Eric Schwarz

Perhaps you remember the transition from analog (AMPS) to digital cellular service. (D-AMPS) If not, you may remember the transition from D-AMPS (aka TDMA) to GSM or CDMA2000. Some TDMA networks have been shut down as recently as last year, with Cingular/AT&T forcing people off those networks by charging them more. The transition for GSM users from GPRS (2G) data to EDGE (2.5G) data to 3G data has been rather seamless. Pick up a new handset to get the speed increases, but older handsets still work on the networks. In the next few years, there may be quite a bit of fear, uncertainty, and doubt about the transition to LTE, or Long-Term Evolution networks for AT&T and Verizon.

This last week, AT&T has made announcements that it would be opening three innovation centers to support the transition. This includes participation from hardware companies like Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson, and is much like the innovation centers already set up from Verizon Wireless. These allow the testing and development of nontraditional hardware for LTE networks. In other words, handsets are the least of their concerns.

The biggest non-handset-specific advantage for LTE is fast wireless broadband. Although the current 3G network AT&T has now is rather speedy, there have been some issues with handling the amount of data. LTE should help improve upon this. Furthermore AT&T's 3G towers can easily be upgraded to LTE. Verizon is slowly building its new LTE network and mocking AT&T, while in a sense, AT&T just has to "flip a switch" on many of its towers.

No matter what carrier you prefer, this year is only going to promise more innovation and competition between the two biggest wireless carriers. Sprint is betting on WiMAX and T-Mobile is doing their own, smaller LTE tests.

Posted by ecschwarz at 02:29 PM | Permalink

The FCC banned the distribution and sale of wireless devices that use the 700MHz frequency. Many expected this frequency, freed up with the move away from analog television, to be used with next-generation mobile networks. Sure enough, the disappearance of 700MHz devices clears up the market for 4G phones.

As cell phones typically operate on or near the 850MHz, 1900MHz, and 2100MHz bands in the United States, and either those or the 800MHz and 1800MHz bands abroad, this new frequency will allow carriers such as AT&T and Verizon to launch new networks to work alongside and eventually replace networks on other frequencies. These frequencies were previously occupied by broadcast channels 52-69. Although there are stations still branded on these channels, they only act as though they are, thanks to PSIP (one such example is WXIN/Fox 59 in Indianapolis, which really broadcasts on the space allocated for channel 45).

The issue at hand is that the biggest type of 700MHz devices are short-range wireless microphones, used in all sorts of general-purpose functions. The ban begins on June 12, 2010 and prevents the sale, manufacture, or import of such devices, but still allows people to continue using them until they are phased out due to failure or obsoleteness. They may get static, since a small microphone running off of a 9V battery probably cannot compete with a cellular phone tower.

I think this is just another chapter in the slow saga to get rid of legacy broadcast-related devices in favor of digital. The United States has been aggressive—even with all of the hangups—in the transition to digital television. We are finally seeing the first new things to come out of the free frequencies, and many other countries (especially those in the Americas) should be following in the next few years.

Posted by ecschwarz at 11:09 PM | Permalink