MONTREAL-The transmission was delayed 20 minutes because the test PC had crashed. And the picture quality, to put it kindly, was choppy. Nevertheless, in February, Rogers AT&T Wireless and Ericsson Canada made the first wireless phone call in North America to be carried over Ericsson’s third-generation (3G) Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) technology.
The call linked Rogers executives in a stationary van in Montreal, Canada, with Ericsson officials in a Dallas, United States, office.
“We used the public Internet, and the fact the temperature was minus 20 degrees Celsius here certainly contributed to video deterioration,” said Robert Berner, Toronto-based senior vice president and chief technology officer for Rogers AT&T Wireless.
He indicated the jerky images, reminiscent of the early days of the Shopping Channel on television, indicate that carriers are still seeking satisfactory broadband for 3G video transmissions. Rogers AT&T, Canada’s largest supplier of wireless communications services, expects to have full-speed video-streaming services on wireless handsets by the end of 2001 or early 2002. At that time, a mobile phone user, through fast Internet access, will be able to buy and sell stocks, check out film reviews and download large files in a few seconds.
Using EDGE on AT&T Wireless’ North American network, Berner anticipates data rates of up to 384 kilobits per second, which is about 40 times the current TDMA and GSM standard of 9.6 kilobits per second (kbps).
Speech travels well at 9.6 kbps, but good-quality video requires speeds of 200 to 2,000 kbps.
EDGE is a next-generation wireless digital system that can migrate existing networks to higher data speeds and packet voice.
Designed to integrate into the existing spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 1900 MHz bands, 3G services combine high-speed mobile access with Internet Protocol (IP)-based services to deliver speedier wireless communications than currently available.
Berner indicated that Rogers AT&T and Ericsson Canada expect field trials this year and next for the distribution of large-scale services via 3G technology. In September 1999, the two companies reached a new agreement valued at US$345 million to develop 3G wireless technology. Ericsson is the sixth-largest research and development investor overall in Canada, investing US$140 million annually.
Like elsewhere around the world, the major 3G standards in Canada will be based either on wideband CDMA or cdma2000 technology. Each second-generation digital standard has its own evolution path to 3G.
Berner said Ericsson’s EDGE network will be compatible with the GSM interim standard called General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). For now, GPRS facilitates data speeds of 115 kilobits per second.
“The theory is that you’ll roam between the various frequencies and technologies such as GSM and TDMA to get interoperability in your handset,” said George Karadis, director of research and consulting for the Yankee Group in Brockville, Ontario. “Despite all the hype, the Canadian race for 3G is still three or four years away from the finish line.”
For its part, Clearnet Communications of Toronto, one of the four national Canadian PCS operators, expects enhanced IP-enabled voice and high-speed data transmissions beginning next year.
“Basically, our core network is ready for 3G because our infrastructure is so new,” said Stephen Howe, vice president of technology for Clearnet. He expects 144 kbps packet data to be transmitted next year via the carrier’s CDMA technology.
“The potential with 3G is to put more value-added information to your cell phone such as data messaging. I don’t think we’ll be surfing the Web from a portable phone, nor is full-motion video viable from a 3G phone for at least five to ten years,” said Howe.
