CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
Technologically, EVDO has already shown its superiority. When the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) announced its plans for third generation wireless technologies, CDMA technologies emerged as key technologies exciting vendors that are already associated with the initiatives.

Spectrum efficiency is seen as one of the main benchmarks for any deployment in India, where all operators face spectrum crunch. CDMA is known for spectral efficiency as it enables wireless networks to manage more subscribers simultaneously. Besides spectrum efficiency, operators are also looking for speed, which is a regular demand of any customer. EVDO matches this, too, by providing higher data transfer speed required by the ITU's definition of 3G.

Compared to any wired broadband, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, which is a direct evolution of the CDMA2000 third-generation wireless standards, enables high-speed wireless connectivity to operators. Though Indian operators are yet to experience 3G services, they will be comfortable deploying 3G networks as and when the government is ready with the policy. In fact, a number of handset vendors have already introduced 3G-ready phones in the country.

Using CDMA2000 1xEV-DO services, consumers can send and receive email with large file attachments, receive and send high-resolution pictures and video, download video and music content, play interactive games, or stay wirelessly connected to their office PCs using the same mobile device. Since it offers wider applications, the customer demand is growing in India. Alcatel-Lucent is one of the major suppliers to CDMA operators including Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel.

Huawei and Nortel are also in discussion with Indian operators. Airvana, in alliance with Nortel, is offering the EVDO infrastructure to Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel, two leading operators in North America.

Ericsson, which is betting big on 3G, has already done several trials in China and has commercial deployment in South America. Ericsson officials are optimistic about the spectral efficiency of 3G technologies available in India. They feel that Indian operators, who can achieve economies of scale, will be the main beneficiaries in this business.

Besides the US market, the EVDO revolution has already picked up well in other countries as well. For instance, AirWalk deployed EVDO Rev, a network in the Middle East, one of the emerging telecom markets in the world. ZTE bagged orders from operators in countries such as Sudan and Morocco for deploying CDMA EVDO networks, which is leading the convergence of wireless and personal electronics, addressing a new generation of multi-purpose wireless devices.

Qualcomm, which is bullish about the scope in Indian markets, is already ready with its strategy in India. Qualcomm has forged a path of continuous innovation that has kept EV-DO at the forefront of wireless network performance and functionality, while ensuring a compelling migration path to protect operators' investments. Currently, operators have three options for expanding system capabilities.

EV-DO Rel 0 is a high-performance, cost effective, wide area wireless broadband solution. It offers high data rates, high capacity and lower costs for wireless operators, enabling them to offer compelling, differentiated data services to consumers and business professionals. It provides a peak forward link data rate of 2.4 Mbps and a peak reverse link data rate of 153 Kbps.

This leading-edge wireless technology adds higher data rates and higher system capacity, as well as improved QoS support for low-latency packet applications. It is a fully backward compatible standard and remains interoperable with deployed EV-DO networks and devices around the world. On the forward link, the peak data rate increases to 3.1 Mbps while the reverse link speed increases to a peak rate of 1.8 Mbps.

The EV-DO Rev B will be highly integrated with advanced functionality and will support the operation of up to three simultaneous channels of 1.25 MHz each for higher-speed data rates and deliver significant space-savings for devices that are thinner, smaller, and lighter.

But, despite the obvious benefits, the entry of EVDO technologies that saw phenomenal growth in international markets, has had troubles in India as the government is yet to come out with the 3G policy, including spectrum usage, spectrum pricing among other things. The entry of EVDO, the standard for 3G in CDMA, will depend on the launch of 3G services, a senior official with a leading vendor said.

At present, there is no consensus on the pricing of spectrum for rolling out 3G services. On the top of this, the government is yet to release the spectrum. Once the government releases the spectrum, operators will get an enormous opportunity to offer the much sought after 3G services to its customers in the country.

However, telecom analysts are still skeptical about the mass deployment of the 3G network as they feel that 3G might become a technology for operators' broadband deployments. They may not look for mass deployments. This means 3G may not be available across the country and it may restrict itself for premium customers. The main reason for the poor response among operators is the regulatory issues.

MediaFLO
Qualcomm's efforts to position MediaFLO, which is built around FLO, an open-standard, air-interface technology designed to increase capacity and coverage as well as reduce cost for multimedia content delivery to mobile handsets, are in the process of gaining momentum in India. Qualcomm India demonstrated the capabilities of MediaFLO technologies at the recently concluded India Telecom Summit 2007.

The uniqueness of MediaFLO's mobile broadcast technology includes its capabilities to complement wireless operators' WCDMA/HSDPA and CDMA2000/EV-DO cellular network data and voice services, delivering content to the same handsets used on these 3G networks.

Looking at international operators' response to MediaFLO, India will also be slowly picking up the technology. Comparing mobile multicast technologies, MediaFLO offers several advantages, including higher-quality video and audio, faster channel switching time, superior mobile reception, optimized power consumption, and greater capacity. Other features of MediaFLO in an 8 MHz channel are support for transmitting up to 30 streaming channels of QVGA-quality (320x240 pixels), video at up to 25 frames-per-second with a constant quality of service, 10 stereo audio channels (HE AAC+ parametric stereo) and multiple Clipcasting downloads per day (short-format video clips), and an average channel switching time of approximately two seconds.

Recently, MediaFLO and MTV, a Viacom company, forged an alliance. As per the multi-year agreement, MTV Networks will provide channels branded MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central to MediaFLO, the USA's mobile entertainment service.

Qualcomm and British Sky Broadcasting have completed two joint technical trial of the MediaFLO System in the UK.

W-CDMA
On account of the lackadaisical attitude of the government, the Wideband Code-Division Multiple-Access (W-CDMA), one of the main technologies for the implementation of 3G services, is yet to see the light of the day in India. GSM operators are ready to implement W-CDMA once the government spells out the details of the 3G policy.

In international markets, W-CDMA deployments have taken off, and are experiencing new highs. W-CDMA vendors are optimistic about the potential of the Indian market. In fact, 3G-ready handsets are already available in India, but consumers are still in a dilemma.

When the W-CDMA vendors launched their technologies, they looked at efficiency and consumers' demands for better experience and simplicity. Through these capabilities, mobile operators benefit from a technology that provides performance for improved end-user experience for Web access, file download, and streaming services.

W-CDMA has evolved over the years, handling higher bit rates and improving downlink speed, and has very well been accepted by international operators. WCDMA 3GPP Release 5 extends the specification with HSDPA, which is an enhancement of WCDMA. HSDPA improves the end-user experience by increasing peak data rates to 14 Mbps in the downlink, reducing delay, and providing 2-3 times more system capacity. In the second step, the uplink has been enhanced. Wireless broadband access to the Internet, intranet, and corporate LAN benefits greatly from 'WCDMA Evolved.'

The primary benefit of HSDPA, which can reduce the time it takes to download large files by a factor of twenty, is the improved end-user experience. This means shorter download times through higher bit rates (14 Mbps peak rate) and reduced roundtrip time over the air interface. HSDPA also provides advantages for operators by introducing greater system capacity.

HDSPA opens up for enhanced end-user experience when using WCDMA for wireless broadband applications such as intranet and the Internet access via laptops. Here, the reduced delay improves the traditional Web access. Downloading of emails and other heavy files is improved by increased peak data rates.

With the advantages of HSDPA, 'WCDMA Evolved' will further enable operators to provide end-users with more advanced wireless broadband applications, offering wide area coverage and mobility.

Whether Indian operators catch up with international technologies or not, technologies will come and consumers will enjoy them. Indian operators should look at the convenience of consumers, who want to be the first in the queue to grab these opportunities.

Ruchi Phadke
ruchip@cybermedia.co.in