Looks like Sprint and Lucent are getting serious about 3G. Note that Lucent is one of the main 802.11b companies.
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from: dailynews.yahoo.com
Tuesday April 10 01:54 PM EDT
Sprint, Lucent Set Speed Mark
By Jay Wrolstad, Wireless.NewsFactor.com
In an effort to meet the need for speed in next-generation wireless communications, Sprint PCS (NYSE: PCS - news) and Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU - news) said they recently completed the fastest-ever 3G data call for a U.S. mobile wireless carrier.
The experimental call, at speeds of up to 2.4 megabits per second (Mbps), paves the way for future high-speed data transmission rates in wireless services and will allow Sprint customers to be among the first in the country to take advantage of 3G advanced mobile phone applications such as streaming video and audio, the companies said.
CDMA Technology Upgrade
The successful call was conducted April 5th at Sprint's test site in Lenexa, Kansas, using a new technology protocol named "CDMA20001xEV-DO" (1xEvolution-Data Only). This 3G CDMA (code division multiple access) technology enables the transmission of data at speeds up to 165 times faster than what is currently available on wireless voice and data networks, the companies said.
When implemented in Sprint's network, the technology will let wireless consumers download music to their phones directly from the Internet or send pictures from remote locations.
Business customers will be able to open e-mail attachments using wireless modems in their laptops without seeking a pay phone or using hotel connections, the companies said.
Available in 2003
Sprint, which is experimenting with the new technology through June, said it will test increased data transmission rates and capacity along with such applications as Web browsing, file transfer, and streaming video and audio.
Lucent's commercial Flexent CDMA base stations and Qualcomm's (Nasdaq: QCOM - news) 1xEV-DO test equipment are being used in the trial. Commercial availability of the upgraded base stations is expected next year, Lucent said, and Sprint is expected to deploy 3G technology in its networks by 2003.
"Our successful data call using 1xEV-DO demonstrates that Sprint PCS is on time and on target in delivering on the first steps to bring high-speed mobile Internet access to our customers," said Oliver Valente, chief technology officer at Sprint PCS.
Sprint has enough spectrum in the United States for the next 10 years and will introduce high-speed packet data nationwide in 2002, Valente added.
Getting Up to Speed
Sprint operates the largest completely digital nationwide PCS network in the United States, serving some 23 million customers in more than 4,000 cities and communities. The company reported US$23 billion in annual revenues.
Sprint said the initial 3G deployment for CDMA2000, expected this year, will double the network's voice capacity, increase data transmission speeds from 14.4 kilobits per second (kbps) to up to 144 kbps, and increase battery life for handsets in standby mode by 50 percent.
By early 2003, Sprint said, the company will move to the second stage of its four-stage 3G migration path, with speeds of up to 307 kbps. Peak speeds then will reach those replicated in the Sprint-Lucent data call -- up to 2.4 Mbps -- with 3G1xEV-Data Only (DO).
Lucent Technologies, based in Murray Hill, New Jersey, designs and delivers systems, software and services for next-generation communications networks for service providers and enterprises.
Backed by the research and development of Bell Labs, Lucent focuses on high-growth areas, such as broadband and mobile Internet infrastructure, communications software, and network design and consulting services. |
