The CDMA Development Group (CDG) and the Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) has recently released their proposed Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) standard, the technology they hope will trump the mobile iterations of IEEE 802.16e-2005 (so-called mobile WiMAX) and Long-Term Evolution (LTE) as the world's eventual 4G standard.
The proposal now needs to undergo final standardization, which backers predict will be a rapid process. In the United States, UMB is scheduled to emerge as Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standard TIA-1121.
The UMB proposal is an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) solution that uses
- "sophisticated" control and signaling mechanisms;
- radio resource management (RRM);
- adaptive reverse link (RL) interference management; and
- such advanced antenna techniques as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) and beamforming.
It supports inter-technology handoffs and seamless operation with existing CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO systems. It claims to be able to deliver both high-capacity voice and broadband data in all environments, including fixed, pedestrian and fully mobile in excess of 300 km/hr. It supports, proponents say, as many as 1,000 simultaneous VoIP users within a single sector, using 20 megahertz of bandwidth. Average latency is 14.3 mSec over-the-air to support VoIP, push-to-talk and other delay-sensitive applications with minimal jitter.
The unveiling of the UMB proposal, an IP-based mobile broadband standard alleged to enable peak download data rates of 288 Mb/s in a 20-megahertz bandwidth, is clearly evidence that a 4G technology potentially four times as fast as mobile WiMAX is almost market-ready. The CDG and 3GPP2 estimate initial commercial availability at the first half of 2009, and they clearly hope to convince carriers looking at 802.16 to instead wait just a little longer what the CDG fancies is a technology that will "leapfrog other wireless broadband technologies to become the leading standard adopted for next generation mobile telecommunications."
And, of course, all the players - including UMB, LTE and the mobile WiMAX camp - are in a death match for designation as the official definition of wireless 4G technology. That definition won't be released until the 2008/09 timeframe, in the form of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) IMT-Advanced requirements. However, some folks, like those at research house In-Stat, also think initial implementations of LTE, UMB and 802.16 WiMAX may fall short of throughput and other expectations, with later enhancements or even some type of technology combination actually bringing real 4G to the table But that's not what the corporate backers of each of the technologies really wants (Qualcomm is behind UMB, which it considers a member of the CDMA 2000 family; Ericsson is touting LTE; and Intel has spent uncounted millions singing the glories of WiMAX). Each wants its technology to be "the one" - thus the faster the push to get UMB at least certified as a TIA standard before the ITU acts, the better to compete with the fact there is an IEEE designation for the foundation technology behind what is being called WiMAX (without, interestingly, the official permission of the IEEE).
"It is expected that the UMB specification will be quickly converted into an official global standard by the 3GPP2 organizational partners," the 3GPP2 said in its statement unveiling the final UMB proposal. It also noted that those "organization partners" include the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) in Japan, China Communications Standards Association (CCSA), TIA in North America, the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) in South Korea and the Telecommunications Technology Committee (TTC) in Japan.
Enterprise Segment - The new mantra for Telecom equipment vendors & service providers
Every Vendor in Hardware/software Telecom space is eying at Enterprise segment. The offerings are based on variety of hardware and software platforms. Here are few examples -
- Cisco has recentlyunveiled a new line of hardware and software in its "Empowered Branch" portfolio, building on the offerings it already has that are designed to give branches essentially the same type of service as corporate headquarters.
The latest gear even extends to tiny offices with fewer than 20 workers.
The new offerings include the first "lite" version of Cisco's flagship IOS software, hardware that includes routers and LAN switches, and new support for 802.11n wireless. With the emergence of new business applications and a more collaborative global business environment, Cisco customers are putting a greater emphasis on their remote offices. Cisco Empowered Branch allows them to take advantage of new business opportunities by providing them with a network platform that addresses all their application and service needs today, yet continuously evolves to provide service innovations required for the future.
- The International Association of Managed Service Providers, better known as the MSPAlliance, has launched a Vendor Accreditation Program (VAP) for the managed-services industry and named the first seven vendors certified under that program.
Those first seven are Intel, SilverBack Technologies/Dell, Asigra, Untangle, XRoads Networks, LiveCargo and N-Able Technologies.
The Alliance, which claims membership of some 2,000 managed-service providers (MSPs), already has been accrediting MSPs, but this is the first time it's accredited the suppliers that provide systems and software to those MSPs. The group wants to grow the first seven accredited vendors quickly to a group of at least 50.
- BT Conferencing, the conferencing and collaboration services division of BT, entered into a strategic partnership with the Corporate Executive Board to provide global collaborative services for the next three years to the Board's enterprise clientele.
As part of the agreement, BT Conferencing will provide Corporate Executive Board with managed audio and Web services to its network of more than 14,000 C-suite executives and their staff from more than 3,700 leading global corporations and organizations, including much of the Fortune 500. Implementation of the new service already has begun, and it should be in full swing by the end of the week.
BT Conferencing has offices in the United States, EMEA and Asia Pacific; it specializes in delivering conferencing and collaborative solutions and product hardware to some of the largest companies in the world, and its solutions are designed for enterprises a million minutes or more of conferencing time. The Corporate Executive Board Company provides best-practices research and analysis focusing on corporate strategy, operations and general management issues.
- In North America and Western Europe, large companies will play an increasing role in VoIP adoption, says ABI Research, adding hosted services will be used on a more regular basis as well, becoming a stronger engine for enterprise VoIP growth in the future.
The hosted services market for VoIP applications initially focused on (and found success with) smaller companies, the research firm says. Typically, smaller companies do not have the IT staff or the budget to install their own VoIP systems. As a result, they often rely on service providers for VoIP services that include the type of features found in large-enterprise phone networks. Service providers have not focused on large-enterprise-hosted phone services, but this is likely to change in the future as telecom operators (i.e., the traditional market leaders) face new competition in the smaller-business market from competitive operators, cable operators and other alternative-service providers. ABI Research believes service providers will take their experience with easy-to-serve small companies to adaptively re-size to favor larger companies.
The news from all quarters on enterprise telecom business and solutions are pouring in from all quarters. In India also the market is already estimated to be sized at Rs 10,000 cr pa and is growing fast. The success of telecom operators in this segment will depend not on an early move but on the right move. The one who can mix the right technologies with the best service level agreements will emerge as winner
- Cisco has recentlyunveiled a new line of hardware and software in its "Empowered Branch" portfolio, building on the offerings it already has that are designed to give branches essentially the same type of service as corporate headquarters.
The latest gear even extends to tiny offices with fewer than 20 workers.
The new offerings include the first "lite" version of Cisco's flagship IOS software, hardware that includes routers and LAN switches, and new support for 802.11n wireless. With the emergence of new business applications and a more collaborative global business environment, Cisco customers are putting a greater emphasis on their remote offices. Cisco Empowered Branch allows them to take advantage of new business opportunities by providing them with a network platform that addresses all their application and service needs today, yet continuously evolves to provide service innovations required for the future.
- The International Association of Managed Service Providers, better known as the MSPAlliance, has launched a Vendor Accreditation Program (VAP) for the managed-services industry and named the first seven vendors certified under that program.
Those first seven are Intel, SilverBack Technologies/Dell, Asigra, Untangle, XRoads Networks, LiveCargo and N-Able Technologies.
The Alliance, which claims membership of some 2,000 managed-service providers (MSPs), already has been accrediting MSPs, but this is the first time it's accredited the suppliers that provide systems and software to those MSPs. The group wants to grow the first seven accredited vendors quickly to a group of at least 50.
- BT Conferencing, the conferencing and collaboration services division of BT, entered into a strategic partnership with the Corporate Executive Board to provide global collaborative services for the next three years to the Board's enterprise clientele.
As part of the agreement, BT Conferencing will provide Corporate Executive Board with managed audio and Web services to its network of more than 14,000 C-suite executives and their staff from more than 3,700 leading global corporations and organizations, including much of the Fortune 500. Implementation of the new service already has begun, and it should be in full swing by the end of the week.
BT Conferencing has offices in the United States, EMEA and Asia Pacific; it specializes in delivering conferencing and collaborative solutions and product hardware to some of the largest companies in the world, and its solutions are designed for enterprises a million minutes or more of conferencing time. The Corporate Executive Board Company provides best-practices research and analysis focusing on corporate strategy, operations and general management issues.
- In North America and Western Europe, large companies will play an increasing role in VoIP adoption, says ABI Research, adding hosted services will be used on a more regular basis as well, becoming a stronger engine for enterprise VoIP growth in the future.
The hosted services market for VoIP applications initially focused on (and found success with) smaller companies, the research firm says. Typically, smaller companies do not have the IT staff or the budget to install their own VoIP systems. As a result, they often rely on service providers for VoIP services that include the type of features found in large-enterprise phone networks. Service providers have not focused on large-enterprise-hosted phone services, but this is likely to change in the future as telecom operators (i.e., the traditional market leaders) face new competition in the smaller-business market from competitive operators, cable operators and other alternative-service providers. ABI Research believes service providers will take their experience with easy-to-serve small companies to adaptively re-size to favor larger companies.
The news from all quarters on enterprise telecom business and solutions are pouring in from all quarters. In India also the market is already estimated to be sized at Rs 10,000 cr pa and is growing fast. The success of telecom operators in this segment will depend not on an early move but on the right move. The one who can mix the right technologies with the best service level agreements will emerge as winner
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