Today's commentary from A. Seybold: ----------------- What's Going On In The 3G World? If you want to know what's going on in the world of 3G, there's a new Web site you should check out: www.3Gtoday.com. It was launched last Friday, February 8, by Qualcomm and it focuses only on 3G networks that are commercial today. The statement on the site says: This site is dedicated to highlight commercial Third Generation (3G) wireless services and products around the world, as defined by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and is brought to you by Qualcomm. All services and products on this site are commercially available today for purchase by the mass market. The sites lists ALL of the 3G networks that are in commercial service including SK Telecom, KTF and LG Telecom in Korea (cdma2000 1x); NTT DoCoMos system in Japan (WCDMA); Centennial in Puerto Rico (cdma2000 1x); Zapp Mobile in Romania (cdma2000 1x); TeleSP Cellular in Brazil (cdma2000 1x); and Verizon Wireless, Monet, Leap Wireless and Metro PCS in the U.S. (cdma2000 1x). SK Telecom is listed twice since it also recently launched the worlds first cdma2000 1x EV-DO (data only) addition to its network. Additional networks will be added to the site as they come online and are certified as commercial. But the site doesn't stop with the networks that are up and running. You'll also find a complete listing of handsets and devices available for these networks. Today there are more than sixteen vendors listed with a total of eighty 3G terminals ranging from simple voice phones to color PDAs and PC Cards for notebook computers. And then there is a section that tracks the total number of subscribers on the networks. Here we learn that as of December 31, 2001, there were approximately 4.2 million 3G subscribers in Korea and about 30,000 in Japan. These numbers will be updated as other networks that have recently gone commercial add customers. Perhaps the best part of the site from my perspective comes under the heading of Applications and Services. If you click on the FOMA service (NTT DoCoMo's WCDMA service) you will see a list of the devices that are being offered on the network, the total number of subscribers by month and a listing of the types of data services being offered. Currently, there are nine networks listed in this section. When you click on SK Telecoms NATE service, you find a lot of information about the services being offered and the prices being charged. It even lists the top five applications. Similar information will be posted for the other networks as it becomes available. This is a great site. Yes, its sponsored by Qualcomm and yes, its CDMA-centric, but there is no doubt that the majority of the 3G systems that will be deployed will employ CDMA technology based either on cdma2000 or WCDMA. Some may feel that the site is self-serving, but in reviewing it I found it to be a great resource for those interested in following the evolution of 3G systems. It appears to me that the site is not intended to be anything more than a resource. I find it refreshing that the site is devoid of propaganda or hype and that the data is presented in a factual manner. There is even a way for those who want to offer comments, additions or corrections to contact those who run the site. My hat is off to Qualcomm for creating this Web site. As we see more 3G systems turned on and more devices and applications becoming available, it will be great to have a single site that provides accurate information. The GSM/GPRS Community www.gsmworld.com is similar in scope although it contains more hype than factual information. I rate this site about the same as www.cdg.org - both are run by organizations whose sole purpose is to promote their technology and present it as the winner. The difference is that I can find information that is useful to me and to the industry on www.3gtoday without having to navigate through pages of PR designed to convince me that one or the other will obtain world domination. I much prefer the 3Gtoday approach of providing an information resource where published articles and information have been aggregated. As we move toward the integration of voice and data services, we need reliable and factual sources of information. Many experts throw around numbers in order to prove either the success or failure of a given technology. In reality, ALL wireless data systems must succeed if wireless data is to become an important part of our wireless future. It isn't clear at this point whether wireless data will, as I believe, produce only incremental revenue for operators that offer it, or if, as some others believe, wireless data will become a major source of revenue over time. We hear stories from Europe indicating that GPRS has been slow to gain customers and that there is a lack of developers providing compelling applications for packet-data services, but they are only stories. One way for the industry to understand what works and what doesn't is to have good, reliable sources of information on a global basis. We need to learn from those who are ahead of the curve and we need to follow their success, or lack thereof. We need to make certain that the information available to us is as complete and without bias as possible. I like what I see on 3Gtoday.com. I'm sure that some within the industry will dismiss the site out of hand because Qualcomm sponsors it. However, I believe that the intent is to provide a single source for information about all flavors of CDMA 3G systems in an honest and open way and that this site will be valuable to all within the industry. I would hope that if other technology contenders provide sites they follow 3Gtoday.coms lead and keep the information factual. The entire industry needs to work together to prove that there is, indeed, a demand for wireless data services. If we spend all of our time fighting about whose technology is best - when the customers truly don't care - we will all lose. My hat is off to Qualcomm for putting this site online and I hope that it stays as free of hype as it is today. Its a great resource and Ill visit it often to make sure that the information I include in my speeches and presentations is both up-to-date and accurate. -------------- The Outlook 4Mobility provides its news summaries and analyses free of charge. 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