Wireless Asia articles from May 2007

Wireless Asia archives from May 2007

China's high tariffs provoke debate.(UNWIRED)
May 1, 2007... China ranks fourth bottom of the international rankings on press freedom, as reckoned by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontiers. That makes for a media distinguished only by its tameness (and helps explain the soaring popularity of the Web). ...

China's 3G competition kicks off.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
May 1, 2007... As the issuance of 3G licenses in China draws near, the competition to get a share in the world's largest market mobile market is set to heat up. While the 2G/2.5G market is dominated by European vendors like Nokia Siemens, Ericsson and...

Regulation stunts China mobile music growth.(ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
May 1, 2007... Service provider regulation by the Ministry of Information Industry has led to a decline in the growth of China's mobile music industry last year. According to In-Stat, revenue fell 8.1% to $703.2 million in 2006. The decline was mainly due to...

Mobility gives businesses competitive edge.(ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
May 1, 2007... Companies across various industries have discovered that business mobility not only reduces operating costs but also leads to revenue gains. An Economist Intelligence Unit survey shows that business mobility provides some significant...

Digital music gains ground in Europe.(ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
May 1, 2007... The European market is increasingly embracing the new digital music distribution channel, with subscription-based services gaining the most momentum as the business model of choice. Berg Insight says that according to some companies, digital...

Headaches abound for cellular module makers.(ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
May 1, 2007... Problems such as increasing commoditization and shrinking gross margins are hounding makers of cellular modules being shipped into machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. ABI Research says that while telematics shipments are expected to post...

Village Connection aims to drive new business model.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
May 1, 2007... To connect the next billion, or perhaps even the next three billion who likely only have $2-$3 to spend on mobile services a month, Nokia Siemens Networks has introduced the Village Connection to make it more cost effective for operators to...

SMS still king.(METRICS / Inside the wireless data numbers)
May 1, 2007... Despite the introduction of more high-tech 3G services, mobile consumers in Asia, Europe and North America still prefer SMS over any other service. According to a GSM Association report, mobile users in the three markets have ranked SMS as...

Top brands lose share in China.(METRICS / Inside the wireless data numbers)
May 1, 2007... Mobile phone sales in China have increased by 10.4% in the first quarter to 36.89 million units compared to the previous quarter. An Analysys International report shows that Nokia continues to dominate the market, accounting for 31.7% of sales....

EU lawmakers overwhelmingly endorse a deal to cap roaming fees in the 27-nation bloc, slashing the phone bills of millions of executives and holidaymakers.(Movements)
May 1, 2007... EU lawmakers overwhelmingly endorse a deal to cap roaming fees in the 27-nation bloc, slashing the phone bills of millions of executives and holidaymakers. The landmark measure, which is all but certain to be backed by telecommunications...

Motorola plans to cut another 4,000 jobs as part of a strategy to improve sagging financial and operational results.(Movements)
May 1, 2007... Motorola plans to cut another 4,000 jobs as part of a strategy to improve sagging financial and operational results. The latest round of cuts is part of plans to eliminate more than 10% of its work force since the start of 2007.

Nokia's ongoing patent battle with Qualcomm may work against the uptake of 3G.(Movements)
May 1, 2007... Nokia's ongoing patent battle with Qualcomm may work against the uptake of 3G. Nokia is mired in a legal dispute over patents with Qualcomm after part of a major cross-licensing agreement expired last month.

Vodafone Group posts a narrower full-year loss and forecast strong growth in emerging markets, pushing its shares to five-year highs.(Movements)(Financial report)
May 1, 2007... Vodafone Group posts a narrower full-year loss and forecast strong growth in emerging markets, pushing its shares to five-year highs. The group recorded a net loss of 5.43b pounds ($10.77b) in the year to March 31, down from 21.9b pounds a year...

Alcatel-Lucent secures deals worth more than $400m from China Mobile and China Unicorn.(Movements)
May 1, 2007... Alcatel-Lucent secures deals worth more than $400m from China Mobile and China Unicorn. The deal encompasses a range of network projects for the two carriers for their expansion plans this year.

Samsung will start supplying LCD screens to Nokia as early as the second half of this year.(Movements)
May 1, 2007... Samsung will start supplying LCD screens to Nokia as early as the second half of this year. Samsung is expected to initially provide more than 20m units a year.

Vodafone Group unveils two new own-branded mobile handsets it plans to sell for $25 to $45 to boost sales in developing economies of Asia and Africa.(Movements)
May 1, 2007... Vodafone Group unveils two new own-branded mobile handsets it plans to sell for $25 to $45 to boost sales in developing economies of Asia and Africa. The firm expects to sell over a million of the two phones within a year.

The next generation of wireless Internet products certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance is expected to hit shelves this month.(Movements)
May 1, 2007... The next generation of wireless Internet products certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance is expected to hit shelves this month, even though a final standard for the technology, isn't due for another year.

Toshiba and Nortel Networks sign a deal to jointly develop WiMAX base stations for mobile communications terminals for the Japanese and global markets.(Movements)
May 1, 2007... Toshiba and Nortel Networks sign a deal to jointly develop WiMAX base stations for mobile communications terminals for the Japanese and global markets. The partnership will see Toshiba to develop the radio module for the WiMAX base station.

Nokia Siemens secures a deal from Moscow's Mobile Telesystems to build a turnkey 3G network in the Moscow area.(Movements)
May 1, 2007... Nokia Siemens secures a deal from Moscow's Mobile Telesystems to build a turnkey 3G network in the Moscow area. The collaboration covers the delivery of W-CDMA radio network equipment, software for data transfer, and implementation and...

The GSM Association announced plans to collaborate with Microsoft.(Movements)
May 1, 2007... The GSM Association announced plans to collaborate with Microsoft on a global research program to determine consumer user trends and the mass-market

The China Association for Standardization approves and issues China's homegrown mobile TV standard, CDMB (China Digital Multimedia Broadcast) as the association standard.(BEIJING)
May 1, 2007... The China Association for Standardization approves and issues China's homegrown mobile TV standard, CDMB (China Digital Multimedia Broadcast) as the association standard. The association will submit the standard to the country's Standardization...

China Mobile and the GSM Association successfully complete the first multi-vendor trials for interoperability of "Image Share" services.(BEIJING)
May 1, 2007... China Mobile and the GSM Association successfully complete the first multi-vendor trials for interoperability of "Image Share" services, which allows mobile users to share images during a phone call.

The government approves a multi-million program to provide wireless Internet services in government premises.(HONG KONG)
May 1, 2007... The government approves a multi-million program to provide wireless Internet services in government premises. Under the program, Wi-Fi facilities will be set up at about 350 government premises for free use by the public.

Telecom regulator OFTA plans to release spectrum through a public auction in the fourth quarter for the operation of cdma2000 services.(HONG KONG)
May 1, 2007... Telecom regulator OFTA plans to release spectrum through a public auction in the fourth quarter for the operation of cdma2000 services. The watchdog is also set to impose utilization fees on use of the spectrum.

SmarTone-Vodafone launches Mobile MSN, enabling customers to use Windows Live Messenger on mobile phones.(HONG KONG)
May 1, 2007... SmarTone-Vodafone launches Mobile MSN, enabling customers to use Windows Live Messenger on mobile phones. Following a free trial period that runs to the end of July, SmarTone-Vodafone will charge HK$30 ($3.80) a month for unlimited usage for...

CTM deploys the Comverse Kenan FX Business Solution.(MACAU)
May 1, 2007... CTM deploys the Comverse Kenan FX Business Solution to support the incumbent carrier's upcoming 3G service launch in Macau.

The government plans to revise the registration process for prepaid mobile users.(BANGKOK)
May 1, 2007... The government plans to revise the registration process for prepaid mobile users. The cards were tightly controlled during the previous government to prevent them from being used by southern insurgents to detonate bombs.

AIS urges the government to give it fair and equitable treatment in restructuring contracts with private mobile operators.(BANGKOK)
May 1, 2007... AIS urges the government to give it fair and equitable treatment in restructuring contracts with private mobile operators. AIS also urge the government to overhaul all contracts into a single uniform structure, instead of focusing simply on...

Shin Satellite says its business performance is improving after the company faced its first operating loss last year.(BANGKOK)
May 1, 2007... Shin Satellite says its business performance is improving after the company faced its first operating loss last year. The satellite subsidiary, 41% owned by Shin, anticipates a profit rebound in 2007, helped by the strong baht and healthy sales...

Prosecutors arrest four former and current researchers at Posdata.(SEOUL)
May 1, 2007... Prosecutors arrest four former and current researchers at Posdata who attempted to sell South Korea's home-grown WiBro technology to a US company.

Motorola will start selling the next generation of its popular Razr cellphone this month in South Korea ahead of a global launch in July.(SEOUL)
May 1, 2007... Motorola will start selling the next generation of its popular Razr cellphone this month in South Korea ahead of a global launch in July. The new phone will be available from SK Telecom.

Chunghwa Telecom partners with VIA Technologies for the rollout of 3.5G mobile services.(TAIPEI)
May 1, 2007... Chunghwa Telecom partners with VIA Technologies for the rollout of 3.5G mobile services. VIA will provide solutions to allow subscribers to connect to Chunghwa's HSDPA network via mobile devices.

Window mobile phone maker HTC signs an agreement to purchase the assets of nine Dopod International subsidiaries located throughout Asia, follows the company's acquisition of a 50% stake in Dopod last June.(TAIPEI)
May 1, 2007... Window mobile phone maker HTC signs an agreement to purchase the assets of nine Dopod International subsidiaries located throughout Asia, follows the company's acquisition of a 50% stake in Dopod last June. The deal is part of a strategy to...

DoCoMo's profit fell 25. 1% in the latest fiscal year due to increased sales promotion fees and a lack of special gains booked a year ago.(TOKYO)(Financial report)
May 1, 2007... DoCoMo's profit fell 25. 1% in the latest fiscal year due to increased sales promotion fees and a lack of special gains booked a year ago. DoCoMo's group net income came in at 457.3b yen ($3.81b) for the fiscal year ended March 31, down from...

SingTel begins offering commercial HSDPA services with download speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps in the Orchard Road and CBD areas, making it the first in the island-state to introduce the service.(SINGAPORE)
May 1, 2007... SingTel begins offering commercial HSDPA services with download speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps in the Orchard Road and CBD areas, making it the first in the island-state to introduce the service. The launch follows a commercial trial involving more...

M1 launches a mobile email service that works with popular email accounts including Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail, as well as those from local ISPs.(SINGAPORE)
May 1, 2007... M1 launches a mobile email service that works with popular email accounts including Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail, as well as those from local ISPs. The M1 Mobile eMail service is a mass-market service that doesn't require a client download and...

New Zealand Telecom plans to spend $400m to build an HSDPA network.(WELLINGTON)
May 1, 2007... New Zealand Telecom plans to spend $400m to build an HSDPA network. The incumbent carrier will keep its current CDMA network for high-speed data services and voice calling as it moved customers to the new network.

3 Indonesia will launch what it says is Southeast Asia's first music service that allows music downloads.(JAKARTA)
May 1, 2007... 3 Indonesia will launch what it says is Southeast Asia's first music service that allows music downloads on both handsets and PCs via mobile music provider Soundbuzz.

Billionaire Ananda Krishnan offers about 16b ringgit ($4.6b) to buy out Maxis.(KUALA LUMPUR)
May 1, 2007... Billionaire Ananda Krishnan offers about 16b ringgit ($4.6b) to buy out Maxis. Krishnan, Malaysia's second-richest man, owns 47.05% of Maxis Communications, and his associates own about 13% for a controlling stake of 60%.

Spice Telecom, Idea Cellular and Reliance Telecom are in talks to forge an "operational alliance with a pan-India footprint".(NEW DELHI)
May 1, 2007... Spice Telecom, Idea Cellular and Reliance Telecom are in talks to forge an "operational alliance with a pan-India footprint". The talks are not related to any merger, but to a tie-up for operational requirements.

BSNL will award a $4.7b GSM contract to Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks.(NEW DELHI)
May 1, 2007... BSNL will award a $4.7b GSM contract to Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks. The deal, which was blocked by rival Motorola in a court case until last month, will see Ericsson take 60% of the contract while the newly formed Nokia Siemens will...

Bharti Airtel joins the league of top ten global telecom operators with a subscriber base of over 40 million in a single country.(NEW DELHI)
May 1, 2007... Bharti Airtel joins the league of top ten global telecom operators with a subscriber base of over 40 million in a single country. The operator expects its total subscriber base to hit 130 million by 2010.

Apps unbound: technology advancements and creative thinking have opened up a new era in the world of mobile applications.(Cover story)
May 1, 2007... Think about mobile applications just a year or so ago, and your thoughts likely would have focused on necessary but mundane tasks such as email, messaging and security. Think about mobile apps now, however, and it's a brave new world, seemingly...

NFC gains a foothold in Asia: mobile operators in the region follow Japan's lead and embrace near-field communication technology in cooperation with large financial companies. Will consumers and retailers get interested and a viable business model emerge?(WIRELESS BIZ)
May 1, 2007... Although mobile contactless payment using near-field communication (NFC) technology has found success in Japan, thanks mainly to NTT DoCoMo's aggressive push with Mobile Felica, it is still an uncertain business model elsewhere in Asia. ...

Get ready for the 'anywhere' consumer: Yankee Group president and CEO Emile Green, who took the helm 20 months ago at the Boston-based research firm, met with group editor Joseph Waring on an extended sweep through Asia and outlined the concept of the "anywhere network" and "anywhere consumer" and their impact on network operators and Yankee's business going forward.(1-2-1)(Interview)
May 1, 2007... Wireless Asia: Convergence in connectivity implies a smooth merging of components. But various technologies and business models seem to be more on a collision course. How does Yankee describe what telcos and networks are undergoing? Emily...

To partner or go it alone? The biggest issue for operators in expanding mobile data applications is the inability to scale necessary components of their offering.(WIRELESS FORUM)
May 1, 2007... In the world of mobile social networking, service providers can either travel alone or with a partner in tow. Whichever way they choose, challenges--and rewards--await them. Mobile operators have two main options for developing a mobile...

Mobile video, LBS software.(tools)
May 1, 2007... HP has announced several new solutions for personalized mobile video and designing and sharing location-based mobile experiences. The HP OpenCall Mobile Video Solutions portfolio includes three standards-based offerings for 3G--video messaging,...

V. 3.12 supports Windows Mobile.(tools)
May 1, 2007... MobiForms has released version 3.12 of its mobile development tool, which is now fully certified with Windows Mobile. The Deployment Wizard has been extended to include more device and operating environment combinations. www.mobiforms.com

Microsoft visual studio plug-in.(tools)
May 1, 2007... Research In Motion (RIM) plans to introduce a BlackBerry Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio that allows system integrators and in-house corporate developers to create BlackBerry applications that integrate with back-end systems through .NET...

New Admoda tools.(tools)
May 1, 2007... MobVision has announced the integration of a new suite of tools into Admoda, its mobile ad serving and management platform. Admoda can now run bespoke graphical ads, hybrid animated banner/text ads with supporting text below, animated banners,...

Chinese-language portal.(tools)
May 1, 2007... Sony Ericsson Developer World has set-up its first regional developer support and business operations with the official launch of a local-language website and hosting of a developer event in China. developer.sonyericsson.com

3 Indonesia launches music downloads.(out now)
May 1, 2007... 3 Indonesia is set to launch what it's touting as Southeast Asia's first music service that allows music downloads on both handsets and PCs via mobile music provider Soundbuzz. The service--based on Soundbuzz's "dual delivery"...

Motomusic revamped for Web 2.0.(out now)
May 1, 2007... Motorola has given its Motomusic site in mainland China a complete overhaul and upgrade, with over 100,000 music tracks for purchase and download. The new look has four areas to visit: the music store, the Motorola music community, music...

Artificial life gets games for star.(deals)
May 1, 2007... Artificial Life and media/entertainment company Star have agreed to jointly develop and distribute mobile games across Asia. Under the agreement, Artificial Life will develop a wide range of interactive mobile games, as well as mobile...

AOL buys third screen.(deals)
May 1, 2007... AOL has acquired mobile advertising network Third Screen Media, which will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AOL's Advertising.com division. Financial terms were not disclosed. www.aol.com, www.thirdscreenmedia.com

MCN supplies search platform to AIS.(deals)
May 1, 2007... Mobile Content Networks (MCN) has been selected by AIS to provide mobile content search services for AIS's mobileLIFE WAP portal. In addition, MCN will provide customized search for AIS's Music Click services. www.mcn-inc.com,...

Wayfinder lands MapmyIndia deal.(deals)
May 1, 2007... Wayfinder has signed an exclusive agreement with MapmyIndia that enables Wayfinder to deliver mobile navigation and location based services in India. MapmyIndia will provide Wayfinder with access to its digital map data covering India under the...

Bus arrival alerts.(out now)
May 1, 2007... SBS Transit has launched a service with SingTel to provide commuters with bus arrival info via SMS. The service, called "iris NextBus on SMS", is essentially an SMS version of the existing iris NextBus service accessible on the Net and via...

Bilingual mobile e-newspaper.(out now)
May 1, 2007... Taiwan Mobile and The China Post, in association with Otiga Technologies, have launched what they say is Taiwan's first bilingual mobile e-newspaper, China Post Mobile SMS News. Available as a monthly subscription for customers of Taiwan...

Mass market music player.(out now)
May 1, 2007... The standard file format used--up to ten times smaller than equivalent quality digital encoding--enables instantaneous playback while songs are being downloaded. www.beatnik.com

Voice SMS for fixed-line and mobile.(out now)
May 1, 2007... MTNL has launched what it's touting as the world's first "convergent" voice SMS service for its fixed and mobile subscribers. The service--based upon voice-SMS technology from Kirusa--allows fixed-line and mobile subscribers in Delhi to send...

POP-i plan to bridge handset platforms.(deals)
May 1, 2007... Softbank Mobile and Aplix have agreed to co-develop a common software platform, called "Portable Open Platform Initiative" (POP-i), to allow value-added apps to run consistently upon multiple mobile handset platforms. Platforms to be supported...

FamilyMart to take Osaifu-Keitai nationwide.(deals)
May 1, 2007... NTT DoCoMo is expanding the reach of its Osaifu-Keitai mobile wallet platform via a strategic alliance with Japanese convenience store chain FamilyMart. FamilyMart's 7,000 convenience stores across Japan will begin accepting mobile credit via...

Oberon to buy I-play.(deals)
May 1, 2007... Online games powerhouse Oberon Media announced its intention to acquire I-play. The combined company will hold an intellectual property portfolio with more than a thousand games and 350 partners. No financial details were disclosed. ...

Mobile games 2.0.(this month's model)
May 1, 2007... Everything else is going 2.0 these days--why not mobile games? Digital Chocolate is making the first serious move with its new DChoc Care Series. The new games--scheduled to be launched later this year--include casual games like popular...

Making sense out of the phone camera.(STREET WISE)
May 1, 2007... Just what were they thinking? Adding a camera to the phone seems pretty natural, but why put a phone module into a camera? That's exactly what Samsung did with its new VLUU i70 digital camera, which unfortunately is only available in Korea...

Telecoms, IT, media converge in Singapore.(SHOW PREVIEW)
May 1, 2007... With the telecoms landscape growing more complex and discussions heating up on what technologies will be essential, CommunicAsia2007 is expected to be even bigger than last year--not only in terms of floor space, but also in terms of the number...

All in the mind.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
May 1, 2007... A team at Norway University in Trondheim found no correlation between people's exposure to mobile phone emissions and their reports of headache symptoms. Researchers recruited 17 subjects who experienced headaches during or after mobile...

New heights.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
May 1, 2007... Thanks to China Telecom, which set up a mobile phone tower at base camp on the north side of Mount Everest, a British climber, Rod Baber, made the first call on May 21 from the summit of the 8,848-meter peak. The call was made to a...

Wi-Fi scare.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
May 1, 2007... A BBC program about the dangers of Wi-Fi radiation has drawn outrage from scientific circles and bogging sites, sighting flawed science and conflict of interest. The Panorama program last month reported that radiation levels from Wi-Fi in...