WW-178 -- Next generation network technology

----------------------------------------------------------------
Japan Inc Magazine Presents:
W I R E L E S S W A T C H

READ WIRELESS WATCH ONLINE AT:
www.japaninc.com

The Latest News From The Wireless Industry In Japan
----------------------------------------------------------------
Issue No. 179 Thursday November 06, 2008
Subscribers: 9467
SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE TO WIRELESS WATCH:
http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up
-----------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------
CISCO WIRELESS PHONES FROM PBXL

PBXL 802.11b wireless phones use the same Cisco technology
as our industry-standard handsets so you can work everywhere
you need to be.

Every PBXL Cisco 7921 phone comes with a big color screen,
a 03 Tokyo number, voicemail, and more!
Everything you expect from the best office phone system
on the market.

Call today for a free quotation: 03-4550-2557
info@pbxl.jp
www.pbxl.jp/seminarstt
-----------------------------------------------------------

-------------Japan Inc is worth every penny!---------------

J@pan Inc is Japan's only English-language business magazine.
Authoritatively chronicling business trends in Japan, each
beautifully designed full-color issue brings you in-depth
analysis of business, people and technology in the world's
second largest economy. Don't miss another issue! JPY 8,000
for 1 year (12 issues) JPY 15,000 for 2 years (24 issues)
Visit http://www.japaninc.com/mgz_subscriptions to subscribe.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Next-Generation Networks in Japan
Seven years after DoCoMo launched its 3G FOMA services,
the company is testing a next generation network technology
called LTE or Super 3G. What are the company’s plans and how
do they compare to KDDI and Softbank?
The target date for the commercial launch of LTE is 2010,
starting with mobile broadband for PCs as the initial
application. LTE, or Long Term Evolution, and enables
high-speed data transmissions of up to 200Mbps downlink
and 50Mbps uplink. Although LTE uses the existing 3G
spectrum, new technologies are applied in its radio access
system. One technology is orthogonal frequency division
multiplexing (OFDM), which transmits data using multiple
sub-carriers in parallel. This technology is well suited
for urban environments where multipath propagation occurs.
The core network of LTE is all-IP.

LTE does not come without its headaches. The technology
needs to overcome two important hurdles: backward compatibility
and cost. KDDI could benefit from the backward compatibility
of CMDA earlier this decade. Customers can use their new
phones even in areas where the latest technology is not
available. KDDI only needed to operate one CDMA network
while DoCoMo has to support both the 2G PDC and 3G FOMA
networks. LTE is also costly as it needs a completely new
set of radio access and core infrastructure components.
New LTE chipsets are still very expensive. Prices will
come down as soon as economies of scale kick-in when more
carriers deploy the technology. This will not help DoCoMo
much as it will be the first carrier to deploy LTE.

Softbank takes another evolution path. It selected HSPA+
above LTE for cost and backward compatibility reasons.
HSPA+ requires less investment because the technology is
based on W-CDMA and does not need a completely new
infrastructure. Backward compatibility is guaranteed.

KDDI has not made a choice, yet. The options are LTE and UMB
(Ultra Mobile Broadband) developed by Qualcomm, KDDI’s
supplier of the CDMA technology. There are not many differences
between the two technologies. Last year Verizon that like KDDI
operates a CDMA network selected LTE for its next generation
network. Earlier this year, Verizon started a trial with its
partner Vodafone.

DoCoMo is moving full steam ahead towards LTE. Keeping its
reputation as a pioneer comes at a hefty cost, though. Will
its shareholders also be happy with the higher download speeds
or ask for postponing the roll-out?

By Arjen Van Blokland

------------- Looking for English Magazines? --------------

Subscribe to your favorite English magazines today -- TIME,
Newsweek, National Geographic, Scientific American, People
and many more.

eigoTown.com is now offering subscriptions to English magazines
at great prices.

Visit: http://magazines.eigotown.com
Credit cards and PayPal accepted.

-----------------------------------------------------------