Telecommunications (International Edition) articles from November 2002

Telecommunications (International Edition) archives from November 2002

Will 3G defy accounting gravity? The 'good' news is that GPRS should be the broadband workhorse for at least another five years. (Commentary).(Industry Overview)
November 1, 2002... One thing I was determined not to do this month was talk about the depressing state of the global telecom industry and its global strategies. But as I was going to write about 3G... well, I can't really avoid it. It seems that the...

[euro]307 m funding for Romania's MobiFon. (Romania).
November 1, 2002... A consortium of international banks has invested [euro]307 m into MobiFon SA Romania's largest private sector mobile phone operator. McCarthy Titrault, a Canadian business law firm, acted for the lenders in putting the financing package...

Bandwidth pricing lessening in importance? (Europe and US).(Industry Overview)
November 1, 2002... Established carriers are presently enjoying the luxury of increasing their bandwidth charges on some routes. Price, apparently, is no longer the principal consideration for bandwidth buyers -- quality of service guarantees and forming stable...

ECTA urges EC commitment on mobile regulation. (Europe).
November 1, 2002... As the mandating of a new and 'harmonised' regulatory framework across Europe draws nearer -- July 2003 is the deadline -- ECTA is urging the European Commission to commit itself to naming the fixed-to-mobile call termination market as one of...

NorthwesTel powered up by subsidies. (Canada).
November 1, 2002... NorthwesTel, an operator serving Canada's remote northern territories (and wholly-owned subsidiary of Bell Canada) will receive [euro]43 m in subsidies by 2004. The money will allow it to undertake its biggest service improvement plan ever and...

Lumentis goes mobile with Hi3G. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Lumentis, a Sweden-based vendor of non-amplified metro DWDM equipment, has implemented its solution for Hi3G's Stockholm network. Hi3G, a greenfield 3G operator with 3G licences in Scandinavia, Europe and Asia, has signed a framework agreement...

Marconi builds 3G transmission network. (News in Brief).(for mmO2 in Germany)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Marconi has been selected by mmO2 to construct a 3G transmission network in Germany. Under the terms of the five-year frame contract, Marconi will supply its digital radio system (MDRS) -- a point-to-point microwave radio technology -- to...

Winners and losers: Tom Evslin, chairman and CEO of ITXC, put his money on voice when many were backing data--it's a gamble that seems to be paying off. (View from the Top).(Interview)
November 1, 2002... If this industry were a horse race then data would have been the red-hot favourite a few short years ago. Voice? Well, it used to be a good runner but surely past its profit-margin best -- a rank outsider. Fast forward to the present day...

The ATM show must go on: ATM is not quite ready to exit the core of incumbents' networks--it's still needed to provide a smooth transition to IP. (The Bandwidth Economy).(asynchronous transfer mode)
November 1, 2002... If you thought ATM was going to recede I quietly from the core to the edge of the network -- before disappearing altogether in a year or two -- think again. Good old-fashioned asynchronous transfer mode, although it hasn't been grabbing the...

Light the city, lighten the load: Europe's optical networking markets are not as buoyant as they once were but supply still rarely outstrips demand at the metro level. (The Bandwidth Economy).
November 1, 2002... The optical networking market has seemed a bleak place for some time now -- service providers are in trouble and dramatically reducing spending on optical gear. In turn, this has left vendors' balance sheets looking, well, unbalanced. ...

New-look SDH to the rescue: next-generation SDH can help operators cut costs and increase revenue in the metro area network. (The Bandwidth Economy).(SDH protocol)(Industry Overview)
November 1, 2002... Data and IP traffic in metro networks is not only increasing exponentially but it's becoming more dynamic -- a mix of different protocols and the need for ever-changing data rates has seen to that. So what is the best strategy to handle...

An intelligent evolution: optical switches can pave the way for competitive advantage in today's cost-constrained environment. (The Bandwidth Economy).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
November 1, 2002... When new technologies come along that promise to radically alter the way an industry operates, telcos are faced with two options. They can adopt the new technology or they can wait. By waiting, operators allow the dust to settle and eliminate...

Internet-over-satellite: backbone or spare rib? Whether terrestrial competitors like it or not, satellites are being used increasingly for internet access and applications. (The Bandwidth Economy).(Industry Overview)
November 1, 2002... To most telco operators, satellites are little more than one part of the transmission jig-saw. Yes, they are extremely useful for spanning oceans and backing up terrestrial links but to most terrestrial operators they are just another router,...

I-mode plays away from home: can i-mode be successful in Europe? (Industry & Market Update).(NTT DoCoMo's i-mode wireless service)
November 1, 2002... NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service in Japan now has over 30 million subscribers. It is a mobile data model that has yet to be bettered anywhere else in the world (although its cheap e-mail service has eaten into NTT DoCoMo's more lucrative voice...

Pre-paid calling card platform. (New Products and Services).(European Computer Telecoms' AutoCarrier Lite)
November 1, 2002... ECT European Computer Telecoms (ECT), a provider of VAS and pre-paid solutions, has introduced the AutoCarrier Life, a platform designed for small-to-medium sized providers of pre-paid calling cards. The company says that this solution...

New Blackberry Wireless Handheld. (New Products and Services).(Research in Motion's Blackberry 6710, Blackberry 6720)
November 1, 2002... Research in Motion (RIM) Research in Motion (RIM) has unveiled two new data and voice-enabled Blackberry Wireless Handhelds, and each with an integrated speaker/microphone. The new java-based Blackberry 6710 and Blackberry 6720 deliver...

Voice messaging system. (New Products and Services).(Telsis' NoticeBoard )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Telsis Telsis has announced the availability of its NoticeBoard community voice-messaging system, which allows a user to record a message to anyone who has a designated NoticeBoard group number. The unit -- according to Telsis -- means...

UMTS monitoring and analysis solution. (New Products and Services).(Tektronix' K1297-G20 2.01 protocol tester)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... TEKTRONIX Tektronix has announced a new solution for real-time monitoring and analysis of the latest UMTS network elements. The company says that UMTS network elements are much more complex to test than 2G and 2.5G components. Because of...

New DC & AC power systems. (New Products and Services).(Socomec Sicon UPS's Sharys 48VDC)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... SOCOMEC SICON UPS SOCOMEC SICON UPS, a producer of DC/AC uninterruptible power supplies, industrial switches and protection systems, has announced the availability of the SHARYS 48VDC and PHASYS AC ranges. The SHARYS 48VDC includes...