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Row won't delay Ericsson's wideband CDMA
The Dominion
THE argument between the United States and
Europe over the next generation of cellular phone
networks will not derail the development of new
systems backed by Ericsson Radio Systems,
says business development director Gunnar
Blockmar.
Stockholm-based Mr Blockmar, responsible for the Swedish
telecommunications equipment maker's work in third generation mobile
systems, visited Wellington recently as part of a world tour, demonstrating
new cellular network technologies which will become available from 2001.
He says the current arguments over rival standards between United States
and European equipment makers will not hinder development of the
wideband CDMA system backed by Ericsson.
Ericsson, along with Finnish maker [ Nokia ] and others, are part of a group
known as the 3G alliance which is backing the wideband CDMA standard.
A rival group, led by California's Qualcomm, is backing the CDMA2000
built around United States technology.
The International Telecommunications Union is currently reviewing 15
proposals it has received for IMT-2000, the international mobile
telecommunications standard for the next century, and will decide later this
year on proposals.
Mr Blockmar says he is surprised at the behaviour of Americans, who are
making statements to the effect that the Europeans are attempting to impose
their new mobile telephone system on the United States and the world.
Most recently, Reed Hunt, the former chair of the Federal Communications
Commission, waded into the debate, charging the Europeans with excluding
United States technology in order to aid European equipment makers.
Mr Blockmar says no European Union government dictates technology
requirements.
"Americans seem to think that their technology has been excluded from
Europe, but American companies backed our standard during this debate at
ETSI (European Technical Standards Institute) in January, and backed the
decision to propose WCDMA to the ITU."
Now, however, American equipment makers, led by California's
Qualcomm, are currently calling for a harmonised standard that merges
Wideband CDMA and IS-95.
Mr Blockmar says it is likely that the ITU will approve multiple standards for
next generation cellular networks, thereby bypassing the debate.
And Ericsson's worldphone, which runs on multiple networks, will allow
customers to roam worldwide, he says. "We don't have a problem with
multiple standards."
However, at stake for network equipment makers is a share of the US$500
billion (NZ$943 billion) content market, as among the scenarios possible
with the third generation of cellular phones is the ability to send video
footage over the Internet from your cellphone.
Wideband-CDMA systems currently being developed by Ericsson, work in
the two-gigahertz radio spectrum and promises data rates of up to two
megabits per second when standing still, and 141 kilobits per second while
travelling at 100 kilometres per hour.
Mr Blockmar says simulations show that the system can be overlaid over
current GSM networks (as operated by Vodafone) and D-amps networks
(the digital standard used by Telecom New Zealand), using the same cellsite
positions.
The company estimates that the system is about twice as efficient as current
GSM cellular systems running in the 1800/1900MHz bands.
However, wideband CDMA equipment will not be available until early
2001, when Ericsson will deliver its first system to Japanese carrier
NTDoCoMo.
Telecom New Zealand has signed a memorandum of understanding with
NTDoCoMo to gather information from the WCDMA trial.
When combined with another innovation known as Bluetooth, which
Ericsson is working on with IBM, [ Toshiba ] , [ Intel ] and Nokia,
WCDMA will enable much more connected mobile offices.
Bluetooth, based around a chip that is also a radio transmitter, sets up small
local area networks, known as picanets, between Bluetooth-powered
equipment.
This means devices such as notebook computers, cellular phones, printers
and digital cameras can all connect without cumbersome cables.
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(Copyright 1998)
_____via IntellX_____
Publication Date: December 16, 1998
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