Wireless Asia articles from March 2006

Wireless Asia archives from March 2006

Wi-Fi's window of opportunity.(UNWIRED)
March 1, 2006... Modern technology is inherently democratic. With some processing power in their hands, people are doing things that once only professionals or corporations could do. Like recording an album, or choosing a seat on a flight. Or running a wireless...

Japanese operators look offshore for cheaper handsets.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
March 1, 2006... In the analog age Japanese mobile handset makers were among the world's leading makers, but the failure to create a Japanese standard for both 2G and 3G that would become the world standard has reduced them to also-rans--except in the Japanese...

Multiple device ownership blurs 'real' ARPU.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
March 1, 2006... Even while ARPUs are declining in Western Europe, individual mobile phone users are actually spending more, but on multiple connections, using multiple devices. Wireless Intelligence has found that the multiple device phenomenon has blurred...

Cellcos to spend billions in 2006.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
March 1, 2006... According to ABI Research, network expansion has become a necessity for mobile operators in order to support increasing traffic and deploy new applications and services. Both GSM and CDMA operators are sinking billions into expanding their...

Robust planning key to future success.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
March 1, 2006... Network operators, technology vendors, service providers and regulators must conduct robust planning to enable them to prepare for different evolution scenarios in the European wireless industry. Analysys Research sees three evolution scenarios...

Bangladesh mobile subs to hit 18m.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
March 1, 2006... The deregulation of the telecom sector and the entry of foreign investors, particularly those with an already huge presence in the region, have fueled the growth of Bangladesh's mobile phone market. BIS Shrapnel forecasts the country's mobile...

Motorola seeks life after RAZR.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
March 1, 2006... Judging from Motorola's presence at the 3GMS Congress last month--both in the exhibition halls as well as around metro Barcelona--the handset maker isn't resting on it slim-line successes and is no doubt aiming higher. Visitors to the city...

W-CDMA uptake to double.(METRICS: Inside the wireless data numbers)
March 1, 2006... The number of W-CDMA connections around the world is expected to hit 105.2 million at the end of the year, with total connections reaching 50.3 million as of the end of 2005. According to a Wireless Intelligence report, the majority of W-CDMA...

European 3G users embrace multimedia.(METRICS: Inside the wireless data numbers)
March 1, 2006... While 3G users still account for a small percentage of Europe's total cellphone-toting population, they are as much as five times more likely to use the multimedia capabilities of their handsets, including messaging, gaming, watching videos and...

The GSM Association and 15 leading mobile carriers join forces to roll out interoperable instant messaging services that will build on text messaging services.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... The GSM Association and 15 leading mobile carriers join forces to roll out interoperable instant messaging services that will build on text messaging services. The initiative brings together BSNL, Bharti, Hutchison Essar, Idea, MTNL, Aircel,...

Cable & Wireless Group aims to shed up to half of its workforce within five years.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... Cable & Wireless Group aims to shed up to half of its workforce within five years, cutting staff from the current 5,500 to between 2,500 and 3,500 as it concentrates on fewer and larger corporate customers.

Vodafone Group says its assets are overvalued by as much as 28 billion pounds.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... Vodafone Group says its assets are overvalued by as much as 28 billion pounds ($49 b) and warns of a slowdown in revenue growth in the next fiscal year.

Ericsson files a lawsuit against Samsung alleging patent infringement.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... Ericsson files a lawsuit against Samsung alleging patent infringement. Ericsson said Samsung is using mobile phone patents which no longer have licenses.

A judge ends a hearing over a request for an injunction against the maker of the handheld BlackBerry device without issuing a decision.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... A judge ends a hearing over a request for an injunction against the maker of the handheld BlackBerry device without issuing a decision. US District Judge James R. Spencer imposes a 30-day grace period so all sides could work out the details of...

US company ITT Industries settles an intellectual property suit filed against Samsung Electronics and Sprint Nextel.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... US company ITT Industries settles an intellectual property suit filed against Samsung Electronics and Sprint Nextel. ITT accused the two firms of infringing on its "assisted-GPS" technologies.

Embattled RadioShack CEO David J. Edmondson resigns following questions about the accuracy of his resume.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... Embattled RadioShack CEO David J. Edmondson resigns following questions about the accuracy of his resume. The company's board said it had accepted Edmondson's resignation and promoted Claire Babrowski, EVP and CEO, to acting CEO.

Nortel agrees to pay $2.5b in cash and stock to settle two shareholders' class action lawsuit over an accounting scandal in 2004.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... Nortel agrees to pay $2.5b in cash and stock to settle two shareholders' class action lawsuit over an accounting scandal in 2004. The proposed settlement would include $575 million in cash and payment of shares representing a 14.5% stake in...

Sanyo Electric and Nokia announce a preliminary agreement.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... Sanyo Electric and Nokia announce a preliminary agreement to form a joint venture in the CDMA mobile phone business.

Nokia and Motorola unveil phones that switch between cellular.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... Nokia and Motorola unveil phones that switch between cellular coverage outdoors and cheap wireless Internet calling inside on a single phone number.

Sprint Nextel reports a 55% drop in fourth-quarter income, dragged down largely by expenses related to merger last year that created the company.(Movements)
March 1, 2006... Sprint Nextel reports a 55% drop in fourth-quarter income, dragged down largely by expenses related to merger last year that created the company. The carrier also forecast that its 2006 revenue will at least $41b, while the average estimate has...

China Mobile plans to introduce push email "soon.".(BEIJING)
March 1, 2006... China Mobile plans to introduce push email "soon." The carrier is currently studying details on the planned service rollout.

Huawei wins a UMTS supply deal with KPN Mobile of the Netherlands.(SHENZHEN)
March 1, 2006... Huawei wins a UMTS supply deal with KPN Mobile of the Netherlands. Under the agreement, Huawei and KPN will work together to build a complete nationwide 3G and 2G circuit-switch and packet-switch core network.

CSL develops what it claims as the industry's first seamless service continuity between HSDPA and EDGE networks.(HONG KONG)
March 1, 2006... CSL develops what it claims as the industry's first seamless service continuity between HSDPA and EDGE networks. CSL says this means handovers from HSDPA to EDGE and back without service interruptions.

SmarTone-Vodafone's H2 net profit fell 55% to HK$37m ($4.8m) from the first half year and 83% from the same period a year earlier.(HONG KONG)
March 1, 2006... SmarTone-Vodafone's H2 net profit fell 55% to HK$37m ($4.8m) from the first half year and 83% from the same period a year earlier. H2 revenues grew 2% year-on-year to HK$1.86b. The company says the drop is partly due to the adoption of new...

Hutchison Whampoa Group seeks a possible partnership with True.(BANGKOK)
March 1, 2006... Hutchison Whampoa Group seeks a possible partnership with True. Hutch, however, will have to come to an arrangement with its concession provider, CAT Telecom, on the latter's proposal to acquire the entire network.

AIS pushes for 3G services as its flagship offering this year.(BANGKOK)
March 1, 2006... AIS pushes for 3G services as its flagship offering this year. The carrier is optimistic that high-speed mobile multimedia service will take off in the country.

Warid plans to upgrade its GSM/GPRS network via a $150m network deal with Ericsson.(DHAKA)
March 1, 2006... Warid plans to upgrade its GSM/GPRS network via a $150m network deal with Ericsson, which will supply the core and transmission equipment.

Indosat, Excelcomindo and Telkomsel secure licenses to operate 3G networks.(JAKARTA)
March 1, 2006... Indosat, Excelcomindo and Telkomsel secure licenses to operate 3G networks.

Maxis Communications posts a 2005 net profit increase.(KUALA LUMPUR)
March 1, 2006... Maxis Communications posts a 2005 net profit increase of 4.38% to 1.67 billion ringgit ($450m) due to an increased subscriber base.

Samsung forecasts industry-wide handset sales.(SEOUL)
March 1, 2006... Samsung forecasts industry-wide handset sales to reach between 850m and 900m units in 2006.

SK Telecom plans to launch a mobile service tied to MySpace.com.(SEOUL)
March 1, 2006... SK Telecom plans to launch a mobile service tied to MySpace.com, a music focused social networking site popular with teenagers and young adults. SK will tie-up with US-based Hello for the venture.

The government may consider raising the limit on direct foreign investment in Chunghwa Telecom to 49% from the current limit of 40%.(TAIPEI)
March 1, 2006... The government may consider raising the limit on direct foreign investment in Chunghwa Telecom to 49% from the current limit of 40%. Officials and lawmakers, however, have yet to give a timetable on deliberations for the planned increase.

NTT DoCoMo and Nippon Television Network agree to jointly develop television content and related services that can be viewed with mobile phones.(TOKYO)
March 1, 2006... NTT DoCoMo and Nippon Television Network agree to jointly develop television content and related services that can be viewed with mobile phones. The two will form a seven-year limited liability partnership called D.N. Dream Partners LLP, with...

Telstra remains mum on reports that it is interested in buying a 30% stake in Taiwan Mobile.(SYDNEY)
March 1, 2006... Telstra remains mum on reports that it is interested in buying a 30% stake in Taiwan Mobile. Reports said Telstra along with Vodafone were interested in the stake in Taiwan's second largest mobile operator.

A Singapore park becomes the first in the island-state to enable wireless Internet surfing.(SINGAPORE)
March 1, 2006... A Singapore park becomes the first in the island-state to enable wireless Internet surfing. State-linked JTC and the National Parks Board jointly launched the wireless Internet facilities in the first three hectares of One-North Park.

Singapore Technologies Electronics provides a wireless GPRS system.(SINGAPORE)
March 1, 2006... Singapore Technologies Electronics provides a wireless GPRS system with telematic functions to taxi operator Comfort Transportation.

Smart Communications selects Motorola to wire the mobile carrier's Wi-Fi wireless DSL services.(MANILA)
March 1, 2006... Smart Communications selects Motorola to wire the mobile carrier's Wi-Fi wireless DSL services. Smart is seeking to reach underserved residential, business and enterprise markets far the offerings.

NTT DoCoMo, in partnership with Smart.(MANILA)
March 1, 2006... NTT DoCoMo, in partnership with Smart, plans to offer its i-mode mobile Internet service in the Philippines.

Bharti Tele-Ventures will merge its mobile.(NEW DELHI)
March 1, 2006... Bharti Tele-Ventures will merge its mobile and fixed-line businesses as part of a massive reorganization effort.

Mobile adult content: learning the curves: the mobile adult content market could be worth up to $2.1 billion globally by 2009. However, assuming that security and legal issues can be managed, the real money for cellcos may not be in hosting porn, but in letting the content providers help them generate data traffic.(Cover story)
March 1, 2006... One of the telecoms/IT industry's worst-kept secrets is that end-user adoption of media-driven technologies can almost always be credited to adult content. Which is to say pornography. Pick a category: VHS, DVD, pay-per-view TV, CD-ROM, PC...

Pressure builds on high roaming rates: while increased regulatory and consumer pressure on tariffs is expected to bring down the current exorbitant international roaming charges, Asian cellcos face little downward pressure due to a lack of substantial regional competitive pressure.(BUSINESS)
March 1, 2006... Since the first roaming call was made in 1991 between Telecom Finland (now known as Sonera) and Vodafone UK, roaming has become a ubiquitous service for GSM networks. Today, global roaming remains a key revenue generator for cellcos, which BIS...

The future of mobile phone technology: service providers see technology enhancements enabling new services and generating new revenue.(APPLICATIONS)
March 1, 2006... As mobile phones for watching TV, listening to music, playing games and snapping photos begin to take root worldwide, service providers and manufacturers are already making plans for the next generation of devices. On the horizon (or in some...

Convergence--the lifeline for MVNOs: as competitions intensifies, MVNOs have no choice but to evolve beyond being simple consumer-oriented, voice-centric resellers of wireless services. At the very least, they need to develop a more viable value proposition as well as a profitable economic business model.(WIRELESS INSIDER)
March 1, 2006... In the past, larger operators were not interested in focusing on niche markets and sub-segments as it was expensive and complex, and such markets were considered better served by MVNOs. However, increasing competition brought on by market...

Questions remain over UMTS 850.(WIRELESS FORUM)
March 1, 2006... Four months ago Telstra announced plans for a major mobile network overall. The decision to rip out CDMA 1x/EVDO and replace it with W-CDMA/HSDPA has caused much discussion, argument and debate. We had many questions, most of which remain...

Sony Ericsson Developer World enhancements.(tools)
March 1, 2006... Sony Ericsson has launched a host of new features to its Sony Ericsson Developer World Web portal to simplify and facilitate community interaction. Added functionality includes the possibility to comment on articles, technical tutorials,...

Panda MobileSecurity goes beta.(tools)
March 1, 2006... Panda Software has launched the beta version of Panda MobileSecurity, a security solution for smartphones based on Symbian Series 60 that offers real-time protection against viruses, Trojans, worms, etc. Web site: www.pandasoftware.com

Near real-time performance info.(tools)
March 1, 2006... Business and technology consulting firm inCode has launched the Wireless Barometer, a solution that allows operators to view network performance in near real time. The solution, a permission-based, downloadable client for GSM and CDMA devices,...

Oxygen adds support for Samsung.(tools)
March 1, 2006... Oxygen Software has released version 2.7.8 of Oxygen Phone Manager II, which allows Symbian smartphone owners to manage the content and settings of their mobile phone from a PC. Web site: www.oxygensoftware.com

Simpler mobile device management.(tools)
March 1, 2006... Innopath Software has unveiled integrated mobile device management (iMDM) solution suites, modular, standards-based solutions that manage the complete life cycle of mobile devices. The iMDM Carrier and iMDM Device suites are designed to allow...

'Pointing-based' cellphone search.(out now)
March 1, 2006... GeoVector and Mapion, a company owned by CyberMap Japan, have joined forces to offer the Mapion Local Search for mobile phones in Japan. The "Click on the Real World" function enables users to point their mobile phones at more than 700,000...

New Google services for BlackBerry.(out now)
March 1, 2006... Research in Motion has released Google Talk instant messaging and Google Local information and maps for BlackBerry users. Google Talk allows users to send and receive instant text messages with other members of the Google Talk community, even...

Linktone acquires 51% of Ojava.(deals)
March 1, 2006... Wireless interactive entertainment services provider Linktone has initially paid $1.8 million in cash to acquire a 51% stake in mobile game developer and publisher Ojava. Upon fulfillment of certain operating conditions, Linktone will make an...

NEC, WIND collaborate on A-GPS trials.(deals)
March 1, 2006... NEC and WIND jointly conducted field trials for Secure User Plane for Location (SUPL)-based Assisted GPS (A-GPS) location services. During two trials last year, WIND successfully tested the accuracy and performance of the NEC solution in 15...

Amoi chooses Bitfone technologies.(deals)
March 1, 2006... Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Amoi Electronics has chosen Bitfone's comprehensive device management client suite to fulfill its requirements for Open Mobile Alliance Device Management (OMA DM) industry standard, firmware over-the-air, and...

Web surfing on almost any handset.(out now)
March 1, 2006... Opera Software's Opera Mini, a full Web browser that can be used on virtually any cellphone in the world, is available free of charge via WAP download, or for a small fee via SMS. Opera Mini compresses Web pages by up to 80% and reformats them...

Hinterwars for Malaysian mobile consumers.(out now)
March 1, 2006... Nokia and Malaysian operator DiGi have jointly launched Hinterwars, the first mobile massively multiplayer online game with cross-platform capability (3MOG). DiGi is the first GSM operator in Asia to launch Hinterwars, which will be broadly...

Action Engine app for SingTel subscribers.(out now)
March 1, 2006... Aiming to boost handset sales, SingTel is now offering, free of charge, Action Engine's Action Info mobile applications pack to consumers who buy the 02 XDA II at its retail stores in Singapore. The Action Info SingTel pack allows users to...

Cheaper mobile roaming.(out now)
March 1, 2006... GlobalRoam's Budget Roaming Starter Kit will help travelers save around 40% on their mobile roaming bills, eliminating the need to buy local prepaid SIM cards to bypass roaming rates and avoid incurring high IDD charges. They also do not have...

M1 to offer Vodafone business solutions.(deals)
March 1, 2006... Singapore's M1 will soon offer Vodafone wireless business : products and services to enterprise customers, after broadening the terms of their partner network agreement, which originally only provides for cooperation in international and...

Prepaid top ups at 4,500 Malaysian ATMs.(deals)
March 1, 2006... Electronic payments and mobile top-up services provider e-pay Asia Ltd., through subsidiary e-pay Sdn Bhd, has entered a strategic partnership with Malaysian Electronic Payment System (MEPS), Malaysia's ATM banking network, to offer prepaid...

Beep Science partners with LG.(deals)
March 1, 2006... Mobile DRM software provider Beep Science has signed a deal with LG Electronics to assure the OMA v2 DRM interoperability of LG's DRM-enabled devices. Beep Science DRM products, which support OMA v1 DRM and OMA v2 DRM industry standards, are...

So you wanna be a BlogStar.(this month's model)
March 1, 2006... Aiming to add a little star power to push mobile content, BlogStar--a subsidiary of Philippines-based systems integrator MDI--has announced a celebrity mobile blog service targeted at mobile users. Officially launched at last month's 3GSM...

Intel strikes again.(STREET WISE)
March 1, 2006... A couple of years back, just when the performance of computer chips seemed to be getting to the limit of [the so-called Moore's Law, Intel CTO Pat Gelsinger had the tough job of outlining the company's strategy to keep up with the Law's pace of...

Wearing the phone.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
March 1, 2006... Who says cellphones and art are mutually exclusive? Not Japanese artist Noriko Yamaguchi, whose art specializes in using her body as a canvas to explore various themes. In the case of Keitai Girl (2003), Yamaguchi covers herself in functional...

Toon fury.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
March 1, 2006... The furor over the Islamic cartoons published in a Danish newspaper inevitably found its way into the mobile space--both physically and via SMS. In Pakistan, for example, the Attock offices of Telenor (which is Norwegian, not Danish, but...

Do you know where your smartphone is?(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
March 1, 2006... The rise of smartphones in the business world is posing a considerable security risk to companies, according to an article published last month in the New York Times--not because of virus vulnerabilities or because they're easy to hack, but...

Happy new year--that'll be one dollar, please.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
March 1, 2006... The Lunar New Year is often a big time for SMS messages, but in Singapore many cellphone users found themselves spammed with greetings--and then being asked to pay for them. The source of the trouble was MyGlobal Fun, a client of mTouche, a...