While industry is battening down the details of CDMA 450 MHz technology, IPWireless has introduced a UMTS play into the picture: Enter UMTS450 technology.
The company describes UMTS450 as a complete high-speed packet-based data and voice solution designed for UMTS operators with access to spectrum in the 450 MHz band. It will use IPWireless’ multi-chip-rate technology to support three separate chip rates, 1.28 million chips per second, 2.56 Mcps and 3.84 Mcps.
The 450 MHz spectrum traditionally belongs to the analog band, but as industry moves to digital and next-generation networks and services, the spectrum is being cleared for new technologies.
A number of players already have started working on CDMA450, not only for voice but also for EV-DO, especially in Eastern Europe. But 450 is expected to also be open in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and even parts of the United States.
IPWireless said it plans to leverage its TD-CDMA baseband chipset with High-Speed Downlink Packet Access for its UMTS Time Division Duplex solutions for the IMT2000 TDD bands, which include 1900 MHz, 2010 MHz and 2500 MHz, as well as the 3400 MHz band.
“It will provide the benefit of a flexible architecture,” commented Brian Modoff, managing director and senior wireless equipment analyst with Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. “It’s robust.”
“It’s one thing to introduce a solution that works in multiple frequencies,” observed Michael Thelander of Signals Research, adding that IPWireless’ product is unique. “You can dynamically shift from 3G (frequencies) to 450.”
Still, Martin Gutberlet, principal analyst for mobile and wireless communications at Gartner, said he doubts IPWireless can enjoy much traction with major carriers in Europe and North America. Instead, he expects UMTS450 to be deployed in emerging markets where capacity will not be urgently required and equipment acquisition will be relatively inexpensive.
Thelander, however, thinks IPWireless’ technology could come into play when carriers start using their TDD spectrum, which focuses mainly on data and other multimedia offerings. Network carriers are deploying FDD-based UMTS and that provides mainly voice.
It will create three markets, Thelander said, one at 450 MHz, another for traditional third generation services and a third market that uses both 450 MHz and 3G. “I’ll call that a triple play,” he said.
However, the coming of HSDPA solutions could take UMTS TDD out of the picture for major carriers, Gartner’s Gutberlet contended.
The strength of IPWireless’ solution is that it has baseband ASIC chipsets with HSDPA, explained Jon Hambridge, vice president of marketing for IPWireless.
IPWireless’ solution brings the number of technologies in contention to four-CDMA, UMTS, Flarion Technologies’ Flash-OFDM and IPWireless’ UMTS TDD. Gutberlet said he expected IPWireless to come up with a solution in the light of the other three in the market.
“It’s not clear what path carriers will take,” said Thelander, adding no one knows which of the technologies will win. “Some have already chosen CDMA450. Others have a new solution available.”
But all the analysts agree the IPWireless solution is more flexible than CDMA450, which is making inroads in Eastern Europe.
“An operator can start their deployment in a single pair of channels and automatically expand to two or all three channels once legacy analog customers are transitioned to the new network, or new spectrum is acquired,” said IPWireless.
Thelander agreed, adding that a carrier using CDMA technology would need a new set of equipment per channel.
This makes UMTS450 more cost efficient. That’s why Gutberlet expects it to have more appeal in emerging markets. But Hambridge said it already has its UMTS TDD on about 40 networks around the world, 10 of them in Europe. In the U.S., it is partnering with smaller networks.
The technology player said the devices will be low cost and will use the same devices available in the 450 MHz band, including plug-and-play broadband modems, integrated residential gateways, PC cards, VoIP integrated access devices and Voice over Internet Protocol handsets.
Dual-band devices will allow roaming and handoffs with other UMTS bands, said the company.
“UMTS 450 will support the same range of services as these existing bands including mobile, portable and stationary broadband data and voice services as these, while fully taking advantage of the improved coverage capabilities of the 450 MHz band,” said IPWireless.
Gutberlet thinks the issue of devices will be a big obstacle for IPWireless. He explained that it took a long time for even 2G carriers in Europe to make their handsets work across networks, a foreboding challenge for IPWireless. He wonders if IPWireless can make the devices move from 450 band to 1900 MHz.
Hambridge said his company is working with the major device vendors.
