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MORPHICS EXPECTS CARRIERS TO CLAMOR TO SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO TECHNOLOGY

At the crossroads of four wireless industry trends is where Cupertino, Calif.-based Morphics Technology Inc. believes it has found an opportunity.The four factors are expensive spectrum, expensive infrastructure, the migration of predominantly voice traffic to data traffic and fractured standards. The solution, says John...

DEVELOPER PREPARES PATENT FILING AMIDST BANK SHORT-SELLING ITS STOCK

NEW YORK-San Francisco-based World Wide Wireless Communications Inc., which has a patent pending for putting wireless network infrastructure onto computer chips, is engaged in a battle with a bank over short-selling of its stock.The company said it received confirmation Aug. 2 that the final...

SMART-CARD INDUSTRY A THREAT TO CELLULAR CARRIERS

BOSTON-Smart cards are poised to move beyond their role in identifying Global System for Mobile communications subscribers, due to momentum outside wireless and beyond U.S. borders.The challenge both for telecommunications carriers and for smart-card manufacturers is to harness these forces or risk losing their...

QUALCOMM, LUCENT TEAM FOR LOCATION TECHNOLOGY

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. and Lucent Technologies Inc. announced an agreement to jointly develop and promote standardization of a technology for locating the point of origin of an emergency wireless phone call.The technique is based on Qualcomm's advancements in Code Division Multiple Access handsets and...

PRODUCTS

ELite Logistic ServicesElite Logistic Services Inc. introduced its PageTrack control module, a wireless automotive security, control and monitoring solution. The system uses SkyTel Communications Inc.'s two-way ReFLEX network, the ReFLEX CreataLink 2 XT two-way data transceiver from Motorola Inc. and global positioning system technology....

COMPANIES AGREE TO CHIP STANDARD

TOKYO-Hitachi Ltd., Intel Corp., Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and Sharp Corp. agreed to standardize specifications for stacked chip scale packages, a multiple memory module for mobile communications and handheld computing applications.Specifications of S-CSP with flash memory and SRAM chips include compatibility of pin assign, unification...

ITU TASK GROUP OKS 3G HARMONIZATION

WASHINGTON-An International Telecommunication Union task group in June in Beijing approved a carrier-crafted plan to harmonize competing U.S. and European CDMA technologies for Internet-friendly third-generation mobile phones, paving the way for the compromise to be translated into a new, global-roaming standard by year's end.ITU...

CHINA UNICOM’S CDMAONE DECISION TO INFLUENCE REGION

HONG KONG-China United Telecommunications Corp.'s plan to deploy Code Division Multiple Access technology ensures its survival into the next generation and creates momentum for cdmaOne technology throughout the Asia-Pacific region, cdmaOne proponents indicated at the CDMA Development Group's fourth annual CDMA World Congress in...

ITU TASK GROUP OKS HARMONIZA TION EFFORT

WASHINGTON-An International Telecommunication Union task group in Beijing last week approved a carrier-crafted plan to harmonize competing U.S. and European Code Division Multiple Access technologies for Internet-friendly third-generation mobile phones, paving the way for the compromise to be translated into a new, global-roaming standard...

LUCENT INTRODUCES CHIP

ALLENTOWN, Pa.-Lucent Technologies Inc.'s Microelectronics Group introduced a subscriber line interface circuit chip that operates on 3.3 volts of power, thereby reducing power consumption by about 35 percent compared with 5-volt SLICs.The SLIC chip, called the L9215, is targeted for use by telephone companies...

CARRIERS SEND HARMONIZATION PROPOSAL TO ITU

The Operators Harmonization Group, an ad hoc assembly of mobile phone operators from around the world, sent its third-generation technology harmonization proposal to the International Telecommunication Union, which meets in Beijing this week.As RCR reported, the agreement defines a harmonized CDMA standard with three...

PRODUCTS

XircomXircom Inc. announced a new product line called CompactCard, which it said extends wireless connectivity for Windows CE handheld computers. CompactCard is a series of Type II CompactFlash cards that give Windows CE devices access to Ethernet, modem and Global System for Mobile communications...

POLITICAL FIGHTS REMAIN AMONG 3G PLAYERS

Industry executives in February hailed the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue agreement as a major breakthrough in the 3G debate, but today it appears standards bodies have made little progress to pursue this framework, and political infighting among the 3G players remains.Executives in February agreed to...

FCC GIVES CARRIERS OPTIONS TO ADDRESS DEAD-ZONE ISSUE

WASHINGTON-The fallout of last week's Federal Communications Commission decision on solving the dead-zone problem saw the chairman's office denouncing the industry's response and consumers advocates split.As expected, the FCC did not mandate technical requirements for how wireless carriers address calls that fall in areas...

WCA LIKELY HEADED TO COURT OVER STRONGEST SIGNAL REGULATIONS

WASHINGTON-The consumer group fighting for specific E911 call-completion regulations vowed to take its case to court if the Federal Communications Commission adopts a technology-neutral rule this week.When it became apparent last week that the Wireless Consumers Alliance had lost its battle with the cellular...

HARMONIZATION EFFORT TAKE-OR-LEAVE PACKAGE

The Operators Harmonization Group, an assembly of mobile phone operators from around the world, said they agreed last month in Tokyo to a baseline proposal to harmonize ITU CDMA-based third-generation technology proposals.The proposal needs further refinement, a process that should be completed in the...

MOTOROLA INVESTS IN SNAPTRACK

SnapTrack Inc. last week announced a strategic partnership with Motorola Inc. under which it will license its personal location system to Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector.Motorola will use SnapTrack's technology through a royalty-bearing license agreement to offer personal location services as a part of its...

CARRIERS HONE IN ON HARMONIZATION

Carriers are keeping quiet about events that transpired during a third-generation harmonization meeting two weeks ago in Japan, but an independent study commissioned by Vodafone plc is seen by cdmaOne players as a smoking gun in favor of their technical parameters.Major carriers from around...

FCC INCHES TO STRONGEST SIGNAL DECISION

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission could make a decision on the strongest-signal debate as early as this month at the public meeting, said senior FCC officials last week.While the details of the decision are still uncertain, it seems the cellular industry's efforts to convince the...

PRODUCTS

Nortele-mobility servicesNortel Networks introduced a portfolio of subscriber services, called e-mobility services, that provide rapid, flexible deployment of leading-edge voice and data capabilities optimized for the Internet Protocol environment. The services include Wireless Prepaid, Group Conferencing, Smart Mobile Access, Wireless Voice-Activated Dialing, Mobile Messaging...

CARRIERS TO MEET ON 3G IN TOKYO

The world's carriers are set to meet in Tokyo this week for another round of discussions on converging Code Division Multiple Access-based third-generation technology.The International Telecommunication Union adopted a framework in March resulting in a single flexible standard with a choice of multiple access...

ERICSSON CLARIFIES 3G POSITION

L.M. Ericsson said it supports the third-generation TDMA proposal and a group of 3G CDMA technologies that accommodates three different modes and various chip rates.The statement comes just weeks after ending the deadlock with Qualcomm Inc. over rights to CDMA-based technologies. Ericsson and Qualcomm...

CDMA2000 FACES UPHILL BATTLE IN EUROPE

WASHINGTON-Despite the much-ballyhooed settlement of the patent dispute between Qualcomm Inc. and L.M. Ericsson and the global embrace of multiple third-generation mobile phone standards, it remains unclear whether American wireless technology can break into a European market that has shunned it to date.Some industry...

SILICON WAVE CHIPS ALLOW MORE COMPONENTS, SMALLER SIZE

Silicon Wave Inc. announced it is developing a Radio Modem Control integrated circuit for Bluetooth applications, using an advanced silicon-on-insulator technology known as BiCMOS.Silicon Wave hopes to combine Bluetooth radio, modem and controller functions into a single RMC chip using direct conversion and fully...