Nokia brings IMS to CDMA

Nokia isn't the first name in CDMA, but today the vendor announced technology intended to bridge that gap. The company said it has applied its IP Multimedia Subsystem infrastructure to GSM/CDMA convergence, demonstrating peer-to-peer gaming with simultaneous instant gaming and file sharing between GSM and CDMA terminals as well as laptops equipped with 1X EV-DO cards.

While the news isn't earth shattering since IMS is supposed to be network agnostic, the demonstration reflects Nokia's growing attention to the CDMA market. The carrier recently re-entered the CDMA handset market, where much of its focus is expected to be at CTIA next week. On the infrastructure side, Nokia has never pursued a CDMA access infrastructure business, but it is pursuing deals for core infrastructure. The CDMA/GSM demonstration shows that Nokia has not only optimized its IMS core technology for IMS solutions but can also enable convergence between CDMA and other architectures--a key advantage to the growing number of carriers running dual networks.

"Nokia is diligently making strides in our commitment to CDMA technology," Nokia vice president of business development Tim Johnson said in a statement. "Currently the CDMA market represents a significant percentage of annual capital spending in North America. Today's announcement demonstrates that Nokia is increasingly better positioned to serve this market."

Other international vendors have taken a similar approach to breeching the U.S. market, considered the most competitively crowded in the world. Alcatel bought Spatial Wireless last year to target core infrastructure and within six months of that purchase announced two carrier deals for MSCs: one with T-Mobile, the other a subcontracted deal through Siemens for Cingular's UMTS network. Those deals were both with GSM carriers. The CDMA market has proved a much harder nut to crack, with Lucent Technologies and Nortel Networks dominating their home markets.

In IMS, Nokia is often cited as one of the technology's leaders though it has publicly announced relatively few contracts. It is working with Telecom Italia Mobile to use IMS elements to launch a mass-market video-sharing service, and is one of the vendors working with Scandinavian carrier TeliaSonera on an IMS trial to test next-generation SIP-based services.

In other news, Nokia today announced it has landed its first customer for the new music service it unveiled at the 3GSM World Congress and that it has launched its mobile TV pilot in Finland. O2 Germany became the first carrier to sign up for the full-track download service, which Nokia is offering in partnership with digital music aggregator Loudeye. Powered by Windows Media Player, the platform is the result of a deal between Microsoft and Nokia, which is intended to bridge PC and mobile music services. O2--the German subsidiary of mmO2--will integrate the platform into its own music portal, offering customers music from Loudeye's catalog of 230,000 tracks.

On Tuesday, Nokia launched its planned Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld network in Helsinki with a handful of partners ranging from MTV to Finnish carrier Sonera. The initial trial will involve 500 users in Helsinki and use content from MTV and other providers.