Throwing its hat into the packet network ring, Motorola Inc. announced a 10-year, $1 billion nonexclusive strategic technology agreement with Sun Microsystems Inc., which Motorola said will allow it to deliver Internet protocol-based network infrastructure.
Under terms of the agreement, Motorola’s infrastructure groups will buy up to $1 billion of equipment from Sun and Motorola’s Computer Group through Motorola’s Network Solutions Sector, with Sun providing the software and MCG the hardware. Motorola said these infrastructure businesses will deploy the IP-based wireless network architecture to their satellite, paging, two-way radio and Internet networking customers for wireless IP-based voice, data and video services.
According to Motorola, as well as other infrastructure providers and analysts, these packet-based IP networks will make it easier for carriers to deliver new services at lower prices than legacy wireless networks, which are expensive to customize and limited in what services and devices they can support.
“Our customers are demanding a new and more flexible approach to wireless networks,” said Bo Hedfors, Motorola executive vice president and NSS president. “They need to be reliable and scaled to provide new network opportunities.”
“It’s a challenge to market new services in a timely fashion with current voice networks because they’re inefficient to deliver data. This is a packet-based system,” explained Jerry Campbell, corporate vice president and general manager of Motorola NSS’ network products and emerging technologies group.
“The agreement we’re announcing with Motorola is about spurring innovation in the wireless industry,” said Scott McNealy, Sun’s chairman and chief executive officer. “The new platform will be open. Voice, IP and multimedia will converge. Consumers will have more choices. Carriers will be able to reduce costs. In short, Sun and Motorola are laying the foundation for the digital wireless network of the 21st century.”
All infrastructure vendors are expected to introduce packet network solutions in one form or another in the near future. Lucent Technologies Inc. was first to do so, with its R/Evolutionary Networking solution based on the 7R/E Call Feature Server, expected to begin shipping in the fourth quarter.
This solution evolves existing Lucent 5ESS switches for use in next-generation packet networks, allowing carriers to retain up to 80 percent of their existing circuit-switched hardware.
Nortel Networks is expected to unveil its IP packet products soon. The company gave a sneak preview of its IP strategy at Wireless ’99 this year, which it called Mobile Webtone.
Packet networks are essential for wireless carriers to compete with wireline services, analysts say. Data traffic on wireline networks is beginning to outpace that of voice traffic, but most wireless voice networks are limited in their data capabilities. A packet-network paradigm is considered key to leveling the playing field.
Packet networks will give carriers more capacity, as they are more spectrum-efficient. If both voice and data services are packet-based, carriers will be able to use their full spectrum for all services, as opposed to assigning certain parts of spectrum to certain services. Greater efficiency means lower costs to both the carrier and the consumer.
A packet data network also will allow carriers to integrate voice and data services.
Another advantage of packet networks is that they are IP-based, and therefore can accept software written by any third-party application developer as long as that program is written to the open IP standard.
Because Motorola’s architecture features open standards, any IP-based device or protocol will be compatible with it, the company said. That means phones based on either Symbian’s EPOC technology or Microsoft Corp.’s Windows CE system can work. Also, any IP-based third-generation protocol will be supported, the company said.
“The infrastructure platform we’re doing is basically RF-independent,” Campbell said. “We will use the same platform to support any of these next-generation application interfaces.”
To implement the system, carriers will need to switch out much of their current equipment. Exactly how much equipment they will have to replace is yet unclear, Campbell said.
“We will be upgrading existing telecom platforms with new platforms to add capacity and performance,” he said. “Our vision is that we will eliminate the voice switch and go strictly over IP routers and not through switches. So then we’re talking about a whole new system.”
The Motorola-Sun architecture solution includes customer hardware from Motorola’s NSS, MCG’s CPX8216 PowerPC computing platform, Sun’s ChorusOS operating system and Solaris operating environment, as well as the Java Dynamic Management Software Kit.
Products will be designed to meet three tiers of service, the company said. Tier One is designed for base stations with demanding and real-time needs. It includes customer hardware from Motorola NSS, processor and network interface cards from MCG, Sun’s ChorusOS and the Java Dynamic Management Software Kit.
Tier Two is designed for call processing controllers with limited real-time requirements. It includes MCG’s CPX8216 computing platform, Sun’s ChorusOS and Java Dynamic Management Software Kit.
