Bluestack for NEC 3G Handset

Chris Coughlan, Ian Gardner, Andre Russell and Brian Barcelo, part of the Mobility sales and technical team that helped deploy Telecom New Zealand's 3G wireless network, stand before a 3-D image of one of the races that led up to the America's Cup finals in New Zealand.

Thousands of yacht-racing fans in New Zealand will be glued to their personal computers, cell phones and other mobile devices over the next several weeks, watching the races off the Auckland coast that will determine the winner of the world-renowned America's Cup Challenge. Telecom New Zealand (TNZ) is enabling fans to watch the races — practically as they happen - on wireless devices over its Mobile JetStream network, a 3G CDMA2000 network built by Lucent.

So, as New Zealand fans wait to see who will prevail - the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron or the Swiss-based Alinghi Team — TNZ will be providing a high-tech, real-life showcase for Lucent's high-speed mobile data offer.

Watching the Races in 3-D
Since October, when the elimination rounds for the America's Cup began, TNZ has been offering an Internet-based application known as the Virtual Spectator over its 3G high-speed mobile data network. The network was launched over the summer, with Lucent's help, as the first CDMA2000 network in the Australasia region.

Virtual Spectator, a custom application downloadable from the Internet, allows ardent fans to follow and analyze each phase of the races. TNZ's mobile subscribers were able to view on their mobile devices a 3-D graphical representation of the elimination races (known as the Louis Vuitton Cup) almost in real-time.

Using on-board tracking equipment that beams location and speed, the service can outline the course taken by each of the contestants, as well as the distance and time difference between leaders and laggards, and the distance to the finish line.

TNZ is the first mobile service provider in Australasia able to offer a 3G high-speed data service with a network capable of supporting the speed and capacity required to handle this type of application. TNZ is also the only service provider in New Zealand offering 3G high speed mobile data services.

Systems Engineer Andre Russell holds a laptop and a PC wireless card like the ones Telecom New Zealand customers will use to view images and access information from the America's Cup.
Generating More Minutes on the Network
The Virtual Spectator service has been a valuable traffic generator for TNZ. During the Louis Vuitton Cup elimination races, which ended Jan. 21, usage of TNZ's mobile services spiked as fans across the country followed the races, said Andre Russell, systems engineer for the TNZ customer team, in Wellington, New Zealand.

The TNZ Mobile JetStream network allowed customers to read live commentary and view images that were refreshed every few seconds at typical throughput rates of up to 30 kilobits per second. It was not unusual for subscribers to be on a call for an entire race, which can last around four hours, Russell noted.

Easier Integration
This is not the first time TNZ has used the Virtual Spectator service, but it is the first time TNZ has used the service at such transmission speeds. Russell, who was employed by Ericsson during the last America's Cup Challenge in 2000 in New Zealand, recalled that TNZ used its cellular digital packet data (CDPD) service at the time to offer Virtual Spectator.

But CDPD was far more difficult to provision, and, with the available data rates of only 10 kilobits, the service was limited, compared to TNZ's current high-speed network.

To prepare for the recent races, Lucent teams installed two temporary base stations to provide coverage over the open waters, and dedicated a radio carrier for the race. "Everything else was standard equipment," said Russell. "Even the modems used on board the ships to transmit location and speed are off-the-shelf products."

High-Speed Transmission and Security
E-mail, Web browsing and picture transmission were also easier and faster this time around. "High-quality pictures of mark roundings (a key race feature) need to happen in real-time, and Telecom New Zealand's 3G high-speed data service is the first to achieve this," Russell said. "Now the mobile phone can be used as a high-speed modem for connecting to a notebook or palm-held and it's very easy to get a feeling that you're there." He added that charter boats during race times were filled with spectators who took advantage of readily-available 3G picture phones to snap photos and instantly e-mail them to family and friends.

TNZ's CDMA2000 network also offers a high level of security for the data transmissions, which was of primary concern to the America's Cup record management organization. "They want to ensure no one hacks into the network and destroys it," said Russell. The data is a valuable asset that is used to enhance TV coverage by such broadcasters as TVNZ and CNN.

Another Proof Point
With an exciting yacht-racing rivalry to fuel interest, and the best out of nine races to run, the America's Cup Challenge will continue to generate traffic on to TNZ's network. And regardless of who wins, the race will add another proof point for Lucent's 3G CDMA2000 technology and high-speed mobile data solution.