Cost Pressures Create Opportunity for Multi-Standard Radios, Report Finds

Mobile network operators are using multi-standard radios to help lower costs while offering more performance options, says Light Reading's Unstrung Insider

PRNewswire
NEW YORK
Oct 24, 2008

NEW YORK, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Intensified price pressure is pushing mobile network operators to deploy infrastructure products that offer a wider range of performance options, and multi-standard radios are emerging as a critical part of that cost-cutting initiative, according to the latest report from Unstrung Insider (http://www.unstrung.com/insider), a paid research service from Unstrung (http://www.unstrung.com/) and Light Reading (http://www.lightreading.com/).

Multi-Standard Radio Systems: The Race Is On provides definitions of evolving multi-standard systems, as well as multi-band and combined multi-standard/multi-band solutions. It analyzes the key technical issues affecting multi-standard systems and evaluates the main market drivers and commercial implications. This report also profiles 11 leading suppliers of multi-standard systems.

  For a list of companies analyzed in this report, see:
  http://img.lightreading.com/uni/pdf/uni1008_companies.pdf

"Multi-standard technology offers a larger reuse of R&D investment and greater flexibility to adapt quickly to specification changes," notes John Blau, research analyst with Unstrung Insider and author of the report. "With software-defined radio (SDR) multi-standard systems, operators will be able to roll out new mobile services and features more easily and also extend the lifespan of the networks, thus decreasing total cost of ownership."

Many vendors are fighting to keep up with the operators that are already eager to reuse technology and use a multi-standard technology, Blau says. "The push in the vendor community is coming, primarily, from competition, even though multi-standard technology will help lower their R&D costs in the long run," he notes. "Vendors with a well-established global footprint are countering with new technology to defend their turf while trying to win new customers as well."

Key findings of The Future of Mobile WiMax: Where, When & How Much? include:

  --  Developing markets and underserved areas of developed markets are
      major opportunities for mobile WiMax.
  --  The installed base of mobile WiMax networks is larger than it might
      initially appear, but operators are being cautious about rollouts
      until they are satisfied with mobile WiMax end-user devices.
  --  Vendors assert that the mobile device selection will begin improving
      dramatically by mid 2009.
  --  The WiMax vendor universe is huge and cutthroat, creating enormous
      pricing pressure on equipment such as base stations.


  Key findings of Multi-Standard Radio Systems: The Race Is On include:

  --  Vendors are focusing on digitizing, miniaturizing, and consolidating
      as many components in base-station systems as possible.
  --  Multi-standard systems interest has grown, allowing vendors to pursue
      a strategy of "design once, deploy many" and operators to reuse
      equipment and extend lifespan.
  --  SDR is at the core of current efforts to deliver multi-standard
      systems, and will play a greater role in future multi-band systems.

Multi-Standard Radio Systems: The Race Is On is available as part of an annual single-user subscription (12 monthly issues) to Unstrung Insider, priced at $1,595. Individual reports are available for $900 (single-user license).

To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: http://www.unstrung.com/insider. For more information on all of Light Reading's Insider services, please visit http://www.lightreading.com/research.

To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details on multi-user licensing options, please contact:

  Jeff Claudino
  Director of Sales
  Insider Research Services
  619-229-9940
  claudino@lightreading.com

  Press/analyst contact:

  Dennis Mendyk
  Managing Director
  Insider Research Services
  201-587-2154
  mendyk@heavyreading.com

  About Light Reading

Founded in 2000, Light Reading (http://www.lightreading.com/) is the leading online media, research, and focused event company serving the $3 trillion worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading's research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20 targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and operates as a unit of TechWeb.

About TechWeb

TechWeb (techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

  * 13.3 million business decision-makers: based on # of monthly connections

  About United Business Media Limited (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/)

United Business Media Limited (UBM) is a global media and marketing services company that informs markets and brings the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. UBM serves professional and commercial communities, from IT professionals to doctors, from journalists to jewelry dealers, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. UBM employs more than 6,500 people in more than 30 countries. UBM's businesses operating in the US include CMPMedica, Commonwealth Business Media, Everything Channel, PR Newswire, RISI, TechInsights, TechWeb and Think Services. UBM is listed on the London Stock Exchange (UBM.L) and has a market capitalization of $2.5 billion.

SOURCE: Unstrung Insider

CONTACT: Jeff Claudino, Director of Sales, +1-619-229-9940,
claudino@lightreading.com, Press/analyst contact: Dennis Mendyk, Managing
Director, +1-201-587-2154, mendyk@heavyreading.com , both of Insider Research
Services

Web Site: http://www.lightreading.com/
http://www.techweb.com/aboutus
http://www.unstrung.com/