DoCoMo's wimpy W-CDMA SUCKS. Looks like the W-CDMA crowd will be working for QCOM to finish their W-CDMA Chips this fall.
DoCoMo To Delay 3G Rollout Until October
Tuesday, April 24, 2001
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Running into technical problems in setting up 3G (third-generation) wireless networks, NTT
DoCoMo Inc. (9437) will push back its planned rollout of 3G cellular service from the end of May to October, The
Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned Monday.
The delay is expected to have repercussions in the global cellular market, causing U.S. and European wireless providers
to put off launching 3G services until next year. It is also seen as a direct blow to cellular phone manufacturers, which
have been counting on 3G to touch off a wave of new demand.
NTT DoCoMo, which has taken the lead in setting 3G standards, had planned to launch its service May 30, becoming
the first in the world to make a full-scale plunge into 3G.
The plan called for NTT DoCoMo to roll out 3G in the 23 wards of Tokyo, plus parts of Yokohama and Kawasaki,
signing up 150,000 subscribers in the first year.
The big advantage to 3G is that it will allow for rapid transmission of video, enabling wireless videoconferencing and
other applications. But the software required for cell phones and high-speed communications networks to support 3G
is extremely complex.
NTT DoCoMo uncovered bugs in the software testing, which raised concerns that a full-scale 3G launch would be
marred by communications glitches, according to informed sources. Some industry insiders say further delays are
possible if the software problems are not worked out quickly.
(The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Tuesday morning edition) |
