QCOM offers European operators a way to get 3G data immediately while they wait for GPRS and W-CDMA.
totaltele.com
Mobile & Satellite
Qualcomm targets GSM
operators with cdma2000
solutions
By Anne Young and Emily Bourne,
Total Telecom
22 February 2001
Qualcomm Inc. is stepping up its bid for cdma2000 world domination
by targeting GSM operators in Europe with an early version of the
third-generation wireless technology. And the company's CEO, Irwin
Jacobs, is touring Europe in an effort to sway operators frustrated by
equipment delays to the cdma2000 3G standard.
1xEV as a route to Europe
Speaking at the 3GSM Congress in Cannes, Clint McClellan,
Qualcomm's director of strategic marketing, said that by concentrating
on data services only, cdma2000 1x Evolution (EV) could offer speeds
of up to 2.4 megabits per second well before the arrival of wideband
CDMA, Europe's choice for third-generation mobile services.
Although not part of the IMT-2000 family of 3G standards, 1xEV is
widely regarded as a 3G technology because it fulfils all the necessary
criteria. McClellan said a proposal to bring 1xEV under the IMT-2000
umbrella has now been submitted to the ITU and he hopes to see a
favorable outcome this year.
Currently, IMT-2000 standards include W-CDMA, cdma2000 and
UWC-136. 1xEV is a data-centric standard in the cdma2000 family,
while pure 1x provides the migration path for existing cdmaOne
network operators towards 3G.
Qualcomm CEO Jacobs, speaking in London, said the company may
gain its first European presence through 1xEV. "Until recently there
was really no hope of doing anything here." But now, he added, "on the
marketing and support sides we are beefing up the operation."
McClellan claims that the use of 1xEV could open up a whole new
strand for GSM operators and either complement or replace future
W-CDMA networks. A key attraction for GSM operators right now, he
said, is that 1xEV will be commercially deployed by the end of the year,
and making money for operators in 2002.
This would allow GSM operators to target the fixed Internet market in
areas where speeds are excessively slow, as well as the high-speed
mobile Internet market. Trials are currently taking place in Korea, the
United States and Japan. Voice could eventually be brought into the
equation, added McClellan, by integrating the 1x air interface with the
GSM-MAP core network by around 2003.
So if W-CDMA is late, GSM operators could use this as an alternative
route.
cdma2000 in Europe?
The company is also touting its full-grown 3G solution, cdma2000, or
1x, in Europe. "If six months from now, I've got investment in new
spectrum, problems with financing, manufacturers saying 'I need more
time'..." said Jacobs, a readily available alternative might be attractive.
If all goes to plan, he added, W-CDMA will be commercially available
in 2002, with mass deployment in 2004-5, and, he claims, Qualcomm
will be happy if the standard meets its target (the company also
receives royalties for W-CDMA handsets and base stations).
However, he considers it "highly likely" there will be delays in the
delivery of equipment.
The company's own cdma2000 technology, on the other hand, should
be in the networks by next year, he said. Korea's SK Telecom and KT
Freetel are deploying it now in a limited rollout (though it is called 2.5G
because it uses existing spectrum rather than that set aside for 3G). In
Japan, KDDI plans to roll out before the end of the year, using kit from
Motorola, and Verizon and Sprint plan to deploy cdma2000 in the U.S.
next year.
Jacobs claims the company has received some expressions of
interest from European operators. Two years ago, there was "zero or
less interest" in Qualcomm's offerings. But, he said, the problems with
GPRS handsets have driven some providers to consider other options.
"If there is a delay then I think operators will be looking for alternatives."
Installing 1xEV
According to a Qualcomm white paper, a GSM operator can deploy
1xEV alongside its current network. To add 1xEV an operator would
need to install a cdma2000 base station with a 1xEV channel-card, a
packet data serving node and an IP router. The paper claims that
W-CDMA could then be deployed in parallel or at a later date.
McClellan insists that the deployment of early-version cdma2000 could
be completely complementary to the current GSM migration path
towards 3G - that is, GSM - GPRS/EDGE - W-CDMA - by installing
1xEV on the GSM/GPRS network. According to the white paper,
GPRS would not be necessary in this migration path, but could work in
parallel. |
