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The most recent posts (2006) related to this topic can be found here:
Notable
posts and threads related to 3G Launch Worldwide #3 of FIFTEEN CATALYSTS for future InterDigital REVENUE Updated January 31, 2005 Fifteen revenue catalysts have the potential to produce dramatic upswings in the earnings of WirelessLedger's current focus stock, InterDigital Communications Corp. (IDCC). Posts and threads are culled from the most useful investment message board on the Internet (it is hosted by Investors Hub). For
a listing and links to some of the best posts in all fifteen catalysts click
here. What these "best posts" on "3G Launch Worldwide below are about: See also: Links to "best posts" on these related revenue catalysts: #12
How will new technologies affect InterDigital? #9
TD-SCDMA and the China market. #10 JTRS-MUOS military communications overhaul Also
see these other related WirelessLedger reports:
30 Year Evolution of InterDigital's Business Model Understanding Intellectual Property Understanding
the Standards-Setting process Catalyst #3
POSTS and THREADS
Posted by: nieves Now Playing On a Cell Phone Near You: Video Clips, Music Videos and 3D V CAST From Verizon Wireless Available Tomorrow
movie previews, DVD previews and short content from network television daytime and prime time programs. V CAST Showcase also features Mobile Shows, such as: -- "24 Conspiracy," available February 7 (Twentieth Century Fox Television) -- "Sunset Hotel" available February 9 (Twentieth Television) -- "Love & Hate" available February 10 (Twentieth Television) artists. Music Videos on V CAST are premium content, available for $3.99 per music video. Titles rotate weekly; 11 titles will be available on February 1, including: -- My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise) -- The Used - All That I've Got -- Crime Mob - Knuck If You Buck -- Sean Paul - Like Glue -- Simple Plan - Welcome To My Life -- Story Of The Year - Until The Day I Die
CONTACT: Jeffrey Nelson, Verizon Wireless, +1-908-306-4824, Jeffrey.Nelson@verizonwireless.comURL: http://www.prnewswire.com http://www.verizonwireless.comwww.prnewswire.com Daniel Nieves
Posted by: Eneerg 3g: Building the World's Biggest Machine (Ed: 10 page report in pdf format. http://www.the3gportal.com/featured_articles/big_machine.pdf
Posted by: Eneerg *More than 17 mln 3G users in Asia by year-end 2005 -Posted @ 1:18 pm (PDT) Demand for 3G mobile phone services in Asia outside of Japan will grow by half this year to more than 17 mln users, driven by the established South Korean market, according to IDC. The wider availability of 3G phones that allow high-speed Internet access and video-conferencing will support the increase in subscribers as operators launch new services and discounts. IDC estimates Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) mobile revenues will rise by an average 16% in 2005 to $81.2 bln, driven by India, South Korea and the Philippines. Mobile revenues are expected to rise 64% in India, 27% in South Korea and 25% in the Philippines Posted by: TFWG 64 WCDMA networks in operation worldwide [all we need to do is license, as if THAT isn't obvious!] 27/01/2005 by Leigh Phillips http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=5674 There are now 64 WCDMA networks in commercial service in 31 countries delivering 3G services, according to figures from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA). A further nine networks are close to service launch and at pre-commercial stage. This confirms that 56 per cent of the 129 WCDMA licence holders in 43 countries have already launched, or are close to launching, their services. There were also some 16.26m WCDMA subscribers as of 31 December, 2004, compared to 2.68m at end 2003. GSA also reports the continuing globalisation of EDGE technology and confirms that 123 Related research by GSA identified 108 WCDMA devices and 62 EDGE-enabled devices are shipping or announced in the market today.
Posted by: Jim Mullens GAB, Re: Gartner Report (thanks for posting, and Engineer, Neives, etc for their efforts in posting wireless news) It appears to me that Gartner and those they quote are looking at the glass as half empty and judging from some of their statements appear not to fully understand the wireless market. For example, these statements... 1. Gartner analyst Hugues de la Vergne agreed. "Mature replacement markets like North America are starting to slow as most consumers have purchased a new mobile device in the past 18 months, and there isn't as much a compelling need to upgrade to newer devices," he said 2 While 3G networks are common in Asia and Europe, they are still being deployed in the United States. It probably will be 2006 before all the major cellular phone companies have finished rolling out their 3G versions, some sooner than others. Gartner correctly states that “3G networks are common in Asia and Europe”, but IMO incorrectly gives the impression that these European 3G networks have been selling 3G handsets in volume for a long time. That could hardly be the case as there were very few (5-10 mill) WCDMA handsets sold in Europe in 2004. Re: the U.S. Gartner states- “they are still being deployed in the United States. It probably will be 2006 before all the major cellular phone companies have finished rolling out their 3G versions, some sooner than others.” Again, that statement is true on its surface, but it fails to mention that in a few days VZN will begin to offer EV-DO handsets in many of its large metropolitan markets. Given the above, Gartner’s statement “there isn't as much a compelling need to upgrade to newer devices” is wrong and IMO misses the dynamic that Merrill Lynche’s report discussed- that of the need for WCDMA ASPs to drop to the $250 range for the hockey stick ramp to begin. IMO, there is a great pent-up demand for 3G handsets / “a compelling need to upgrade to newer devices” that will greatly accelerate as WCDMA ASPs decline. More Snips>>>> Industry analysts are predicting that the rate of growth in cellphone sales will slow down in 2005. Put another way, nearly everyone who had to have a camera and color screen has bought one, and the Next Big Thing isn't here yet. A consensus among analysts is that 2004 sales finished with around 630 million to 650 million units worldwide, up more than 20 percent from 2003's sales of about 510 million. The guess is that 2005 sales will climb over 700 million. Research firm Gartner Inc. pegs 2005 sales at around 720 million phones, while another research firm, IDC, is predicting 703 million IDC's Mr. Slawsby said. "For the next several years, the vast majority of phones that are going to be sold are going to be 2.5G cellphones, even though there's all kinds of talk about 3G, third generation," he said. Until then, there'll be as much hype and promise as reality. He expects 3G technology and phones to become a lot more available in 2006, with growing availability of digital TV sent live to handsets. "We think that's going to be a catalyst which is going to help propel the market toward some renewed growth in 2006 or 2007," he said.
Posted by: GAB Gartner Research Report: Jan. 26--This year, consumers will be able to buy cellphones that snap photos, shoot videos, play music, send and receive messages, keep track of appointments and people, play games, browse the Internet and display live television. So what do most Americans do with their cellphones? They talk. Industry analysts are predicting that the rate of growth in cellphone sales will slow down in 2005. A primary reason: Most consumers won't feel compelled to replace their phones with ones offering new bells and improved whistles, at least not yet. Put another way, nearly everyone who had to have a camera and color screen has bought one, and the Next Big Thing isn't here yet. A consensus among analysts is that 2004 sales finished with around 630 million to 650 million units worldwide, up more than 20 percent from 2003's sales of about 510 million. The guess is that 2005 sales will climb over 700 million. Research firm Gartner Inc. pegs 2005 sales at around 720 million phones, while another research firm, IDC, is predicting 703 million. "We're looking for the market to take a deep breath in 2005," IDC analyst Alex Slawsby said. "Now, growth is still going to occur. I mean, 10 percent growth is still something, but it's nothing like we saw last year with growth of over 130 million units, a real significant change." Lance Wilson, director of wireless research at ABI Research, said 2005's sales growth globally will depend to a great extent on the speed at which India and China expand their population of potential cellphone users. "Every year more and more of those people move up into the context of what defines their middle class, and those people will be buying phones," Mr. Wilson said. In much of the industrialized world, growth will be slower because "almost everybody has phones. The penetration rate is very, very high. What you have are people replacing phones with newer phones," Mr. Wilson said. Gartner analyst Hugues de la Vergne agreed. "Mature replacement markets like North America are starting to slow as most consumers have purchased a new mobile device in the past 18 months, and there isn't as much a compelling need to upgrade to newer devices," he said. Several manufacturers have also warned of slowing growth. Major cellphone maker Motorola Inc. last week said it expects its first-quarter revenue to run $7.5 billion to $7.9 billion, only slightly higher than last year's $7.4 billion in first-quarter revenue. By contrast, Motorola's revenue jumped $1.9 billion, or 27 percent, to $8.8 billion in fourth quarter 2004 compared to a year earlier. Qualcomm Inc., which provides the technology for a number of wireless phone companies, also gave a discouraging forecast for first-quarter sales. As the cellphone industry matures in many markets, the number of new customers shrinks. Therefore, it takes something new, a "killer application," to bring in new customers and get existing customers to change phones and pay for added services. Fred Cohen, a senior director at Texas Instruments Inc., traced the evolution of cellphone design and the introduction of improvements. "Initially, the market concentrated on size and power, increasing the battery life. Then we moved into basically innovative industrial design," he said. That was when the cellphone makers introduced "clamshells," the phones that folded closed; "swivels," in which one section of the phone could be turned; and "sliders," where panels would slide out to reveal new functions. Next, manufacturers put color liquid crystal displays on their phones, and then dual displays, then made the displays bigger. "The next wave of innovation, which has already started, is multimedia," Mr. Cohen said. To use multi-media to its full advantage, the cellphone industry is rolling out third generation networks and technology, known as 3G. The 3G technology will allow much faster transmission of data than the existing second generation (2G) or 2.5G networks. At its simplest, it could mean that users wouldn't have to wait long to download a song to their cellphone or send a photo or video to a friend. But it also makes possible a more natural-looking television picture -- not the jerky, marginal-quality videolike the images sent by satellite phones from war zones. While 3G networks are common in Asia and Europe, they are still being deployed in the United States. It probably will be 2006 before all the major cellular phone companies have finished rolling out their 3G versions, some sooner than others. Verizon Wireless, which has been marketing 3G services aimed more at business customers, launches its consumer-oriented VCAST service Feb. 1, offering downloadable video, games, music and other services. AT&T Wireless had rolled out a 3G network in six cities before Cingular Wireless closed its purchase of AT&T last October. Cingular, which plans to expand its 3G capabilities in 2005, launched its MobiTV service to customers Tuesday. Updating its earlier, slower version of 3G, Sprint Corp. is launching a new 3G network this year based on the EV-DO technology also used by Verizon. Nextel Communications Inc., which had been weighing which 3G technology to buy, has agreed to merge with Sprint and is expected to use the same 3G technology. T-Mobile USA Inc. has not yet chosen a third-generation technology. With demand not as strong, the fight for market share among major cellphone makers will be even fiercer in 2005. In 2004, market leader Nokia Oyj saw its market share drop early in the year, but gained some share back with an aggressive low-price strategy. Nokia's market share was just under 31 percent in third quarter 2004, Gartner said. That was down more than 3 percentage points from a year earlier, but up from the upper 20s earlier in the year. Even with the slippage in market share, "Nokia still has shipped double the volume of its nearest competitor," IDC's Mr. Slawsby said. The Gartner report showed that Samsung Electronics Co. had slipped past Motorola for the No. 2 position worldwide in the third quarter, but Motorola claims to have regained second place in the fourth quarter. Its RAZR phone, an ultra-slim clamshell phone, sold well despite its $599.99 list price ($499.99 with a two-year contract with Cingular). In all, Motorola said it shipped 31.8 million phones in the fourth quarter and gained 3 percentage points of market share, going from 13.4 percent in third quarter 2004 to 16.6 percent last quarter. "I think it's kind of accepted that there has been some positive momentum for Motorola for the fourth quarter of the year," Mr. Slawsby said. Mr. Wilson of ABI said Nokia vigorously defended the low-cost segment in 2004, forcing other manufacturers to focus more on the mid-range and high-end handsets. He said he expects Nokia to continue that focus, while also trying to raise its average selling price per phone. "Motorola has a more focused goal. It's to really go after Nokia in the U.S. And I think you want to watch Samsung. Samsung and Motorola are in a protracted battle. I don't think that's going to change," he said. LG Electronics Inc., which ranked fifth in Gartner's list behind the top three and No. 4 Siemens AG, isn't content with 10 percent growth. It said Tuesday its goal in 2005 is ship 62 million cellphones, up 41 percent from 2004's 44 million. Although carriers are touting their high-speed networks already, Mr. Slawsby said widespread availability of 3G networks and handsets is still a ways off. "For the next several years, the vast majority of phones that are going to be sold are going to be 2.5G cellphones, even though there's all kinds of talk about 3G, third generation," he said. Until then, there'll be as much hype and promise as reality. He expects 3G technology and phones to become a lot more available in 2006, with growing availability of digital TV sent live to handsets. "We think that's going to be a catalyst which is going to help propel the market toward some renewed growth in 2006 or 2007," he said. "But none of those technologies are mass-market technologies today. They're only high-end, early adopter technologies. We kind of feel like we're in a lull right now. We're in between the major catalysts." SHARE WAR: Nokia was the clear leader among cellphone makers in the third quarter of 2004. Companies are followed by market share: --Nokia: 30.9 percent Source: Research firm Gartner Posted by: Eneerg *FOMA On Fire After a few years of difficulties, NTT DoCoMo is finally signing up plenty of users for its 3G FOMA service. It's just in time, too, as the company is facing more challenges than ever before. NTT DoCoMo was the envy of the entire mobile world with its i-Mode offering, so it surprised many people when its upgrade to 3G, FOMA, stumbled badly upon launch, allowing KDDI to mount a serious challenge by offering a cheaper, lower speed 2.5G offering that stole away many users. In 2004, DoCoMo clearly found its FOMA footing, however, bringing more fashionable phones, adding a flat-rate data pricing option and finally catching up to KDDI in monthly subscriber additions. Still, DoCoMo wanted more. Late in the summer of 2004, DoCoMo made it clear that it was going mainstream with FOMA, and the mainstream seems to have responded. In just one year, DoCoMo has gone from under 2 million FOMA subscribers to 9 million -- not bad for an offering that had trouble getting off the ground. With the mobile market in Japan getting both more saturated and more crowded every day, DoCoMo has realized that now is the time to build up its customer base on newer offerings to better fend off potential challengers -- and so far, that strategy appears to be working. http://www.thefeature.com/article?articleid=101371
S/E CDMA and WCDMA devices: http://www.3gtoday.com/devices/DevicesByVendor.html#Sony-Ericsson
Posted by: sjratty One of the most interesting announcements to come out of last week's mammoth Consumer Electronics Show wasn't made by an electronics manufacturer. While everyone's attention was focused on 60-inch Samsung plasma televisions and Media Center PCs, Verizon Wireless announced that it will double its 3G (third-generation) footprint and launch the nation's first 3G video service. Effective Feb. 1, Verizon will expand its BroadBandAccess 3G service to 12 additional cities -- including Chicago and Houston -- bringing the total to 32 cities, or a third of its subscribers. More important, Verizon announced the nation's first 3G service, which it's calling VCast. For an additional $15 a month, VCast subscribers will have the opportunity to choose from 300 video feeds that are updated daily, giving them cell-phone access to breaking news stories or sports highlights. At launch, Verizon subscribers will have a choice of three handsets, one each from Audiovox, LG, and Samsung. The announcement was clearly calculated by Verizon to put its competitors at Cingular and Sprint on notice. In fact, if you listened closely enough, you probably could have caught Verizon execs whispering, "Can you hear us now?" Not happy about losing its spot as the nation's largest carrier when AT&T Wireless and Cingular merged last year, Verizon has been aggressively touting its 3G network ever since. While both Cingular and Sprint scramble to expand their own networks -- Cingular operates a 3G network in six cities, Sprint in none -- Verizon will be honing its offerings and getting subscribers hooked on high-speed data services. Of course, that will happen only if Verizon can provide compelling content. To that end, MTV Networks announced on Friday that it will tailor some of its programming and even produce original "made for mobile" content in conjunction with Verizon's launch. With content from VH1 and CMT, Verizon will have the first 3G wireless music entertainment programming available for users in the United States. "Wireless content will play an increasing role in consumers' lives," says Van Toffler, MTV Networks group president. "We will extend MTV's reputation for creating compelling programming into the wireless world." Which raises an all-important question: Does the average consumer actually want to access video content via mobile phone? Sure, mobile video services are all the rage in Korea and Japan, but plenty of services that were popular in Asia have failed in the United States. Meanwhile, Sprint has been offering a broadcast of CNN and other stations for mobile phones for nearly a year with little success. This is a critical point. Repurposing traditional television broadcasts for cell phones is not the answer -- I can think of few things less enjoyable than trying to watch the nightly news on a 1-inch screen. For Verizon's VCast to succeed, it will have to offer consumers something truly compelling. That might mean short broadcasts of the latest Norah Jones video to some, highlights of last night's Yankees game to others. But it has to be something altogether unique. Posted by: mschere Single mode 2G equipment will be phased out in 2005 by Vodafone specifically and I assume by all other Operators ..since IMO:Dual mode 2G/3G handsets orders placed by Operators will provide economy of scale cost savings that will bring down those sets to nearly the current price of GSM/GPRS sets..IDCC currently has licensed NEC, Sharp, HTC, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sanyo..and when Nokia agrees to their rate, they will have over 45% of the 2005 3G market licensed and paying. mschere
Posted by: Eneerg *3G services just cannot be allowed to fail Ian Quinn’s article regarding Vodafone’s 3G launch ( Losing the plot or streets ahead? , page 45, 16 November) was summed up perfectly in the last paragraph: “Then again, it’s hard to bet against companies that are willing to put the kind of money 3 and Vodafone are putting behind the new technology – regardless of what the sceptics say”. As a technology, 3G brings yet another new dimension to mobile phones. Just 18 months ago, as the UK’s first 3G provider, Hutchison 3G’s (commonly recognised now as 3) services were written off by the sceptics. The first-generation 3 phones were truly awful (as were the first-generation mobiles, lest we forget). The NEC and Motorola units performed poorly, were too large in a market dominated by evermore minuscule handsets and the coverage provided by 3 antennae was as poor as the earliest analogue signals. Now, selling its third generation of 3G mobiles, Hutchison 3G can boast more than one million UK customers and, with its current marketing campaign, can claim to be stealing current customers from the big three – O 2 , Orange and Vodafone – left, right and centre. With the launch of Vodafone’s own 3G services we have heard the voices of nay sayers and sceptics in the city: “3G won’t work, people don’t want it” and even a recent poll by the BBC showed not everyone was convinced. However, it’s reasonably safe to say these sceptics are once again likely to be proved wrong. Why? Just take a look at the facts. 3G mobiles offered exclusively by Vodafone include the Sony Ericsson V800, Motorola V820 and the Nokia 6630. All three models are high-quality, top-of-the range handsets boasting the latest technology, cameras and aesthetics. These phones are also available at similar prices (from free to £150) as the current 22.5G mid- to high-spec camera, photo and video-messaging phones offered by the same manufacturers. Currently, price plans and tariffs for Vodafone 3G services are around £10 to £20 higher than regular talk and text tariffs but we can expect these to drop, rise and level out as talk and text/picture message tariffs did before them. Basic talk and text tariffs also do not account for the amount of money consumers spend on top of this with game, ringtone and data downloads -much of which is included or costs less money with Vodafone 3G services, further narrowing the difference in monthly or pay-as-you-go bills. Not only will people become aware of the benefits and possibilities of high-width data transfers, the ability to offer them at similar prices to current phones means Vodafone has the option of simply phasing out handsets that are less than 2.5G and concentrate on 3G compliant phones. By this method, 3G is very unlikely to fail. A main argument by critics is the lack of service, but this falls down immediately when the products are tested in highly populated cities, such as London, Manchester and Birmingham, which are all in Vodafone’s “red zone”, meaning full coverage. Recent criticisms by Which? magazine were made before the latest Vodafone handsets had even beenmade available. New technology will always hit major populated areas first, the broader countryside second. That’s life. To swing back toward Ian Quinn’s comment, the amount of money invested by all current and prospective 3G service providers should further dispel any nay sayers. Vodafone, Orange, O2 and T Mobile spent more than £22bn on their 3G licences. These companies cannot afford for these phones not to be a success in this country and will spend a frightening amount on promoting 3G services and subsidising 3G handsets. Vodafone’s marketing campaign will dwarf the £15m it spent with Beckham and co. to promote picture messaging and help to ensure the success of 3G services and handsets. 3G services in other countries will also aide development of handsets and transmitter technology. Vodafone is looking at recouping its billions over a long period, not the two or three years that sceptics are giving it. 3G technology is sustainable for several years due to its highwidth capabilities. There is currently no technology planned for the consumer market that supercedes it and there should be little doubt that Vodafone will succeed, as should Orange and O2, with their 3G services. They cannot afford to fail and are in a position to make sure they do not. Created by jsm4rt Mediaweek.co.uk is Copyright © 19
Posted by: Eneerg Impending 3G to spark sector‘s growth China‘s IT (information technology) sector will return to fast-track development this year after the slowdown of recent years as the nation prepares to build a massive 3G network, according to the latest report released by domestic leading research firm CCW Research. In this edition of Economic Monitor, we examine the report, paying particular attention to the financial, telecoms and manufacturing sectors. China‘s IT spending, which totalled 286.52 billion yuan (US$34.52 billion) in 2004, is expected to reach 330.08 billion yuan (US$39.77 billion) this year, with a year-on-year growth rate of 15.2 per cent. Last year‘s growth was just 13.7 per cent. Enterprises contribute the largest share to the nation‘s IT spending among various group users -- 56.8 per cent. Small and medium-sized businesses are particularly active in IT spending, with their IT spending growing 21.5 per cent last year, while their larger counterparts‘ spending only rose by 16.7 per cent. And the consumer IT market will grow 20.5 per cent this year, driven by broadband network applications, digital home consumption, digital TV and related applications. Government agencies‘ IT spending will grow by an average of 15.2 per cent in the coming five years, with 18.3 per cent growth expected this year, taking the figure to 40.8 billion yuan (US$4.92 billion). Telecom The impending launch of the 3G network and the maturing of 3G-based applications will spark the Chinese telecom sector‘s most impressive growth in three years. It will also intensify competition in the sector. The telecom sector will spend about 39.11 billion yuan (US$4.71 billion) this year on IT products and services, up 14.7 per cent year-on-year. The major driving force behind that is telecoms-related fixed-asset investment, which will grow 13 per cent this year. The construction of the 3G network in this year will accelerate the sector‘s hardware investment along with software spending, which continues to grow rapidly. A majority of this spending will still go on hardware, estimated at 22.01 billion yuan (US$2.65 billion), up 9.8 per cent year-on-year, focusing on network equipment and servers. Software and services, lagging behind, will this year reach 9.2 billion yuan (US$1.11 billion) and 7.9 billion yuan (US$0.95 billion) respectively, year-on-year growth rates of 21.2 per cent and 22.5 per cent. 3G licenses are expected to be issued in the middle of this year, and each carrier granted a 3G licence will invest about 200 billion yuan (US$24.10 billion) in network construction over the next five years. As a result, the country‘s 3G market will emerge near the end of 2005, with high-end users and followers of the latest trends expected to be among the first to take part in. As the market grows from 2007 to 2009, the 3G market is expected to be joined by more medium and low-end users. By the end of 2006, the IT market in telecoms will have a value of 53.5 billion yuan (US$6.45 billion). The sector is expected to replace government as the largest IT consumer during in 2006 and 2007. Finance The nation‘s financial sector spent 24.89 billion yuan (US$3.00 billion) on IT facilities and services last year, up 5 per cent compared with 23.7 billion yuan (US$2.86 billion) in 2003. While the sector‘s total IT spending will reach 27 billion yuan (US$3.25 billion) this year, hitting 34.35 billion yuan (US$4.14 billion) in 2008, with a compound annual growth rate slightly exceeding 8.4 per cent. In particular, the banking sector‘s IT spending will grow 7.7 per cent this year, reaching 22.87 billion yuan (US$2.76 billion). The sector injected 21.24 billion yuan (US$2.56 billion) into its IT construction in 2004, up 6.2 per cent year-on-year. IT spending in China‘s banking sector has recently been enjoying steady rather than rapid growth. That is mainly because the sector‘s IT applications are more mature than those in other sectors. Meanwhile, the concentrated business outlets of the four State-owned banks result in a concentrated data storage, thus making IT spending a better investment with higher efficiency. In comparison, China‘s insurance sector commands a small share of the financial sector‘s total IT spending, reaching an insignificant 1.3 billion yuan (US$156 million). Meanwhile, the country‘s sluggish securities market has in recent years prevented securities companies from raising their IT budget. Most securities companies remained thrifty last year, with a total IT spending of 2.27 billion yuan (US$273.4 million), down 5.4 per cent year-on-year. That is the fourth consecutive year in which a downturn has been witnessed in China‘s securities-related IT market, a unique phenomenon in the nation‘s IT spending. However, more IT spending can be expected from the securities sector this year, as domestic securities companies start to recover, thanks to improved market supervision and better corporate management at securities companies. Moreover, some securities companies had a depressed purchasing potential in the past two years due to their poor business performance, but the situation is expected to be partly remedied this year. And CCW Research estimates that the securities sector will spend 2.63 billion yuan (US$316.8 million) on IT products and services in 2005, up 15.9 per cent year-on-year, finally turning annual growth from negative to positive. The main drivers of this growth come from the demand for data copy systems in case of emergency, new equipment and new securities trading platforms designed for financial derivatives products. While the financial sector spent a great deal on buying hardware and software products in the early days of adopting IT systems, it is now paying an increasing amount on software applications and services. Manufacturing Chinese manufacturers will embrace another round of IT investment beginning this year, with an annual growth rate of 15 per cent between 2005 and 2008. Although manufacturers have invested heavily in IT facilities since 2001, only 1 per cent of them have mature IT applications, while 45.2 per cent lack any applications. The sector‘s total IT spending will hit 28.13 billion yuan (US$3.39 billion) this year, and by the end of 2008, it will reach 43.7 billion yuan (US$5.26 billion). Large manufacturers will remain a dominant buyer in the country‘s IT market this year, spending an expected 13.95 billion yuan (US$1.68 billion), up 14.6 per cent year-on-year. But the IT demand of medium-sized manufacturers will enjoy a spurt this year, estimated at 9.42 billion yuan (US$1.13 billion), posting a growth rate of 15.9 per cent, higher than the sector‘s average. http://www.tdscdma-forum.org/en/news/see.asp?id=1059
Posted by: mschere Vodafone to force shift to 3G handsets January 6, 2005 (Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News via NewsEdge) Japan mobile operator Vodafone KK says it will encourage customers to shift to 3G handsets by drawing the curtain on 2G. "Vodafone will offer its last 2G handset next year and no more 2G later," president Shiro Tsuda told Kyodo News. Vodafone has lagged rivals NTT DoCoMo and KDDI in the migration to 3G handsets, with only 300,000 of its 15 million customers using 3G. Vodafone would like to see half its customers using 3G handsets within three years, said Tsuda. Copyright © 2004 Kyodo News International 2004 Dialog, a Thomson business. All rights reserved mschere
3G/UMTS subscribers hit 16 million, confirms UMTS Forum January 4, 2005 According to industry body The UMTS Forum, strong growth in demand for 3G/UMTS phones from European customers and continuing network rollout has contributed to a surge in worldwide WCDMA customer numbers during the last quarter of 2004. At the beginning of 2005, global subscriptions to 3G/UMTS networks had already reached 16 million on more than 60 networks - a dramatic increase since the 10 million customer milestone was passed in September 2004. Overall, the global total has been augmented by contributions from network launches in other territories outside Europe, including the US and Asia Pacific. This accelerating growth has been particularly pronounced in Europe, where a number of major operators aligned their Christmas marketing plans with the widespread availability of a choice of attractive WCDMA terminals. There are already more than 100 WCDMA devices available, including handsets and PC card products from Asian, European and US vendors. Even in developing countries like Africa, where the uptake of 3G was anticipated later than in other markets, the end of 2004 has seen the launch of 3G/UMTS networks in South Africa and Mauritius, while other WCDMA networks are expected to be tested in Northern Africa by the end of 2005. Commenting on the rapid increase in demand for 3G/UMTS networks and services, UMTS Forum Chairman Jean-Pierre Bienaimé notes that Europe's WCDMA subscriber base is rapidly catching up with the Asian market: "Thanks mainly to the large number of commercial WCDMA network launches during the second half of last year, European 3G/UMTS customers now account for around one third of the global subscriber base. We look forward to continuing growth throughout 2005 in all world regions where 3G/UMTS networks are now commercialised." http://www.3gnewsroom.com/3g_news/jan_05/news_5358.shtml Posted by: Eneerg Is 3G History? Kyocera
Testing New iBurst Wireless Internet Summary By WBT News Desk
As a result, Kyocera has already installed an experimental station in its Yokohama branch, in preparation for field tests. Ultimately, two objectives are hoped to be met. Kyocera will conduct measurements of radio transmissions and ascertain the throughput characteristics of the advanced system. Also, the functionality and performance of iBurst, which is already employed in Australia, will be quantified. iBurst technology is making companies who are actively developing 3G technology very nervous. 3G, which only recently is seeing implementation, has been advanced as the "next" wireless technology. iBurst, in a throwback to existing 2.5G technology, can extend its lifecycle, which will dramatically reduce capital spending for 3G networks. What is appealing about iBurst, is the capacity to uphold stable, high-speed transmission across frequencies. Even if large numbers of users are connected at once, high broadband speeds can still be maintained. iBurst provides a broadband Internet environment that enables users to receive data at a maximum rate of 1 Mbps for downlinks. Total transmission capacity within coverage areas maxes out at 24 Mbps per station. Australia began offering the new technology in March 2004. ISP Personal Broadband Australia, first offered the service around Sydney. Implementation has been strong, resulting in expansion to coastal cities such as Melbourne and Brisbane. The next country to set up commercial iBurst service is South Africa. The country is expected to launch service in March 2005.
Arraycomm + Intel? Unstrung reports Broadband wireless player ArrayComm is gearing up for a public entry into the WiMax sector, amid rumors that the company has struck a partnership deal with Intel. ArrayComm has so far kept mum, publicly focusing instead on licensing its iBurst Personal Broadband kit and "smart antenna" technology in GSM and wireless local loop networks. Earlier this year Unstrung reported that the company has quietly become a booster for WiMax wireless metropolitan area networking (MAN) technology. ArrayComm is attempting to improve the RF propagation of WiMax, so that the technology will work better for users connected via radio cards and modems inside a building. According to the vendor’s director of marketing, Steven Glapa, the company will be ready to disclose official details in the new year. “We’ve a bunch of news,” he says. Several sources have also told Unstrung that the company has struck a deal with Intel, integrating its technology into Intel’s future range of WiMax chips. Wireless operators in Sydney, Johannesburg, Paris and the Bay Area are already deploying ArrayComm's new antenna design, reports Time Magazine. Conventional mobile antennae, says CEO Martin Cooper, "are really just a bunch of sticks — we make them smart." Cooper says ArrayComm's software, which resides in computers at transmitting base stations, can reach 40 times more people than conventional antennas, and cost six times less to deploy. Another convert to WiMax is Navini. They also use a type of "smart" antenna although it doesn't "beam" to individual users like Arraycomm or the WiFi-based Vivato phased array. Navini, currently a proponent of a proprietary CDMA solution, says it can penetrate buildings and deliver a mobile service. Navini also announced it will move towards the WiMax platform with a special interest in the mobilized 802.16e standard. WiMax, based on COFDM modulation, uses hundreds of simultaneous carriers. COFDM is said to have better multi-path rejection (with redundant carriers) and higher data rates (with the elimination of guard bands). Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) antennas can also be used to reject unwanted signals. MIMO combines multiple antennas to boost usable signal strength. That technique, in itself, does not create a focused "beam". Intel has also invested in Motia and may incorporate a MIMO antenna in future products. InterDigital's adaptive
interference management (AIM) antenna is a tiny, inexpensive electrically-steerable
Wi-Fi antenna with associated software designed for interference mitigation.
InterDigital is claiming a 100% improvement in (effective) throughput
and an 80% improvement in range, and announced Atmel as its first customer.r
not. "Our forecasts show that WiMAX will be the clear winner amongst the new high-speed wireless technologies," said Ian Cox, co-author of the report. "WiMAX will pick up 70 per cent of this new market segment by 2009 due to its higher performance and flexibility compared to the alternatives. DailyWireless has more on Sydney Unwired, Arraycomm In the UK, Navini Jumps to WiMax, Navini Unwires Georgia Town, Airgo's MIMO chips, Motia's Smart Antenna Chip, Finding MIMO, MIMO Update, Lumera's Smart Antenna, Intel Connects the Dots, MIMO and Phased Arrays, More Antennas Get Smart and Vivato's Wi-Fi Switch. This article comes from Daily
Wireless The URL for this story is:
Posted by: nieves Timeframe for migration
to 3G disputed URL: http://www.bnamericas.com Daniel Nieves Posted by: Eneerg 3G gets going After a long wait, 3G technology is finally moving. Now, the focus shifts to getting people hooked By Alfred Siew , Straits Times The fine print on the licence plate of my Toyota Corolla reads 'still waiting for 3G'. It's been there for the past four years. But now with 3G phones appearing in the shops, I'm finally thinking of taking down the protest message. I carry in my bag now, three units of 3G phones and a 3G data card. All of them work as advertised: I've made cheeky video calls to my wife, watched the news broadcast by ChannelNews Asia live on the phone, and surfed the Web at broadband speeds. It's here If seeing is believing, 3G has made converts of many skeptics - myself included - in recent months. That's because the technology, like any cellphone technology, is a personal thing. Once you try it out, you get a sense of all that has been promised over the years. Two weeks ago, when SingTel sold its first 3G phones in its Hello shops, you could almost feel the collective frowns at the offices of MobileOne and StarHub. It seemed that, until the last minute, nobody believed 3G would actually be available. But when it was launched - in the shape of several full-page advertisements in The Straits Times - SingTel's 3G campaign must have made its rivals realise that they have stayed too far behind trying to catch the 'tailwind'. The same '3G effect' is happening elsewhere. In Hong Kong, CSL and SmarTone launched their 3G services last week, finally competing with Hutchison's 3 service. Some experts are now saying that, at this early stage, 3G networks are already being rolled out faster than 2G in the past. As the technology stabilises, the next hurdle for operators will be getting people to actually spend more money on the service. With 2.5 or general packet radio service (GPRS) now contributing only about 10 per cent of their revenues, how are operators going to make enough money to recoup millions or even billions of dollars spent on 3G No one knows. The trick may be to offer 7,000 minutes of voice calls, as Hutchison with a HK$533 (S$112) subscription plan in Hong Kong. Or perhaps the key is in video calls, as SingTel believes, or with StarHub's clips of Wayne Rooney scoring for Manchester United. Whatever it is, there is no denying that people want wireless access. Just talk to any business traveller who needs to send an urgent e-mail message or a student who has used the Wi-Fi wireless network in the campus. If there is no need for wires, then why have them It works Bugs still abound for 3G, of course. At times, my SingTel 3G phone fails to connect to the cellphone portal. And I expect coverage to be spotty in underground car parks. But most of the time, the service works. And that's making techies like me happy. Like many market watchers, I've doubted the technology and the business case. But it is obvious 3G is a big leap forward for cellphones. Sure, when ubiquitous wireless broadband finally appears, it may not take the shape of 3G (hey, there's WiMax, remember?). And for all you know, 3G will end up like ISDN (integrated services digital network), an Internet access technology that was quickly pushed aside by ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) because of high costs and slow speeds. But after years of doom and gloom, 3G now has a chance to win back jaded users, even if it involves the difficult pro-cess of making sense to each and every person. Like many early adopters, I can say I'm not waiting for 3G anymore. Will wireless broadband be more stable and useful next year? E-mail siewtha@sph.com.sg http://it.asia1.com.sg/newsdaily/news001_20041230.html
Wireless Infrastructure: More 3G, More GSM, More from China December 21, 2004 Wireless infrastructure is showing distinctive trends on three fronts with strong regional differences highlighting differences between mature and emerging markets. First, 3G contract announcements are coming thick and fast. Secondly, GSM is further consolidating its dominant position in worldwide markets. And finally, Chinese vendors are overcoming quality issues to become serious providers of infrastructure equipment. 3G rollouts, particularly those of EDGE and especially UMTS, have increased significantly in the latter part of 2004. Cingular Wireless has announced its intention to deploy a nationwide UMTS system in the United States in the later part of 2005, but its plans were to use the 850MHz band; this raises a question, because AT&T Wireless, now part of Cingular, had already been rolling out its own UMTS network in the 1900MHz band. According to ABI Research analyst Brian Pellegrini, the most likely solution in the interim will be dual-mode handsets. 3G deployments are now, in the developed world, starting to be carried out by second-tier vendors, in contrast to the earlier pattern where such deployments were executed only by the largest operators. UMTS is popular, with Orange in their Swiss and UK markets, tele.ring in Austria, and TeliaSonera in Denmark. Meanwhile, outside the most industrialized nations, adoption of GSM is growing apace, fuelled by explosive subscription growth rates. In the rapidly expanding markets of India, Pakistan, China, Russia and Brazil, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa, GSM contract awards are up, with, for example, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) in India adding $240 million in GPRS and EDGE services using Nokia equipment. With vendors everywhere under fierce pressure to cut costs, an opening exists for Chinese manufacturers. In virtually every instance, they are able to compete successfully on price. Where they have been vulnerable has always been on questions of dependability, quality and innovation, but they are making steady improvements in those areas, bringing them more closely into line with their large first-world competitors. In what some will see as a vote of confidence, the Vodafone group recently announced its intention to purchase some network equipment from Chinese vendors. “Most likely these developments do not signal a sudden change in the whole dynamics of the infrastructure market," comments Pellegrini. “It is unlikely that in the very near future Chinese manufacturers will begin providing higher quality equipment and more innovative solutions than their European and Asian counterparts. However, the established vendors should not make the mistake of casually dismissing vendors from China. These companies will definitely be able to gain a significant share of the more simple hardware components of wireless networks, and will continue to gain expertise across the board." http://www.the3gportal.com/index.php/3G_Local_News/permalink/more-3g-more-gsm-more-from-china-2004-r...
Posted by: Eneerg Vodafone to play 3G
hardball with customers Vodafone K.K. President Shiro Tsuda has said the company will stop offering new second-generation cell phone handsets in 2005 to force customers to switch to 3G handsets. "Vodafone will offer its last 2G handset next year and no more 2G later," Tsuda said recently. Vodafone is the Japanese unit of British mobile phone service company Vodafone Group PLC. In the Japanese mobile phone service market, Vodafone has lagged behind rivals NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp. in shifting to 3G handsets. Of some 15 million Vodafone customers, only about 300,000 are 3G handset users. Vodafone will encourage customers to shift to the 3G handsets, and will concentrate business resources on such services, Tsuda said. Vodafone would like to see half of its customers using 3G handsets in three years, he said. Tsuda, who took up the presidency at Vodafone earlier this month after serving as executive vice president at NTT DoCoMo, said he hoped to expand music distribution for 3G services. "Music distribution is one of the attractive menu items that must be offered," he said. He also indicated that Vodafone might focus on new handsets for global use, which the company has recently introduced. "The introduction has worked to dramatically reduce handset procurement costs," he said. The first model for global use might not satisfy Japanese customers, but future models will be improved, he said. The Japan Times: Dec. 25, 2004
Sure hope this is an "open" forum. Can guarentee that if/when I find something of substance about IDCC's outlook that worries me it will get posted here pronto! In fact, it's that expectation of getting help with issues that befuddle me that brought me here in the first place, and that keeps me here now. Renntech, infiniteQ, and corpgold helped me understand technical issues when everything I was reading in the press appeared to say "QCOM owns everything CDMA". Loop, brokentrade, and other members of our legal team(esp the group of intrepid scouts who investigated the Dallas Federal Court public records) helped us understand the legal situation vs Ericsson back when it was a worrisome mystery. Tornado(F6) solved the riddle of IDCC's poison pill when I could not after trying for several weeks. What I'm trying to say is maybe there are no substantive negative issues regarding InterDigital Communications Corp today. If there are, let's see them get put up on the table so the forum can get to work understanding them. Anything else is just "chicken little" bs that should be filtered IMO.
Next Handset Gimmick?
Analysts IDC say the handset market will grow more slowly in 2005 than in 2004, where sales are expected to finish up 20% to about 650 million units. The availability of handsets with color screens and integrated cameras has powered the current replacement cycle in developed markets as well as spurring many consumers to buy their first mobile phone. But the only new catalyst in the foreseeable future is getting users to upgrade to 3G handsets -- and the lack of interesting content and services isn't moving things along too quickly. "Continued delays in the evolution of compelling 3G services and content, however, remain. Although 3G mobile phone volume will grow, a relatively prolonged transition period from 2.5G to 3G will leave the mobile phone market with a weaker set of demand catalysts in 2005," says IDC analyst Alex Sawsby. The company predicts that 3G phones will make up just 18% of the handset market in 2006, and a quarter of all shipments in 2007. Figures from Japan seem to bear this out: handset shipments in October were 40% lower than a year ago, down for the 10th straight month, blamed in part on the saturation of the market with cameraphones. Japanese operators are having to pay higher retail commissions and subsidies to boost 3G handset sales, and it's hurting their results as well as putting the squeeze on Japanese handset vendors, whose average margin is 4%, compared to the 20% or more at Samsung and Nokia. 3G in and of itself doesn't appear to be compelling enough to get many users to switch. Video calling doesn't look to be catching on too quickly, and Hutchison 3G's subscriber figures didn't take off until it quit emphasizing video calls and made cheap voice and cut-rate handset prices its main attraction. The transition from 2G to 2.5G
was a slow one, too -- WAP didn't quite pan out the way operators hoped,
and it's been cameras and color screens rather than MMS that's driven
this handset sales cycle. But with no new handset feature gimmick on the
horizon, the onus is now on handset vendors and operators to create an
environment where developers can flourish and create successful, compelling
applications -- applications that will make users want to upgrade.
Hutchison's 3G success is good news for NEC's fourth quarter 3G handset sales, which will hit IDCC's royalty revenues in the first quarter 2005. From the article: ..."Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. said Wednesday its third-generation telecommunications business had more than 5.9 million subscribers worldwide as of Dec. 14, an 81% increase from the middle of August. The telecom-to-ports conglomerate, controlled by Asia's richest man Li Ka-shing, said gross 3G customer additions in November were more than 948,000, and in the first 14 days of December it added 496,000 new users. Prepaid users now account for 58% of its customer base, up from 49% in August. The figures include its 3G operations in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Sweden and the U.K." We know that LG took away some of the 3G handset business from NEC in the second quarter and part of the third quarter. Although the article doesn't say, I think that NEC got its traction back with some newer 3G models, especially the 313 and 228. I think I recall reading that at least one of these NEC handsets was going to be Hutchison's main entry for its prepaid market. A couple of reposts on these NEC handsets as follows: Posted by: rmarchma Tfwg re the NEC 313 3G handset Hopefully this handset is what is needed for NEC's 3G sales to get back on track with Hutchison. Hutchison's 3G networks are finally beginning to do very well, with new subscribers now approaching 700,000 per month. From the article, it appears that this new NEC 3G handset is selling extremely well as follows: ..."Woolworths surprised few by announcing that the NEC 313 was its best-selling handset last month, as store staff Mobile spoke to claimed they were selling ‘ridiculous amounts’." Great combination; a hot handset into a network starting to catch-on fire. This recent success might possibly bode well for more 3G network infrastructure spending by Hutchison to NEC also. I thought NEC might have a 3G winner when the specs first came out on this particular handset. NEC's new 313 model is significantly smaller, has a much better battery life, contains more multimedia enhancements, and is even less expensive than NEC's previous 3G handsets. Hopefully this will lead to large third quarter 3G handset shipments by NEC to Hutchison, perhaps even comparable to the first quarter deliveries. We'll need to carefully watch for further developments re this NEC handset and Hutchison's 3G networks, but things are looking very good right now.
Olddog re the NEC 228 3G handset Thanks for the update on the very latest NEC 3G handset. The 228 model sounds even better than the 313 model, which was a significant improvement over the 616 model. NEC continues to make its 3G handsets smaller and lighter, with extended battery life and enhanced multimedia functionalities. It appears that this newest NEC 3G handset is just now beginning to be launched. Hopefully we can get some shipment data on this particular handset to Hutchison fairly soon
3 has 350,000 3G Customers! 13th December, 2004 Europe : Mobile operator 3 now has 350 000 customers in Sweden and Denmark, meaning a 1750 % growth since december last year. This was announced today by 3 Scandinavia CEO Shlomo Liran speaking at the Investor Capital Markets Day in Stockholm. – 3 is changing the rules in the mobile market with new offerings and innovative services. The sales trends are very healthy and we will close the year with a strong Christmas season, Shlomo Liran said. Swedes and Danes are not only flocking to 3, they are also using the new 3 services too. More than 15 000 users in Sweden have subscribed to the music package in Sweden that will give them access to popular videos, ringtones and music news. The company also have more than 50 000 active subscriptions to the packages Musik, Nyheter, Sport, Spel, Finans & IT. In November, 3 Sweden launched Emmas Killar, a dating game and Scandinavias first mobile soap opera. More than 35 000 viewers are following Emma with the hope of becoming her next boyfriend. The club music service Re:Live generated 5000 hours of listening during it´s first week. 3 Sweden has also launched partnerships with Aftonbladet, TV4, DI, Reuters, MTV, Warner, Sony BMG and Svenska Spel. 3 has more than 50% of the mobile portal market in Sweden, more than Vodafone Live!, Telia Go! and Comviq GoLive combined. - Our users are making more than 2 million minutes of video calls every week. 3 Scandinavia has the highest proportion of non-voice usage in the 3 group and today voice is a minority of the traffic in our network, Shlomo Liran revealed. Based on a test performed by Mobil magazine, 3 has the best 3G network in Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö and in Southern and Eastern Sweden as well as in northern Norrland. Our network now covers 88% of the population in Sweden, and more than 95% if we include 2G roaming. Response times in customer service have also improved greatly, 70% of all calls are now answered in less than 30 seconds. Liran presented 3 and its achievements in front of more than 100 analysts and journalists at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm. Marcus Wallenberg, CEO of Investor AB, also attended. http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/December2004/8811.htm
Posted by: mschere IMO:The significance of the
IDCC/General Dynamics contract is not the initial monies involved for
IDCC..It is the fact that the U.S.Military, branches of the Federal Govt,
and all NATO Countries..have adopted UMTS WCDMA as the Air Platform of
choice to be utilized for the next two decades..IDCC has had its IP Inventions
VALIDATED for their contributions to the UMTS WCDMA (FDD & TDD) Global
Standards...long before most Financial Analysts, Journalists, and Wall
Street Gurus have become aware of IDCC's existence.. "This vital system promises
to be the hallmark for narrowband tactical military communications for
the next 20 years," said Leonard F. Kwiatkowski, vice president,
Lockheed Martin Space Systems, "and will be the solution to the warfighters'
long-sought capability of real-time communications on the move. The
entire Lockheed Martin team is extremely excited to have been selected
to build this critical defense capability." I feel the same way about the GD deal as far as people's expectations. I don't expect that to be a big revenue producer and will be happily surprised if it is. I feel good about the GD deal as far as that it signals another major company who recognizes our patents and abilities. To me that sends a stronger message than the potential revenue from GD.
Posted by: drrtl Lets dream about how we will
be positioned this time next year IMO. Many here can add to my list
Posted by: TFWG VERY GOOD READ! How Pervasive Will 3G Data Be In The United States? Verizon has launched CDMA2000 1xEV-DO in fourteen cities and at twenty airports. Judging by the tests I have run, Verizon "cities" cover a large footprint. Los Angeles is one of the cities. On a recent trip, I had EV-DO service at the hotel where I stayed in Orange County (well south of LA). I had assumed that Verizon meant LA proper, but it covers the greater LA area. This appears to be true in many of Verizon's 1xEV-DO cities. Sprint is preparing to deploy EV-DO in its network in "NFL" cities but it is not yet clear how far coverage will extend into the burbs. Cingular has signed three contracts with suppliers: Lucent, Siemans, and Ericsson for WCDMA with HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and will begin building out its systems in 2005. At the moment, none of these network operators are talking about how much of their networks will be enabled with high-speed data services. We know that in Europe most of the 3G systems only cover the major metro areas with "fall back" to GPRS outside of the core. Will it be the same in the United States? Will we fall back to CDMA 2000 1X on Sprint and Verizon? Will we fall back to GPRS/EDGE when on Cingular? And where is T-Mobile in all of this? The only thing I have seen from T-Mobile is that it has deals in place with vendors to implement EDGE on its network. When AT&T Wireless turned on its six WCDMA cities earlier this year, the PC Card it was supplying was only for WCDMA, it did not have a fall back to GPRS or EDGE. Hopefully, Cingular won't make the same mistake. We learned a LONG time ago that folks do not like to carry and change PC Cards. They want to keep one card in their laptop and use it wherever there are wireless capabilities. Verizon, and I assume Sprint, both provide PC Cards that fall back to 1X when there is no EV-DO available and I have to assume that Cingular will provide PC Cards that will fall back to GPRS/EDGE when it builds out its WCDMA/HSDPA systems. Do any of these networks operators really need to provide high-speed data services across their entire coverage area? When Verizon began selecting cities to implement the first broadband wireless network in the United States, it looked at where the most 1X data users were and upgraded these areas to EV-DO. This was the first phase of its build-out and it is not letting the cat out of the bag as far as its future broadband plans are concerned. On a per-cell-site basis, the cost of adding EV-DO to an existing CDMA2000 1X network is a lot less than what Cingular will have to do. It has to add complete new WCDMA components to its system including entire transceivers at every cell site it enables. Verizon and Sprint PCS only have to add channel cards and beef up the back-up of their systems to handle the additional data speeds. From that perspective, one might believe that Verizon and Sprint EV-DO coverage will be more robust than what Cingular is doing. The other side of that coin is that I believe that to be competitive Cingular will have to match Verizon and Sprint if it is to compete in the data business. One of the most interesting things about the Cingular/AT&T merger is that prior to the merger, Cingular offered GPRS and EDGE but certainly was not pushing data on its customers. It offered data sparingly because it needed most of its spectrum to handle its voice traffic load. I have seen a dramatic change in Cingular's attitude and appetite for offering data services now that it has the AT&T Wireless spectrum. During the several Cingular briefings I have had, its focus has been on bringing up its WCDMA system as quickly as possible as well as on combining the two networks. The main reason for this, I am sure, is that AT&T Wireless brings a lot of business customers to Cingular -- customers it does not want to lose. With Verizon making the first move to wireless broadband in the United States, and Sprint looking like it will have many of its major cities up and running before Cingular, there will be a lot of pressure on Cingular to hang onto these high-end business customers. Being able to offer high-speed data is one key to that strategy. As data speeds increase we are seeing an up tick in laptop wireless wide-area network customers. With speeds approaching DSL and getting faster, more large corporations are finding out that it is a simple matter to install a broadband wireless card and some security software in their corporate notebooks. As these systems come on line in more cities, Cingular will have to fight for these customers. At this point, it appears as though it is about a year away from being able to compete with Verizon and Sprint in the high-speed data world. But back to my first question. How much of each network will actually be upgraded to broadband data services? For the first wave of laptop/business users, bringing high-speed data services to where there are many businesses, hotels, and business activity is probably sufficient, but there are not enough of these folks to pay for the upgrades and generate the amount of revenue that wireless operators are hoping to see from high-speed data. Business/laptop users will be the first on these networks, but the real boost in ARPU will come when consumers are hooked on high-speed wireless. That will take cool handheld devices (which are becoming available), and some really great applications. I also think that over time it will require networks to build out high-speed services over a much broader area. Once customers are accustomed to having high-speed wireless data available, falling back to a slower connection is not very appealing. It boils down to economics, of course. High-speed data will be installed and turned on where there are customers who will make use of it. So I believe that for the next year or eighteen months we will see the high-speed networks being built where there is high demand. Over time, these services will be spreading out across networks. Will it ever reach the point where we will have high-speed data services wherever we have voice? I certainly hope so, but the economics have to be in place first -- which means that we must make broadband wireless data services a must-have for millions of wireless customers. We will NOT do that by offering browsers in a small handheld device so folks can access the Internet. We will accomplish that by introducing a new set of applications that require high-speed connections: business applications, multiplayer games, and other applications that make it easier to obtain an answer or information via a data connection than via a voice connection. I am bullish on high-speed data services. I love using EV-DO where it is available and I hate having to fall back to the slower but more ubiquitous 1X network or EDGE. I hope that we can offer the devices and applications to make high-speed data a MUST for customers because the more customers there are, the more of the networks will be enabled with high-speed data. It is not enough that network operators are deploying high-speed data. They need to work on bringing compelling devices and applications into their stores, training their sales people, and making sure the WOW factor is really there. Andrew M. Seybold
Posted by: Eneerg T-Mobile USA delays
3G by two years Nordic Wireless Watch - December
11, 2004 at 08:18 GMT T-Mobile USA has postponed its plans to offer 3G data services for two years. This will place it behind its other rivals in the United States. The company will make do with EDGE data service. The company’s CEO Robert Dotson and CFO Brian Kirkpatrick revealed the delay plans at a CSFB investor conference. T-Mobile, which is the fourth largest U.S. wireless provider, is a unit of Deutsche Telekom. Cingular Wireless began installing EDGE data service earlier this year through its AT&T Wireless unit. The second-largest U.S. cell phone provider is Verizon Wireless, which is in the process of rolling out its high-speed BroadbandAccess across its U.S. territory. The third largest player in the mobile data sweepstakes is Sprint recently announced it is investing some USD 3 billion in cdma2000 1X EV-DO data services. Dotson said the carrier would delay the buildout of UMTS technology until it had enough spectrum to support the service. T-Mobile USA currently controls on average less than 30 megahertz of spectrum in most of its markets, with UMTS requiring at least 10 megahertz of clean spectrum to launch service. Dotson did note that T-Mobile USA has an approximate USD 1.3 billion budget to purchase additional spectrum. The Federal Communications Commission’s Auction 58 is scheduled for January and it would be as the most likely source of additional spectrum. http://www.nordicwirelesswatch.com/wireless/story.html?story_id=3980
Huawei pushes into Europe with
3G deal China's largest telecoms equipment maker, Huawei Technologies, clinched its first European contract for a third-generation mobile network yesterday, underlining its threat to bigger international rivals. In a deal an industry source valued at 200-400 million euros (US$266-US$533 million), Huawei will build a 3G mobile phone network for unlisted Dutch carrier Telfort. The 10-year contract with Telfort, the smallest of the Netherlands' five mobile carriers, is Huawei's first in Europe involving a network based on the 3G (third generation) UMTS standard known as WCDMA. The agreement, which also involves the creation of a research and development centre in the Netherlands, gives Huawei a European beachhead to compete in markets dominated by major equipment suppliers like Motorola, Ericsson and Nokia. Huawei has contracts for networks based on the WCDMA standard in the Middle East, Hong Kong, Mauritius and Malaysia. In an interview with Reuters, Telfort Chief Executive Ton aan de Stegge would only say the network deal was worth hundreds of millions of euros. A Huawei spokesman declined to comment on the value of the contract. In its 3G Hong Kong deal with Sunday Communications, the smallest of the city's six mobile carriers, Huawei provided a large amount of financing as part of the overall sale. A Telfort spokeswoman declined to say if equipment financing was part of the deal. "Telfort's strategy is to challenge the established norms of the mobile industry, and this contract, which is the first of its kind in Europe, is exactly in line with that," aan de Stegge said. "Huawei will give us a much more innovative infrastructure than what the established players are offering." Aan de Stegge has previously said he had a difficult time coming up with a business case to roll out 3G services, but yesterday he said the growing use of data services would justify the necessary investments. Huawei, seen as one of China's fastest rising stars in its field, has embarked on a major export campaign in a bid to keep up its breakneck growth. Most of its international deals so far have gone to less developed markets, like the Middle East and Africa. Huawei said in September its sales could grow as much as 45 per cent to US$5.5 billion this year, with exports doubling to up to US$2.2 billion. It said Western Europe would be a focus for the next two years, as mobile operators there build out 3G networks based on the WCDMA standard. Its customers in Europe include
BT Group and France Telecom, though neither have announced major purchases
to date. The company also works in the market with Germany's Siemens. http://en.ce.cn/Business/Enterprise/200412/10/t20041210_2544624.shtml
3G benefits: business
is still waiting 10 December 2004
During 2004, more business-oriented 3G services have trickled out (see Time to choose your firm a 3G plan?). But is there really much in 3G for business yet? Judging by comments from operators and equipment vendors at the 3G World Congress show in Hong Kong last month, not really. But between the talk about movie trailers and mini soap operas being beamed to cell phones, there were a few tidbits for businesses to pay attention to. Ubiquitous access: 3G takes
on the office LAN? "Wireless knowledge workers are flexible, efficient and more responsive to customers. Suddenly, the hours on the road between meetings will become productive hours," said Lothar Pauly, chief executive officer at Siemens Communications, in a speech here at the show. Perhaps more compelling, he suggested, businesses may soon be able to use wireless networks for all of their data and communications needs, allowing them to negotiate one contract with a single provider. Cellular phones are already supplanting fixed line phones in some countries, and 3G networks could extend that to the office LAN, he said. "As 3G evolves and bandwidth increases, the problem of provisioning all types of services over one IP-based network becomes more and more solvable. The need for fixed office lines has already started to disappear. Why not extend this to include data networks, and even the services your employees use at home?" Pauly said. Speed on the increase with HSDPA Better marketing through videos Videophones also provide a new channel for marketing. "The killer app for a movie studio is being able to download a movie trailer on a phone," said Lucy Hood, senior vice president for content and marketing at News Corp. And while consumers can use their phones to watch highlights of a soccer match or a music concert, so business people can watch financial news programs and stay up to date more easily than with simple text, she argued. Opreators need business customers "You guys have dug yourselves a mighty, mighty deep hole," Christopher Graves, managing director of the Far Eastern Economic Review magazine, told operators on a panel discussion here. Only by offering higher-priced business services will they be able to recover their investments, he said. Still, most operators here were clearly eyeing consumers first, and there was little talk of mobile CRM (customer relationship management) or other business-specific applications. Even T-Mobile, which began by targeting business users with its 3G access cards for laptops, is switching its main focus to consumer-oriented services, said Lutz Schade, an executive vice president with the German operator, speaking on a panel here. "Consumers are where many of the opportunities lie," he said. http://www.techworld.com/mobility/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1059
Posted by: Eneerg China Mobile to invest 110 billion yuan to set up 3G infrastructure in China Latest news China Mobile Communications (China Mobile), a leading operator of mobile-phone services in China, will invest 110 billion yuan (US$13.29 billion) to establish a 3G (third-generation) mobile-phone infrastructure in China over the next two to three years, the Chinese website www.sina.com quoted company chairman Jian-zhou Wang as saying. Sixty billion yuan in capital outlay is allocated for the first phase, while the remaining amount will be spent in subsequent phases, of which the timing will be dependent on market conditions, Wang pointed out. The 3G infrastructure will eventually be available for access by over 80% of cities in China and will first be implemented in coastal cities in Eastern China, according to Wang. Upon completion of the infrastructure rollout, China Mobile expects to have attracted 70-80 million subscribers for 3G mobile-phone services in the China market, Wang indicated. As far as issuance of 3G licenses is concerned, Wang said the timing of issuance hinges on the development of TD-SCDMA (time division-synchronous code division multiple access), which is still in the final stages of R&D. It is expected that the licenses will be handed out in mid-2005, Wang added. http://www.digitimes.com/telecom/a20041210A7049.html
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