Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Can WiMAX Challenge 3G?

WiMAX has gained significant momentum over the last year. Its standardization is complete, vendor and operator ecosystems are expanding, and the hype is getting louder, often justifiably so.

Inset shows the result of asking the participants " Has your business considered investing in WiMax".

See also www.telecomview.info

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Analyst unimpressed by fixed-mobile convergence - ZDNet UK

Vestergaard took issue in particular with BT's Fusion service, which routes mobile calls over a firm's wireless LAN and out onto the public telephone network via the company's own telephone exchange, or PBX. The analyst said there were plenty of other ways to route calls out through the PBX without having to use Wi-Fi networks. "I would suggest that you wait for a couple of years for complex [fixed-mobile] installations," Vestergaard said. "There are some clever things you can do with a PBX. It doesn't even have to be IP or hybrid. You can do many of these things with a normal PBX."

Ericsson Delivers HSPA Network for 3 Scandinavia in Denmark

Ericsson has delivered commercial HSPA hardware, software and implementation services enabling 3’s customers to a new generation of mobile services such as mobile broadband, mobile video and mobile music.

Since 3’s network is turbo charged with HSPA, it is more than 100 times faster than dial-up and up to ten times faster than other3G networks. Its customers can now enjoy network download speeds averaging 1 Mbps to 1.5 Mbps, and peak network speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps, increasing up to 7.2 Mbps next year.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Huawei and E28 Launches World’s First Commercial IMS VCC solution

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ("Huawei") a leader in providing next generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, today announced the launch of the world’s first commercial IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) VCC (Voice Call Continuity) solution in partnership with E28, a world leading mobile multi-mode smart device solution provider, enabling operators to reap the benefits of Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC).
Huawei’s IMS-based VCC solution allows end-users to switch between different network types, and will accelerate the industry’s evolution towards FMC. The solution is 3GPP compliant and supports a voice connection continuity feature for seamless bidirectional handover between the IMS and Circuit Switched (CS) domains. As a consequence, dual-mode end-users can roam between WiFi/WiMAX hot spots and cellular GSM/CDMA/UMTS networks maintaining perfect quality calls.
”IMS is a fundamental infrastructure for next generation fixed and mobile convergent networks. VCC is one of the key enablers to make FMC a reality.” stated Mr. Zha Jun,Director of Huawei’s IMS product line. “We continually look to develop partnerships with leading vendors throughout the world in order to try and build Huawei’s competitive IMS eco-system.”

Ericsson highlights importance of HSPA, multimedia

Vendor looks to mobile data evolution, multimedia reach, and possible new venture with Sony.
Swedish telecoms equipment vendor Ericsson on Tuesday stressed the importance of HSPA as data traffic is set to grow, and underlined the growth of its new multimedia unit as the company moves beyond its traditional core business.


The company also announced a new 3G/HSPA solution, enabling speeds of up to 14 Mbps in the home on all enabled devices.

Ericsson is shifting its position in the market away from its traditional of networks to multimedia services, following a recent internal restructuring.

Speaking at the company's strategy and technology Summit in Tokyo, Carl-Henric Svanberg, CEO and president of Ericsson, said the company would not hesitate to make "bolt-on" acquisitions in the multimedia or IP space. However, the likelihood of "doing something dramatic is small", he added.

The shift in focus will also affect the company's current partnerships, in particular its most famous joint venture with the Japanese electronics manufacturer, Sony.

"We will expand our partnership with Sony beyond handsets," said Svanberg. Joint developments will be realised in the home equipment and networking space. "Projects like IPTV are obvious areas for co-operation," said Svanberg, "areas where we naturally interface."

The CEO refused to comment on talks currently taking place, however.

Ericsson now comprises three core units: networks, services and multimedia. "We see moderate growth in networks … in services, growth is stronger. In multimedia, there is even stronger growth," said Svanberg.

"But whatever we do in multimedia will drive networks and services; they are all going to interact and stimulate each other," he added.

In the mobile network market, the increase in data services will be a large factor in future growth revenues for operators, said Svanberg.

"The development of data will have a big impact on the future," said Svanberg. Operators must be able to provide any broadband service to any user, he added.

According to the Swedish vendor, data usage is 50 times higher with 3G compared with 2G. Services such as the Internet, mobile TV and multimedia services are driving demand.

Two thirds of all data services relate to messaging, said Torbjorn Nilsson, senior vice president and CSO of group strategy and product management at Ericsson. There is also growth from music, and IMS or presence type services, he added.

"But it is a flat-rate tariff that has a strong importance in a growing market," he added. This can be seen from markets such as Japan and the U.S. However, it remains fragmented in Europe. Operators also need to solve issues such as roaming charges for data services.

In terms of HSPA upgrades, 73 out of the 130 WCDMA networks have been upgraded. Out of these networks, 38 have been supplied by Ericsson.

The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) reported last week that there was a 50% increase in the deployment of HSDPA networks in the past three months.

The simple upgrade evolution means HSPA technology is the easiest way to offer mobile broadband to the mass market, said Ericsson.

"The same advantages that made GSM the catalyst for mobile telephony achieving mass market also apply to HSPA," said Svanberg.

Ericsson's new product, a 3G/HSPA indoor access point for the home, will enable local indoor coverage of up to 14 Mbps downlink and 5.8 Mbps uplink with the ADSL2+ as backhaul.

The new offering particularly targets converged operators that are looking to use their fixed-line infrastructure to gain advantages in the wireless space.

"They will be able to use bundling to make to more difficult to churn," Mikael Back, vice president of WCDMA radio networks at Ericsson, told Total Telecom.

An investor, who did not wish to be named, argued that Ericsson's focus on mobile broadband solutions is limited, in comparison with other large vendors such as Cisco.

The three main places where people consume mobile data are at home, on the move, and in the office, the investor commented. Ericsson's product focus does not effectively address the home and office market, with broadband cheaper than a mobile network and soon the launch of WiFi in many cities, the investor claimed.

However, a London-based financial analyst disagreed with this viewpoint. He added that people who have never had a particular service generally do not see how they can use it, citing examples related to broadband access in the 1990s when it was a new technology.

Ericsson's Back added that the prices for mobile data will be the same as for DSL offerings.

"[Operators] are targeting the same flat rates," he said.

He added that in many emerging markets, there is no DSL or legacy infrastructure. A further argument for the technology is that in areas outside major urban conurbations, users cannot get DSL speeds. "A radio offering could be better in this case," he added.

IMS is also at the heart of Ericsson's future growth strategy.

O2 Will Push into Convergence

O2 has revealed plans that could see it lining up to compete with the likes of BT and NTL as it moves increasingly towards fixed-mobile convergence (FMC), broadband and various flavours of telly and advertising.

Speaking in London today, Peter Erskine, CEO of O2, revealed the mobile operator will be seeking to capitalise on the convergence trend with new technologies.

Ericsson introduces 3G/HSPA indoor access point for the home

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) is introducing the Home 3G Access Point to
provide local indoor coverage in homes and small offices providing
full HSPA performance. HSPA supports up to 14Mbps in the downlink and
5.8Mbps in the uplink. With the Home 3G Access Point installed, the
end-user's mobile phone or 3G/HSPA enabled PC will switch from the
regular outdoor radio network to the indoor radio base station the
moment he or she walks through the door.

Mobile network in internet tie-up

Mobile firm 3 has agreed a tie-up with top internet firms in a move it claims will make the mobile internet work properly for the first time.

Third generation (3G) mobiles have proved a financial disaster as companies have struggled to interest consumers in using the new technology.

Firms spent billions on technology making it possible to surf the web or watch television through handsets.

But they found customers were only using them for simple phone calls.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Ofcom may allow 3G over 2G

Nokia has made what it claims was the world's first successful 3G call on a commercial network at a frequency of 900MHz — a band usually used for standard 2G voice calls.

As 3G currently operates around the 2GHz band, this lower-frequency call could open the way for vastly improved coverage and, crucially, better indoor 3G reception.

The call was made over the Finnish network Elisa, using Nokia's Flexi WCDMA technology to transmit 3G traffic through the previously GSM-only base station infrastructure.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Vodafone 'on track' despite loss

Vodafone made a £3.3bn half-yearly loss as it was hit by higher interest rates, competition and some of its assets being worth less than it thought.

However, it said that it was "on track" to meet key targets, with a pre-tax profit of £4.8bn before the one-off costs were taken into account.

The company reiterated full-year predictions for a rise of about 5% in income from mobile calls.

It also announced an alliance with Yahoo on mobile phone advertising.

Under the partnership, Yahoo will use its technology to provide a range of mobile advertising formats across Vodafone's services.

And Vodafone customers who accept targeted advertising will get savings on some services.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Evolved EDGE is Emerging as an Attractive Alternative to 3G

According to a new Research Brief from ABI Research, GSM operators are increasingly focused on Evolved EDGE as a viable alternative to 3G network upgrades in 2008 and beyond, following the forthcoming release of a new 3GPP standard. With spectral efficiency similar to HSDPA and 1xEV-DO, Evolved EDGE promises to deliver data rates equivalent to 3G while utilizing existing GSM spectrum licenses. ABI Research forecasts that the Evolved EDGE market will generate $25 billion in revenue from network upgrades and mobile devices during the period between 2008 and 2011, and will reach 504 million subscribers worldwide by the end of that period.

Samsung's New Convergence Device - Mobile WiMAX and EV-DO Connectivity

The SPH-P9000 is the ideal companion for users to usher in the new era of mobile convergence technology. The expected growth of Mobile WiMAX services will result in an increasing demand for multi-functional devices. The SPH-P9000 is a PDA-based device utilizing Mobile WiMAX and CDMA EV-DO connectivity. Users will have wireless access to the Internet utilizing Mobile WiMAX connectivity. Simultaneously, the CDMA EV-DO technology provides mobile phone connection for voice communication. With Microsoft Windows XP as the operating system, users will find the contents and applications familiar and easy to use for work and play.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Why Sprint Says WiMax Is 4G

Sprint CTO Barry West regards WiMax the 4G technology because not only is it faster, it is also cheaper. According to West, WiMax causes a 10-fold improvement in the price-per-bit as it uses a wider channel. The current CDMA networks run on a 1.25-MHz channel and can deliver a maximum of 4 bits per hertz, or around 5Mbit/s at the base station. WiMax, on the other hand, makes use of a 10-MHz channel, thus it can generate a total of 40Mbit/s.