3Com Corp. subsidiary CommWorks Corp. on Dec. 10 announced that it is providing 3G wireless data technology for Canadian operator Telus Mobility.
Telus will use CommWorks’ Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 technology to migrate its network, serving 2.4 million subscribers, to 3G technology, offering speeds between 384Kbps and 2Mbps.
Telus says it plans to use the products to offer the high-speed wireless services by early 2002. At the request of Telus, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
CommWorks claims to have been first to market with its 2G technology, called Inter-working Function (IWF). IWF is a hardware/software gateway that provides authenticated Internet access, as well as secure access to home or private networks using mobile IP services.
CommWorks also claims it was the first to market with a 2.5G solution based on the IS-95B air-interface standard that allows subscribers to access the Internet at up to 64Kbps, a more than fourfold increase from 2G’s 14.4Kbps speeds. SK Telecom Co. Ltd. in Korea currently has CommWorks’ CDMA 2000 1x equipment shipping to wireless service providers in Asia and North America for planned deployments in 2002. CDMA 2000 1x increases data rates from 64Kbps to 144Kbps.
CommWorks says its decision to use CDMA-based technology comes from its compatibility with existing digital wireless networks in North America. CDMA is the most widely deployed mobile wireless standard in North America, while GSM and General Packet Radio Service are used most widely in Europe.
Telus says it expects the Canadian wireless market to grow 20 per cent to 30 per cent per year, to 16.6 million subscribers by 2003. The company also estimates that there will be more than 100 million users of wireless Web service in North America by 2005.
CommWorks’ wireless products included in the deal are the Total Control 1000 Packet Data Serving Node, Total Control 1000 Home Agent and the CommWorks 4302 Foreign Agent Control Node.
