Unwired Australia spearheads new WiMAX roaming alliance
Roaming is one of the critical success factors for any network seeking to be a global standard, and WiMAX is no exception. So far, the main roaming activity has centered on the pre-WiMAX Wi-Bro system, with the formation of the Wi-Bro and Mobile WiMAX Community (WMC) by leading Asian operators plus Covad.
Now a new alliance has burst on the scene, spearheaded by another hotbed of early Wi-MAX activity, Australasia. Inaugurated last week in Paris, the WiMAX Spectrum Owners’ Alliance (WiSOA) has set itself an ambitious target of connecting a billion users (though in an unspecified time frame).
It limits its membership to companies that own licenses and operate WiMAX or pre-WiMAX services, contrasting with a previous, defunct attempt at creating a roaming group – the WiMAX Global Roaming Alliance (WGRA) – which was largely based around license exempt WISPs.
The contrast reflects the shift of the WiMAX movement away from such markets and towards carrier class, licensed band deployments, but the fading of the WGRA does not detract from the truth of its objectives, expressed by CEO Doug Bonestroo, when he said: “We realise that the larger telecom providers have a virtual lock on the 3G marketplace, and that the best way to counter that leverage is with a large group of partners in the US and around the world that are committed to standards-based WiMAX roaming.”
The WiSOA’s founder members contain four from Australasia – Unwired Australia and Austar Australia (part of the US-based Liberty Group of John Malone); Telecom New Zealand and Woosh Telecom – plus WiMAX Telecom of Austria, Enertel from the Netherlands, Network Plus Mauritius, UK Broadband and Irish Broadband.
All these were early adopters of broadband wireless networks, and many are now migrating these to fully standardised WiMAX, which will enable relatively straightforward roaming, technically speaking at least.
The members said they would sign their first international WiMAX roaming agreement in December, covering all WiMAX frequency ranges. This agreement, they claim, will act as the backbone of a future global network.
A further 12 members are on the point of joining the alliance it claims, with Reliance Telecom of India likely to head the queue. The WiSOA will act as the enabler and coordinator of roaming agreements between different WiMAX members, in a similar way to some alliances formed for Wi-Fi hotspots and metrozones, notably the Wireless Broadband Alliance. It points out that roaming revenues in the GSM world amount to $25bn a year.
Steve Cosser, chairman of Unwired Australia and a pay TV millionaire, will chair the WiSOA. He said at the Paris meeting: “WiSOA was established to facilitate the adoption of WiMAX globally, and with its exclusive membership of spectrum owners only, is in a unique position to do so.”
It will work with the WiMAX Forum but has a more specific remit, which it may feel the forum has not prioritised – to accelerate roaming deals and, in so doing, to ensure that the value of licensed spectrum is fully realised by both government bodies and investors.
Source- http://www.theregister.co.uk
Technorati : Australia, GSM, Mobile, WiMAX
Ice Rocket : Australia, GSM, Mobile, WiMAX
Technorati : Australia, GSM, Mobile, WiMAX
Ice Rocket : Australia, GSM, Mobile, WiMAX
Telecom NZ May Follow Reliance in Move to GSM
Telecom Corp., the worst-performing stock on New Zealand’s benchmark index this year, may have to spend NZ$400 million ($264 million) to switch mobile phone technology because of dwindling global support for its system.
The former government monopoly uses CDMA, or code-division multiple access technology, a system that has seen its global market share drop to 18 percent, from 21 percent in 2004. GSM technology, used by rival Vodafone Group Plc, has 82 percent, attracting more investment from handphone makers.
“The risks are moving a little bit against us,” said Telecom Chief Financial Officer Marko Bogoievski. The company isn’t yet at a stage where it would choose to dump its existing technology, he said in an interview.
Telecom would follow carriers such as India’s Reliance Communications Ltd. and Brazil’s Vivo Participacoes SA in moving to GSM, part of a global groundswell that’s prompting equipment makers to alter course. Nokia Oyj, the world’s largest cell- phone maker, is reducing investment in CDMA because the technology is losing momentum in newer markets.
“The momentum is going towards GSM,” said James Lindsay, who helps manage the equivalent of $300 million at Tyndall Investment Management Ltd. in Auckland and holds Telecom. “Nokia is a big loss for CDMA.”
For handset makers such as Nokia, switching to the GSM system means lower costs because Qualcomm Inc., which pioneered CDMA, collects higher royalties. Shares of the San Diego, California-based company have fallen 10 percent this year.
Shares of Telecom have tumbled 27 percent this year after the government in May said the company would be forced to end its fixed-line monopoly to encourage competition and bolster use of services such as high-speed Internet. The stock fell 5 cents, or 1.1 percent, to NZ$4.39 at the 5 p.m. close of trading in Wellington.
Telecom Vs Vodafone
Telecom is trying to win back mobile customers in New Zealand, where Newbury, England-based Vodafone has snared 63 percent of the NZ$2.1 billion market since starting in 1998.
Vodafone’s GSM handsets offer services such as video calling and high-speed Internet access, and give the company more models than Telecom. GSM’s global dominance means there are more countries where customers can use their phones, more services get developed and handsets are cheaper.
GSM-based technologies “appear to be gaining an edge over CDMA,” Ian Martin, who has a “hold” rating on Telecom at ABN Amro Holding NV in Melbourne, said in June. “Telecom risks becoming the poor cousin in mobile with insufficient CDMA applications to help drive non-voice revenue growth.”
Nokia’s Strategy
Espoo, Finland-based Nokia, which sells one of every three mobile phones in the world, on June 22 abandoned plans to develop CDMA handsets with Sanyo Electric Co. and said it would “ramp down” its own CDMA activities by April 2007.
Stockholm-based Ericsson AB, the world’s largest maker of mobile-phone networks, has also effectively withdrawn from building CDMA networks, Credit Suisse analysts Kulbinder Garcha, Eiji Aono, Vivek Doval and Rajib Nandi said in a report this month.
“The GSM standard is going to be very big in the next five years,” said Paul Richardson, who helps manage the equivalent of $140 million at BT Funds Management Ltd. in Auckland, and holds Telecom. “The risk is that the products that Vodafone can offer become better, snazzier, cheaper and faster.”
India’s Phone Market
Mumbai-based Reliance Communications Ltd., India’s largest CDMA carrier, is seeking approval to start GSM-based services in New Delhi and Mumbai, India’s two biggest cities. Reliance may drop its CDMA services in favor of GSM, the Financial Express reported in June, citing government officials.
Vivo Participacoes SA, Brazil’s largest mobile-phone company, said in July it plans to invest in a nationwide GSM network to reverse a slide in market share, which it will operate alongside its existing CDMA network. Vivo is jointly owned by Telefonica and Portugal Telecom SGPS SA.
For New Zealand’s Telecom, changes closer to its home market may have a more immediate impact.
Telstra Corp., Australia’s largest telephone company, last year said it will close its CDMA network by 2008 in favor of GSM. That means Telecom customers won’t have a network to roam on when they visit Australia, which accounted for 62 percent of New Zealanders’ short-term trips overseas in the year ended July 31, according to government figures.
Telecom’s Options
Telecom’s Bogoievski said the case for switching to GSM isn’t yet compelling.
“The bounds of probabilities and risks have shifted a little bit but nowhere near enough to say that now we’re changing gears and here’s a new investment program,” he said.
Telecom may opt to use both technologies, or reduce the costs of switching through an alliance with a GSM-based rival, he said. The company is also awaiting the arrival of handsets that can roam on either network, Bogoievski said.
Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s third-largest maker of wireless phones, has developed a handset which works on both CDMA and GSM networks. The phone is being tested and should be on sale early next year, Telecom said this month.
Source- http://www.bloomberg.com
Technorati : CDMA, GSM, Mobile, New Zealand, Reliance Communications
Ice Rocket : CDMA, GSM, Mobile, New Zealand, Reliance Communications
Telecom N.Z. May Follow India’s Reliance in Move to GSM Network
Telecom Corp., the worst-performing stock on New Zealand’s benchmark index this year, may have to spend NZ$400 million ($264 million) to switch mobile phone technology because of dwindling global support for its system.
The former government monopoly uses CDMA, or code-division multiple access technology, a system that has seen its global market share drop to 18 percent, from 21 percent in 2004. GSM technology, used by rival Vodafone Group Plc, has 82 percent, attracting more investment from handphone makers.
“The risks are moving a little bit against us,” said Telecom Chief Financial Officer Marko Bogoievski. The company isn’t yet at a stage where it would choose to dump its existing technology, he said in an interview.
Telecom would follow carriers such as India’s Reliance Communications Ltd. and Brazil’s Vivo Participacoes SA in moving to GSM, part of a global groundswell that’s prompting equipment makers to alter course. Nokia Oyj, the world’s largest cell- phone maker, is reducing investment in CDMA because the technology is losing momentum in newer markets.
“The momentum is going towards GSM,” said James Lindsay, who helps manage the equivalent of $300 million at Tyndall Investment Management Ltd. in Auckland and holds Telecom. “Nokia is a big loss for CDMA.”
For handset makers such as Nokia, switching to the GSM system means lower costs because Qualcomm Inc., which pioneered CDMA, collects higher royalties. Shares of the San Diego, California-based company have fallen 10 percent this year.
Shares of Telecom have tumbled 26 percent this year after the government in May said the company would be forced to end its fixed-line monopoly to encourage competition and bolster use of services such as high-speed Internet. The stock rose 8 cents, or 1.8 percent, to NZ$4.44 yesterday in Wellington.
Telecom Vs Vodafone
Telecom is trying to win back mobile customers in New Zealand, where Newbury, England-based Vodafone has snared 63 percent of the NZ$2.1 billion market since starting in 1998.
Vodafone’s GSM handsets offer services such as video calling and high-speed Internet access, and give the company more models than Telecom. GSM’s global dominance means there are more countries where customers can use their phones, more services get developed and handsets are cheaper.
GSM-based technologies “appear to be gaining an edge over CDMA,” Ian Martin, who has a “hold” rating on Telecom at ABN Amro Holding NV in Melbourne, said in June. “Telecom risks becoming the poor cousin in mobile with insufficient CDMA applications to help drive non-voice revenue growth.”
Nokia’s Strategy
Espoo, Finland-based Nokia, which sells one of every three mobile phones in the world, on June 22 abandoned plans to develop CDMA handsets with Sanyo Electric Co. and said it would “ramp down” its own CDMA activities by April 2007.
Stockholm-based Ericsson AB, the world’s largest maker of mobile-phone networks, has also effectively withdrawn from building CDMA networks, Credit Suisse analysts Kulbinder Garcha, Eiji Aono, Vivek Doval and Rajib Nandi said in a report this month.
“The GSM standard is going to be very big in the next five years,” said Paul Richardson, who helps manage the equivalent of $140 million at BT Funds Management Ltd. in Auckland, and holds Telecom. “The risk is that the products that Vodafone can offer become better, snazzier, cheaper and faster.”
India’s Phone Market
Mumbai-based Reliance Communications Ltd., India’s largest CDMA carrier, is seeking approval to start GSM-based services in New Delhi and Mumbai, India’s two biggest cities. Reliance may drop its CDMA services in favor of GSM, the Financial Express reported in June, citing government officials.
Vivo Participacoes SA, Brazil’s largest mobile-phone company, said in July it plans to invest in a nationwide GSM network to reverse a slide in market share, which it will operate alongside its existing CDMA network. Vivo is jointly owned by Telefonica and Portugal Telecom SGPS SA.
For New Zealand’s Telecom, changes closer to its home market may have a more immediate impact.
Telstra Corp., Australia’s largest telephone company, last year said it will close its CDMA network by 2008 in favor of GSM. That means Telecom customers won’t have a network to roam on when they visit Australia, which accounted for 62 percent of New Zealanders’ short-term trips overseas in the year ended July 31, according to government figures.
Telecom’s Options
Telecom’s Bogoievski said the case for switching to GSM isn’t yet compelling.
“The bounds of probabilities and risks have shifted a little bit but nowhere near enough to say that now we’re changing gears and here’s a new investment program,” he said.
Telecom may opt to use both technologies, or reduce the costs of switching through an alliance with a GSM-based rival, he said. The company is also awaiting the arrival of handsets that can roam on either network, Bogoievski said.
Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s third-largest maker of wireless phones, has developed a handset which works on both CDMA and GSM networks. The phone is being tested and should be on sale early next year, Telecom said this month.
Source- http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=ae_3gzHO_.TU&refer=australia
Technorati : CDMA, GSM, Mobile, Nokia, Samsung, Vodafone
Ice Rocket : CDMA, GSM, Mobile, Nokia, Samsung, Vodafone
Ericsson to build new wireless network: TelstraClear
New Zealand telco TelstraClear has picked Ericsson to build its new high-speed wireless network in Tauranga on the North Island.
The NZ$50 million project, called “Unplugged”, was unveiled in July and will provide voice, broadband and mobile services to local homes and businesses.
Dr Allan Freeth, TelstraClear chief executive, said in a statement released today that the appointment of Ericsson ensured a leading provider of mobile technology was involved in the project.
The telco could also benefit from the comprehensive work that Ericsson had done with Telstra in Australia. In December 2004, Telstra selected Ericsson as the exclusive 3G/WCDMA partner for up to the next five years. TelstraClear is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra.
“We are progressing towards a July 2007 launch date and have been working with the Tauranga City Council and local community to deliver a service that is simple and easy to use for homes and businesses in the area,” Freeth said.
“Signal strength testing is now completed and we’re proceeding to secure site for the equipment,” he said.
Ericsson will design, integrate and build the high speed downlink packet access (HSPDA) network. HSPDA is a protocol that theoretically allows third-generation mobile networks to provide download speeds of up to 14.4mbps.
Steve Inglis, Ericsson general manager of broadband and marketing, said the technology supplier was delighted to be extending its longstanding relationship with the telco to drive industry growth.
The new wireless network will link directly to TelstraClear’s national fibre backbone and complement its existing fibre network in the Tauranga CBD.
Source- http://www.zdnet.com.au
Technorati : 3G, Ericsson, Mobile, New Zealand, Telstra, W-CDMA
Ice Rocket : 3G, Ericsson, Mobile, New Zealand, Telstra, W-CDMA
Telecom’s Rev A to surpass Vodafone’s 3G?
Telecom is gearing up for its nationwide launch of Revision A mobile broadband in early 2007 with a slated pre-Christmas Auckland launch.
Upload speed will increase to 1.8Mbps, while download speeds will reach 3.1Mbps and coverage will reach 70 per cent of the country. Telecom’s broadband will also have low latency, which will be useful for applications such as VoIP.
“We’re taking existing EV-DO performance to the next level,” says Telecom Mobile head of technology strategy Shane Ohlin, adding, “A full range of devices will be available that will match or exceed what Vodafone has put out.”
Ohlin says that although the broadband market is extremely competitive right now, it will “bring more New Zealanders into the broadband family” and he is confident that Rev A will be the product of choice.
“Our Rev A mobile broadband prices will be competitive and will not be disadvantaged by any other offer on the market. Telecom has been providing mobile broadband services in the market for close to two years now, and it feels like our competitors are merely playing catch-up.”
Source- http://m-net.net.nz
New players enter the mobile market in New Zealand
The mobile phone market is in for a shake up with three new players on the scene.
Orcon Internet, Compass Communications, and the Australian-based M2 Telecommunications have signed wholesale agreements to use the Vodafone network.
M2 currently has a fixed-line agreement with Telecom and is using Vodafone wholesale for its mobile offerings.
Vodafone’s Commercial Development Manager, Tom Chignall, says the company is not scared of the new competition to which it has opened itself up. He says Vodafone has also had inquiries from Internet Service Providers.
One of the mobile phone newcomers, Orcon Internet, hopes to be running by Christmas or early next year.
Its General Manager, Scott Bartlett, says he has no idea how big a market share it might be able to corner. The news deals double the number of mobile operators – joining established players Telecom, Vodafone and TelstraClear. Ernie Newman of the Telecommunication Users Association says consumers can reasonably hope for price cuts closing the gap with costs in
Australia.
Source- http://tvnz.co.nz
Technorati : Australia, M2 Telecommunications, New Zealand, Vodafone
Ice Rocket : Australia, M2 Telecommunications, New Zealand, Vodafone
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
Telecom New Zealand to Launch WorldMode CDMA/GSM Mobile Phone
Telecom
has announced that it will provide a global roaming solution with the launch of a WorldMode CDMA/GSM mobile phone.
In a deal with mobile phone manufacturer Samsung, Telecom will offer customers a phone with the ability to use CDMA domestically but roam on either CDMA or GSM networks when travelling overseas.
While in
New Zealand
the mobile will operate solely on Telecom’s CDMA network, making use of Telecom’s T3G services, and when abroad the phone will switch to GSM reception in markets where CDMA is not available.
The mobile operator says the new handset can potentially give New Zealanders the ability to seamlessly communicate across over 300 networks worldwide.
According to Telecom’s General Manager Consumer Marketing, Kevin Bowler, the phone will offer Telecom customers first class roaming capability around the world. He also confirmed the launch of the company’s CDMA EV-DO Rev A upgrade will start before Christmas 2006.
Telecom is targeting early 2007 for release of phase one of the WorldMode phone following testing that is underway currently. This will be the first of a range of WorldMode phones to be progressively released over the course of 2007.
Source- http://www.geekzone.co.nz
Technorati : CDMA, GSM, Mobile, New Zealand, Telecom
Ice Rocket : CDMA, GSM, Mobile, New Zealand, Telecom
Mobile Collaboration For A&NZ
September 1st, 2006: Open Terra and Field Access Systems have officially launched Teamconnectx in Australia and New Zealand.
Teamconnectx is the next generation in mobile collaboration and information exchange providing unparalleled business class people management with end-to-end highly secure presence management and mobile instant messaging (IM).
Utilising Internet connectivity and the most common mobile device on the market today “the mobile phone”, Teamconnectx lets users and businesses manage, share, communicate and interact in real time with anyone, anywhere, anytime, in collaborative team environments.
Teamconnectx currently operates on any Java 2 enabled mobile device, including those from manufacturers such as Nokia, Ericsson, LG, Motorola, Alcatel, O2, Orange, Samsung, RIM BlackBerry and many more. Teamconnectx is also supported on the leading Australian wireless carriers, including Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and more.
“We are very pleased to be partnered with Field Access Systems in offering the latest in mobile collaboration technologies to the expanding mobile marketplace in Australia and New Zealand,” states David Sasson, Chief Executive Officer of OpenTerra. “Field Access Systems has done an incredible job with driving sales for Teamconnectx and have only just started in the sales effort. The rate of acceptance for hosted mobile business solutions in Australia is staggering and we are glad to be joining Field Access Systems, the leader in mobile business solutions in this region of the world, in offering Teamconnectx.”
Future plans for Teamconnectx include seamless integration into leading ERP and CRM providers, including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Saleforce.com and more.
Source- http://www.idm.net.au
Technorati : Australia, Mobile, Optus, Telstra, Vodafone
Ice Rocket : Australia, Mobile, Optus, Telstra, Vodafone
