Lakers,
re: Reuters on the Qualcomm CDMA double double
<< Looks like your tutor doesn't like the idea because that will drain his battery. <ggg> >>
Tutors everywhere. <g>
Your turn.
There is a variance here as compared to the Qualcomm PR
* Double antennas in handset - OK
* Double receivers in handset - ???
* Base stations - 2 v 4
Do you know if the Qualcomm PR was accurate in describing double antennas AND double receivers in the HANDSET?
>> Qualcomm Says Can Double Capacity on Its 3G Networks
Ben Berkowitz
Reuters
October 2, 2001
Qualcomm Inc. said on Tuesday it has developed a way to double the voice capacity of networks using its next-generation cellular standard, an advance that could save carriers from more expensive future expansion.
The San Diego-based company said it has devised a system to double the voice capacity on networks based on the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 standard, a third-generation, or 3G, network platform.
The upgraded system would require the introduction of new cellular handsets that would have two antennas, one internal and one external, but Qualcomm is confident that ``the costs can be relatively minimal,'' said Roberto Padovani, executive vice president of research and development for the company.
Operators of CDMA networks in the United States, Korea and other nations with heavy cellular usage are rolling out CDMA 2000 as a way to both increase voice capacity and data speeds for multimedia applications.
The potential two-fold increase in capacity is on top of the doubling in voice capacity already provided by CDMA 2000 1x systems, and can be accomplished within the existing specifications for the standard, meaning that older phones on the network would continue to work as well.
Qualcomm said it was able to double network capacity through new speech processing technologies, the use of the dual-antenna phones and new reception methods for cellular base stations.
The company has completed the first round of field testing, according to Roberto Padovani, executive vice president for research and development for Qualcomm.
In terms of equipment, the biggest changes needed for the advance in capacity would be the adoption of the new phones and adding extra receivers so that cellular base stations could have four receivers instead of the current standard of two, he said.
The added receivers would increase base station capacity by 70 percent 80 percent, Padovani said.
The speech processing techniques, which he said are being standardized, reduce the data rate for the transmission of a conversation, which he said frees up bandwidth for other calls.
The dual-antenna phones draw less power from the network, which in turn also leaves more power for other calls. ''Obviously the doubling happens if all the handsets are equipped with these techniques,'' Padovani said.
Implementation of the new doubling techniques would be more of a long-term goal for carriers, since it would be at least 12 to 18 months before equipment like dual-antenna headsets would be available, he said.
Separately on Tuesday, brokerage Dain Rauscher Wessels initiated coverage on Qualcomm with a ``Buy-Aggressive'' rating, saying the company is poised to grow with the adoption of its CDMA standard.
Shares in Qualcomm closed up 2.4 percent at $45.87 on Nasdaq. Since the start of the year Qualcomm shares have lost 43 percent. <<
- Eric - |
