MobilenniuM Express
3G Industry news from the UMTS Forum
08 December 2008

Technology neutrality the way ahead for 3G licensing in India
The UMTS Forum has congratulated India’s Ministry of Communications & IT for having publicly clarified details of licensing conditions for 3G & BWA auctions that are expected to take place by end January 2009. By maintaining technology neutrality in its 3G and BWA spectrum auction process, states the UMTS Forum, India’s government can assure fair competition for operators that will benefit end-users of mobile broadband services.

Alcatel-Lucent: major strategic transformation and realignment of operations
Alcatel-Lucent has unveiled a new strategic plan to boost revenues. The French telecoms equipment supplier will realign its operations around three markets: service providers, enterprises and selected verticals, and will focus on four key investment areas: Internet Protocol (IP), optical, mobile and fixed broadband and applications enablement. The company has also confirmed that it will step up product investment in key areas, including globally adopted 3GPP standards such as LTE and WCDMA. Alcatel-Lucent’s transformation plan reflects a major shift in the industry towards LTE as the preferred next-generation technology.

LTE freeze completed
The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has approved the functional freeze of LTE (Long Term Evolution) as part of 3GPP Release 8. With significant commitment from operators to deploy LTE, this landmark achievement will allow them to realize their early deployment plans.

Rogers announces Canada's fastest mobile network just got faster and bigger
Canadian operator Rogers Wireless has upgraded its network to HSPA technology, doubling its mobile broadband speeds. The company now offers peak downlink speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps, the fastest in the country. Its HSPA network covers 25 major areas in Canada, and the operator aims to cover 75% of the population by the end of 2008. Rogers Wireless currently offers four HSPA-enabled devices. Rogers Wireless served 7.7 million customers at September 2008, representing 37% share of the Canadian mobile market (33% in Quebec and 44% in Ontario). It is the only Canadian mobile player using the GSM technology platform.

Hon’ble Prime Minister inaugurates 3G services of MTNL
India’s state-owned telecoms group Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) has launched the country’s first 3G network based on the WCDMA technology, with Motorola as the infrastructure supplier. The 3G network is currently available in selected areas of Mumbai, and the operator plans to expand it to cover all of Mumbai and Delhi early next year. MTNL customers can use the 3G service, branded Jadoo, free of charge until the announcement of commercial tariffs early next year. The state-owned telecoms group will be able to reap the benefits of pioneering 3G services in India, which is the world’s second largest mobile market behind China.