Wireless Asia articles from April 2004

Wireless Asia archives from April 2004

GoTa-the world's first CDMA-based digital trunking system.(Advertorial)(Advertisement)
April 15, 2004... For every organization across the world, an effective and reliable private communications system is a prerequisite to ensure smooth daily operations. This is true for organizations in both the private and public sectors--businesses, utility...

On the trail of the super-regulator: whatever is wrong with the Hong Kong mobile market, it's certainly not a lack of competition. Its 7 million consumers can choose from among a dozen 2G networks and one 3G system.(Unwired)
April 15, 2004... The Hong Kong government is having difficulty filling its new post of CIO. To avoid further embarrassment in appointing its converged communications super-regulator, I declare my availability. The plan to merge the Broadcasting Authority...

CDMA chipset shortage hits second-tier handset makers.(News Analysis)
April 15, 2004... Qualcomm's inability to meet demand for its lower-end CDMA handset chipsets is causing production problems for many Korean handset makers, particularly medium-sized firms upon whom the brunt of the shortage has fallen. It seems Qualcomm...

Orange brand retreats in Asia.(News Analysis)
April 15, 2004... The Orange mobile phone brand, which once seemed destined to become ubiquitous worldwide, continues to retreat in Asia and may soon disappear in Thailand. Although Hong Kong has around 1.8 million users subscribing to Hutchison Telecom's...

China ready for broadband wireless.(Insight: one month's wireless research)
April 15, 2004... Broadband uptake in China has reached the point where, according to RHK, carriers will begin to enjoy growth that is likely to mirror the extraordinary expansion of mobile voice. Broadband wireless is forecast to capture a significant portion...

Following in Japan's 3G footsteps.(Insight: one month's wireless research)
April 15, 2004... If the adoption of 3G in Western Europe follows the same timeline as it did in Japan, the region will have more than 8 million W-CDMA users by mid-2005. While the two markets are very different, particularly consumers' attitudes toward mobile...

Hot spots form part of broadband strategy.(Insight: one month's wireless research)
April 15, 2004... Until recently, the soaring popularity and sinking cost of Wi-Fi has overshadowed 3G systems, but service providers now see the two technologies as being complementary, together forming a wider, more durable broadband wireless strategy. A...

Rethinking the prepaid profile.(Insight: one month's wireless research)
April 15, 2004... Prepaid cellular users will reach 1.35 billion by 2009 with a 59% share of the total global wireless market, according to Baskerville. The company says that operators in advanced markets are now reappraising prepaid in light of its potential to...

Nokia draws fire for PoC push.(News Analysis)
April 15, 2004... The wireless industry is so excited about push-to-talk over cellular that it's not willing to wait for an open standard--or at least Nokia isn't, according to critics who gave the Finnish company an earful last month for allegedly pushing its...

Unicom on course for GSM/CDMA unification.(News Analysis)
April 15, 2004... The cellular sector moved a step closer to GSM/CDMA convergence in March with China Unicorn reaffirming its plans to offer dual-mode services later this year. China Unicorn chairman, CEO and president Wang Jianzhou didn't offer a definite...

Former Vodafone chief Chris Gent testifies in the Mannesmann case.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... Former Vodafone chief Chris Gent testifies in the Mannesmann case that Vodafone's acquisition was determined by markets and not by bonus payments to Mannesmann's board.

T-Mobile plans to start offering 3G services.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... T-Mobile plans to start offering 3G services in Germany from May.

UTStarcom buys its way into the mainstream cellular business via patent licensing deals with Hyundai Syscomm and IPWireless as well as expanding its licensing agreement with Qualcomm.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... UTStarcom buys its way into the mainstream cellular business via patent licensing deals with Hyundai Syscomm and IPWireless as well as expanding its licensing agreement with Qualcomm. The deals allow UTStarcom-which has made its name selling...

Siemens, Motorola and Ericsson join forces to develop a standard for "push-to-talk" technology--a move which pits them against Nokia and Samsung.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... Siemens, Motorola and Ericsson join forces to develop a standard for "push-to-talk" technology--a move which pits them against Nokia and Samsung, which have their own interop PTT agreement.

Ericsson plans to raise its stake in Symbian.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... Ericsson plans to raise its stake in Symbian in an effort to block rival Nokia from taking control of the company.

Intel and Alcatel will team up.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... Intel and Alcatel will team up to deliver WiMAX products.

The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq establishes an independent regulator.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq establishes an independent regulator, the Iraq Communications and Media Commission, to encourage investment and deter state meddling in the burgeoning telecoms and media sector.

Cingular plans to scale back spending.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... Cingular plans to scale back spending from the $3.5b it spent in 2003 to around $3 to $3.1b this year.

Verizon Wireless will invest $1b in a cdma2000 1X EV-DO rollout aimed at laptop users.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... Verizon Wireless will invest $1b in a cdma2000 EV-DO rollout aimed at laptop users. The company awards $692m in contracts to Lucent Technologies and Nortel Networks for the supply of the equipment.

Nokia expects over 140 million camera phones to be sold in 2004.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... Nokia expects over 140 million camera phones to be sold in 2004 and mobile entertainment services revenues from all suppliers to quadruple by 2007.

Samsung will invest 255.2b won ($220.4m) to develop next-generation memory chips.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... Samsung will invest 255.2b won ($220.4m) to develop next-generation memory chips used in computers and consumer electronics including mobile phones and digital cameras.

Russia's Vimpelcom wins a lawsuit against the state telecoms regulator.(Movements)
April 15, 2004... Russia's Vimpelcom wins a lawsuit against the state telecoms regulator, which had challenged its right to sell services in Moscow.

Huawei Technologies lands a $10m deal.(Shenzhen)
April 15, 2004... Huawei Technologies lands a $10m deal to build a cdma2000 1x WLL network for Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation.

ZTE launches a digital trunking mobile radio communications system.(Shenzhen)
April 15, 2004... ZTE launches a digital trunking mobile radio communications system using cdma2000 1x technology.

OFTA proposes issuing a new 3G license for a cdma2000 system, using 800-MHz spectrum currently owned by Hutchison Telecom and CSL.(Hong Kong)
April 15, 2004... OFTA proposes issuing a new 3G license for a cdma2000 system, using 800-MHz spectrum currently owned by Hutchison Telecom and CSL. OFTA is seeking comment from the public and industry until the end of April.

Hutchison Whampoa plans to spin off its Hong Kong telecoms assets and mobile units in seven emerging markets for a separate listing that could be valued up to $4b.(Hong Kong)
April 15, 2004... Hutchison Whampoa plans to spin off its Hong Kong telecoms assets and mobile units in seven emerging markets for a separate listing that could be valued up to $4b. The group will bundle its fixed-line, 2G and 3G business Kong as well as its...

China Mobile records 9% earning growth to 35.56b yuan ($4.6b) in 2003, compared to a 17% increase in 2002.(Hong Kong)
April 15, 2004... China Mobile records 9% earning growth to 35.56b yuan ($4.6b) in 2003, compared to a 17% increase in 2002. Analysts take it as signs of a slowdown in China's mobile sector amid tough competition and maturity in the urban markets.

China Unicom posted a net profit of 4.22b yuan ($510m) last year, down 8.3% from 4.6b yuan a year earlier, due to the write-off of its ailing paging assets and disposal losses from the sale of the division to its parent.(Hong Kong)
April 15, 2004... China Unicom posted a net profit of 4.22b yuan ($510m) last year, down 8.3% from 4.6b yuan a year earlier, due to the write-off of its ailing paging assets and disposal losses from the sale of the division to its parent. Excluding these...

3 HK cuts the price of its high-end NEC c616 handset.(Hong Kong)
April 15, 2004... 3 HK cuts the price of its high-end NEC c616 handset by half to HK$1,980 ($254) in a bid to boost its 3G subscriber base.

Huawei Technologies pays another HKS4m ($513,000) to raise its stake in mobile carrier.(Hong Kong)
April 15, 2004... Huawei Technologies pays another HKS4m ($513,000) to raise its stake in mobile carrier Sunday Communications to 6.03%.

TA Orange's strategic partner Orange SA sells off 39% of its 49% stake in the Thai mobile operator to TelecomAsia for a nominal 1 baht ($0.025).(Bangkok)
April 15, 2004... TA Orange's strategic partner Orange SA sells off 39% of its 49% stake in the Thai mobile operator to TelecomAsia for a nominal 1 baht ($0.025). TA chief Supachai Chearavanont says the deal will enable TA Orange to refinance and help fund a...

Mobile carrier Mobitel raises $86m in a seven-year loan.(Colombo)
April 15, 2004... Mobile carrier Mobitel raises $86m in a seven-year loan to fund its shift to the GSM standard.

Mobile carrier Excelcomindo sees its 2003 net profit drop 46% year-on-year.(Jakarta)
April 15, 2004... Mobile carrier Excelcomindo sees its 2003 net profit drop 46% year-on-year to $47m, due to rising operational costs.

Telkomsel plans to extend its Wi-Fi coverage.(Jakarta)
April 15, 2004... Telkomsel plans to extend its Wi-Fi coverage to 500 hot spots from the existing ten hot spots.

DiGi Telecommunications awards a contract to Ericsson.(Kuala Lumpur)
April 15, 2004... DiGi Telecommunications awards a contract to Ericsson to upgrade its mobile network to EDGE technology.

A group of local business leaders urges the South Korean government to stand firm on its position on the use of the homegrown WIPI standard.(Seoul)
April 15, 2004... A group of local business leaders urges the South Korean government to stand firm on its position on the use of the homegrown WIPI standard despite increasing trade pressure from the US.

KT teams up with NTT to begin trial operation of a Wi-Fi roaming service via their respective Wi-Fi networks as part of KT'S plan to boost its Wi-Fi tie-ups with carriers worldwide.(Seoul)
April 15, 2004... KT teams up with NTT to begin trial operation of a Wi-Fi roaming service via their respective Wi-Fi networks as part of KT'S plan to boost its Wi-Fi tie-ups with carriers worldwide. By the end of this year, KT will begin similar services...

TU Media, 30% owned SK Telecom, launches a $400m satellite service to beam digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) to hand-held devices in the country.(Seoul)
April 15, 2004... TU Media 30% owned SK Telecom, launches a $400m satellite service to beam digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) to hand-held devices in the country. The service, touted as the first of its kind, is expected to be available in Korea in May with...

Taiwan Cellular Corporation finalizes the near-term capital reduction program for its six affiliate companies.(Taipei)
April 15, 2004... Taiwan Cellular Corporation finalizes the near-term capital reduction program for its six affiliate companies--TransAsia, Taiwan Elitec, TT&T, Howin, Taiwan Teleshop and Taiwan Infotainment.

NTT DoCoMo says it will launch W-CDMA/GPRS dual-mode handsets.(Tokyo)
April 15, 2004... NTT DoCoMo says it will launch W-CDMA/GPRS dual-mode handsets by the end of this year to enable its domestic FOMA users to enjoy global roaming before W-CDMA takes off in other countries.

KDDI launches DO CARD.(Tokyo)
April 15, 2004... KDDI launches DO CARD, a cdma2000 1X EV-DO compliant device for wireless data communication at 2 GHz.

Fujitsu and Mitsubishi plan to jointly develop 3G phones for NTT DoCoMo.(Tokyo)
April 15, 2004... Fujitsu and Mitsubishi plan to jointly develop 3G phones for NTT DoCoMo. The companies say they are working out details on the potential timing and scope for the collaboration.

NEC and Matsushita Electric Industrial are planning to double their mobile phone shipments.(Tokyo)
April 15, 2004... NEC and Matsushita Electric Industrial are planning to double their mobile phone shipments to China to cope with surging demand.

The Australian government fails in its latest attempt to fully privatize Telstra.(Sydney)
April 15, 2004... The Australian government fails in its latest attempt to fully privatize Telstra, after the Senate rejects a bill that would have permitted the sale of the government's remaining 51% stake in the carrier.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission proposes in a preliminary decision to cut the price of mobile termination services.(Sydney)
April 15, 2004... The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission proposes in a preliminary decision to cut the price of mobile termination services to A$0.12 a minute by 2007.

Shareholders of MobileOne approve a plan to buy back up. (Singapore).
April 15, 2004... Shareholders of MobileOne approve a plan to buy back up to 10% of outstanding shares.

Smart Communications.(Manila)
April 15, 2004... Smart Communications offers to purchase the debt of its sister mobile company Piltel, a move which $266m in taxes.

Globe Telecom slams a government proposal to impose an excise tax on SMS.(Manila)
April 15, 2004... Globe Telecom slams a government proposal to impose an excise tax on SMS, warning that such a affect the country's mobile operators.

Piltel posts a smaller net loss.(Manila)
April 15, 2004... Piltel posts a smaller net loss of 3.35b pesos ($59.6m) in 2003 due to stronger mobile revenues.

Tata Teleservices and Qualcomm sign a non-binding MoU.(New Delhi)
April 15, 2004... Tata Teleservices and Qualcomm sign a non-binding MoU to use Qualcomm's BREWChat solution to offer push-to-chat services in India.

Taking the privacy challenge: when the cellphone turns into a 24/7 tracking device and networks become transport fro spam and m-commerce, will mobile operators be up to the challenge.(Cover Story)
April 15, 2004... The phone that rings in the cinema. The loud conversation on a commuter train. The colleague who texts all through a meeting. The person at the bus stop testing out every ringtone. The age of the mobile phone has brought with it fresh...

BlackBerry's Asian push.(1_2_1)
April 15, 2004... BlackBerry nearly doubled user numbers last year, helped by the launch of its first color terminal and entry into the individual market. Donald Morrison, COO of Research in lotion, the company behind the device, tells contributing editor Robert...

The many hats of EV-DO: in the 3G migration wars, the math favors EDGE/UMTS over cdma2000 in the long run, with GSM accounting for 80% of the market. However, factor in commercial EV-DO, NMT-450 upgrades and WLL, and cdma2000's future could add up to more than the sum of its 213 base--possibly even the next alternative to DSL.(Wireless Tech)
April 15, 2004... Say what you will about GSM's 80% global market share, but CDMA has decidedly whipped the pants off GSM in the 3G high-speed data race thus far. cdma2000 1x has been a commercial reality for four years, and by the end of February had 85.1...

MMS Exchange.(tools)
April 15, 2004... France Telecom introduces MMS Exchange, an interworking service that enables mobile operators to roll out international MMS services. France Telecom will also negotiate MMS interworking agreements for operators.

SMS banking.(tools)
April 15, 2004... Zinek announces the upgrade of its SMS Engine server with secure SMS Banking functionality. The secure SMS Banking components run over HTTPS/SOAP, and can facilitate numerous banking commands securely over the mobile data network.

Branded user experience.(tools)
April 15, 2004... Action Engine releases Action Grid, the latest product in its portfolio of "Advanced Data Services" solutions that enables operators to develop and deploy a differentiated and custom-branded suite of data services that functions across multiple...

DRM solution.(tools)
April 15, 2004... NDS, a subsidiary of News Corporation, launches an OMA-compliant mobile DRM solution based on its VideoGuard broadcast conditional access product. The solution can be applied to a variety of mobile content, and multiple delivery mechanisms.

3G optimization.(tools)
April 15, 2004... Flash Networks launches a 3G-ready version of its NettGain 1200 mobile data optimization platform, which applies optimized communication protocols and compression mechanisms to enable faster data transfer on mobile networks, not only creating a...

3G consulting deal.(deals)
April 15, 2004... NTT DoCoMo and Far EasTone Telecommunications sign a consulting agreement under which Far EasTone will launch a W-CDMA-based 3G commercial service in Taiwan this year with technical support from NTT DoCoMo.

XY acquires Bonsai.(deals)
April 15, 2004... Wireless software solutions vendor XY-Mobile acquires Bonsai Networks, a provider of Wi-Fi OSS billing and network management solutions. No financial details are disclosed.

Mobile TLD venture.(deals)
April 15, 2004... Nokia, Vodafone, 3, the GSM Association, HP, Orange, Samsung Electronics, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft sign an MoU to apply for a mobile Top Level Domain (mobile TLD) from ICANN. If the mobile TLD is granted, the industry leaders will form a...

International Wi-Fi trial.(deals)
April 15, 2004... NTT DoCoMo and SingTel Mobile will conduct a trial to test international roaming between their respective wireless LAN services. The trial will be conducted from April to June 2004.

LBS partnership.(deals)
April 15, 2004... Andrew Corporation and Cambridge Positioning Systems (CPS) establish a strategic partnership to develop high-accuracy location solutions for the global GSM and 3G markets.

Workforce mobility alliance.(deals)
April 15, 2004... IBM and Nokia will jointly deliver mobile solutions that enable greater workforce mobility, combining Nokia's Communicator platform and IBM's mobile software to offer increased functionality of mobile enterprise apps. The alliance will...

Java testing agreement.(deals)
April 15, 2004... Sun Microsystems hooks up with Motorola, Nokia, Siemens and Sony Ericsson to establish a unified testing and certification process for mobile Java apps to tackle interoperability issues. Sun says applications will be tested for application...

Wi-Fi roaming deal.(deals)
April 15, 2004... SkyNetGlobal and StarHub sign an MoU to allow roaming on each other's Wi-Fi network in Singapore, and to jointly promote wireless hotspot services throughout the island.

Clothing optional.(out now)
April 15, 2004... Mobile content provider WEB (Wireless Entertainment Services) introduces "Playboy Playmate Strip Poker", a new mobile game in which users play poker against a "real" Playboy Playmate.

Sha-mail goes global.(out now)
April 15, 2004... Vodafone K.K. launches Global Mail a new service that enables Vodafone live! customers in Japan to exchange multimedia messages such as Sha-mail and Movie Sha-mail with overseas subscribers who have compatible handsets on participating...

SMS office.(out now)
April 15, 2004... StarHub launches StarHub SMSOffice (Standard Edition), a wireless email software tool developed by ZIM that uses SMS text messaging to provide the functionality of advanced wireless handheld devices on any SMS-enabled mobile phone.

Fingernail flash memory.(out now)
April 15, 2004... SanDisk introduces SanDisk T-Flash, the world's smallest removable flash memory storage format (11 x 15 x 1mm). The fingernail-sized T-Flash is designed for new mobile phones fully-featured with storage-intensive multimedia applications such as...

GPRS peering point.(out now)
April 15, 2004... Seven international GRX (GPRS Roaming Exchange) providers--Aicent, Belgecom, BT, Cable & Wireless, Infonet, Reach and TeliaSonera--join Pacific Internet to commercially launch Peering Singapore, Asia's first neutral peering point for GPRS...

Is 3G the end for Little Smart? Little Smart looks set to enjoy some heady growth in 2004 and beyond. However there is a potential bump in the road with the approval of China's 3G standards expected in 2005.(Wireless Forum)
April 15, 2004... Many analysts believe that China Telecom's expected 3G license in Shanghai could spell trouble for continued Little Smart infrastructure development. indeed, China Telecom's president recently announced that 3G development would take precedence...

Communication for growth at CommunicAsia 2004.(Advertorial)(Advertisement)
April 15, 2004... The boom in wireless products and services will continue full fledged this year. Firstly, global spending on telecom services will cross the US$1 trillion mark, demand for wireless data services will grow at 30 percent and significant...

The big boys strike back.(Street Wise)
April 15, 2004... Timo Sivula, head of Nokia's mobile enhancement division, recently told me that the inspiration for the Finnish giant for the development of new products is not from its designers snowed inside its offices in the depths of winter back home, but...

Siemens rocks the boat.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
April 15, 2004... The Siemens mobile cruise ship anchored outside the Palais de Congres has become a fixture of the 3GSM World Congress, but it hit rough seas this year-literally--as high winds forced the ship to move further out to calmer waters. Ferrying...

Text-based law enforcement.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
April 15, 2004... Police in Germany are hoping to capitalize on Europe's SMS craze to help fight crime. Eleven police districts in the country have been running an SMS-based crime tips service since September 2002 and received permission from the Interior...

Polyphonic alibis.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
April 15, 2004... If the first rule of creating a product or service is to find a need and meet it, then it only a matter of time before someone invented a sound alibi generator. Munich-based Simeda has done just that, according to New Scientist. The sound alibi...

Limited appeal for limited mobility.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
April 15, 2004... The runaway success of limited mobility services in China and India, as well as smaller successes in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, has prompted speculation over whether that record can be duplicated in other markets outside of Asia, particularly...

Better roaming through cricket.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
April 15, 2004... For the first time, Indian cellphone users can now roam to Pakistan--at least until the cricket matches are over. External affairs minister Yashwant Sinha approved the roaming plan in late February, but only for four months. Communications...