COSTA MESA, Calif. May 1, 2001 - The CDMA Development
Group (CDG) today announced the planned publication of a white
paper entitled, "CDMA2000 1X as a 3G Migration Alternative
for TDMA/IS-136 Operators." The paper will compare migration
strategies based on CDMA2000 and GSM and the commercial feasibility
of introducing equivalent 3G services for TDMA/IS-136 operators.
The paper is scheduled to be completed in early June, prior
to the 3G World Congress 2001 being held in Hong Kong (June
11-15). The Shosteck Group (formerly Herschel Shosteck Associates,
Ltd.) are serving as independent strategic consultants for
the paper. In so doing, they will provide a balanced analysis
and presentation. The paper will be made available on the
CDG Web site upon completion of the paper.
The white paper will develop and analyze criteria for comparing
migration paths to 3G CDMA, and, on the basis of those criteria,
compare CDMA2000 and GSM as alternative migration paths for
TDMA/IS-136 operators. The study will also determine commercially
realistic expectations of the data rates and services that
each respective migration path will deliver. The criteria
for comparing migration paths will include spectrum availability,
voice capacity, interoperability and backwards compatibility
with legacy networks, the availability and costs of infrastructure,
and the availability and costs of handsets.
Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG noted that, "TDMA
carriers around the world need to choose a migration path
to add high speed packet data services and increase voice
capacity. The paths include a direct migration to CDMA2000
or a circuitous migration path, which begins with GSM adds
GPRS and then WCDMA."
In a joint statement, Dr. Herschel Shosteck, president and
chairman of The Shosteck Group and Ms. Jane Zweig, CEO of
The Shosteck Group, commented that, "The issues are complex.
Technically feasible migration paths tell only a portion of
the story. More important are the issues of cost efficiencies.
In particular, we will focus on how much additional infrastructure
(and supporting systems) will be required to upgrade TDMA/IS-136
networks, what kinds of handsets will be needed, when can
they be delivered, and how expensive will they be. Our goal
is to place into perspective the issues of rational costs
vs. technology hyperbole, which is surrounding the migration."
About The Shosteck Group
The Shosteck Group (formerly Herschel Shosteck Associates,
Ltd.) is an international telecommunications consultancy known
for its strategic wireless seminars and special studies, and
its strategic market and competitive analyses. The Shosteck
Group provides focused, in-depth market research and analysis
for a broad range of clients in the global cellular and wireless
Internet markets. http://www.shosteck.com
