Samsung CEO believes DoCoMo set a bad example for WCDMA rollout
February 17, 2003
The senior vice-president for Samsung's mobile communications,
Park Sang Jin, said the rollout in Asia of 3G mobile networks using
the WCDMA standard has been hurt by NTT DoCoMo's early experience
with its FOMA 3G network and services, which he termed a "disaster."
Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) is the technology
selected by Europe for higher-speed mobile networks. Its main rival
is the CDMA2000 technology promoted by Qualcomm of the U.S.
Park said DoCoMo's launch "set a very bad base for the expansion
of WCDMA services."
The two Korean operators who have committed to WCDMA will roll
it out on schedule, as promised to regulators, he said. "But they
have no enthusiasm for WCDMA," he said. "They are enjoying their
CDMA 1x EVDO services."
At the same time, NTT DoCoMo on Monday defended its 3G wireless
network in Japan, saying better handsets, wider coverage and services
like video calling ensured the service would rebound from a disappointing
first year.
It also said its plan to spend billions of yen helping sceptical
manufacturers meet the expense of developing 3G handsets would pay
for itself by boosting subscribers, lowering its costs and bringing
in royalty payments as the manufacturers sell the handsets to other
operators.
DoCoMo's slow start with its fast network is in stark contrast
toits main rival KDDI, which upgraded to a technology known as CDMA2000
1x which is slightly slower than DoCoMo's technology but which signed
up millions of users in just a few months.
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3G Motorola A920
