re: Breakthrough Ideas
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"According to Qualcomm, the developmental process for any new wireless system requires these steps: (1) Build and test prototype system; (2) Establish standard specifications for system and handsets; (3) Make revisions to the standard to stabilize it for manufacturing; (4) Test performance of standard releases; (5) Optimize system and handset performance; (6) Test interoperability of phones and infrastructures; (7) Test interoperability of any multimode/multiband systems; (8) Prepare chips and software for initial launch; (9) Early commercial launch; (10) Finalize chips and software for full commercial launch; (11) Full deployment; (12) Add rich features for multimedia, and (13) Ramp volumes to reduce manufacturing costs."
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This process was integral to the development of cdma2000 standards through evdo.
This was the case because Q dominated standards development within 3GPP2 and had indeed developed prototypes - and fully understood the technology - prior to standardization.
In fact, there was considerable friction and animosity with some 3GPP2 members (including, if I recall correctly MOT, NOK, ERICY) after evdo development regarding their inability to influence its composition.
Indeed, during the development of evdv some members (including MOT and NOK) openly questioned the utility of even cross-testing claims (much less building prototypes), suggesting that testing only consumed time and threatened deadlines. As timelines backslid, Q warned against meeting deadlines for deadlines' sake at the expense of the viability of the technology. But to meet the submission deadline for ITU IMT2000 certification, and pushed by Sprint, Alltel, BellSouth and the the 1xtreme group (MOT, NOK, TXN, Philips), the standard was rushed through and entirely speculative component technologies from 1xtreme (also included in 3GPP HSDPA) were included without testing or substantiation.
With the evdv standard, Q's development process was lost, and 3GPP2 begins to function more like 3GPP.
This is the corrosive effect of committee-based standards development. To reconfigure Q's development process for committee use might look something like this:
(1) Establish standard specifications for system and handsets first;
(2) Build and test prototype system;
(3) Make revisions to the standard, maintaining members' IP positions;
(4) Test performance of standard releases;
(5) Make revisions to the standard, maintaining members' IP positions;
(6) Optimize system and handset performance;
(7) Make revisions to the standard, maintaining members' IP positions;
(8) Test interoperability of phones and infrastructures;
(9) Make revisions to the standard, maintaining members' IP positions;
(10) Test interoperability of any multimode/multiband systems;
(11) Make revisions to the standard, maintaining members' IP positions;
(12) Prepare chips and software for initial launch;
(13) Make revisions to the standard, maintaining members' IP positions;
(14) Early commercial launch;
(15) Make revisions to the standard, maintaining members' IP positions;
(16) Finalize chips and software for full commercial launch;
(17) Make revisions to the standard, maintaining members' IP positions;
(18) Full deployment;
(19) Make revisions to the standard, maintaining members' IP positions;
(20) Add rich features for multimedia;
(21) Make revisions to the standard, maintaining members' IP positions;
(22) Ramp volumes to reduce manufacturing costs
In my view, Q's next milestone technology advance beyond cdma2000, if there is one, will occur outside 3GPP2, and will require that Q create a new standards development structure and value chain.
In my view, meaningful innovation is no longer possible within 3GPP2. |
