Chicago Transit Authority has secured an agreement with Verizon Wireless to offer mobile phone coverage on Chicago Undreground railway. Verizon joins U.S. Cellular in providing coverage in trains when underground.
“We are trying to move it along as quickly as we possibly can,” according to Verizon spokeswoman
The service should be up and running by the end of next month for train staff initially with a public launch expected shortly afterwards.
Aldridge Electric of Libertyville, Illinois was the contractor which originally installed the underground cellular system for the railway back in 2003. The CTA had earlier asked the network operators to club together to build a network, but was unable to secure an agreement so went out and built its own network. Capacity on this was leased to US Cellular, but they have only now secured the agreement with Verizon Wireless to rent capacity as well.
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Sprint Nextel is to acquire additional broadband wireless spectrum, paying Bell Industries USD13.5 million for its 2.5GHz frequencies. The full details of the amount of spectrum to be transferred or the geographic coverage have not been disclosed. The deal is still subject to FCC approval. Sprint is already the largest WiMAX-capable spectrum owner in the US and plans to launch commercial 802.16e mobile WiMAX services in Chicago and Washington DC at the end of this year, with a national rollout to follow in 2008.
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FTS (LSE: FTS), a global provider of Business Control, Billing and CRM solutions for service providers has announced that Globalcom(TM) Inc., one of the fastest-growing privately held service providers in the USA, has selected FTS’ Leap(TM) Billing RC (LBRC), an end-to-end billing and customer care solution for the American market, as its new billing platform. FTS’ LBRC platform will integrate into Globalcom’s existing back office platforms, including order management, and provide Globalcom with the features, functions and capabilities to better serve their customers.
As one of Chicago’s leading businesses, Globalcom is a choice provider of telecommunications services emphasizing the latest technology, reliable performance and a comprehensive range of business solutions. Therefore, utilizing Leap Billing RC, Globalcom can migrate its billing platform to continue to bill for the large variety of services it provides using a single core billing system. Partnering with a reputable vendor for its billing practices, Globalcom can continue to direct its customer initiatives through consistent and dependable billing measures.
“Following a comprehensive selection process, we were impressed with FTS’ Leap Billing RC capabilities, scope and flexibility. FTS put a great deal of thought into addressing our needs, for our customers, beyond just billing,” said John Shave, CEO for Globalcom. “For example, the solution’s management and monitoring tools provide an attractive business utility for our objective to exceed customer expectations.”
“We continue to execute on our plan to increase FTS’ footprint in the American market,” said Shaul Ganel, President FTS, The Americas. “We are delighted to have Globalcom join our growing number of customers. By implementing Leap Billing RC, Globalcom can feel confident that it can successfully address its needs today, and well into the future.”
“As our business clients become increasingly innovative with their small business strategies, customers need the back-end technology that allows us to provide and offer all our services seamlessly and effortlessly,” said Eric Wince, COO for Globalcom, Inc. “FTS’ services offer compelling benefits for both small business owners and for ourselves as well.”
About FTS
FTS (LSE: FTS) is a leading provider of Business Control, Billing and CRM solutions for communications service providers. FTS pioneered the Business Control Layer market and is the leading player in the space. By analyzing events from a business standpoint rather than just billing them, FTS allows providers to better understand their customer base and leverage business value from every event and interaction.
FTS deploys its full range of end-to-end, stand-alone and add-on solutions to customers in over 40 countries and has implemented solutions in wireless, wireline, cable, content and broadband markets including multiple cross-network installations. Serving the evolving needs of both traditional and next generation service providers; the company’s operations comprise four international R&D locations and strategically located sales support offices worldwide. FTS is one of EMEA’s fastest growing technology companies, consistently earning a place within the Deloitte Technology Fast-500 EMEA listing. About Globalcom, Inc.
Headquartered in Chicago, Globalcom offers a comprehensive portfolio of voice, broadband and IP Telephony integrated from a single, trusted provider. Globalcom caters to the specific needs of businesses of all sizes, delivering performance with a solid technical expertise and unbeatable service.
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Aepona, a global provider of telecoms software products and services headquartered in Belfast, United Kingdom, that recently merged with Appium, a leading technology vendor offering Telecom Application Server and Service Creation Environment products based in Malmö, Sweden, has announced its participation in Microsoft’s Connected Services Sandbox. The Connected Services Sandbox is an initiative to help promote the development of innovative customer solutions that merge traditional telecommunications offerings such as voice or text messaging with Web 2.0 applications such as mapping or search.
Aepona will demonstrate an example of a service created in the Sandbox at NXTcomm 2007 in Chicago, June 19-21, 2007 at the Microsoft Connected Services Sandbox booth #5840. The demonstration will illustrate the power of Telecom Web Services and the ease of programming within an SOA architecture based on Microsoft Connected Services Framework. The Aepona demonstration showcases the enhancement of an established e-mail direct marketing platform with telecoms features, specifically a toll-free “Call Me” button that encourages direct real-time communication between the consumer and the merchant, greatly increasing the probability of closing a sale. From the perspective of a telecoms operator, this feature can be offered to enterprises as a managed direct marketing service with additional revenues being generated by the high-value sales calls that are initiated by the consumer and paid for by the enterprise.
“The Connected Services Sandbox is a valuable program to demonstrate the power of Telecom Web Services” said Michael Crossey, Aepona’s VP of Marketing. “Aepona’s Telecom Web Services solution gives operators the opportunity to evolve their business towards the “Telco 2.0” model, where they can expose network capabilities that allow service mashups to be created by a broad community of application developers from the Internet world. These service mashups are often specialised, targeted services that appeal to the “long tail” of customers and will collectively generate more revenue at higher margins than the traditional narrow set of mass-market services. We are delighted to be working with Microsoft as we continue to promote the vision of a new Telco business model enabled by Telecom Web Services”.
“The Connected Services Sandbox plays a key role in helping operators fulfill the promise of Telco 2.0, where traditional telecommunications offerings merge with the innovative technologies and services found in the Web 2.0 world,” said Michael O’Hara, general manager for the Communications Sector at Microsoft. “Operators have an opportunity to deliver hundreds, if not thousands, of new revenue-generating services to their customers in this new telecom order. This is a vision that is shared by key enabling platform vendors such as Aepona, and we are pleased to welcome them as a partner in this important initiative.”
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
FTS (LSE: FTS), a global provider of Business Control, Billing and CRM solutions for service providers has announced that Globalcom(TM) Inc., one of the fastest-growing privately held service providers in the USA, has selected FTS’ Leap(TM) Billing RC (LBRC), an end-to-end billing and customer care solution for the American market, as its new billing platform. FTS’ LBRC platform will integrate into Globalcom’s existing back office platforms, including order management, and provide Globalcom with the features, functions and capabilities to better serve their customers.
As one of Chicago’s leading businesses, Globalcom is a choice provider of telecommunications services emphasizing the latest technology, reliable performance and a comprehensive range of business solutions. Therefore, utilizing Leap Billing RC, Globalcom can migrate its billing platform to continue to bill for the large variety of services it provides using a single core billing system. Partnering with a reputable vendor for its billing practices, Globalcom can continue to direct its customer initiatives through consistent and dependable billing measures.
“Following a comprehensive selection process, we were impressed with FTS’ Leap Billing RC capabilities, scope and flexibility. FTS put a great deal of thought into addressing our needs, for our customers, beyond just billing,” said John Shave, CEO for Globalcom. “For example, the solution’s management and monitoring tools provide an attractive business utility for our objective to exceed customer expectations.”
“We continue to execute on our plan to increase FTS’ footprint in the American market,” said Shaul Ganel, President FTS, The Americas. “We are delighted to have Globalcom join our growing number of customers. By implementing Leap Billing RC, Globalcom can feel confident that it can successfully address its needs today, and well into the future.”
“As our business clients become increasingly innovative with their small business strategies, customers need the back-end technology that allows us to provide and offer all our services seamlessly and effortlessly,” said Eric Wince, COO for Globalcom, Inc. “FTS’ services offer compelling benefits for both small business owners and for ourselves as well.”
About FTS
FTS (LSE: FTS) is a leading provider of Business Control, Billing and CRM solutions for communications service providers. FTS pioneered the Business Control Layer market and is the leading player in the space. By analyzing events from a business standpoint rather than just billing them, FTS allows providers to better understand their customer base and leverage business value from every event and interaction. FTS deploys its full range of end-to-end, stand-alone and add-on solutions to customers in over 40 countries and has implemented solutions in wireless, wireline, cable, content and broadband markets including multiple cross-network installations. Serving the evolving needs of both traditional and next generation service providers; the company’s operations comprise four international R&D locations and strategically located sales support offices worldwide. FTS is one of EMEA’s fastest growing technology companies, consistently earning a place within the Deloitte Technology Fast-500 EMEA listing.
About Globalcom, Inc.
Headquartered in Chicago, Globalcom offers a comprehensive portfolio of voice, broadband and IP Telephony integrated from a single, trusted provider. Globalcom caters to the specific needs of businesses of all sizes, delivering performance with a solid technical expertise and unbeatable service.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
US operator Covad Communications has launched a standalone ADSL2+ business service. The service is available in 11 major markets and provides small businesses and home offices with faster data speeds to power bandwidth-intensive applications such as file-sharing and video conferencing. Covad’s standalone ADSL2+ is available in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Washington, DC. Three speed tiers are available: up to 8.0 Mbps, up to 10.0 Mbps and up to 15.0 Mbps. Covad offers standalone ADSL2+ customers continuous support and a service level agreement that includes a mean time to repair (MTTR). ADSL2+ is available through Covad and its distribution partners.
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Sprint plans to invest more than $7 billion in 2007 to enhance its networks, upgrade to EV-DO Rev. A and develop its WiMAX deployment for mobile broadband coverage.
Besides upgrading its Nextel National and Sprint National networks, the operator has earmarked up to $800 million for deploying its mobile WiMAX technology, saying it will launch in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, DC, by year’s end. Next year, the operator has indicated it will expand the capital expenditure for WiMAX to $1.5 to $2 billion. Using its 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings which cover 85% of the households in the top 100 U.S. markets, Sprint says it will commercially launch the service nationwide by the end of 2008. The operator has already signed on with Motorola, Nokia and Samsung as its network infrastructure partners.
For its Sprint and Nextel National networks, the operator also has indicated it will add “several thousand cell sites” to improve coverage.
By year’s end, the company says it will have spent $1.4 billion over the last two years on its wireline network. Sprint’s Tier 1 Global IP network is a next-generation platform that enables wireline-wireless integration for both the consumer and enterprise segments. The wireline backbone plays a role in many Sprint initiatives, including wireless traffic backhaul and its cable VoIP business.
ts wireline network. Sprint’s Tier 1 Global IP network is a next-generation platform that enables wireline-wireless integration for both the consumer and enterprise segments. The wireline backbone plays a role in many Sprint initiatives, including wireless traffic backhaul and its cable VoIP business.
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Sprint Nextel says it expects to invest more than USD7 billion in 2007 as it continues to enhance its cellular networks while also rolling out a new nationwide mobile WiMAX system. The firm says the bulk of its national CDMA2000 cellular infrastructure will be upgraded with EV-DO Revision A technology by the end of the year. The rollout of WiMAX is costing USD800 million in 2007, with a further USD1.5 billion-USD2 billion investment scheduled for next year. The first 2.5GHz WiMAX services are due to be launched in Chicago and Washington DC in the fourth quarter. USD1.4 billion will be spent on Sprint’s fixed line networks, which also provide backhaul for its wireless systems. Sprint Nextel is the third largest cellular operator in the US, with 53.6 million subscribers – more than 23% of the market – at the end of March, according to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database.
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Sprint has continued its aggressive plans to enhance its networks enabling innovative products and services to be delivered to customers. Sprint expects to invest more than USD 7 billion in 2007 to enhance its networks and meet the demand for extensive mobile broadband coverage. This year, Sprint expects to upgrade a majority of the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network to faster Evolution - Data Optimized Revision A (EV-DO Rev. A). It will also begin to deploy its next generation broadband wireless network based on WiMAX technology and continue to enhance the Nextel National and Sprint National networks. And, during 2006 and 2007, Sprint expects to have invested approximately USD 1.4 billion in its wireline network. Sprint plans to invest up to USD 800 million in 2007 and betweenUSD 1.5 billion and USD 2 billion in 2008 in deploying a nation-wide WiMAX network. Sprint will use its extensive 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings that cover 85 percent of the households in the top 100 U.S. markets to deliver WiMAX to initial markets (Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington, DC) late this year and commercially launch the service in the second quarter of next year, providing service coverage to as many as 100 million people by the end of 2008.
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Mobile operators have barely rolled out their new third-generation wireless networks, and they’re already talking about the fourth generation. As next-generation cellular technologies — including those of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) project, whose mission is to guide the evolution of GSM cellular networks — have trouble getting off the ground, the industry has been turning its attention toward the WiMax packet-based technology.
“If the 3GSM show is any indication, then I think we will be hearing a lot about WiMax at CTIA,” said Mohammad Shakouri, vice president of marketing for the WiMax Forum, referring to the 3GSM World Congress trade show held in February in Barcelona. “The technology is getting close to commercialisation, and there has been a lot of buzz the past several months.”
WiMax, which is similar to another packet-based wireless technology, Wi-Fi, already has the foundation for a strong ecosystem thanks to support from handset and infrastructure makers including Motorola, Samsung and Nokia, as well as from chipmaker Intel.
These companies are all expected to have WiMax products in the market sometime this year, and some will be shown off at CTIA. Samsung, for example, is expected to have on hand some of its already-announced WiMax-ready gear, including a handset, ultra-mobile PC and a new USB dongle that offers wireless broadband for laptops.
The WiMax Forum, the industry group that promotes the technology, has almost completed the necessary certification requirements for new products, another major step that could help push deployment. According to Shakouri, products using the 2.3GHz spectrum, which is used primarily in South Korea, will be certified by mid-year. Products using the 3.5GHz will be certified in the third quarter, and products using the 2.5GHz spectrum, which is used mostly in the US, will have certification available by the end of the year.
WiMax, whose transmission distances range from a few hundred feet in densely populated areas to more than a mile in suburban areas, can support peak data speeds of 20 megabits per second, although average-user data rates fall between 2Mbps and 8Mbps. Data rates for the next-stage 3G cellular service — sometimes called 3.5G — are about 3Mbps.
1.Asian markets lead the way
Momentum among carriers is already building. In Japan more WiMax-compatible spectrum will be allocated by the government later this year. Korea Telecom in South Korea is already committed to launching its WiMax service this year. There are also plans to launch WiMax services in India, Malaysia and Pakistan, as well as in parts of Eastern Europe, Shakouri said. And the government in Taiwan is spending $1bn (£510m) to encourage the manufacture and development of 2.5GHz WiMax products and applications.
In the US, Sprint, the number-three carrier, has already said it plans to spend $3bn in the next two years to build a WiMax network, which is expected to be able to provide service to 100 million people by the end of 2008. Sprint is using its existing 2.5GHz spectrum, half of which it acquired from its merger with Nextel, to deliver the new service.
On Monday, Sprint announced several new cities that will be part of the WiMax network, It also named which of its named infrastructure partners would be developing which markets. Motorola will be developing Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Minneapolis, and Grand Rapids, Mich. Samsung will develop Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Providence, R.I. And Nokia will develop Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
Sprint had previously announced that Chicago and Baltimore/Washington DC would be the first two markets to get the service, by the end of 2007. And Nokia had also previously named it would develop four markets, in Texas, for deployment in early 2008: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio.
Currently, the only other operator in the US using WiMax is a start-up called Clearwire, which was founded by mobile-industry billionaire Craig McCaw. Today it delivers WiMax broadband services to fixed locations, but eventually the company will offer mobile service as well. Clearwire, which raised $900m in venture backing this summer, went public earlier this month.
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Verizon Wireless to provide Mobile coverage in the city’s subway tunnels (Chicago)
