Handsets

BEIJING-Nokia has launched its new 7650 handset in China, just weeks after Sony Ericsson started selling its MMS-capableT68ie model. China Mobile will launch its MMS service in major Chinese cities …

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. and Samsung Electronics announced they will use the new MSM6200 Mobile Station Modem chipset and system software for dual-mode third-generation handsets. The companies said the new chipset …

PARIS-Vodafone Spain and Nortel Networks presented details of the rollout program for Vodafone’s UMTS network in Spain. A Vodafone executive said network coverage has been deployed in 23 cities and …

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina-After the controversy unleashed in Argentina between Qualcomm and 3G Americas over which technology will prevail in Latin America, Pyramid Research has modified its forecast, lowering by 25 …

DUBLIN, Ireland-Forget about third-generation (3G) technology and don’t even think about General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). A group of researchers in Finland reckon fifth generation (5G) is the next big …

BOSTON-Contract manufacturers will make 26 percent of all handsets worldwide, a number that will likely grow to 38 percent in 2007 as first and second-tier handset vendors seek lower costs, …

NEW YORK-The $40 million in outstanding debt of Brightpoint Inc., Indianapolis, received a downgrade to B from B-plus from Standard & Poor’s Corp., which also assigned a near-term negative outlook …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint PCS said its entire nationwide PCS network is now E911 Phase II compatible. The company began selling GPS-enabled handsets last year. “It’s important to emphasize, however, that …

TOKYO-Japanese vendor NEC Corp. has taken a 5-percent stake in two mobile-phone subsidiaries owned by Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. for a total $73 million. The stakes are in Hong Kong mobile …

TOKYO-Sharp, a major consumer electronics maker, assumed the third position, after NEC and Matsushita Communications Industrial, in the Japanese mobile handset market in the second quarter, according to statistics compiled …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-In an effort to break the stranglehold of the likes of Nokia, Siemens and Sony Ericsson, Vodafone is preparing to launch a huge marketing campaign that will prominently …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-Despite the fanfare surrounding Nokia’s launch this week of its first third-generation (3G) handset, many insiders remain adamant that there are significant technological issues to resolve before the …

BEIJING-China Mobile plans to buy 300,000 General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) handsets to promote its multimedia messaging service (MMS), which the company will launch in the coming days, following a …

DUBLIN, Ireland-A new initiative launched by the major U.K. mobile operators and retailers will, it is hoped, reduce the environmental impact of the 15 million mobile phones replaced in the …

LONDON-A U.K. company has launched a recycling program for the country’s mobile phones. All five of the country’s mobile operators, along with several retailers, have pledged support to the program …

VIENNA, Va.-Systems integrator TRW will integrate software from Cramer Systems into MmO2’s Airwave public-safety wireless service in Britain. Cramer’s software will be part of the Network Management Center used by …

VIENNA, Austria-Mobilkom Austria, the largest Austrian mobile operator, has become one of the first European operators to deploy a UMTS network. About 25 percent of Austria, including most major urban …

BEIJING-Sony Ericsson is considering applying for a CDMA handset manufacturing license in China. If a new license is unavailable, the company may team with one of the 19 handset makers …

DUBLIN, Ireland-Mobile phones are among the most popular targets for petty thieves, and with the recent launch of new multimedia devices in the run up to the holiday season, more …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-South African mobile network operator Vodacom announced it has stopped the practice of “blacklisting” stolen handsets and instead has moved toward what it refers to as “greylisting.” The …

BEIJING-China Eastcom, one of China’s 19 licensed CDMA handset manufacturers, has reached an agreement with carrier China Unicom to offer CDMA handsets to consumers at one-third of market prices. Its …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-In an attempt to stimulate the third-generation (3G) content market, Hutchison 3G, which now wants to be known simply as 3, has launched a competition targeted at developers …

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HELSINKI, Finland-Nokia introduced two new handsets chock full of high-end features-including color screens, digital camera technology, application downloading capabilities and video-clip recording. The new devices could see the world’s number-one …

TOKYO-Keiji Tachikawa, president of Japanese giant NTT DoCoMo, on Thursday said the firm might be forced to revise its target customer figure for FOMA. NTT DoCoMo launched FOMA, its third-generation …