AT&T sees slow mobile subscriber growth (USA)
The largest US telecoms, AT&T has reported a 60% drop in fourth-quarter profit for the period ended Dec. 31.
According to the company, its mobile unit added 400,000 postpaid contract customers in the fourth quarter, down significantly from 841,000 in the same period a year ago.
It gained 442,000 subscribers to tablet computers, including the Apple iPad and the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab, and signed up 4.1 million. Apple iPhone customers in its last quarter as exclusive carrier of the device.
AT&T’s mobile unit has reported a 9.9% increase in revenues to $15.18 billion. Average revenue per postpaid contract user rose by 2.2% to $62.88 and churn, a measure of customer loyalty, was steady at 1.15%.
In terms of revenue, the wireless giant recorded $31.4 billion in fourth-quarter sales, up 2.1% when compared with the same quarter of 2009.
Motorola Mobility boasts dual-mode CDMA/GSM smartphone
Motorola Mobility has unveiled its first Android-powered CDMA EVDO/GSM dual standby mode/dual SIM touchscreen smartphone that will allow the user to choose their network. Motorola’s MILESTONE XT800 offers a mobile Internet experience with Wi-Fi/WAPI and world phone capability, and also features multimedia services.
According to Faisal Siddiqui, country head for India, Motorola Mobility, they have specially designed the MILESTONE XT800 to provide infotainment-on-the-go for consumers who want a device that matches the demands of a hectic lifestyle like that of a senior professional. They believe in bringing the power of Android closer to the Indian consumer–stylish and unique form factors, innovative and compelling features and, experiences that offer greater flexibility and ease of use.
The smartphone comes with a 3.7inch, 854×480 pixel FWVGA landscape touch display, along with a 5 megapixel digital-zoom autofocus camera. It also features an Android 2.1 platform with pinch to zoom capacitive touch display, USB 2.0 high-speed data transfer, with support for synchronization with PCs, Bluetooth1&3 2.0+EDR high-speed transmission and wireless Bluetooth stereo and an assisted GPS satellite navigation1&2 supporting Google Maps.
The handset also supports Word/Excel/PowerPoint/PDF and Zip formats and has a memory expandable up to 32GB; 2GB SD card in-box. The phone is equipped with e-Compass, Video capture/playback/streaming, HDMI (720p) output to high-definition devices.
The Android 2.1-powered Motorola MILESTONE XT800 is exclusively distributed by AirTyme Communications in India at a MRP of US$686. It comes with a HDMI cable for TV output and a 2GB micro SD card in-box.
Sony Ericsson launches new device, seeks to rise profitability (South Korea)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: After posting its first quarterly net profit in the three months ended March 31, Mobile handset maker Sony Ericsson, a joint venture between Japan’s Sony Corp. and Sweden’s Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson aims to maintain profitability on the basis of lower costs and new product launches.
The handset maker’s new application, “Timescape,” allows users to simultaneously see a record of their call. It also announced that it will partner with SK Telecom Co., South Korea’s largest wireless services operator by revenue, to offer the smartphone. The new device offered by SK Telecvom will have an 8.1-megapixel camera and a 16-gigabyte memory card and will be sold for around KRW800,000-KRW900,000 ($751).
While speaking on the sidelines of a product launch in Korea, Hirokazu Ishizuka, head of the company’s Asia-Pacific region hoped that its high-end line of smartphones including Xperia and Vivaz will help improve its bottom line in the quarters ahead. Korea has been described as one of the most important markets for Sony Ericsson with great potential for Sony Ericsson’s future as the number of smartphone users has nearly doubled from the end of last year to 2 million in May.
Analysts feel that world’s fifth vendor in terms of mobile shipments globally; Sony Ericsson has an uphill battle in South Korea to compete with local vendors such as Samsung and LG Electronics as well as Apple, which launched its iPhone in the South Korean market in November.
According to analysts, Samsung and LG will aggressively launch their Android-powered smartphones this year; it seems highly unlikely that Sony Ericsson could succeed in Korea with its new device and added that Sony Ericsson faces challenges because it has a big exposure to the European market which has been suffering from the economic turmoil in Greece and Spain.
Orange plans to launch low cost Android phone in Europe
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: LG-made low-cost Android smartphone is planned to be launched by Orange in Europe later this year. Operator’s affordable smartphone strategy has been emerging this week and it includes a range of devices made by Chinese vendors including Huawei, ZTE and Gigabyte.
According to Patrick Remy, Orange’s vice president of devices, at the beginning of 2010, 15% of Orange portfolio was smartphones and this will rise to 30% by the end of the year, and will be 50% by 2013 while with the plethora of white label devices in the pipeline, Orange’s low-cost smartphone portfolio will also include handsets designed by “A-brand” phone makers. The company LG is on the first A-brand product in its affordable smartphone range.
No specific information about the launch timetable and likely cost of the device has been revealed yet. The handset includes the entire standard features like a touchscreen interface, WiFi, GPS, full Web-browsing, and a five megapixel camera and the Android-powered smartphone will launching soon in Spain, Austria, Slovakia and Romania.
The company has explained its objective as- to make low-cost smartphones available for free even on low-cost tariffs and it is in discussions that could see it offer cheap smartphones to prepay customers, with devices that are priced around €120. Orange’s aim of doubling revenues from mobile multimedia services between now and 2012 will get a push from these cheap smartphones.
The operator is putting extra focus on highlighting services like mobile social networking, instant messaging, location-based services and content, taking lesson from the fact that at the beginning of 2009 only one in 10 Orange customers was using mobile multimedia services.
Remy also opined that 25% of Orange’s customers are now using mobile multimedia, which is significant and tremendous growth, but it still means 75% of its customer base are not multimedia users and Orange’s affordable smartphone range will further lower the barrier to mobile multimedia uptake.
Google: Android Phones Coming This Year
Google says it will have an Android-powered phone on the market in 2008, rebutting a source’s claims to the contrary.
According to a source familiar with the situation, although a large number of people are hard at work on the Gphone and the open-source operating system/platform for mobile devices (Android) the actual Gphone will not be ready for release this year.
That would mean that Apple’s second-generation iPhone, and the ever-growing list of about-to-be-released handsets (like the Garmin nuviphone, Research In Motion Blackberry Bold and Thunder, Sprint/Samsung Instinct and SonyEricsson Xperia) will now have a huge head-start over the Gphone.
However, a Google spokesperson says “We’re still on track to announce Android-powered phones this year. Some of our partners are publicly stating that they plan to ship Android phones in the fourth quarter.”
The source on the initial story would not speculate on the possibility that other devices that might run on variants of Android would be ready in time for the Christmas shopping season, nor would the source elaborate on exact reasons for the delay or a possible release date for the Gphone or various Android variants.
Android, based on the Linux operating system, is being jointly developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance. The 34-member group includes mobile operators China Mobile, NTT DoMoCo, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, software companies , Google, Living Image, NMS, Nuance Communications, PacketVideo, SkyPop, semiconductor companies, Intel, Marvel, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and handset manufacturers HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung.
Missing from this impressive list of Android companies are some very well-known cell-phone leaders AT&T, Nokia and Verizon’s Verizon Wireless.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
