W-CDMA 900-MHz Calls Achieved
Nortel and QUALCOMM have successfully completed HSDPA calls in the 900-MHz band, a spectrum capable of delivering wireless broadband such as mobile TV, video-on-demand, video telephony and DSL-like services to rural areas. W-CDMA in the 900-MHz band is a cost-effective way to deliver nationwide high-speed wireless coverage. It achieves a 60-percent reduction in cell sites required to serve rural areas and delivers improved quality of service in urban areas by enhancing in-building penetration by 25 percent, according to the technology’s proponents.
Nortel has worked with a number of wireless operators on HSDPA trials and deployments in 2005, including EDGE Wireless in the US, SKT and KTF in Korea, SOFTBANK Group’s BB Mobile in Japan, mmO2, Orange (at 3GSM World Congress 2005 in Cannes, France), Vodafone (at CeBIT 2005 in Hanover, Germany), Partner Communications in Israel, and Mobilkom Austria.
Nortel’s spectral efficiency is the key enabler to liberate spectrum in the 900-MHz band, providing wireless operators with the capability to deploy W-CDMA in that band say the companies involved. The implementation of UMTS 900 is compatible with widely deployed Node B hardware for simplified integration. QUALCOMM’s Mobile Station Modem solutions for HSDPA were the first in the world to be commercially available, and the comapny says data rates of up to 7.2 Mbps are supported by the company’s HSDPA portfolio.