Dennis,
<< The table doesn't show any 850Mhz GPRS phones. AT&T Wireless and Cingular need those rather badly.>>
AWS maybe. Cingular, no.
Cingular is only building out and planning to launch GPRS at this stage in its GSM properties (PacBell, BellSouth Mobility) and they are 1900 MHz only.
They haven't let any other contracts, and seem to be on the fence between a TDMA-EDGE migration path through EGPRS, or the GSM-EDGE migration path. Maybe they are considering CDMA as well some say. Regardless. No technology choice has been officially made, but I don't think.
Siemens is on the hook to deliver GAIT handsets to Cingular (and AWS). I'm sure glad Nokia is not on the hook for that exercise. I have not really seen (or have forgotten) how these homorphrodites will be configured. Not sure they will be GPRS. GSM 900/1900 with TDMA 800/1900 & AMPS (I think). The GSM 1900 (for starters) will allow them to roam nationally on GSM through roaming agreements with GSMNA, and internationally.on GSM 900. What a mess, eh?
AWS is certainly going to need a GSM GPRS 800/1900 model.with maybe AMPS 800, but AMPS may have to be sacrificed for GSM 900 for international roaming. That s not such a big deal. Nokia delivered GSM 1900 with AMPS 800 about 3 months after the standard for same was finalized, and start to finish the project wasn't much more than 12 months. There was no fanfare, no preannouncements. Motorola and Ericsson delivered theres maybe 3 months after Nokia, but the market was small and they missed the window.
Despite what Herschel says, I don't think 800 MHz comboed up with 1900 (and 900) is a big deal. GAIT is an entirely different matter. That's a w***** nightmare.
AWS may soft launch 1900 MHz only (perhaps with AMPS) in a market suited for it.
- Eric - |
