Satellite Radio over Mobile Cell Networks (Lucent Patent)
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 at 3:24 PM
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A patent was recently filed by Lucent Technologies may be giving us a glimpse of things to come in term of convergence. The wonderful thing about Patents is that it forces companies to show their hand in what they have in development. Which is great, because then we get to sit around and speculate what it's all about.On to the Patent:
Mobile phone combined with satellite radio
Abstract
A wireless telephony network provides satellite radio program information and content, in addition to conventional wireless telephony services, to eligible mobile stations of the wireless telephony network. The wireless telephony network receives satellite radio programming from a satellite radio service network, establishes one or more bearer channels (e.g., conventional voice channels or higher-bandwidth data links) and sends the programming to the one or more mobile stations via the one or more bearer channels. The wireless telephony network monitors and obtains billing information associated with integrated service delivery and coordinates the billing information with a satellite radio service provider. A controlling provider may be selected to control billing for the integrated services such that the customer receives a single statement.
The key to this whole equation is that the wireless mobile phone provider and the satellite radio provider have two separate billing systems. So this isn't like the Sirius & Sprint deal, where Sirius essentially provides an internet stream of limited channels through the Sprint network. Instead, this actually delivers the satellite radio signal from the birds, to a gateway, then to a mobile switch center, through the wireless telephony network and finally to the mobile device. This eliminates the need for the SDARS chip to be embedded within the phone.
Now, I guess that could be a good or a bad thing. Good because it reduces the size of the device required (even the XM Passport, being tiny as it is, is still pretty thick in terms of gadgetry). Bad because who knows how lossy the whole process would be. Still, considering the infrastruture that cell companies have worked so hard to layout, it seems logical to give it a shot. With EVDO, EDGE and other high-speed networks developing, this has the bandwidth potential.
But this doesn't appear to be meant as some part of a "high-speed internet plus music" package, but rather a separate delivery system for satellite radio to reach phones. Good news to investors because of the market potential. Imagine a 3-month free trial to all 54 million Cingular subscribers. Now THAT'S penetration.
But the question remains.... which satellite radio provider are they going to work with to implement this?
[United States Patent Application 20060025073]
Thanks to "Ben Sparks" for sending this in!
Now, I guess that could be a good or a bad thing. Good because it reduces the size of the device required (even the XM Passport, being tiny as it is, is still pretty thick in terms of gadgetry). Bad because who knows how lossy the whole process would be. Still, considering the infrastruture that cell companies have worked so hard to layout, it seems logical to give it a shot. With EVDO, EDGE and other high-speed networks developing, this has the bandwidth potential.But this doesn't appear to be meant as some part of a "high-speed internet plus music" package, but rather a separate delivery system for satellite radio to reach phones. Good news to investors because of the market potential. Imagine a 3-month free trial to all 54 million Cingular subscribers. Now THAT'S penetration.
But the question remains.... which satellite radio provider are they going to work with to implement this?
[United States Patent Application 20060025073]
Thanks to "Ben Sparks" for sending this in!
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