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21st October 2004 - Alcatel and Fujitsu Limited today
announced the joint launch and operation of a live HSDPA*
(High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) demonstration system
in France. This system, which was developed by Fujitsu
based on technical specifications provided by NTT DoCoMo,
Inc., is located at Alcatel's 3G Reality Centre (3GRC)
in Vélizy, France.
By introducing greater capacity and higher data speeds
of up to 14Mbps into existing W-CDMA networks, HSDPA
promises enhanced quality of service (QoS) and cost/performance
advantages for operators and subscribers alike.
This achievement reinforces Alcatel's and Fujitsu's
growing momentum in 3G and beyond, and confirms the
technological leadership of Evolium? multi-standard
solutions (UMTS/GSM/EDGE) that permit the seamless and
cost-effective introduction of new technologies such
as HSDPA thanks to a software-only upgrade. Fujitsu,
Alcatel's partner through their Evolium SAS joint venture,
is already supplying 3G/W-CDMA equipment to NTT DoCoMo,
Inc., the world's most advanced W-CDMA operator. Furthermore,
DoCoMo already has a Fujitsu HSDPA demonstrator up and
running in Japan.
Mr. Takanori Utano, Executive Vice President and Managing
Director of Research and Development Division of NTT
DoCoMo, Inc., declared: "We are very happy that a live
HSDPA demonstration system in Europe has been made possible,
thanks to our collaborative work with Fujitsu and with
the local support of Alcatel."
"Positioned correctly HSDPA will further improve the
success of 3G, delivering increased capability necessary
to accommodate the market uptake of high-speed mobile
applications such as content downloads," said Jason
Chapman, Principal Analyst, Mobile Infrastructure at
Gartner. "Gartner expects the first commercial launches
of HSDPA to be driven by activity in Japanese market".
"We are proud to show our technical leadership through
this HSDPA demonstration system," added Takashi Nakamura,
Corporate Vice President of Fujitsu Limited. "This is
a perfect example of Fujitsu's contribution to the development
of advanced technology in the context of Evolium SAS,
our successful joint venture with Alcatel."
Echoing this, Marc Rouanne, chief operating officer
of Alcatel's mobile communication activities, stated:
"DoCoMo is a prestigious reference, and the HSDPA demonstration
system at Alcatel's 3GRC in France is yet another major
step in bringing DoCoMo's leadership to the European
market. It also leverages Alcatel's user-centric vision
of the broadband mobile experience. Through Evolium
SAS, its joint venture with Fujitsu, Alcatel is also
committed to making the HSDPA technological breakthrough
available to operators the world over."
In another recent collaboration, Alcatel and Fujitsu
joined forces for the January 2004 opening of a 3G FOMA?
services showroom on Alcatel's premises in France. Alcatel
also held the first 3G Indoor Coverage Forum in Tokyo
in March 2004 with DoCoMo Engineering Inc., a 100% subsidiary
of NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
*The HSDPA (High-Speed
Downlink Packet Access) standard marks a similar leap
forward for W-CDMA and UMTS as EDGE does for GSM in
terms of data transmission speed and capacity, essential
for 3G evolution. The Alcatel-Fujitsu HSDPA demonstrator
will give European operators a "hands-on" opportunity
to assess HSDPA's performance and potential. Current
field-proven 3G downlink speeds of about 384 kbps (up
to 2 Mbps possible according to standards) will be boosted
to 14Mbps (maximum value according to standards) with
the first-generation HSDPA systems, enabling operators
to support a considerably larger number of high data-rate
users on a single radio carrier and ensure data-hungry
subscribers get the best experience with innovative
and existing multimedia services.
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