Synchronoss Technologies, a provider of on-demand transaction management software to Tier One communications service providers (CSPs), has announced that its ConvergenceNow platform will be rolled out across Europe. Addressing the growth opportunities for network and device convergence, ConvergenceNow will be launched initially in the UK, Germany, France and Spain.

Synchronoss will be deploying and contracting directly with leading Tier One Communication Service providers. In order to accelerate time to market and transactional growth, Synchronoss has engaged major European system integration firms who have deep understandings of the back-office platforms at Tier One CSPs. Certified system integration partners selected by Synchronoss have committed financial, technical, and operational resources.

"We are truly excited about the growth opportunities that the European market offers us," said Stephen G. Waldis, president and CEO of Synchronoss Technologies. Waldis added, "We are convinced that our proven ConvergenceNow platform will allow European CSPs to create considerable value by optimizing the customer experience associated with activation and provisioning processes."

"Our research clearly indicates that converged networks and devices are expected to grow significantly over the next five years in Europe, with a variety of OEMs launching innovative handsets," said Omar Téllez, EVP of Marketing at Synchronoss Technologies. Téllez added, "We have seen first hand that European CSPs face significant challenges in deploying these converged services. We believe that our game-changing activation process is delivering the best customer experience possible. As the best in class solution in the United States on this front, we are excited as we begin our roll out of ConvergenceNow across Europe."

Thomson has announced its strategy for the delivery of interactive voice and video services over any fixed or mobile network using IMS ("IP Multimedia Subsystem") architecture. The announcement follows Thomson's on-going action to ease the deployment of new IPTV and interactive TV services and lower network costs.
 
Leveraging standard interfaces and mechanisms, IMS is a network architecture developed together by equipment vendors and telecom operators to deliver any type of service over any local loop and any device using a single infrastructure. It is seen by operators as the way to replace legacy telecom architectures with IP networks and launch a new breed of interactive and multimedia features to compete against "peer-to-peer" and Internet-based services.

"As one of the first telecom equipment manufacturers to announce the availability of IMS solutions, we are committed to the promotion of non-proprietary and open standards" said Frédéric Caussarieu, senior vice president of the Network Intelligence Solutions activity within Thomson's Systems Division. "In fact, our Cirpack telephony application and core IMS solution have already been deployed with large broadband operators as well as with fixed mobile convergence rollouts."

Frédéric Caussarieu added that IMS technology will resolve a number of IPTV issues which are becoming critical for operators wishing to deploy IPTV, including a lack of standards, bandwidth management, and a complexity that hinders the ability to offer cross services. He sees the combination of IMS technology and Thomson's video expertise as a unique asset that will give the company an edge in content distribution services across fixed and mobile broadband networks.

"Our IMS solution will clearly accelerate deployments of IPTV services, but will also enable content roaming and handover across networks and terminals to realize the vision of a unified TV experience that only telecom operators can bring to life" said Frédéric Caussarieu.

Thomson is a major contributor to standardisation efforts, chairing the DVB-IP workgroups and playing a key role in the European Telecommunications Standard Institute's "TISPAN 2" working groups currently finalising the IMS specifications for IPTV.
 
These new industry standards for IPTV are expected to be released in the first quarter of 2008. Thomson has already started to adapt its SmartVision IPTV service platform, and will make its full IMS solution available for trials in 2008. Existing SmartVision customers will be able to migrate smoothly to embrace IMS standards when desired.

AirVersent has announced a partnership with Hamilton Hall, which will see AirVersent's ServiceNet mobile data solution integrated with Hamilton Hall's LEO platform for field service and asset management.

Hamilton Hall is a software solutions provider, designing and implementing solutions that enable proactive, customer-focused management of all business assets including parts, people, and processes, for any size of enterprise. The LEO solution complements rather than competes with ERP and financial systems offering an operational view of a business including mobile resources. LEO manages any kind of asset from design to disposal – from factory to fleet.

"AirVersent's ServiceNet mobile data solution will compliment our LEO solution for field service and asset management. AirVersent have been responsive and helpful and we look forward to our further collaboration," said Mike Rand, Hamilton Hall's Sales Manager from.  "Despite very good mobile network coverage in the UK there are times when field workers are out of range and it here where ServiceNet's store and forward capabilities stand out. Being able to push jobs out to the field and then receive notifications back secure in the knowledge that the information will get there introduces confidence and flexibility. This is now a mission critical requirement for so many organisations with a mobile field force," continued Rand.

"We are delighted to be working with Hamilton Hall who are a long established and well respected supplier of field service solutions," said Lindsay Kennedy, AirVersent's UK Managing Director. "ServiceNet is a mature mobile data platform that is field proven and fully scalable to suit any size of mobile workforce and a perfect match for Hamilton Hall's LEO offering," continued Kennedy.

Telit Wireless Solutions, a specialist in the field of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, is unveiling the GE863-SIM, a module solution integrating the "Embedded SIM" Gemalto product, M2M card. The new quad-band module in the GE product range is the fruit of close technological co-operation with Gemalto, the specialist in digital security.

The new module has been designed specifically for the requirements of M2M applications. Telit's customers stand to benefit from the SIM's enhanced reliability, as well as considerable cost savings and efficiency in the development and production of their M2M solutions.

The module is said to be the first ever to feature the innovative M2M card concept within an M2M card. Gemalto is also said to be the first supplier of these SIMs, which include specific M2M features and have a new form factor embedded directly into the M2M module at the manufacturing stage. This eliminates any manual operation, such as insertion and configuration and significantly reduces the related costs.

"Gemalto is a world-wide leader in the development of SIM-based solutions and services and particularly active in the M2M market. Given the business opportunity of the M2M market, the choice of the technological partner quickly became strategic, and the name of Gemalto came across as obvious," says Dominikus Hierl, President of Telit Wireless Solutions.

The M2M card product developed by Gemalto is of particular importance, since the SIMs used in the M2M sector need to satisfy very specific demands such as robustness to last 10 years and resistance to extreme temperatures between -40°C and +85°C, vibrations, shocks and humidity.

"In order to respond to M2M industry challenges, Gemalto is developing a new long-life SIM card, with special M2M specifications and Over-The-Air mechanisms. This new, more robust and immovable SIM will reduce the logistics on behalf of the mobile network operators (MNOs) and reduce the cost of ownership for all players within the value chain," says Jean-François Schreiber, SVP Gemalto Operated Services.

AirMagnet, the specialist in security, performance and compliance solutions for wireless LANs, has announced that Huber & Suhner is using the  WLAN site survey tool, AirMagnet Survey PRO, to speed deployment and optimize configuration for public Wi-Fi networks for train lines in the United Kingdom.

Wi-Fi usage is growing rapidly in commuter travel, yet deploying wireless networks for the transportation sector can prove particularly challenging. Train network operators, for instance, require antennas to be hidden, which creates major performance and coverage challenges when positioning the access points during deployment. AirMagnet Survey PRO overcomes these difficulties by allowing rapid, intuitive modelling of different deployment scenarios to determine optimum performance settings.

"Since using AirMagnet Survey PRO I have reduced time taken to deploy wireless networks by 80 percent and can now gain an accurate network plan to ensure successful wireless deployment," said Robin George, application engineering manager for Huber & Suhner. "This eliminates guesswork and ensures there is no network bleeding, saving time, money and, most importantly, guaranteeing the end user access to the best high-speed networks during their journey."

AirMagnet Survey PRO automatically gathers critical Wi-Fi and RF spectrum information using multiple data collection methods, and then generates detailed Wi-Fi performance maps of the results. It is able to account for all potential factors, including access point channel, transmission power, IP address, antenna type, orientation and height, and more. After simulating network deployment, AirMagnet Survey PRO also generates a report with ideal configuration settings for optimum network performance.

"We reviewed a range of other solutions on the market, but AirMagnet really stood out as the most intuitive and easy-to-use solution," George said.

International mobile operator, AwayPhone, has acquired US-based telecoms company, GlobalFon which, according to AwayPhone, strengthens the company's global reach, broadens its partner channel and is a major milestone in its growth strategy.

Established in 1991 via a joint venture between Sprint International and France Telecom, GlobalFon has evolved to become the provider of low cost international telecoms services to global business travellers. Headquartered in Washington, it has offices in Australia, Brazil and Japan. The company has around 20 core distributor partners and 40,000 customers, including Coca Cola, Deloitte, Microsoft and Shell.

AwayPhone launched its first product in autumn 2006 with the objectives of providing international mobile services denied by major operators, and driving worldwide roaming costs to zero. Customers can save up to 90 percent on international calls and are given a local number in the region visited to assist with building business relationships. Ranked in the '50 to Watch in Mobile' by 02 and Real Business magazine in 2007 , the company continues to focus on harnessing technology to optimise its offerings.This strategy was reinforced last week with the launch of its new global SIM product that offers customers some of the best roaming rates on the market and enhances partners' revenue-generating opportunities.

Sherry Madera, CEO of AwayPhone (pictured above), commented: "This business deal is a strategic 'fit' for both companies, and therefore good news all round.GlobalFon has an impressive customer base and well-developed distribution channel which complements AwayPhone's service, growing partner network and market-leading technology. The move is also an appropriate culmination of our first year of trading during which we have continually pushed the boundaries to develop our offering and explore tactics to ensure it is widely available on a global basis.

Chris Wixom, CEO of GlobalFon, added: GlobalFon's objective is to provide affordable international mobile services. AwayPhone's technically sophisticated product will ensure that our wide range of customers benefit from the high standard of service that they have come to expect. In additional it offers our distributors a value-add service that assists them develop addition revenue streams.

AirVersent has today announced an extension of its relationship with BT, which will see AirVersent's ServiceNet solution rolled out to 2,000 of BT's own mobile engineering workforce.  In 2006 the ServiceNet managed service platform was chosen to underpin BT's own Mobile on Demand (MoD) field service solution, which has already seen several successful deployments and will now be rolled out to a section of BT's own workforce.

"BT MoD is a very neat mobility platform that fits nicely into the BT Field Force Automation (FFA) suite of applications and services and has been deployed successfully with a number of clients including Northumbrian Water and Sovereign Housing," commented Paul Cleaver, General Manager (FFA) at BT. "The extension of this solution to a section of BT's field force is a logical development and we expect 2,000 of our engineers to be using the solution in earnest in 2008," continued Cleaver.

Under BT MoD, ServiceNet provides the link between customer service systems and a mobile field force. It delivers real time views of workflow, seamless data exchange as well as the tools to create configure and control the field application on the mobile worker's handheld device. Communications are handled via ServiceNet, typically over a GPRS wireless network, enabling the receipt of job instructions, work schedules, including reactive work and real-time updates.  In 2007 a class leading solution from 360 Scheduling was fully integrated into ServiceNet and hence in to BT's MoD solution.  ServiceNet is available as a managed SaaS (software as a service) application or for installation on a customer's own premises.

"We are delighted that BT's MoD powered by ServiceNet has been so successful," said Lindsay Kennedy, AirVersent's UK Managing Director. "BT's choice of ServiceNet for a section of its own field force is a ringing endorsement of our solution which continues to grow in maturity thanks in no small part to the support we have received from BT. With new backing and the growing acceptance of managed service solutions we have high hopes for the further success of the ServiceNet platform across all geographies, continued Kennedy.

GSA, the Global mobile Suppliers Association, says it has confirmed another strong rise in the number of HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) user devices coming onto the market. GSA's HSDPA Devices survey released today reports 275 products launched so far in 2007, lifting the total to 403 HSDPA-capable devices, and almost 5 times the number reported in a similar GSA survey in September 2006 (84 HSDPA devices). The number of suppliers increased from 26 to 80 in the same period.

GSA's related "HSDPA Operator Commitments" survey, published on October 19, 2007 confirms the major trend of network data speed evolution. The survey confirms 147 commercial launches of HSDPA networks in 69 countries.

92 operators (i.e. approximately two-thirds of this figure) have commercially launched or are deploying 3.6 Mbps (peak) data capability in their networks as the first phase of a planned evolution to 14.4 Mbps (peak) for many operators.  147 HSDPA devices support, or can be upgraded to deliver a downlink capability of 3.6 Mbps peak.

25 HSDPA networks have launched 7.2 Mbps (peak) commercial services in 16 countries, and 63 devices have been launched which support, or can be upgraded to, a high-speed downlink capability of 7.2 Mbps peak.

While the majority of WCDMA-HSPA systems and devices operate in the internationally designated 3G/IMT-2000 core band spectrum (2100 MHz), the 850 MHz frequency band is widely used for mobile services in the Americas, and Australia. The survey confirms 121 HSDPA devices launched which operate at 850 MHz to facilitate the further expansion of mobile broadband services in these key markets. The survey also notes at least 75 tri-band 850/1900/2100 MHz WCDMA-HSDPA devices are launched, enabling global roaming.

Alan Hadden, President, GSA said: "These HSDPA surveys by GSA highlight several significant trends.  The rapidly expanding mobile broadband services market, enabled by HSPA, is the catalyst for new product launches, innovation, new business opportunities, and more players entering the market. Demand for higher downlink data speeds is met today with almost 150 devices capable of supporting at least 3.6 Mbps (peak).
And the globalisation of HSPA as the de facto mobile broadband system is facilitated by at least 75 tri-band devices enabling services across the globe."

The products identified in the GSA HSDPA Devices survey addresses all
segments:

199 mobile phones
70 PC datacards (PC cards and embedded modules)
61 notebooks
39 Wireless Routers
30 USB modems
3 Personal Media Players with HSDPA-connectivity
1 camera with HSDPA-connectivity

HSUPA is commercially launched on 19 mobile networks in 16 countries, with a further 23 deployments on-going. At least 33 devices support, or can be upgraded for, HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access), initially delivering around 2.1 Mbps (peak) on the uplink.

GSA also confirms that over 56% of all commercially launched HSDPA networks have also commercially launched GSM/EDGE for service continuity and the best user experience of mobile broadband services. Manufacturers are supporting this requirement, with at least 70% of HSDPA devices also supporting GSM/EDGE functionality.

The move by Vodafone to purchase Tele2's fixed network assets in Italy and Spain for EUR775 million demonstrates the increasing importance of fixed broadband services in the mobile operator service portfolio, according to research specialist, Analysys.

Some mobile operators have considered offering a complete set of fixed and mobile services using wireless technologies (such as HSDPA and WiMAX), but operators will need both fixed and mobile networks in order to deliver a comprehensive range of services to end users, says Mark Heath, Analysys Associate and co-author of the report How to Succeed with Fixed-Mobile Convergence.

"Fixed broadband services could generate revenue for mobile operators, at a time when mobile voice ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) is declining and it continues to be difficult to achieve substantial growth in non-voice revenues," Heath argues.

"Bundling fixed broadband with existing mobile services is an immediate opportunity for new revenue and, in addition, can be an effective means of retaining existing customers. Furthermore, the importance of fixed network access for mobile operators will increase as they start to deploy femtocells (or indoor base stations), which depend on broadband connections for backhaul to their mobile networks."

Vodafone offers DSL services through wholesale agreements with Arcor in Germany, and BT in the UK. Following Vodafone's latest acquisition, it can now offer fixed broadband services alongside its traditional mobile services in four of its major European markets.

"It is highly likely that other mobile-only operators will acquire fixed network assets, or establish partnerships or agreements, with fixed operators. However, mobile-only operators that have begun to negotiate partnerships or agreements with fixed operators may need to consider more radical action in order to achieve service profitability," says Heath.

"Broadband services may provide a much-needed revenue boost, but operators must not lose sight of the need to achieve and maintain service profitability in the longer term. Mobile services can offer significant profit margins, but the margins for fixed broadband services may be small. Mobile-only operators that have wholesale agreements with fixed operators, may be unable to offer low-priced fixed broadband services without damaging profitability. Such operators will need to consider alternatives, such as the acquisition of fixed operators or local loop unbundling," he concludes.

Smartphones cost the mobile industry almost 400% more to support over their lifetime than most mid-range feature phones, according to a new management report from WDSGlobal. While a large percentage of this increase directly correlates to the complexity of some smartphone technologies, WDSGlobal has also identified that their owners have far higher expectations of their mobile equipment, broader uses for them and ultimately engage with support departments far more frequently than users of other mobile technologies.
 
The report, ‘Supporting Complex Mobile Devices', bases its findings on a study of customer care operations in the US, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia, with support data drawn from a variety of mobile operators and handset manufacturers.  Findings show that technical support requirements across mid-range feature phones are largely contained to configuration of services such as MMS, Internet access and POP3 email. However, the smartphone segment is driving an increasing number of support requests that include configuration with external products and services; such as PC synchronization, remote modem set-up and push email connectivity. This results in longer calls and a need for skilled support agents; both of which contribute to the 387% hike in the ‘cost to support' (the measure by which an organization can calculate a device type's likely support costs during its lifetime).
 
A smartphone is defined as a mobile device that offers advanced capabilities over a typical mobile phone, often with PC-like tools and applications. 7.9 million smartphones shipped in H1 2007, representing 9% of the global mobile phone market.
 
"Of course, the hope is that while it's more costly to support a smartphone, their owners will deliver far greater ARPU based on more frequent use of higher-margin data services. The question is how to do this more profitably," explains the report's author Doug Overton, vice president of analysis and consulting at WDSGlobal. "It's a growing market segment and must be considered in the planning and development of mobile operator and handset manufacturer support infrastructures."
 
The report maintains that the industry must look at ways to leverage the revenue-generating potential of the smartphone in a more profitable manner without damaging the user experience. More intuitive self-serve applications, on-device tutoring, improved customer care training and even mobile device management technologies are all suggested as a means of mitigating long-term support costs. 
 
"As mobile technologies mature, their cost to support often reduces; we've seen that already with generic data services such as MMS and GPRS. However, in the short to medium term we will continue to see a marked difference in the cost to support the smartphone segment. Much of this is associated with the many variables and combinations of mobile technologies, PC hardware, software and infrastructure technologies that users are trying to combine and connect. An example where a user tries to use their smartphone as a remote modem by making a Bluetooth connection to a PC and creating a new dial-up connection is inherently more complex than a user trying to send a picture message. For that reason alone the average call handling time can more than triple."