Nortel and QUALCOMM collaborate on UMTS call
Nortel Networks Corp. and QUALCOMM Inc. have completed UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) voice and data calls using commercial 1900 MHz cell sites. The trial also used handsets that were embedded with QUALCOMM chip sets and a 3GPP (third generation partnership project) UMTS network by Nortel. North American operators will be interested in the results of the trial, according to a Nortel executive. "The ability to offer UMTS services over the 1900 (MHz) spectrum provides a very strategic and cost-effective migration option for North American operators," Mark Whitton, Nortel's leader for technology and product strategy for the wireless networks division, said in a news release. Nortel's Univity product portfolio was exclusively used to perform the calls. In other Nortel and QUALCOMM news, the two companies have completed third-generation to second-generation handoff calls in a laboratory environment. Handoff calls are designed to demonstrate the networking capabilities to support global roaming and seamless voice services between different networks, cities, countries, and operators, regardless of the type of handset used.

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