Asia Pacific

ABI: 32M LTE subs in 2013

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:16:27 -0400

A new study from ABI Research says Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology will support more than 32 million subscribers by 2013. That's three years after the technology is expected to become commercially available. ABI says about 12 million of those subscribers will be users in the Asia-Pacific region. Article

World Economic Forum praises WiMAX

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:59:54 -0400

A new report issued by the World Economic Forum singles out WiMAX as continuing to "leapfrog past copper wire" in developing countries. The report takes particular notice of rollouts in Pakistan and India, praising WiMAX as a possible solution to the lack of rural connectivity.

"In the context of having to apportion chunks of finite spectrum, WiMAX is appealing because it holds the promise of increased sharing," says the report. "Rural connectivity is promised as long as power supply is available, PCs are given, local languages are used in developing content and people are provided with training in using PCs."

For more about the World Economic Forum's report:
- check out this article from eWeek

Related articles:
- Gartner: India to remain niche market for WiMAX Report on WiMAX in India
- Motorola in world's largest 802.16e deployment Report on WiMAX in Pakistan

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

India's Reliance looking for overseas WiMAX play

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:59:56 -0400

India's Reliance Communications (RCom) plans to use WiMAX to gain an international presence, according to an article in the Business Standard. The company has aspirations of setting up WiMAX networks across 50 countries during the next three years. The company, which already has a WiMAX network up and running in 18 cities in India, is reportedly planning to purchase a European WiMAX operator that has about 20 markets in Europe for about $400 million.

To read more about Reliance's WiMAX aspirations:
- take a look at this article from the Business Standard

Related articles:
Telsima, Sequans capitalizing on Indian WiMAX market Report
WiMAX Forum to set up lab in India Report

Taiwan WiMAX industry: We don't need Intel

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:59:53 -0500

Intel has yet to deliver on a pledge it made to the Taiwan government back in 2005 that calls for Intel to make equity investments in licensed Taiwan-based WiMAX operators, according to Economic Affairs Minister Steve Chen. It appears Intel has decided to invest in Japan's KDDI instead. As such, Chen said the Taiwan government welcomes other international companies to invest in Taiwan's WiMAX industry, adding that Taiwan does not necessarily need Intel's support for WiMAX development.

To find out more about the Taiwan government's comments about Intel:
- read this article from Digitimes

Related articles:
Taiwanese WiMAX makers worry about Sprint Report
Fujitsu to develop WiMAX chips in Taiwan Report

NTT DoCoMo ends WiMAX partnership

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:59:53 -0500

NTT DoCoMo has ended its WiMAX partnership agreement with ACCA Wireless after the venture failed to secure WiMAX spectrum from the Japanese government last month.

The two had joined forces last summer for the purpose of securing a mobile WiMAX license. But Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications gave the two available broadband wireless service licenses to rival operator KDDI and PHS operator Willcom. KDDI and Willcom are expected to launch WiMAX services in 2009 and may also lease spectrum to other parties interested in offering WiMAX services.

To read more about NTT DoCoMo's failed WiMAX plans:
- take a look at this article from telecoms.com

Related articles:
NTT DoCoMo announces joint venture with ACCA Networks Report
Japan grants KDDI, Willcom wireless data licenses Report

Fujitsu to develop WiMAX chips in Taiwan

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:54 -0500

Japanese electronics company Fujitsu is expected to announce today a partnership with the Taiwanese government to jointly develop WiMAX chips in Taiwan, according to the Financial Times. The two will create a joint venture research facility in Taiwan, which Fujitsu and the Institute for Information Industry will fund. The institute is a technology research body jointly funded by government and industry in Taiwan. Taiwan has become the hotbed for WiMAX as electronics companies jump on the opportunity early and companies like Sprint, Nortel and Alcatel-Lucent have worked to foster the WiMAX ecosystem there.

How important is WiMAX to Taiwan's electronics companies? Just read this quote from Shen Jung-chin, a senior official with Taiwan's Ministry for Economic Affairs: "Currently, we make most of the world's IT equipment, but others set the standards. By jumping in really early in WiMAX, we hope to have a role in setting standards and be able to receive, rather than pay, royalties in the future."

To find out more about Fujitsu's WiMAX chip plans in Taiwan:
- read this article from the Financial Times

Related articles:
- Nortel wins WiMAX deal in Taiwan
- Moto announces major WiMAX win

New handheld PC uses WiMAX

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:56 -0500

Taiwan's Science and Technology Advisory Group has developed a handheld PC that uses WiMAX to access the Internet. The device, called MTube, includes a 1-GHz microprocessor from Via Technologies and runs on a Linux operating system. The MTube, toting a processor able to use software designed for PCs, weighs 150 grams and sports a 2.8-inch screen. It can store 8 GB of songs, photos and other data. MTube also works with WiFi connections, but does not work on 3G networks. Taiwanese companies are trying to position themselves at the forefront of WiMAX. Hence, the MTube is made solely from parts manufactured in Taiwan.

To find out more:
- read this article from IDG News Service

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

Japan's IPMobile to flip from TD-CDMA to TD-SCDMA

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:59:56 -0400

IPMobile, the beleaguered licensee in Japan that has been trying to roll out TD-CDMA technology, said it anticipates more than $100 million in support from Distacom Group, a Hong Kong-based investment company, to enable it to roll out services. However, the operator intends to switch from TD-CDMA technology to the Chinese-developed TD-SCDMA 3G standard.

In September, IPMobile saw NextWave sell its 69.23-percent stake in the company back to Mori Trust after purchasing the stake the month prior. NextWave decided its chances of making a profit in the highly competitive Japanese market were slim. NextWave bought the stake to further the deployment of TD-CDMA since it has an interest in developing the technology after acquiring TD-CDMA technology developer IPWireless in April.

IPMobile will now ask for permission from the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs to switch technologies as it runs into a deadline that requires the operator to roll out service in November.

"Considering more than 20 worldwide vendors have already developed more than 100 kinds of handsets, TD-SCDMA will drastically change procurement costs for equipment and our competitiveness in Japan," said IPMobile.

To read more about IPMobile's TD-SCDMA plans:
- take a look at this article from Nikkei Electronics

Study: WiMAX subs in India to reach 21M in 2014

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:59:53 -0400

The WiMAX market in India is expected to total 21 million subscribers by 2014, says a new study from Maravedis and Tonse Telecom.

According to the report, steady CPE price reduction significantly impacted the potential ARPU, favorably changing the market perspective. The analysts estimate that as many as 12,000 base stations and 500,000 CPEs will be sold into India in the next 12 months.

"Companies like Telsima reduced the CPE price by 50 percent as early as Q2-2007. Consequently, carriers like Reliance, started commercial services in Bangalore and has RFPs on the way, but there are more large-scale deployments to come," said Adlane Fellah, CEO of Maravedis.

For more about Maravedis' study:
- read this article from Tekrati

Metric: Mobile WiMAX market grows 130% in 2Q

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Infonetics Research says the mobile WiMAX equipment market increased 130 percent in 2Q07 over 1Q07 to reach $144.5 million. The firm also says the fixed WiMAX market, which sequentially dropped 40 percent in 1Q07, rebounded somewhat, increasing 9 percent in 2Q07.

Other findings from Infonetics' report, "WiMAX and Outdoor Mesh Network Equipment," include:

The outdoor wireless mesh access node segment dropped 20 percent between 1Q07 and 2Q07;
The worldwide fixed and mobile WiMAX equipment market is forecast to grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 89 percent between 2006 and 2010;
2Q07 marks the inflection point when mobile WiMAX equipment sales outpace fixed WiMAX equipment;
Tropos Networks and Strix are neck and neck in the battle for leadership in outdoor mesh equipment revenue in 2Q07; BelAir moves up to third place;
43 percent of all mobile WiMAX equipment revenue came from Asia Pacific in 2Q07, 31 percent from North America, 17 percent from EMEA, and 9 percent from CALA.

For more about Infonetics' report:
- read this release

AT&T wants licenses in India

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:59:55 -0400

AT&T is making good on its intentions to get into the Indian wireless market, announcing that its Indian unit has applied for wireless licenses in that country as part of a majority stake in a partnership with India's Mahindra Telecom Group. AT&T said it applied for licenses in 22 of 23 zones in India. AT&T reportedly owns 74 percent of the partnership.

AT&T revealed recently that it is looking to acquire companies abroad to offer telecom services around the world to consumers and business users. AT&T particularly has its sights on India, where operators are reporting leading growth--about 6 million new subscribers a month. Vodafone has already gotten its hands on an $11.1 billion stake in India's Hutchison Essar.

For more about AT&T's plans for India:
- read this article from Wireless Week

Related articles:
Strong WiFi growth in India
Vodafone continuing Essar talks
WiMAX push in India
SPOTLIGHT: Emerging market vendors: earnings and sales down

NextWave leaves Japan after a month

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:59:55 -0400

Just a month after NextWave Wireless bought 69.23 percent of IP Mobile in Japan, the company is selling the stake back to Mori Trust, the group it purchased the stake from initially. NextWave decided its chances of making a profit in the highly competitive Japanese market were slim.

NextWave bought the stake to further the deployment of TD-CDMA since it has an interest in developing the technology after acquiring TD-CDMA technology developer IPWireless in April. IP Mobile secured spectrum in the 2 GHz band for mobile services in November 2005 along with Softbank and Emobile. Both of those companies have launched service, but IPMobile has struggled to find financing to deploy TD-CDMA technology.

But NextWave itself is burning through some serious cash as it embarks on its wireless 2.0 vision. The company lost more than $59.5 million during the second quarter, primarily attributed to its increase in operating expenses related to the expansion of its R&D teams and related support organizations.

For more about NextWave's exit from Japan:
- read this article from AFP
- and this report from the Japan Times

SPOTLIGHT: WCDMA subs in Asia Pacific exceed 50M in 1Q '07

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 06:59:52 -0400

WCDMA customers in the Asia Pacific region exceeded 50 million in late January, ending the first quarter with 56.5 million, according to the Mobile World Database. WCDMA net additions amounted to 8.04 million in the first quarter. At the end of March this year, 5.1 percent of the total Asia Pacific customer base was constituted by WCDMA connections, up from 3.5 percent a year earlier. More than three quarters of Asia Pacific's WCDMA customers, or 76.5 percent, were accounted for by Japan alone at the end of the first quarter, down from 78 percent at the end of last year and 91 percent in 2005. Article

ALSO NOTED: Free WiFi for Vista users; WiFi at the art museum, and much more...

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 19:01:31 -0500

> T-Mobile promises three free months of WiFi for Vista users. Report

> There is now another place to surf the web without wires in downtown Savannah, GA: The Telfair Museum of Art's Jepson Center just announced WiFi is available there. Report

> Chipmaker Renesas Technology has invested in WLAN chipset vendor Key Stream Corporation. The two companies plan to collaborate on product integration, WiFi-enabled SoC designs and the development of next-generation wireless standards. Report

> D-Link said it has captured the No. 1 market share position for WLAN in Asia Pacific, excluding Japan. The latest IDC Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) Quarterly Wireless LAN Tracker Report for Q3, 2006, shows D-Link achieving an 18.9 percent share in the WLAN market. Report

> Market research firm BMI-TechKnowledge says fixed and wireless broadband connections in Africa are expected to exceed 7 million by 2011, with DSL subscribers making up 3.7 million and mobile cellular technologies and fixed wireless broadband competing for second place. Report

> And speaking of Africa: Africa's No. 3 mobile phone operator, Celtel, will inject an additional $1.4 billion into its Nigerian unit this year, aiming to increase its subscriber base. Celtel, a unit of Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), acquired a 65 percent stake in Nigeria's number three mobile operator Vmobile for $1 billion last May. Report

And finally...Music to one's ears: The amount of money that mobile phone users worldwide spend on music received on mobile handsets will reach $32.2 billion by 2010, up from $13.7 billion in 2007, according to new Gartner forecasts. Report

SPOTLIGHT: Safety in numbers

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:01:32 -0500

A new ABI Research forecast says that in 2006 the number of commercial WiFi hotspots will grow by 47 percent worldwide to 143,700. Almost three-quarters of these sites (74 percent, to be precise) are located in North America and Europe, but the Asia-Pacific region is growing very rapidly. Europe is still the market leader with more than 57 million hotspots. A major driver of WiFi hotspots is retail establishments, with McDonald's, which has added hotspots to 17 percent of its 4,000 locations, offering a good example. The growing WiFi hotspot market is driving increased demand for WiFi APs: More than 675,000 APs will be shipped this year for use in hotspots. ABI Research notes that not only are hotspot deployments and their subscriber numbers growing, but that there also has been a dramatic increase in the number of WiFi sessions per subscriber. There are now almost 40,000 hotspots around the world. Report

ALSO NOTED: Intel, PacNet team to deploy 802.16e in Singapore; AdventNet releases version 4.3 of ManageEngine WiFi Manager; and

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:00:50 -0400

> Intel and Pacific Internet (PacNet), a large Asia-Pacific ISP, have teamed up to deploy a 802.16e-based network in Singapore. Article

> AdventNet announced support for more than 70 models of APs, with the release of version 4.3 of ManageEngine WiFi Manager. Report

And Finally... Rumor has it that Google has plans to expand their current WiFi efforts to cover the whole nation. The rumors spring from a comment Larry Page made in the company's first-quarter earnings conference call. He said Google was looking to "expand" the network, but did not reject rumors about the scope encompassing nationwide access. Blog

Metric: Asia-Pacific WiFi market to grow rapidly

Tue, 03 Jan 2006 19:01:37 -0500

The WiFi market in the Asia-Pacific region will grow to $1.29 billion in 2010, up from $213.2 million in 2004, says a recent In-Stat study. Wireless service providers in South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and China expanded their hotspot coverage, and they are planning to expand it even more. Still, In-Stat's Bryan Wang points out that WiFi roll out in Asia has been "inconsistent," saying there is a need "for a proven successful business model for WiFi technology to fit into the telcos' existing voice and data services future development road map."

The report estimates that the business WiFi equipment market in Asia-Pacific will grow from $498.7 million in 2004 to $865 million in 2010, and that the consumer WiFi equipment market in Asia-Pacific will grow from $112.3 million to $243.6 million in the same period.

For more on the report on WiFi in Asia-Pacific:
- see In-Stat's press release

Motorola targets Asia/Pacific for 802.16e campaign

Tue, 22 Nov 2005 19:01:36 -0500

Telstra's decision notwithstanding, Motorola is targeting the Asia/Pacific as its main area for WiMax development. Motorola's emphasis on Asia is part of its broader strategy to skip 802.16d and invest its efforts in 802.16e to provide mobility and fixed and nomadic access. Jay Andersen, vice president of sales and operations for Motorola Networks in Asia, said Motorola will focus on cultivating 802.16e awareness among operators, carriers, regulators, enterprises, and end users in the Asia/Pacific region. "We are working closely with our customers in the region to explore trials for MOTOwi4 WiMAX 802.16e solutions as they are increasingly asking for ubiquitous broadband access," he said.

MOTOwi4 comprises a portfolio of access technologies, CPE, mobile devices and services. The MOTOwi4 WiMax solutions include a light-infrastructure solution for rural areas and developing countries which offers cost-effective deployment and ownership. Note that the MOTOwi4 portfolio also includes Motorola's Canopy solution which provides fixed wireless service for more than 200 operators worldwide.

For mature markets such as Singapore and Australia, MOTOwi4 offers last-mile connection and is also suitable for delivering broadband access beyond WiFi zones in metro areas. In emerging markets such as India, Bangladesh and Vietnam, MOTOwi4 solutions may be deployed to broaden network coverage and to deliver broadband voice, data, and video services.

For more on Motorola 802.16e Asian campaign:
- read this ferret report

PLUS: The Executive Cabinet of Taiwan's government has budgeted $40 million for next year to accelerate WiMax development in the country. Report

ALSO: Airspan Networks announced the commercial availability of the world's first fixed and nomadic WiMax product range which links desktop PCs, laptops, Internet-ready telephone sets and other broadband devices directly to telecommunications networks. Report

FINALLY: ArrayComm announced its Network MIMO software which implements all antenna processing aspects of the WiMax profiles approved by the WiMax Forum Mobile Task Group (MTG) for 802.16e. The solution includes support of MIMO, AAS and combined MIMO/AAS modes on both client devices and base stations. Report