Something on another thread for balance. It was a response to the GSM post on the SI front page today. Comments?
Rick
To: MikeM54321 who wrote (7557)
From: Jim Kayne Jul 11, 2000 2:34 AM
Respond to Post # 7558 of 7571
Hi, Mike - I recently began to research some of the older posts by wireless wonk, dave horne, Bernard Levy, et al, and was struck by a realization that they must be mighty tired of the CDMA/TDMA debate.
My own conclusion, after our foray into the Mobile Last Mile, was that they will continue to coexist for the foreseeable future. The IMT 2000 decision, which refused to bankrupt either infrastructure by favoring the other, dictates that future roaming handsets must handle both.
We had a little discussion of the matter over on the Wi-LAN thread, because, as you may or may not know, T is predicating its future EDGE data transmission rates on the concurrent use of WOFDM.
As you also may know, T has decided to make a wholesale replacement of CDMA with TDMA infrastructure in the area of its latest acquisition:
upside.com
This, WRT our longstanding debate about infrastructure buildout/evolution costs, especially as regards T.
'This CDMA/TDMA fight is getting ridiculous. It is clear that both air interfaces will coexist, and that's it. End of story.
The whole thing is equivalent to a barroom brawl, where two factions divide themselves on beer brands. Excuse me? An endless verbal fistfight over competing commercial prospects?
I realize that the subtext is the fact that people have investments in the competing methodologies, but the argument is unresolvable. Both will survive.
My point was that it is not necessarily true that a network will STAY in one camp or the other. A review of the costs of having to upgrade CDMA networks will have to wait for another day, but, in consideration of the cost/benefits, that cost should be deducted from the cost of having to switch to TDMA.
WRT T's decision, there is probably a payback horizon where the decrease in roaming charges will result in a break-even proposition.'
My present understanding is that there is a cost to upgrading CDMA networks when implementing high speed data transport: I'm not sure what that cost would be, say, as a percentage of basic CDMA infrastructure cost.
I welcome any comments/insight into these costs.
Regards,
Jim |
