3G Sponsored by Tektronix

 

 

Ovation Family of 3G Multimedia Application Consoles Released

10th November , 2004

US : Novatel Wireless announced its breakthrough Ovation Family of 3G Multimedia Application Consoles powered by Conversa, a proprietary software suite.

Ovation is a portfolio of stand alone desktop consoles that, for the first time, unifies wireless wide area networking (WWAN), wireless local area networking (WLAN), circuit switch cellular voice and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technologies to provide cost-effective high-speed wireless broadband access, optimal call routing and the delivery of multimedia applications.

End-users will be able to access Ovation using multiple devices, including landline telephones, cordless telephones, desktop PCs, broadband enabled laptops, emerging WLAN-enabled devices such as handsets and smartphones, and other peripheral devices.

Ovation is first being introduced to address growing demand for 3G wireless broadband access alternatives to dial-up and integrated services digital network (ISDN) as well as for more cost-effective voice calling. Ovation will also be a high-speed Internet option for customers in areas without DSL access. The Ovation portfolio powered by Conversa will enable access to advanced software applications resulting from an innovative convergence of high-speed WWAN and WLAN technologies. With wireless broadband data speeds up to 384 kbps on UMTS networks -- approximately six times faster than dial-up -- Ovation offers a superior alternative to dial-up and ISDN.

The first platform in the Ovation family will be targeted at small-to-medium businesses (SMBs), small office/home office (SOHO) users, corporate workgroups and residential customers in Europe. Commercial availability of the first product is expected to be mid-year 2005.

According to IDC, there were 52.5 million consumer Internet users using dial-up in Western Europe in 2003. Consumer broadband usage in Europe stood at 18.7 million, representing a penetration of only 25.2% of total consumer Internet access (IDC -- Western Europe Consumer ISP Forecast). On a comparative basis, over 51% of Internet access in the United States is via broadband, according to Nielsen/Net Ratings data for September 2004.

"Unlike North America, European cable and DSL broadband access to SOHO and residential markets has lagged, even with Europe leading the adoption of wireless infrastructure in terms of penetration rates," said Ken Hyers, senior analyst at In-Stat/MDR. "In many regions of Europe, ISDN or dial-up is often the best alternative for Internet access because DSL connections just aren't available or are expensive. Novatel Wireless has the right strategy to offer a portfolio of wireless network products using 3G WWAN as the bearer rather than ISDN, dial-up or DSL. Currently there is no such family of product offerings, but there is a tremendous opportunity for this type of solution."

The Conversa software suite is designed to support innovative features that provide a rich end-user experience and optimize the performance of the Ovation Multimedia Application Console, including:

-- Broadband WWAN Internet Access. Conversa will provide user friendly wireless broadband access to the Internet, email, corporate networks and virtual private networks (VPNs).

-- Advanced WLAN Networking. Conversa will allow residential and SOHO users to use Ovation to connect multiple devices including landline telephones, desktop PCs or laptops to wireless broadband Internet access, printers, scanners and other peripheral devices from every office or room.

-- Analog Voice Calling and Intelligent Routing. Conversa will provide optimal routing of voice calls from landline or cordless telephones -- depending on price and quality of service -- using voice over GSM/UMTS circuit switch or VoIP over UMTS data at less than long distance landline rates.

-- Multimedia Application Support. Conversa will support many multimedia applications such as video conferencing, video streaming and voice recognition as well as new categories of wireless applications such as video and cordless telephony and video monitoring.

-- Advanced Security Firewalls. Conversa will enable enterprises to safely and securely access email, the Internet, corporate information, share company documents and conduct secure teleconferencing.

-- Protocol Flexibility. The flexibility of Conversa software architecture means it can be extended to support the Ovation platform operating on various network protocols such as UMTS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSDPA and WiMAX.

Novatel Wireless has filed for several patent protections to cover the unique elements it has conceived in the Ovation portfolio and Conversa software suite.

"The Ovation portfolio and Conversa software suite is the first step in Novatel Wireless' comprehensive product and technology strategy and naturally evolves from our position as the leading provider of wireless broadband access over wide area networks," said Peter Leparulo, chief executive officer for Novatel Wireless. "Our research and development efforts on Ovation and Conversa are well underway. The Ovation product family, powered by Conversa, will significantly expand our addressable market and diversify our product portfolio, allowing us to further expand our reach and deliver new solutions to a growing wireless broadband marketplace."

Since 2003, Novatel Wireless has specialized in high-speed wireless broadband access solutions. The company has an extensive global network of wireless operators and technology channels throughout Europe, North America and Asia. To date, Novatel Wireless has announced its Merlin(TM) 3G UMTS PC Cards with 13 European operators in 16 countries.

"Novatel Wireless is the UMTS market leader in Europe, working with one of the largest installed bases of wireless operators," said Rob Hadley, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at Novatel Wireless. "Ovation can be quickly deployed to provide WWAN broadband access utilizing existing capacity and services from most network operators. We believe the Ovation and Conversa product portfolio will serve as a new and exciting entry point to the burgeoning range of operator services resulting from the convergence of wire line and wireless voice and data communications."

About Ovation Family of 3G Multimedia Application Consoles Powered by Conversa

The Ovation Family of 3G Multimedia Application Consoles is a portfolio of stand-alone desktop consoles integrated with GSM, UMTS, 802.11b/g, voice and/or VoIP technology to provide broadband data and voice communications and the delivery of multimedia applications. Ovation is powered by Conversa, a software suite developed by Novatel Wireless that offers broadband WWAN Internet access, advanced WLAN networking, analog voice calling and intelligent routing depending on quality of service and cost, multimedia application support, advanced security firewalls and protocol flexibility.

 

Home ProZone Subscribe To Newsletter 3G Forum