Mobile Phone Makers Delay 2.5G Production
Domestic mobile handset makers have put on hold their production of IS95C handsets
due to a lack of core technology for motion picture transmission, industry sources said
yesterday.
Ahead of full-fledged commercial service of 2.5-generation (2.5G) telecommunication
service, or IS95C, those pending productions cast a shadow over both telecom service
providers and equipment manufacturers
Last month, Samsung Electronics launched its 2.5G mobile telephone, armed with
144-kbps data transmission speed, a large-size liquefied crystal display (LCD) screen
as well as a simple messaging service.
However, the model isn't able to deliver motion picture transmissions in the wireless
Internet environment due to technological problems. Instead, the company plans to
unveil a new model, which enables users to see multimedia contents such as
video-on-demand, weather forecast broadcasting and music clips, but its plan remains
uncertain.
Industry experts said that 2.5G service delivers a big improvement in speed _ presently
64 kbps, soon 128 kbps _ compared to the 9.6 kbps to 19.2 kbps speed of current
mobile services. In order to deliver such high- capacity data files, however, they said
mobile handsets need more than 384 kbps of speed.
``For running motion pictures on the wireless handset, the related technology and
software should be supported,'' a Samsung spokesman said.
``But the basic technologies needed are not completed yet.''
In addition, he expressed a concern that an economic slowdown may delay the
construction of the 2.5G telecommunication service infrastructure.
LG Electronics also developed its 2.5G cellular handset, named Cyber-IX1, in which
Qualcomm's MSM5000 chip is embedded, late last year, but the model has difficulty
sending or receiving high-density motion pictures as well.
``The suspended launch of 2.5G mobile phones, called cdma2000 1X or IS95C, by
Korea Telecom and SK Telecom would be a main drag on the potential growth of
cdma2000 services,'' said Jin Young-wan, a telecom analyst of Hanwha Securities.
Meanwhile, the nation's top mobile carrier, SK Telecom, hinted at another delay for the
roll-out of third-generation (3G) mobile telephone service by postponing its planned
introduction date until May 2002, the Financial Times newspaper reported yesterday.
The paper said SK would not launch 3G services until 2003 at the earliest, but did not
indicate the exact timing. Last week, Qualcomm Inc. also signaled a two-year delay in
the planned 3G services for the European continent.
kdh@koreatimes.co.kr
ragingbull.lycos.com
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bold mine - ben - ((would, not will))
IJ noted "problems worked out" at conference
waiting for 5105? |
