Nokia, Ericsson reach mobile milestone
Published: 25 Sep 2002 10:43 BST
Nokia and Ericsson said on Tuesday that they've each separately reached milestones for mobile phone equipment that uses wideband-CDMA, the cellphone standard expected to dominate its rivals by 2005.
Wideband code division multiple access (w-CDMA) is the major standard in the worldwide move to third generation or 3G mobile phones. With some 85 percent of mobile operators across the globe expected to choose it over the alternative cdma2000 standard, it is particularly suitable for networks currently running GSM and GPRS systems -- which includes all of Europe, most of Asia and an increasing proportion of the US. 3G networks will provide streaming video and audio, Internet access at hundreds of kilobits per second and other advanced services to subscribers.
On Thursday, Nokia intends to announce that w-CDMA cellphones it developed now meet the requirements set by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the industry group that brings together the various standards bodies involved in national and international mobile phone system definition. The 3GPP seal of approval is vital for any new generation of 3G phone equipment.
Nokia plans to start selling the phones by the end of the year, probably to NTT DoCoMo customers in Japan, the company said. Prices and an exact release date were not available on Tuesday. NTT DoCoMo's FOMA service is the world's first full 3G network, and is coming up to the first anniversary of its launch.
Meanwhile, Ericsson said on Tuesday that it had completed what it claims to be the first-ever telephone call that began on a w-CDMA network and then roamed onto a GSM system.
The phones used during the Ericsson test calls were created by Sony Ericsson, the cellphone manufacturer created through a partnership between telecom equipment maker Ericsson and entertainment company Sony.
"Now we can offer mobile phone manufacturers a complete platform," meaning all the software and equipment involved, said Tord Wingren, Ericsson mobile platforms division president, in a statement. He did not disclose a launch date or the prices of the phones.
Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo has the world's only working w-CDMA network, but most other carriers are expected to finish upgrading from their current networks to w-CDMA by 2005, said Alan Reiter, president of wireless consulting firm Wireless Internet & Mobile Computing.
"It's nice that Ericsson and Nokia are committing their resources to w-CDMA during this awful market," said Reiter of the Tuesday announcements. "But we will see a lot more hype than actual implementation for the next two years."
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