Top Global launches TD-HSPA Mobile Router at the 2008 Olympics Games
August 7, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
Top Global announced its Time Division High Speed Packet Access (TD-HSPA) Router was launched during the 2008 Olympics Games opening day. Top Global’s Mobile Routers were used to provide network connectivity to numerous bank ATMs, information and payment Kiosks in an effort to help to increase the efficiency, safety and convenience of the visiting dignitaries, volunteers and spectators during the Beijing Olympic Games.
Top Global developed and patented its MobileBridge platform, which serves as a gateway/router linking Third Generation (3G) Cellular network and Wi-Fi/LAN networks. Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) is a 3G mobile telecommunication standards being pursued in China. The national commercial trials of the TD-SCDMA network launched on April 1, 2008 and is expected to reach 60,000 users by the end of the year. TD-HSPA is the high speed data evolution of the TD-SCDMA, and can reach 2.8 Mbps peak speed. Multiple products from Top Global can support TD-HSPA including the MB8000, MB6800 and MB5000. Enterprises in China can get wireless Internet connectivity anywhere, at anytime within the coverage of a TD-HSPA network.
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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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First Mobile WiMAX products receive WiMAX Forum Certified mark
April 9, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
The first eight products — four base stations and four mobile stations — receiving the WiMAX Forum Certified mark based on the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard have been announced by WiMAX Forum.
These products must meet or surpass the certification program requirements using WiMAX Certification Program Release 1.0 Wave 1 requirements. Wave 1 systems are not tested for advanced antenna capabilities such as beamforming or MIMO, which is addressed in all other Mobile WiMAX certification profiles dubbed “Wave 2″ also starting the certification testing process today.
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How will WiMAX in the US reach 10m users by 2010?
March 31, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
The recent VON.x conference in San Jose hosted a WCA panel entitled, “Whither WiMAXâ€. Moderated by M:Metrics analyst Seamus McAteer, the panel consisted of:
- Rohini Chakravarthy, Principal, New Enterprise Associates
- Ron Resnick, President and Chair, WiMAX Forum
- Ben Vos, VP Core Technologies, Sprint Nextel
- Greg Welch, Market Development Director, WiMAX Program Office, Intel
- Paul Sergeant, Sr Manager WiMAX Marketing, Cisco Systems (formerly Navini Networks)
- Tom Gruba, Sr Director Marketing MOTOwi4 and WiMAX, Motorola
The highlight was an excellent question posed by moderator McAteer – “when will the US reach 10 million WiMAX subscribers?†Most panelists raised their hands for 2010. Putting this into perspective, McAteer noted that about 220 million Americans (ages 13+) have mobile phone service. Ten million WiMAX users, roughly 5% of the mobile phone population in a 2-year period, could prove challenging. The Apple iPhone will not reach 10 million subscribers at its 2-year anniversary. Why will WiMAX ramp at a faster rate than the iPhone?
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AT&T stumps for Mobile TV debut in May
March 31, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
AT&T continues to predict the availability of its Mobile TV service intended to compete with Verizon’s VCAST. The company announced plans to release the AT&T Mobile TV service in May. The previous prediction was January 2008.
The service will run on the MediaFLO USA network, a subsidiary of Qualcomm. MediaFLO is the same network beneath VCAST. AT&T plans to launch the service with two devices: LG’s Vu and Samsung’s Access.
The channel line-up for AT&T will consist of: CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox Mobile, MTV, NBC 2GO, NBC News2Go and Nickelodeon, in addition to two exclusive AT&T channels.
The company announced its plans to launch a mobile TV service in February 2007, but failed to meet Q4′2007 estimates. In late October, the operator delayed until “early 2008″.
While the two US operators have locked themselves into the MediaFLO network, Europe recently endorsed use of the DVB-H standard. Asia has had the greatest success with mobile TV, specifically in South Korea and Japan. The number of mobile TV subscribers is expected to grow to 462 million, according to a January study published by ABI Research.
Mobile Broadband News podcast now available through Podcast Alley
March 24, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
The Mobile Broadband News podcast can now be accessed through Podcast Alley. Podcast Alley provides listings for over 39,000 audio and video shows with more than 2.4 million episodes.
My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-2fc0346dcd85f3364b11bf43b9d1f6b2}
Pricing for Intel’s Echo Peak WiMAX/Wi-Fi modules announced
March 24, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
DigiTimes shared pricing for Intel’s upcoming Echo Peak WiMAX/Wi-Fi modules with volume shipments of the wireless modules for Montevina-based notebooks expected to begin shipments during the second and third quarters of this year.
According to Intel data collected by DigiTimes, the Echo Peak wireless module that supports both WiMAX and 802.11n technologies will be available in prices ranging from US$43-54, depending on specifications.
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China’s MII starts handing out TD-SCDMA HSDPA network licenses
March 21, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
China’s MII has started issuing TD-SCDMA network licenses, according to a report from ChinaTechNews. Equipment providers ZTE and Potevio are among the first to obtain their licenses.
A company’s equipment must undergo indoor and in-field tests to obtain a license. The equipment specifically must support the TD-SCDMA HSDPA protocol.
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Alcatel-Lucent Launches 9900 Wireless Network Guardian for Mobile Broadband Network Management
March 10, 2008
By Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
Alcatel-Lucent today announced the Alcatel-Lucent 9900 Wireless Network Guardian (WNG), the industry’s first mobile broadband network management solution. Alcatel-Lucent’s research found that all IP traffic should not be treated equally. Instead, the patterns and the consumption are analyzed enabling smarter decisions about application and network optimization.
The 9900 WNG looks at a wireless IP network differently than a wired IP network or even a wireless network that is not based on IP. “The increased use of mobile broadband applications and devices is impacting resources of operators now – creating a blind spot,†said Mike Schabel, General Manager for the 9900 WNG. The product addresses a gap in current mobile operator networks that could lead to network disruption as wireless network operators increasingly support new data services, devices, and applications based on Internet protocol.
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T-Mobile shows off LTE at CeBIT 2008
March 6, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
T-Mobile Germany is currently offering high-rate HSDPA with downlink speeds for mobile Internet use up to 7.2 Mbps. HSUPA improves the uplink bandwidths of up to 1.4 Mbps. Yet this by no means exhausts the possibilities of mobile data transfer.
T-Mobile claims to be the first mobile communications provider to present 3GPP Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology live at CeBIT 2008. T-Mobile and Ericsson are teaming up to show the higher speeds that LTE technology could represent for 2010 and beyond.
Lenovo Formally Introduces ThinkPad X300 Notebook PC
February 26, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
Lenovo today unveiled its ThinkPad X300 notebook PC, designed for road warriors. Early photos and specs for the X300 were uncovered over a month ago. The ThinkPad X300 notebook measures less than three-fourths of an inch at its thinnest point, or approximately the height of a U.S. quarter coin, and has a starting weight as low as 2.9 pounds. Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi, EV-DO, HSDPA, and Mobile WiMAX options.
The ThinkPad X300 notebook combines a number of newer technologies such as solid-state drive storage, a LED backlit display and an ultralong battery life. Rated Gold by the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), it also features a number of environmentally-conscious technologies, such as low-voltage processors.
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Panasonic VIERA P905i with HSDPA Shown Off at Mobile World Congress
February 19, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
Panasonic unveiled the model P905i mobile phone based on its LiMO platform during MWC 2008. The device features the company’s VIERA high-definition technology. Supporting the HSDPA network, GPS functionality and a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, the P905i adopts a 5.1M camera and 3.2-inch color screen with 480×854 pixels.
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WiMAX Forum Appoints Second Certification Lab in Taiwan
February 5, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
WiMAX Forum has added a second certification lab in Taiwan, reports Digitimes. The new lab is a joint venture between Telecom Technology Center (TTC) and Compliant Certification Services (CCS), creatively called TTC-CCS. The venture joins Advance Data Technology (ADT) as two of the WiMAX Forum certification labs. The other four are located in China, Korea, Spain and USA.
India is also expected to announce the approval of its first certification lab during 2008. Demand for certification testing of WiMAX devices and infrastructure base stations in 2008 and 2009 is expected to be more than one lab in Taiwan can support; a good sign for the future of WiMAX devices. The anticipated number and type of devices to be certified is surveyed by the Certification Working Group within WiMAX Forum multiple times a year for forecasting and determination of future certification ‘profiles’.
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WiMAX Subscribers to Exceed 100 Million by 2014, Says Maravedis Report
February 4, 2008
Telecommunications market research and analysis firm Maravedis today announced the publication of the fifth edition of its yearly report “WiMAX, LTE and Broadband Wireless Worldwide Market Trends 2008-2014.” This comprehensive report provides an in-depth analysis of broadband wireless trends including applications, deployments, technology, regulation and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
Maravedis forecasts WiMAX subscribers to exceed 100 million by 2014. “WiMAX chipsets will start to be embedded in laptops in the second half of 2008, into handheld devices in 2009, and into consumer electronics by early 2010,” said Adlane Fellah, President and CEO of Maravedis and co-author of the report.
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Half of Traveling Workers to Ditch Notebook PCs in Favor of Handhelds by 2012, Predicts Gartner
February 1, 2008
by Jeff Orr, Editor
Mobile Broadband News
Gartner, Inc. has highlighted 10 key predictions of events and developments that will affect IT and business in 2008 and beyond. One of the ten considered the shift from full laptop computers to other devices. The predictions highlight areas where executives and IT professionals need to take action in 2008. The full impact of these trends may not appear this year, but Gartner requests that executives need to act now so that they can exploit the trends for their competitive advantage.
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