Nokia set to be a leader in broadband

Nokia Corp., a Finland-based telecom giant, will seek HSDPA as its mainstream next-generation communications standard, a top company official said yesterday. HSDPA stands for high-speed downlink packet access, known as 3.5-generation mobile technology. It can transmit data at a maximum speed of 14 megabits per second, allowing customers to watch live TV and access other mobile broadband services via their handsets. Currently, Korean companies are leading the sector. In June, SK Telecom Co., Korea’s top mobile carrier, launched the service in some of the country’s major cities. “We are going to play in both HSDPA and WiMAX (wireless Internet). We believe both have a role. But from our standpoint, clearly the mainstream mass market technology is HSDPA,” said Dipankar Dasgupta, chief technology officer of Nokia Network, one of Nokia’s key businesses. WiMAX is Intel Corp’s technology that also allows for wireless Internet links. In June, Korea launched its own version of WiMAX, called WiBro, which experts argue has overlapping functions with HSDPA. Mr. Dasgupta made the remarks at a technology press conference in Korea. “There are and will be several wireless broadband technologies. Some of them will be mainstream, others will be niche. We belive that HSDPA is our own mainstream wireless broadband. It is not always the superiority of technologies that makes the difference. It is an ecosystem that is present around certain technologies,” he said.