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IPWireless and Streamezzo partner to develop IMB applications for range of devices

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IPWireless, a specialist in developing key enabling IMB technology, today announced that it has partnered with Streamezzo to develop and deploy multimedia applications for mobile TV, video store and forward, interactive voting and more, based on the 3GPP IMB standard. 

IMB is said to be capable of streaming live video, and broadcasting and storing popular content on the device for later consumption – both resulting in significant offloading of data intensive traffic from existing 3G unicast networks and an improved customer experience.  The rich multimedia client features an electronic program guide (EPG), channel grid and embedded video player for live TV viewing and video recording. All of the IMB applications can be adapted to support all major mobile OSs and different mobile device types including smartphones, tablets and e-readers.

Olivier Avaro, Amdocs Hub Vice President of Applications commented, “IMB has the potential to deliver the multimedia experience consumers want at an economic model that makes sense for operators.  Streamezzo and IPWireless bring advanced application features that enable service providers to move beyond mobile TV and offer innovative and intelligent new broadcast services that will lead to an enhanced consumer experience.”

“Streamezzo’s expertise designing rich mobile media experiences combined with our core IMB technology allowed us to rapidly design compelling applications that meet our operator customers’ requirements for managing the current surge in multimedia traffic and delivers users a superior experience,” said William Jones, Chief Executive Officer of IPWireless.
“Together, we look forward to bringing these applications to even more devices and making IMB ubiquitous.”

IMB was defined in the 3GPP release 8 standards, and was recently endorsed by the GSMA as their preferred method for the efficient delivery of broadcast services. In June 2010, O2, Orange and Vodafone – three of the five major UK mobile operators – announced that they have teamed up for a three-month trial of IMB where they will explore using the IMB wireless technology within a little used tranche of 3G spectrum called Time Division Duplex (TDD) spectrum. The trial will commence in October 2010 and intend to show how IMB can deliver data intensive services, such as Mobile TV in a more efficient way.

The spectrum already forms part of the 3G licenses held by many European mobile operators, but has remained largely unused because of a lack of appropriate technology. Currently, 3G TDD spectrum is available to over 150 operators across 60 countries covering more than half a billion subscribers.  IMB is said to enable spectrally efficient delivery of broadcast services, in TDD spectrum based on techniques that are aligned with existing FDD WCDMA standards. This allows for a smooth handover between IMB and existing 3G networks.

M2M standards by early 2011, says ETSI

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Standards for M2M service platform will come first

ETSI has said that mobile operators are pushing for publication of M2M standards by early 2011.

The European standards body is holding its first ever workshop on M2M standards in October, and says that with more than 130 delegates already registered there’s clear evidence that M2M is an area of growing interest in the industry.

ETSI says that the standards work of ETSI’s M2M Technical Committee is reaching an advanced stage, “and many network operators are encouraging a first release of M2M standards by early 2011”. The committee is currently finalising the architecture for the service platform that will enable the integration of multiple vertical M2M applications. In addition, the group is looking to the utilities and end users to seek to identify concretely which future trends may drive the development of M2M service offerings and networks.

ETSI’s workshop will present the current status of Machine to Machine standards work, both in ETSI and in other standards bodies, and will examine how M2M capabilities will be one stepping stone amongst several toward the “Internet of Things”. An important facet will be to identify additional needs from the impacted industrial and academic segments for the further standardisation of M2M communications.

Machine-to-Machine can be loosely defined as any communication without (or with only limited) human intervention: however, behind this very generic term there are a large number of potential application areas (healthcare, transportation, utilities, security. manufacturing…) and enabling technologies (IP, RFID, sensor networks, home networks, smart metering…). The expectation is a future where billions of devices of any kind are connected to each other and share data in real time: these may include sensors that are integrated in our cars, our homes, even our own bodies, as well as meters that manage how much energy we consume. Many of the topics currently being researched will also have relevance for the evolution of fixed and mobile telecommunication networks.

Among the diverse applications to be presented at the workshop will be the use of M2M in support of rural farming in India and its potential in fleet management systems.

The ETSI workshop on Machine to Machine Communications is an open event and attendance is free of charge. It will be held at the Agora in Sophia Antipolis, France, on 19 and 20 October. http://www.etsi.org/M2MWORKSHOP

OpenCloud secures £5 million investment

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OpenCloud, a supplier of real-time application server software for next-generation convergent telecommunications services, has today announced that it has received an investment of £4 million from Nokia Siemens Networks, plus an additional £1m from its existing investors Advent Venture Partners and No 8 Ventures.

In addition to the investment by NSN, OpenCloud has secured an OEM agreement that will see OpenCloud’s Rhino Telecom Application Server and Service Interaction Server becoming integrated into NSN’s charge@once unified product suite – a modular, highly scalable and flexible convergent charging solution.

For the last two years, OpenCloud and NSN have worked in partnership securing 13 joint customers in that time.

The investment will be used by OpenCloud to further its expansion across globally.  It will also allow OpenCloud to extend its partner and application portfolios, as well as assist in the development of future products. The announcement is said to come at a time when the market demand for OpenCloud’s Telecoms Application Server and Service Broker products is increasing.

In the last year, OpenCloud says its growth has exceeded projections.  Revenues have tripled year-on-year and the company has acquired 13 customer wins in the last year.  OpenCloud’s client roster includes BT, Vodafone, and T Mobile amongst its customer base of over 30 mobile and fixed network telecom operators.

“We are continuing with our quest to open up the telecoms service layer, to provide compelling technology to the expanding community of telecoms software developers and deliver better value and increased innovation” says Jeff Gordon, CEO of OpenCloud.  “Naturally, we are clearly delighted to be making this announcement – in particular receiving an investment from NSN is a strong endorsement of OpenCloud’s products and strategy, and it will help to support our continuing rapid growth. This move elevates our relationship with NSN to that of a truly strategic partner and will enable us to address the considerable Service Layer and Converged Charging opportunities in the market.”

“This investment will allow NSN to address the considerable Converged Charging and Service Delivery Platform opportunities in the market”, says Rick Centeno, head of Charging, Billing and Care, Nokia Siemens Networks. “We will be able to better provide our customers with an integrated offering to fit their end-to-end needs around service development, delivery, control and charging”.

Opera Mini 5.1 launched for Windows Mobile devices

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Opera has released an improved Opera Mini 5.1 for Windows Mobile. The new update is said to bring better support for high resolution handsets, accelerometer support and the ability to set Opera Mini as the default browser.

Opera Mini 5.1 has already been released for Java, Android and BlackBerry phones. Now available for Windows Mobile 2003 SE, 5.x and 6.x handsets, Opera Mini’s server backbone speeds up browsing while reducing the data transferred to the phone. For users roaming on expensive networks, or with pay-as-you-go data plans, Opera claims the Mini can cut mobile data bills by up to 90 percent.

Opera Mini 5.1 updates include:

– The ability to set Opera Mini as the default browser
– Support for devices with high-resolution (high DPI)
– Improved page layout and font rendering
– Support for auto-rotation
– Advanced configuration support for power users

“Opera Mini 5.1 contains several key improvements for the millions of people with a Windows Mobile phone,” said Jon von Tetzchner, Co-founder, Opera Software. “The new Opera Mini is particularly vibrant and really takes advantage of high resolution screens. And, now that you can set Opera Mini as your default browser on a Windows Mobile phone, it is much easier to enjoy the speed boost and data compression. It is our way of making your Windows Mobile phone better.”

Mobile data modem vendors already on 4G starting line, says research

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The number of mobile broadband subscribers is projected to surpass 1.5 billion by 2015, and mobile data modem vendors are already on 4G starting line, according to a new report from ABI Research.

“While the majority of subscribers connect to the mobile Internet via their smartphones, a number do so via their modem-enabled iPads, netbooks and laptops,” says ABI Research principal analyst Jeff Orr. “Mobile operators are starting to see burgeoning revenue growth in mobile broadband services. The cellular modems used to connect Internet services to mobile devices are, therefore, gaining in popularity.”

The latest products show improved speed and form-factors. Huawei’s E583C, which also doubles as a portable hotspot, is one example. It can provide 7.2 Mbps downstream and 5.76 Mbps upstream. It weighs just 90 grams and up to five devices can be connected via Wi-Fi. Products supporting HSPA+ networks can provide download speeds up to 21.1 Mbps.

“At present, most modems on the market support GSM, GPRS, EDGE or HSDPA network technologies, according to ABI Research’s cellular modem Market Data,” says research associate Khin Sandi Lynn. “There is also a growing selection of wireless modems supporting 4G technologies.”

Among the new wireless modems launched this year, Sierra Wireless’s Aircard 250U and Franklin Wireless’s U600 are USB modems that support 4G data access using mobile WiMAX. Green Packet, Intel and Motorola also provide WiMAX modems for PCs. While the competing LTE air interface protocol has yet to go commercial on any scale, vendors are already jockeying for position. Huawei has launched its E398 USB modem, which is compatible with LTE, UMTS and GSM protocols.

Mobyland launches world’s first commercial 1800MHz LTE/EPC network in Poland with Huawei solution

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Huawei has announced that Mobyland, Poland’s leading 2G mobile provider has, with the cooperation of CenterNet, successfully launched the world’s first commercial 1800MHz LTE/EPC network using Huawei’s end to end (E2E) LTE/EPC (Long Term Evolution/Evolved Packet Core) solution. Mobyland, in collaboration with CenterNet, is now able to provide a mobile broadband service to mobile broadband operators and their end users with peak downlink speeds of more than 146 Mb/s per user.

According to the contract, Huawei will deploy a mobile broadband network across Poland for Mobyland with its SingleRAN@Broad solution. The deployment includes the world’s first commercial LTE/EPC network based on 1800MHz spectrum with 20MHz bandwidth on one radio unit.

“Mobyland is committed to providing a high-quality mobile broadband service for our customers in Poland, and we are excited to partner with Huawei to introduce Poland’s first commercial LTE/EPC network,” said Adam Kurianski, president of CenterNet and a board member of Mobyland. “Huawei is one of the few providers in the world that is capable of delivering such an end-to-end commercial LTE/EPC solution.”

The first phase of the commercial LTE network was deployed by software upgrading Mobyland’s existing 2G network, based on Huawei equipment, covering Poland’s major cities such as Warsaw, Katowice, and Lodz. The high-quality and rapid network deployment is said to demonstrate that Huawei’s mobile network solution ensures smooth evolution in the future as well as reduced TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).

Refarming Mobyland and CenterNet’s extant 2G bands, such as 1800MHz, will allow for greater performance across bands. This, in turn, will enable the LTE network to improve spectrum efficiency, enhance coverage quality, reduce the quantity of sites, and decrease carbon emissions. It also results in a reduced TCO for mobile broadband operators, says Huawei.

“In addition to spurring the development of the LTE industry and ancillary technologies, Huawei closely cooperates with leading operators worldwide to explore new business models and to enlarge potential business opportunities,” said Ying Weimin, president of LTE Product Line, Huawei. “Using a combination of existing, and new, wireless bands, Huawei is able to provide customised and competitive mobile broadband solutions to our customers. This approach results in a win-win solution for operators, end users and the LTE industry.”

Notebook shipments surpass 291 million units in 2014, says research

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Despite turbulent economic conditions, mobile computing continues to see surging demand resulting from sleeker designs, new form factors, and pent-up business demand, according to new research from In-Stat.  Mobile computing devices, including tablets, mini-notes (netbooks & smartbooks) and notebook PCs will grow at a 19.1% CAGR through 2014 and account for over 400 million units, it says.

“While there will be a battle for the lower-end Internet-centric devices like tablets and netbooks, notebooks will continue to be the overall demand driver as consumers focus on lighter and lower-cost PCs and businesses continue to transition to mainstream and high-performance mobile platforms,” says Jim McGregor, Chief Technology Strategist.  “In addition, demand for mobile computing is coming from both developing and industrialized regions.”

The research by In-Stat found the following:

 *   Tablets will record the highest CAGR of 123.6% through 2014.
 *   Notebook shipments will reach 291 million units in 2014 and account for 52% of the computing market. 
 *   Asia Pacific will lead all regions in growth, surpassing 36% of the total market in 2014.

The research, “3Q10 Computing Forecasts: Desktops, Notebooks, Netbooks, and MIDs/Tablets, covers the worldwide market for desktop computing devices across six regions and includes shipment, growth, and segmentation forecasts for:

 *   Desktop PCs
 *   Mobile Internet Devices(MIDs)/Tablets
 *   Mini-notes (Netbooks, smartbooks, and UMPCs)
 *   Notebook PCs

BT announces free Wi-Fi access with new smartphone app

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BT today announced a new free mobile application that will automatically connect customers to its network of 1.6 million Wi-Fi hotspots.  To celebrate the launch, BT says it is giving 50p to BBC Children in Need for each free BT FON application downloaded, until they reach a target of £10,000.

Users with an iPhone or Android device can download the free application today from the iTunes App Store and the Android Market. The application gives BT Total Broadband customers mobile access to free and unlimited Wi-Fi and includes a mapping service which is updated weekly so that customers can find their nearest hotspot.

Once BT customers have downloaded the app, they input their btinternet email username and password, and choose to be automatically logged in whenever they are in a BT Wi-Fi area. Because access is unlimited and free for BT Total Broadband customers there’s no chance of them racking up extra costs on their mobile phone bill, says BT.
 
BT’s Wi-Fi network is the biggest in the UK – made up of BT Openzone and BT FON hotspots – and all BT Total Broadband customers have free and unlimited access.  BT Openzone is a Wi-Fi service that can be accessed in places such as airports, hotels, coffee shops, motorway service stations and city centres.

John Petter, managing director, for BT Retail Consumer, said: “Millions of BT Total Broadband customers already get free access to the UK’s biggest Wi-Fi network. This free app makes accessing Wi-Fi so simple you don’t even have to think about it. This represents real value to our customers at a time when more and more people are using their mobile phone to access the internet. By downloading it now customers can also help BBC Children in Need.”

GSMA reveals new developments for Mobile World Congress 2011

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The GSMA today announced several new developments for the 2011 GSMA Mobile World Congress, which will be held 14-17 February, 2011 in Barcelona.

Building on the success of the inaugural App Planet event held in 2010, the GSMA is expanding the developer-focused programme at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2011 to include new elements such as Macworld Mobile and the Brand App Challenge. The GSMA also announced RIM and Palm as the first Application Developer Conference (ADC) partners for App Planet.  Finally, the GSMA announced that the CEOs of América Móvil, HTC, Vodafone and WPP have joined the list of industry leaders delivering keynote presentations at Mobile World Congress.

“App Planet proved to be a stunning success in its debut this year at Mobile World Congress, demonstrating the tremendous demand for in-depth content, networking and business development opportunities and information on the cutting-edge technologies and solutions in the mobile application space,” said Michael O’Hara, chief marketing officer, GSMA.  “The developments we are announcing today, particularly the launch of Macworld Mobile which will target the critical Apple developer community, will serve to make App Planet and Mobile World Congress the epicentre for the app world.”

At Mobile World Congress 2011, the GSMA is partnering with IDG World Expo, organisers of Macworld, the world’s premiere event focused exclusively on the Apple products platform, to produce Macworld Mobile, a mobile developer event for the Apple iPhone and iPad platforms.  The Macworld Mobile iOS Developer Conference will provide full-day, in-depth training on this critical platform, with technical sessions, targeting tools and applications specifically designed for mobile application developers and engineers.

“We’re excited to bring Macworld Mobile to Mobile World Congress,” said Mary Dolaher, chief executive officer of IDG World Expo, a leading producer of tradeshows and events.  “Macworld is known around the world for helping to drive and stimulate the Apple products community with educational programmes and business development activities. At Mobile World Congress, we will help international iOS developers to strengthen their skills, as well as facilitate connections with other developers and the worldwide audience of mobile decision makers who attend.”

In addition to the key components of last year’s event, including ADCs held by major mobile platform providers, an interactive exhibition and the App Lounge to facilitate networking and business development activities, App Planet will also feature new elements including the Brand App Challenge. The GSMA expects more than 10,000 developers to visit App Planet during the four days of Mobile World Congress.

Brand App Challenge
The GSMA is creating a competition focused on mobile application developers creating “brand apps” for a select number of global consumer brands. Developers will compete by creating customised mobile apps for the participating brand sponsors based on the objectives and guidance provided by the individual brands. The primary goals of the Brand App Challenge are to create networking and business opportunities which benefit the brands, application developers and the broader mobile ecosystem, as well as to tap the creativity and capabilities of the mobile application developer community to address brand and industry challenges.

The competition will begin in October with the finalists being named approximately one month before Mobile World Congress 2011. The Brand App Challenge winners will be announced as part of the Mobile World Congress conference programme and will receive cash awards for their winning efforts.

App Planet ADC Partners
The GSMA announced that Research in Motion (RIM) has again signed on as a key partner for App Planet, and will be focusing company’s entire Mobile World Congress presence in App Planet, located in Hall 7 at the Fira de Barcelona.  In addition to a 1,200 square metre exhibition, RIM will be hosting an ADC for 500 BlackBerry developers on Tuesday, 15th February, 2011.

Palm will also be an App Planet ADC partner and will be holding a full-day ADC on Wednesday, 16th February, 2011.

New Keynote Speakers for Mobile World Congress 2011 The GSMA continues to expand the stellar line up of keynote speakers at Mobile World Congress and today announced that CEOs from leading companies including América Móvil, HTC, WPP, and Vodafone will be taking the stage in Barcelona. New Mobile World Congress keynote speakers include:

•         Daniel Hajj, CEO, América Móvil and Telcel

•         Peter Chou, CEO, HTC

•         Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, Vodafone

•         Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive, WPP

Previously announced speakers include:

•         Randall Stephenson, Chairman, CEO and President, AT&T

•         Li Yue, President and CEO, China Mobile

•         Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google

•         Paul Jacobs, Chairman and CEO, Qualcomm

•         Jack Dorsey, CEO, Square

•         Evan Williams, CEO, Twitter

GSMA Ministerial Programme
The GSMA also announced that Saudi Telecom is the Platinum Sponsor and that Qualcomm is the Gold Sponsor for the GSMA Ministerial Programme at Mobile World Congress.  Now in its sixth year, the GSMA’s Ministerial Programme is a unique invitation-only event gathering ministers, regulators from over 90 countries  and CEOs from across the mobile industry for a series of in-depth strategic, policy and regulatory discussions, and bilateral meetings, over three days during Mobile World Congress.

Subex helps Telekom Slovenije address ‘Bill Shock’

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Subex, a global provider of Operations and Business Support Systems, announced today that it has successfully helped Telekom Slovenije implement a solution to protect its customers from ‘Bill Shock.’

The risk of Bill Shock has increased because individuals and businesses are using a growing range of telecoms services. In Slovenia, the government has directed all operators to alert their customers of potentially high telecoms bills in a timely way.

Subex’s ROC Fraud Management was implemented at Telekom Slovenije in late 2009. This solution is said to have helped the service provider to assess usage patterns among subscribers quickly and, in turn, provide it with the intelligence and analysis to select the subscribers that need to be warned.

The CEMM (Credit Exposure Management Module) of Subex’s ROC Fraud Management along with SAP’s Credit Risk solution has helped Telekom Slovenije create a dynamic credit risk limit for subscribers based on average usage for three months. Through detailed reporting and analysis the solution provides a clear view of any significant increase in the subscriber’s bill almost immediately, and thereby provides Telekom Slovenije enough time to warn their customer.

Mr. Tomaz Kraskovic, Director Finance Department at Telekom Slovenije said: “We take customer service very seriously and we want to avoid our customers receiving unexpectedly high bills. The Subex solution is flexible and allows us to quickly alert customers if we think they may be overspending on their phone bill.”

Paul Skillen, President – Europe, Middle-East and Africa, Subex added: “With an increasing range of services available to customers in Europe, bill shock reduction is an extremely sensitive and volatile issue for Communication Service Providers (CSPs). Service providers such as Telekom Slovenije understand the importance of positive customer experience and our solutions help them provide pro-active customer experience seamlessly and efficiently.”

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