Wireless Asia articles from November 2004

Wireless Asia archives from November 2004

Beware the silence of a good idea.(Unwired)
November 15, 2004... A good deal has been written about the trajectory of technology adoption; Forrester and Gartner even have their own patented frameworks of how innovations go mainstream. Unwired's ambition here is slightly more modest--namely to point out...

DoCoMo, Qualcomm collaborate as KDDI bets on Brew.(News Analysis)
November 15, 2004... Qualcomm and NTT DoCoMo have been bitter rivals competing for dominance in the 36 world, but Japan's leading mobile operator and its handset makers are now considering using Qualcomm chipsets in FOMA handsets from the second half of next year....

Users turn to mobile channels for music downloads.(Insight: one month's wireless research)
November 15, 2004... According to a study by A.T. Kearney, 21% of mobile users download music onto their phones, up from only 7% just a year ago. The survey showed that 18% of users download games, 14% download pictures and video, and 13% vote in interactive...

Fourfold surge forecast in mobile content revenue.(Insight: one month's wireless research)
November 15, 2004... The mobile content market will ring up nearly $78 billion in revenues worldwide by 2007, up from $16.7 billion last year. The majority of the revenues will go to operators, but third-party content providers will bring in about 40% of the total,...

Complicating the Wi-Fi offering.(Insight: one month's wireless research)
November 15, 2004... A survey of 122 Wi-Fi service providers in Europe found that the service is moving toward pricing structures that often leave users unable to understand what they were being charged. BroadGroup says that while providers now offer a wider...

Opportunities for Taiwan's ODMs.(Insight: one month's wireless research)
November 15, 2004... China's policy to protect domestic mobile handset makers by requiring enterprises to have production licenses has helped local players gain a significant market share. But ABI Research notes that the policy has had a serious side effect for...

Thai regulator in position, but swift action unlikely.(News Analysis)
November 15, 2004... The seven members of Thailand's first independent telecoms regulator, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), officially stepped into their new role on November 1--some seven contentious years after the proposal to form the new...

Newcomers in Sydney battle for wireless broadband.(News Analysis)
November 15, 2004... Australia's retail broadband market, which has been dominated by Telstra, is being shaken up by new wireless providers not dependent on the incumbent and its control of the infrastructure. New player Unwired has progressed from start-up to...

GSM thrives in Indian price wars.(Metrics)
November 15, 2004... The past 12 months have been brilliant for India's GSM operators, which collectively have seen subscriber numbers grow over 80% from September 2003 to September 2004, according to the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). At the end...

Voice still king of the 3G hill.(Metrics)
November 15, 2004... Hutchison's 3G business may be gathering steam, but voice is still 3's killer app in terms of revenue, according to the latest edition of EME World Cellular Data Metrics. Overall, 3 subscribers are spending more than six times as much on...

Huawei takes lead in mobile softswitch era.(Advertorial)(Advertisement)
November 15, 2004... The mobile core network has entered into the softswitch era. With its technological and economic advantages, mobile operators around the world are increasingly applying softswitch architecture into 2G and 3G mobile network construction. ...

The FCC approves Cingular Wirelesss' $41b acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services.(Movements)
November 15, 2004... The FCC approves Cingular Wirelesss' $41b acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services, making way for the country's largest mobile company.

T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone and 3 appoint a body to oversee the self-classification of new forms of adult commercial content on mobiles.(Movements)
November 15, 2004... T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone and 3 appoint a body to oversee the self-classification of new forms of adult commercial content on mobiles. The body, named the Independent Mobile Classification Body (IMCB), a subsidiary of premium rate...

Orange and Deutsche Telekom end an agreement to share a UMTS network, which they signed in 2002.(Movements)
November 15, 2004... Orange and Deutsche Telekom end an agreement to share a UMTS network, which they signed in 2002. The two groups say that technological developments mean that separate deployment can be achieved more quickly and efficiently.

Nokia sees its third quarter net profit fall 20% to 660m euros ($818m) compared to last year.(Movements)
November 15, 2004... Nokia sees its third quarter net profit fall 20% to 660m euros ($818m) compared to last year. Revenue increased just 1% to 6.94b euros ($8.6b) from 6.87b euros during the same last year. The company's operating profit decreased 20% to 928m...

Motorola is adding a payment function based on near-field communication (NFC) technology to its line of cellphones.(Movements)
November 15, 2004... Motorola is adding a payment function based on near-field communication (NFC) technology to its line of cellphones. The company plans to begin trials of NFC-enabled phones in the US later this year.

PalmOne introduces an update of its flagship Treo smartphone with a more vivid color display, an MP3 player and a single inbox for text and picture messaging.(Movements)
November 15, 2004... PalmOne introduces an update of its flagship Treo smartphone with a more vivid color display, an M[P.sub.3] player and a single inbox for text and picture messaging. The Treo 650 has the same basic design as its predecessor the Treo 600, but is...

Inmarsat selects Aruba Wireless Networks to replace its existing WLAN.(Movements)
November 15, 2004... Inmarsat selects Aruba Wireless Networks to replace its existing WLAN. Aruba's centralized WLAN switching system will provide seamless mobile computing capabilities for 400 Inmarsat employees throughout its London headquarters and global branch...

Spreadtrum Communications develops a new mobile phone chipset for TD-SCDMA.(Movements)
November 15, 2004... Spreadtrum Communications develops a new mobile phone chipset for TD-SCDMA. The chipset uses a 0.18-micron analogue/digital signal solution, integrating analogue/digital base-band and power management on a single chipset.

Beijing: nine major Chinese telecoms players, including the four leading operators, equipment vendors Huawei, ZTE, Putian and Vimcro, and an MII-run research institute form a new industry alliance to promote innovation and standards-setting in the burgeoning mobile multimedia industry.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Nine major Chinese telecoms players, including the four leading operators, equipment vendors Huawei, ZTE, Putian and Vimcro, and an MII-run research institute form a new industry alliance to promote innovation and standards-setting in the...

Beijing: in deference to Hong Kong's successful bid to host ITU Telecom World in 2006, the Ministry of Information Industry decides not to hold PT/Expo Comm or any other international telecoms exhibitions in 2006.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... In deference to Hong Kong's successful bid to host ITU Telecom World in 2006, the Ministry of Information Industry decides not to hold PT/Expo Comm or any other international telecoms exhibitions in 2006. Instead, PT/Expo Comm--originally...

Beijing: China Unicom's subsidiaries in Zhejiang, Shaanxi and Liaoning award Lucent contracts valued at $107m.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... China Unicom's subsidiaries in Zhejiang, Shaanxi and Liaoning award Lucent contracts valued at $107m for cdma2000 network expansion projects.

Shenzhen: ZTE signs a contract with Nepal Telecom to provide one million CDMA lines.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... ZTE signs a contract with Nepal Telecom to provide one million CDMA lines. It will provide cdma2000 1X equipment to build a network covering major areas in Nepal. When completed, the network will provide mobile and WLL services, with a data...

Shenzhen: ZTE is planning for a Hong Kong listing.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... ZTE is planning for a Hong Kong listing this December to raise $250m.

Hong Kong: SmarTone Telecommunications begins laying the groundwork for a launch of 3G mobile services by cold calling existing subscribers to register their interest in 3G services.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... SmarTone Telecommunications begins laying the groundwork for a launch of 3G mobile services by cold calling existing subscribers to register their interest in 3G services a marketing technique rival Hutchison Telecoms used about three months...

Bangkok: CAT Telecom is in talks with Hutchison to revise their marketing and network rental contracts.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... CAT Telecom is in talks with Hutchison to revise their marketing and network rental contracts for CDMA service.

Bangkok: CAT Telecom will appoint financial advisors for the company's IPO in June 2005 to raise funds for its cdma2000 1x project, according to president Witit Sujjapong..(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... CAT Telecom will appoint financial advisors for the company's IPO in June 2005 to raise funds for its cdma2000 1x project, according to president Witit Sujjapong. The IPO is unlikely to take place in June due to the outstanding concession...

Dhaka: analysts forecast that the number of mobile subscribers in Bangladesh will increase.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Analysts forecast that the number of mobile subscribers in Bangladesh will increase to 12m-15m by 2007, up from 3.3m currently.

Hanoi: Hanoi Telecom expects to secure a license by early-December to launch the country's first 3G mobile network using cdma2000 1x EV-DO technology.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Hanoi Telecom expects to secure a license by early-December to launch the country's first 3G mobile network using cdma2000 1x EV-DO technology. The 3G service will be operated in cooperation with Hutchison Telecommunications, pending approval...

Jakarta: Indosat signs a revenue share agreement with Jogja Telpun Cerdas for a cdma2000 1x network in Yogyakarta, as an extension to its existing StarOne limited mobility fixed wireless CDMA based network.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Indosat signs a revenue share agreement with Jogja Telpun Cerdas for a cdma2000 1x network in Yogyakarta, as an extension to its existing StarOne limited mobility fixed wireless EDMA based network. The agreement lasts for ten years and can be...

Seoul: LG Electronics plans to set up a new mobile handset plant in Pune, India, in a bid to boost its revenue from its Indian operations to $10b by 2010.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... LG Electronics plans to set up a new mobile handset plant in Pune, India, in a bid to boost its revenue from its Indian operations to $10b by 2010. The company will invest $150m in its Indian operations by 2007.

Taipei: the Ministry of Finance and the cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development agree in principle to grant a five-year tax holiday to Taiwan's 3G service providers.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... The Ministry of Finance and the cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development agree in principle to grant a five-year tax holiday to Taiwan's 3G service providers. Senior officials of the two units point out that the government...

Taipei: Chunghwa Telecom launches push-to-talk services over its GPRS network.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Chunghwa Telecom launches push-to-talk services over its GPRS network. The company is partnering with Nokia and Motorola on the venture, whereby the vendors make the capital investments and receives revenue share on any PTT revenues.

Tokyo: KDDI will launch a service enabling full-length song downloads to 3G mobile phones this month.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... KDDI will launch a service enabling full-length song downloads to 3G mobile phones this month. The service will offer a choice of 10,000 songs on six Web sites, each costing several hundred yen, or the equivalent of a few dollars. KDDI has...

Tokyo: NTT DoCoMo, Intel and IBM release a new security specification, called "Trusted Mobile Platform.".(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... NTT DoCoMo, Intel and IBM release a new security specification, called "Trusted Mobile Platform," designed to help make advanced mobile-commerce services such as electronic tickets and e-wallets for online purchases more secure and help protect...

Sydney: Hutchison Telecom aims to more than double its 3G network capacity.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Hutchison Telecom aims to more than double its 3G network capacity to over 1.7m subscribers and to accelerate download speeds to 2 Mbps by April 2006.

Wellington: Telecom Corp of New Zealand and Vodafone are to develop a mobile phone code of practice.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Telecom Corp of New Zealand and Vodafone are to develop a mobile phone code of practice aimed at protecting young mobile users from sexual predators.

Kuala Lumpur: Maxis expects that only 2% of its 5.12m users will pay for 3G services next year as handset prices are expected to remain exorbitant the first year of its commercial launch, set for first quarter 2005.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Maxis expects that only 2% of its 5.12m users will pay for 3G services next year as handset prices are expected to remain exorbitant the first year of its commercial launch, set for first quarter 2005. But the company's bottom line will not be...

Manila: Sun Cellular signs a managed service contract with Ericsson for the integration, implementation and hosting of a streaming service, which will allow Sun Cellular customers to enjoy a variety of audio and video content.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Sun Cellular signs a managed service contract with Ericsson for the integration, implementation and hosting of a streaming service, which will allow Sun Cellular customers to enjoy a variety of audio and video content. No financial information...

Manila: Globe Telecom and Sun Cellular reach an agreement on MMS connection.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Globe Telecom and Sun Cellular reach an agreement on MMS connection. The companies are testing their networks for the MMS service and plan to have full interconnection starting this month.

Bharti Televentures.(around Wireless Asia)
November 15, 2004... Bharti Televentures announces commercial launch of 900-MHz GSM/GPRS services in WestBengal and Sikkim states. The initial launch covers 100 towns and rides on 150 cell sites.

ZTE answers the 3G call: the mobile industry is moving rapidly toward 3G, with recent announcements of commercial deployments of next-generation mobile services across the globe. ZTE, leveraging its undisputed expertise in 1x EV-DO and TD-SCDMA technologies, is ready to answer cellcos' 3G calls.(Advertorial)(Advertisement)
November 15, 2004... While the basic advantages of the technology are well illustrated by ZTE's 1x EVDO system, the particular architecture and design approach adopted by the company delivers important benefits not available with other vendors' systems. In general,...

Beyond 3G: the coming age of ubiquity: in the wireless broadband stakes, 3G, Wi-Fi and WiMAX will all win in the emerging next-gen paradigm of ubiquitous connectivity--broadband services via multiple wireless access links hidden from the user. In theory, anyway. The technology is mostly here, but some operators are more worried about how they're going to bill for it.(Cover Story)
November 15, 2004... The cellular 3G wars are over. Or at least moot. Not that you'd know from the September flap in India over TRAI's proposal to issue so-called US-PCS spectrum to CDMA operators to alleviate a 2G CDMA spectrum shortage--and, in the process, cut...

Presence goes mobile: presence is evolving rapidly from Internet-based instant messaging to the mobile space. Mobile carriers, however, have yet to make a serious move into presence-based services as constraints such as usability and user awareness are restricting its takeoff.(Applications)
November 15, 2004... Evolving from the world of IM, presence has been touted as a killer application that has the potential to revolutionize the way mobile users interact. At the most basic level, presence services allow mobile users to view the availability...

Foundation for growth: subscription numbers continue to soar and new services are driving traffic. Although increased competition is putting pressure on vendors to consolidate, Ericsson's president and CEO Carl-Henric Svenberg tells senior contributing editors Chee Sing Chan and Robert Clark that the industry's complexity is curbing mergers and spurring cooperation.(1_2_1)
November 15, 2004... Wireless Asia: What's your outlook on the market over the next three years--are you expecting much consolidation among the communications vendors? Carl-Henric Svanberg: From a growth point of view, we don't see a reason why we shouldn't...

Content delivery made simple: incompatible operating systems and competing networks force application developers to create and manage multiple versions of each application to support the broadest user base. A cross-platform approach simplifies migrating existing applications to the wireless world.(Wireless Insider)
November 15, 2004... In today's mobile world, sales of wireless handsets are growing by leaps and bounds. According to recent figures from Gartner, worldwide mobile phone sales totaled 156 million units in the second quarter of 2004, up from 153 million in first...

New enablers from OMA.(tools)
November 15, 2004... The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) announces the public availability of four new Enabler Releases that have been approved under the OMA's interoperability program: Multimedia Messaging Service 1.1, Web Services 1.0, Download 1.0 and Digital Rights...

DRM for games.(tools)
November 15, 2004... Beep Science announces commercial availability of its new digital rights management product for native mobile games and console games. The product is based on version 2 of the DRM industry standard from Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), with extended...

Video corruption resolved.(tools)
November 15, 2004... Dilithium Networks introduces its DTG200 gateway product, which it says resolves the problem of video corruption between the IP network and 3G network due to air interface, interference and noise.

RFID app network.(tools)
November 15, 2004... SeeBeyond unveils its RFID Composite Application Network, which it says enables organizations to "rapidly deploy next-generation, composite-based applications leveraging existing IT assets to accelerate the return on RFID investments." The...

Video telephony gauge.(tools)
November 15, 2004... Dilithium Networks introduces DNA Mobile, a networks analyzer that makes it easier for network operators to gather key performance indicators of network statistics related to video telephony across 3G networks. The DNA Mobile's new key...

Bluetooth stack for Symbian.(tools)
November 15, 2004... CSR says its embedded Bluetooth software stack BCHS (BlueCore Host Software) is now available in a version optimized for the Symbian operating system.

RFID app collaboration.(deals)
November 15, 2004... SeeBeyond and SBK Labs announce a strategic alliance to collaborate on the development of on-demand composite applications to benefit companies intending to deploy RFID systems.

DoCoMo offers Flash Lite.(deals)
November 15, 2004... Macromedia and NTT DoCoMo say that members of the DoCoMo-led global alliance of i-mode licensing companies will be offered Macromedia Flash Lite (the mobile version of the Macromedia Flash Player) to provide their mobile Internet users with...

TruVideo to expand.(deals)
November 15, 2004... Japanese mobile video technology company TruVideo signs a representative agreement with business development and consulting group FreeVerse Partners to develop business and expand into the Asian market.

IMS co-op deal.(deals)
November 15, 2004... Nokia and Hotsip agree to cooperate in the area of IP multimedia services. Nokia will include Hotsip's SIP PC Client, the Hotsip Active Contacts PC, as part of the Nokia IP Multimedia Subsystem offering for network operators. Nokia will also...

KDDI to adopt FeliCa.(deals)
November 15, 2004... KDDI and FeliCa Networks agree to collaborate on the introduction of mobile FeliCa, a system which enables contactless IC card technology in wireless devices, to the KDDI range of cellular phones. KDDI will develop and introduce the technology...

NWM launches PoC.(out now)
November 15, 2004... Hong Kong cellco New World Mobility (NWM) launches Hong Kong's first push to talk over cellular (PoC) service: "Press 'n Talk". Customers who have a Nokia 5140/7610/6600 handsets and register for the service can download the service settings,...

Where i-mode meets the road.(out now)
November 15, 2004... Nissan Motor Co and NTT DoCoMo kick off a new service, Okutto-Keitai, which enables drivers to receive i-mode content on their mobile phones by using their Nissan's "Carwings" navigation system. It is the first such i-mode content deal between...

Jumbo data storage.(out now)
November 15, 2004... Axalto announces what it says is the world's first commercial launch of a 256K SIM card with Maxis Communications, which has used the card to launch data storage applications such as Jumbo Phone Book, Jumbo SMS and Secure Pass services. The...

AAA licensing deal.(deals)
November 15, 2004... Bridgewater Systems announces a strategic agreement with VeriSign under which VeriSign will license Bridgewater Systems' authentication authorization and accounting (AAA) and mediation capabilities for use in VeriSign's Wireless Data Roaming...

Indian cellcos join GRX.(deals)
November 15, 2004... Aicent enters into a commercial GRX service contract with Hutchison and Orange cellular services in india, allowing their respective users to access GPRS services when they travel abroad. Similarly, visitors to India will be able to access GPRS...

SMAC invests and sells in China.(deals)
November 15, 2004... Siemens Mobile Acceleration (SMAC), the wireless start-up investment arm of Siemens Communications, announces its investment in Zero Global, a Shanghai-based start-up specializing in mobile enterprise software, enabling sales force, marketers...

Youth-branded SIMs.(deals)
November 15, 2004... Axalto delivers 64K UIM CDMA cards to China Unicom's CDMA network in Guangdong, which will use the cards to promote its youth brand, UP Xin Shi Li, with a large suite of valued-added services such as Mobile QQ, Hot Lover, Games, news and...

Series 60 apps development.(deals)
November 15, 2004... T-Mobile International and Nokia announce an agreement to create applications for the Series 60 Platform. The collaboration enables TMobile to design exclusive, branded applications on top of Series 60 Platform, allowing them to differentiate...

RegiSoft supplies ticketing server.(deals)
November 15, 2004... Cellular VAS developer RegiSoff and US mobile ticket service Zippline sign an agreement under which Zippline will use RegiSoft's World Trade Server for its mobile ticketing activities and additional cellular VAS in the US.

Full music downloads.(out now)
November 15, 2004... KDDI launches EZ Chaku-uta Full, a new 1X WIN (EV-DO) service billed as the first music distribution software for mobile phones that allows users to download full versions of digital songs rather than just clips. Users will generally be charged...

IM client.(out now)
November 15, 2004... AgileMobile.com launches its next-generation instant messaging service for mobile devices: Agile Messenger 3.0, a messaging client that supports simultaneous connectivity with ICQ, AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, QQ and Wireless Village. It also features a...

Instant branding.(out now)
November 15, 2004... Action Engine announces the availability of its Brand-n-Go Applications Pack, a turnkey package of applications featuring top content brands such as Amazon.com, FOX Sports and eBay. Brand-n-Go enables operators to "brand and go to market"...

Mobile healthcare monitoring.(this month's model)
November 15, 2004... Korean mobile healthcare services provider Healthpia is set to take its "diabetic phone" service overseas, starting in Japan. Healthpia launched the world's first diabetic phone--that is, a mobile phone (specifically, the KP8400 from LG...

Mobile alliances: scaling for success?(Wireless Forum)
November 15, 2004... Mobile alliances--or should we call them dalliances--are back on the strategic agenda in 2005. European alliances, Freemove and Starmap, are courting Asia-Pacific operators. Asian operators are forming their own cliques. In itself that is...

The great wireless debate.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
November 15, 2004... By the time you read this, the American presidential election will be over. Whoever wins, one of the more enduring questions surrounding the 2004 campaign in the months and perhaps years to come will probably be: was George W. Bush packing...

A new high in mobile branding.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
November 15, 2004... Mobile virtual network operator Dutch PhoneMe is demonstrating true niche marketing by branding itself to appeal to cannabis users. The branded service name is "PePtalk" (slogan: "Pep your Addiction"!) and the logo sports a hemp plant leaf....

The transistor radio turns 50.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
November 15, 2004... For those of you into landmarks in wireless history, last month marked the 50th anniversary of the world's first transistor radio- the Regency TR-1, announced on October 18, 1954, and put on sale Christmas the same year for a retail price of...

Asia outgrown.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
November 15, 2004... The Asia-Pacific often gets kudos as being one of the fastest growing mobile regions, but the crown for fastest growth--at least from 1999 to 2003--is Eastern Europe, which has posted a CAGR of well over 60% during the past four years,...

Fawlty Wi-Fi.(Short message: around the wireless industry)
November 15, 2004... Warning to hoteliers: if your Wi-Fi isn't up to scratch, your guests may not come back. That was the finding by a survey of regular hotel users across North America conducted by JupiterResearch and commissioned by BT. More importantly,...