I didnt see this posted....an interesting account of NTT Docomo's W-CDMA schedule. At the end of the article they state that final testing of the handsets is schedule a MONTH before launch....good luck <g>.
techweb.com
September 27, 2000, Issue: 1133
Section: ARCHITECTS OF THE INTERNET
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KOJI YAMAMOTO -- STAKING OUT A WIRELESS INTERNET TURF
ANTHONY CATALDO
Starting next spring, the wireless industry will set its sights on a higher bar of Internet prospects as Japan's NTT Docomo opens the floodgates on its high-speed 3G connection. Behind the scenes, a mild-mannered executive engineer, emboldened by the high stakes of starting over to stay ahead, will lead a band of engineers in crossing their collective fingers, hoping to send it off without a hitch.
"Sometimes we need to stretch ourselves on a tightrope," said Koji Yamamoto. He, along with fellow executive engineer Seizo Onoe, are two modest and soft-spoken men who are leading a hard-charging development team that has become a lighting rod for Japan's electronics industry.
"Our boldest decision was to scrap our systems for GSM when it would have been easier to expand our PDC network," Yamamoto said. But since Docomo was looking into global roaming services, Yamamoto's team took the leap into a year or more of virtual round-the-clock development and testing.
Docomo's IMT-2000-compliant network consists of a core network based on an extended version of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), the wireless standard favored in Europe and many parts of Asia except Japan.
"We're looking at what we call a virtual home environment," Yamamoto explained. "Subscribers could receive our services from Japan even though they might be in Europe or the United States. It will be as if they are still in Japan, and they will be able to receive the services they can only get here."
There's a lot at stake for Docomo. As the largest service provider in Japan, it is quickly running out of bandwidth for its PDC network. At the same time, it is racing to beat competitors to the punch with its wideband code-division multiple access (CDMA) services months before they can meet cdma2000 standards. To pull it off, Docomo's engineering team and suppliers will be working overtime.
Much of the heavy lifting-not to mention hand-wringing-will be done by Yamamoto and Onoe, who are overseeing the development of the IMT-2000 core network and radio network, respectively. Both acknowledge the enormous task ahead of them: While the specifications have been finalized and the equipment vendors lined up, the system still has to be tested and debugged in less than a year.
Philosophically, Yamamoto appreciates the hidden advantage behind the intense pressure on himself, his partner and their team. On one hand, he admits they could use more time as the inherent risks mount: Could the software programming interface be buggy? Might some unforeseen trouble arise with one of the multiple W-CDMA interfaces the company had to quickly patch together this year? Having too much time, he and Onoe agree, isn't always an advantage. "If we were to take as much time as we wanted, the technology could become outdated," Onoe said. But they've already accepted the fact that the launch date, set for late May 2001, is not negotiable and are prepared to work until the last minute.
"It will be an uphill climb for us," Yamamoto said. "Since we're in the final stage of completing the network, there are days that we have to fine-tune and finish testing. And there are days when people are working late at night."
Docomo based its decision to roll out 3G services so quickly largely on its need to ease the load on its current network. As the leading wireless service provider with a rapidly growing user base, the company is running short of frequency. Many of its newest customers are signing on to the company's new i-mode mobile Internet service, which has a user base of more than 10 million.
To be sure, Docomo's existing PDC network isn't exactly headed for the dustbin. As part of the complete network architecture, the PDC network will work in parallel to the 3G network, linked to the new network via a home location register and an internetworking function that will resolve the traffic between the two systems.
With the core network and radio access network specifications in place and the equipment ready, Docomo engineers will spend most of their time testing and debugging the system. The procedure will be more rigorous than a 2G system the company has deployed because there are still so many unknowns. "CDMA has variable rates, and that is not just a difficult technology to implement, but it will also require longer test periods," Onoe said.
Testing began in earnest in September. In some cases, testing the radio access equipment will have to overlap with construction of the basestations themselves to compress the development times.
Since summer, Docomo's handset suppliers have started providing prototype systems. Three terminal types will be available when the service is launched: a basic terminal capable of voice, Web-browsing and linking to a PC; a data terminal that includes a PCMCIA card; and a video terminal with a camera.
The terminal manufacturers won't have much room for error; final testing for the terminals is slated for only one month before 3G services are launched.
"We hope not to spend our New Year's holiday working," Yamamoto said.
eetimes.com
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