Common mobile phones charger expected to hit in early 2011
A new standard for a universal phone charger has been approved by two of Europe’s standardization bodies – CEN-CENELEC and ETSI – which follows an agreement by the main handset manufacturers in June 2009 to work towards a single charger that will work on all future mobile phones.
According to European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, he is very happy that the European Standardization Bodies have met their request to develop within a short space of time – the technical standards necessary for a common mobile phone charger based on the work done by industry. Now it is time for industry to show its commitment to sell mobile phones for the new charger. The common charger will make life easier for consumers, reduce waste and benefit businesses. It is a true win-win situation.
Incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones is not only a major inconvenience for users, but also a considerable environmental problem. Users who want to change their mobile phones must usually buy a new charger and dispose of the old one, even if it is in good condition. In response to citizens’ demand for a common charger, the European Commission invited manufacturers to agree on a technical solution making compatible the chargers of different brands.
As a result, mobile phone producers committed themselves to ensure compatibility of data-enabled mobile phones, expected to be predominant in the market within two years, on the basis of the Micro-USB connector. The agreement was established in June 2009 and signed by Apple, Emblaze Mobile, Huawei Technologies, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research In Motion (RIM), Samsung, Sony Ericsson, TCT Mobile (Alcatel), Texas Instruments and Atmel.
The Commission then issued a mandate to the European Standardization Organizations CEN-CENELEC and ETSI in December 2009, requesting the development of European standards for the common charger. The two organizations have now delivered. The standards allow for interoperability, i.e. the common charger is compatible with data-enabled mobile telephones of different brands. They also take account of safety risks and electro-magnetic emissions and ensure that common chargers have sufficient immunity to external interference.
The European Commission expects the first common chargers and mobile phones compatible with the new standards to reach the European market in the first months of 2011.
SK Telecom Cuts 3G Mobile Deal With China
SK Telecom, South Korea’s primary wireless operator, has teamed up with the Chinese government to jointly develop third-generation (3G) mobile technologies for the world’s most populous country. The Seoul-based carrier yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with China to cooperate in time division-synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA).
TD-SCDMA refers to China’s homegrown platform for 3G wireless telephony services, which the country looks to nurture as its major future mobile standard.
SK Telecom chief executive Kim Shin-bae said that the partnership amply demonstrates the company’s know-how and expertise in the telecom services.
“SK Telecom is the first foreign telecom service provider to establish a cooperative relationship with China on TD-SCDMA technologies. This signifies the full recognition of our technological prowess,” Kim said in a statement.
Under the hook-up, SK Telecom plans to deploy a TD-SCDMA experimental station in Pundang, south of Seoul, next year to carry out tests on the mobility-specific techniques.
Plus, the operator will establish a TD-SCDMA service center in China to pursue joint research in 3G multimedia services, value-added devices and platforms.
SK Telecom seeks to continue its business alliance with China, the country with the world’s biggest mobile customer base amounting to 380 million, in many fields other than TD-SCDMA.
“We have agreed on building a cooperative model with China for the telecom industry, for not only TD-SCDMA technologies but also beyond 3G standards,” SK Telecom spokesman Do Hoon said.
TD-SCDMAChina’s Datang Mobilecom has spearheaded the development of TD-SCDMA alongside such global powerhouses as Siemens and Samsung Electronics.
TD-SCDMA is one of three technologies that acquired recognition by the International Telecommunications Union as the next-generation mobile telecom standard.
The other two are CDMA2000, which SK Telecom commercially launched here in late 2000 for the first time in history, and wideband-CDMA.
TD-SCDMA allows communication of numerous subscribers by dividing a spectrum into time slots unlike other platforms, which use separate spectrums for wireless transmission and reception.
China has decided to select a TD-SCDMA technology-based 3G service provider before the 2008 Beijing Olympics and international behemoths are vying to join the project.
Up until now, Korean companies like Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics mostly attempted to advance into the handset business of TD-SCDMA.
Samsung, the world’s third-largest cell phone maker, set up a joint venture for TD-SCDMA chipset development together with Datang Mobilecom and Philips.
LG Electronics, the No. 4 player, also established a venture start-up for chipsets, called Commit, alongside Datang and Texas Instruments.
Recently, TD-SCDMA handsets manufactured by Samsung and LG have passed tests ordered by the Chinese government.
Source- http://times.hankooki.com
Technorati : 3G, China, Mobile, SK Telecom
Ice Rocket : 3G, China, Mobile, SK Telecom
