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Pastimes : The New Qualcomm - write what you like thread. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: P2V who wrote (1918)	7/27/2000 6:12:04 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 12229

*Damn this OFDM stuff* <Looking ahead to 4G However, a recent tour of AT&T Labs in Menlo Park, Calif., revealed an interesting glimpse into the potential of the wireless Internet. AT&T officials said that 4G, which will evolve from EDGE, will provide downlink access of more than 384kbps and uplink access of at least 384kbps for wide area networks. In some cases, rates can reach as high as 10Mbps, when the network is used in conjunction with other technologies that AT&T is developing, but typical rates are expected to be several Mbps. "4G will help us realize one giant network where real convergence will happen. Cable TV, PC, cellular, basically any type of data transport all on one network, which you can access anywhere," said AT&T spokesman Ken Woo. 4G will be based on OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), the key enabler of 4G technology. Other enablers include adaptive processing and smart antennas, both of which will be used in 3G networks and enhance rates when used in conjunction with OFDM. Whereas 3G networks digital data is sent over a single channel, OFDM will send data over hundreds of parallel streams -- increasing the amount of information that can be sent at a time. 4G rates will vary depending on the number of channels that can be accessed and processed. However, the channels that can be used will be cleaner thanks to technologies such as adaptive processing, which accounts for interference on a channel and improves reception by dynamically switching channels to avoid interference. 4G networks will also benefit from smart antenna technology, which can steer the radio signal in the direction of the receiver in the terminal from the base station. When used in conjunction with adaptive techniques, multiple antennas can cancel more interference while enhancing the desired signal. Smooth transition The 4G plans are still years away, but transitioning from 3G to 4G should be seamless for customers because 4G will have evolved from 3G. Users won't even have to get new phones. 4G won't matter, though, unless AT&T gets its 3G act together. AT&T expects its 3G network to be up and running in one year in selected cities and nationwide by 2002.> Mardy, thanks for the headsup. I imagine that some of the QUALCOMM technology will apply to OFDM, such as power control, rake receivers and stuff, so Q! won't be left high and dry. But of course, any competitor reduces the cashflow to Q! Clark Hare took a look at OFDM 18months ago when I hunted it down in Auckland University Engineering School and the decision was that it's not going to be all that great in mobile networks any time soon. Andrew Viterbi didn't seem to be too excited by it [not that an offhand comment to an SI member should be given too much weight]. It seems to be VapourWear as far as AT&T are concerned. They have got a huge TDMA business which they need to keep going as long as possible, just as the GSM Guild members need to do for their obsolescent networks while they struggle to develop a position in the new CDMA world. AT&T are calling any old much 2G or 3G or 2.5G and as Irwin Jacobs said in the Webcast a couple of days ago, the language is being misused [referring to the idea that W-CDMA is an evolution from GSM - he pointed out that it is NOT a GSM evolution, it is CDMA and commented on the deteriorating use of language which is of course deliberate obfuscation rather than language misues]. Anyway, back to this bloody OFDM stuff. The good thing [from a CDMA investor's point of view] is that OFDM is an evolution from CDMA, full of orthogonality and stuff like that. The impression I have is that the spectrum efficiency is a percentage better than CDMA rather than a factor better. CDMA is an order of magnitude better than analogue and a few times better than GSM but look how hard a time it is to take over even with that big advantage. So I don't think a percentage spectrum enhancement is going to cause a rapid demise of CDMA considering the huge capital investment involved. But it surely would erode the position of CDMA. AT&T is overblown with their 'one enormous network for everything' idea. If we want efficiency, then we will have two things happen. One will be that voice stays in it's own world and network [or part of a network such as 1xEV will have with channels being allocated as needed] and data of various types will surge around in its own realm, and ne'er the twain shall meet. I suppose it's 'one realm' in the sense of being one tower supporting various data and voice channels. But it's an area requiring care by an investor [some think Globalstar can convert to data to save it - no, it lives or dies on voice being profitable with data a small adjunct]. Okay, this is mostly flim-flam on my part and I have no real idea on how well or when OFDM might start to erode CDMA sales. I guess about 2004 in fixed installations and maybe 2009 in mobile. That's about how long it took for CDMA to get going [and GSM]. In that time, Q! will surely develop a position in the technology too so I suppose Spinco will still sell most ASICs for OFDM and CDMA in mobile networks for voice and WWeb applications. WiLan will be a great success and I think the boss of that deserves it [having read the thread from time to time]. Any more links appreciated! Thanks again. Mqurice