Wireless Asia articles from December 2007

Wireless Asia archives from December 2007

Wimax's prospects.(UNWIRED)
December 1, 2007... The World Radiocommunication Conference is a dry affair--a month-long confab of telecom officials and engineers about spectrum. But spectrum is the wireless industry's real estate, so it matters a lot. The one decision that generated any...

Japan's MIC moves to end handset subsidies.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
December 1, 2007... Japan's subsidy system with its zero-yen and one-yen handsets should slowly become a thing of the past as the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) promotes the separation of handset and service charges as part of its new mobile...

Secondhand handset market growing.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
December 1, 2007... Increasing sales of recycled and refurbished handsets is making the secondhand mobile phone market stronger, more legitimate and more reliable, According to ABI Research, buyers can not only benefit from lower prices for such handsets, but also...

Mobile-only operators acquire fixed networks.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
December 1, 2007... Fixed networks are increasingly figuring into the strategies of mobile-only operators as they need both fixed and mobile networks to deliver a comprehensive range of services. An Analysys report says fixed broadband services can generate...

Technology no longer an issue for mobile TV.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
December 1, 2007... The current mobile TV standards war is no longer a hindrance to the growth of mobile TV service adoption, as multi-standard handsets and chips will eventually reduce the choice of the underlying network to a technical consideration that...

No to 3G, yes to TD.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
December 1, 2007... The Chinese government last month ruled out any early issuance of 3G licenses--yet the domestic industry is working overtime to develop the nationally-preferred 3G standard, TD-SCDMA. MII vice-minister Lou Qinjian told a press conference...

No sign of slowdown in handset growth.(METRICS: Inside the wireless data numbers)
December 1, 2007... Third-quarter global mobile phone shipments hit 283 million units, up 15.4% from 245.3 million units in the same period last year and 6.4% from 266 million units in the second quarter. According to iSuppli, high first-time sales of phones in...

Non-SMS data revenues expanding.(METRICS: Inside the wireless data numbers)
December 1, 2007... The advent of new technology, mobile services and devices is helping boost the contribution of non-SMS data services to overall revenues. Wireless Intelligence says technology is one of the key factors behind the growth of data revenues as the...

Regional roaming group Conexus Mobile Alliance will introduce a flat-rate data roaming tariff, which will allow customers to send email, surf on the internet or download video at a fixed daily fee while they are roaming on partner networks in 11 markets.(Movements)
December 1, 2007... Regional roaming group Conexus Mobile Alliance will introduce a flat-rate data roaming tariff, which will allow customers to send email, surf on the internet or download video at a fixed daily fee while they are roaming on partner networks in...

Mobile payments using contactless NFC technology are set to go global, with a dozen mobile operators undertaking trials in 11 markets under the GSMA's Pay-Buy-Mobile initiative.(Movements)
December 1, 2007... Mobile payments using contactless NFC technology are set to go global, with a dozen mobile operators undertaking trials in 11 markets under the GSMA's Pay-Buy-Mobile initiative. According to the GSMA, the full commercial launches of mobile...

Yahoo announces new oneSearch agreements.(Movements)
December 1, 2007... Yahoo announces new oneSearch agreements with Aircel, BPL Mobile, BSNL DiGi Telecommunications, Excelcom, Hutch 3 (Indonesia), Indosat, PCCW Mobile HK and StarHub.

A UN telecoms meeting decides to give mobile operators access to bandwidth currently reserved for terrestrial television broadcasts.(Movements)
December 1, 2007... A UN telecoms meeting decides to give mobile operators access to bandwidth currently reserved for terrestrial television broadcasts, offering the promise of high-speed internet access on-the-move anywhere in the world by 2015.

Sprint Nextel and Clearwire call off plans to jointly build a nationwide Wimax-based network.(Movements)
December 1, 2007... Sprint Nextel and Clearwire call off plans to jointly build a nationwide Wimax-based network, delivering a significant blow to the Wimax community.

The ITU approves Wimax as one of the official 3G technologies.(Movements)
December 1, 2007... The ITU approves Wimax as one of the official 3G technologies for 2.5-GHz spectrum along with LTE.

Nokia nearly doubles its third-quarter profit and corners a larger share of the global handset market as it benefited from strong sales in areas like India and China.(Movements)(Financial report)
December 1, 2007... Nokia nearly doubles its third-quarter profit and corners a larger share of the global handset market as it benefited from strong sales in areas like India and China. Its profits reached 1.56 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in the July to...

Motorola's third-quarter earnings plummets 94% hut still managed to impress Wall Street with its progress.(Movements)(Financial report)
December 1, 2007... Motorola's third-quarter earnings plummets 94% hut still managed to impress Wall Street with its progress, improving from its dismal first-half performance and serving notice its turnaround effort maybe taking hold.

Norwegian telecoms group Telenor cuts its stake in DiGi.com.(Movements)
December 1, 2007... Norwegian telecoms group Telenor cuts its stake in DiGi.com to 49% from 57.5% to comply with an ownership requirement of the Malaysian government.

Deutsche Telekom's T-Systems wins control of German radio frequencies.(Movements)
December 1, 2007... Deutsche Telekom's T-Systems wins control of German radio frequencies allotted for the DVB-H mobile television broadcast standard in Germany.

Qualcomm says its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings nearly doubled on demand for chips that power high-end mobile phones.(Movements)(Financial report)
December 1, 2007... Qualcomm says its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings nearly doubled on demand for chips that power high-end mobile phones, but its estimate of first-quarter profit was on the low end of Wall Street's expectations.

Sony and NXP are teaming up on a joint venture to develop a chipset that incorporates both companies' contact less payment standards--Felica and Mifare, respectively.(Movements)
December 1, 2007... Sony and NXP are teaming up on a joint venture to develop a chipset that incorporates both companies' contact less payment standards--Felica and Mifare, respectively. To be based in Vienna, the 50/50 IV Moversa is capitalized at $28 million and...

The State Council abolishes some 186 administrative examination and approval items covering mobile communication system and terminals.(BEIJING)
December 1, 2007... The State Council abolishes some 186 administrative examination and approval items covering mobile communication system and terminals. The move indicates that the country will formally cancel the mobile phone production license examination and...

Research In Motion ships the first of its smartphones to China and hopes to start selling them later this year.(BEIJING)
December 1, 2007... Research In Motion ships the first of its smartphones to China and hopes to start selling them later this year, a major breakthrough for the company in penetrating the huge Asian market.

China Mobile generates 59.88 billion yuan ($8 billion) net profit in the January to September period of 2007, up 29.8% year on year.(HONG KONG)
December 1, 2007... China Mobile generates 59.88 billion yuan ($8 billion) net profit in the January to September period of 2007, up 29.8% year on year. The company also reports 258.46 billion yuan ($34.5 billion) in business turnover.

Egypt's Orascom Telecom cuts its stake to 16.3% from 19.3% in Hong Kong's Hutchison Telecommunications International.(HONG KONG)
December 1, 2007... Egypt's Orascom Telecom cuts its stake to 16.3% from 19.3% in Hong Kong's Hutchison Telecommunications International, selling up to HK$1.6 billion ($205 million) worth of shares.

China Mobile is in talks with Apple for a possible tie-up to bring the iPhone to China.(MACAU)
December 1, 2007... China Mobile is in talks with Apple for a possible tie-up to bring the iPhone to China, but the two companies have not reach any agreement, according to chairman Wang Jiangzhou.

CAT Telecom rejects a 2.4-billion baht ($76 million) offer by TOT to take over its 42% stake in joint venture Thai Mobile.(BANGKOK)
December 1, 2007... CAT Telecom rejects a 2.4-billion baht ($76 million) offer by TOT to take over its 42% stake in joint venture Thai Mobile. However, CAT said it still wanted to participate in the Thai Mobile service with TOT.

AIS, 43% owned by Shin Corp, reports a 3.9% drop in quarterly earnings.(BANGKOK)(Financial report)
December 1, 2007... AIS, 43% owned by Shin Corp, reports a 3.9% drop in quarterly earnings as subscriber growth slowed and political uncertainty curbed spending.

Subsidiaries of dominant carrier PLDT have been ordered to explain to regulators why their mobile TV service should not be cancelled.(MANILA)
December 1, 2007... Subsidiaries of dominant carrier PLDT have been ordered to explain to regulators why their mobile TV service should not be cancelled. The National Telecommunications Commission called a hearing this month.

Smart Communications beefs up its ability to deliver ad-funded mobile multimedia services.(MANILA)
December 1, 2007... Smart Communications beefs up its ability to deliver ad-funded mobile multimedia services. The operator launches a range of mobile advertising services to be delivered through Zad's mobile advertising platform. It also installs a mobile...

SK Telecom is named the preferred bidder for a controlling stake in broadband service provider Hanarotelecom.(SEOUL)
December 1, 2007... SK Telecom is named the preferred bidder for a controlling stake in broadband service provider Hanarotelecom. SK Telecom's bid price for 38.9% of Hanarotelecom was not disclosed, though local media have speculated that the deal will be valued...

The government signs a memorandum of understanding to work on Wimax technology and product development with multinationals.(TAIPEI)
December 1, 2007... The government signs a memorandum of understanding to work on Wimax technology and product development with multinationals including Intel, NEC, Nortel Networks and German Wimax tester Rohde & Schwarz.

Far EasTone contracts Finnish IMS software vendor Movial to enable voice over the operator's HSPA network and its in-home HSPA router with Wi-Fi on both handsets and laptops.(TAIPEI)
December 1, 2007... Far EasTone contracts Finnish IMS software vendor Movial to enable voice over the operator's HSPA network and its in-home HSPA router with Wi-Fi on both handsets and laptops. The new service will enable FET to reach millions of new broadband...

Softbank's profit more than tripled in the fiscal first half as more Japanese subscribed to its services.(TOKYO)(Financial report)
December 1, 2007... Softbank's profit more than tripled in the fiscal first half as more Japanese subscribed to its services. The company posts a profit of $4015 million during the months ended September 30, more than double its profit in the same period a year...

Walt Disney plans to launch mobile service in Japan next spring through the mobile network leased from Softbank Mobile.(TOKYO)
December 1, 2007... Walt Disney plans to launch mobile service in Japan next spring through the mobile network leased from Softbank Mobile. Disney will develop mobile phones with Softbank and sell them and accept subscriptions through the operator's nationwide...

Telstra raises its long--and short-term earnings guidance.(SYDNEY)
December 1, 2007... Telstra raises its long- and short-term earnings guidance as its transformation strategy gains traction and it beats rivals in attracting customers.

Hutchison Telecom Australia will sell shares worth A$330.64 million ($298 million).(SYDNEY)
December 1, 2007... Hutchison Telecom Australia will sell shares worth A$330.64 million ($298 million) to a subsidiary of New Zealand Telecom.

SingTel reports a 3.3% rise in its Q3 profit on contributions from regional mobile associates and operations in Singapore and Australia.(SINGAPORE)(Financial report)
December 1, 2007... SingTel reports a 3.3% rise in its Q3 profit on contributions from regional mobile associates and operations in Singapore and Australia. Net profit for the July-September quarter came in at S$988 million ($684 million), up from S$956 million...

StarHub and EZ-Link jointly begin a six-month trial on mobile contactless payment.(SINGAPORE)
December 1, 2007... StarHub and EZ-Link jointly begin a six-month trial on mobile contactless payment, under which about 1,000 users can use their cellphones to pay for bus rides, subway trips and purchase items at McDonald's and 7-11 convenience stores.

India plans to set up a new panel with representatives from industry and experts.(NEW DELHI)
December 1, 2007... India plans to set up a new panel with representatives from industry and experts to revise norms for allotment of spectrum to wireless operators.

Bharti Airtel plans to roll out triple-play services in Delhi in the next two months.(NEW DELHI)
December 1, 2007... Bharti Airtel plans to roll out triple-play services in Delhi in the next two months while DTH services will be launched across the country in the first quarter of the next fiscal year.

Telkom posts a 6.2% drop in third-quarter net profit, hit by lower revenue at its mobile business and foreign exchange losses.(JAKARTA)(Financial report)
December 1, 2007... Telkom posts a 6.2% drop in third-quarter net profit, hit by lower revenue at its mobile business and foreign exchange losses. Telcom's net profit fell to 3.19 trillion Indonesian rupiah ($350 million) in the quarter from 3.4 trillion rupiah...

DiGi Telecom and Maxis begin offering interoperable personal mobile IM services.(KUALA LUMPUR)
December 1, 2007... DiGi Telecom and Maxis begin offering interoperable personal mobile IM services. Celcom will follow suit at the end of the year.

Googling the phone: Google's new phone platform touches not only on handset OS and smartphones but on the future of the mobile industry.(Cover story)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The headlines have been about Google and its open source handset. But it's about much more than that. The search firm's effort to tackle the device market through a Linux alliance model goes way beyond devices....

The femtocell factor.(1-2-1)(Interview)
December 1, 2007... The Femto Forum has grown from a group established by seven small femtocells vendors into a 38-member telecom clubhouse now including leading cellcos and vendors. Femto Forum chairman Dr Simon Saunders tells senior reporter Fiona Chau why the...

The m-payment revolution: various enabling technologies are increasingly making mobile devices a big part of the financial industry.(APPLICATION)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mobile devices are playing an increasingly important role in the financial industry because of their immense potential to act as a platform for a plethora of financial transactions. There is a flurry of activity...

Affordability, convenience spur uptake of portable navigation services: hardware suppliers and service providers are cashing in as demand for location-based services rises with the proliferation of GPS-enabled handhelds.(SERVICE)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The introduction of GPS-technology in smartphones and the bundling of navigation and map content with mobile devices is fuelling a boom in global demand--in the EU and Europe subscribers accessing maps and...

Teeth-gnashing at India's regulator.(FORUM)
December 1, 2007... Sometimes, wisdom is a burden. This is what the Indian regulatory authority is living out through the industry's consultative review process. Halfway through the TRAI's August 2007 review on capping service providers, I realize this is not the...

GSMA's Macau gambit pays off.(EVENTS)
December 1, 2007... Healthy debate is always a good thing at trade shows, and this year's Mobile Asia Congress (formerly known as the 3GSM World Congress Asia, formerly held in Singapore but renamed and transported this year to Macau) was no different. But there...

Google issues Android SDK.(tools)
December 1, 2007... Google releases its software development kit for Android, the company's new Linux-based operating system for cellphones and handheld devices as part of the Open Handset Alliance, formed by Google and 33 other companies. ...

Sybase 365 has answers.(tools)
December 1, 2007... Sybase 365 launches a "natural language" interface for mobile messaging that reduces the complexity of requesting information by enabling users to make enquiries in a simple way using their own words. Answers 365 promises better ease of use for...

Mobile content publishing.(tools)
December 1, 2007... Refresh Mobile launches a new free service called Mippin, which allows publishers and content owners to create branded mobile versions of their own content--whether blogs or large branded web sites--that can be accessed via mobile browsers. The...

Java-based mobile maps.(tools)
December 1, 2007... mobilePeople launches its mobile map solution, "liquid MAPs", developed especially for directory publishers, directory enquiry services and media companies. The new app utilizes Scaleable Vector Graphics (SVG) embedded in a Java environment,...

Jackle Chan's on the phone.(out now)
December 1, 2007... International action movie star Jackie Chan is going mobile with an animated cartoon developed exclusively for handsets. The three-part cartoon adventure, "Jackie Chan Fantasia"was created by artist WongYuk Long, founder of lade Dynasty Group....

Nokia music service for emerging artists.(out now)
December 1, 2007... Nokia launches a mobile music service in Singapore and Thailand designed as a platform to help local emerging artists find an international audience. The Independent Artists Club lets fans can preview songs and download tracks via mobile or PC....

3 launches Skypephone.(out now)
December 1, 2007... Hutchison-owned mobile franchise 3 launches the 3 Skypephone, billed as the world's first Skype-dedicated mobile handset, developed by Skype and 3 in partnership with Qualcomm. The 3 Skypephone will be available this year on 3's networks in the...

Microsoft pays $46m for Musiwave.(deals)
December 1, 2007... Microsoft adds to its mobile music arsenal after striking a deal to acquire Openwave Systems' Musiwave mobile music subsidiary in a $46 million cash deal. Under the deal, Microsoft will assume Paris-based Musiwave's net debt, which amounted to...

Yahoo oneSearch adds nine more.(deals)
December 1, 2007... Yahoo announces new oneSearch agreements with AirceI, BPL Mobile, BSNL, DiGi Telecommunications, Excelcom, Hutch 3 (Indonesia), Indosat, PCCW mobile and StarHub. The new additions increase Yahoo's oneSearch reach to 20 operators in 19...

Smart taps Zad, 3pie.(deals)
December 1, 2007... Smart Communications beefs up its ability to deliver ad-funded mobile multimedia services via separate deals with Zad Mobile and 3ple Media. In November, Smart and Zad launched a range of mobile advertising services to be delivered through...

Melodeo's nuTsie for KTF.(deals)
December 1, 2007... Melodeo announces a licensing deal with KTF to distribute Melodeo's nuTsie online and mobile music application, as well as its Mobilcast mobile podcasting application, among other technologies. www.nutsie.com/melodeo, www.ktf.com

Animax goes mobile in HK.(out now)
December 1, 2007... Sony Pictures Television International's Animax brings the mobile version of its anime youth TV channel to Hong Kong via SmarTone-Vodafone's new FoneTV service, with Taiwan next on its list. The Asia roll-out follows Animax Mobile's launch in...

Facebook for the BlackBerry.(out now)
December 1, 2007... Research In Motion launches Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones, tev-BlackBerry's push-based system to let Facebook users wirelessly send photos, pokes and wall posts. The native app automatically pushes notification to the user's BlackBerry...

Artificial Life tries out for sports.(out now)
December 1, 2007... Artificial Life announces the upcoming release of a new line of real-time 3D mobile soccer games in the first quarter of 2008. The scheduling takes into account the upcoming UEFA European Soccer Championships hosted by Switzerland and Austria...

Kamera nails deal 1MP.(deals)
December 1, 2007... Mobile content specialist Kamera seals a distribution deal with Chinese aggregator 1MP. The deal makes Kamera's entertainment news channel WOW! TV, sports service Sportcall and comedy channel Vidiots available in China on and off carrier decks....

NeuStar provides mobile IM to 3 Macau.(deals)
December 1, 2007... NeuStar, a US-based provider of clearinghouse and directories, provides a mobile IM solution to facilitate 3 Macau's rollout of Windows Live Messenger as part of Ys X-series offering. NeuStar CTO Mark Foster says this is the company's latest...

Fronde Anywhere for LogicaCMG.(deals)
December 1, 2007... LogicaCMG forms a global partnership with Fronde Anywhere, which provides mobile banking, payment and multi-factor authentication. The companies say the partnership allows financial services institutions to integrate mobile technologies into...

Indiagames licenses Glu content.(deals)
December 1, 2007... Indiagames partners with Glu Mobile to exclusively distribute games, wallpapers and ringtones in India for a number of Glu's leading tides, including Age of Empires III Mobile, Atari Legends 3, Brian Lara's Cricket 2008 and Zuma, among others....

Unlimited music downloads.(this month's model)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 3 Hong Kong has become the firsl Asian cellco to launch Omnifone's MusicStation service, which offers unlimited music downloads direct to mobile handsets for 11K$12 a week (around $1.50). In addition to full...

Green is also the color of money.(STREET WISE)(Survey)
December 1, 2007... Following up on last issue's Streetwise column questioning the overwhelming deployment of wireless infrastructure and technologies in the market today, I did a quick a survey of the region's leading telecoms providers on their corporate energy...

Sore thumbs in Britain.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
December 1, 2007... The Mobile Data Association says that Britons are now sending one billion text messages per week. The figure shatters forecasted text messaging rates--it's 25% higher than last year and the same as the total sent in 1999. And it's not just...

Failure testing.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
December 1, 2007... When Alan Pike dropped his cellphone over the fence into the elephant pen he didn't expect the animal to pick it up and eat it--and then for the zookeepers to suggest he come back in a few days to reclaim the phone. The Charlotte, North...

iPhone quota.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Apple has announced that it will be limiting purchases of its popular iPhone to two phones per person. In addition, it will not be accepting cash for purchases. The rationale, of course, is to discourage unlimited...

Lifesavers.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
December 1, 2007... The AFP reports that Indonesian officials plan to install sirens on cellphone towers to alert coastal areas of possible incoming tsunamis. This follows their two deadly waves in two years. Indonesian officials were criticized for not...