Subscribe
Home Blog Page 1122

O2 announces £7m additional support for partners in 2011

admin
-
0

O2 today announced it would be investing an additional £7m into its partner channel in a move to consolidate its position in the SME market. The move follows a similar initiative at the end of 2009, which is said to have helped drive success throughout the year with its partners.

The announcement, at the recent O2 Partner Conference, follows a ‘hugely successful’ year for O2’s partners, which has seen them consistently perform above and beyond the market. The investment will be offered across systems and aimed at providing the Partner Channel with the ability to offer ‘a world class level of service to customers, with the remainder on incremental investment for delivering an even better customer experience’.

Maggie Kennedy, Head of Partners at O2, said: “Our Channel Partners have had a fantastic year and are critical to the success of O2. This additional investment we are announcing will enable them to continue to bring high value, low churn business to O2. We have always invested a lot in supporting the partner channel and have seen such great results in 2010.”

Cyber criminals target Smartphones as malware increases by a third in 2010, reports security specialist

admin
-
0

AdaptiveMobile, a specialist in mobile security, today announced that 2010 has seen the highest ever number of mobile malware infections aimed at smartphone users, with the number of reports up 33 per cent on 2009 figures.

Taking a year-on-year view, malware engineered for the Google Android mobile platform rose most significantly, with a four-fold increase in the number of exploits identified throughout 2010 – although the total number of Android exploits is still at a low level relative to older platforms. The sharp rise comes as cyber criminals shift their focus towards those technologies and platforms that are likely to see the most widespread adoption in coming years. Such viruses put mobile subscribers at risk of monetary, privacy or data loss, often before the user even realises there is a problem. The company says that smartphones running Java-based applications saw the second highest increase in malware reports, up 45 per cent on 2009. Reported exploits aimed at the iPhone declined, whilst new Symbian malware also fell by 11 per cent. WinCE-based viruses rose by seven per cent.

“With the increasing pervasiveness of Smartphone devices, 2010 has undoubtedly been the year that fraudsters have truly turned their attention to mobile platforms,” says Gareth Maclachlan, Chief Operating Officer, AdaptiveMobile. “The vast majority of consumers are acutely aware of the threats that PC-based viruses, spam messages and phishing emails pose, but many are still unaware of the risks associated with their mobile devices.

“With Smartphone penetration reported to reach 37 per cent in Europe and 44 per cent in the US by 2012, we predict that the number of threats targeted at unsuspecting mobile users will continue to increase at an exponential rate throughout the course of 2011. Even more significantly, the nature of the threats we are seeing will increase in sophistication. Whereas the majority of existing threats target either SMS, voice, email or web, the next year will see the emergence of the ‘compound threat’ – intelligent scams designed to exploit multiple phone capabilities in order to reap maximum reward for the criminals, before the user even realises they have become a victim.”

Mclachlan concludes; “This trend towards more sophisticated attacks is set to shake up the telecoms and security markets as traditional approaches to protecting subscribers can simply no longer provide adequate protection. As these compound threats continue to emerge, so does the need for an intelligent approach to mobile security – keeping the industry one step ahead of the criminals to ensure that such threats do not reach mobile users in the first place.”

LTE connections to reach 300 million by 2015 – LTE to account for four percent of world’s mobile connections within five years, says research

admin
-
0

LTE networks will account for four percent of the world’s mobile connections within five years, according to a new report by Wireless Intelligence. The new study, Global LTE network forecasts and assumptions 2010-2015, predicts that global LTE connections will surpass the one million mark in the first half of 2011 and will reach 300 million by 2015 as the world’s mobile operators ramp-up rollout of the next-generation network technology.

The study forecasts that Asia Pacific will be the world’s largest LTE region by 2015, contributing almost half (43 percent) of global LTE connections by this point. China – the world’s largest mobile market – is expected to account for around half of the Asia Pacific total. However, LTE network migration will initially be driven by operators in Western Europe and North America, which account for a combined 70 percent of global LTE connections in 2010. This is due to early LTE network rollouts by operators such as TeliaSonera (Europe) and Verizon Wireless (USA). Asia Pacific is expected to become the largest LTE market as migration gathers pace in major markets such as China, Japan, Indonesia and South Korea. The Americas and Africa are expected to be the two regions slowest to migrate to LTE, collectively accounting for just 5 percent of global LTE connections by 2015.

“The introduction of LTE networks reflects the move the telecoms industry is making towards delivering cloud-based and converged services, and an improved user experience,” said Joss Gillet, Senior Analyst at Wireless Intelligence and author of the report. “Our latest forecasts show that LTE is being adopted by operators across the globe, but the pace of migration will be faster in countries where mobile broadband is on the political agenda and favourable regulatory developments are taking place – especially with regards to spectrum. However, creating a profitable ecosystem around the new networks will take time and it may take a few years for LTE services to live up to the hype.”

The study is based on all known LTE deployments scheduled to take place over the next five years (excluding India). It predicts that 19 live LTE networks will be up-and-running across the globe by year-end 2010. These include major commercial LTE launches due later this month from market-leading operators such as NTT Docomo (Japan), Deutsche Telekom (Germany) and Etisalat (UAE). The world’s first commercial LTE networks were launched a year ago by TeliaSonera in Sweden (Stockholm) and Norway (Oslo); TeliaSonera has since rolled-out LTE across its Nordic footprint, including in Finland and Denmark. Wireless Intelligence forecasts that global LTE connections will reach 350,000 by year-end 2010.

“Subscriber uptake of LTE is initially being driven by demand for data-centric mobile broadband services, typically accessed via USB dongles and embedded devices for which operators will charge a premium,” said Gillet. “We predict that the introduction of voice over LTE (VoLTE) by around 2012 will mark the ‘tipping point’ for mass-market LTE handset volume shipments, which will accelerate LTE connections growth. However, premium price points and limited availability means that we will see low LTE handset penetration in the short term.”

LTE migration will also be dependent on regulators allocating suitable frequency bands, the study says. It highlights three main spectrum scenarios for the deployment of LTE services; the release of IMT extension spectrum in the 2500-2600MHz bands, the release of ‘digital dividend’ spectrum in the 700-800MHz bands, and the re-farming of existing spectrum.

3 Italia in IT efficiency contract with Ericsson

admin
-
0

3 Italia has chosen Ericsson to modernize its IT infrastructure and systems including hardware and software, IP connectivity, operating systems and storage.

With more than nine million 3G subscribers, 3 Italia delivers a wide range of communication services such as voice, video, internet access, mobile TV and entertainment.

The contract covers data center consolidation with hardware modernization, upgrade and consolidation of 3 Italia’s software application domains, as well as transformation of operations and business support systems (OSS/BSS) – systems for billing and customer relationship management. The new agreement builds on the managed services partnership established between 3 Italia and Ericsson in 2005.

3 Italia’s current three data centers will be consolidated into two, located in Rome and Milan. This, combined with the introduction of a new virtualized software architecture, housing all of 3 Italia’s applications and allowing the operator to use its total IT infrastructure more efficient, means the operator can lower its energy and IT hardware and software costs by 40 and 50 percent respectively. Ericsson will also manage, maintain and upgrade the infrastructure until 2017.

Antonella Ambriola, CTO 3 Italia, says: “Ericsson has been our partner in building our nationwide 3G network in Italy. Now, they are also taking responsibility for improving our IT infrastructure, including the systems we build our services offering on. With the relationship we already have today, we are confident Ericsson will contribute in the same positive way as an IT consultant as they have as a network infrastructure supplier.”

Valter D’Avino, head of Managed Services, Ericsson says: “By strengthening our offering within the IT business we move into an arena where operators previously have not seen us as a natural partner. With 3 Italia we are not only taking on a new leading role to modernize and improve their IT infrastructure, we are doing it with the same ambition we always do in the relationship with our customers – we are there to help develop and expand their business. This gives 3 Italia the ability to further focus on their customers while we take on the responsibility to manage their IT operations.”

The relationship with 3 Italia and Ericsson dates back to 2001 when the operator selected its UMTS suppliers. In 2005, the two parties signed one of the largest managed services contracts in the telecom industry. On June 5, 2009, 3 Italia awarded Ericsson a network transformation deal to upgrade its WCDMA/HSPA network, extending the managed services deal with five years until 2014.

Webinar now available to view: An Insiders’ Guide to Mobile 3D

admin
-
0

Earlier today Mobile Europe held a webinar on mobile 3D, with a presentation from Movidius’ Bob Tait. But never mind if you missed it, because a recording of the event is now available to view.

Date: Tuesday, 14 December 2010, 10-11am GMT
Host: Keith Dyer, Editor, Mobile Europe

Presenters:
Bob Tait, Marketing Director, Movidius
Cormac Brick, Head of 3D Technology Development, Movidius

Mobile 3D is coming to a handset near you, but brings with it challenges for developers and other key players in the mobile value chain.

This Mobile Europe webinar, held in association with Movidius, will explore the key elements required to deliver good quality mobile 3D experiences for a variety of smart mobile platforms.

By accessing a solid grounding in 3D principles, attendees will come away with an understanding of the impact 3D has on the full mobile entertainment value chain and especially the requirements for good handset design.

The webinar will also include an update on developments in the mobile 3D market and will be delivered by experts actively involved in delivering mobile 3D projects today.

View webinar

Growing mobile marketing and advertising revenue will approach $1.5 billion in 2016 – report

admin
-
0

The audience for mobile marketing and advertising is said to be growing steadily, and spending on the new medium is growing in parallel. One six-month period in 2010 saw spending expand in the US by almost 2.5%, and a new ABI Research study indicates that in 2016, revenue from mobile display ads will be getting close to $1.5 billion.

Practice director Neil Strother says, “Although the market for mobile advertising and marketing is starting from a very small base, it is showing steady, solid growth. A Consumer Technology Barometer survey conducted by ABI Research this year revealed that about one third of the smartphone owners polled had clicked on at least one mobile advertisement.”

Overall spending on mobile ad media has accelerated with the arrival of the autumn “back to school” and end-of-year holiday seasons, and is expected to approach $1 billion by year’s end.

Before 2010 this industry was seen as quite “experimental,” but, says Strother, “There was a shift starting at the end of last year from the pioneering phase to what we might call the ‘early growth phase.’ By now, probably 20% of all major companies have done something with mobile marketing, and some of them are doing so repeatedly. Today’s mobile campaigns can cost $100,000 or more and annual budgets may run to several million dollars.”

Mobile marketing and advertising fall into five categories: Text messages; Mobile display (banner) ads; Mobile search; In-application advertising; and In-video advertising.

All of these may have their uses within a campaign, as does location data; however Strother observes that, “Today mobile is often seen as a distinct channel, but eventually there will be nothing special about it: it will be understood as an integrated part of a campaign’s overall strategy.”

Spirent solution identifies smartphone performance issues

admin
-
0

Spirent Communications, a provider of testing solutions for wireless devices, networks and services, today announced the availability of the industry’s first automated R&D solution for testing smartphone performance in the presence of simultaneous voice, data and location-based services (LBS). Built on Spirent’s 8100 Development Library solution, the new service interaction test capability is said to be the latest Spirent tool designed specifically to test 3G UMTS device performance.

Although today’s smartphones are running an ever-increasing number of applications, these applications must share the device’s limited resources, and this can lead to performance challenges, says Spirent. For example, the use of A-GPS location on smartphones for navigation or other location-based applications can disrupt the reception of business e-mail, reduce data download speeds and can also cause important calls to drop, even threatening the reliability of emergency calls.

Spirent’s new service interaction testing capability was used to carry out tests on a number of commercial smartphones, which ran multiple simultaneous services in the lab under real-world conditions. The results, documented in a recent Spirent white paper, highlight some of the significant performance threats to key elements of smartphone functionality. The findings, along with the innovative test methodology used to obtain them, are also the subject of a recent Spirent webinar.

“Today’s savvy consumers continue to drive smartphone adoption, demanding ever more services and applications,” said Richard Webb, directing analyst, Mobile Devices at Infonetics Research. “But device manufacturers and network operators have only a short window to get it right, as we’ve seen from the negative headlines around some high-profile device issues. Spirent’s white paper highlights some important smartphone performance challenges that vendors and operators face. Going forward, the requirement for smartphones to support more and more applications and services, as well as new technologies like LTE, can only add to these challenges. One thing is certain – consumers will become less tolerant of a poor user experience and the market will punish devices that are unable to deliver.”

With its integrated network emulation that includes channel fading and noise, Spirent’s 8100 Development Library helps accelerate functional, integration, and inter-operability testing of UMTS devices, including a full test automation capability. As a key part of the 8100 Mobile Device test system, 8100 Development Library also provides a scalable, multipurpose solution that is expandable beyond initial testing needs.

“In the tight race for mindshare and revenue, wireless operators and their device and chipset vendors are increasingly trying to differentiate around performance in the presence of combined services to offer a great anytime, anywhere end-user experience.” said Hesham ElHamahmy, vice president of Spirent’s wireless business. “Testing for service interaction issues earlier in the device development cycle can help to greatly reduce unwanted performance issues before they negatively impact the end user experience.”

To view the on-demand webinar visit, http://www.spirent.com/events/service_interaction_webinar

Airwide launches Network and Personal Security solution

admin
-
0

Airwide Solutions, a provider of next generation mobile messaging infrastructure, applications and solutions, today announced the company has launched its Network and Personal Security (NPS) solution. The solution is said to provide multiple layers of protection, shielding subscribers, operator infrastructure and service revenues from potential threats and unwanted content. The solution goes beyond traditional antispam technology to address the burgeoning array of security threats affecting mobile operators and their subscribers, says Airwide.

Airwide’s NPS solution is said to offer multi-layered security in the network that provides a comprehensive, yet modular, means to address the myriad of security issues facing mobile operators and subscribers.  NPS protects subscribers and operators from a variety of threats, ranging from off-net traffic sources to advertising spam or bullying messages and revenue leakage from VAS providers. It is tailored and tuned to the specific challenges of mobile networks across all channels and threat vectors, says Airwide.

“With the explosion of mobile applications and smartphones, and with personal, financial and commercial data increasingly being stored on mobile devices, networks are being challenged to ensure their precious bandwidth is used by legitimate content and services. The enthusiasm for new devices and applications is masking the threats that are brewing below the surface,” said Jay Seaton, CMO of Airwide Solutions.  “Traditional PC-based security systems are not designed for the unique issues that mobile use presents. While much of the mobile security focus has been on spam, and we still do see significant growth in this area, spam is often viewed as simply an annoyance.  What can be far more damaging and pervasive are the ever-changing range of other mobile security threats including fraud, spoof, malware and a wide spectrum of malicious or unwanted content including bullying and sexting.”

Tesco Mobile pilots Tweakker for customer care

admin
-
0

First operator pilot for over the air customer care provider

Tweakker, which provides an over the air mobile provisioning interface, has signed Tesco Mobile Ireland up as the first operator to pilot its web-based customer care solution.

Tweakker claims that its OTA API is ten-twenty times cheaper than the cost of a customer care call for a customer experiencing configuration or settings problems.
It is thought that Tweakker, which has operated on a direct to the customer model so far, has other industry partnerships in the pipeline to be announced in 2011.
Tweakker’s service supports nearly 2,400 mobile models and 129 brands and its API. Service providers and operators can use the service by buying access to Tweakker’s API, developing a web interface and adding to to their websites. As a result, Tweakker’s customers provide anytime-anywhere customer care at approximately 5% of the cost of call centres.
In September 2010 the company said that more than 500,000 people had used Tweakker’s API, a number it claims has now risen to 900,000.

Picochip and Wavesat achieve LTE interoperability testing milestones for femtocells, picocells and user equipment

admin
-
0

Picochip and Wavesat announced today that they have successfully completed interoperability testing (IOT) between Picochip’s PC960x LTE small cell basestation solution and Wavesat’s Odyssey 9000 family of UE chipsets.

“Open interoperability is key to the success of any cellular technology,” notes Peter Jarich, Service Director with Current Analysis.  “To be sure,  interoperability usually develops over time.  Here, the fact that semiconductor reference designs are of a maturity and quality to support end-to-end system test, verification and IOT is an encouraging sign for the pace of LTE development and likely to accelerate the maturation of the market. In a recent (November 2010) straw poll on femtocells by Current Analysis, 94% of respondees from the femtocell ecosystem felt that small cells were critical to LTE deployment. Obviously, the availability of interoperable network and UE products is an essential part of that.”

The first Wavesat Odyssey 9000 chipsets feature CAT-3 performance (100 Mb/s downlink, 50 Mb/s uplink) for user equipment such as USB dongles, data cards, mobile handsets and tablets/MIDs. These were tested with Picochip’s PC9608/9 ‘small cell’ basestation development platform developed jointly with Continuous Computing (CCPU), connecting to both network test and commercial EPC gateway products.

The two companies announced in March 2010 a memorandum of understanding concerning end-to-end LTE interoperability testing for their products. This assists LTE network operators, systems integrators and OEM/ODM system manufacturers, who stand to benefit from the availability of the combined, tested technologies such as fully conformant / ready-to-ship eNodeB reference designs.

“Working with Wavesat has enabled Picochip’s team at our IOT lab here in Bath to rapidly deliver a level of functionality and performance in excess even of our own expectations. The speed of integration was especially pleasing,” said David Maidment, VP of Product Management at Picochip.  “The Picochip Home eNodeB reference platform is in integration testing with leading infrastructure vendors and network operators, and showing end-to-end IOT with both core and commercial UE bodes well for next year.”

“Our two companies are committed to broadening the LTE ecosystem with full featured femtocell, picocell and end user devices,” said Anil Barot, VP of Marketing & Business Development at Wavesat.  “These results demonstrate the proven reality of open market small cells and commercial UEs delivering high performance. Our joint efforts will give more confidence to network equipment manufacturers and carriers about deploying fully interoperable and pre-tested systems.”

Femtocells and picocells improve mobile voice and data service at business and residential customer premises, in metropolitan hot zones and in sparsely populated rural areas. They are becoming critical components of 3G and 4G networks, and are expected to play a key role in the roll-out of LTE.

1...1,1211,1221,123...1,639Page 1,122 of 1,639
- Advertisement -

Subscribe to Our Daily Newsletter

It takes just one minute to register for the leading daily B2B newsletter for the telecoms industry, and it's free.

SIGN UP

Subscribe to Our Daily Newsletter

It takes just one minute to register for the leading daily B2B newsletter for the telecoms industry, and it's free.

SIGN UP
DOWNLOAD OUR NEW REPORT

5G Advanced

Will 5G’s second wave deliver value?

DOWNLOAD REPORT