www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Indian telco Aircel and handset maker INQ Mobile will launch the INQ Mini 3G and the INQ Chat 3G phones in India.
INQ Chat 3G is a Qwerty device while INQ Mini 3G is a slim-line mobile and both allow users to multi-task and to switch between applications such as Facebook and a camera. Over 5,000 outlets will make the phone available.
A campaign fronted by Indian cricketer and company ambassador MS Dhoni has been used by Aircel to support the launch.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The planned release of a contract version of the HTC-manufactured Nexus One smartphone on Vodafone has been delayed till the middle of next month, due to unknown reasons.
While the Android-based handset can be easily availed from Google for around £360, what potentially is adding to both delays and cost in the form of import tax and VAT, is the availability of unlocked contract-free version from the USA.
Earlier it was planned that handset will be made available on various Vodafone contracts starting at £35 per month. No explanations regarding the delay have been made by the company despite the fact that by releasing the Nexus One in April, it will clash with HTC Legend, another HTC-manufactured Android-based smartphone.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A new feature for the customers and for the website has been launched by telecom operator Sprint through which new phones can be virtually tested by the users before taking the plunge and signing a two-year commitment.
The new customer service is expected to work for the telco which is otherwise not very famous for its extra ordinary services for its customers. San Mateo, California-based Device Anywhere has provided the service and it is also known for providing online simulators to developers looking for a way to test applications.
Sprint’s web site carries the sales tool where people can test drive real features on the phone, unlike the fake prototypes often found in kiosks or even stores. Apart from helping in the sale of the phones, the software offers two other features- it can also be used to help a person learn how to use a device through step-by-step tutorials at http://www.sprint.com/learn and demonstrate 34 different mobile devices available.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Verizon customers waiting for its 4G handset are not required to hold out the purchase of its 4G phone as the company is not likely to have its very first 4G handset until mid-2011.
According to Anthony Melone, Verizon’s CTO, the carrier could have a 4G phone three to six months after it launches the service and it has committed itself to an aggressive LTE roll-out, which will launch in some markets by the end of the year.
Verizon is likely to be defeated by Clearwire which is building another 4G network based on WiMax technology and as claimed that it could support a phone as early as mid-2010.
Both of these networks don’t have the traditional voice-calling capabilities and will first be used for connecting laptops and other data devices.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A trio of new services has been launched by AT&T bringing smart-phone like features to low-cost phones. Address books from a personal e-mail account to their phone can now be easily synced by the users and they can send photos to the cloud on devices that cost between $20 and $40.
The aim behind the launch of the new services is to train consumers to spend more on monthly data plans and to become more dependent on using their phone for more than calling. The three exclusive services include- AT&T Address Book, Next Generation Messaging and AT&T Mobile Share.
AT&T has also announced four new devices in the category of devices “quick messaging,” which is their most popular and fastest category of devices. Samsung Strive, Samsung Sunburst and Pantech Link and Pantach Pursuit are the three new devices. Samsung Strive which is arriving on March 21 will be the first phone with AT&T’s new services.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The mobile TV services of Colombian mobile operator Tigo have been launched. Discovery Mobile, Discovery Kids, Nickelodeon, Tooncast and Cartoon Network channels could be accessed by the subscribers directly on their mobile phones through this service.
By sending a text message with the word ‘dia’ to a special short number, Tigo customers can easily subscribe to the new service.
COP 3,900 per day will be charged by Tigo Mobile TV users and the service is available for prepay as well as postpaid Tigo customers.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband network in central Stockholm will soon be upgraded by Sweden’s TeliaSonera (Telia) to maximum theoretical download speeds of 100Mbp. The practical peak speeds for users has been set ‘up to 80Mbps’, although these will vary.
The company launched its 4G network last December and it is gradually expanding it to other areas. Some of which will be covered by the 80Mbps practical peak speeds in the spring. Currently, Stockholm as well as Kista Science City has been covered by Telia’s LTE network Apart from these two cities, up market Hammarby Sjostad neighbourhood and the Alvsjo area (including transport hub and Stockholm International Fairs complex) has also been covered.
Roll out of 4G infrastructures in 25 locations has also been planned by the telco and during the third quarter, the launches are expected in Lund, Vasteras, Malmo, Gothenburg, Uppsala and Linkoping.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The latest phase of the 21st Century Network (21CN) rollout has been launched by telco BT Ireland along with the deployment of NGN Etherflow fibre/radio access equipment at select points across Ireland.
A number of Etherflow points across the country is intended to be expanded by BT. The next generation access infrastructure will also be opened by Eircom to rivals in the coming days.
BT Etherflow is a scalable technology that can grow with a business at a lower price per megabit than existing network services. BT would be enabled to provide an end-to-end network service with the help of this Etherflow besides providing local access circuits at one end and seamless connectivity to BT’s global networks at the other.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Android smartphones incorporated with the Bing search engine will be rolled out by US vendor Motorola in China by the end of this month. Bing search and map functions will be added by Motorola to its Android-powered smartphones, as part of a global alliance just signed with Microsoft. A new widget that also includes the Microsoft search engine along with a pre-loaded Bing bookmark on its mobile browsers will be included by the company.
A new feature on the Android handsets for China was announced by the company in the month of January in the wake of the Google-Chinese censorship debacle. The new article would have enabled the users to select their own search provider, including local search champion Baidu.
The first customized Android device supporting Wi-Fi and WAPI, the Motorola XT701 was launched by W-CDMA operator China Unicom earlier this week.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: 3G EVDO plans has been launched by state owned India telco, BSNL, thus adding a spice to the already firing price war in the country. The plan offers substantially lower access charges for consumers on the move. Though the service is a pan India move, it’s still not confirmed whether Delhi or Mumbai are a part of the plan.
No specific cities have been named by BSNL which will receive the 3.1 mbps speed, and which will switch to lower speeds. The move of the company reflects that it is encouraging users to take the unlimited plan, which will cost Rs. 750 per month for users who sign up until the end of March 2010, after which it will increase to Rs. 999 per month.
