State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan

New data from TeleGeography’s 4G Research Service show that there were more than 600 WiMAX networks either live or at the planning/deployment stage by the end of 2009. The number of WiMAX deployments significantly exceeds HSPA and LTE deployments. Only around 300 cellular networks have been upgraded with HSPA technology and fewer than 70 operators have committed to deploying LTE equipment. However one point is note worthy: a relatively small number of these WiMAX systems offer wide coverage areas; most only offer local or regional service. This is certainly true for Pakistan!

There has been a lot of debate and discussion about LTE and WiMAX standards. The battle has been played at different levels: geography, countries, telecom equipment makers, network operators etc. LTE has certainly picked up a lot wins but as this WSJ report shows both LTE and WiMAX are widening their foothold.

Though WiMax does have some momentum, LTE is expected to be the broadband standard of choice for most wireless-service providers. The two technologies have similar capabilities, but LTE has less upfront costs for carriers since it can be built on top of existing network infrastructure.

Now that Long Term Evolution is shaping up to be the wireless broadband standard of choice for the U.S. and most developed markets, start-ups building silicon for wireless consumer devices are pushing out chips for the standard. Read more »

Here’s an interesting video from Cisco about MTop -  Mobile Transport over Packet. It provides an ideal backhaul aggregation solution to simplify operations regardless of ‘generation’.

We have been debating a lot on 3G here, its upgrade paths and benefits. We also looked at the other side of the picture, how we can grow on our data services. At once it seemed that the 3G license was just on the edge with PTA conducting workshop on it and promising to support the technology. Now its almost a year now, nothing have happened and the licenses are still not auctioned.

Read more »

Via InformationWeek

Verizon Wireless is planning to light up its Long-Term Evolution (LTE) nationwide network next year in one fell swoop rather than deploying it in a traditional market-by-market rollout, according to Tony Melone, the firm’s senior vice president and chief technology officer.

In the interview, in the wake of his talk on Verizon Wireless’ LTE project this week at the 2009 PCIA Wireless Infrastructure Show, Melone described the move to LTE from Verizon’s existing CDMA EV-DO network as an “overlay” and not a “switchover.” He added that the LTE network is able to use much of the existing infrastructure of the CDMA network including towers and backhaul gear.
Melone also discussed what consumers can expect from the new LTE network. “You will need new devices to take [full] advantage of LTE,” he said. “But there won’t be a need to force migrate” The carrier’s CTO explained that existing Verizon Wireless users will be able to continue to use their current devices and handsets after LTE is commercially launched.

LTE will enable traditional-type handsets and PDAs, but also some non-traditional devices like the IREX Technologies e-book reader, GM’s OnStar auto security solution, and even court-ordered electronic bracelets. Melone noted that Verizon has certified more than 55 devices to operate on its 3G network and they will be available also for use with the LTE network. Most of them are machine-to-machine (M2M) units.

The company, which is jointly owned by Verizon Communications (55%) and Vodafone Group (45%), has launched trial sites in suburban Boston and suburban Seattle. The Verizon LTE Innovation Center in suburban Boston is nearly completed, Melone added.

In his PCIA talk this week, Melone sought to scotch rumors that his firm’s LTE rollout is falling behind schedule. In the interview, he maintained that deployment is on schedule. The firm, however, hasn’t yet given specific dates on its nationwide deployment, but it has pledged it will happen in 2010 in 25 to 30 markets. The company will seek to have the service available for some 100 million POPs (points of presence) in 2010 and continue to deploy the network over the next two and three years.

Melone said Verizon’s Developer Community and its V CAST Apps will launch by the end of the year, enabling developers to take advantage of the launch to bring their own products and services to market.

“We can build all the bells and whistles and make lots of bold claims,” said Melone, “but none of it will matter if the network — and all of the underlying infrastructure that supports the network — isn’t fundamentally reliable. There will be no substitute for good old-fashioned engineering. Reliability built in at the start based on rigid engineering standards and a disciplined approach year-after-year will continue to be our mantra.”