Qualcomm To Launch Broadband Services Next Year

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Qualcomm to launch broadband services next year

Qualcomm India today said it will commercially launch Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) services in the second half of 2011.

"The devices (the chip) sets and the infrastructure would be ready by June next year, and in the second half, it (BWA service) will be ready for launch commercially," Qualcomm India and South Asia President Kanwalinder Singh said on the sidelines of an event here.

The services would be offered in partnership with one or more operators, he added.

Qualcomm had paid more than $1 billion to bag license for offering high speed Internet service (BWA) in four circles -- Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala.

Asked if they would partner any mobile operator (offering 3G services) for its LTE technology, Singh said, "They are obviously the candidates to launch the technology. Now we only hold four circles (Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala) but the rest is owned by Airtel, Aircel, RIL and all proceeding very rapidly towards this."

On their exit plans from the BWA services, he said that it has been the company's stated position that it would look into such a possibility after accelerating the eco-system on the device side as well as on the network side.

"The talks with the operators are ongoing but their is no set time-frame to exit the service. It is up to the operators... If some operator wants to perceive acquiring our stake it will happen quickly. If they want to launch with us having the spectrum that also is ok," Singh said.

There have been reports that Bharti Airtel and Aircel are interested in buying the spectrum, although this has been dismissed as "speculation" by Bharti Airtel.

Courtesy : Business Standard

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Just two weeks back, the official word have been that they are not in the network building business and that they don’t want to compete with network operators, which may be their clients. The goal was to secure 'the deployment of LTE in the country'.

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Qualcomm, Ericsson demonstrate TD-LTE outdoors

GURGAON: Taking the 3G technology a step further, Qualcomm and Ericsson demonstrated live streaming of multi high-definition video feeds inside a mobile van in Gurgaon on Tusday.

During the demonstration, the company showcased flawless delivery of applications such as high-definition multimedia streaming and live TV inside the van which was on the move at speeds of 50 to 70km per hour.

However, users will have to wait a bit before this advanced technology, 3D and LTE-TDD, would be launched in the Indian market. The company plans to make a commercial launch by 2011-mid when it will be available in the market through infrastructures like mobile chipsets and smart phones.

Earlier, a trail of similar demonstrations was conducted at the Reliance Corporate Park at Navi Mumbai on Monday. We are pleased to have collaborated with Ericsson on this demonstration showcasing LTE-TDD mobility in an outdoor environment in India, said Kanwalinder Singh, president of Qualcomm India and South Asia and senior vice-president of Qualcomm.

Singh added that they were in talks with all mobile operators who had successfully won the 3G spectrum. All operators have shown interest in this technology and we are hoping a good market in India, asserted Singh.

Gowton Achaibar, Head of Region, Ericsson India, said: Consumers are now very close to realizing through high-performance networks, the full promise of mobile-broadband, ultra-high data speeds for services such as internet TV, mobile video-blogging, online video games and the mobile office-environment.

This is an important milestone for the Indian telecom industry in showcasing LTE performance on a live network. We look forward to leveraging on the pilot to set up a commercial network that will build on a globally standardized eco-system and technology that offers immense potential for a wide spectrum of end-user offerings, added Singh.

Qualcomm won one slot of 20 MHz TDD spectrum in Indias 2.3 GHz band covering the key telecom circles of Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala in an auction earlier this year. This will mean the technology will be first launched in Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala.

LTE in India is a reality today, said Achaibar. We are honoured to have been chosen by Qualcomm to showcase the field demonstration of LTE TDD using Qualcomm chipset-based USB dongles, he added.

When asked whether the Indian market offered a consumer base for products like these, Singh said: The Indian consumer does not mind spending on newer technologies in the market. It is like any new technology launched in the market. With device affordability, we expect to penetrate deeper into the Indian markets, though we are launching it in cities in the first stage.

source :: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Gurgaon-will-go-high-definition-along-with-the-rest-of-India-in-2011/articleshow/7018534.cms