WCDMA/HSPA outpace demand for other technologies

KOCHI, INDIA: Ericsson, a provider of technology and services to telecom operators, highlighted that demand for WCDMA/HSPA is outpacing the demand for other technologies. The demand of this technology is further likely to see an upswing with 3G rollout process in India.

“It is critical for India to make the right choice today as it will influence the country for years to come,” says Håkan Eriksson, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, Ericsson.

“Compared to alternatives, WCDMA/HSPA already has a time advantage and an established ecosystem in place. Going forward, LTE is the preferred technology choice of the global telecom industry with clear advantages of scale and superior performance. The economies of scale matter to be able to bring affordable services to the mass market,”

WCDMA/HSPA is the world's most widely deployed 3G mobile broadband technology, with around 240 commercially deployed networks available around the world serving almost 300 million subscribers.

By 2013, Ericsson anticipates there will be two billion mobile broadband subscriptions, with 80 per cent served by HSPA networks. LTE will be almost double the size as the nearest TDD alternative.

The company believes that starting late 2009-early 2010, LTE will be introduced, offering superior performance for both FDD and TDD spectrum, making it the obvious evolution or upgrade path for all standards.

The HSPA technology has a strong momentum right now. According to GSA, October 2008, HSPA networks have been rolled out in 98 countries, spread on all continents.

Ericsson is clearly in leadership position and has supplied around 49 per cent of 221 launched HSPA networks by October 2008.

Sometime back, the company had launched the Gramjyoti Rural Broadband Project in India as an initiative to introduce benefits of WCDMA/HSPA technology in rural India and connect communities to high-speed internet services for the first time.

The initiative demonstrated how WCDMA/HSPA can help bridge the digital divide and increase productivity and quality of life.

In the same vein, Ericsson urged the government and the service providers in India to expedite the roll out of mobile and broadband wireless access technologies to catalyze the social and economic empowerment in the country and bridge the digital divide.