Wireless Asia articles from January 2004

Wireless Asia archives from January 2004

Fixing the fixed networks.(Unwired)
January 1, 2004... The mobile industry has grown up in close proximity to the fixed-line business in the last 20 years. Close, but separate. Thanks to abundant demand, the two groups have mostly gone about their business in blissful isolation. That's no...

China's WAPI evokes foreign protest.(News Analysis)
January 1, 2004... China's mandate for its proprietary WAPI (Wired Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure) encryption protocol for wireless LAN equipment is meeting fierce vendor resistance amid confusion and criticism over the secrecy shrouding WAPI's...

Hutchison brings 3G home.(New Analysis)
January 1, 2004... After more than a year of delays, Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa finally brought 3G to its own backyard last month. The buzz was heavy but reaction was mixed, not least due to 3's lackluster performance else-where and only one handset...

Infrastructure rebound in 2005.(Insight)
January 1, 2004... The cellular wireless infrastructure sector can look forward to a recovery--but not this year. A report from Dell'Oro Group expects the market for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, TDMA, CDMA and W-CDMA network gear to shrink by 1% to $25.7b in 2004. On the...

Asia fuels wireless data growth.(Insight)
January 1, 2004... The total number of mobile data subscribers worldwide passed the 100 million mark last September, but most of the action remains rooted in Asia Pacific--namely Japan and Korea. According to the latest edition of EMC World Cellular Data Metrics,...

Searching for new billing model.(Insights)
January 1, 2004... Both mobile network operators and wire/line ISPs view digital content like music, pictures and games as a new source of revenue, but cashing in on content means knowing how to bill for it, says an Ovum report, which warns that billing for...

Huge upside for wireless M2M.(Insight)
January 1, 2004... While wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) communications is still in fledgling mode, it's slated as a hot growth area for the wireless sector, according to two new reports from Alexander Resources. Opportunities abound for both cellular and...

Testing the waters in KL.(News Analysis)
January 1, 2004... State-owned Telekom Malaysia has stolen a march on rival Maxis Communications and launched Malaysia's first 3G service, but the limited pilot underlines the uncertain demand for 3G in the country. Telekom's 3G pilot, launched last month,...

GSM does the heavy lifting in 2003.(New Analysis)
January 1, 2004... The global digital cellular subscriber base grew to 1.33 billion in 2003, with 227 million additions for the year, according to the latest figures from EMC World Cellular, which also shows that GSM remains the dominant digital technology. No...

Sweden's TeliaSonera and its partner Tele2 agree to buy Orange's 3G license.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Sweden's TeliaSonera and its partner Tele2 agree to buy Orange's 3G license for 50m Swedish crowns ($6.87m).

Germany's Mobilcom hands back its 3G license to the regulator, as it is clear it no longer has the money or the will to build its own network.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Germany's Mobilcom hands back its 3G license to the regulator, as it is clear it no longer has the money or the will to build its own network. It does plan to offer 3G services by leasing capacity on other operators' 3G net works.

Telefonica Moviles' German unit Quam is on the verge of having its 3G license taken away by the regulator because it missed its rollout deadline.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Telefonica Moviles' German unit Quam is on the verge of having its 3G license taken away by the regulator because it missed its rollout deadline. But it reportedly says it will sue if it comes to that.

Hungary decides to delay its 3G licensing.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Hungary decides to delay its 3G licensing until the end of 2004.

UAE monopoly telco Etisalat launches the Middle East's first 3G network.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... UAE monopoly telco Etisalat launches the Middle East's first 3G network, built by China's Huawei Technologies for 60m dirhams ($16m).

Siemens lands its first 3G contract in eastern Europe.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Siemens lands its first 3G contract in eastern Europe to supply equipment to T-Mobile's Czech subsidiary for an undisclosed amount.

Motorola reports a higher than expected Q4 profit but fails to impress analysts who were put off by a 3% slip in mobile phone sales.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Motorola reports a higher than expected Q4 profit but fails to impress analysts who were put off by a 3% slip in mobile phone sales. Although Motorola's overall sales were up 4% year-on-year, analysts say that with the mobile phone market red...

Analysts predict that Sony Ericsson--which posted second quarterly profit for Q4 and rising sales.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Analysts predict that Sony Ericsson--which posted second quarterly profit for Q4 and rising sales--will have a tough year ahead, unless the Swedish-Japanese mobile phone maker can broaden its product range and geographical coverage.

Siemens Mobile sees its first-quarter operating profit more than double year-on-year to 123m euros ($156.1m).(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Siemens Mobile sees its first-quarter operating profit more than double year-on-year to 123m euros ($156.1m) as it sold a record 15.2 million mobile phones.

The Multiband OFDM Alliance, led by Texas Instruments, is set to publish standards for Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology in May.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... The Multiband OFDM Alliance, led by Texas Instruments, is set to publish standards for Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology in May, with plans to begin shipping UWB products in early 2005.

Nokia outsources some IT services to IBM in a five-year deal worth 200m euro ($253.9m).(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Nokia outsources some IT services to IBM in a five-year deal worth 200m euro ($253.9m). The Five vendor also announces plan to cut 140 jobs from its small digital television unit due to sluggish business conditions.

Rudi Lamprecht, the head of Siemen's ICM mobile phones and networks unit, expects a slight improvement in the mobile networks market this year.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Rudi Lamprecht, the head of Siemen's ICM mobile phones and networks unit, expects a slight improvement in the mobile networks market this year. He says the networks market is emerging from a crisis, but adds pricing pressure continues in the...

Alcatel sets fresh targets for China's 3G market.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Alcatel sets fresh targets for China's 3G market, aiming at taking at least 12% of the 3G Infrastructure market there.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co posts a quarterly net profit of NT$16b ($479m) in October-December.(Movements)
January 1, 2004... Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co posts a quarterly net profit of NT$16b ($479m) in October-December, up 527% from the same period a year earlier, as consumers snap up gadgets such as camera phones and flat-panel televisions.

China Unicom will launch dual-mode GSM-CDMA service in mid-2004.(Beijing)
January 1, 2004... China Unicom will launch dual-mode GSM-CDMA service in mid-2004 after receiving its first batch of handsets--between 300,000 and 500,000--in early 2004.

Hutchison Telecom finally launches its long-awaiting commercial 3G services, with subscription plans starting at HK$263 ($34) per month, and with handsets priced from HK$4,380.(HongKong)
January 1, 2004... Hutchison Telecom finally launches its long-awaiting commercial 3G services, with subscription plans starting at HK$263 ($34) per month, and with handsets priced from HK$4,380. Hutch is the first of the city's four 3G licensees to offer such...

The Thai government announces plans to merge state-owned TOT PCL and CAT Telecom to strengthen their business.(Bangkok)
January 1, 2004... The Thai government announces plans to merge state-owned TOT PCL and CAT Telecom to strengthen their business, but the government has not decided whether the merger would happen either before or after the two firm list shares on the Thai...

TOT offers to buy CAT's 37% stake in mobile operator Thai Mobile for 2.5b baht ($64m).(Bangkok)
January 1, 2004... TOT offers to buy CAT's 37% stake in mobile operator Thai Mobile for 2.5b baht ($64m), a move which will raise TOT's stake in the mobile firm to 95% from 58% and cut CAT's holding to 5%.

TA Orange says its co-chief executive Apirak Kosayodhin will resign to run as the opposition Democrat Party candidate in the July election for Bangkok governor.(Bangkok)
January 1, 2004... TA Orange says its co-chief executive Apirak Kosayodhin will resign to run as the opposition Democrat Party candidate in the July election for Bangkok governor, leaving co-chief executive Supachai Chearavanont to become sole chief executive.

Sri Lanka's largest mobile operator, MTN Networks, obtains $50m from the World Bank's financing arm.(Colombo)
January 1, 2004... Sri Lanka's largest mobile operator, MTN Networks, obtains $50m from the World Bank's financing arm to expand its network.

Telekom Malaysia launches Malaysia's first commercial 3G services based on W-CDMA technology, with limited content and coverage.(Kuala Lumpur)
January 1, 2004... Telekom Malaysia launches Malaysia's first commercial 3G services based on W-CDMA technology, with limited content and coverage. The initial rollout is targeting up to 300 customers, and the coverage is limited to parts of Kuala Lumpur and its...

Smart Communications awards a $117m contract to Nokia for GSM/EDGE and next-generation equipment.(Manila)
January 1, 2004... Smart Communications awards a $117m contract to Nokia for GSM/EDGE and next-generation equipment, which Smart will use to increase its GSM network capacity to meet increasing demand in rural areas as well as upgrade its multimedia capabilities....

PLDT says it has no plans to merge its two mobile units, Smart Communications and Piltel.(Manila)
January 1, 2004... PLDT says it has no plans to merge its two mobile units, Smart Communications and Piltel, denying a newspaper report claiming that it is seeking a backdoor listing for Smart through the merger.

The Ministry of Information and Communication postpones a decision on requiring mobile networks to use locally developed wireless Internet standard WIPI.(Seoul)
January 1, 2004... The Ministry of Information and Communication postpones a decision on requiring mobile networks to use locally developed wireless Internet standard WIPI, saying it will make its decision on whether to mandate WIPI in June this year.

The MIC also announces plans to raise charges on the 800 MHz band used by SK Telecom and lower those on the 1.8 GHz band used by KTF and LG Telecom in a move to support smaller players.(Seoul)
January 1, 2004... The MIC also announces plans to raise charges on the 800 M Hz band used by SK Telecom and lower those on the 1.8 GHz band used by KTF and LG Telecom in a move to support smaller players. The tariff adjustment, which will take effect in April,...

SK Telecom sees its Q4 profit nearly tripled to 430b won ($366.9m) from the same period a year earlier on booming mobile data services and subscriber growth.(Seoul)
January 1, 2004... SK Telecom sees its Q4 profit nearly tripled to 430b won ($366.9m) from the same period a year earlier on booming mobile data services and subscriber growth. For the full year SK's net profit totaled 1.94 trillion won from 1.5 trillion won a...

Taiwan Cellular and its subsidiary TransAsia Telecommunications sell 122 million shares.(Taipei)
January 1, 2004... Taiwan Cellular and its subsidiary TransAsia Telecommunications sell 122 million shares in Chunghwa Telecom to Deutsche Bank.

NTT DoCoMo achieves its March '04 target two months early as the number of its 3G FOMA subscribers surpassed 2m on 29 January.(Tokyo)
January 1, 2004... NTT DoCoMo achieves its March '04 target two months early as the number of its 3G FOMA subscribers surpassed 2m on 29 January. Additionally DoCoMo will provide 37b yen ($344 million) over the next two fiscal years to handset makers Fujitsu,...

Separately, DoCoMo, which is the largest shareholder of AT&T Wireless (AWE), will temporarily waive rights to be consulted on AWE's merger talks.(Tokyo)
January 1, 2004... Separately, DoCoMo, which is the largest shareholder of AT&T Wireless (AWE), will temporarily waive rights to be consulted on AWE's merger talks, leaving its options open to bid for AWE.

KDDI plans to get into the India telecoms game via a partnership with Bangalore-based systems developer.(Tokyo)
January 1, 2004... KDDI plans to get into the India telecoms game via a partnership with Bangalore-based systems developer Indo-Fuji Information Technology.

SingTel postpones its consumer 3G trial until the first quarter from December, blaming "handset issues" for the decision.(Singapore)
January 1, 2004... SingTel postpones its consumer 3G trial until the first quarter from December, blaming "handset issues" for the decision. Separately, the company reduces its stake in Belgacom from 12.15% to 11.72% for 92.4m euros ($116m).

M1 posts a 1.4% rise in Q4 profit, a 10.3% profit increase for the full year.(Singapore)
January 1, 2004... M1 posts a 1.4% rise in Q4 profit, a 10.3% profit increase for the full year and a higher full year dividend payout.

GSM operator Bharti Tele-Ventures posts a consolidated net profit of 1.61b rupees ($35.5m) in its third quarter ended December 31, as its mobile subscriber base nearly doubled to 5.5m last year.(New Delhi)
January 1, 2004... GSM operator Bharti Tele-Ventures posts a consolidated net profit of 1.61b rupees (35.5m) in its third quarter ended December 31, as its mobile subscriber base nearly doubled to 5.5m last year. To meet the strong demand, the company plans to...

Idea Cellular acquires the mobile business of rival Escotel Mobile Communications for $66m.(New Delhi)
January 1, 2004... Idea Cellular acquires the mobile business of rival Escotel Mobile Communications for $66m. The acquisition will expand Idea's reach from five circles to 11.

Hutchison Essar will invest 3b rupees ($65.8m) this year.(New Delhi)
January 1, 2004... Hutchison Essar will invest 3b rupees ($65.8m) this year on expanding its network in Mumbai and as much as $395m in the rest of the country.

Mid-sized Indian teleco Shyam Telecom will pay 1.02b rupees ($22.5m).(New Delhi)
January 1, 2004... Mid-sized Indian teleco Shyam Telecom will pay 1.02b rupees ($22.5m) for Telesystem International Wireless's 27.5% stake in Hexacom, raising its stake in the GSM operator to 67.5%.

Driving asian mobile: after the bust, it's a new game in the handset business. Gone is a sector dominated by a few all-powerful manufacturers. In its place is a more layered and collaborative industry. And Asia's vendors and carriers are at the center of it.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2004... The good times are rolling again in the mobile phone business. Phone makers ended last year on a high, with record sales and revenues for many of the industry leaders. Shipments reached a record 481 million in 2003, as the reviving world...

Working on the other side: the world's handset leader is looking to dominate the CDMA phone business in the same way it stands astride GSM. Robert Clark speaks to Soren Petersen, senior vice president and general manager of Nokia's CDMA business, about the differences between the two camps.(1_2_1)
January 1, 2004... Wireless Asia: Can you give a fix on Nokia's CDMA phone business? How big a part of your overall handset business is it? Soren Petersen: Today we have well over 20 different models in the market, and in the last 12 months we have grown...

Hot spots go wide: between 3G's sub-megabit speeds and Wi-Fi's limited coverage, some companies have been talking up an alternatives 3G vision--all-IP, wide-area wireless networks that provide hot-spot speeds wherever you are. It's not just talk anymore.(Wireless Tech)
January 1, 2004... Ask anyone today where the promise of 3G mobile went sour, and they're likely to point back to two things: the exorbitant cost of spectrum and/or the slower-than-expected development of the technology, particularly the handsets. If you ask an...

News from the handset.(tools)
January 1, 2004... Philips Software and British Broadcasting Corp (BBC) say they have developed multimedia camcorder software that allows BBC journalists to use GPRS smart-phones equipped with the software to rapidly record video clips up to 15 minutes in...

Payment API harmonization.(tools)
January 1, 2004... The PayCircle consortium announces the harmonization of the co-branded PayCircle/Parlay specification with the JPay API, thus harmonizing PayCircle's APIs for Java and WSDL/XML mobile Web services. PayCircle says the possible separation of the...

3D engine API optimization.(tools)
January 1, 2004... Intel is working with UK-based 3D engine vendor Superscape Group to optimize the Swerve Mobile 3D Graphics API for wireless handsets and PDAs incorporating Intel's PCA processors with its XScale and Wireless MMX technologies.

MMC v4.0.(tools)
January 1, 2004... The MultiMediaCard Association (MMCA) has released Version 4.0 of the MultiMediaCard specification, offering wider bus width, dual voltage operation and data transfer at up to 52 Mbps, a 20-fold improvement from the previous standards. The new...

BREW for Linux.(deals)
January 1, 2004... IBM and Qualcomm announce a deal to work together to improve the delivery of wireless applications over Linux. IBM says its eServer for Linux and WebSphere offerings now support Qualcomm's Binary Run-Time Environment for Wireless (BREW)...

GPRS roaming agreement.(deals)
January 1, 2004... Singapore Telecom and Greek mobile operator OTEGlobe announce a partnership to offer GPRS roaming between the two companies and their respective GPRS Roaming Exchange (GRX) partners. SingTel now has GRX peering arrangements with 16 GRX...

Motorola invests In Magic4.(deals)
January 1, 2004... Motorola Ventures, the investment arm of Motorola, makes a minority investment in mobile messaging software vendor Magic4 in the form of a convertible secured note. Motorola Ventures says the investment will enable Motorola to explore...

GRIC access to SkyNetGlobal APs.(deals)
January 1, 2004... Australia-based Wi-Fi operator SkyNetGlobal signs an agreement with GRIC Communications to provide Wi-Fi access to GRIC's customers and resellers at its 119 Singapore wireless hotspots.

Connexion on China Airlines.(deals)
January 1, 2004... China Airlines (CAL) and Connexion by Boeing sign of a letter of intent that will bring high-speed Internet access to passengers on CAL commercial flights in and out of Taiwan. The agreement calls for the broadband service to be installed on...

Mobile VAS installation.(deals)
January 1, 2004... Cellular VAS technology provider RegiSoft and Ericsson Thailand have successful installed RegiSoft's World Trade Server at AIS. The Thai cellco will use the server as a platform to launch mobile marketing and other mobile value-added services,...

Content for 3 HK.(out now)
January 1, 2004... 3 Hong Kong launches 3G service with several content deals under its belt. Local free-to-air broadcaster TVB, cable TV operator i-Cable and radio broadcaster Metro Radio are each providing a variety of video content for 3, including TV series...

Disaster message board.(out now)
January 1, 2004... NTT DoCoMo launches a disaster message board service that allows i-mode subscribers in Japan to post personal messages at a special i-mode site in the event of major disasters such as earthquakes, when voice circuits typically become jammed...

SMS polls.(out now)
January 1, 2004... Mobileway is hosting and managing a global voting service for CNN's News Biz Today that will allow mobile users to vote on the program's "Question of the day" TV poll via SMS. Users can also receive results of each day's poll via SMS. The...

Text-to-graphics.(out now)
January 1, 2004... Thai cellco AIS launches Magic Message, a service that utilizes VisualTXT technology, developed by German wireless apps developer conVISUAL, to turn SMS text into relevant graphics and animations with sound. Users insert an SMS text and the...

OTA upgrades for DoCoMo phone.(out now)
January 1, 2004... Bitfone says its mProve over-the-air (OTA) software update platform has been deployed in NTT DoCoMo's new mova SO505iS PDC mobile phone from Sony Ericsson.

FeliCa payment trial.(out now)
January 1, 2004... Japan's JCB is offering a trial service for Mobile Offica, a contactless chip and mobile solution that offers corporations cashless payment and office access control functions through NTT DoCoMo's i-mode FeliCa Preview Service for mobile...

Regional voice needed for standardization.(Wireless Forum)
January 1, 2004... While Asia and the rest of the world have become consumed with fighting the seen and unseen threats of technological and biological viral attackers, a desire to create standardization, harmonization and collaboration on a regional level is...

Beyond the cell phone.(Street Wise)
January 1, 2004... Being a journalist in the wireless industry, it is easy to forget that there are things in life other than mobile phones. Case in point, while many reports focus on how many mobile phones will be sold this year and what advanced features they...

Focusing on next-gen solutions.(12th Convergence India 2004)
January 1, 2004... Convergence India, one of the longest-running infocom events in Asia, is billing itself this year as the "new generation networks" event, with the opening panel discussing how India can build next-generation networks that are future-proof as...

Believe it or not!(Short message: around the wireless industry)
January 1, 2004... Predictions are tricky business in the wireless game--you never know when a recession, SARS out-break or a pre-emptive war is going to throw off your growth forecasts. Still, tradition (or an old charter or something) demands that people kick...

Hot spots: seats still available.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
January 1, 2004... Wi-Fi is growing big time in terms of hot spot proliferation, but the same can't be said of the number of people actually using hot spots even for free. One December survey from In-Stat/MDR, for example, counted 40,000 wireless hotspots...

Fight extortion: send an SMS.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
January 1, 2004... Two years ago, SMS messaging famously played a role in the downfall of Philippines president Joseph Estrada. Now it's set to contribute to a new political agenda in the archipelago: fighting extortion of national election candidates by...

The one you love to hate.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
January 1, 2004... Cellular marketers, beware--the mobile phone has been ranked in a recent Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch survey commissioned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the most hated invention in existence today in the US. Luckily,...

From 'bluejacking' to 'bluehacking'.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
January 1, 2004... Bluetooth's design has already spawned a mini-trend called "bluejacking," where users detect nearby devices and anonymously post messages on them. However, more serious security issues are now emerging with Bluetooth, according to digital...