Subex, a global provider of Operations Support Systems (OSS) solutions for telecom operators , has announced it has dropped the Azure from its name.

Subash Menon, Founder Chairman, Managing Director & CEO, Subex said, "We adopted the name Subex Azure primarily to highlight the acquisition and subsequent integration of UK firm Azure in June 2006. This was in line with our strategy to leverage the recall and positioning of Azure in the market. The company has now fully benefited from that strategy and since then proceeded to acquire Canadian firm Syndesis. Now it's time to reposition Subex, the mother brand, as the primary brand."

The new name is the culmination of acquisitions to date, incorporating all assets and brand equity into a unified brand. It is also a reflection of the company's global consolidation and continuous product innovation.

Sanjeev Gadre, Vice President – Marketing, Subex Ltd said, "The stylised 'X' in the new Subex logo stands for the `X' factor that sets Subex apart in its domain. The colours purple and yellow are warm and reiterate Subex's vigour and passion. The usage of the lowercase type is representative of the company's youthful dynamism. The straight and thick lines are evocative of the strength with which the company leads the industry." 

Nokia has announced a collaboration with Telecom Italia to accelerate the adoption of new Internet services on mobile. Ovi, the gateway to Nokia's Internet services, will be enabled on Nokia handsets offered by TIM. The agreement will make it easy for people to find and enjoy best-in-class Internet services, from TIM, Nokia or from other Internet service providers.

As part of the collaboration, Nokia will customize the new Nokia handsets to provide easy access to TIM services. Similarly, TIM customers can access all Nokia services through the customized Multimedia Menu embedded into their Nokia device. The collaboration also includes areas such as technology and billing co-operation.

The Nokia N95 8GB and the Nokia N81 will be the first devices offered that will have customized menus to provide easy access to both services. Nokia and TIM have also agreed on a sustainable business model for both parties in a mutually beneficial approach.

"We want to provide TIM mobile customers with the best mobile experience and by working with Nokia, we ensure that our customers have access to the best in internet services. Nokia and other Internet services will be able to take advantage of TIM's high quality mobile broadband network," said Riccardo Jelmini, Telecom Italia Executive Vice President VAS – Domestic Mobile Services. 

"We're extremely excited about this collaboration as I believe it can pave the way for a new way of working throughout our industry," said Jyrki Salminen, Senior Vice President, Nokia Multimedia. "Ease of use has always been at heart of Nokia devices and this collaboration is an important step in creating the same for Internet services. Nokia devices and services are based on open standards making it easy for us to work with forward thinking operators such as TIM to provide consumers with a choice about which internet services they want to access from their mobile device."

TynTec, the mobile messaging services provider, has announced a deal with global healthcare and crisis IT specialist Regpoint to provide high volume SMS delivery for use in emergency situations.  The agreement will see Regpoint using TynTec's custom-built messaging technology to send large numbers of SMS to quickly alert people of tsunamis, terrorist attacks, disease epidemics and other emergencies.

Using TynTec's custom-built SMSC and deep level (SS7) connection into the global telecoms network Regpoint can be assured of sending millions of 'Flash' SMS in short time frames, regardless of the recipient network operator.  Flash SMS are especially good for emergency situations because they appear directly on the recipients screen, as opposed to going into the inbox.  This means people signed up for the service, which includes government officials, emergency services and doctors, can receive timely warnings on impending disasters, allowing them to react as quickly as possible. 

Because of TynTec's unique access into the global mobile telecoms network the company can guarantee direct delivery of the flash SMS' to more than 340 networks worldwide within 15 seconds.  Therefore not only does TynTec allow Regpoint to issue a vast number of SMS, but also to ensure they are delivered to people roaming across different territories.

Sophia Salenius, CEO from Regpoint said "The TynTec platform gives us the powerful ability to guarantee the delivery of emergency SMS to a vast number of people throughout the globe, helping to save as many lives as possible in emergency situations. 

"None of the operators we contacted had the capacity to send anywhere near this volume of SMS or had a similar global reach. TynTec's high volume SMS capability can throughput the millions of SMS required to get the flash messages out to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, as well as providing the reassurance that messages will not get lost along the way."    

Michael Kowalzik, CEO of TynTec, said, "It is a validation of the strength of the TynTec offering that we are being used for a purpose as important as this.  The fact that our messaging services are being used to save lives and safeguard people from dangerous situations underlines the capability of the TynTec messaging platform to deliver SMS as quickly as possible.

Ericsson has signed a frame agreement with Mobile TeleSystems OJSV (MTS), Russia's leading mobile operator, to supply and deploy a 3G/HSPA network.

Under the agreement, Ericsson will deliver a turnkey solution including 3G/HSPA core and radio access network equipment, network management system hardware and software plus a range of professional services such as network deployment, systems integration, operation, technical support and training. 

The commercial launch of 3G network segments is scheduled for second half of 2008.

This move will enable MTS to offer its subscribers high-speed mobile broadband services together with innovative, next-generation multimedia services, such as mobile TV and video calls.

Ericsson's HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) provides fast data transmission speeds in uplink and downlink. It also boosts network capacity and lowers response times for interactive services. Ericsson's unique dual access packet core allows smooth and efficient introduction of high speed 3G/HSPA services through software upgrade of the existing GSM core hardware.

Bjorn Eisner, Vice-President, Ericsson Eastern Europe and Central Asia, says: "We are delighted to continue our longstanding relationship with MTS and become the supplier for their next-generation mobile network in this dynamic and rapidly growing market."

Nokia and Avvenu have announced that they have signed an agreement under which Nokia will acquire Avvenu www.avvenu.com.  Avvenu provides Internet services that allow anyone to use their mobile devices to securely access, use and share personal computer files, even if their host computer is turned off.

By acquiring Avvenu, Nokia is plannning to further enhance its portfolio of solutions for mobile operators, as well as deliver a secure file access and share service direct to mobile workers. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and has not yet been completed.

Nokia believes that anytime access to PC content is a missing ingredient to mobile productivity. Smartphone adoption is growing faster than previously estimated and surveys confirm that many people are using mobile devices to view, process, and edit content. Easy access to existing pc content will fuel mobile computing convenience and productivity.

"This acquisition is another step toward delivering on Nokia's business mobility strategy," said Mary McDowell, executive vice president and general manager, Enterprise Solutions, Nokia.  "Avvenu's 'digital locker' file access and sharing technology allows users to search, access and share PC files remotely, using  their mobile or other connected devices, even when their PC is turned off or not connected to the Internet.  With the integration of Avvenu's technology, Nokia will further extend its business mobility solutions beyond email to add collaboration tools that enable greater everyday productivity through access to a user's own content anytime, anywhere, from any connected device."

"We share Nokia's vision of quickly and easily connecting people with their information and content regardless of where they are in the world, and whether their PC is with them or not," said Richard French, CEO, Avvenu.  "The combination of our experienced team and our patented technology platform will help realize this vision, while access to Nokia's extensive technology and market resources will accelerate our time to market for new mobile Internet services."

Founded in 2004, Avvenu is a privately-owned start up headquartered in Palo Alto, California.  Avvenu will be integrated into Nokia's new Services & Software unit as a part of the company re-organization that will take effect on January 1, 2008.

Poland's newest and first multimedia mobile operator, PLAY, has selected Lavastorm, one of the world's leading business assurance software providers, to support their business processes for PLAY's UMTS mobile services. 

Lavastorm, a Martin Dawes Systems company, will provide PLAY with a completely converged solution covering Revenue Assurance, Fraud Management and Interconnect Settlement for its voice, broadband and video services.  The "triple play" solution will enable PLAY to manage the entire business assurance and risk management process, from third party fraud detection & prevention, assurance of revenues, through to control of interconnect and national roaming settlements.

In an increasingly competitive Polish market, the multimedia strategy of PLAY required a scalable and robust business assurance solution that could be delivered promptly. To minimise revenue leakage and exposure to fraud as well as supporting essential business functions, Lavastorm's cost effective platform was chosen and will automate the entire business assurance process at PLAY.  This will ultimately help to reduce PLAY's operating costs, increase revenues and reduce fraud and churn.

In addition to  its proven experience and strong technical solution containing a truly converged solution for RA, FMS and IC, Lavastorm was selected by PLAY because of  its commitment to delivering a superior customer experience including strong local presence both during and post-implementation.

Hans Cronberg, CTO of PLAY, comments: "The mobile market in Poland is growing rapidly and we are eager to provide an exciting portfolio of advanced services. By choosing Lavastorm we were provided with an integrated tool to flexibly secure our revenues, ensuring correct billing to our customers, and tracking our interconnect settlements.  The convergent "triple play" solution provided by Lavastorm is substantially more efficient from than traditional separate platforms for each application and will enable PLAY to minimize Capex and Opex related to business assurance processes.

Drew Rockwell, CEO, Lavastorm said: "We are delighted to be working with an advanced operator like PLAY and look forward to supporting the rollout of their exciting services in Poland. By employing a converged solution, operators like PLAY, can effectively provide "guardrails" for their business. Despite the dynamic and real-time nature of PLAY's system and processes, our business assurance solution will still be able to produce consistent and accurate financial and operational results. The Central and  Eastern European market holds enormous potential for us and presents an opportunity for us to leverage our successes and extensive experience. PLAY is a further indicator of our aggressive expansion plans in Europe and we plan to continue to capitalise on this momentum in the coming months."

Ericsson and T-Mobile UK have signed a five-year managed services contract to modernize the T-Mobile UK network and provide managed services with a comprehensive range of professional services.

The strategically important contract includes modernization of T-Mobile's infrastructure, field operations and multi-vendor spare parts management. The contract came into effect on the 1st December 2007.

The five-year contract will enable T-Mobile UK to lower operational expenses whilst maintaining high quality levels, strengthen the company's platform for growth and improve the customer experience.

Ericsson will build on its existing UK managed service capability. Around 190 staff from T-Mobile will be transferred to Ericsson, further enhancing its service organization.

Emin Gürdenli, Networks Director, T-Mobile UK, said: "Ericsson are a long-term and trusted partner and we are very pleased to extend this relationship. This is an important step in the evolution of our network strategy which underpins T-Mobile's commitment to provide a superior service experience for our 17 million customers in the UK."

Jacqueline Hey, Managing Director, Ericsson UK, said: "We are very proud to be entrusted with the responsibility for the evolution and continuing field operations of the T-Mobile UK network. This further strengthens our partnership and creates a platform for extended collaboration and future benefits."

Prior to this new contract, Ericsson was already T-Mobile UK's 3G core transformation partner. T-Mobile is a global Ericsson customer, where Ericsson supports network operations in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic and the US.

The contract is the second managed services contract Ericsson has concluded with a Deutsche Telekom company this year. It follows a contract for operation and maintenance of Deutsche Telekom's microwave network in Germany announced in August.

Shipments of GPS-enabled mobile phones will generate over $50 billion in revenues in 2008, rising to $100 billion in 2012, according to a report by ABI Research. The market for these handsets is expected to grow from around 240 million units in 2008 to over 550 million handset shipments in 2012. At present, most current GPS-enabled handsets are CDMA devices, but increasing numbers of GPS-enabled handsets for 3G/WCDMA networks will start to appear in the market from 2008 onwards.

According to ABI Research industry analyst Shailendra Pandey, "The ongoing consolidation in the mobile industry – including Nokia's acquisition of NAVTEQ, Broadcom's acquisition of Global Locate, CSR's acquisition of NordNav Technologies and Cambridge Positioning Systems, and the tussle between TomTom and Garmin to acquire Tele Atlas – gives a clear indication of the plans and commitment of industry players to address the GPS-enabled handset market."

ABI Research believes that the mobile industry has reached the stage where we can expect to see rapid growth in the GPS-enabled handset market. From cost and technology perspectives, chipset manufacturers now have solutions in place that will allow the integration of GPS in handsets at low cost and provide significant improvements in terms of accuracy, time-to-first-fix, and reception in indoor environments. On the services side, mobile operators and navigation application developers are coming up with attractive LBS offerings. Also, handset vendors are showing greater interest not only in providing GPS-enabled handsets, but also in introducing their own GPS-centric applications and services.

ABI Research expects the market for GPS-enabled handsets to grow strongly in the next five years. In addition to major handset manufacturers such as Nokia, Motorola, RIM and Samsung, smaller Asian ODMs including HTC, Quanta and Inventec are also introducing GPS-enabled devices. The firm's new study "GPS-Enabled Mobile Devices" examines the market landscape and future potential for GPS-enabled mobile phones. It discusses the critical business and marketing issues, as well as the market opportunities and challenges facing handset vendors, mobile operators, semiconductor vendors, and other industry players in addressing the GPS-enabled handset market.

Google has announced today that it will apply to participate in the Federal Communications Commission's upcoming auction of wireless spectrum in the 700 megahertz (MHz) band.

As part of the nationally mandated transition to digital television, the 700 MHz spectrum auction — which begins January 24, 2008 — will free up spectrum airwaves for more efficient wireless Internet service for consumers.  Advocacy by public interest groups and Google earlier this year helped ensure that regardless of which bidders win a key portion of the spectrum up for auction (the so-called "C Block"), they will be required to allow their users to download any software application they want on their mobile device, and to use any mobile devices they would like on that wireless network.  The winner must ensure these rights for consumers if the reserve price of $4.6 billion for the C Block is met at auction.

"We believe it's important to put our money where our principles are," said Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google. "Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in today's wireless world.  No matter which bidder ultimately prevails, the real winners of this auction are American consumers who likely will see more choices than ever before in how they access the Internet."

Schmidt also praised the leadership of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and his fellow commissioners for adopting the new rights for consumers earlier this year.

Google's formal application to participate in the 700 MHz auction will be filed with the FCC on Monday, December 3, 2007 — the required first step in the auction process.  Google's application does not include any partners.

Aeroflex has added a new option to its 6113 basestation tester for the test of GSM basestations with an A5/3 encryption capability.  The Aeroflex 6113's support for the latest A5/3 GSM encryption algorithm provides a field portable and easy-to-use basestation test solution that can be used for installation and commissioning, routine maintenance and fault finding as well as final unit production testing.  Support for the A5/3 encryption algorithm complements the Aeroflex 6113's support for the existing A5/1 and A5/2 algorithms.

The A5/3 encryption algorithm specifically supplies signalling protection so that voice calls, user-generated data and other sensitive information, such as telephone numbers, is protected over the radio path. The algorithm was designed by the Security Algorithms Group of Experts (SAGE) within ETSI and based on the requirements of the 3GPP's Working Group SA3 and developed with the support of the GSM Association, 3GPP and the United States' T1 Standards Committee.

"With over 2,000 units already deployed worldwide, the Aeroflex 6113 basestation tester is generally regarded by GSM operators as the industry-standard basestation test tool," said Ross Broadhurst, Product Marketing Manager, Aeroflex Test Solutions Wireless Division.  "The addition of A5/3 algorithm support further extends the wide range of test and measurement functions available on the Aeroflex 6113 basestation tester that facilitate the fast manual or automatic testing of all major basestation types."