Have you heard this one before (like 3rd straight year)?
>>Look For GSM/TDMA Phones At End Of Year
By Malcolm Spicer
CT Wireless
January 16, 2001
A year from now, wireless carriers will be offering handsets that work on both GSM and TDMA networks, according to industry groups.
"We expect TDMA and GSM interoperable handsets prototypes to be out toward the end of the second quarter this year and to be commercially available at the end of this year," Chris Pearson, spokesman for the Universal Wireless Communications Consortium, told Wireless Today.
"Our customers expect to be able to enjoy services from their home network, wherever they may be in the world," said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association.
The GSM Association and the Universal Consortium, which promotes the TDMA standard, last week agreed to include TDMA interoperability with GSM as a core component of the GSM Global Roaming Forum.
The forum represents operators and equipment suppliers developing interoperability between GSM and other interface technologies, including CDMA and TDMA, as well as the iDEN and TETRA specialized mobile radio technologies.
Several handset manufacturers already offer models that work on different spectrum bands using the same digital interface standard, such as phones that operate on GSM 800, 1800 and 1900 networks. However, no mobile phones are yet available that are able to use multiple standards, which is what GSM/TDMA handsets are being designed to do.
Offering interoperable handsets will enable many GSM and TDMA carriers to offer more coverage to customers. That's because roaming agreements should increase between GSM and TDMA carriers with the new handsets, Pearson said.
Because some carriers own both GSM and TDMA networks, they will be able to reduce roaming costs by keeping more of their customers' airtime traffic on their own networks, Pearson added. "There's a definite advantage to keeping your traffic on your own network versus roaming with others," he said.
In addition to working with existing interface technologies, GSM/TDMA handsets manufactured according to the two standards will be capable of working on 2.5- and third- generation networks, Pearson said.
"It bodes well for, at some point, getting seamless global communications," he said. "Right now, they're working on existing interoperability with GSM, but beyond that is 3G waiting for interoperability to happen."
The Universal Consortium began working on interoperability issues with the North American unit of the GSM Association in 1999. Expanding the collaboration extends the interoperability target from handsets that will work on GSM and TDMA technologies used in North American markets to networks deployed worldwide.
"It's not so North American-centric, but more worldwide in nature for TDMA and GSM interoperability," Pearson said.
According to the GSM Association, there were 465 million wireless users on GSM and TDMA networks worldwide at the end of 2000, which represents more than 70 percent of the 655 million wireless users worldwide.
The Bottom Line
Stop us if you've heard this before: "We'll have that new product on the market in a year." Yeah, we've heard it before also. Interoperable GSM/TDMA phones will make an impression in the market, but we'll really be impressed if they are available at this time next year. <<
- Eric - |
