Though the CTIA's annual convention isn't the platform for new infrastructure that its international equivalents are, wireless vendors unveiled several new network products at the Wireless 2006 show earlier this month. These ranged from all-IP architectures to GSM-to-UMTS upgrades, many of them clearly aimed at gaining traction with U.S. carriers.

ZTE took the wraps off its new all-IP CDMA2000 architecture, which ZTE claims will bring large savings in transmission costs, better quality of service and improved quality across the network. Although the CDMA market is practically locked up in the U.S. by Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks and to a lesser extent Motorola, Asian vendors have been probing the gates, looking for an entry point. ZTE officials, however, are hyping the new IP infrastructure and other CDMA products, like its global open trunking architecture (GoTa) push-to-talk solution, as possible non-disruptive infiltrators into North America.

The all-IP architecture is based on ISO v5.0, is designed for multi-vendor environments and allows for a smooth transition to future IP multimedia subsystem platforms. Solutions like GoTa have been licensed to other vendors that have included it in their own deployments in South America, Northern Europe and Southeast Asia, said Tian Wenguo, ZTE senior vice president, in an interview at CTIA. He also pointed out that there is still plenty of opportunity in the North American handset market, a business in which ZTE is a relatively new player but has ramped up quickly. ZTE's big advantage, he continued, is its much lower overhead: The vendor can still keep its technical edge while maintaining much lower R&D, manufacturing and salary costs.

“Clearly, through the terminal [handset] is the easiest way to insert ourselves into the U.S.,” Tian said. “But we feel confident that our EV-DO push-to-talk and other infrastructure solutions are still viable products here.”

It's the same tactic that fellow Chinese vendor and competitor Huawei is taking. At Wireless 2006, Huawei unveiled what it claims was the first UMTS base station for the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum, which the FCC will auction off in June. While the only U.S. UMTS provider — Cingular — has already named its vendors for its current 3G network, it may pursue the additional spectrum in the 1.7 GHz and 2.1 GHz bands to bolster its license portfolio. T-Mobile is also expected to be a major bidder in the contest since it doesn't have the capacity at the PCS bands to launch a nationwide UMTS network. Because the new spectral frequencies would require entirely new networks, every vendor is technically in the running for any future contract.

But Huawei isn't the only vendor with a AWS base station ready. Nortel said at the show that it will have UMTS base stations not only in AWS bands in the second half of the year, but also an 850 MHz cellular base station for U.S. carriers looking to expand 3G coverage into their lower frequencies.

Siemens announced its own UMTS product, but with a twist: It unveiled a multi-standard GSM/UMTS architecture that will allow carriers to upgrade legacy GSM base stations to UMTS. While many vendors have dual-mode base stations, Jörg Lippert, Siemens Mobile Networks general manager, said Siemens' product is unique in that it doesn't require carriers to take out their old gear. An adapter-converter plugs into the existing 2G backplane, though the existing 2G controller must be replaced with a new dual-mode Siemens unit. The upgrade can be done to any vendor's base station; however, the process is much easier if performed on a Siemens base station, Lippert said.

WANT TO SELL MOBILE MULTIMEDIA? FOLLOW THE IPOD…

M:Metrics has some advice for carriers looking to broaden their customer base for wireless video and music: Go after Apple iPod users. In a recent survey, M:Metrics found that iPod users are the most likely consumers to embrace new mobile digital media in any format, not just on their iPods. Of the 2.7 million people in the U.S. who have watched video on their phones, 30.4% are iPod owners, and of the 598,000 people who have transferred music onto their phone in some fashion, 35.9% of them had an iPod also.