During the first day of its 2000 User Forum, Comverse Network Systems, a division of Comverse Technology Inc., introduced additional features to its software and systems enabling network-based enhanced services.The features include its Intelligent Mobile Services, a suite of services using mobile number portability...
BEIJING-According to China Unicom President Wang Jianzhou, prices of mobile-phone equipment have dropped to such an extent that capital expenditure per subscriber has decreased 40 percent since June last year. Fast subscriber growth is also a contributing factor.China Unicom has added 700,000 subscribers in...
Amrel SystemsAmrel Systems Inc. released a more powerful version of its Rocky II+ ruggedized mobile notebook computer, certified under MIL-STD 810E, MIL-STD 461C and IP54, offering an Intel Pentium III processor at speeds up to 650 MHz. Amrel said the faster processor provides better...
BUCHAREST, Romania-A new digital technology for public access mobile radio and private mobile radio users has seen interest from numerous wireless carriers in Europe and Asia since it was first presented at the CeBIT exhibition in 1998.The technology, GSM Pro from Ericsson, targets end...
Just because the majority of the world's wireless Internet users live in Japan doesn't mean a U.S. company can't join in on the fun.Which is exactly what FunMail Inc. hopes to do. This week, the company launched its Animated Instant Message service on NTT...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Ericsson said it signed a contract to supply equipment for China's first national Internet Protocol backbone. China Mobile signed the contract, which includes an IP backbone network for voice over IP access, and transmission for GPRS technology by year-end.Eventually, the system will deliver,...
NEW YORK-In tandem with the anticipated debut of Wireless Application Protocol services by American carriers in fall and winter, Nokia Mobile Phones Inc., Irving, Texas, plans to begin shipping its 7100 series WAP-enabled handsets.Domestic operators already are testing the Nokia 7160, designed for TDMA...
Over and over again, we've been told that compelling content is the key to surviving in the wireless Internet game.A global start-up firm called Quios Inc. this week introduced a new tactic for gathering quality content with the launch of Planet Quios, a unique...
Wireless Internet technologyIntegra Micro SystemsIndian software company Integra Micro Systems introduced a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) browser for the PalmOS platform, allowing Palm devices to access Wireless Markup Language (WML) content. The Jataayu Browser is fully WAP compliant, the company said, and can be...
NEW DELHI, India-The Southeast Asian region is set to enter a new era of wireless data within the next two years. Many operators in the region have already introduced wireless data services, including Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) launches, in preparation for a full-scale transition...
BUCHAREST, Romania-As European wireless penetration rates increase, operators are looking to new services, including short message service (SMS) and fax and data transmissions, to increase profit margins. Another application, mobile positioning, is gaining importance across Europe.According to U.K. telecom consultancy Ovum, the market for...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-In a cash-strapped society and an environment where wireless technology is expected to supplant fixed telephony, prepaid has become a panacea for new African operators-so much so that several are rolling out networks purely on a prepaid platform.Research conducted by South African-based...
NEW YORK-In November and December, Sonera zed U.S. Inc. "will dip its big toe into the waters of mobile commerce to see if they're warm," and it plans user trials by next spring, said J. Paul Hughes, vice president of business development."There are a...
NEW YORK-Globalstar introduced commercial service in Russia. GlobalTel, the exclusive provider of Globalstar service in Russia, is initially providing basic telephone services, including voice mail and short message service (SMS) and will offer fax and data services in early 2001.Service initially will be provided...
NEW YORK-Telstra Corp., Australia's dominant telecommunications provider, "hates to be considered an incumbent because we transitioned to a New Age company years ago," said Philip Wise, managing director of its Mobile Consumer Division.To provide a full suite of services, the company is involved in...
NEW YORK-smartRay.com announced partnerships with seven national, international and regional carriers, including Nextel Communications Inc.Under terms of the agreement with Nextel, smartRay.com said it will provide Nextel's wireless Internet customers access to news content via a link to mobile.smartRay.com.Nextel also agreed to promote smartRay.com's...
FAIRFAX, Va.-Aelix Inc., a provider of unified messaging products, said Ztango.com will provide Wireless Application Protocol and short message service wireless gateway services for its Qortet family of unified messaging products.
NEW YORK-SBC Wireless hopes to take a bite out of the Big Apple as one part of a territorial and services expansion plan accompanying combining its wireless operations with those of BellSouth Corp.With the closing of the joint venture agreement, which is expected in...
Two-way messaging equipmentMotorolaMotorola introduced its Talkabout T900 two-way messaging device, featuring a full Qwerty keyboard with a flip-top screen and a four-line, 80-character display. It supports two-way messaging, wireless Internet e-mail and on-demand information services. It also features a private-time feature, which users may...
NEW YORK-Where wireless data is concerned, Dennis F. Strigl, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless, has assumed the enthusiasm of a recent convert."I was not bullish on data five years ago ... but we are finally seeing some real numbers in data,"...
Aether Systems Inc. added yet another tier to its ever-expanding services platform last week by partnering with Critical Path Inc., one of the largest messaging solutions providers in the industry.Critical Path provides messaging solutions, as well as such collaborative applications as calendaring, fax notification...
OSLO, Norway-Norway's Telenor entered an agreement to acquire 53.5 percent of the shares in Sonofon, the second-largest mobile operator in Denmark, from GN Great Nordic for about $1.7 billion. Telenor also will assume Great Nordic's loan to Sonofon amounting to about $70.6 million.BellSouth Corp....
Hong KongTranscrypt International Inc. signed an agreement with Union Communications of Hong Kong for the exclusive distribution of all of Transcrypt's voice security and signaling products in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Macau and China. Union will also have a warranty repair capability that will...
ATLANTA-Wireless infrastructure vendors made their wireless Internet plans a major priority at SuperComm here last week, introducing network solutions portfolios that, while different in makeup, have the same goal-to help wireless carriers avoid commoditization when converging with the Internet.Lucent Technologies Inc. and L.M. Ericsson...
