Tero,
<< The Latin American frequency decision has been delayed into June. Presumably because they want to wait and see how certain Asian issues play out. As far as I know, the decision is not about GSM versus CDMA - it's about 1800 MHz versus 1900 MHz. This is almost the same thing, since if the 1800 MHz proposal wins, it means that it will be used for GSM-1800 licenses. If the 1900 MHz proposal wins, it might be used for both CDMA and TDMA licenses. >>
Exactly. Ah, the good old American way. Freedom of choice.
<< However, the important thing here is the 3G angle; selecting the 1800 MHz frequency for new licenses would mean that W-CDMA can be implemented in the same way that it is being implemented in Europe and Asia. If 1900 MHz is selected, it hogs some frequencies needed by W-CDMA, and this would prevent W-CDMA from being introduced to Brazil in its current form. >>
This makes the decision very important. My take is that as a result of the recent WRC-2000 decisions W-CDMA in its current form will have to evolve.
<< That's why the China/Australia/Korea/Hong Kong decisions on 3G are so important ... This would bring the Brazilian operators in line with the biggest operators in Europe and Asia >>
And out of synch with the rest of the Americas. That is also why the deliberations of WRC-2000 were bloody important. I am blatantly taking an American perspective here. Other than backward compatability with 2G GSM, (important in GSM land) I'll be darned if I can see a technical advantage to UMTS over cdma2000, although "economies of scale" are obviously important.
<< Selecting the 1900 MHz option would mean that Brazil would have to rely on EDGE and cdma2000 for 3G technologies... which must feel somewhat nauseating right now.
I would think that considering the migration path for GSM-1800 through GPRS would be a little nauseating for a carrier building out in 1800 MHz spectrum, when compared to the migration path for cdmaOne/cdma2000 in 1900 MHz.
Below is an excerpt from an interview with Renato Guerrero (director-general of Anatel, the Brazilian telecommunications regulator) that relates to the spectrum decision Brazil will make shortly.
Profile: BRAZILIAN BRAVURA
totaltele.com
01 May 2000
CI-Online
>> Q: There is a great battle raging between proponents of 1.8 MHz and 1.9 MHz for the third licence. The choice Brazil makes will dictate what the rest of the continent follows. What are the issues from your viewpoint?
Who do you want to please more: the ITU, which is recommending 1.8 MHz or the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), which proposes 1.9 MHz?
A: We are considering various aspects, the first one being our commitments to CITEL and ITU respectively. There are other considerations, which are by no means exhaustive: national industry capacity to manufacture terminals and equipment to one or the other specification; the issue of technical convergence: which one will create the strongest synergy between fixed and mobile; which of the two choices will make it easier for mobile consumers to switch between operators; price reductions and new features for consumers and finally, the question of the synergy with the rest of the Mercosur market, although there is the fact that Venezuela has adopted a different approach.
Q: What are the reasons for delaying this decision?
A: If we adopt 1.8 MHz, we would be seen as favouring one technology, that is GSM, if we adopt 1.9 MHz, we would be enabling all three protocols: GSM, TDMA and CDMA. Ultimately, it is not the role of policy to define the technology, it is the operators that will decide which standard to choose, based on their market demands and profit prospects. The role of Anatel will be to stimulate operators to offer service according to market demand. <<
This interview is one month old. The WRC has met and reached its conclusions. A fair amount of compromises seem to have been made. A flexible approach was taken. With 1800 MHZ spectrum available for IMT-2000, it would seem to me that Brazil may opt not to set it aside for 2G services and use 1900 MHz instead for these services. This would be consistent with the North American approach and allow consistency across the Americas.
Something in my mind makes me think that Anatel's postponed target for a decision was June 2. Stay tuned ...
... and, oh yes, in the spirit of technology choice:
>> Nokia wins GSM contract in Bolivia
totaltele.com
By Steve Riseborough
26 May 2000
Finnish vendor Nokia entered the Bolivian market for the first time on Friday when it announced a contract to supply a complete GSM 1900 network to mobile operator Nuevatel.
The contract, which Nokia claims is the first of its kind in Bolivia, is valued at approximately $25 million and includes switching, base station systems and WAP gateway solutions.
Initially deployed in the cities of La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, the company hopes the network will ultimately achieve national coverage.
"This will give us a strong position to become a leading PCS [Personal Communication Systems] provider offering innovative solutions to Bolivian customers," said Nuevatel president Pete Simpson.
Nokia signed an agreement earlier this week to supply a GSM network in Venezuela to Corporacion Digital, and it sells handsets across Latin America from its production facilities in Mexico and Brazil.
The company said the deal raises the number of its GSM customers to 94 operators in 43 countries.
The agreement follows Italian operator Telecom Italia's decision earlier this month to spend $70 million on its PCS wireless telephone operation in Peru. <<
- Eric - |
