Some “horse-trading” is expected at the upcoming World Radio Conference on what protection values are needed to allow smaller fixed satellite service (FSS) antennas at 13.75-14 GHz, an industry source said. The U.S. position is for no change, a stance that would keep in place the current limit of 4.5 m on FSS earth stations to protect military radars. The U.S., in a position backed by an Inter-American Telecom Commission (CITEL) common proposal, has said ITU studies showed sharing between radiolocation systems and smaller FSS dishes wasn’t possible without certain mitigation measures, which hadn’t yet been backed up as effective by ITU studies. A European common proposal advocates a way for those FSS earth stations to be reduced to 1.2 m to allow broader deployment of commercial broadband applications. That proposal cites one of the methods for limiting interference in a Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) report, Method B, which would reduce the current limit on the minimum antenna size of FSS earth stations to 1.2 m and add technical conditions to manage interference caused by FSS earth stations into radiolocation and space research stations. It would require that before an administration brought an earth station in a geostationary FSS network into service with an antenna smaller than 4.5 m, it would have to ensure the power radiated didn’t exceed -113 dB toward coastal areas and certain border areas. One constraint faced by satellite operators everywhere is how to attain antenna diameters small enough for viable commercial deployment while at the same time meeting interference concerns of military radars. “This has been a very difficult issue because it involves military systems and commercial satellite systems,” said Anthony Baker, New Skies Satellite vp-capacity & frequency management. ITU studies since the last WRC in 2000 “have shown that the European proposal is a good compromise for both sides,” he said: “The WRC should essentially adopt the European proposal.” While the U.S. position has responded to the need to protect systems such as naval radars from interference, an industry source said NATO countries had faced similar concerns over military systems. At the WRC Conference Preparatory Meeting, China introduced an alternative to the European-backed Method B and the U.S. position of no change in a Method C proposal that would allow smaller dishes without restriction, the source said. Even within Europe, Germany and Belgium had expressed early concerns for no change, the source said. “Other countries threatened Method C,” the source said. “There’s a whole mixed bag. This is what the conference will look like, as well.” At the conference preparatory meeting, 11 European administrations had backed Method B, and now that figure is 19, the source said.
Exports to China
Global cellular handset sales grew “a healthy 16%” in the first quarter, but profit fell for most vendors, a report by Strategy Analytics said. It said GSM shipments grew 13% and CDMA 49% compared with a year earlier on strong Americas markets. Nokia’s total shipments increased 18% with strong GSM performance, and Korean Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics benefited from the CDMA market growth, with LG recording an 81% jump in shipments and a 41% increase in revenue, the report said. However, it said, with the exception of Nokia, vendors profits were flat or declining: “Shipment growth for the top 6 vendors was slightly faster than the market rate at just under 19%, but profits grew only 3%.” Strategic Analytics said it kept its projection that 455 million units would be sold this year. It said the strong first-quarter performance was affected by Asia-Pacific first-quarter holiday season sales, and said it expected that surge to become a seasonal trend as “sales growth in China becomes a larger part of global sell-in.”
China Wireless said it had postponed filing its report for the quarter ended March 31 “due in part to the current conditions in China,” but said it would be filed “shortly.”
Alcatel said it would open its 3G Reality Center in China to application developers in the Asia Pacific Region to work jointly on multimedia mobile medical applications to contribute to the current anti-SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) fight. The company, which has donated $200,000 worth of communications equipment to anti-SARS hospitals in Beijing, said it would provide research fund support for developers with strong proposals through its Telecom Technology Fund.
Alcatel and China Mobile said they would donate more than $200,000 of telecom equipment to the Beijing govt. to support the hospitals and medical workers there treating patients with SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Alcatel said it would donate 1,000 Alcatel One Touch 512 mobile phones, and said China Mobile, which had donated $360,000 to China’s Ministry of Health to encourage research on SARS, would donate an equivalent 1,000 Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards and 2,000 prepaid cards with a stored value of $12 each. An Ericsson spokeswoman said the company, which has one of its largest markets there, “wasn’t affected by SARS at all.” Ericsson separately said Tues. it had signed a contract with China Telecom’s Jiangxi Nanchang Telecom to expand the operator’s DSL network in Southeast China, mostly for residential subscribers. It said that was the 2nd order placed by China Telecom for Ericsson’s Ethernet DSL Access solution. Motorola, which had to close its office May 3-11 because of its one confirmed SARS case in Beijing, said last weekend it had donated $1.4 million of communications equipment and employee donations to China in support of the effort to combat the spread of SARS.
Brian Kelly, ex-EIA, named senior dir.-govt. affairs, Comcast… Promoted at FCC: James Coltharp to chief policy adviser, Paul Garnett to acting asst. chief-Telecom Access, Josh Swift, to legal counsel-Wireline Competition… Dave Armstrong to become Salem Communications N.Y. gen. mgr.-vp- operations… CEO Peter Leparulo to replace John Major on Novatel Wireless board… China Wireless named Catherine Shrode vp-finance and gen. mgr. and Michael Bowden vp- technology; Pedro Racelis III promoted to vp-North American sales… Jim Ritts advanced to exec. vp, Primedia.
Alcatel said it signed DSL expansion contracts in China with China Telecom Group subsidiaries Zhejiang Telecom and Shanghai Telecom. It said it would provide 90,000 DSL lines to Zhejiang Telecom enabling it to expand its service coverage in 6 cities by the end of this month. It also will provide Shanghai Telecom with its DSL solution allowing the operator to increase network capacity to 700,000 lines from 500,000 to meet the increasing demand for high-speed Internet access services in Shanghai.
Growth in broadband satellite services will be moderate but steady in the Asia-Pacific Region thanks in large part to growth in China and India, Northern Sky Research, an international marketing research firm, said in a new report. The hurdle of high price points that service providers offer the marketplace still exists for future generations in the world’s largest region, as only the elite can afford premium satellite services, the report said. However, it predicted govt. support of the use of broadband technologies in the future of many countries in their efforts to alleviate poverty. Such support made a significant impact in S. Korea, as even rural and remote Asian businesses were willing to implement a satellite solution to avoid falling victim to the widening Digital Divide -- www.northernskyresearch.com.
The Carlyle Group has $2 billion of the $15.8 billion it has under management invested in media companies and $1.4 billion in the telecom industry, according to information revealed for the first time on the investment firm’s Web site. By displaying details on many of its 275 corporate and real estate investments in its global portfolio, the group said it hoped to “set a new standard for transparency and disclosure in the private equity industry,” Carlyle co- founder and Managing Dir. David Rubenstein said. Carlyle Group includes former FCC Chmn. William Kennard.
Elephant Talk said it signed an agreement with France Telecom to transmit voice traffic from Greater China through Europe, and said it expected the deal to generate additional telecom traffic flow of about 60 million user min. per month as a result of more cost-efficient routes.