> Although, the DoCoMo roll-out of a non 3GPP compliant UMTS network remains
a cause for concern.
Just for clarification's sake, DoCoMo's UMTS network is not non-3GPP compliant,
at least not according to one of the official spokesman for DoCoMo's 3G
networking operations. The existing FOMA network is built on the June 2000 (or
was that 1999) version of the 3GPP specs., which can be made compatible with
the latest 3GPP standard with a "simple" software upgrade to the basestations.
The biggest problem with the network at this moment is the fact that the main
suppliers, NEC, did not have any experience whatsoever with the GSM MAP network
interface because they completely missed out on second generation cellular
(remember NEC was a big player with first generation AMPS - at least with
handsets). As DoCoMo have said, the problem is the base station software, which
might very well be the soft handover of CDMA that DoCoMo has identified, but it
is just as likely that it is the GSM MAP interface that W-CDMA is based on. At
least people in NEC have told me that software is the biggest problem for the
company when it comes to supplying the equipment for DoCoMo.
Ironically, none of the Western vendors have managed to keep pace with NEC and
other Japanese equipment manufacturers in terms of product delivery. A very
interesting fact is that all of DoCoMo's FOMA network to date is supplied by
Japanese vendors, eventhough they did award contracts to about a dozen
manufacturers, including the likes of Nokia, Ericsson, Lucent and Nortel when
they first tendered out the contract.
Another interesting point is that while Western vendors have failed to deliver
any 3G equipment for FOMA, NEC, the supplier of most of the network, is having
lots of difficulty getting contracts anywhere else, which give reason to the FT
story posted on the list that European vendors are blocking Japanese companies
in getting 3G contracts.
Again, best-of-breed technology and first to market is not the only factors for
success when it comes to global business and I think that this is something
that Japanese handset makers and network vendors need to learn, very quickly if
they don't want to get sideline by the rest of the industry, like those washing
machines.
regards,
Tony
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Received on Wed Aug 1 20:50:41 2001