| |
DoCoMo showcase miniaturised FOMA network outside of Japan
December 12, 2002
 |
Chris Wan and Katherina
Lo showcased FOMA services in Hong Kong |
DoCoMo demonstrated their video conferencing and video messaging
function using 3G FOMA handsets at last week's ITU Asia 2002 event
held in Hong Kong. The company was the only service provider to
implement a live network in the conference. Everyone was more than
impressed with the demonstration and attendees were allowed to try
the handsets for themselves. This was the first time users could
experience FOMA services outside of Japan. Using the T2101 handsets,
users could have a video conversation with another user within a
45 metre radius of the FOMA access point. The handset was relatively
light compared with previous bulky FOMA handsets and has reasonable
standby time of 125 hrs. Picture quality for video conferencing
was very good but with some jerkiness, running at around 11 frames/sec.
DoCoMo say the especially build network could transfer data at 384kbps,
but video conferencing ran about 64kbps.
Apart from video conferencing, visitors could take pictures with
the T2101 and send it to another via email. In addition, users were
able to use the phone as a video camera and play back movies whenever
they liked. It was a shame that the i-appli portal could not be
accessed as it has been popular amongst FOMA users in Japan. The
i-appli portal lets users download video games, graphics, maps plus
others. DoCoMo hailed the demonstration a success and impressed
a lot of the visitors.
DoCoMo admitted their FOMA service in Japan attracted fewer subscribers
than expected and coverage was lacking in certain areas. A DoCoMo
spokeswoman said the FOMA service is reliable and stable but the
media talked it down because DoCoMo were the first to deploy WCDMA.
As of November, 150,000 consumers subscribed to the FOMA service.
Fujitsu and Ericsson were two other telecos to successfully demonstrate
WCDMA in the event. Ericsson teamed up with Hong Kong operator SmarTone
to showcase a live video conferencing call using the LG G8000 handset.
It ran on the Ericsson RBS 3202 Node-B which Ericsson claims to
have shipped 10,000 units.
Fujitsu demonstrated video conferencing using the WCDMA D2101V
handset and Evolium UMTS Node-B as the radio base station, developed
alongside Alcatel. Visitors to both Ericsson and Fujitsu booths
could also test video conferencing for themselves.
The WCDMA platform is more difficult to implement because the jump
in technology is far greater than that of cdma2000 which is more
of a progressive technological migration, said Taketoshi Uchida,
chief of overseas products department at Sanyo. It is also a reason
why WCDMA handsets, such as the P2101V at 150g, are bigger than
the typical cdma2000 handsets, he said.
 |
Taketoshi Uchida, Chief
Overseas Product Dept. at Sanyo holding the new WCDMA J-SA001
- 2.2 inch TFT display with 260K color
- 108g
- 99mm x 50mm x 29mm |
|
3G Motorola A920
