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Qualcomm Demonstrates 153 kbit/s cellular
Matt_Bennett writes "EEtimes reports that Qualcomm has demonstrated its new faster CDMA chip set for third generation cellular (3G). They have demonstrated bit rates of up to 153 kbit/s. Sample shipments have already begun. From the article: "Commercial 3G 1x service is expected to be deployed in Korea by the end of this year, and similar service is expected in the United States and Japan sometime in 2001.""
Don't be so quick to jump on the GSM bandwagon. One of the great things about not being "standardized" over here is the competition that non-standardization brings.
That's silly. Standardization does'nt mean less competition; on the contrary. Here, in Europe, as everything is standardized on GSM, once you have own a phone you can change carriers in a pinch (though usually you have to subscribe for a whole year to a same provider who financed your phone).
Also prices are really going down FAST. Lots of competition.
Cellular adoption rates are large because getting cellulars is easy. I can walk into a random gas-station, pay less than $50, and walk out again with a working phone (depending on the gas-station - if they are connected to the 'bad' cellular network, I might have to wait until the next business day for the phone to be activated.)
Eivind.
Doubting the existence of evolution is like doubting the existence of China: It just shows that you're uninformed.
I'm sorry to say, but your story reinforces what I said. If there weren't endlessly competing systems, providers wouldn't be switching back and forth all the time, and people's investments in phones might actually be worth something. As is stands, GTE recently merged with Verizon, and I hear my Sony phone (barely a year old) might soon be useless. I hear stories like this all the time. In the US it means: change provider, change phone, as simple as that. Even if they might use the same technology, most providers will ensure one way or another that you buy their phone.
GSM is also far from irrelevant in America for the reasons I listed in the original post. It's nobody's technology so to speak, while CDMA is Qualcomm's or whatever. It's easier to rally around a neutral technology than to give up your own and embrace your competitor's. While your provider might have dumped GSM, I wouldn't look for that trend to continue forever. GSM is the only standard that has consistently grown worldwide. Eventually even the US will follow the trend, sooner or later.
Uwe Wolfgang Radu
The US is behind in wireless for one basic reason: Our land lines are much better than elsewhere. Look at countries with huge wireless adoption rates. Now correlate that with the time (or possibly cost) required to obtain a regular wire phone line. You'll see that there's a strong correlation.
Wireless is exploding in many countries due to necessity.
At the present, this seems like a curse for those of us in the USA. On the other hand, it suggests that in the long run we may end up with a system built in the '00s while the rest of the world is living with systems from the '90s. That's probably just sour grapes, though.
"Expected in the United States and Japan sometime in 2001" ... and in Canada by 2047. Seriously. :)
From the article
"It includes position location, Bluetooth capability, MP3, MIDI"
GPS, very cool, how many times have you been out with your friends, in a new area, and you are trying to find out where everyone is? Having a "Tell someone where you are" (exactly) type technology would be very cool. Bluetooth, very cool but: MIDI ??? God help us all if I'm in a eatery somewhere and someone's mobile device starts playing some crappy MIDI song..... oh wait a sec.... nevermind.
[rant] It seems like the US is falling behind in the wireless business. Europe and Asia both are ahead of us in deployment of towers for communication as well as having more advanced handsets. Where I live, ~6mi outside one of the largest cities on the east coast, we have nonexistant analog coverage and spotty digital connections. Building communication towers here is difficult because some yuppie mom has to complain about not wanting the thing in her backyard so they have to put it in the middle of a forest away from civilization and just expect it to work. Anyways, why can't we standardize over here too, I can count about half a dozen 'standards' for wireless com, whereas europe has decided almost universally to use GSM. [/rant] Well, when I can get my 153kbit CDMA connection for my laptop out in the suburbs, I'll be happy with our infrastructure, of course it won't happen until 2005+ for real and end up costing $100/mo but whatever....
Shine on, you crazy diamond.
From what I remember a few years ago, 3G was supposed to bridge the three standards (TDMA, CDMA, GSM) together. Instead, 3G phones are coming out in exactly those three systems. What gives? Can you imagine how much money could be saved and how much better the deigital coverage on each system could be if everyone used the same standard?
Yeah, but it's hell driving anywhere with that DSL cable spool in the back of the car, especially when a train cuts it, back where you drover over a track.
While driving? Uh. Dunno, the CHP took away my Beetle when they caught me driving around with 6 foot dish on top.
Not unlike Cable TV rates, CD prices, gas prices, the herd logic drives the stock market and whatever excuses people come up with for needing to talk, surf, play MIDI, etc. in their cars at 153Kb/S. This'll all look so impressive sitting on a roadside picnic table as cities and states pass laws ban use of these nice toys by drivers.
Vote Naked 2000
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
SO! That's who's been making my Highway 17 commute suck so bad! Some twit surfing the web, video conferencing, yakking away and probably picking his nose all that the same time all for the sake of progress.
Vote Naked 2000
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
The fastest mobile wireless speed I've seen announced on more than a test basis was in Turkey at 26kbps (here).
Though if you don't mind not being able to surf when in motion, Richochet has 28kbps now, becoming 128kbps soon, in several US cities (here). Ricochet claims they can go 70mph, but some people on Epinions.com disagree.
So people are reluctant to use the cellular which lowers the revenue providers get and forces them to have obviously inpenetrable call plans and ultimately high prices. Another reason for the confusion and high prices is the bundling of phones and actual telephony services. Competition gets seriously impaired.
Here in Finland this is forbidden by the law, which is one reason for our penetration rates. Another is low pricing (5 US cents per minute with 3 US dollars monthly fee at the lowest) which partially follows from gov't policy of not charging for the licences to provide these services. Same goes with Sweden, so here you go..
The average customer has to feel secure about understanding pricing to really use these devices.
Oh, and I could get ADSL in two weeks max if I wanted..
The quality of the landlines down here is pretty good: most of them are connected to digital switches, and ISDN is widely available. The time to obtain a new line is in most countries no longer than a couple of days.
The big difference is that in the US local calls are flat-fee, which doesn't make it interesting for the telcos. They earn their money with long-distance and subscription. Over here, there is no such thing as a flat fee for local calls, which makes the pricing structure of GSM subscriptions very much like an ordinary phone connection.
In the States, people rather stick to their flat-fee landline than having to use a cellular, on which local calls aren't included in the subscription fee.
Over here in Europe, telephone is simply much more expensive than in the US of A, which is a bad thing (less beer), and a good thing (better beers ;-).
Please do not accept that wireless is exploding due to 'necessity' when you're talking about most of Europe, and countries as Japan. Here in Belgium we have the reputation of being the most densely cabled country of the world, and yet cellular phone adoption rate is over 50%.
Okay... I'll do the stupid things first, then you shy people follow.
Okay... I'll do the stupid things first, then you shy people follow.
[Zappa]