3G/mobile broadband industry news from the UMTS Forum
10 September 2010
Huawei has unveiled an entry-level smartphone, branded the IDEOS and running the latest Android 2.2 mobile operating system. IDEOS offers WCDMA/HSPA connectivity, enabling peak downlink rates of up to 7.2 Mbps. The smartphone will costs between US$100-200 depending on the market and will be released in a number of countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America and Latin America. The vendor has also announced three additional Android-powered devices, including the HSPA+ U8800 that supports downlink speeds of up to 14 Mbps.
The Singaporean telecoms regulator IDA has published the rules for the planned 3G Spectrum Rights (2010) Auction. The IDA will offer for allocation three paired 3G Spectrum Lots in the 1900/2100 MHz band. Each bidder which wins one or more 3G Spectrum Lots will be granted one 3G Spectrum Right (2010). The licence will allow the winner(s) to use the 3G Spectrum Lots to operate a 3G network.
South Africa’s Cell C has launched its HSPA+ network in the 900 MHz band. Branded 4GS (4 Great Speed and 4 Great Service). The HSPA+ network enables average city speeds of 4-6 Mbps and in many locations over 10 Mbps. The operator has first switched on its new infrastructure in Port Elizabeth as part of the nationwide network rollout, which will see approximately 34% of the South African population covered by the end of 2010. Cell C aims to cover 67% of the population by mid-2011.
Samsung has launched the LTE/HSPA+ ‘dual mode’ netbook, the Samsung N350. The ultra-thin N350 is equipped with both LTE and HSPA+, enabling users to stay connected in areas without LTE services using widely available 3G networks. It also features a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor running at 1.66 GHz, 250 GB of hard drive space, 1 GB of RAM, a 10.1-inch matte screen with a resolution of 1024 x 600, 3 USB ports, 1.3 megapixel webcam, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, and Windows 7 Starter Edition.
CSL and ZTE Set to Commercially Launch the World’s First Dual Cell HSPA+ (42Mbps)/LTE Network
Hong Kong’s CSL, part of Telstra, has announced plans to simultaneously deploy Dual Carrier (DC) HPSA+ and LTE technologies on an entire network in cooperation with ZTE. The infrastructure was demonstrated at the LTE Asia 2010 conference. In July 2010, CSL and ZTE commercially launched 1800 MHz/2600 MHz dual-band LTE network and upgraded CSL’s 3G network to DC HSPA+ technology, enabling peak downlink rates of 42 Mbps.
Ericsson and Motorola have teamed up to provide LTE solutions to the public safety market. Under the terms of the deal, Ericsson will provide LTE equipment, including packet core and related services, for Motorola Solutions' public-safety-optimized LTE core. Motorola also will supply devices, video security and command and control solutions for first responders.
Poland’s Mobyland and its partner CenterNet have commercially launched their LTE network using 20 MHz in the 1800 MHz band. Huawei has supplied its end-to-end LTE/EPC (Long Term Evolution/Evolved Packet Core) solution for the deployment. The first phase of commercial LTE network rollout was carried out by software upgrades on Mobyland's existing 2G network, covering Poland's major cities, including Warsaw, Katowice and Lodz. Bt the end of 2010, the number of base stations in operation will reach 700 and the LTE network footprint will expand to cover over 7 million people. Currently, peak downlink speeds average 153 Mbps and uplink rates reach 48 Mbps.
The UK telecoms regulator (Ofcom) has published details of its decision to permit a power limit increase for the five existing 3G licences in order to provide headroom for likely developments in 3G base station technology. The increase from the current level of 62 dBm e.i.r.p. per carrier to 65 dBm e.i.r.p. per carrier would only apply to the base transmit power in the Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) portion of the 3G spectrum. The move has the potential to improve voice capacity, data throughput and in-building signal availability by making more effective use of currently available base station technology.
T-Mobile USA, Google and HTC have teamed up to deliver the successor to the T-Mobile G1 Android smartphone. HTC’s new G2 will be the first smartphone specifically designed for T-Mobile’s new HSPA+ network, which covers 100 million Americans in more than 55 major metropolitan areas across the country. The G2, which will enable peak downlink speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps, features a 3.7-inch touchscreen, full Qwerty keyboard, and has a 5-MP camera and HD video camera. It is powered by Android 2.2 on Qualcomm’s 800MHz Snapdragon processor. Exclusive pre-order for T-Mobile customers will begin later this month.
Qualcomm is on track to commercialise its products based on TDD-LTE (Time Division Duplex LTE) technology, as demonstrated at Expo 2010 Shanghai China. The demonstration of the TDD-LTE products with integrated baseband and radio frequency uses the vendor’s Mobile Data Modem MDM9200 with 2x2 MIMO in the 2.3GHz band. The chipset supports both FDD and TDD modes of LTE. Multiple operators worldwide are expected to begin mobility trials later in 2010, using its MDM9200 and MDM9600 solutions. First devices will be released to the market in mid-2011.
Canadian cable operator Videotron has commercially launched its HSPA+ network, which supports peak downlink data transfer rates of up to 21 Mbps. The HSPA+ coverage is available across Québec, with the service available to customers in the greater Montréal and Québec City areas, and in some municipalities in between. Customers in the Sherbrooke, Mauricie, Saint-Hyacinthe and Beloeil areas will be able to sign up for service in October 2010, while the network will be expanded to Mont-Tremblant, Drummondville and Victoriaville by the end of 2010. Videotron will eventually upgrade the network to Dual-Carrier HSPA+ technology, which provides peak downlink speeds of up to 42 Mbps.
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