Hard-wired MPEG-4 codec takes on software-based rivals

Motorola's Zander Promotes Wireless Broadband, Push-To-Talk
By John Walko , CommsDesign.com
February 24, 2004 (10:58 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/

Cannes, France -- Ed Zander, Motorola Inc.'s new chairman and CEO, promoted the technical advantages of the company's high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) technology as a means of expanding Motorola's role in the European wireless infrastructure sector.

During a briefing Tuesday (Feb. 24) at the 3GSM World Congress here, Motorola demonstrated what it said is a commercially ready mobile broadband product being evaluated by most of the continent's top network operators.

The demonstration is working at over 5Mbit/s and can provide sixteen 384 Kbit/s channels for transmitting high- definition TV and good quality streaming video over a 3G mobile network.

Ricky Watts, solutions marketing director for Motorola's Global Telecom Solutions Sector, told CommsDesign.com, "Because of the huge bandwidth it offers for new applications and services, almost all European operators are keenly interested in our HSDPA technology. On our 3G platforms, thi s promises to be relatively simple software upgrade for operators, unlike some other approaches being followed."

However, Watts agreed it is early for HSDPA as handsets capable of capturing these high speeds will not start appearing until a least the middle of next year.

Alternative broadband wireless companies such as Flarion, with its Flash OFDM technology, are also targeting the same operators and users with what is seen as a better approach to high-speed data over cellular.

According to Joe Barrett, director of marketing at Flarion in Europe and the Middle East, "Most major European operators are keenly interested in our radio routers and PC cards, and we anticipate at least one will announce a trial in the near future."

Flarion is demonstrating its system's capabilities here.

In the U.S., Nextel Communications is already conducting trials of a wireless broadband service in the Raleigh-Durham , N.C., area using Flarion's Flash OFDM technology.

Motorola's Zander also said the company invented and has been supplying another networking technology that is attracting push-to-talk (PTT) technology. Zander hinted that many of the infrastructure and handset suppliers who are jumping on the PTT bandwagon, such as Siemens, Nokia and Ericsson, may have a ways to go to match Motorola's solution.

At the show, Motorola announced it has licensed its IP standards based cellular PTT client software to several third party GPRS/GSM and UMTS handset manufacturers and software developers. The list includes Metrowerks and Magic 4.

Earlier this month, Motorola launched several handsets that can use the PTT system.

Zander also repeated the commitment made by Motorola executives here last year "to come back strongly in Europe for handsets. We are doing it. For instance, we have a great market share already here for UMTS phones."

The company also revealed that its has started delivering a trial Wi-Fi system to the Vatican's security services that will give it access to the police sec urity network through Wi-Fi-enabled PDAs and laptops.

Motorola is providing the radio network, including wireless LAN access points and cards, the core network including routers, and the cabling.