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To: Ramus who wrote (21164)	1/12/1999 4:12:00 AM
From: Joe NYC	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 152472

From Nokia site (a little Orwelian): nokia.com World attention grows as Japan readies first GSM based 3G network If all goes according to plan, Japan's NTT Mobile Communications Network, Inc. will make telecommunications history in March, 2001, by introducing the world's first GSM-based third generation mobile network. The event will mark more than the launch of a network capable of delivering sophisticated wireless multimedia services; it will be the culmination of a remarkable era of global cooperation among telecommunications standardization bodies, operators and vendors to forge a common way forward for decades to come. DISCOVERY paid a visit to NTT DoCoMo's premises in Japan to learn how their GSM-based WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) network is progressing and the role Nokia is playing in their efforts. The elusive dream of somehow coaxing Japan to become a full member of the GSM community will be realized - in a way few dared to imaged - when in March, 2001, the nation's largest mobile network operator, NTT DoCoMo, cuts over to the world's first GSM-based WCDMA network. In one bold stroke, it will be Japan that the global GSM community turns its attention to with keen interest as NTT DoCoMo sets the pace for the next paradigm shift in mobile telephony - wireless multimedia. Already today, NTT DoCoMo is well-advanced in their GSM-based WCDMA network development. Having already successfully demonstrated 2 Mbps transmission in WCDMA field trials in October, 1996, the company announced in February of last year the selection of a group of leading telecommunications vendors to provide prototype network and terminal equipment and to participate in validation tests. Nokia is among them. Parallel with this, NTT DoCoMo has been very active on the standardization front through the nation's two telecomms standards bodies, the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) and The Telecommunication Technology Committee (TTC). The company has committed to follow GSM third generation network standards set forth by the European Telecommunications Standard Institute (ETSI) and in compliance with the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) IMT-2000. Global GSM Footprint Good Foundation for Future Having already chosen to base their future network on a GSM core network/WCDMA air interface combination, the unanimous decision by ETSI in January to adopt WCDMA for GSM third generation was warmly welcomed by the company and a vote of confidence in their technology choice. Mr. Kouji Ohboshi, Chairman of NTT DoCoMo, alluded to the global predominance of the current GSM family of systems as a strong foundation upon which to build their own third-generation network. "We actually had already succeeded in wideband CDMA tests and had called for other Asian, European and American manufacturers to jointly develop this scheme further," explained Mr. Ohboshi. "When considering which technology direction to take in the core network, we knew that GSM has a predominate existence in the market and is the defacto standard of the world." "We believed that it would be better to go for the global defacto standard - GSM - as the basis for the core network and evolve that with WCDMA for the next generation." Progress Toward Firm Launch Date NTT DoCoMo has set the launch for their new network in fiscal year 2000 (ending March, 2001) and is pushing hard to fulfill several important stages to achieve their goal. Despite the fact that all standardization work for third generation GSM will not be finalized in parallel with NTT DoCoMo's own preparations, the company is confident this will not become an issue down the road. "We have both formal and informal discussions ongoing in many venues," said Mr. Minoru Kuramoto, former Executive Vice President, Research and Development Department of NTT Mobile Communications Network, Inc.. "We have detailed technical discussions with Japanese standardization bodies such as ARIB and TTC, which have joint meetings together with ETSI. Many harmonization issues are taken up then." Additionally, both Japanese and European companies participating in NTT DoCoMo's network trials are represented in the SMG-2 meetings, which provide another important avenue for informal exchange on the standardization work. "And I should also like to add that we very recently became a Rapporteur of the GSM MoU Association, providing us with an important relationship in the process as well," noted Mr. Kuramoto. Confident that their network will ultimately be fully compliant with ETSI standards, Mr. Kuramoto reassured that they are even prepared to regress to make modifications in their network if necessary. "We are projecting, though, that this will not entail any hardware modifications; we can cope with any changes through software modifications." Joe PS: What exactly is GSM based in WCDMA? Or what is "GSM core network", especially in context of DoMoCo?