Network Technology
Network Technology

Network Technology

DoCoMo to Start HSDPA with N902iX Handset

DoCoMo just announced that they will launch a High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) service on August 31, when they start sales of Japan’s first HSDPA-compatible handset, the 3G FOMA N902iX HIGH-SPEED. In FOMA HIGH-SPEED areas, the N902iX is capable of packet downlinks of up to 3.6Mbps, approximately 10 times faster than current FOMA handsets. From August 31, all of central Tokyo will be included in these HIGH-SPEED areas, and all major Japanese cities will be covered by the end of October.

KDDI Confirms Network Upgrade

KDDI has announced it would invest 200 billion yen ($1.73 billion) over the next three years on upgrading its network to CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A technology. KDDI’s Y200bn network upgrade will begin in December with consumers in urban areas benefiting first. Its total investment budget for the year ending March 2007 is Y333bn, a 21 per cent increase on the 2005-06 budget.

DoCoMo Dealing with 3G Data Congestion

NTT DoCoMo and it’s regional subsidiaries announced today that they would separately manage call and data packet transmission congestion over the 3G FOMA network to prevent voice traffic congestion control from affecting packet communication traffic and vice versa. Currently, excessive congestion in either voice or data transmissions can force DoCoMo to limit network usage for both voice and data in order to prevent network breakdown.

Boeing Terminates Connexion

Boeing has announced it will abandon its Connexion unit providing high-speed Internet service on planes. Boeing said in June that it was reviewing the future of the service, which enabled passengers on Connexion-equipped flights to access the Internet over a satellite-based broadband connection. Only 12 airlines, mostly Asian carriers flying long-haul such as Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Air China, had signed up for the service. In Europe, Lufthansa and Scandinavian Airlines had also subscribed. The airlines typically charged 30 dollars per flight or 10 dollars for 30 minutes of in-flight Internet access via satellite.

Casio to Deliver 3G Data Cards to EU

CASIO Europe and Sierra Wireless have announced a marketing agreement that brings 3G wireless connectivity to CASIO mobile data collecting terminals in Europe. Under the terms of the agreement, the IT-3000, DT-X10, and new DT-X11 mobile data collecting terminals will support Sierra Wireless’s AirCard 850 wireless wide area network (WWAN) card for HSDPA UMTS networks. With the AirCard 850 card, CASIO’s mobile data collecting terminals can transfer data via UMTS, HSDPA, EDGE, GSM, and GPRS networks worldwide.

SoftBank to Trial WiMAX

Motorola announced that the company has reached agreement with SoftBank for the deployment of a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e-2005) trial network in Tokyo. Motorola will supply the end-to-end trial system including access points, an access network, and prototype WiMAX mobile handheld devices. Expected to begin in September 2006, the five-month trial will focus on performance of WiMAX in the 2.5GHz spectrum with regards to throughput and range, as well as the speed of network handovers between access points.