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

To: foundation who wrote (30159)	12/17/2002 2:08:24 PM
From: foundation	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 197225

Taiwan APBW confident on 3G success December 16, 2002 Taiwan mobile phone operator Asia Pacific Broadband Wireless Communications (APBW) expects its 3G business to be profitable in its first year of operation. The operator is aiming to launch 3G services in April next year on its cdma2000 1x network. Wang Lin-tai, executive vice-chairman of APBW, said the firm would be the first to adopt CDMA technology in Taiwan and also the first to launch 3G services. He said other operators are uncertain over their 3G progress. APBW is looking for around 800,000 3G subscribers in the first year and expects the number to double to more than 1.5 million the following year. Mr Wang is confident that consumers from other operators will switch to their 3G network because it offers new services such as video streaming and live TV news and stock updates. APBW is hoping 3G services will bring the ARPU (average revenue per user) to NT$1,000 from the NT$700 to NT$800 that 2G carriers are currently receiving. Taiwan awarded five 3G licenses in February. The other winners were Chunghwa Telecom, Yuan-Ze Telecom (Far EasTone), Taiwan Cellular, and Taiwan PCS. 3gnewsroom.com

To: foundation who wrote (30159)	12/17/2002 6:42:07 PM
From: quartersawyer	Respond to of 197225

Luna Sees... The new ubiquity game By Lynnette Luna December 17, 2002 There's a little-known secret in the wireless carrier industry that no operator wants to admit. With the shutdown of the capital markets and lackluster debut of 2.5G technology, many carriers are re-examining their network strategies. I don't mean flopping from one standardized technology--such as GSM or CDMA--to another. I mean operators are taking serious looks at adding some cheaper, more off-the-beaten-path technology solutions like Wi-Fi, OFDM and TD-CDMA. We're seeing a hint already of the hesitancy surrounding upgrades to third-generation technology. Nextel Communications recently said that it may skip 3G altogether, allowing the company to avoid costly investments and become cash flow positive more quickly. T-Mobile, I suspect, might use its Wi-Fi deployments as its 3G strategy in light of its precarious spectrum position (there's not enough to deploy W-CDMA) and the expense it will incur migrating its technology to EDGE (it won't be a smooth upgrade for T-Mobile because the carrier uses older GSM equipment). Virtually every major operator in the industry says they will incorporate some sort of Wi-Fi offering. The billions of dollars thrown around just three years ago for expensive technology upgrades didn't matter much when the industry believed in high-speed wireless data demand and gangbuster customer growth. Today, my friends on Wall Street say that, although few are admitting it, just about everyone is taking a closer look at technology offerings from companies such as Flarion, IP Wireless and Navini Networks. Anything is possible considering the lingering delay of W-CDMA around the world, the spectrum shortage in the U.S. and the fact that the bottom line is the most important factor for shareholders. Three-year-old Flarion touts a ground-up approach to 3G through its all-IP flash OFDM technology, a data-only wideband spread-spectrum technology that the company's founders say is three times more spectrally efficient than a 3G CDMA airlink. IP Wireless offers TD-CDMA, designed to maximize spectral efficiency and fit into any allocation of radio spectrum, offering high-speed data services at rates up to 9 Mb/s. Navini touts a high-speed wireless access network solution that does not require installation of hardware at a customer premises, provides mobility and non-line-of-site options. Most members of the industry have historically blown off such technology alternatives, saying they need backing from big vendors to blanket the country. I say the timing may be right for them. Why? Think about two of the biggest industry buzzwords of 2002: seamless mobility. This concept was popularized by the Wi-Fi revolution, and carriers are now buying into the theory that mobile professionals today--and eventually all consumers of tomorrow--will want to communicate anytime and anywhere over a wide range of mobile devices and access technologies. Vendors are working hard to facilitate roaming between mobile networks and Wi-Fi. They would extend roaming to incorporate other technologies if carriers demanded it. The industry is quickly moving away from a game of ubiquitous technology coverage. It's all about ubiquitous services now. * * * Telephony's Mobile Minute will not be delivered for the next two weeks because of the holidays. I will be back in action Jan. 7. My hope is that 2003 brings some joy to the telecom industry! May all the seasons of your life be filled with peace and happiness. E-mail me at: lyluna@msn.com.