India's telecoms industry has won what is described as a "critical battle" by persuading the country's military to release around 45MHz of radio spectrum for mobile use, reports Business Standard, a local newspaper. Around 25MHz of the spectrum will be released for 3G (ahead of India's 3G license auctions expected later this year), while the remainder will be allocated to existing 2G services. According to a deal between India's Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the military will immediately release 10MHz of 3G spectrum and 5MHz of 2G spectrum. The rest will be released according to timelines agreed by the two ministries, which are contingent on India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) providing a optic fibre cable (OFC) network for use by the defence services.
The report notes that the new spectrum is vital for future growth of the country's mobile sector, which is struggling with network congestion as the market continues to grow at a rapid rate. In a paper to the Defence Ministry last year, the DoT had argued that insufficient spectrum had been a key reason behind the delay in the introduction of 3G services. Meanwhile, the armed forces appear to have been willing to release the spectrum in return for a dedicated and exclusive OFC network.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Apple unveils faster iPhone
Apple yesterday took the wraps off a new and improved iPhone model, whilst halving the price of its entry-level device to US$99. The Cupertino, California-based vendor used its Worldwide Developers Conference to unveil the iPhone 3G S (pictured, left), which sports a number of upgrades from its predecessors, including a doubled memory capacity of 32GB, a digital compass, 3MP camera, voice control, longer-lasting battery, and the ability to record videos. It also includes the latest iPhone operating system (version 3.0). Apple said the device will support HSDPA networks offering theoretical peak download speeds of 7.2 Mb/s, with the 'S' in iPhone 3G S standing for 'speed.' A 16GB model will retail for US$199 and the 32GB model for US$299.
US operator AT&T and O2 in the UK will be among the first operators to begin selling the iPhone 3G S on 19 June. Telenor will launch the device in Norway on 9 July. In a statement, Apple said the device will also be available "in more than 80 countries in the coming weeks." Meanwhile, the vendor also dropped the price of its year-old 8GB iPhone 3G model to US$99 in an effort to push the smartphone to a wider audience. Reuters reported that Morgan Stanley estimates the halving in price could double existing sales. The news agency also noted that Apple CEO Steve Jobs did not put in a much speculated-about appearance. Despite Jobs' no-show, Apple's event has arguably overshadowed the launch of Palm's 'iPhone rival,' the Pre, last weekend. The high-profile Pre reportedly experienced strong demand at store opening on Saturday (with between 50,000-100,000 units sold) but analysts are now concerned Palm will not be able to ramp up production supplies quick enough.
Read more.
US operator AT&T and O2 in the UK will be among the first operators to begin selling the iPhone 3G S on 19 June. Telenor will launch the device in Norway on 9 July. In a statement, Apple said the device will also be available "in more than 80 countries in the coming weeks." Meanwhile, the vendor also dropped the price of its year-old 8GB iPhone 3G model to US$99 in an effort to push the smartphone to a wider audience. Reuters reported that Morgan Stanley estimates the halving in price could double existing sales. The news agency also noted that Apple CEO Steve Jobs did not put in a much speculated-about appearance. Despite Jobs' no-show, Apple's event has arguably overshadowed the launch of Palm's 'iPhone rival,' the Pre, last weekend. The high-profile Pre reportedly experienced strong demand at store opening on Saturday (with between 50,000-100,000 units sold) but analysts are now concerned Palm will not be able to ramp up production supplies quick enough.
Read more.
Friday, June 5, 2009
World’s First LTE Mobile Broadband Connection
Europe : Huawei Technologies and TeliaSonera/Netcom announced the world’s first mobile broadband internet connection over a live commercial LTE network in Oslo, Norway. Above shows how NetCom sets up world's first live 4G internet connection.
This demonstration saw download speeds to mobile devices greater than what is currently available. Based on Huawei’s LTE solution, TeliaSonera’s LTE network will benefit from high quality and extensive capacity to provide end users with the best mobile communication experience.
Mr. August Baumann, president of Netcom, a subsidiary of TeliaSonera in Norway, said: "We appreciate the professional implementation from Huawei and we are very pleased to make this world’s first LTE session in Norway. It is a significant step in bringing our customers much closer to real fourth generation mobile broadband service. It is also a milestone in the cooperation between TeliaSonera and Huawei."
“We are proud and excited to support TeliaSonera in completing its mobile broadband connection over the world’s first live LTE network,” said Mr. James Chen, managing director of Huawei’s Nordic Office. "The first LTE session reflects Huawei’s leadership in the most cutting-edge of technologies and its ability to build LTE networks. We are well positioned to deliver a high quality network that will enable leading operators like TeliaSonera to achieve business success."
The first showcase of the live LTE network in Oslo, between a Laptop PC with a 4G modem and public internet/intranet, included downloading of high resolution photos, music, movies and mobile business applications, at a speed much quicker than most available fixed internet accesses of today.
By adopting the LTE MIMO and OFDM technologies (Multiple Input Multiple Output and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex, key radio technologies of LTE), the download peak data rate can reach 150 Mbps in one LTE cell with multiple terminals.
Read more.
This demonstration saw download speeds to mobile devices greater than what is currently available. Based on Huawei’s LTE solution, TeliaSonera’s LTE network will benefit from high quality and extensive capacity to provide end users with the best mobile communication experience.
Mr. August Baumann, president of Netcom, a subsidiary of TeliaSonera in Norway, said: "We appreciate the professional implementation from Huawei and we are very pleased to make this world’s first LTE session in Norway. It is a significant step in bringing our customers much closer to real fourth generation mobile broadband service. It is also a milestone in the cooperation between TeliaSonera and Huawei."
“We are proud and excited to support TeliaSonera in completing its mobile broadband connection over the world’s first live LTE network,” said Mr. James Chen, managing director of Huawei’s Nordic Office. "The first LTE session reflects Huawei’s leadership in the most cutting-edge of technologies and its ability to build LTE networks. We are well positioned to deliver a high quality network that will enable leading operators like TeliaSonera to achieve business success."
The first showcase of the live LTE network in Oslo, between a Laptop PC with a 4G modem and public internet/intranet, included downloading of high resolution photos, music, movies and mobile business applications, at a speed much quicker than most available fixed internet accesses of today.
By adopting the LTE MIMO and OFDM technologies (Multiple Input Multiple Output and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex, key radio technologies of LTE), the download peak data rate can reach 150 Mbps in one LTE cell with multiple terminals.
Read more.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
HSPA as a 4G Network Enabler: AT&T and Telstra Update their Mobile Broadband Strategies
Story by Berge Ayvazian. Source: http://4gtrends.com/?p=980
Two of the world’s leading mobile operators recently announced plans to leverage HSPA technology to enhance the mobile broadband performance of their 3G networks so they can delay their LTE trials and deployments until 2011 or 2012. AT&T and Telstra of Australia both claim to already offer the fastest mobile broadband service in their respective markets, and plan to use software upgrades to increase the data speed available from their HSPA-powered networks. 4G World will provide a unique opportunity to examine the strategies of AT&T and Telstra which are enhancing their existing 3G networks before deploying LTE using new spectrum.
AT&T already claims to provide the fastest 3G mobile data network, using a combination of EDGE, UMTS and HSUPA (R5) technologies to offer the best combination of coverage and speed. Not to be left behind by these 4G announcements, AT&T recently announced plans to upgrade its 3G mobile data service to boost download speeds during the second half of 2009. Specifically, AT&T announced plans to upgrade its existing 3G mobile broadband network to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology beginning later in 2009, with completion expected in 2011. The deployment of HSPA 7.2 technology in more than half of the existing AT&T 3G network footprint will be complemented by the reuse of AT&T’s 850 Mhz spectrum previously used for the TDMA voice network decommissioned in 2008. The near doubling of wireless spectrum dedicated to mobile broadband in most metro areas and adding fiber connectivity and additional capacity to thousands of cell sites is designed to enable AT&T to bridge the gap by accelerating current 3G download speeds. AT&T also plans to add 20 metropolitan areas to its 3G mobile broadband network, expanding from 350 markets currently and build 2,100 new cell sites to improve coverage.
The cost of these AT&T’s mobile broadband network upgrades will be covered by the $17bn to $18bn in capital expenditures forecast for 2009. In contrast to Verizon, AT&T has decided to delay the deployment of LTE until the technology has been fully proven and volume manufacturing has driven network infrastructure and handset prices down. In fact, AT&T has reserved the decision of deploying HSPA+ (R7) technology to further increase download speeds to 20+ Mbps until it has better visibility on the availability and cost of necessary infrastructure and devices. As such, AT&T has yielded to Verizon Wireless as the first major US wireless network operator to upgrade its network to LTE, and does not plan trials of the next generation 4G mobile broadband technology until 2010 with active LTE deployments beginning in 2011.
Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo held a press conference and presented a major keynote at the Mobile World Congress in February, highlighting his company’s accomplishments in delivering its Next G HSPA Evolution mobile broadband network. When the Trujillio team took over the management of Telstra, they embarked on a major transformation of the company to prepare it for deregulation and increased competition. One of their most significant decisions was to replace its existing mobile CDMA-based EV-DO network using 850 MHz. spectrum nationwide with a 3G (WCDMA) equivalent, as part of a three-year project beginning in 2005 to operate a single, super-fast national 3G mobile service. The Telstra Next GTM network was deployed on the existing tower infrastructure in just 10 months, and the excellent radio propagation characteristics of the 850MHz band allowed Telstra to overcome the challenges of distance in Australia. This 3G network now provides Next GTM coverage to 99 per cent of the Australian population with a footprint of more than 6,700 base stations and a footprint of more than two million square kilometers - an area bigger than Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Austria and Switzerland combined, or almost three times the size of Texas.
Mr. Trujillo announced in April that he had completed his transformation objectives and would be leaving his position at the helm of Telstra in June. Prior to his departure from Australia one month early at the end of May, the Telstra CEO announced that he had fulfilled his commitment to delivering Turbo 21 Mbps services to business and consumer customers in April 2009. The Telstra Next GTM network currently holds the distinction of having the world’s fastest mobile broadband service, enabled with peak network speeds of up to 21Mbps downlink and 5.8Mbps uplink in selected areas served by HSPA+ (R7) technology using 850 MHz spectrum. This achievement is comparable to the software upgrade being contemplated by AT&T to increase download speeds to 20+ Mbps until it has better visibility on the availability and cost of necessary LTE infrastructure equipment and devices.
The recent departure of Telstra’s CEO Sol Trujillo and the appointment of chief executive-elect David Thodey will not significantly affect the Networks and Services unit of Telstra headed by Group Managing Director Michael Rocca or the Wireless Engineering and Operations unit supervised by executive director Mike Wright. With the support of ecosystem partners including Ericsson, Qualcomm and Alcatel Lucent, Telstra was the first operator in the world to launch a commercial HSPA+ (R7) network and the company is now planning to increase this to peak network downlink speeds to 42Mbps in parts of its network by yearend 2009 with testing and availability of devices during 2010.
The Telstra Next G(TM) network provides access to a whole new world of mobile Internet rich media content for consumers, and high speed Internet access to hosted applications for businesses in Australia. Telstra is leveraging the mobile broadband Internet connectivity to drive increased productivity and innovation ultimately stimulating economic development. Telstra has commissioned research that demonstrates that Australia’s rapid take-up of mobile broadband has resulted in an annual productivity dividend of $7.4 billion from mobile broadband and better equipped business to weather the global financial crisis.
Like its US counterparts, Telstra’s transport and core networks are heading toward all-IP interfaces, and the evolution to LTE is viewed as a capacity overlay layer in the densest areas of the network over the top of the HSPA+ enabled network. For now, Telstra sees LTE as a data only layer with the existing WCDMA network continuing to carry voice over R99 circuit connections with evolution to VOIP as a later evolution.
Mobile operators like Telstra, AT&T and Verizon believe that LTE will deliver desktop-like broadband data speeds to handsets and help fuel the growth of mobile internet services offsetting flat or declining revenues from traditional mobile voice services. These leading mobile operators have embarked on a new battle for supremacy based on broadband connectivity and speed. As the base of mobile broadband data cards and subscribers are doubling each year, mobile broadband revenues are increasing at a rate of 40% CAGR. Add to that the millions of broadband enabled notebooks, netbooks, and advanced smartphones with Internet browsers being purchased annually, such as the Apple iPhone and RIM Blackberry. The race to 4G is being driven by the competition to capture these high-end mobile broadband customers, and the need to build the capacity to carry the fast growing rich media content of the mobile internet over the next five years.
Comparing the Mobile Broadband Strategies of AT&T, Telstra Verizon and Sprint
Two of the world’s leading mobile operators recently announced plans to leverage HSPA technology to enhance the mobile broadband performance of their 3G networks so they can delay their LTE trials and deployments until 2011 or 2012. AT&T and Telstra of Australia both claim to already offer the fastest mobile broadband service in their respective markets, and plan to use software upgrades to increase the data speed available from their HSPA-powered networks. 4G World will provide a unique opportunity to examine the strategies of AT&T and Telstra which are enhancing their existing 3G networks before deploying LTE using new spectrum.
AT&T already claims to provide the fastest 3G mobile data network, using a combination of EDGE, UMTS and HSUPA (R5) technologies to offer the best combination of coverage and speed. Not to be left behind by these 4G announcements, AT&T recently announced plans to upgrade its 3G mobile data service to boost download speeds during the second half of 2009. Specifically, AT&T announced plans to upgrade its existing 3G mobile broadband network to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology beginning later in 2009, with completion expected in 2011. The deployment of HSPA 7.2 technology in more than half of the existing AT&T 3G network footprint will be complemented by the reuse of AT&T’s 850 Mhz spectrum previously used for the TDMA voice network decommissioned in 2008. The near doubling of wireless spectrum dedicated to mobile broadband in most metro areas and adding fiber connectivity and additional capacity to thousands of cell sites is designed to enable AT&T to bridge the gap by accelerating current 3G download speeds. AT&T also plans to add 20 metropolitan areas to its 3G mobile broadband network, expanding from 350 markets currently and build 2,100 new cell sites to improve coverage.
The cost of these AT&T’s mobile broadband network upgrades will be covered by the $17bn to $18bn in capital expenditures forecast for 2009. In contrast to Verizon, AT&T has decided to delay the deployment of LTE until the technology has been fully proven and volume manufacturing has driven network infrastructure and handset prices down. In fact, AT&T has reserved the decision of deploying HSPA+ (R7) technology to further increase download speeds to 20+ Mbps until it has better visibility on the availability and cost of necessary infrastructure and devices. As such, AT&T has yielded to Verizon Wireless as the first major US wireless network operator to upgrade its network to LTE, and does not plan trials of the next generation 4G mobile broadband technology until 2010 with active LTE deployments beginning in 2011.
Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo held a press conference and presented a major keynote at the Mobile World Congress in February, highlighting his company’s accomplishments in delivering its Next G HSPA Evolution mobile broadband network. When the Trujillio team took over the management of Telstra, they embarked on a major transformation of the company to prepare it for deregulation and increased competition. One of their most significant decisions was to replace its existing mobile CDMA-based EV-DO network using 850 MHz. spectrum nationwide with a 3G (WCDMA) equivalent, as part of a three-year project beginning in 2005 to operate a single, super-fast national 3G mobile service. The Telstra Next GTM network was deployed on the existing tower infrastructure in just 10 months, and the excellent radio propagation characteristics of the 850MHz band allowed Telstra to overcome the challenges of distance in Australia. This 3G network now provides Next GTM coverage to 99 per cent of the Australian population with a footprint of more than 6,700 base stations and a footprint of more than two million square kilometers - an area bigger than Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Austria and Switzerland combined, or almost three times the size of Texas.
Mr. Trujillo announced in April that he had completed his transformation objectives and would be leaving his position at the helm of Telstra in June. Prior to his departure from Australia one month early at the end of May, the Telstra CEO announced that he had fulfilled his commitment to delivering Turbo 21 Mbps services to business and consumer customers in April 2009. The Telstra Next GTM network currently holds the distinction of having the world’s fastest mobile broadband service, enabled with peak network speeds of up to 21Mbps downlink and 5.8Mbps uplink in selected areas served by HSPA+ (R7) technology using 850 MHz spectrum. This achievement is comparable to the software upgrade being contemplated by AT&T to increase download speeds to 20+ Mbps until it has better visibility on the availability and cost of necessary LTE infrastructure equipment and devices.
The recent departure of Telstra’s CEO Sol Trujillo and the appointment of chief executive-elect David Thodey will not significantly affect the Networks and Services unit of Telstra headed by Group Managing Director Michael Rocca or the Wireless Engineering and Operations unit supervised by executive director Mike Wright. With the support of ecosystem partners including Ericsson, Qualcomm and Alcatel Lucent, Telstra was the first operator in the world to launch a commercial HSPA+ (R7) network and the company is now planning to increase this to peak network downlink speeds to 42Mbps in parts of its network by yearend 2009 with testing and availability of devices during 2010.
The Telstra Next G(TM) network provides access to a whole new world of mobile Internet rich media content for consumers, and high speed Internet access to hosted applications for businesses in Australia. Telstra is leveraging the mobile broadband Internet connectivity to drive increased productivity and innovation ultimately stimulating economic development. Telstra has commissioned research that demonstrates that Australia’s rapid take-up of mobile broadband has resulted in an annual productivity dividend of $7.4 billion from mobile broadband and better equipped business to weather the global financial crisis.
Like its US counterparts, Telstra’s transport and core networks are heading toward all-IP interfaces, and the evolution to LTE is viewed as a capacity overlay layer in the densest areas of the network over the top of the HSPA+ enabled network. For now, Telstra sees LTE as a data only layer with the existing WCDMA network continuing to carry voice over R99 circuit connections with evolution to VOIP as a later evolution.
Mobile operators like Telstra, AT&T and Verizon believe that LTE will deliver desktop-like broadband data speeds to handsets and help fuel the growth of mobile internet services offsetting flat or declining revenues from traditional mobile voice services. These leading mobile operators have embarked on a new battle for supremacy based on broadband connectivity and speed. As the base of mobile broadband data cards and subscribers are doubling each year, mobile broadband revenues are increasing at a rate of 40% CAGR. Add to that the millions of broadband enabled notebooks, netbooks, and advanced smartphones with Internet browsers being purchased annually, such as the Apple iPhone and RIM Blackberry. The race to 4G is being driven by the competition to capture these high-end mobile broadband customers, and the need to build the capacity to carry the fast growing rich media content of the mobile internet over the next five years.
Comparing the Mobile Broadband Strategies of AT&T, Telstra Verizon and Sprint
| Mobile Network Operator | Current MB Network | Next MB Network | 4G Deployment Date |
| AT&T | HSDPA (R5) | HSPA (R6) in 2009 | LTE Trials in 2010 |
| Maximum 3.6 Mbps | Maximum 7.2 Mbps | Deployment Begin 2011 | |
| Ave. 400-700 Kbps | Ave. 700-1,700 Kbps | ||
| Telstra - Australia | HSPA (R6) | HSPA+ (R7) in 2009 | HSPA+ (42 Mbps) in 2010 |
| Maximum 7.2 Mbps | Maximum 21 Mbps | No Announced Date for LTE | |
| Ave 700-1,700 Kbps | Ave. 550 Kbps – 8 Mbps | ||
| Verizon Wireless | EV-DO Rev. A | LTE | LTE Trials by yearend 2009 |
| Maximum 2 Mbps | Ave. Download 600-1,400 Kbps | Deployment Begin 2010 | |
| Ave. Download 600 Kbps – 1.4 Mbps | Ave upload 500-800 Kbps. | ||
| Ave. upload 500 Kbps – 800 Kbps | |||
| Sprint | EV-DO Rev A | Mobile WiMAX 2009 | Clearwire Network Build out in 2009-2010 |
| Maximum 2 Mbps | Maximum 12 Mbps | ||
| Ave. Download 600Kbps - 1.4 Mbps | Ave. Download 2-4 Mbps | ||
| Ave. Upload 500 Kbps – 800 Kbps | Ave Upload.75 -1.5 Mbps |
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Mexico 3G auctions
Mexico 3G auctions could raise US$1.5B, says bank
A leading Mexican bank has estimated that the country's 3G spectrum auctions scheduled for later this year could raise as much as US$1.5 billion, reports Dow Jones Newswires. "It's probable that the auction of 3G spectrum takes place in the fourth quarter and could reach close to US$1 billion to US$1.5 billion," Citigroup-owned Banamex said in a report. The local regulator, Cofetel, is to auction off spectrum in the 1.7GHz and 1.9GHz bands. Of the four existing mobile operators in the country, Banamex said it expects market-leader Telcel (America Movil), second-placed Telefonica Moviles Mexico and fourth-placed player NII Holdings (Nextel) to bid for licenses. However, it said that the country's third-placed player Iusacell is unlikely to participate as it is in debt-restructuring talks with creditors.
According to the report, Cofetel is releasing sufficient spectrum in the 1.7GHz band to attract a new, nationwide operator. However, Banamex said the likelihood of a new foreign operator entering the market was low, noting the previous failed attempts by Verizon, Vodafone and France Telecom (Orange) to enter the Mexican market. The most likely new entrant, says the bank, is Mexican media conglomerate Grupo Televisa, a cable TV operator. "We believe the probability that Televisa enters the mobile telephony market is greater than 50 percent. We think the company is interested in adding mobile broadband to its existing service of broadband via cable," Banamex said.
A leading Mexican bank has estimated that the country's 3G spectrum auctions scheduled for later this year could raise as much as US$1.5 billion, reports Dow Jones Newswires. "It's probable that the auction of 3G spectrum takes place in the fourth quarter and could reach close to US$1 billion to US$1.5 billion," Citigroup-owned Banamex said in a report. The local regulator, Cofetel, is to auction off spectrum in the 1.7GHz and 1.9GHz bands. Of the four existing mobile operators in the country, Banamex said it expects market-leader Telcel (America Movil), second-placed Telefonica Moviles Mexico and fourth-placed player NII Holdings (Nextel) to bid for licenses. However, it said that the country's third-placed player Iusacell is unlikely to participate as it is in debt-restructuring talks with creditors.
According to the report, Cofetel is releasing sufficient spectrum in the 1.7GHz band to attract a new, nationwide operator. However, Banamex said the likelihood of a new foreign operator entering the market was low, noting the previous failed attempts by Verizon, Vodafone and France Telecom (Orange) to enter the Mexican market. The most likely new entrant, says the bank, is Mexican media conglomerate Grupo Televisa, a cable TV operator. "We believe the probability that Televisa enters the mobile telephony market is greater than 50 percent. We think the company is interested in adding mobile broadband to its existing service of broadband via cable," Banamex said.
Monday, June 1, 2009
2009 BrandZ Top 100 Most valuable Global Brands Ranking (1May, 2009)
Download full report at http://www.brandz.com/upload/brandz-report-2009-complete-report(1).pdf
Fast facts:
- China Mobile is in the top ten at #7.
- Brand value of China Mobile is greater than AT&T's, Verizon's, and NTT Docomo's, combined!
- The mobile operator category is the biggest-growing in the ranking.
Fast facts:
- China Mobile is in the top ten at #7.
- Brand value of China Mobile is greater than AT&T's, Verizon's, and NTT Docomo's, combined!
- The mobile operator category is the biggest-growing in the ranking.
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