Wireless Asia articles from November 2005

Wireless Asia archives from November 2005

Dissing WiMAX.(UNWIRED)
November 15, 2005... If you're thin-skinned and in the WiMAX business, it hasn't been a good month. Vendors have emerged from various points to diss the much-heralded wireless broadband technology. Nokia's WiMAX point-man Marku Hollstrom complained to...

DoCoMo smoothes path for 02/i-mode alliance.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
November 15, 2005... NTTDoCoMo's dream of launching i-mode in the key UK market was realized in early October with 02 UK launching the service. Days later 02 Ireland followed suite. But DoCoMo's 02 alliance has required some house-tidying because the third 02...

850m mobile workers by 2009.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
November 15, 2005... As businesses discover the importance of the mobile workforce, the number of mobile workers worldwide is projected to reach 850 million in 2009 from 650 million in 2004. IDC says mobile workers will represent 25% of the global workforce by that...

India: top mobile gaming growth market.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
November 15, 2005... The Indian mobile gaming market is likely to grow 700% by 2010 as the country ranks as the top mobile game market in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and in the UK. A Pyramid Research survey of users in India found that 32% say they play...

APAC WiMAX subs to reach 3.8m.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
November 15, 2005... The number of WiMAX subscribers in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to reach 5.8 million by 2009, or 45% of the world's total, from about 80,000 subscribers this year. According to In-Star, South Korea will register the highest WiMAX service...

Europeans heavy users of mobile music.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S WIRELESS RESEARCH)
November 15, 2005... European mobile phone owners are four times more likely to listen to music on their phones than their American counterparts. According to Telephia, as of the third quarter, 36% of Europeans with music-enabled handsets to listen to music while...

Nokia and Ericsson revive interest in 450.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
November 15, 2005... Nokia and Ericsson announced plans last month to extend their GSM portfolios into the 450-MHz band, five or six years after their failed attempts to promote the technology for operators in NMT-450 countries. In 2000, the vendors had...

Correction.(Correction notice)
November 15, 2005... Our Unwired column in September stated incorrectly that Kodiak's 64k SIM card can make even SIM-enabled handset a potential PTT terminal. Kodiak has advised us that its SIM-power enables advanced voice services applications (such as instant...

Mobile TV ready for take off.(METRICS: Inside the wireless data numbers)
November 15, 2005... Revenue from mobile TV services is expected to soar from just $136 million this year to $7.6 billion by 2010 as the number of mobile phone owners subscribing to streamed or broadcast TV services is seen hitting 65 million by that time. ...

Global wireless ARPU drops 13%.(METRICS: Inside the wireless data numbers)
November 15, 2005... Even as global wireless subscriber numbers and revenues increase, operators are posting declining ARPU, with a 13% global decline in Q2 to $21.30. A TeleGeography study shows that the Asia-Pacific region suffered an 18% drop in ARPU, which fell...

NTT DoCoMo sells its 2.16% stake in KPN Mobile to the Dutch cellphone service provider's parent firm for 680m yen ($5.8m).(Movements)
November 15, 2005... NTT DoCoMo sells its 2.16% stake in KPN Mobile to the Dutch cellphone service provider's parent firm for 680m yen ($5.8m). Apart from the share sale, DoCoMo obtains the right to use KPN Mobile's patents and Internet access technology.

Motorola sues a former president and CFO who has been hired to run rival Nortel.(Movements)
November 15, 2005... Motorola sues a former president and CFO who has been hired to run rival Nortel. Mike Zafirovski resigned his posts earlier this year and was hired by Nortel as president and CFO.

Nokia and China Putian agree to set up a joint venture in Wuhan, China.(Movements)
November 15, 2005... Nokia and China Putian agree to set up a joint venture in Wuhan, China, to focus on R&D, manufacturing and sales of 3G network solutions for TD-SCDMA and W-CDMA technologies.

The US Supreme Court refuses an emergency petition by Research in Motion to suspend a potentially devastating injunction stemming from a patent dispute with NTP.(Movements)
November 15, 2005... The US Supreme Court refuses an emergency petition by Research in Motion to suspend a potentially devastating injunction stemming from a patent dispute with NTP, which claims the popular Blackberry device infringes on its patents. As a result...

Samsung's global handset market share.(Movements)
November 15, 2005... Samsung's global handset market share fell in Q3 to 12.9% from 13% in the period a year earlier.

Pantech signs deal to supply 500,000 mobile phones to America Movil.(Movements)
November 15, 2005... Pantech signs deal to supply 500,000 mobile phones to America Movil, the biggest mobile operator in Central and South America, by the end of this year.

ZTE signs a deal with Mundostartel, Angola's second largest fixed-line operator, to deploy its first ever Africa commercial WiMAX network.(Movements)
November 15, 2005... ZTE signs a deal with Mundostartel, Angola's second largest fixed-line operator, to deploy its first ever Africa commercial WiMAX network. ZTE will supply the equipment to build a nationwide WiMAX network by January 2006.

Samsung and Apple Computer fail to go ahead with negotiations on a possible joint investment.(Movements)
November 15, 2005... Samsung and Apple Computer fail to go ahead with negotiations on a possible joint investment to produce NAND flash memory chips.

Nokia will make substantial efforts to introduce low-price handsets to tap China's less-developed regions, as mobile subscriber growth in the country's big cities continue to slow.(Movements)
November 15, 2005... Nokia will make substantial efforts to introduce low-price handsets to tap China's less-developed regions, as mobile subscriber growth in the country's big cities continue to slow. Nokia China president David Ho says third- and fourth-tier...

VimpelCom, Russia's second-largest mobile operator.(Movements)
November 15, 2005... VimpelCom, Russia's second-largest mobile operator, launches EDGE services in Moscow.

The Chinese government orders mobile operators.(BEIJING)
November 15, 2005... The Chinese government orders mobile operators to clean up the content of spam sent via SMS as part of its effort to quash "unhealthy" influences.

China Mobile will pay HK$3.38b ($433m) to buy 744 million shares, or 66.4%, of China Resources Peoples Telephone.(HONG KONG)
November 15, 2005... China Mobile will pay HK$3.38b ($433m) to buy 744 million shares, or 66.4%, of China Resources Peoples Telephone. The shares are offered by Peoples' major shareholder Michael Leung, who holds an 18% stake, and the company's parent China...

China Unicom begins operation of its cdma2000 1x network in Macau.(MACAU)
November 15, 2005... China Unicom begins operation of its cdma2000 lx network in Macau. The company initially offers roaming services to tourists, with plans to offer voice, data and multimedia services to local residents next year.

The National Telecommunications Commission approves TOT's bid to operate 3G cellular services.(BANGKOK)
November 15, 2005... The National Telecommunications Commission approves TOT's bid to operate 3G cellular services. However, TOT will only be able to start offering 3G services after the NTC issues its 3G licensing framework.

VNPT signs a contract with Siemens to build a $107m wireless local loop system.(HANOI)
November 15, 2005... VNPT signs a contract with Siemens to build a $107m wireless local loop system in order to develop a rural network in the central region.

PT Telkom plans to buy back $500m worth of its shares.(JAKARTA)
November 15, 2005... PT Telkom plans to buy back $500m worth of its shares. The government endorses the move. The shares to be bought back will include shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Jakarta Stock Exchange.

Indosat expects its mobile subscriber base to increase to 14m at the end of this year.(JAKARTA)
November 15, 2005... Indosat expects its mobile subscriber base to increase to 14m at the end of this year from 12.8m in September.

Digi.com records a 42% year-on-year jump in pre-tax profit to RM442.9m ($117.4m) for the nine months ending September 30.(KUALA LUMPUR)
November 15, 2005... Digi.com records a 42% year-on-year jump in pre-tax profit to RM442.9m ($117.4m) for the nine months ending September 30, driven by better EBITDA performance and lower finance costs.

Malaysian application service provider MCAT threatens to take Celcom to court if Celcom does not retract a statement denying its association with MCAT.(KUALA LUMPUR)
November 15, 2005... Malaysian application service provider MCAT threatens to take Celcom to court if Celcom does not retract a statement denying its association with MCAT. MCAT had launched its mobile prepaid service using Celcom's network, but, Celcom issued a...

The South Korean government will allow mobile operators to subsidize handset prices for customers who have had a subscription for three years.(SEOUL)
November 15, 2005... The South Korean government will allow mobile operators to subsidize handset prices for customers who have had a subscription for three years. A total of 15.5 million users meet the three-year requirement.

Eonex Technologies, a South Korean technology startup, develops a mobile phone with LG Electronics using its home-grown core semiconductors, a move expected to reduce the market dominance of Qualcomm.(SEOUL)
November 15, 2005... Eonex Technologies, a South Korean technology startup, develops a mobile phone with LG Electronics using its home-grown core semiconductors, a move expected to reduce the market dominance of Qualcomm. The new model, the N1000, will soon be...

SK Telecom is hit with a $1.4m fine for "discriminating" against other Internet portal companies in opening its wireless network.(SEOUL)
November 15, 2005... SK Telecom is hit with a $1.4m fine for "discriminating" against other Internet portal companies in opening its wireless network. The government has ordered operators to open their wireless networks to Internet portals and other companies, but...

Taiwan Cellular mulls joining the handset joint-procurement program of the Bridge Mobile Alliance to trim costs.(TAIPEI)
November 15, 2005... Taiwan Cellular mulls joining the handset joint-procurement program of the Bridge Mobile Alliance to trim costs. Taiwan Cellular is a member of the alliance but has not participated in the group's joint-procurement efforts.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs signs a cooperative agreement with Intel.(TAIPEI)
November 15, 2005... The Ministry of Economic Affairs signs a cooperative agreement with Intel to jointly promote the development of WiMAX equipment and service industries in Taiwan.

NTT DoCoMo reports that the email addresses of some 71,000 users of its mobile phone service were temporarily "exposed".(TOKYO)
November 15, 2005... NTT DoCoMo reports that the email addresses of some 71,000 users of its mobile phone service were temporarily "exposed" via the Web site of a company based in Guam.

J:Com Hill partner with PHS operator Willcom to offer a mobile service under its own brand by next March.(TOKYO)
November 15, 2005... J:Com Hill partner with PHS operator Willcom to offer a mobile service under its own brand by next March. The service, called J:Com Mobile, Hill be based on Willcom's 2,900 yen ($195) "all-you-can-use" service plan. J:Com will also bundle the...

Vodafone Australia begins offering 3G services in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and at major airports last week.(SYDNEY)
November 15, 2005... Vodafone Australia begins offering 3G services in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and at major airports last week. Service will be expanded to the Gold Cost and Brisbane in March and Adelaide and Perth in July.

The Singaporean government tightens its control prepaid SIM cards, ordering subscribers to register with service providers starting in November.(SINGAPORE)
November 15, 2005... The Singaporean government tightens its control prepaid SIM cards, ordering subscribers to register with service providers starting in November. The move is part of the city-state's anti-terror measures.

A Philippine lawmaker questions what he called the "mad rush" of the Philippine National Telecommunications Commission to 3G.(MANILA)
November 15, 2005... A Philippine lawmaker questions what he called the "mad rush" of the Philippine National Telecommunications Commission to 3G. Representative Joseph Santiago of Catanduanes said he was puzzled by the NTC's over-enthusiastic push for 3G when...

Tata Teleservices places an order of 350,000 CDMA handsets.(NEW DELHI)
November 15, 2005... Tata Teleservices places an order of 350,000 CDMA handsets with South Korea's Pantech & Curial Communications.

Music goes mobile: mobile music may be the talk of the industry after the launch of Motorola's ROKR, Sony Ericsson's Walkman range and Nokia's N91 music jukebox, but operators want more than a device that can play back music. While cellcos search for a business model, analysts see vast opportunity beyond downloads--once operators have the billing, payment and content infrastructure in place.(Cover story)
November 15, 2005... It started out as a whisper with mobile ringtones in the late 90s, but now the whole broad category of mobile music is making more noise than just about any other service. Ringtones have built up into a multibillion dollar global industry, and...

The trouble with WiMAX: it's tough out there in wireless-land. Ericsson's CTO doesn't hold back in his views on mobile WiMAX or Flarion, or, for that matter, his employer's current preoccupation, HSDPA. Hakan Eriksson talks with senior contributing editor Robert Clark.(1-2-1)
November 15, 2005... Wireless Asia: Ericsson is not the biggest fan of WiMAX. You spoke this morning [at event in Shanghai] about how it is standardizing only in layers one and two. Can you elaborate on that? How does this compare with Wi-Fi? Hakan Eriksson:...

Place your bets! Asia's five new 3G license battlegrounds: as 3G rollouts continue across Asia, some markets that skipped the first round of 3G spectrum allocations are gearing up to jump in the game.(3G SUPPLEMENT)
November 15, 2005... The 3G bandwagon has come a long way in the past 12 months. Around this time last year, there were just over 20 million UMTS and EV-DO subscribers in the world. As of August 31, that had grown to over 50 million, around two-thirds (33 million)...

China primed for HSDPA leapfrog play: China's long wait for 3G could pay off by allowing 3G players to start off with commercial HSDPA offerings. And that includes TD-SCDMA licensees.(3G SUPPLEMENT)
November 15, 2005... As Chinese operators and most of the global wireless industry wait for Chinas Ministry of Information Industry to finalize and announce its plans for allocating 3G licenses, attention is turning to the fact that any 3G announcement at this...

The flat-rate pricing dilemma.(WIRELESS FORUM)
November 15, 2005... NTT DoCoMo president Nakamura recently stated that the existing business model involving flat-rate data and ever-more competitive voice prices will not be enough to deliver a return to shareholders. Similarly SKT and KTF in Korea have also been...

Simplifying complexity.(tools)
November 15, 2005... AOL subsidiary and predictive text input software provider Tegic Communications has launched its T9 Mobile Suite 1.0, a multimodal user interface solution that seamlessly integrates various text entry options, including traditional phone...

3G videotelephony hub.(tools)
November 15, 2005... France Telecom's Hubbing Videotelephony service for mobile operators aims to enable the extension of the international connectivity of 3G videotelephony offerings. The service will allow mobile operators to provide end-users with mobile video...

UIQ 3 software platform.(tools)
November 15, 2005... UIQ Technology has introduced the first public version of the software development kit for the Symbian OS-based UIQ 3 software platform, which will allow developers to target all UIQ 3-based handsets from different manufacturers using a single...

Attachment viewer.(tools)
November 15, 2005... NEC's mobile phone document viewer allows quick, high-quality display of email attachments, even those that have rich media content such as images and charts, on a user's cellphone. NEC's proprietary image data format technology can even be...

Customized 3G video channels.(out now)
November 15, 2005... Subscribers of M1's 3G service can enjoy more than 20 different customized video channels through the new Watch-a-Video service. The available channels will initially include MediaCorp TV, Discovery Channel, international news, sports and...

StarHub ready for i-mode.(out now)
November 15, 2005... StarHub is set to launch Singapore's first i-mode service, with various content agreements already signed. At launch, Singapore's i-mode users will be able to enjoy a wide variety of lifestyle content and service offerings from more than 50...

Internet auction partnership.(deals)
November 15, 2005... E-commerce firm Rakutenz and NTT DoCoMo have joined forces to provide Internet auction services over both mobile phones and PCs. Under the agreement, Rakuten will spin off a part of its Internet auction business as the newly established Rakuten...

SMS-based insurance deal.(deals)
November 15, 2005... ValueCard has formed a partnership with global messaging gateway Clickatell to allow real-time, SMS-based insurance claims. Under the agreement, ValueCard has integrated Clickatell's SMS gateway service into its open source TenderSystem...

Linktone to invest in 9Sky.(deals)
November 15, 2005... Linktone has committed to make a strategic investment in 9Sky International for the development of a legal digital music download business in China. 9Sky, which has agreements with many local and international music labels such as Sony BMG and...

Macau's CTM launches BlackBerry.(out now)
November 15, 2005... Companhia de Telecomunicacoes de Macau (CTM) is now offering the BlackBerry service on its GPRS network First to use the service is the Macau 4th East Asian Games Organizing Committee, to which CTM will provide 35 BlackBerry handhelds that will...

Full album music downloads.(out now)
November 15, 2005... One2Free 3G's "Music Channel" service allows customers to download full albums, some even before they are formally launched, through their mobile handsets. As its first offering, users can download Leo Ku's pre-release hits and even his entire...

Karaoke on the go.(out now)
November 15, 2005... Mobile2win's Phone Karaoke application captures the essential elements of karaoke such as music, artwork and synchronized lyrics, in Java applets. The application can be downloaded to Java-enabled mobile phones, with users to be charged per...

Vocal email response.(out now)
November 15, 2005... Visto's Mobile Secure Voice feature enables mobile professionals to respond to emails using voice. This new capability, made possible by Visto's acquisition of mixed-media services provider Trekmail, is geared to users who do not have keyboards...

Security deal for Nokia smartphones.(deals)
November 15, 2005... Nokia and Symantec have entered an agreement that will allow the handset manufacturer to preload the Symantec Mobile Security solution in its Series 60-based smartphones. The proliferation of smartphones has prompted the two companies to engage...

CSL, eBay partner for mobile bidding.(deals)
November 15, 2005... CSL and eBay Hong Kong have partnered to launch Asia's first eBay mobile bidding service, which will allow customers to log in to eBay with their cellphones. Users can search and bid for different items, including those exclusive to CSL, for as...

Root DNS services for GSM operators.(deals)
November 15, 2005... The GSM Association and NeuStar have inked an agreement to offer Root Domain Name System (DNS) services to more than 680 GSM mobile operators worldwide. As NeuStar's Root DNS will manage a global common directory that will allow GSM networks to...

Make your own tone.(this month's model)
November 15, 2005... Ringtones may be the hot download for mobile data services, but those download charges can add up, and often it's hard to find the exact ringtone you want. Consequently, software developers have come up with PC-based apps that allow users to...

New iPod creates more than a stir.(STREETWISE)
November 15, 2005... About a month ago, when the iPod Nano first came on the market in Hong Kong, something pretty amazing happened in the office. Within the first week, two colleagues who had sent out special orders for the miniature portable media player, and...

Wi-Fi: look it up.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
November 15, 2005... It's official: "Wi-Fi" is now a proper word. You know it is because it was added last month to the newly published Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Naturally, some Wi-Fi companies were quick to cash in. Wi-Fi TV, for example,...

SMS poetry spam.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
November 15, 2005... Cellcos looking for new revenue streams to milk out of their SMS networks might consider the Cyrano de Bergerac strategy being practiced in China. China Mobile and China Unicorn have been contracting ghost-writers to write anonymous syrupy...

Watching the generators.(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
November 15, 2005... Recent natural disasters, particularly hurricanes, have put a premium on network readiness. For those prone to tropical cyclones, Tactus Telematics has launched a system for cellcos to help them make sure their networks--and in particular their...

Is that a doctor in your pocket?(SHORT MESSAGE: Around the wireless industry)
November 15, 2005... "4G" still means different things to different people. To Samsung Electronics president Lee Ki-tae, it means that handsets will serve as interpreters and medical doctors. "A mobile phone three years from now will become a portable doctor...