SERVICE PROVIDER WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY: World Without Wires

3G is the
term used to describe next generation mobile services that provide better
quality voice and high-speed Internet and multimedia services. The ITU requires
that IMT-2000 (3G) networks, among other capabilities, deliver improved system
capacity and spectrum efficiency over the 2G systems and support data services
at minimum transmission rates of 144 kbps in mobile (outdoor) and 2 Mbps in
fixed (indoor) environments.

Presently, there are
around 50 mn 3G customers worldwide of which WCDMA contribution is around 33 mn
whereas EV-DO is around 17 mn.  

India is focusing on
both technologies EV-DO and 3GSM (W-CDMA) and is planning for a simultaneous
release of spectrum in the 2 GHz and 800 MHz frequency bands.   

• CDMA2000:
  CDMA2000 is one of the five standards. It is also known by its ITU name
  IMT-CDMA Multi Carrier. CDMA2000 represents a family of 3G and
  next-generation standards with advanced voice, data and multimedia
  capabilities to meet the rapidly evolving demand for wireless and converged
  communication services. The underlying principle of the CDMA2000 evolution
  path is backward and forward compatibility allowing operators to seamlessly
  and cost-effectively upgrade their existing networks.

• CDMA2000
  1xEV-DO: CDMA2000 1xEV-DO (evolution-data optimized) introduces a
  new air interface with technical features that are specifically designed for
  all-data network. CDMA2000 1xEV-DO has been approved as an IMT-2000
  standard. In order to take full advantage of an all-IP network and an air
  interface that has been optimized for data, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO does require a
  multi-mode device to be fully backward compatible. 

• CDMA2000
  1xEV-DO Release 0: CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Release 0 provides a peak
  data rate of 2.4 Mbps in the forward link and 153 kbps in the reverse link
  in a 1.25 MHz CDMA carrier. With average throughput of 400-800 Kbps in the
  forward link, it delivers the highest data rates of any wide area network
  wireless technology deployed today. It leverages the existing suite of
  Internet Protocols (IP). Hence, it supports all popular operating systems
  and software applications. It offers an “always on” user experience and
  supports advanced data applications such as MP3 transfers and video
  conferencing, TV broadcasts, video and audio downloads.

• CDMA2000
  1xEV-DO Rev A: CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev A represents a major step
  towards converged communication networks and ubiquitous delivery of voice
  and data services across fixed and wireless networks. Revision A is an all
  IP-based air interface and integrates voice (VoIP), high-speed packet data
  and enhanced multimedia capabilities. It is an evolution of CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
  Release 0, and it adds higher data rates, higher system capacity and
  improved QoS support for low-latency packet applications. It also supports
  enhanced multicast capabilities and helps in delivering high-quality
  bandwidth intensive video and audio applications to a large base in a cost
  effective manner.
  
      Rev A delivers a peak data rate of 1.8 Mbps on the
  reverse link and 3.1 Mbps on the forward link. Not only it supports higher
  system capacity but improved quality of service. Revision A is backwards
  compatible with 1xEV-DO Release 0 and allows operators seamless migration
  while preserving their investments in the CDMA2000 systems. Revision A
  services will be commercial in early 2007 with mass market deployments in
  2007 and 2008.

• CDMA2000
  1xEV-DO Revision B: The Revision B standard will be published in
  the Ist quarter of 2006. Revision B introduces a 64-QAM-modulation scheme
  and will deliver peak rates of 73.5 Mbps in the forward link and 27 Mbps in
  the reverse link through the aggregation of 15, 1.25 MHz carriers within 20
  MHz of bandwidth. In addition to supporting mobile broadband data and OFDM-based
  multicasting, the lower latency characteristics of Revision B will improve
  the performance of delay-sensitive applications such as VoIP, push-to-talk
  over cellular, video telephony, concurrent voice and multimedia and massive
  multiplayer online gaming. Revision B is planned to be commercially
  available in 2008.

• HSDPA:
  HSDPA is typically a software upgrade to W-CDMA network thereby
  enabling operators to roll out this high-speed technology rapidly and cost
  effectively. HSDPA is high-speed mobile broadband, enabling a wide variety
  of high bandwidth multimedia services including high quality streaming
  video, fast downloads of high resolution images and large files, interactive
  e-mails and gaming, and telematics. It doubles network capacity, while
  making transmission of everything from voice calls to video pictures more
  efficient, boosting download speeds as much as fivefold.

Compared with WCDMA,
HSDPA increases throughput up to 14.4 Mbps, reduces latency, and increases data
capacity up to 5x in dense urban environments. One can get speeds up to 14.4
Kbps on downlink-shared channel on the same carrier and can be deployed in both
FDD and TDD modes.            

More than 80 WCDMA
networks have been deployed worldwide in 37 countries.    

Cingular Wireless has
become the first mobile operator in the world to launch an extensive HSDPA
service and is offering laptop users wireless access to the Internet initially
at speeds averaging between 400 and 700 Kbps in 16 cities. On the other hand,
Manx Telecom, owned by O2 has launched Europe's first service on the Isle of
Man.    

The GSM Association (GSMA),
in an initiative led by TeliaSonera has begun interoperability trials on three
continents to ensure that mobile users will be able to share video across
networks. The video share trials are due to be completed in the first half of
2006 and GSMA has brought together equipment makers and handset vendors for this
trial.

• Wi-Max
  (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access): This is the
  trade name given to a group of wireless technologies that emerged from IEEE
  802.16 WirelessMAN (Metropolitan Area Network) standards. Although Wi-Max is
  only a few years old, 802-16 has been there from a long time, first with the
  adoption of 802.16 standard  (10-66
  GHz) and then with 802.16a (2-11 Ghz).

The Wi-Max umbrella
currently includes 802.16-2004 and 802.16e. 802.16-2004 utilizes Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), to serve multiple users in a time
division fashion in a sort of a round robin technique, but done extremely
quickly so that users have the perception that that they are always transmitting
or receiving. 802.16e utilizes Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)
and can serve multiple users simultaneously by allocating sets of tones to each
user.

802.16-2004 is a fixed
wireless access technology designed to serve as a wireless DSL replacement. Wi-Max
can provide broadband access in remote and developing parts of the world where
basic voice or broadband access using fixed line service is not economically
feasible. Additionally, Wi-Max can be useful to provide backhaul in cellular
networks and also can be used for enhancing the reach of public Wi-Fi hot spots
by increasing the throughput in the backhaul network.

802.16e is an
unpublished standard that is intended to offer a key feature that 802.16-2004
lacks — portability and eventually fullscale mobility. This standard requires
a new hardware and software solution since it is not backward compatible with
802.16-2004

Wireless Broadband

WiBro (Wireless Broadband) is a South Korean initiative and will be included
in 16e umbrella, thus making it another potential Wi-Max profile. It is a TDD-based
system that operates in a 9 MHz radio channel at 2.3 GHz with OFDMA as its
access technology. It also supports users traveling at speeds of up to 120 Km/hr
with peak user data rates of 3 Mbps in the downlink (uplink = 1 Mbps) and 18
Mbps of peak sector throughput in the downlink (uplink = 6 Mbps)    

Today, there are
approximately 300 odd companies like Alcatel, Ericsson, Lucent, Motorola,
Nortel, and Siemens, to name a few. On the chipset front, Intel, Fujitsu and
many others are joining to make the proposition look attractive.

Wi-Max is a credible
solution to a number of solutions that have plagued the fixed wireless industry
ie the lack of an open standard and absence of major silicon vendors and
equipment suppliers. Once Wi-Max certified equipment is available from a number
of suppliers, increased competition along with increased volume shipment will
result in attractive price points.

There are several
market opportunities for Wi-Max, some more viable than others. Wi-Max
opportunities are in developing, developed, wireless backhaul in cellular
networks, and wireless backhaul in Wi-Fi network. 

Developing and Underserved Markets

Several regions of the world, copper wire to the home or enterprise is still
not being deployed. In these circumstances, a fixed wireless offering based on
open standard may make more economic sense than deploying copper wire. First it
can be deployed faster and also provide manageable speeds.

DSL and cable modem replacement and extension

There are some markets and regions where the economics of running cable or
putting in DSLAM does not make sense and in these cases, a fixed broadband
wireless access technology might be more appropriate. We have already seen WISPs
(Wireless Internet Service Providers) operating in niche areas.

Wireless backhaul in a cellular network

In the past and till date, microwave radios have been used by the cellular
industry to provide backhaul, or transport, of voice and data traffic from
outlying cell sites to the operator's core network. The service providers'
decision to opt for wireless backhaul will be based on availability of
sufficient spectrum. And this will increase further with 3G deployments by
operators.

Wireless backhaul in a Wi-Fi network

A more likely scenario is that Wi-max will be used to provide backhaul in a
Wi-Fi network. Another limitation with public Wi-Fi is the cost and
inconvenience associated with the wire line backhaul. If nothing else, the
network throughput could be dramatically increased for far less cost in
comparison to copper or fiber.

Wi-Max Spectrum

Wi-Max covers a range of spectrum below 11 GHz. The available spectrum falls
into two distinct categories-unlicensed and licensed. In most markets, the
unlicensed spectrum that could be used for Wi-Max is 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz. Since
it is unlicensed, the entry barrier is low. But unlicensed band has its own
disadvantages like interference, increased competition, and limited power.Â
Since unlicensed can be used by a lot of operators, there is a high
probability of spectrum. And majority of telcos would not be comfortable
starting service using unlicensed spectrum band.

On the other hand,
licensed spectrum comes at a price and is free from interference. The unlicensed
spectrum is found at 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz, and 3.5 GHz.      

Beginning of this
year, Wi-Max Forum announced the first fixed wireless broadband network products
to achieve the designation of WiMax Forum Certified. The first companies and
products to complete certification and interoperability testing including Aperto
Networks' PacketMax 5,000 base station, Redline Communcations' RedMAX
AN-100U base station, Sequans Communications' SQN2010 SoC base station
solution, and Wavesat's miniMAX customer premise equipment solution.

Pravin Prashant

pravinp@cybermedia.co.in