Ericsson takes big step in wireless broadband

Ericsson, one of the world’s leading telecommunication suppliers, is ready to embark on a whole new stage of mobile communications with the introduction of Mobile Triple Play, which offers true mobility and high-speed performance for wireless broadband applications.

Briefing reporters and industry analysts in conjunction with CommunicAsia 2005 in Singapore, Carl-Henric Svanberg, Ericsson president and chief executive officer, said the Swedish telecom giant is ready to take an important next step in 3G rollout by taking an early lead in HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), the enabler for mobile broadband.

"With mobility as a fundamental driver for consumer convenience, we believe that triple play is now going mobile – and we call this Mobile Triple Play," Svanberg said.

Triple play, whether fix or mobile, is when telephony, Internet and TV are provided in one common infrastructure, for example a TV set-top box or a mobile phone.

For the first time in Southeast Asia, handphone users were able to experience live data downloads and streaming applications at speeds of up to 11 Mbps, enabled by Ericsson’s HSDPA system, at CommunicAsia 2005.

Visitors to Ericsson’s Experience Center were also able to witness live Fixed Triple Play demo and experience high-performance, high-speed Internet broadband access, interactive TV and multimedia services such as messaging, voice and video telephony.

Ericsson Mobile Broadband specialist Peter Hjorth said the Swedish firm is expecting strong demand for Mobile Triple Play as consumers continue to demand for high-speed, unhampered and mobile connectivity.

"To date, broadband access to the Internet has mainly been offered over fixed technologies such as fiber, cable TV or DSL technologies. With 3G technologies, it has now become possible to deliver similar services with the benefit of mobility over the mobile networks in a cost-effective manner," Hjorth said.

To boost mass uptake of Mobile Triple Play, Ericsson is expanding its WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) portfolio to new and existing frequency bands.

The expansion of the WCDMA portfolio to more frequency bands comes in the wake of recent mobile broadband service launches and a growing interest in "bandwith-hungry" services such as Mobile Triple Play.

By expanding its portfolio, Ericsson said WCDMA will be available for new markets and operators will be able to secure higher-capacity networks and better coverage at lower operating cost.

Operators will also be able to supplement traditional fixed services as well as mobile services in both capacity-limited urban areas and coverage-limited rural areas.

Ericsson vice president Mikael Back said, "Through this strategy, WCDMA will be the leading access technology supporting mass-market services such as telephony, broadband and TV."

He said the availability of wider support for frequency bands will lead to a larger deployment of WCDMA so operators will benefit from the large economies of scale of equipment deployment.

Furthermore, by enabling widespread WCDMA and HSDPA megabit data rates, Ericsson plans to enable cost-effective, universal broadband services for mobile and fixed networks.

Supporting its portfolio, Ericsson Mobile Platforms plans to add frequency bands in the WCDMA and HSDPA platforms to cover 2.1GHz, 1900MHz, 1700MHz and 850MHz, in appropriate configurations, in 2006.

"Ericsson believes in an all-communicating world where telecommunications is available for all. We will leverage on our technology leadership and global experience to assist operators in offering high-speed connectivity to their customers, no matter where they are – not only over wireline, but also over wireless networks," Hjorth said.