Mobile Broadband

With the proliferation of laptops with mobile broadband technology from mobile operators there is a good opportunity to increase their income by providing access to the Internet and other services. The convenience of such services to end users, the popularity of mobile broadband to the mass market, collaboration with computer manufacturers and other related matters Bert Nordberg , executive vice president of Ericsson , said the scientific editor of PC Week / RE Maxim Bukin. 

PC Week: How do you assess the situation on the global mobile market? What services and platform operators are interested in now?

Bert Nordberg: Last year we saw widespread installation of communications systems of third generation ( 3G ) and high-speed protocol HSPA . Most of our customers (mobile operators.. - Ed.) Through the introduction of 3G networks would increase the capacity of their networks for voice calls, but a significant and increasing "innovation index" at the expense of growth of the transferred data. By early February 2008 in 76 countries around the world was running a network 174, where he was introduced protocol HSPA, which provides data transmission speeds of several megabits per second. Fortunately, most of the operators thought that the addition of "pure" Internet access to provide customers with content and services, including personal TV. I note that to improve the competitiveness of services had changed and vendors - for example, in recent years we have acquired companies such as Redback, Marconi, Entrisphere and Tandberg Television, which has strengthened our position in this field. Please note that the main difference from today's television future is to use architecture IMS, which is an integral part of TV on mobile and converged networks.

PC Week: How do you assess the market for modems for Internet access via cellular networks?

BN: External HSPA-modems have a good market for the world. The fact is that today very few manufacturers add such modules by default in their models of laptops. For example, in Sweden, as in many European countries, the most popular commodity in the last quarter were just outside HSPA-up modems. But over time this will change - we forecast that by 2011, 100 million newly manufactured laptops worldwide are expected to contain a built-in HSPA. This is why we, Lenovo has launched a joint project - already in 2008 in some models of notebooks ThinkPad, popular among corporate users will install the modules of mobile broadband. I note that Lenovo has become the first officially announced by the customer broadband access module, produced by us. But this is not an exclusive contract, we are ready to deliver our adapters for wireless and other manufacturers of mobile PCs.

As HSPA technology provides speed wireless data, comparable to the speed via DSL, we are confident that it will radically change the distribution of access users to the network, you can easily find, download and save information. In fact, today with a broadband connection is the fact that 20 years ago there was a phone - it turns into a mobile and widely available services.

PC Week: Do you think the prospects of modules combining technology mobile WiMAX and HSPA?

BN: Priority funding for our projects is being developed areas HSPA in terms of both carrier and customer equipment. But I perfectly imagine that there are also companies that do the same for mobile WiMAX. In the end, it's a profitable business. I believe that over time these technologies will be combined into one device. The question here only in the choice of telecom operators suitable business model for the promotion of such mobile modems.

PC Week: At the time, Ericsson has refused to support WiMAX as economic reasons. But now, some technology experts say that under the auspices of the LTE can bring together WiMAX and HSPA. Do you agree?

BN: I do not think so. Unfortunately, these are two different technologies, and such statements - nothing more than a publicity stunt manufacturers. Rather, so perhaps a combination of WLAN and HSPA. In general, this integration is, in my opinion, absolutely not have any meaningful prospects. Ask the 20 largest telecom operators in which the data transmission technology, they are betting on the future, and 19 of them will answer: "We choose HSPA", since the data transfer protocol can now offer all that WiMAX will offer only the year 2011 .

PC Week: How do you assess the prospects for growth in demand for 3G-services in Russia?

BN: I think users very quickly feel an interest in high-speed access to the network without wires - will actively increase the number of mobile workstations. Although the first users of the services provided based on networks of 3G, obviously, will be corporate subscribers, the mass market will develop in Russia fairly quickly.