3G/mobile broadband industry news from the UMTS Forum
12 November 2010
India’s Tata DoCoMo has become the first private operator to launch 3G services in India in time for this year’s Diwali celebrations. The operator launched 3G its network in all the nine Circles where it holds 3G licences: Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, UP (West), Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra. Powered with cutting-edge technology support from its partner Japan’s NTT DOCOMO, Tata DOCOMO’s 3G services will help bridge the country’s Digital Divide.
NEC Corporation has been conducting field trials of LTE technology for KDDI, which is scheduled to launch commercially from end 2012. The LTE trial started in October 2010 in an urban area with high population density and a wide range of buildings, using the 1.5 GHz band. KDDI will deploy its commercial LTE network in both 1.5 GHz and 800 MHz bands. The Japanese operator plans to expand its mobile broadband coverage to 96.5% by March 2015.
IPWireless has announced a partnership with ST-Ericsson to offer a pre-integrated and verified Integrated Mobile Broadcast (IMB) solution to 3G device vendors. The IMB mobile broadcast semiconductor platform is capable of streaming live video, and broadcasting and storing popular content on the 3G device. This results in a significant offloading of data intensive traffic from operators’ existing 3G unicast networks, plus delivery of an improved customer experience.
Uzbekistan’s UCell has announced plans to expand its 3G network to the whole territory of Ferghana, Andijan and Namangan regions. The move will make the state-of-the-art mobile broadband Internet access available across the Ferghana Valley. The 3G Modem data plan will charge users US$0.04 during the day and US$0.02 at night for 1 MB of data usage, excluding subscription fee.
Turkcell has launched its first own-brand smartphone, the Turkcell T10, in an effort to meet demand for affordable mobile broadband services. The HSPDA-enabled device is powered by the Android 2.1 operating system, and features a 2.8-inch touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel camera with flash, MP3 player, push e-mail, Wi-Fi, GPS and a compass. The Turkcell T10 features a number of preloaded applications, such as Google Voice Call, Google Voice search, Turkcell MobileTV, Video Search, Turkcell Online Transaction Center, gnçPLAY music streaming service, Turkcell Compass, Turkcell Help, Turkcell Back up and Agenda.
Japan’s NTT DoCoMo plans to launch its LTE service, branded Xi, on 24 December 2010. The Xi service will offer download speeds of up to 75 Mbps and upload up to 37.5 Mbps. The operator will initially sell Xi data terminals for computers, beginning with the USB-type L-02C. The company expects to introduce the first LTE-enabled handsets and voice services in its next fiscal year, which starts in April 2011. At the launch, the Xi service will be available in the Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka areas, with other major cities and regions to be covered thereafter.
Next Stop for 4G/LTE – Denmark
Denmark’s TDC has contracted Ericsson to supply and manage its commercial LTE network, expanding its existing relationship with the Swedish vendor. The contract includes radio access network with Ericsson’s RBS 6000 series base station, a complete Evolved Packet Core solution, as well as a full scope of managed services. Rollout of the network starts immediately. This is Ericsson’s first LTE/Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network deal to include managed services.
AT&T has extended its 3G network to Ashland City, enabling access to its advanced products, services and applications. In the first six months of 2010, AT&T invested nearly US$200 million in its wireless and wireline networks to continue improving service for customers in Tennessee. Upgrades to the AT&T wireless network included new cell sites, expanded mobile broadband coverage and increased 3G capacity. AT&T has recently upgraded 3G cell sites nationwide to HSPA 7.2 Mbps, while future plans include an upgrade to HSPA+ by the end of this year followed by the initial deployment of LTE in 2011.
Canada’s Bell Mobility has announced the launch of the operator’s first Windows Phone 7, the LG Optimus Quantum. The HSPA-enabled smartphone comes with integrated sharing features, advanced gaming capabilities and mobile services, such as Remote PVR (Personal Video Recording). Equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard, the LG Optimus Quantum organizes information on six hubs - People, Pictures, Games, Music and Video, Marketplace and Office. The ScanSearch application brings together online and offline worlds with real-time shopping, dining, weather, entertainment and banking information.
ZTE has unveiled its ZTE-BLADE smartphone in France. The new device is the second Android smartphone to be marketed by ZTE in the French market. Running on the Android 2.1 Éclair OS, the device features a 3.5-inch multipoint capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 480x800 pixels, a 3.2-megapixel camera, as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, email, internet, video player/recorder, MP3 player and FM radio. The HSPA-enabled device incorporates a Qualcomm QCT MSM7227-1 processor and features a micro USB 2.0 port.
Japanese operator Softbank Mobile has announced plans to upgrade its radio access network with HSPA+, using Ericsson's RBS 6000 series base station. Under the contract, Ericsson will deploy the technology in the Tomeihan area, which includes Japan's biggest cities, Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, jointly covering 50% of the Japanese population. The region is one of the densest areas in the world in terms of data traffic usage. The upgrade is aimed at boosting quality and capacity for data-intensive smartphone and tablet users.
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