Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Plans to deploy a CDMA network in Iraq

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 15:27:09 -0500

Posted to the site on 28-Mar-03
Plans to deploy a CDMA network in Iraq

The California, USA, Congressman Darrell Issa has initiated a campaign to promote CDMA as
the technology of choice for any future mobile phone network in Iraq. He has written to
U.S. Agency for International Development demanding that the American CDMA system be used
in preference to a system that he considers inherently European, and specifically French.

His letter harks back to the older, and long abandoned name for GSM - Groupe Speciale
Mobile, presumably for its French language overtones, as opposed to Global System for
Mobile Communications, its anglophile name today. He says that if "European" GSM
technology is deployed in Iraq, much of the equipment used to build the cell phone system
would be manufactured in France, Germany, and elsewhere in western and northern Europe.
Furthermore, royalties paid on the technology would flow to French and European sources,
not U.S. patent holders.
He seems to be under the impression therefore that Motorola has no interest in bidding for
a GSM infrastructure contract - nor would Lucent, or Canada's Nortel Networks. This may
well concern the shareholders of those companies who would be expecting them to bid for
any available contracts.

He also says that CDMA phones incorporate GPS location technology, which may be a surprise
to the vast majority of cell phone owners who will be hunting through their handset
manuals looking for this function. His legitimate concern is that relief workers could be
kidnapped or attacked, and a location aware handset would then enable them to be found.
However, inserting GPS into a cell phone is nothing to do with whether it is GSM or CDMA -
but down to the handset manufacturer simply implementing a location based solution. Also,
GPS is not the only solution for locating a cell phone, network based solutions exist that
can be deployed on both technology platforms. The fact that a GPS handset will be able to
give its location anywhere in Iraq is pointless if the phone is out of cellular coverage
though.

Of course, the greatest irony could be that a CDMA network is deployed - and Nokia wins
the bulk of the handset sales contracts. Ironic, as Nokia, one of the "northern Europe"
companies that Issa wants to block from working in Iraq makes CDMA handsets, but uses its
own proprietary chipsets and doesn't pay royalties to Qualcomm.

It may be worth noting that Congressman Issa represents San Diego, hometown of Qualcomm
who owns the CDMA technology used in cell phones. Also, in January, the US government's,
National Communications System (NCS) awarded a priority connection contract, ensuring
phone service would be unaffected by network congestion to T-Mobile, a GSM network.

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