Wireless data service speeds-which for years have been cast aside as less important than the applications running over the networks-were again the topic of discussion for many carriers at this year’s Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association IT & Entertainment 2003 show.
The loudest discussions were from GSM technology supporters, who began throwing around expected speeds for soon-to-be launched EDGE networks. While EDGE falls short of what is available from rival CDMA2000 1x EV-DO networks, it is expected to outpace the nationwide deployments of CDMA2000 1x technologies.
Those EDGE deployments are expected to include additional markets from Cingular Wireless L.L.C., which has admitted limited success with its initial Indianapolis market launch this summer, AT&T Wireless Services Inc., which said it would launch nationwide EDGE services by the end of the year, and T-Mobile USA Inc., which expects to launch EDGE services beginning next year.
“We are pretty confident once we launch our EDGE network nationwide we will provide speeds that will be at least [two times] faster than what is currently available with 1x,” said Abhi Ingle, vice president of business data solutions at AT&T Wireless, which was showing off EDGE network speeds ranging between 80 and 175 kilobits per second using the carrier’s Las Vegas network at its show floor booth.
The test used a Sony Ericsson PC card, which is expected to join the currently available Nokia 6200 handset for the service launch. AT&T Wireless said the card will provide average network speeds between 110 and 130 kbps. Verizon Wireless claims average network speeds of between 40 and 60 kbps for its 1x-based offering, while Sprint PCS claims average speeds of between 50 and 70 kbps for its 1x service.
AT&T Wireless also hinted it would provide a strong suite of business-oriented applications when it launches its EDGE network designed around enterprise customers’ virtual private network clients.
Cingular, which was the first nationwide carrier to launch EDGE services, did not provide details about further EDGE expansion, but did note it was ahead of schedule for its GSM/GPRS network overlay that at the end of September provided coverage in 92 percent of its service area. That overlay included EDGE-capable network infrastructure and was ahead of the carrier’s previous announcement to have 90 percent of its network converted by the end of this year.
A T-Mobile USA spokesman said the nation’s largest GSM carrier planned to launch EDGE services nationwide as early as next year, though he noted T-Mobile was waiting for more devices to become available before introducing the service.
T-Mobile USA also reinforced its next-generation plans that were first announced in early 2002, which included the use of 802.11-based technology to serve dense metropolitan environment, EDGE-based data services for further reaching urban markets and finally its already launched GPRS network for the rest of its coverage areas.
While the EDGE network speeds are not expected to rival Verizon Wireless’ CDMA2000 1x EV-DO network, AT&T Wireless’ Ingle questioned the viability of offering a data only network that would steal away precious spectrum from voice services, adding EDGE would allow carriers to vary capacity between voice and data services.
Analysts said they expect Verizon Wireless to extend its recently launched CDMA2000 1x EV-DO service, which according to independent testing was providing an average of 350 kbps of data speeds, from the current San Diego and Washington, D.C., markets nationwide as early as next year.
In addition to keeping the carrier on top in network speeds, the move is expected to place additional pressure on Sprint PCS, which has said it would launch higher speed and voice capable CDMA2000 1x EV-DV services in the 2005 to 2006 time frame. A Sprint PCS spokesman said the carrier would monitor reception to Verizon Wireless’ EV-DO network and could launch a similar service if it proved necessary.
Sprint PCS also noted testing of its push-to-talk service was ongoing and that it was still on track to launch the highly anticipated service by the end of the year.
