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Technology Stocks : Qualcomm Moderated Thread - please read rules before posting -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Biddle who wrote (29835)	12/8/2002 8:47:40 PM
From: John Biddle	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 197214

Telecom Asia show in HK fails to draw the crowds straitstimes.asia1.com.sg HONGKONG - A new generation of mobile phones able to download movies, snap photos and even pay for groceries were the unofficial highlights on show at a big telecom conference this week that otherwise failed to inspire much confidence in the industry's growth prospects. While slick handsets took centrestage at ITU Telecom Asia 2002, other headliners included an appearance by China's outgoing telecom minister and continuation of a heated debate over which of two major standards would become the industry leader for the next wave of third-generation (3G) phones. 'The show is very small compared to what we would expect in Asia,' said Mr Bill Cosman, who travelled from the United States to peddle the wares of wireless equipment maker Leapstone Systems. 'It's hard to say what the trends are because traffic hasn't been very high. We're not getting that turnover we would normally get at a great show.' The event began on a low note and was still sparsely attended as it wound down, in sharp contrast to its 2000 staging before the industry's slump began. A relatively scant 320 exhibitors were in attendance - down 30 per cent from the last event - when the show kicked off early this week. Late in the week, those in attendance still had little or no trouble moving through the halls and trying out demonstrations at the many booths. Of the wares on display, the most impressive were a new generation of phones, event-goers said. 'If there's one thing at this show, I'd say handsets are the highlight,' said Mr Jerry Soloway, a senior engineer for telecom equipment maker UTStarcom. Many of the most cutting-edge cellphone models and services came from a potent pairing that has emerged in recent years in South Korea, bringing together two of the world's top handset makers with three of its leading wireless service operators. Many of the most impressive new phones were at the booths of two of South Korea's - and Asia's - biggest handset makers, Samsung and LG Electronics. Many of the most popular models were photo-capable folding handsets with lenses mounted in the hinge and video screens on one panel. South Korea's top carrier SK Telecom, meanwhile, touted a host of new applications now in use or in development. These let consumers use their phones for everything from buying drinks at the soda machine to accessing bank accounts at automated teller machines. Outside the phone booths, highlights from the show were relatively sparse. Organisers and attendees said China and India will help to drive demand for telecom equipment and services through the next decade. China's outgoing Ministry of Information Industry chief Wu Jichuan also eased concerns from many industry watchers when he said the market should be allowed to decide which of three competing standards is adopted for the country's next generation of wireless phone services. Investors and equipment vendors had been worried that some Chinese carriers might be forced to use TD-SCDMA, a homegrown Chinese standard, over two more widely accepted standards developed in the United States and Europe. Those other two standards, known as CDMA 2000 and WCDMA, were also a major point of debate, with proponents of both systems talking up the benefits of one or the other. But while debate continued among a limited number of companies which had deployed 3G services, many said they will wait to see how the standards develop. 'The industry in Singapore is adopting a wait-and-see attitude,' said Mr Ivan Tan, a spokesman for SingTel, reflecting the views of many people at the conference.--Reuters