ATLANTA-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. launched Samsung Telecommunications America's SGH-s307 Java-based handset on its network. Cingular said the handset, which is compatible with Cingular's GSM/GPRS network using both the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz spectrum bands, is the smallest and sleekest clamshell-designed handset in its portfolio...
BOSTON-Vodafone U.K.'s Vodafone Speaking Phone, which features an application based on technology from SpeechWorks International Inc. and Brand & Grober Communications GbR, allows visually impaired customers to access mobile communications services on Nokia Communicator handsets.The application combines SpeechWorks' ETI-eloquence text-to-speech software and Brand &...
BIRMINGHAM, U.K.-Developer Silicon Village has launched its Fortress SMS encryption application for sending secure end-to-end short message service messages on Series 60 and Symbian platforms. The solution encrypts SMS messages upon sending them and decrypts coded SMS messages when they are received. "With an...
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-The United States' wireless short message service and instant messaging markets are poised to grow to 75 million and 63 million subscribers, respectively, in 2007, according to research analysts at IDC.IDC expects wireless IM to become popular in the business market and widespread...
DENVER-Instant messaging technology provider Jabber Inc. said it will introduce a range of products and services aimed at the wireless industry, including a gateway the company said will allow mobile-phone users to send IM messages to desktop computer users.Separately, Jabber said it extended its...
Starent Networks calls its solution voice instant messaging-with emphasis on the word "instant," thereby distinguishing itself from the prominent voice solutions already in the marketplace, including push-to-talk service and more traditional voice instant messaging, which suffer some degree of latency.Starent said several major carriers...
NEW YORK-Millicom International Cellular said it launched GSM services in the Lao People's Democratic Republic earlier this week under the Tango brand name. Tango is the fourth entrant in Laos' GSM market, MIC said.MIC is operating a prepaid service under a 20-year license for...
SURABAYA, Indonesia-The path toward the next generation of mobile services has pushed carriers to provide various applications and related content to enrich their mobile data offerings and give their customers new mobile experiences. Carriers in Southeast Asia have many content-focused initiatives in place to...
VIENNA, Austria-Mobilkom Austria this week became the third European operator and the first Austrian operator to launch commercial third-generation services. Mobilkom Austria announced a "technical launch" of its UMTS network last September, but it did not begin offering commercial service at that time due...
DUBLIN, Ireland—Vodafone has announced plans to restrict access to adult services over its network just 24 hours after wireless research and consulting company Strategy Analytics suggested in a new report that adult content on mobiles would not be as lucrative as other forms of...
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (UAE)-Acotel Group said it signed a contract with Mobitel Sudan for a high-capacity short message service center (SMSC). Jinny Software, a subsidiary of Acotel, will supply the technical platform for the operator.
OSLO, Norway-An agreement among Sweden's operators to allow customers to send multimedia messaging services (MMS) between competing networks has failed to encompass all the country's operators, as giant TeliaSonera has yet to get on board.With MMS widely tipped by both studies and pundits to...
NEW DELHI, India--India, one of the fastest-growing wireless markets in the Asia Pacific region, is set for a churn. But it is unable to decide which way it will go--toward GSM or CDMA or perhaps both.The battle lines are clearly drawn between full mobility...
SHANGHAI, China-A short message service (SMS) advertising campaign in China garnered 200,000 messages from consumers during a 30-day period. Coke launched an SMS-based "Coke Light-Lemon Flavor" promotion in Shanghai in January.The SMS code was advertised through a scroll line on a television ad. The...
SHANGHAI, China-A short message service (SMS) advertising campaign in China garnered 200,000 messages from consumers during a 30-day period. Coke launched an SMS-based "Coke Light-Lemon Flavor" promotion in Shanghai in January.The SMS code was advertised through a scroll line on a television ad. The...
OSLO, Norway-Norwegian operator Teletopia made the surprise announcement that it would be using its GSM 1800 MHz license to develop Norway's third independent GSM service. The network, dubbed T3, will be built with Ericsson and Netel technology. Teletopia said in a press release that...
HANNOVER, Germany-IBM Corp. demonstrated a new Bluetooth-enabled heart rate monitor capable of sensing distress and making an emergency cell-phone call at this week's CeBIT show in Germany.The device is similar to popular heart rate monitors worn by joggers to measure heart rates during exercise...
SAN JOSE, Calif.-A new report finds that text messaging could present a significant opportunity for fixed-line telephone providers.According to Frost & Sullivan, fixed-line operators should emulate mobile service functionality and maximize use of their fixed network assets to compensate for diminishing revenues."By generating only...
NEW YORK-Although 2002 "was a very difficult year" because new landline competition squeezed profits, Matav, Hungary's incumbent carrier, rode the country's rising tide of wireless penetration and gained significantly in terms of mobile customers and associated revenue growth, said Elek Straub, chief executive officer...
JAKARTA, Indonesia-After launching multimedia messaging services in August last year, Singapore's MobileOne (M1) asked its subsidiary Wireless Intellect Labs to boost the use of MMS among MobileOne customers by delivering an application called Permodia.Permodia enables MMS-based access to any standard Web camera connected to...
CANNES, France-Operators and vendors alike expressed a quiet optimism for the upcoming year as the GSM community gathered for its annual global meeting last week in the south of France. The event focused less on when wideband CDMA launches would occur in Europe and...
OXFORD, United Kingdom-In an unexpected decision, Orange has named U.S. citizen Solomon Trujillo as its chief executive. Finance Director Simon Duffy announced his resignation following the chief executive appointment, which was expected to be an internal Orange executive.Trujillo will replace Jean Fran
BEIJING-China mobile handset users sent close to 6 billion short message service (SMS) messages and more than 1 million multimedia message service (MMS) messages during the week-long Chinese New Year celebrations from 1-7 February. Sending short messages has become the primary way for young...
OSLO, Norway-Norway's Ministry of Transport and Communication made a surprising intervention Thursday, halting a Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority (PT) ruling granting sub-operators cheap access to Telenor's short message service center (SMS-C) network.The postponement, or "delayed implementation," kills an incipient SMS price war and...
