Mobile WiMAX: The attack plan.

Source: Intel has a white paper that argues, “only Mobile WiMAX can transport DSL and cable-like services cost-effectively in a mobile environment”. The paper was prepared by WiMAX supporters on behalf of the WiMAX Forum. The paper compares HSDPA, HSUPA, EVDO…

Intel has a white paper that argues, “only Mobile WiMAX can transport DSL and cable-like services cost-effectively in a mobile environment”.
The paper was prepared by WiMAX supporters on behalf of the WiMAX Forum. The paper compares HSDPA, HSUPA, EVDO Rev A, and EVDO Rev B (using duplex 2 Ghz cellular channels) with Mobile WiMAX (using simplex 2.5 GHz channels). Unsurprisingly, Mobile WiMAX compares favorably with advanced CDMA technologies in this technical comparison.

Posted by Judith — 5:46 AM

100 HSDPA networks in operation or being deployed: report.

Source: The latest HSDPA Operator Commitments survey, undertaken by the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), confirms that 100 HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) networks are currently either in deployment or commercially launched in 49 countries and territories worldwide, an increase…

The latest HSDPA Operator Commitments survey, undertaken by the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), confirms that 100 HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) networks are currently either in deployment or commercially launched in 49 countries and territories worldwide, an increase of 100% in 6 months.

Posted by Judith — 5:35 AM

Vonage flotation in US sinking fast.

Source: It was supposed to be the most exciting technology company float since Google, but the Wall Street debut of Vonage, the internet telephony pioneer, was not so much a flotation as a shipwreck. And the story descended further into farce…

It was supposed to be the most exciting technology company float since Google, but the Wall Street debut of Vonage, the internet telephony pioneer, was not so much a flotation as a shipwreck. And the story descended further into farce yesterday when it emerged the company has told some small investors they need not honour pledges to buy stock.

Posted by Judith — 5:25 AM

Record ｣14.9bn loss at Vodafone.

Source: Vodafone made a ｣14.9bn ($27.9bn) loss last year - a record for a UK firm - after it admitted some of its assets were worth less that it thought….

Vodafone made a ｣14.9bn ($27.9bn) loss last year - a record for a UK firm - after it admitted some of its assets were worth less that it thought.

Posted by Judith — 5:22 AM

ComReg calls telcos back to discuss LLU.

Source: Ireland’s telecoms regulator the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has asked the country’s leading players to reopen negotiations on local loop unbundling (LLU), a little over a month after BT Ireland, Smart and Magnet walked away from the process citing…

Ireland’s telecoms regulator the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has asked the country’s leading players to reopen negotiations on local loop unbundling (LLU), a little over a month after BT Ireland, Smart and Magnet walked away from the process citing eircom’s intransigence as the reason. Talks on LLU started in December 2004 and have since focused on implementing automated processes for rival telcos to provide broadband internet access using LLU over eircom’s network. However, a month ago BT Ireland walked away from the talks saying the incumbent ‘continues to frustrate the progress of LLU and we do not see positive indications that a future change of ownership at the monopoly provider will bring a more progressive approach’. Smart and Magnet also walked away.

Posted by Judith — 5:20 AM

DoCoMo inks 3G partnership deal with Hutch.

Source: Japan痴 leading mobile operator by subscribers, NTT DoCoMo, is reported to have entered into a strategic agreement with Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong), a unit of Hutchison Telecommunications International, according to Dow Jones, quoting sources familiar with the deal….

Japan痴 leading mobile operator by subscribers, NTT DoCoMo, is reported to have entered into a strategic agreement with Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong), a unit of Hutchison Telecommunications International, according to Dow Jones, quoting sources familiar with the deal.

Posted by Judith — 5:55 AM

Amnesty to target net repression.

Source: Internet users are being urged to stand up for online freedoms by backing a new campaign launched by human rights group Amnesty International. The campaign will highlight abuses of rights the net is used for, and push for the release…

Internet users are being urged to stand up for online freedoms by backing a new campaign launched by human rights group Amnesty International.
The campaign will highlight abuses of rights the net is used for, and push for the release of those jailed for speaking out online.
It will also name hi-tech firms aiding governments that limit online protests.

Posted by Judith — 5:49 AM

Mobitel Sudan awards Ericsson network expansion deal.

Source: Mobitel Sudan, part of the Kuwaiti MTC group, has signed a EUR78 million (US$100 million) contract with Ericsson for the expansion of its network. Under the terms of the deal, Ericsson will supply equipment to increase capacity by 1.5 million…

Mobitel Sudan, part of the Kuwaiti MTC group, has signed a EUR78 million (US$100 million) contract with Ericsson for the expansion of its network. Under the terms of the deal, Ericsson will supply equipment to increase capacity by 1.5 million new lines by the end of the year. Further, the company intends to boost capacity by an additional million users in the first quarter of 2007.

Posted by Judith — 5:14 AM

Thaicom 3 to cover Middle East, East Africa.

Source: Shin Satellite plans to move its Thaicom 3 satellite to a new orbital slot to tap the Middle East and East African markets. The Thaicom 5 broadcasting satellite is scheduled for launch by the end of this month….

Shin Satellite plans to move its Thaicom 3 satellite to a new orbital slot to tap the Middle East and East African markets.
The Thaicom 5 broadcasting satellite is scheduled for launch by the end of this month.

Posted by Judith — 5:09 AM

China: U.S. is in wireless ‘conspiracy’.

Source: The agency promoting China’s wireless encryption standard has accused a U.S. engineers’ group of waging a conspiracy that led a global organization to reject the Chinese system, the country’s official news agency said Monday. China made the accusation in its…

The agency promoting China’s wireless encryption standard has accused a U.S. engineers’ group of waging a conspiracy that led a global organization to reject the Chinese system, the country’s official news agency said Monday.
China made the accusation in its appeal against the International Standards Organization’s decision in March to reject its encryption system, known as WAPI, the Xinhua News Agency said.

Posted by Judith — 5:04 AM

Earn cellphone minutes by watching ads.

Source: With the cost of mobile phone calls already dropping sharply, Virgin Mobile USA plans to announce a way that people can talk for no money at all. They will, however, have to pay with a chunk of their attention. The…

With the cost of mobile phone calls already dropping sharply, Virgin Mobile USA plans to announce a way that people can talk for no money at all. They will, however, have to pay with a chunk of their attention.
The program, called SugarMama, lets people earn one minute of talking time by watching 30-second commercials on a computer or receiving text messages on their phones, then answering questions to prove they were, in fact, paying attention.

Posted by Judith — 4:56 AM

Vodafone ‘targets growth not cuts’.

Source: Reports that mobile telecoms giant Vodafone will announce thousands of redundancies this week alongside well-flagged record annual losses of about ｣20 billion are wide of the mark, The Scotsman has learned. While the loss, compared with a ｣16bn loss Vodafone…

Reports that mobile telecoms giant Vodafone will announce thousands of redundancies this week alongside well-flagged record annual losses of about ｣20 billion are wide of the mark, The Scotsman has learned.
While the loss, compared with a ｣16bn loss Vodafone made in 2002, is expected to be realised, sources said the jobs losses will “be in their hundreds”.

Posted by Judith — 5:57 AM

Airplane wireless auction (virtually) over.

Source: The FCC’s auction for airplane broadband will resume today, reports the AP, but AC BidCo is the only remaining contender for the largest of the two bands being sold. Its provisional winning bid is $31.3 million….

The FCC’s auction for airplane broadband will resume today, reports the AP, but AC BidCo is the only remaining contender for the largest of the two bands being sold. Its provisional winning bid is $31.3 million.

Posted by Judith — 5:30 AM

EarthLink to build Big Easy net.

Source: Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. has won approval to build a wireless network around a free city-owned system that made its debut last fall in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Atlanta-based EarthLink said it would offer two…

Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. has won approval to build a wireless network around a free city-owned system that made its debut last fall in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Atlanta-based EarthLink said it would offer two levels of service — one free and a faster version for a fee. The company also said it would allow competing Wi-Fi providers to use its network for a price.

Posted by Judith — 7:54 AM

3G phones banned in anti-porn drive.

Source: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has banned 3G mobile phones after a complaint from his wife and her friends about receiving pornography on them….

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has banned 3G mobile phones after a complaint from his wife and her friends about receiving pornography on them.

Posted by Judith — 7:48 AM

Carriers restrict ‘unlimited’ 3G.

Source: It turns out that some “unlimited” wireless 3G modem services aren’t really unlimited at all. Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. , both of whom offer data services over their 1xEVDO networks, acknowledge that they reserve the right to cut…

It turns out that some “unlimited” wireless 3G modem services aren’t really unlimited at all.
Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. , both of whom offer data services over their 1xEVDO networks, acknowledge that they reserve the right to cut off customers who are unreasonable in their interpretation of “unlimited”.

Posted by Judith — 7:23 AM

Ebay and Yahoo forge alliance.

Source: The emergence of search-related advertising as the internet痴 biggest moneyspinner prompted a realignment among online powers on Thursday, as Yahoo and Ebay announced plans to link some of their services more closely. The alliance between the biggest internet portal and…

The emergence of search-related advertising as the internet痴 biggest moneyspinner prompted a realignment among online powers on Thursday, as Yahoo and Ebay announced plans to link some of their services more closely.
The alliance between the biggest internet portal and e-commerce companies could contribute to a reshaping of activity on the web as the biggest internet companies seek new ways to tap into each other痴 audiences.

Posted by Judith — 6:36 AM

House Judiciary approves net neutrality.

Source: Net Neutrality finally won a vote today. The House Judiciary Committee voted 20-13 to turn the issue into an antitrust matter after months of it being dismissed as a matter for further Federal Communications Commission (FCC) study. In doing so,…

Net Neutrality finally won a vote today.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 20-13 to turn the issue into an antitrust matter after months of it being dismissed as a matter for further Federal Communications Commission (FCC) study.
In doing so, broadband network operators such as AT&T and Verizon would be barred from charging extra fees to run content at the same speed and quality of the network owner’s own content.

Posted by Judith — 6:10 AM

Industry cheers defeat of federal excise tax.

Source: The mobile-phone industry applauded the Bush administration痴 decision today to abandon the U.S. government痴 long-held support for the federal excise tax on long distance wireless and wireline telephone services. The wireless industry has been lobbying for years to ax the…

The mobile-phone industry applauded the Bush administration痴 decision today to abandon the U.S. government痴 long-held support for the federal excise tax on long distance wireless and wireline telephone services.
The wireless industry has been lobbying for years to ax the 3-percent federal tax.

Posted by Judith — 5:57 AM

Shinsat, China Satcom roll out Internet gateway in China.

Source: Shin Satellite and China Satellite Communications (China Satcom) opened a satellite-powered Internet gateway in Beijing to provide broadband services to northern China. Two more gateways at Shanghai and Guangzhou will be built this year to allow China Satcom to provide…

Shin Satellite and China Satellite Communications (China Satcom) opened a satellite-powered Internet gateway in Beijing to provide broadband services to northern China.
Two more gateways at Shanghai and Guangzhou will be built this year to allow China Satcom to provide high speed communications services to the whole country.

Posted by Judith — 5:43 AM

China Mobile parent snaps up Millicom to become global player.

Source: China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC), the state-owned parent of China Mobile, the largest cellco in the world by total subscribers, has agreed a deal to acquire Millicom International Cellular (MIC) for around USD4 billion. It is widely expected that the…

China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC), the state-owned parent of China Mobile, the largest cellco in the world by total subscribers, has agreed a deal to acquire Millicom International Cellular (MIC) for around USD4 billion. It is widely expected that the required final regulatory approval from Beijing will be granted. The agreement follows weeks of speculation over MIC痴 future, and comes only after rival suitor Investcom dropped out of the bidding, after it was itself purchased by South Africa痴 MTN.

Posted by Judith — 6:09 AM

Vonage falls hard & fast in public debut.

Source: Shares of the consumer VOIP player Vonage Holdings Corp. began trading on Wall Street Wednesday and investors quickly discounted its status as a technology pioneer, focusing instead on the fact that the company is bleeding cash. After opening at $17,…

Shares of the consumer VOIP player Vonage Holdings Corp. began trading on Wall Street Wednesday and investors quickly discounted its status as a technology pioneer, focusing instead on the fact that the company is bleeding cash.
After opening at $17, Vonage shares fell about 12 percent to $14.94 as of 2 PM ET.

Posted by Judith — 5:47 AM

UK to offer new Wireless Spectrum.

Source: UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, yesterday published proposals to expand the market for broadband fixed wireless services, by opening up the 71-76GHz and 81-86GHz bands for licensed use. To date, these spectrum bands have been held back from commercial use, however,…

UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, yesterday published proposals to expand the market for broadband fixed wireless services, by opening up the 71-76GHz and 81-86GHz bands for licensed use. To date, these spectrum bands have been held back from commercial use, however, the regulator said it realized that new technology could enable companies to start offering services using these high frequency bands.

Posted by Judith — 5:41 AM

VoIP strikes fear into heart of mobile market.

Source: Dual-mode phones and VoIP applications will be met with hostile defensive strategies from operators which will fight to the last, to protect their revenues and their very existence. This from the floor of the Mobile Entertainment Market 2006 conference in…

Dual-mode phones and VoIP applications will be met with hostile defensive strategies from operators which will fight to the last, to protect their revenues and their very existence.
This from the floor of the Mobile Entertainment Market 2006 conference in London on Wednesday, where several vendors and operators alike told telecoms.com that applications like Skype would be resisted on the mobile “at all costs”.

Posted by Judith — 5:36 AM

Vonage sells US$531 million in IPO shares.

Source: Internet phone service provider Vonage Holdings Corp. on Tuesday priced an initial public offering worth about us$531 million, according to an underwriter. The 31.25 million share offering priced at US$17 per share, at the midpoint of US$16 to US$18 forecast,…

Internet phone service provider Vonage Holdings Corp. on Tuesday priced an initial public offering worth about us$531 million, according to an underwriter.
The 31.25 million share offering priced at US$17 per share, at the midpoint of US$16 to US$18 forecast, in a test of investors’ willingness to accept risk amid growing market volatility.
Vonage has acknowledged it may never be profitable and is viewed with skepticism by many analysts, who cite the growing competition it faces in providing voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) services.

Posted by Judith — 6:48 AM

Execs back US$2.4bn Eircom buy-out.

Source: The former head of BT’s retail business in the UK, Pierre Danon, is set to take a top job at Eircom after the Irish incumbent announced today that it is backing a $2.4bn (｣1.64bn) bid for the business. In an…

The former head of BT’s retail business in the UK, Pierre Danon, is set to take a top job at Eircom after the Irish incumbent announced today that it is backing a $2.4bn (｣1.64bn) bid for the business.
In an announcement today, execs at Eircom said they are behind a recommended cash offer for the business from Australian investors Babcock & Brown and employee group Eircom ESOP Trustee Limited.

Posted by Judith — 6:40 AM

Net neutrality equals internet openness.

Source: Tim Berners-Lee, the godfather of the internet, joined the debate on net neutrality yesterday, saying that the proposal for a two tier internet was not part of the original model. He said the internet would enter a “dark period” if…

Tim Berners-Lee, the godfather of the internet, joined the debate on net neutrality yesterday, saying that the proposal for a two tier internet was not part of the original model. He said the internet would enter a “dark period” if network neutrality is dismissed.
Speaking at the WWW2006 conference in Edinburgh yesterday, Berners-Lee said that the implementation of a two tier structure for the internet would be detrimental for all areas of the market.
Earlier this month, the US Senate took the first step towards rewriting the country’s telecoms laws, but rebuffed calls for network neutrality.

Posted by Judith — 6:35 AM

Federal Network Agency disallows Deutsche Telekom DSL Net Rental model.

Source: The Federal Network Agency has decided that Deutsche Telekom should no longer be allowed to use its DSL Net Rental model, introduced in December 2005, to bill for DSL connections rented to internet providers for resale to end users. In…

The Federal Network Agency has decided that Deutsche Telekom should no longer be allowed to use its DSL Net Rental model, introduced in December 2005, to bill for DSL connections rented to internet providers for resale to end users.
In a statement to the Agency, the Federal Cartel Office expressly supported the Agency’s intended decision. Prohibition of the DSL Net Rental charges begins with publication of the decision.

Posted by Judith — 6:34 AM

1,300 BT jobs from upgrade.

Source: Telecoms giant BT plans to create 1,300 jobs as part of a ｣1bn upgrade of phone lines across the UK. Under the plans, ｣100m (US$188m) will be invested in ten regions across the UK over the coming 12 months. The…

Telecoms giant BT plans to create 1,300 jobs as part of a ｣1bn upgrade of phone lines across the UK.
Under the plans, ｣100m (US$188m) will be invested in ten regions across the UK over the coming 12 months.
The investment drive is part of efforts by the firm’s Openreach division to improve local area networks.

Posted by Judith — 6:25 AM

Rostelecom lights new fibre link with China.

Source: Russia痴 largest long-distance carrier Rostelecom has announced the launch of a new fibre-optic link between Russia痴 far east and China Telecom痴 network. The link connects the cities of Belogorsk and Blagoveshchensk in the Amur region with the Chinese city of…

Russia痴 largest long-distance carrier Rostelecom has announced the launch of a new fibre-optic link between Russia痴 far east and China Telecom痴 network. The link connects the cities of Belogorsk and Blagoveshchensk in the Amur region with the Chinese city of Heihe on the Russian border. Rostelecom said the project was exceptionally important as the traffic between Europe and Asia is expected to triple by 2010.

Posted by Judith — 6:22 AM

Warid subsidiary to build nationwide WiMAX network.

Source: Wateen Telecom, a subsidiary of UAE-based Warid Telecom International, has contracted Motorola to plan, design and deploy a nationwide wireless broadband voice and data network in Pakistan. The 802.16e-based WiMAX access network will enable Wateen to offer broadband data services,…

Wateen Telecom, a subsidiary of UAE-based Warid Telecom International, has contracted Motorola to plan, design and deploy a nationwide wireless broadband voice and data network in Pakistan. The 802.16e-based WiMAX access network will enable Wateen to offer broadband data services, including voice, internet access, corporate IP virtual private network (VPN) and public hotspots, to residential and corporate users.

Posted by Judith — 6:17 AM

Verizon to sell Motorola’s BlackBerry competitor.

Source: Motorola Inc. on Monday said the Moto Q, a handheld device expected to go head-to-head against Research In Motion Ltd.’s popular BlackBerry, is scheduled for release at the end of the month through Verizon Wireless….

Motorola Inc. on Monday said the Moto Q, a handheld device expected to go head-to-head against Research In Motion Ltd.’s popular BlackBerry, is scheduled for release at the end of the month through Verizon Wireless.

Posted by Judith — 6:21 AM

Boingo covers more airports with Concourse acquisition.

Source: Boingo Wireless Inc. is acquiring Concourse Communications Group L.L.C., a Chicago telecom company that provides Wi-Fi service at O辿are International Airport and Midway Airport. The deal unites Concourse, a provider of Wi-Fi to airports, with Boingo, one of the largest…

Boingo Wireless Inc. is acquiring Concourse Communications Group L.L.C., a Chicago telecom company that provides Wi-Fi service at O辿are International Airport and Midway Airport.
The deal unites Concourse, a provider of Wi-Fi to airports, with Boingo, one of the largest Wi-Fi aggregators, whose network includes 45,000 public hotspots and agreements with more than 130 Wi-Fi operators.

Posted by Judith — 6:15 AM

Sri Lanka offers US$5 million 3G licences.

Source: Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) today kicked off a tender for 3G licences by inviting expressions of interest from the country痴 four mobile operators, Dialog Telekom, Celltel, Mobitel and Hutchison. Companies have two weeks to respond to the offer…

Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) today kicked off a tender for 3G licences by inviting expressions of interest from the country痴 four mobile operators, Dialog Telekom, Celltel, Mobitel and Hutchison. Companies have two weeks to respond to the offer of a US$5 million UMTS concession including W-CDMA spectrum in the 2GHz band.

Posted by Judith — 6:05 AM

Thai Mobile and AIS in ‘secret’ 3G tie-up.

Source: Thai Mobile, Thailand’s smallest cellco and sole holder of 3G spectrum, has revealed details of an agreement it made with mobile market leader Advanced Info Services (AIS) in 2004, under which AIS would have first rights to negotiate with Thai…

Thai Mobile, Thailand’s smallest cellco and sole holder of 3G spectrum, has revealed details of an agreement it made with mobile market leader Advanced Info Services (AIS) in 2004, under which AIS would have first rights to negotiate with Thai Mobile for the usage of its 1900MHz-2000MHz W-CDMA frequencies.

Posted by Judith — 6:01 AM

Company asks U.S. to provide radio space for free internet.

Source: In an ambitious proposal, a Silicon Valley company has asked the government to give it a band of radio spectrum for a free high-speed wireless Internet network that would cover most of the country and be supported by advertising. The…

In an ambitious proposal, a Silicon Valley company has asked the government to give it a band of radio spectrum for a free high-speed wireless Internet network that would cover most of the country and be supported by advertising.
The idea is to create something like an Internet version of broadcast television, using local and national sponsors to pay for what its promoters say would be near-ubiquitous high-speed access.

Posted by Judith — 5:50 AM

Wi-fi destined for supermarket shelves.

Source: A major UK supermarket chain is preparing to offer a Voice over IP over wi-fi (Vowifi) solution in a box, in association with a wireless wholesaler, Telecoms.com has learned. A source close to the deal told Telecoms.com the service would…

A major UK supermarket chain is preparing to offer a Voice over IP over wi-fi (Vowifi) solution in a box, in association with a wireless wholesaler, Telecoms.com has learned. A source close to the deal told Telecoms.com the service would appear this year and allow users to make VoIP calls from a dedicated phone, supplied with the solution.

Posted by Judith — 5:41 AM

CDMA2000 subs top 250 million.

Source: The number of cdma2000 3G subscribers worldwide surpassed 250 million during the first quarter, according to figures released by the CDMA Development Group (CDG) today….

The number of cdma2000 3G subscribers worldwide surpassed 250 million during the first quarter, according to figures released by the CDMA Development Group (CDG) today.

Posted by Judith — 5:27 AM

Startup Wants To Offer Free Nationwide Wireless

Source: A startup says it will provide free nationwide wireless access in the U.S. if it is granted a license by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In papers filed with the FCC earlier this month, M2Z Networks said it wants to…

A startup says it will provide free nationwide wireless access in the U.S. if it is granted a license by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
In papers filed with the FCC earlier this month, M2Z Networks said it wants to provide “near ubiquitous” nationwide wireless coverage at speeds of about 384 Kbps for downloads in the 2.1 Ghz spectrum band. The company called that band of spectrum, “largely fallow, unpaired, and unassigned.”

Posted by Penny — 9:52 AM

DoCoMo deal opens i-Mode world to Windows Media.

Source: Japanese giant NTT DoCoMo, a long standing Microsoft partner in the world of mobile entertainment, is to port Windows Media DRM to its 3G handsets, allowing for content to be moved between phones and PCs, and bypassing the Open Mobile…

Japanese giant NTT DoCoMo, a long standing Microsoft partner in the world of mobile entertainment, is to port Windows Media DRM to its 3G handsets, allowing for content to be moved between phones and PCs, and bypassing the Open Mobile Alliance DRM.

Posted by Judith — 6:43 AM

Tata calls for investigation into overstating of subscriber stats.

Source: Indian mobile operator Tata Teleservices has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to contract an ‘accredited third party’ to verify the subscriber bases of the country’s wireless operators, amid claims that companies are overstating their customer numbers in order to…

Indian mobile operator Tata Teleservices has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to contract an ‘accredited third party’ to verify the subscriber bases of the country’s wireless operators, amid claims that companies are overstating their customer numbers in order to retain spectrum rights, Zee News reports. A new spectrum distribution policy was published in March, stating that future frequency allocations will depend on the size of an operator’s subscriber base in any given telecoms circle or a city in metro areas. The new rules mean that the more subscribers an operator has, the more spectrum it can apply for, subject to availability.

Posted by Judith — 6:27 AM

FCC to delay AWS auction until August.

Source: The Federal Communications Commission abruptly delayed the advanced wireless services auction until Aug. 9, saying applicants needed more time to prepare for the government痴 sale of 1,122 wireless licenses. The FCC was to have begun the AWS auction June 29,…

The Federal Communications Commission abruptly delayed the advanced wireless services auction until Aug. 9, saying applicants needed more time to prepare for the government痴 sale of 1,122 wireless licenses.
The FCC was to have begun the AWS auction June 29, but intense controversy over revisions to small-business, or designated-entity, rules forced the agency to change course.

Posted by Judith — 5:59 AM

TM Forum Launches “Prosspero” Initiative.

Source: The TeleManagement Forum has unveiled a major market initiative entitled “Prosspero.” Prosspero solves the problem of slow uptake of paper-based standards by delivering the development community with open-source code based standards complete with a full support ecosystem to enable rapid…

The TeleManagement Forum has unveiled a major market initiative entitled “Prosspero.” Prosspero solves the problem of slow uptake of paper-based standards by delivering the development community with open-source code based standards complete with a full support ecosystem to enable rapid implementations. It provides developers with the “peace of mind” of knowing that Prosspero solutions are fully working; have full development back-up and have already been successfully deployed.

Posted by Judith — 5:51 AM

Skype tops 100 million users.

Source: Voice over IP provider Skype has passed the major milestone of 100 million registered users. The company topped the 100 million mark in two and a half years of operation, and claims to have nearly doubled in size from September…

Voice over IP provider Skype has passed the major milestone of 100 million registered users. The company topped the 100 million mark in two and a half years of operation, and claims to have nearly doubled in size from September 2005 when it had 54 million registered users.

Posted by Judith — 5:47 AM

Cellular industry calls for national regulations.

Source: The cellular industry promises a “Wireless Renaissance” if Congress simplifies how cellular operators are regulated. The current mix of state and federal regulations covering the cellular industry should be replaced by a single federal regulatory framework, the trade organization representing…

The cellular industry promises a “Wireless Renaissance” if Congress simplifies how cellular operators are regulated.
The current mix of state and federal regulations covering the cellular industry should be replaced by a single federal regulatory framework, the trade organization representing U.S. cellular operators said on Thursday.

Posted by Judith — 4:56 AM

Microsoft Lands Whale for VPN Tech

Source: Microsoft added remote-access VPN technology to its growing array of security properties on May 18, snapping up privately held Whale Communications for an undisclosed price….

Microsoft added remote-access VPN technology to its growing array of security properties on May 18, snapping up privately held Whale Communications for an undisclosed price.

Posted by Penny — 4:11 PM

Google finds Chinese and Japanese partners .

Source: Internet giant Google has announced a new mobile deal with KDDI in Japan and is said to be in talks with China Mobile as the Mountain View California company bids to widen its presence in the wireless market. Meanwhile in…

Internet giant Google has announced a new mobile deal with KDDI in Japan and is said to be in talks with China Mobile as the Mountain View California company bids to widen its presence in the wireless market.

Meanwhile in Japan, the US company will assist KDDI in launching a handset-based Internet access service, which will enable customers to use Google痴 search engine function. The KDDI tie-up will be the search engine giant痴 first partnership with a mobile phone operator in Japan.

Posted by Judith — 7:36 AM

Boingo releases open source Wi-Fi aggregation toolkit.

Source: Boingo Wireless, the wholesale Wi-Fi aggregator, launch an open source Wi-Fi toolkit, that enables developers to integrate Wi-Fi connection management to any Wi-Fi hot spot — including the more than 45,000 public hot spots that are part of the Boingo…

Boingo Wireless, the wholesale Wi-Fi aggregator, launch an open source Wi-Fi toolkit, that enables developers to integrate Wi-Fi connection management to any Wi-Fi hot spot — including the more than 45,000 public hot spots that are part of the Boingo Roaming System — into small form factor devices such as dual-mode phones, VoIP handsets, mobile gaming consoles and other portable devices.

Posted by Judith — 6:19 AM

Unilever, BT extend outsourcing deal.

Source: British Telecom has been awarded an extension to its original seven-year outsourcing contract with consumer goods company Unilever. The deal, worth around an additional ｣270m (US$473m) will see BT continue to deliver Unilever’s voice, data and mobile services for an…

British Telecom has been awarded an extension to its original seven-year outsourcing contract with consumer goods company Unilever. The deal, worth around an additional ｣270m (US$473m) will see BT continue to deliver Unilever’s voice, data and mobile services for an additional three years.

Posted by Judith — 6:07 AM

Gremlins halt BT’s 8 meg upgrade.

Source: The migration of millions of people onto higher speed broadband services has been put on hold after BT admitted that a key system has been floored by a software glitch. ISPs have been gearing up to begin the mass migration…

The migration of millions of people onto higher speed broadband services has been put on hold after BT admitted that a key system has been floored by a software glitch.
ISPs have been gearing up to begin the mass migration of punters onto BT’s new DSL Max service, which gives broadband users speeds of up to 8 meg. But yesterday, the UK’s former monopoly gave ISPs just 20 minutes notice that a key tool needed to migrate users was flawed and needed to be pulled.

Posted by Judith — 5:55 AM

Azimuth Tests FMC.

Source: Azimuth Systems Inc. , which specializes in WiFi network test equipment, is turning its attention toward fixed/mobile convergence. In the second half of this year, the company plans to introduce a system that measures the algorithms for handing off phone…

Azimuth Systems Inc. , which specializes in WiFi network test equipment, is turning its attention toward fixed/mobile convergence.
In the second half of this year, the company plans to introduce a system that measures the algorithms for handing off phone calls between fixed and mobile networks, including cellular/WiFi roaming.

Posted by Judith — 5:41 AM

Ciena shrinks its hot CN 4200.

Source: The CN 4200, now a year old, is drawing rave reviews from analysts while racking up design wins, mostly in Europe. The box is finding a comfortable niche that overlaps the DWDM and multiservice provisioning platform (MSPP) markets. The new…

The CN 4200, now a year old, is drawing rave reviews from analysts while racking up design wins, mostly in Europe. The box is finding a comfortable niche that overlaps the DWDM and multiservice provisioning platform (MSPP) markets.
The new smaller version, the CN 4200, unveiled May 15, sports a 32-Gbit/s switching capacity and two 10-Gbit/s ports for uplink. It uses the same linecards and software as the 4200, as well as some new cards tailored for the MC’s lower-speed markets.

Posted by Judith — 5:34 AM

Softbank, Vodafone in mobile handset, content deal.

Source: Japan’s Softbank Corp. said on Thursday it would set up a mobile phone handset and content joint venture with Vodafone Group Plc as it looks to take on NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp. Softbank, which recently bought Vodafone’s Japan…

Japan’s Softbank Corp. said on Thursday it would set up a mobile phone handset and content joint venture with Vodafone Group Plc as it looks to take on NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp.
Softbank, which recently bought Vodafone’s Japan operations, said the 50-50 venture will carry out joint development and procurement of mobile phones.

Posted by Judith — 5:04 AM

Verizon Business expands VoIP across Europe

Source: From VON Europe in Stockholm, Sweden this week Verizon Business launched several VoIP-related products and services to expand its business presence across the European Union….

From VON Europe in Stockholm, Sweden this week Verizon Business launched several VoIP-related products and services to expand its business presence across the European Union.

Posted by Penny — 12:06 PM

Hardware firms oppose Net neutrality laws.

Source: The political debate in Washington over the concept known as Net neutrality just became a lot more complicated. Some of the largest hardware makers in the world, including 3M, Cisco, Corning and Qualcomm, sent a letter to Congress on Wednesday…

The political debate in Washington over the concept known as Net neutrality just became a lot more complicated.
Some of the largest hardware makers in the world, including 3M, Cisco, Corning and Qualcomm, sent a letter to Congress on Wednesday firmly opposing new laws mandating Net neutrality.
That view directly conflicts with that of many software and Internet companies.

Posted by Judith — 4:52 AM

Live mobile TV hits Hong Kong.

Source: Hong Kong operator PCCW this week began broadcasting real-time TV over its 3G network to 110,000 mobile subscribers. The service is currently being deployed only on Hong Kong’s MTR underground railway. Full deployment across Hong Kong is expected by the…

Hong Kong operator PCCW this week began broadcasting real-time TV over its 3G network to 110,000 mobile subscribers.
The service is currently being deployed only on Hong Kong’s MTR underground railway. Full deployment across Hong Kong is expected by the end of June.
However, a recent report from US research outfit, WaveMetrix, which studies online forum discussions, reveals that although consumers believe mobile TV is an exciting prospect, they are not convinced of its usability.

Posted by Judith — 4:36 AM

Broadband boost helps BT results.

Source: BT has reported a 6% increase in annual revenues, with a strong jump in broadband incomes offsetting a decline in its fixed-line phone business. Revenues from BT’s so-called “New Wave” operations - broadband and other IT services - jumped 38%…

BT has reported a 6% increase in annual revenues, with a strong jump in broadband incomes offsetting a decline in its fixed-line phone business.
Revenues from BT’s so-called “New Wave” operations - broadband and other IT services - jumped 38% to ｣6.3bn, and now make up 32% of its business.
The firm’s fixed-line operations saw revenues decline 5%

Posted by Judith — 4:32 AM

Capital first in Scotland to go ‘wireless’.

Source: Edinburgh is to become Scotland’s first “wireless” city, giving people the power to hook up to the internet from anywhere in the Capital. It has been chosen to pilot BT Wireless Cities project and the move is expected to boost…

Edinburgh is to become Scotland’s first “wireless” city, giving people the power to hook up to the internet from anywhere in the Capital.
It has been chosen to pilot BT Wireless Cities project and the move is expected to boost businesses by attracting new companies, investment and talent.
Plans for the project are still at an early stage, however, a spokesman for BT said it was hoped that the system would be up and running by the end of the year.

Posted by Judith — 4:02 AM

Americans continue buying Broadband at record pace.

Source: Americans continued to sign up for broadband — both cable and DSL— at record rates in the first quarter, according to a report from the Leichtman Research Group. A total of 3.06 million net additional subscribers signed up for broadband…

Americans continued to sign up for broadband — both cable and DSL— at record rates in the first quarter, according to a report from the Leichtman Research Group.
A total of 3.06 million net additional subscribers signed up for broadband in the quarter, bringing the total of high-speed Web subscribers to nearly 46 million. Nearly 25.8 million subscribers have cable, while DSL is used by about 20.2 million subscribers.
In announcing the findings it was noted that more subscribers have signed up for DSL than for cable broadband in each of the last six quarters.

Posted by Judith — 5:24 AM

Inmarsat gets green light for US satellite.

Source: UK-based satellite operator Inmarsat yesterday said it had received a green light from the US regulator to launch satellite broadband service across North and South America. The satellite operator launched its Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) platform in Europe, Africa,…

UK-based satellite operator Inmarsat yesterday said it had received a green light from the US regulator to launch satellite broadband service across North and South America.
The satellite operator launched its Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) platform in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia in December, after six years of development.
BGAN offers broadband data and voice to mobile terminals, delivered via the Inmarsat-4 series of satellites. BGAN is now accessible across 85 per cent of the world’s landmass and to 98 per cent of the population.

Posted by Judith — 4:37 AM

3 launches Irish pre-pay service.

Source: rish mobile operator Hutchison 3G Ireland (3) entered the pre-pay market yesterday with the launch of its ‘3Pay’ service. 3 first introduced post-paid services in July 2005 and now plans to wrest subscribers from its rivals in the pre-paid sector,…

rish mobile operator Hutchison 3G Ireland (3) entered the pre-pay market yesterday with the launch of its ‘3Pay’ service. 3 first introduced post-paid services in July 2005 and now plans to wrest subscribers from its rivals in the pre-paid sector, which accounts for three-quarters of the Irish market.

Posted by Judith — 4:22 AM

Vendor to sell 3G router despite Cellco cut-offs.

Source: D-Link said Tuesday that it would like cellular carriers in Europe to offer its 3G router even as cellular carriers in the U.S. are threatening to cut off service to those who use such devices. D-Link said it will launch…

D-Link said Tuesday that it would like cellular carriers in Europe to offer its 3G router even as cellular carriers in the U.S. are threatening to cut off service to those who use such devices.
D-Link said it will launch its 3G Mobile Router in Europe this week. The company first announced the device, which can distribute 3G access throughout a home or small office, last August, but has yet to ship it in the U.S.
The announcement comes on the heels of the disclosure last week that U.S. cellular operators, particularly Sprint and Verizon Wireless, are threatening to cut off 3G service to customers who overuse the service.

Posted by Judith — 4:02 AM

US technology groups win patent lawsuit.

Source: US technology companies welcomed a ruling by the US Supreme Court giving them a powerful new tool to fight off lawsuits brought by so-called patent trolls. The recent wave of litigation involving patent trolls has been driven largely by the…

US technology companies welcomed a ruling by the US Supreme Court giving them a powerful new tool to fight off lawsuits brought by so-called patent trolls.
The recent wave of litigation involving patent trolls has been driven largely by the fact that courts almost always issue an injunction to force companies to change the design of their products once they are found to have infringed a patent.
The justices ruled unanimously that there should be another option: courts should have discretion on whether to allow companies to continue making their product and compensate for the infringement with monetary damages rather than forcing them always to stop using the infringed technology.

Posted by Judith — 5:18 AM

Qwest acquires OnFiber.

Source: Qwest Communications International Inc. has agreed to buy the privately-held fiber networking company OnFiber Communications Inc. for US$107m. Austin, Texas-based OnFiber sells managed metro Ethernet and wide-area network solutions in 23 U.S. markets. Qwest offers similar services inside its 14-state…

Qwest Communications International Inc. has agreed to buy the privately-held fiber networking company OnFiber Communications Inc. for US$107m.
Austin, Texas-based OnFiber sells managed metro Ethernet and wide-area network solutions in 23 U.S. markets.
Qwest offers similar services inside its 14-state footprint, but will use the OnFiber assets to extend those metro Ethernet and other services into other territories.

Posted by Judith — 4:37 AM

DoCoMo mulls move into finance.

Source: Japanese mobile giant NTT DoCoMo is considering plans to diversify its operations into finance and other industries to offset slowing growth in its mobile business, according to a statement from its vice president of multimedia services. ‘If DoCoMo is a…

Japanese mobile giant NTT DoCoMo is considering plans to diversify its operations into finance and other industries to offset slowing growth in its mobile business, according to a statement from its vice president of multimedia services.
‘If DoCoMo is a mobile phone company in five years, our growth will be limited. My expectation is to make DoCoMo a more diversified company.’

Posted by Judith — 4:33 AM

Skype launches free call promotion.

Source: Skype has stated that it will allow consumers in the United States and Canada to make free phone calls, a promotional move that marks a new blow to conventional voice calling services. The offer, which extends through the end of…

Skype has stated that it will allow consumers in the United States and Canada to make free phone calls, a promotional move that marks a new blow to conventional voice calling services.
The offer, which extends through the end of 2006, covers calls from computers or a new category of Internet-connected phones running Skype software making calls to traditional landline or mobile phones within the United States and Canada.
Skype already offers free calling to users worldwide who call from computer to computer.
The company is seeking to accelerate usage in the North American market, where adoption of its VoIP has lagged behind other regions of the globe.

Posted by Judith — 4:32 AM

UK project to deliver rural net.

Source: A British satellite will launch in 2008 to help bridge Europe’s digital divide. The Hylas spacecraft, owned by Avanti Screenmedia PLC, will deliver broadband internet services to rural Europe. Private financing will pay for the rest of the project, which…

A British satellite will launch in 2008 to help bridge Europe’s digital divide.
The Hylas spacecraft, owned by Avanti Screenmedia PLC, will deliver broadband internet services to rural Europe.
Private financing will pay for the rest of the project, which Avanti says will also be capable of delivering hundreds of high-definition TV channels.
It is estimated that 10 million customers will benefit from this project.

Posted by Judith — 4:25 AM

France Telecom largest broadband player in Europe.

Source: France Telecom remains the largest broadband service provider in Europe with 7.6 million subscribers at the end of 2005 according to market research. At the end of 2005 76 service providers across Europe accounted for more than 52 million broadband…

France Telecom remains the largest broadband service provider in Europe with 7.6 million subscribers at the end of 2005 according to market research.
At the end of 2005 76 service providers across Europe accounted for more than 52 million broadband subscriptions in 20 European countries. That represents a rise of 53 per cent from the same period in 2004.

Posted by Judith — 4:13 AM

Phone Systems and Network migrates to all IP-based infrastructure.

Source: Phone Systems and Network, an alternative French operator, has completed the transformation of its nationwide local and long distance network from TDM to VoIP based on elements of French telecoms supplier Alcatel’s IMS solution. By migrating its legacy TDM infrastructure…

Phone Systems and Network, an alternative French operator, has completed the transformation of its nationwide local and long distance network from TDM to VoIP based on elements of French telecoms supplier Alcatel’s IMS solution.
By migrating its legacy TDM infrastructure to an all VoIP-based infrastructure, Phone Systems and Network has become the first pure play VoIP alternative operator in France.

Posted by Judith — 4:03 AM

Deadline set for Wireless Internet in Parks.

Source: New York City officials set a July deadline yesterday for a city contractor to have a wireless network up and running in Central Park, in what would be a major expansion of free Internet access that the city plans to…

New York City officials set a July deadline yesterday for a city contractor to have a wireless network up and running in Central Park, in what would be a major expansion of free Internet access that the city plans to replicate across its vast ribbons of parkland during the next several years.
In pushing ahead, New York is trying to catch up with other cities, including Philadelphia and San Francisco, which have vowed to create citywide wireless networks and to treat Internet access as a broadly available public utility.

Posted by Judith — 3:58 AM

BT boosts business broadband to 8Mb

Source: UK incumbent carrier British Telecom today unveiled an 8Mb broadband service for businesses including a free hub that acts as a wifi access point and Voice over IP (VoIP) router….

UK incumbent carrier British Telecom today unveiled an 8Mb broadband service for businesses including a free hub that acts as a wifi access point and Voice over IP (VoIP) router.

Posted by Penny — 1:09 PM

SkypeOut Now Totally Free in US and Canada

Source: Skype, famous for launching the first popular Internet VoIP communications software, previously had a subscription or pay mode called SkypeOut. The feature enabled Skype users within the US and Canada to make calls to landlines for small fees. After paying…

Skype, famous for launching the first popular Internet VoIP communications software, previously had a subscription or pay mode called SkypeOut. The feature enabled Skype users within the US and Canada to make calls to landlines for small fees. After paying or adding pre-paid credit, users would then be able to use Skype on their computers to make calls to anywhere within the US — to other Skype users (for free) and to regular land lines.

Posted by Penny — 12:57 PM

Softbank, Apple to develop iPod mobile phones.

Source: Japanese internet and telecoms conglomerate Softbank Corp is believed to have teamed up with Apple Computer Inc to jointly develop mobile telephones with built-in iPod music players. The report went on to say that the pair have agreed terms to…

Japanese internet and telecoms conglomerate Softbank Corp is believed to have teamed up with Apple Computer Inc to jointly develop mobile telephones with built-in iPod music players. The report went on to say that the pair have agreed terms to co-develop the dual-branded phone for commercial launch - possibly as early as this year. Softbank, which has agreed to buy Vodafone’s Japanese mobile phone business, could look to use the power of Apple’s brand to compete against mobile market leaders NTT DoCoMo and KDDI Corp.

Posted by Judith — 4:45 AM

In Japan, a provider of cable ups the ante.

Source: The Japanese are among the most avid television watchers on earth, yet most are still pulling their favourite shows out of the air. Just one in five homes subscribes to a cable or satellite service. Jupiter Telecommunications, the nation’s biggest…

The Japanese are among the most avid television watchers on earth, yet most are still pulling their favourite shows out of the air. Just one in five homes subscribes to a cable or satellite service.
Jupiter Telecommunications, the nation’s biggest cable provider, is out to change that. Jupiter, which sells services under the brand name J:COM, has been aggressively signing up customers for its television, broadband lines and digital phones — even going so far as to pitch its wares door to door.
In March, J:COM also started selling mobile phone service, an offering that American cable companies like Comcast are only just developing.

Posted by Judith — 4:39 AM

Google finds Nokia.

Source: Nokia is set to launch a new version of its handheld internet browsing device containing the Google Talk service. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the timing of the device launch is seen as a bet on…

Nokia is set to launch a new version of its handheld internet browsing device containing the Google Talk service. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the timing of the device launch is seen as a bet on the future popularity of municipal-wide WiFi zones, such as the ones due to be rolled out in many US cities and those being set up by The Cloud in the UK and Europe.
It will be the first device to emanate from the Finnish company痴 factories that is portable, but which does not also have a cell-phone capability.

Posted by Judith — 4:04 AM

U.S. Says Microsoft Browser Is No Threat to Competition.

Source: The Justice Department, in a court filing, said yesterday that it found that the design of Microsoft’s new Web browser did not pose a threat to competition in the lucrative new market for Internet search. Google, the Internet search leader,…

The Justice Department, in a court filing, said yesterday that it found that the design of Microsoft’s new Web browser did not pose a threat to competition in the lucrative new market for Internet search.
Google, the Internet search leader, had recently talked to antitrust officials at the Justice Department and the European Commission about its concerns that Microsoft’s new browser would steer users to Microsoft’s search service, MSN.
The court document noted that personal computer makers are free to set the default search engine to any service they choose. And the Microsoft browser, the filing said, included “a relatively straightforward method for the user to select a different search engine from the initial default.”

Posted by Judith — 5:28 AM

Babcock ready to push through Eircom takeover.

Source: Babcock, the Australian investment bank, will next week formally table a recommended bid for Eircom, which will value Ireland’s biggest telecoms group at about €2.35bn. (｣1.6bn). Babcock and Brown Capital, which has teamed up with Eircom’s Employee Share Ownership Trust…

Babcock, the Australian investment bank, will next week formally table a recommended bid for Eircom, which will value Ireland’s biggest telecoms group at about €2.35bn. (｣1.6bn).
Babcock and Brown Capital, which has teamed up with Eircom’s Employee Share Ownership Trust (Esot), is expected to propose an offer of €2.20 a share — a premium of nearly 50 per cent on the €1.55 a share that investors paid at its flotation in 2004.

Posted by Judith — 5:25 AM

DoCoMo uses window of opportunity to expand music offering .

Source: Japanese mobile giant, NTT DoCoMo, is to join forces with Microsoft to offer mobile music services in Japan, the pair announced today. According to a statement from the two companies, DoCoMo will use Microsoft痴 Windows Media Audio technology to enable…

Japanese mobile giant, NTT DoCoMo, is to join forces with Microsoft to offer mobile music services in Japan, the pair announced today. According to a statement from the two companies, DoCoMo will use Microsoft痴 Windows Media Audio technology to enable its users to download music to pcs which can then be loaded onto mobile handsets.
Competition in the Japanese mobile market is set to reach new heights when the government finally introduces number portability later this year.

Posted by Judith — 5:14 AM

O2 to attack former parent.

Source: Spanish-owned UK mobile operator mmO2 said it plans to take on BT in its own back yard by offering fixed-line services to its wireless customer base. For its part, BT, which gave birth to O2, has already stated its intention…

Spanish-owned UK mobile operator mmO2 said it plans to take on BT in its own back yard by offering fixed-line services to its wireless customer base. For its part, BT, which gave birth to O2, has already stated its intention to re-enter the mobile market.
The mobile company has already launched fixed line services in Germany and the Czech Republic, using its connections with Telefonica Deutschland. In the UK, it appears likely that O2 would buy a fixed line business or face the possibility of renting space in its former owner痴 fixed network.

Posted by Judith — 5:12 AM

Research In Motion enters Chinese market.

Source: Research In Motion Ltd. and China Mobile Communications Co. Ltd., have cut a deal to offer BlackBerry service in the world痴 largest wireless market. RIM offers BlackBerry service with more than 160 carriers in more than 60 countries worldwide. According…

Research In Motion Ltd. and China Mobile Communications Co. Ltd., have cut a deal to offer BlackBerry service in the world痴 largest wireless market.
RIM offers BlackBerry service with more than 160 carriers in more than 60 countries worldwide.
According to RIM and China Mobile, the companies plan to first pursue multinational corporations with a presence in China, whose workers already carry a BlackBerry from home. China Mobile said it plans to offer SIM cards for that market segment and support BlackBerry service nationwide. BlackBerry service on China Mobile痴 GPRS network will enable corporate customers to access e-mail, phone, organizer, Internet and other corporate data applications.

Posted by Judith — 4:47 AM

US phone tapping scandal hits headlines.

Source: According to reports in the US the country’s “National Security Agency (NSA) has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth”. It is reported that the NSA,…

According to reports in the US the country’s “National Security Agency (NSA) has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth”.
It is reported that the NSA, which has access to billions of domestic calls “has gained a secret window into the communications habits of millions of Americans”. Seemingly ”the call-collecting program is focused on domestic calls, those that originate and terminate within U.S. borders”.
USA Today’s investigation reveals that at least one company CEO stood up to the NSA’s requests and suggested the agency take its demands to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court before proceeding.

Posted by Judith — 4:40 AM

Regulators speak out on roaming proposals.

Source: The European Regulators Group (ERG) on Thursday rejected suggestions from Vodafone that the group is distancing itself from the idea of regulatory intervention in Europe on roaming call charges. But on Thursday morning an ERG spokesman said “We did not…

The European Regulators Group (ERG) on Thursday rejected suggestions from Vodafone that the group is distancing itself from the idea of regulatory intervention in Europe on roaming call charges.
But on Thursday morning an ERG spokesman said “We did not say that regulation was not the way to go. Regulation is the way forward. We welcome the Commission’s decision to bring in regulation to bring down costs.”

Posted by Judith — 4:27 AM

BT outlines Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) for Business, selects Alcatel.

Source: BT announced plans for a Fixed- Mobile Converged service for large businesses and multi-national companies both in and outside the UK. This new solution will utilize Wi-Fi as the interface to the fixed network in key locations such as the…

BT announced plans for a Fixed- Mobile Converged service for large businesses and multi-national companies both in and outside the UK. This new solution will utilize Wi-Fi as the interface to the fixed network in key locations such as the office, home, and BT Openzone hotspots.
As prime contractor, Alcatel will lead the design, integration (including a number of third-party components) and testing of the end-to-end solution. Alcatel will supply key platform elements from its leading Managed Communication Services (MCS) portfolio and will also ensure that the solution integrates seamlessly into BT’s enterprise customer sites.

Posted by Judith — 4:19 AM

BellSouth teams with Samsung on digital devices

Source: BellSouth today announced a strategic agreement with Samsung Telecommunications America to market and co-brand broadband devices for consumers and businesses….

BellSouth today announced a strategic agreement with Samsung Telecommunications America to market and co-brand broadband devices for consumers and businesses.

Posted by Penny — 2:10 PM

Cable TV groups eye joint bid in wireless auction.

Source: Leading US cable television operators including Time Warner Cable and Comcast are considering a joint bid with Sprint Nextel, the third largest mobile carrier, for wireless spectrum in a high stakes auction set to attract bids from a wide swathe…

Leading US cable television operators including Time Warner Cable and Comcast are considering a joint bid with Sprint Nextel, the third largest mobile carrier, for wireless spectrum in a high stakes auction set to attract bids from a wide swathe of media and telecoms companies.
Glenn Britt, chief executive of Time Warner Cable, said the companies would register their interest with the US Federal Communications Commission. They have ruled out separate, independent offers.
The cable companies’ move signals the growing importance of mobile telephony in the mix of voice, video and data that both cable operators and their telecommunications rivals are seeking to offer customers as part of a services “bundle”.

Posted by Judith — 5:33 AM

Wireless network use grows.

Source: One in five broadband users in the US and Europe is hooked up to a wireless network in their home, prompting analysts Strategy Analytics to suggest that Wi-Fi is emerging as a “mass market phenomenon”. The report found that seven…

One in five broadband users in the US and Europe is hooked up to a wireless network in their home, prompting analysts Strategy Analytics to suggest that Wi-Fi is emerging as a “mass market phenomenon”.
The report found that seven per cent of all households now have a wireless network. The US is the leading market with 8.4 per cent penetration, followed by the Nordics with 7.9 per cent.
In the UK penetration rates are at 6.1 per cent and 5.1 per cent in Germany.
When the numbers are crunched to include just broadband users, the survey found that 20 per cent of broadband subscribers across the US and Europe now use Wi-Fi to share their internet connection between PCs and other devices.

Posted by Judith — 5:18 AM

Yahoo in deal on Spanish site.

Source: Yahoo and the Telemundo Group said yesterday that they would combine their Spanish-language Internet sites in the United States. Called Yahoo! Telemundo, the venture will replace Yahoo en Espal and Telemundo.com. The companies said they would share advertising sales from…

Yahoo and the Telemundo Group said yesterday that they would combine their Spanish-language Internet sites in the United States.
Called Yahoo! Telemundo, the venture will replace Yahoo en Espal and Telemundo.com. The companies said they would share advertising sales from the sites, which will be run by a work force drawn from both companies.
The new site will give Yahoo an advantage over its rival Google in competing for the fast-growing Hispanic market in the United States,

Posted by Judith — 5:13 AM

YouTube allows non-PC video sharing.

Source: You can now bypass your computer completely to share your video with the world. YouTube Inc., one of the Internet’s leading video-sharing sites, is accepting clips directly from mobile phones and personal digital assistants with built-in video capabilities. Users must…

You can now bypass your computer completely to share your video with the world. YouTube Inc., one of the Internet’s leading video-sharing sites, is accepting clips directly from mobile phones and personal digital assistants with built-in video capabilities.
Users must have an Internet access or data plan with a wireless service provider. Cingular, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon are initially supported.
The new capabilities come as Time Warner Inc.’s AOL unit is preparing its own free video-sharing service, called UnCut Video.

Posted by Judith — 4:53 AM

O2 loses 3 roaming deal to Orange.

Source: After what appears to be a closely fought auction process, Orange emerged as the winner, tendering the most competitive bid for the supply of voice, text and data services. Orange will take its place as the preferred national roaming provider…

After what appears to be a closely fought auction process, Orange emerged as the winner, tendering the most competitive bid for the supply of voice, text and data services.
Orange will take its place as the preferred national roaming provider for 3 from the end of 2006, replacing O2, which held the position since 3 won its licence in 2000.

Posted by Judith — 4:52 AM

MediaFLO still faces challenges in Europe.

Source: The announcement ofBSkyB’s partnership with Qualcomm to test the MediaFLO mobile TV system in Britain may be a key moment for the technology, however, there are still as many barriers for MediaFLO as there are for all the other broadcast…

The announcement ofBSkyB’s partnership with Qualcomm to test the MediaFLO mobile TV system in Britain may be a key moment for the technology, however, there are still as many barriers for MediaFLO as there are for all the other broadcast mobile systems.

Posted by Judith — 4:34 AM

Leap doubles income, outpaces customer growth expectations during 1Q

Source: Leap Wireless International Inc. said its consolidated net income more than doubled during the first quarter to $17.7 million, up from $7.5 million reported during the first quarter of 2005….

Leap Wireless International Inc. said its consolidated net income more than doubled during the first quarter to $17.7 million, up from $7.5 million reported during the first quarter of 2005.

Posted by Penny — 12:49 PM

U.S. to auction frequencies for In-Flight Internet use.

Source: The Federal Communications Commission will today begin auctioning off frequencies for in-flight Internet service. Nine companies, including Verizon Airfone, which pioneered pay phones in the air, are expected to enter bids for the two licenses available. The companies have developed…

The Federal Communications Commission will today begin auctioning off frequencies for in-flight Internet service.
Nine companies, including Verizon Airfone, which pioneered pay phones in the air, are expected to enter bids for the two licenses available. The companies have developed a variety of technologies that effectively create wireless networks on planes so fliers can use their laptops to surf the Web or to make calls with voice-over-Internet technology.
The auction will not advance the on-board use of conventional cellphones, which use other frequencies and are still prohibited in the air.

Posted by Judith — 5:33 AM

The price for data.

Source: KPMG’s latest survey on mobile phone users’ willingness to pay for mobile content services found that most users are reluctant to pay a premium for wireless content. The company surveyed 3,600 users and found that 40% were unwilling to pay…

KPMG’s latest survey on mobile phone users’ willingness to pay for mobile content services found that most users are reluctant to pay a premium for wireless content. The company surveyed 3,600 users and found that 40% were unwilling to pay a premium on their current bill in order to receive multimedia services. This attitude was particularly prevalent in Asia, where wireless content uptake has a one- to two-year lead on Europe and the US.

Posted by Judith — 5:30 AM

T-Mobile contracts Aircom for managed services.

Source: Mobile operator T-Mobile UK has awarded mobile network engineering supplier Aircom International a ‘multi-million pound’ managed service contract. Aircom will perform a managed service to deliver management, integration, performance management and continuous optimisation of T-Mobile’s 2G and 3G network….

Mobile operator T-Mobile UK has awarded mobile network engineering supplier Aircom International a ‘multi-million pound’ managed service contract. Aircom will perform a managed service to deliver management, integration, performance management and continuous optimisation of T-Mobile’s 2G and 3G network.

Posted by Judith — 5:19 AM

Euro giants issue NGN RFPs.

Source: Vendor marketing teams are dealing with a flurry of major telecom equipment RFPs (request for proposals) from major European carriers that need the latest Ethernet and VOIP infrastructure for their next-generation networks. BT Group plc and Colt Telecom Group plc…

Vendor marketing teams are dealing with a flurry of major telecom equipment RFPs (request for proposals) from major European carriers that need the latest Ethernet and VOIP infrastructure for their next-generation networks.
BT Group plc and Colt Telecom Group plc have both confirmed that they have Ethernet equipment RFPs out in the market at the moment, while industry sources have told Light Reading that both France Telecom SA and Deutsche Telekom AG are currently seeking new VOIP-related infrastructure.

Posted by Judith — 4:57 AM

Verizon mulling phone line sales -report.

Source: Verizon Communications Inc. may sell some of its traditional phone lines in two deals that could fetch as much as US$8bn., according to a report on the Wall Street Journal’s Web site. One deal, involving packages of access lines in…

Verizon Communications Inc. may sell some of its traditional phone lines in two deals that could fetch as much as US$8bn., according to a report on the Wall Street Journal’s Web site.
One deal, involving packages of access lines in three U.S. states, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, could be valued at US$2 to 3bn.
Another deal involving lines in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan could be valued at US$4 to5bn.

Posted by Judith — 4:41 AM

AT&T ups broadband ante.

Source: AT&T plan to deploy satellite and new broadband wireless technologies to expand the reach of its broadband footprint and enable it to offer IPTV. CEO Whitacre told members that AT&T will offer satellite-based broadband services in rural markets where DSL…

AT&T plan to deploy satellite and new broadband wireless technologies to expand the reach of its broadband footprint and enable it to offer IPTV. CEO Whitacre told members that AT&T will offer satellite-based broadband services in rural markets where DSL is not available or economically viable, via a partnership with Wildblue. It will also expand its investment in WiMAX, with trials planned in both Texas and Nevada.

Posted by Judith — 6:19 AM

India to claim world number 2 spot by 2008.

Source: India is set to become the world’s second largest mobile phone market in two years time, according to a new report from Datacomm Research Company in the US. In a statement the author of the report, Chetan Sharma, pointed out,…

India is set to become the world’s second largest mobile phone market in two years time, according to a new report from Datacomm Research Company in the US. In a statement the author of the report, Chetan Sharma, pointed out, “India passed Japan in total subscribers last month. Within the next few weeks, India will break through the 100 million subscriber barrier.”

Posted by Judith — 6:02 AM

Government looking for Hondutel partner.

Source: The government of Honduras is looking to privatise its state-run national telecoms operator Hondutel, and to that end hopes to attract an international partner to take a strategic interest in the venture. ‘We’re looking for an international strategic partner, but…

The government of Honduras is looking to privatise its state-run national telecoms operator Hondutel, and to that end hopes to attract an international partner to take a strategic interest in the venture.
‘We’re looking for an international strategic partner, but a minority one, so that the government will maintain control of a majority of [Hondutel’s] shares,’ said the country’s finance minister.

Posted by Judith — 5:35 AM

Microsoft sets Live Messenger Beta free.

Source: Microsoft revealed it will extend its VoIP service to cover 11 countries next week as it made its Windows Live Messenger Beta available for download today. Microsoft痴 offering features a tie-in with US phone giant Verizon痴 Web Calling service, which…

Microsoft revealed it will extend its VoIP service to cover 11 countries next week as it made its Windows Live Messenger Beta available for download today.
Microsoft痴 offering features a tie-in with US phone giant Verizon痴 Web Calling service, which can be accessed with a single click. Customers in the US, UK, Germany, France and Spain can already access the service, with Austria, Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Italy and the Netherlands coming on next week.

Posted by Judith — 5:16 AM

‘QualSoft’ the next force in the mobile multimedia battle?

Source: MS and Qualcomm join forces to challenge Nokia. The two giants’ new collaboration is more ambitious and has far greater disruptive potential, offering a tightly integrated combination of Windows and CDMA or W-CDMA that does not only cut time to…

MS and Qualcomm join forces to challenge Nokia.
The two giants’ new collaboration is more ambitious and has far greater disruptive potential, offering a tightly integrated combination of Windows and CDMA or W-CDMA that does not only cut time to market for ODMs, but will produce the first 3G Windows smartphone and a strong multimedia device platform that could build a bridge to the mainstream PC and IPTV worlds for CDMA operators, and therefore strengthen their fixed/mobile convergence hands, while boosting Qualcomm痴 already advanced multimedia content capabilities.

Posted by Judith — 4:45 AM

SK Telecom says “HELIO” to US market.

Source: Korean mobile operator SK Telecom is set to launch its “partial” MVNO service in the US this week. The company, operating through a joint venture with EarthLink known as HELIO, announced the arrival of its nationwide mobile phone service in…

Korean mobile operator SK Telecom is set to launch its “partial” MVNO service in the US this week. The company, operating through a joint venture with EarthLink known as HELIO, announced the arrival of its nationwide mobile phone service in the US at the weekend.
HELIO, which will rent space on the networks owned and operated by Sprint and Verizon, among others, says it will target young subscribers. It plans to attack this segment of the mobile market by offering services often found in Korea, but, until now, rarely seen in the US.

Posted by Judith — 5:22 AM

AOL to sell underachieving French/German businesses.

Source: US-based internet service provider AOL, part of the Time Warner media group, is believed to have put its French and German operations up for sale, having struggled to make an impact on incumbents France T駘馗om and Deutsche Telekom. Sources say…

US-based internet service provider AOL, part of the Time Warner media group, is believed to have put its French and German operations up for sale, having struggled to make an impact on incumbents France T駘馗om and Deutsche Telekom. Sources say the ISP has retained Citigroup to oversee the sale of the underperforming businesses, thought to be worth a total of €700m. (US$891m.). It will however, hold on to its UK business and continues to operate internet portals in Germany and France.

Posted by Judith — 5:04 AM

ntl plans to cut workforce by almost a third.

Source: UK cable operator ntl is planning to axe around 5,000 of the company痴 17,000 staff over the next few years as it pushes for ｣250m. (US$465m.) in annual cost savings following its ｣3.4bn. merger with rival Telewest. According to The…

UK cable operator ntl is planning to axe around 5,000 of the company痴 17,000 staff over the next few years as it pushes for ｣250m. (US$465m.) in annual cost savings following its ｣3.4bn. merger with rival Telewest. According to The Guardian, most of the losses will come in customer service positions as the merged company looks to outsource the bulk of its call centre positions; ntl already has deals with Fujitsu and IBM to deal with customer care through staff in India and South Africa.

Posted by Judith — 5:01 AM

O2 poised to win 3’s £100m roaming contract.

Source: THE mobile operator O2 is the front-runner to secure a £100 million-a-year contract with 3 to provide coverage in parts of the country where its rival’s third-generation mobile network does not reach. O2, owned by Telefónica, of Spain, was head…

THE mobile operator O2 is the front-runner to secure a £100 million-a-year contract with 3 to provide coverage in parts of the country where its rival’s third-generation mobile network does not reach.
O2, owned by Telefónica, of Spain, was head to head with Orange for the lucrative “roaming” contract.
Industry insiders believe that 3 will announce shortly that O2 has pushed aside its rivals to renew its current deal with 3.

Posted by Judith — 4:51 AM

Scientists track weather with mobile masts.

Source: New research suggests mobile 3G masts offer a cheap and accurate weather monitoring network. Rain, snow, humidity, and other atmospheric conditions affect the strength of electromagnetic signals. Mobile phone operators already collect such data and use the knowledge to boost…

New research suggests mobile 3G masts offer a cheap and accurate weather monitoring network.
Rain, snow, humidity, and other atmospheric conditions affect the strength of electromagnetic signals. Mobile phone operators already collect such data and use the knowledge to boost the network when things turn nasty.
The team collated mast strength numbers with recorded precipitation levels. They found that the variation in reception was a better real-time indicator of conditions than current radar techniques.

Posted by Judith — 5:54 AM

Free VoIP plan withdrawn.

Source: Smart Telecom(Ireland) has hastily withdrawn a promotional offering of free VoIP telephony calls after being deluged with interest for the service. According to reports in the Sunday Business Post, the operator was overwhelmed with multiple applications from individuals attempting to…

Smart Telecom(Ireland) has hastily withdrawn a promotional offering of free VoIP telephony calls after being deluged with interest for the service. According to reports in the Sunday Business Post, the operator was overwhelmed with multiple applications from individuals attempting to register under multiple names to ‘bank’ the telco’s offer of free calls up to an hour.

Posted by Judith — 5:48 AM

AMD, Intel and MIT chastised for cheap PC fight.

Source: The unusual struggle to provide adequate, cheap PCs to the world’s poor has gone awry before it really even began in earnest. A group of technology leaders at the World Congress on Information Technology chastised the likes of AMD, Intel…

The unusual struggle to provide adequate, cheap PCs to the world’s poor has gone awry before it really even began in earnest. A group of technology leaders at the World Congress on Information Technology chastised the likes of AMD, Intel and MIT for failing to cooperate around their efforts to create low-cost computers. Compounding the tension, the leaders added that they’d prefer to see the likes of Nokia and Motorola sending cell phones to their nations before the PC companies arrive.

Posted by Judith — 5:43 AM

O2 expansion.

Source: MOBILE phone operator O2 plans to expand into the broadband market. O2, which Telefonica bought for ｣17.7bn. last year, has 16 million customers. Rumour says it may link up with Cable & Wireless’s broadband unit Bulldog or Tiscali’s UK division….

MOBILE phone operator O2 plans to expand into the broadband market. O2, which Telefonica bought for ｣17.7bn. last year, has 16 million customers. Rumour says it may link up with Cable & Wireless’s broadband unit Bulldog or Tiscali’s UK division. O2’s rivals offer mobile, fixed-line and broadband packages.

Posted by Judith — 5:20 AM

TelePacific buys Mpower

Source: The consolidation waves continue to ripple through the competitive telecom industry. TelePacific Communications announced today that it will acquire Mpower Communications for $204 million in a cash transition….

The consolidation waves continue to ripple through the competitive telecom industry. TelePacific Communications announced today that it will acquire Mpower Communications for $204 million in a cash transition.

Posted by Penny — 10:26 AM

Microsoft, Qualcomm in smart phone pact

Source: Microsoft Corp. on Thursday said it struck a deal to enable its Windows Mobile operating system to work with Qualcomm Inc.’s mobile phone chips, helping Microsoft expand in wireless. The move allows Qualcomm’s customers to develop “smart phones” that run…

Microsoft Corp. on Thursday said it struck a deal to enable its Windows Mobile operating system to work with Qualcomm Inc.’s mobile phone chips, helping Microsoft expand in wireless.
The move allows Qualcomm’s customers to develop “smart phones” that run Microsoft’s mobile operating system and offer computer-like functions such as e-mail, mobile TV, and word processing, the companies said.

Posted by Penny — 10:41 AM

Skype going mobile.

Source: Handset maker, Netgear has begun accepting orders for a new WiFi phone designed to be used with VoIP operator Skype痴 services at home or at any W-Lan hotspot connection. The phones, will enable users to make and receive calls from…

Handset maker, Netgear has begun accepting orders for a new WiFi phone designed to be used with VoIP operator Skype痴 services at home or at any W-Lan hotspot connection. The phones, will enable users to make and receive calls from any WiFi hotspot through which they have access.
According to Netgear, the new phone is the first device certified by Skype and will help make mobile Internet telephony a reality for its customers. Netgear says the phones will work anywhere in the world where the user has a secure or open access to a WiFi network.

Posted by Judith — 6:09 AM

NZ ordered to increase broadband competition.

Source: The NZ government is planning to drive through a series of measures to force incumbent telco Telecom New Zealand to unbundle the local loop and increase competition. A raft of proposals - including LLU, increased regulation, and the promotion of…

The NZ government is planning to drive through a series of measures to force incumbent telco Telecom New Zealand to unbundle the local loop and increase competition.
A raft of proposals - including LLU, increased regulation, and the promotion of investment by rival operators in fibre, wireless and satellite networks - are being put forward as a way to drag New Zealand out of the bottom third of the OECD’s league table of broadband countries.
The government has decided that key to this lacklustre performance is the lack of effective competition among broadband and telecoms providers.

Posted by Judith — 6:05 AM

RIM countersues Visto in battle over BlackBerry.

Source: Research In Motion Ltd. wasted no time in firing back at the latest firm trying to shut down its BlackBerry wireless operations in the United States over accusations of patent infringement. RIM has countersued Visto Corp., challenging the legitimacy of…

Research In Motion Ltd. wasted no time in firing back at the latest firm trying to shut down its BlackBerry wireless operations in the United States over accusations of patent infringement.
RIM has countersued Visto Corp., challenging the legitimacy of the privately held software firm’s patents and manoeuvring to get the pending battle moved to a more favourable jurisdiction.
RIM, of Waterloo, Ont., filed suit in a federal court in Dallas on Monday, one business day after Visto launched a patent infringement case against the company.

Posted by Judith — 5:57 AM

COLT splashes out 30 times more than rival in licence race.

Source: COLT, the telecoms group majority-owned by Fidelity, has insisted that it did not bid too much in a recent auction of spectrum licences, despite paying 30 times more than some of its rivals. Ofcom, the telecoms watchdog, revealed yesterday that…

COLT, the telecoms group majority-owned by Fidelity, has insisted that it did not bid too much in a recent auction of spectrum licences, despite paying 30 times more than some of its rivals.
Ofcom, the telecoms watchdog, revealed yesterday that during a sealed-bids auction, COLT paid ｣1.5 million for a licence, while its rival Cable & Wireless bid ｣51,002. BT paid only ｣275,000 for an identical licence for the spectrum, which is used for running small-scale mobile phone networks. Spring Mobil, the lowest successful bidder, secured another identical licence for ｣50,110.

Posted by Judith — 4:37 AM

Huawei lands another Euro deal.

Source: Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has cemented its position as one of the most important telecom equipment vendors in the U.K. by landing a deal with Opal Telecom Ltd. , which plans to install its own broadband access equipment in up…

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has cemented its position as one of the most important telecom equipment vendors in the U.K. by landing a deal with Opal Telecom Ltd. , which plans to install its own broadband access equipment in up to 1,000 BT Group plc local exchanges in the U.K.
Opal is a subsidiary of major BT competitor The Carphone Warehouse Group plc , which recently launched a “free broadband for life” offer to U.K. consumers that has met with significant demand from the British public. Now Carphone is building its own broadband capabilities, through the LLU process, to meet that demand on its own network, and not have to rely on BT’s infrastructure.

Posted by Judith — 4:29 AM

US FTC sues companies for selling phone records.

Source: U.S. authorities said on Wednesday they had filed suit against five online companies, charging they had illegally sold confidential phone records. The Federal Trade Commission said it is asking a court to bar the sale of the phone records and…

U.S. authorities said on Wednesday they had filed suit against five online companies, charging they had illegally sold confidential phone records.
The Federal Trade Commission said it is asking a court to bar the sale of the phone records and force the companies to give up the money they made with their operations.

Posted by Judith — 4:26 AM

Pipex unravels Cyberpress mystery.

Source: UK internet service provider Pipex has confirmed that it is the parent of Cyberpress, one of the 12 companies provisionally awarded licenses for spectrum in the 1781.7-1785MHz band paired with the 1876.7-1880MHz band last week. The company also hinted that…

UK internet service provider Pipex has confirmed that it is the parent of Cyberpress, one of the 12 companies provisionally awarded licenses for spectrum in the 1781.7-1785MHz band paired with the 1876.7-1880MHz band last week.
The company also hinted that it could use the spectrum in home gateways to provide mobile phone access through broadband connectivity.
Recently, Pipex announced a WiMAX joint venture with Intel, under which the ISP aims to deliver high speed wireless services in London and Manchester by next year.

Posted by Judith — 4:16 AM

MetaSolv broadens product portfolio

Source: MetaSolv went on offense this week with three new products developed in-house that compliment its existing inventory and activation solutions….

MetaSolv went on offense this week with three new products developed in-house that compliment its existing inventory and activation solutions.

Posted by Penny — 1:55 PM

US sidesteps net neutrality questions.

Source: The US Senate took the first step towards rewriting the country’s telecoms laws on Monday, but rebuffed calls for network neutrality, despite intensive lobbying from the likes of Amazon, Google and Yahoo. Senate Commerce Committee introduced S.2686, the Communications, Consumer’s…

The US Senate took the first step towards rewriting the country’s telecoms laws on Monday, but rebuffed calls for network neutrality, despite intensive lobbying from the likes of Amazon, Google and Yahoo.
Senate Commerce Committee introduced S.2686, the Communications, Consumer’s Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006. The legislation reforms existing communications laws to promote competition, cost savings for consumers, and the speedy deployment of broadband services.
However, on the sensitive and controversial subject of net neutrality, the legislation made no requirements that carriers treat all services travelling over their networks with equal consideration.

Posted by Judith — 5:42 AM

Free Vonage calls to Europe stirs up competition.

Source: Vonage America is waiving its international calling rates to France, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the U.K. in a move that will bring it into closer competition with Skype for many customers….

Vonage America is waiving its international calling rates to France, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the U.K. in a move that will bring it into closer competition with Skype for many customers.

Posted by Judith — 5:28 AM

Ofcom steps into Carphone row with BT.

Source: The Carphone Warehouse has suffered a setback to its ambitious plans to offer cut price broadband and phone services. A draft ruling by regulator Ofcom has failed to uphold a request by Carphone to slash the cost of migrating large…

The Carphone Warehouse has suffered a setback to its ambitious plans to offer cut price broadband and phone services. A draft ruling by regulator Ofcom has failed to uphold a request by Carphone to slash the cost of migrating large numbers of users to its new service.
If the draft ruling is confirmed, Carphone will have to pay more to migrate each customer to its new phone and broadband service than it had hoped, adding to its overheads.

Posted by Judith — 5:19 AM

Ubiquity leads new round of 21CN deals.

Source: SIP services platform specialist Ubiquity Software Corp. has landed a potentially lucrative deal with BT Group plc to provide the carrier with SIP application servers that will be deployed as part of its ｣10bn. (US$18bn.) next-generation network project, the 21CN….

SIP services platform specialist Ubiquity Software Corp. has landed a potentially lucrative deal with BT Group plc to provide the carrier with SIP application servers that will be deployed as part of its ｣10bn. (US$18bn.) next-generation network project, the 21CN.
What’s interesting about this deal is that BT is working directly with a small specialist vendor, and not through one of its eight preferred 21CN vendor partners.
BT says that’s because the Ubiquity deal is the first in the next stage of the 21CN project. The initial eight vendors were for the initial physical infrastructure upgrade based on core network convergence.

Posted by Judith — 5:02 AM

Helio launches cellphone service for 20-somethings.

Source: Helio LLC, a venture of SK Telecom and EarthLink Inc, began a U.S. cellular phone service aimed at attracting young people who use cellphones for services like Web surfing. It plans to run the service on rented space on the…

Helio LLC, a venture of SK Telecom and EarthLink Inc, began a U.S. cellular phone service aimed at attracting young people who use cellphones for services like Web surfing.
It plans to run the service on rented space on the Sprint Nextel Corp. network and is among a group of providers hoping to break into the U.S. market by targeting niche segments such as teenagers, families and sports fans.

Posted by Judith — 4:55 AM

Sprint offers end-to-end MPLS VPN Service Level Agreement (SLA).

Source: Sprint introduced a standard end-to-end MPLS VPN Service Level Agreements (SLAs) on its wholly owned global network. The new performance guarantees, which are provided at no additional charge to customers, extend SLA coverage and reporting beyond the backbone network and…

Sprint introduced a standard end-to-end MPLS VPN Service Level Agreements (SLAs) on its wholly owned global network. The new performance guarantees, which are provided at no additional charge to customers, extend SLA coverage and reporting beyond the backbone network and now include the local loop, covering service from customer router to customer router. The service level guarantees include an enhanced network availability SLA of up to 100%, standard end-to-end packet loss and jitter SLAs, and a standard end-to-end delay methodology applicable across Sprint’s entire global backbone.

Posted by Judith — 4:21 AM

Few consumers sending pictures from camera phones.

Source: U.S. consumers like their camera phones, but only one in five is using the devices to send photos to others, a market research firm said Monday. The survey from The NPD Group is bad news for wireless carriers, which had…

U.S. consumers like their camera phones, but only one in five is using the devices to send photos to others, a market research firm said Monday.
The survey from The NPD Group is bad news for wireless carriers, which had hoped to make additional money from people using data services to ship pictures.
Since late 2002, the year camera phones were introduced, the number of users have increased to half of all mobile subscribers, NPD said. Fully 73 percent of the users said they were very or somewhat satisfied with the purchase.
Nevertheless, four out of five camera-phone owners say they leave their pictures in the devices, as if they were portable digital photo albums.
Cost was the biggest factor in not sharing photos wirelessly, NPD said. About six out of 10 of the survey respondents said they weren’t entirely sure about the price for sending photos, which means they were less likely to do it.

Posted by Judith — 4:03 AM

RIM gets sued—again—as Mobile E-Mail wars rage on.

Source: A federal court on Friday ordered Seven Networks to pay Visto $3.6 million in damages for patent infringement. That same day, Visto attorneys filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against BlackBerry provider Research In Motion. Friday’s activity signals that patent-related legal battles…

A federal court on Friday ordered Seven Networks to pay Visto $3.6 million in damages for patent infringement. That same day, Visto attorneys filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against BlackBerry provider Research In Motion.
Friday’s activity signals that patent-related legal battles continue to plague the mobile E-mail market, which is why some companies, including Research In Motion, are calling for U.S. patent reform.
Research In Motion paid a $612.5 million settlement in March to patent-holding company NTP Inc. Visto is claiming that RIM infringed on four of its patents,three of which are identical to those in Visto’s successful lawsuit against Seven.

Posted by Judith — 3:49 AM

Number of US fibre-to-the-home communities increases to 936 in 47 states.

Source: The Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) have announced an updated list of ‘US Optical Fiber Communities,’ with the total rising to 936 communities in 47 states. The list tracks communities nationwide that are delivering broadband services…

The Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) have announced an updated list of ‘US Optical Fiber Communities,’ with the total rising to 936 communities in 47 states. The list tracks communities nationwide that are delivering broadband services to residential customers through FTTH solutions.
The updated list shows that 280 communities were added since October 2005. Further analysis shows more than 4m homes have been passed with fibre, marking a 50 per cent increase in the last six months, and that 671,000 homes have been connected, a 107 per cent increase also since October 2005.

Posted by Judith — 3:46 AM

Intel to offer its own plan for Global Internet Access.

Source: Aiming to help close the so-called digital divide, the Intel Corporation plans to announce a design for a sub-$400 educational laptop and a five-year, $1 billion program to train teachers and to extend wireless digital Internet access worldwide. The moves…

Aiming to help close the so-called digital divide, the Intel Corporation plans to announce a design for a sub-$400 educational laptop and a five-year, $1 billion program to train teachers and to extend wireless digital Internet access worldwide.
The moves are intended to bolster Intel’s reach into new markets, but may also have an effect on the American market for computers in education.
The program is to be announced on Tuesday at the World Congress on Information Technology, a conference in Austin, Texas.
The initiative, called World Ahead, comes as Intel, the No. 1 chip maker, is embarking on what it says will be a $1 billion revamping program in the face of declining market share and a lagging share price.

Posted by Judith — 3:31 AM

Level 3 takes TelCove.

Source: Level 3 Communications Inc. this morning announced a $1.2 billion deal to pick up TelCove Inc., its biggest move since last year’s pickup of WilTel Communications Group Inc. The deal, expected to close during the third quarter, has Level 3…

Level 3 Communications Inc. this morning announced a $1.2 billion deal to pick up TelCove Inc., its biggest move since last year’s pickup of WilTel Communications Group Inc.
The deal, expected to close during the third quarter, has Level 3 paying $637 million worth of shares and $445 million in cash while assuming $155.5 million of TelCove’s debt.
Formerly a piece of cable provider Adelphia Communications Corp., TelCove boasts 22,000 miles of fiber, about half of it in intercity rings around the eastern United States. The other half sits in various metro markets, and it’s there that TelCove aimed its 10-Gbit/s Ethernet services, launched last year.
TelCove also brings in 300 wireless licenses, for LMDS and the 39 GHz range, covering about 90 percent of the U.S. population.

Posted by Judith — 3:25 AM

Canadians to be asked to do census online.

Source: Canada is joining a small club of countries that is bringing the census into the Internet age, and aims to have 20 percent of respondents fill out their surveys online this year. Paper census forms that try to track the…

Canada is joining a small club of countries that is bringing the census into the Internet age, and aims to have 20 percent of respondents fill out their surveys online this year.
Paper census forms that try to track the habits, backgrounds and movements of Canada’s 32 million people will arrive at households in the mail this week, and with them will be a special Internet access code.

Posted by Judith — 3:22 AM

Napster says face the music…for free.

Source: Napster, the online music service company, said Monday it would offer listeners the chance to listen to more than two 2 million songs for free through a new, ad-supported Web site. The company said its new free music feature would…

Napster, the online music service company, said Monday it would offer listeners the chance to listen to more than two 2 million songs for free through a new, ad-supported Web site.
The company said its new free music feature would only be available within the United States at first, but it planned to expand the service into other territories.

Posted by Judith — 3:05 AM

Nortel痴 accounting far from fixed

Source: After restating its financial reports for a third time in March, Nortel Networks admitted in regulatory filings today that its accounting procedures remain significantly flawed….

After restating its financial reports for a third time in March, Nortel Networks admitted in regulatory filings today that its accounting procedures remain significantly flawed.

Posted by Penny — 1:35 PM

Partnership backs Voice over Wireless LANs.

Source: In order for voice-over-wireless LANs to take off among businesses, many of the large industry vendors need to collaborate. Cisco Systems took steps toward that vision by partnering with Intel, Nokia, Research In Motion, and other technology companies to drive…

In order for voice-over-wireless LANs to take off among businesses, many of the large industry vendors need to collaborate. Cisco Systems took steps toward that vision by partnering with Intel, Nokia, Research In Motion, and other technology companies to drive adoption of what the vendor calls voice-ready wireless networks.
Cisco said last week that the goal of its partnerships with Intel, Nokia, and RIM is to ensure that wireless client devices interoperate with Cisco’s WLAN products and are capable of supporting advanced voice features.

Posted by Judith — 5:19 AM

ROK(UK) gets ｣665m call to bring mobile TV to China.

Source: A British company has signed a deal to provide China Mobile with the technology for the country’s first live mobile television service. China Mobile, with 350 million subscribers, is the world’s largest mobile phone company….

A British company has signed a deal to provide China Mobile with the technology for the country’s first live mobile television service.
China Mobile, with 350 million subscribers, is the world’s largest mobile phone company.

Posted by Judith — 5:04 AM