Wcdma

LTE can't come soon enough for China Mobile

Lynnette Luna — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:31:12 -0500

China Mobile Communications says it is the "most-ready operator" for LTE technology. The Chinese operator said it is preparing for LTE now and building out its government-mandated 3G TD-SCDMA network so cell sites and other network pieces can be reused for LTE. China Mobile plans to roll out a TDD version of LTE by 2010.

"In our new TD-SCDMA network, we put all the measurement and configuration in place to have a simple migration to LTE," Bill Huang, general manager at China Mobile Research Institute, was quoted as saying in Unstrung. "More than 60 percent of the investment will be able to migrate to LTE in the future. That makes us the most ready operator for LTE."

The operator is planning to begin a proof-of-concept trial by the end of this year with lab and field trials scheduled for early next year.

The TD-LTE specs are scheduled to be done by the end of 2008 when the primary LTE system architecture for the frequency division duplex (FDD) is complete. And China Mobile appears to be a driving force in pushing vendors to get equipment out quickly. It's no wonder since it appears the Chinese government will mandate that China Mobile deploy TD-SCDMA as a 3G standard. Recently, the head of China Mobile admitted TD-SCDMA technology was "a few years behind" WCDMA and CDMA2000 because of problems with handsets. China Mobile has already spent some $2 billion on trials using TD-SCDMA in 10 Chinese cities since April. As of early July, three months into its commercial TD-SCDMA trials, China Mobile only had 52,000 users, of which 8,000 were paying for the service.

Many telecom experts believe China's operators will essentially leapfrog 3G as the government continually delays tenders and opts for a 4G deployment like LTE.

For more:
- check out Unstrung

Related articles:
China Mobile wants to test LTE ASAP
Tests show LTE hits peak data rates

DoCoMo building HSUPA chip

Lynnette Luna — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:14:07 -0400

Japan's NTT DoCoMo has partnered with Fujitsu, Sharp and semiconductor company Renesas Technology to co-develop an HSUPA platform. DoCoMo said the SH-Mobile G4 single chip LSI device, will support HSUPA1/HSDPA2/WCDMA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE and will be completed in early 2010. Article

FCC: AWS-3 band won't interfere with T-Mobile's WCDMA network

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:19:55 -0400

Much to the chagrin of T-Mobile, FCC's Office of Engineering has tentatively concluded that services operating in the proposed AWS-3 band can co-exist with T-Mobile's WCDMA network that uses the adjacent AWS-1 band "without a significant risk of harmful interference."

Last month, the FCC sent its engineers to Seattle to conduct tests to determine whether interference would be a problem between the two bands. The FCC is keen on auctioning the 2155-2180 MHz band to support a nationwide license. The commission's ambition is to require the licensee to dedicate 25 percent of its network capacity to free broadband service and allow open access to third-party devices and applications.

T-Mobile has been adamantly opposed to the plan, citing interference concerns. M2Z, which has been lobbying the FCC for years to open up the band, has been submitting filings saying T-Mobile's assertions are wrong. The FCC published the raw data from the study Sept. 12 but refrained from interpreting the results as it continues with the AWS-3 rulemaking proceeding. T-Mobile was pushing the FCC to release those results.

The FCC said it conducted the same tests conducted by Optimi Corp. on behalf of T-Mobile. The results of that study, T-Mobile said, show AWS-3 services cause harmful interference to mobile devices in the AWS-1 band. AT&T, CTIA, MetroPCS and Nokia Siemens Networks have concurred with T-Mobile that the tests proved interference.

The FCC's tentative conclusion certainly won't be the last word on the subject. T-Mobile has continually reminded the FCC that it has a legal obligation to protect AWS-1 licensees. The FCC acknowledged in its report that the FCC "has in the past adopted less stringent [out-of-band-emissions] standards under flexible service rules whereby the licensees and industry work together cooperatively to manage potential interference."

For more:
- check out the FCC's report

Related articles:
T-Mobile asks FCC to explain AWS-3 test results
AWS-3 spectrum debate festers
T-Mobile takes M2Z to task over AWS-3 auction arguments
T-Mobile, others say tests proved interference
M2Z: T-Mobile's interference argument over AWS-3 spectrum flawed

Report: Bulk of capital spending finally shifts to 3G

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:59:54 -0400

A new report from Heavy Reading says mobile operators are finally shifting their infrastructure capital spending away from GSM/EDGE and toward WCDMA/HSPA. The report says Western European operators are leading the way in the trend.

"Over the last 18 months, HSPA has finally started to deliver on the mobile broadband performance promise of 3G," says Patrick Donegan, senior analyst with Heavy Reading. "There is genuine excitement on the part of users at being able to get out their laptops across extensive urban and suburban areas and consistently get at least 1 Mbit/s throughput over the air."

Donegan cautions, however, that the slower-than-anticipated adoption of 3G could result in a shorter lifespan as 4G rounds the corner. "Just as WCDMA is finally starting to establish itself as the preferred global platform for mobile broadband services, it faces the prospect of being made redundant by an acceleration in the time to market of the 4G mobile WiMax and LTE standards," he says. "These technologies are designed to be deployed in much larger spectrum channel widths and offer better spectral efficiency, higher throughput, and lower latency than anything W-CDMA/HSPA can support."

For on this story:
- read Cellular-News

Related stories:
Is China ready to move to 3G? China 3G story
India could see 3G, WiMAX in 2009. India 3G 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

Vendors work to speed up existing data technology

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

With all the hoopla surrounding WiMAX and LTE as the future at this week's CTIA 2008 show in Las Vegas, vendors don't want us to forget HSPA and even EDGE.

Ericsson plans to demonstrate downlink speeds of 42 Mb/s over a 5-megahertz channel using HSPA evolved equipment with the addition of MIMO technology. The new architecture is expected to become commercially available this year. For some time Ericsson, which hasn't boarded the WiMAX train, has been heavily pushing HSPA, likely hoping that by providing improvements, operators won't be tempted to deploy WiMAX before LTE comes along. For the past year Ericsson has been doing everything it can to make HSPA attractive for a while.

In October, the vendor introduced infrastructure and device platforms for WCDMA/HSPA in the 2.6 GHz frequency band, where new licenses for wireless broadband services are becoming available globally. Most view that band along with the 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz as bands ripe for WiMAX growth. Ericsson also announced its first HSPA module for laptops and other client devices, aiming for 50 percent of notebook computers to adopt HSPA modules by 2011. In September, Ericsson introduced the U335 WCDMA mobile platform designed to enable handset providers to create mass-market HSPA multimedia devices capable of offering services such as mobile TV, mobile video blogging and other services that require both high uplink and downlink data speeds.

Of course, Ericsson has another good point. Not every operator can get their hands on additional spectrum to deploy WiMAX or LTE, which will require a significant amount of spectrum to achieve the extremely high data speeds that the technology's proponents tout.

Meanwhile, Nokia Siemens Networks announced last week an upgrade to EDGE technology that doubles its speed. The new software, known as Dual Carrier EDGE, improves the speed to 600 kbps over existing GSM/EDGE networks. NSN said that its new Dual Carrier EDGE technology, which will be available as a software upgrade beginning in the third quarter, is part the company's strategy to promote EDGE as a true mobile broadband technology.

No doubt EDGE would be dying right now if it wasn't for the popularity of the iPhone in the U.S. and Europe. It has been seen that the iPhone's support of EDGE is the primary flaw of the iPhone since the sophisticated capabilities of the device can't be fully exploited by an EDGE network with sparse access to WiFi.

But the iPhone still flies in the face of what operators around the world are trying to do: make money from 3G. They are looking for innovative ways to persuade customers to adopt services on these higher speed networks to monetize their investments and deliver data services at a more cost-effective price point. Move into the WiMAX or LTE realm, and it's about providing a broadband Internet experience quite cheaply, something that is not affordable even on today's fastest 3G networks. Now apply the iPhone on a 2.5G network, and it's a step back. Will speeding up an inefficient network do the trick?--Lynnette

P.S. The Fierce editorial team will be bringing you all the news from CTIA Wireless. I'll be there along with Editor-in-Chief Sue Marek, Brian Dolan and Jason Ankeny. Click here for the latest news from CTIA.

Ericsson pushes data limits on HSPA

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:56 -0400

Ericsson is pushing the limits on 3G High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA). During CTIA Wireless 2008 this week, the vendor plans to demonstrate downlink speeds of 42 Mb/s over a 5-megahertz channel using HSPA evolved equipment with the addition of MIMO technology. The new architecture is expected to become commercially available this year and can be added to Ericsson's later-generation WCDMA base stations with a software upgrade. Ericsson is targeting those operators that don't have enough spectrum for LTE.

To find out more about Ericsson's enhanced HSPA plans:
- check out this article from Telephony Magazine

Related articles:
- Mobile World Congress: Ericsson plugs LTE, HSPA Report
- The HSPA PR machine heats up as WiMAX heats up Editorial

ALSO NOTED: Ericsson to supply HSDPA network to VimpelCom; 22 bidders still active in Italian WiMAX auction; and much more...

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> Ericsson will supply a WCDMA/HSDPA network to Russian operator VimpelCom. Article

> Italy's Communications Ministry said that 22 bidders were still active at the end of the fifth round of the auction of 35 WiMAX licenses. Article

> Tranzeo Wireless Technologies introduced a new family of turn-key WiMAX pico base stations using Proximetry's intelligent provisioning and management software, AirSyncTM. The first product operates in the 3.5GHz licensed band. Release

And Finally... Converged mobile devices fail to compel users. Release

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

AT&T extends 3G deployments, backs LTE for 4G

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

AT&T announced plans to extend its deployment of 3G in the U.S. The WCDMA/HSDPA operator said its 2008 deployment plans include building out service to more than 80 additional cities, which will result in AT&T 3G service in 350 top U.S. markets by the end of this year. The move calls for more than 1,500 additional cell sites nationwide, which is good news for vendors complaining about the lack of growth in the U.S. market.

Other plans in 2008 include completion of the nation's first High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)-enabled network by the middle of the year. Not surprisingly, the operator announced plans to deploy LTE as its 4G standard.

For more about AT&T's 3G plans:
- check out this cellular-news.com article

Related articles:
AT&T's HSUPA launches with Sierra data card Report
AT&T CEO: 3G coverage on par with CDMA rivals Report

ALSO NOTED: LTE approved by 3GPP; Soma will build a mobile WiMAX network in India; and much more...

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> 3GPP approved LTE. Article

> American Airlines is testing AirCell's in-flight wireless broadband service. Article (WSJ sub. req.)

> Ericsson signed a frame agreement with Swisscom to expand and upgrade its WCDMA/HSPA network to enable high-speed mobile broadband coverage across 90 percent of Switzerland. Release

> Boingo has chosen JiWire to sell and serve advertising to its WiFi airport hotspots. Release

> Soma Networks has partnered with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., India's state-owned and largest telecommunications company, to deploy an expansive mobile WiMAX network. Article

'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

SPOTLIGHT: Metric: Lack of spectrum barrier for LTE

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:59:52 -0500

A new Unstrung Insider report indicates that lack of spectrum will be the biggest barrier to the deployment of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, the "4G" technology path for GSM/WCDMA operators. Article

Viable 3G business case for China rests on TD-SCDMA

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:59:58 -0400

The Chinese government's adamant efforts to push its home-grown TD-SCDMA 3G standard looks like they are beginning to pay off. Of course, in any free-market society, the technology would have long been dead given the enormous head start WCDMA and CDMA EV-DO have had. But the Chinese government took some drastic measures to make sure this technology succeeds and that it positions China as a leader in technology. Consider some of the results so far: ZTE, that low-cost vendor everyone is afraid of, is targeting emerging markets with TD-SCDMA technology and trials are reportedly pending. Japanese wireless licensee now wants to flip from TD-CDMA technology to TD-SCDMA (see story No. 2), citing better costs since some 20 vendors have developed more than 100 kinds of handsets. That's pretty good for technology that hasn't been commercially rolled out yet.

Early last year, regulators ordered China's operators to stop work on WCDMA trial networks presumably so that TD-SCDMA could get a head start. It's also requiring that at least one major operator, China Mobile, deploy the technology. The 2008 Olympics are also expected to play a big role in TD-SCDMA's future, as the country looks to showcase its 3G capabilities there and demonstrate to the the world how modern it is.

Right now China's tune is that it has no timetable for issuing 3G licenses because it believes there is not a viable business model for 3G (huh?). That tune may change when the Olympics are over. If TD-SCDMA performs beautifully, Chinese regulators may very well declare that there is indeed a business model for 3G.--Lynnette

China continues to hedge on 3G

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:59:53 -0400

China continues to play coy about when it plans to issue 3G licenses. Lou Qinjian, vice-minister of China's information industry, indicated China has no timetable for issuing the licenses, saying 3G services still lacked a clear business model. Of course, the Chinese government has been pushing the country's home-grown standard, TD-SCDMA, and has a vested interest in making sure it competes well with the more mature 3G technologies, WCDMA and EV-DO. And vendors have been wringing their hands to get 3G in China, especially with all of the profit warnings.

To read more about China's 3G views:
- take a look at this article from the Financial Times

T-Mobile sells first 3G phone, WCDMA rollout near?

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:59:55 -0400

T-Mobile is selling its first 3G device in select retail stores in New York City. The Samsung T639, a quad-band GSM/EDGE and WCDMA 1700 MHz clamshell, is the first phone compatible with T-Mobile's WCDMA network, which isn't running yet. T-Mobile won 3G licenses in the 1700 MHz band in the 2006 AWS auction and is currently building out its 3G network. The phone's introduction likely indicates T-Mobile may be ready to roll out its WCDMA network in some markets.

For more about T-Mobile's 3G phone:
- read this article from Phone Scoop

Moto announces major WiMAX win

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Motorola announced a major win for WiMAX network infrastructure in Taiwan. The vendor, which as been aggressively establishing itself as the leading WiMAX infrastructure provider, has secured two contracts from Taiwan's Far EasTone Telecom (FET) as part of the operator's M-Taiwan project. FET is one of Taiwan's largest mobile operators, with more than 6.4 million subscribers--about a 33 percent share of the local wireless mobile market. FET is also a key player in the Taiwanese government's M-Taiwan project, an initiative to create a standards-compliant environment supporting services, education and entertainment on a national level. Roll-out of FET's WiMAX network will be 2-phased. Phase 1 implementation will commence in October 2007 and is expected to be completed by end December, 2007. The second phase is expected to be completed in early 2008.

"Underlying the M-Taiwan project is a complete WiMAX ecosystem to create a city-wide broadband network in order to roll out integrated mobile services," said Jeffey Gee, executive vice president, Network Technology of Far EasTone Telecom. "As this is a crucial element of the project, we have turned to Motorola for its expertise to design, supply, and deployment a world-class network that will support a multi-vendor environment while enabling future growth as well."

For sure, Taiwan is an important market for WiMAX, whose backers want to see as many consumer electronics companies as possible put WiMAX chips in their products. Vendors have been working hard with Taiwan's CE companies to create a viable ecosystem for WiMAX.

To read more about Motorola's contract:
- take a look at this release

EC commences Qualcomm probe

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:59:54 -0400

The European Commission officially launched an investigation into Qualcomm's supposed stranglehold on WCDMA intellectual property.

In October 2005, Broadcom, Ericsson, NEC, Nokia, Panasonic Mobile, and Texas Instruments requested that the EC investigate Qualcomm's alleged anti-competitive conduct in the licensing of essential 3G patents. The companies alleged Qualcomm is violating competition laws and is failing to meet its promise to license its technology on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

UBS analyst Maynard Um said the "EC may, among other options, reject the complaints or come to a settlement with Qualcomm. We believe it would be unusual for the EC to mandate royalty rates, particularly given separate agreements already negotiated with the various parties. However, the outcome is difficult to predict. Additionally, given the complexity and potential impact to the related parties, we would be surprised to see a quick resolution."

For more on the issue:
- read Qualcomm's reaction to the EC proceedings

Related articles:
Chip makers file anti-trust complaint against Qualcomm in South Korea
Moto ankles Qualcomm for Freescale, TI