There has been a significant improvement in the battery performance of the latest VoLTE smartphones, according to test, measurement and service assurance vendor Spirent Communications.

Spirent carried out a detailed comparative test using first-and second-generation VoLTE smartphones and operator US-based operator MetroPCS’ CDMA and 4G LTE networks in Texas. 

   The global femtocell market, which includes 2G, 3G and 4G femtocells, has grown for the third straight quarter, according to a research firm.

Infonetics Research has announced that the market grew by 66 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, while for the whole of last year sales totalled €327 million, up 21 percent on 2011.

     In June 2012, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced what it termed “a major milestone” in carrier-grade Wi-Fi technology with the introduction of Passpoint – a single industry-wide solution for access to Wi-Fi mobile broadband.

Based on technology defined in the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 specification, the Passpoint programme was created to address critical business needs for mobile data, streamline access and to help ease operator data traffic offload to Wi-Fi networks.

     In our preview to Mobile World Congress 2013, we highlighted the fact that enterprises were under-exposed to the best that mobile technology has to offer.

In particular, the emerging enterprise app space is one area that operators could look to explore further, as Ian Schenkel, CEO of enterprise app developer Eurosmartz, revealed.

Nokia was one of several major telcos to launch new smartphones at Mobile World Congress last week.

The Finland-based vendor unveiled the Nokia 301 costing just €15, aimed at first-time smartphone owners in developing countries, as well as the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 aimed at high-end tech savvy users.

   The global LTE market will almost double in 2013 thanks to increased LTE network deployments in Brazil, Russia, India and China, according to latest forecasts.

Infonetics Research’s year-end “2G, 3G, 4G Mobile Infrastructure and Subscribers” report reveals that the global mobile infrastructure market, which includes 2G/3G, LTE and WiMax, rose by six percent to €8.3 billion in Q4 of 2012, driven by North America, China and sustained modernisation projects in Europe.

Optical and test and measurement vendor JDSU has acquired location-aware mobility solutions provider Arieso for €65.3 million as it looks to expand its position in the small cells and mobile network optimisation markets.

Based in the UK, Arieso offers location-aware software solutions that enable mobile operators to boost their 2G, 3G and 4G LTE network performance and improve subscriber experience by analysing big data.

   At Mobile World Congress 2013, Mobile Europe was given the opportunity to test out the GSMA NFC Experience.

Equipped with a Sony Xperia T smartphone that came preloaded with €15 of credit, we successfully used the phone to buy lunch at the NFC-enabled payment terminals.

                           At Mobile World Congress 2013 last week, the Small Cell Forum announced its latest market status report, which revealed three key results.

First, the total number of small cells deployed globally increased from 6.4 million to 10.8 million in the last three months of 2012. Second, femtocells number 9.6 million and now outnumber macrocells. 

Research firm IDC has forecast that, for the first time ever, more smartphones will be shipped globally than feature phones in 2013.

According to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report, device manufacturers will ship 918.6 million smartphones this year, which represents 50.1 percent of the total mobile phone shipments worldwide.

Following the launch last summer of TU Me, Telefónica’s answer to free over-the-top voice and messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Europe’s largest operator has unveiled a new service called TU Go.

Available to all O2 post-paid customers in the UK, cloud-based TU Go aims to turn existing O2 mobile numbers into a portable identity that can be accessed on any supported device.