UTSI vs. INTC
Is UMTS TDD upstaging WiMAX?
While the noise over the advent of WiMAX continues to grab attention, rival UMTS Time Division Duplex (TDD) technology has started to seize market share that could leave WiMAX fighting for its life in many parts of the world.
In the latest victory for UMTS TDD technology, UK Broadband, a subsidiary of PCCW, has placed an order with UTStarcom for its MovingMedia 6000, a brand-new platform introduced for UMTS TDD service.
The MovingMedia 6000 operates in the licensed 1900-1920 MHz, 2010-2025 MHz, 2500-2700 MHz and 3400-3600 MHz bands. UK Broadband is using the gear to roll out 512 Kbps and 1 Mbps service.
Initial plans are for data service only but the company plans to offer VoIP in competition with landline telephony over the wireless network it has started building.
The deployment joins about 40 UMTS networks around the world that are currently "at some phase or another" in deployment, says Jon Hambidge, head of global marketing for IP Wireless, the company that owns the intellectual property for the UMTS TDD chipset that powers UTStarcom's hardware.
It's not clear where or when the next UMTS TDD deployment will be ready to announce but Optus recently set a February 2005 date for a trial of UMTS TDD, using UTStarcom gear, in Sydney.
The trial is expected to be closely watched because, until now, all four of Australia's mobile operators have opted for the WCDMA platform. UMTS TDD, also known as TD-CDMA, claims to yield between 10 and 15 times the capacity of WCDMA. Should Optus choose UMTS TDD, the repercussions are expected to echo through telcos around the world.
UMTS became a "pure" broadband offering when it went into Release 5, which defined an IP network rather than the 3G mobile telephony core in earlier versions of the standard. Before the end of this month, Release 6 should be defined and locked down. That will define a multiple in/multiple out (MIMO) architecture.
"We expect that, combined with some other things we're doing, (Release 6) will double not only our peak speeds but also the average capacity you see on the network," Hambidge says. Those specs currently include a maximum speed of some 4.5 Mbps to 5 Mbps to the user.
He says that is enough for UMTS TDD to already offer a "DSL replacement that is truly mobile." A key term in that statement is "truly mobile." There's already a PCMCIA card available for UMTS TDD broadband as well as a small battery-powered modem, a plug-and-play 802.11 access point that uses UMTS TDD for backhaul and a VoIP access point. There's even a VoIP handset coming that can function as a cellphone replacement, at least in areas where UMTS TDD is available.
Hambidge compares that to the hardware expected to be available for WiMAX when the technology finally comes to market - hardware that isn't expected to include the PCMCIA cards needed for the technology to be useful in mobile situations until at least 2006 or maybe 2007.
In addition, Hambidge argues, WiMAX devices are priced significantly higher than UMTS TDD hardware. The result, he says, is that for now "the only market you can make (WiMAX) work is where people will pay $100 a month." In contrast, UMTS TDD is said to be at or approaching the point where operators can break even on fees of just $20 per month.
We're not ready to write off WiMAX entirely, but it's obvious that the rest of the industry isn't standing still waiting for WiMAX to emerge. When it does it's going to find a crowded market, and the longer it takes the more crowded the market will be. To hear some talk WiMAX is almost upon us - but then again we heard the same thing about 3G almost five years ago and 3G technologies - like UMTS TDD - are only really starting to gain market traction now.
As for UMTS TDD, the technology looks positioned to grab a bigger chunk of the market than many expect. |
