Cingular on track to lead the world in HSDPA deployments

[bobolito]

Cingular Wireless takes worldwide HSDPA lead with DoCoMo delay

By Mike Dano
May 13, 2005

NTT DoCoMo Inc. will delay its High-Speed Downlink Packet Access launch until next year, a move that puts Cingular Wireless L.L.C. at the world's bleeding edge of wireless. DoCoMo's announcement also serves to add an extra layer of caution around the as-yet-unproven technology.
DoCoMo now plans to introduce HSDPA network technology sometime during its 2006 fiscal year. The carrier had previously targeted an HSDPA launch by the end of its 2005 fiscal year. Cingular plans to introduce HSDPA services by the end of this calendar year.

DoCoMo spokeswoman Karen Lurker said the carrier will test HSDPA services this year. She said the delay was not due to technical or handset issues, but instead was because the carrier could not find suitable content and services for an HSDPA network.

"It's not so much technology issues-it's what kinds of content and services" to offer, she said. "The details are still being worked out."

DoCoMo has long been at the forefront of advanced wireless technology. The carrier largely defined the wireless data business model and was the first in the world to offer extensive W-CDMA services. However, its FOMA 3G service suffered in the early stages from expensive, bulky handsets.

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. have shown off prototype HSDPA handsets. Further, a variety of wireless modem makers have promised to offer HSDPA PC cards by the end of this year.

HSDPA will support average transmission speeds of between 550 kilobits per second and 1.1 megabits per second, according to Merrill Lynch. W-CDMA boasts speeds of 220 to 320 kbps and CDMA EV-DO offers data speeds of 400 to 700 kbps.

[bobolito]

Is nice to hear that an American company is taking the world lead on something and not an European or Asian company, for a change.

[danny boi]

Cingular Wireless takes worldwide HSDPA lead with DoCoMo delay

By Mike Dano
May 13, 2005

NTT DoCoMo Inc. will delay its High-Speed Downlink Packet Access launch until next year, a move that puts Cingular Wireless L.L.C. at the world's bleeding edge of wireless. DoCoMo's announcement also serves to add an extra layer of caution around the as-yet-unproven technology.
DoCoMo now plans to introduce HSDPA network technology sometime during its 2006 fiscal year. The carrier had previously targeted an HSDPA launch by the end of its 2005 fiscal year. Cingular plans to introduce HSDPA services by the end of this calendar year.

DoCoMo spokeswoman Karen Lurker said the carrier will test HSDPA services this year. She said the delay was not due to technical or handset issues, but instead was because the carrier could not find suitable content and services for an HSDPA network.

"It's not so much technology issues-it's what kinds of content and services" to offer, she said. "The details are still being worked out."

DoCoMo has long been at the forefront of advanced wireless technology. The carrier largely defined the wireless data business model and was the first in the world to offer extensive W-CDMA services. However, its FOMA 3G service suffered in the early stages from expensive, bulky handsets.

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. have shown off prototype HSDPA handsets. Further, a variety of wireless modem makers have promised to offer HSDPA PC cards by the end of this year.

HSDPA will support average transmission speeds of between 550 kilobits per second and 1.1 megabits per second, according to Merrill Lynch. W-CDMA boasts speeds of 220 to 320 kbps and CDMA EV-DO offers data speeds of 400 to 700 kbps.

So will this be the direct competition for EVDO REV A?

What happened to the HSDPA that supported transmission speeds up to 14.4 Kbps? Was that just in trials or will that planned to be rolled out in large scale? I want wireless download speeds on my laptop or PDA in the 14 Kbps range.

I wonder which direction Cingular will choose? Verizon seems to be betting all hands on EVDO being superior to WiFi hotspots with the exception of international Wi-Fi where it is still crucial.

Once Verizon gets MCI and SBC wins AT&T, they will naturally inherit their rich Wi-Fi global networks. I'm still trying to picture the two US based companies as truly global giants.

[Bugwart]

The 14.4 mbps number was marketing hype. It was based on a theoretical maximum in a lab, not on what real consumers would experience.

It is sad that the marketeers don't learn from history. When you over-promise and under deliver, you create problems for your product (or service).

I agree with Bobo that it is great that the US will be launching HSDPA first.

[jones]

After HSDPA comes HSUPA:

Ongoing technical work within 3GPP will see further increases in throughput speeds of the WCDMA Radio Access Network (RAN). High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) technologies are already standardised and are undergoing network trials with operators in the Far East and North America. Promising theoretical downlink speeds as high as 14.4 Mbps (and respectively 5.8 Mbps uplink), these technologies will play an instrumental role in positioning 3G/UMTS as a key enabler for true 'mobile broadband'. Offering data transmission speeds of the same order of magnitude as today's Ethernet-based networks that are a ubiquitous feature of the fixed-line environment, 3G/UMTS will offer enterprise customers and consumers all the benefits of broadband connectivity whilst on the move.

[Critic]

What happened to the HSDPA that supported transmission speeds up to 14.4 Kbps? Was that just in trials or will that planned to be rolled out in large scale? I want wireless download speeds on my laptop or PDA in the 14 Kbps range.

You want wireless data at speeds equivilant to a 14.4 landline modem? You can already get it. It's called 1XRTT.

=)

[jones]

14.4 kps?
wow, who wants this turtle?
umts is trying to achieve 14.4 Mbs

[danny boi]

You want wireless data at speeds equivilant to a 14.4 landline modem? You can already get it. It's called 1XRTT.

=)

Haha. I meant Mbps.

Thanks for catching that.

[bobolito]

LOL! good catch, Critic!

Bugwart, it wouldn't be the first time Cingular does this. If you recall, they installed the first commercial EDGE network in the world as well, granted it was in only one city, but nevertheless, EDGE was nowhere else in the world.