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4G: Moving toward 4G with IEEE802.xx Standards and More Including: Potential Revenue Implications for InterDigital and IDCC's new
Updated December 30, 2006 Posts are by: revlis, Gamco, mschere, lastchoice, Data Rox, Learning2Vest, Desert dweller, JimLur, Data Rox, Bill Dalglish, my3sons87, GeorgeBailey, bulldzr, dndodd, infinite_q, spencer, oldog967, Eric.
What these "best posts" on "Moving Toward 4G with IEEE802 and More"
The most important organization for setting worldwide standards in wireless telecommunications is the IEEE ( Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) the foremeost worldwide professional organization focusing on electronics, 4G will be an evolution in one form or another of 3G and other technologies. (see InterDigital's graphic below on the evolution) 3G itself is finally reaching consumers now, after many years of development. Although early pieces of what will likely become 4G are already being implemented, it is the convergence of all the wireless technologies into one device which will combine immense capacity, breakneck speed, and complete mobility Investors need not fear that InterDigital's revenue stream will dry up after 2G and 3G devices cease to be manufactured. IDCC engineers and scientists have been involved at the heart of the development of various likely components of 4G and have been well represented on the committees that are deciding what the standads for each technology (and the convergence of technologies) will be. "Best Posts" here provide important information and insights into the development of what will become th 4G standard deveral years from now - as well as important clues relative to the profitability of 4G to InterDigital, depending on how the ultimate 4G standard emerges.InterDigital has been competing head to head with the giants of the wireless telecommunications industry for over 20 years. The company shows no sign of letting up, especially now with immense financial capital from hundreds of millions of dollars arriving from 2G and 3G royalties.
From the million-circulation international media giant-
"WirelessLedger.com, a web site that comprehensively covers intellectual property rights and patents on mobile techniques" Korea Times, April 15, 2006
For additional posts very closely related to this topic, but extending back in time before the initiation of this "4G" "best posts" topic on November 1, 2006, see: "How will new technologies affect InterDigital?" (This "How" topic is being superceded for the most part by "Toward 4G" below.) There are many proposals for enhancing or evolving beyond the current 3G standards. As new technologies jockey for positions, which of them strengthen and which could weaken InterDigital's long term position in the industry? Posts here describe progress on these technology developments and often comment of their potential impact on InterDigital. See also: Links to "best posts" on these other topics related to InterDigital: 3G Licensing and Royalty Collections Posts and threads here generally relate to InterDigital's ongoing success or failure to license additional manufacturers of 3G mobile devices and infrastructure. Some archived posts also address the related issue of Nokia's Jan 12, 2005 legal action in federal court in Delaware attempting to reduce or eliminate 3G royalties to InterDigital after 2006 Risk and Reward Best Posts related to investing in InterDigital. Has IDCC gone up to far too fast? How much further will it go? What is the risk? What factors are contributing to the potential reward and which factors to the potential risk for investors in InterDigital? Also see this very helpful (and comprehensive) information describing WiMAX, see the Wikipedia Dictionary articles on WiMax. Also see these Wirelessledger.com reports: Understanding Intellectual Property Understanding the Standards-Setting Process
is your most comprehensive source for investor research on Moving Toward 4G with the convergence of the various IEEE802 standards and more -- and the implications for eventual revenue streams to InterDigital
Graphics/formatting added to many posts for clarity by WirelessLedger.com
Posted by: mschere US military may soon put its trust in commercial WiMAX
Although the US military has been using and testing WiMAX for several years, recent announcements indicate that a more formal engagement with the world’s most gluttonous consumer of technology may be forthcoming. Nokia announced yesterday that it has entered into a development agreement with the US Army to evaluate the use of GSM, 3G and WiMAX. According to a press release from Nokia, the “project consists of a series of tests, demonstrations, experiments and exploratory exchange efforts that will begin in the fourth quarter of 2006 and last for five years.” Last month, a report in the Korea Times linked Samsung in a potential $3 billion contract with the US military for WiMAX mobile devises. The report quoted a Samsung official saying “The US army selected WiBro as one of the candidates for the next-generation strategic mobile communication method,” although an official Samsung spokesman did not corroborate the statement. From Jersey to Basra Closer to home, the US military has been testing WiMAX to support training and war simulation at Fort Dix in New Jersey. The network was deployed by Telos Corporation and used spectrum leased from AT&T. According to Tom Badders, wireless networking director for Telos, “Fort Dix is a very large training and test facility. They want to use WiMax to extend a base network from a headquarters building to bring network connectivity.” Since testing began at Fort Dix in 2005, the US Army and US Air Force are now replacing their Wi-Fi networks with WiMAX at 35 locations in America.
WiMAX is also being tested by the US Department of Defence (DoD) in conjunction with combat and tactical programs. These programs will utilise wireless networks that link soldiers to a wide range of weapons, sensors and information systems, that can enable joint interoperability, shared situational awareness and highly synchronised mission operations. The big picture Since its inception, JTRS has been under development at Boeing Corporation. However even Boeing now concede that commercially available and low-cost WiMAX may prove to be an immediate solution to the wireless needs of the military, as well as supporting peace keeping, disaster recovery, and homeland security. It was not until last year that WiMAX became a viable long-term solution for the DoD. As WiMAX standards have been implemented, and as vendors such as Nortel and Alcatel Government Solutionsrally their cause, WiMAX now has an ear in Washington. However, the key lesson that has been learned recently, according to a DoD spokesman, is that as WiMAX networks grow around the world, they can provide US military with instant global access. This topic was the subject of considerable discussion in September at the IEEE Secon conference where many specialists, from both the public and private sector, argued that WiMAX now more than ever provides the foundation for the future ad hoc Mobile Area Network (MANET) mesh networks long sought after by DoD technologists. As WiMAX has come of age, so too has US government thinking about public and private networks. Preston Marshall, the program manager at the Advanced Technology Office of the Department of Defence Research Projects Agency (DARPA), recently noted that mschere Posted by: Desert dweller If that article posted earlier today (see post # 173732) about the pitfalls facing handover is how the engineers feel about handover between systems, 3g and WiBro (WiMax or whatever they call it), then this agreement could be huge. If they feel the processing capability needed in the handset won't be available until 2015 and out of the blue IDCC makes it a possibility in 2007, how could that not be a huge achievement for IDCC? How could that not finally put IDCC on the map as far as analysts and manufacturers go? I would think there would be a stampeded for IDCC stock if they are successful and I can't imagine both companies not only signed the agreement, but also announced it with a press release, without thinking they would be successful and relatively soon. They easily could have signed the agreement to try to do the impossible and never announced it unless it was material. Since there hasn't been an 8k filing, the money is not material yet IMO so there wasn't really a requirement to publicly announce it. I am very happy with the potential for this agreement, now all we need is a fat juicy 3g agreement signed within the next 4 days so it can hit the 4th quarter earnings and blow away the projections. That would be icing on the cake. If the fat juicy 3g agreement hits next quarter that will be fine also.
Posted by: Learning2vest IMO the author of that article (see post # 173732) overlooked a more significant challenge in making handovers between a 3G cellular network and an 802.nx WLAN network, i.e., the fact that they are totally different networks. All of the currently practiced 3G cellular handover methods are network centric which means that handover decisions are managed and effected by the network control software, i.e., the cellular base stations within the network decide when to hand over to each other. They have been designed to operate as a proprietary system, and to treat all other radio signals including WLANs as interference. Finding a way to have those cellular networks identify and communicate with selected WLAN networks to manage handovers is gonna be a lot of work.
Since none of the cellular OEMs were interested in doing something that enabled handovers to other networks including WLANs, that IDCC innovation has not been adopted by the 3G standards bodies. Well, Tic, toc. It came as no surprise to this observer that we just saw a cellular operator become the first to partner with IDCC for a solution to the cellular/WLAN handover problem, and not a cellular OEM. Got a good chuckle thinking about the reaction within the Nokia, Moto, Samsung et al cellular OEM cabal when we got that SK Telecom WiBro partnership news. IMO there had to be a big collective "OH SHAT!, NOW what are we gonna do?".My most hoped for answer is "Get licensed with IDCC soon so you \can get favored delivery on their leading edge UMTS/WLAN multi-mode chips."
abridged post mschere: IDCC's 4G seamless handoff already in 2002 Thanks for that revealing retrospective (2002).
With InterDigital's involvement in finding major 4G solutions (seamless handoff between 3G WCDMA and fixed 802.xx (WiFi/WiMax/WiBro) which is "CONVERGENCE" - at the heart of 4G) its easy to see why international service provider SK Telecom would pick IDCC last week to design a key element in 4G: seamless handoff between fixed and mobile. Thus recognizing IDCC as one of the best 4G solution finders in the world. RE your post: Handoff Mechanisms and their Role in IEEE 802 Wireless Standards, 11 November 2002, 6:30-9:30 pm Abstract and Speaker Details
In traditional cellular networks, handoff of a terminal from one base station to another is a critical function to support mobile devices. Since such handoff is handled primarily at network Layers 3 and 4, it is not directly supported by IEEE 802 standards, which specify only Layers 1 and 2. As handoff is becoming increasingly important for 802 wireless standards, this tutorial explores the general issue of handoff and the means by which it is achieved in cellular networks and in IP Mobility specifications. It also explores the means by which 802 standards might interface with higher layer mechanisms and thereby support handoff specified at higher layers. Since the focus is on the direct support of higher layer functionality, the general approach is that a single 802 handoff interface might be implemented for all 802 devices. This would allow handoff among mixed 802 networks as well to and from non-802 systems. Bill
Posted by: georgebailey Outstanding article (see post # 173732). If you believe the author, the handoff issue is very complex. Now review this portion of the IDC/SK press release: "In the near future SK Telecom mobile customers will be able to take advantage of applications requiring interface speeds of 30-50 Mbps, including the next generation of multimedia applications as well as packet-based applications, while seamlessly moving between multiple network and geographic locations."
Posted by: mschere http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/27/wimax_poliltics/ We can expect more along these lines in two weeks, when the committee meets in London, and committee members have promised to clarify matters. But the idea that this is all down to press hostility is unlikely to hold water. As an IEEE member put it, off the record: "Any technical issue which involves Qualcomm is going to generate controversy." Qualcomm's problem with the rest of the world is very simple. It owns - and does not share - a lot of technical patent assets. In the wireless world, the normal way of managing intellectual property is that it gets traded. You have 20 patents, and I have 25 and Motorola has 40 and Intel has 50; and we all share them, and no money changes hands. Sometimes, the deal is quite simple. Other times it's the basis of a cartel, as with the GSM patents. The exception is when Qualcomm is involved. It has a general rule (say its rivals) of hiring as many lawyers as technologists; it will let you use its IP, but only on a strict royalty basis. And the amount it charges is seen as prohibitive - to the point that the GSM spec was drawn up almost entirely with the objective of avoiding any technology owned by Qualcomm. The result is that if standards bodies find themselves faced with the choice of developing a new technology, or buying something from Qualcomm, they will go to a lot of trouble to avoid the big Q option. That trouble will include glossing over quite serious problems with the alternative, say engineers. For example, there's a press release, jointly issued by Korea's mobile operator, SK Telecom and Interdigital, relating to WiBro. WiBro is closely related to WiMAX. Exactly how close you think it is, seems to depend on which giant electronic IP-owning corporation you work for. But, as the press release shows, it shares one technical feature with WiMax: it hasn't yet solved the cellular hand-off problem. To quote my anonymous IEEE engineer: "I'm sure Moore's Law will make this problem manageable in some future time-scale, but right now, it's a serious issue because of the amount of processing power it takes to keep track of two cellular transmitters as you cross from one to the next." Strangely, the problems are worse for data than for voice. You might imagine that a real-time stream like a voice call, which has to be synchronised accurately, would be more demanding; apparently, this isn't the case, for a number of reasons. Amongst them: a voice stream is very little data; it is buffered heavily, and there's a latency built into it to cope with interruptions. By comparison, a data stream tends to be required for high-data-rate applications, where we're looking at megabits per second (voice is happy with ten kilobits) and re-transmissions are to be avoided. The 802.20 committee seems content with its progress on this technology issue. The WiBro authorities seem equally relaxed about how much work needs to be done. And the standard WiMax gang (the Intel lobby, at any rate) is staunchly optimistic that 802.16e is on target, and will Work As Designed within the expected time-scale. Ultimately, all these problems are likely to be solved simply by the power of the typical processor chip shipping in the 2015 time frame. But sceptics say that the market may not wait that long. The question that isn't easy to answer is this: "What problem are we trying to solve?" mschere
Posted by: revlis secret, Thanks for providing that information about Sony Ericsson and SK. http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=15807974 I like to add this comment by BM from the NOV. conference call. Additionally, we are one of the few companies operating in the semiconductor space that have publicly announced an HSDPA technology solution demonstrated data rates above the 1.8 megabit range. Based on what we have demonstrated in operability testing with Ericsson, we anticipate that our initial dual-mode ASIC offering will be capable of 7.2 megabits on the downlink using HSDPA and simultaneous operation of 3.6 megabits downlink and 1.5 megabits uplink using HSDPA and HSUPA. revlis
Posted by: my3sons87 IDCC was not picked by SK Telecom out of a hat. SK Telecom selected the best of the best to facilitate their plans. ¡¡Global Telecoms
2006-12-18
In his speech, Kim Shin-Bae remarked, "The additional opening of China's telecom service industry will promote technology and capital investments, resulting in intensified competition. This will drastically increase the competitiveness of Chinese telecom operators.""SK Telecom will collaborate with Chinese and Korean IT companies to pursue globalization, to create a new cooperative model and serve as a bridge for cooperation between the telecommunication industries of the two countries," he said. Also, in response to a question by a reporter about SK Telecom¡®s differentiation strategy in a situation in which globally prominent telecom companies are expected to step up efforts for entry into China, he responded, "SK Telecom is world¡®s best in terms of mobile telecom competence, and holds leadership in the convergence area. Together with its China partner, it will lead the global telecommunications market." In June, SK Telecom established a strategic alliance with China Unicom, the number two mobile telecom operator in China, purchasing US$1 billion of convertible bonds issued by China Unicom. In August, it agreed on cooperation in TD-SCDMA technology, China's 3G mobile telecom technology standard, with China's National Development and Reform Commission, and has been taking specific action to prepare for entry into the Chinese telecom market, such as pursuing the deployment of TD-SCDMA test beds. Source: cellular-news
Posted by: dndodd Wow. That sure would seem to make yesterdays announcement extremely important and very valuable to stockholders. Thanks Management. RE: From the SK Telecom Web Site
Also, in response to a question by a reporter about SK Telecom's differentiation strategy in a situation in which globally prominent telecom companies are expected to step up efforts for entry into China, he responded, "SK Telecom is world's best in terms of mobile telecom competence, and holds leadership in the convergence area. Together with its China partner, it will lead the global telecommunications market." From the SK Telecom Web Site.. The fact that SK Telecom's CEO Kim Shin-Bae was the only foreign CEO to be invited to CCTV's special broadcast, among the numerous telecom companies worldwide, is symbolic of the influence of SK Telecom in the Chinese telecom market, which global telcos are increasingly approaching with expectations of market opening and selection of 3G service provider. In June, SK Telecom established a strategic alliance with China Unicom, the number two mobile telecom operator in China, purchasing USD 1 billion of convertible bonds issued by China Unicom Limited, China Unicom's legal entity listed in Hong Kong. In August, it agreed on cooperation in TD-SCDMA technology, China's 3G mobile telecom technology standard, with China's National Development and Reform Commission, and has been taking specific action to prepare for entry into the Chinese telecom market, such as pursuing the deployment of TD-SCDMA test beds mschere
Posted by: infinite_q
1) SKT approached IDCC to do this important work based on IDCC's work with the standards bodies 2) SKT did not strike this deal with QCOM 3) IDCC will not only do system design but also supply handset/terminal software 4) IDCC will have much more leverage in licensing its IPR with anyone who wants to sell equipment to SKT 5) Other service providers will probably have to field similar capabilities to keep up with SKT, and IDCC will have an "off-the-shelf" solution ready for them when they make that move 6) By doing the system design IDCC can utilize optional features of the UMTS and 802.21 standards that maximise the use of their IPR 7) This deal could lead to additional engineering services contracts with handset makers that need their assitance integrating the handover software into their products i_q
Posted by: mschere IMO every OEM who desires to sell a dual mode WIBRO/WCDMA handset on the new SK Telecom UMTS network will require a 3G license from InterDigital..Nokia is currently negotiating w/SK for WCDMA handsets in Korea.. InterDigital to Handle Hand-over Traffic for SK By Susan Rush
SK Telecom has a nationwide UMTS network up and running, but says it plans to expand its advanced mobile network across the country. The operator intends to build facilities for WiBro services in several major cities. The companies plan to collaborate on future projects if the opportunity arises.
Posted by: Desert dweller IMO you shouldn't limit the statement to just Korea or just 802.21 technology. It should read "IMO all telecom operators all around the world use IDCC's technology." The unknown question for all IDCC investors is: When will IDCC be paid a fair amount for the theft that is going on around the world? You said: RE: (abridged) MO:ALL the Korean Wireless operators will utilize IDCC's WIBRO/802.21 Technology.. KT, SK to Launch Commercial WiBro in South Korea Global Insight Perspective Significance Implications Outlook KT Corp. (KT) and SK Telecom (SKT), South Korea's two largest telecoms operators, said today that they would each launch a commercial wireless broadband WiBro service, available from tomorrow. The two companies said that they would initially operate the services in the Seoul metropolitan area and gradually expand the service coverage according to market demand and profitability of the business. KT said that it would charge promotional discount rates until end-2006. From the beginning of next year, when service coverage is expanded to all of Seoul and its suburbs, the company would charge the regular price to subscribers, offering various flat-rate pricing plans. Outlook and Implications South Korea Goes WiBro: The move comes more than a year after the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) selected three operators - KT, SKT and Hanaro - to take part in development of WiBro networks (see South Korea: 31 January 2006: Broadband Metrics: South Korea's Shifting Broadband Market). Since being granted the licence in January 2005, Hanaro has decided to jettison its WiBro ambitions. KT, in comparison, has been pushing forward its WiBro plans. The country's largest fixed-line operator has announced that it will invest 1.15 trillion won (US$1.15 billion) by 2010 on its wireless broadband (WiBro) venture, and has conducted a trial run of WiBro in selected areas in the Seoul metropolitan area since March. The South Korean government is forecasting rapid end-user uptake in the short to medium term. Sung-Woon Cho, director-general of the division of telecommunications and broadcasting policy at the Korea Information Strategy Development Institute (KISDI), said in November 2005 that he expected the country to have 8-11 million subscribers to the service by 2011, and generate up to US$3.2-3.6 billion in the same period. The government has also indicated that it may open the market up to virtual network operators in 2009, by which time it expects South Korea to have some 5 million WiBro subscribers. Competition with High-End Mobile Data Offering: WiBro, like the fixed variant of WiMAX, will deliver broadband speeds and applications to mobile devices such as laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smartphones. However, Global Insight believes that WiBro, unlike the fixed variant of WiMAX, will not substitute fixed broadband access, but instead will target high-end mobile users, therefore competing more directly with the high-end mobile data offerings based on HSDPA and CDMA 2000 1X EV-DO (see South Korea: 18 May 2006: SK Telecom Launches World's First Handset-Based Commercial HSDPA Network). The introduction of WiBro will also mean a further blurring of the distinction between fixed, broadband and mobile technologies. For fixed-line operators, WiBro will also enable converged fixed broadband, mobile and entertainment services (fixed-mobile convergence), such as remote DVR programming via handsets and seamless access to email. Currently, mobile internet connectivity is provided over the country's CDMA 2000 1X EV-DO networks operated by KTF and SK Telecom, while nomadic or portable connectivity is provided via WLAN. The table below presents an overview of the fixed and mobile broadband technologies of South Korea's leading mobile operators. mschere Posted by: revlis This board had all the pertinent information on SK before today. Nobody would have guessed that IDCC would have a development agreement directly with a carrier, We always assume it would be with one of SK's suppliers. Now that IDCC has established this relationship with a carrier, I wonder if IDCC could not parlay this achievement into relationships with other carriers. mo revlis RE:
Posted by: spencer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SK_Telecom
Posted by: revlis In addition to the technology development, the agreement provides for potential collaboration o future projects. revlis Posted by: my3sons87 Samsung and IDCC will make up and start to play nice. When a major telecom provider selects the company to help them develop a solution, they are retaining the engineering services. And those engineers will have some significant input on the equipment selections that will enhance the final solution. Pucker up Uncle Billy, Sammy is about to kiss Yah.
Posted by: mschere IMO:It is also about Licensing 3G with Samsung. The Korea Times
Mr. Mobile Faces Big Test by Kim Tae-gyu
Two big questions in that test are low-priced cell phones and WiBro, Korea’s homegrown portable Internet platform. ``Without turning its attention to low-end markets, Samsung won’t be able to compete with bigger players like Nokia or Motorola,’’ Kim said. Under the charismatic stewardship of Lee, Samsung focused solely on premium markets with pricey, feature-rich models, and that strategy worked through 2004. As inexpensive handsets started flooding global markets in 2005, however, the Seoul-based Samsung began losing its footing to Nokia and Motorola. Nokia currently meets about one-third of the global demand for cell phones, followed by Motorola, which boasts a 20 percent-plus marke share. Samsung is third with about 12 percent. Mr. Mobile recognizes the seriousness of the situation and announced early this month that Samsung will provide handsets, priced less than 60 dollars, next year. ``It remains to be seen whether Samsung can be successful with this change. Anyway, it is the most significant task for Lee next year,’’ Mirae Asset analyst Kim said.
WiBro allows people on the road to remain connected to the Web at the speed of the current landline Internet via handheld gadgets or laptop computers. Along with the Korean government, Samsung co-developed most source technologies of the go-anywhere Internet, known as mobile WiMax overseas. voc200@koreatimes.co.kr mschere
Posted by: lastchoice i'll stab at <$5M. but it should also continue for years after. the credibility is enormous, and the product opportunity for stacks is not included. The synergy between stacks and licneses is an intangible that will hopefully be hugely valuable. Billion--with a 'B' RE:
Posted by: Data_Rox m3s - it's all good my friend ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING TIMES Industry debates: 4G, or not 4G?;
Hong Kong - "There is chaos under heaven," Mao once said; "the situation is excellent." That could have described the atmosphere here last week at Telecom World, held in China for the first time, as technologists sparred with bean counters over what 4G should look like to yield the best service for customers and the best return for operators. But even as the voices defining fourth-generation standards swell in cacophony, the debate itself may be declining in importance. That's because the networks almost certainly will be based on an alphabet soup of formats, with nothing in the way of an overwhelmingly dominant technology.
When operators make a single bet, especially on an emerging spec like WiMax, it's often tough to win. Making multiple bets is complicated but typically holds the best chance of success. Attaining high-speed 4G ubiquitous connectivity-the nirvana of anytime, anywhere, on any device-will have some operators scrambling to stitch together a hodgepodge of radio networks. At the same time, they will need to coordinate with system designers on the introduction of increasingly complex devices, ranging from PDAs and ultramobile PCs to cell phones and high-end consumer electronics. "4G to me is not about the next radio link; it is much more about how you deal with a set of heterogeneous networks and get bits to and from the device in the most cost-effective way," said Paul Jacobs, chief executive of Qualcomm Inc. Last week, Qualcomm talked up its 4G contender, saying that cdma2000-based 1xEV-DO Revision C will be released in the second quarter and become commercially available in early 2009. Officially named Ultra Mobile Broadband, it can theoretically support mobile data speeds up to 280 Mbits/second, using multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology and scalable bandwidths up to 20 MHz. With WiMax vendors putting in a strong showing at Telecom World 2006, much of the chatter was about how WiMax and 3G, or maybe even Wi-Fi, might mesh to form a "4G lite" in the near future. Data rates would fall short of the 100-Mbit/s downlinks and 50-Mbit/s uplinks for every 20 MHz of spectrum that hard-core engineers would consider full 4G strength, but users would see gains over today's 3G speeds. "This is not one technology vs. another," said Mohammad Shakouri, vice president for strategy at Alvarion Ltd., an Israeli developer of WiMax. "Many of these technologies will have leverage and advantage, so instead of trying to find one killer application or one technology that solves everything, what we should be doing is trying to figure out how to leverage a combination of these technologies." Some emerging devices do just that. Samsung's SPH-P9000 Deluxe Mobile Intelligent Terminal, for one, is a PC shaped like a PDA, with a collapsible keyboard, Windows XP, 30-Gbyte hard drive, 256 Mbytes of RAM, 5-inch display and 1-GHz Transmeta CPU. It supports WiMax and EV-DO. Samsung will also release a dual-mode phone supporting CDMA and South Korea's WiBro standard in the first half for use on SK Telecom's network. LG Electronics has a similar phone in the works. Optimistic forecasts say WiMax could nab 9 million worldwide subscribers by 2009, not counting infrastructure applications in cellular backhaul. Thanks in part to South Korea's familiarity with WiBro, a pre-WiMax service, close to half of those subscribers will be based in Asia. Samsung believes the WiMax market will be worth $3.9 billion in 2010, with subscriber numbers growing to 25 million by 2011. Yet there was some grumbling at Telecom World that not enough phones are in development to drive the uptake of heterogeneous networks that include WiMax. "Limited options for dual-mode end-user devices raise question marks over the pick-up of WiMax technology," said Qiang Cao, vice president of the mobility division at ZTE Corp. "If WiMax is to succeed, terminal providers must act fast to create user-friendly devices with smooth interoperability between the networks." Chip and system makers also need to improve the throughput of WiMax and WiBro, especially in small portable devices like Samsung's SPH-P9000, which will likely sell for between $1,000 and $1,500. Even the phones will sell for $600 to $800. For those hefty price tags, users will want speed. "We definitely still need to see an increase in average throughput," said Kim Dong, a manager on SK Telecom's access network development team.
Chips fall where they may Part of the convergence story will play out in chips. Right now, only a few companies are trying to push convergence at the silicon level, since the market is young. Comsys Mobile will have samples of its WiMax baseband next fall, with a 2.5G/WiMax baseband arriving in April 2008, said Ronny Gorlicki, executive vice president of sales at Comsys Communication and Signal Processing Ltd. "Wi-Fi is needed, but probably not at this early stage. Plus, it's cheap enough to take a discrete Wi-Fi chip and build it into the module." Kazihiko Yamaguchi, a WiMax engineer at Fujitsu, said Fujitsu's customers aren't thinking yet about converged WiMax/cellular silicon platforms. "One of the reasons we aren't seeing a strong push for integration," SK's Park said, "is that there are not any operators out there using it-just us." That will change in late 2007 and early 2008, as momentum builds in Korea and commercial rollouts in the States gain traction, said Hwan Woo Chung, vice president of Samsung's Mobile WiMax group. Japan and the United Kingdom are also due to decide on whether to use WiMax. "If these countries go with Mobile WiMax, there will be a lot of followers," he said. Even Qualcomm's Jacobs, no fan of WiMax, said his company is open to using it if deployments gain momentum in the market during the next few years. "Maybe we would do it by means of an acquisition, maybe by means of a partnership or maybe by means of internal development. But right now it is not our highest priority, because we just don't believe that the technology is that good," he said. Some operators will need more persuading before investing in a WiMax network. Some will prefer to follow the HSDPA/HSUPA path laid out for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System service in 3GPP Release 5, which aims to achieve peak data rates of 14.4 Mbits/s. Using MIMO and beam-forming technology, Release 6 targets theoretical throughput 28.8 Mbits/s. Regardless of the access technology chosen, operators know they need to push forward on achieving all-Internet Protocol networks. "We talk a lot about 2G, 3G, 4G, WiMax, etc., but I might argue that it doesn't matter, because they will all be there," said Patricia F. Russo, chairman and CEO of Lucent/ Alcatel. "What matters is what you do at the core of your network that enables you to deliver these services in an access-agnostic way, in a device-agnostic way. "The real key for operators is to figure out how to get to these all-IP core architectures that will be with us for years to come," she said.
Posted by: revlis Gamco This will throw all the Korean manufacturers for a loop. Pantech will be licensing soon and Samsung will be a matter of time. IDCC in the infrastructure business. Who would have thought it? mo revlis Posted by: Data_Rox spider...these types of deals lead to more visibility at the OEM level...now, I'd like to see something in China! RE: Hey Data...WOuld you mind a little more commentary on specifically why you like this....inquiring minds want to know...thanks for all you do here
Posted by: Data_Rox dat's wat I'm talkin about! I like it! SK Telecom Selects InterDigital to Develop Mobile Wireless Handover Capability
First of Its Kind Deployment to Provide Seamless Mobility for Consumers Using Next-Generation Wireless Devices
With this mobility solution, InterDigital and SK Telecom are driving demand for the next generation of converged wireless devices and providing a leading edge solution for the wireless industry migration to access independent Internet Multimedia Session (IMS) networks. In addition to the technology development, the agreement provides for potential collaboration on future projects. "InterDigital's leadership in next generation mobility standards including the IEEE 802.21 media independent standard efforts as well as the 3GPP UMTS standards, made them a natural choice when we sought to deploy a groundbreaking system that furthers our leadership in offering our customers the most advanced services," remarked Dr. Jong Tae Ihm, Vice President SK Telecom, Terminal Device and Access Network R&D Center. "In the near future SK Telecom mobile customers will be able to take advantage of applications requiring interface speeds of 30-50 Mbps, including the next generation of multimedia applications as well as packet-based applications, while seamlessly moving between multiple network and geographic locations." SK Telecom currently operates a nationwide UMTS Network and has announced plans to expand its advanced mobile network across the country, building facilities for WiBro services in several major cities. SK Telecom approached InterDigital to develop a solution that addresses the need for network interoperability, specifically, inter-network handovers from WiBro to UMTS coverage areas. With multiple wireless technologies and more capable mobile devices appearing with increasing frequency, combined with rapidly evolving device usage models, SKT recognized the need to be first to market with 802.21 in Korea. Michael Thelander, CEO of Signals Research Group, LLC, commented, "SKT has clearly moved to the forefront of convergence by seeking to integrate two complementary wireless broadband standards. The whole notion of convergence across multiple access technologies with a common IMS core network hinges on the ability to provide a seamless continuity of service when subscribers move between various access technologies. 802.21 will provide that critical feature; positioning both companies to capitalize early on a growing market opportunity by leveraging InterDigital's leadership in the development of solutions for both 802.21 and UMTS." "We're pleased to be able to contribute to SK Telecom's continued leadership in offering its customers next-generation wireless solutions and look forward to a fruitful continuing partnership," said William J. Merritt, Chief Executive Officer of InterDigital. "Our expertise in the development of the media independent handover services as well as advanced UMTS technologies allows us to provide unique solutions that solve the challenge of inter-network wireless connectivity, as well as enabling technology for seamless internetworking in an all-IP system." About SKT SK Telecom is Korea's leading mobile communications company with more than 20 million subscribers. SK Telecom successfully commercialized the world's first CDMA cellular phone service and launched the world's first IMT-2000 third generation service. The company is listed on the Korean Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. For more information about SK Telecom, please visit www.sktelecom.com or email at press@sktelecom.com About InterDigital InterDigital Communications Corporation designs, develops and provides advanced wireless technologies and products that drive voice and data communications. InterDigital is a leading contributor to the global wireless standards and holds a strong portfolio of patented technologies which it licenses to manufacturers of 2G, 2.5G, 3G and 802 products worldwide. Additionally, the company offers baseband product solutions and protocol software for 3G multimode terminals and converged devices. InterDigital's differentiated technology and product solutions deliver time-to-market, performance and cost benefits. For more information, please visit InterDigital's web site: www.interdigital.com. InterDigital is a registered trademark of InterDigital. Posted by: mschere From an IPWireless interview.. How do burgeoning technologies like Wi-Fi, WiMax, and even 3G influence your strategy at IPWireless?
mschere Posted by: Data_Rox http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Speed_Uplink_Packet_Access RE:
Posted by: revlis When mobile meets the landline http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/convergedcomms/0,3800012981,39163405,00.htm revlis
Posted by: mschere
Competition is precisely what the WiMAX community hopes will get the technology off the ground. As Joe Nardone of Intel puts it: "there are three buckets - GSM operators that are trying to make 3G work, CDMA operators looking at 3+, and the disruptors." In early July, Germany announced an auction for 3.4-3.6GHz spectrum after no less than 102 potential operators declared an interest in it. The Federal Network Agency had initially considered asking the operators to coordinate frequencies among themselves, but concluded that an auction would be necessary in view of the sheer number of putative WiMAX networks. There is also significant news from Intel, which has decided to get out of the mobile chips business except for wifi and WiMAX radios. Intel's latest WiMAX chipset, Rosedale II, is expected to launch soon, including the capability to work both in TDD and FDD modes - which could make the 802.16d/e transition much easier. "The Rosedale II is new silicon, and that's what we're going to be using for 802.16e, except for the USB devices," says Whiteley. Being a software-defined radio (SDR), it can be converted between the standards in software. One factor on the 802.16d/802.16e question that won't be solved so easily is spectrum. 802.16d fixed devices can be, well, fixed, which means that they can use external aerials - but mobile devices cannot. Further, mobile devices need in-building coverage, which in turn reacts on the spectrum requirement. That affects the power budget, which affects the battery life. "The other thing is spectrum - you might be able to get building penetration at 3.5GHz, but for a mobile you'll probably need 1.8GHz or lower," says Sasha Williamson. "Four or five elements must fall into place - frequencies, hardware, standards, and commerce." With new chips like Rosedale II on the market, and firms like Airspan beginning to deliver CPEs and reasonably priced infrastructure, the hardware problem is moving towards a solution. The standards are now done. Spectrum issues, though, remain as far from resolution as ever, and could yet be a serious problem for the hardware designers. According to Williamson, battery life in a PDA or smartphone-like device will be a problem. The higher the frequency used, and hence the greater the transmitter power required to get connections in urban areas, the worse this will be. Commercially, it looks like WiMAX is going to be another stop on the road to very cheap connectivity. Most possible users see it as a complement to or replacement for DSL, or alternatively a competitor with cellular networks for data service. This implies an ISP-like, low margin business with the economic value migrating to service and content provision. On the supply side, the price of base station equipment is currently in the range $5,000-$10,000, with significant savings through the use of cheap IP connectivity in the backhaul and generic ISP equipment in the core, which would argue that such a business could still be profitable. That's if the spectrum cost doesn't escalate out of control. Some early hopes of a very low cost structure assumed that WiMAX networks could rely entirely on unlicensed spectrum, however this seems to be technically unfeasible for most scenarios. If spectrum costs head towards those seen for cellular spectrum allocations, it could be hard to make WiMAX pay. Supply plays a part. At the moment there is no shortage of 3.5GHz in Europe or 2.5GHz in the US, although the US allocation is noticeably fragmented. This could change, of course. As to demand, it's unlikely that major European or North American carriers will get involved, except perhaps for backhaul. An exception to the rule is Sprint-Nextel, which has obligations to the FCC to launch a 2.5GHz wireless broadband service. Sprint-Nextel is considering both WiMAX and UMTS-TDD and supposedly considers the service to be "a whole new business." The Korean operators, as noted above, are mixing and matching, possibly under pressure to support Samsung in becoming a leader in the new technology. There's also the possibility of a wildcard. In the US, there has been some lobbying for the 700MHz analogue TV band to be reallocated for WiMAX, which would at least help with the building penetration and power questions. This remains, however, very much a nice idea rather than a serious proposition. Overall, though, the position is clear - WiMAX is coming. RE mschere
Posted by: mschere 1 year OLD News... IEEE 802.16e Mobile WirelessMAN (R) Standard is Official Final Approval Marks Milestone for Broadband Wireless Industry Contact:
“The IEEE 802.16 WirelessMAN standard continues its evolution as a platform upon which the broadband wireless industry can build high-performance, cost-effective fixed, and now mobile, broadband access systems,” said Roger B. Marks, Chair of the IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access. “The Working Group’s open consensus process attracted the dedicated participation of hundreds of technical experts from the world's leading service providers, system vendors, and semiconductor suppliers. The foundation for a global industry is now in place.” The 802.16e standards development project, begun in late 2002, completed its final draft in October 2005. The work was iterated through twelve drafts based on thousands of comments and hundreds of contributed documents. About the IEEE 802.16 Working Group About the IEEE Standards Association About the IEEE IEEE Std 802.16, IEEE Std 802.16e, and WirelessMAN are trademarks of the IEEE. All other names or product names are the trademarks, service marks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. mschere
Posted by: mschere WIBRO is 802.16E/TDD SAMSUNG Gives First U.S. Showing Of Mobile WiMAX Handset At Consumer Electronics Show Samsung Unveils World’s First Mobile WiMAX Handset LAS VEGAS, January 4, 2006 - For the first time in the United States, Samsung demonstrates WiBro (Korean Wireless Broadband) service on one of its world's first Mobile WiMAX phones, the Samsung M8000. Samsung's WiBro service demonstration is an exciting precursor to the first commercial service in the Korean market slated for the first half of 2006.
Using its M8000, a smart phone equipped with a QWERTY keypad, Samsung showcases WiBro services available in the Korean market through a series of applications including broadcasting, home networking, video conferencing, video on demand, mobile navigations, and push-to-all (push-to-talk/data/video). "Samsung is excited to showcase WiBro services on Mobile WiMAX technology, network infrastructure, and devices at CES," said Kitae Lee, president of Samsung's Telecommunications Network Business. "As a leader in developing Mobile WiMAX globally, Samsung knows the tremendous benefits this technology offers consumers. Our demo at CES is a preview of what we are commercializing in Korea during the first half of this year, and hope to eventually roll out in the U.S." About Korea's WiBro Service RE: You must know something I don't. IDCC is involved with TD-SCDMA but I didn't know they are involved with WiBro. Of course if they have convergent technology between TD-SCDMA and WiBro then that is a different story. mo revlis
Posted by: revlis 4G contender starts testing in early 2007 http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196601876 revlis
Posted by: lastchoice IEEE Alters Its Standards Patent Policy to Provide Fuller Disclosure on Licensing PISCATAWAY, N.J.--(Business Wire)--The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) has approved a change in its patent policy effective 30 April 2007 that provides for the optional advance disclosure of "not to exceed" licensing terms associated with patents that might be included in its standards. The change is intended to make the IEEE standards-setting process more transparent. IEEE-SA has also submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Justice for a business review letter confirming the Department's guidance on the antitrust aspects of the new policy. The revision to IEEE-SA's patent policy has three key elements: -- It permits and encourages the optional and unilateral ex ante disclosure of royalty rates and other license terms - that is, disclosure before a patented technology is included in a standard. The disclosed terms may include, for example, the maximum royalty rate that the patent holder will seek to charge. -- It improves the mechanisms for making sure that a patent holder's assurance (which is irrevocable) fully and effectively binds subsequent owners of the patent by requiring the patent-holder to provide notice of the existence of the assurance. -- It strengthens provisions for binding the submitter's affiliates to the terms of the policy, making clear that affiliates are bound unless the submitter identifies affiliates it does not wish to bind. "This change in our patent policy is part of the ongoing evolution of our standards process," says Judith Gorman, IEEE-SA Managing "The new policy is an important step in correcting this situation through additional transparency of licensing terms for the technology
Posted by: revlis 4G phones a distant reality? http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/644644.cms revlis
Posted by: olddog967 revlis: Some more on WIMAX and IMT-2000. WiMax spectrum row heats up David Meyer ZDNet UK Supporters of WiMax technology are up in arms after a mobile industry body called for key bands of spectrum to be reserved for 3G services. The GSM Association (GSMA), which represents a range of mobile operators worldwide, issued a plea on Monday for regulators to keep so-called 3G extension bands "reserved for the IMT-2000 family of technologies" — 3G, in other words. The Association was responding to moves within the European Commission (EC) to change the way in which radio spectrum is allocated. Whereas chunks of spectrum have traditionally been handed over to specific technologies, some within the EC are now proposing to keep certain bands "technology neutral". The band in question, 2.5-2.690 GHz, includes the lowest available frequencies suitable for mobile services. It is ideal for new bandwidth-hungry 3G services such as mobile TV, and also for making mobile WiMax — seen by many as a potential threat to 3G — a viable proposition. "The story is that initially it was decided to allocate these bands all across Europe in 2008," Ovum analyst Vincent Poulbere told ZDNet UK on Monday. "They are an important stage for technologies which are not 3G technologies… this is may be the only band that will allow new entrants to develop mobile networks," Poulbere explained. The GSMA argues that allowing competing technologies to share a frequency band across Europe will make it more expensive to produce handsets and other equipment. "If it's used for lots of different technologies then anybody trying to manufacture equipment for those spectrum bands is going to be dealing with a fragmented market. If it's harmonised, that creates the economies of scale that manufacturers enjoy with GSM," the Association's David Pringle told ZDNet UK on Tuesday. Pringle suggested that mobile WiMax could itself become an IMT-2000 technology, for which it would have to seek approval by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN body of which the WiMax Forum (the organisation co-ordinating the development of WiMax) is a member. "The criteria include [things such as] full mobility. If mobile WiMax can meet those criteria and is accepted, then we're entirely comfortable with that," Pringle said, adding: "Technology neutrality as a principle we're comfortable with, but we're just saying that mobile communications is such a valuable industry that certain bands need to be reserved for it". However, members of the WiMax community have claimed that the GSMA is being disingenuous by proposing that mobile WiMax takes the IMT-2000 route. "Basically they're blocking us from becoming an IMT-2000 technology… the mobile community is obviously very powerful," Paul Senior, vice president of marketing for WiMax vendor Airspan, told ZDNet UK on Tuesday. Senior suggested it was impossible to join a standard that was created six years ago, but said there was an opportunity for mobile WiMax to form part of IMT-Advanced — the ITU specification which will succeed IMT-2000. "This is complicated by the major debate regarding Long Term Evolution [LTE]," Senior added, referring to the next stage for 3G technology. "One position is that LTE should be the only technology for IMT-Advanced, but LTE is extremely close to mobile WiMax." He claimed that regulators in the UK and US were sympathetic to the WiMax lobby's pleas for technology neutrality, but said "strong European players" were going along with the 3G lobby instead. In December the WiMax Forum wrote to the EC, arguing that freeing up the 2.5-2.69 GHz band would "enable innovation and competition in personal broadband services". The European Regulatory Framework for electronic communications is currently under review, and a representative of the EC's spectrum policy unit told ZDNet UK on Tuesday that the Commission has not yet been able to find "common ground" between member states. The review is currently out for comment until the end of October, after which point the EC will decide its standpoint on technology neutrality. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39279140,00.htm
Posted by: Gamco And, in the wireless world, we all want to know what new technologies will appear—or gain traction—in the New Year. I can’t claim to have all the answers, but in honor of ’07 here are seven predictions for what we’ll be talking about over the next 12 months … and one that’s more of a question. • Mesh Fall Out—Not. Muni WiFi is an undeniably hot market. It’s also a very crowded market on the vendor side. This makes it one of those markets where everyone is just waiting for the suppliers to start dropping like flies. Well, it probably won’t be happening in 2007. Yes, you could easily count a dozen vendors chasing an uncertain opportunity. However, that uncertainty (i.e., the possibility of a huge opportunity) will encourage VCs, boards and chief strategy officers to keep R&D and sales efforts alive … at least for one more year. • WiMAX Consolidation. Like muni WiFi, the WiMAX market is over-populated; think the proverbial “crazy cat lady’s house.” Unlike muni WiFi, it’s got even more players—small and large—and major WiMAX networks will require much more than access nodes: devices, BSS/OSS solutions, transport, IMS in the core. Many of the smaller vendors now targeting WiMAX have been around for years. Some are 4th or 5th round of funding. Not all will be around for the next holiday season. • CDMA Femtocells. I’ve said it. Others have said it. Femtocells are a warming topic today. They’re likely to be a hot topic next year. Yet, while there are lots of femtocell vendors in the market (five announced, at last count), none are targeting the CDMA market. This isn’t particularly surprising given the larger global GSM/UMTS opportunity. Of course, to the extent that the femtocell model is compelling, CDMA operators want in on it too, and they won’t want to be too far behind their GSM-track brethren. Nobody has stepped up the plate, but my money is on DO-specialist Airvana to help make it real (they’ve even got IMS assets to support a core integration story). • CDMA Survival. On the topic of CDMA2000, a big story this year centered on the brouhaha about CDMA losing ground to GSM/UMTS. In a game of bluster-tag, the GSA noted how operators are giving up on CDMA in favor of GSM/UMTS … followed by the CDG noting that GSM operators are rolling out CDMA. Nobody in their right mind should expect to see CDMA wither away in the next few years (major operators have just spent lots of money on network upgrades and I still have two years left on my contract!). The real question, however, is how scale and momentum will impact planned upgrades to 3G (today) and beyond 3G (LTE vs. EV-DO rev. C). • LTE & DORC Demos. Last year, vendors began talking about LTE and EV-DO rev. C (I like to call it DORC). In part, these 3G evolutions are an obvious reaction to the momentum behind WiMAX. In part, today’s 3G vendors just want customers and prospects to know what comes next. Prototypes have been promised for next year. Unlike optimistic promises in years past, they will almost assuredly come to pass; the R&D is in place and the threat from WiMAX has not abated. In particular, it will be very important for the CDMA industry to prove its mettle since, beyond 3G, a flat IP core makes it easy for CDMA operators to move to a technology like WiMAX or LTE while leveraging a common core. Just ask Sprint. • IMS Apps, Really. At its core, IMS is about applications: rolling them out, managing them and leveraging a common set of enablers (location, presence, etc.). For the past two years, however, IMS has been less about application rollout and more about network development. In part, you can blame this on the need to germinate applications and garner device support. Regardless, operators want to start making money with (not just spending money on) their IMS networks while preparing to compete with aggressive cable and fixed-line telcos. Based on this year’s network tests, video sharing is likely to be one of the first mainstream consumer applications. • 3GPP Evolution—More Than Just LTE. Years before we all start talking about them, the 3GPP—driven by operators and vendors—starts work on new technologies. Consider LTE, IMS, HSPA and multicast video. Of course, once vendors get the technologies built, they want to talk about them. Again, LTE is high on everyone’s lists of hot topics. System Architecture Evolution (SAE) and Evolved EDGE should make it into the mainstream in 2007. SAE—essentially, an access-agnostic packet-based mobile core—goes hand in hand with LTE, but the application of all-IP networking for current 3G networks is bound to get attention. Evolved EDGE is about squeezing as much life as possible from existing networks. Vendors have been talking about it for a while, but with deployments possible in 2008, demos and messaging needs to begin in 2007. With promises of HSDA-line spectral efficiencies, the interest is out there. • Operators Find Their Voice? Traditionally, vendors have driven the pace and makeup of technology evolutions. The WiMAX Forum and Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) initiatives both promised to change that. In the Forum, operator participation has famously impacted certification plans. NGMN, in turn, promises to get a consensus on what major operators want from their 4G networks. The shift is intriguing—logical, even. With standards nearly set and networks being built, will input continue to flow? If so, will it matter? http://www.rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=27830 Posted by: ed_ferrari revlis, not at all. Read this: http://telephonyonline.com/mag/telecom_wimax_spectrum_workhorse/
Posted by: revlis ed, I read the article and I don't see how it contradicts my opinion.
3G operators in Europe feel they essentially “prepaid” for the 2.5 GHz spectrum when they bought 2.1 GHz spectrum for 3G, said Margaret LaBrecque, who chairs the WiMAX Forum's regulatory working group and is director of industry programs for Intel's broadband wireless division. They feel it would be unfair for regulators to allow other competitors to pay less for spectrum at 2.5 GHz and compete against them, she said. The 3G operators are already lobbying hard to ensure that winners of the 2.5 GHz licenses will be able to deploy only 3G or IMT-2000 technologies. “I don't think you can underestimate the sheer lobbying power of Vodafone,” Gabriel said. “The regulators don't upset them lightly.” Still, the WiMAX Forum is trying to convince regulators in Europe to allow other technologies to be deployed in the band. The European Commission, which represents 25 countries, has said that while it supports harmonization, it doesn't view the 2.5 GHz band as exclusive to 3G services, LaBrecque said. “The big question is whether the EC will mandate it,” she said. The body could allow individual regulatory bodies to make decisions, or mandate that regulators allow other technologies to be used in the band. Motorola hopes for one of two scenarios, according to Juan Santiago, director of strategy for Motorola's wireless broadband group. The first is for regulators to make the band completely technology-neutral. However, while regulators in Europe are trending toward liberalizing their spectrum policies, a completely neutral approach would be a break from tradition for most. The other scenario is for WiMAX to be included in the IMT2000 family of technologies, which would mean operators could deploy WiMAX in the 2.5 GHz band. “We have customers in the UMTS camp, but we'd also like to see WiMAX succeed. We believe they can co-exist,” Santiago said. mo
Posted by: revlis mschere, Sounds like a desperate move by the Wimax advocates. mo RE: It seemed unbelievable a year ago, but WiMAX could soon enjoy the same spectrum access rights as UMTS and CDMA-2000, the dominant 3G technologies. These gain privileged spectrum usage because they are part of the IMT-2000 standard, and an application has just been made to include WiMAX within that standard
Posted by: revlis WiMax Technology Altering Mobile Networks
WiFi and WiMax technology are changing the face of cellular phone communication, according to this TIME Europe article. The entire infrastructure of the mobile industry is being altered to accommodate for increased consumer demand for wireless technology which provides efficient service of internet and video to their phones. To compensate, many cell phone companies are looking in to software upgrades which will allow existing phones to compete in the new market, but “some operators acknowledge that these enhancements will probably not be powerful enough to compete with mobile WiMax, and few seem to have a strategy beyond that http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/79869 revlis
Posted by: revlis WiMAX to live in the mobile broadband shadows until the next decade UMTS TDD will also be one of the technologies eating into the old timers' six per cent market share, with IPMobile's 2007 Japan launch helping to fuel a future user base of 14 million. But, despite their obvious advantages, these recent market entrants won't be able to steal that much attention away from finessed existing technologies such as HSPA and EV-DO Revision A+, which will collectively boast a 30 million-strong fan base by 2010, according to the analyst. http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/98614/wimax-to-live-in-the-mobile-broadband-shadows-until-the-next-decad... revlis
Posted by: revlis I do not know why IDCC is quiet about their portfolio in this technology since it will be a big part of WiMax and 4G. mo RE: InterDigital Shrinks Smart Antennas To Fit In Phones Date Posted: Oct 13, 2004,
US Fed News
* InterDigital Communications Corporation - Advanced Wireless Technologies - $1 Million Third Generation (3G) Systems will provide access, by means of one or more radio links, to a wide range of telecommunication services supported by the fixed telecommunication networks and to other services that are specific to mobile users. Funding will allow Interdigital and the DOD to demonstrate the feasibility of a 3G tactical wireless handset, including delivery of a chipset, that can operate in a frequency band allowing for worldwide terrestrial operation, evaluate 3G waveform enhancements needed for future radio and satellite devices, evaluate emerging commercial technologies beyond 3G for improved performance of small handheld devices or sensors, and continue the evaluation of advanced antenna schemes to improve overall wireless system performance. Too bad this patent is not for a WiMax system but I wouldn't be surprised if IDCC has one pending. Simple smart-antenna system for MUD-enabled cellular networks
Posted by: Gamco United States Patent 7,130,662 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Appl. No.: 10/331,073 - Posted by: Eric 3GPP GAN (formerly UMA) and IEEE 802.21 mschere, << "Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology is basically a private version of 802.21." >> LOL! I guess that's from a cached (rather than up to date) Wikipedia page on 802.21. I would state that as ... ... IEEE 802.21 is a wannabe equivalent of (or perhaps more appropriately a complement to) an open 3GPP GERAN standard that has completed initial standardization, has been matured, and is now in the early stages of commercialization with 3GPP compliant UMA mobile devices and routers from several manufacturers now shipping and others preparing to ship. A "private version of 802.21?" Non. It is not a "private version" of anything. Wikipedia currently reads ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.21 BTW: The "umatechnology.org" link you provided serves a historical purpose but the operative and up to date link is to "UMA today" provided on its home page ... http://www.umatoday.com/ You can unbookmark "umatechnology.org" and substitute the "umatoday.com" link. If you do, you'll be more up to date than Wikipedia's wiki on UMA or the 801.21 wiki. <ggg> Best, - Eric -
Posted by: mschere 802.21 (MIH = media independent handover) Reasons for 802.21 Some of the Expectations Implementation Examples Similar technologies mschere Posted by: Data_Rox Thanks Eric. I posted your post because I know there are a few here that are following IDCC's patents and are looking for any connections to UMA as well as 802.21....and of course 3GPP's IMS. Regards R
Posted by: Eric Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC): Baby Steps << Fixed Mobile Convergence: UMA --> IMS/VCC >> Data, We sure are drowning in acronyms. I confess to never having heard of the VCC (Voice Call Continuity) component of 3GPP's IMS till I listened to that webinar that Frank Coluccio provided me with, and that I highly recommend to anyone interested in the subjects of FMC or NGN (Next Generation Networks). I'd also been eagerly awaiting the arrival of UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) without fully understanding what it provides to the mobile user, or whether or not it could (would) be available to provide services for 3GSM UMTS (WCDMA) networks as well as 2.5G GSM EDGE networks [UMA was originally standardized in 3GPP GERAN, not 3GPP 3G]. For those that may be interested I've submitted a post to the Nokia board here (rather than elsewhere since many won't be interested) that describes the 1st commercial implementation of UMA in the USA, provided by T-Mobile USA with their HotSpot @Home service now being piloted in Seattle prior to a national rollout ... http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=14390536 The post provides some history on UMA and contains links to some good whitepapers on the subject of FMC evolution. Best, - Eric -
Posted by: Data_Rox Fixed Mobile Convergence: UMA --> IMS/VCC good post from Eric >> VCC vs. UMA: Two Technologies or Two Different Services? -- I recently sat through a webinar that generally spells out the nuts and bolts of how these features work behind the scenes, although it might be viewed as a sideways approach to the subject, since it actually dealt with the implications of IMS vis a vis VCC and UMA. From Telephonyonline.com http://telephonyonline.com/webcasts/#wc17 << That really is an excellent webinar that positions UMA as a standardized 1st generation (1st phase) approach for GSM carriers that allows them to implement IP based voice-centric services using converged cellular/WiFi devices while the Voice Call Connectivity (VCC) of more data-centric IMS completes standardization in IMS R'7 and is subsequently matured and then commercialized. It cleared up some questions for me about whether or not IMS/VCC were competitive or complementary, and its a recommended listen for anyone interested in the general subject of Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC). I'll (hopefully) comment further and attempt to answer (or at least provide my opinion and maybe indulge a rant) on some of the questions on "parallel universes" and interoperability you raised in a separate post -- and perhaps others here might comment or opine on them in the interim. Related to this discussion, the one year old article below previews Cingular's planned evolution path for FMC at least as it existed at that time, and before AT&T modifies them <g> or ratifies them ... >> Cingular's Got Big FMC Plans Dan Jones http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=81601 Cingular Wireless LLC is pushing ahead with fixed mobile convergence (FMC) plans, Unstrung has learned, and it could become the first GSM-based carrier to offer integrated services across cellular, fixed-line, and WLAN networks in the U.S.
UMA allows subscribers to move between cellular and WiFi networks outdoors, and a fixed line indoors, with just one phone. The long-term plans include rolling out a high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) upgrade to its network. Cingular has said that it expects to implement the high-speed 3G upgrade across most of its network in the U.S. by the end of 2006. Overall, Cingular is planning a unified network architecture that can support a range of IP-based services for both packet- and circuit-switched networks, and employ a range of different wireless and fixed access mechanisms. This involves a major software upgrade at the network core and requires better performance across the entire cellular access network before it can be fully implemented. This is why many analysts and industry figures don't believe that full IMS implementations will be in place before 2007 or 2008. Cingular's plan is to have a mobile phone with a UMA client and a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) client on board. The UMA would handle the moves between the cellular network and public access hotspots. When the user gets home, the UMA client hands off to the SIP client, which enables voice over the wired network. The phone acts like a cordless unit with a wireless LAN connection between the handset and a base unit that is plugged into the PSTN. Such a service could allow Cingular and its fixed-line parents -- BellSouth Corp. (NYSE: BLS) and SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC) -- to offer some fairly sophisticated fixed/mobile bundling options to potential subscribers. Astute readers will note that Cingular's FMC strategy is very similar to the "Fusion" project -- formerly known as "BluePhone" -- being developed by BT Group plc (NYSE: BT - London: BTA) on the other side of the pond. Indeed, as Roger Entner, VP of wireless telecom at research firm Ovum Ltd. notes, Cingular has joined the BluePhone consortium, a group of vendors formed in May 2004 to develop the technology for BT Fusion. It is led by Alcatel (NYSE: ALA; - Paris: CGEP:PA) and includes Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERICY), Lucent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: LU), and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT). "I think they joined too late to influence much of the decision-making process," Entner notes. But Cingular's membership of the group reinforces the notion that the carrier will use UMA as the basis for its initial FMC strategy, since this is the path BT and the consortium have already laid out. UMA was initially devleoped by startup Kineto Wireless Inc. but has garnered fairly widespread industry support from infrastruture vendors and handset makers -- including Alcatel, Motorola, and Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) -- over the last year. "They’re moving fast on this now," says one source working with the company, adding that Cingular wants to edge out T-Mobile USA, which has looked at a similar strategy but hasn't forwarded it yet. But Cingular's major rival in the U.S. cellular scene, Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), still claims it will be first with a fully integrated FMC system in the U.S. "We've had IMS underway for some time and hold the lead in North American implementation," a Sprint spokesman says. ### Here's a few more on the general UMA subject in chronlogical order dating back to February of this year ... >> UMA Steps Up Dan Jones http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=88835 Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) unveiled mobile phones that can switch calls between Bluetooth, cellular, and WiFi networks today at the 3GSM show in Barcelona, Spain. Even though enterprises would like to be able to roll out such dual-mode handsets, businesses may be slow to adopt these devices, according to Ellen Daley, a principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc. Motorola showed off the Motorola A910 handset to be sold by BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA) as part of its Fusion fixed/mobile convergence service in the UK. The phone is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2006. Nokia's rival 6136 handset, which uses a clamshell design, is due on the market in the second quarter of 2006. What these models have in common is that they are among the first fixed/mobile convergence devices available for business users and well-healed consumers to buy. Both phones use a technology specification called unlicensed mobile access (UMA) to switch between different networks without dropping calls. The technology is appealing to operators because it allows them to maintain control of the call by tunneling the data back over a WLAN or Bluetooth network to a gateway on the operator's network, which processes and forwards the call data to the circuit or packet-switched mobile core. UMA was first pioneered by startup Kineto Wireless Inc., but has clearly started to trickle into the mainstream. Evidence indicates strong corporate demand for dual-mode handsets. "We did a survey last year and found that companies had a pent-up demand for dual-mode devices," says Daley of Forrester. "There's a perception out there that employees are walking the corridors talking on cellphones when they could be using company infrastructure to make that call." There are, however, a number of factors needed to fall into place before corporations can seriously look at equipping employees with dual-mode devices. Companies will have to upgrade their voice-over-IP systems, buy expensive new handsets, and quite possibly redesign their wireless LAN networks. That said, don't expect to see many businesses move to dual-mode hand |
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As with 3G technology, InterDigital is deeply involved in designing and patenting important technology at the heart of what are likely to become 4G standards. The Company expects substantial future royalties and other revenues from this 4G technology development. InterDigital is so respected by the wireless communications industry for its engineering/design work that the IEEE standards organization chose InterDigital's Brian G.Kiernan (l) to chair the group writing international standards for mobile WiMax (IEEE 802.16e).
Editor's note: The 
4G: A workable definition of 4G today may be: "a CONVERGED telecommunications system that allows data transfer rates of 1Gbps in nomadic circumstances and 100 Mbps in mobile environments and which allows wireless devices to SEEMLESSLY communicate on the move -- between WCDMA, HSxPA, WiMax and other standards." 
Turns out that InterDigital saw this coming a long time ago and developed a better solution. They called it "seamless" handover in the early patents, and it's most significant enabling feature is that IDCC flipped the current network management control process upside down. IDCC's engineers took the handover decision away from the base stations and they put it in the mobile devices. In that pioneering design the subscriber units have the capability to identify handover candidates in multiple networks, and the authority to make that decision.
SK Telecom's CEO Kim Shin-Bae appeared on a special live broadcast hosted by China's CCTV in commemoration of China¡®s fifth anniversary in its entry into the WTO. Through his speech, he revealed his expectations about the additional opening of China¡®s telecom market, saying that it would lead to increased competitiveness of Chinese telecom operators due to investments and competition. He also added that SK Telecom would pursue globalization together with Korean and Chinese IT companies, playing the role of a bridge for cooperation of the telecom sectors of the two countries.
WiBro, despite its influence on the 802.16e standard, may not be all that it's cracked up to be. Maximum hand-off speeds of 16mph have been mentioned, although Samsung has claimed 1MBit/s speeds with intercell handoff at 100Km/h (=62 mph). Whiteley puts it as follows: "There will be two waves - WiBro will be first, with the fancy bits coming in the second." Suddenly, it looks like a burst of competition is in prospect.
PISCATAWAY, N.J., 7 Dec 2005 The IEEE today announced the approval of IEEE 802.16e(TM), the mobile WirelessMAN(R)standard that will facilitate the global development of mobile broadband wireless access (BWA) systems. The standard amends and extends the IEEE 802.16(TM) WirelessMAN standard, which addressed Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks for broadband wireless access but previously supported only fixed (stationary) terminals. The amended standard specifies a system for combined fixed and mobile BWA supporting subscriber stations moving at vehicular speeds in licensed bands under 6 GHz.
InterDigital last week introduced a new smart antenna technology for mobile devices called AIM (Adaptive Interference Management), that can essentially "aim" the antenna toward signals - and away from interference - without moving the antenna itself. Similar technology is already available for tower antennas, but this is the first time such technology has been made small enough to fit in a phone. Potential benefits include improved signal strength, better battery life, and higher data rates. AIM technology is compatible with most wireless standards, including CDMA, GSM, WCDMA, Wi-Fi, and WIMAX.
802.21 is an IEEE emerging standard. ... Similar Technologies: Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology is basically a mobile-centric version of 802.21. UMA is said to provide roaming and handover between GSM, UMTS, Bluetooth and 802.11 networks. ... Since June 19 2005, UMA is a part of the ETSI 3GPP standardization process under the GAN (Generic Access Network) Group.
Cingular is looking at first adding fixed mobile convergence services with unlicensed mobile access (UMA) technology, but eventually it plans to tie all of its networks together using IMS technology when it upgrades its wireless data networks to broadband speeds, sources say.