Wireless Federation

Sistema, the largest diversified consumer services corporation of Russia is planing to expand its mobile services to Bangladesh and China. Sistema, reportedly acquired licenses for mobile services in border areas of China and is in talks to acquire a local operator in Bangladesh. According to Interfax, Vladimir Evtushenkov, the main owner of Sistema, told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about the plans.Sistema which holds majority of shares in Russian operators MTS, SkyLink and Comstar, has recently launched a mobile operator in India.

The iPhone hacks are starting to get more interesting. Hackers haven’t yet pulled off the number one most requested hack, unlocking the phone for use on any network, but a commenter on a GigaOM thread claims to have found a way to use the iPhone without AT&T service, something which was rumored to have been impossible.

As the commenter writes: “Once disconnected, the phone, voicemail, and SMS features of your iPhone will no longer work. You’ll see “No Service” in place of the AT&T name with no bars shown. BUT all other functionality of the device will work (including WiFi).”

Given that pretty much all mobile providers suck, each in their own special way, and even if it’s unlocked there still won’t be 3G support, unlocking the phone seems mildly useless to me (save for the ability to use it abroad).

The ability to use the iPhone as just a handheld mini computer over wifi actual strikes me as far more useful in the long run.

But it isn’t just hacks that are trickling in, there’s some useful web apps as well.

My personal favorite is the iChat for iPhone which is written in JavaScript and allows for web-based chats on the AIM network. While it’s ideal with a wireless connection, it’s not too bad even over EDGE. The source is available and can be hosted on your own server.

There’s also a nice skin for Google Reader which looks like it would make it a little easier to use on the iPhone, but i can’t figure out how to make it work (or else it’s just timing out on my current EDGE connection).

For other useful iPhone apps, check out the iPhone Application List which is doing a good job of tracking down various iPhone optimized web tools.

Having used the iPhone for a few days now I’ll admit that the device is growing on me. There are still a number of things that annoy me (number one being the lack of multimedia messages — even my camera-less five-year-old Nokia could do that), but I actually find it to be an excellent phone.

Yes I’d like more features, but in my experience the call quality is excellent, dialing and contact navigation is by far the easiest of any phone I’ve used and the SMS interface is wonderful.

If you’d like to check in on the state of the unlocking hack there’s the iPhone Dev Wiki. Earlier the site wound up on Slashdot and Digg which caused it to choke so I won’t add a link, but feel free to login to the IRC channel if you’d like to help out the hackers, it’s #iphone on irc.osx86.hu.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

India leading mobile service provider Bharti Airtel has joined hands with British telecom major Vodafone to launch mobile phone service in the English Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey.

‘We are committed to bringing world-class services to customers and adding value to communities and businesses on the Island,’ Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and group CEO of Bharti, said in a statement Thursday.
Jersey Airtel, a subsidiary of the Bharti group, will also offer a range of innovative new products and services such as voice mail services, missed call alert service, e-bill service which gives up-to-date billing information and a host of other value-added services.
These services would be offered under ‘Airtel-Vodafone’ brand as per an agreement signed between them in May this year.
Bharti Airtel was granted a license to provide mobile services in the two islands in 2006.
Jersey and Guernsey are a group of British dependent islands comprising a population of over 170,000.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

Yahoo! has unveiled the latest version of its mobile service, Yahoo! Go for Mobile 2.0. The service is generally available in the US now, after a beta release in January, and localised versions will launch in beta on 22 June in 13 other countries. The internet search platform works with some 200 handsets, rising to 400 by year-end. It will also be pre-loaded on new devices from Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG and HTC that begin rolling out later this year. New features include quicker searching, the ability to read more types of e-mail attachments, maps and GPS integration, and calendar and address book functions. At the CommunicAsia trade show, the company also announced that its has signed up six Asian mobile operators to distribute Yahoo! oneSearch. With a combined subscriber base of over 100 million, the six mobile operators are Globe Telecom (Philippines), Idea Cellular (India), LG Telecom (Korea), Maxis Communications (Malaysia), Telkomsel (Indonesia) and Taiwan Mobile.

(Asia)

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

Not one to be left behind, the Indian Army will next month launch its own mobile communication system christened ‘Mercury blaze’, says a PTI report.

An army spokesperson said the mega project is being handled by the Corps of Signals, who are currently weighing the system in terms of reliability and security, among other parameters.
The project was actually launched in January last year, and is expected to reach completion by end of this month.

Sources familiar with the project said the new system will replace the old wireless communication service used during counter-insurgency operations in the state.

They said that the sophisticated technology would ensure faster mobility of troops during anti-terrorist operations. Besides helping provide the best secured communication to troops, the system would provide data communication directly to operational areas.

The sources added that the system would enhance battlefield transparency, with troops being able to coordinate and carry out counter-insurgency operations in the best possible manner.

The countdown to the launch has begun, with a series of mobile towers and other infrastructure already set up across army formations in the country, including Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri, Doda, Udhampur, Jammu, and Poonch districts.

It is learnt that the new system was put to the test in the army’s Nagrota-based 16 Corps operational area that spreads out from the South of the Pir Panjal range to the Jammu plains. And, the trial emerged error-free and successful, according to sources.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News