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To: EJhonsa who wrote (85208)	10/31/2000 12:56:22 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 152472

>>"Sprint intends to test multiple access technologies, including cdmaOne and cdma2000 1xRTT at up to 144 Kbit/s. It will also test an 802.11 WLAN implementation. "<< Mobile Wireless Inches Closer to Reality Coming at ubiquitous wireless access from different directions, Nortel and Mobilian are working to make a truly mobile, IP-based, wireless environment a reality. By Tech Web Nortel Networks Corp. (stock: NT) is leveraging its expertise in IP platforms and optical backhaul communications, along with key partnerships - most recently with Sprint PCS (stock: PCS) - to realize seamless roaming between wireless and wireline interfaces. It is doing this while also providing the means to allocate, provision, and bill users for usage and services. On the terminal side, however, ubiquitous wireless service pales compared with competing air interfaces. "To overcome that problem, we've had dialogue with various radio manufacturers for multiradio devices," said said Mark Tharby, wireless Internet marketing manager at Nortel, Brampton, Ontario. "Eventually, we envision GPRS / UMTS integrated sets, or UMTS/ 802.11 WAN / LAN implementations, or even integrated Bluetooth devices for more local activity." This is where upstart Mobilian Corp., Hillsboro, Ore., comes in. At Comdex next month, the company will demonstrate -- under nondisclosure agreement -- the first combined Bluetooth/802.11b implementation that it believes will overcome all the problems of coexistence associated with such a concept. The two-chip RF /modem solution integrates the complete radio function, including low-noise amplifiers and power amplifiers for both radios, on one chip, and puts the processing for modulation and demodulation on the second. Called TrueRadio, the device is said to allow simultaneous operation of the Bluetooth and 802.11b protocols with minimal interference while maintaining a reliable connection at specified performance levels for both standards. Citing patent concerns, Mobilian would not disclose details of the design publicly, a stance that's expected to change in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Mobilian CEO Manpreet Khaira remains adamant that the company has a working solution. "Our demonstration at Comdex will prove its viability," Khaira said. "Though it's Bluetooth and 802.11b for now, we plan to quickly follow this up with some sort of WAN combination to make true wireless roaming a possibility for users." The company said the level of integration will allow it to introduce the device at a price point similar to WLAN implementations today. Nortel is working with companies like NovAtel Inc. (stock: NGPS) and Sierra Wireless Inc. (stock: SWIR) on the concept of multiradio with wide-area emphasis. Nortel recently announced it intends to work with Sprint PCS to build the world's first next-generation, access-technology-independent, high-performance wireless network test bed using IP for both voice and data. The companies plan to test a new architecture - Nortel's e-mobility Multimedia Core IP Network. The architecture lets operators, service providers, and third-party vendors provide seamless, high-speed wireless access to information any time and any place. The network will feature Nortel's IP Mobility solution for secure access and seamless movement between wireless media, the Shasta portfolio for provider services, and the company's Session Initiation Protocol application server. The latter allows the initiation of real-time multimedia voice, data, and video sessions such as flexible call management, service call management, customization, and multimedia conferencing, regardless of a user's access method. Sprint intends to test multiple access technologies, including cdmaOne and cdma2000 1xRTT at up to 144 Kbit/s. It will also test an 802.11 WLAN implementation. Tharby described Nortel's relationship with Sprint as a partnership. "Sprint has been a longtime customer of our CDMA infrastructure technology, so they're looking at the continuing evolution of their offerings. We engaged in the trial to not only get experience for the Nortel people, but also to get the experience of their [Sprint's] engineering and operations groups. The other part of it is that Sprint is also a significant partner of Nortel's in the enterprise business, and so that makes them an ideal customer to help bring these two parts together." The company plans to extend the services to other operators, though no announcements have been made. Tharby said he sees wireless voice-over-IP evolving with convergence. "It'll be less a VoIP thing than IP-based connectivity with audio and data streams simultaneously," he said. "It will be dictated by higher-speed access loops and then compression to save the bandwidth." The latter point refers to the ongoing debate over where audio compression should take place: at the edge of the network or in the backhaul server. "We've found it's best to do the compression in the backhauls to save money," he said. "So, on the first wave, we're doing compression on the toll links rather than the access loops." thefeature.com

To: EJhonsa who wrote (85208)	10/31/2000 1:59:02 AM
From: engineer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 152472

No, these are NOT the same arguments that were made in 1994. In 1994, they argued that the technology flat would not work. Nobody argued that it would take time to roll out. My point and contention all along has been that WCDMA is a new technology. Period. We started the CDMA development in 1989. We had commercial grade chips in 1991 in which we could have fielded a mobile phone with and basestation technollgy which IF AT&T had not pulled the plug and gone home to patch up its failing 5ESS switch troubles that were blacking out Manhattan, we would have had commercial BTS along with a switch. By 1994, we had built a BTS with LU, hooked it up to a 5ESS swtich, rolled out 20% of Korea, and made the first generation mobile handset. By the end of 1994, we had the QCP-800 and both LU and MOT going on a BTS that was in large scale trials. IT TOOK 5 1/2 YEARS TO ROLL IT OUT WHERE IT WAS EVEN RUNNING IN THE FIRST LARGE SCALE SYSTEM. At THAT point the ERICY guys were saying it would not work. Now my point on WCDMA is that if they intend to roll out the technology, they had better get on with it ASAP. It is not that it will not work, there are facets of it which are new and diffacult to implement. Not impossible, but harder than CDMA2000. So until they field a few large systems, they cannot figure out all the problems with soft handoff, power control, large systems problems, etc. This takes time. It takes like 3-4 years. Given this, if they deploy chips today, it takes a min of 18 months to build a handset, even if you know what your doing and the testing is mature. Add another year to get the testing right so that yeilds are good. It takes another 18 months to work out alot of handset related standards issues. 150k users by 2004 is actually agressive for what I see implemented today. One more comment on WCDMA rollout versus CDMA rollout. In the starting phases of IS-95, there was only one company and they basically developed the whole thing wihtout much diversion (Qualcomm). MOT and LU had alot to say about it, but not alot of changes. The chipsets for the basetations were all from a single vendor (Q) (NO questions asked there..) and the handsets were all done by Qualcomm for the first year, so no incompatibility to deal with until mid 1995. This made the actual rollout and testing much easier as it was basically developed and done by Q in parallel with the rollout. My main point is and will be that until they show up with working chipsets and working handsets, they still have at least 3 years to get a system running. If they want to publish PR that says they have a system, this may be true for 100 or more users, but not for a large scale money making operation which can be depended on day in and day out. NO CARRIER in their right mind would commit to a system like that until it is proven. If they are not hedging their bets on something else in the meantime, then they loose out with the risk that the system may have some major bugs to work out and take longer than anticipated. If carriers like Korea and Japan want to spend billions on licsnse fees and then wait for 5 or more years to make use of that money and start getting a return, then I cannot figure out how they will survive. At least GSTRF has a business plan which allowed them to start selling air time to customers and make a profit. Imagine the burn rate if you had to carry $5B on interest for 5 years while the NOK guys say "Trust me, I screwed up IS-95 for 5 years, but I can make this work. Trust me, spend another $250M on interest this year so that I can keep working on it." TODAY, WCDMA IS UNPROVEN VAPORWARE. NOT SO SURE ABOUT 5 YEARS FROM NOW.

To: EJhonsa who wrote (85208)	10/31/2000 2:36:43 AM
From: FaultLine	Respond to of 152472

W-CDMA will work, the handset ASPs will be quite high, and the subscriber uptake will blow away most estimates, especially in countries that had costly auctions, compelling carriers to roll out faster; and somewhere alone the way, Qualcomm will make a killing from all the royalties that it'll rake in, and should you still be invested at that point in time, you'll be happy with the significant growth that you'll see on the bottom line. Perhaps so, but as a shareholder I'd rather see a wireless world dominated by cdma2000 with Qualcomm completely in control of the evolution of the basic services as well as dominating any and all auxiliary application standards. Ultimately this would produce far greater returns for a much longer time span for Qualcomm investors. The entire worldwide value chain, from mid-tier infrastructure and handset makers to top-tier service providers, all would exist to support the flow of Qualcomm's IP to the consumer. The revenue stream of every company in the value chain would depend on each company's ability to enhance and strengthen Qualcomm's position. Frankly, the mid-tier manufacturers would be relegated to the role of assemblers using Qualcomm products in the same manner as Dell and Gateway have been to Intel. This kind of total domination by Qualcomm will not exist in a WCDMA world but, if cdma2000 were to prevail, it certainly would be a dream come true for Qualcomm investors. but it still amazes me that so many people here with significant equity stakes in Qualcomm are rooting for W-CDMA to fail. It doesn't amaze me. They're simply willing to be patient to get the whole IP apple, not just one or two measly bites. --FaultLine