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have had a major impact even if it hard arrived a year or so earlier.
It is mainly moving into those broadband markets that don’t have DSL, or where only ADSL is available. Wireless has the potential to compete with fixed systems in these markets, but it often does not constitute more than 10%-25% of the total broadband market, and here it will also compete with satellite and BPL. Furthermore, the closer to populated areas, the bigger the threat that fixed line operators will extend their reach.
So, while it is still a strong contender in this space, we started to direct our consideration of WiMAX to new markets and have been talking about wireless broadband taking over where mobile data has failed. The mobile technology is not well positioned to deliver high-speed, low cost broadband in a wireless environment – partly for technological reasons and partly because of the business models currently being used by mobile operators.
WiMAX could build this wireless grid in an open fashion, thus providing content and service providers with an economically viable way to develop new services for a wireless environment. There will be plenty of such opportunities – just think digital cameras for one – sharing those ‘Kodak’ moments with people on the other side of the wireless broadband connections.
Now these technologies are theoretically also available on mobile networks, but they are far too expensive, too cumbersome and, with the dozen or so different technologies used, certainly not seamless and universal.
Last year, for the first time, I began to report on HSDPA and, at a very interested analysts’ conference in Shanghai, Ericsson was once again enthusiastic about this technology. Now a year later it has the first trials in place.
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"The mobile technology is not well positioned to deliver high-speed, low cost broadband in a wireless environment..."
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Multimedia System (IMS), it sits between the access layer and the services layer and allows for more efficient IP services, as well as the opportunity to develop more multimedia services.
There has been a lot of talk about the IMS market – many conflicting messages, plus the usual techno hype. Critics are saying that one of the confusing elements of IMS is that it started off in the 3G environment. This environment is now threatened by wireless broadband and it looks as though IMS has become a band-aid solution to turn 3G networks into IP-based networks.
But IMS has moved beyond this and is rapidly becoming the de facto IP platform for the new NGNs. It started off in the mobile market, but the reality of 2005 is that it is being adopted in the fixed market, while implementation in the mobile market may still be a few years away.
At the heart of IMS is another widely supported standard – SIP (Session Initiating Protocol) – which provides real-time, peer-to-peer, multi-party and multimedia capabilities. There are already many SIP-enabled devices in the market.
Now solidly based on 3GPP, IMS is now the standard for the softswitches, and the industry is widely supporting this standard, with most manufacturers bringing IMS products to the markets. It is proving to be an excellent solution for connectivity across the various network domains, providing an excellent platform for the delivery of value-added services.
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Theoretically, yes, it all looks great and fantastic. The pics on the mobile phones look better than the one on 2G phones but, on the other hand, the hype is more of the same. I can’t see operators rushing into this. Most are still coming to grips with the first generation 3G, and they are now already being forced to look at the first upgrade, with many more to come. Apart from the obvious costs involved for the operators, they would still need to change their business models, otherwise HSDPA will end up on the same pile as WAP, GPRS, MMS, POC, and half a dozen variations on the theme. It is this change in business modeling that is required before mobile operators will ever be able to successfully enter the wireless broadband market beyond a few niche applications.
The mobile operators do have the advantage of having systems in place for billing, customer service and so on, and that makes them formidable competitors to anyone daring to enter their turf with WiMAX. But if WiMAX does deliver, it will certainly upset the mobile market – it will be the biggest disruption this industry has seen in its entire history.
So, let the games begin.
IP Multimedia systems (IMS)
A new mobile platform has been developed that makes seamless communications possible between fixed and mobile networks. Called IP
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This, in its turn, fits nicely with the development new media centers, which are going to be the distribution platforms for the new converged services.
This has motivated companies such as BEA to develop new products to the IMS platform, such as SIP servers and network gatekeepers, which extend the reach of NGNs to external service providers, while the network control and management remains with of the network operator.
With most countries still considering the introduction of 3G, the industry is already developing 3¼G and beyond, with technologies such as HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access). Linking fixed and mobile together on IP Multimedia System (IMS) is another development, allowing for mobile TV and triple play models. Mobile will need to carve out its own unique markets next to wireless broadband. After that, it’s on to 4G!
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