Gemplus’ solutions and Meridea’s financial software brings an added layer of security to Java-based mobile banking

Gemplus International, a leading provider of smart card based solutions, has announced a partnership with Meridea Financial Software, a provider of banking and investment applications and software delivery environment, in order to address the stringent requirements of the European banking industry.

In order to provide attractive yet secure banking services from the latest mobile devices, this application uses Java technology to communicate between the handset and the SIM. In this way, it is possible to split the Java application and store confidential information securely in the SIM and the bulk of the application in the handset. 

Based on J2ME, the application also ensures a comfortable and attractive “look and feel” for the end-user experience. Banks and their customers will therefore have differentiating services and peace of mind when using the mobile channel to distribute their services.

“Gemplus has been investing in the possibilities of the Java Card SIM for financial applications for some time, with notable success in Belgium & South Korea, and with the emergence of Java enabled handsets we are now able to take this experience to the latest mobile phones. By working with Meridea, one of the key references for financial software, we now have the requisite experience to commercialize our offer”, said Philippe Vallee, Executive Vice President, Telecom Business Unit, Gemplus.

In addition, the SIM’s inherent features enable it to provide secure authentication and generate digital signatures.  As it interacts directly with the handset, the end-user is able to view the financial data stored in their mobile device or prepare transactions off-line when there is no network coverage.

“With the strict requirements from the banking industry, we needed to find a way to deploy our software with strong authentication and user credentials stored in tamper proof memory in mobile phones.  The SIM is present in every GSM handset and well known for its tamper resistance.  We are impressed of the developments that Gemplus has introduced with Java SIM technology, and therefore, welcome the opportunity to work with Gemplus in integrating our software into the Java Card SIM”, said Jukka Riivari, CEO, Meridea.

Version 2.0 now available

The Open Base Station Architecture Initiative is today announcing the availability of V2.0 of the RF Module to Baseband Module interface specification (referred to as RP3 V2.0). This specification is in addition to the OBSAI suite of interface and module specifications covering: control, transport and base band; currently available; and was made available to OBSAI members on 11th October this year.

The OBSAI RP3V2.0 adds detailed specifications for incorporating remote RF heads (RRH) within the OBSAI specification framework. It has provision for networking in remote RF head (RRH) applications using any type of media e.g. fibre optic.  The original RP3 data rates have been extended to accommodate more complex RRH topologies, such as daisy chain, star and tree topologies, encompassing any air interface standard, currently supported by OBSAI.

Comments Peter Kenington, OBSAI Technical Work Group Chair, “Originally OBSAI specified internal interfaces related to key areas within the BTS sub system, to accommodate a range of air interfaces.  Now OBSAI has extended this multi air interface capability to remote RF head topologies.  RP3 v2.0 offers comprehensive support for a wide range of RRH and BTS hotelling architectures. The very same OBSAI RP3 v 2.0 protocol now accommodates all major forms of remote head either singly – or in multi-hop configurations – across GSM, GSM EDGE, WCDMA, CDMA etc.  Ultimately a diverse network of RF heads can be put together to help build coverage for indoor or outdoor applications”

OBSAI previously announced the availability of module specifications in August 2004 and internal interface specifications and the System Reference Document, for the Transport, Control, Baseband, and Radio modules in October 2003.

External Links

OBSAI

Six new models for Christmas

3, the UK’s first video mobile network, today announces the launch of six new handset models ahead of the Christmas trading period.  The additional models bring 3’s handset portfolio to twelve, effectively doubling 3’s range of video mobiles and enhancing the customers’ choice of features and functionality across a range of prices.

The six new models are supplied by some of the world’s leading 3G handset manufacturers – Motorola, NEC and LG – and will also be on offer in the other worldwide markets where 3 operates.. All the new models support the full range of 3’s video mobile services and will be on sale across UK from November.

The new range will complement 3’s existing portfolio of leading handsets, namely the LG U8110 and the LG U8120, 3’s flagship contract handsets, and the NEC e616V and the NEC e228, 3’s best selling handsets on ThreePay. 

Motorola is delivering three models. The Motorola A1000 is the most advanced 3G video mobile on the market, with Symbian operating system and an integrated 1.2 Mega-pixel camera. The Motorola E1000 is a fully featured high-end video mobile with 1.2 megapixel camera, built-in MP3 player and Bluetooth. The third is the Motorola C975 which will be available on ThreePay, 3’s great value pay-as-you-go offer.

NEC introduces the smallest and lightest 3G video mobile to go on sale in Europe – the new slimline NEC e338 -which is exclusive to 3. This follows on from the launch in October of the NEC e616V the most advanced handset available on ThreePay and brings the total number of NEC models available on 3’s great value price plans to four.

LG boosts its range with the addition of two new models, the LG U8130 and LG U8138. These handsets are enhanced versions of the two top selling LG handsets this summer.

Bob Fuller, 3 UK CEO said, “3 is the fastest growing mobile network in the UK. With these six new models, we’re doubling our portfolio and offering customers an enhanced choice of video mobiles in the run up to Christmas. Our portfolio of twelve leading handsets combined with our great value and top quality services, makes 3 an unbeatable proposition for the Christmas market. We believe this is going to be a 3G Christmas.”

External Links

3 UK

Lines up Blackberry rival for Series 80 devices

Nokia, the world leader in mobile communications, today announced plans to bring a Symbian OS-based Smartner email solution to market on its Nokia Series 80-based mobile devices like the Nokia 9500 Communicator and the Nokia 9300  smartphone.
 
 

The Nokia devices will support all the key components of Smartner’s Duality Always-On Mail. Smartner’s device independent push solution enables users to manage email, including attachments and calendar in real-time, receiving data on the Nokia Series 80 device and desktop simultaneously.
 
Smartner has licensed its solutions to a number of service providers including Elisa, O2, Fujitsu, E-Plus, Swisscom Mobile, Vodafone, Starhub, Manx Telecom, and DNA Finland.
 
“For businesses that have invested in and need support for a wide range of mobile devices, Nokia offers a variety of mobile email solutions,” said Niklas Savander, senior vice president, mobile devices at Nokia Enterprise Solutions.  “We acknowledge the market demand for push email and by including the Smartner solution in our offering, we are strengthening our position towards becoming the mobile device of choice for e-mail.”
 
Jussi Räisänen, Co-Founder and Vice President at Smartner says, “We are pleased to extend our co-operation with Nokia to deliver push-email enabled mobile office solution to their series 80 devices. Our previous solution developed for the Series 60-based devices has proven a success and I have all the confidence that we can bring effective, easy-to-use wireless email experience also to all Nokia 9500 Communicator and Nokia 9300 users.”
 
For individual mobile professionals, the Duality Always-On Mail enables push-based access to multiple existing business and/or personal email accounts from a single device. For corporations, Duality Always-On Mail tightly integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes email applications to enable secure, push-based, wireless access to email, calendar and contacts.
 
Nokia believes that ‘a one-size email’ does not fit all and therefore multi-vendor application support is important to meet the needs of the market today and in the future. Nokia already offers several different email solutions to its customers varying from personal and business email applications to Enterprise grade business collaboration solutions.

External Links

Nokia
Smartner

Sepura launches the first 300-344 MHz terminals for Russia at the TETRA Russian Congress in Moscow.

Graham Matthews, Managing Director for Sepura, in his welcome speech addressing the event’s delegates, said “I am proud to announce that Sepura is the Main Sponsor of the third TETRA Russian Congress which is the most important event for professional TETRA communications in Russia and the CIS countries”.

He went on to add “To date, more than 90% of all TETRA terminals used in Russia are Sepura’s. Today, I am pleased to announce the availability of 300 MHz terminals, mobiles and handportables, for Russia and the CIS countries. All of our radios already support Cyrillic text, which was another first for Sepura in Russia. Our involvement in major projects in CIS countries coupled with our continuous development and support of Russian applications amply demonstrates the importance of this market for us”.

Sepura’s market leading handportable, the SRP2000 sGPS, and the new mobile gateway, the SRG2000, are also available in Russia. The SRP2000 sGPS, with a fully-integrated and ultra sensitive GPS module, achieves a location fix in environments where conventional GPS devices fail, such as built-up urban areas and inside buildings. The ability to accurately locate emergency services personnel is a vital advance in public and individual workers safety, plus it allows rapid and effective deployment of resources.
The SRG2000 enables users in locations normally void of handportable radio coverage to communicate with the TETRA network. This represents a vital operational improvement for organisations controlling vast territories.

Compas+R, Sepura’s longstanding partner, and newer valued partners Informcom and Svyaz, have helped close prestigious deals with the Russian Railways and the Ministry of Defence of Kazakhstan. Informcom, is soon to become the official Sepura Service Centre offering technical support for all Russian and CIS countries. Sepura is also involved in TETRARUS programme and projects for the Gas and Oil industry in Ukraine.

External Links

Sepura

In support of second-generation cellular in-building coverage, wireless technology group Radio Frequency Systems (RFS) has launched a range of medium- to low-power bi-directional amplifiers (BDAs). The new BDAs–comprising 800-MHz, 900-MHz, and dualband 900/1800-MHz models–are uniquely compact for their respective power ratings and offer flexible ‘plug and play’ installation options for extending the reach of RF distribution systems.

The single-band I-BDA800-1 (800 MHz) and I-BDA900-1 (900 MHz) BDAs feature a nominal gain of 40 dB and composite output powers of 13 dBm in the uplink and 23 dBm in the downlink. Incorporating an integrated internal ac power supply, they are optimized for single- and multi-carrier use in the code division multiple access (CDMA) 800 MHz and global system for mobile communications (GSM) 900 MHz frequency bands respectively.
 
“These medium-power BDAs are ideal for use in trunking applications, where they can be used to extend the RF coverage of an existing passive distribution network within mid-size buildings,” said Peter Raabe, Global Product Manager for Wireless Distributed Communications Systems at RFS. “This is a low-cost, easily implemented solution for overcoming obstacles such as concrete walls, or covering areas that fall outside the reach of the passive distribution system.”
 
The new dualband 900/1800 MHz BDAs are available in two power ratings: the medium-power I-BDA900/1800-1 and the low-power I-BDA900/1800-2 feature nominal gains of 30 dB and 20 dB respectively. With a composite output power of 23 dBm in the downlink, the medium-power I-BDA900/1800-1 is ideal for both trunking and coverage gap-filling applications where multiple carriers are using the network. The low-power I-BDA900/1800-2 BDA has a composite output power of 13 dBm in the downlink, making it ideal for gap-filling applications, particularly where single carriers are present. Both BDAs are optimized for single- and multi-carrier use in the GSM 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands.
 
According to Raabe, each of these four new RFS BDA models may be cascaded in a wide range of combinations. “In the case of the lower power dualband BDAs, multiple devices can be powered by a single BDA connected to a dc power supply, with the dc power transmitted by the RF transmission line,” he said. “This provides ultimate installation flexibility, as it allows the BDAs to be installed close to the antenna, where electrical power supplies may not be locally available.”
 
Additional features of the new RFS BDA range include flexible gain handling (fixed with manual adjustment for standalone operation) and alarm/status indication for real-time monitoring. RFS’s comprehensive range of BDAs also includes medium- and low-power BDAs for third-generation cellular indoor coverage (I-BDA2100 series) and high-power BDAs for all major cellular bands.

External Links

RFS

But do they?

The Mobile Data Association (MDA) today announced the quarterly figures for the total number of GPRS and MMS devices being used by customers in the UK as of 30th June 2004.  The quarterly figures from UK GSM network operators O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone show a rapid increase for both GPRS and MMS devices on the previous quarter.

From a total active customer base of over 52 million*, GPRS active devices topped 24 million as of 30th June 2004, an increase of 45% on the previous quarter. This figure represents a 46% penetration rate for GPRS devices for the total UK market. This trend is expected to continue with current estimates of over 50% of mobile customers using internet capable handsets.

GPRS services have illustrated an increase in popularity in the last 12 months in both the consumer and corporate markets. Popular applications include access to rail/air timetables, mobile chat, location services, mobile images and innovative music services.  GPRS technology provides “always on” capabilities and faster speeds for e-mail and web browsing on the move.

MMS active capable devices reached 15 million as at 30th June 2004, with a penetration rate of 29% for the total UK market. June’s figures show an increase on the previous quarter of 36 %.  With an ever-increasing number of MMS capable handsets and a growing range of compelling services to suit every customer need, MMS and GPRS capability has stimulated adoption and usage of new multimedia services and represents a key “stepping stone” to 3G.

The MDA announces GPRS and MMS active devices figures quarterly during 2004.

Definition:

* Active subscriber base (PAYG/ PAYM, registered and active) as of 30th June 2004, where `active` is defined as used in the prior 3 months.

External Links

MDA

Avocent Corporation today announced two new software solutions for managing data centers and PDAs and other mobile devices: AdminSentinel and MobileSentinel.  These solutions help IT administrators securely manage data center devices from a PDA and allow IT administrators to manage the growing number of PDA and mobile devices in their businesses.

AdminSentinel software for mobile devices allows IT managers to access, control and manage their network and data center infrastructure; and MobileSentinel is a software solution that allows IT departments to centrally manage mobile devices. These products run on platforms such as BlackBerry, PocketPC and Palm.
 
While the data center is the foundation of Avocent’s core business, businesses are now required to not only manage their data centers and server rooms, but they are being asked to manage hundreds of mobile devices that are now part of their IT infrastructure. The addition of the MobileSentinel solution from our recent acquisition of Sonic Mobility will help customers manage the thousands of mobile devices in the market today.
 
The AdminSentinel software uses a real-time secure proxy model to perform many routine server administrative functions from a mobile device. For example, the administrator can reboot a server, unlock/change passwords, restart services not functioning properly, view event logs, move files and send messages to logged-in users.

MobileSentinel is a software product for the remote control and administration of PDAs and smart phones that connect to a computer network. MobileSentinel adds a new level of network security for mobile devices. IT administrators can monitor all mobile devices for current status, apply passwords to unprotected devices and manage mobile user groups, as well as a number of other functions. For mobile devices that are lost or stolen, MobileSentinel allows an IT administrator to centrally control and wipe out sensitive data. The product is ideally suited for networks that use cellular PDAs and smartphones to support staff in the field.

External Links

Avocent

Nokia’s Push to Talk over Cellular (PoC) end-to-end network solution will be launched by T-Mobile International for Europe’s first commercial PoC service. The service will be commercially available in Germany in fourth quarter 2004 and will be introduced to other T-Mobile Markets soon. With this deal T-Mobile International becomes the European frontrunner in offering this easy and instant form of mobile communication for its large customer base of both private and business customers.
 

Nokia’s carrier grade PoC solution provides competitive performance, a variety of features, and a smooth network software upgrade path to the upcoming Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) standard for PoC. 
 
The agreement will further enhance Nokia’s strong relationship with T-Mobile International, to which Nokia is a strategic supplier, delivering 3G WCDMA radio access network equipment and services to T-Mobile in Germany, Netherlands and the UK as well as being a key GSM supplier to T-Mobile US and T-Mobile Netherlands. 
 
“Our long and successful cooperation with Nokia coupled with its market leading PoC solution made Nokia the obvious choice in enabling us to launch this attractive new service for our European subscribers,” says Wolfgang Ptacek, Executive Vice President Developement with T-Mobile.
 
“We are very happy to continue supporting T-Mobile in launching advanced services with the most innovative and robust solutions on the market. This Push-to-talk deal demonstrates Nokia´s leading position in the service platform and core networks area,” says Robin Lindahl, Vice President, Networks, Nokia.
 
With more than 30 operator trials ongoing and commercial contracts with 18 operators, Nokia is leading the market for Push to talk over Cellular.  Nokia’s first push to talk terminals, the Nokia 5140 and Nokia 6260 are already commercially available. Nokia has also introduced the Nokia 6170 and Nokia 7270, expected to be shipping before the end of this year. Nokia will continue to introduce push to talk capable GSM phones, including Symbian OS based smart phones.  From 2005 onwards, push to talk will become available for virtually all Nokia GPRS/WCDMA phones.

External Links

T-Mobile
Nokia

Elisa and F-Secure Corporation today announced that Elisa, as the first mobile operator in the world, will start offering wireless anti-virus services to its smartphone customers.

Based on the F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus(tm) service solution, the new service is the first commercial mobile anti-virus service offered through a mobile operator. Elisa smartphone users can download the anti-virus client over the air directly to the phone and will have a free one-month test period of the anti-virus update service. After the trial period, the users
can purchase continuation to the service directly from the phone. The service is charged in the subscriber’s invoice.

F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus is the most comprehensive solution available for protecting smartphones against harmful content, from undesired messages to malfunctioning applications. It provides real-time, on-device protection and automatic over-the-air anti-virus updates through a patented SMS update
mechanism and HTTPS connections.

“Security is a key concern for Elisa. We want to be leaders in providing new, advanced services for the smartphone users in our network. By offering our customers an automatic anti-virus solution, we can ensure the fastest possible protection for their devices when new harmful content emerges. FSecure, as our long-term security partner and the leading provider of
mobile content security solutions, was a natural choice to operate the antivirus service for us,” said Veli-Matti Mattila, President and CEO of Elisa.

“Mobile operators are the ideal partner for us in the distribution of security services to smartphone users. We are delighted that Elisa shares our view and is now ready to expand our security cooperation to mobile services. We look forward to developing the mobile security services further together with Elisa to guarantee the most secure mobile environment for
Elisa customers also in the future,” said Risto Siilasmaa, President and CEO of F-Secure Corporation.

Viruses are starting to emerge for handheld devices. The first mobile phone virus, a worm named Cabir running in Symbian OS mobile phones, was discovered on June 14th, and the first Pocket PC virus appeared in July. Although these viruses have caused only a minor threat, they clearly show that mobile devices have become a target for virus writers. The security challenges in the mobile environment are similar to the problems we have encountered in the PC world. Phone users should be careful when installing new software and downloading applications over the Internet. Extra caution should be used when the software comes from an unknown source.

The best way to protect a smartphone against harmful content is to install automated anti-virus software to the phone. This is also the only way to get full protection against viruses that try to enter the phone for example over Bluetooth or infrared connections.

The F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus service is available to Elisa users through Elisa WAP services on October 28th. In the beginning, the service is offered to the users of Nokia 3650, 3660, N-Gage, 6600, 7610 and 6670 smartphones. Later, the service will be expanded to support also other smartphones as
well as new distribution and billing models.

External Links

F-Secure
Elisa