Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
HSDPA emerges
DRESDEN, Germany-Two companies announced High Speed Downlink Packet Access test products yesterday. Radioplan announced a commercial simulation and optimization toolset for W-CDMA’s HSDPA technology. WiNeS 3.1 is the latest version of the company’s third-generation optimization solution. The new version includes several updated vendor-specific RRM algorithms, import and export capabilities for Motorola Inc.’s Netplan and Xenicom’s Odyssey planning tools, support for neighbor list optimization, support for a variety of languages, and several new analysis functions. The company plans to showcase the solution at IIR’s 3G Networks conference next month in Lisbon, Portugal. UbiNetics also announced new test products for HSDPA technology. The company’s new Multi-UE option is an extension of its TM500 HSDPA Test Mobile. The product will allow infrastructure vendors to stress-test early HSDPA networks before commercial rollout, said the company. The Multi-UE option allows a single TM500 to concurrently emulate up to 32 individual mobiles. Several TM500s can be connected to simulate more mobiles in one HSDPA cell, said the company. … Read more
Can you hear me … ouch
A defect in Siemens 65 series mobile phones could lead to failures in audio transmission, the company warned. Because of the software defect, when a phone call is cut off due to a low battery, the disconnection melody could start playing loudly enough to cause hearing damage if held up to the ear. To avoid the problem, Siemens suggests consumers deactivate the disconnection melody or the disconnection animation function on the phones. Additionally, Siemens said phone calls should be terminated upon the first “low battery” warning signal. Siemens said the malfunction was discovered during a laboratory test, and it has developed new software to prevent the malfunction in future 65 series phones. … Read more
Madonna goes mobile
LOS ANGELES-Madonna fans can download ring tones, images and other licensed mobile content from the singer’s official Web storefront without credit cards. The artist-driven mobile storefront, powered by M-Qube and believed to be the first of its kind, enables users to enter their mobile numbers and handset types and get charged for transactions on their wireless bills. Content is provided outside of the singer’s record label, and is available to wireless users with most major North American carriers. … Read more
Ringtone blocking by Japanese record companies
TOKYO-More than 10 top Japanese record companies are suspected of illegally blocking other firms from offering ringtone services to wireless users. Japan’s anti-monopoly agency raided several of the companies Thursday, including Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music, EMI-Toshiba Ltd. and Victor Entertainment Inc. They are suspected of violating fair trade laws by preventing mobile operators from offering the popular service. Downloadable ringtones are particularly popular in Japan, where two-thirds of the population-some 82 million people-carry mobile phones. … Read more
Four pre-loaded IM services from T-Mo
MONTREAL-T-Mobile USA has partnered with mobile messaging company Oz to deliver four pre-loaded instant message services on a new Nokia phone, the companies announced Thursday. A clamshell handset featuring a fold-out QWERTY keyboard, the Nokia 6800 will feature instant messaging options from Yahoo!, MSN, AOL and ICQ. The Bellevue, Wash.-based carrier has launched a promotional contest encouraging users to send instant message answers to trivia questions to help support the new phone. … Read more
Positive charge in US lithium battery market
NORWALK, Conn.-The U.S. lithium battery market is expected to reach $2.7 billion in 2009, according to a forthcoming report from Business Communications Co. Inc. The lithium battery market is estimated at $2.1 billion this year, said the report. Lithium batteries range from large units that power missile silos to tiny button cells. Lithium-manganese dioxide cells have seen a 7-percent growth due mainly to increased portable product sales, including personal digital assistants and portable game systems. … Read more
Cingular, AWS put together cross-carrier MMS
AT&T Wireless Services and Cingular Wireless will offer intercarrier multimedia messaging service (MMS), allowing customers to exchange text, photos, music and video clips between the two carriers from their wireless phones. While such an agreement was expected-Cingular is set to close its acquisition of AT&T Wireless by year-end-the announcement appears to be another step toward MMS interoperability. AT&T Wireless also has an intercarrier MMS agreement with T-Mobile USA, according to a T-Mobile spokesman. Such relationships are key to boosting that segment of the wireless data industry, according to Alan Mosher, research director at analyst firm Probe Group. Mosher said a lack of interoperability among carriers was largely responsible for the slow initial uptake of short message service in the United States. “It would seem to me to be obvious that, without interoperability, text messaging would still be in the dark ages,” said Mosher. “Without interoperability, the market gets narrowed down. There just isn’t enough access” for consumers. Mosher said he expects to see more MMS interoperability among carriers in the near future. … Read more
Cingular buys AT&T Wireless Services but will stay Cingular (for now …)
Cingular Wireless L.L.C., AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and AT&T Corp. reported an agreement resolving issues related to the use of the AT&T brand in connection with Cingular’s pending acquisition of AWS, as well as a provision for the purchase of AT&T network services by the merged mobile carrier. The branding agreement modifies AWS’ current brand license agreement with AT&T and will allow Cingular to use the AT&T brand name for six months beyond the closing of its acquisition of AWS in an attempt to reduce customer confusion. Cingular said it intends to use its own brand name for the combined company following the acquisition and will cease to use the AT&T brand at the end of the transition period. AT&T is expected to use the AT&T Wireless brand name or some form of the name for its own wireless service, which will use Sprint PCS’ network as part of a mobile virtual network operator agreement signed between the two companies earlier this year. AT&T also announced that its current network services agreement with AWS has been modified and extended for up to 17 months and calls for AT&T to provide the combined Cingular/AWS with international long distance, private line services and corporate telecommunications services. … Read more
MBA students get BlackBerry devices
COLLEGE PARK, Md.-The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business said it will provide Nextel Communications Inc.’s Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry 7510 handheld devices to its 400 full-time MBA students at the start of the fall 2004 semester. The school noted the initiative was designed to encourage students to “explore the potential of ‘always on’ technology and to teach them how to leverage such technology in the educational experience.” The devices will include access to Nextel’s voice and data network, including wireless access to the Web, e-mail, calendar and address book, task and memo pad functionality, and Nextel’s Direct Connect service. Students are expected to be able to use the device in the near future to obtain course assignments, grades, class rosters and other school information through an online course development tool. “By using these devices, inside and outside the classroom, our MBAs will gain a greater understanding of how information technology can be maximized to create innovation and drive business growth,” said Howard Frank, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. … Read more
Alcatel wins contract with China Netcom
BEIJING-Alcatel Corp said it has won a major contract with China Netcom and launched a center for Next Generation Network in China. The wireless vendor described the contract as the largest NGN network ever deployed by China Netcom. No dollar amount was disclosed. The deployment, which takes place in August this year, “will be able to develop a wide range of high-quality telecom services, including local and long-distance Voice over IP, traditional voice with value-added services, multimedia conferencing, voice virtual private network, IP Centrex and Find Me/Follow Me,” said Alcatel. Alcatel said its NGN Reality Center, located in Shanghai, is the company’s first in Asia Pacific and follows one established in Antwerp, Belgium. It provides an open service delivery environment for design and testing of NGN-based services. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
