cdmaOne handsets included in certification program

Electronic News, Dec 8, 1997 by Cynthia Bournellis

ORLANDO, FLA.--Code division multiple access (CDMA) technology for digital cellular phone service just got a boost, as two industry groups form a certification program for handsets based on the cdmaOne standard.

The new program, developed by the CDMA Development Group (CDG) and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 1998. The agreement between the CDG and CTIA is international in scope and provides certification for the full range of cdmaOne cellular, PCS and wireless local loop subscriber products. Products soon to follow are the new Nokia 2170 1900MHz CDMA digital phone, which will be available in 1Q98, and two new cdmaOne base station products for cellular PCS networks from Qualcomm, due out in 2Q98.

Through CTIA's Certification program, established in 1991, product is evaluated and tested. The program, which already supports standards such as mobile phone service, narrowband advanced mobile phone service (AMPS), time division multiple access (TDMA) and global system for mobile communication (GSM), is expanding to support all wireless technology interfaces. "By expanding CTIA's Certification program to embrace CDMA products, we are ensuring that consumers have more options," said Tom Wheeler, president and CEO of CTIA, in a speech to CDMA industry members last week at the CDMA regional conference in Orlando, Fla. He noted that the certification seal, in turn, signifies to consumers that the handset meets or exceeds the industry's performance standards.

There are currently more than 500 individuals working within various CDG subcommittees on cdmaOne-related matters. Presently, 80 percent of cdmaOne subscriber growth is occurring outside the North American market, with 8 million customers in five countries, according to CDG.

In addition to the certification program, there has been significant expansion in cdmaOne global wireless local loop deployments and products this year. By the end of 1997, as many as 16 cdmaOne wireless local loop networks will be in commercial operation or deployment around the world, according to reports from CDG.

Furthermore, the selection of cdmaOne fixed wireless terminals from various CDG member companies is expected to increase substantially in 1998, as new entrants to the wireless local loop marketplace unveil additional cdmaOne products.

Many Advantages Seen

Compared with competing wireless technologies, cdmaOne wireless local loop systems are expected to offer network operators many advantages. First, cdmaOne provides substantial capacity. Secondly, it offers flexibility by supporting fixed, low-mobility and wide-area cordless service on the same system. For network operators, this should allow implementation of both fixed and mobile service without a great amount of additional investment.

As efforts in this area progress, CDMA will be under scrutiny from certain skeptics. In-Stat analyst Ray Jodoin wrote in a recent column in Electronic News that on a recent trip from Phoenix to the San Francisco Bay area, his CDMA service degraded to AMPS. However, it didn't matter that the Phoenix service provider had a roaming agreement with fellow CDMA service provider GTE. The agreement only provided AMPS service while roaming, but not for paging or voice mail, or SMS. And, while the static-free clarity of CDMA goes without saying, the highly praised digital features are worthless if roaming partners don't offer similar digital services, said Mr. Jodoin. He said this is one basic need the CDMA Development Group forgot in its rush to publish the cdmaOne specification.

At presstime, CDMA officials could not be reached for comment. The third annual CDMA World Congress will highlight cdmaOne globalization progress, emphasizing worldwide deployment of cdmaOne in Singapore next June.