Bits and Bytes: Ericsson hits 2M base stations; Inmarsat buys new satellites; and more

Ericsson announced it has delivered its 2 millionth radio base station. The company noted it hit the 1 millionth base station delivery in 2007, after selling radio base stations for about 20 years. It took only three years for the company to double that figure to 2 million. The 2 millionth base station was an Ericsson RBS 6000 unit that was delivered as part of a mobile broadband network expansion product
Motorola Solutions said the number of iDEN subscribers outside the United States has not reached 10 million subscribers. Motorola’s iDEN technology is in operation in 23 countries, according to the company.
Mobile marketing company Vibes Media said it reached the 1 billionth text message interaction between brands and consumers. The billionth message was part of a Pittsburgh Penguins mobile campaign related to the 2013 NCAA Mens Division 1 Ice Hockey Frozen Four Championship. Vibes said it averages more than 1 million text messages per day sent between brands and consumers.
Satellite service provider Inmarsat said it has contracted with The Boeing Company for three new 702HP Ka-band satellites. The deal is valued at $1.2 billion. Inmarsat said the deal is part of its plan to launch a high-speed data services network that operates in the Ka band to complement its existing L-band service.
PayPal Mobile announced the latest version of the PayPal mobile application for Android. The Android app is similar to the company’s iPhone-based application and includes bump technology that allows users to tap their phones together to send money. Other features include a tip calculation service that also allows subscribers to calculate tips and collect money directly from friends’ phones.
In an effort to respond to growing business demands in China, Chipmaker Sequans said it opened a new office in Shanghai. The company announced it has appointed Alex Shang to the position of China country manager. Sequans said it has several WiMAX and LTE chip projects under way in China.
Mobile marketing solutions provider Upstream said it completed a successful follow-up campaign for Italian mobile operator 3 Italia. Upstream said it implemented a 56-day promotion for the carrier designed to boost ARPU.
KORE Telematics, a machine-to-machine communications service provider, said fleet management solutions provider Safefreight Technologoy will use its network to monitor the location and security status of each Indy car transport trailer and logistics support vehicle.
Laird Technologies Inc. released its ODH24-9-WB horizontally polarized omnidirectional antenna. The antenna operates in the 2400 MHz to 2500 MHz band. The company said the product is ideal for 2.4 GHz ISM band applications, 802.11 wireless systems, point-to-multipoint systems, wireless broadband systems and WLAN access points.
MOG said it has updated and improved its mobile music application, which it released for iPhone and Android devices in July. The company said the most significant improvement is the addition of multitasking, which allows users to continue to play music with MOG while using other applications. Other upgrades include MOG audio in the background; audio remote control support; and lock screen controls.