china

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

3G auctions in China, India could have dramatic industry impact

Thu, 29 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

Vendors everywhere should be feeling a bit giddy this week as regulators in both China and India--two countries considered to have the most wireless growth potential going forward--indicated they would move forward with licensing 3G networks. India is also looking to license WiMAX networks.

This is welcome news to wireless vendors, which are suffering from a bit of a slowdown as the network-upgrade business has been hard to come by. 3G is beginning to mature in many markets with occasional contracts for capacity upgrades. What has been missing is the massive rollout of new technology.

Vendors aren't the only ones poised to capitalize on the moves in China and India. The world's operators are looking for the next growth engine markets. In India, many customers are using CDMA 1x technology as their primary Internet connection via handsets used as modems. Imagine the impact that a faster 3G technology could have on the market.

Of course, these announcements come from two governments notorious for delays when it comes to licensing. China has strung vendors along regarding 3G licenses for about six years now. The entire industry has to be crossing its fingers.--Lynnette

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

ALSO NOTED: Truphone scores $32M in VC money; Tough going for iPhone in Europe; and much more...

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:51 -0400

> Mobile VoIP provider Truphone scored $32 million in VC funding. Article

> U.S. mobile subscribers in St. Louis, Missouri have the fastest 3G data networks, according to The Nielsen Company. Article

> Tough going for iPhone in Europe Article

> Analyst: China's 3G still years away Article

> Russia's third largest mobile operator, MegaFon, this week started commercial service over a large scale WiMAX network in the Samara region. Article

And Finally... According to a recent Accenture survey, about 12 percent of U.S. and UK respondents borrowed someone else's unsecured WiFi connection. Article

ALSO NOTED: 02 caps 3G speeds; 3G iPhone rumor roundup; and much more...

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:59:51 -0400

> Dopod China is likely to start volume production of its first Mobile Windows-based TD-SCDMA high-end smart phones in June-July this year. Article

> 02 caps 3G speeds. Article

> 3G iPhone rumor roundup. Article

And Finally... A self-appointed Long Island Rail Road etiquette enforcer escaped jail after he was prosecuted for assaulting a fellow rider who was using a mobile phone. Article

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

Beijing operator embarks on ambitious WiFi plan

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:59:53 -0500

Chinese service provider CECT-Chinacomm and infrastructure provider Azalea Networks have embarked on an ambitious plan to unwire Beijing in time for the Summer Olympics. The city, which spans 6,500 square miles, will provide public access, traffic management and military/public-safety applications along with serving as the wireless backbone for the Olympics. CECT-Chinacomm is funding the network buildout but the Beijing government is serving as an anchor tenant.

Azalea Networks says Phase 1 of the WiFi, which represents about 10 percent of planned mesh footprint, should go live in April.

For more about the Beijing project:
- check out this article from MuniWireless

Related article:
Chinese play big role in WiMAX Report
China set for telecom shakeup Report

ALSO NOTED: Wisconsin city to get new WiMAX service; picoChip introduces femtocell reference design for TD-SCDMA; and much more

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> Madison, Wisc., will soon be unwired for a new WiMAX service that will include digital-phone and high-speed Internet access. Article

> U.K. chip company picoChip introduced a femtocell reference design supporting China's TD-SCDMA standard. Article

And Finally... Mobile phones are being blamed for disrupting sleep patterns. Article

Huawei announces WiMAX play

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:59:55 -0400

Chinese vendor Huawei, which has been aggressively vying for UMTS and EV-DO contracts globally, introduced its New Generation WiMAX commercial solution. The product includes what Huawei calls an HSPA/LTE/UMB co-platform infrastructure and integrates 4G technologies such as HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat-reQuest) and MIMO. Huawei claims this integrated approach offers operators a 30-percent cost savings on base stations while doubling system capacity.

The products include gateway, distributed base station, transmission, network management system and terminal. This solution can deploy WiMAX with GSM, CDMA, IMS, NGN and DSL integrated networks, and helps operators provide more high-speed mobile broadband service.

For more about Huawei's play in WiMAX:
- read this release

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

Metric: Mobile broadband to overtake fixed by 2011

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 06:59:53 -0400

Mobile broadband subscribers will out pace fixed broadband users by 2011, according to research from Informa Telecoms & Media. According to the research firm, rapid adoption of mobile broadband will lead it to dominate the connectivity market within four years, when services based on HSPA, EV-DO, WiMAX and other systems will have more subscribers than services based on DSL, cable and FTTH. Overall some 1 billion subscriptions on mobile broadband networks are expected by 2011.

Moreover, the report predicts that HSPA will be the leading mobile broadband system in 2012 by number of subscribers, followed by EV-DO and mobile WiMAX. EV-DO will have the most subscribers at end-2007 but will be overtaken by HSDPA in 2009. TD-SCDMA will also become a significant force in the mobile broadband market with close to 50 million subscribers in China by 2012.

For more about the research:
- read this telecoms.com article

SPOTLIGHT: Intel demos WiMAX and satellite for remote access

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:59:52 -0400

Intel announced it successfully used a combination of WiMAX and a geosynchronous satellite bring Internet connectivity to one of the remote parts of Vietnam, Ta Van, a village in the mountainous northern region near the border with China. Article

SPOTLIGHT: Juniper: HSPA to dominate until 2012

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:59:52 -0400

HSPA, not mobile WiMAX, will dominate mobile broadband network deployments during the next five years, according to forecasts from Juniper Research. The firm says HSPA will consistently account for approximately 70 percent of the total mobile broadband subscriber base until 2012. On a worldwide basis, about one in three mobile subscribers will use a mobile broadband connection by 2012, representing about 1 billion users. Demand will come from North America, Western Europe and to a lesser extent by the Far East and China, Juniper Research said.

However, Juniper Research cautions that these numbers depend on availability of suitable devices, ranging from handsets to other types of devices such as media players. Release

Sprint signs ZTE for WiMAX data cards

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:59:53 -0400

Chinese vendor ZTE USA has entered into a master purchase agreement with Sprint for WiMAX PC cards in express and USB form factors. The deal is a big step toward making WiMAX service available to 100 million people next year, according to the companies.

Barry West, CTO and president of Sprint Nextel's 4G business, recently noted the importance of China in terms of its influence on consumer electronics and WiMAX. The participation of the Chinese is vital given the fact that Sprint's vision revolves around a plethora of WiMAX-enabled consumer devices--such as laptops, portable media players and digital cameras. China, with its vast size, has the power to push prices of these WiMAX-enabled consumer devices down fast to make them attractive enough to consumers without carriers kicking in to pay for them.

For more on the Sprint-ZTE USA deal:
- read this press release

ALSO NOTED: Court grants Truphone injunction against T-Mobile in U.K.; Proxim builds broadband wireless system in Croatia; and

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:59:51 -0400

> A U.K. high court granted Truphone an injunction to require T-Mobile to put the FMC carrier's calls through. Article

> Proxim Wireless announced it will build a broadband wireless system for the City of Rijeka, Croatia. Release

And Finally... Samsung Electronics will make a special 18-carat gold-plated mobile phone in China to mark next year's Olympics in Beijing. Article

Home networks to grow 20% CAGR by 2010

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:01:33 -0500

The worldwide installed base of home networks will rise by over 20 percent CAGR from 2005 to 2010, and the growth will be mostly driven by Asia, and China, according to a recent In-Stat report. The demand for networking non-PC consumer electronics devices will power the growth of worldwide home networks and network-capable devices.

"The average number of PCs in a household is on the rise, and currently stands at approximately 2.4 networked PCs per average U.S. household with a home network," says In-Stat's Joyce Putscher. "By 2010, we expect that average to climb to about 2.6 per household. The more PCs in a household, the greater the likelihood that the household will have, or install, a home network."

For more on home networking growth:
- see In-Stat webpage

picoChip expands operations in China

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:01:35 -0500

If you want to have a sense of trends in the industry, you can do one of two things: first you could subscribe to three dozens magazines and newsletters, keep several analysts on a retainer and attend a dozen conferences a year, or for the lazy among us there is an easier way--Keep an eye on picoChip. Over the past three years or so we have learned much about the underlying trends and directions in the industry by following what this innovative Bath, U.K.-based company was doing. The latest: picoChip has expanded its Asian operations with the establishment of a new development center in Beijing. The company already operates an engineering facility in Shenzhen and a sales office in Shanghai as part of its plans for the Chinese market.

picoChip's growing operations in China have been in evidence for a while now: The company has had a collaborative relationship with WSPN-BUPT (Wireless Signal Processing and Network Lab, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications) revolving around the development of TD-SCDMA-based wireless systems and commercial WiMAX systems designed for the Chinese market; the company has also worked together with the Institute of Computing Technology (ICT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), considered a leading force in network software and protocol stacks.

For more on picoChip's Chinese initiative:
- see the company's press release

Atheros to benefit from China's protectionist move

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 19:01:37 -0500

They say that when you have relations with an 800-lb. gorilla, you stop not when you want to, but when the gorilla does. My friends who have business relations in China say this more or less captures their experience, too. The Chinese government will announce that local organizations receiving funding from the Chinese Ministry of Information will have to buy wireless equipment based on an indigenous wireless network standard. Non-compliant vendors may find themselves unable to sell their wares in China.

One non-Chinese vendor who is not exactly worried about the decision is Santa Clara, CA-based Atheros Communications. The company has recently tweaked its WLAN chips to comply with the Chinese standard. "If we're the only [non-Chinese companies] who are compliant, then this will be a windfall," said Mark Hung, Atheros director of strategic marketing. Indeed.

China's native standard is WAPI (for WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure), and it is a competitive standard to 802.11i. Since it was developed by the Broadband Wireless Internet Protocol Standards group, it is also referred to as BWIPS. In 2003 the standard became mandatory for all local wireless systems, a move which triggered a trade dispute between the U.S. and China. The dispute was resolved--'suspended' would be a better word--in 2004 when China postponed the imposition of the standard indefinitely. I do not know the language, but perhaps in Chinese "indefinitely" means two years.

There is a debate in the WLAN equipment industry as to whether the Chinese government's decision is merely a strong suggestion or a suggestion one cannot refuse. Atheros' Hung says it is a strong suggestion; other vendors are less sanguine. What goes around comes around, though. It may well be the case that China's deviation from the 802.11i draft will hobble its ability to compete in the global wireless industry. Big hitters Intel and IBM dominate the high-end of the WiFi industry and both--and many other big players--are adamant in their support for 802.11i.

For more on China's move:
- see Rhonda Ascierto's Computer Business Review report

SPOTLIGHT: Not so inscrutable Orient

Tue, 02 Aug 2005 20:01:33 -0400

Ming Dong, sales and marketing group general manager at Beijing's Analysis International, says that WiMax and 3G will not compete with each other in China's growing market, but rather complement each other. Some analysts have predicted that WiMax will challenge 3G with bigger potential bandwidth, but much of the short-term focus and investment in bringing 3G technology to market in China means WiMax capabilities will be for improving fixed and mobile Internet rather than cell-phone customers. Report