Option to supply HSDPA products to Orange France
Option, the wireless technology company, announced that Orange France has selected the GlobeSurfer ICON, the GlobeTrotter HSDPA and the GlobeTrotter FUSION+ HSDPA as part of its new HSDPA (3G+) offering. The products provide French desktop and laptop users with internet access via Orange’s HSPDA network using either an elegantly designed USB device or data cards. When installed with Orange’s Business Everywhere software all three products offer straightforward access to email, office applications and the Internet. The products will be sold under the Orange brand as “Modem USB Option ICON 3G+”, “Fusion 3G+” and “Option GlobeTrotter 3G+”.
GlobeSurfer ICON, announced at the 3GSM World Congress last February, is a new breed of wireless device that delivers simple and fast wireless broadband connectivity for consumer or business applications whether at home or at work. With data speed comparable to DSL, the GlobeSurfer ICON connects, and is powered, through any Desktop or Laptop USB port. Available for mobile operators to supply ‘off-the-shelf’, GlobeSurfer ICON can be tailored with pre-configured network settings providing virtually instantaneous broadband access to Internet, email, instant messaging and video conferencing applications. GlobeSurfer ICON supports numerous features to enable multiple service offerings such as network lock, cell lock, and home-zoning.
Over an HSDPA network, GlobeSurfer ICON enables connection to the Internet at data speeds of up to 1.8 Mbps. In areas where HSDPA service is not available GlobeSurfer ICON can connect over 3G UMTS at up to 384 kbps, or quad-band EDGE/GPRS at up to 247 kbps.
The GlobeTrotter HSDPA and GlobeTrotter FUSION+ HSDPA are best of breed PC data card solutions bringing fast broadband wireless capability to laptops by combining HSDPA UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS in a single PC Card package. The FUSION series also incorporates WLAN technologies.
On HSDPA networks the GlobeTrotter HSDPA and the GlobeTrotter FUSION+ HSDPA data cards enable broadband connection to the internet at data speeds of up to 1.8 Mbps. Move within range of a public WiFi hotspot, the corporate wireless LAN or a home wireless network, and the GlobeTrotter FUSION+ HSDPA, with integrated WLAN/Wi-Fi functionality, provides connection at speeds up to 54 Mbps. In areas where HSDPA or WiFi services are not available both the GlobeTrotter HSDPA and the GlobeTrotter FUSION+ HSDPA will supply reliable and secure data connection over the 3G UMTS at up to 384 kbs, EDGE (up to 247 kbs) and GPRS at up to 85.6 kbs.
Source- http://www.3gnewsroom.com
Technorati : France, HSDPA, Mobile, Orange
Ice Rocket : France, HSDPA, Mobile, Orange
Strike over Telecom Italia plans
Unions at Telecom Italia have called a strike over proposals to split the firm’s fixed line and mobile businesses into two new companies.
The planned 3 October walkout and street protest comes amid fears the company’s new focus on broadband and media will result in job losses.
There are also reports that the strategy change will signal the sale of its mobile business, TIM.
About half of the 85,000-strong workforce are represented by unions.
Turnaround
Telecom Italia’s change in strategy has caused a political row, forcing an adviser to Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi to resign.
Mr Prodi, who opposes the move, said last week that he had no prior knowledge of the firm’s decision.
Yet a leaked note by his aide, Angelo Rovati, appeared to show Mr Prodi did know of the plan.
Telecom Italia’s net profits fell 15.7% to 1.5bn euros ($1.78bn; £953m) in the first half of 2006.
The company bought its TIM mobile business in 2005 after previously selling it off in the 1990s. Experts suggest it could be worth up to 35bn euros (£23.7bn).
Selling TIM, the last Italian-owned mobile network, would mark a major turnaround for Telecom Italia, which has recently been integrating its mobile and fixed-line phone operations.
Separate reports have suggested that rival European telecoms firms including France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, and Spain’s Telefonica – as well as US private equity firm The Carlyle Group – could be interested in buying TIM.
Telecom Italia is Italy’s largest phone company, holding almost 70% of the market, and is the leading mobile operator in Brazil as well as Italy.
It also has broadband interests in Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands and owns a number of media interests including Telecom Italia Media – which owns MTV Italia, a news agency and TV channel La7.
Source- http://news.bbc.co.uk
Technorati : Mobile, Telecom Italia
Ice Rocket : Mobile, Telecom Italia
Orange France selects Sierra Wireless AirCard(R) 850 PC Card to provide access to new HSDPA network
AirCard 850 Mobile PC Card offers mobile professionals high-speed mobile data access that delivers on the promise of 3G networks
The AirCard 850 is a 3G wireless WAN Type II PC Card with a slim, unextended design, allowing users to conveniently store the card inside the laptop with the antenna attached. Fully functional on HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS networks, the AirCard 850 utilizes the 2100 MHz UMTS frequency band common to European UMTS networks, offering average data rates of 800 kbps to 1.3 Mbps, with bursts up to 1.8 Mbps on the Orange 3G+ network. In areas where HSDPA or UMTS network coverage is not available, these cards will connect to EDGE and GSM/GPRS networks and enable international roaming on all four frequency bands (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz) used worldwide.
Source- http://biz.yahoo.com
Technorati : France, Mobile, Orange, Sierra Wireless
Ice Rocket : France, Mobile, Orange, Sierra Wireless
Virgin to allow mobile calls next year
Virgin Atlantic will give passengers the capability to make in-flight mobile phone calls or text messages next year on a trial basis, a report said.
Virgin will become the third company to announce intentions to test on-board mobile telephony after Air France-KLM and Ryanair, said the Gulf News report.
Virgin spokesman Paul Charles said given some of the public’s aversion to in-flight calling, the airline has not decided whether to allow calls or just the sending of text messages.
Steve Ridgway, CEO, said he understood the sensitive nature of the service and believed peer pressure would prevent inappropriate use of the phones.
Before, calls from mobile phones disrupted flight navigation systems. But now, equipment is being developed to route calls to terrestrial networks without affecting an airplane’s sensitive electronic instruments.
Source- http://www.tradearabia.com/tanews/newsdetails_snTTN_article111336_cnt.html
Egypt to sign 3rd mobile license contract with UAE company-led consortium
The Egyptian government is expected to officially sign on Aug. 21 the third mobile-network license contract with a consortium led by Etisalat, a UAE-based telecom company, the state-run daily Al-Gomhuria reported.
Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif will attend the signing ceremony, said the daily.
The new company led by Etisalat is set to begin providing mobile services by mid-February in 2007 in major Egyptian cities and resorts, such as Cairo, Alexandria, Hurghada and Sharm el- Sheikh, according to Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Tareq Kamel.
The Etisalat-led consortium has deposited the full amount of the license fees to an designated Egyptian bank account, said Amr Badawi, Chairman of the National Agency for Regulation of Telecommunications.
On July 4, Etisalat beat eight other bidders to win the third mobile phone network license, along with its three other Egyptian partners, namely, the Egypt Post, the National Bank of Egypt and the Commercial International Bank.
The consortium won the bid by offering a staggeringly high price at about 2.9 billion U.S. dollars.
The new service provider will use the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) system and the third-generation (3G) technology for its network.
The current Egyptian mobile service market is shared by Vodafone Egypt and Mobinil, a joint venture between Egypt’s Orascom Telecom Holding and France Telecom.
Vodafone Egypt and Mobinil had a combined subscribers of about 13 million at the end of 2005.
Source- http://english.people.com.cn
Technorati : 3G, Egypt, GSM, Mobinil, Orascom, Vodafone Egypt
Ice Rocket : 3G, Egypt, GSM, Mobinil, Orascom, Vodafone Egypt
Bouygues adds 334,000 users in H1, revenue up 1%
 |
French mobile operator Bouygues Telecom had a stable turnover, up 1 percent to EUR 2.175 billion in the first half, compared to EUR 2.144 billion in the year-earlier period. The figure excludes the effect of Bouygues Caraibes, sold in April 2006. Net network revenues were stable at EUR 2.029 billion. Excluding the fall in call termination rates, Bouygues Telecom’s turnover would have risen by 6 percent, the company said. Bouygues praised the success of its Neo plan, introduced on 1 March, and offering unlimited calls to all operators. |
| The plan helped Bouygues add 334,000 customers in the first half. The company had 8.305 million customers at the end of June, or 10 percent more than a year earlier. It said it still has the market’s largest proportion of prepaid customers, 70 percent. Bouygues Telecom sister company, the broadcaster TF1, had revenue up 8 percent to EUR 1.377 billion in the first half, compared to EUR 1.277 billion a year earlier.
Source:http://www.telecompaper.com |
|
Technorati : Bouygues Telecom, France, Oprator
Ice Rocket : Bouygues Telecom, France, Oprator
Palm Introduces Windows Mobile-Based Treo 750v Smartphone for Vodafone Customers
Palm has announced the Palm Treo 750v, the first Treo to take advantage of Vodafone’s 3G/UMTS network around the world. The new Treo 750v will be available first to Vodafone customers in the following countries:
Austria
,
France
,
Germany
,
Ireland
,
Italy
,
Netherlands
,
Spain
,
Switzerland
, the
UK
and other regions by the end of the calendar year.
The Treo 750v combines the Palm experience of a multifeatured mobile phone with email, messaging, web browsing and organization software all in a new compact design.
The new device comes with Microsoft’s Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) for Windows Mobile 5.0, which includes Direct Push Technology and enhanced security features free and out of the box, when combined with a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 for communications.
It is also fully compatible with Vodafone Business Email, giving remote access to enterprise and Internet-based email accounts.
Unique to the Treo smartphone on Windows Mobile 5.0 is a suite of software enhancements developed by Palm, including Today screen enhancements, which feature the ability to “dial by name” with a few keystrokes on the keyboard, perform a web search directly from the Today Screen and perform one-touch dialing with personalized photo speed dials.
Also featured is the ability to manage a call directly from the Today Screen and stay on top of voicemail with on-screen, VCR-like icons, such as rewind, delete and fast-forward controls for easy navigation.
For users who are constantly busy in meetings and appointments, the software supports the ability to ignore a call and quickly compose a text message, such as “In a meeting” or “Can’t talk”.
The Windows Mobile 5 platform comes with mobile versions of Microsoft Office applications (including Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel), a messaging application for e-mail, SMS and MMS and 1.3 megapixal digital camera.
Users can expand the built-in memory through miniSD cards, and connect to other devices via Bluetooth, which also supports Bluetooth enabled stereo headsets, so users can enjoy multimedia through the built-in Windows Media Player 10 mobile.
Source- http://www.geekzone.co.nz
Technorati : Mobile, New Zealand, Palm, Vodafone
Ice Rocket : Mobile, New Zealand, Palm, Vodafone
France adds 447,400 mobile customers in Q2
There were 49.07 million mobile customers in
France
and its overseas counties and territories at the end of June, 477,400 more than three months earlier, according to French regulator Arcep’s latest mobile market survey. At the end of June 2005, the figure was 45.38 million. The number of postpaid customers rose to 31.69 million from 31.03 million at the end of March and from 28.53 million at the end of June 2005. Prepaid customers rose to 17.38 million from 17.57 million and 16.85 million, respectively. The report breaks down subscriber and revenue figures for metropolitan
France
and overseas territories, French regions, MNO and MVNO, and SMS traffic..
Source- http://www.telecompaper.com
Vodafone Spain signs mobile deal with Basque firm
MADRID
(Reuters) – Phone operator Euskaltel said on Friday it has signed a deal with British mobile phone group Vodafone which will enable the Basque firm to offer mobile services all over
Spain
from January 2007.
Up to now Euskaltel, in a deal with France Telecom’s Amena, has only offered mobile phone coverage in the Basque region of
Spain
where it has 460,000 clients — around 30 percent of the market.
Under the Amena deal Euskaltel was blocked from trading in the rest of
Spain
while Amena could not enter the Basque country.
“This alliance makes Euskatel an independent mobile phone operator for the first time and allows us to extend our reach into the whole country,” Euskaltel said in a statement.
Source- http://in.today.reuters.com
Technorati : Euskaltel, Mobile, Spain, Vodafone
Ice Rocket : Euskaltel, Mobile, Spain, Vodafone
