A number of CDMA operators are facing falling market share and responding by switching to the GSM family (GSM/EDGE, WCDMA-HSPA) for business growth.

GSA's first survey "CDMA to GSM/WCDMA Migration" in June 2006 listed 25 CDMA operators using or planning GSM either as an overlay to a CDMA network, or as its replacement.

This latest GSA survey identifies 39 operators using or planning GSM either as an overlay to a CDMA network, or as its replacement.

The GSM technology family (GSM/GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA-HSPA) gained 6.3% market share between December 2005 and December 2007 to reach 86.6% share at 31 December 2007. CDMA market share declined to 11.6%.

This paper has been prepared to assist regulatory authorities to develop and implement Universal Access programs for telecommunications and information infrastructure in rural and low-income areas in the new growth markets including Africa, India and Latin America.

GSM radio technology is continuously evolving to meet the needs of a changing world of ever more universal wireless communications. Data throughput of the GSM air interface has progressed to around 1 Mbps expected for the next version of EDGE with total backward and forward compatibility, while the network-compatible WCDMA technology provides up to 2 Mbps today and will reach 100 Mbps as it is evolved in the future. These higher data rates open new service opportunities for existing mobile operators, including converged services, and for new players. At the same time, supported applications have gone from simple voice and text to video telephony and full multimedia applications.

This paper concentrates on the Radio Access part of the GSM network, and examines the near future where the GSM community will be successfully exploiting seamless mobility with complementary access technologies to provide enhanced services and user experiences. The possibilities and opportunities of future technology innovations are discussed, including convergent developments of Fixed, Mobile and Broadcast Services Networks, Near Field Communications and Ultra-Wideband radio.
The GSM family has proved that it is fully compatible with new developments, thus providing the opportunity for multi-access in radio networks or access to the same user services via different channels. Major wide area coverage technologies are complemented with local access technologies.

Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) might represent one of the biggest opportunities since cellular telephony itself and SMS. This paper explains the drivers for the service and the financial advantage that it brings. It shows that from the users' perspective, PoC adds directly to the essence of cellular; that of keeping people closely in touch and together.
An update on market deployments of the Push to Talk service is provided, including the availability of PoC-enabled phones. It confirms Push-to-Talk as a differentiated voice service allowing operators to enhance the user experience, and build new service revenues.
Finally, the paper shows there are even more opportunities to be gained when features are added such as presence or location, which will drive deployment and revenue growth from a wide range of "Push To" services.

Also available in Spanish and Portuguese.
Translations courtesy of @LIS Program

Push-to-Talk over Cellular might represent one of the biggest opportunities since cellular telephony itself and SMS. This paper explains the background to push-to-talk, the operational differences between push-to-talk and conventional mobile telephony, why combining the modes on a cellular network provides benefits all round.

The commercial advantage that operators who have already deployed Push-to-Talk have gained is noted and it is explained how the service can be added to GSM networks easily and at relatively low cost by means of the new Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)-led standard, Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC). Finally, the additional ways in which PoC will enhance the user experience and the cellular market are predicted.

Also see:The Push to Talk on GSM Business Opportunity

AMR enables existing GSM radio resource assets to be used more effectively, nearly trebling radio network capacity and generating increased revenue without the need for extra base stations. Already in commercial service, users perceive higher quality however busy the network. Many AMR-capable handsets are on the market today. Development continues towards a wideband version.

EDGE - Enhance Data rates for GSM Evolution, is an open ITU standard radio access specification to support 3G services. Originally positioned as an in-band solution where new IMT-2000 spectrum was unavailable, EDGE has become an effective complement to WCDMA as the combination of EDGE and WCDMA offers the most spectrally efficient and lowest cost solution for 3G services delivery in all regions of the world.

Over the past 18 to 24 months the role of EDGE has been defined, enhanced and developed. No longer seen as a possible technology, today EDGE is a reality, impossible to ignore. EDGE is the technology, which will both complement future WCDMA deployment strategies and enhance existing GSM/GPRS resources, and allow an operatorto deliver 3G services today.

The move to 3G demands a fundamental shift in the manner in which mobile services and applications are billed. Not only are such services significantly different from the voice and primitive data offerings associated with 2G portfolios, but who supplies what to whom and the fragmented segmentation of next generation end-users will also mark a significant departure from the traditional mobile billing model.

3G represents the global development of mobile communications services, standards and technologies. It will deliver the future of all types of communication, touching our lives to create a rich multimedia environment and a new lifestyle approach to how we communicate.