NEW ORLEANS-The Universal Wireless Communications Consortium and the GSM North
American Alliance announced plans to work to achieve interoperability between TDMA and GSM technology, a move
that could facilitate national and global consolidation among carriers with incompatible technologies and in particular
allow SBC Communications Inc. to fill out its wireless footprint by purchasing GSM operators.
Adding on to their
previously announced collaboration on data specifications, the two groups said they plan to develop ways to allow a
fully integrated set of features-such as short message service and customer profiles-across the two technologies to
create a global footprint.
This involves using a roaming gateway, or protocol converter, like one offered by
Synacom Technology Inc., a privately held company in San Jose, Calif., for roaming via dual-mode handsets between
Global System for Mobile communications and Advanced Mobile Phone Service networks. The system allows features
such as automatic location updates, registration, call delivery and user-profile modifications. Nortel Networks also
offers an Internet work services gateway that provides for roaming between GSM and AMPS networks. In addition,
Ericsson Inc. has a relationship with Synacom. Gateways are not yet available for interoperability between GSM and
TDMA networks, but some GSM operators like Powertel Inc. and BellSouth Mobility are using today’s gateways. Such
protocol converters also could be used between other technologies like Code Division Multiple Access.
The two
groups want to share features such as mobile-originated SMS service and over-the-air activation from GSM technology
and intelligent roaming and wireless office capability from TDMA technology.
SBC has been lab testing Synacom’s
RoamFree Gateway for more than a year to connect its TDMA networks with Pacific Bell Wireless’ GSM network, said
Greg Williams, vice president of wireless systems with SBC and UWCC chairman. This product will pave the way for
SBC, which is looking to become a nationwide carrier, to purchase more GSM operators, Williams conceded in an
interview with RCR.
“This will be an operator-by-operator, vendor-by-vendor rollout,” Williams said.
“We plan to finalize a standard by the second half of 2000.”
North American GSM operators also will
have the ability to fill in markets where their services aren’t offered. Today, markets like Dallas, New Orleans and
Chicago are missing a GSM operator though the Federal Communications Commission plans to re-auction those
markets this spring.
“It dramatically expands the coverage area for members of both organizations,” said
Bob Stapleton, president of Western Wireless Corp. “We will work together with the UWCC to gain the
appropriate approvals with the GSM Association (the global GSM interest group) to advance interoperability standards
and mutually beneficial commercial roaming agreements between member companies.”
European GSM
operators increasingly are becoming interested in the U.S. market as evidenced by U.K.-based Vodafone plc’s purchase
of AirTouch Communications Inc. last month. TDMA operators SBC, AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and BellSouth
Cellular Corp. are top carriers in the United States.
The agreement between UWCC and the GSM Alliance also
includes work on terminal specifications and EDGE-GPRS development. L.M. Ericsson plans to introduce
commercially a version of its World Phone that operates on TDMA and GSM networks later this year. Analysts
wonder, however, how cheap vendors can make such a handset to avoid high subsidies by the carriers.
“We’ll
be working on common specifications and building blocks [to build handsets],” said Williams. “It will be
very powerful in terms of driving the market.”
The two groups in September announced they would join
forces to collaborate on next-generation technology and already have agreed on common next-generation standards for
high-speed modulation, air interface to support high-speed data and high-speed packet data architecture, EDGE and
General Packet Radio Service.
