Government moves to settle mobile broadband spectrum dispute
Lord Carter, the communications minister, has today called a meeting with the UK's five mobile phone networks as he tries to thrash out a deal that will help achieve his ambition of universal broadband access by 2012.
The former head of regulator Ofcom is attempting to get the UK's two original mobile phone networks, Vodafone and O2 – formerly Cellnet – to share a slice of the airwaves they were given in the 1980s, so that rivals T-Mobile, Orange and 3 can use it for mobile broadband services.
Lord Carter, in his initial Digital Britain report last month, said the mobile phone companies must thrash out a compromise on sharing the airwaves by the end of April or the government would impose a solution.
The slice of the airwaves controlled by O2 and Vodafone is important to the introduction of universal broadband because it is at a low frequency, which means signals can travel over longer distances.
O2 and Vodafone, understandably, are reluctant to give up their spectrum at the 900 MHz frequency unless the government offers them a sweetener by giving them a slice of the airwaves freed up by the switch-off of the analogue TV signal.
Labels: industry insight, network coverage, quick-news
Vodafone and 3 merge Australian businesses
Vodafone Australia and Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) are to merge business creating a new business, VHA (Vodafone Hutchison Australia). Airtime services will be sold under the Vodafone brand,
Both companies will hold 50 per cent ownership of the new venture.
Labels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
Mobile broadband 'to become increasingly widespread'
Mobile broadband has proved to be popular among UK consumers and is likely to become increasingly widespread, according to one expert. Tim Lord, regulatory director at Hutchison 3G (UK), said Britain had already become a converged communications landscape.
Speaking at the Joint Westminster eForum & Westminster Media Forum keynote seminar, titled Digital Britain, he said: "Mobile broadband has been an enormous success in the UK."
He cited figures from communications regulator Ofcom which show that around 12% of consumers have swapped fixed-line broadband for mobile broadband. He added that around 15% are currently thinking about making such a switch.
However, he said that for internet access via mobile devices to really take off, coverage will have to be improved and backhaul capacity will have to be increased.
Labels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
Asus reveals EeePC with 9.5Hr battery life
Asustek on Monday introduced an Eee PC netbook that the company claims offers a faster Intel Atom processor with the ability to run 9.5 hours on a single battery charge.
According to Asustek's promo site, the 1000HE is powered by an Intel Atom N280, which has slightly better performance than the previous N270 chip. In addition, the chip consumes a maximum of 2.5 watts, which contributes to the longer battery along with an LED backlit LCD screen.
The system has a keyboard that's 92% the size of a standard keyboard and sports a 10-inch display. The machine weighs 1.4Kg and ships with Bluetooth, 802.11n Wi-Fi support and a 160GB hard disk drive.
The new mini-laptop includes Asus' Super Hybrid Engine, which allows people to control the CPU to lower performance to conserve power. To achieve 9.5 hours of battery life, the user would likely have to lower CPU performance, dim the screen, and turn off the system's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and camera, according to the gadget blog Gizmodo.
Labels: netbook, quick-news
UK's first LTE 4G mobile broadband trial network tested
Motorola has launched the first LTE (Long-Term Evolution, 4G) next generation Mobile Broadband trial network and testing lab in Swindon. The new lab began its life today with a live, standards compliant LTE call during which high-speed data services were streamed using Motorola's LTE infrastructure operating in the 2.6GHz spectrum and a prototype LTE device.
"Motorola is at the forefront of 4G development which will address the mobility demands of today's consumers who are looking for personalized media experiences and operators looking to lower their cost per bit and gain a competitive advantage," said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president and general manager, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility, EMEA & Asia Pacific.
LTE is currently believed to be the most likely candidate to replace existing HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) based 3G Mobile Broadband services, which can only operate at up to a theoretical 14.4Mbps (HSPA+ can take this to 42Mbps) downstream.
By comparison LTE has the potential to reach 160Mbps downstream. Meanwhile, the big question remains over how mobile operators will afford to deploy a backbone network that will support the extra capacity.
Labels: LTE, mobile broadband, quick-news
New Acer Aspire 10" Netbook
Acer announced details of their new 10-inch Aspire One on Friday; a netbook that has Windows XP as the operating system and a 160GB hard disk drive (HDD) for storage. The original Aspire One, which had an 8.9-inch screen, comes with a choice of XP or a Linux distribution called Linpus, and the option of a solid-state drive (SSD) or an HDD and Acer have confirmed that similar choice of OS will be offered on the new version. The netbook, which will launch in mid-February and cost around £299.
Labels: acer, netbook, quick-news
UK Privacy - Your Email to be stored for the government to access
In less than two months, British Internet service providers will be required to maintain records on U.K. citizens' e-mail traffic.
The Home Office has ordered providers to retain records of all e-mail sent and received in the country for at least 12 months, beginning March 15. The government said it aims to increase national security and help prevent terrorism by requiring ISPs to capture and store the information. New European Commission rules will allow public agencies to access ISP data if they make a legal request.
The plan, which could cost the country's government £25 million, has drawn fire from ISPs and privacy advocates. Aside from being an invasion of privacy, the mandate can't guarantee the records would be protected from data breaches, critics said. They also point out that such a database could actually increase risks of criminal activity by placing an extraordinary amount of personal information in one place.
The requirement applies to e-mail sent by foreigners to UK citizens, but it doesn't cover the actual content of the e-mail.
The Information Commissioner's Office, which aims to protect privacy, issued the following statement opposing the plan:
"It is likely that such a scheme would be a step too far for the British way of life. Creating huge databases containing personal information is never a risk-free option, as it is not possible to fully eliminate the danger that the data will fall into the wrong hands. It is therefore of paramount importance that proposals threatening such intrusion into our lives are fully debated."
Labels: industry insight, quick-news
3 Launch mobile TV service
3 UK has launched a new mobile TV section of its portal called 3 on Demand.
The content, which is managed by On Demand Group company Mobix Interactive, includes a variety of full episode streaming mobile TV ranging from scripted reality series The Hills, South Park, and celebrity news source E! 3 On Demand adds to the the operator's on-portal live TV streaming and off portal video content, which includes Sky Sports 1, 2, and 3.
Costing between £1.29 and £1.99 for a week's access to an episode the content will be delivered by Mobix's Adrenalin platform, users will be able to pause and resume without the need for a new client application.
3 UK product manager Alex Woodhams said: "3 on Demand can deliver a wide range of high quality full length TV shows in a flexible manner that allows users to pause and later resume shows where they left off.
"Amalgamating all of our mobile TV seamlessly ties in with our broader objective of using the speed of the 3 network to give people access to a wider choice of on-portal content and mobile internet services in a simple yet effective manner."
Mobix Interactive CEO Damian Mulcock said: "We are excited by the arrival of full form programming to the mobile environment, as well as Adrenalin's capability to deliver this new experience, as it is indicative of the momentum in the convergence strategies of our customers and the growing demand for multi-access by consumers."
Labels: 3-Mobile, quick-news
3G/4G convergence a reality in the US
In the 'States, Franklin Wireless and Beceem Communications have partnered to revolutionize the mobile broadband user experience with the introduction of the world's first dual-mode 3G CDMA/4G WiMAX USB Modem, the Franklin U300.
The U300 was commercially released by Sprint on December 17th 2008 and is the first USB modem that can be used on Sprint's existing 3G CDMA network and on Clearwire's 4G WiMAX network. The U300 incorporates Beceem's high-performance Mobile WiMAX chipset alongside an EVDO-Rev A chip.
Labels: industry insight, LTE, mobile broadband, quick-news
Netbooks - Notebooks, Netbooks - Notebooks, Netbooks - Notebooks
Advanced Micro Devices' (AMD) chief executive predicts that Netbooks will eventually disappear.
"The distinction between what is a Netbook and what is a notebook is going to go away," AMD CEO Dirk Meyer said on Thursday in the company's earnings conference call.
"Given the way Netbooks are configured today, consumers who want a notebook at those kind of (low) price points have to compromise and as a result don't enjoy a full PC experience, particularly around the graphics and media capability of the machine," Meyer said. "And likewise people who wanted a thin and light machine had to pay a lot of money, typically well over a thousand dollars."
Upcoming inexpensive ultra-thin notebooks will meet the need for a small, thin, lightweight laptop that is more powerful than a Netbook, Meyer said.
See the full range of netbook and notebook deals currently available with mobile brodband.
Labels: laptop, mobile broadband, netbook, quick-news
More clarity over mobile broadband download speeds
The Guardian reports that consumers are to be given much more information about the connection speeds they can expect to receive when they sign up to mobile broadband services under a new code of conduct being drawn up by the UK's networks.
Sales of mobile "dongles" – devices that enable PCs and laptops to access the internet using a mobile phone network rather than a landline – have rocketed, with over a million sold last year as prices came down to as little as £10 a month.
The new code will focus on hints and tips for consumers that will help improve the performance of their mobile broadband service. But the operators are unlikely to be able to provide customers with a clear estimate of the speed they can expect to receive. That is because the performance of the mobile phone networks depends not only on exactly where the user is located but on how many other people are using the network at the same time.
Labels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
UK 4G Spectrum giveaway?
The Times reports today, that instead of selling slices of spectrum to the highest bidder, the communications minister Lord Carter is examining proposals to give away spectrum to companies in exchange for a pledge to invest nationally in super-fast broadband access.
The idea is expected to form part of his interim Digital Britain report, due for release on January 26, which will propose a range of measures to prepare the country for the future boom in internet commerce.
The new scheme is being promoted by Nesta, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. Under its "Spectrum for Speed" strategy, Jonathan Kestenbaum, Nesta's chief executive, argues that giving away licences to the value of £5 billion with strings attached would accelerate the roll-out of broadband to remote and disadvantaged parts of Britain at speeds of up to 100 megabits a second.
"The case for this type of deal is compelling," Kestenbaum said. "In unprecedented economic times, we have to think imaginatively about how we can invest in big infrastructure projects while not cutting off large swathes of communities from economic and social development." Nesta said the plan could create 600,000 new jobs over the next five years.
Carter will impose a service obligation on broadband operators and mobile firms to provide basic broadband for all, but he has hinted the government would have to play a financial role in launching high-speed networks.
Read the full article:
TV giveaway to fund high-speed internetLabels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
Mobile operators must upgrade networks and business models
A new whitepaper published by communications market research firm Infonetics Research examines four mobile broadband trends that are building up to a "perfect storm" in the mobile world; trends that present as many challenges as they do opportunities for mobile operators.
The free white paper,
The Mobile Internet Transformation, says the dramatic acceleration in mobile data services, resulting in 400% to 800% year-on-year traffic increases in some geographies, is being driven by these four major trends:
- Rapid growth in high speed mobile broadband services based on HSPA, EV-DO, and WiMAX
- The proliferation of devices that consume enormous amounts of bandwidth, including mobile broadband dongles on laptops and a new generation of smartphones (most notably the iPhone)
- Web 2.0 applications, many of which have made the transition from the wired world to the mobile world (e.g., Google Maps, YouTube)
- Flat rate all-you-can-eat data plans offered by mobile operators that have accelerated consumption of and revenue for mobile data services,but that have spurred the need for solutions that help operators deploy and monetize differentiated, premium services
"With the growth of the mobile Internet, users expect an 'Internet everywhere' experience, whether using their laptops, handsets, or other mobile devices. This puts tremendous pressure on mobile operators to move orders of magnitude more traffic for an order of magnitude lower cost per bit. Our The Mobile Internet Transformation whitepaper offers some strategies to help mobile operators rise to the challenge," says Stéphane Téral, principal analyst for mobile and FMC infrastructure at Infonetics Research and lead author of the whitepaper.
Read the white paper:
The Mobile Internet TransformationLabels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
Dell offer 256GB Solid State Drives
Dell is doing its part to usher in the age of the super-sized solid-state drive. For the first time, Dell laptops can be configured with the newest large-capacity SSDs from Samsung. A year ago laptop buyers were stuck with 64GB maximum if they wanted SDD.
What a difference a year makes. On Friday, Dell quadrupled this to 256GB. The Samsung SSD is now available as an option on Dell's XPS M1330 and M1730 laptop lines. Apple announced a 256GB SSD option on its MacBook Pro on 6th January.
Labels: industry insight, laptop, netbook, quick-news
Huawei to deliver first commercial LTE network in Oslo
Following on from the announcement that it will build an Ericsson supplied LTE network in Sweden's Stockholm, TeliaSonera has also announced that it will tap Huawei for another LTE network, this time in Norway's Oslo.
Under the agreement, Huawei provides an end-to-end LTE solution including LTE base stations, core network and OSS (Operating Support System) covering Oslo. Huawei also provides services including network design, implementation, systems integration and support.
"We are excited to help TeliaSonera to construct the world's first commercial LTE network", says Chengdong Yu, President of Huawei European region. "Huawei always focuses on addressing the challenges of operators and the needs of its customers. With our leading LTE technology, we are confident to provide TeliaSonera with winning solutions for their businesses and help them provide the fastest mobile broadband experience for their customers."
Labels: huawei, industry insight, LTE, quick-news
Vodafone achieves 16Mbps mobile broadband
Vodafone Group said Thursday that it has successfully trialled an evolution of mobile broadband technology achieving actual peak data download rates of up to 16 Mbps.
The high speed data connection was achieved during field trials of HSPA+ 64QAM technology on Vodafone Spain's network. Vodafone said it now plans to trial mobile broadband data connections with peak rates of up to 21Mbps early in 2009 using HSPA+ MIMO functionality.
Vodafone experts estimate that the technology would be capable of delivering a typical video download experience of more than 13Mbps in good conditions and an average of more than 4 Mbps across a full range of typical cell locations including urban environments. If the trials prove a success, Vodafone plans to make this technology available in selected commercial networks.
Vodafone worked in association with Ericsson and Qualcomm Inc. to prove the potential of the technology in the field, following impressive data throughput rates achieved in laboratory tests.
Labels: mobile broadband, quick-news, Vodafone
Ericsson and Intel to bring theft protection to Mobile Broadband laptops
Ericsson announced that it is collaborating with Intel to ensure that Ericsson's Mobile Broadband Modules are interoperable with Intel® Anti-Theft PC Protection Technology for notebooks to offer a secure and reliable anti-theft solution for mobile broadband users.
A theft management service residing in the network can send a message via SMS to the mobile broadband module inside the notebook, which securely transfers the message to Intel's Anti-Theft function inside the processor platform, which takes appropriate actions, such as completely locking the computer, making it unusable. When the notebook is located and recovered, an unlock message can be sent to the notebook that makes the data accessible again.
Intel Anti-Theft Technology provides an intelligent mechanism built into the processor platform that detects potential theft situations and responds according to IT policies. Anti-Theft PC Protection technology can be programmed to respond to repeated login failures and expiration of a timer that requires regularly scheduled connection to a central server. The theft management service can also take advantage of built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) technology in the Ericsson mobile broadband module, which can send location data to a central server. The location function can be utilized to determine a theft situation when the notebook is moved outside a pre-defined area - a so called geo-fence - to locate a lost notebook.
The solution will be available in commercial data protection products starting second half of 2009.
Labels: laptop, mobile broadband, netbook, quick-news
USA: Parks Associates forecasts mass-market mobile broadband
A new report from international research firm Parks Associates finds mobile broadband is transitioning into a mainstream service that could withstand the current economic downturn. Nearly 60 million smartphone units will be sold in 2013, which will increase consumer reliance on mobile broadband connectivity, according to Mobile Broadband: Beyond the Cell Phone. This adoption level will enable carriers and manufacturers to establish new revenue streams and create a stickier customer base.
"Smartphones will be the most popular mobile broadband access devices," said Anton Denissov, research analyst, Parks Associates. "Consumers will grow more comfortable with mobile broadband, and the service will become part of their daily lives, as they will be able to surf the Web, play games, share pictures, and connect via social networks from anywhere. This tight integration makes the service a utility that remains popular even during economic downturns."
Consumer comfort with mobile connectivity will create demand for the same functionality in non-phone devices. Parks Associates estimates that in 2013, U.S. consumers will purchase over five million connected cameras, over one million 3G-enabled MIDs (portable media players), and over two million 3G-enabled netbooks (mini-PCs).
"Embedding mobile broadband connectivity into non-phone devices creates new revenue opportunities for carriers, CE manufacturers, media companies, and advertisers," Denissov said. "To penetrate the mainstream consumer market, however, these companies must work in tandem to create services and devices that are affordable, entertaining, and simple to use."
Labels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
Vodafone and Orange to share mobile broadband running costs
The Guardian reports that mobile operators Vodafone UK and Orange UK are considering an agreement that would see the two companies share technology, engineering and maintenance costs.
The two cellcos already share costs at some base stations in the country, but the new agreement is expected to integrate both operator's 3G networks. Vodafone's chief executive, Vittorio Collao, has stated that the operator is looking to cut costs by GBP1 billion (USD1.46 billion) by 2011.
The deal follows a similar arrangement between rival mobile broadband providers T-Mobile UK and 3 UK, which in January 2008 formed Mobile Broadband Network Limited (MBNL), a 50/50 joint venture aimed at integrating the company's respective 3G networks.
Labels: industry insight, Orange, quick-news, Vodafone
Orange strengthens mobile broadband coverage in UK
Orange has announced the completion of a network upgrade to expand its HSPA coverage in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Some 760 sites across the two regions have been upgraded resulting in a 20 per cent improvement in network performance for both voice and data.
"We are delighted to announce the new network has gone live in Northern Ireland", said Pete Marsden, vice president IT & Networks. "At Orange we are proud of our commitment to give all our customers access to robust and reliable networks. We are investing heavily in updating and improving our infrastructure to meet our goal of being the best UK network for coverage and reliability."
According to figures from the Mobile World database, Orange ended September with around 15.8 million subscribers, which represents a UK market share of just over 21%. Orange now offers over 94% population 3G coverage and over 70% 3G+ across the UK.
Labels: mobile broadband, network coverage, quick-news
The 100Mbps chip is here
NTT DOCOMO announced that it has successfully developed a trial large-scale-integration (LSI) chip that consumes less than 0.04 W of power yet supports multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) signal detection and decoding for downlink transmissions at 100 Mbps.
This is the speed required for the forthcoming mobile system known as Long Term Evolution (LTE), approved by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Compared with chips currently used in handsets compatible with DOCOMO's High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) service, which have a maximum downlink rate of 7.2 Mbps, the new chip will enable downlinks that are more than 10 times as fast.
Labels: industry insight, LTE, mobile broadband, quick-news
Free laptop tactic pays dividends for mobile broadband
A new study reveals the tactic of bundling
free laptops with mobile broadband contracts is proving popular with customers.
The contracts typically require the customer to take out a two-year mobile broadband contract for around £25-35 per month, with a laptop thrown in to sweeten the deal.
Vodafone and Orange have taken this one step further, offering customers Dell and Asus netbooks with embedded 3G. The tactic was questioned by analysis firm Disruptive Technologies, which produced a report claiming that by 2011 only 30% of mobile broadband subscribers would have been lured in by this method.
However, a recent study by price comparison site Top 10 Broadband refutes this claim. The site monitored sales of a 1,000 mobile broadband 'free laptop' deals in November, and found the Dell Mini 9 and Asus Eee PC 901, both of which offer embedded 3G, were outselling dongle deals by a ratio of three to two.
We have
listing of all laptop-inclusive mobile broadband deals currently available if you're interested.
Labels: laptop, mobile broadband, quick-news
Nokia to enter mobile broadband dongle market
It's all about the dongle today!
The mobile communications firm, Nokia, is about to launch its version of a mobile broadband dongle which will be available in early 2009.
In 2006 and 2007 Nokia unsuccessfully attempted to enter the 3G market by developing internal modems in partnership with Intel. However this new attempt is likely to be different as they are approaching this through the very much in demand mobile broadband market which has seen huge growth in sales this year.
Yet there is no guarantee that the Nokia brand will be able to complete with the Chinese made Huawei dongle that is available through Vodafone and 3. During 2009, the worldwide market for mobile broadband is expected to grow by thirty per cent to around twenty six million units, compared to the four hundred and forty million mobile phones that Nokia sells.
Labels: dongle, mobile broadband, quick-news
New iCON dongle for T-Mobile
Option N.V., the wireless technology company, today announced that T-Mobile UK is adding an Option USB wireless modem to its pioneering mobile broadband service. The iCON 431 is an intelligent HSUPA USB modem offering fast, future-proof broadband connectivity: it will be marketed by T-Mobile UK as the Mobile Broadband USB Stick 530.
Option's iCON 431 can download at speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps and upload at up to 5.7 Mbps. Tri-band HSPA in the 900, 1900 & 2100 MHz bands ensures iCON 431 users can obtain mobile broadband connections in countries all over the world. Ease-of-use is guaranteed by Option's patented Zero-CD Plug 'n' Play technology that automatically installs all necessary drivers and application software when the device is first connected to a PC.
The sleek and compact device measures just 76 x 27 x13 mm when the USB connector is retracted within its body. An innovative Micro-SD slot can accommodate an 8 GB card making the iCON 431 a versatile data storage device.
Labels: dongle, mobile broadband, quick-news, T-Mobile
Hunt for space in the spectrum!
PA Consulting Group says that it has recently been awarded a contract by the UK's telecoms regulator, Ofcom to predict spectrum availability across the UK over the next 15 to 20 years.
In this nine month study, PA will design and build a model capable of evaluating a number of future scenarios, between now and 2025, for spectrum demand. The future scenarios will assess spectrum demand based on growth of cellular technologies and demand for High Definition TV. It will also look at the ability of current voice, data and broadcast networks to respond to that demand which could include changes in technology, such as growth of femtocell and other technologies.
PA is to set up a panel of industry experts from the mobile, broadcast and fixed wireless access communities who will validate the findings of the study, which are due for submission to Ofcom in February 2009.
Let's hope they can find room for 4G!
Labels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
Boost to mobile broadband backhaul network
BT Group has selected network equipment maker Tellabs Inc as its partner to support its ethernet-based mobile backhaul service.
As part of the five-year deal, Tellabs will support BT as its customers migrate from traditional leased lines to the higher-capacity, 21 century ethernet-based base station connectivity which will enable customers to manage data traffic growth, BT said.
The announcement is likely to be seen as a boost for Tellabs after the firm warned in October its fourth-quarter revenue would fall far short of Wall Street estimates, although no financial details regarding the deal were revealed.
The agreement comes as mobile operators push mobile broadband services as a new stream of revenues which results in growing backhaul requirements. Four of the five UK mobile operators use BT's 21 century service for their backhaul requirements.
Backhaul network capacity is key to the anticipated growth of mobile broadband - it is one of the primary reasons for the current data limits imposed by the providers.
Labels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
LG demonstrates LTE at 60Mbps
LG Electronics has developed the first handset modem chip based on LTE standards - which can theoretically support wireless download speeds of 100Mbps and upload speeds of 50Mbps.
LG demonstrated the chip today at its Mobile Communication Technology Research Lab in Anyang, Korea, achieving wireless download speeds of 60 Mbps and upload speeds of 20 Mbps. The fastest phones currently on the market use HSDPA technology and download at a maximum speed of 7.6 Mbps.
For the past three years, LG have been pursuing 3GPP LTE standardization, working to develop and test commercially viable LTE technology with around 250 staff. "Now that LG has developed and tested the first 4G handset modem, a commercially viable LTE handset is on the horizon," said Dr. Woo Hyun Paik, CTO of LG Electronics.
According to market research company Strategy Analytics, the global LTE handset market will double from 70 million sales units in 2012 to 150 million sales units by 2013. The first LTE mobile phones will likely reach the market in 2010.
Labels: LTE, mobile broadband, quick-news
Massive range of Laptop-Inclusive mobile broadband deals
We've just reviewed and updated our
list of laptop-inclusive mobile broadband deals here at MobileBroadbandInfo.co.uk.
You can now
find and compare laptop-inclusive mobile broadband deals from all the major network providers. We offer you an unparalleled and extensive range of deals both direct from the networks and via retailers such as Carphone Warehouse.
Our site carries detailed specifications of the available laptops as well as meaningful cost comparisons - including total contract cost etc.
So, if you're in the market for a laptop-inclusive mobile broadband deal this Christmas start your search now at
MobileBroadbandInfo.co.uk.
Labels: laptop, mobile broadband, offers, quick-news
Nokia unveils the 3G Nokia N97
Nokia unveiled the Nokia N97, the world's most advanced mobile computer, which will transform the way people connect to the Internet and to each other. Designed for the needs of Internet-savvy consumers, the Nokia N97 combines a large 3.5" touch display with a full QWERTY keyboard, providing an 'always open' window to favorite social networking sites and Internet destinations. Nokia's flagship Nseries device introduces leading technology - including multiple sensors, memory, processing power and connection speeds - for people to create a personal Internet and share their 'social location'.
The Nokia N97 introduces the concept of 'social location'. With integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass, the Nokia N97 mobile computer intuitively understands where it is. The Nokia N97 makes it easy to update social networks automatically with real-time information, giving approved friends the ability to update their 'status' and share their 'social location' as well as related pictures or videos.
The Nokia N97 supports up to 48 GB of storage, including 32 GB of on-board memory, expandable with a 16 GB microSD card for music, media and more. This is complemented by excellent music capabilities, full support for the Nokia Music Store and continuous playback time of up to 1.5 days. The Nokia N97 also has a 5-Megapixel camera with high-quality Carl Zeiss optics, 16:9 and DVD quality video capture, and support for services like Share on Ovi for immediate sharing over HSDPA and WLAN.
The Nokia N97 is expected to begin shipping in the first half of 2009 at an estimated retail price of EUR 550 before taxes or subsidies.
Labels: industry insight, mobile phones, quick-news
80Mbps for existing mobile broadband infrastructure?
Ericsson, the handset and telecoms kit manufacturer, has predicted that next-generation Mobile Broadband networks using Long-Term Evolution (LTE / 4G) technology should be ready for prime time in the UK by late 2010.
Ericsson's UK chief technology officer, John Cunliffe, told ZDNet UK. "Networks will be ready for rolling out — shipping in commercial quantities — next year and then the devices, we think, will start to come in 2010," he added.
However many mobile operators are still trying to squeeze as much out of existing HSPA (3G) technology as possible, which in its present form can reach up to 14.4Mbps. By comparison LTE's "tested" maximum is 154Mbps (78Mbps average), though Cunliffe warns that newer enhanced forms of HSPA could get potentially compete with LTE:
"The fastest being deployed in the UK at the moment is 7.2Mbps but our roadmap continues until 42Mbps. We can even see that it may be possible for the technology to reach as much as
80Mbps… so there is certainly a lot of mileage in HSPA. People maybe think that we've got to have LTE to get to the higher speeds, but HSPA will go a long way before we need to get to LTE speeds," said Cunliffe.
This certainly begs the question, why should mobile operators bother with LTE and or mobile WiMAX when their existing HSPA infrastructure has the potential to compete with next-gen technology.
Labels: industry insight, LTE, quick-news
Mobile broadband users reaches 7.3m in UK
Recent research shows that mobile broadband users have grown to 7.3 million in the UK, an increase of twenty five per cent, but at the same time fixed line broadband has increased by just three per cent.
Fixed line broadband users are already in excess of thirty five million and although there has been a only a small increase in users, fixed line is still the preferred way of connecting to the internet for most UK users.
The largest group of people likely to be using mobile broadband are in the fifteen to twenty five age group. They make up about twenty five per cent of all mobile broadband users.
Labels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
Can you spot phishing emails? Are you sure?
Think you can spot the difference between a legitimate e-mail and a phishing scam sitting in your in-box? According to one security vendor, many people can't.
The
SonicWall Phishing and Spam IQ Quiz test presents a series of e-mails that may or may not be from various (USA) vendors and service providers. You must decide whether the e-mail is a phishing attempt or legitimate. Afterward, a score card is presented and if you got any questions wrong, there's an opportunity to see why: A page opens up identifying the clues that should have told you a given e-mail was probably bogus.
Here's some scary phishing facts that should spur you into taking the
test:
- 886 - The average dollar loss per Phishing Victim (Gartner, Dec 17, 2007)
- 3.6 Billion - The total dollar loss of all phishing victims over a 1 year period (Gartner, Dec 17, 2007)
- 3.2 Million - The number of people who fell victims to phishing scams over that same 1 year period (Gartner, Dec 17, 2007)
- 8.5 Billion - The estimated number of phishing e-mails sent world-wide each month (SonicWALL, 2008)
- 32,414 - The number of phishing web sites that were operational in May 2008 (Anti-Phishing Working Group)
- 1,012,000 - The number of people who have taken the Phishing IQ Test worldwide
- 7.4% - The percentage of test takers who get 100% - answering all 10 questions
- 86% - The percentage of phishing e-mails that are identifies as 'phish' by the test takers
- 57% - The percentage of legitimate e-mails that are identified as 'legitimate' by the test takers
Anything less than 10 out of 10 and you could be vulnerable...
Labels: quick-news
Over 100 million mobile broadband subscriptions added in 12 months
3G Americas, a wireless industry trade association representing the GSM family of technologies including LTE, today reports that 3G UMTS/HSPA
mobile broadband technology continues its momentum throughout the world, adding
more than 100 million subscriptions in the twelve months ending in the third quarter 2008 -- achieving a significant milestone in subscriber additions.
At the end of third quarter 2008, global GSM/HSPA wireless subscriptions were nearly 3.4 billion adding 688 million new subscriptions for the GSM family of technologies in one year and capturing an 88.5% share of market, according to industry research firm, Informa Telecoms & Media.
In the Western Hemisphere, the number of
mobile broadband subscriptions continued to grow at an explosive rate, having reached 499 million subscriptions at the end of the third quarter and then passing the half a billion milestone in October. CDMA technologies registered 463 million total subscriptions worldwide as of third quarter 2008, according to the CDMA Development Group. In comparison, there are more GSM/HSPA connections in the Americas region than CDMA narrowband connections worldwide.
The GSM family of technologies represents 69% share of market in North, Central and South America, and registered annual growth of 115 million subscriptions at the end of September 2008, an annual growth rate of 30%. Informa forecasts more than 628 million GSM/HSPA subscriptions in the Americas region by the end of 2010.
Labels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
Huawei claims 'Best Mobile Broadband Device' award
Chinese vendor and handset manufacturer,
Huawei has bagged the coveted 'Best Mobile Broadband Handset/Device Award' for its E180 USB Stick at the Asia Mobile Awards function held at the ongoing Mobile Asia Congress.
The E180 comes in a compact size of 100mm thickness or rather thinness, supports complete range of HSPA/UMTS and GSM/GPRS/EDGE network technologies, allows fast uplink speed rates of up to 5.76Mbps and a downlink of up to 7.2 Mbps claims Huawei.
It also has a rotatable USB connector (upto 270 degrees) and is Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista compatible as well as with Mac operating system. It has a MicroSD card slot allowing upto 8GB memory.
"We are delighted to win an award for 'Best Mobile Broadband Handset/Device'," said Edward Chen, CEO of Huawei Communications, "It is recognition of the Huawei's commitment to provide innovative solutions to its customers in Asia and all over the world. We will continue to focus on our customers' needs to bring them cutting-edge products and to contribute to the development of the mobile telecom industry."
Labels: dongle, industry insight, quick-news
Huawei ships 20 millionth mobile broadband modem
Huawei says that it has now shipped over 20 million
mobile broadband dongles/USB modems. The growth in mobile broadband products including data card, dongles and embedded modems has far exceeded the forecast of the industry in 2006 and 2007 for two consecutive years.
Over the next three years, industry analysts expect the mobile broadband market to grow at an amazing Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 46%, with annual shipments reaching 100 million by 2011.
"Huawei has emerged as the gold standard in partnering with operators for mobile broadband devices. Its proven ability to focus on operators' needs, to provide differentiated customization, including award-winning industrial designs, and to deliver robust applications suites has been recognized by operators globally," said Edward Chen, CEO of Huawei Communication Technologies. "Huawei's robust R&D systems and processes are engineered to ensure a fast response to meet operators' terminal customization requirements. This has helped it achieve a commanding position in mobile broadband products. As the market leader, Huawei is firmly committed in its efforts to drive worldwide broadband penetration and the fast evolution of this technology."
Labels: dongle, industry insight, quick-news
NTT DoCoMo to launch LTE mobile broadband in 2010
Japan's largest mobile network operator plans to beef up its wireless data services by introducing LTE (Long Term Evolution)
mobile broadband in 2010, becoming one of the first companies globally to offer the new technology.
NTT DoCoMo started testing LTE, which it calls Super 3G (third generation mobile telecommunications) and others call 3.9G, in July of 2006. The technology improves wireless download and access speeds over current EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) and HSPA (high-speed packet access) technologies. Early test have indicated potentials speeds of up to 160Mbps.
The company will introduce LTE commercially in 2010, said NTT DoCoMo CEO Ryuji Yamada, in a speech at the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress in Macau, China. He said his company needs speedier broadband to keep up with the video services Japanese consumers demand.
Labels: LTE, mobile broadband, quick-news
O2 to double mobile broadband speeds
O2 is to double its HSDPA 3G-enabled
mobile broadband speeds in selected areas of London in December.
O2, currently claiming speeds of 3.6Mbps, will increase them to 7.2Mbps across certain 'pockets' of London for all of its
mobile broadband customers.
O2 also confirmed the speed improvements will be rolled out across other areas of the UK in early 2009.
Labels: mobile broadband, network coverage, o2, quick-news
Three reveals 2010 3G coverage plans
Three has updated its
Mobile Broadband coverage map to include details of its future service rollout plans until 2010.
The new plans suggest that 'up to' 7.2Mbps services will be available to 98% of the population by summer 2009. Furthermore those living in 'big' cities, such as London, should be able to receive 'up to' 14.4Mbps by the third quarter of 2010.
Labels: 3-Mobile, mobile broadband, network coverage, quick-news
3 and T-Mobile join hands to boost their mobile broadband network
The mobile operators,
3 and
T-Mobile, have recently entered a 5-year backhaul agreement with BT Wholesale. The agreement was entered through the two mobile operators' joint-venture company MBNL – Mobile Broadband Network Ltd - formed so that both mobile companies could merge, streamline and strengthen their base stations, and thereby increase their UK reach.
The 5-year deal with BT Wholesale stipulates that BT will connect 7,500 of MBNL's base stations to BT's broadband network (called 21CN – 21st Century Network). The intent is that, by entering this deal, MBNL's capacity to handle the ever-increasing consumer demand for mobile broadband will be bolstered in as cost-efficient and environmentally-beneficial a way as possible.
With the agreement, MBNL envision that by 2010, it will have the most extensive third-generation
mobile broadband network in the UK.
Labels: 3-Mobile, network coverage, quick-news, T-Mobile
Telstra Demonstrates World's Fastest Mobile Modem
Australian mobile operator, Telstra has shown off the fastest mobile broadband modem on the planet capable of reaching peak network downlink
speeds of 21Mbps.
Speaking at the company's annual Investor Day briefing, Mike Wright, Executive Director, Wireless Engineering and Operations, confirmed Telstra was on track to super charge Next G network speeds with the 21Mbps capability by the end of the year.
At the Investor Day, Telstra hosted its first public enhanced HSPA (eHSPA) data session, showcasing the enhanced network speeds and demonstrating the capabilities of the super-fast new modem. Trials of the 21Mbps mobile broadband modem will begin in December with a full commercial launch to follow early next year.
Labels: dongle, industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
Orange to offer Asus Eee PC with integrated 3G
Orange have announced a new edition to its 'connected laptop' range. Following the huge popularity of its
initial laptop offering launched in August, Orange is now upgrading its consumer offer to make it even easier for consumers to get online by launching the Eee PC 901 with embedded 3G connectivity.
Available from mid-November, the new ultra portable
Eee PC comes in a choice of either black or pink and features Intel's Atom processor. What's more, the Eee PC 901 comes equipped with five hours of battery life, an integrated webcam, and features an 8.9" compact design, weighing in at just 1.1kg - making it the ultimate portable computing experience.
We'll bring you details of the offer just as soon as it's officially available.
Labels: laptop, mobile broadband, Orange, quick-news
Orange mobile broadband blossoms
Orange mobile broadband has been moving in the right direction over the past year, according to third quarter figures released by the company.
Orange mobile broadband has seen the number of subscribers increase by a massive
eighty six per cent. This takes the total amount of users to just under three million and corresponds to an increase of data usage during the second quarter.
The provider is hoping that towards the end of 2009, they should be in a position to offer a mobile broadband connection speed of 14.4 Mbps in the five largest UK cities, while the top thirty cities can expect to achieve 7.3 Mbps and for the rest of the country around 2 Mbps can be expected.
Labels: mobile broadband, Orange, quick-news
T-Mobile G1 Android phone reviewed
It's finally here. The Gphone, the Google Phone - otherwise known as the T-Mobile G1 with Google.
As
we reported back in September, the G1 is the first device running the new mobile operating system from Google, called Android.
This InformationWeek report takes in-depth look at both the hardware and the software.
See the available
G1 packages here.
Labels: offers, quick-news, T-Mobile
3's mobile broadband disrupted
3 Mobile wrote to customers this week to inform them of major disruptions to its mobile broadband service in certain areas. 3 apologised in writing and informed customers it is attempting to rectify the problem. 3 expects the problem to be temporary and explained it in terms of the network infrastructure improvements that are underway.
Mobile broadband customers have been offered two months' free rental for their troubles.
Labels: 3-Mobile, network coverage, quick-news
Orange sells out of laptops in store and online!
Asus and HP laptops sold out; new stock scheduled for November 1st.
Orange retail director described sales of laptops with Orange USB broadband dongles as 'amazing' to date. She said new stock will be available from Orange's direct sales channels by November 1, including 'exciting' new laptop models.
Orange shops started selling laptops for the first time on August 16; the
Asus Eee PC was its first sale model; 'free' on Orange 'Internet Everywhere' mobile broadband for £25 on a 24 month contract inclusive of 3GB data allowance and 100 texts from the laptop.
Orange has also been selling Hewlett-Packard laptops on business mobile broadband tariffs. HP stock has also run dry.
Labels: laptop, mobile broadband, Orange, quick-news
Mobile broadband sales triple in 2008
GfK Group has issued its latest statistics for Mobile Broadband USB Modem (Dongle) sales. The data shows that 149,000 such devices were sold during September 2008, compared with just 55,000 in January 2008.
However this isn't the peak; that occurred in July when 163,000 units were sold. 76% of Mobile Broadband users are on contract based services with the remaining 24% on 'pay as you go' (PAYG) deals.
However it's worth pointing out that the uptake of true PAYG has only recently taken off after
T-Mobile and
3 Mobile launched a range of better priced options with fewer constraints, causing a significant rise in uptake.
3 Mobile is believed to hold 50% of all sales.
Labels: 3-Mobile, mobile broadband, PAYG, quick-news, T-Mobile
T-Mobile forced to withdraw mobile broadband advert
T-Mobile has been heavily criticised for favourably comparing its
mobile broadband offering with that of a fixed-line service.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said that the advert - which stated "All the benefits of home broadband, on the move. No wires, no waiting, no worries" - mislead consumers into thinking mobile broadband would deliver the same speed and quality as traditional home broadband.
The ASA stated mobile broadband was unlikely to offer speeds comparable with those of a high speed fixed-line service due to its reliance on cellular technology. "In particular, we were concerned that activities such as streaming, downloading and online gaming were unlikely to be available to mobile broadband users to the same standard as to fixed-line broadband users," it added.
The ASA ruled T-Mobile could not run the same advert in the future and must avoid the implication its mobile broadband service was of a comparable standard to fixed-line broadband.
In its defence, T-Mobile claimed the advert referred to the capacities of mobile broadband - not its speed, and maintained there was no implied direct technical comparison to fixed-line broadband.
Labels: mobile broadband, quick-news, T-Mobile
Tesco mulls mobile broadband offering
It's widely reported today that the UK's largest supermarket chain could be turning its attentions to the
mobile broadband market.
According to the new CEO of
Tesco Mobile, Lance Batchelor, the company is exploring options although there are no announcements to make with regards to how and when they intend to make this happen.
Tesco have already made changes to their own pre pay tariffs, making them more attractive to their customers through aggressive pricing and a simplistic way of operating.
This alone should cause the other providers to take notice, especially Virgin Mobile who are feeling the strain to remain the UK’s number one mobile virtual network operator (
MVNO).
An own brand
mobile broadband service would only help Tesco capture more of the market, especially as they are going to be able to apply the same method to this as they have with virtually every other marketplace that they enter.
Labels: industry insight, mobile broadband, quick-news
Vodafone launches 'ChargeBox'
Customers can charge electronic devices in store from £1.
Vodafone has launched a new battery charging service for customers to recharge their mobile phones, MP3 players and games machines.
From October, customers in selected stores will be able to hire a locker called a ChargeBox, which offers a range of different charging pins from different manufacturers, including Nokia, Apple and Sony.
Each locker has a single key which is kept by the customer whilst their device is left to charge.
Prices start at £1 for 30 minutes of charging, and a maximum of £2 for 90 minutes. Customers can pay by inserting the money directly in to the ChargeBox, or pay via text message.
Labels: quick-news, Vodafone
Vodafone releases Dell Inspiron Mini 9 deals
The long awaited
Vodafone laptop-inclusive mobile broadband plans are finally available.
The device, weighing around 1kg and featuring an 8.9 inch display, is being sold with built-in mobile broadband, exclusively through Vodafone stores and online.
The starter plan is a
1GB deal at £25 per month on a 24 month contract - competing directly with the Orange Asus Eee PC package. Those who are slighly more data hungry might prefer the
3GB plan - again on a 24 month contract - for £30 per month.
Labels: laptop, mobile broadband, quick-news, Vodafone
T-Mobile previews mobile broadband Wi-Fi hub
T-Mobile has revealed a sneak peek of its home hub for
mobile broadband, which allows up to three users to connect to a single mobile broadband USB modem using Wi-Fi.
It's a neat alternative to landline broadband, with a simple connection for the USB modem, as well as a built-in ethernet port for devices without Wi-Fi inside.
T-Mobile says its Share Dock 100 will be bundled free with
mobile broadband packages costing £20 per month, or available separately at £100.
This follows news earlier in the year that
3 Mobile has plans to bring mobile broadband to the home too. The firm let slip that, since some customers are using mobile dongles as an alternative to a home landline, it's considering the launch of a special router to share the connection between laptops using Wi-Fi.
We can only assume it's still in development, because there's still no word on pricing or a release date. Stay tuned for more as soon as we hear it.
There are alternatives if you're in a rush to share your mobile broadband at home; we covered this in our '
How to use and share mobile broadband at home' article back in August.
Labels: dongle, information, quick-news, T-Mobile
Win a T-Mobile G1 Andriod phone
It looks like T-Mobile customers in the US trying to get one of the initial models of the first phones powered by Google's Android operating system will have to wait a bit longer.
"Sorry! Due to the overwhelming popularity of the new T-Mobile G1, upgrades are temporarily unavailable. Please try again later," the T-Mobile pre-order page told people who tried to sign up for the phone on Saturday, according to the Android Guys blog.
BUT - you can beat the queues by entering the T-Mobile competition to win one of eight of these exciting new phones -
click here to visit the T-Mobile site and enter the competition. Good luck!
Labels: offers, quick-news, T-Mobile
Apple and O2 in mobile broadband hookup?
O2 in discussions to bundle Apple laptops with fixed and mobile broadband.
Mobile Today reports that
O2 is believed to be looking to capitalise on its relationship with Apple by bringing the manufacturer's laptops to its customers.
The idea is to bundle laptops with fixed and
mobile broadband. The laptops wouldn't be free, but would be subsidised under the scheme. O2 and Apple are understood to be discussing a deal. However, a spokeswoman said there were no current plans.
Labels: industry insight, o2, quick-news
3 drop PAYG dongle price by £10
3 Mobile announced today that it has dropped the price of it's Pay As You Go dongles by £10 accross the range.
This means that you can now get mobile broadband for a £50 outlay - including 1GB of data - with no contract or ongoing commitment.
This is undoubtedly a strategic a manoever in advance of the widely anticipated Christmas rush for mobile broadband. And a shrewd move it is; placing 3 Mobile PAYG at the forefront of this competative market in terms of pricepoint.
Get yours now!
Labels: 3-Mobile, mobile broadband, offers, quick-news
New World record for wireless optical transmission
Cellular-News reports today...
Italian and Japanese scientists have demonstrated a laser based wireless communications system which has achieved a record transmission of 1.28 Terabit/s (or 1280 Gigabit/s) in a free air link between two transceivers installed on the roof of the CEIIC building and on the roof of the Building A at the Italian National Research Council around 210 meters away.
Now that's fast, very fast! Read the full story
here.
Labels: industry insight, quick-news
