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Technology Stocks : Nokia (NOK) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Puck who wrote (10037)	3/23/2001 1:12:59 PM
From: Ruffian	Respond to of 34857

Nokia plans assault on Korean mobile market By Reuters staff 22 March 2001 Nokia, the world's largest mobile handset maker, plans a major assault on the Korean mobile phone market, local media reported on Thursday. The English-language newspaper Korea Herald said the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer planned to unveil new models which use code division multiple access (CDMA) technology on March 27. CDMA, developed by Qualcomm, is a mobile technology that allows phone companies to cram more calls and information across limited airwaves than GSM (global system for mobile communications), a standard promoted by European firms. Nokia Korea officials were not immediately available for comment. Nokia will begin selling CDMA phones around April with Telson Electronics , a Korean handset maker, producing the products under an original design manufacturing contract, the newspaper said. It said Nokia aimed to grab more than 10 percent of the Korean handset market by the end of this year. The market is currently dominated by Samsung Electronics , which has a 44 percent share, followed by LG Electronics and small local makers. Analysts say Korea's domestic mobile phone market stood at four trillion won ($3.09 billion) at the end of 1999, the last year for which data is available. Nokia had a 30.6 percent share of the global market in 2000 compared to 26.9 percent in 1999, U.S. group Gartner Dataquest said.

To: Puck who wrote (10037)	3/23/2001 2:31:56 PM
From: Lance Bredvold	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 34857

Puck; Like many of you, I am trying to divine the facts regarding the adequacy of spectrum assignments in the US particularly and also worldwide. Available at my disposal are some statements from Mark Kelley, CTO for Leap Wireless which lead me to believe that the reported spectrum shortages are improbable except in the densest population centers of the US. What Mark stated in a rollout gala in Nashville last summer is that the cricKet (Leap Wireless' brand name for all you can use voice wireless) currently can accept as customers up to 20% of all the covered pops in their cities and in 10 mhz of spectrum. He further stated that capacity would be doubled with the addition of 1Xrtt (I may be wrong about that - could have been 1Xev) and they would be able to handle 40% of all potential subscribers in an area then. Though I've not added up the various spectra available for PCS and cellular, I believe it was Seybold who has said that there are 218 mhz assigned including the TV channels still to be auctioned down in the 700 mhz range. I think there are something like 180 or 190 currently in the hands of operators. Admittedly the cricKet system was built for capacity. Also Kelley was just a bit glib saying what he did and nice round numbers like 20% and 40% also make me a bit suspicious. (by the way, he also went on to point out that further planned refinements like arrayed antennas and such would get their capability up to 70 or 80%). Though there is some doubt in my mind about the exact accuracy, the overall sentiment has been reiterated by Dan Pegg of LWIN who stated in a PR that their problem is not so much with inadequacy of spectrum but rather with companies which horde it and underutilize it. I'm sure there is no need for me to accentuate the implications of 180 mhz available if cricKet can handle 40% of all pops in 10 mhz. And though they have not actually reached that plateau yet, the Chattanooga and Nashville systems should be near 10% penetration right now. I don't know how much spectrum is in use in Europe or elsewhere. I do recall that the objective for new 3G spectrum was to get another 160mhz available throughout the world. Somehow all this complaining about needing more spectrum does not ring true to me. Of course a shortage is to the advantage of the carriers with the most efficient spectrum usage. One more idea which I don't hear very much about is that spectrum may be constrained in the densest population centers, but is unlikely to be nearly as constraining as one moves out from those centers. Thus the problem really occurs only in a few places and is handled by reducing cell sizes primarily or utilizing local networks. Remember that cricKet deliberately sets out to function in the densest parts of cities in the US and builds for capacity. Right now in Knoxville, they have offered students a 2 semester plan for $189 or $21 a month. I am not familiar with the campus, but those campuses I've been affiliated with are teaming with people. One should remember though that cricKet probably only has at most 5% of the overall pops subscribed around the city and this could be a promotion which they would not make if the system were more fully utilized. Best regards, Lance

To: Puck who wrote (10037)	3/23/2001 5:23:31 PM
From: ronho	Respond to of 34857

Puck. Not enough spectrum? Well, this is an industry mantra in the US. Like ocean front property, they are just not making spectrum any more. I have heard that Sprint has 20MHz in almost all markets and are using 5 or 10 at most. With CDMA, you really don't need much new spectrum if you can recycle it to 1X and 1X-EV. AWE and Cingular do have the problem of having an operating TDMA/GSM system occupying existing spectrum, This leaves them with a difficult path to CDMA. Nextel has acquired virgin spectrum in their markets and will build out a second system-a 1X system. Now, if the courts will give Nextwave back their nationwide spectrum, then we can have 4Th nationwide CDMA 1X-EV build out. Cricket's mobile WLL system seems to be acquiring chunks from existing owners. Yes there is a problem here, but mainly for AWE, Cingular and new would be companies who could offer WLL. internet, and 1X-EV DO.