The Vietnamese regulator has released 3G spectrum to four of the country's mobile operators and reports suggest that the first 3G services could launch as early as next month.
source: GMBB
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Mobile network equipment market share ranking 2Q09
1 Ericsson 32% vs. 32% last year
2 Nokia Siemens 20% vs. 26% last year
3 Huawei 17% vs. 10% last year
4 Alcatel-Lucent 12% vs. 14% last year
source: reuters
2 Nokia Siemens 20% vs. 26% last year
3 Huawei 17% vs. 10% last year
4 Alcatel-Lucent 12% vs. 14% last year
source: reuters
China Mobile launches app store
The world's largest operator (by subscribers) ventured into an open-access business model that allows users to download music, games, videos and other entertainment applications direct to mobile phones. The report notes that Mobile Market currently supports ten handset models including Nokia, Samsung and LG phones.
source: GMBB
source: GMBB
Monday, August 24, 2009
Verizon to begin LTE rollout in Boston and Seattle
The choice of Boston and Seattle as early launch markets could put the LTE network in direct competition with WiMAX operator Clearwire, which will have launched in both markets by next year.
Verizon's LTE game plan:
- To roll-out the network using the 700MHz spectrum it acquired last year.
- To rollout commercial LTE services in up to 30 US markets in 2010.
- To to cover 100 million POPS [US population coverage] by 2013.
Vendors involved in the rollout include Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks and Starent Networks.
source: GMBB
Verizon's LTE game plan:
- To roll-out the network using the 700MHz spectrum it acquired last year.
- To rollout commercial LTE services in up to 30 US markets in 2010.
- To to cover 100 million POPS [US population coverage] by 2013.
Vendors involved in the rollout include Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks and Starent Networks.
source: GMBB
OECD's cheapest calls: Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden
Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden have the lowest prices for mobile phone calls among OECD countries, according to the latest OECD Communications Outlook. The highest were found in Canada, Spain and the United States.
The study found that between 2006 and 2008 mobile voice prices fell on average by 21 percent for low usage consumers, 28 percent for medium usage and by 32 percent for subscribers with the highest consumption patterns.
The decline in operators' revenue from fixed-line has been slowed by the expansion of high-speed broadband Internet, which usually relies on fixed-line.
source: GMBB
The study found that between 2006 and 2008 mobile voice prices fell on average by 21 percent for low usage consumers, 28 percent for medium usage and by 32 percent for subscribers with the highest consumption patterns.
The decline in operators' revenue from fixed-line has been slowed by the expansion of high-speed broadband Internet, which usually relies on fixed-line.
source: GMBB
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Hutchison confirms plan for Thailand sale
Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd. (HTIL) has agreed to the sale of its 51.31 percent controlling stake in Partner Communications Co. Ltd., its Israeli subsidiary, to Scailex an Israel-based importer of mobile phones, for 5.29 billion Israel New Sheckels (US$1.381 billion).
HTIL has made no secret of the fact that it has been looking for a buyer for Partner. The company's CEO, Dennis Lui, explains that, although it is a good business, it is in a mature market with limited growth opportunities and a long way from Hong Kong. Lui also confirms that HTIL is continuing its attempts to sell its operation in Thailand and says that now the changes in Hutchison CAT Wireless Multimedia Ltd. 's board have taken place, discussions could be reinvigorated. However, he cautions that no fixed timetable for negotiations was in place yet.
HTIL has made no secret of the fact that it has been looking for a buyer for Partner. The company's CEO, Dennis Lui, explains that, although it is a good business, it is in a mature market with limited growth opportunities and a long way from Hong Kong. Lui also confirms that HTIL is continuing its attempts to sell its operation in Thailand and says that now the changes in Hutchison CAT Wireless Multimedia Ltd. 's board have taken place, discussions could be reinvigorated. However, he cautions that no fixed timetable for negotiations was in place yet.
China Mobile targets 80M 3G users by 2011
China Mobile expects to have as many as 80 million users on its TD-SCDMA 3G network by 2011.That goal is a huge increase on a current official tally (as of end-June) of just 959,000, 0.2 percent of its total subscriber base (493.1 million).
China Mobile's original plan was to have 10-20 million TD-SCDMA users within two years, but due to competition from its rivals China Mobile raised its target to 50-80 million, which would give it one third of the country's total 3G market.
source: GMBB
China Mobile's original plan was to have 10-20 million TD-SCDMA users within two years, but due to competition from its rivals China Mobile raised its target to 50-80 million, which would give it one third of the country's total 3G market.
source: GMBB
Sprint acquires Virgin Mobile USA, looks to dominate US prepaid
Sprint said it would buy Virgin Mobile in a deal worth US$483 million, and could complete the transaction by year-end. The move instantly establishes Sprint as a major player in the US prepaid market.
source: WirelessIntelligence
source: WirelessIntelligence
Microsoft to bring Office to Nokia phones
According to a Cnet News report, Microsoft is attempting to reposition the next version of Office ('Office 2010') as available on many more platforms other than the desktop PC environment, where it is a clear market-leader. In mobile, the US software giant has already demonstrated native versions of Office running on its Windows Mobile platform, but the deal with Nokia - the world's largest handset vendor - will significantly expand the number of Office-compatible mobile devices.
source: GMBB
Gartner: Global smartphone sales hit 40M in 2Q09
Table 1: Worldwide Mobile Terminal Sales to End Users in 2Q09 (Thousands of Units)
Table 2: Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users in 2Q09 (Thousands of Units)
source: Gartner
Company | 2Q09 Sales | 2Q09 Market Share (%) | 2Q08 Sales | 2Q08 Market Share (%) |
Nokia | 105,413.3 | 36.8 | 120,353.3 | 39.5 |
Samsung | 55,430.2 | 19.3 | 46,376.0 | 15.2 |
LG | 30,497.0 | 10.7 | 26,698.9 | 8.8 |
Motorola | 15,947.8 | 5.6 | 30,371.8 | 10.0 |
Sony Ericsson | 13,574.2 | 4.7 | 22,951.7 | 7.5 |
Others | 65,260.2 | 23.0 | 57,970.6 | 19.0 |
Total | 286,122.7 | 100 | 304,722.3 | 100 |
Table 2: Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users in 2Q09 (Thousands of Units)
Company | 2Q09 Sales | 2Q09 Market Share (%) | 2Q08 Sales | 2Q08 Market Share (%) | |
Nokia | 18,441.0 | 45.0 | 15,297.9 | 47.4 | |
Research In Motion | 7,678.9 | 18.7 | 5,594.2 | 17.3 | |
Apple | 5,434.7 | 13.3 | 892.5 | 2.8 | |
HTC | 2,471.0 | 6.0 | 1,330.8 | 4.1 | |
Fujitsu | 1,249.0 | 3.0 | 1,071.5 | 3.3 | |
Others | 5,688.2 | 13.9 | 8,085.8 | 25.1 | |
Total | 40,962.8 | 100.0 | 32,272.7 | 100.0 |
source: Gartner
Millicom sells Cambodian assets to Royal Group
Millicom has sold its Cambodian operations to its local partner the Royal Group for $346 million in cash.
source: telecomasia.net
source: telecomasia.net
Korean's WiMAX licenses might be revoked!
In 2005, KT Corp. , Hanaro Telecom Inc. , and SK Telecom received licenses for WiBro (Korea's name for mobile WiMax), although Hanaro returned its license in the same year. According to the terms of those licenses, the companies agreed to invest $1 billion on infrastructure, and the government set a target of 1.4 million subscribers by 2009.
Investment:
To date, KT and SKT still have $200 million to $300 million in capex left to invest in the technology, according to Tae-Hyung Kim, Asia/Pacific analyst at Pyramid Research. It is this shortfall, combined with the slow rollout and takeup of services, that has overstretched the government's patience.
Market take-up:
As of the end of June, KT had 218,454 WiBro subscribers, according to the company's figures. SKT does not publish its WiBro subscriber numbers separately, but Kim believes the number stood at just 20,000 in April this year, although the company has a target of 100,000 by the end of the year. As of the end of June, Korea had just shy of 22 million HSPA subscribers, according to Wireless Intelligence , that's 47 percent of the total mobile subscriber base.
Network coverage:
A key factor in the difference in takeup is coverage. WiBro coverage is limited to Seoul and its surrounding areas, whereas HSPA is nationwide and Pyramid's Kim explains that even if the operators complete their promised investments, nationwide coverage is out of the question.
source: unstrung
Investment:
To date, KT and SKT still have $200 million to $300 million in capex left to invest in the technology, according to Tae-Hyung Kim, Asia/Pacific analyst at Pyramid Research. It is this shortfall, combined with the slow rollout and takeup of services, that has overstretched the government's patience.
Market take-up:
As of the end of June, KT had 218,454 WiBro subscribers, according to the company's figures. SKT does not publish its WiBro subscriber numbers separately, but Kim believes the number stood at just 20,000 in April this year, although the company has a target of 100,000 by the end of the year. As of the end of June, Korea had just shy of 22 million HSPA subscribers, according to Wireless Intelligence , that's 47 percent of the total mobile subscriber base.
Network coverage:
A key factor in the difference in takeup is coverage. WiBro coverage is limited to Seoul and its surrounding areas, whereas HSPA is nationwide and Pyramid's Kim explains that even if the operators complete their promised investments, nationwide coverage is out of the question.
source: unstrung
Vodafone Germany and Huawei test LTE in 790-862MHz
Vodafone Germany is to test LTE technology in the digital dividend band this summer using Huawei kit as part of a new alliance between the two companies.
The trial with Huawei is Vodafone Germany's second major initiative in this area. In May, the operator teamed with German public broadcaster WDR and the federal government of North Rhine-Westphalia to launch LTE services in rural areas in the region using digital dividend spectrum. In February, rival German mobile operator E-Plus partnered with Ericsson and the German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to launch a mobile broadband pilot using digital dividend frequencies.
source: GMBB
The trial with Huawei is Vodafone Germany's second major initiative in this area. In May, the operator teamed with German public broadcaster WDR and the federal government of North Rhine-Westphalia to launch LTE services in rural areas in the region using digital dividend spectrum. In February, rival German mobile operator E-Plus partnered with Ericsson and the German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to launch a mobile broadband pilot using digital dividend frequencies.
source: GMBB
DoCoMo eyes Asia
NTT DoCoMo is interested in buying Cambodian wireless operator Mobitel, according to a top executive. Mobitel – a subsidiary of Luxembourg-based operator Millicom – has been operating a GSM network in Cambodia since November 1996, according to GSMWorld, and has around 2.12 million subscribers.
DoCoMo has a long-stated goal of boosting its overseas revenue to 10% of sales (around $1.1 billion) within the next four or five years, and hopes to do so through a series of strategic mergers – mostly within Asia. DoCoMo already holds minor stakes in Tata Teleservices, Axiata Bangladesh and Malaysian operator U-Mobile.
The company is also chasing potential investments in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Sri Lanka, Oceania and the Middle East. But in some Asian markets, DoCoMo will wait until regulatory regimes are relaxed before pursuing investments, the executive said.
source: telecomasia.net
DoCoMo has a long-stated goal of boosting its overseas revenue to 10% of sales (around $1.1 billion) within the next four or five years, and hopes to do so through a series of strategic mergers – mostly within Asia. DoCoMo already holds minor stakes in Tata Teleservices, Axiata Bangladesh and Malaysian operator U-Mobile.
The company is also chasing potential investments in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Sri Lanka, Oceania and the Middle East. But in some Asian markets, DoCoMo will wait until regulatory regimes are relaxed before pursuing investments, the executive said.
source: telecomasia.net
China Mobile's lowers its TD-SCDMA target
China Mobile has slashed its homegrown TD-SCDMA subscriber target from 10 million to 3 million for 2009. Note that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) gave China Mobile a three-year target of 100 million and reduced it to 50 million earlier this year.
“Chinese consumers are sensitive to price. I think the current 2009 target of three million can be easily achieved if the group is willing to cut TD-SCDMA data fees,” the official said.
Network coverages:
Although given one-year head start over the other two to rollout 3G, China Mobile is the slowest among China's three telecom operators in expanding its 3G network. According to MIIT statistics, China Telecom's cdma2000 network now covers 342 cities and China Unicom's W-CDMA network 100 cities. However, China Mobile's TD-SCDMA network only has coverage in 38 cities, and will expand to a total of 238 cities at the end of this year.
Handsets:
In terms of mobile phones, international giants like Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson are still slow or reluctant to develop TD-SCDMA mobile phones. Motorola has launched only one TD-SCDMA mobile phone as a token of support, while Nokia and Sony Ericsson's TD-SCDMA device plans are still up in the air.
“Chinese consumers are sensitive to price. I think the current 2009 target of three million can be easily achieved if the group is willing to cut TD-SCDMA data fees,” the official said.
Network coverages:
Although given one-year head start over the other two to rollout 3G, China Mobile is the slowest among China's three telecom operators in expanding its 3G network. According to MIIT statistics, China Telecom's cdma2000 network now covers 342 cities and China Unicom's W-CDMA network 100 cities. However, China Mobile's TD-SCDMA network only has coverage in 38 cities, and will expand to a total of 238 cities at the end of this year.
Handsets:
In terms of mobile phones, international giants like Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson are still slow or reluctant to develop TD-SCDMA mobile phones. Motorola has launched only one TD-SCDMA mobile phone as a token of support, while Nokia and Sony Ericsson's TD-SCDMA device plans are still up in the air.
Docomo returns to top net-add ranking after three years
Bloomberg notes that Docomo added 143,600 users in July, 6,000 more than Softbank. Softbank was the country's second-fastest-growing operator ahead of KDDI. Softbank had previously led the ranking for 26 straight months. KDDI led in terms of new subscribers for the nine months preceding that. "The release of our summer models and lowering the minimum charge for data transmission contributed to boosting our sales," Makiko Furuta, a spokeswoman for DoCoMo in Tokyo, told Bloomberg.
source: GMBB
source: GMBB
Friday, August 14, 2009
กทช.เห็นชอบวิธีประมูล3จี
นายสุรนันท์ วงศ์วิทยกำจร เลขาธิการคณะกรรมการกิจการโทรคมนาคมแห่งชาติ หรือ กทช. เปิดเผยว่า เมื่อวันที่ 6 สิงหาคม 2552 บอร์ดได้เห็นชอบให้ใช้วิธีการประมูลแบบ Simultaneous Multiple Round Ascending (S.M.R.A) ซึ่งจะมีการเปิดประมูลใบอนุญาตพร้อมคลื่นความถี่ 2.1 กิกะเฮิรตซ์ จนกว่าจะได้ผู้เสนอราคาสูงสุดในแต่ละไลเซนส์ไม่มีมีการเสนอราคาแข่งแล้ว
วิธีการนี้จะเหมือนการเปิดประมูลทะเบียนรถยนต์ที่ผู้เข้าร่วมประมูลทั้งหมดจะแข่งกันชูราคาจนกว่าจะได้ราคาสูงสุด ตามที่บริษัทที่ปรึกษาเสนอแนะผ่านวิดีโอคอนเฟอเรนซ์ ในการประชุม โดยครั้งนี้เป็นเพียงการเลือกวิธีการประมูล แต่ยังไม่ได้ข้อสรุปเรื่องราคากลาง ระยะเวลาในการประมูล รวมถึงวิธีการประมูลแต่แนวโน้มจะเป็นการอี-ออกชันมากกว่ายื่นซองเสนอราคา
ส่วนหลักเกณฑ์การประมูล 3 จี ซึ่งจะระบุคุณสมบัติผู้เข้าร่วมประมูล อาทิ ประสบการณ์ในการทำงาน ทุนจดทะเบียน เป็นต้น ซึ่งมั่นใจว่าขั้นตอนที่เหลือจะแล้วเสร็จไม่เกินไตรมาส 3
source: ผู้จัดการ
วิธีการนี้จะเหมือนการเปิดประมูลทะเบียนรถยนต์ที่ผู้เข้าร่วมประมูลทั้งหมดจะแข่งกันชูราคาจนกว่าจะได้ราคาสูงสุด ตามที่บริษัทที่ปรึกษาเสนอแนะผ่านวิดีโอคอนเฟอเรนซ์ ในการประชุม โดยครั้งนี้เป็นเพียงการเลือกวิธีการประมูล แต่ยังไม่ได้ข้อสรุปเรื่องราคากลาง ระยะเวลาในการประมูล รวมถึงวิธีการประมูลแต่แนวโน้มจะเป็นการอี-ออกชันมากกว่ายื่นซองเสนอราคา
ส่วนหลักเกณฑ์การประมูล 3 จี ซึ่งจะระบุคุณสมบัติผู้เข้าร่วมประมูล อาทิ ประสบการณ์ในการทำงาน ทุนจดทะเบียน เป็นต้น ซึ่งมั่นใจว่าขั้นตอนที่เหลือจะแล้วเสร็จไม่เกินไตรมาส 3
source: ผู้จัดการ
UK consumers give up anything but communications!
According to Ofcom's sixth Communications Market Report - around half of UK consumers said they would sooner cut back on eating out, home improvements and holidays than give up communications services. When asked which items consumers were likely to cut back on in the recession, 47 percent would choose to cut back on going out for dinner, 41 percent on DIY and 41 percent on holidays. This compares with only a fifth (19 percent) who would cut back on mobile phone spend, 16 percent on TV subscriptions and 10 percent on their broadband services.
However, in the mobile sector, there was evidence that UK consumers are increasingly looking for cheaper deals. Ofcom said that some 70 percent of mobile users said they would retain rather than upgrade their mobile handsets to save money on their bills.
source: GMBB
However, in the mobile sector, there was evidence that UK consumers are increasingly looking for cheaper deals. Ofcom said that some 70 percent of mobile users said they would retain rather than upgrade their mobile handsets to save money on their bills.
source: GMBB
Turkish mobile market and forecasts
Turkish market background
#1 Turkcell = 36.6 million connections in 2Q09 (57 percent market share)
#2 Vodafone Turkey = 15 million (23 percent)
#3 Turk Telecom's Avea = 12.4 million (19 percent)
However, the market has been volatile in recent quarters following the introduction of mobile number portability in Q408.
The three mobile operators won WCDMA licenses in a government auction last November. All three bids surpassed the government's reserve price for the licenses, though a fourth license was cancelled due to lack of interest. Note that an earlier auction two years previously had been boycotted by Vodafone and Avea and cancelled.
The delay in obtaining the spectrum has meant the operators have had sufficient time to build-out their new networks to large swathes of the country. Turkey's new high-speed networks have recently switched on by all three incumbents. (approx. 8 months lead-time after licenses granted)
All three players have hinted recently that they are in favour of network sharing as a way to keep down costs during rollout of the new networks.
3G forecasts
New data from Wireless Intelligence forecasts that combined WCDMA and WCDMA-HSPA connections in Turkey will reach nearly 30 million by the end of 2013, accounting for over a third of the country's total mobile connections by this point.
source: Wireless Intelligence
#1 Turkcell = 36.6 million connections in 2Q09 (57 percent market share)
#2 Vodafone Turkey = 15 million (23 percent)
#3 Turk Telecom's Avea = 12.4 million (19 percent)
However, the market has been volatile in recent quarters following the introduction of mobile number portability in Q408.
The three mobile operators won WCDMA licenses in a government auction last November. All three bids surpassed the government's reserve price for the licenses, though a fourth license was cancelled due to lack of interest. Note that an earlier auction two years previously had been boycotted by Vodafone and Avea and cancelled.
The delay in obtaining the spectrum has meant the operators have had sufficient time to build-out their new networks to large swathes of the country. Turkey's new high-speed networks have recently switched on by all three incumbents. (approx. 8 months lead-time after licenses granted)
All three players have hinted recently that they are in favour of network sharing as a way to keep down costs during rollout of the new networks.
3G forecastsNew data from Wireless Intelligence forecasts that combined WCDMA and WCDMA-HSPA connections in Turkey will reach nearly 30 million by the end of 2013, accounting for over a third of the country's total mobile connections by this point.
source: Wireless Intelligence
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Vodafone buys stake in Greek broadband operator
Vodafone Greece has entered into a strategic partnership with Greek fixed-line broadband provider Hellas Online Electronic Communications (HOL) that will see the two companies combine their DSL businesses. Vodafone said in a statement that the two firms will jointly market Vodafone's mobile products and services and HOL's fixed-line DSL and telephony services on an exclusive basis.
HOL is one of the leading DSL providers in Greece and had approximately 26 percent market share. HOL also has the largest fibre optic network in Greece, covering around 75 percent of the population. Vodafone is the second-largest mobile operator in Greece and had 6 million customers by 2Q09.
source: GMBB
HOL is one of the leading DSL providers in Greece and had approximately 26 percent market share. HOL also has the largest fibre optic network in Greece, covering around 75 percent of the population. Vodafone is the second-largest mobile operator in Greece and had 6 million customers by 2Q09.
source: GMBB
FCC investigates Apple's rejection of Google Voice
The Federal Communications Commission, the US telecoms regulator, has submitted open letters to Google, Apple and AT&T - the mobile operator that offers Apple's iPhone on an exclusive basis in the US - as part of its recent investigation into open access and handset exclusivity in the country's mobile market. The investigation into the matter follows concerns that Apple may have colluded with AT&T to block a service that threatened to cannibalise the operator's voice revenue.
source: GMBB
source: GMBB
France launches bid process for new 3G license
The bidding process for France's long-awaited fourth 3G license was launched by the country's government on Saturday [1st August 2009], with an asking price of EUR240 million. AFP reports that the deadline for candidates to lodge their bids has been fixed at 29 October, with the granting of the license around eight months from that date [by June 2010]. Iliad, parent company of French ISP Free, was quick to welcome launch of the bidding process and said it would be a candidate. Orascom, Virgin Mobile France and Numericable have also been linked to the license.
The EUR240 million asking price is confirmation of earlier reports suggesting the price would be increased from previous estimates of EUR206 million. The original price of EUR206 million was a third of the amount paid by incumbents Orange France, SFR and Bouygues Telecom for their licenses, which came with three times as much spectrum. However, France Telecom (Orange) has said it will contest the price with the European Commission as it feels EUR240 million is still too low.
source: GMBB
The EUR240 million asking price is confirmation of earlier reports suggesting the price would be increased from previous estimates of EUR206 million. The original price of EUR206 million was a third of the amount paid by incumbents Orange France, SFR and Bouygues Telecom for their licenses, which came with three times as much spectrum. However, France Telecom (Orange) has said it will contest the price with the European Commission as it feels EUR240 million is still too low.
source: GMBB
Vodafone Signs Partnership Deal in Thailand
[March 2009] Vodafone and Thailand's DTAC have jointly announced that they have signed a Partner Market agreement. Under the terms of this agreement, DTAC will have exclusive access to Vodafone's range of products, devices and services in Thailand and will be able to draw on Vodafone's experience in supply chain management, technology development, the acquisition of enterprise customers as well as improved inter-working between networks.
As part of a phased roll-out, Vodafone will be able to use DTAC's network to offer seamless voice and data roaming for its customers visiting Thailand through the use of ‘home' network capabilities. The two companies will cooperate to provide additional support to Vodafone Global Enterprise customers, many of whom have a presence in Thailand. In turn, Vodafone will provide DTAC customers with improved voice and data roaming access across 67 countries.
source: cellular-news
As part of a phased roll-out, Vodafone will be able to use DTAC's network to offer seamless voice and data roaming for its customers visiting Thailand through the use of ‘home' network capabilities. The two companies will cooperate to provide additional support to Vodafone Global Enterprise customers, many of whom have a presence in Thailand. In turn, Vodafone will provide DTAC customers with improved voice and data roaming access across 67 countries.
source: cellular-news
iPhone OS 3.0 Spurs Boom in WiFi Connections
AT&T, the second largest U.S. wireless carrier said nearly 15 million users connected to their public wireless hotspots last quarter, which is a 41% increase from the previous quarter. One of the major reasons for this is that the iPhone 3.0 software makes it easier for users to log on to AT&T's Wi-Fi at places such as Starbucks, McDonald's, and other public locations.
Prior to the 3.0 software, logging in was considered tedious. Users had to enter a phone number, receive an SMS message, and then click a link in that text message to access the Wi-Fi. The latest firmware automatically detects and logs in iPhone users without the two-step authentication process.
AT&T offers iPhone and BlackBerry users free Wi-Fi at certain public venues, and it is seeing increased interest in this. The company said it has already had 25.6 million Wi-Fi connections for 2009, which already surpasses the 20 million times the service was used in all of 2008. The service also has the added benefit of easing demand on AT&T's 3G network, which many iPhone users have complained about.
AT&T rivals are also using Wi-Fi as a value-add for subscribers, as multiple T-Mobile smartphones can use Wi-Fi as part of the company's HotSpot@Home home-calling service. Verizon is giving its FiOS customers free Wi-Fi access at more than 100,000 hotspots around the world, and Sprint Nextel is requiring its future BlackBerry smartphones to sport Wi-Fi chips.
source: unstrung, informationweek
Prior to the 3.0 software, logging in was considered tedious. Users had to enter a phone number, receive an SMS message, and then click a link in that text message to access the Wi-Fi. The latest firmware automatically detects and logs in iPhone users without the two-step authentication process.
AT&T offers iPhone and BlackBerry users free Wi-Fi at certain public venues, and it is seeing increased interest in this. The company said it has already had 25.6 million Wi-Fi connections for 2009, which already surpasses the 20 million times the service was used in all of 2008. The service also has the added benefit of easing demand on AT&T's 3G network, which many iPhone users have complained about.
AT&T rivals are also using Wi-Fi as a value-add for subscribers, as multiple T-Mobile smartphones can use Wi-Fi as part of the company's HotSpot@Home home-calling service. Verizon is giving its FiOS customers free Wi-Fi access at more than 100,000 hotspots around the world, and Sprint Nextel is requiring its future BlackBerry smartphones to sport Wi-Fi chips.
source: unstrung, informationweek
Bluetooth finds new home in ‘Television 2.0′
LG joins Sharp and Samsung in putting Bluetooth into some TV sets for in-home communications. While Wi-Fi and WirelessHD support transmission of video around the home, shorter range Bluetooth allows handsets to be used as the remote control for home media systems. It also connects wireless headsets to the TV, and streams music from MP3 players to the TV or its speakers.
source: 4Gtrends.com
source: 4Gtrends.com
Evolved HSPA (HSPA+)
Evolved HSPA (HSPA+) is the next step on the roadmap for many operators, which increases data rates by using higher order modulation schemes and multiple antenna technology (MIMO).
3GPP Release 7 introduced 64 QAM modulation, increasing the downlink peak data bit rate by 50% to 21 Mbps. In the uplink, 16 QAM doubles the peak data bit rate from 5.76 Mbps to 11.5 Mbps.
Release 8 allows for combining 64 QAM with 2×2 MIMO for peak rates up to 42 Mbps downlink and 11.5 Mbps uplink (per 5 MHz carrier).
Further evolution of HSPA will utilize combinations of multi-carrier and MIMO to reach peak rates of 84 Mbps downlink and 23 Mbps uplink. Almost 40 operators have committed to HSPA+ network deployments. The world’s first HSPA+ network was launched in February 2009. According to GSA, the number of HSPA+ networks in commercial service has now reached double figures. 10 HSPA+ systems are commercially launched which are using 64QAM modulation to deliver 21 Mbps peak data throughput on the downlink, for a typical user experience up to 8 Mbps, depending on device availability. The world’s first HSPA+ system utilizing MIMO technology has also been launched, in Italy, boosting peak downlink data throughput up to 28 Mbps.
The recent GSA HSPA devices survey confirmed that 8 HSPA+ user devices are already launched in the market. Uplink data speeds are also increasing. 98 operators have committed to HSUPA, with 87 networks now commercially launched, and an increasing number of these networks support 5.8 Mbps peak data throughput. The number of HSUPA user devices announced by manufacturers has more than quadrupled over the past 12 months, and now stands at 305 products. More than a third (102 devices) support, or are upgradeable for 5.8 Mbps peak operation, compared to only 14 products in July 2008. GSA earlier announced that 31 operators are committed to LTE network deployments, which will significantly further boost network throughputs, improve spectrum and operational efficiencies and performance, and reduce latency for the next step in the user experience. GSA anticipates that up to 12 LTE networks will be in commercial service by end 2010.
3GPP Release 7 introduced 64 QAM modulation, increasing the downlink peak data bit rate by 50% to 21 Mbps. In the uplink, 16 QAM doubles the peak data bit rate from 5.76 Mbps to 11.5 Mbps.
Release 8 allows for combining 64 QAM with 2×2 MIMO for peak rates up to 42 Mbps downlink and 11.5 Mbps uplink (per 5 MHz carrier).
Further evolution of HSPA will utilize combinations of multi-carrier and MIMO to reach peak rates of 84 Mbps downlink and 23 Mbps uplink. Almost 40 operators have committed to HSPA+ network deployments. The world’s first HSPA+ network was launched in February 2009. According to GSA, the number of HSPA+ networks in commercial service has now reached double figures. 10 HSPA+ systems are commercially launched which are using 64QAM modulation to deliver 21 Mbps peak data throughput on the downlink, for a typical user experience up to 8 Mbps, depending on device availability. The world’s first HSPA+ system utilizing MIMO technology has also been launched, in Italy, boosting peak downlink data throughput up to 28 Mbps.
The recent GSA HSPA devices survey confirmed that 8 HSPA+ user devices are already launched in the market. Uplink data speeds are also increasing. 98 operators have committed to HSUPA, with 87 networks now commercially launched, and an increasing number of these networks support 5.8 Mbps peak data throughput. The number of HSUPA user devices announced by manufacturers has more than quadrupled over the past 12 months, and now stands at 305 products. More than a third (102 devices) support, or are upgradeable for 5.8 Mbps peak operation, compared to only 14 products in July 2008. GSA earlier announced that 31 operators are committed to LTE network deployments, which will significantly further boost network throughputs, improve spectrum and operational efficiencies and performance, and reduce latency for the next step in the user experience. GSA anticipates that up to 12 LTE networks will be in commercial service by end 2010.
7.2 Mbps is New Baseline for HSPA
Half of the HSPA networks in commercial service globally are capable of peak downlink data speeds of 7.2 Mbps or higher, according to research just published by the Global mobile Suppliers Association – GSA. GSA’s newly released HSPA Operator Commitments Survey confirms 316 HSPA network commitments in 129 countries.A total of 274 operators have commercially launched HSPA mobile broadband services in 115 countries, with around half of them supporting a peak downlink data speed of 7.2 Mbps or higher. WCDMA has over 73% market share of commercial 3G networks worldwide. Almost 95% of WCDMA operators have now launched HSPA. A related survey by GSA confirms that 1,605 HSPA devices have been launched by 183 manufacturers. The number of products announced increased by over 121% year-on-year. The number of HSPA-enabled notebooks tripled year-on-year, with the number of phones and smartphones rising by more than 88% in the same period. Excluding notebooks, a total of 595 HSPA products (over 46%) support peak downlink data speeds of 7.2 Mbps or more.
source: 3g.co.uk
Microsoft's 'Windows Phone' brand
The software giant has lost ground in the smartphone market over the last 12 months.
Microsoft would continue to invest heavily in its 'Windows Phone' brand - the new name for its Windows Mobile platform - but conceded that the firm needed to work better with its hardware partners.
The new Windows Phone branding is set to be applied to Microsoft's latest platform version, Windows Mobile 6.1, and subsequent releases.
source: GMBB
Microsoft would continue to invest heavily in its 'Windows Phone' brand - the new name for its Windows Mobile platform - but conceded that the firm needed to work better with its hardware partners.
The new Windows Phone branding is set to be applied to Microsoft's latest platform version, Windows Mobile 6.1, and subsequent releases.
source: GMBB
Motorola talks up Android devices strategy
Motorola has reaffirmed plans to focus on Google's Android platform as it attempts to spearhead a recovery in its handsets division.
source: GMBB
source: GMBB
Turkish operators switch on first 3G networks
Turkey's three main mobile operators - Turkcell, Vodafone and Turk Telekom's Avea - have all launched their 3G networks today (30 July 2009), according to various press reports.
the launch of 3G networks in Turkey was delayed several times due to problems with the tender process, including the lack of sufficient bids.
All three operators are understood to be keen on sharing infrastructure for their new 3G networks in a bid to keep investment costs down due to the economic situation.
According to Wireless Intelligence data, Turkcell leads the Turkish market with an estimated 36.6 million connections in 2Q09, followed by Vodafone (15 million) and Avea (12.4 million). All connections in the country are GSM-based.
source: GMBB
the launch of 3G networks in Turkey was delayed several times due to problems with the tender process, including the lack of sufficient bids.
All three operators are understood to be keen on sharing infrastructure for their new 3G networks in a bid to keep investment costs down due to the economic situation.
According to Wireless Intelligence data, Turkcell leads the Turkish market with an estimated 36.6 million connections in 2Q09, followed by Vodafone (15 million) and Avea (12.4 million). All connections in the country are GSM-based.
source: GMBB
Microsoft, Yahoo finally reach search agreement
Microsoft and Yahoo have finally reached a search agreement, in a deal which will see Microsoft power Yahoo search while Yahoo will manage the ad sales.
The companies said they could implement the arrangement within 24 months if the deal gains regulatory approval.
The 10-year agreement will see Yahoo's search sites powered by Microsoft's Bing algorithmic search technology. While Yahoo will become the exclusive sales portal for advertising on both companies' search sites, Microsoft's AdCenter will set the search price, Microsoft said.
source: telecomasia.net
The companies said they could implement the arrangement within 24 months if the deal gains regulatory approval.
The 10-year agreement will see Yahoo's search sites powered by Microsoft's Bing algorithmic search technology. While Yahoo will become the exclusive sales portal for advertising on both companies' search sites, Microsoft's AdCenter will set the search price, Microsoft said.
source: telecomasia.net
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