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To: kech who wrote (19259)	4/2/2002 5:59:56 PM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 34857

Tom, << Maybe not "lack of alternative" but lack of a very attractive alternative. >> Thanks for clarifying. Interesting thoughts, but sort of a "qcdma-flavored" perspective, is it not? << Edge? Maybe that is a real "lack of alternative" >> No, it is a real alternative ... and its the alternative they have announced, and are contracted for, and about to start implementing. ... "3G" without cdma. GPRS on steroids. Triple the capacity and/or triple the speed and that's before AMR and some of the other capacity increasing goodies. << it remains to be seen, literally. >> Well, yes it does ... ... but you'll see it next year ... ... regardless of whether the good Doctor said "I doubt that EDGE [choke], will ever [choke], see the light of day [choke]." GPRS remained to be seen for some time, and now VoiceStream has the only "next-generation" network rolled out nationwide in the United States. It's sort of like waiting to see "3G" cdma2000 1xRTT (Release A) instead of 1xRTT Release 0, which some Hypsters would like to convince us is "3G", even though it is not an IMT-2000 standard, and which is, as they used to refer to it "an interim step to 3G". ... heck it's like even 1xRTT Release 0 "remaining to be seen" here in the States with something other than a packet-data-neutered phone as modem but that's all she wrote for now. << With GPRS wheezing along at 20 kbps, marginally faster than IS-95A CDMA >> I think you are going to be a little surprised about 20 kbps, and I am basing that on some beta-testing (and benchmarking) one of my golf mate's is doing for a modem manufacturer with a 4+2 GPRS card configuration, here, there, and everywhere, and some client side compression and optimization software. There's no question that 1xRTT will be faster than GPRS especially with the new spreading factor that will be introduced next year in Release A. The question becomes what speed is needed to satisfy the mainstream mobile phone user with a WAP 2.0 powered, Java and EMS/MMS/IM enabled, average priced mobile "phone" (not phone modem and not modem card). For the majority of early applications and content does speed matter? ... to what degree? ... at what cost? [I don't pretend to know the answer to thse questions] In the interim, here is VoiceStream with a rather well stabilized 2.5G packet-data nationwide network, whose users can roam virtually anywhere in the world, (or host international travellers from abroad). The IP backbone is in. The GPRS bearer is in. We don't know what they'll use for compression/optimization software yet on either the network side or the client side of both and we don't know exactly how they'll enhance 'i-stream' but enhance they will. .... but ... ... their first alternative is 3G EDGE that will offer comparable data speeds to 1xRTT Release A, and their acting on that alternative now. The next alternative is of course WCDMA running on the same GPRS bearer. They're in no hurry to commit to WCDMA. It clearly isn't ready ... and neither is the market, this US market, ready for it. ... but VoiceStream has a good chunk of 1900 MHz spectrum, pieced together from Western Wireless, Omnipoint, Ariel, Powertel Partners, and the first C-Block re auction, and filling the old Baltimore/DC hole with Sprint Spectrum, spectrum. Their coverage is still a bit thin and their capacity in some places a bit lean, because some of their buildout started late and they had to rebuild the original patchy Omnipoint build with funds provided Hutchinson Whampoa. ... but they're still building, and still experiencing good growth << what is the attraction of attaching Wi-fi access to such a standard? >> Flexibility. << Anyone can do it (the wi-fi part). >> In the US it looks like many will. There are, as you pointed out, security concerns. Those will resolve, for those applications where enhanced security is a must. In the interim VoiceStream is moving on this complement to their data offering while others are still "thinking about it". << Nothing accrues to VoiceStream since no one will want to use the GPRS part. >> Of course they will. In the interim, I wonder if it is just a coincidence that they are moving to Atlanta near their infra sharing partner. Cingular/T-Mobile VoiceStream would be one heck of a network. Alternatives? T-Mobile VoiceStream has more than a few, IMO. Best, - Eric -