WCDMA hits North America: Trial will determine what users want

North American GSM players will test third generation services in Montreal beginning early next year using Microcell's network. Nortel Networks will supply the infrastructure for a wideband code division multiple access network that will demonstrate mobile data at 64 and 384 kb/s speeds and fixed data at 2 Mb/s.

GSM Alliance members will contribute money and human resources, while Panasonic will supply experimental handsets.

The real challenge is defining what customers will do with the network, said Ian Sugarbroad, vice president of business development for Nortel's GSM solutions. A primary goal of the trial will be testing applications and conducting customer focus groups to determine services users will want.

"That will help us build a business case for 3G," said Claude Brisson, vice president of business development for Microcell Connexions.

Industry Canada awarded Microcell a developmental license to conduct the trial in the frequencies set by the Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems for 3G systems-frequencies used in the U.S. by PCS operators.

The trial also will test several technical parameters, including system performance in 5 MHz allocations, call handoffs, system behavior when loaded and migration techniques from existing networks, Brisson said. Results will be used to create software tools for system deployment.

This announcement, combined with others such as ones by Bell Atlantic Mobile and Lucent Technologies, which plan to begin implementing a cdma2000 network in early 1999, may indicate a definitive swing among GSM and CDMA players to move forward with 3G regardless of ITU decisions.

"This may be the first step toward many different standards for 3G," said Larry Swasey, senior wireless analyst with Allied Business Intelligence. "They are both announcing trials of systems they would like selected and allowing carriers to see these systems work, which may further each group's position on going forward on multiple standards."