4G Now

DoCoMo Develops LSI Chip for LTE

NTT DOCOMO announced today that it has successfully developed a trial large-scale-integration (LSI) chip that consumes less than 0.04 W of power yet supports multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) signal detection and decoding for downlink transmissions at 100 Mbps, the speed required for the forthcoming mobile system known as Super 3G, or Long Term Evolution (LTE), approved by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

Compared with chips currently used in handsets compatible with DOCOMO's High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) service, which have a maximum downlink rate of 7.2 Mbps, the new chip will enable downlinks that are more than 10 times as fast.

In September 2007, DOCOMO developed a trial LSI chip that demodulates orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals and detects MIMO signals transmitted from four antennas at a rate of 200 Mbps, and also consumes no more than 0.1 W of power.

The chip being announced this time demodulates OFDM signals transmitted in the 20MHz bandwidth from two antennas and detects MIMO signals based on Maximum Likelihood Detection (MLD) technology, which ensures relatively high-quality communication even in bad environments for signal reception. The chip also includes error correction decoding, which requires almost the same level of complexity as MIMO signal detection.

In the new chip, which is made with 65-nanometer processing, the circuits have been further optimized, particularly by eliminating redundant circuits for computationally complex processes such as MIMO-signal detection and error-correction decoding.

DOCOMO will incorporate its new LSI chip technology in ongoing research and development of LTE and International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced) systems, as well as in its active support of the establishment of related international standards.

Released by NTT DoCoMo

KT Develops Media Independent Handover Technology

While using wireless data service of Mobile WiMAX, you suddenly find out you are out of WiBro service area. Then what will happen? A new technology guarantees seamless service by performing a handover to Nespot or HSDPA.  

KT announced it had succeeded in the development and the test for commercial use of MIH or Media Independent Handover that enables mobile devices to transfer from one network to another.

The Korean telecom operator has worked on the development of terminals and server platform technology to realize a handover among different networks and seamless service since 2007. The newly developed technology will ensure service continuity among different mobile networks by being integrated with other IP mobility technologies, according to KT.

Major companies in the world mobile industry such as Intel, BT, ETRI and Nokia Siemens Network initiated the standardization of MIH and IEEE 802.21 was finally confirmed as the global standard in last November.

MIH platform is conducive to traffic load balancing and power saving for small mobile devices, according to KT. Using MIH, the company will provide network plug-in for automatic handover appropriate for different network and service characteristics.

IDG Ventures Invest in a Korean WiBro Company

IDG Ventures Korea, Hanmi Venture Capital and Tongyang Venture Capital invest $4 million in Xronet, a South Korean Mobile WiMAX solution provider which has developed core WiBro chips since September 2005.

IDG Ventures says, "We considered growth potential of Mobile WiMAX and Xronet's technology and human resources before making the final decision." 

The investment decision indicates Xronet's technology prowess and potential, according to the chip maker which is planning to make bold steps toward foreign markets.

Meanwhile, Xronet developed XRO7100, a single chip combining XRO3000 RF chipset for radio communication, XRO7000 that serves as a base-band, and XRO3300 integrating the functions of a power amp, a switch and an LNA(Low Noise Amp).

XRO7100 satisfies the power-saving requirement which is important for a mobile modem chip and supports a number of frequency bands so that it can be used in North America, Japan, Taiwan and Southeast Asia as well as in Korea. Unlike a power amp module used in Mobile WiMAX, XRO3300 is embedded with a switch and an LNA, which is expected to result in smaller size of the final products and lower production cost.

KTF, Huawei Partnering to Develop Femtocell

KTF, the country’s leading WCDMA provider, teams up with Huawei, a Chinese telecoms equipment maker to develop next generation technologies including femtocell.
 
KTF said that it signed up an MOU on joint research and cooperation for next generation networks with Huawei at GSMA Asia conference in Macau, China.
 
KTF said that the technologies they will develop could reduce the use of outside base stations and cables which can lead to resource and cost saving, and “green IT.” KTF said that it would consider commercializing femtocell technology depending on the results of the joint research. 
 
KTF said, “Joint R&D with Huawei for femtocell and next generation networks will be providing foundations for cost saving and technical progress, which will give the momentum for more advanced fixed mobile convergence services.”

South Korea's 4G Patents: Outstanding in Quantity, Disappointing in Quality

Since WiBro, South Korea's original technology, was adopted as an international standard for the 3G mobile communications, interest in international standards has been growing. However, the quality of patent being issued in Korea seems relatively low.

According to Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), Samsung Electronics, Lucent and AT&T hold the majority of patents for OFDMA, a core technology for the next generation mobile communication. For MIMO, Qualcomm, Texas Instrument and Lucent are taking the lead. 

With the overall quantity of patents for 4G technology surging worldwide, the US has superiority in quality of patents and marketing power, while Korea gets low marks in terms of patent competitiveness, KIPO reports. The national patent agency explains quality and marketing power is represented by "cites per patent" and "average patent family size." The US and Japan achieves 9 and 7 cites per patent, respectively, while Korea only 2. In terms of average family size, the US and Japan are 17 and 10, while Korea 6.

As the world mobile communication industry is working on standardization, and system development and operation for services such as international or inter-operator roaming, web access, companies are desperate to obtain patent rights for standard technologies. At the same time, they are vying to make their patented technologies approved by standard organizations.

A Korean Startup Obtains a Patent for Mobile WiMAX Anti-Wiretap Technology

Withus, a South Korean start-up company announced it had achieved a patent for protection of mobile WiMAX systems from wire-tapping.

According to Withus, the patent is on a system interrupter that blocks bugging by cutting off WiBro communications within the area under the influence of the interrupter.

For more effective blocking, the interrupter can employ WiBro preamble. Withus plans to apply the patent to OCNS or Orthogonal Channel Noise Simulator that is capable of preventing signal spill-over of a WiBro system.

KT Developing WiBro-CDMA Voice Call Continuity Technology

KT, a WiBro service provider in Korea, announced that it developed VCC (Voice Call Continuity) technology that seamlessly hands over WiBro calls to CDMA network when users are in areas outside WiBro coverage.

VCC technology offers service continuity between packet network and circuit network. Users are located by both the WiBro and CDMA network for seamless call handover, said KT. The technology makes it possible to receive all calls to WiBro network even when the phones are out of WiBro area. 
 
Call handover between landline phone and mobile phone is quite simple but handover between WiBro and CDMA network has been unprecedented around the world.
 
One precondition is that you have to have Dual Band Dual Mode (DBDM) phone to use the service. In other words, the phone should support both WiBro (mVoIP mobile Internet phone) and CDMA calls. KT said, "VCC enhanced technical support for WiBro voice service. It would be helpful to facilitate WiBro service in the future."
 
In the meantime, KT is set to make a decision on adding voice call function on WiBro devices after the government finalizes related policy.