cdma2000 1x vs. FOMA: Competition Heating Up
By Lee Eun-yong
Monday, November 19, 2001
Korea's cdma200 1x and Japan's FOMA, emerging as the two leaders in the
generational transition of mobile communication, are fiercely competing with
each other to become a top player in the 3G mobile communication market.
As things stand now, cdma2000 1x is getting the upper hand in terms of
service coverage, the number of subscribers, and the number of handset
models. But FOMA is not an easy opponent to beat as it is one step ahead
in high-speed data transmission.
* The First Round of the Battle: cdma2000 1x is ahead
cdma2000 1x, which started to gain popularity in June, has now at least 3
million subscribers in major cities and is providing them with more than 160
applications. The number of handset models has already surpassed 40.
By contrast, FOMA's service coverage is limited to Tokyo and its
neighboring suburbs with only less than 10,000 subscribers. And there are
only three handset models available. This can be attributed to the late
launch of the service, which was made back in October.
However, Japanese 2G users (mostly i-mode subscribers) are not very keen
to go for the 3G service because of its high rates and scanty content.
When it comes to handset size, which the first thing both Korean and
Japanese consumers consider when deciding to purchase a handset, there
is a big gap between the two 3G services.
LG's color folder model for cdma2000 1x is 85.5 x 46.4 x 21.3 mm in size
and only 96g in weight. By contrast, Matsushita's FOMA P2101V model is 56
x 104 x 35 mm and 150g, 2.4 times larger and 1.5 times heavier than LG's
model.
FOMA handsets' large size has much to do with 260,000 colors (vs. 256 ~
50,000 colors for cdma2000 1x) and a maximum 384 Kbps (vs. maximum
114 Kbps for cdma2000 1x) of transmission speed they provide.
* The Second Round of the Battle: FOMA strikes back
Although its coverage is limited to Tokyo and its outskirts (about 30 km in
radius), FOMA provides a maximum 384 Kbps downstream and 64 Kbps
upstream of transmission speed. With such speedy transmission, motion
video can be transmitted in real time. In terms of speed, FOMA is closer to
the 3G mobile communication than cdma2000 1x.
Starting next year, FOMA will expand its coverage into major cities across
the country and combine i-mode, a most successful 2G wireless Internet
service, with it. FOMA will launch a barrage of attacks next year with its dual
network service for cell phone and car phone, video/music delivery service,
and international roaming service.
* The Third of the Battle: More competition is in store
"cdma 1x provides 70~80 Kbps on the move, and 100 Kbps at a standstill
currently and when upgraded to 1x EV(olution) next year, it will provide an
average of 500 ~ 600 Kbps of transmission speed," said James S. Madsen,
senior vice president of NextWave Telecom of the US.
Meanwhile, it would be hard for FOMA to provide 384 Kbps in downstream
speed even by the end of next year, he added. From what he said, Madsen
seems to bet on cdma2000 1x.
However, cdma2000 1x has its intrinsic limitations as it is an upgraded
service based on 2G frequencies. That is, it is more like 2.5G than full-scale
3G. One thing for sure is that the competition for 3G hegemony will only get
fiercer between the two services.
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