3G Auction Ended

The auction for 3G mobile licence ended today with RCom, Bharti and Aircel bagging 13 circles each, and will leave the government with a Rs 67,710 crore revenue windfall.

However, no single operator managed to bag all 22 circles on offer — the total bid price for which touched Rs 16,750.58 crore on the 34th day of bidding today.

Anil Ambani-led RCom will pay Rs 8,585.04 crore towards the 3G licence, but the single largest outgo would be from Bharti that will pay Rs 12,295.46 crore.

Vodafone, which is second in terms of fee outgo, would be paying over Rs 11,617 crore for licence to offer high-speed voice and data service in nine circles.

Key circles Mumbai and Delhi went to Bharti, Vodafone and RCom.

Bharti complained that the auction format and severe shortage drove up the prices beyond reasonable levels.

The government had fixed a reserve price of Rs 3,500 crore for 3G spectrum and had originally estimated to raise Rs 35,000 crore from the sale.

"We would like to point out that the auction format and severe spectrum shortage, along with ensuing policy uncertainty, drove the prices beyond reasonable levels. As a result, we could not achieve our objective of pan-India 3G footprint in this round," Bharti said in a statement.

Nine operators, who were in the fray for three-four slots of spectrum, had welcomed the format in the mock auction.

"They knew what they were bidding. I'm quite certain we should respect the market determined price," telecom regulator J S Sarma said.

"I calculated Rs 35,000 crore (revenue from 3G and Broadband Wireless spectrum sale) in the Budget. I'm getting Rs 67,000 crore, almost double. So, (I will get) that much elbow room," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today.

The revenue mop up will help the government cut its fiscal deficit to nearly 4.9 per cent from 5.5 per cent of GDP projected in the Budget.

"I'm happy to see that the government is going to earn more than expected," Telecom Minister A Raja said.

Delhi spectrum went for Rs 3,316.93 crore, while that the bid for Mumbai closed at Rs 3,247.07 crore.

The auction of Broadband Wireless Access spectrum will start in two days and could push up the government's revenue mop up. The reserve price for BWA radio waves is Rs 1,750 crore for pan-India licence and 11 players are in the fray to grab the two slots on the block.

GPRS UNLIMITED WAR

India’s mobile market, over crowded by around 17 mobile operators shows intense competition – which helps to drop down call rate as low as half a paisa per second and SMS over India costs merely 1paisa! But it is sad data tariff or Internet on mobile Phones is not that cheap.

GPRS/EDGE speed is often too slow to surf Internet unlimited Low Cost GPRS/Mobile Internet is offered by a few operators in 2G segments, incidentally BSNL and MTNL the Govt owned operators offering some attractive limited plans and Unlimited Faster Data Connectivity on 3G network at Rs 2500, well that is out of reach of most people, still you can expect it to be cheap in future.

Interestingly CDMA operators has not entered Internet-on-the-go in that exclusively way, though they are in Data card business with 3.1 Mbps EVDO technology. Tata Indicom recently rolled out Photon+ on mobile, though tariff will keep most users at a bay with a few handset supported! MTS has not entered Internet on the go services (on Mobile Phones) till.

Aircel is pioneer in cutting down GPRS price, offering unlimited net-on-mobile or on PC at just Rs 98 for a period of 30 days. Aircel even has a trial pack of Rs 14 offering unlimited Internet for 3 days. Aircel GPRS speed is not bad, but differs circle to circle, zone to zone and time to time, peak hours offers slower speed and this is applicable to all operators. MTNL has same GPRS tariff like Aircel on 2G network.

Airtel brought GPRS tariff cut down to compete Tata Docomo’s offers, now offering internet on phone/PC 2GB for Rs 98 for 30 days. Tata Docomo is also offering GPRS services, offering 200MB free usage in day and 4GB at night at Rs 95 for 30 days. For high end users Tata Docomo is not a good option. Reliance GPRS is also costly. BSNL has different packs for different needs in different circles;  (Check Tata Docomo vs BSNL GPRS) Vodafone has one of the few operators who did not hear to market needs. Recently in Kolkata circle, Vodafone launches unlimited GPRS at an affordable Rs 251 for 30 days. Idea fails to create hype in GPRS market, offering some crappy pack in some circles, basic browsing comes at a 2paisa/KB compared to others’ 1p/KB or 10p/KB! STel has to roll out GPRS.

Now enter Uninor! Though Uninor’s voice tariff failed to attract Indian people, this time Uninor (and Telenor too) understands the value-for-money sentiment of Indians and stirs the market with its GPRS packs. Uninor is offering 3GB internet at Rs 90 for 30 days with free browsing on Facebook, Orkut and Twitter. It’s a damn good deal! Uninor with free browsing on Facebook and Twitter outnumbers Tata Docomo (don’t count Buddynet with daily rental Re1)! As Uninor’s network is less congested, speed is expected to be good enough.

Have a look to compare GPRS(2G) Packs:

	Unlimited pack	Other pack (taken maximum free usage)	Post free usage charge
Aircel	Rs 98, 30 days Rs 14,3 days	N/A	N/A
MTNL(2G)	Rs 98, 30 days Rs 14, 3 days	N/A	N/A
Airtel	N/A	Rs 98, 2GB,30 daysRs 23, 200MB,3 days	30p/50KB
BSNL(2G)	Rs 274, 30 days	Rs.219 ,1 GB (day)- 4 GB (night), 30 days	1p/10KB
Tata Docomo	N/A	Rs 95, 200MB (day)- 4 GB (night), 30 days	50p/MB
Uninor	N/A	Rs90, 3GB,30 daysRs9, 60MB,3 days	10p/10KB

ZTE Corporation Appoints New President

ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today announced Mr. Shi Lirong has been appointed as President of ZTE by the company’s Board of Directors. Mr. Shi replaces Mr. Yin Yimin, who successfully served as ZTE President during the company’s fourth term for a period of 6 years.
Mr. Shi Lirong and his new management team will adhere to the strategic direction defined by the board of directors and strive to continue growing all areas of ZTE’s businesses. They will focus on analysing changes in the global telecom market, driving innovation and high-quality products in the wireless/wireline and handset markets, and satisfying the dynamic and individual needs of ZTE customers. In addition, the team will leverage the opportunities enabled by the 3G and 4G eras, to make further inroads into the European and U.S. markets. It will also strive to continuously improve the Company’s profits and operational efficiency, execute management duties entrusted by the board, and return strong achievements to shareholders and staff.
“We are very pleased to announce Mr. Shi Lirong as the new President of ZTE,” said Mr. Hou Weigui, Chairman of ZTE. “We are very confident that Mr. Shi, with his profound knowledge and experience in comprehensive fields ranging from technology, research & development, production management and long-term global marketing system, is capable of driving ZTE to the next level of success on the international business stage.”

3G & BWA Auction Analysis

With an application from market leader Bharti Airtel Ltd. (Mumbai: BHARTIARTL) already on the table, and with the deadline for submissions ending today, the remaining, major, privately held Indian mobile operators have all put their names forward to take part in the 3G spectrum auction.
And most have also put their names down for the separate BWA (broadband wireless access) spectrum auction, too. Until this week, that auction looked to be the domain of the WiMax hopefuls. Now, though, there's a mix of potential technologies that could be deployed in the 2.3GHz band, including TD-Long Term Evolution (LTE).
The large international service providers that had been identified as potential bidders for 3G spectrum in India, such as AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA), and Telstra Corp. (Pink Sheets: TLSYY), have not applied.
Foreign interest in India's new spectrum is limited to those companies that already hold stakes in local operators, such as Vodafone Group plc (NYSE: VOD), Etisalat , Maxis Communications Bhd. of Malaysia, which has a majority stake in Aircel Ltd. , and Bahrain Telecommunications Co. (Batelco) , an investor in startup operator S Tel Pvt. Ltd.
In addition, Augere Holdings, which offers wireless broadband services in Pakistan and Bangladesh, has created a new subsidiary to apply for a place in the BWA auction, and one of its financial backers is France Telecom SA (NYSE: FTE).
Rush for 3G
Reliance Communications Ltd. , Vodafone Essar , Tata Teleservices Ltd. , IDEA Cellular Ltd. , and Aircel have all filed to take part in the auction of 3G spectrum, along with minnow S Tel (which only operates in three circles).
New entrants Etisalat DB, which has yet to launch its GSM services, and Videocon Telecommunications Ltd. (a.k.a. Datacom Solutions), which has just launched its first GSM services in the Tamil Nadu circle, have also submitted applications, though it's not known currently whether they have applied to bid in all 22 circles or just in select areas. (See table below.)

Table 1: Applicants for India's 3G Spectrum Auction

Name
   

Number of current mobile customers (at end of January 2010)

Bharti Airtel
   

121.7 million

Reliance Communications
   

96.6 million

Vodafone Essar
   

94.1 million

Tata Teleservices
   

60.3 million

IDEA Cellular
   

59.9 million

Aircel
   

33 million

S Tel
   

0.5 million

Videocon Telecommunications
   

Just launched 2G service

Etisalat DB Telecom
   

Not yet launched 2G service

Source: India's Department of Telecom

And they're all after a limited resource that the operators need to meet the ongoing demand for mobile connections (almost 20 million new lines are being activated each month): In most of India's circles, only three slots of 2.1GHz spectrum are up for grabs in the auction, while a handful of rural circles have a fourth slot. (See India Watch: The Road to 3G to check out what spectrum is being auctioned, and A Guide to India's Telecom Market to find out about India's circles.)
With so many bidders, and at least five operators (Bharti, Reliance, Vodafone Essar, Tata Teleservices, and Etisalat DB) seeking a pan-India license covering all 22 circles (service areas), fierce bidding is expected. According to industry sources, although the reserve price for a pan-Indian license is 35 billion Indian Rupees (US$769 million), bids of more than $1 billion might be required to win slots in the 2.1GHz band countrywide.
Not all of India's mobile operators are applying for 3G spectrum, though.
In line with its strategy to focus more on developing its current voice services, new entrant Uninor , which has signed up a few million subscribers since it launched in December 2009, has not applied. (See Interview: Rajiv Bawa, EVP Corporate Affairs, Uninor and Uninor Launches in India.)
Another relative newcomer, CDMA operator Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd. (MTS India), has also decided not to take part in the auction. Loop Telecom Pvt. Ltd. , a mobile operator with 2.7 million customers in Mumbai, has also stayed away from the auction process.
State-owned carriers Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) don't need to participate in the auction process as they already have their 3G spectrum and will be awarded BWA airwaves, too.
BWA auction attracts multiple bidders
As well as applying to take part in the 3G spectrum (2.1GHz) auction, Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Vodafone Essar, IDEA, and Aircel have put themselves forward for the BWA auction, suggesting that they view the 2.3GHz band as useful to deliver data services.
Other bidders for the BWA airwaves include Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM), which stirred up the market this week with its application, enterprise and wholesale communications giant Tata Communications Ltd. (NYSE: TCL) (sister company to Tata Teleservices), and a number of ISPs. (See table below.)

Table 2: Applicants for India's BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) Spectrum Auction

Name (in alphabetical order)
   

Company type

Aircel Mobile operator

Augere (Mauritius)Wireless Internet service provider (WISP)

Bharti Airtel Mobile operator

Idea Cellular Mobile operator

Infotel Broadband Services Internet service provider (ISP)

Qualcomm Wireless technology vendor

Reliance WiMax WiMax division of Reliance Communications

Spice Internet ISP

Tata Communications Business communications service provider

Tikona Digital Networks WISP

Vodafone Essar Mobile operator

Source: India's Department of Telecom

The list means there are a number of potential technologies being considered for use in the 2.3GHz band. Qualcomm is pushing TD-LTE, while Augere, Tata Communications, and Reliance WiMax all lean towards WiMax. Tikona Digital Networks, meanwhile, uses Wi-Bro to deliver its services in large Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore.
Tata Communications "plans to bid for [BWA] spectrum in all circles," the operator's senior vice president of corporate strategy, Srinivasa Addepalli, tells Light Reading Asia. "Tata Communications considers wireless to be the best option to rapidly increase broadband penetration in India. We will finalize our funding plans for the broadband business, including evaluating the option of a strategic investor, after the completion of the auction."

Spectrum Auction & Equipment Market Competition

With only days until the 3G spectrum auction begins (April 9), further details have emerged about which operators plan to bid for pan-India spectrum.
In the meantime, 2G is where all the current growth is, and Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) has landed itself a $1.3 billion deal to help India's mobile market leader bolster its existing network and prepare for 3G. (See Ericsson takes away major Airtel 3G deployment.)
Spectrum bid battle shapes up
India's Department of Telecommunications has pre-approved all of the companies that submitted applications to take part in April's 3G and BWA (broadband wireless access) spectrum auctions. (See Bids Flood In for India's Spectrum Auctions.)
And it's possible to tell from the pre-qualification data (specifically, the size of the upfront deposit) which of the hopefuls are planning to bid for pan-India spectrum -- that is, bid for spectrum across all of India's 22 "circles" (service areas).
In the 3G auction -- for spectrum in the 2.1GHz band -- six of the nine bidders have pan-India aspirations: Aircel Ltd. , Bharti Airtel Ltd. (Mumbai: BHARTIARTL), IDEA Cellular Ltd. , Reliance Communications Ltd. , Tata Teleservices Ltd. , and Vodafone Essar .
Etisalat DB Telecom, which is yet to launch its 2G services, is to bid in a majority, but not all, of the circles, while S Tel Pvt. Ltd. and Videocon Telecommunications are set to bid in a small number of select circles.
In the BWA auction -- for spectrum in the 2.3GHz band -- eight of the 11 pre-qualified firms are looking to pick up countrywide airwaves: Aircel, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Infotel Broadband Services, Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM), Reliance Wimax, Tata Communications Ltd. (NYSE: TCL), and Vodafone Essar. (See Qualcomm Unveils LTE Plans for India.)
Internet service providers Augere (Mauritius), Spice Internet, and Tikona Digital Networks are set to bid in select circles.
Bharti puts big bucks into 2G
With its subscriber base at 124.6 million (end of February) and growing at nearly 3 million per month, Bharti Airtel is expanding its network, and preparing its infrastructure for the arrival of 3G (so it's confident of emerging from the auction with some spectrum in the bag!).
As part of those efforts, the carrier has awarded Ericsson a $1.3 billion contract to expand and upgrade its network in 15 circles. The Swedish giant will supply: radio access network (RAN) equipment to support GSM, GPRS, and EDGE connections; circuit and packet core equipment; microwave backhaul gear; and "intelligent network" systems to support pre-paid account provisioning, activation, and service management.
The vendor states that part of its job is to "ensure that Bharti Airtel's core and transport network is 3G-ready in order to reduce time to market and enable the fast rollout of 3G services at a later date." They all hope...
Ericsson may be an incumbent provider at Bharti, but it shows how competitive the traditional suppliers can be, even in the face of increasingly stiff competition from the Chinese duo of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and ZTE Corp. (Shenzhen: 000063; Hong Kong: 0763).

MTS INDIA is focusing on DATA Service

A crowded voice services market and plummeting average revenues per user (ARPUs) has led Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd. , which sells its services using the MTS India brand, to focus its attentions on data services growth in 2010.
The CDMA operator launched its data services offerings in November 2009, and by the end of January this year about 10,000 of its 3.2 million customers were using mobile data applications.
"Voice ARPUs are dipping very significantly, so it makes sense to focus on data," MTS India's CIO, Rajeev Batra, tells Light Reading Asia. "Our ARPU for data services is between 500 and 600 Rupees [US$11.10 and $13.31]," adds Batra, an Indian telecom industry veteran.
MTS India, which operates in 11 of India's circles (service areas), but which has a license for all 22, offers its data services in about 24 cities, but has plans to extend this to 100 cities by the end of this year. "We are adding significant numbers month-on-month. We have covered the metros [the major Indian cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata]. We see a latent demand in Tier 2 or B-towns also." (See A Guide to India's Telecom Market for more on India's circles.)
However, the carrier, which is considering an IPO later this year, has decided not to apply to take part in India's 3G auction, focusing instead on 2G investments and making best use of its existing spectrum. (See Bids Flood In for India's Spectrum Auctions and India Watch: 3G Wait Over?)
The operator's data services strategy involves targeting enterprise customers and the youth market: Young people are among the prime users of data services in India. (See Report: Mobile Internet Yet to Take Off in India.)
"We are targeting the young professionals, and we [plan to] offer better types of devices in the market" to meet the needs of that demographic, says the CIO. (See India Sees CDMA Handset Growth.)
He says the operator is brokering deals with "big names" to source high-end devices, but declined to identify any potential partners at this time.
"Besides the youth, we see potential in the enterprise segment, not just for large enterprises but in the small and medium enterprises as well," with plans to offer cloud computing and other corporate applications.
In addition, MTS India has run mobile TV service trials and plans to launch a commercial service soon in all the circles where it currently operates. The operator is also planning to announce partnerships to launch its services into the netbook user sector.
Batra believes these moves will help counter the current perception that CDMA can't provide high-end services. "We will break the perception that CDMA is a poor cousin of GSM."
CDMA still suffers from the perception that it is an inferior technology, because of the low tariffs and low-end handsets associated with the initial services launched by India's CDMA operators about nine years ago. More recently, those CDMA players, Reliance Communications Ltd. and Tata Teleservices Ltd. , have launched GSM services to run in parallel with their CDMA offerings and have, in the past, hinted at discrimination by the government in favor of GSM. Considering all those factors, it was a surprise when Sistema opted to build a CDMA network.
But the CIO explains that Sistema chose CDMA as its underlying mobile technology, even while India's CDMA players were moving towards GSM, because of the technology's data service strengths. He says the company had to do all it could to grow in an already large market -- the operator launched its initial voice services in October 2008 when there were already more than 300 million mobile lines active in the country -- and "the best way to do that was through a CDMA network. Data speed on CDMA is far more stable, superior, and uniform. It is a better technology." (See India: Still Booming, Attracting Investment and Shyam Launches CDMA Service.)
Another way MTS India distinguishes itself from many of its rivals is that it is not planning a major push just now into rural areas. Batra says that, while the company will cover the rural areas with its voice service, expanding its data services into rural areas, where ARPUs are even lower than in the cities, will only come when there is a greater penetration of PCs outside the cities.
— Gagandeep Kaur, India Editor, Light Reading

Femtocell Market will the grow in coming years

The Femto Forum, the independent industry and operator association that supports femtocell deployment worldwide, today announced it has completed the world’s first femtocell plugfest. The plugfest process, which extended over many months and culminated in the test event itself, was organized in cooperation with ETSI (the European Telecommunications Standards Institute) and had widespread vendor support with over twenty companies participating, including vendors of network equipment and femtocells as well as software and hardware components.

The companies involved were Ablaze Wireless, Acme Packet, Airvana, Alcatel-Lucent Telecom, Alpha Networks, Askey Computer Corporation, C&S Microwave, Cisco Systems Inc, Contela, Continuous Computing, Genband, Huawei, IntelliNet Technologies, ip.access, Kineto Wireless, NEC, Node-H, Nokia Siemens Networks, picoChip, Technicolor, TRaC Global and Ubiquisys.

 

The primary objective of the plugfest, organized as an ETSI Plugtests™ interoperability testing event, was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the 3GPP femtocell standards in supporting interoperability between femtocell access points and network equipment from different vendors.  This helps ensure that there is consistent interpretation of the standard. 

 

Standardized femtocells provide operators and consumers with a richer ecosystem of femtocell products, as well as facilitating economies of scale.

 

“The history of cellular is littered with companies that had extremely promising proprietary technologies but failed to achieve widespread adoption.  Put simply, the mobile operator community does not embrace non-standardized technologies.  The development of the 3GPP femtocell standard was momentous, but verification of the standard is required to enable mass market deployment.  Through the plugfest we are now a vital step closer to that target,” said Simon Saunders, Chairman of the Femto Forum.

 

“The fact that the plugfest was carried out so quickly after the completion of the 3GPP standard is testament to the industry’s support for standardized femtocell access points and network equipment.  This process will ultimately allow operators to multisource the technology as they do with mobile handsets today,” said Natasha Tamaskar, Chair of the Femto Forum’s IOT Initiative. ”This plugfest represents a crucial step towards the Femto Forum’s vision of a fully open interoperable femtocell ecosystem.”

 

Adrian Scrase, Head of ETSI’s Mobile Competence Centre, remarked, “I’m delighted that the Femto Forum partnered with ETSI for this significant event. The availability of the 3GPP Home NodeB (femtocell) specifications has encouraged the development of products that this interoperability event has been able to test. The results will not only provide confidence to the participating companies, they bring vital feedback to the standardization process. The event is therefore a critical part of the route to mass-market success for standardized femtocell solutions for 3GPP-based mobile networks.”

 

Interoperability tests were conducted between femtocell network gateways, security gateways, femtocell access points and chipsets to verify 3GPP’s Iuh interface as defined in the Release 8 series of specifications.  The plugfest also tested the IPsec/IKEv2 security protocols which allow femtocells to communicate over the public Internet to operators’ core networks in a highly secure manner. 3GPP’s Release 8 femtocell standard was published in April 2009, and defines the secure interface between femtocell access points and femtocell gateways in the core network.

 

TRaC Global, which specializes in testing, regulatory and compliance services, coordinated the plugfest for the Femto Forum.

Location Based Services

A Location-Based Service (LBS) is an information service provided by operators that is accessible by mobile devices. LBS services utilize the geographic position of the mobile device to provide location information to the consumer. Uses of LBS include mapping and navigation applications and social networking services based on location and presence technologies either embedded in the handset or placed in the network.

 

LBS services can be used in a variety of contexts, such as health care, professional and personal life, etc. LBS services include services to identify a location of a person or object, such as finding the nearest ATM machine, business or the location of a friend or employee. The applications that LBS services enable continue to grow. For example, LBS services include parcel tracking and vehicle tracking services. LBS services can include mobile commerce when taking the form of coupons or advertising directed at customers based on their current location. They include personalized weather services, traffic alerts and even location-based games.

 

Juniper Research reported in April 2008 that it expects nearly 1.3 billion users – 30 percent of the mobile subscriber base – will use local mobile search services by 2013. Juniper notes that advertising supported local search will be the key to driving this sector, with the caveat that the effectiveness of advertising in this sector will vary widely according to local conditions. The best equipped regions are considered to be Western Europe and North America, as countries within these regions typically have good local digital information suppliers such as Yellow and White Pages, as well as good mapping data. Total mobile search revenues are expected to reach $4.8 billion by 2013, according to the April 2008 Juniper report.

 

ABI Research similarly expects that mobile search ads will create their own sector of business in the advertising space. ABI noted in an April 2008 report that the market for mobile search ads is expected to jump from $813 million in 2008 to $5 billion in 2013.

 

Mobile location-based social networking is predicted to become a key driver for the uptake of location-based services as it provides a unifying framework for a large set of applications such as friend finders, local search and geo-tagging.  According to ABI Research, the emergence of location-based social mobile networking services offered by providers such as GyPSii, Pelago and Loopt is revolutionizing social networking by allowing users to share real-life experiences through geo-tagged user-generated multimedia content, exchange recommendations about places, identify nearby friends and set up last-minute face to face meetings. Location-based mobile social networking revenues are predicted to generate $3.3 billion by 2013 according to an August 2008 report from ABI Research.

 

While many LBS applications will include features that allow users to share experiences in real-time via fixed social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, fully-equipped mobile location-based social networking sites will also gain momentum with ABI Research predicting in a November 2008 report that more than 82 million subscriptions are expected by 2013. ABI Research director Dominique Bonte commented that, “while growth will be mainly driven by the availability of multimedia-centric GPS handsets, other mobile form factors will also become important.”  One key factor that will be critical for location-enabled social sites to achieve significant market share is licensing agreements with carriers and handsets manufacturers. While initially a wide range of business models will coexist, ultimately advertising-based models are expected prevail due to the perfect fit with the local search- and content-driven social context.

 

In addition to these consumer benefits, LBS services provide benefits to the enterprise user such as resource tracking and fleet management, search functions, and targeted promotions.

 

In the past, LBS services have been closely associated with E911 emergency services and public safety, and this will continue to be refined in the near future. However, the promise of commercial LBS services has been prevalent for several years, and we are starting to see navigational services available in the Americas market. Location information may be to the cell site level, or eventually, within a few meters. This type of location awareness and high accuracy technology can add tremendous value to any application that provides relevant, contextually accurate location-based content.

 

The first LBS services globally were first launched commercially in Japan by NTT DoCoMo based on triangulation for pre-GPS handsets in July 2001, and by KDDI for the first mobile phones equipped with GPS in December 2001. Mobile handset makers have taken an upstream initiative to embed LBS in their mobile equipment. Originally, LBS services were developed by mobile carriers in partnership with mobile content providers.

 

The main advantage is that mobile users don't have to manually specify ZIP codes or other location identifiers to use LBS, when they roam into a different location. GPS tracking is a major ingredient for success, utilizing access to mobile web.

Nokia Siemens Network focused of All-IP Microwave Backhaul

Nokia Siemens Networks is introducing a microwave radio for the largely untapped “E-Band” frequencies* that are ideal for providing high-capacity mobile backhaul in dense urban areas. This new radio expands the spectrum that can be used by the company’s FlexiPacket Microwave platform, meaning that Nokia Siemens Networks becomes the only vendor to have a single mobile backhaul solution providing all-IP microwave connectivity from 6 to 80 GHz for a worldwide market.

 

“There are high expectations for 4G mobile networks – a peak capacity for high-mobility applications of at least 100 Mbps,” said Vesa Tykkyläinen, head of Microwave Radio Transport at Nokia Siemens Networks. “These requirements, far beyond the current capabilities of 3G, will be first addressed by LTE and the evolving WiMAX standards. This increase in over-the-air bandwidth will drive a corresponding increase in the capacity requirements for mobile backhaul networks and will require an end-to-end all-IP microwave solution. Our the new E-Band radio helps to address this challenge.”

 

With the aggregation of multiple LTE base stations in dense urban areas, the backhaul traffic capacity requirements per cell site will likely exceed 500 Mb/s and even reach 1 Gb/s. Nokia Siemens Networks’ new 70/80 GHz E-Band radio, which is integrated into the FlexiPacket Microwave solution, provides up to 2.5 Gbit/s of transport capacity for each GHz of radio frequency channel over a distance of 3 kilometers.

Furthermore, the licensing costs for the E-Band spectrum are typically much lower than the corresponding licenses for 6-38 GHz spectrum, with many regulators, for example in the U.S. or the U.K., looking for the “light licensing” approach.

 

The Nokia Siemens Networks’ FlexiPacket offering addresses the whole chain in mobile networking, including radio, hub-site and network management, with carrier-grade quality of service.

 

 

About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

Ericsson Expansions in China

With a potential customer base of 1.3 billion, telecom operators are now taking steps to further expand and boost China's communication infrastructure and related services. China Mobile and China Unicom today signed 2G/3G frame agreements with Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC).

Living in the fastest-growing major economy in the world for the past 30 years, the Chinese have developed increasing technological needs. A steadily rising number of the Chinese population is going mobile. In 2009, there was an additional 106 million new mobile subscriptions, bringing it to a total of a 747 million. With a penetration rate of 56.3 percent, there are no signs of the market cooling down. The fixed broadband market also shows strong growth of about 20%, bringing it to a total of 103 million subscriptions at the end of 2009.

Today, 99 percent of the population has mobile coverage, thanks to operators' recent network expansion to rural areas. However, new additions and increased usage, especially with non-voice services, has put pressure on the networks and operators. Because of this, the operators are investing in maintaining quality and performance levels, especially in larger cities.

Mats H Olsson, Head of Ericsson Greater China, says: "The signing of the significant frame agreements is a manifestation of our continued strong cooperation with our Chinese customers. We are confident that we will do an even better job in supplying the latest technology and best-in-class services in time to support Chinese operators in fulfilling the demand of this tremendous market growth".

Under the agreement with China Mobile, Ericsson will provide a radio access network including a multi-standard radio base station RBS 6000 and mobile soft-switching technology, which will drastically boost the capacity of the network and evolve it into an IP network. With such solutions, Ericsson will also help China Mobile to achieve their energy saving goals. The framework contract is worth USD 1 billion and will be implemented during 2010.

In the agreement with China Unicom, Ericsson will provide a faster 3G network with HSPA Evolution technology to secure higher speed and better user experience for consumers. In addition, Ericsson will further expand cooperation with China Unicom in the area of IP and broadband, supplying IP routers, fiber access technologies GPON and 40G WDM as well as IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). The framework contract is worth USD 800 million and will also be implemented during 2010.

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices. 

Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the "prime driver in an all-communicating world" through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 80,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 206.5 billion (USD 27.1 billion) in 2009. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

Market Future:- HSPA+ and LTE

Key Facts:

• 451 million 3GPP mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide; 64 million in the Americas (Informa Telecoms & Media)
• 60 HSPA mobile broadband networks in 26 countries in the Americas
• HSPA 7.2 has been deployed coast-to-coast by AT&T, Rogers and T-Mobile in North America; backhaul upgrades are underway to realize the full potential of the fastest nationwide networks
• 31% of all mobile phones purchased in the United States during Q409 were smartphones, compared to only 23% in Q408 (NPD Group); 40% integrated device penetration by AT&T with wireless data traffic growth more than 5,000% over the past three years
• Average industry percentage contribution of data to overall average revenue per user in the U. S. was 29% at the end of 2009; mobile data will contribute at least 33% of the overall U.S. mobile service revenues by the end of 2010 (Chetan Sharma)
• HSPA+ has been deployed by Rogers across 41% of the Canadian population
• T-Mobile USA launched HSPA+ in Philadelphia with plans for broad national deployment in 2010
• T-Mobile USA’s webConnect Rocket™ USB Laptop Stick – the first HSPA+ device offered by a national U.S. carrier
• Operators are heavily investing in backhaul to cell sites to deliver maximum potential of HSPA and HSPA+ networks and to prepare for LTE
• TeliaSonera commercially launched LTE in Sweden and Norway in 2009; 20 commercial LTE networks are expected in 2010; 130 operators have expressed that LTE will be their future technology evolution (Informa Telecoms & Media)

Huawei Demonstrate LTE advanced 1.2Gb/sec

Huawei, a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, today announced that it has achieved the world' s fastest LTE-advanced downlink speeds of up to 1.2 Gb/s at CTIA Wireless 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada

"Huawei' s LTE-advanced technology enables future development of LTE for operators and provides unparalleled mobile broadband experiences for consumers. The record speeds, which are more than 40 times faster than existing commercial 3G networks, are expected to revolutionize user experience by meeting bandwidth requirements of data-heavy applications," said Karen Yu, President of Huawei USA. "Huawei will continue to invest heavily in LTE and is committed to promoting industry developments and maturity."

The demonstration utilized Huawei' s industry-leading SingleRAN prototype LTE-advanced solution with 80 MHz multi-carrier wideband radio and included following features: carrier aggregation (CA), 4x4 multi-input multi-output (MIMO), coordinated multipoint transmission (CoMP) and relay. Huawei' s SingleRAN solution supports network multi-mode convergence and evolution while reducing total cost of ownership for operators.

Huawei's end-to-end LTE solution provides an All-IP, high speed, low latency and highly spectrum efficient mobile network, which greatly enhances the experience of mobile multi-media services. As the world's leading LTE/SAE provider, Huawei has deployed more than 60 LTE networks including nine commercial networks.

Ericsson Report on Data Traffic Incrment.

Mobile data surpassed voice on a global basis during December of 2009, Ericsson announced today at the CTIA Wireless 2010 convention in Las Vegas. This finding is based on Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) measurements from live networks covering all regions of the world.

 

Ericsson's findings show that data traffic globally grew 280% during each of the last two years, and is forecast to double annually over the next five years. The crossover occurred at approximately 140,000 Terabytes per month in both voice and data traffic.  The data traffic increase is contributing to revenue growth for operators when more and more consumers use data traffic generating devices such as Smartphones and PCs. During the same period, Ericsson measurements show that traffic in 3G networks surpassed that of 2G networks.

 

"This is a significant milestone with some 400 million mobile broadband subscriptions now generating more data traffic than the voice traffic from the total 4.6 billion mobile  subscriptions around the world," said Hans Vestberg, Ericsson President and CEO, speaking at a management briefing in Las Vegas.

 

"Our view that the appeal of anywhere, anytime connectivity would drive mobile broadband growth is confirmed by the real world measurements under taken by Ericsson." 

 

Social networking sites on mobile devices and mobile broadband-based PCs now account for a large percentage of mobile data traffic. For example, over 200 mobile operators in 60 countries are deploying and promoting Facebook mobile products, with over 100 million active users accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.

 

Supporting this view is a recent Ericsson consumer insights study showing that as much as 80% of mobile broadband users demand anytime, anywhere access. It has become part of daily life. The study was based on 4,580 consumers in six mature markets. It also finds that as mobile data traffic increases, the mobile broadband connection is becoming as personal as the mobile phone. 80% of respondents said they would not share their laptop with anyone and 65% would not share their mobile broadband connection. 

 

With the new consumer behavior mobile networks will need to be dimensioned for data as well as voice. This is expected to require significant network modernization and transformation to all-IP technologies and new support systems - areas where Ericsson is well positioned to help operators to benefit from these great opportunities.  

 

Notes to editors:

Our multimedia content is available at the broadcast room: www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room

 

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices. 

 

Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the "prime driver in an all-communicating world" through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 80,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 206.5 billion (USD 27.1 billion) in 2009. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

Ericsson takes away major Airtel 3G deployment

The swedish-firm Ericsson has recently announced that the company has bagged the $1.3 billion contract from Bharti Airtel. The contract is believed to be the third major order that Ericsson has bagged over the past one week.
Under the terms of the contract, Ericsson will strengthen Bharti's GSM network in the 15 circles out of the total 22 that the company operates in.
Moreover, Ericsson will also ensure making the network of Bharti Airtel 3G ready on a real time basis. In fact, with the deal in place, it will really help the home-grown telecom operator to enable the fast rollout of 3G services at a later date.
Apart from this latest deal, World's largest telecom gears company, Ericsson recently bagged two orders from the Chinese telecom market - first being the $1 billion order from China Mobile and the $800 million contract from Chine Unicom, the two largest mobile operators operating in the Chinese market. The results of the 3G auction are expected to be out by the 9th of April in the Indian market.
Notably, Bharti recently signed a deal with the Kuwait-based Zain which will empower the Indian operator to take control of the latter's African operations.

Vietnams New 3G Network

Vietnam gained its third 3G phone network on Thursday after the military-owned Viettel launched its WCMDA based service. The two other 3G capable networks are Vinaphone and Mobiphone.

Deputy General Director of Viettel Tong Viet Trung said that the company's 3G network has covered 63 localities nationwide. It is expected that the company's market share would be upbeat because of 3G launching which would bring more values to providers as well as customers.

The company has completed construction of 8,000 3G base stations, with plans to have 20,000 towers upgraded to 3G capability by the end of the year. Viettel has previously committed to providing 3G service to 86 percent of the population by April 2010 and 100 percent by August 2012.

Viettel has already awarded 3G rollout contracts to Nokia Siemens Networks, ZTE and Huawei. Estimates from the Mobile World shows that Viettel ended Q3 '09 with 26.5 million customers, representing a market share of 26.6%

FDD Technical summary

Frequency band:1920 MHz -1980 MHz and 2110 MHz - 2170 MHz (Frequency Division Duplex) UL and DL
Minimum frequency band required: ~ 2x5MHz
Frequency re-use: 1
Carrier Spacing: 4.4MHz - 5.2 MHz
Maximum number of (voice) channels on 2x5MHz: ~196 (spreading factor 256 UL, AMR 7.95kbps) / ~98 (spreading factor 128 UL, AMR 12.2kbps)
Voice coding: AMR codecs (4.75 kHz - 12.2 kHz, GSM EFR=12.2 kHz) and SID (1.8 kHz)
Channel coding: Convolutional coding, Turbo code for high rate data
Duplexer needed (190MHz separation), Asymmetric connection supported
Tx/Rx isolation: MS: 55dB, BS: 80dB
Receiver: Rake
Receiver sensitivity: Node B: -121dBm, Mobile -117dBm at BER of 10^-3
Data type: Packet and circuit switch
Modulation: QPSK
Pulse shaping: Root raised cosine, roll-off = 0.22
Chip rate: 3.84 Mcps
Channel raster: 200 kHz
Maximum user data rate (Physical channel): ~ 2.3Mbps (spreading factor 4, parallel codes (3 DL / 6 UL), 1/2 rate coding), but interference limited.
Maximum user data rate (Offered): 384 kbps (year 2002), higher rates ( ~ 2 Mbps) in the near future. HSPDA will offer data speeds up to 8-10 Mbps (and 20 Mbps for MIMO systems)
Channel bit rate: 5.76Mbps
Frame length: 10ms (38400 chips)
Number of slots / frame: 15
Number of chips / slot: 2560 chips
Handovers: Soft, Softer, (interfrequency: Hard)
Power control period: Time slot = 1500 Hz rate
Power control step size: 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 dB (Variable)
Power control range: UL 80dB, DL 30dB
Mobile peak power: Power class 1: +33 dBm (+1dB/-3dB) = 2W; class 2 +27 dBm, class 3 +24 dBm, class 4 +21 dBm
Number of unique base station identification codes: 512 / frequency
Physical layer spreading factors: 4 ... 256 UL, 4 ... 512 DL

Wimax Efficient than HSPA and LTE- Intel

A new whitepaper released by Intel asserts that WiMAX technology is more spectrally efficient than other mobile data technologies, resulting in advantages for operators including more subscribers per cell site and higher QOS data rates.

While large headline-grabbing theoretical/peak data rates of 50Mbps+ continue to be batted around the industry by proponents of HSPA and LTE, the more important measure is how efficiently these technologies use scarce spectrum resources. It is widely acknowledged that mobile data traffic demand will outpace the supply of actual network data capacity in the coming years, and therefore the average realized data throughput is the real metric that should be compared.

The whitepaper highlights the importance of spectral efficiency and the basics for calculating system capacity on a wireless network. The report compares mobile WiMAX 802.16e against three other technologies - HSPA (Rel 6), HSPA+ (Rel 7) and LTE (Rel 8).

According to the report, WiMAX is able to support a higher number of subscribers per cell site compared to the other technologies while supporting high QoS data rate applications. For example, using a 10MHz channel, WiMAX is able to support 20 video streaming users per sector at 256 kbps, compared to 12 users at 128 kbps on an HSPA network. Furthermore, WiMAX networks are able to support a large number of users even with high monthly data usage of 12GB per subscriber.

The complete whitepaper can be downloaded here.

Wimax Vendors

	Alvarion Ltd. - Alvarion (NASDAQ: ALVR) is the largest WiMAX pure-player with the most extensive WiMAX customer base and over 250 commercial deployments around the globe. Committed to growing the WiMAX market, the company offers solutions for a wide range of frequency bands supporting a variety of business cases.
	Aptilo - Aptilo Networks is the global leader in integrated management solutions for control of access, user services and billing in WiMAX and Wi-Fi networks. Selected by premier business partners such as Nortel, Cisco and HP, Aptilo has become the provider of choice for service providers, enterprises and municipalities in need of a rapidly deployable, scalable multi-service solution to easily manage data and voice services over these networks.
	Cisco - (NASDAQ: CSCO) enables people to make powerful connections-whether in business, education, philanthropy, or creativity. Cisco hardware, software, and service offerings are used to create the Internet solutions that make networks possible-providing easy access to information anywhere, at any time.
	Fujitsu - Fujitsu joined the WiMAX Forum in 2002 as a founding board member and has helped the Forum promote and certify compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products. Fujitsu’s semiconductor solutions are helping expand the use of high-performance, cost-effective mobile WiMAX devices.
	Hutton - Hutton Communications, Inc. headquartered in Dallas Texas, is a distributor of commercial wireless communications and related equipment. Hutton serves cellular and radio communications dealers, wireless communications carriers and self-maintained end users of communications systems
	MECA Electronics, Inc. - MECA has the essential RF components needed to mesh your new WiMAX networks to existing infrastructure including Fixed Attenuators, Directional & Hybrid Couplers, Isolators/Circulators, Power Divider/Combiners, RF Loads, DC Blocks & Bias Tees. Most models available from STOCK – 2 weeks ARO.
	Samsung - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies. Employing approximately 138,000 people in 124 offices in 56 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business, Telecommunication Network Business and Digital Appliance Business.
	TESSCO Technologies Incorporated - TESSCO supplies wireless communications and networking products and solutions to business professionals. You can choose from over 30,000 competitively-priced products from 350 manufacturers with guaranteed delivery.
	Vecima Networks, Inc. - Vecima Networks Inc. (Vecima) is a recognized designer and manufacturer of broadband wired and wireless networks. Vecima's innovative products - including Brand Name and Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM) products - have gained wide acceptance for their superior quality and performance.

Wimax Network:- Importance AAA

Q) What exactly is AAA?

AAA stands for Authentication, Authorization and Accounting. It is a core part of a service management solution providing control of access, user services and billing in wireless and fixed networks. Many AAA solutions stop there; others on the market go much farther, offering additional values such as subscriber and session management, policy control, voucher management, advanced authentication, intelligent roaming and a more. These additional features are designed to provide a solid foundation for a growing network. They can also help differentiate a business (or service) from a crowded field.

Q) Why is AAA important? Isn't it just an "add-on" feature that comes at the end of building out a wireless service?

We have met with many prospective customers during the past years. Many of those have made the choice of AAA solution an active one, with procurement happening early in the deployment process. Making their AAA selection up-front became a fundamental component in making sure that both their current business models of today as well as future ones would be supported. In essence this is what is required to secure future success for any provider in the market.

All too often, however, we face prospective customers who for some reason have turned the selection of AAA into a non-active choice. In those cases the decision is often made very late in the process, and frequently based on only a very few main criteria, such as number of authentications per second. Even though this of course is an important parameter, making a AAA decision based solely on this single aspect can be fatal for your business, with significant limitations as a consequence.

You could compare it to buying a car using the amount of horsepower as your only selection criteria and then hitting the nearest highway, without even thinking about what your vehicle should be used for or where you want to go. The AAA service management solution should more be regarded as the dashboard of the car combined with a steering wheel, accelerator and brakes, indicators and GPS system. It is in essence where services are defined and personalized, and policies enforced to control which users access the Internet, their service level and billing. In other words AAA should be regarded as your most important node when it comes to defining exactly what services you want to bring to your customers. With this in mind there is no question that AAA should be one of your first thoughts; certainly not a forgotten item.

One should never underestimate the importance of starting with the business aspects and goals, and make the best possible attempt to outline the short- and long-term commercial models, as this can have a direct impact on the entire network and radio equipment selection. Some vendors may simply have difficulty technically supporting the business models you want to implement. So, start with the business aspect of your services and do not settle with only the core functions. While these core functions might be obvious at first thought, it is important to go beyond that to seek the functionality that can really make a difference for your business.

Q) What features do AAA and service management offer that are relevant to today's changing market, specifically for WiMAX?

WiMAX has of course been very inspired by the mobile/cellular world when it comes to technology including its well-defined standard nodes and licensed spectrum. However, it has also been affected by the Wi-Fi hotspot and fixed broadband markets when it comes to business models. The need to deploy nomadic and online signup-types of business models is increasing by the fast-growing number of WiMAX-embedded devices on the market. Developing countries have proven to be the strongest market for WiMAX. In many of these markets it's just not feasible to send an invoice at the end of the month, the credit risk is often all too high.

Instead operators are looking at prepaid business models similar to those used with Wi-Fi hotspots. A complicating factor is that in many of these markets the use of credit cards is not a viable alternative either, so the ability to offer different alternatives with prepaid, including scratch cards and refill of prepaid accounts through ATM machines is a must. It is therefore important to choose a AAA solution with well thought-out APIs and the flexibility to seamlessly integrate with different external payment support systems e.g. an ATM machine-based refill solution.

Interoperability in a changing wireless landscape is also an important feature that a well-built AAA solution can address. There are many existing fixed broadband Internet ISPs deploying WiMAX as a mobile alternative for their clients. They all have some sort of legacy AAA or LDAP user database that cannot support the new WiMAX installation. One option is to implement a new network for the WiMAX deployment with all the back-end systems in parallel with the existing network. This is a costly approach with product investments, the need to build up know-how for the new systems and additional operational costs for running two different parallel solutions.

Fortunately there are AAA vendors that go beyond basic AAA and offer a solution that makes the WiMAX network interoperable with the legacy AAA or LDAP database. One such an example is the Aptilo WiMAX Legacy Connector™ which mediates between the WiMAX-specific AAA attributes and the legacy user database, making it possible to just "plug-in" a WiMAX network on top of the existing legacy ISP back-end.

Q) What is needed in a AAA solution to support next-generation WiMAX services?

A good AAA solution will have interfaces that allow an application to trigger a Change of Authorization (CoA) request to, for instance, increase the bandwidth temporarily for a user. One example of the type of application where this would be a tremendous benefit is next-generation WiMAX services such as Video-on-demand (VoD), where a VoD server can trigger an increase of the bandwidth when a user decides to watch a movie. The only way to accommodate this is to have a AAA solution that is flexible enough to allow a CoA request from the VoD server over the Internet through some sort of provisioning interface. The same interface could potentially also be used for provisioning of new users from external portals or over-the-air OMA-DM systems.

Intercompany Unified Communications Calls Over Internet

Cisco, at the VoiceCon conference in Orlando, announced that it has conducted the first intercompany unified communications calls over the Internet using the Cisco Intercompany Media Engine (IME), an integral part of Cisco's collaboration portfolio of products and services.

The business-to-business discussions included calls between Cisco and Australian-based Queensland Rail, and between Cisco and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Through Cisco IME, all participants were able to spontaneously, simultaneously and with high security enjoy enterprise video and high-fidelity wideband audio from their video-enabled devices by simply dialing standard phone numbers.

Built on proposed standards that Cisco has submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force, Cisco IME enables companies to conduct highly secure, high-quality, voice and video telephone calls between companies across the Internet using their existing telephone numbers without the need to re-provision or replace currently deployed infrastructure.

Cisco IME is designed to increase collaboration throughout value chains. As businesses increasingly engage with a variety of external communities and rely upon their trusted partners to deliver results, the need to better collaborate across corporate network boundaries is paramount. The goal of Cisco IME is to allow organizations already realizing the benefits of video telephony and other advanced unified communications features internally to now extend those capabilities externally to similarly equipped customers, suppliers and strategic partners.

Cisco IME is based on a "self-learning" technology, one that learns new routes based on calling patterns and automatically recognizes when users are operating in an IME-equipped network. It discovers and manages all aspects of facilitating highly secure, high-quality, low-cost call routing via IP networks including the Internet making the experience easy to use for both users and administrators alike.

The technology allows end users to more effectively communicate using body language through video, as well as optimized voice technology, while at the same time helping to reduce costs. Additionally, services from Cisco and its partners can help ensure customers derive the greatest possible return from the technology and experience better collaboration across network boundaries. Cisco said IME builds on its history of providing solutions across its collaboration portfolio that foster business-to-business collaboration, including offerings from Cisco TelePresence and Cisco WebEx.

Top 10 Techonology set to evolve in 2011- by Gartner

Gartner Inc. has identified 10 mobile technologies that will evolve significantly through 2011 in ways that will impact short-term mobile strategies and policies. Investments in mobile applications and technologies will increase through 2011 as organizations emerge from the recession and ramp up both business-to-employee (B2E) and business-to-consumer (B2C) mobile spending.

"We are highlighting these 10 mobile technologies that should be on every organization's radar screen," said Nick Jones, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. "These mobile technologies were selected because they will evolve in ways that affect corporate strategies, significant numbers of customers or employees will adopt or expect them, or they will address particular mobile challenges that organizations will face through 2011."

The 10 mobile technologies to watch in 2010 and 2011 include:

Bluetooth (3 and 4)
Two new Bluetooth versions will emerge by 2011: Bluetooth 3 will introduce 802.11 as a bearer for faster data transmission, and Bluetooth 4 will introduce a new low-energy (LE) mode that will enable communication with external peripherals and sensors. Both versions will include other technical improvements to improve battery life and security. Gartner believes that Bluetooth 3 will facilitate corporate and consumer functions demanding large bandwidth (e.g., downloading images and videos from handsets). Bluetooth LE will enable a range of new sensor-based business models in industries such as fitness, healthcare and environmental control and will be used by handset and PC peripherals to enable new functions, such as PCs that autolock when users move away from them.

The Mobile Web
By 2011, over 85% of handsets shipped globally will include some form of browser. In mature markets, such as Western Europe and Japan, around 60% of handsets shipped will be smartphones with sophisticated browsing capability and the ability to render conventional HTML sites in some manner. The growth in smartphones with relatively large and high-resolution screens will encourage greater numbers of people to access conventional websites on mobile devices, and will make it possible to deliver some B2C applications using conventional Web tools without adaptation. In mature markets, the mobile Web, along with associated Web adaptation tools, will be a leading technology for B2C mobile applications through 2012, and should be part of every organization's B2C technology portfolio.

Mobile Widgets

Widgets are installable Web applications that use technologies such as JavaScript and HTML. Many handsets support widgets running on their home screens, where they are easily visible and accessible. Despite the lack of standards, widgets provide a convenient way to deliver simple, connected applications, especially those involving real-time data updates (such as weather forecasts, email notifications, marketing, blogs and information feeds). Because widgets exploit well-understood tools and technologies, they have lower entry barriers than complex native applications, and thus can be a good first step to assess the demand for an application on a specific platform before undertaking expensive native development.

Platform-Independent Mobile AD Tools
Mobile platforms will become more diverse through 2012 although consolidation will not have started, and, in some markets, five or more platforms may have a significant presence. Therefore, tools that can reduce the burden of delivering installable applications to several platforms will be very attractive. Platform-independent application development (AD) tools cannot deliver a "write once, run anywhere" equivalent to native code; however, they can significantly reduce the cost of delivering and supporting multiplatform applications that provide a more sophisticated experience than the mobile Web and operate outside signal coverage.

App Stores
App stores will be the primary (and, in some cases, the only) way to distribute applications to smartphones and other mobile devices. App stores also provide a range of business support functions, such as payment processing, that assist smaller organizations. Gartner believes that app stores will play many roles in an organization's B2C and B2E strategies. They will be a distribution channel for mobile applications and a commercial channel to sell applications and content (especially in international markets), and they will provide new options for application sourcing. Many applications will exploit ecosystem cloud services.

Enhanced Location Awareness
By the end of 2011, over 75 percent of devices shipped in mature markets will include a GPS. GPS will be the primary, but not the only, means of establishing handset location. Wi-Fi and cell ID systems will remain important in situations where GPS is unavailable or unreliable. The popularity of location-aware handsets will enable a wide range of B2E and B2C location-aware applications, and will serve as a foundation for more-sophisticated contextual applications in the future. However, organizations must be sensitive to local privacy regulations, ensure that applications that expose location are "opt in", and remain on alert for new risks and concerns that will be raised by location awareness.

Cellular Broadband
During 2010 and 2011, the availability of multimegabit wireless broadband performance will continue to grow as mobile networks enhance their broadband performance. Continuous improvements in wireless broadband performance will increase the range of applications that no longer require fixed networking, and make cellular broadband a more effective fallback when fixed connections fail. Embedded cellular networking will become a standard feature of many corporate laptops, and will enable new types of network-connected devices and business models, such as e-books and media players.

Touchscreens
Touchscreens are emerging as the dominant user interface for large-screen handsets, and will be included in over 60% of mobile devices shipped in Western Europe and North America in 2011. Touch-enabled devices will also make increasing use of techniques such as haptics to enhance user experience. Organizations developing native handset applications may need to exploit single and multitouch interfaces and haptics to give their applications a compelling and competitive user experience.

M2M
Many network service providers increased their commitment to machine to machine (M2M) in 2009, so a good range of both national and multinational M2M service options will be available in mature markets during 2010 and 2011. Although the M2M market is very fragmented, it's growing at over 30% per year. Low-cost M2M modules will enable a wide range of new networked devices and business models. Key applications include smart grid, meter reading, security/surveillance, automotive systems, vending and point of sale, remote monitoring, and track and trace.

Device-Independent Security
This isn't strictly a single technology, but refers to a collection of security technologies, application technologies and sourcing options that enable the provisioning of applications that are secure, but less tightly tied to specific devices and platforms, and that, in many cases, do not require security tools to be installed on the client. It includes thin-client architectures, applications as a service, platform-independent forms of network access control (NAC), portable personality, virtualization, and hosted security services, such as "in the cloud" virus scanning. Device-independent tools cannot provide the rigor of fully installed security, but a blend of several of these tools can enable CIOs to deliver applications that can run on a wider range of devices while reducing security risks.

IPV6 Myths

Myth #1: IPv6 networking provides service/location separation
Reality: Totally bogus.

A broken protocol stack and a broken reference implementation are among the biggest issues the Internet is facing today. Both require an application to take a service name, translate it into a network address and establish a connection to that address. Burdened with a transport protocol (TCP) that still lives in the dial-up world, the applications simply cannot cope with a service that is available on multiple network locations.

The IPv6 networking protocol could have solved this problem if its architects hadn't limited themselves to the single goal of extending address length. In its current incarnation, IPv6 gives us a longer address and nothing more.

Myth #2: IPv6 will simplify multihoming
Reality: Missed opportunity.

The designers of IPv6 took multihoming seriously and developed a protocol in which a single host can easily acquire multiple IPv6 addresses, even from address spaces belonging to multiple upstream service providers. Unfortunately, they've never tested their theories in real life. Having multiple IPv6 addresses does not help if the upper layers cannot use them efficiently (see previous myth).

Technologies that could support efficient multihoming with IPv6 are already available (SHIM and SCTP, for example) but not widely used because it's easier for everyone to grab a provider-independent (PI) chunk of address space and pollute the global Internet routing tables.

Without an extra layer between the IPv6 addresses and the applications, the multihoming of e-commerce servers in the IPv6 world remains identical to IPv4 multihoming, and providing resilience to smaller client sites actually gets harder because IPv6 does not have Network Address Translation (NAT).

Myth #3: IPv6 will reduce IP routing tables and BGP problems
Reality: Missed opportunity.

The architects of IPv6 envisioned a strictly hierarchical address space in which every service provider would get huge amounts of address space and advertise only a few prefixes into the global routing tables. Unfortunately, they've never considered the high-availability requirements of e-commerce

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) had 15 years to address multihoming issues but failed to do so (see the previous myth). The only solution available to anyone who wants to be somewhat independent of a single service provider is to get a chunk of PI address space, run the border gateway protocol (BGP) and advertise the PI prefix to the global Internet. If anything, the routing tables will grow exponentially with the introduction of IPv6, as everyone will try to get PI address space.

BGP will fare even worse. Not only will the size of the IPv6 global routing table increase, IPv6 BGP tables use more space (and more bandwidth) than the corresponding IPv4 BGP tables. Last but not least, you should also consider what happens in the IPv6 transition period, when the routers will have to carry both IPv4 and IPv6 prefixes for the same set of end-user equipment.

Myth #4: IPv6 has better Quality of Service (QoS)
Reality: Obsolete.

IPv6 packet headers have a flow field designed to identify individual flows, which might be useful on low-speed links. On a decently fast link, you're forced to use class-based QoS (DiffServ) which uses DSCP field in the packet header, as the flow-based QoS (IntServ) does not scale. DSCP field is available in both IPv4 and IPv6 headers.

Myth #5: IPv6 has better security
Reality: Not true.

IPSec might be better integrated in IPv6 headers, but there's nothing you can do with IPv6 IPSec that you cannot do with IPv4 IPSec.

Myth #6: IPv6 is required for mobility
Reality: No longer true.

When IPv6 was designed, IPv4 did not provide any IP mobility features. The lack of IPv6 networking deployment has prompted the development of IPv4 mobility solutions. Today, it's not hard to implement IPv4-based mobility. It is true, however, that the explosive growth of mobile devices requires enormous amounts of address space that cannot be provided with the IPv4 addresses.

Myth #7: Residential IPv6 is less secure because it does not require NAT
Reality: Ignorance.

Some engineers think that the NAT commonly used in residential CPE devices provides extra security owing to obfuscation of actual IP addresses of the hosts behind the CPE device. Enterprise-grade NAT implementations (available, for example, in Cisco IOS) provide security somewhat equivalent to a stateful packet inspection, but consumer-grade NAT available in most CPE devices does not.

Scanning the IPv6 address space looking for vulnerable hosts (a common hacker pastime) is totally useless in the IPv6 networking world. Using the current best practices, each consumer will get the equivalent of a billion's worth of today's Internet's addresses. Even if your workstation sits behind an unprotected CPE, finding it from afar would be quite a feat.

Furthermore, every modern operating system contains basic firewall capabilities (for example, the ability to block unwanted incoming sessions) that to some degree augment the functionality provided by CPE devices.

Last but not least, if residential security becomes an issue, the market will force even the low-cost CPE vendors to implement some basic filters to protect the end users.

Issues in Evovled Packet Core

Evolved Packet Core Issue #1: LTE data services

In mature mobile markets, there has been a 4G technology divide, with WiMAX services aimed predominantly at data service models, and LTE evolving out of current 3G mobile services, whose initial mission was voice. That said, given how strong a technology LTE is for delivering data services, shouldn't it also be focused on data opportunities?

Most operators believe it should be. LTE planners say that it is critical to plan 4G LTE network deployment in terms of data services, which is why EPC planning is so important. If EPC principles are followed, then mobility management and registration are easily linked to IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service control, and LTE voice services can be added as a control layer. The impact of voice traffic on the data plane would then be minimal.

Evolved Packet Core Issue #2: Networking the towers

Since 4G LTE network capacity per cell is 10 times or more the capacity of 3G technology, fully exploiting its benefits probably requires fiber-to-the-tower technology. The question is then about where the fiber should connect. The traditional method is to backhaul fiber to the local central office (CO)

deployments, that would create an aggregation issue in central offices, which would only increases the CO requirement for fiber capacity outward to service points. So is the traditional approach the right one?

Operators have a growing conviction that the metro topology of EPC should create a series of wireless aggregation points to which fiber from the towers is homed. This is most practical in dense metro areas, of course, but as long as utility fiber or right-of-way is available, creating fiber paths from the tower to a node close to the service points for voice and data improves performance and Quality of Service (QoS) control.

Evolved Packet Core Issue #3: Mobile security

The advent of smart mobile devices generates a risk that mobile appliances could be used to attack one another, elements of the infrastructure, or even wireline sites, given higher mobile bandwidth. Mobile services also expose operators to the risk that customer information and location might be revealed and used in illegal activity. The question is whether to push mobile security as an appliance or a network issue.

Operators seem to agree that mobile security is a network issue, but they also recognize that many mobile applications (phone-as-credit-card, for example) demand a high level of handset/appliance security. Operators are looking for a service-based security system for mobile that lives in the network and can be extended via hotspots, femtocells and home services into the wireline space. Virtually all operators see this as a layer beyond EPC and IMS because it is most significant for Internet-based services.

Evolved Packet Core Issue #4: QoS and traffic management

While there is long-standing operator conviction that QoS is a major service differentiator, two emerging trends seem to counter that notion. First, the Internet has conditioned users to best-effort services, reducing the premium they'll pay for QoS. Second, regulators are wrestling with questions of net neutrality that may influence whether operators could charge for premium handling.

Most operators believe that traffic management for mobile networks will be an essential part of providing reasonable service quality to all, but they are concerned whether traffic management applications to provide premium handling will be profitable and acceptable. They are most likely to invest in approaches that are cost-effective in managing traffic at the level needed to assure network stability but are also expanded in scope to supply premium handling where it is legal and profitable. Most believe that EPC tunnel management provides the needed transport facilities but that registration and application security will be needed to link traffic flows with service policies.

Evolved Packet Core Issue #5: App developer programs

The last issue focuses on developer programs and mobile services. Operators have been impressed (and sometimes annoyed) at the success of application stores like the one Apple launched with its iPhone. They are also worried that a highly competitive smartphone and data appliance market may sap their own opportunities to provide premium mobile services. To offer application stores without differentiated applications to sell seems like a waste of an opportunity. But where can differentiation be created?

Most operators believe that exposing some service assets through developer programs and software tool kits is essential, but they are very concerned that exposure could threaten network stability. Operators consider some mechanism to isolate basic EPC processes from developers through a gateway to be essential in protecting service experiences to the user. Operators are working with equipment vendors to create the right model.

Using operator views as a guide

4G LTE network infrastructure planners should use operator consensus as a guideline in their own planning, recognizing that every mobile operator has a unique market and business model, unique regulatory oversight and unique current network infrastructure commitments. The best answers from the industry are only policy guidelines to be used in creating the best answer for your own company.

Evolved Packet Core for 3G/4G

majority of wireless traffic rides traditional wireline copper and fiber facilities for most of its trip from originator to destination. But for the portion of the network that is wireless, data services growth on 3G networks has created a mobile backhaul problem in terms of transporting this traffic to or from the wireline network to the user.

For 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services, the new Evolved Packet Core (EPC) gives operators an architectural advantage for transporting wireless traffic. Yet for operators deploying LTE from a 3G service-base, evolving 3G mobile backhaul to EPC may be as big a planning issue as evolving 3G radio networks and handsets to 4G.

Transport infrastructure for 3G and 4G services can be divided into two categories:

1. Mobile service elements with components that are aware of registration, mobility and service control aspects of mobile services;
2. Transport/backhaul elements that provide connectivity between tower locations and service points.

Making sure mobile backhaul accommodates both 3G and 4G services

Both mobile service and transport/backhaul elements must be evolved in harmony so they can transition between 3G and 4G services

Mobile backhaul and 3G transport strategies vary depending on exactly what kind of 3G services are used (e.g., EDGE, HSPA, CDMA). In practice, however, most operators have deployed either time-division multiplexing (TDM) or asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) (AAL2) backhaul facilities to take advantage of their metro infrastructure and core technology.

This backhaul structure must be migrated to EPC during the evolution to 4G, and since fiber-feeding the tower sites is the preferred approach to 4G deployment, either parallel TDM/Ethernet or TDM over Ethernet Pseudowire Emulation Edge-to-Edge) is likely to be deployed.

The question of integrating TDM backhaul for 3G with LTE/4G backhaul, which is also appropriate for High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) creates a question in the Evolved Packet Core's basic topology. EPC architects know that the logical architecture of an EPC connection in the data plane is tower (eNodeB)-to-gateway-to-service. The gateway in this context is the place where mobility registration and service control meet address assignment and data network connectivity.

Evolved Packet Core specifications, however, provide for the separation of the gateway into a serving gateway (SGW) and a packet data network (PDN) gateway, or PGW. This separation creates an EPC sub-network of tunnels where Quality of Service (QoS) and traffic management are more directly under the control of the service control logic (such as IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). This capability can be used to provide low-latency transport for TDM being transported over LTE facilities.

3G/4G Evolved Packet Core migration and integration planning

For migration planning, it is convenient to view the mobile service elements of 3G and 4G services by pairing elements roughly according to function. 3G circuit-mode connections used for voice can be simply tunneled or carried as noted above using parallel TDM/ATM or integrated pseudowires over Ethernet or IP. 3G packet traffic handling is where the tightest integration between the mobile service elements and backhaul strategies must be considered.

A good starting point is to consider the ultimate 4G logical model of mobile service elements and how they integrate with the 3G model. The Serving GPRS Support Nodes (SGSN) and Gateway GPRS Support Nodes (GGSN) relationship in 3G corresponds to the "trio" of Mobility Management Entity (MME)/SGW/PGW in LTE's EPC. The question, then, is whether the 3G and 4G elements are interconnected or integrated, which will depend on each operator's 4G architecture.

Mainstream network equipment vendors support three basic models for providing mobile service elements in Evolved Packet Core:

1. Elements can be discrete nodes, with each logical EPC component representing a unique device.
2. Elements can be fixed cards or interfaces on a router/switch device, so that logical EPC components are mapped not to their own devices but to specific packet metro/core elements.
3. Elements can be "logical" and hosted by one of many switch/router or other service components in the network.

For any of these models, 3G and 4G functionality can be provided either independently or hosted in a single device. The latter solution is optimal where there will be considerable 4G deployment, where 3G elements are older (and thus represent less asset displacement cost), and where service evolution to 4G is expected to be rapid.

Where it's not feasible to replace SGSN/GGSN functionality with a dual 3G/4G/EPC node set (MME/SGW/PGW), the only option is to link the 3G elements with the 4G network to combine the traffic. Where integrated fiber backhaul connects tower sites with both 3G and 4G radio access networks (RANs), the use of integrated functionality for 3G/4G elements is much preferred because all traffic will emerge from backhaul at the same point.

Where operators are integrating 4G mobile elements into packet edge devices, it may be difficult or impossible to support both 3G and 4G missions on the same node because of constraints in 3G support by packet edge cards. Because of the flexibility that packet-edge hosting of EPC components offers, it is possible to host EPC components at the edge adjacent to the location of the 3G SGSN/GGSN that must be connected, and thus to reduce handling and latency.

Aiming for flexible Evolved Packet Core deployment

The most flexible approach would be to treat all of the Evolved Packet Core elements (MME, SGW, PGW) as logical entities that can be combined and hosted on available equipment in a variety of ways as network service demands evolve. This could allow operators to align the EPC components with current 3G elements and to create tunnels between 3G and EPC for packet traffic (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network, or TRAN, traffic) where appropriate. As voice, data or all traffic evolves off of the 3G network, the location of the logical functions could be revised by changing the hosting points.

Many mobile operators and planners still think in terms of discrete devices when they think of mobile service elements, but that trend is reversing as operators understand the flexibility and operations benefits of having their packet edge devices host EPC roles. If that hosting is further enhanced by a "logical EPC" capability to permit rapid reconfiguration of the relationship between the EPC and the underlying metro/core network, the result is a structure that adapts not only to the evolution from 3G to 4G, but also to the changes in traffic and services needs that will inevitably come in a mature 4G market.