Cingular Turns to Lucent to Enable IMS

By ROBERT LIU

TMCnet Wireless and Technology Columnist

Cingular Wireless has completed customer trials in 3 test markets of its next-generation cellular platform based on the Universal Mobile Telephone System - High Speed Downlink Packet Access (UMTS-HSDPA) standards, becoming the first carrier in the world to commercially roll out wireless services beyond 3G.

The joint venture between SBC Communications and BellSouth has upgraded its UMTS infrastructure in Dallas/Fort Worth, Seattle and Phoenix . Ericsson is supplying radio access equipment in Dallas while Lucent Technologies is contracted for the two West Coast markets.

“Officially, we are now commercially carrying all voice and high-speed UMTS traffic on the upgraded network,” said Ritch Blasi, Cingular spokesman.

HSDPA, a next-generation packet-switched technology for carriers using GSM-GPRS-EDGE networks, is currently undergoing trials around the globe. The upgrade promises average data connection speeds between 400-700 kilobits per second with bursts over a megabit per second. While download speeds are albeit slower than basic WiFi service, the technology offers full mobility that is currently only promised by the mobile WiMAX initiative.

Cingular, one of only a handful North American carriers that use GSM standards, has previously stated it was conducting customer trials and expected to offer HSDPA capabilities on its UMTS networks in 15 to 20 markets by the end of the year. On Tuesday, Blasi said the company is still on track to meet that goal.

To be sure, existing UMTS customers won’t be able to take advantage of HSDPA download speeds until they upgrade their handheld devices. Cingular believes the new HSDPA-enabled handsets will be on the market “shortly.” For example, Motorola just today introduced its next-generation UMTS mobile handsets using its ultra-slim RAZR clamshell design.

But while Cingular only now is offering the capabilities to transmit broadcast-quality video, competing carriers like Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel (which use a different 3G standard) beat the GSM carrier to market and locked up some key video content distribution deals.

“From the company's perspective, UMTS/HSDPA's ability to carry voice and data traffic will deliver significantly lower costs for carrying voice traffic,” Blasi explained in an email exchange.

In its press release, Lucent said it also is upgrading additional key markets across the United States and is poised to support Cingular's initial rollout of this advanced network, which supports a wide variety of high-bandwidth multimedia services including high-quality streaming video, fast downloads of high-resolution images and other large files, and interactive services and applications such as advanced gaming in the mobile environment.

“The successful upgrade of the Seattle market is just an indication of what Cingular plans to deliver to its mobile customers around the country,” said Joe McCarthy, vice president of sales for Lucent Technologies. “We're working hard to ensure that Cingular Wireless will deliver new, powerful revenue-generating multimedia services in all of the markets Lucent supports in a timely fashion.”

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Robert Liu is Executive Editor at TMCnet. Previously, he was Executive Editor at Jupitermedia and has also written for CNN, A&E, Dow Jones and Bloomberg. For more articles, please visit Robert Liu's columnist page.