AlcaLu Shows Off EV-DO Rev B 654347

LAS VEGAS -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced its plans to support CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision B (EVDO Rev B) capabilities for third-generation (3G) CDMA networks. EVDO Rev B enables mobile operators to improve capacity, throughput and latency on their existing EVDO networks, resulting in an improved quality of experience for its data subscribers.

The Alcatel-Lucent EVDO Rev B solution is a software upgrade to existing EVDO base stations and allows EVDO radio carriers to be deployed in increments of 2.5 or 3.75 megahertz (MHz), as opposed to the 1.25 MHz increments supported today. By deploying wider carriers, mobile operators could see a two- or three-fold improvement in the forward link peak data rates (6.2 Mbps for 2.5 MHz and 9.1 Mbps for 3.75 MHz). Peak data rates for the Reverse Link are improved proportionally (3.6 Mbps for 2.5 MHz and 5.4 Mbps for 3.75 MHz).

Alcatel-Lucent's implementation results in higher individual user throughputs across the entire footprint of the cell, resulting in the perception by the end-user of a more uniform data rate as they move through different areas of coverage. This will be most evident under the more challenging radio frequency (RF) conditions -- such as the extreme limits of cell coverage -- where users may now get a threefold improvement in throughputs. Commercial availability of Alcatel-Lucent's EVDO Rev B solution is anticipated in the 2009 timeframe.

"EVDO Rev. B is the next natural step in the evolution of CDMA networks, and provides an easy and seamless way for operators to deliver more sophisticated services at even higher speeds on their existing wireless broadband networks," said Ed Chao, vice president for CDMA/EV-DO Product Management at Alcatel-Lucent. "Alcatel-Lucent is committed to ensuring that our operator customers have access to the latest innovations to leverage their CDMA investments far into the future. Our Rev. B solution will provide further substantial improvements to our customers' existing EVDO networks."

In a separate release:

LAS VEGAS -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris & NYSE: ALU) today announced the expansion of its CDMA/EV-DO portfolio with a new distributed base station that gives mobile operators greater flexibility for third-generation (3G) network deployments while lowering power consumption and reducing operating expenses. The Alcatel- Lucent 9234 Base Station d2U Distributed is designed to support CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO Revision A (Rev. A) services, enabling both high-quality voice and high-speed data services such as streaming video, Web browsing, voice over IP (VoIP) and more. This "zero footprint" distributed base station seamlessly integrates into existing networks and can be deployed in a wide array of physical locations such as utility poles, the sides of the buildings and tower tops, without taking up any floor space at an existing site, or with minimal space at a new site, thus minimizing real estate costs, a key expense for operators. The platform effectively separates baseband and radio frequency components into a baseband unit and remote radio heads (RRH) allowing a wide variety of configurations, and enabling different elements of the base station to be separated by miles. This provides exceptional flexibility for operators facing physical site constraints and site acquisition challenges, allowing them to provide seamless coverage to their subscribers. "The concept of remote radio heads is not new, and W-CDMA operators have been introducing compact baseband units for some time," notes Peter Jarich, Research Director with Current Analysis. "Carrying this combination forward to the CDMA market, however, promises operators the zero-footprint capabilities necessary for growing their networks -- in terms of capacity and coverage -- cost effectively."

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU)