ELE 2860H. T. Tsui

• 1. The view of an H. K. Engineer

• 2 A case study

The World in the Eyes of an Engineer

World scene

Regional scene

Local scene

GNP

• China 1

• USA 9

• Japan 4

• UK 1

• Europe 1

• HK 0.15

Ranking on IT

• Singapore Taiwan Korea H.K.

Market 10 7 19 23

Infrastructure 13 19 25 18

Government 1 2 15 11

Application (CO) 7 18 12 15

Application ( P) 9 14 1 23

…..

Total 3 9 14 18

A case study: 3G Vs Wi Fi

• Wi Fi is a wireless technology which have a data rate 5 times that of 3G

• Advantages:• Based on technology in the public domain.• A Wi Fi access point (base station) cost US$ 70

( cellular one cost more than $ 50,000)

WI- FI (1)

In major cities, many hot spot access points

can be set up at low cost in cafés, airports,

stations.

Cheap: HK $ 3 per 10 minutes in Pacific

Cafes in H. K.• Access Points : 200 in H. K.• 5,000 in Seoul• Voice over IP

WI- FI (2)

• Wi-Fi enabled devices

Half the lap top sold have built in or

add on wi-fi

Even PDAs have this capability

if higher power is allowed. wi-fi can

have a range of 2.5 KM.

Hot spot can be extended to cover tall

building

WI- FI (3)

• Disadvantages Limited to within 100-300 meters from a hot spot (access point) 4W transmission power

The lab top using wi-fi is not allowed to be mobile Spectrum crowded: 2.4 giga hetz

Wi-fi service business is a low risk one

• For PCCW

• If it spend US $ 10 million, it can provide

service to 28 % of urban H.K. by 2011

It can break even by 2009

For a dominant fixed line player like PCCW,

wireless coverage is more simple. It can put

wi-fi access point atop existing cables

3G in danger

For a 3G operator

The cost for a network covering H.K. is

US $250 million + 6.4 millions annual

licence fee

Wi-fi development in US and Europe

• Wi-fi has developed as a community movement.• Wi-Fi normads without an account can have free

access

• People opening network to entire neighbourhoods, marking access points by chalk in front of wi-fi-enabled houses. This force many local businesses to offer free access too.