MC-CDMA and the moves towards 4G networks and services: Analysis and Forecasts

MC-CDMA and the moves towards 4G networks and services: Analysis and Forecasts

Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology is a continuing driving force behind wireless networks around the globe and according to the CDMA Development Group (CDG), there were 431 million CDMA subscribers and 91million CDMA 2000 1x subscribers worldwide by the end of the year 2007. According to 3GPP2, there are 280 operators globally that use the CDMA 2000 family of standards.

Systems beyond 3G such as WiMAX and 3GPP LTE which are based on OFDM have already been established. However, some systems such as Evolved HSPA, EV-DO Rev B and UMB are based on CDMA. The CDMA Development Group claims that a variety of technologies will drive competition which is healthier for the market. It is therefore believed that 4G may not be connected to a specific technology and will be a multitude of different access technologies that will complement each other providing a seamless experience to the user regardless of location. On the other hand, major European vendors believe that the 3GPP and 3GPP2 paths could coincide at the LTE point (2010-2011) and that after this time the same technology will be used by carriers that have been using 3GPP and 3GPP2 standards. It is also worth noting that the major backer of CDMA technologies Qualcomm believes that there is no reason why CDMA could not be used for even higher data rates such as those defined by the ITU for 4G, if a 4x4 MIMO configuration is implemented and the bandwidth is leveraged.

This unique report highlights key questions such as:

• What different forms of radio access are available and are competing to provide a significant contribution to 4G standards?
  
  
• Why is the transition to higher data rate radio access potentially so important to mobile multimedia and business services?
  
  
• When will MC-CDMA and competing technologies become a truly global mass market proposition?
  
  
• How successful can these service propositions become?

Most operators seem to prefer to see a transition to a new generation take place gradually. This is because, in addition to considerations of cost, operators prefer to reduce their risks, by rolling out new technologies and network architectures incrementally to gain a better understanding of the technology and the market response. It is believed that there will be many operators who will regard the HSPA+ and EV-DO Rev B path as an easier and safer way into higher data rates. Furthermore, an upgrade to HSPA+ is generally considered cheaper than a move to LTE since LTE is based on OFDM and a number of new components will be required.

It is therefore expected that by the year 2017, mobile OFDM solutions such as LTE, UMB and mobile WiMAX will only account for 6.4% of the global number of cellular subscribers. These initial deployments will primarily occur in densely populated areas as the spectrum is likely to remain underutilised.

This suggests that CDMA (both CDMA 2000 and WCDMA) will continue to dominate the cellular market for years to come. Therefore advanced 4G coverage is likely to take up to 20 years to happen. It is expected that at least till then CDMA and OFDM technologies will coexist. CDMA may also be used for even higher data rates as VSF (variable spread frequency)-OFCDM a technique similar to MC-CDMA has been used by NTT DoCoMo in various 4G field trials conducted by the company.

By reading this 50+ page report you will understand all of the exciting opportunities that will be available to increase your revenues from this inevitable transition to a new technology.

MC-CDMA has great potential due to the promise of exceptional service quality, speed and reduced latency. Do you understand this market? Do you know how it will develop? Is this an issue that you need to act on and find out about now?  
 

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 What is 4G?

1.2 The need for 4G

1.3 The importance of the CDMA standard and its role in future telecommunication networks

Chapter 2: 4G Technical Focus

2.1 General technical Issues associated with 4G

2.2 Overview of OFDM and OFDMA

2.2.1 OFDMA

2.3 MC-CDMA

2.4 The uplink in 4G systems

2.5 The role of MIMO (multiple input/multiple output)

2.5.1 MIMO in OFDMA and MC-CDMA

2.6 Challenges for 4G mobile terminals

2.7 The core network that will be used in 4G networks

2.7.1 4G and IPv6

2.8 Spectrum that will be allocated to 4G networks

2.8.1 Lime Microsystems

Chapter 3: 4G Trials and Standardization

3.1 The ITU 4G standardization process

3.2 Global 4G trial trends

3.2.1 NTT DoCoMo

3.2.2 China

3.2.2.1 McWiLL

3.2.3 Korea

3.3 MC-CDMA in Europe

Chapter 4 The OFDM and CDMA industry paths

4.1 CDMA and OFDM

4.2 Overview of Beyond 3G systems

4.2.1 WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)

4.2.2 IEEE 802.22

4.2.3 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution Radio)

4.2.4 EV-DO Revision B

4.2.5 UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband)

4.2.6 Evolved HSPA (HSPA+)

4.3 QualCom

4.3.1 QualComm’s role and strategy

4.4 When is 4G expected to be deployed?

Chapter 5: 4G Market issues

5.1 The 4G Marketplace

5.2 The Future of CDMA

5.3 Prospects for UMB technology

5.4 HSPA vs 3GPP LTE

5.5 4G Market Penetration

5.6 Applications enabled through the use of 4G

5.6.1 Mobile VoIP (Voice over IP)

5.6.2 HDTV

5.6.3 Music

5.6.4 Tele-Medicine

5.6.5 Crisis Management

5.6.6 Education

5.6.7 Virtual Navigation

5.6.8 Tele-geoprocessing applications

Chapter 6 Conclusion

 
 

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More Details

Companies Listed

Advanced Communications Research and Development

Airvana

Alcatel-Lucent

BelgaCom

CATR

CDMA Development Group

CEA-LETI

China Netcom

Datang Telecom Technology Co.

Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft und Raumfahrt

Ericsson

ETRI

Facebook

FCC

France Telecom

Huawei

Hutchison 3G

IMS

INSA-IETR

Instituto De Telecommunicacoes

ITU

KDDI

Mitsubishi Electric

Motorola

MySpace

Nokia

Nokia-Siemens Networks

NTT DoCoMo

Orascom

Qualcomm

Samsung

SK Telecom

Sprint

STMicroelectronics

Telecom Italia

Telefonica

Telstra

Verizon Wireless

Vodafone

Xinwei Technologies