some other operators commit as well--slim chance.
NextWave Chairman and CEO Allen Salmasi said the phone has been ringing off the hook at the company's headquarters now that the 700 MHz auction is over. Part of NextWave's strategy is to offer spectrum it owns to companies that want to enter the mobile broadband space using NextWave's end-to-end solution of products and services, which are numerous. Moreover, Salmasi said to expect to see NextWave involved in a major LTE trial later this year.
HSPA technology is reportedly facing capacity problems in Korea as the popularity of video services is hurting voice quality.--Lynnette

P.S. Group Editor-in-Chief Sue Marek will be talking about all the highs and lows from CTIA with Andy Seybold and Linda Barrabee of the Yankee Group on Thursday, April 10 at 2 p.m. EST. Be sure to tune into the lively discussion. Register here.

On the Hot Seat with Ron Resnick

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:18:12 -0400

Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum, has a lot to be happy about as mobile WiMAX enters 2008 poised for some massive rollouts. I recently spoke with Mr. Resnick about what's in store for the technology, including the debate between WiMAX and LTE, how operators can make money and work being done on global roaming. -Lynnette

FierceBroadbandWireless: What are you expecting at the CTIA show this year in terms of the apparent debate between WiMAX and LTE?

Resnick: Let's take a step back and look at last year when Vodafone challenged the [GSM ] membership to be prepared for WiMAX. This year in Barcelona, CEO Arun Sarin proposed some sort of convergence between the two, and he's giving a keynote at CTIA. Bottom line is that in one year, WiMAX has become a formidable player in the ecosystem and is now recognized by world's largest operators. It's not just a technology. There is a presence now. We are seeing at least 260 deployments in 110 countries. The view I'd say that I have is that WiMAX has happened and LTE is still two to three years out. It's so difficult to create metrics when one is just launching and the other is in the future.

The performance of WiMAX and LTE are very similar. So to me it's not about technology. It's about the fact is there is one technology available that operators can get a leg up on while the other technology is not coming out for two to three years. It's a very interesting situation operators are put in because they have to decide whether to wait or deploy now.

FierceBroadbandWireless: What are your views on the convergence between WiMAX and LTE in terms of one 4G standard?

Resnick: WiMAX now has its place. It's an IMT-2000 technology. It's global. Should there be one technology in the future? Would everyone agree that should happen? If so, how does it happen and what is the execution plan? Whatever gets decided on for 4G-and we think a great choice is 802.16m-it needs to be backward compatible to 802.16e … I think it's wonderful if we can make that happen whereby we figure out how to take the two and make it work so that no one loses. That is basically is what my view of the world is.

FierceBroadbandWireless: How do you see WiMAX players making money in this new mobile broadband world?

Resnick: To me, Sprint is a poster child that the world should be focused on to see how they are making money through an open Internet model. What I look at is all the goodness that Sprint is doing and for understanding an open internet model-about how to place different devices under one billing cycle and how to push WiMAX in consumer electronics products. This is an exciting time to see what happens. WiMAX is the proponent of an open Internet as opposed to what seeing in the past with a more of a walled garden approach. A number of operators say they are looking at an open model. The fact that operators made that claim is a testament to WiMAX.

Like I said, there are 260 networks but what makes Sprint highly visible is that they've been very creative. But there are other locales where WiMAX is flourishing. Korea Telecom, with its WiBro service, expects to have 400,000 subscribers by the end of this year. Their performance is now excellent. KT has some very good models and one is definitely cost-effective access. You have to take a look at what the cost is. In Europe, you're paying about $35 to use HSPA and receive about 2 gigabytes. WiMAX allows for much more capacity and an open Internet and unlimited data access model. That doesn't mean operators won't sell additional services. Google is doing this with Sprint. Microsoft and others will offer some very innovative services and interesting revenue-sharing plans. The operator has knowledge the content provider would like to have and allows for more of an opportunistic and win-win model for open Internet that needs to be developed. Everyone should be voting for Sprint's success because it's more than Xhom. It's the open Internet model and how consumers win.

FierceBroadbandWireless: The WiMAX Forum recently announced an FDD profile for the 700 MHz band. Is the forum looking at other FDD bands?

Resnick: If operators and vendors say there is now a requirement for FDD or TDD in a certain band and there is a market for it, the WiMAX Forum will approve it. There's no random decision to create profiles. It's based on a market survey and needs. As long as demand is there we can expect to see more FDD profiles coming out.

FierceBroadbandWireless: Can you give us a bit of education about 802.16m-its capabilities, standardization schedule?

Resnick: We're targeting the closure of 802.16m as a standard by the end of 2009. Our goal is to have 802.16m as part of the IMT Advanced standard. Then you'll see mobile WiMAX system profiles, called 2.0, in the 2010/2011 timeframe, It's going to be TDD and FDD and handle channel bandwidth 5, 10 and 20. Peak data rates per sector are expected to be 130 Mb/s s for the uplink and 56 Mb/s on the downlink based on a 20-megahertz channel. Mobility will be supported at 350 kilometers per hour. It will have high spectral efficiency using 4 by 4 MIMO. It's going to be a major upgrade in allowing broadcast video, peer to peer video communications, smoother handoffs and location-based services built in. It will have excellent capabilities for VoIP.

FierceBroadbandWireless: Where is the forum in terms of working on roaming?

Resnick: We have plans to announce roaming availability soon. Operators can launch in the second half of this year. We're enabling roaming by providing the right tools so operators can do it from the get go as opposed to what we're seeing other markets where roaming came after the fact. We've been working on this for two year. We have spent a lot of money on developing roaming agreements, available at no cost to the operator. We built in roaming specifications. It's critically important for the WiMAX Forum to make sure it works.

As expected, 700 MHz auction results in same faces

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

It appears everything went as planned for Google. It didn't have to cough up any money in the 700 MHz auction but it ensured the open-access provisions (at least most of them) that it fought for at the FCC. But with the same faces, namely Verizon and AT&T, emerging as winners in the auction, the auction isn't going to change the face of the wireless telecom industry as industry pundits had hoped.

As exciting as it would have been to see a newcomer to the wireless landscape, incumbents such as Verizon have the wherewithal to spend billions on licenses and billions more to build out network infrastructure. That's their core business. And with the 700 MHz band the last of the so-called beach-front property, operators were prepared to drive the price up to a hefty level, especially given the fact that new 4G networks need a nice chunk of extra spectrum, about 20 megahertz, to deliver the broadband data speeds that are advertised.

So the question is, how "out of the box" will Verizon be in the C Block? We're already seeing that Verizon's new open-access policy on its existing network requires a few hoops to jump through, namely third parties must first get their devices certified by the operator. And that process is expected to take four to eight weeks to complete. Likewise, the C-Block rules include a "minimal technical requirements" clause when it comes to any device and application running on the network. Certainly, whether or not these technical specifications are easy for developers to use has bearing on whether or not third parties can create innovative and compelling applications.

Will it become an environment where developers are put in a position where they have to foot the bill to build devices and services and then keep their fingers crossed that Verizon will certify them? How attractive of a proposition will that be?--Lynnette

Verizon Wireless reveals open access details

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:59:54 -0400

In its Open Network conference in New York yesterday, Verizon Wireless executives revealed to developers more details about the firm's new open network agenda. Announced last November, Verizon said it would open its network to any device and any application that meets minimal technical standards later this year.

Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman told the audience that the company will have three models:

Retail. This is where a company goes to market with a device and Verizon sets the price of the device. The company also uses Verizon's existing rate plans.
Wholesale. This is where a company designs their own voice and data pricing plans.
Custom. In this scenario Verizon creates a custom package for a specialized product or service that a company wants to bring to market.

Lanman said that the company understands that by opening up its network to these different models it will see more devices in its test labs and therefore it is expanding its resources. This was reiterated by Tony Melone, executive vice president and CTO of Verizon Wireless. Melone said that the company will have third party labs that will help with the certification and that those will charge "market-based fees." He expects the certification process to take about four weeks.

The open access policy will also carry over to the operator's 4G wireless plans. Verizon indicated it will start testing Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless technology later this year. -Sue Marek

For more on the Open Development Initiative:
- see this website

Related Articles:
- Verizon releases open development specs Article
- Industry players discuss Verizon's open access moves Article

Wireless startups garner $515.5M in February

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:59:57 -0400

It looks like we're seeing a shift in the tide in terms of where the VC money is going in the wireless industry. For so long, the bulk of investments were going to start-up mobile application-type companies. Rutberg & Co., however, indicates that some 30 companies, primarily device, semiconductor and carrier infrastructure sectors, in February received a combined $515.5 million in VC money.

Leading the way was TerreStar Networks, the satellite firm that is developing an integrated satellite and terrestrial broadband network that will incorporate what it calls "4G technology." The company pulled in $300 million. WiMAX chipmaker Sequans received $28 million while wireless USB chip vendor took home $24 million.

To read more about VC money in the wireless industry:
- take a look at this article from Unstrung

Related articles:
- TerreStar mulls 700 MHz bid Report
- TerreStar picks Accenture for 4G network Report
- Telsima, Sequans capitalizing on Indian WiMAX market Editorial

Ericsson: LTE will be widespread in 2012

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:59:54 -0500

Ericsson anticipates Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology will see widespread deployments in 2012, with the U.S. and Japanese markets leading the way and Europe to follow. According to Juniper Research, 24 million subscribers will use LTE technology for mobile broadband services by 2012.

Arun Bhikshesvaran, vice president of business strategy and CTO for Ericsson North America, said Ericsson has begun a trial of its LTE baseband equipment with an unnamed carrier. He expects it will be completed toward the end of the year.

For more about Ericsson's LTE plans:
- check out this blog from GigaOm

Related articles:
Mobile World Congress: Ericsson plugs LTE, HSPA Report
Verizon committed to LTE Report

GSM Association aims to create one big happy family

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Remember those good old days when the CDMA Development Group and the GSM Association were at war over 3G? The CDMA camp favored CDMA2000, while the GSM camp wouldn't budge from W-CDMA. It was a big political fight that was fun to write about.

Now enter the era of 4G, and things appear to be tipping in favor of Long Term Evolution (LTE)--the 4G plan for GSM and WCDMA operators--and the GSM Association is seizing the opportunity to be the one trade association that represents everyone.

Last week during the Mobile World Congress (no longer call 3GSM World Congress), Chairman Craig Ehrlich said there was a need for a shared view on technologies and convergence models within mobile companies because the industry had become more services-oriented.

"We need to be agnostic about the precise technologies being used--or not used--at the radio access layer," Ehrlich was quoted as saying in telecoms.com. "For some operators, for example, WiMAX may be a threat. For others it may be an opportunity. Irrespective of these individual considerations the GSMA needs to embrace the entire constituency, including CDMA operators."

Ehrlich even said that CDMA carriers would have representation at the GSM Association inside a year. No doubt CDMA operator Verizon will be involved since it announced it will be deploying LTE as its 4G standard to align itself with partner Vodafone.

With this new openness, the GSM Association is effectively helping to put the final nail in Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), the 4G path for CDMA, by giving CDMA operators a home and a voice--whether they choose LTE or WiMAX, which some are doing. Moreover, the WiMAX vs. LTE debate looks to be abating as the two technologies are initially appealing to operators with different spectrum holdings and launch plans. And Vodafone Chairman Arun Sarin suggested last week that that WiMAX could find a place within the LTE standard. Of course, that is a suggestion the WiMAX community scoffs at.

Could the operator industry actually become one big happy family?--Lynnette

Rumor: Intel to facilitate Sprint/Clearwire deal

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Rumors are circulating again that Sprint Nextel will spin off its Xohm WiMAX broadband unit and form a joint venture with Clearwire. The Street.com is reporting the deal between the two firms will include a $2 billion investment from Intel Capital.

If this rumored deal actually goes through, it will give a much-needed vote of confidence to WiMAX. Many companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week said much of WiMAX's future was resting on Sprint's Xohm business. Without Xohm, mobile WiMAX may not be anything other than a niche play.

Find out the latest on Xohm at the FierceWireless co-located event "4G and Beyond" on April 2 at CTIA Wireless 2008. Barry West, CTO of Sprint and head of the Xohm unit will be a keynote speaker and will provide a status update on Xohm. Here's a link to the agenda.

For more on Sprint and Clearwire:
- see this Street.com report

Related articles:
WiMAX's future still rests heavily in Sprint's hands Report
Sprint launches three markets as planned Report