70% of all Mobile Devices to be Baseband Modem-Enabled by 2014, says In-Stat

Transistion to 4G is slow as 3G dominates connections

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

The transition to 4G communication standards has begun, but the transition will be slow, says In-Stat. One indication of the sluggish pace: While 70% of mobile devices will be baseband-enabled by 2014, only 3.6% of mobile devices with baseband connectivity will be using 4G standards.  This is the case even though existing 3G networks are being stressed by data traffic that is increasing at exponential levels. 
However, this is the natural trend of adoption of new technology - 4G will not take the load off 3G for some time to come, particularly as it will take longer for terminal makers to add 4G rather than 3G. This is clear from the conservative takeup of 3G, and until the 4G networrks are well established there will continue to be the pressure on 3G. This increased connectivity of billions of devices will continue to drive new apps and new business models, and so is critical to track. 

 

“Computing and mobile consumer electronics (CE) manufacturers are integrating baseband modems into their devices at a feverish pace over the next few years,” says Jim McGregor, In-Stat analyst. “Unfortunately, the transition to 4G wireless technologies is not going to keep pace as adoption is challenged by multiple wireless standards, limited spectrum availability, constricting business models, and other market and industry issues.”

 

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• About 2 billion mobile devices out of a total of 2.8 billion will ship with baseband modem technology in 2014.
• Despite the early lead of WiMAX, LTE is expected to account for 61.2% of 4G-enabled mobile devices in 2014.
• Smartphones and computing devices are the only devices expected to transition to 4G technologies over the next five years. Feature-phones and mobile CE devices will remain on 2G/3G networks because of lower performance, cost, and power requirements.

Related articles

• Over 2 billion baseband cellular devices to ship in 2014 (news.cnet.com)
• In-Stat: There will be half a million 4G subscriptions this year, but increase is regional (intomobile.com)

Socle Technology readies ARM tablet platform

Socle Technology in Taiwan is preparing to launch a tablet platform based around the ARM11 core and Andriod operating system.
The "sPad" platform uses Global Foundries high performance 65nm low power process, and not only includes the sPad A11 core SoC with an ARM 1176 CPU and FPU core, Mali 3D Graphic Core, and Full HD 1080p Video CODEC Application Processor but also the complete soft and hardware design platform. Socle is Global Foundries only ODM design partner.
The "sPad A11 Design and Development platform" includes an Android and Linux based SoC design platform supports functions such as Multitasking, 3D Graphics, Camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Wireless and Expandable Memory module, with Full HD 1080p video playback, giving sharper and clearer pictures.

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Solaris Mobile extends mobile broadcast network in France

Solaris Mobile, the Dublin based pioneer of next generation mobile communication networks, is expanding its Paris-based network to cover Rennes and Nancy and the surrounding areas. The network was launched in November 2009 to demonstrate the broadcast of TV and radio services to mobile phones, other handheld devices and cars within Paris.

Solaris Mobile and its partners in this collaboration, Alcatel-Lucent and towerCast, have built a hybrid network based on satellite and terrestrial mobile technology. Based on its success within France, Solaris Mobile is looking towards a pan-European roll out programme in the near future.

The collaboration sees Solaris Mobile providing satellite capacity and spectrum rights; Alcatel-Lucent manages the system integration and is providing transmission equipment, and towerCast is providing its antenna sites in, and around, Paris. The resulting ‘hybrid network’, under the overall management of Solaris Mobile, combines the instant coverage of satellite with the deep network capabilities of cellular mobile systems, making it the first such network to be deployed within Europe.

Such networks, operating across the whole of the EU, in frequency bands adjacent to the existing 3G mobile bands around 2GHz, will open up new opportunities to deliver next generation broadband and broadcast services to people on the move. Video, data downloads and ubiquitous voice services delivered to people’s phones, or cars, will soon match the range currently available only with fixed line services in their offices or homes.

"Due to the success of the hybrid network in Paris, we are delighted to be able to utilise our technology and expand the service out to two other regions in France. The roll-out of the network in Nancy and Rennes will enable the delivery of mobile broadcast services to people on the move," said Steve Maine, Chief Executive Officer at Solaris Mobile.

This hybrid network was enabled after the European Commission and the 27 EC member States authorised Solaris Mobile to operate services in 2 x 15 MHz blocks of S-Band spectrum across Europe in May 2009.

Huawei Dominates as Cellular and Mobile Broadband PC Modem Market Booms

Market Grew More than 55% in 2009, Huawei dominates
Cellular and mobile broadband PC modem shipments grew more than 55% in 2009. In 2008, a total of 46.4 million such modems (including USB models, PC Card modems, and wireless routers) shipped; in 2009, that figure grew to more than 72 million, according to the latest market data released by ABI Research.
“The USB modem continues to flourish,” says senior analyst Jeff Orr. “They remain amazingly popular. 2009 was actually a good year considering we were in a recession: there was somewhat surprising year-over-year growth in both shipments and revenue. And at the end of 2009 there was a surge of consumer adoption. Business adoption was less robust.”

USB modems’ popularity can be attributed to their low cost, flexibility and portability, as well as to subsidies frequently offered by network operators.
“Huawei is the market leader by a significant margin,” said Orr. “In 2009 Huawei extended its market share of all PC modems and routers to almost 50%, and it supplied 54.3% of all USB modems.”
Of the two minority modem formats, the PC Card and the router, PC cards continue to decline in favor of USB. ABI Research expects that except for a few specialized vertical markets they will largely disappear by 2013.
While the category of routers that connect Wi-Fi devices to a cellular or mobile broadband connection was reinvigorated last year with the introduction of Novatel’s MiFi product (and similar devices from Huawei and others), the case for a “personal hot-spot” is still unclear: many people own several Wi-Fi-enabled devices, but they rarely want to use them all simultaneously, away from home. Nor do many consumers seem to want to add another subscription for the sake of that ability.
“When will the shipment of embedded modems surpass the shipment of USB models?” Orr asks. “The recession has lengthened the equipment replacement cycle: we now believe that won’t happen before 2016.”

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Winners and losers in the race for the mobile Internet

Morgan Stanley's latest Mobile Internet report is ambitious. It says material wealth creation / destruction should surpass earlier computing cycles and that the mobile Internet cycle, the 5th cycle in 50 years, is just starting. Winners in each cycle often create more market capitalization than in the last. New winners emerge, some incumbents survive – or thrive – while many past winners falter.
Below are the winners, also rans and losers in the race, according to Morgan Stanley, which makes for very interesting reading. Intel and Samsung are winners, Nokia is challenged and Marvell is unclear.

The mobile Internet is also ramping faster than desktop Internet did, and Morgan Stanley believes more users may connect to the Internet via mobile devices than desktop PCs within 5 years.

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Despite the weak economy taking its toll across most consumer markets, portable multimedia devices will thrive i teh next few years, says market researcher In-Stat.
Even the weak economy can’t overcome a broader migration to mobile and portable devices, as indicated by the proliferation of portable electronics categories, says a new report. Portable electronics device shipments will grow more than 10% in 2009 versus 2008. The category, which includes digital radio receivers, e-readers, edutainment toys, handheld game consoles, MP3 players, portable media players (PMPs), and personal navigation devices (PNDs), is expanding to over 400 million units in 2009. By 2013, it will approach 600 million units. While some segments, such as handheld game consoles and MP3 players, have hit maturity and peaked, other segments continue to emerge.
“We’re seeing significant growth in the e-reader segment, as it evolves from a nascent market,” says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. “And while MP3 players have peaked, this represents more of a migration to video-capable devices, as shipments of PMPs continue to expand.”

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

- Shipments of portable entertainment devices in Europe will be 157 million units in 2013. Shipments to Japan will be 58 million.
- Worldwide unit shipments for PNDs (navigation devices) will reach approximately 56 million units in 2012.
- Total worldwide shipments of PMP & MP3 players will reach 225 million in 2009, with Asia-Pacific representing the largest geographic market.
- Worldwide e-reader shipments are expected to grow from almost 1 million units in 2008 to nearly 30 million units in 2013.

mSATA flash drive moves to 32nm

Toshiba Electronics Europe (TEE) has moved to 32nm NAND flash technology for a series of solid state drive (SSD) modules, increasing the capacity and lowering the cost for portable devices. The SG2 modules come in two types, one based on the new low-profile mini-SATA (mSATA) interface standard and the other a Half-Slim type, which uses a SATA connector. The drives are available in 30GB and 62GB modules. Volume production will start in October.
The two types of modules, each smaller than a business card, provide greater design flexibility and save space and cost compared to SSDs with hard disk drive form factors and cases. The 62GB module is only one seventh the volume and one eighth the weight of a 2.5-inch form factor SSD, and consumes half the power. With interface speeds up to 3Gbit/s, a maximum sequential read speed of 180MByte/s and a maximum sequential write speed of 70MByte/s,the modules will help bring the performance advantages of SSDs to notebooks, portable electronics and embedded systems. An advanced controller features a translation mode, which enables any drive configuration, and the drive supports 28-bit LBA (Logical Block Address) mode commands and 48-bit LBA mode commands. Multi-word DMA, Ultra-DMA modes and Advanced PIO commands are supported. The drives have an optional capability for secure Full Disk Encryption (FDE) backup that prevents unauthorized data access.
Industry analyst IDC expects mini-notebook shipments to grow at an annual average of around 15% from 2009 to 2013, and, PC manufacturers are looking for SSDs that combine small size with higher storage capacities and advanced performance.

The mSATA modules use the popular SATA interface in a small form factor module measuring 1.18 in. x 0.19 in. x 2 in. (30mm x 4.75mm x 50.95mm) that connects to the system board using the low profile SATA connector. Adaptive Power Mode and SATA Device Initiated Power Management typically reduce power consumption to less than half of the Read power level when the device is in idle, standby or sleep mode.
The Half-Slim SATA II modules feature a SATA connector, measure 1.18 in. x 0.19 in. x 2 in. (54mm x 4 mm x 39mm). The Half-Slim SATA II modules have the same SATA connector used on 2.5-inch HDD and SDD form factors. Thus, this smaller form factor can easily be used in applications designed to use 2.5-inch storage form factors. The Half Slim is also compliant to JEDEC SFF 8156.

64Gbyte high speed memory cards ship in November

Toshiba is planning to ship a new generation of high speed 64Gbyte memory cards aimed at portable multimedia applications to OEMs in November. The new cards uses the SDXC specification with write times of 35Mbytes/s, allowing 2.4GB of video data to download in only 70 seconds and opening up a viable low power system memory.
The new SDXC and new 32Gbyte and 16Gbyte SDHC Memory Cards are the world’s first memory cards compliant with the SD Memory Card Standard Ver. 3.00, UHS104, which brings a new level of high speed read and write speeds to NAND flash based memory cards: a maximum write speed of 35MByte per second, and a read speed of 60MByte per second.
SDXC Memory Card is the next-generation SD Memory Card standard defined by the SD Association in April 2009, in order to meet the ever-growing demand for high-capacity memory media, offering higher transfer rates for content rich storage applications. The new SDXC Memory Card Standard applies to cards with capacities over 32GB and up to 2Terabytes compared to the SDHC standard, which applies to cards with capacities from 4GB to 32GB. Like the move from SD to SDHC, the new cards are only compatible with SDXC readers, not existing SDHC systems.
UHS 104 is the new ultra high speed interface that delivers data at a rate of 104MB/ sec. It is the highest standard in the new SD Memory Card Standard Ver. 3.00.
For a picture see the embedded blog.

Toshiba TG01 heats up smartphone war

The battle of the smartphones is hotting up as Orange launches the lesser known 1GHz Toshiba TG01 "Tsunagi" in the UK to take on the iPhone 3Gs and the Palm Pre.
The TG01 is based on the Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon chip and runs Windows Mobile, adding a touch interface on a 4.1in WVGA wide screen and 9.9mm thick.
The TG01 also bridges the gap between notebook and mobile by featuring the latest in chipset technology and is the first handset to be sold in the UK which has a 1GHz processing power, offering fast mobile internet connectivity for a richer multimedia experience. This also enables users to make the most out of their phone, whether it be for watching video, updating social network pages or just browsing the web – just like they do on their PC.
The handset is the first from Toshiba to be part of Orange’s Signature Series with quick links so users can easily get to grips with the handset’s functionality. Shortcuts to the best of Orange TV & Video (which recommends great video content such as Sky 24/7 Football), Orange Maps (Orange’s own sat nav service which uses the TG01’s inbuilt AGPS), and Orange World (Orange’s own mobile internet portal), come integrated on the device’s user interface.

Francois Mathieu, Director of Devices, Orange UK “We’re really pleased to have teamed up with Toshiba to bring the TG01 exclusively to the UK. We believe the TG01 is a prime example of manufacturer innovation, and is a device that is at the very top of its game which will allow users to make the most from their mobile experience.”

The TG01 will be free to customers who take out a £39.15 per month, 24 month price plan. The package includes 1200 any network call minutes, unlimited texts, Orange Maps as well as inclusive anytime internet browsing, and is exclusive to Orange in the UK.

Specification overview:

Size: 70mm x130mm x 9.9mm
Weight: 129g
Display: Wide-VGA (800 x 480), 4.1”
Camera: 3.2 mega-pixel, autofocus
Memory: 512MB ROM / 256MB RAM, micro SDHC slot up to 32GB*
Interface: Bluetooth v2.0, USB v2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Battery: 1,000mAh, Standby: up to 220 hours (3G), Talk time: up to 4 hours (3G)**
Band: 850/900/1800/1900 for GSM/GPRS/EDGE
2100 for UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA
Navigation: Built-in GPS & A-GPS
Video service: Core Codec CorePlayer
Browser: Microsoft® Internet Explorer Mobile
Messaging: SMS, MMS, E-mail, Microsoft Direct push e-mail, Instant Messaging
Sound: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, WMA, MIDI, SP-MIDI
Video: H.263, H.264, MPEG4, WMV, ASF
Java: MIDP 2.0
Processor: Qualcomm QSD8250 (1GHz)
OS: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (Updateable to Windows Mobile 6.5 when available)