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Widespread Confusion of Data-Mobility Access rates forces deployment of technology upgrades sooner than anticipated, says Informa report
http://www.mb.com.ph/INFO2005071439129.html
The failing of WCDMA to deliver the true 3G experience has forced the industry to push ahead earlier than expected with the implementation of HSDPA and HSUPA, according to a latest telecom report.
Informa Telecoms & Media’s new reports entitled "Super 3G: Evolving UMTS," reveals that the knock-on effect of this development is that this has left a void between 3.5G (HSDPA/HSUPA) and what will become 4G, and the need to plug that gap is now apparent.
The report examines the requirements for 3.99G - also known as Evolved UMTS or Super 3G - and lifts the lid on the standards work that needs to be done to address the uncertainty.
"There is concern within the leading wireless operators and manufacturers that the mass market takeup of mobile triple play could cause havoc on existing infrastructure if they do not act today," said report author, Nick Lane. "WCDMA has been nothing short of a disappointment. Though HSDPA will deliver true 3G applications, if these high-speed services are adopted by consumers in significant numbers, HSDPA networks will become congested. The need to progress the wireless networks is here today."
As HSDPA implementation commences in during 2005 and throughout 2006, followed by HSUPA in late2006 to 2007, the world’s leading mobile operators and manufacturers are already casting doubts on WCDMA’s midterm effectiveness.
WCDMA/HSDPA networks run the risk of saturation/congestion if there is rapid 3G takeup over the next two years ahead of the expected mobile data service mass-market acceptance in 2008 driven by triple play.
The pressure is on. The 3GPP is now looking at the required specifications for Evolved UMTS to reduce the cost-per-bit while undergoing a vast spectral-efficiency improvement. By increasing the bandwidth up to 10MHz, Super 3G can offer throughput of 30Mbps in the wide area and more than 100Mbps in the local area. Evolved UMTS standardisation work is scheduled for completion by June 2007.
For Evolved UMTS to be successful it will require a complete overhaul of existing standards procedures if the tight deadlines set by the 3GPP members are to be adhered to.
The ideal solution would be for each 3GPP group member to focus on one allocated aspect to avoid needless repetition and a scenario where several companies are pushing competing solutions. This would require the 3GPP to take a stronger lead in pushing through the standardisation, testing and validation process and ensuring companies do not stray from their agenda. With so many companies involved in the Evolved UMTS process, there is a danger that vendors develop multiple OFDM-based technologies, so everyone tries to get their own IPRs (intellectual property rights) and so slows down the standardisation process.
The report, based on comprehensive access to 3GPP documentation,and exclusive interviews with key companies, concludes that whatever the route taken to tackle Super 3G, one likely impact is that it will significantly delay 4G.
Nextel Shareholders Approve Merger With Sprint
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/13447.php
NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Nextel Communications Inc. (NXTL) shareholders approved its merger with Sprint Corp. (FON) during its annual shareholder meeting Wednesday.
More than 71% of the votes representing common class shares supported the deal. Nextel said that fewer than 1% of the votes were against the merger.
Sprint's acquisition of Nextel will create the nation's third-largest wireless carrier, and give the combined company better footing to compete with larger rivals Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter.
"This is one heck of a combination," Nextel Chief Executive Timothy M. Donahue said at the shareholder meeting. "I can't wait to compete against the other large-cap telcos."
The merger combines Sprint's broad consumer appeal with Nextel's corporate clients. It also brings together two different networks, which executives on both sides say will continue to be supported. Sprint uses a form of mobile technology called CDMA, or code division multiple access, while Nextel uses technology called IDEN, best known for its push-to-talk function. Nextel won't leave the IDEN network until at least 2008, and possibly as late as 2010, Donahue said.
The deal, however, could potentially cost the two companies more than the $35 billion price tag. Already Sprint has squashed one lawsuit by acquiring affiliate US Unwired Inc. (UNWR) for $1.3 billion. Another Sprint affiliate, Ubiquitel Inc. (UPCS), has filed a complaint against Sprint and Nextel, as it may be looking to get bought out like US Unwired. The two are among 11 Sprint affiliates - separate companies that use Sprint's wireless spectrum to provide wireless service under the Sprint brand. Both argued the merger violates its exclusivity deal with Sprint.
Nextel Partners Inc. (NXTP), meanwhile, has an option to force Nextel to buy the company out at a premium if the deal goes through. The two parties are in dispute over the level of premium for a potential deal.
Still, a merger was needed after Cingular, jointly owned by SBC Communications Inc. (SBC) and BellSouth Corp.(BLS), acquired AT&T Wireless to surge past Verizon Communications' (VZ) wireless business as the top cellular service provider in the nation.
Donahue believes the merger will help create a potentially nation-leading wireless player.
"I expect to have the best network in the industry," he said. "It'll take some time to get there, but we'll get there."
Sprint recently traded at $25.44, up 12 cents, or 0.5%, on volume of 1.5 million. Average daily volume is 10.5 million.
Nextel recently traded at $32.93, up 13 cents, or 0.4%, on volume of 1.2 million. Average daily volume is 9.7 million.
-By Roger Cheng, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-2020; roger.cheng@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
From J.P. Morgan Securities
http://finance.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?.mm=FN&action=m&board=4686818&tid=qcom&sid=468....
China 3G licensing delay seen stifling TD-SCDMA growth - ABN AMRO
07.13.2005, 05:51 AM
http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2005/07/13/afx2135762.html
BEIJING (AFX) - ABN AMRO said any further delay in issuing third generation (3G) mobile technology licenses in China will stifle the development of TD-SCDMA, the country's homegrown 3G standard.
'If TD-SCDMA's maturation within six to 18 months is indeed the objective (as we believe it is), the best way to get there is to issue licenses as soon as possible. Additional delays at this point will only stifle growth,' the brokerage said in a research report.
This follows comments made earlier by Wang Zhiqin, an official at the Ministry of Information Industry Research Institute, that TD-SCDMA's maturity depended upon 'large scale adoption in an actual network.'
China is currently choosing between three 3G standards -- European-backed WCDMA, Qualcomm-developed CDMA2000, and TD-SCDMA, widely seen as the least mature technology. The government has been waiting for TD-SCDMA to mature before issuing 3G licenses.
But the standard must be taken out of the lab in order to enter the next stage of development, ABN AMRO said.
'TD-SCDMA is essentially a chicken-and-egg problem - the regulator has been waiting on licensing to see further maturation of the standard, yet without an official license issuance, the value chain will continue to drag its feet and development will have trouble accelerating,' it said.
ABN AMRO noted that WCDMA, which is now considered a mature technology, was plagued with technical issues following its deployment, and that no technology can mature until six to 12 months after its commercial launch.
The brokerage also said that TD-SCDMA technology has reached a level where the risks of complete failure or disappointment are minimal and that earlier licensing will benefit the technology as well as domestic vendors and the value chain.
In this environment, the brokerage remains positive on China's second-largest mobile operator, China Unicom Ltd, which will likely benefit from the industry restructuring expected to precede 3G licensing.
john.bishop@xinhuafinance.com
jpb/gf/net
Number of 3G networks reaches 78 globally
13/07/2005 by Leigh Phillips
http://www.digitalmediaasia.com/default.asp?ArticleID=9029
The number of 3G/WCDMA networks delivering commercial services today stands at 78 networks in 36 countries, an increase of 18 networks so far this year, according to figures from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA). A further five networks are at the pre-commercial stage.
The mobile sector trade association also says that WCDMA take-up is much faster than GSM was at the same stage of its introduction
There are now 179 WCDMA device models on the market from 26 suppliers, including 71 products launched this year. The number of WCDMA devices launched has quadrupled over the past 12 months. Around three quarters (132) of these devices are for use on WCDMA networks globally, with the remainder (47) targeted for the NTT DoCoMo FOMA service in Japan.
According to the latest subscriber data from Informa Telecoms & Media, the number of subscribers to WCDMA services reached 28.34m globally as of the end of June, an increase of 11.46m, or 68 per cent, since end 2004.
The GSA also says that there are now 44 operators currently operating or deploying combined WCDMA and EDGE networks and 147 network operators in 81 countries are committed to EDGE deployment. The number of networks delivering commercial EDGE-enabled services has doubled in 2005, now standing at 89 networks in 56 countries, compared to 40 networks at end 2004. There are 126 EDGE-enabled devices announced on the market, covering all segments, an increase of 70 models (125 per cent) in the first half of 2005.
CDG White Paper on WiMAX Opportunities and Challenges
http://www.ecnasiamag.com/article.asp?id=2568
The CDMA Development Group (CDG) (www.cdg.org) and Signals Research Group, LLC announced today the availability of a white paper discussing the realities of WiMAX standards and their potential market applications. The paper entitled, "WiMAX -- Opportunities and Challenges in a Wireless World," is based on an independent analysis of WiMAX that Signals Research Group published earlier this year, which is being made available to the public on the CDG's website.
"There has been a lot of hype around WiMAX, and some are comparing it to 3G-based cellular technologies," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "As this paper demonstrates, the reality is different. 3G will continue to expand and be the dominant platform for the delivery of mobile voice and data services. Assuming that its technical challenges are overcome, WiMAX could become a viable solution for a number of applications that will complement, rather than replace, 3G."
According to the paper's principal author, Michael Thelander, "It is evident that the fixed implementation of WiMAX addresses some of the inherent challenges that have limited the market opportunity of broadband fixed wireless access. However, much work still remains to be done before the mobile implementation of WiMAX is ready for commercialization, while the business case of deploying a carrier-grade WiMAX mobile network that delivers an acceptable quality of voice and data services is far from proven."
The white paper explains WiMAX in simple terms, including the history of the technology, the technical characteristics of fixed and mobile implementations of WiMAX, and why these two implementations are not compatible with each other. The paper then examines the market opportunities and business case for both fixed and portable/mobile services using WiMAX and the relationship between WiMAX and other wireless technologies, including 3G cellular services.
Thelander continues, "Unlike Wi-Fi, the success of WiMAX is predicated on the need for a successful operator-driven business model, and ultimately this will be one of the biggest challenges facing widespread adoption of WiMAX over the next several years."
Broadcom Hits Qualcomm Broadside
By Dave Mock
July 8, 2005
http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2005/mft05070812.htm
The one thing investors have come to expect from companies that license technology and intellectual property is lawsuits, and plenty of them. It's inherent in the business.
The telecom and wireless markets are no exception. Things must have been too quiet in the courtroom lately, because in mid-May, Broadcom (Nasdaq: BRCM) launched a series of complaints, lawsuits, and press releases accusing Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) of infringing on multiple patents. Apparently, many chip-set products that Qualcomm produces contain Broadcom technology.
Broadcom also filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) stating that Qualcomm utilizes unfair trade practices. In the weeks that followed, it filed complaints in the US District Court that Qualcomm's business violates US antitrust laws in a number of ways related to the licensing business that generates more that one billion dollars annually for Qualcomm.
Apparently, Broadcom feels that, beyond being a patent infringer, Qualcomm is a thorn in the side of every player in the industry and that its business practices limit competition and stifle innovation. Broadcom CEO Scott McGregor openly stated that a goal of the litigation is to level the playing field for all players, not just for his company. He even went so far as to refer to Qualcomm as a monopolist. Now, in my neighborhood, them's fightin' words.
Of course, Qualcomm's response is that the lawsuits are meritless. In a rebuttal, the company grandly pointed to a poor track record in Broadcom's legal area, painting the picture of a company that is quick to litigate with baseless charges.
In my opinion, all the legal wrangling likely comes down to this: Broadcom wanted a free pass through a cross-license to Qualcomm's technology, and Qualcomm wouldn't give it. The filing of antitrust claims and statements from the CEO demonstrates that Broadcom is after far more than just ensuring Qualcomm doesn't illegally use its patents -- the company is trying to marginalize Qualcomm by making broad claims of oppressive competitive behavior.
Of course, owning shares of Qualcomm and authoring a corporate biography that chronicles its success perhaps makes mine a biased opinion. But I am not alone. Investors seem to be unfazed as Qualcomm's stock has wavered little upon the announcements, backing up some analysts' view that Broadcom's claims will be tough to prove and win. Overall, it's just more business as usual.
For more peaceable Foolishness on Qualcomm, check out these:
Qualcomm Gets Personal
Qualcomm Dials Back Optimism
Fool contributor Dave Mock has never smoked a peace pipe, or seen one for that matter. He owns shares of Qualcomm and is author of its first corporate biography -- The Qualcomm Equation.
Qualcomm claims Broadcom is serial litigator
Fights back against antitrust suit
By INQUIRER staff: Thursday 07 July 2005, 07:36
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=24443
BROADCOM is suing Qualcomm because it's desperate to get some leverage through litigation, a senior exec at the latter company claimed.
That follows the serving of an antitrust suit Broadcom filed against Qualcomm yesterday, which we reported here.
Chief Qualcomm lawyer Louis Lupin said: "Because Broadcom does not hold essential patents for the important cellular standards, Broadcom must feel compelled to resort to these kinds of measures rather than continuing to negotiate for licences in good faith."
And, he claimed, Broadcom has a history of starting both law suits and International Trade Commission (ITC) hearings that don't turn out well.
He quoted cases against Intel, which meant Broadcom paid Chipzilla $60 million; Microtune, which cost Broadcom $22.5 million; and Agere, which cost Broadcom $27.5 million.
And so we can conclude that Qualcomm is going to fight this one. µ
Qualcomm hits back at Broadcom's unfair license claims
7th July 2005
By CBR Staff Writer
http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=40E51412-4545-4E5D-AD51-46031700687E
Qualcomm Inc has hit back at the antitrust action filed by Broadcom Corp. It said the claim that it has refused to license its essential patents on "fair and reasonable terms" is belied by the fact that it has granted more than 130 licenses to a broad range of companies.
AdvertisementIt said that these licenses, including agreements with the largest and most sophisticated manufacturers of wireless telecommunications equipment, make its patents the most extensively licensed portfolio in the cellular industry. It also said its extensive licensing program has fostered the widespread adoption of its leading-edge technologies and promoted "vibrant competition" throughout the wireless industry.
It said Qualcomm has supplied only a small percentage of the WCDMA chipsets. "The inability of Broadcom to attract customers for its WCDMA products, as admitted in Broadcom's complaint, is indicative of this highly competitive environment and not of any ostensible anticompetitive activity by Qualcomm," it said in a statement.
However, it made no reference to the market in CDMA chipsets, which is the strongest part of Broadcom's case and where it claims that Qualcomm has a 90% market share.
Qualcomm general counsel Louis Lupin said that because Broadcom does not hold essential patents for the important cellular standards, it must feel compelled to resort to these kinds of measures rather than continuing to negotiate for licenses in good faith. "Broadcom's unfortunate preference for the litigation forum rather than the negotiating table will require Qualcomm to proceed with litigation of its own," he said.
Qualcomm said Broadcom has a history of initiating litigation and International Trade Commission proceedings that do not turn out well for the company. Its patent litigation and ITC proceedings against Intel resulted in Broadcom paying Intel a $60m settlement in 2003. Similarly, it said that while Broadcom filed patent claims against Microtune Inc, the outcome was a $22.5m settlement payment in 2004 from Broadcom to Microtune. Broadcom's patent-infringement claims against Agere Inc suffered a similar fate with Broadcom reporting a $27.5m charge to settle that litigation late last year.
Broadcom alleges that Qualcomm's licensing practices on cellular technology violated US antitrust laws and keep handset prices unnecessarily high.
Qualcomm (QCOM ): Reiterates 4 STARS (buy)
Analyst: Kenneth Leon, CPA
JULY 6, 2005
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/jul2005/pi2005076_3863_pi010.htm?campaign_id=rss_invest
Following yesterday's filing by Broadcom of an antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm, the company states the allegations of supposed monopolization of WCDMA market are false. Qualcomm says that to date it has granted over 130 licenses to broad range of companies. Based on its record of success in defending its intellectual property, we think Qualcomm will prevail in the lawsuit. We would regard any weakness today in Qualcomm shares as enhanced buying opportunity. Our 2005 earnings per share estimate remains 26 cents. Given our view of its unique pricing power with CDMA technology, our opinion is buy.
Maybe There's a good chance the chipmaker's antitrust suit against market leader Qualcomm will never go before a judge
JULY 6, 2005 • NEWS ANALYSIS
By Olga Kharif
http://yahoo.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2005/tc2005076_5260_tc024.htm
Chipmaker Broadcom has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm alleging that the San Diego company's licensing policies block rivals from selling competing chipsets for use in next generation mobile phones.
The suit, filed on July 5 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, claims that Qualcomm (QCOM ), which holds key patents for the so-called Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology used in the next generation of wireless networks, is not licensing its patents under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms.
PATENT DISPUTE. Qualcomm, the suit alleges, had agreed to adhere to fair licensing terms in order to establish WCDMA as an international standard. Various international and U.S. standards bodies, like the Telecommunications Industry Assn., have adopted the WCDMA standard.
Broadcom (BRCM ) claims that Qualcomm will only license its WCDMA patents in exchange for "a wide array of terms that are aimed to cripple Broadcom as a competitor." According to the suit, a Qualcomm license, for example, would have required Broadcom to sell chipsets only to cell-phone makers that are also Qualcomm licensees.
Qualcomm denies any wrongdoing. "Qualcomm is looking into the complaint right now, and we believe it's without merit," says a company spokesperson.
FAIR OR FOUL. Broadcom has pulled out the big legal guns. Its 48-page filing was put together by the law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner, whose chairman, David Boies, served as a special trial counsel in the Justice Dept.'s antitrust lawsuit against software behemoth Microsoft (MSFT ).
The latest suit follows on the heels of patent infringement and fair-trade complaints Broadcom has leveled against Qualcomm. On May 19, Broadcom filed a patent-infringement suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleging that Qualcomm has infringed on 10 of its patents. Then, on June 20, Broadcom announced that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) had begun an investigation into its allegations that Qualcomm engaged in unfair trade practices by importing products infringing on Broadcom's patents.
Legal experts say the Broadcom case hinges on a gray area of antitrust and patent law: What exactly constitutes a fair licensing deal. After all, patents are granted to give inventors a short-term monopoly on the technology. That could make it difficult for Broadcom to prove its case.
HIGHER COSTS? "It's still unresolved what [fair terms of licensing] mean," says Tyler Baker, who heads the anti-trust practice of firm Fenwick & West and has counseled the likes of Coca-Cola (KO ) and Eastman Kodak (EK ). "It's unclear what exactly a company needs to do [to comply]."
What's more, if this case does go to trial, both Broadcom and Qualcomm will need to request their customers -- cell-phone manufacturers such as Nokia (NOK ) and wireless service providers like Japan's NTT DoCoMo (DCM ) -- testify. "It's very disruptive, and you end up potentially causing distress to people you are dealing with," Baker says.
Broadcom isn't worried. "We think there's a lot of concern in the industry about Qualcomm's licensing practices," says David Dull, senior vice-president and general counsel at Broadcom. "The industry welcomes this action." Broadcom claims that Qualcomm's dominance of CDMA technology has resulted in higher prices for mobile phones in the U.S. It fears that Qualcomm will be able to pull off the same dominance in the nascent high-speed wireless phone arena.
THE COMING THING. Still, some legal experts believe both parties may have incentive to settle before the case goes to trial. Hillard Sterling, a technology attorney with law firm Freeborn & Peters, says that way both outfits will want to avoid dragging their customers into court and obliging them to divulge the secrets of their licensing agreements. Besides, litigation is expensive. "We are not opposed to settlement in advance of a trial," says Broadcom's Dull.
Meanwhile, investors don't seem too worried about the suit. Qualcomm's shares hardly moved on the news of the lawsuit, closing at $33.59 on July 5, down a cent on the day. Broadcom's shares were up 1.8% by the closing bell, to $36.74.
The suit underscores the growing importance of WCDMA to both Qualcomm and the industry. While only a few carriers in Japan and Europe have implemented the WCDMA technology, it's expected to be deployed en masse, starting mid-2006, says Mike Mahoney, portfolio manager with EGM hedge funds in San Francisco.
"DESPERATE ATTEMPT." Analysts polled by Thomson One believe that the technology -- both licensing and outright sales of chips -- will help boost Qualcomm sales 23%, to $5.6 billion, in the current fiscal year, which ends in September. Qualcomm, which is twice the size of Broadcom, is one of the most profitable tech companies.
Broadcom has long been trying to get into the WCDMA market. In 2004, it acquired Zyray Wireless for $96 million. Zyray's WCDMA know-how makes it easier to integrate the technology with older wireless standards, says Allen Nogee, an analyst with consultancy In-Stat. Broadcom is not shipping any WCDMA chips yet, though products are under development. "This lawsuit is a desperate attempt [by Broadcom] to get into the game," says Mahoney.
That may be for the courts to decide.
Kharif is a reporter for BusinessWeek Online
Sprint and LG Mobile Phones Let the Pictures do the Talking with the Launch of the New Sprint PCS Vision(SM) Picture Phone PM-225 by LG Color Camera Phone
Wednesday July 6, 8:00 am ET
Stylish Sprint PCS Vision Picture Phone PM-225 by LG Features an Integrated VGA Camera in a Lightweight, Compact Design and Comes in Two Fashionable New Colors
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050706/law048.html?.v=16
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. and SAN DIEGO, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing a strong year of innovative new handsets and advanced entertainment and data service launches, LG Mobile Phones and Sprint (NYSE: FON - News) today announced the launch of the new Sprint PCS Vision Picture Phone PM-225 by LG color camera handset.
The PM-225 by LG features a complete set of all the features that today's mobile phone users expect from their handsets and goes a step beyond, offering the latest technology in an easy-to-use and compact mobile phone. The PM-225 by LG covers all the bases, offering an integrated camera, color screen, full-duplex speakerphone and access to the Sprint PCS Vision network for downloading pictures, ringers and games. The VGA camera features an 8x digital zoom, three resolution settings and color effects adjustments, and a large photo gallery that can save up to 100 pictures. In addition to the gallery, users can snap photos and send them to an email address, another phone or store them online.
The PM-225 by LG's unobtrusive internal antenna and compact shape allow the phone to fit easily in a purse or pocket, and it is available in two colors, a sleek silver and dramatic red. Designed in LG's trademark clamshell design and weighing in at less than three and a half ounces, the phone features a vibrant 65K internal color LCD screen and a 65K color external display. The PM-225 by LG also includes a 500 contact phone book, voice activated dialing, 99 speed dialing entries and SMS capabilities.
"The PM-225 by LG takes all of the great consumer features available in the Sprint PCS Vision Phone VI-125 by LG and adds the ease and convenience of having a camera built into your phone," said Brian Finnerty, director, Subscriber Equipment Group -- Sprint. "For anyone looking for all of LG and Sprint's comprehensive capabilities in a compact package, the PM-225 by LG is the handset they've been eagerly awaiting."
"Although mobile phones are evolving rapidly into complex, multimedia devices, there is still a great consumer demand for lightweight, compact phones that offer the basic services with some fun extras," said Jonathan Maron, director of marketing communications for LG Mobile Phones. "LG is committed to working with our carriers to offer a phone to fit every consumer, and the PM-225 by LG is the perfect handset for those users who want the convenience and fun of a stylish camera phone with access to the Sprint Nationwide PCS Network but prefer a simple handset."
Additional Features of the PM-225 by LG Include the Following:
* 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA/AMPS (Tri-Mode)
* Data Transmission: 1xRTT Voice & Data Capable
* Memory: 16 MB Flash/8 MB SRAM (download up to 1,024 KB)
* Dimensions: 3.53" (H) x 1.76" (W) x 0.93" (D)
* Weight: 3.35 oz.
* Internal Color Display: 65K Color STN LCD, 128 x 160 Pixels, 9 Lines
* External Color Display: 65K Color STN LCD, 64 x 96 Pixels, 3 Lines
* Standard Battery 1,000 mAh Li-Ion
* Talk Time: Up to 3.2 hours*
* Sprint PCS Vision Enabled - download pictures, ringers and J2ME games+
* Available in 2 Colors: Silver and Red
* Unobtrusive Internal Antenna
* Two-Way Short Message Service (SMS)+
* Send and Receive E-mail+
* VGA CMOS Digital Camera
* Self-Portrait Capability with Flip Closed
* Save up to 100 Photos
* Digital Zoom: Up to 8x
* Resolutions: 640x480 (VGA), 320x240 (QVGA), 160x120 (QQVGA) Pixels
* 5 and 10 Second Self-Timer
* Customizable Color Effects, White Balance and Brightness
* Customizable/Recordable Shutter Sounds
* Send Pictures to E-mail, Phone or Store Online
* Assign Pictures to a Caller ID or Screen Saver
* Mobile Web Capable -- WAP 2.0 with one-touch access button+
* Openwave Browser including JPEG, BMP, WBMP, GIF, PNG & WPNG Image
Support+
* Voice-Activated Dialing -- up to 30 entries
* Recordable Voice Ringers
* Customizable Screen Saver & Theme Skins
* 30 Unique Default Ringtones plus Vibrate and Silent Modes
* Full-Duplex Speakerphone
* CMX 32-Chord Polyphonic Sound Support
* Voice Memo Recording -- up to 30 memos for up to 3 total minutes
* Address Book with 500 Contacts -- each stores up to 5 phone numbers,
3 e-mail addresses, and 1 web address
* Speed Dialing (99 Entries)
* Personal Organizer: Calendar with Scheduler, Alarm Clock, Notepad
* Tools: Ez Tip Calc, Calculator, World Clock
* FOTA Capable -- upgrade firmware over the air
* Airplane Mode (RF Off)
* T9 Predictive Text Input
* TTY/TDD Support
+ Sprint PCS Vision service required.
The Sprint PCS Vision Picture Phone PM-225 by LG is available for $219.99, or $69.99 after rebate with two-year advantage agreement.
About Sprint
Sprint offers an extensive range of innovative communication products and solutions, including global IP, wireless, local and multiproduct bundles. A Fortune 100 company with more than $27 billion in annual revenues in 2004, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art network technologies, including the United States' first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network; an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone; and one of the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide wireless networks in the United States. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/mr.
About LG Electronics, Inc.
LG Electronics, Inc. (Korea Stock Exchange: 06657.KS) is a global force in electronics, information and communications products with 2004 annual sales of US $38 billion (consolidated). With more than 66,000 employees working in 76 subsidiaries in 39 countries around the world, LG Electronics is comprised of four main business companies including Mobile Communications, Digital Appliance, Digital Display, Digital Media.
LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company is the world's leading manufacturer of WCDMA (UMTS), CDMA and GSM handsets, and the fastest growing manufacturer of mobile phones worldwide. The company provides a total range of wired and wireless solutions, and is rapidly establishing a global presence as it cultivates international market share in 3G handsets. For more information please visit www.lgusa.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: LG Mobile Phones
Crown Castle Plans To Bring TV Service To Cell Phone Users
BY REINHARDT KRAUSE
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
http://www.investors.com/editorial/tech.asp?v=7/6
Crown Castle International (CCI) is looking for a partner to finance an ambitious project to beam digital TV to mobile phones — and now's as good a time as any to find one.
New York-based investment bank Allen & Co. is Crown Castle's adviser in its search for a financial backer. And this week, Allen & Co. hosts its annual media and tech conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.
The event always attracts many honchos from Hollywood to Wall Street, making it an ideal place for Allen to find a partner for Crown Castle.
Whether this week or later, Crown Castle has a good chance of hooking up with a media company or cable TV partner, some analysts speculate. Finding a partner is vital to Crown Castle.
The company has told Wall Street analysts that it won't fund its network build-out internally.
The mobile TV network envisioned by Crown Castle could cost up to $1 billion to build, UBS Investment Research says.
Qualcomm A Competitor
"It could (link up with) one of the content kings that sees wireless as another way to distribute their products, or maybe a cable company wants to get involved," said Richard Prentiss, an analyst at Raymond James Associates.
Allen & Co. Managing Director Richard Fields didn't return phone calls seeking comment. Houston-based Crown Castle couldn't be reached for comment.
Crown Castle has competition when it comes to building a mobile TV network. Qualcomm (QCOM) also has said it plans to build a network to deliver TV to mobile devices.
Qualcomm says it will fund most of the estimated $800 million price tag for its "MediaFlo" project. Like Crown Castle, though, it's looking for distribution partners.
"We have had numerous discussions with top-tier content providers about aggregating and distributing their content over the Flo network, but haven't made any public announcements," Qualcomm spokeswoman Patty Goodwin said in an e-mail.
Crown Castle plans to build TV transmission towers similar to the large radio antennas used by wireless phone companies. Its technology partners include mobile phone maker Nokia (NOK) and chipmaker Texas Instruments. (TXN)
Crown Castle owns more than 10,000 wireless towers used by carriers. Growing wireless use has boosted demand for such towers. Crown Castle shares are up 22% this year and trade near 20.
In 2003, the firm paid only $12.6 million at a government auction for a block of radio spectrum in the 1.6 GHz band. And in March, Crown Castle formed a mobile media unit.
The spectrum and new subsidiary are for its mobile TV effort.
For its TV service, the company plans to use digital video broadcast technology developed in Europe. Crown Castle and Nokia have been testing the DVB technology in the Pittsburgh area since October.
The companies plan a second trial, in New York, but haven't said when that will start.
Nokia hasn't provided any funding for a network build-out, says Steven Knuff, a Nokia spokesman.
But analysts say Allen will spread a wide net at the Idaho powwow.
"I'd imagine that Allen & Co. isn't excluding anyone," said Anthony Klarman, a Deutsche Bank analyst.
Minimal Risk
Crown Castle's foray into digital TV doesn't hold a lot of risk for shareholders, at least not yet, says Klarman. "Crown isn't committing a lot of their own funding to it," he pointed out. "They're looking at external capital."
Media giants such as Viacom, (VIA) Walt Disney (DIS) and Time Warner (TWX) loom as possible funding partners because their TV audiences have been shrinking.
Wireless networks would offer a new way to distribute TV content.
But some analysts say media firms might prefer to stay neutral in the wireless TV battle between Crown Castle and Qualcomm.
Crown Castle and Qualcomm are in talks with wireless phone companies as well.
Current wireless phone networks aren't well-suited for delivering live TV content to large numbers of subscribers, analysts say.
Speedy wireless data networks, though, already deliver short video clips and "mobi-sodes" — TV shows designed for wireless phones.
Sprint PCS (FON) and Cingular offer privately held Idetic's MobiTV service to subscribers, and Verizon launched its Vcast service early this year.
Qualcomm hopes to sign up Verizon, owned by Verizon Communications (VZ) and the U.K.'s Vodafone, (VOD) and Sprint as customers for Media-Flo-based services since both carriers use its CDMA technology for their voice and data services.
Qualcomm bought radio spectrum in the 700 MHz band for its Media-Flo project in 2003.
Reuters:Qualcomm rejects Broadcom claims
Wednesday July 6, 8:24 am ET
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/050706/telecoms_qualcomm_broadcom.html?.v=3
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc. (NasdaqNM:QCOM - News) said on Wednesday that its practices for selling technology licenses are lawful and favor competition following an antitrust lawsuit brought against it from rival Broadcom Corp. (NasdaqNM:BRCM - News).
Wireless technology company Qualcomm said that communications chip maker Broadcom's decision to take legal actions rather than negotiating with Qualcomm means that Qualcomm will have to "proceed with litigation of its own."
Broadcom said on Tuesday that it was filing an antitrust suit against Qualcomm, arguing that it was unfairly using its technology licensing business to help sell its chips for high-speed wireless phones.
Qualcomm rejected the charges in a statement on Wednesday, saying its "licensing practices are lawful, fair, reasonable and pro-competitive."
The antitrust lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, follows patent infringement and fair trade complaints made by Broadcom against Qualcomm that were disclosed in May.
"This case, like the earlier patent cases filed by Broadcom against Qualcomm, appears to be a desperate attempt by Broadcom to gain bargaining leverage through meritless litigation," said Qualcomm senior vice president and general counsel Louis Lupin.
"Broadcom's unfortunate preference for the litigation forum rather than the negotiating table will require Qualcomm to proceed with litigation of its own."
Qualcomm recently resolved legal battles with technology license customers Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE:TXN - News) and Skyworks Solutions (NasdaqNM:SWKS - News).
T-Mobile Endures Upgrade Challenge, Reports Of Possible Sale July 5, 2005
http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=165600579
T-Mobile is facing the daunting task of moving to 3G technology, a process that some observers say could cost as much as $10 billion.
By W. David Gardner
TechWeb.com
T-Mobile is facing the daunting task of moving to 3G technology, a process that some observers say could cost as much as $10 billion. Meanwhile, the company is battling reports Tuesday that it could go on the auction block.
However, one German press report cited unnamed Deutsche Telekom officials as calling talk of a sale as "purely fictitious." At the same time, the company is currently focused on the difficulties faced by cell phone service providers who must upgrade from the older GSM European standard.
"The operators using the more efficient CDMA technologies have a significant competitive advantage over those operators using the older GSM technology," said Joe Nordgaard, managing director of wireless telephony Spectral Advantage, in an e-mail. "CDMA has clear advantages over GSM (so) you start to understand the dimensions of the problem confronting T-Mobile."
Nordgaard, a CDMA advocate, said Cingular Wireless has a similar problem as it, too, is faced with moving to 3G from an older GSM base. He noted that Verizon Wireless, which uses advanced 1X EV-DO, has already rolled out its 3G service. The remaining large mobile phone service provider -- Sprint -- is also moving to the advanced EV-DO CDMA architecture, but it has several months ahead of it to sort out the multiplicity of spectrum owned by Nextel, the firm it is acquiring.
"Adding to T-Mobile's dilemma is that the European version of CDMA (WCDMA, also called UMTS) requires 10 MHz (2 x 5 MHz) for the initial RF carrier," Nordgaard noted. "In order to deploy this, T-Mobile will either have to carve this spectrum out of its existing holdings, which are already taxed, or purchase additional spectrum at auction."
Nordgaard added that future upgrades of WCDMA -- likely to be deployed by Cingular and T-Mobile -- are more expensive than CDMA2000 1X and could represent very expensive efforts for those companies. The expense of upgrading to new more robust wireless architectures was often mentioned as a key reason for the Nextel-Sprint merger as well as for Cingular-AT&T Wireless merger.
Nordgaard said the wholesale move to new spectrum is likely to dictate the building of more cellular base stations. In a report Monday, In-Stat predicted that the market for macro-cellular base stations will jump from 1.8 million in 2004 to 3.5 million in 2009.
In-Stat analyst Allen Nogee said: "A combination of new technology, base station upgrades, and increases in needed capacity will drive the cellular base station market."
The In-Stat report, which was not related to the T-Mobile sale rumors, also noted that the worldwide number of cell phone subscribers will hit 2.6 billion in 2009, up from 1.6 billion in 2004.
T-Mobile has been enjoying rapid growth in the U.S. in recent months, adding more than 4 million subscribers in 2004 alone. Its total subscriber headcount is more than 18 million, putting T-Mobile in fourth place behind (in order) Cingular, Verizon, and Sprint-Nextel.
Does this mean Qualcomm is heavily buying back it's shares?
<<Qualcomm's action on its way to support means it might be a good time to buy.>>
Buyers Should Heed Qualcomm's Call
By Gary B. Smith
https://secure2.thestreet.com/cap/login/rm_mbp_yahoorealpros.jsp?nosummary=yes&cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=PREMIUM&cm_ite=003190&flowid=fcc5667dcb&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestreet.com%2Fp%2F_yahoo%2Frmoney%2Ftechforumrm%2F10230759.html
About this article:
The Nasdaq's recent congestion suggests more downside lies ahead. Qualcomm's action on its way to support means it might be a good time to buy.
Is this a desperate move by Broadcom?
Broadcom Charges Qualcomm With Violating U.S. Antitrust Laws
Tuesday July 5, 8:00 am ET
Federal Lawsuit Claims Qualcomm's Licensing and Other Practices in Cellular Technology and Products Violate the Antitrust Laws, Stifle Competition
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050705/latu068.html?.v=18
IRVINE, Calif., July 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM - News), a global leader in wired and wireless broadband communications semiconductors, announced today that it has commenced litigation against Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM - News) alleging that the San Diego-based company's licensing and other practices related to cellular technology and products violate U.S. antitrust laws.
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In a complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Broadcom asserts that the violations relate to Qualcomm's abuse of the wireless technology standards-setting process, its failure to meet its commitments to license technology for cellular wireless standards on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, and various anticompetitive practices of Qualcomm in the markets for cell phone technology and chipsets.
"Our goal is simply to ensure fair competition and a level playing field, not just for Broadcom, but for the entire cellular industry," said Scott A. McGregor, Broadcom's President and CEO. "Qualcomm's practices prevent that. Their monopoly in CDMA technology has increased the price of cell phones in the U.S., and we are hoping that the courts will prevent the same thing from happening with the next generation '3G' cell phones. Qualcomm's monopolistic activities limit competition, stifle innovation, and ultimately harm consumers and service providers."
Broadcom's complaint alleges that Qualcomm's licensing arrangements violate its commitments to provide fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (so-called "FRAND") licensing terms to users of technology that is incorporated into telecommunications industry standards. Broadcom asserts that Qualcomm's licensing abuses include charging discriminatory royalties, collecting double royalties, and demanding overly broad cross-license rights from its licensees, among other things. Broadcom also alleges that Qualcomm is engaged in various exclusionary and anticompetitive practices in the supply of cell phone technology and chipsets. Broadcom asserts that the intended impact of these actions is to place competitors like Broadcom at a distinct disadvantage and to reinforce Qualcomm's dominant position in violation of U.S. antitrust laws.
In the complaint, Broadcom seeks monetary damages as well as a permanent injunction barring Qualcomm's unfair business practices. A copy of the complaint may be viewed at www.broadcom.com/qualcomm_antitrust.pdf .
"As the communications industry moves to unified networks that will enable more efficient voice and new high bandwidth data services to drive a new generation of smart portable devices with state-of-the-art features, Broadcom has some very compelling opportunities to participate in these exciting new markets," McGregor said. "Our goal in this legal action is to achieve a fair market environment in which companies compete based on the merits of their respective products and innovation rather than the muscle of a monopolist."
Separately pending between the parties are two patent lawsuits brought by Broadcom alleging that Qualcomm infringes 10 Broadcom patents related to wired and wireless communications and multimedia processing technologies. Additionally, the United States International Trade Commission has instituted an investigation into whether Qualcomm has engaged in unfair trade practices by importing integrated circuits and other products that infringe five Broadcom patents.
About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a global leader in wired and wireless broadband communications semiconductors. Our products enable the convergence of high-speed data, high definition video, voice and audio at home, in the office and on the go. Broadcom provides manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices with the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and software solutions. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything®.
Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with annual revenue of more than $2 billion. The company is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at 1-949-450-8700 or at www.broadcom.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
All statements included or incorporated by reference in this release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry and business, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us, all of which are subject to change. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "could," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.
Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom include, but are not limited to, our ability to prevail in the federal antitrust action against Qualcomm and to secure fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing terms as well as a fair competitive environment in the markets for 3G cellular chipsets; our ability to prevail in our patent lawsuits and the United States International Trade Commission proceeding against Qualcomm; the ability of our patents to protect our intellectual property; our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights; and the risks associated with litigation in general, including the costs, expenditures and time that must be devoted to litigation as well as the possibility of adverse results and the potential diversion of management's attention that may result from being engaged in litigation. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss the foregoing risks as well as other important risk factors that could contribute to such differences or otherwise affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason.
Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything® and the Connecting everything logo are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. QUALCOMM® is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
Broadcom Media Contact
Bill Blanning
Vice President, Public Relations
949-926-5555
blanning@broadcom.com
Broadcom Investor Relations Contact
T. Peter Andrew
Sr. Director, Investor Relations
949-926-5663
andrewtp@broadcom.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Broadcom Corporation
GSA survey confirm WCDMA growth
July 4, 2005
http://www.3gnewsroom.com/3g_news/jul_05/news_6015.shtml
A new survey by GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) confirms that the number of 3G/WCDMA networks delivering commercial services has now reached 74 in 34 countries worldwide, an increase of 14 networks in the first half of 2005. A further 6 networks are at the pre-commercial stage.
GSA also reports that the number of subscribers to WCDMA services accelerated to 26.48 million globally by end May 2005, an increase of 10 million so far in 2005. WCDMA networks globally added over 2 million customers in each of the last 3 months. WCDMA take-up is faster than GSM was at the same stage of its introduction.
Subscriber growth is driven by a wider range of competitive service offerings, more variety of terminals in the market, and maturing technology. GSA's related survey of WCDMA devices identifies a total of 179 device models in the market from 26 suppliers, including 71 products introduced so far this year. The survey confirms that the number of WCDMA devices launched has quadrupled over the past 12 months. HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) PC datacards and handsets are included. A growing number and approaching three quarters (132) of WCDMA device models are designed for use on WCDMA networks globally, with the remainder (47) for use on the NTT DoCoMo FOMA service in Japan. The survey identifies some new FOMA devices that are also compatible with WCDMA/GSM/GPRS networks worldwide.
Irwin Jacobs Tells MIT Graduates About His Career
By IRWIN M. JACOBS
Voice Guest Columnist
Tuesday, July 5, 2005
(From his June 3 commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=euLTJbMUKvH&b=312465&ct=1146377
Walter Munk of Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been a legend among his peers for a couple of generations now. Yet, he and his wife, Judith, continue to innovate and astonish both town and gown as the hot link with new minds. Over dinner at the Munk home more than 25 years ago, I met a physicist from MIT who had been recruited to the UCSD faculty. And it now seems equally predictable that the physicist, Irwin Jacobs, was talking that evening about an idea and a start-up company that seemed to be attracting little attention and too few investors. It was Linkabit.
Linkabit was a good idea. But Jacobs' next one, which we understood then only as a new method of telephony, became legend: Qualcomm. It remains the foremost example of the evolution of the high-tech San Diego set off by the arrival of UCSD. Jacobs has learned to enjoy his success, and he seems less wary these days of talking about it. The most extensive narrative to come from Jacobs himself has just been delivered as a commencement address. Voiceofsandiego.org asked Jacobs to allow us to share the address, which follows:
It's a very great day to graduate. I remember back to receiving my graduate degrees here, a master's and a doctorate, back in '57 and '59, quite a few years ago, fitting very well in with the 50-year reunion class. I must say that, at that time, I could not possibly have imagined all the things that were going to happen in my life over the succeeding years. That indeed is something I'd like to pick as the theme today, namely that we're all going to, and in particular, you are going to be going through a great deal of change, providing both opportunities and occasionally some problems. But, in fact, an MIT education is about the best possible way to prepare yourselves for this very exciting future. I suspect again that a few years from now, when you have the opportunity to think back, there will be many things that you just could not have anticipated, and so it's important to be prepared for those changes.
My life itself has seen a number of changes. I'll use those for an example. I actually was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, not too far from here. When I graduated high school, I had always been interested in math and chemistry, physics. My high school counselor advised me, and this was 1950, that there was no future in science, nor in engineering. And since I didn't really have a measure to evaluate that, I then took his advice. My family had a small restaurant, and so I entered the school of hotel administration at Cornell University. Well, I had an engineer as a roommate, and after a year and a half of hearing him talk about how tough it was to get those grades if you were in engineering, and knowing that I really preferred engineering, again, I made a very significant change in life and decided to transfer over to electrical engineering. And that was a very exciting period. I was a co-op student. That turned out to be very useful. One of the engineers I worked with then advised me to go on to graduate school, and that's how I ended up at MIT. But thinking back, in my last term at Cornell, and this is how fast things have changed, I took a course in the theory and practice building of vacuum tubes, built a 6FN7 and a 686, you've probably never even heard of these terms any longer.
I was reminded last week, when I gave a talk at the Computer Museum in Mountain View --and that, in fact, has a lot of equipment that originally came from the computer museum here in Boston but now is out in Mountain View, Calif. -- and so as I toured around, looking at all the equipment, seeing analog and digital, differential analyzers, up to cell phones (which are of course are the latest and most powerful computers, but I'll come back to that) that it was amazing to me how fast things have changed and, again, that's the key issue with change. It is amazing to see all these familiar items that had been in my life and then passed out of it so quickly. Well, I did decide to apply and luckily was accepted here at MIT to graduate school, and originally came thinking that EM theory, electromagnetic theory, would be an interesting area, but at MIT at that time, Professor Claude Shannon had just come, the father of information theory. There was a lot of interest in the theory, the mathematics, probability theory, etc. And so I decided that would be my future. And I'm very pleased with that decision.
One of the early courses I took was from Professor Norbert Wiener. I don't think probably anyone here might have had the opportunity, but it was very interesting. There were many tales, I'm sure, still running around MIT about Professor Wiener. One that I most remember, in taking this class, probably like several of the classes you might have taken, the lectures were, well, I probably shouldn't say this, it's not the case any more, but the lectures were incomprehensible. And so, each night, a group of graduate students would get together and try to figure out what it was we had heard during the day, and try to put it together in a way that we could understand. About halfway through the term, Professor Wiener heard that we were doing this, came to the room, and said, "Can I look at the material?" Became interested, said we should make a book from this. And so we then continued to put the material together as a book. He would come in, every day after class, and his only question was, "How many pages are we up to?" So he always had a different slant on things. That book did come out. It's "Nonlinear Problems and Random Theory," the first book that I was ever involved with. Went on the faculty here, again, it's a wonderful way, if some of you are considering careers in teaching, I'd greatly recommend it. It's the best way to learn material.
And while here, I decided with Professor Jack Wozencraft to put together a book, a textbook for a senior-level communications course on applying what was then brand-new digital theory and information theory. I tried to give it a little bit more of a practical face, and there were many at the time who said there really is no practical use for this, you should just treat it as applied mathematics. In fact, of course, that's turned out not to be the case at all.
I did take a leave of absence to make my one visit to California, about the time we were finishing the book in '64-'65. We decided that might be a good place to retire sometime, came back to Boston, had a call from a professor from Cornell saying that he's going out to start a brand-new department of electrical engineering at a brand-new university in San Diego. Would we join him? First reaction, of course, was no. Family, friends, career here. But after a couple of days we decided that California and a brand-new university and an opportunity for a different experience might be quite exciting in our lives, and we accepted. Again, change, the change from here to a brand-new school, it was interesting. And the brand-new school was very small, of course, very few faculty. One of the classes I started had to do with introduction to computer science. There were some engineering students, but there were students and faculty from music and from the arts departments, and kind of, in interacting with them, developing an even greater love for the arts and music that we've been able to follow them ever since. So it was very interesting being in a brand-new university.
But that also led to another major change in my life. Because of the MIT background, a lot of industry in Southern California, there were many requests for consulting. Typically, if you're on the faculty, you might consult a day a week, and so I mentioned that to a couple of friends on the faculty of UCLA (we were flying back on a trip) and they said, let's start a company and share consulting. And I said, fine, as long as I don't have to get involved with managing it, and so we started a first company called Linkabit. And, very quickly, it began to grow. And so I did then decide to take a year off and check out business, try to get things properly organized. Didn't know really a thing about it. Luckily, in the hotel school, I had had a course in accounting, a course in business law, so a little bit of background. It turned out to be very useful, but I really had to learn the business side of things. Engineering is by far the best preparation for just about any field, so that has indeed worked out very well.
So Linkabit, this first company, did grow very nicely. We got involved in a number of interesting programs. One, scrambling TV signals from satellite to home, that's turned into a very major business. Another, what I call a very small one, Aperture Earth Terminals, where if you put a credit card in at a gas station, often it will go over one of these satellite terminals.
We've been into the cellular phone business since early on. And, actually, a processor, we didn't know the name at the time, I don't think it was really out, but a reduced instruction set processor, RIS processor, that we built into a terminal for use in government programs, and, in particular, for a program here at Lincoln Laboratory, to communicate with what was then called the Less 89 satellite. So, again, things tied back together very nicely. Very exciting to be able to come up with ideas, be able to apply theory to things that were rather practical, rather useful.
Well, we made the mistake, in a sense, of selling that company, and in 1985 I retired. Retirement was a terrible thing, so I lasted about three months, and then started Qualcomm. And I more or less assured my wife that if things went very well we might have 100 employees at some time. But then, we're now over 8,000 employees. And by the way, in my welcoming, I also meant to welcome any Qualcomm shareholders who might be here today.
Well, we didn't have any products. Luckily, we didn't have to go out for venture capital, so we didn't have to have a business plan. But we knew digital, we knew wireless would be very exciting, and it turned out that it was on a drive down from a consulting contract meeting in Los Angeles, a drive down to San Diego, about halfway, luckily, it's 110 miles or so, about halfway down, realized that something called co-division multiple acts would be very useful for mobile communications. Well, the company was very small. We had to wait a few years before we could go ahead and develop that idea, but the time came when we sold our first product, had a little bit of a cash flow, and were able to then go back and pay attention to that, actually at the end of 1988. Began to take a look at it. Well, if any of you decide to go into your own businesses, and some of you, I'm sure, will be doing that, you run across a time when you have to make a company decision. And so, CDMA was one of those. Should you put a lot of money into R&D in a technology that may or may not be accepted? Is the world going off in a different direction? And, luckily at that time, I had not heard one of the projections that had been made to AT&T by a consultant two years earlier, or a few years earlier, that if all went well, there would be a million cellphones in use by the year 2000. Actually, they missed by a little bit. It was 600 million. And that, of course, gave a great opportunity for moving ahead with CDMA. We did develop the technology, demonstrate it, because otherwise everything sounds too complicated. You have to have demonstrations, so that was again one of the bet-your-company-type issues. And then the question comes up, if you now have a good product, how do you build a business model? What do you do about that? And so again this is the type of concern that you may be having going forward. We decided to go into a mode which was both licensing and of selling, initially, phones and infrastructure to get things started, but ultimately the chips. And that works out very well. As you know, chips keep getting more and more powerful. You can put more and more capability in them. If you come up with innovative ideas, you can build those into the chips. And so that's exactly the path that we followed.
It's interesting that, today, there are probably about one and a half billion users of cell phones around the world. In 2005, there were over 600 million sold, in the one year, or will be by the end of the year. Comparing that to about 150 million desktop and laptop computers, it's quite clear that the future is not in plastics, but really, now, in mobile devices. And the interesting aspect is that the capabilities keep going up. One of the things that is now being provided is called third generation; again, I won't go into details, but if some of you have been using not just the wireless that's available on campus, that's called 80211, but a wide area coverage provided right now by Verizon here, one can get a very high data rate anywhere that you can receive a cell phone call, and so that is a key step.
But the interesting part is the devices, and because of Moore's law, the number of transistors on a chip, doubling roughly every two years or so, power going down, cost going down, all the right things happening, there's been a major transformation. When we first built our first cell phone, it took three chips to implement the communications only. Now it takes about 20 percent of one chip. What do you do with the other 80 percent? You can put a lot of computing power. In fact, now we're going to two processes, one of which is moving toward a gigahertz-type processing speed. Two processes, a couple of single processing units, a 3-D graphics capability, GPS receiving. You can put a lot on that chip, make it available as a low cost, high reliability, and therefore very useful to people. Therefore, since it's a computer now--not really a phone, you may not realize it when you're carrying it around--a very powerful computer, it opens up many possibilities.
And so we've developed another approach we call GRU (in fact, there's a conference now with about 2,400 people at it, occurring in San Diego), where developers anywhere in the world can develop an application to be downloaded to the phone. We arrange to provide a digital signature, a tested digital signature, so it won't corrupt the phone, and therefore, they can develop these, bring them, via some Internet meeting grounds we've established with the operators, bring their applications to the attention of operators around the world, and bill the business. And I think at this last meeting that's ongoing, it was mentioned that there was about $350 million that had been funneled from operators to Qualcomm and then Qualcomm back to the developers around the world, and these last six months on the order of 150 million. So it's providing a very interesting base for people to start new companies, be able to market relatively inexpensively, have a very large market, and, very quickly, get back an income. My own feeling is that over time, we're all going to have to carry around one device, never want to get too far away from your phone, but that device, in fact, is going to be doing many things. We're all used to the fact that now cameras become megapixel cameras, because you can put more capability on the chips. They're becoming video cameras, actually will be approaching DVD-type quality very quickly.
The more exciting aspect is other things, I think, that we're going to be able to do with that. We've all heard of issues with the digital divide, access to communications, to the Internet being more limited in certain regions. I think that the phone is a low-cost device with a huge amount of computing power and connection to the Internet, an ability to download software, process it, a large amount of memory by the way. With the appropriate amount of thinking and planning, it can be used to supplement teaching in many remote areas, as well as, of course, developed areas, around the world. So I think that there's a great possibility there to move ahead with these devices. People are still just realizing what the power in the devices might be, and, again, hopefully some of you out there will find this challenging. Of course, there are also medical devices that are now being attached to the cellphone, measuring blood capabilities and moving toward e-government. We're finding support, voting, information, etc., by use of the cellphone. So again, a device that we think of as a phone is a very powerful computer opening lots of opportunities.
Well, I mentioned e-government. One of the things I would like to recommend to all of you, or at least some of you, is to consider a career in politics. Again, I think an MIT education prepares you for just about anything. And it's interesting. I was over, a couple of years ago, with the previous president of China. We had a meeting. They always have this very formal U, myself and the president were sitting at the head of the U, and then staff on either side. And there's a little bit of chitchat that occurs before the formal meeting. What do you think the first question that was raised by the president of China, sitting next to me? How many more generations did I think Moore's Law had to run. The president of China! Discussing it with him a little further, it turned out he actually was trained as an engineer, as a radio engineer, as was the prime minister of the time. That's the kind of interest and ability to, again, think about technology, bring it to use, that I think is also very important here in this country, and, of course, there's very little of that available here.
Another aspect, when I came to be a student here, I was lucky to benefit from the research laboratory of electronics, but it was very well funded at the time. Now the funding has been cut back quite a bit. There really are reasons to get out and become very politically active.
Well, there have been many rewards from having this type of an education, being able to go out. The world is changing; one can take advantage of those changes and do very well. It's important, of course, to have an impact back and the opportunity for philanthropy, of course, never goes away. We have been very lucky; our focus often is on education, but also cultural activities, other activities around the world, and I think that as you begin to move ahead in your careers that you should definitely pay attention to.
So, I'd like to finish by again congratulating you. You are embarking on a great adventure. You're probably entering a period where there's even greater change, greater things happening around the world than was correct when I graduated here. You might have seen a statement back from 1899 where the head of the patent office said that everything can be invented had been invented, clearly another shortsighted statement. But if you check with the patent office now, you'll find that many of the applications, many of the patents in the U.S. patent office are coming from overseas. And so, again, the competition is heightened, we have to move ahead, we have to improve our education throughout. We have to remain very innovative. You can certainly be guaranteed that there will be those changes. You have been well prepared. I wish you as much fun and excitement as I have had along the way.
Irwin M. Jacobs is the founder of Qualcomm Incorporated. He recently stepped down as CEO and currently serves as chairman of the board.
Qualcomm's Paul Jacobs Targets Nokia, Motorola, Sony (Update1)
July 1, 2005 10:57 EDT -- Qualcomm Inc.'s new Chief Executive Officer Paul Jacobs said his top goal is winning Nokia Oyj, Motorola Inc. or Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB as a customer for his fastest and most expensive chips. Listen
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conews&tkr=QCOM:US
ASIA Is On An Accelerated Path To 3G: CDMA Development Group
http://au.news.yahoo.com/050701/3/uxjd.html
BEIJING, June 29, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- At a press briefing in Beijing yesterday, the CDMA Development Group (CDG) (www.cdg.org) reported that the success of CDMA2000(r) operators in Asia is a proof point for the opportunities that 3G offers to consumers and operators in China. Asia is the largest and most advanced wireless market in the world with nearly 50% of all 3G subscribers, and CDMA2000 accounts for more than 80% of them. CDMA2000 operators drive innovation in the region; they have been the first to deploy advanced wireless technologies, and they have set trends in handset and services development. Powered by their network capabilities, CDMA2000 operators redefine business models for the industry by expanding opportunities and bringing new players to market. As a result, they have seen their bases expand and revenues grow. ADVERTISEMENT
"The wireless industry is rapidly migrating to 3G CDMA and in many respects CDMA2000 in Asia is leading the way," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "There are nearly 200 million 3G CDMA2000 and WCDMA subscribers worldwide, including 83 million CDMA2000 users in Asia. CDMA2000 is revolutionizing not only wireless but all communications services, and it is one of the leading platforms on which wireless is converging with fixed and broadcast to deliver seamless access to information."
Asia was the first region to see the launch of 3G when SK Telecom deployed CDMA2000 1X in Korea in October 2000, and it was also first to have 3G broadband when the operator migrated to CDMA2000 1xEV-DO two years later. CDMA2000 continues to be the leading 3G platform in the region: there are 32 CDMA2000 operators in 17 countries, seven of which have introduced 1xEV-DO, the most advanced wireless data technology deployed today. Nearly 75% of CDMA subscribers in the region use CDMA2000 technologies and in very advanced markets, such as Korea and Japan, close to 90% of subscribers have migrated to 3G.
With CDMA2000 1X, operators were able to differentiate their services through high-quality voice and data services, such as MMS, web access and location-based services, resulting in higher growth. KDDI, for example, has captured a larger share of net adds and is consistently gaining market share in Japan. Since launching CDMA2000 in April 2002, KDDI's base has grown by 40% to reach 20 million users and has outpaced the wireless market in Japan, which expanded by 30% during that period.
The high-speed data capabilities and lower cost of delivery enabled by 1xEV-DO have given operators the opportunity to continue to grow revenue through data services by stimulating usage and revenue-sharing with content providers. Introducing advanced data services, such as TV broadcasts, video and audio downloads and m-commerce, that have been customized for various market segments at attractive prices has caused data revenues to surge. SK Telecom, for example, saw data revenues quadruple and KDDI's data revenues grew to contribute 24% of total revenue.
"The successes of CDMA2000 operators in Asia clearly demonstrate the opportunities that 3G offers to China," continued LaForge. "With growing demand for data services and a large base of manufacturers and content providers, China is ready for 3G and 3G is ready for China." About CDMA2000 CDMA2000 is by far the most widely deployed 3G technology, serving more than 168 million users worldwide. There are 145 CDMA2000 commercial networks, and 44 more are being deployed. CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice for cdmaOne(tm), TDMA, analog and Greenfield operators, and is deployed in the 450, 800, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands. More than 850 CDMA2000 devices are available on the market. For more information on CDMA2000 visit www.cdg.org.
About the CDG The CDMA Development Group is a trade association formed to foster the worldwide development, implementation and use of CDMA technologies. The more than 100 member companies of the CDG include many of the world's largest wireless carriers and equipment manufacturers. The primary activities of the CDG include development of CDMA features and services, public relations, education and seminars, regulatory affairs and international support. Currently, there are more than 500 individuals working within various CDG subcommittees on CDMA-related matters. For more information about the CDG, contact the CDG News Bureau at +1-714-540-1030 or visit the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org CONTACT: CDG News Bureau
Valerie Christopherson
(714) 540-1030 ext. 17
(714) 540-1060 fax
vchristopherson@bockpr.com
ASIA PULSE
3G has arrived in Malaysia; when is it Indonesia's turn?
Zatni Arbi, Contributor, Singapore
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailbusiness.asp?fileid=20050701.P07&irec=6
"My office is in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, and most of our customers and government offices are in Central Jakarta. If only I could use the traveling time to read and answer my e-mail or do some work on my notebook (computer)," a country manager of a world-leading telecommunications vendor for Indonesia, said recently.
His Kuala Lumpur-based colleague immediately replied. "I've been able to do that in KL for some time."
The colleague was referring to yet another reason for us Indonesians to envy the Malaysians, one of our closest neighbors. Not only do the Malaysians have access to more advanced telecommunications services than we do here, but the services are also more widely available.
Today, they can make video calls, enjoy video and audio streaming and even watch TV programs on their cellular phones thanks to the 3G Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) services offered by Celcom 3G, a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) and Maxis.
More importantly for business people is certainly the mobile access to Internet, which enables them to stay connected to the Internet at broadband speed wherever they are.
Celcom launched its 3G WCDMA service last May. Its competitor, Maxis Communications Berhad, is expected to launch their full-scale WCDMA mobile services in July.
Thus, the Malaysians will have a choice of two 3G operators this year, allowing them to get high speed data connection to the Internet as well as other mobile communication services.
At the recent CommunicAsia in Singapore, Celcom showcased its broad range of services for individual as well as business customers.
The Celcom 3G service were just a month old, so the number of subscribers was still picking up. The operator will have the broadest coverage in the country, claimed Abd Haris Abu Bakar, who manned the Celcom booth during the Singapore event.
"We now provide 3G service in Klang Valley, Penang, Johor Bahru and Malacca. The services are also available in Kulim Hi-Tech and Sungai Petani," he said.
Clearly, the operator is targeting areas where a lot of high-tech industries are located or a lot of tech-savvy tourists from neighboring Singapore come for their holiday getaways.
3G is not the only hot item at TM's booth. One of the other interesting services showcased during the event will enable people to talk using a satellite connection. When they enter an area where a GSM service is available, they can switch right away to the cheaper service.
The great thing about this service is that the users can use the same handset and only need a single SIM card for both services.
The handset itself is interesting. When you use it to access the satellite-based network, you have to attach the extra antenna. When you are in the GSM coverage area, you can do without the antenna. The handset is more than double the size of your everyday cellphone because you need a larger battery to transmit signals all the way to the low orbiting satellites.
Clearly, this service, which has a large footprint in the region, can be very useful during disasters when other telecom infrastructure may have been destroyed.
TM, as the company is usually called, offers a slew of other services. TMNet, for example, offers Internet Access Services, Commerce and Application Services and Content Aggregation Services.
One of its newest service is TMNet Online Guard, which includes anti-virus protection, real-time scanning, firewalls, anti-spyware protection and continuous virus monitoring.
TM is aggressively investing in other countries as well.
Through its TM International Sdn. Berhad, it has shares in telecommunications companies in emerging markets like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Malawi, Guinea and Ghana.
As a matter of fact, it has bought 27.3 percent of the shares of the third largest cellular operator in Indonesia, PT Excelcomindo Pratama, which has the XL brand.
Its latest strategy is to expand its investment portfolio closer to the region. Certainly, XL is one of the hot spots for its investments in the region.
As of the end of last year, XL had approximately a 12-percent market share in Indonesia's cellular market with around 3.8 million subscribers. TM is planning to increase its stake in XL to up to 52.7 percent with a total value of US$606.1 million.
TM's shareholders approved the investment plan during its Annual General Meeting on May 17. Clearly, a lot of changes are currently underway at Excelcomindo but Christian Manuel de Faria, XL's CEO, was unable to share much of the company's latest growth strategy with the press during the Singapore event.
Meanwhile, there have been laments back in Indonesia that the country's telecommunications operators are being bought out and therefore are now owned and controlled by foreign investors. Aside from the nationalistic sentiments, perhaps we have to accept that this is a trend of the future. The telecommunications industry is becoming global, much like the automotive industry.
Besides, it was our own mistake that our telecommunications industry was left in a state of neglect for such a long time that now we badly need foreign help to expedite the expansion of the much needed services.
It should not really matter who owns the domestic operators, as long as they create new jobs, pay taxes and significantly shorten our wait for the more advanced, more widely available and more affordable services -- such as the 3G WCDMA that the Malaysians are already enjoying today.
Change Seen In Mobile Phone Maker Ranking In First Half
Friday, July 01, 2005
By Kim Won-suk
http://english.etnews.co.kr/news/detail_top.html?id=200507010006&art_grad=9
Pantech & Curitel displaced LG Electronics as the country's second largest mobile phone maker in terms of sales volumes in June, and now aims to narrow the gap with No. 1 Samsung Electronics. The flip-flop came after the company bought SK Teletech, effectively boosting its combined share of the market to nearly 30% versus some 50% held by Samsung Electronics.
Competition is expected to heat up in the second half of this year, as LG Electronics and Pantech & Curitel vie for the second spot, with Motorola joining the race.
Samsung Electronics plans to maintain its wide lead with such specialized phones as blue black phones and super slim phones. The company aims to increase its share of the digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) receiver/phone market, where SK Teletech holds the established position. "We see little threat from Pantech & Curitel's advance," said a high-ranking manager at Samsung Electronics. "We expect to boost our share of the market to up to 55% in the second half of this year."
Pantech & Curitel aims to close the gap with Samsung by creating synergy with SK Teletech. The company signed a deal with SK Telecom to provide satellite DMB phones, and also plans to supply similar phones to KTF and LG Telecom in September and October this year.
LG Electronics plans to devote more resources to introducing high-end Cyon phones, which have been known for less expensive image. "We sold 1.5 million to 1.6 million units in the first half of the total goal of 3.5 million units set for this year," said an executive at the company. "We aim to raise sales of high-end models including DMB phones, while maintaining the market share of around 20%." The company plans to add two new models of satellite and terrestrial DMB phones, respectively, as a part of its premium strategy.
Except Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Pantech & Curitel reported disappointing sales in the world market in the first half of this year, and they are now keen to change that. Samsung Electronics sold 48 million to 49 million units in the first half of the annual target of 100 million units. LG Electronics and Pantech & Curitel sold 22 to 23 million and 10 million units, respectively. The two companies target sales of 62 million and 25 million units for this year, respectively.
Samsung Electronics plans to concentrate resources on 3G WCDMA phones in the second half, aiming at 13% of the world WCDMA phone market. LG Electronics plans to invest 300 billion to 350 billion won (approximately 350 million dollars) in developing cutting-edge 3G phones and GSM phones. Pantech & Curitel hopes to seal export deals for its WCDMA phones as early as September this year, and the company also sets its sight on BRIC market including Russia and Latin America.
Mobile-Phone production accelerates in the second quarter
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/13317.php
After suffering the typical seasonal slowdown in the first three months of the year, mobile-phone unit production will rise sequentially in the second quarter and for the remainder of 2005, iSuppli Corp. predicts. Mobile-phone production in the first quarter of 2005 amounted to 173 million units, down 13% from 200 million in the fourth quarter of 2004.
However, production in the first quarter was up 2.4% compared to 169.5 million in the first quarter of 2004. The second quarter is shaping to be better than the first, with production of 180.5 million mobile phones, up 4% from the first quarter, and up 7.1% from a year earlier. Shipments will rise 5.3% sequentially in the third quarter to 190 million and 8.4% in the fourth quarter to 206 million.
After rising 25% in 2004, mobile-phone unit production growth will taper off this year. Production will rise to 750 million units in 2005, up about 5% from 713 million in 2004.The figure below presents iSuppli's quarterly forecast of worldwide mobile-phone shipments.
While growth is decelerating this year, a shipment level of more than 700 million units is vast?no matter what the product. With such a huge quantity, the law of large numbers begins to take effect, and a major growth margin becomes difficult or impossible to achieve. Mobile-phone production growth is driven by purchases by new subscribers and by buying of replacement handsets. Although some regions of the world are becoming saturated, developing nations such as China and India will continue to see strong subscriber growth. Latin America is also a region where mobile-phone penetration is low and offers opportunities for growth.
Worldwide mobile-phone subscribers are set to rise to 1.9 billion this year, up from 1.6 billion in 2004, iSuppli predicts. Even with subscriber growth, mobile-phone shipments this year and in subsequent years increasingly will be driven by replacement or upgrade sales.
Annual subscriber growth will decline from 17.8% in 2005 to the low single digits by 2009. Therefore, upgrade phones will become a larger part of the more than 700 million handsets shipped each year. Upgrade phones will account for 62% of all handsets sold this year. In 2009, upgrades will account for almost 83% of mobile phones sold.
The number of CDMA2000 1xEV-DO subscribers is steadily increasing in Korea and North America. W-CDMA has finally broken out of Japan and is now adding subscribers at a healthy clip in Europe. iSuppli remains bullish on W-CMDA subscriber growth and mobile-phone production this year, with 55 million W-CDMA handsets expected to be shipped.
New features and functions are being added to handsets that enable service providers to offer enhanced services to consumers. Embedded cameras, which allow consumers to snap photos and send them over the cellular network to friends and family, were in 32.5% of mobile phones in 2004 and will be in 85% in 2009, according to iSuppli. A secondary camera is now being implemented in phones to allow for video conferencing. MP3 music playback capability is the next consumer-electronics feature being embedded in mobile phones. MP3 penetration in handsets is expected to amount to 15% this year, and will rise to 50% in 2009, iSuppli predicts.
Mobile-phone makers also are embedding digital TV tuners into mobile phones, allowing them to pick up TV broadcasts. In Korea, network infrastructure is already in place and phones have started shipping supporting digital TV reception.
CDMA2000 1X, EV-DO Wireless Technology to Support Canada's 20th Annual Summer Games
http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/July2005/1689.htm
01 July , 2005
Canada : SaskTel Mobility, an innovative Canadian wireless communications provider, has selected Nortel to expand its 3G (third generation) CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) network in the province of Saskatchewan.
The network, which is expected to be one of the fastest and most advanced wireless data networks in Canada, will deliver broadband wireless services like e-mail, Web browsing, video mail, wireless gaming and content streaming at speeds close to high-speed wireline connections. Nortel is the sole supplier of SaskTel Mobility's current 1X and EV-DO network.
The network is expected to be available by August 2005 when Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, hosts the 20th annual Canada Summer Games (http://www.2005jeuxducanadagames.ca/english/). SaskTel Mobility will be demonstrating the benefits of the 1xEV-DO network at the Summer Games. General service availability in Regina and Saskatoon is scheduled for later in 2005. SaskTel and Nortel are sponsors of the Summer Games, Canada's premiere multi-sport event, which alternates every two years between summer and winter sports at locations across the country.
"Nortel is making it possible for us to deliver an improved wireless data network that will allow SaskTel Mobility customers to use services such as video mail and messaging, wireless gaming and content streaming at speeds close to high speed wireline Internet connections," said Robert Watson, president and chief executive officer, SaskTel. "We will continue to invest in our network to provide our mobile customers with the latest wireless technologies over the largest wireless network in the province."
"Nortel has been working with SaskTel to provide innovative wireline and wireless solutions to the people and businesses of Saskatchewan for over 75 years and we look forward to working with them as they embark on the next phase of their wireless broadband offer," said Richard Lowe, president, CDMA, Nortel. "Nortel's 1X and EV-DO solutions will help improve call clarity, boost network capacity and create efficiencies that can help reduce operating costs while at the same time, increase revenue potential with the delivery of advanced wireless voice and data service offerings."
Under a new expansion agreement with SaskTel Mobility, Nortel will provide CDMA2000 1X radio base stations, base station controllers, switching platforms and other related equipment. Nortel will also supply SaskTel Mobility with CDMA2000 1xEV-DO equipment for initial deployment in Regina and Saskatoon.
Nortel's EV-DO technology will allow SaskTel Mobility customers to download data on their mobile devices at speeds up to 2.4 Mbps with average data speeds of 300 to 500 Kbps or six times faster than available on current 1X networks.
SaskTel has a long-standing relationship with Nortel. In March 2005, SaskTel launched SaskTel Converged Desktop service, a collaborative multimedia communications service based on the Nortel Multimedia Communication Server (MCS) 5200 and Communication Server 2000 (CS) softswitch.
Nortel supplies EV-DO equipment to 12 of the 19 operators across the globe currently offering commercial EV-DO service. Nortel CDMA equipment is designed to support EV-DO through simple upgrades to existing hardware, which helps enable SaskTel's migration from 1X to EV-DO. This approach provides a cost-effective and rapid method for enhancing the end user experience by delivering advanced wireless services and applications.
Nortel has designed, installed and launched more than 300 wireless networks in over 70 countries. Nortel was the first supplier with wireless networks operating in all advanced radio technologies and is the only end-to-end provider of all next generation wireless solutions.
About SaskTel Mobility
SaskTel Mobility is Saskatchewan's complete wireless solutions provider, offering digital and analog cellular, wireless data and Internet, FleetNet 800, and satellite. It is a division of SaskTel, the leading full service communications company in Saskatchewan, offering complete wireline, wireless, Internet and e-business solutions over a state-of-the-art, digital network.
Chinese 3G licenses likely in 2006, says industry exec
China's long-anticipated issue of licenses for 3G (third-generation) mobile telephone services could be coming next year, the head of a wireless industry trade association said on Friday.
http://computerworld.com.sg/ShowPage.aspx?pagetype=2&articleid=1767&pubid=3&issueid=54
Martyn Williams
IDG News Service\Tokyo Bureau
Updated: Jul 01, 2005 06:05 PM
China's long-anticipated issue of licenses for 3G (third-generation) mobile telephone services could be coming next year, the head of a wireless industry trade association said on Friday.
"It looks to me like it will probably be delayed beyond this year," said Perry LaForge, chair and executive director of the CDMA Development Group, which promotes the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) wireless standard. LaForge was speaking to reporters in Japan after attending a 3G wireless conference in Beijing earlier this week.
The wireless industry has been eagerly awaiting China's issue of the licenses and the decision by carriers over which standard to adopt for several years. The government has never specified a time-frame for the licenses nor said how many it will issue, but that hasn't stopped these matters becoming the subject of regular rumors in the industry. At present many are anticipating three licenses issued with enough time to let China have 3G networks up and running in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
LaForge thinks the issue may be timed to coincide with the availability of TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous CDMA), a 3G standard largely developed in China. That's still under development and a Chinese newspaper report in June said trials of the system went "badly."
"I see China trying to make some progress with TD-SCDMA and it's taking them longer than they thought," said LaForge.
However, delaying the licenses so that TD-SCDMA is ready to be deployed could hurt Chinese telecommunications companies in their bids for contracts overseas, he said.
"China has a chance to expand its export business. But if the Chinese wait too long they will lose the opportunity to build up exports," he said. "It's a fine balancing act."
He said he believes the licenses will be issued in 2006 and that they will be evenly distributed to one carrier using TD-SCDMA, one using the CDMA2000 1x standard that LaForge's group promotes, and one using WCDMA (Wideband CDMA).
Key dates in Qualcomm's history
UNION-TRIBUNE
July 1, 2005
1985: Company founded by seven former Linkabit employees. Several months later, co-founder Irwin Jacobs gets an idea to use former World War II technology in cell phone communications.
1988: OmniTRACS satellite tracking system is put into use by the first trucking company to purchase the system.
1989: Qualcomm demonstrates its cell-phone technology, code-division multiple access, to the industry.
1991: The company has its initial public offering of stock, with a split-adjusted price of 49 cents a share. (At the time, the 3.2 million shares sold for $16.) The stock closed yesterday at $33.01.
1993: The Telecommunications Industry Association adopts Qualcomm's technology as a North American digital standard for cell phones.
1995: World's first commercial launch of a wireless network using Qualcomm's technology in Hong Kong.
1997: San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium becomes Qualcomm Stadium after the company pays $18 million for 20-year naming rights.
March 2005: Co-founder and chief executive Irwin Jacobs announces his retirement as CEO and Anthony Thornley announces his retirement as president. Son Paul Jacobs is tapped to become the next CEO, while Steven Altman is named the next president, effective today.
Son Seeks To Repeat Father's Success In The Changing Of Guard At Qualcomm
BY MIKE ANGELL
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
http://www.investors.com/editorial/tech.asp?v=7/1
Paul Jacobs last week stood on the field at Qualcomm (QCOM) Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers football team, before some 9,000 employees of the stadium's namesake. The employees were celebrating a lot of company touchdowns, and the company's 20th anniversary.
But as Jacobs joined them in celebrating a successful past, he admits he felt the weight of the future.
Looking up at the employees in the stands, Jacobs recalls thinking: "The livelihood of these people rests on the decisions I make. That's a big responsibility."
The responsibility starts Friday, when Jacobs officially becomes chief executive of wireless product maker and technology creator Qualcomm. He's replacing the only other CEO the company's known, Paul's 71-year old father, Irwin. The company unveiled the succession plan in March.
Thanks to its patents on code division multiple access or CDMA technology — CDMA is one of the world's two major methods of transmitting wireless voice and data — Qualcomm's chips and technology are in one of every seven cell phones in the world. Rapid growth of CDMA use in Asia and the U.S. has made Qualcomm one of the most successful tech companies ever.
Jacobs says that trend will continue thanks to growing interest in newer, advanced cell phones and still untapped markets in developing nations. All of which Qualcomm plans to lead in the coming decades.
"The industry is going through a transition with new opportunities," Jacobs said. "We're well-positioned for those opportunities."
But the company faces plenty of challenges.
For one, many consumers are holding off on buying advanced cell phones because they cost so much more than older ones. For another, many makers of wireless chips and technologies are trying to break Qualcomm's grip on these new growth markets. And then there's the simple fact of the uncertain path of future cell phone use.
"Irwin's two decades have been about wireless voice going mainstream," said Standard & Poor's analyst Ken Leon. "Now, we're moving into the wireless data era. Paul's going to have to find the opportunities in these fields. They can succeed, but it's going to be more choppy and cyclical."
The younger Jacobs' first tests are already emerging. In April, Qualcomm warned analysts about excess chip inventory and slower than expected demand for advanced 3G, or third generation, phones. Qualcomm lowered its 2005 forecast for CDMA and 3G phone shipments to 213 million from 223 million.
Analysts then lowered their estimates for Qualcomm per-share profit for its third fiscal quarter ended Thursday by an average of 4 cents, to 25 cents. They trimmed full fiscal 2005 estimates an average of 5 cents, to $1.12 a share. That would be up just a sliver from 2004's $1.10.
Leon says Qualcomm is caught between a maturing market for regular CDMA phones and a slow upgrade to more expensive 3G phones. Such phones can do things like download videos and play music.
After sharp growth in Asia and Europe last year, 3G growth has slowed. And the largest potential 3G market, China, has yet to award carriers licenses to offer the service.
Jacobs says large subsidies that carriers offered for 3G phones helped spur the market initially. But carriers have had to back off from such subsidies to maintain their bottom lines amid slowing growth.
On the other hand, "3G chip prices will follow other technologies, with prices coming down over time," Jacobs said. That will help sales.
Ericsson's (ERICY) chip unit and chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor (FSL) have taken an early lead in 3G chips.
Ericsson supplies 3G phone makers NEC (NIPNY) and LG Electronics. Freescale supplies 3G chips to Motorola. (MOT) Ericsson and Freescale have nearly 60% market share between them, analysts estimate.
Analyst Leon says 3G is critical to Qualcomm's future.
"That's a big opportunity," Leon said. "Qualcomm needs to get a major piece of that transition."
Jacobs says there are about 30 phone makers using his company's 3G chips. LG has tapped Qualcomm as a second source for its 3G chips.
Analysts estimate Qualcomm's share of the 3G chip market at 20%.
"I'm not satisfied with the share we have," Jacobs said. "We can do a lot better."
Another challenge for Qualcomm is tapping growth markets in developing countries such as India.
CDMA's rival technology — GSM, or Global System for Mobile — is trying to capture the next billion customers that will come out of places such as India with phones that cost $40 or less. Motorola and a consortium of developing-market wireless carriers plan to have a $40 GSM phone ready by year's end.
True, CDMA is a more advanced technology than GSM. But that means CDMA phones are more expensive. Average selling prices for CDMA phones can top $200, while GSM phones are falling below $100.
Jacobs says CDMA prices have come down in developing markets. There are 15 million CDMA customers in India, he says, which shows it can compete on the low end against GSM. Qualcomm plans to take more steps to compete with GSM, such as using low-cost chipmaking processes and combining components on one chip.
In the U.S., too, Qualcomm faces a changing market. Voice revenue for carriers is essentially flat, so carriers are remaking themselves and cell phones into multimedia devices capable of listening to music, taking photos and watching videos.
To that end, Jacobs has spearheaded Qualcomm's MediaFlo project. It involves setting up two or three TV-like antennas in major cities to provide broadcast content to handsets. It's estimated to cost $700 million, with Qualcomm picking up most of the tab.
MediaFlo is essentially TV for cell phones. Jacobs says media companies are interested in finding ways to exploit this new media.
Broadcast video has caught on in South Korea. The details of how MediaFlo might pay for itself are still uncertain. Jacobs says it could be like cable, where customers pay for service. Or it might be ad driven.
Some analysts doubt that users would want to watch a video, much less commercials, on their small cell phone screens. Others say the real key to the cell phone's future is not necessarily with one-way broadcast, but in how customers use their phones to interact with each other.
"Text messaging is popular because you are communicating with someone else," said Dave Mock, whose history of the company, "The Qualcomm Equation," came out this year. "The future is in mobile blogging and taking pictures. Broadcast TV is a one-way communication."
QUALCOMM Marks New Era of Leadership With Dr. Paul Jacobs as CEO and Steven Altman as President
Friday July 1, 7:30 am ET
- Company Celebrates 20 Years of Growth and Technology Innovation -
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050701/laf017.html?.v=17
SAN DIEGO, July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM - News), pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, announced that today Dr. Paul E. Jacobs and Steven R. Altman have officially assumed their roles as the Company's CEO and president, respectively. Dr. Jacobs and Mr. Altman mark the beginning of a new chapter of leadership as QUALCOMM celebrates its 20th anniversary. As announced on March 8, 2005, Dr. Irwin Mark Jacobs (former CEO) remains chairman of the board and Tony Thornley (former president) has retired.
Building on two decades of pioneering technology innovation, QUALCOMM's leaders will continue to guide the Company as it expands its role as an innovator for and enabler of the wireless industry. Dr. Jacobs and Mr. Altman, both veteran executives of QUALCOMM, have expertise and insight that will enable them to fulfill the Company's vision for the future of the wireless industry, with a sharp focus on the needs of QUALCOMM's customers and partners across the entire wireless value chain.
"I see increasing opportunities for QUALCOMM to deliver new products and technologies that enhance the mobile phone's role as the most personal electronic device in a world where wireless, computing, entertainment and consumer electronics are converging," said Dr. Paul Jacobs, CEO of QUALCOMM. "We will continue our focus on execution, innovation and collaboration to rapidly bring new differentiated services to the wireless market, creating even greater value for our customers, partners, consumers and our shareholders."
Dr. Jacobs has been the primary driver of the Company's focus on enabling wireless data. He has held numerous engineering and management positions since joining QUALCOMM fulltime in 1990. He also brings considerable technical and operational experience to his new role as CEO.
During his almost 16 years at QUALCOMM, Mr. Altman has been the chief architect of the Company's strategy for leveraging its broad intellectual property portfolio, and was responsible for structuring and negotiating many of the Company's license agreements, joint ventures and strategic relationships. Under his guidance, the Company has entered into more than 130 license agreements with the world's largest telecommunications and electronics companies.
"In my new leadership role, I will work closely with and support our very talented management, technical and professional teams to grow our businesses and maintain QUALCOMM's existing work environment -- an environment that fosters innovation and creativity and challenges our employees," said Mr. Altman, president of QUALCOMM. "We will continue to drive the Company's role as an innovator and enabler as we bring new technologies to market and accelerate the growth of our partners and the global wireless industry."
Today, QUALCOMM marks a significant milestone as the Company celebrates 20 years of developing and advancing wireless technologies worldwide and pioneering the wireless industry's widespread adoption of advanced third-generation standards, including CDMA2000 and WCDMA.
QUALCOMM Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on the Company's CDMA digital technology. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., QUALCOMM is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2005 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.
QUALCOMM is a registered trademark of QUALCOMM Incorporated. CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA USA). All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
QUALCOMM Contacts:
Patty Goodwin, Corporate Communications
Phone: 1-858-651-4127
Email: corpcomm@qualcomm.com
or
Bill Davidson, Investor Relations
Phone: 1-858-658-4813
Email: ir@qualcomm.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: QUALCOMM Incorporated
77.5 Millions peoples will be influenced by QCOM's CDMA Technology, don't you think this is great news.
Egypt Population
Home > Egypt > People > Population
77,505,756 (July 2005 est.)
http://www.indexmundi.com/egypt/population.html
Qualcomm Set To Gain On Global Wireless Adoption
06.30.05, 9:29 AM ET
Prudential Equity Group raised its handset market forecasts for 2005 and 2006 and sees WCDMA growth in 2005 and 2006 of 127% and 80%, with 19% and 21% growth for CDMA, respectively. Prudential said that although it increased its 2006 WCDMA handset assumption to a range of 80 million to 90 million units, up from 76 million units, "we remain conservative relative to the approximately 100 million unit Street view." The research firm added, "We would not be surprised to see Street WCDMA forecasts come down from this level in the coming weeks." Prudential expects handset original equipment manufacturers to broaden product lines with more-affordable WCDMA devices to complement their high-end offerings. "We expect average selling prices to decline from $450 in 2005 to $325 in 2006, with higher sales volumes driving royalty revenue growth and chipset sales opportunities for Qualcomm (nasdaq: QCOM - news - people )," the firm said. The opening up of the Japanese market to vendors such as Motorola (nyse: MOT - news - people ), LG, and Samsung "will serve to drive greater innovation and adoption of 3G technology in this important early-adopter market, and increasingly open up that market to Qualcomm components as a result," Prudential said. The firm trimmed Qualcomm's fiscal 2005 earnings estimate to $1.15 per share from $1.18, and cut the 2006 estimate to $1.47 from $1.53. Prudential maintained an "overweight" rating on Qualcomm and said "the company remains uniquely well positioned to capitalize on the growing global adoption of spread-spectrum wireless technologies in the coming years."
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/06/30/0630automarketscan02.html?partner=yahootix&referrer=
Samsung Develops Display Driver IC with Built-in Qualcomm’s MDDI
http://www.telecomskorea.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2195&Itemid=46
Thursday, 30 June 2005
Samsung Electronics announced Wednesday that the company has developed an optimized QVGA display driver IC (DDI) chip that incorporates QUALCOMM's Mobile Display Digital Interface (MDDI).
By including this serial interface technology, Samsung's new S6D0142 DDI chip reduces the number of wires that run across the hinge of wireless 3G clamshell handset designs to interconnect QUALCOMM Mobile Station Modem(MSM) chipsets with the LCD display. Mobile handsets with Samsung's new S6D0142 DDI chip will also be more reliable due to a simplified design.
The MDDI standard, a high-speed serial interconnection technology developed by QUALCOMM, increases reliability and reduces power consumption in clamshell and slide mobile phones by greatly decreasing the number of wires.
Low Voltage Differential Interface (LVDI), which distinguishes signals by the difference of voltage of the two wires, lowers Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) as well as reducing the power consumption.
In addition to the built-in MDDI display interface, Samsung's latest display driver IC, the S6D0142, incorporates the following features in a single chip: a timing controller, a source driver, a gate driver, a power supply IC, and 1.3Mb of SRAM.
"With mobile devices supporting a variety of value-added multimedia functions and delivering an increased amount of data, the need for high-speed serial interface is on the rise," said Jin-tae Kim, vice president of Display Driver Development Team at Samsung Electronics' System LSI Division. "At the same time, the actual size of mobile devices is decreasing. We've taken the next step in the evolution of MDDI enabled ICs."
Strategy Analytics, a wireless industry analyst firm, expects the mobile clamshell phone market to reach over 304 million units by 2006.
The S6D0142 will be available for select customers by Q3 of 2005 and available to worldwide manufacturers by Q1 of 2006.
Released by Samsung Electronics
QCOM's P/E ratio well below industry average
QCOM's current P/E : 29.50
Communication Equipment group current multiple (P/E): 41.20
Video on Verizon Wireless Phones Riding on Speedy Wireless Internet Is Now Available in More Cities and Towns in Connecticut
Monday June 27, 10:36 am ET
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050627/nem019.html?.v=14
EAST HARTFORD, Conn., June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on its successful strategy of providing customers superior wireless services in the United States, Verizon Wireless New England regional president Bob Stott today announced the expansion of two award-winning services in Connecticut, one developed for the consumer market, the other primarily for business customers. V CAST -- the nation's first wireless broadband multimedia service for consumers -- and BroadbandAccess, the fastest wide-area wireless Internet access service available in the nation, are both available today in many more Connecticut cities and towns in the eastern half of the state, including New London and along the interstate 95 corridor as well as North Thompsonville, Somers, Ellington, Willington, Ashford, Colchester, Gilman, Norwich, and Preston. Coverage has also expanded on major roads, including: I-91 North, from Hartford to the Massachusetts state line, Route 91 South connecting existing service in Hartford to New Haven, Route 2, Route 9, Route 84 connecting Hartford to Newton and including Waterbury, and Route 44 connecting Hartford to Litchfield County. This expansion covers the major routes towards the casinos.
ADVERTISEMENT
Both services run on the company's high-speed EV-DO (Evolution Data- Optimized) wireless broadband network, the nation's largest and fastest wireless broadband network.
"The expansion of our high-speed wireless broadband network in Connecticut provides customers with the latest and greatest in mobile wireless technology," said Stott. "With V CAST, consumers can access the latest in multimedia programming to stay connected, informed and entertained via their wireless phones, and BroadbandAccess provides mobile workers full access to their corporate information, just as if they were attached via a high-speed wired connection, but with the freedom of true mobility."
V CAST
Verizon Wireless' $15.00 monthly access V CAST service enables consumers to access short video content on-demand, viewing current news, weather, sports and entertainment programming. With V CAST, customers can also download and play cutting-edge 3D games, watch music videos and concert performances from favorite artists, view short programs specifically designed for mobile phones and other video content right on their phones. For a list of all videos and 3D game entertainment available on V CAST, visit http://www.getvcast.com.
Unlimited basic short content is included in the monthly access fee, but application download fees apply for 3D games, premium video short content, and all other Get It Now® applications. There are no airtime charges to download, stream or watch V CAST content. Verizon Wireless V CAST customers also receive monthly access and unlimited browsing on Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web 2.0SM news and information service. For a limited time, customers who sign up for V CAST receive two months of service free.
BroadbandAccess
The company's highly-touted BroadbandAccess service, available to mobile professionals and enterprise customers, allows customers in Connecticut to connect wirelessly to the Internet via their laptop at broadband speeds, a convenient way to conduct business. The nation's largest and fastest wireless broadband service, BroadbandAccess is faster than any competing widely available wide-area wireless data service. With BroadbandAccess, customers can download a 1 Megabyte email attachment (for example, a small PowerPoint presentation or a large PDF file), or receive three digital pictures (each 400 x 600 pixels) in less than 20 seconds. Because EV-DO technology is backward compatible -- a distinct advantage to the company's CDMA technology -- customers who travel outside a BroadbandAccess coverage area with an EV-DO device will seamlessly switch to Verizon Wireless' existing NationalAccess service, which runs on the company's 1xRTT network.
"Now, more customers from coast to coast can enjoy the speed, mobility and productivity benefits of our BroadbandAccess service," said Stott.
Working with virtual private network (VPN) connections, business customers can use BroadbandAccess as an extension of their corporate local area network (LAN) or intranet, allowing them to work from any location within the BroadbandAccess coverage area, as if they were in the office. BroadbandAccess, with typical user download speeds of 400-700 kilobits per second (kbps), is ideal for downloading files and business-critical information residing behind corporate firewalls and for accessing e-mail, intranets and the Internet. BroadbandAccess' EV-DO technology has its own data protection and authentication and is designed to work with a business' existing IT infrastructure and security solutions.
BroadbandAccess is available for $79.99 monthly access for unlimited use with a one- or two-year customer agreement. For more information on BroadbandAccess from Verizon Wireless, visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/broadbandaccess.
EV-DO Network
Verizon Wireless has invested more than $4 billion annually on the build- out and enhancement of its networks since the company's inception in 2000, and last year alone it invested $5 billion, including build-out of the wireless broadband EV-DO network. In New England, Verizon Wireless invested more than $330 Million in network enhancements in 2004.
V CAST and BroadbandAccess Accolades
Within weeks of the initial launch, Verizon Wireless' V CAST service won best "Mobile/Remote Service" at the fifth annual MobileFocus Awards, which were presented at CTIA in New Orleans and sponsored by Pepcom and LAPTOP magazine. The awards honor the best in mobile and wireless technology.
The company's BroadbandAccess wireless Internet service has received recognition as well. In May 2005, CMP Media LLC's Network Computing named Verizon Wireless as the Best Business Data Service for BroadbandAccess in the publication's 2005 Well-Connected Awards, beating out business data services of two other major wireless carriers.
LAPTOP Magazine awarded Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service with the Editor's Choice Award in its December 2004 issue. According to the article titled, "Be Your Own Hot Spot," BroadbandAccess is the only wide-area broadband service "that lives up to the hype." Reviewers concluded, "In short, Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service lives up to its name. If you live or work in one of the current coverage areas, you'll be rewarded with a high-speed connection that's perfect for those of us with little patience. Which is just about every mobile worker we know."
V CAST Phones and BroadbandAccess PC Cards
Customers can access V CAST on three hot new phones. The featured phone is the new LG VX8000, which offers customers a rich and rewarding interactive experience. V CAST customers can also check out the latest in news, entertainment and sports on the Samsung a890. Both phones are available for $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year customer agreement. The CDM8940 from UTStarcom Personal Communications (formerly Audiovox Communications Corp.) is also available for $179.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year customer agreement.
Verizon Wireless offers several PC Cards for BroadbandAccess customers, including the PC 5220, Kyocera KPC-650 and Novatel V620 cards. For a limited time, Verizon Wireless customers with unlimited use data plans can buy the BroadbandAccess PC 5220 for $99.99, Kyocera KPC-650 for $69.99 or Novatel V620 card for $49.99 after a $100 rebate and a two-year customer agreement.
For more information on V CAST or BroadbandAccess from Verizon Wireless, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to http://www.verizonwireless.com. Business customers can contact a Verizon Wireless Business Sales Representative directly at 1-800-VZW-4-BIZ.
(EDITORS: Broadcast-quality B-roll footage featuring V CAST and BroadbandAccess is available online. Log on to http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia to preview and request video segments, which can be received in newsrooms digitally, by tape or via satellite.)
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 45.5 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ - News) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD - News News). Find more information on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
NOTE: This press release contains statements about expected future events and financial results that are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following important factors could affect future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements: materially adverse changes in economic conditions in the markets served by us, an adverse change in the ratings afforded our debt securities or those of Verizon Communications by nationally accredited ratings organizations, the effects of the substantial competition that exists in our markets, which has been intensifying, and which may intensify further as a result of local number portability regulations that allow wireless customers to retain their phone numbers when switching wireless service providers, our ability to obtain sufficient financing to satisfy our substantial capital requirements, including to fund capital expenditures, debt repayment and distributions to our owners, our ability to obtain sufficient spectrum licenses, particularly in our most densely populated areas, our ability to develop future business opportunities, including wireless data services, and to continue to adapt to the changing conditions in the wireless industry, our ability to receive satisfactory service from our key vendors and suppliers, our ability to generate additional subscribers, with acceptable levels of churn, from resellers and distributors of our service, material changes in available technology, and technology substitution that could impact the popularity and usage of our technology, our continued provision of satisfactory service to our subscribers at an acceptable cost, in order to reduce churn, the impact of continued unionization efforts with respect to our employees, regulatory developments, including new regulations that could increase our cost of doing business or reduce demand for our services, developments in connection with existing or future litigation, and changes in our accounting assumptions that regulatory agencies, including the SEC, may require or that result from changes in the accounting rules or their application, which could result in an impact on earnings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Verizon Wireless
Qualcomm Gets Brewing Again
Monday June 27, 2005 8:25 AM EST
By: News Desk
Source: TelecomsKorea
http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/102/C4154/
Qualcomm didn't impress many users with the launch of Brew 2.1 in Korea. No Sweat. The company plans to give its existence a second chance and launch Brew 3.1 by the year end.
So what's new in Brew 3.1?
The user interface has gone through a massive change and additional features are said to get more users on to the system. Qualcomm also plans to introduce 'Wipi on Brew' along with this launch.
At the moment Qualcomm is looking at mobile phone partners that would be able to deliver their Korean Dream the second time around. Samsung has been the preferred supplier till now and it looks likely that LG would become a phone supplier to Qualcomm in this endeavor.
Considering that users of mobile phone services in Korea are quite conscience of the quality and usability of their services, Qualcomm has a large task in front to them to impress everyone and get them to switch over to their service. Qualcomm will need both technology and smart marketing to achieve success this time around. If you are based in Korea, you need to look out for the launch of Qualcomm’s services of Brew 3.1 this year end!
Consumers want more choice, says Three
Monday, June 27 2005
by Deirdre McArdle
in association with
http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9615556.html
Commissioned by Three Ireland, which is expected to launch in the Irish mobile phone market next month, the survey reveals that consumers are unhappy with the state of play in the market and would like to see increased competition.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents to the survey said they would welcome a new mobile services provider to the market in the hope that a new entrant would ignite competition. A further 80 percent said they would welcome more choice in the market and 75 percent believe that more competition would lead to better value for consumers.
Competition within the Irish mobile market has long been a topic of consternation. In December 2004 the communications regulator ComReg proposed the introduction of mobile virtual network operators, MVNOs, into the Irish market in a bid to shake things up a bit. MVNOs would effectively "piggy-back" on the network of established mobile operators. These virtual operators would then be able to offer alternative services, potentially resulting in better deals for consumers.
Both Vodafone and O2, who challenged ComReg's decision, have claimed that competition is increasing in the market with Meteor making more of an impact in recent months. Meteor, the third mobile operator in the market currently controls about 10 percent of the market.
But this perceived competition isn't registering too highly with consumers with just 39 percent of respondents to the Three Ireland survey saying they are currently getting value for money from their mobile network. In order to save money 58 percent of respondents try to substitute voice calls with text messages.
In addition, consumers are frustrated by peak rate charges with over 25 percent of respondents citing this as their main grievance with their providers. Complex pricing structures are also of concern to 65 percent of Irish consumers, according to the survey.
The results of this survey suggest Three Ireland, with its expected cheap calls, could be made welcome into the Irish market by consumers eager for lower call costs and more choice.
"The survey emphatically confirms that mobile phone users in Ireland are crying out for more competition, better value and increased choice in mobile services and clearly would welcome a new network to break up the current cosy market," said Stephen Pilkington, Commercial Director for Three Ireland.
So far though, Three Ireland has remained tight-lipped as to what exactly it's going to offer when it does launch. It is also being secretive as to whether it will target the post-paid or pre-pay market. For now, all that is known is that Three Ireland will launch consumer services in July with its main selling point to be 3G services.
The survey, conducted by Lansdowne Market Research, included over 440 face-to-face interviews in May 2005 among mobile phone users between 21-44 years of age.
Novatel Wireless Receives Industry's First EV-DO PC Card Approval For Network Driver Interface
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050627005....
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 27, 2005--
Windows Hardware Quality Labs Certifies Merlin V620(TM) Network Interface, Providing Automatic Connectivity and Less Power Consumption Than Competing EV-DO Data Cards
Novatel Wireless, Inc. (Nasdaq:NVTL), a leading provider of wireless broadband access solutions, today announced that its Merlin V620(TM) EV-DO wireless PC Card Modem has passed the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) certification for a Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS). As the first EV-DO Card to offer a network interface, the Merlin V620 now provides users with an easier and more convenient high-speed connectivity experience.
Network adapters provide an automatic, instantaneous connection once a computer is loaded, removing any need for manual set-up. In addition, network interfaces leverage an intelligent power consumption configuration, enabling the device to go into standby mode when the computer is not being used and drawing only minimal power. Once a computer is in sleep or suspended mode, Novatel Wireless' Merlin V620 automatically re-establishes any data connections left open, saving time and computing resources while providing true, 'always on' connectivity.
"Following our approval with WHQL, Novatel Wireless offers the most advanced and convenient EV-DO Card on the market, continuing the company's leadership in wireless PC Card Modem development," said Slim Souissi, chief technology officer at Novatel Wireless. "The only EV-DO Data Card equipped with a network adapter interface means the Merlin V620 can deliver real-time access to information on data transfer speeds, connection status, signal strength and more without interrupting the flow of data traffic. The capabilities provided by a network interface far outweigh the competition's slower, less sophisticated EV-DO dial-up adapters."
WHQL is a Microsoft standards body that produces and supports the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility Test Kit for current Microsoft operating systems. Products are tested with the kit to ensure that they meet Microsoft standards for compatibility with Windows and to qualify to use the 'Designed for Microsoft Windows' logo.
Using dual-band EV-DO and 1xRTT technologies, the Merlin V620 offers typical download speeds of 400 - 700 Kbps and bursts up to 2.4 Mbps, providing users with a wireless data experience similar to using high-speed wired connections at the office. By inserting the PC Card into a laptop, subscribers have access to email, the Internet and corporate databases so they can stay productive while working remotely. For further information on Novatel Wireless' Merlin V620, please visit www.novatelwireless.com.
ABOUT NOVATEL WIRELESS, INC.
Novatel Wireless, Inc. is a leading provider of wireless broadband access solutions. Novatel Wireless' Merlin(TM) PC Cards, Expedite(TM) Embedded Modems, Freedom Box(TM) Ruggedized Modems, MobiLink(TM) Communications Software Suite, Ovation(TM) 3G Multimedia Application Consoles and Conversa(TM) Software Suite enable high-speed wireless access to personal, corporate and public information. The company delivers innovative 3G solutions to operators, distributors and vertical markets worldwide. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Novatel Wireless is listed on NASDAQ: NVTL. For more information on Novatel Wireless visit www.novatelwireless.com (nvtlg).
(C) 2005 Novatel Wireless. All rights reserved. The Novatel Wireless logo, Merlin, Expedite, Expedite EU730, Expedite EU740, Freedom Box, MobiLink, Ovation and Conversa are trademarks of Novatel Wireless, Inc. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
This release may contain forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended to date. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements contained herein. These factors include risks relating to technological changes, new product introductions, continued acceptance of Novatel Wireless' products and dependence on intellectual property rights. These factors, as well as other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, are discussed in more detail in Novatel Wireless' filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (available at www.sec.gov) and other regulatory agencies.
DoCoMo, KT in early stake talks - sources
Mon June 27, 2005 2:10 PM GMT+05:30
By Yukari Iwatani Kane and Kim Miyoung
http://www.reuters.co.in/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp;:42bfeae5:39cbb04c653e53a4?type=technologyNews&am....
TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Japan's top mobile carrier, NTT DoCoMo Inc., is in talks to buy a stake in South Korea's second-ranked mobile operator KTF Co. Ltd., DoCoMo sources said on Monday.
The sources said the two companies were in contact, but talks were still preliminary and had not reached a specific stage.
KTF's parent firm denied there were any talks.
Analysts said a tie-up between the two firms could make sense given strong trade ties and active tourism between Japan and South Korea. DoCoMo was reported in the past to be in talks with both KTF and its larger rival, SK Telecom Co. Ltd..
"A deal with SK Telecom would make more sense to DoCoMo as they use the same radio frequency band, but KT appears more interested in the DoCoMo deal to restructure the group with outside help," said Chin Chang-whan, an analyst at CJ Investment & Securities.
The chief executives of DoCoMo and its parent, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., have recently said they would consider investing in an Asian operator looking to move to a high-speed third-generation (3G) network based on the same W-CDMA standard that it uses.
South Korea's top fixed-line and broadband operator KT Corp., which owns 48.7 percent of KTF, could use funds from DoCoMo to help purchase the remainder of KTF. KTF has yet to start a W-CDMA service even though it has a licence for it.
KT is seeking new earnings drivers as it struggles with dwindling voice traffic, fierce price competition with smaller rivals and slower growth in high-speed Internet services.
DoCoMo is also seeking new avenues of growth amid tough competition in the Japan market. Things could get tougher as new mobile entrants start services and a government rule next year makes it easier for users to switch operators.
20 PCT STAKE
Online news provider MoneyToday (www.moneytoday.co.kr) said KT was talking to DoCoMo about selling a 20 percent stake worth $896 million in KTF, quoting unnamed industry sources.
"The report that KT plans to sell a KTF stake to DoCoMo is groundless," KT said in a filing to the Korea Exchange, without further elaboration.
A DoCoMo spokesman declined to comment.
One DoCoMo source said the Japanese carrier has been saving cash and looking for a good investment. DoCoMo had cash and cash equivalents of about 770 billion yen ($7.05 billion) as of March 31.
DoCoMo sources said the company would probably prefer a sizeable stake if the two companies were to strike a deal. One said DoCoMo would probably seek a scheme under which it would receive a specific return, such as a percentage of sales.
DoCoMo has been haunted by investment mistakes in the past decade, in which it spent nearly 1.9 trillion yen to buy small stakes in operators around the world to promote the use of its i-mode mobile Internet technology and ensure the adoption of W-CDMA.
The investments in firms such as AT&T Wireless Services Inc., Dutch operator KPN Mobile N.V. and Hutchison 3G UK Holdings Ltd. (3UK) began to sour almost immediately as the tech bubble burst.
KT said last year it was considering acquiring its mobile unit KTF, which has a market value of $4.5 billion, as the merger would fit with a trend of integration between fixed-line and wireless carriers.
KT carries 94 percent of the local call market and half of the broadband market in South Korea, while KTF controls 32 percent of the mobile market.
Shares in KTF closed down 3.3 percent at 23,800 won and KT eased 1.2 percent to 42,200 won. DoCoMo was off 2.4 percent at 162,000 yen.
Separately, KT also told the Korea Exchange that rumours it may acquire local Internet portal Daum Communications Corp. were also groundless.
Russia on the Way to 3G Wireless
http://www.presstrust.com/article437201.html
Russia will benefit by harmonising its Third Generation licensing and roll-out plans with Europe and other global markets, says mobile industry association The UMTS Forum.
Russia's mobile operator community is ready to join the world in introduction of 3G mobile technologies, indicates the Russian 3G Association.
Speaking at a joint press conference held with the Russian 3G Association, UMTS Forum Chairman Jean-Pierre Bienaimé stressed that Russia can enjoy the same benefits already enjoyed by Europe that has effectively standardized on UMTS networks based on W-CDMA radio access technology. Timed introduction of 3G technologies in mobile networks will greatly support the development of the Russian new generation services market, added 3G Association Executive Director Andrey Skorodumov.
Titled "Strategy of third generation network development in Russia and worldwide", the joint press conference was held in Moscow with participation of the Chief of the Federal Agency of Communications and the top management of the Russian major mobile operators MegaFon, Mobile TeleSystems and VimpelCom.
"The Federal Agency of Communications actively supports the implementation of new, advanced technologies in Russian telecom and provides necessary conditions for the development of telecom infrastructure and its integration with international networks", said the Chief of the Federal Agency of Communication, Andrey Beskorovainiy.
"UMTS is the next logical step for GSM operators, who can enjoy the same economies of scale, ease of international roaming and access to a wide range of cost-effective terminals as they migrate smoothly to 3G", commented UMTS Forum Chairman Jean-Pierre Bienaimé. "Through timely licensing in globally harmonised frequency bands for IMT-2000, Russia can ensure that it strengthens its active participation in the GSM/UMTS world that numbers almost 1.4 billion subscribers."
3G Association Executive Director Andrey Skorodumov stressed that taking into account the world experience of UMTS networks implementation is important for the successful introduction of 3G networks in Russia: "Russia has a unique chance to consider in practice all aspects of the UMTS network introductions experience of other countries, and use this to the benefit of all market participants".
The Russian mobile operators' representatives discussed their preparations for the introduction of new-generation mobile technologies. Yuriy Gromakov, Vice-president of Mobile TeleSystems company, discussed the perspective of technology implementations in the mobile network of his company. Deputy General Director of MegaFon, Igor Nikodimov, and Nataliya Rudenko, Director of planning and new technologies at VimpelCom, focused on the challenges of Russia's new-generation and content providing services market development.
The cost effective 3G choice UMTS provides a smooth evolutionary path to 3G for GSM operators wishing to add capacity and support for new high-speed data services in new spectrum allocated for IMT-2000. GSM operators can re-use significant parts of their investment in 2G/GSM, from core network elements to customer management and billing systems.
Customers can access voice and data services via dual-mode GSM/W-CDMA terminals with seamless 2G/3G handover. More than 70 3G/UMTS networks based on W-CDMA technology have already been launched commercially. UMTS subscriber numbers now exceed 25 million out of a global total of more than 40 million 3G customers. More than 160 different W-CDMA terminal designs have already been announced or introduced by European, US and Asian vendors.
"Russia's mobile market is in a period of explosive growth, particularly in urban centres", added Bienaimé. "With SIM penetration in Moscow already exceeding 100%, it's vital that Russian operators are given the opportunity to add extra network capacity at incremental cost to support more subscribers and offer new services via 3G."
Today Russia represents one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world - along with China, India and Brazil. In May 2005 the number of mobile subscribers in Russia exceeded 90 million (most of them are GSM subscribers), with a corresponding penetration rate of 64%.
"These are all conditions that are favorable to the introduction of UMTS in Russia. Russian operators are completely ready to the introduction of 3G networks", concluded Andrey Skorodumov. With Russian mobile operators already giving their customers a first taste of high-speed mobile data services via EDGE, 3G licensing in Russia is anticipated by the end of 2005 or early in 2006.