Handsets
Kyocera
Kyocera plans to begin marketing at the end of July in Japan its VP-210 VisualPhone, a PHS phone with a built-in camera that can transmit and receive images in real time at a rate of two frames per second. The handset incorporates a CMOS image sensor with approximately 110,000 pixels and a 2.0-inch reflective TFT color LCD, allowing users to send and receive e-mail with image attachments through DDI Pocket Telephone Group’s P-Mail Deluxe services. The VP-210 weighs 165 grams and measures 54 mm x 140 mm x 29 mm. With the camera switched on, continuous talk time is around 60 minutes. SK Teletech, a joint venture between SK Telecom and Kyocera, is developing a similar CDMA-based handset for release in early 2000 in the South Korean market. www.kyocera.co.jp
Ericsson
Ericsson Mobile Phones introduced a suite of new handsets that the company plans to offer for sale later this year and early next year. Ericsson will offer the R250d PRO, nicknamed the “Rock,” which is a tri-mode TDMA phone that works on 800 MHz analog and 800 MHz and 1900 MHz digital frequencies. It is water, shock and dust resistant and meets U.S. military MIL810E specifications for hazardous environments.
Ericsson will also offer the A1228d TDMA tri-mode phone, also in autumn. The handset doubles as a pager, allowing users to receive text messages on its display panel. The handset will include “EZ-Read Menus,” a wide screen for greater legibility, and one-button access to voice mail and speed-dial numbers. The A1228d phone will allow customers to make up to 75 calls on a single battery charge. Standby time is at least a week.
Coming to market late this year are the first two models in Ericsson’s new T18 line of tri-mode handsets: the T18d, which supports TDMA, and the T18z, which supports GSM.
Early next year, Ericsson plans to make commercially available the MC218, which the company said will be the first handheld wireless device based on the EPOC operating system offered since the formation of Symbian. www.ericsson.com
Inventel Systemes
French manufacturer Inventel Systemes is offering the DG102 DECT-based standard phone, which includes an integral smart card reader that lets users make on-line payments, access on-line services without manually dialing, reload electronic accounts and apply calling charges directly to prepaid phone cards or microchip fitted bank cards. The phone weighs 180 grams, and offers 200 hours of standby time or eight hours of talk time. www.inventel.fr
Infrastructure equipment
Nortel
Nortel introduced an EDGE-ready microcellular base station, the e-cell, at CommunicAsia in June. The e-cell is a compact base station solution that allows GSM operators to add capacity quickly and cost-effectively while preparing for deployment of wireless Internet and other high-speed data and multimedia services, said Nortel. www.nortelnetworks.com
Ericsson
Ericsson launched a small, fully featured switching system for NMT 450 networks, the Micro MTX. Designed to serve a small number of subscribers, the system offers a total solution for both small and new operators, said Ericsson. www.ericsson.com
Giganet
Giganet released its 26 GHz FibeAir 1500, an STM-1 (155 Mbps) point-to-point microwave radio system that supports high-capacity data, video and voice communication in metropolitan area networks, wide area networks and corporate/campus applications. www.giganet-corp.com
Bluetooth
Ericsson
Ericsson announced in May it had delivered the first Bluetooth Development Kit, which it said will enable early Bluetooth adopters to more quickly and cheaply develop applications using the technology. To date, members of the Bluetooth special interest group have represented larger companies with large development budgets. The introduction of a development kit will allow smaller and mid-sized companies to begin developing applications that meet the specification, the company said. The kit includes two development circuit boards, which enable device-to-device applications software testing. www.ericsson.com
Philsar
Philsar Electronics said it will develop integrated circuit (IC) products based on the Bluetooth specification. The company will apply its radio signal processor technology to deliver solutions to accelerate the adoption of Bluetooth-based personal networking applications, Philsar said. It plans to introduce its first product in early 2000. www.philsar.com
Wireless data
Nokia
Nokia unveiled several new Internet protocol (IP) solutions to provide broadband wireless access to services such as e-mail, corporate information and the Internet. The solutions are part of Nokia’s “IP Mobility” strategy, which focuses on both cellular communications and traditional data networking to provide users with mobile access to all types of media and information.
Nokia also unveiled at CommunicAsia in June the Nokia Card Phone 2.0, which is a PC card with a built-in GSM phone supporting high-speed circuit-switched data (HSCSD) and enabling data transmission of up to 43.2 kbps without data compression. It is a dual-band terminal, operating both in GSM 900 and 1800 networks, and will be commercially available during the fourth quarter. www.nokia.com
Antennas
Allen Telecom
Antenna Specialists, a division of Allen Telecom, introduced a mini-magnet antenna for dual-band Nokia phones. Small enough to fit in a briefcase, purse or glove compartment, this externally mounted antenna improves signal reception by 200 percent at PCS frequencies without the expense of a complete car kit, said the company. It works with Nokia 5110, 5120, 5160, 5162, 5190, 6110, 6120, 6160, 6162 and 6190 series phones. www.allentele.com
MAT-Jaybeam
French company MAT Equipement and British company Jaybeam released their new dual-band, dual-polarized antennas covering both GSM 900 and 1800 bands from a single enclosure. With more and more wireless operators now using both bands, the new antennas minimize the need for additional space because they can be directly installed in the same space as an existing 900 MHz-only antenna, said the companies. Two models are available. The Jaybeam 5100 104 comes with four ports and the Jaybeam 5100 004 with two ports and internal duplexer. pfavre-bulle@matequipement.com
Metawave
Metawave Communications announced the latest addition to its CDMA smart antenna product family, a version of the capacity-expanding SpotLight 2000 system for the Nortel Networks CDMA Metro Cell. The system will be available for commercial shipment in the third quarter of this year. www.metawave.com
Operations
ARC Solutions
ARC Solutions, which specializes in customer retention, released its latest version CREST v3.0 customer-retention system. CREST is a European-designed telecom customer loyalty and retention system that enables telecommunications and utilities companies to rapidly implement a flexible customer retention solution for their customer base, according to ARC. Cap Gemini Telecom & Media has entered into a memorandum of understanding for the exclusive distribution of the CREST system in the Asia-Pacific region. www.arc-solutions.com www.capgemini.com.sg
Proxima Systems
Proxima Systems released Mystral, a next-generation, integrated customer management and billing software solution for multiple service operators. Mystral represents the first product to market resulting from Proxima’s two-year research and development project code-named ProMedia. Mystral is built from the ground up using object-oriented technology to support multiple combinations of telephony, cable and Internet products and services. www.proxima.ca
Applications
ConneXus
ConneXus offers a wireless service application that allows subscribers to use their wirele
ss phones to buy music that is being broadcast over the radio. To use the service, consumers dial *CD on a handset, and a computerized voice response system then prom
pts callers to enter the radio station they are listening to. The system then identifies the name of the song the station just played, the artist and the title of the CD. Callers can then purchase the CD. amartin@gregcomm.com
AU-System
Greek cellular operator Panafon is offering Panafon la Carte Junior, a prepaid phone product specially designed and equipped for children and using the functionality of AU-System’s product for advanced over-the-air services, called AviSIM OTA. AviSIM OTA is supplied by Ericsson, AU-System’s partner. Panafon la Carte Junior gives parents the possibility of easily contacting their children while still having control over costs. The bright green-colored phones are equipped with a short number list with pre-defined numbers. www.ausys.com/sim
