The debate over the evolution of code division multiple access technology gained intensity last week when Nokia joined Ericsson in support of a rival to the evolution of the existing IS-95 standard.

The two vendors submitted a joint statement to the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses, a Japanese standards body, endorsing a wideband version of CDMA not related to IS-95 as the standard for third generation wireless systems. Ericsson previously submitted an alternate solution to NTT DoCoMo for a trial the Japanese carrier is planning (Telephony, April 14, page 40).

Ericsson and Nokia banded together in their proposal because they were pursuing similar goals, said Ake Persson, vice president of marketing and sales at Ericsson. "It's worthwhile giving it a real try to harmonize," he said.

Although neither vendor has specified how an alternate wideband CDMA platform would differ from an evolved version of IS-95, Nokia said last week that its version would link the CDMA air interface with a GSM infrastructure to offer GSM operators a migration path. At Asia Telecom 97 last week, Nokia Senior Vice President Lauri Kivinen said operators now supporting GSM should be able to take advantage of their investment.

The European vendors' move came just one week after several IS-95 CDMA supporters announced unified support of a next generation version of the technology (Telephony, June 9, page 15). One industry analyst noted that both sides are acting defensively, with Ericsson and Nokia attempting to play the loyalty card to GSM customers and the IS-95 community trying to discredit that attempt.

"It's a battle to see who can establish the greatest credibility in wideband," said Ira Brodsky, president of Datacomm Research. "[IS-95 supporters] see Ericsson as suddenly changing tack, and they're trying to cut that off.

Brodsky added that IS-95 CDMA vendors' push toward wideband could lead existing CDMA operators to wonder what's wrong with what they already have.