Singtel will join ZTE for Long Term Evolution trials (Philippines)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: For carrying out Long Term Evolution (LTE) trials in the Philippines, ZTE Corp, a Chinese equipment vendor has planned to work with Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) affiliate, Globe Telecom.
The intention behind the tie up is to develop strategic management of the network as well as long-term planning for LTE network infrastructure projects. A trail will be conducted in the early 2010 for six to nine month in order to assess market demand for broadband access services.
Earlier, SingTel announced it wanted to conduct regional trials of LTE technology in Australia, Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore in collaboration with Telkomsel, Optus, and Globe Telecom. Through this step the company hopes its regional partners and joint ventures will better understand the approach and strategy behind the adoption of LTE in the regional markets.
The trail also aims at wide range of scenarios, including different urban environments and frequency bands.
Rough road ahead for Apple, Cingular
News-Leader writes…Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs says the new iPhone is a product destined to ignite a “revolution” in telecommunications.
But could the iPhone also spark a civil war between the companies that produce it?
That’s what business experts are wondering as Apple, founded by hippie renegades in a Silicon Valley garage in the 1970s, partners with one of the nation’s oldest corporate entities.
Cingular Wireless, which has an exclusive, multiyear agreement to provide cellular service for the iPhone, is a subsidiary of San Antonio-based AT&T Inc.
Ma Bell traces its roots to the ’70s, too — the 1870s.
Forged from an agreement between Alexander Graham Bell and his financiers, the National Bell Telephone Co. eventually became American Telephone & Telegraph Co., then mushroomed into world’s largest telephone company and cable television operator.
Even executives from Apple and Cingular acknowledge the companies — which will jointly bring the iPhone to the market in June, starting at $499 — are a study in contrasts.
“We come from two different worlds,” Jobs said, “yet we’ve worked wonderfully together.”
Jobs’ comment came after Cingular’s president and chief executive, Stanley Sigman, took the stage Tuesday at the annual Macworld Conference & Expo.
Sigman donned a suit and tie and read stiffly from a script.
By contrast, the silver-tongued Jobs wore his trademark black turtleneck and faded blue jeans while addressing 4,000 fans.
Business experts say such contrasts may extend to the broader corporate cultures of Apple and AT&T, straining the tight collaboration needed to launch such a significant product.
“When you try to put together two companies with very different operating styles, you open up a Pandora’s box for executives to miscommunicate or disagree,” said Charles O’Reilly III, Stanford University professor of management.
One of the few similarities between the companies doesn’t bode well for cooperation. Apple and Cingular usually each insist on emphasizing their own brands whenever possible.
Glenn Lurie, president of national distribution for Atlanta-based Cingular Wireless, said Cingular representatives would handle most questions about billing and service. If a customer’s question requires deeper knowledge of the iPhone, they’ll be transferred to Apple.
“These are Cingular customers. They’ll get a Cingular bill, Cingular rate structures and Cingular care,” Lurie said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.
A previous partnership with Cingular didn’t go smoothly. In 2005, Apple partnered with Cingular and Motorola Inc. on an iTunes-enabled phone, ROKR. But the product flopped because it only held 100 songs and required users to buy songs through a computer and download the songs to the phone — deficiencies the iPhone should remedy.
“The cultures are definitely different, and marketing with another company is new territory for Apple,” said Garth Saloner, Stanford University strategic management professor. “The hope is that Apple has become a powerful enough consumer electronics brand, and the distinctiveness of the iPhone, even if cobranded or carried in a Cingular store, will be strong enough to carry the day.”
