Press Clippings: July 2006
Major Industry items you might have missed
Monday, July 31, 2006
UK Wi-fi boost plan for rural areas.
Source: BBC.
Rural areas could benefit from proposals to boost the power of signals used in wi-fi networks.
Regulator Ofcom wants to deliver broadband access to parts of the UK with no high-speed internet.
Limitations on the strength of wi-fi signals make it expensive to deploy such networks outside of urban areas.
Boosting the power of wi-fi signals would dramatically reduce the cost of bringing wireless networks to rural areas because fewer transmitters would be needed.
Ofcom is currently consulting on three proposals:
# boosting the power of wireless signals in all parts of the UK
# limiting that power increase to rural areas only
# a balance of the first two plans incorporating a code of collaboration to minimise signal interference.
Posted by Judith — 4:12 AM
Telemar to purchase Way Brasil.
Source: TeleGeography.
Brazilian telecoms operator Telemar has acquired cable and internet company Way Brasil at an auction on the São Paulo stock exchange Bovespa. Bidding via its mobile arm Oi, Telemar offered BRL132m. (US$60.1m.) for Way Brasil, a premium of 65% over the minimum asking price of BRL80m.
Posted by Judith — 4:01 AM
WiFi Eyes the Empty Airwaves.
Source: BusinessWeekOnline.
The white space—unused spectrum between TV channels—could be key to new wireless services, but big telcos say it’s a threat.
Now Michael Calabrese, a vice-president at the New America Foundation, a liberal Washington think tank, has advanced a new plan to use some of the wireless spectrum. It qualifies as one of the most promising and innovative ideas in communications. The idea: to open up “white space”—unused frequencies between TV channels—for unlicensed use to anybody who wants to put up a transmitter.
Posted by Judith — 3:58 AM
Australian agency to continue regulating fixed-line services.
Source: Telecom Asia.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will continue regulating fixed line services in the country, a statement from the group said.
“The ACCC has decided to continue the regulation of the unconditioned local loop service, PSTN originating and terminating access services and local carriage service for three years from August,” ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel, in a statement said. “It has also decided to formalize the declaration of a wholesale line rental service.”
Posted by Judith — 3:43 AM
T-Com Launches VDSL2 Network in 10 German Cities.
Source: Converge.
Beginning on August 2, Deutsche Telekom’s T-Com division will begin offering consumer broadband access at up to 50 Mbps over its new VDSL network in ten cities. The service delivers voice communication, Internet usage and IPTV via a single line.
Posted by Judith — 3:32 AM
Saturday, July 29, 2006
FCC gives up on blind bidding; announces 168 qualified bidders for AWS auction.
Source: RCR Wireless.
The Federal Communications Commission said late Friday that 168 bidders have qualified to participate in the advanced wireless services auction, and that it would not use blind bidding procedures during the auction.
The AWS auction is for 1,122 licenses being sold by the government to offer service in the 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz bands. The auction is scheduled to start Aug. 9.
Among the qualified bidders are Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA Inc. and a number of rural telephone companies.
Posted by Judith — 4:52 AM
The Cloud and Tesco team up on consumer wifi.
Source: Telecoms.com.
the UK’s leading supermarket chain, Tesco, is to offer wireless internet access airtime for an unlimited use flat rate of £11.99 a month, in partnership with The Cloud.
Tesco serves 5 million visitors a month in the UK and will be pushing the offer through its Tesco Telecoms arm which runs Tesco.net.
In a statement, the companies said: “Any mobile internet user from a small business manager to writers and students will be able to access the internet on the move from the 7,000 UK hotspots, including city centre hotzones across the country, without having to worry about time limits or escalating costs.”
Posted by Judith — 4:31 AM
Will your cellphone supercede your credit card?
Source: CNN.com.
By next year, you’ll be able to pay simply by swiping your cell phone a few inches from a cash register, with a new wireless standard called Near Field Communication.
An NFC chip in your phone will send your credit-card number — stored on your phone or on the chip — by way of short-distance radio waves.
An electronic reader at the checkout will decode the number and ring up your purchase. Unlike radio-frequency identification and other existing contactless payment systems, NFC chips allow two-way information exchange by rolling an RF transmitter and reader into one five-millimeter package.
Posted by Judith — 4:02 AM
The Wi-Fi in Your Handset.
Source: NYT.
What if, instead of burning up minutes on your cellphone plan, you could make free or cheap calls over the wireless networks that allow Internet access in many coffee shops, airports and homes?
Instead of relying on standard cellphone networks, the new phones will make use of Wi-Fi hotspots. Other models will be able to switch easily between the two modes.
The phones, while a potential money-saver for consumers, could cause big problems for cellphone companies. They have invested billions in their nationwide networks of cell towers, and they could find that customers are bypassing them in favor of Wi-Fi connections. The struggling Bell operating companies could also suffer if the new phones accelerate the trend toward cheap Internet-based calling, reducing the need for a standard phone line in homes with wireless networks.
Posted by Judith — 3:19 AM
Caudwell phone group sold to private equity.
Source: TimesOnLine.
John Caudwell, the billionaire tycoon, will next week formally announce the £1bn. sale of his phone empire to two private equity houses.
The phone group, whose companies include the Phones 4 U chain, the main high street rival to Charles Dunstone’s Carphone Warehouse, is to be sold for around £1.1 billion to Providence Equity Partners and Doughty Hanson.
Providence is to take the Phones 4 U chain.
Posted by Judith — 3:15 AM
Friday, July 28, 2006
NEC, Matsushita and TI form Joint Venture for 3G/3.5G.
Source: Converge.
NEC, NEC Electronics Corp., Matsushita, Panasonic Mobile Communications and Texas Instruments will establish a new joint venture company to conduct global development, design, and technology licensing for a hardware and software communications platform to manage the core communications functions for mobile handsets for 3G/3.5G and beyond.
The new company, Adcore-Tech, will be based in Yokosuka, Japan.
Posted by Judith — 4:12 AM
Verizon, vendors work on next generation technology.
Source: Reuters.
Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group Plc has stated that it has been working with five communications technology providers on developing the next generation of wireless Internet services.
Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. cellphone provider, said it has been collaborating for the past year with Cisco Systems Inc., Lucent Technologies Inc., Nortel, Motorola Inc. and Qualcomm Inc. on overcoming problems related to future services such as Internet telephony.
Posted by Judith — 4:06 AM
British watchdog launches broadband comparison site.
Source: Telecoms.com.
UK watchdog Ofcom has announced the launch of TopComm, a scheme designed to provide consumers with a comparison of quality of service levels among fixed-line telecoms providers in the UK.
Independent research commissioned by Ofcom showed that quality of service is consistently identified by consumers as an important factor in deciding whether to switch to another fixed-line provider.
Posted by Judith — 3:58 AM
Stolen mobiles ‘will be blocked’.
Source: BBC.
Around 80% of mobile phones will be blocked on all five UK networks within 48 hours of being reported stolen in future, industry leaders have pledged.
The pledge is part of a charter aimed at reducing mobile phone crime launched by the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum and phone networks.
Posted by Judith — 3:55 AM
Nokia begins testing Wi-Fi calls.
Source: Telecom Asia.
Nokia has started its first tests of a technology that allows users to roam seamlessly between phone networks and local wireless hotspots such as Wi-Fi.
Mobile subscribers with handsets enabled for so-called unlicensed mobile access, or UMA, can make calls over the Internet when they are in range of an unlicensed wireless network such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
When they move out of range, the connection will automatically revert to a GSM, GPRS or UMTS mobile phone network.
Posted by Judith — 3:33 AM
Thursday, July 27, 2006
U.S. Judge seeks more documents on Telecom deals.
Source: InformationWeek.
A federal judge has said that he wants to see more documents before deciding whether to endorse government antitrust settlements last year that permitted two major telecommunications acquisitions.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said it was too soon to schedule a full-scale hearing to review further evidence of whether antitrust settlements allowing SBC Communications to buy AT&T and Verizon Communications Inc. to buy MCI Inc. went far enough to resolve concerns about competition.
Under U.S. law, antitrust settlements reached by the government require the approval of a federal judge. Traditionally such approvals have been routine, but Congress altered the law in 2004 and gave judges more authority.
Posted by Judith — 4:11 AM
Ofcom set to launch broadband crackdown.
Source: Independent.
Ofcom, the UK telecoms and media regulator, is poised to crack down on broadband providers that frustrate consumers trying to switch to different suppliers.
With up to 5 million broadband customers - about half the market - interested in switching providers, the tortuous process has been identified as a potential barrier to competition.
Posted by Judith — 4:01 AM
US broadband subscribers soar.
Source: Reuters.
U.S. high-speed Internet subscriptions soared 33 percent last year to 50.2m. lines, according to the latest data released by the Federal Communications Commission.
More consumers signed up for DSL service from telephone companies like AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. than cable modem service from companies like Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Inc.
DSL is typically less expensive than cable Internet service but offers slower download speeds.
Posted by Judith — 3:53 AM
BEA, IBM, Oracle, SAP ramp SOA specification efforts.
Source: TechWeb.
An alliance of software vendors has presented a progress report on specifications that define a language-neutral programming model for application development in service-oriented architecture (SOA) platforms.
Open Service Oriented Architecture, or OSOA, comprises experts from rivals BEA Systems, IBM, Oracle, SAP and others. The group aims to develop a common programming model geared toward SOA, a method to create and manage IT systems through reusable software code and business processes for companies looking to deploy Web Services.
Posted by Judith — 3:50 AM
BT ups 21CN trials.
Source: Telecoms.com.
BT has announced that trials on its 21CN have been ratcheted up, with the next generation network now handling more than 625,000 live customer calls every day.
In the latest trial stage of the 21CN, the network has carried more than 23 million customer calls successfully over an IP link between two major network nodes at Cambridge and Woolwich. The IP network link replaces the circuit switched technology used on the traditional analogue telephone network.
Posted by Judith — 3:45 AM
Motorola set to overtake Nokia?
Source: BWCS.
US mobile phone maker Motorola is rapidly gaining ground on arch-rival Nokia in the handset selling stakes and could overtake it within 24 months, according to a new report by Strategy Analytics. For the time being the Finnish company dominates the global market for mobile terminals with a 33% share of all sales, however, Motorola’s sales are said to be growing at a much faster rate than its competitors.
The US-based analyst house said that while Nokia’s mobile phone sales grew by an impressive 29% last quarter, Motorola beat this with an astonishing 53% growth in its handsets sales.
Posted by Judith — 3:25 AM
Bank told to back off by PCCW (Hong Kong)
Source: BWCS.
PCCW, the Hong Kong-based telecoms giant, has said that it has broken off talks with Macquarie and TPG Newbridge. For the last six weeks the Australian bank and private equity firm have been trying to buy up the telecoms and media holdings of PCCW. In the end, the Hong Kong company withdrew because it said it had received objections from 20% shareholder China Netcom.
Posted by Judith — 3:15 AM
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
HP to buy Mercury for US$4.5bn.
Source: FT.com.
Hewlett-Packard, the world’s second biggest IT company by revenues, has revealed plans to buy Mercury Interactive, a business software company that was one of the first companies caught up in the unfolding scandal over stock options backdating.
The deal, worth US$4.5bn. in cash, is HP’s biggest since its ill-starred US$21bn. acquisition of Compaq, the personal computer maker, in 2001.
Posted by Judith — 4:56 AM
Motorola Makes New Friends.
Source: Light Reading.
Motorola Inc. kept the newswires busy today with a string of partnership announcements and the acquisition of video server firm Broadbus Technologies Inc. The partnerships which the company has formed are with Huawei, Tech Mahindra and Wipro.
Posted by Judith — 4:39 AM
Skype to intro SMS service.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Internet telephony provider Skype has partnered with mobile transaction firm mBlox to deliver an SMS service over the Skype network. Skype SMS allows subscribers to send text messages from their computer to mobile phones worldwide.
Posted by Judith — 4:35 AM
Eircom to serve as universal service provider until 2010.
Source: Digital Media Europe.
rish national telco Eircom has been selected to ensure that all Irish citizens have affordable access to fixed line telephone service.
Irish telco regulator ComReg has re-designated Eircom as the USP for a 4-year period to June 2010.
Universal service means ensuring that every person can avail of basic fixed line services at an affordable price, no matter where they live in the State. Eircom must also provide internet-capable phone lines, telephone directories and public payphones.
According to regulation, broadband is specifically excluded from the definition of universal service.
Posted by Judith — 4:33 AM
ntl:Telewest launches quad play service in UK.
Source: Telecoms.com.
British consumers get their first ‘quad play’ offering as newly merged ntl:Telewest announced a new range of services combining TV, broadband, fixed line and mobile telephony. As a sweetener, the firm said it will offer free TV to any new fixed line phone customer.
Posted by Judith — 4:31 AM
Google launches mobile traffic maps for mobiles.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Former search company, Google, on Tuesday announced it has begun offering US mobile users “live” traffic data.
Google Maps for Mobile, part of a slew of new products aimed at the desktop and mobile user, will allow users to chose a destination and show traffic in that area, live.
Traffic data is sent to the mobile with road conditions colour coded to represent different conditions: red for congested, yellow for slow traffic and green for clear roads.
Posted by Judith — 4:30 AM
Cityhook case adds to BT’s series of legal woes.
Source: TimesOnLine.
BT is to be sued for unspecified damages by a technology minnow. In papers lodged at the High Court, Cityhook, which invented technology used to help to lay transatlantic cables, alleges that BT was part of a group of telecoms companies that operated together in breach of competition law.
It is pursuing BT and nine other defendants: Global Crossing, Cable & Wireless, Alcatel, Level 3, Tyco, Flag, NTL, Viatel and the UK Cable Protection Committee (UKCPC).
Posted by Judith — 4:12 AM
ARCEP (France) calls for further tariff cuts.
Source: TeleGeography.
ARCEP revealed yesterday that it will propose further wholesale tariff cuts of 21% by mobile operators in 2007, following cuts of 24% in 2006 and 16% in 2005. The regulatory body said this last series of cuts would help reach its goal, stated in 2004, of a 50% wholesale tariff cut over three years.
Posted by Judith — 4:04 AM
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Alcatel-Lucent deal approved by European Union.
Source: NYT.
The French communications equipment maker Alcatel has won European Union permission to buy its smaller American rival Lucent Technologies. The deal already had clearance from United States authorities. Shareholders of Lucent will vote on the deal on Sept. 7.
Posted by Judith — 4:15 AM
Hewlett-Packard and Baidu (China) in Deal.
Source: NYT.
Hewlett-Packard will install Internet search software from Baidu.com. on desktop and laptop computers sold in China for one year. Hewlett-Packard’s Pavilion and Presario computers will use Baidu.com as a home page and will include a shortcut key to the Chinese-language search service starting in October. The agreement may help Baidu.com shore up its lead over Google and Yahoo in China.
Posted by Judith — 4:13 AM
eircom board accepts B&B offer.
Source: TeleGeography.
The board of fixed line telco eircom has announced that it has accepted a takeover bid from Australian investment fund Babcock & Brown in an all-cash deal that values the operator at EUR2.4bn.(US$3.1bn.). Babcock & Brown will take on EUR3.8bn. in debt as part of the transaction, but has rejected accusations that this would handicap investment in eircom infrastructure and services.
Posted by Judith — 4:12 AM
France Telecom to get EUR60m for sale of 100% stake in FT Mobile Satellite Communications.
Source: Digital Media Europe.
FT has signed an agreement to sell its entire stake in FT Mobile Satellite Communications for EUR60m (US$76) to Apex Partners.
Apax Partners, a private equity investment group, will distribute the shares to their investment funds.
FT Mobile Satellite Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of FT, markets mobile satellite services for mobile calls and wireless internet access. The company has nine sales offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.
Posted by Judith — 4:01 AM
Verizon Wireless adds 1.8m. customers.
Source: RCRNews.
Verizon Wireless acquired 1.8m. net new customers last quarter, all of which the company says were retail customers—and the second-largest national carrier now claims that “based on publicly available information, that it has the most retail customers of any wireless carrier.” Retail customers are considered subscribers that sign up for wireless service directly through a carrier and not through resellers or mobile virtual network operators.
According to Verizon Wireless, 52.6m. of its 54.8m. customers are direct retail customers.
Posted by Judith — 3:48 AM
Monday, July 24, 2006
Shareholders back mega-merger.
Source: TeleGeography.
AT&T and BellSouth shareholders have approved AT&T’s US$67bn. buy-out of its smaller rival. Around 97% of those who voted backed the deal, according to the companies. The merger of the first and third largest operators in the US wireline market is expected to be completed within the next few months, although it has still to be passed by competition authorities. The unification of AT&T with BellSouth will create a telco serving almost 70 million local telephony customers and over 30 million long-distance users.
Posted by Judith — 6:45 AM
euNetworks launches Europe’s highest capacity fibre-optic network.
Source: TeleGeography.
euNetworks, the European division of Global Voice Group, has unveiled Europe’s highest-capacity fiber optic network that combines long-haul fibre (country-to-country and city-to-city) with last-mile infrastructure, connecting Europe’s largest cities. The company claims its massive fibre capacity will enable it to offer a unique pricing and business model - offered under the ‘private fibre networks’ banner - which will deliver dedicated, secure, un-metered fibre strands to customers and offers virtually unlimited bandwidth at a flat rate.
Posted by Judith — 6:28 AM
Pure Play VoIP Reaches 2.9m. U.S. consumers.
Source: Converge.
The number of U.S. households subscribing to pure-play subscription VoIP services, who are either replacing or complementing existing traditional landline services, increased from 2.2m. in Q1 2006 to 2.9m. in Q2 2006, according to Telephia, a provider of performance measurement information to the converging communications and mobile industries. More than 27 percent of VoIP subscribers who are likely to change providers cite network quality as their primary reason for wanting to switch.
Posted by Judith — 3:45 AM
ATI bid expected today.
Source: The Globe and Mail.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc., the world’s second largest maker of computer chips, plans to sweep up one of Canada’s technology jewels, with an announcement this morning of a friendly offer for ATI Technologies Inc.
AMD’s bid, confirmed by a source familiar with the deal, could vault the Silicon Valley company ahead of archrival Intel Corp. in the area of graphics chips.
ATI makes graphics chips that help render life-like images for computer games and other PC programs, as well as for content on digital televisions and cellphones. The 21-year-old company is one of Canada’s biggest technology players, with more revenue last year than Research In Motion Ltd.
Posted by Judith — 3:43 AM
GNER rolls out new deal with Scottish telecoms group Thus.
Source: Scotsman.com.
PASSENGERS using the east coast mainline between Edinburgh and London are set to benefit from new interactive services following a deal between GNER and Scottish telecoms group Thus.
Thus said its technology would carry data traffic to staff and customers, providing “greater network functionality, faster speeds, superior network resilience and enabling greater bandwidth”.
GNER is one of the first UK railway operators to move from its incumbent data services provider, and a spokeswoman for Thus said the telco hoped to expand its presence in the transport sector.
Posted by Judith — 3:35 AM
Britons ‘dependent on mobile use’.
Source: BBC.
More than 90% of UK mobile users cannot get through the day without using their phone, a survey suggests.
Among younger users, 9% admitted being addicted to their phones and feeling out of control in how they used them.
Overall, 21% of the people polled admitted using a mobile as a means to stop people approaching them.
Mobile phones have also become a greater focus of crime - approximately one in 10 people have had their handset stolen, with 18 to 24-year-olds most at risk.
Half of those quizzed said they would use their mobile to record evidence of a crime, while 47% said they would record a crime in progress.
Posted by Judith — 3:24 AM
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Skype wifi handsets are coming.
Source: Telecoms.com.
VoIP firm Skype, has announced a collaboration with four manufacturers to launch Skype-enabled wifi handsets.
The phones by Belkin, Edge-Core, Netgear, and SMC will give consumers access to the Skype network from any hotspot and will be available on the firm’s website later this quarter.
Each model will have the familiar desktop interface embedded into its design and will automatically synchronise a user to the correct account when in range of a hotspot.
Posted by Judith — 4:37 AM
Microsoft confirms iPod challenge.
Source: CNN.
Microsoft Corp. said on Friday it plans to release a new music and entertainment player and accompanying software under the “Zune” brand this year, in a belated attempt to challenge the dominance of Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod player.
The announcement comes after weeks of rumors and speculation about such an offering. Microsoft has already touted the products to record companies.
The company intends to deliver a family of hardware and software products under the Zune brand, the first of which will be available this year.
Posted by Judith — 4:33 AM
C&W incentive plan waved through.
Source: TimesOnLine.
Shareholders waved through plans yesterday to hand executives at Cable & Wireless payouts of as much as £20m. after accepting a plea by Richard Lapthorne, the chairman, that extraordinary incentives were needed pull the telecoms group from the mire.
Posted by Judith — 3:59 AM
Friday, July 21, 2006
Huawei takes first step into Japanese market with eMobile contract.
Source: TeleGeography.
Huawei Technologies has signed a deal with propsective Japanese mobile operator eMobile to deploy Japan’s first all IP-based radio access network.
The deal marks the first of its kind for Huawei in Japan, and the company hopes to use it as a springboard for expanding its operations in the East Pacific region. Huawei’s sales last year stood at $5.9bn., and during the first six months of 2006 overseas sales surpassed domestic sales for the first time.
Posted by Judith — 4:48 AM
Bundles can drive ARPU.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Bundled pricing is a powerful technique for driving mobile voice usage and kick-starting much-needed new revenue from mobile data services, according to a new report.
The report asserts that despite the advent of 3G, many operators are struggling to maintain voice ARPU and to grow data services beyond messaging. The report shows that bundled pricing can be a highly effective way to stimulate revenue growth. With bundled pricing, mobile operators offer a defined usage allocation of one or more services for a set fee.
Posted by Judith — 3:55 AM
Mobile phone shipments soar.
Source: The Register.
On average, more than 2.5 million mobile phones were shipped every day during the second quarter of 2006.
Figures from researchers show an annual industry growth rate of 26 per cent based on 235 million handsets shipped during the three-month period.
Market leaders Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson all reported that new products played a critical role in driving volumes and profits during the quarter.
Posted by Judith — 3:33 AM
Judge denies request to throw out AT&T spy suit.
Source: InformationWeek.
A judge denied requests by the federal government and AT&T Corps. to dismiss a lawsuit claiming AT&T broke the law by assisting the National Security Agency’s efforts in eavesdropping on millions of Americans’ communications.
It was ruled on Thursday that the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s class action lawsuit against AT&T will continue. EFF lawyers said the ruling is the most significant to come out from about 35 similar cases pending across the country.
Posted by Judith — 3:27 AM
Amnesty International criticises Tech Giants over censorship.
Source: internetnews.com.
Human rights group Amnesty International have said that Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems and Cisco have helped the repressive Chinese government censor and locate dissidents.
The group asked companies and Internet users to sign a pledge to respect Internet freedom.
Amnesty recommended that the companies be more public in how they deal with the Chinese government, show more leadership in promoting human rights and exhaust all alternatives before agreeing to government demands.
Posted by Judith — 3:25 AM
C&W rebuffed after £113m Bermuda bid.
Source: Independent.
A £113m bid by Cable & Wireless’s better-performing international business to acquire KeyTech, the company that owns Bermuda’s incumbent network, has been rebuffed.
KeyTech has rejected C&W’s overtures, despite the cash offer representing a 35 per cent premium to its average share price over the past 30 days. The two businesses are considered to be complementary as C&W’s existing Bermuda business, which has operated for 115 years, specialises in carrying international traffic in and out of the island, while KeyTech runs the domestic fixed-line and mobile network.
Posted by Judith — 3:23 AM
TelstraClear to spend US$31m on 3G.
Source: Telecom Asia.
New Zealand-based telecom operator TelstraClear, a unit of Australian carrier Telstra, is planning to spend some NZ$50m. (US$31m.) to develop its 3G network, a Dow Jones report said.
The company will begin building a 3G mobile network in the provincial town of Tauranga on New Zealand’s North Island early next year, with plans to roll out a national network.
The report added that the move was an about-turn after TelstraClear last year abandoned plans to roll out a national mobile network.
Posted by Judith — 3:15 AM
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Amdocs expands OSS with US$375m. buyout of Cramer.
Source: RCR Wireless.
Amdocs Ltd. has agreed to spend US$375 million to acquire operations support systems provider Cramer Systems Group Ltd.
Cramer, a privately held, London-based outfit, produces network resource management software for mobile and fixed-line telecommunications companies. The firm boasts more than 80 customers worldwide, and will form a new division to serve as the “centerpiece” of Amdocs’ OSS business.
Posted by Judith — 4:45 AM
FT and government in hot water over alleged preferential treatment.
Source: TeleGeography.
The EC has revealed in a statement that it is to take the French government to the European Court of Justice over its failure to recover illegal state aid granted to France Télécom (FT) between 1994 and 2002. FT received preferential treatment from the government during this time in the form of tax breaks worth up to EUR1bn. The EC ruled in 2004 that the government had to reclaim this aid.
Posted by Judith — 4:32 AM
C&W launches offer for Keytech (Bermuda).
Source: TeleGeography.
Cable & Wireless has revealed that it has offered to pay GBP113m. (US$206.8m.) for Bermudan telecommunications company KeyTech. The UK-based firm has been the primary provider of international telephony in Bermuda for over 115 years and is now seeking to enter the domestic market. KeyTech owns the fixed line telco Bermuda Telephone Company and the second largest mobile operator by subscribers, M3 Wireless.
Posted by Judith — 4:29 AM
Ofcom releases BT from its pricing shackles.
Source: TimesOnLine.
Ofcom will next month lift historic price controls on BT after the communications watchdog found that competition in the fixed-line telephone market would provide an effective curb.
The move — which comes 22 years after BT’s privatisation — is expected to deliver cheaper phone bills for consumers after BT agreed to limit increases in its line rental fees and hinted that the cost of phone calls would be cut.
Posted by Judith — 3:48 AM
Yahoo, Motorola to feature Web services on phones.
Source: Reuters.
Yahoo Inc. and Motorola Inc., the second-biggest maker of mobile phones, have stated that Motorola will embed Yahoo services on tens of millions of phones.
The new multi-year deal calls for new mid-priced and high-end Motorola phones to run an integrated set of services known as Yahoo Go for Mobile that includes Yahoo e-mail, search and address book in a single place.
Posted by Judith — 3:45 AM
GSMA attacks EC spectrum plans.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Plans to make parts of the 3G spectrum available to other technologies have been criticised by the GSM Association (GSMA).
The lobby group’s ire has been directed at proposals by the European Commission to free up so-called ‘extension bands’ which have, thus far, been reserved for 3G technologies. The group believes the plans will damage emerging markets.
The 2.5-2.690 GHz band lends itself to high bandwidth applications - precisely the same promise 3G offers - and is ideal for WiMax.
Posted by Judith — 3:42 AM
Leap files suit against T-Mobile USA tactics in Texas.
Source: RCR Wireless.
Leap Wireless International Inc. has filed a lawsuit against T-Mobile USA Inc., alleging the national carrier has been undermining competition and interfering with the launch of Leap’s Cricket brand in Houston.
Leap went on to say that T-Mobile USA had flown in about 40 additional managers from around the country to help police independent dealers in the Houston area, and had cancelled dealer codes, stopped paying commissions and pulled its wares from the stores of independent dealers who sold Cricket’s phones and service.
Posted by Judith — 3:24 AM
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
KDDI to jointly develop operating system with cellphone makers.
Source: TeleGeography.
Japan’s second largest telecoms company KDDI says it plans to work with Toshiba Corp, Sanyo Electric and Qualcomm of the US to jointly develop a common operating system for mobile phones. The move is designed to cut down on R&D for new handsets by up to two-thirds and will involve the four companies working together on a universal OS for cameras, messaging programmes and wireless applications. KDDI says the new software will be ready for launch by end-2007.
Posted by Judith — 5:22 AM
Microsoft, Nortel form telecom alliance.
Source: Globe and Mail.
Microsoft Corp. and Nortel Networks Corp. have formed a four-year alliance to develop and sell products that aim to give people more sophisticated ways to communicate with each other.
The wide-ranging deal, which could be extended, is focused on selling high-tech business communications offerings to corporations.
Posted by Judith — 5:17 AM
‘Make and Model’ hits operator revenue.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Mobile operators could be losing revenue because more than half (58%) of users do not know the make and the model of their handset.
The problem comes, according to LogicaCMG, because accurate handset details enable operators to market relevant extra services relevant to the user’s handset.
Posted by Judith — 4:51 AM
ATT launches Homezone TV and Internet service.
Source: Reuters.
U.S. phone company AT&T Inc. has announced that it began marketing its AT&T Homezone, a long-awaited service that combines high-speed Internet and satellite television in one set-top box.
Homezone, which offers digital video recording, movies on demand, photo- and music-sharing, and Web-based remote access, is initially available in Ohio and San Antonio, Texas, ahead of a broader launch in coming months.
The new service comes as phone companies like AT&T and Verizon Communications Inc. launch various product bundles to compete against rival cable companies’ all-in-one offerings of video, voice and Internet services.
Posted by Judith — 4:37 AM
BSkyB joins ‘free broadband’ war.
Source: BBC.
The broadband pricing war has heated up with satellite firm BSkyB launching a free service for its subscribers.
Under the offer, existing network customers can get its 2Mb Base package for free. Sky expects 30% of its eight million network users to sign up.
Sky said it would spend about £250m on the move, adding it expected to invest a further £400m over three years.
Shares in the group fell on the news amid analyst fears that the decision may mean expensive initial outlays - partly down to the cost of installing Sky equipment in BT telephone exchanges to access the local loop.
Posted by Judith — 4:35 AM
RIM sees media-rich BlackBerry.
Source: Reuters.
Media features and lifestyle applications will be key to the ability of RIM’s BlackBerry e-mail device to capture a bigger slice of the broader consumer market, the company’s co-chief executive said.
“We’ll be definitely supporting more forms of media, it’s a big part of our direction,” Jim Balsillie told Reuters, adding that delivering features such as photography, music and video with the BlackBerry “opens up some bigger markets”.
“It’s totally adjacent and complementary in some respects, but also in other respects it lays right on top (of) our existing market.”
The BlackBerry has become a staple for business people, politicians, lawyers and other professionals, but has yet to gain widespread popularity among mainstream users of portable technology.
Posted by Judith — 4:24 AM
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Visage on board for Embarq mobile services.
Source: TeleGeography.
US wireline operator Embarq says it has selected Visage Mobile to provide the wireless platform for its newly created MVNO. Visage will provide provisioning, billing and customer care systems. Embarq, which was spun off from Sprint Nextel earlier this year, now offers a bundle of long-distance, DSL, satellite TV and wireless services for both residential and business users, with all services covered by a single bill.
Posted by Judith — 5:34 AM
Vodafone could up Airtel stake.
Source: TeleGeography.
UK-based Vodafone Group has confirmed that it is considering increasing its 10% stake in Indian telecoms provider Bharti Airtel. Vodafone came on board as a strategic partner when it purchased a direct stake in Airtel, plus an indirect 4.29% holding in its parent company Bharti Telecom, in October 2005 in a deal valued at US$1.5bn.
Posted by Judith — 5:19 AM
Hong Kong’s New World Telecom selects Lucent for IMS.
Source: Converge
Hong Kong’s New World Telecommunications Limited (NWT) has selected Lucent Technologies’ IMS platform to enable new fixed-mobile convergence services. NWT is Hong Kong’s first fixed line operator to deploy an IMS platform.
Lucent has IMS customer wins with Bell South, Cingular, AT&T, Sprint and Paetec, in the U.S. and O2 and Netia in Europe. Lucent also has about 77 ongoing trials for IMS network elements with 16 customers.
Posted by Judith — 5:15 AM
MTS on the move in Russia.
Source: BWCS.
Russia’s largest mobile operator MTS reported today that it has bought a 75% stake in North Caucasian mobile company Dagtelecom LLC.
The Northern Caucasus Region, with its population of nearly 20 million inhabitants, has witnessed a strong uptake in cellular communications in recent years. The area has proved popular with the major Russian operators looking to expand their subscriber base outside Moscow and other major cities.
MTS is part-owned by Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile International subsidiary.
Posted by Judith — 4:43 AM
Vodafone sues Telecom Italia.
Source: TeleGeography.
Vodafone has filed a lawsuit in Italy, accusing the country’s largest telco of abusing its dominant position. Vodafone’s writ, which was filed in Milan, claims Telecom Italia has been ‘illicitly exploiting its position on the fixed line market to strengthen its position on the mobile market to the detriment of competitors’. Telecom Italia is the country’s largest wireline operator and its subsidiary TIM is the largest player in the Italian mobile market, with 29.66 million subscribers at the end of March, ahead of Vodafone which had 18.49 million.
Posted by Judith — 4:41 AM
Malaysian Wimax tender cancelled.
Source: BWCS.
The Malaysian government has controversially cancelled an upcoming tender for the country’s first wireless broadband licence. According to local press reports three major companies were lining up bids for the franchise, which would have seen the winning company granted the right to offer Wimax services nationally on the 2.3GHz spectrum. The tender was due to close today.
The three interested parties are said to be Redtone International, NasionCom Holdings and Malaysia’s smallest mobile operator DiGi.Com.(81% owned by Telenor).
Posted by Judith — 4:03 AM
HP develops tiny wireless chip with massive capacity.
Source: Telecom Asia.
Researchers at Hewlett-Packard have developed a tiny wireless data chip that can store up to 100 pages of text and can ultimately be used in a variety of consumer and commercial applications.
The report said consumers could store audio commentary, music or short videos on such a chip, affixed to a printed digital photograph.
Devices to read and write data on the chip would then eventually be embedded in cell phones, handheld computers, personal computers, printers, or small standalone readers.
Posted by Judith — 4:03 AM
Monday, July 17, 2006
Wi-Fi Cloud begins to cover Manhattan.
Source: InformationWeek.
With widespread public access to Wi-Fi slow to roll out, New York City is beginning to be covered by a unique wireless network made up of a cloud of Wi-Fi “hot zones.”
“We’re building a true carrier-grade network,” says Frank Matarazzo, president of Microwave Satellite Technologies. The company’s NuVisions operation has fitted several buildings in the city with Gigabit Ethernet, which is used to create a Wi-Fi cloud around a building.
Posted by Judith — 4:59 AM
Alltel to end Local Service as a spinoff is completed.
Source: NYT.
Despite all the talk about the convergence of wireless and wired communications services, a growing number of companies are getting out of the traditional phone business.
Alltel will announce today that it has joined that list by completing the spinoff of its local phone unit, which has 2.9 million lines and serves mostly rural customers, and merging it with Valor Communications, a smaller business that is publicly traded.
The new company, Windstream, will have 3.4 million local phone lines sprinkled across 16 states from New York to New Mexico.
Posted by Judith — 4:47 AM
RIM expands Hong Kong presence.
Source: Telecom Asia.
RIM has expanded its Hong Kong office as part of a major push into the Asia-Pacific region, which will see the company add approximately 10 more carrier partners in the region by the end of this year.
A company statement said the Hong Kong office expansion was the latest in a series of announcements that had seen RIM significantly step up its presence in Asia Pacific.
The office will serve as regional headquarters to assist RIM and its partners in Asia Pacific, in markets such as Greater China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.
Posted by Judith — 4:40 AM
French bid to close the gap of digital divide.
Source: Scotsman.
Over a million of France’s poorest citizens are to get access to broadband computing services for EUR1 (69p) per day.
Prime minister De Villepin intends to provide financial incentives for internet service providers such as France Telecom and Iliad, to offer broadband internet connection for EUR15 a month or less with a low-cost PC and home tuition.
The French government has promised to guarantee the price of EUR1 a day for the poorest members of society.
It is concerned that almost half the population still lacks regular access to the internet.
Posted by Judith — 4:24 AM
BSkyB poised to enter broadband price war.
Source: Independent.
Competition in the UK broadband market will step up a gear tomorrow when BSkyB, the satellite television company, unveils its broadband offer. Its move will pitch it head to head with Carphone Warehouse and Orange, which have both recently launched so-called “free” broadband offers.
Sky is thought likely to follow its rivals in offering free broadband to its high-spending customers as part of a bundled package including television and telecoms services.
Posted by Judith — 4:03 AM
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Cell Phone Could Prevent Dialing While Intoxicated.
Source: TechWeb.
A new cell phone will let users know if they have had too much to drink, but it will be up to users to determine whether it can prevent them from dialing while intoxicated.
A sports car 410 series phone looks like a European sports car and incorporates a sensor to measure blood alcohol content, according to an LG announcement from a recent Singapore trade show.
Users can program the phone to prohibit drunk dialing specific numbers on their contact lists at certain times, according to the report.
Posted by Judith — 6:06 AM
Jajah Touts No Frills Wireless VOIP.
Source: Light Reading
VOIP service provider Jajah Inc. plans to move away from its mostly PC-based service and onto mobile phones in the next few months, according to the company’s CEO.
The company differentiates itself by not forcing people to stay connected to their PCs while talking. Callers use the Jajah Web to initiate calls, but the service calls and connects both users on their regular landline phones.
Also, the service can be used without downloading any software client to the PC. It’s all done via the Web browser.
Soon it will go a step further by taking the PC out of the mix altogether.
Posted by Judith — 5:56 AM
ISPs furious at piracy tax proposals.
Source: Telecoms.com.
A plan to recoup losses made to illegal downloads has been criticised in the UK by ISPs and mobile companies.
Earlier this week a proposal was put forward by a group of independent music labels under the umbrella of the Independent Music Association (AIM) for a change in copyright law and licensing that would effectively charge ISPs and operators to make up for losses made to piracy.
ISPs in the UK are furious because, they claim, the proposals were not discussed with them prior to being announced. However the focus of their collective ire is directed at what they see as an unfair attempt at taxation. Although mobile operators are, largely, in the clear, peer-to-peer applications are available for handsets.
Posted by Judith — 5:51 AM
iPod gadget set for legalisation.
Source: BBC.
Gadgets which transmit MP3 players’ output so they can be heard on FM radios may become legal in the UK.
Communications regulator Ofcom is holding a public consultation over the issue until September.
Using iTrips and other “low-power FM transmitters” is banned in Europe as their low-power transmissions can, in theory, interfere with legal stations.
The gadgets are expected to become legal to use - without a license - by 2007.
Posted by Judith — 5:46 AM
Friday, July 14, 2006
Japanese Government promises help for would-be mobile entrants.
Source: TeleGeography.
Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications says it is formulating a new set of rules to allow companies that do not own their own wireless networks to enter the country’s wireless market as MVNOs. Details of the new measures will be made available in the autumn, and are thought to include proposals to help would-be new entrants gain access to the infrastructure of the three incumbents NTT DoCoMo, KDDI Corp, and Vodafone KK (soon to be renamed Softbank Mobile). Virtual mobile operators will be helped through a series of measures such as better leasing arrangements that will enable MVNOs to sell own-brand mobile services.
Posted by Judith — 4:58 AM
Sony BMG at risk of being ordered to split itself up.
Source: TimesOnLine.
SONY BMG’s disastrous two-year run went from bad to worse yesterday, as the struggling business suddenly found itself at risk of being ordered to break up.
Sony BMG now has its future in the balance, which is bound to hamper its operational effectiveness at a time when it is still trying to bed down its awkward 2004 merger.
Sony and Bertelsmann, the two parent companies, will almost certainly have to reapply to the European Commission, to get permission for a deal that they already thought had been agreed by Brussels.
Posted by Judith — 4:23 AM
EU court judgment threatens EMI merger with Warner.
Source: Independent.
The long-awaited merger between the music giants EMI and Warner Music looked to be in danger of derailment yesterday after a European Union court sensationally annulled the 2004 clearance of the merger between Sony Music and BMG.
Posted by Judith — 4:13 AM
Cisco, Motorola vetting VOD.
Source: Light Reading.
Cisco Systems and Motorola are looking to move deeper into the cable and digital video market through acquisitions in the video-on-demand (VOD) space, analysts and other sources say.
The consensus view is that Motorola is sniffing out Broadbus Technologies, and Cisco is seeking to scoop up Arroyo Video Solutions, while a smaller player, Arris, is considering a buyout of Concurrent Computer.
Posted by Judith — 4:01 AM
Vodafone claims EU mobile fee cut is illegal.
Source: Telecom Asia.
Vodafone has branded moves by Brussels to regulate the cost of using a mobile phone abroad as illegal and has threatened to consider legal action if the plans are not watered down.
“We believe this whole initiative is illegal because the EU treaty protects companies and customers from arbitrary and unjustified regulation,” a company official stated.
Vodafone refused to rule out taking the matter to the European Court of First Instance if the proposals had not changed significantly by the time they become law.
Reding wants to cap wholesale charges, the fees that networks levy on each other for processing roaming calls.
Controversially, prices paid by consumers would be regulated as well, and restricted to the wholesale rate plus a 30% margin.
Posted by Judith — 3:55 AM
Thursday, July 13, 2006
RIM deal could reinforce multimedia on BlackBerry.
Source: Globe and Mail.
Research In Motion Ltd. has purchased a small company to help it bring multimedia features to the BlackBerry.
RIM is paying an undisclosed amount for SlipStream Data Inc., whose technology compresses Internet data for more efficient transmission over phone line, broadband and wireless networks.
Posted by Judith — 4:55 AM
Microsoft and Yahoo to link up messaging.
Source: FT.com.
Microsoft and Yahoo’s Messenger users will be able to chat to each other across their networks from Thursday.
The companies are creating the world’s largest consumer instant messaging community, with nearly 350m accounts.
Instant messaging software, which includes text messaging, file sharing, voice conversations and video chats, has proved enormously popular with computer users but has suffered from a lack of interoperability between systems.
Posted by Judith — 4:47 AM
Microsoft says Vista launch unaffected by EU fine.
Source: Reuters.
A European fine on Microsoft Corp. will have no effect on the launch of Vista, its next-generation Windows operating system, the U.S. software giant’s Japan unit said on Thursday.
Microsoft plans to release Vista to business customers in November before a wider general release by January.
Posted by Judith — 4:37 AM
NTL woos corporates without Virgin.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Cable giant NTL is to expand it business communications division - but without using the Virgin brand, which it bought earlier this year.
Starting in the first half of 2007, the freshly merged company will use the Virgin name to promote its mobile, cable TV, broadband and landline services under a licensing agreement reached at the time of the £962.4m takeover of the firm.
Posted by Judith — 4:34 AM
EU’s mobile roaming proposal triggers new site .
Source: The Inquirer
Following EU proposals that could potentially cut the cost of roaming by up to 70 per cent, the GSM Association - a trade body - has launched a new site to illustrate just how much it costs to make calls while abroad.
In theory the site should illustrate which foreign operator does the best deal with your existing (home) operator. But instead it actually helps consumers to spot which home operator to move to when travelling frequently to another country.
Posted by Judith — 4:10 AM
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
FEMA Pilots New Emergency Alert System for Cellphones (CNN)
Source: CNN
The government will soon be sending warnings of national emergencies on wireless phones, Web sites and hand-held computers. The new digital system will update the emergency alerts planned — but never used — during the Cold War in the event of a nuclear strike. More likely, these 21st-century technologies will carry warnings of natural disasters and terrorist attacks.
Posted by Trevor Hayes — 1:47 PM
Microsoft hit with 280m euro fine.
Source: BBC.
Microsoft has been fined EUR280.5m ($357m;GBP194m) by the European Commission for failing to comply with an anti-competition ruling.
The software giant was hit by the fine following a long-running dispute between the US firm and EU regulators.
The move follows a landmark EU ruling in 2004, which ordered Microsoft to provide rivals with information about its Windows operating system.
Posted by Judith — 5:15 AM
DAB-IP receives the all clear ahead of UK summer launch.
Source: TeleGeography.
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has approved the revision of the DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) standard, paving the way for the launch of the UK’s first mobile TV services. The changes allow mobile TV and virtually any other content to be broadcast reliably using internet based technologies, including a capability for DAB-IP services.
The move has been welcomed by UK incumbent BT, which is has chosen to launch its mobile TV service BT Movio via a DAB-IP based platform. MVNO Virgin Mobile intends to launch the country’s first DAB-IP services commercially later this summer, using a rebranded version of BT Movio, with the incumbent telco’s own service following shortly afterwards.
Posted by Judith — 4:48 AM
eircom takeover gets ‘thumbs up’ from competition authority.
Source: TeleGeography
Ireland’s Competition Authority has approved BCM Ireland Holdings’ proposed takeover of former monopoly operator eircom. In a statement BCM, which is led by the Australian investment firm Babcock & Brown, said: ‘The Irish Competition Authority has granted its approval of the offer.’ The group offered to buy eircom for EUR2.42bn.(US$3.06bn.) in May this year ending months of speculation over the future of the operator. The offer still needs to be approved by eircom shareholders at a meeting on 26 July before it can be finalised.
Posted by Judith — 4:34 AM
Mobile operators on offensive over roaming costs.
Source: Independent.
Mobile phone operators were last night on collision course with the European Commission as they attacked watered-down plans to rein in roaming fees charged by the networks.
The initiative will be launched today by the European Commission, which wants to cap charges made for making and receiving calls in another European country. Originally the Commission had planned to scrap fees for receiving calls in Europe altogether.
Despite the concessions, which were made after a fierce internal battle in the European Commission, the operators were on the offensive yesterday.
Posted by Judith — 4:02 AM
O2 beats Vodafone to ring up its largest corporate deal with AA .
Source: Independent.
O2, the UK mobile phone company owned by Spain’s Telefonica, has won its largest corporate contract after signing up the AA, Britain’s largest roadside breakdown service.
Alongside the corporate contract with the AA, O2 will benefit from a commercial agreement to provide a range of “hands free” mobile phone packages to around 4.2 million AA members across Britain.
Posted by Judith — 3:56 AM
Nokia secures HSPA deal with M1.(Singapore.)
Source: Telecom Asia.
Nokia and Singapore’s MobileOne (M1) have entered into an agreement for the supply of the first high-speed packet access (HSPA) network in Singapore, a statement from Nokia said.
The statement said the deal is worth US$30m.
Aside from the HSPA equipment, Nokia will also expand M1’s W-CDMA 3G radio network coverage and upgrade M1’s core network as well as provides a software upgrade.
Posted by Judith — 3:44 AM
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Lucent, Alcatel deal sheds 9,000 jobs.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Around 9,000 jobs are to be shed when the merger between Lucent and Alcatel is completed, the companies said Monday night.
The deal will create the world’s second-largest telecoms equipment firm worth about $33bn but still only a quarter of the size of Cisco.
Posted by Judith — 7:55 AM
Media firms queue up for U.S. wireless auction.
Source: Reuters.
As U.S. telephone carriers move into the television business, media conglomerates are eyeing ways
to grab valuable wireless airwaves as another way to deliver profitable high-speed Internet and other services.
In one of the biggest communications forays yet by media companies, satellite provider DirecTV Group Inc. has joined forces with rival EchoStar Communications Corp. and Liberty Media to bid on the sale as did Washington Post Co.’s Cable One Inc.
A venture backed by the No. 3 wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. and major cable operators, including Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Inc. as well as an entity run by Cablevision Systems Corp.’s Chairman Charles Dolan also sought to participate in the bidding.
Posted by Judith — 5:15 AM
US and Japan to Lead US$11.7bn. Mobile TV Market.
Source: Telecoms.com.
A report from analyst firm Juniper Research predicts that Broadcast Mobile TV will reach revenues of $11.7bn worldwide by 2011. Japan is predicted to lead the market with revenues reaching US$2.9bn. and the US will follow closely at US$1.8bn. The UK is also predicted to be a key market at US$989m.
Although Japan is initially offering a free service on its ISDB-T `One Seg’ network, Juniper Research predicts that it will start charging for the service in 2008.
Posted by Judith — 4:08 AM
Strapped CDMA operators turn to GSM.
Source: Telecoms.com.
According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) CDMA operators feeling the pinch, are increasingly turning to flavours of GSM (GSM/EDGE, WCDMA-HSPA) to keep their businesses growing.
The organisation’s latest report suggests that operators choose a dual system strategy but found that most prefer to migrate their whole customer base to GSM.
Posted by Judith — 4:04 AM
Ntl:Telewest, Ericsson to develop VoIP capability on telephone network.
Source: Digital Media Europe.
UK communications operator Ntl:Telewest has contracted communications equipment provider Ericsson to develop VoIP capability on its telephone network.
The two companies have signed a five-year agreement under which Ericsson will help build a residential voice over broadband service and upgrade Ntl:Telewest’s circuit-switched technology to IP, which will involve the migration of circuits across the network from TDM to IP.
Posted by Judith — 3:49 AM
Monday, July 10, 2006
Verizon puts Directory spinoff plan in motion.
Source: eWEEK.
Verizon Communications Inc. on Friday said it planned to dispose of its phone directories business by the end of the year, reflecting its increasing focus on Internet and wireless communications.
Verizon said it registered a possible spinoff of the directories business, which reported US$3.45bn. in revenue last year, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.
But the company said it had not yet made a decision on whether to spin off the business and that a sale was also possible.
A spinoff would create a new, publicly traded company with management independent of Verizon, with headquarters in Dallas and 7,100 employees.
Posted by Judith — 8:38 AM
BT in cash-and-calls deal with HSBC.
Source: Times.
BT has agreed a deal with the banking group HSBC to put cash machines in 50 phone kiosks around Britain this year.
As part of a last-ditch effort to save the phone box from extinction, the telecoms group is setting up new “cash and phone” kiosks which will use HSBC branding and advertise the bank’s telephone banking service and free cash withdrawals.
Posted by Judith — 8:35 AM
Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile OK’d for wireless sale.
Source: Reuters
Verizon Wireless and Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile have qualified to participate in an August sale of valuable wireless licenses, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Friday.
They were among 81 applications accepted by the agency to participate in the sale. Another 171 applications were deemed incomplete and those potential bidders have until July 18 to address the issues.
Posted by Judith — 8:33 AM
Cingular accused of deception.
Source: Telecoms.com.
One of America’s best known telecommunications firms, Cingular Wireless, is the subject of a lawsuit that claims it deliberately degraded the reception of AT&T Wireless customers after it bought the company in 2004 to force them into signing new contracts.
Posted by Judith — 8:30 AM
Newly formed BT iNet targets UK’s LAN market .
Source: Converge
BT announced the launch of BT iNet, a new venture formed from the integration of BT TNS and BT SkyNet, specialist providers that were acquired by BT in 2005 to enhance its capabilities in the UK’s Local Area Networking (LAN) and convergent solutions markets.
Posted by Judith — 8:27 AM
Universal backs free music offer
Source: BBC.com
Vivendi Universal, the world’s biggest music group, has signed a deal to make its music catalogue available on a free legal downloads service.
Under the agreement, Spiralfrog will offer Universal’s songs online in the US and Canada.
Posted by Judith — 5:01 AM
Friday, July 7, 2006
AOL said to be planning free ad-based web access.
Source: AOL is putting the final touches to a plan that would stop marketing its subscription service, which for more than a decade has been the most popular way that Americans connect to the Internet, according to a senior AOL executive…
AOL is putting the final touches to a plan that would stop marketing its subscription service, which for more than a decade has been the most popular way that Americans connect to the Internet, according to a senior AOL executive close to the plan’s development.
Instead, it will redouble its efforts to build a free, advertising-supported business on the Web, offering current and former members access to the most popular features of its paid service including e-mail addresses at AOL.com, free virus protection, and use of AOL’s software program.
Posted by Judith — 4:55 AM
Nokia picked for mobile multimedia Wi-Fi in NYC parks.
Source: Nokia has been chosen to provide mobile services for free Wi-Fi networks in 10 major New York City parks including Central Park. Nokia said Thursday it will introduce mobile multimedia services with local media participants later this summer….
Nokia has been chosen to provide mobile services for free Wi-Fi networks in 10 major New York City parks including Central Park.
Nokia said Thursday it will introduce mobile multimedia services with local media participants later this summer.
Posted by Judith — 4:33 AM
EasyMobile.nl flops.
Source: EasyTycoon Stelios Haji-Ioannou has cut and run from his Netherlands EasyMobile virtual network operation. Customers were notified by no-frills email this morning they have until 1 August to find a new provider. A spokesman for EasyMobile Netherlands confirmed the operation…
EasyTycoon Stelios Haji-Ioannou has cut and run from his Netherlands EasyMobile virtual network operation. Customers were notified by no-frills email this morning they have until 1 August to find a new provider.
A spokesman for EasyMobile Netherlands confirmed the operation had fallen well short of achieving sales targets since launching its service last year. Some 40 virtual operators compete for business in the Netherlands.
Posted by Judith — 4:24 AM
IBM to create 300 new Dublin jobs.
Source: IBM has announced it is to create 300 new jobs in Dublin within the next three years, bringing the number of staff it employs in Ireland to around 3,500. The US computer giant, which is this year celebrating 50 years…
IBM has announced it is to create 300 new jobs in Dublin within the next three years, bringing the number of staff it employs in Ireland to around 3,500.
The US computer giant, which is this year celebrating 50 years in Ireland, is to invest 46m.(US$59m.) in expanding its software development operations. It will also be using the money to launch a business incubation centre, and invest in its supply chain in Dublin.
Posted by Judith — 4:09 AM
Thursday, July 6, 2006
Motorola and Intel to invest in Clearwire.
Source: The investment units of Intel and Motorola have said that they would invest US$900m. in Clearwire, a wireless Internet service provider, in hopes of speeding development of its high-speed wide-range network. Analysts said Intel and Motorola wanted to give a…
The investment units of Intel and Motorola have said that they would invest US$900m. in Clearwire, a wireless Internet service provider, in hopes of speeding development of its high-speed wide-range network.
Analysts said Intel and Motorola wanted to give a lift to WiMax, a standard for mobile wireless that is used by Clearwire and is competing with technology from Qualcomm.
Posted by Judith — 4:30 AM
eircom must keep payphones under USO.
Source: Ireland痴 telecoms regulator has published its findings on the future of the country痴 universal service obligation (USO) and says that incumbent operator eircom will be required to provide payphone services, which are still seen as valuable, particularly to parts of…
Ireland痴 telecoms regulator has published its findings on the future of the country痴 universal service obligation (USO) and says that incumbent operator eircom will be required to provide payphone services, which are still seen as valuable, particularly to parts of the immigrant community. The regulator is also imposing obligations on eircom relating to services for people with a disability. These include braille billing and translation of voice messages into text.
Posted by Judith — 4:23 AM
Citel raises US$15m, sets for IPO.
Source: VOIP systems vendor Citel Technologies Ltd. has raised ｣8.2m. (US$15.1m) from the sale of shares to institutional investors and is set to become a publicly traded company from next Monday, following the success of its vendor and carrier channel partner…
VOIP systems vendor Citel Technologies Ltd. has raised ｣8.2m. (US$15.1m) from the sale of shares to institutional investors and is set to become a publicly traded company from next Monday, following the success of its vendor and carrier channel partner strategy.
The specialist vendor, which enables companies to migrate to IP PBXs or IP Centrex services without having to replace their legacy handsets, is set to list its shares on the AIM.
Posted by Judith — 4:19 AM
U.S. gets 7,000 new Hotspots.
Source: More than 7,000 public locations in the United States will get new wireless access, according to an announcement Wednesday. Orange Business Services, in partnership with T-Mobile, announced an expansion that brings its total coverage to more than 35,000 hotspots in…
More than 7,000 public locations in the United States will get new wireless access, according to an announcement Wednesday.
Orange Business Services, in partnership with T-Mobile, announced an expansion that brings its total coverage to more than 35,000 hotspots in about 60 countries.
Posted by Judith — 4:11 AM
More Internet users mobile than wired in Japan.
Source: The number of Internet users in Japan accessing from cell phones exceeded those using it from personal computers in 2005, according to a government report. Japan’s merchants are keen to cash in on the popularity of mobile Internet services. The…
The number of Internet users in Japan accessing from cell phones exceeded those using it from personal computers in 2005, according to a government report.
Japan’s merchants are keen to cash in on the popularity of mobile Internet services. The number of mobile e-commerce sites is increasing and consumers appear to be taking to shopping by cell phone.
Posted by Judith — 3:51 AM
Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Mandelson and Reding in “fight” over roaming cuts.
Source: The UK’s European commissioner for trade, Peter Mandelson is reported to be in a fight with the EU over cuts in roaming charges and the damage they may cause telecoms firms. The Financial Times has published a report suggesting that…
The UK’s European commissioner for trade, Peter Mandelson is reported to be in a fight with the EU over cuts in roaming charges and the damage they may cause telecoms firms.
The Financial Times has published a report suggesting that Mandelson and vice-president of the European Commission in charge of enterprise and industry, Gunter Verheugen have caused a “split” in Brussels over the cuts.
The report says the pair are “locked in a fight” with Viviane Reding, the EU telecoms commissioner, arguing that excessive regulation will damage the competitiveness of mobile operators.
Posted by Judith — 10:58 AM
Millicom(MIC) calls off Chinese deal.
Source: Millicom International Cellular (MIC) today announced the completion of its strategic review and said it has decided to terminate all discussions concerning the proposed sale of the entire share capital of the company. This means that the US$5.3bn (｣2.8bn) bid…
Millicom International Cellular (MIC) today announced the completion of its strategic review and said it has decided to terminate all discussions concerning the proposed sale of the entire share capital of the company.
This means that the US$5.3bn (｣2.8bn) bid tabled by China Mobile is off, despite weeks of due diligence by the company. MIC hinted that it had lost confidence in the state owned Chinese operator’s ability to pull a deal together.
Posted by Judith — 4:38 AM
US firms file anti-trust suit against Qualcomm in Korea.
Source: Broadcom and Texas Instruments have filed a complaint against Qualcomm alleging it abused its dominant market status in South Korea, the country’s antitrust regulator said. They are arguing that Qualcomm used its exclusive rights to CDMA technology to wield unbeatable…
Broadcom and Texas Instruments have filed a complaint against Qualcomm alleging it abused its dominant market status in South Korea, the country’s antitrust regulator said.
They are arguing that Qualcomm used its exclusive rights to CDMA technology to wield unbeatable power in Korea.
Posted by Judith — 4:33 AM
Tuesday, July 4, 2006
ntl goes quad-play with completion of Virgin Mobile acquisition.
Source: UK cable giant ntl Incorporated has completed its takeover of MVNO Virgin Mobile UK, rubber stamping its transformation into a quadruple-play internet, TV and fixed and mobile telephony provider. ntl said it received all necessary court approvals for the deal…
UK cable giant ntl Incorporated has completed its takeover of MVNO Virgin Mobile UK, rubber stamping its transformation into a quadruple-play internet, TV and fixed and mobile telephony provider. ntl said it received all necessary court approvals for the deal and the acquisition of Virgin Mobile has been completed, with the MVNO痴 shares now de-listed from the London Stock Exchange.
Posted by Judith — 4:57 AM
UK broadband market dominated by “big six”.
Source: The UK broadband market is dominated by just a handful of the leading service providers, and their market share is increasing despite pressure from Ofcom to increase competition. According to a new study the top ten ISPs in the UK…
The UK broadband market is dominated by just a handful of the leading service providers, and their market share is increasing despite pressure from Ofcom to increase competition.
According to a new study the top ten ISPs in the UK have over 88 per cent of the UK broadband market.
BT Retail leads with 2.48 million subscribers, followed by NTL with 1.72 million and AOL with 1.3 million.
Posted by Judith — 4:22 AM
HTIL increases Indian holding.
Source: Emerging markets spin off Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited (HTIL) has entered into an agreement to acquire a further 5.11 per cent stake in Indian unit Hutchison Essar from affiliates of the Hinduja Group for US$450m (｣244m). Under these agreement, HTIL…
Emerging markets spin off Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited (HTIL) has entered into an agreement to acquire a further 5.11 per cent stake in Indian unit Hutchison Essar from affiliates of the Hinduja Group for US$450m (｣244m).
Under these agreement, HTIL will acquire the entire issued capital of IndusInd Telecom Network Limited, a holding company for a 5.11 per cent stake in Hutchison Essar.
Upon completion of the acquisitions, Hutchison Telecom will have interests in companies that control approximately 67 per cent of Hutchison Essar.
Posted by Judith — 4:17 AM
Arcep considering plans to issue fourth 3G licence?
Source: According to Ovum, the French telecoms regulator Arcep is considering plans to issue a fourth 3G licence and to that end is holding a consultation over the summer to gauge interest in its initiative. The country is currently home to…
According to Ovum, the French telecoms regulator Arcep is considering plans to issue a fourth 3G licence and to that end is holding a consultation over the summer to gauge interest in its initiative. The country is currently home to three UMTS licensees Orange France, SFR and Bouygues Telecom. The first two received their 20-year concessions in January 2001, while Bouygues had to wait until September 2002 for its permit. The regulator is also said to be using the consultation as a vehicle to examine plans to reuse 2G frequencies in the 900MHz band for use with 3G services.
Posted by Judith — 4:06 AM
Monday, July 3, 2006
Dobson adds Texas spectrum.
Source: US wireless operator American Cellular has acquired additional spectrum covering rural markets in Texas. The firm, which is part of the Dobson Communications group which also includes Cellular One, paid US$25m. for cellular and PCS spectrum in the Texas 15…
US wireless operator American Cellular has acquired additional spectrum covering rural markets in Texas. The firm, which is part of the Dobson Communications group which also includes Cellular One, paid US$25m. for cellular and PCS spectrum in the Texas 15 rural service area, plus PCS spectrum in four counties. Dobson Communications subsidiaries serve around 1.5 million cellular subscribers in 16 states.
Posted by Judith — 5:22 AM
C&W to sell Bulldog retail customers.
Source: Cable & Wireless is reportedly seeking buyers for the retail customer base of its broadband ISP subsidiary Bulldog Communications. Investment bank NM Rothschild has reportedly been appointed to find buyers for the assets, whilst a C&W spokeswoman was quoted as…
Cable & Wireless is reportedly seeking buyers for the retail customer base of its broadband ISP subsidiary Bulldog Communications. Investment bank NM Rothschild has reportedly been appointed to find buyers for the assets, whilst a C&W spokeswoman was quoted as saying: We are now looking for a provider to buy our 118,000 strong Bulldog retail customer base. Last month C&W announced plans to transform Bulldog into a wholesale service provider, and stopped acquiring new residential and small business retail customers on 1 July. At the time the company said it would continue to provide services to existing retail customers.
Posted by Judith — 5:17 AM
Vivo (Brazil) puts timeframe on GSM overlay.
Source: According to Portugal Telecom, Vivo will introduce GSM technology before the end of 2006. The anouncement follows reports last week that the cellco had begun discussions with vendors to determine the cost of an overlay project. Vivo is the reportedly…
According to Portugal Telecom, Vivo will introduce GSM technology before the end of 2006. The anouncement follows reports last week that the cellco had begun discussions with vendors to determine the cost of an overlay project. Vivo is the reportedly the fourth-largest CDMA-based operator in the world but is one of a number of companies recently declaring an intention to deploy a GSM network either alongside or in place of an existing CDMA network.
Posted by Judith — 5:14 AM
Internet Calling Pressures Bells to Lower Rates.
Source: Competition in the phone business, intensifying this year as Internet-based calling has taken root, has reached the point where many industry experts are anticipating an era of remarkably cheap and even free calls. New competitors, including the major cable companies…
Competition in the phone business, intensifying this year as Internet-based calling has taken root, has reached the point where many industry experts are anticipating an era of remarkably cheap and even free calls.
New competitors, including the major cable companies and start-ups like Vonage and SunRocket, are putting intense pressure on traditional phone companies like AT&T and Verizon that have built multibillion-dollar empires by selling phone service over copper wires. On the defensive, AT&T and Verizon are discounting heavily and pushing customers toward packages of more advanced services.
Posted by Judith — 4:54 AM
France Telecom buys majority stake in Jordan Telecom.
Source: French voice, data and Internet company France Telecom paid around 145m. (US$185m.) in order to take a majority stake in Jordan Telecom, a company statement said. In the statement, France Telecom purchased a 10% stake in Jordan Telecom, under the…
French voice, data and Internet company France Telecom paid around 145m. (US$185m.) in order to take a majority stake in Jordan Telecom, a company statement said.
In the statement, France Telecom purchased a 10% stake in Jordan Telecom, under the terms of the agreement, adding to the 40% share it has owned since January 2000
Posted by Judith — 4:39 AM
Telstra threatens to scrap US$2.2bn. broadband network.
Source: The head of Australia’s largest telecommunications company has threatened to scrap an A$3bn. (US$2.2bn.) national high-speed, fixed-line broadband network. Telstra had proposed to build a next generation fiber-to-the-node wireline network to cover Australia’s five major cities initially, then extend it…
The head of Australia’s largest telecommunications company has threatened to scrap an A$3bn. (US$2.2bn.) national high-speed, fixed-line broadband network.
Telstra had proposed to build a next generation fiber-to-the-node wireline network to cover Australia’s five major cities initially, then extend it to smaller towns later.
But government regulations could require the company to allow its rivals to use the network free or at low rates, something the company won’t stand for.
Posted by Judith — 4:27 AM
Saturday, July 1, 2006
Vonage launches ‘phone on a key ring’.
Source: Internet telephony provider Vonage America, late yesterday launched the Vonage V-Phone - a VoIP client on a USB stick. The Vonage V-Phone does not require any setup as the Vonage software comes pre-loaded and automatically updates itself on the device’s…
Internet telephony provider Vonage America, late yesterday launched the Vonage V-Phone - a VoIP client on a USB stick.
The Vonage V-Phone does not require any setup as the Vonage software comes pre-loaded and automatically updates itself on the device’s 256MB flash drive. The V-phone comes with a standard 2.5mm stereo earpiece microphone, meaning all the user has to do is plug the stick in to any computer to start using their Vonage account.
Posted by Judith — 4:57 AM
Thus pips BT to ｣70m Scottish broadband project.
Source: Scottish telco Thus has beaten BT in a race to be picked as the preferred bidder for a ｣70m project to wire up schools, libraries and other council buildings with speedier broadband services. The Highlands and Islands Pathfinder Broadband Procurement…
Scottish telco Thus has beaten BT in a race to be picked as the preferred bidder for a ｣70m project to wire up schools, libraries and other council buildings with speedier broadband services.
The Highlands and Islands Pathfinder Broadband Procurement Project - which will deliver high speed broadband services to more than 800 sites - is being led by The Highland Council along with councils in Argyll and Bute, Moray, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.
Posted by Judith — 4:31 AM
France approves iTunes rights law.
Source: A law that could force Apple to share its digital download technology with rivals has been passed in France. Currently, songs bought from Apple’s iTunes music store can only be played on Apple-manufactured iPods. The bill would mean any digital…
A law that could force Apple to share its digital download technology with rivals has been passed in France.
Currently, songs bought from Apple’s iTunes music store can only be played on Apple-manufactured iPods.
The bill would mean any digital song could be played on any player, regardless of its format or source.
But the legislation leaves room for artists to sign deals with Apple and others, enabling them to restrict which systems their music will play on.
Posted by Judith — 4:20 AM
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