BEIJING, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A U.S.-Chinese firm funded by
Intel Corp <INTC.O> and others said on Tuesday it has developed a
next-generation mobile phone technology that outclasses wireless
pioneer Qualcomm Inc's <QCOM.O> bread-and-butter CDMA standard.
LinkAir Communications has developed a technology that
improves on Qualcomm's CDMA standard by using the airwaves more
efficiently, allowing more voice and data to be carried, said Li
Daoben, vice president and chief scientist.
"We have the highest spectrum efficiency," Li told Reuters on
the sidelines of a conference here on 3G wireless technologies.
"I believe I am one of Qualcomm's competitors," he said.
Launched a year ago in Beijing and Silicon Valley, Li said
privately-held LinkAir had raised nearly $100 million in
financing from Intel, Massachusetts-based International Data
Group, and the Carlyle Group, a Washington-based investment firm.
So-called 3G wireless networks, set to be rolled out globally
over the next few years, will deliver speedy Internet access.
Wireless carriers are expected to adopt either the European WCDMA
standard or Qualcomm's cdma2000 system for 3G networks.
But newer standards, like LinkAir's LAS-CDMA, and China's
TD-SCDMA, also hope to vie for the billions of dollars in
equipment, software and licensing revenues from 3G carriers.
LinkAir's technology is in its early stages, although it has
made a successful trial call and has support from China's
Ministry of Information Industry, Li said.
The technology remains an underdog in an increasingly crowded
and competitive field and Li himself conceded that the best
technology does not always win.
But he said LinkAir had spoken with Chinese wireless carriers
China Unicom and China Mobile and U.S.-based Sprint PCS <PCS.N>
about participating in trials. U.S. equipment maker Motorola Inc
<MOT.N> supported LAS-CDMA, he added.
"We need support from some operators and manufacturers" for a
technology about three years from commercial availability, Li
said.
While the structure of his company's system is similar to
CDMA (code division multiple access), "its kernel technology is
completely different," he said.
The "kernel" refers to the core technology and patents for
the standard.
Equipment which runs on Qualcomm's CDMA could easily be
upgraded by replacing the core CDMA technology with LinkAir's
system, he said.
REUTERS
Rtr 05:20 09-27-00
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