Hutchison 3G Austria is modernizing its radio access network to be ready for HSPA+ and the next generation of mobile broadband, or LTE. At the same time this step will allow the operator to halve the energy consumption of its base stations. Nokia Siemens Networks will undertake this upgrade starting in autumn 2009.

“The demand for increased mobile broadband capacity and throughput in Austria is reflected in the increasing usage of data cards and mobile services like Mobile TV, video download or video sharing,” said Berthold Thoma, CEO of Hutchison 3G Austria. “Mobile broadband is also one of the most pragmatic solutions to bridging the digital gap between cities and rural areas. For rural areas, mobile broadband coverage is simply less expensive and faster to deploy than “fiber to the home” solutions. We hope that with our nationwide coverage we will contribute significantly to this end.” (more…)

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: ZTE Corporation, a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today announced that it is rolling out a state-of-the-art all-IP mobile phone and data network for Madamobil, a new mobile operator in Madagascar.

Madamobil is owned and operated by Life Telecom Holdings (a telecom investment and management firm based in the Netherlands) in partnership with TECOM Investments (a subsidiary of Dubai Holdings, one of the largest institutional investors in the Middle East). (more…)

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Nokia, MTN Nigeria and Digital Mobile TV (DMTV) have inked  an agreement enabling subscribers to watch MultiChoice’s digital satellite TV (DStv) portfolio of TV channels at no cost for the next twelve months. The subscriber can activate this service by inserting an MTN SIM card into a Digital Video Broadcast Handheld (DVB-H)-enabled Nokia handset.

‘This is an exciting time for mobile convergence in Africa,’ said Philip De La Vega, General Manager of Nokia Nigeria, adding, ‘We are especially pleased that Nokia, working together with DMTV and MTN, are able to offer consumers twelve months free access to DStv Mobile when they purchase a compatible DVB-H handset and activate the service. This showcases the enormous advancements in devices technology, now enabling TV on-the-go-for consumers.’

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AT&T extends Charlotte coverage (USA)

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: AT&T has extended the availability of AT&T Mobile TV to roughly 20 new markets, including Charlotte. The Mobile TV subscribers have an access to programming from networks that include CBS Mobile, CNBC, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox Mobile, Fox News, MSNBC and MTV.  Furthermore, the subscribers also have periodic access to channels that feature live sporting events and concerts.

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Mobixell, a leading provider of mobile advertising solutions, has been selected by Play, a 3G operator in Poland, to deploy Mobixell’s Ad-It™ as the platform for its WAP channel. Play and Mobixell have trialled the new advertising service on Play’s WAP portal. The campaign ran from March-April, during which time the operator ran 33 different advertising promotions, including a premium campaign designed by Ogilvy Poland to promote the new Motorola MotoROKR E8 handset. The MotoROKR campaign is the first venture undertaken as a global partnership between digital marketing agency, OgilvyOne, and Mobixell. The campaign was implemented by OgilvyAction, the brand activation arm of the Ogilvy Group.

Mobixell is providing Play Mobile with a WAP Advertising solution powered by the Mobixell Ad-It™ platform, including: inventory management, trafficking, campaign management, business operation and the Ad Server functions. Ogilvy Poland designed the Motorola campaign which featured on the operator’s WAP Portal and has generated an impressive Click Through Rate (CTR) of 4.3% on average, reaching 13% at its highest.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Safaricom, the Kenyan mobile operator has inked an agreement with Nokia and DMTV to introduce mobile TV service across the nation. The service will allow Safaricom subscribers to watch DStv’s menu of TV programmes on certain Nokia mobile phones. The service initially will be for free until April 2010 as a part of an introductory offer for the subscribers who own DVB-H enabled Nokia phones.
Additionally the subscribers can access DStv Mobile service on the Nokia N79, N85, N86, N97, E75 and Nokia 5800 XpressMusic devices by purchasing a Nokia Mobile TV Receiver SU-33W. At present the coverage will be limited to Nairobi and Mombasa and plans are already underway to extend this to other parts of Kenya.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: TeliaSonera has selected Ericsson to introduce a new mobile advertising service dubbed as Personal Pod Advertising in Sweden. The service is a part of Ericsson’s Mobile TV service, through which the advertisements can be sent out as podcasts overnight when traffic is low. It allows companies to offer ads tailored to fit consumers’ personal needs and interests and is to be launched commercially during 2009. The subscriber needs to create a personal user profile on the advertising companies’ websites, to avail this service. Followed to this, they will receive updates on their favourite brands via text, video or radio advertisements sent to their mobile phones.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vinaphone would focus on the expansion of 3G coverage in larger cities, accounting for about 20% of the country’s total population. It will offer services like video call, mobile broadband Internet and other video-related services including Mobile TV and Video on Demand. According to the official, the company will provide subscribers with more advanced 3G services including e-payment and quick search. Vinaphone is also planning to expand 3G services to all cities and provinces in Vietnam by the end of this year.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vodafone Australia, has upgraded its 3G network which goes live today in major cities. Vodafone subscribers in major regional centres will be able to access data services such as mobile broadband on their laptop or PC and internet, e-mail and multimedia content like mobile TV and video on their mobile phone.
Vodafone will also introduce suite of capped plans, which offer a monthly data allowance of 1GB on its AUD 69 Cap Contract and 2GB on its AUD 99 Single Business Cap. Also, it is offering Vodafone AUD 69 iPhone Cap (24 months) with a free iPhone 3G 8GB, AUD 400 credit for calls, text and standard services, plus 1GB of mobile data.
The 3G coverage for Vodafone will now reach to 80% of the total Australian population. With the completion of second stage of upgradation on 31 August, Vodafone’s 3G coverage will reach over 94%.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: China Unicom, nation’s second largest mobile operator has unveiled its 3G plans under which the operator is set to launch the 3G services by April-end. The telco said that it will provide services including five 3G services, including data card, mobile music, mobile TV, mobile search and video call.
China Unicom had earlier said it planned to construct its 3G network across 55 cities by H1′09 and later expand the coverage to 282 cities 2009-end.