3Com And Samsung Team To Deliver
cdma2000 High-Speed Wireless Networks
Standards-based 3G Networks Will Deliver Mobile Data Services at
Speeds Up to 144kbps This Year
Santa Clara, Calif. and SEOUL, Korea ? February 28, 2000 ?
3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) and Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd. today announced they will jointly deliver cdma2000 high-speed
wireless networks to service providers worldwide. The two companies
have agreed to integrate their solutions for the delivery of high-speed
wireless data and voice networks capable of reliably delivering Internet,
intranet and multimedia services to mobile subscribers. The initial
third-generation, or 3G networks from 3Com and Samsung will enable
mobile data services at speeds of up to 144 kbps, and are scheduled for
deployment in commercial service before the end of this year. Future
planned releases will increase mobile data rates to more than 384 kbps.
The 3Com/Samsung joint delivery will focus initially on the recently
standardized cdma2000 networks, which will serve as the next evolution
of cdmaOne digital cellular and PCS networks. cdmaOne networks
today provide coverage in more than 40 countries and boast more than
50 million subscribers around the globe. (Source: CDMA Development
Group, February 7, 2000)
Industry analysts are predicting a surge in the number of wireless data
subscribers and service revenue generated over the next several years. In
a recent report, Ovum projected that approximately 25 percent of
worldwide wireless subscribers will be data subscribers by the year
2003. That would represent growth of 268 percent over current levels,
when only 11 percent of the worldwide wireless subscribers are
projected to be data subscribers in 2000. Ovum also projected that
service revenue from data subscribers will grow to $124 billion
worldwide by 2003, compared to an estimated $39 billion worldwide in
2000. (Source: Ovum, "Third Generation Mobile: Market Strategies,"
published October 1999)
New 3G Networks Will Be Standards-based
Products jointly delivered by 3Com and Samsung will adhere to the
IS-2000 series of standards developed by the Telecommunications
Industry Association (TIA). The initial series of IS-2000 standards was
finalized last year. Adherence to these standards in the 3Com/Samsung
solution is a significant difference from other vendors' wireless
relationships announced in past months. Adherence to an open,
standards-based architecture maximizes the options for operators to
expand and migrate their networks to take advantage of future
capabilities.
"Samsung and 3Com are committed to delivering the first fully
standards-compliant cdma2000 solution for the global marketplace," said
Dr. Young Ky Kim, vice president, research and development, Samsung
Electronics Co., Ltd. "Our equipment will interoperate with other
standards-based products. At the same time, the Samsung/3Com
cdma2000 solution will be versatile enough that it can be
feature-customized for customers, giving service providers maximum
flexibility to design and develop their individual networks."
"When 3Com announced its 3G wireless strategy at Telecom '99 last
October, we said we would collaborate with strategic partners to
develop higher-speed, broader-reaching packet 3G networks," said Irfan
Ali, senior vice president and general manager, 3Com Carrier Systems.
"Today's announcement delivers on that strategy. We are combining
Samsung's world-class expertise in CDMA radio technology with
3Com's leadership in Internet access technology in the mobile network to
lead the migration to 3G solutions."
3G wireless networks are high-speed, packet-switched mobile
voice/data networks currently under development. The 3G standards,
which are being defined by working groups within the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU), will be deployed in carrier networks in
a phased approach over the next several years. Wireless network service
providers around the world can migrate existing digital cellular networks
to 3G network infrastructures over time. Wireless infrastructure
equipment makers - such as 3Com and Samsung - who are developing
3G products in step with industry standards are enabling this migration.
Using an evolutionary approach to building a 3G network enables service
providers to continue using existing infrastructure and recoup existing
network investments while preparing for the future. At each new 3G
network phase, mobile network operators will be able to offer their
subscribers substantial additional benefits. These ultimately include much
higher network speeds (eventually, up to 2 Mbps), global interoperability
among different operators' networks and mobile phones, and more
sophisticated application services.
In the new cdma2000 networks, the Base Station Controller (BSC) will
connect directly - via a new radio port (RP) interface - to a packet data
serving node (PDSN), which will perform the traffic aggregation function
which is similar to that handled by circuit switches today. The PDSN
uses authentication, accounting and administration (AAA) servers for
user authentication and traffic management, and then forwards traffic to a
gateway router/home agent (GRHA) at the designated IP network.
Under the agreement announced today, Samsung, as a system integrator,
will provide the radio access network equipment, including base
transceiver systems and base station controllers. 3Com will provide the
packet data serving nodes, packet data gateway nodes and
authentication/billing servers.
Equipment from the two companies will inter-connect using fully
standards-compliant interfaces, as defined by the IOS Version 4
interface under the TIA's IS-2000 series of standards. The equipment
also will support the IS-2000, Release 0 (1XRTT) standard, increasing
mobile packet data and voice access speeds up to 144Kbps. With its
greater efficiency and capacity, this solution will be able to host more
than 256,000 concurrent calls in the space of a standard central office
rack.
Under additional terms of the agreement, Samsung has the right to resell
3Com PDSN, Home Agent and AAA servers to IMT-2000 wireless
operators.
About 3Com CDMA Wireless
3Com's wireless data technology is based on the company's
award-winning Total Control 1000 multiservice access platform, which
gives service providers a powerful and highly reliable networking
solution, including support for remote access, carrier-grade IP telephony,
IP fax, cable access, virtual private networking and other converged
voice, video and data applications. 3Com's wireless data equipment
connects directly to wireless switches or radio access networks to
provide the interworking and protocol conversions required to deliver
both circuit-switched and packet-switched data capabilities to mobile
data users.
Much of the basic technology behind the 3G network architecture has
already been developed and brought to market by 3Com. For example:
The InterWorking Function (IWF), which enables wireless
carriers to integrate voice and data traffic over the same
circuit-switched network, was added as a capability on the
Total Control platform in October 1998.
A packet-switched cdmaOne wireless network platform,
which supports wireless data access speeds of up to 64kbps
for mobile users, was deployed in 1999.
New AAA server and Mobile IP technologies that give mobile
users real-time, "always connected" access to IP networks
were introduced in 1999 as part of the packet-switched
platform.
3Com will leverage its leadership in today's CDMA wireless Internet
access market by offering this 3G-migration path to the company's
extensive customer base. 3Com is the world's leading manufacturer of
CDMA wireless data equipment, and its CDMA solution is currently
compatible with all major CDMA switches and is used by virtually every
major CDMA cellular and PCS carrier worldwide.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., with 1999 sales revenues of US$22.8
billion, is a world leader in the electronics industry. The Korea-based
concern has operations in about 50 countries with 54,000 employees
worldwide. The company consists of three main business units: Digital
Media, Semiconductors and Information & Communications Businesses.
For more information, please visit our website,
samsungelectronics.com.
About 3Com Corporation
With over 300 million customer connections worldwide, 3Com
Corporation connects more people and organizations to information and
each other in more innovative, simple and reliable ways than any other
networking company. 3Com delivers e-Networking solutions through
information access products and network systems to enterprises, small
businesses, consumers, carriers and network service providers. 3Com
? More connected.? For further information, visit 3Com's World
Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the press site at
www.3com.com/pressbox. |
