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China could issue 3G permits in 2006

The latest consensus puts China's third-generation licenses on track for release in the first half of next year-a move that would finally open up the world's largest wireless market to 3G technology spending. It's an issue that has dogged the worldwide wireless industry for...

U.S. wireless industry to surpass auto, agriculture industries

BOSTON-The U.S. wireless industry is expected to become a larger sector of the U.S. economy than the agriculture and automobile industries within five years, according to a report from Ovum that assessed the economic impact of the wireless industry in the United States in...

Worldwide hot spots to number 100,000

LONDON-The worldwide public Wi-Fi market is expected to reach 100,000 hot spots by the end of this year, according to Informa Telecoms & Media's Wireless Broadband Analyst report. There were 84,283 hot spots worldwide at the end of the second quarter, said the report....

Industry enjoys upbeat long-term outlook

According to most industry observers, all systems are go in the worldwide wireless industry. Predictions show significant sales opportunities in emerging markets like India, where handset costs are plummeting below $50, and some carriers have figured out how to make money from $5-per-month service...

Worldwide wireless subscribers to hit 2B this month

LONDON-The number of worldwide wireless subscriber connections is expected to reach the 2 billion mark Sept. 18, according to estimates from Wireless Intelligence, a venture between Ovum and the GSM Association."The total number of mobile connections is now equivalent to nearly a third of...

W-CDMA subscribers reach 30M, says GSA

LONDON-The Global mobile Suppliers Association said in its latest third-generation survey estimates there are more than 30 million W-CDMA subscribers. According to the survey, there are 82 W-CDMA networks in 37 countries delivering commercial services, an increase of 22 networks during 2005. Additionally, seven...

Parental control

As wireless consumers begin to wholeheartedly embrace data applications, be they ringtones, wallpapers, video apps or games, industry needs to step up its plans to implement parental controls to ensure that end users have the proper experiences. And it's better to come up with...

Carriers must take responsible approach to adult content

LONDON-Erotic mobile content will explode into a $2.3 billion market by 2010 if carriers, content providers and regulators can figure out how to manage it, according to a study from Informa Telecoms and Media released Wednesday. The report commends Vodafone U.K. and other U.K....

New NTP patent rulings shift favor toward RIM

The legal chess battle between BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. and patent-holding company NTP Inc. continues, with new patent rulings from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office bolstering RIM's position in the case. The patent office rejected four of the five patents that...

Verizon Wireless completes nationwide ringback rollout

Verizon Wireless completed its nationwide rollout of ringback tones, launching service Thursday for users in Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico, the carrier said Friday.U.S. carriers have been scrambling to deploy ringback tones, which allow a caller to hear music instead of a traditional ring...

BT launches fixed-mobile converged offering

LONDON-British Telecom plc launched its BT Fusion fixed-mobile convergence service offering, which uses Bluetooth technology to switch seamlessly between the company's wide-area wireless network and its in-home BT Broadband service. The service, which was originally knows as Bluephone, relies on its BT Hub for...

Vodafone launches simplified pricing plan across Europe

LONDON-Following what it termed extensive customer research and feedback, Vodafone Group plc launched its Vodafone Simply service, which the carrier said provides customers with basic voice and text messaging services along with a simplified pricing scheme. Vodafone said the service would use a pair...

Carriers ratchet up enterprise offerings

Despite highly publicized launches of consumer-oriented products and services, the mobile enterprise market remains a hotly contested segment for wireless carriers as evident by numerous announcements made during the past several weeks. However, analysts warn that carriers need to refine their efforts if they...

Vodafone launches simplified pricing plan across Europe

Following what it termed extensive customer research and feedback, Vodafone Group plc launched its Vodafone Simply service, which the carrier said provides customers with basic voice and text messaging services along with a simplified pricing scheme.Vodafone said the service would use a pair of...

Alcatel exits handsets with JV stake sale

Alcatel shook off the last of its mobile-phone operations by selling its stake in the mobile-phone joint venture it formed last year with Chinese electronics company TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd. TCL announced it would acquire Alcatel's 45-percent stake in TCL and Alcatel Mobile...

Cingular Wireless takes worldwide HSDPA lead with DoCoMo delay

Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. will delay its High-Speed Downlink Packet Access network launch until sometime later next year, a move that puts Cingular Wireless L.L.C. at the world's bleeding edge of wireless innovation. DoCoMo's news also serves to add an extra layer of...

Carriers expand offerings to reach unpenetrated subs: Family plans growing piece of strategy

"We have run out of people (in the United States) who can pass a credit check and want a wireless phone," said Roger Entner, vice president of North American wireless telecommunications for research and consulting firm Ovum. With 182 million wireless subscribers in the...

MCI will stick with Verizon

MCI Inc.'s board of directors rejected Qwest Communications International Inc.'s latest acquisition proposal in favor of a previous and lower bid from Verizon Communications Inc.MCI's board noted that the Qwest bid, which totaled $8.9 billion in its current form, "is not superior to its...

Verizon wins $7B deal for MCI, for now

Rebuffing a more substantial offer from Qwest Communications International Inc., MCI Inc. agreed last week to be acquired by Verizon Communications Inc. for approximately $6.7 billion. Qwest, which initiated the latest bidding for MCI, reportedly offered $8 billion but was turned down due to...

Indian wireless market sees strong growth

CANNES, France-The wireless market in India counts 47 million subscribers, according to a report conducted by Ovum and presented by the GSM Association this week. According to the report, the Indian wireless market grew by 87 percent between September 2003 and September 2004.However, more...

NMS aims to create shopping experience, help carriers track services

Around the world, carriers are looking to boost wireless data sales to offset razor-thin profit margins from voice services. And they're getting a lot of help. NMS Communications last week launched a framework that allows carriers to manage subscriber relations, track information from wireless...

NMS offering to help carriers manage subscriber data

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-NMS Communications launched a framework that allows carriers to manage subscriber relations, track information from wireless data transactions and target marketing strategies, the mobile technology company said Tuesday. NMS unveiled Mobile Place, which is designed to allow operators to leverage mobile entertainment content...

T-Mobile USA launches first nationwide ringback service

BELLEVUE, Wash.-T-Mobile USA became the first carrier to offer ringback tones nationwide last week. The carrier launched CallerTunes, enabling subscribers' phones to play music instead of the traditional ring callers hear before a mobile phone is answered. Users paying a $1.50 monthly subscription fee...

T-Mobile USA launches first nationwide ringback service

T-Mobile USA became the first carrier to offer ringback tones nationwide Wednesday.The carrier launched CallerTunes, enabling subscribers' phones to play music instead of the traditional ring callers hear before a mobile phone is answered. Users paying a $1.50 monthly subscription fee for the service...