GSM/GPRS Mobiles to Die Out by 2010
Wireless testing equipment maker Tektronix predicts that UMTS will completely replace GSM/GPRS in Europe by 2010 due to the fact that GSM/GPRS licenses start to expire in 2008. In their opinion carriers are unlikely to renew the licenses due the high costs they've already paid for 3G licenses. The real question though is will they be able to make the transition. While 3G should increase network capacity and allow for new services, UMTS networks require more base stations to cover the same area as a comparable GSM/GPRS network. Carriers could find themselves in the position of having to renew the licenses because doing so will be cheaper and faster than building out the UMTS network to match the GSM/GPRS coverage.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
information
[ link to this | view in thread ]