Hansol PCS set to lead transition to IMT-2000
"Anywhere, anytime" promised by the next generation of wireless service, also known as IMT-2000 service, is due to roll out in Korea in May 2002.
Because it is considered the pan-ultimate in the telecom business, superceding all other services, a fierce battle is expected for the licenses, which will be granted at the end of next year.
The stakes are high as the government has hinted that it will select three operators, and industry analysts predict that the selection will result in a major restructuring of the telecom market, with unsuccessful bidders being forced off the playing field.
In fact, the battle has already begun, with telecom companies seeking strategic foreign partners, forming consortiums and overhauling organizational structures in an effort to position themselves for stiff competition.
Against this background, Hansol PCS is hosting a one-day international symposium on the IMT-2000 standard today at the Hotel Intercontinental in southern Seoul.
Mike Callendar of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Task Group 8-1, charged with the IMT-2000 standard, will kick off the symposium, presenting ITU's vision on third-generation mobile communications service and the current status of IMT-2000 standardization.
The Operators Harmonization Group's (OHG) contributions toward harmonization of IMT-2000 technology and the way forward for third generation services are topics that will be covered by Vino Vinodrai, director of Industry Relations & Research at Bell Mobility, Canada. Vinodrai will discuss how development of information providers' technology will be crucial for third generation services as they will revolve around information, contents and e-commerce rather than simple voice traffic.
Wee Kyu-jin of the Ministry of Information and Communication will give a presentation on the directions for technology development for IMT-2000 services.
In session two, Li Shi-he of the China Academy of Telecom Technologies (CATT) will present the case for the TDD (telecommunication display device) mode as the dominant technology for IMT-2000, while Gustav Brismark, general manager of IMT-2000 at the standardization and product management of Nippon Ericsson, will present the case for the DS (direct spread) mode. The MC (multiple carrier) mode will be proposed by Peng Rong, director of global standard planning at Qualcomm.
Session three will start off with Lee Hyuk-je, vice president in charge of the Radio and Broadcasting Technology Laboratory at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), who will speak about the direction of IMT-2000 system migration for future networks. Enhancing wireless data service efficiency will be the key issue in fourth generation wireless networks, an issue to be solved by information provider networks, according to Lee.
Justin Webb, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Hansol PCS, will give a presentation about various services that will be available with the implementation of IMT-2000 service. While there will be numerous applications for IMT-2000, Webb does not see the emergence of a killer application.
A discussion of IMT-2000 technologies and vision by David Poticny, wireless global strategy vice president of Lucent Technologies, will conclude the presentations, which will be followed by a question and answer session.
About 250 experts on IMT-2000 standard from Korea and overseas are expected to attend today's symposium. The gathering of international authorities on the IMT-2000 standard will provide an opportunity to compare and analyze the various standards that are being proposed. The symposium is also expected to bring forth in-depth discussions on which standard should be adopted by Korea.
"With a recommendation by ITU on IMT-2000 global standard coming up soon, Korea and other countries around the world are expected to decide on their standards by the first half of next year," said Webb. Coming at such a juncture, the seminar will be a meaningful venue for discussing standards adoption both in Korea and abroad, he said.
Last March, Finland became the first country in the world to select IMT-2000 service operators. Great Britain and Japan are also due to select operators shortly in anticipation of service rollout in 2002.
Hansol PCS signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Finland's Omnitele, a wireless communication and Internet company, for CDMA (code division multiple access) and IMT-2000 engineering technology. The MOU also covers export of wireless network communication equipment.
The tie-up with Omnitele is a significant step for Hansol PCS in its quest for an IMT-2000 license, as the Finnish company is in charge of network formation for 3G, an IMT-2000 operator in Finland.
Hansol PCS is seeking a seamless evolution to IMT-2000 from IS-95B, which it launched last September as a means to provide high-speed data services for existing subscribers. It also functions as a testbed for IMT-2000 by providing information on the potential demand for and nature of high-data traffic, information which is important in the operation of IMT-2000 services.
According to its blueprint for IMT-2000 business, the personal communications service carrier is concentrating on developing operational technology rather than equipment manufacturing technology. The company also seeks to minimize additional investments by maximizing the use of existing PCS equipment.
The company is currently participating in a government project for third generation mobile telecommunication development initiated in 1997, contributing 700 million won and providing personnel. It is also engaged in the development of W-CDMA (wideband CDMA) protocol and has been playing an active role in standardization efforts, participating in the country's OHG Adhoc Group.
Because IMT-2000 services will center largely on wireless data traffic, Hansol PCS has also been developing contents for data services. The company claims that it has over 50,000 wireless data service subscribers. To further boost its wireless data business, it is planning on providing diverse solutions through partnerships with Microsoft, Yahoo! and Samsung Electronics.
Hansol PCS plans to form trial systems in close observation of international standardization movements. The company is to develop a trial system for IMT-2000 in concert with equipment manufacturers, to be followed by a joint trial network formation with domestic and foreign partners. Hansol PCS will join hands with Nortel, an equipment manufacturer, and Bell Mobility, a wireless operator, in its R&D efforts.
The PCS carrier will also engage in R&D of applications technologies necessary for wireless operators, such as technologies for cell architecture, protocol converters, global roaming, killer applications and repeaters for IMT-2000.
The company is seeking a consortium for an IMT-2000 business license and is also working to form strategic alliances with global wireless operators.
How the IMT-2000 service operators will be selected remains uncertain. Though the Ministry of Information and Communication has not yet declared its position on the matter, officials have indicated that a bidding for spectrum is likely, an idea that most operators resist for fear that a pure auction would result in conglomerates winning the licenses. Rather, they favor a combination of an auction and beauty contest, a process where business proposals are evaluated and compared.
Updated: 12/10/1999
by Kim Hoo-ran Staff reporter |
