Cdma

Leap Wireless details aggressive plans for broadband

Lynnette Luna — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:05:39 -0400

Leap Wireless has some aggressive plans for wireless broadband. The CDMA operator, which offers unlimited CDMA usage plans, said it expects to increase its CDMA EV-DO base to 100,000 by the end of the year, a substantial increase from the 14,000 subscribers it had at the end of the second quarter. The operator only recently launched EV-DO service for $40 per month in a select number of markets but said it plans to cover 60 million pops by the end of the year.

For the second quarter, Leap reported an income of $14.5 million, down from $30.7 million in second quarter 2007. The company blamed the decrease on new initiatives, including the expansion of its service to cover an additional 8 million people, and the launch of wireless broadband service.

For more:
- read RCR Wireless News

Related stories:
Leap adds 171K new subs. Leap story
Cricket inks $126M deal to launch EV-DO Rev. A. EV-DO story

Is China finally ready for 3G?

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Could it really be true? China reportedly is ready to issue 3G licenses after six years of promises and delays. While announcing it plans to restructure China's telecom service providers, China's regulators also announced that three 3G licenses will be granted once the restructuring is complete.

The Chinese government has been delaying the 3G process in a bid to get its home-grown standard, TD-SCDMA, up to par with WCDMA and CDMA 1xEV-DO. To date, the country's carriers have spent a significant amount of money on TD-SCDMA trials and may possibly offer services during the Olympic Games this summer.

The impending 3G awards should be good news for the world's vendors, which have been banking on China opening up the market to 3G and bolstering their businesses. There should be some aggressive fighting for contracts, especially when Huawei and ZTE have been fighting for market share outside of China.

For more about China's 3G plans:
- read this Unstrung article

Related stories:
- Analyst: China's 3G still years away. See this China 3G story
- China to begin home-grown 3G technology trial. See this TD-SCDMA story
- China continues to hedge on 3G. See this 3G in China story

Alcatel-Lucent's CDMA business declines in 1Q

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

Alcatel-Lucent's mainstay CDMA business is on the decline, the company reported. That decline and the faltering economy resulted in a 6.5 percent decline in wireless network sales year-over-year, despite the fact that the vendor doubled ts sales in WCDMA.

Alcatel-Lucent CEO Patricia Russo predicted that growth for the company would be flat in 2008, but that the improvements in the W-CDMA business would continue. The company plans to integrate its 3G product lines later this year, giving it a single GSM and WCDMA platform to support and significantly lowering its R&D costs. Russo also said that as the industry transitions to 4G deployments, Alcatel-Lucent is well positioned to sell both LTE and WiMAX technologies as well as hybrid solutions that mix GSM and WiMAX as well as CDMA and LTE.

"We're poised to capture a 4G footprint by leveraging our existing customer relationships as well as our expertise in some of the key technology areas that are relevant to 4G, spanning both LTE and WiMAX," she said.

To read more about Alcatel-Lucent's first-quarter results:
- check out this Telephony report

Qualcomm enhances 1x for EV-DO data capacity

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:59:55 -0400

It's all the rage to to enhance existing mobile technology, including EDGE, so why not make CDMA 1x better? Qualcomm introduced last week several enhancements to the technology that will double voice capacity and make room for more EV-DO data channels.

Qualcomm has included reverse-link interference cancellation technology into it most recent release of CDMA base station chips that will help clear up enough capacity on the 1.25-megahertz channel to double call volume. Such a move is expected to have an impact on data capacity for EV-DO because operators can now reduce the number of channels dedicated to 1x and add EV-DO carriers to increase broadband data capacity. Right now CDMA operators have to make some difficult decisions around mobile broadband since adding another EV-DO carrier means sacrificing voice capacity.

The first chip set line incorporating the enhancements wont' begin interoperability testing and commercially shipping until 2010. From there they have to be incorporated into the manufacturer's base stations and then deployed in new networks.

For more about Qualcomm's enhancements to 1x technology:
- check out this report from Telephony

Related article:
Verizon in a position to dictate data limits Report

Huawei announces plans for 700 MHz

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:56 -0400

Chinese vendor Huawei Technologies announced its products for the 700 MHz band will become available in the first quarter of 2009 as the vendor makes its big push in the U.S. market.

Huawei said it will provide network solutions for UMTS, CDMA and LTE technologies for the 700 MHz band. Multi-band operation will be supported with concurrent operation in the 700 MHz, 850 MHz, Advanced Wireless Services and 1900 MHz spectrum bands.

Using software defined radios, the base station portfolio will support dual-mode operation for CDMA + LTE and UMTS + LTE technologies, allowing operators to carry out smooth network evolution from UMTS or CDMA to LTE, said Huawei.

In an interview with FierceBroadbandWireless, Charlie Martin, CTO-Wireless, said Huawei plans to become an aggressive player in the U.S. market. "The U.S. market is very strategic for us," he said. "Our goal is to be the premier vendor in the world. We can't do that without the U.S. We are totally committed to this marketplace."

Martin said its win last summer to deploy CDMA EV-DO networks for Leap Wireless was an important way to get the vendor's foot in the door of the U.S. market. Huawei so far has completed phase one with Leap, deploying three markets. It is now embarking on a bigger deployment in the second phase since the deployment includes Chicago.

Huawei has gained momentum in Europe, inking deals with carriers including Telecom Italia, Vodafone's Spanish unit, China Mobile's Pakistani unit and New Zealand Communications. In January, Huawei won a contract from O2 Germany to install some 8,000 base stations. This is the second contract Huawei has racked up in Germany in as many months; in December T-Mobile International engaged the Chinese firm to provide next generation packet switched core networks infrastructure in five European countries: Germany, the U.K., Austria, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

"Our value proposition is high quality and innovation," Martin said. "We are spring boarding off of what we've done in other countries to bring them to the U.S."

Interestingly, Huawei is not targeting WiMAX in the U.S. as it missed out on a deal with Sprint since the vendor hadn't arrived in the U.S. market in time. "We view WiMAX as different from CDMA and LTE in terms of the fact that WiMAX is a good alternative for emerging markets and alternative operators," Martin said.

The U.S. infrastructure market has historically been a difficult one to crack given the fact that infrastructure deals have been largely wrapped up, business cycles are longer and the business development process requires that vendors spend a lot of time marketing their wares, Martin said. But the 700 MHz and AWS bands are providing new opportunity.

"Last year vendors told us it wasn't the right time to talk," Martin said. "Now they want to talk. They aren't guaranteeing anything, but they definitely are ready to talk."

To find out more about Huawei's 700 MHz plans:
- read this release

Related articles:
NextWave, Huawei trial mobile WiMAX Report
Huawei scores again with O2 Germany Report

China Mobile moves ahead with TD-SCDMA

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:54 -0400

China Mobile announce plans to commence commercial trials of China's 3G technology TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) on April 1. The carrier plans to set-up the commercial trials in eight cities across the country: including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Five of the soon-to-be 3G-enabled cities are hosting events for the Olympics this summer. The carrier plans to give 20,000 users handsets worth between $300 and $400 each and a data card free of charge. The initial handsets that will be used in the trial were made by China's Lenovo, Hisense, ZTE and New Postcom as well as South Korea's Samsung and LG.

For more on the trials:
- read this article from Xinua

Related articles:
- Japan's IPMobile to flip from TD-CDMA to TD-SCDMA Report
- Viable 3G business case for China rests on TD-SCDMA Editorial

SPOTLIGHT: Novatel, AutoNet pushing EV-DO Rev. A in vehicles

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:52 -0400

Novatel Wireless and AutoNet Mobile announced they will use nationwide CDMA EV-DO Rev. A infrastructure to connect vehicles to the Web, turning automobiles into traveling WiFi hotspots of sorts. AutoNet developed an in-vehicle module for the service while Novatel has developed the Expedite E725 Express Mini Cad Module. The two companies are working with auto manufacturers and after-market OEMs to get the technology distributed more widely. Article

ALSO NOTED: WiMAX Forum forecasts 113M subs by 2012; Airvana, Alcatel-Lucent demo EV-DO femtocell ; and much more...

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:51 -0400

> The WiMAX Forum today released its projections for global WiMAX subscribers. The forum estimates more than 133 million WiMAX subscribers by 2012. The organization commissioned an independent research study that will be published next month. Release

> A new report from Infonetics indicates sales of mobile data cards could nearly quadruple between last year and 2011 to reach $2.9 billion. Article

> Airvana and Alcatel-Lucent today announced they will jointly demonstrate an end-to-end 3G CDMA/EV-DO femtocell solution, supporting voice and mobile high-speed data services, at the CTIA Wireless 2008 tradeshow and exhibition. Release

And Finally... Behold, a leather-covered iPhone. Article

SPOTLIGHT: ABI Research: 4G subs could reach 90M in 2013

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:59:52 -0400

According to ABI Research, 4G subscribers, which include LTE and WiMAX, could exceed 90 million in 2013. A new study from the firm expects migration to HSPA+ technology to begin in early 2010 migration to LTE to begin mid-year 2010. As a result, W-CDMA subscribers, including HSPA users, should approach 720 million by 2013. The sticking point for LTE: "Some operators may not be ready to move on to LTE, as the peak data rates of 100 Mbps downlink and 50 Mbps uplink are achievable only with a 20-megahertz spectrum band," said Hwai Lin Khor, research analyst at ABI Research. "That is a luxury that most operators may not have, and many may be content with the capabilities of HSPA+ or settle for suboptimal LTE data rates with whatever they have at the time." Article

Qualcomm aims to replicate dominance in laptop market

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:59:58 -0500

You've gotta chalk one up for Qualcomm in its attempts to replicate its dominance on the handset chip side in the laptop market. The vendor is savvy. According to a recent article in GigaOm, Qualcomm's Gobi wireless platform is looking to make it a painless process for manufacturers to embed a 3G network card inside a laptop. Qualcomm is doing this giving manufacturers a solution that has already been certified by multiple operators and runs on the latest CDMA and HSPA silicon.

Qualcomm is licensing the Gobi platform to laptop vendors. HP already plans to use Gobi cards in select 2008 laptops. The Gobi platform includes firmware, a GPS chip and a software-defined radio that supports both CDMA and HSPA. The beauty of the platform is that it can be configured to operate on any compliant network or limited to work on just certain operator networks. The platform in the future will support other technologies like HSPA and LTE.

Vodafone Group and Verizon Wireless back the platform. It's certainly something HSPA operator Vodafone and partner EV-DO operator Verizon have been waiting for to help them bridge their disparate technologies.

As much as folks like to say that Qualcomm is in peril as the world moves away from CDMA-based networks, it's obvious the vendor has plans for the future. Qualcomm's strategy in the chip market has been to come out of the gate first and continually release newer and better versions of chips so that handset makers cannot ignore them. After snubbing Qualcomm last fall by going to Freescale for 3G chipsets, struggling Motorola announced in January that it would again work with Qualcomm. Qualcomm will work hard to make sure the same trend exists in the laptop market--Lynnette

P.S.--Don't forget to join Sue Marek at 2 p.m. EST, Wednesday, March 5 for a Webinar on "Mobile Broadband and the 4G Roadmap." She has some great guests including Ali Tabassi, vice president, technology development at Sprint Nextel, Arun Bhikshesvaran, CTO and vice president strategy and marketing at Ericsson, and Peter Jarich, research director at Current Analysis. Register here.

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

Public-safety-commercial partnerships already in the works

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Last week Frontline Wireless closed its doors, leaving plans for a nationwide high-speed public-safety network in the 700 MHz band in question. It was believed Frontline was the only entity that wanted to bid on the D-block spectrum and create a private-public partnership that would be used to carry both commercial and priority public-safety related traffic.

"With the recent press reports regarding Frontline's implosion as a viable bidder, concerns among FCC and public safety officials are growing over the fate of the D Block and the success of the auction itself. If the reserve price for the D Block is not met, it can be re-auctioned with or without the same rules," wrote Jessica Zufolo, a telecom analyst at Medley Global Advisors.

For its part, the FCC is trying to be optimistic. "We are still hopeful there will be someone who will emerge as being willing to take on this challenge," the commission said in a statement.

Frontline's exit leaves AT&T, Verizon Wireless or some other heavyweight as potential bidders for the D Block. These players haven't been publicly supportive of a public-private partnership model, but then again the spectrum is relatively cheap compared with the rest of the band. If no one bids, the FCC will be forced to re-auction the spectrum without the mandate to share it with public safety.

Still, what is little known in the mobile industry is the fact that many operators are sharing their networks with public safety today. In fact, operators are finding a successful MVNO model in leasing spectrum for public-safety use.

Rivada Networks is a public-safety MVNO of sorts, signing lease agreements with operators across the country to patch together a system that has the interoperability, redundancy, reliability and broadband services first responders desire and need.

The Louisiana Army National Guard recently signed a contract with Rivada for such a system. That means first responders can use their BlackBerrys or Treos they use on a day-to-day basis for emergency situations as well. Rivada already proved its worth during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in helping to tie in the various jurisdictions that responded to the disaster.

Rivada won't say what operators it has lease agreements with but it's safe to assume Sprint and Verizon Wireless are major players since a lot of the systems incorporate CDMA EV-DO technology.

In some areas, such partnerships with operators have turned into significant win-wins for both the operator and public-safety entity. Rivada has been able to encourage operators to roll out EV-DO Rev. A in places where on a commercial basis it just wouldn't be feasible to do so. However, with guaranteed revenue coming from public safety in these areas, operators are encouraged to roll out services likely many years sooner than anticipated.

"It's guaranteed revenue that way and not bad for a corporate image," notes Bob Duncan, Rivada's senior vice president for government services.

Rivada and others could easily play a similar role in the 700 MHz band. The D Block could indeed become quite attractive to existing wireless players if they play their cards right.--Lynnette

Prediction: WiMAX becomes real; hype dies

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Since 1995, Gartner has used the term "Hype Cycle" to describe the over-enthusiasm and following disappointment that typically occurs with new technologies. It lists five phases of a hype cycle that begins with a technology breakthrough, followed by over-inflated expectations and then a period of disillusionment, when the grand pronouncements are gone and little a word is said about the technology. Yet, behind the scenes, businesses continue to experiment to understand the practical applications of the technology. And finally, the hype cycle is over as the benefits of the technology become widely accepted.

WiMAX sits between the over-inflated phase and the disillusionment phase now that Sprint Nextel and Clearwire ended their venture designed to expand the footprint of WiMAX in the U.S. It's unclear just how aggressive new Sprint CEO Dan Hesse will be with the business while Clearwire is courting partners to help it build out the network.

WiMAX is making some good progress on the device and interoperability front, but will have to compete with the stronghold of EV-DO and HSDPA networks, which are far more mature with better coverage, despite the fact they won't be as fast as WiMAX. The increasing availability of low-cost HSDPA and EV-DO dongles aimed at laptop users (Ericsson for one is pushing HSDPA for the masses hard in developing countries) will continue to intensify.

I suspect WiMAX will end up the same way W-CDMA did. Lots of hype, lots of quiet and then wide acceptance. 2008 will be the quiet phase.

'4G' standards jockey for position

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 06:59:53 -0500

The International Telecommunication Union hasn't officially sanctioned 4G standards yet but chances are they will be based on OFDMA technology and they'll be Long Term Evolution (LTE), the migration path for W-CDMA, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), CDMA2000's path, and an advanced form of WiMAX since WiMAX was officially sanctioned as a 3G technology.

Verizon Wireless nailed its stake in the ground, committing to LTE to align itself with partner Vodafone. The operator's breakaway from its CDMA2000 path puts UMB in jeopardy since Sprint is committed to WiMAX. Since LTE is a 2009 story what type of momentum will WiMAX gain in the interim?

Related articles:
Nokia Siemens in joint LTE development with DoCoMo Report
LTE could bridge Verizon wireless, wireline Report

AT&T CEO: 3G coverage on par with CDMA rivals

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:59:55 -0500

AT&T Mobility President and CEO Ralph de la Vega declared that the operator is finally on equal footing with its CDMA competitors Verizon Wireless and Sprint when it comes to 3G coverage and data services penetration. Speaking at an AT&T investor conference in New York, de la Vega said AT&T will use its WCDMA/HSDPA network to attack its competitors using its data network and bundled services. According to de la Vega, AT&T's high-speed data network was operating in 255 metropolitan areas, covering 89 of the top 100 markets. By the end of 2008, AT&T is expected to add another 30 million pops and expand its footprint to 98 of the top 100 markets. Compared the the 1xEV-DO rollouts of Verizon Wireless, with 96 markets of the top 100, and Sprint, with 92, AT&T will be either even or ahead in 3G penetration, de la Vega said.

For more about de la Vega's comments:
- take a look at this report from Telephony

Related articles:
- Rumor Mill: AT&T has a Broadcom deal? Article
- AT&T: Wireless rev to grow in mid-teens in 2008 Article

Verizon Wireless embraces open access

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:59:57 -0500

Verizon Wireless announced plans to open its network to allow subscribers to connect any device and to use any application as long as it meets some "minimal technical requirements." The carrier's new policy is called "Any Apps, Any Device," which should roll out across Verizon's network by the end of next year. The carrier plans to disclose the technical standards that devices must meet to gain activation on its network early next year. After the requirements are published, Verizon Wireless plans to host a conference for developers to explain how they can "achieve the company's goals for network performance" when writing software for the devices, which will have to be CDMA-based.

During a conference call following the announcement, Verizon Wireless executives said that users could port CDMA phones from Sprint or even Korea to the network, as long as they work on the same frequencies. All phones brought to the network will carry a "very reasonable" cost of certification.

"This isn't just phones," Verizon Wireless president and CEO Lowell McAdam said. "It could be a very small module in a gaming station, a home appliance, something that goes into your car. It doesn't have to have the traditional distribution or volumes," he said. In the past, "if a device is not going to sell hundreds of thousands, it's hard to decide because of our scale, but now, if something only sells five, now it can be on our network."

For more on Verizon's plans:
-read this press release

Court dismisses Nokia complaint against Qualcomm

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

After a slew of setbacks surrounding the company's license fights in court, Qualcomm won a victory of sorts in Europe when a Dutch court threw out Nokia's patent complaint against the U.S. CDMA chipmaker. Nokia had argued that it shouldn't have to pay license fees to Qualcomm since its chip supplier, Texas Instruments, already licenses the same patents from Qualcomm.

However, the court said Nokia hadn't offered enough information about which patents from Texas Instruments the world's largest handset manufacturer actually uses. It added that Nokia's arguments were "too abstract" and "too theoretical," according to court documents Dow Jones Newswires got its hands on.

Nokia and Qualcomm have been at each other's throats, filing lawsuits against each other in multiple jurisdictions as they try to hammer out a new licensing deal that expired in April. Qualcomm said in its recent financial results conference call that no progress has been made in inching closer to a new license deal with Nokia.

For more about the court's move:
- read this article from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)

3Q loss widens for NextWave, while revenue jumps

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:59:55 -0500

NextWave widened its loss in the third quarter to $91.7 million, compared with a loss of $24.6 million in the same period 2006. The majority of the loss, about 40 percent, was attributed to its acquisition and integration of WiFi vendor Go Networks and IPWireless, the maker and licensee of TD-CDMA equipment, during the first half of 2007. NextWave said it expects to realize improved contributions from these businesses in the future resulting from the achievement of operating efficiencies, improved margin contributions and the one-time nature of approximately $11.2 million of these charges.

NextWave's PacketVideo subsidiary was largely responsible for a jump in revenues, which increased 166 percent compared with the third quarter 2006. Revenues came in at $17.8 million due to continued growth in mobile device software royalties along with increased sales of TD-CDMA equipment and end-user devices. NextWave said IPWireless has shipped more than 600 TD-CDMA base stations to t-Mobile in the Czech Republic.

NextWave has a mission of making spectrum available to companies that want to enter the mobile broadband space and use its products and technologies, including WiMAX and TD-CDMA. It acquired IPWireless, the maker of TD-CDMA, for $99.6 million and purchased a 65-percent controlling stake in WiMAX Telecom AG through its Inquam Broadband GmbH subsidiary. It also is developing its first-generation WiMAX chipset.

To find out more:
- read this release

Report says WiMAX MVNO model may work

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:59:53 -0500

A new report from Strategy Analytics says the MVNO model may actually be more successful in the WiMAX world. The report, "WiMAX MVNOs: Just Crazy Enough to Work?," points to Synterra, one of Russia's largest telecom providers, and its invitation to regional telecom operators to partner on an MVNO basis to offer WiMAX services using Synterra's spectrum and backbone infrastructure.

"This sort of risk- and investment-sharing makes sense for WiMAX operators," notes Tom Elliott, Vice President at Strategy Analytics and author of the report. "If Sprint winds up staying in WiMAX, they may duplicate their wholesale business model from the CDMA space to WiMAX."

According to the report, the WiMAX community's history of open architecture and a broad supplier ecosystem may help WiMAX MVNO's in the key area of consumer devices. Of course, this is news NextWave likes to hear. Its plan is to make spectrum available to companies that want to enter the mobile broadband space and use its products and technologies, including WiMAX and TD-CDMA.

To read more:
- check out this article from Wi-Fi Technology News

Related articles:
- NextWave spells out plans for WiMAX chips
- NextWave ships WiMAX chipset samples

Motorola completes femtocell trial

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:59:54 -0500

Motorola completed a femtocell trial with an unnamed European wireless operator. The company said that it was able to provide a fully integrated and tested solution based on open standards interfaces. The trial included customer premises equipment and 3G devices, as well as a core network concentrator, systems integration services and CPE management.

Of course, Motorola isn't the first company to complete a femtocell trial or offer a femtocell solution. In September, Sprint debuted a femtocell service using CDMA in Denver and Indianapolis. The solution, called Airave, uses equipment from Samsung.

For more about Motorola's femtocell trial
- see this press release for more details