www.WirelessFederation.com/news: In order to prevent subscribers from installing non-market apps from unknown sources, the new Android-powered Motorola Backflip smartphone has been locked by telecom operator, AT&T. In the previous Android devices from rival U.S. operators, support for non-market apps as a default option was available.

Earlier, instead of releasing the Backflip with Google’s own search tool, AT&T released it with Yahoo as its default mobile search engine, thus breaking away from Android convention. Google was installed as a default search engine in most and if not all previous Android devices launched in the U.S.

However, Motorola earlier offered Chinese consumers the option to select Baidu as their primary search service.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: With the test of gigabit-to-the-home technology and selling 60,000 Android smartphones a day, Google has started investing in the wireless network but has no plans to compete with network operators. The announcement was made by Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

However, the investments made in the network infrastructure, and the trials of FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) do not indicate that it wants to become the network operator. Instead the focus of the company is on its search advertising and enterprise software businesses.

According to Schmidt, as the company rolls out new applications, its engineers are increasingly developing for mobile first because they are more excited by its greater potential, although the goal is still to develop for all platforms and not to favor Android, the mobile OS that the company helped develop.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vodafone’s 360 service has been extended to Android users, which will provide a Vodafone People application that even non-Vodafone customers are welcome to use. 300,000 dedicated 360 handsets have been sold by Vodafone since November last year which have Vodafone People integrated into the experience.

The application is available for free through the Android Marketplace, and after installation, users will be able to consolidate all their online identities with Vodafone. The theory is that once you’ve consolidated your Facebook, Twitter, Hotmail and so forth into something like Vodafone 360, then you’ll be reluctant to switch networks.

The downloadable Symbian application makes the Vodafone’s service available to customers of other network operators.

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Cisco & Juniper adopt 4G packet core

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Separate announcements have been made by Cisco and Juniper regarding new 4G evolved packet core (EPC) offers. Traditionally, total solution bids have been preferred by mobile operators where a large radio access network (RAN) vendor functions as the systems integrator, designing and rolling out the network and procuring third-party equipment only as required.

But the operators now have to rethink their procurement strategies because of a shift to end-to-end IP infrastructure and explosive mobile data forecasts.

Moving up the value chain and growing margins by offering leading-edge is currently on the minds of the router suppliers’ apart from providing feature-rich solutions rather than just playing a supporting role in mobile backhaul and Internet routing.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Gateway Communications will partner Longphone in the call termination market to the African continent. Gateway Communications has been selected as a strategic partner by European carrier and VOIP call termination provider, Longphone, for its premium-quality call-termination service to Africa.

Through this agreement, Longphone can benefit from Gateway’s voice connectivity offer as a serious boost to its extensive continental network of direct routes. It will also help to improve both connectivity and profitability.

A private all-IP, next generation network is owned and managed by Gateway Communications and it will help Longphone to extend its African footprint with direct access to more countries and operators across the continent.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica along with Chinese vendor Huawei completed a field trial of 100Gbps transmissions over a distance of more than 1,000km. A high speed 100Gbps link between Valladolid and Zaragoza stretching for approximately 1,022km has been constructed by Huawei, under the trial without using electrical regeneration.

The trial was based on Huawei’s OSN 6800 WDM/OTN transport platform with the transponder inserted in subracks, and the fibre type used was standard G.652. According to Christian Chua, president of Huawei’s Transport Network Product Line, 100Gbps is the most advanced transport technology and is crucial to operators’ continuous development and the construction of green ultra broadband networks.

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Wireless Federation will shortly be announcing the availability of the results of India’s largest primary research project undertaken to study Mobile usage in India. The project is titled IndiaMobile 2009.

The survey  is one of the most representative, independent enumeration of mobile phone usage in India. Close to 285,000 urban and rural Indians, covering all states and union territories–574 districts, 3,175 towns and over 2,800 villages were interviewed. With at least 30 plus sample each from 323 districts and 419 towns, and 100 plus sample each from 184 districts and 155 towns, the study could actually be the World’s largest  mobile (telecom) usage study carried out in a single country. The survey was carried out by a reputed local research agency under the guidance of Wireless Federation.

With the Mobile sector in India seeing close to 20% of its market capitalisation knocked off in the last few days and increased momentum in the price war in India, the results from this survey will help the sector understand its customers better in order to re-gain some of its strength back.

Airtel, Aircel, Tata Indicom, Tata DoCoMo, Etisalat, MTS India, Loop Mobile, Reliance Mobile, Idea Cellular, Vodafone, BSNL, MTNL, Telenor, Virgin can all now compare data from each and every circle and each live operator to understand demographic spread, handset usage and analysis as well as detailed psychographic analysis of the Indian mobile consumer.

The Indian mobile industry will be able to plan better based on the results from this study, which is now planned to occur each year. A large majority of mobile operators have expressed keen interest in the results of the study.

By using the IndiaMobile 2009 results, Mobile Operators will be able to further mould the study to better suit their needs from 2010 onwards.

This study will be the de-facto benchmark for Mobile Usage in India, given the thorough nature of the research, the sheer size of the sample and the level of interest from the Mobile Eco-System in utilising the results from this study.

For More information, please write to Audrey [at] WirelessFederation.com for your free copy of the headline results.

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Oberthur Technologies the world’s second largest provider of Smart Card based solutions today announced the commercialization of its OMHTM (Open Market Handsets) SIM cards for CDMA (Code Development Multiple Access) networks. OMH SIM cards contain subscriber, network and service configuration data that allow subscribers the freedom to easily change and upgrade their handset, but maintain their network configuration.

Oberthur Technologies collaborated with Tata Teleservices Limited, one of India’s fastest growing private telecom service providers, and Qualcomm Incorporated, a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies, to introduce OMHTM SIM cards into the India market.

Olivier Leroux, Head of the Mobile Product Line for the Card Systems Division at Oberthur Technologies said, “Oberthur Technologies is the first to commercially launch OMHTM SIM cards. We are pleased to partner with industry leaders such as Tata Teleservices and Qualcomm who are enhancing the subscriber experience for Indian consumers.”

The OMHTM SIM card, referred to as a removable user identity module (R-UIM), is a state of the art smartcard that stores operator and subscriber specific configuration parameters, separate from the handset memory. By having this configuration parameters located on the OMHTM SIM card rather than the device, subscribers can more easily switch or upgrade their handsets. These cards allow CDMA network operators to increase the selection of devices and services while lowering distribution and inventory costs.

“These are exciting times in the Indian telecom space where innovation, research and development are the key to success and remain competitive in the business. In our constant effort to redefine the telecom space keeping customers at the central point, Tata Teleservices decided to partner with Qualcomm and Oberthur Technologies to further develop the Open Market Handset initiative and offer more choice to customers”, said Lloyd Mathias, Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Teleservices Limited.

“Qualcomm is pleased to work with Oberthur Technologies for its leadership as one of the first companies to develop OMH SIM cards,” said Nakul Duggal, Senior Director and OMH Project Lead, Qualcomm Corporate Engineering Services. “The OMH initiative is focused on increasing device variety by offering new channels and distribution options within the CDMA ecosystem to provide greater subscriber flexibility.”

About Oberthur Technologies

With sales of 882 million Euros in 2008, Oberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies. Innovation and high quality services ensure Oberthur Technologies’ strong positioning in its main target markets:

– Card Systems: The world’s second largest provider of security and identification based on smart card technology and associated services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence markets. – Identity: Leading international supplier for the manufacture and personalization of secure identity documents such as passport, identity card, driving license or health care card – traditional and electronic – and associated services for both governmental and corporate markets. – Security printing: World’s third largest private security printer specialized in high security for the production of banknotes, checks and other fiduciary documents in more than fifty countries. – Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of intelligent systems to secure cash-in-transit and ATM.

Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents.

Oberthur Technologies S.A. is a limited liability company (societe anonyme) registered in France with its registered office at 50 quai Michelet 92 532 Levallois Perret, France. Oberthur Technologies S.A.’s corporate registration number is 340 709 534 R.C.S. Paris.

Website: http://www.oberthur.com

About Tata Teleservices Limited

Tata Teleservices Limited is one of India’s leading private telecom service providers, having a pan-India presence across all of India’s 22 telecom Circles. The company offers integrated telecom solutions to its customers under the Tata Indicom, Tata DOCOMO, Photon and Walky brands, and uses both the CDMA and GSM technology platform(s) for its wireless networks. Tata Teleservices Limited, along with Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited, operates in more than 325,000 towns and villages across the country. In November 2008, Tata Teleservices entered into an agreement with Japanese telecom major NTT DOCOMO, and this transaction marks a key step in the strategic evolution of Tata Teleservices Limited. Tata DOCOMO has so far launched GSM services in eight telecom Circles, and the remaining part of the country is also expected to be covered shortly. In December 2008, Tata Teleservices announced a unique reverse equity swap strategic agreement between its fully-owned telecom tower subsidiary-Wireless TT Info-Services Limited-and Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Limited, thereby becoming the largest independent entity in this space. Tata Teleservices’ bouquet of telephony services includes mobile services, wireless desktop phones, public booth telephony and Wireline services.

For details, visit http://www.tatateleservices.com, http://www.tatadocomo.com or http://www.tataindicom.com.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.