Ericsson

AT&T's short-term answer to WiMAX: HSPA Rel. 7

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

During a presentation yesterday at Morgan Stanley's 13th Annual Communications Conference in Washington, D.C, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega said he believes AT&T has a time-to-market advantage over WiMAX with its HSPA technology. De la Vega said that HSPA Release 7 will give the company 7 Mbps to 20 Mbps data speeds within the next two years and the company will only have to deploy a software upgrade.

"When people talk about future technologies like WiMAX, they don't realize it doesn't do any good to just have it in the network. They have to have devices, coverage and the entire ecosystem," he said. "We have the best broadband network with the best throughput today. And it will get better in the short term." Of course, the company does plan to migrate to LTE technology in 2010, bringing data speeds of up to 100 Mbps.

Meanwhile, Dell made an agreement with Ericsson that will see the laptop maker incorporate Ericsson's HSPA modules in its laptop portfolio beginning in the second quarter.

For more:
- see the replay of de la Vega's presentation here
- check out this telecoms.com article

Related articles:
AT&T extends 3G deployments, backs LTE for 4G. See this AT&T LTE story
Ericsson develops HSPA module for laptops Check out this Ericsson HSPA article
The HSPA PR machine heats up as WiMAX heats up

ALSO NOTED: Ericsson to spend $25M on R&D; iPass partners with Aircell for in-flight WiFi; and much more...

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:59:51 -0400

> Ericsson announced it would increase investments in research and development and spend some $25 billion during the next five years on new technologies and software. Article

> iPass partnered with Aircell for in-flight WiFi. Release

> Sprint Nextel's largest independent affiliate, iPCS announced that three of its subsidiaries are suing Sprint Nextel over its recent deal with Clearwire. Release

> Camera memory card can tag location info using WiFi Article

Nortel goes its own way with LTE IPR licensing

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Nortel has thrown a wrench into the LTE framework licensing agreement announced last month by seven wireless vendors. The vendor, known to hold some substantial IPR for OFDMA, has snubbed its nose at last month's framework agreement, instead going it alone on LTE IPR fees and announcing what is says is a competitive handset royalty rate of about 1 percent of the handset sales price for its portfolio of LTE essential patents.

The fee structure agreed to by Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NEC, NextWave Wireless, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks and Sony Ericsson calls for royalties for LTE that total less than 10 percent of the resale price for handsets and less than $10 for laptops. However, it is up to the companies involved to decide how this (up to) 10 percent is split between them. Nortel's plan would guarantee the vendor makes money.

Qualcomm and Motorola, to other big patent holders, are likely to stay out of the seven-vendor initiative and come out with their own LTE license schemes. How much visibility will that give in terms of industry IPR fees?

For more on Nortel's LTE play:
- read this Nortel LTE royalty press release

Related article:
Key vendors absent from new LTE licensing scheme

Key vendors absent from new LTE licensing scheme

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Six vendors announced they have committed to a framework designed to offer predictable and more transparent IP licensing. Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NEC, NextWave Wireless, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks and Sony Ericsson have specifically agreed to royalties for LTE that total less than 10 percent of the resale price for handsets and less than $10 for laptops. However, it is up to the companies involved to decide how this (up to) 10 percent is split between them.

"The adoption of this initiative will reassure operators of the early widespread adoption of LTE technology throughout the consumer electronics industry," Ericsson's SVP, GM and CTO Håkan Eriksson said in a statement.

Notably absent from the agreement are Qualcomm, Motorola and Nortel. Without those major players, will such an agreement work out?

For more on the LTE licensing agreement:
- read this press release from the companies

Related articles:
- Vodafone CEO: WiMAX has a home in LTE. Story on Vodafone
- China Mobile joins Vodafone, Verizon in LTE trial. Story on LTE trials

ALSO NOTED: Ericsson introduces commercially available LTE-capable platform; Australian government nixes WiMAX plans; and much

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:59:51 -0400

> Ericsson introduced what it calls the world's first commercially available LTE-capable platform. Article

> Government plans to roll out broadband to underserved and rural parts of Australia using a mixture of WiMAX and ADSL have been abandoned. Article

> A trial WiMAX network in South Africa will be closed down at the end of the month after the regulator decided not to extend the trial license. Article

> Brazilian long-distance telecom provider Embratel Participacoes plans to invest $351 million in setting up a WiMAX broadband Internet network in 200 cities by the end of 2009. Article

> Thanks to greater adoption of 3G services and increase in made-for-mobile content, the mobile entertainment market could reach $47.5 billion by 2010, says Juniper Research. Article

And Finally... Will the iPhone drive iPorn? Article

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: Vodafone Australia taps Ericsson for HSPA; Do we really need 4G?; and much more...

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:59:51 -0400

> Vodafone Australia chose Ericsson as the primary hardware and software vendor to support its national HSPA network. Release

> ABI Research predicts more than 30,000 square miles of muni-WiFi networks worldwide by 2012. Article

> Is the satellite broadband market finally ready for prime time? Article

And Finally... Do we really need 4G? Article

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

ALSO NOTED: Ericsson plugs latest developments in LTE, HSPA; Motorola to license mobile WiMAX chipset reference design; and muc

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> During the Mobile World Congress this week, Ericsson used a packed press conference to plug its latest developments in LTE and HSPA. Article

> Motorola announced plans to license its mobile WiMAX chipset radio reference design to third parties. Article

> UMA technology company Kineto Wireless announced that it has reached agreement with Qualcomm on a collaboration that will UMA-enable certain Qualcomm 3G UMTS chipsets. Release

> The Chicago Transit Authority gets WiFi. Release

And Finally... Operators catch femto fever. Article

SPOTLIGHT: Ericsson demonstrates LTE in FDD and TDD mode

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:59:52 -0500

Ericsson said it has demonstrated for the first time LTE in both FDD and TDD mode on the same base-station platform, giving TDD-based WiMAX a run for its money. Article

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

Prediction: Non-traditional vendors will rise up

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:59:53 -0500

Higher speed data networks are ushering in opportunities for alternative vendors beyond the big companies such as Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent. Chinese vendor Huawei saw some significant momentum in 2007 with UMTS deals with the industry's largest operators: Telecom Italia, Vodafone and T-Mobile International. Companies that missed out on the 2G and 3G revolution such as Samsung and Fujitsu are looking to WiMAX to propel them in leadership positions. Look for some aggressive moves from these types of vendors to gain the trust of operators.

ALSO NOTED: Ericsson waiting for AT&T to spend; Cisco to blame for Duke University's wireless networking problems; and much mor

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 06:59:51 -0400

> Vodafone voices concern about the lack of 3G support on the iPhone. Article

> Ericsson waiting for AT&T to spend. Article

> Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel expects to issue bidding rules for the auction of 3G mobile licenses in October. Article

> Cisco to blame for Duke University's wireless networking problems, not the iPhone. Article

And Finally... Residents in a rural valley in British Columbia, Canada, hope that keeping out cell phones will help attract residents and tourists who want to escape to the quiet of nature. Article