Study Indicates Strong Consumer Demand for a Better Mobile Web
June 29, 2008
dotMobi and AKQA Mobile announced the results of an extensive consumer study of mobile Internet usage and attitudes. Conducted by the AKQA’s Research & Insights department in conjunction with dotMobi, the survey reveals key insights into the importance of a better mobile Web for consumers in the U.S. and U.K.
The survey findings indicated a strong consumer desire for practical mobile content on phones. Rather than basic entertainment and ringtones, consumers stated that their most-wanted mobile activities included phone-optimized banking and travel planning.
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Virgin Mobile USA to Acquire Helio for Approximately $39 Million in Equity
June 28, 2008
Virgin Mobile USA, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Helio, a joint venture between SK Telecom and EarthLink, Inc. providing highly advanced postpaid products and services with unique user applications. Under the terms of the agreement, Virgin Mobile USA will acquire Helio from SK Telecom and EarthLink for limited partnership units equivalent to 13 million shares of Virgin Mobile USA class A common stock, with a value of $39 million based on the closing price of Virgin Mobile USA’s class A shares on June 26, 2008.
The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2008, subject to receiving regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.
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USTelematics Announces Contract with Largest Verizon Wireless Distributor to Double Revenues for Data Service Activation
June 28, 2008
USTelematics, Inc. announced that it has negotiated an agreement that will double the Company’s commission income rate for activating new Verizon broadband wireless wide area network subscriptions for users of USTelematics’ proprietary Voyager brand wireless mobile products.
With this new commission arrangement, the profit realized through connecting each Voyager buyer to Verizon now exceeds the gross margins on the sale of each Voyager Mobile Internet Protocol Television unit.
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Cellular Machine-to-Machine Communication Module Shipments to Increase Fourfold by 2013
June 28, 2008
Markets for cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) communication modules – the radio units providing wireless connectivity to a range of devices that communicate without human intervention – are expected to show strong growth in the coming years. According to new market data from ABI Research, shipments will total nearly 80 million modules in 2013.
“The latest cellular M2M module market data collated by ABI Research shows strong growth trends that are closely in line with our earlier forecasts,” says senior analyst Sam Lucero. “We see four applications that will be particularly fertile for M2M and should provide significant opportunities for vendors.”
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Ericsson wins WCDMA/HSPA expansion contract with Sunrise in Switzerland
June 28, 2008
Ericsson has signed an agreement with the Swiss operator Sunrise Communications (Sunrise) to expand its WCDMA/HSPA network. The deal will bring high-speed mobile broadband coverage to Sunrise subscribers in a number of cities across Switzerland.
Under the three-year agreement, Ericsson will be the key supplier of radio access network equipment to expand the existing WCDMA/HSPA network of Sunrise. The expansion will increase network capacity and speed and allow Sunrise to extend its mobile broadband offering across the country.
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Ericsson to expand and enhance SingTel’s GSM/WCDMA/HSPA mobile network in Singapore
June 28, 2008
Ericsson has been selected by Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) to expand and enhance its GSM/WCDMA/HSPA networks, providing the operator’s mobile customers with greater coverage and higher data speeds. The contract is worth US$160million.
Ericsson will provide a complete IP-based radio access and common core network. The system is designed to carry large volumes of traffic, providing SingTel’s 2.6 million mobile customers with improved services and better coverage island-wide, both indoors and outdoors.
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Malaysia’s First WiMAX License Holder Packet One Networks Enhances WiMAX Launch Readiness
June 28, 2008
Packet One Networks (P1), a leading communications service provider in Malaysia, has selected Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management to support its new WiMAX services, scheduled for rollout this month. The implementation is an important milestone in P1’s plan to become Malaysia’s first WiMAX service provider and longer-term goal of becoming Malaysia’s leading converged communications service provider.
— P1, a subsidiary of Green Packet Berhad and a WiMAX license-holder,
will implement Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management to
provide a unified backend platform to help improve its time to market
for new services and lower operational costs. Accenture, a Certified
Advantage Partner of the Oracle PartnerNetwork, is leading the
implementation. The application is one of several key building blocks
P1 is using to deliver a positive customer experience.
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RadioFrame announces second generation processor for LTE and WiMAX femtocells
June 2, 2008
RadioFrame Networks (RFN) announced plans for its second generation OmniRadio processor to deliver low cost, high functionality femtocell products for Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WiMAX networks.
RFN launched its OmniRadio processor for the femtocell market last year. The solution gives wireless carriers a distinct cost advantage and is the industry’s only combined 2G/3G femtocell being marketed today.
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LG launches HB620T DVB-T phone in Germany
June 2, 2008
by Jeff Orr
Editor, Mobile Broadband News
LG Electronics announced the launch of the first DVB-T phone in Germany, model HB620T. DVB-T stands for terrestrial digital video broadcast. DVB-T services are expected to provide mobile TV at no additional cost for programming. An existing service in some European countries, DVB-H or handheld digital video broadcast, is a paid mobile TV service in markets such as Finland, Italy, and the Netherlands.
The HB620T is a folding handset designed around a 2″ screen. The handset features: 7.2 Mbps HSDPA downloading, a full Internet browsing experience, an MP3 player and Bluetooth connectivity. LG also incorporates a noise-deadening processor called Mobile XD Engine to improves signal clarity.
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Ericsson and Dell connect on HSPA in next-generation laptops
June 2, 2008
Ericsson and Dell have teamed up to ensure international travelers can stay connected with Dell’s next-generation laptops that will support seamless roaming on tri-band HSPA mobile broadband networks. Dell will offer built-in HSPA mobile broadband modules from Ericsson beginning in Q2 2008.
HSPA is named as the technology used for 185 commercially deployed networks available around the world serving more than one billion subscribers.
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