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Technology Stocks : The New Qualcomm - a S&P500 company -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: engineer who wrote (2258)	10/13/1999 10:39:00 AM
From: Ruffian	Respond to of 13582

Universal Handset?> Universal Handset Finally Within Reach? Software-defined radio switches between frequency bands S.J. Singh, tele.com You could call it mobility utopia: a phone that roams through any wireless network type without using multiple chip sets or going through satellites. Software-defined radio (SDR) allows handsets and network equipment to be reconfigured via real-time software downloads for wideband services using any air interface protocol like global system for mobile communication (GSM), code-division multiple access (CDMA) and digital advanced mobile phone service (D-AMPS), for example. In simpler terms, an SDR mobile phone will be like a personal computer running various software applications to perform different tasks, with each air interface accessed through a different software program. The first SDR handsets could be on the market soon, according to vendors exhibiting at Telecom 99."A commercial handset using SDR which roams through all 800-MHz, 900-MHz, 1800-MHz and 1900-MHz [frequencies in use] today could be on the market within two years," says Paul Carroll, vice president of marketing at Harris Corp. (Melbourne, Fla). "If you add third-generation capability, then it might take a little longer." Another vendor gives a more optimistic estimate. "For a commercial handset that can roam between different networks, you better count in months rather than in years," says Ben Verwaayen, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Lucent Technologies Inc. "Networks will become transparent, and you will have equipment that can handle all the broadband activity," Verwaayen says. "This means I can use a device for whatever I see fit." SDR has been cropping up in base stations since the early 1990s to switch between sub-bands within a frequency for government and commercial organizations. But with booming wireless usage, growth catching up with that of wireline, a plethora of mobile devices in the offing and the realization that multiple wireless standards will continue to exist and proliferate, a race is on between longtime vendors and several Silicon Valley startups to launch the first commercial SDR handsets. SDR sidesteps the entire debate about a universal wireless standard and promises to deliver seamless interoperability. "I will be able to use my handset to listen to my e-mail and my PC to read my voice mail," says Verwaayen. Analysts predict that handsets with some SDR features will be on the market fairly soon but that those capable of seamlessly roaming between all mobile networks might be several years away. Units that roam between Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and CDMA-2000 networks could be on the market fairly soon, says Peter Richardson, a principal analyst at Gartner Group Group Inc. (Stamford, Conn.) "But the processing power required for a handset that can work seamlessly between all networks is still not available. Even once the processing power does become available, there is the issue that this handset will consume its battery power very fast," Richardson adds. The SDR Forum (Rome, N.Y.), a group of wireless operators, manufacturers, applications developers and other related organizations working to commercialize the technology, says SDR will lead to higher revenue for service operators. "SDR will allow seamless roaming across continents and networks," says Stephen Blust, the forum's chairman. "It will be a huge service differentiator as customers get the capability to move and be connected seamlessly across networks, across countries, generating revenue for their service provider wherever they go." A recent report from the forum forecasts demand for SDR terminals. In one scenario, in which SDR technology is widely accepted by most manufacturers, it anticipates almost 9.5 million handheld devices by 2001, rising to 130 million by December 2005. HOME \| BUSINESS/POLICY \| INFRASTRUCTURE \| INTERNET \| WIRELESS All content created and maintained by CMP Media Inc. or its agents. Copyright 1999. All rights reserved.

To: engineer who wrote (2258)	10/13/1999 12:17:00 PM
From: kech	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 13582

Is the Q down because the Palm/Nokia and Symbian deal will hurt the Q/WirelessKnowledge deal?

To: engineer who wrote (2258)	10/13/1999 12:57:00 PM
From: Ruffian	Respond to of 13582

Globalstar> 13/10/99 08:57:56 Voice Still Has a Role, Says Globalstar 3G operators need to be aware that it's not just data that needs new spectrum, warned Globalstar acting CEO Anthony Navarra. He cautioned the policy panel on mobile communications that whatever the excitement about new services, voice was not going to go away. 'For the bulk of spectrum, we still see a need for voice communications,' he said. 'In developing countries, the first use of wireless will not be with a laptop. If you look at New York, or London, certainly there's clearly a need for more spectrum, but I think we need in our ability to reach all the people of the world an appropriate mix to meet the needs of all subscribers.'