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Faith in Wi-Fi fading
Jun 15 10:35
AP
Alas, wireless internet may not be the technology sector's salvation after all. Small companies, some publicly traded, are burning cash trying to turn Wi-Fi into viable business. Some have already shut down.
Faster than you can say "industry bubble," sceptics are asking whether wireless internet connections will become similar to the wired internet of the late 1990s - hot but rarely profitable.
"Anyone trying to build a stand-alone business on Wi-Fi access should be worried," said analyst John Yunker of Byte Level Research. "It's not a stand-alone business, it's an add-on to other communications businesses, the cable bill or the DSL bill."
Wi-Fi, short for wireless fidelity, appeals most to people with laptops and personal digital assistants. It radiates an internet connection to users within 100 metres - a zone known as a "hotspot".
Wi-Fi gear is shrinking in both size and price, to the point where Wi-Fi connections eventually could be built into power strips. The fact that Wi-Fi uses unlicensed bands of the radio spectrum makes it even cheaper to deploy.
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Of course, the low costs can be a huge plus for companies trying to turn the technology into a profitable business.
David Hagan, president of Boingo Wireless, an aggregator that sells access to 6000 hot spots deployed by other companies, said the three-year-old company's main cost is its 70 employees. He expects Boingo to become profitable by 2006.
"We have the cash to get there," he said.
But the talk of the industry is whether Wi-Fi service will eventually be free - with the technology's low cost frequently borne by stores that hope wireless internet access will encourage customers to linger.
US cities such as San Jose, Spokane, and Austin, have set up free hotspots. Companies including Best Western International hotels and Panera Bread give away Wi-Fi access to lure customers.
Verizon Communications gives its DSL customers free access to the company's New York hotspots.
After being launched in 2002 with an ambitious plan for a national chain of hot spots, Cometa Networks, whose investors included AT&T, Intel and IBM, shut down in May, saying it had run out of money.
Other Wi-Fi companies have had to alter their business model. Wayport, which hastened Cometa's end when it got the contract to set up Wi-Fi in 6000 McDonald's restaurants, began by selling access to consumers but announced plans in May to adopt a wholesale model.
That means Wayport will charge restaurants, hotels or convention centres to build, set up and maintain Wi-Fi hotspots while the venue or a separate service provider sells or gives away the connections.
Wayport, founded in 1998 and funded by venture capitalists, is not profitable, said Dan Lowden, its vice-president of marketing.
Wayport and wireless phone provider T-Mobile USA are the two biggest Wi-Fi service providers, accounting for 95 per cent of US hotspots, according to Phillip Redman, research vice-president at Gartner.
Meanwhile, several tiny Wi-Fi companies are still trying to cash in around the edges. Because deploying Wi-Fi is so cheap and easy, "it's kind of been a Wild West environment, where anyone can set up a hot spot and try to sell service," said Roberta Wiggins, a research fellow at the Yankee Group.
Mr Yunker of Byte Level Research suggested that investors be careful with Wi-Fi stocks.
Siricomm, whose shares trades over the counter rather than on a major exchange, is trying to build a private Wi-Fi network in truck stops and weigh stations. The company hopes to offer the service for $US49.99 a month starting in September. It has a deal to install hot spots in 255 Pilot Travel Centres and it is in talks with states about the weigh stations.
From its inception in 2000 through its most recent quarterly report, the company has had no revenue and total losses of $US5.1 million. Still, chief financial officer Richard Iler believes Siricomm will find success in turning some of the US's 4 million truckers into "knowledge workers," letting them use wireless internet access to structure routes and loads.
ICOA, which also trades over the counter, is just as enthusiastic, even after losing $US2.5 million in the last two years. Its auditors expressed substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern in recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Erwin Vahlsing, its chief financial officer, said it should be "cash flow positive" in six to nine months. ICOA installs and manages Wi-Fi equipment for clients, including Panera Bread.
"A lot of what we've done has been putting a structure in place that can support a lot of volume," he said. "Now we're moving toward getting that volume."
Roomlinx, which installs and maintains hot spots in hotels, hopes to issue 205 million shares of new stock, despite a net loss of $US915,000 for the most recent quarter.
One small over-the-counter company, R Wireless, recently left the business after building only one hot spot, at an office building in New York.
Why stop now? "Management believes that only Wi-Fi equipment manufacturers are currently successful in generating profits in the Wi-Fi industry, and service providers have yet to develop a profitable business model," the company said in its most recent quarterly report.
And so, the filing said, R Wireless "has started looking for alternative realisation opportunities."
http://afr.com/articles/2004/06/15/1087244890526.html
Nokia launches five new models to stave off rivals
SINGAPORE: Finland's Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker, launched five new models yesterday, including one billed as the world's smallest 3G phone, as it seeks to claw back market share from rivals.
Nokia's new models have been awaited by analysts and investors after the Finnish company, whose handsets were the market standard for years, warned in early April that it could not keep pace with robust market growth due to a lack of attractive phones in the middle part of its portfolio.
Among the latest models are a 6260 smartphone with swivel screen, a 6630 third-generation (3G) phone, which Nokia says is the world's smallest 3G camera phone.
It also unveiled a 6170 “clamshell” camera-phone and two low-end models, the 2650 and the 2600.
A model displaying Nokia’s new 6630 mobile handset which was unveiled in Singapore yesterday. — APpic
Rivals have been faster to market handsets boasting high-resolution displays or cameras and other features that have eroded Nokia's dominant market share position.
Simon Beresford-Wylie, senior vice-president for Asia-Pacific at Nokia, said he expected “dynamic” growth in regional mobile subscribers, estimating that by 2007 for every one fixed line user there will be more than two mobile phone users.
By 2007, Nokia expects about 300 million new subscribers to come from growth markets in the Asia-Pacific region, he told an industry conference.
He said he expected the number of third-generation networks to rise from six wideband-CDMA (code division multiple access) networks in the Asia-Pacific to 20 by 2005.
But some industry observers who have seen the new handsets said last Thursday the products would not inspire the ardour needed for the Finnish firm to recoup market share.
“The mobile operators want something from Nokia that really smokes. This isn't it,” one industry source said in Helsinki. According to research group Gartner, Nokia's market share plummeted to 28.9% in the first quarter of 2004 from 34.6% in the year-ago period.
In contrast, US-based Motorola Inc, the world's second-largest mobile phone maker, and third-ranked South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd both boosted their market shares in the first quarter to 16.4% and 12.5% respectively.
Nokia forecast in April a sharper-than-expected fall in second-quarter earnings. – Reuters
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/6/15/business/8211639&sec=business
UTStarcom to buy Audiovox unit
Paul Taylor in New York
Published: June 15 2004 0:11 / Last Updated: June 15 2004 0:11
UTStarcom, the fast growing telecommunications equipment maker, agreed to pay $165.1m in cash for the mobile phone division of Audiovox signalling the start of a planned assault on the US and Canadian handset markets.
Audiovox's mobile phone division is a leading supplier of handsets based on code division multiple access (CDMA) technology to most carriers in North America including Verizon, Sprint and Bell Mobility.
The deal also marks UTStarcom's determination to become a full-range global telecoms equipment vendor competing with Nokia, Motorola and Samsung.
"We believe the acquisition of ACC extends our handset leadership internationally, and accelerates time to market with a proven brand; a tremendous sales, service and support platform; and top-tier US operator customers," said Hong Lu, chief executive.
Until now UTStarcom has mostly focused on selling wireless infrastructure and networking services in Asia and is the largest handset producer in China shipping 16.5m phones last year.
In China UTStarcom makes personal wireless access systems that effectively substitute limited-range portable phones for traditional fixed local phones and internet service. This lower-cost system has provided an alternative network in areas where there has been limited phone network infrastructure.
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=108...
BDC selects 3G CDMA 1xEV-DO solution from Lucent
June 14, 2004
Bermuda Digital Communications (BDC), the wireless telecommunications operator on the island, announced that it has selected equipment from Lucent Technologies to deploy an enhanced 3G mobile data network based on CDMA2000 1xEV-DO technology. The network will be used to provide services at speeds that rival the fastest wireline connections to BDC customers. Commnet Supply, a Lucent Business Partner, signed a contract with BDC to deliver, install and maintain the Lucent solutions.
As part of the agreement, BDC will upgrade its existing Lucent Flexent CDMA2000 base stations with hardware and software for the high-speed, wide-area, secure wireless data network. 1xEV-DO allows for high-quality video streaming, high-speed data transmission and downloading of heavy files, videoconferencing, Internet and intranet access, and many other new applications with the added convenience of total mobility.
"We are excited to continue our partnership with Lucent and Commnet Supply to deliver the highest quality mobile voice and high-speed data services to our customers," said Kurt Eve, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bermuda Digital Communications. "Lucent's solutions also enable us to cost-effectively evolve our network to introduce new capabilities and services."
Building on the recently deployed 3G CDMA2000 1X voice and data network, Bermuda Digital's 1xEV-DO deployment continues to demonstrate its commitment to being the leading wireless technology provider in the country.
"Bermuda Digital Communications' selection of Lucent's equipment for its network is quite an honor," said Osvaldo di Campli, Lucent Technologies' regional vice president for the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico. "We look forward to continuing our work with Commnet Supply to help BDC remain at the forefront of wireless developments in the country."
"We are committed to continuing to support Bermuda Digital Communications in evolving their telecommunications infrastructure and continuing to offer state-of-the-art services to their growing customer base," said Alejandro Gil, Commnet Supply Sales Vice President for International Markets.
http://www.3gnewsroom.com/3g_news/jun_04/news_4593.shtml
Vodafone, Verizon: Dial V for very complicated
European vendor dislikes partnerships
By John Blau, IDG News Service June 14, 2004
DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY - It's not as if Vodafone Group PLC and Verizon Wireless Inc. have had a rocky relationship in the U.S. The two companies have actually enjoyed a successful partnership that has generated billions of sales and millions of customers.
The problem is that the European mobile phone giant dislikes partnerships; it prefers instead to gain full control of companies in order to pursue its own branding, pricing and "seamless" service strategy, especially in the enterprise customer space.
Vodafone drove home that message in February when it made an unsuccessful bid for AT&T Wireless Services Inc. The Newbury, England, mobile phone group was prepared to unload its 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless to acquire a rival and become its own boss in the huge and strategically important U.S. market.
Now, the relationship between Vodafone and Verizon Wireless could be tested again.
Vodafone has until Aug. 9 to decide whether to cash in on its stake in the U.S. mobile phone company. Under a put option, which was exercisable for the first time last year and will continue every year in an agreed two-month window through 2007, Vodafone can require Verizon Communications Inc. to pay as much as $20 billion for its 55 percent stake in the venture, in two equal payments.
Vodafone has been keeping its cards close to its chest ever since the put option went into effect, June 10.
"We didn't comment on the put option last year and we aren't commenting on it this year," a Vodafone spokesman said. "What we are saying, however, is that we are satisfied with our partnership in the U.S."
That may be true, but even Vodafone Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arun Sarin admits he's open to change - if the conditions are right. "Nothing is imminent, but everything is possible," he said at a media conference last month when asked about the partnership.
If Vodafone should decide to unload its stake, he wouldn't have to look hard for a buyer. Verizon Communications has made no secret of its desire to gain gull control of its wireless unit, which is the most profitable part of the group.
"The ball is in Vodafone's court but we have made it very clear to the company that if they want to sell part or all of their stake in Verizon Wireless, we will buy whatever they have to sell," said Verizon Communications spokesman Bob Varettoni.
To sell or not to sell is the multibillion dollar question that Sarin may choose to answer in the current put option window or postpone until next year -- or dodge altogether. It's tough decision, arguably the toughest the newly appointed CEO may face while in the hot seat at Vodafone.
Should Vodafone cash in its stake for $20 billion, what can it buy in the U.S.?
T-Mobile USA Inc. has comparable GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technology and is small enough to afford but its owner, Deutsche Telekom AG, is keen to expand its own position in North America, according to Richard Dineen, wireless research director at London-based consultancy Ovum Ltd. The other operators, Cingular Wireless LLC, Nextel Communications Inc. and Sprint Corp., are either too expensive or have incompatible CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology or both, he said.
Dineen sees little incentive for Verizon Communications to sell off its wireless subsidiary. "It makes no sense for Verizon to get rid of the jewel in its crown," he said. "A fixed operator like Verizon with a mobile subsidiary can hedge against mobile phone substitution, which, together with voice over IP (Internet Protocol), is eroding its core voice business."
Even if the marriage between Verizon Wireless and Vodafone isn't the easiest, it's convenient and, no less important, it's highly profitable, according to Dineen. "The best thing for Vodafone is to maintain the relationship," he said. "It really doesn't have many options at the moment but then in this industry, you never really know."
http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/06/14/HNVodafoneVerizon_1.html
Qualcomm to provide LG with EV-DV Chipsets at the end of this year
June 14, 2004 - source: Telecoms Korea
Qualcomm provides LG Electronics with its chipsets for CDMA2000 1x EV-DV, a 3G CDMA standard starting from the end of this year. Accordingly, LG Telecom, the third largest mobile operator in Korea, is likely to offer EV-DV service as early as next year.
SK Telecom and KTF, nations' first and second largest mobile operators, started EV-DO commercial service in 2002 and W-CDMA service, an EV-DV equivalent 3G standard in rivalry with CDMA -2000 late last year.
EV-DV is the latest version of CDMA 2000 1x family which is dominated by Qualcomm. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics already introduced compatible handsets and systems in major world electronics shows.
LG Telecom is currently providing only CDMA 2000 1 x RTT service and is preparing EV-DV commercial service for 2006, skipping EV-DO.
EV-DV supports 3.1Mbps on the forward link while EV-DO supports only 2.4 Mbps. On the reverse link EV-DV supports 1.8Mbps, 12 times faster than 153.6 Kbps of EV-DO.
http://www.3gnewsroom.com/3g_news/jun_04/news_4590.shtml
Nokia Rolls Out New Ammunition
June 14, 2004
Nokia announced the forthcoming release of five new phone models at its annual press event in Helsinki, Finland last weekend. The announcement came on the heels of first-quarter market results that were less than favorable for the company. Although Nokia handset sales increased worldwide, its overall market share decreased in Western Europe and North America, according to Gartner. The decrease, says Bob Woods, principal analyst for mobile terminals research at Gartner, is in response to Nokia's weak product portfolio, causing carriers to choose its competitors' handsets.
The five new phones will fill in some key areas for Nokia: Three of them are clamshell, or flip-phone, models, which the company has not previously sold. Nokia has also boosted its midrange product line and added color displays to entry-level products. Although these are not mind-blowing additions, they are essential for keeping customers and carriers happy and keeping the company in the race.
The Nokia 6630 is the first 3G SmartPhone phone by Nokia, and the world's first phone capable of running 3G, EDGE, and 2G networks. This candy bar-shaped phone runs on Series 60 (Symbian) OS and has a 1.2 megapixel camera, with 1 to 6x digital zoom for both photos and video. The 74MB internal memory and built-in MMC should make it easy to store all the multimedia content. And you'll be able to stream video and play your MP3s. It will be available in the fall.
The Nokia 6260 is a clamshell phone that twists. This triband SmartPhone has push-to-talk, e-mail, Bluetooth, and a VGA camera. Aimed at the mobile professional, this phone is supposed to ship this summer.
The Nokia 6170 is a stylish, midrange clam-shell phone made with stainless steel. It has a bright internal display, four-color outer display, VGA camera, and a slew of messaging choices, like push-to-talk, e-mail, instant messaging, and MMS. It is expected to ship in the fall.
The Nokia 2650 and the Nokia 2600 (aimed business users) are the company's first en-try-level phones to feature color displays. Both phones are expected to ship in the summer.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1612296,00.asp
Location-Based Services is at Last Gaining Market Traction
Written by Concise Insight Europe Ltd
Monday, 14 June 2004
... But is it Enough to Meet European Commission Emergency 112 Expectations?
LONDON, England-- The last three years have been a bumpy ride for Location-Based Services (LBS) as WAP and mobile data have failed to raise much enthusiasm from cellular subscribers. "That has changed", said Jake Saunders, Director and co-author of Concise Insight's European Location-Based Services 2004 report. "As operators, such as Vodafone UK, has reported mobile content reaching 1.9% of total service revenue for March 2004, almost double the 1.0% a year before, so too are we seeing a greater range and reliance on location technology to under pin value-added data services."
Concise Insight estimates that 70% to 90% of location-enabled non-voice traffic is WAP-based but there are still a number of applications that use tried and tested SMS. In 2003, in Western Europe, US$ 285 million was generated and that figure could grow to US$ 2 billion by year-end 2007. "Much will depend on the consumer roll-outs of 3G services. European operators such as Telefonica, TIM and Vodafone are currently jostling to launch corporate data download PC card services but it may take a little longer for 3G consumer services similar to Hutchison 3's to materialise", said Jamie Moss, Senior Consultant.
The Commercial LBS-E112 Dilemma
It was originally argued the take-off of commercial LBS will deliver the necessary cash-flow to support the deployment of high accuracy, location positioning solutions, therefore the European Commission should, and could, take a firm, but flexible, stance for its Emergency 112 initiative.
By the end of 2004, the EC will carry out a review of cellular operator compliance with its E112 Directive and Recommendation. Sadly the EC may be a little disappointed. Commercial LBS have taken a little longer than expected to take-off and E112 compliance has been tardy. The EC has three options: a) Get tough: operators must be able to deliver high accuracy and smooth hand-off of relevant location data to the emergency services; b) Remain firm but flexible: operators must be able to deliver a smooth hand-off of relevant personal data to the emergency services but impose no high accuracy mandate; c) Go laissez-faire: and allow operators to meet compliance targets as negotiated with national regulators, on a case by case basis.
Some operators would argue that they have only just reach positive cash-flow after the 3G license splurge of 2000/1. On the other-hand, the emergency services might argue they are facing a mounting challenge. 60% of calls to the emergency services are now on mobiles, which translate into 64 million emergency calls in 2004 for the 21 markets researched. However, in many instances ambulances and fire brigades only have approximate locations. The quicker they get there, the more lives they save. For the time-being, if you are in a critical emergency, you may be better off using a fixed-line phone.
Concise Insight's report clearly demonstrates that commercial LBS is gaining traction in the market-place but given the increasing dependence by society on mobile phones, some hard decisions need to be made. Emergency location data needs to flow from the cellular operator to the emergency services. Who should pay for that? And how to deliver the accuracy? Network-based as well as handset-based solutions abound, but operators seem caught in a triangle of concern for capital expenditure, inter-operability and handset feature-set issues.
www.Concise-Insight.com
Source: Concise Insight Europe Ltd
Contact: Jake Saunders, Tel: +44 20 7790 4415
http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/2050/
Bringing the Olympic Spirit Closer to Home
Samsung Unveils Opportunities for Consumers to Connect to the 2004 Olympic
Torch Relay
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- With the arrival of the
global Olympic Torch Relay in the U.S. this week, Samsung Electronics is
launching online, retail and on-the-route initiatives to bring the upcoming
Olympic Games in Athens closer to home for Americans nationwide. An
award-winning telecommunications leader and a presenting partner of the 2004
Olympic Torch Relay, Samsung is introducing new ways for fans to experience
the world's most-watched sporting event.
"Samsung is known for its cutting-edge technology so we wanted to use this
expertise to give people a real-time connection to the Olympic spirit, " says
Peter Weedfald, senior vice president, Samsung Electronics America. "With the
first-ever global Olympic Torch Relay, we can bring a very special Olympic
moment to people around the world. All of our programs are meant to connect
people to each other, to the athletes and to the Olympic movement."
New Website For Fans
To inspire the Olympic spirit across the U.S., Samsung has developed an
integrated microsite in honor of Samsung's sponsorship of the Olympic Torch
Relay. It can be found through online promotions running on Samsung's
inventory of over 350 permanent banners on top websites including sports sites
such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated and NBC or by going to
http://www.samsungusa.com/olympics. The microsite has many features but the
highlight is a contest giving consumers a chance to win a trip for two to the
Olympic Games in Athens or one of fifty new Samsung a680 video phones.
To promote the Olympic spirit, Samsung has also included a section
featuring the profiles of Samsung's U.S. torchbearers and an eRelay section
that simulates the passing of the flame by allowing consumers to pass
electronic messages to friends and track the entire path of their message
around the world on a map. Last but not least, visitors can try out their
gaming skills and win prizes with online games simulating the sports that
global athletes will compete in at the Athens Olympic Games.
Special Retail Offers
Beginning August 1st at participating Best Buy stores, the first 20,000
consumers to purchase a Samsung wireless handset during the promotional period
(ending August 15), will receive a limited edition, ROOTS $25 "Team USA"
Olympic item from Samsung and Best Buy.
Along The Olympic Torch Relay Route
In the four U.S. cities on the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay -- Los
Angeles, St. Louis, Atlanta and New York - Samsung will help connect fans to
the excitement of the day and entertain crowds that line the route. A
traveling Samsung caravan consisting of three vehicles with LED screens and
speakers will capture the crowds and activity on screen to ensure no one
misses any of the action as the Olympic Flame makes its way through their
city. In addition, the Samsung "Spirit Team" will travel with the caravan and
distribute fun keepsake premiums to the fans as they await the arrival of
local torchbearers.
At most city celebrations, locals can pose as torchbearers at the Samsung
Consumer Experience Tent, where they can have their digital photo taken with
an Olympic torch in hand and a dynamic Athens themed backdrop for a memorable
photo that will be printed to take home and share with friends and family.
Samsung has created an experience for children as well with the Samsung Soccer
Challenge that allow youth to score and win prizes. Olympic Torch Relay
premiums will also be given out at the consumer experience booths.
Advertising
Samsung Electronics will advertise the Olympic Torch Relay locally in
major papers in each relay city as well as through broadcast advertising.
Samsung has teamed up with NBC, the official broadcaster of the Olympics, to
create a marketing program to promote the spirit of the Olympic Games in
Athens, Samsung's telecommunication sponsorship and Samsung's telephone
promotions in the US.
The 2004 Olympic Torch Relay will be the first and longest global relay,
spanning five continents to symbolize the five Olympic rings. In the U.S.,
the torch will make stops in four cities -- Los Angeles (6/16), St. Louis
(6/17), Atlanta (6/18) and New York (6/19) -- the most cities in any country.
Samsung's involvement with the Olympic Games began in 1988 as a national
sponsor for the Seoul Olympics. In 1998, Samsung became the worldwide
wireless telecommunications equipment sponsor for the Nagano Winter Games with
continued sponsorship at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney. Samsung recently
reaffirmed its strong commitment to the Olympic Games by signing up to
continue its sponsorship in the wireless communications equipment category for
the 2006 Torino Olympic Winter Games and the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in telecommunication
technology. Samsung Electronics employs approximately 88,000 people in 89
offices across 46 countries. The company is the world's largest producer of
CDMA mobile phones. Since 1997, Samsung has been the Olympic Partner in the
wireless communications equipment category. For more information, please
visit http://www.samsung.com
About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung
Electronics Company, Ltd., researches, markets and develops wireless handsets
and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more
information, see STA's website at http://www.samsungusa.com/wireless.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK8.story&STORY=/www/story/06-14-2004/00...
India To BREW Mobile Apps
ASHU KUMAR
NEW DELHI: US-based $3.9 billion Qualcomm Inc — a code division multiple access (CDMA) technology provider for mobile communication — will use India as a major source of wireless software applications for its new platform, BREW (binary runtime environment for wireless).
BREW is a software platform — developed by Qualcomm — for mobile devices. The platform provides an interface between the software applications that run on mobile phones, and mobile hardware and infrastructure systems at the back end. This helps software engineers to develop standardised applications for mobile phones. Qualcomm has launched BREW as an answer to Java, which is also a popular platform for developing mobile applications.
Qualcomm has already hooked around 30 independent software vendors in India to work on BREW platform and develop applications. The two Mumbai based multimedia and gaming firms : Indiagames and Paradox Studios have even started developing and exporting game applications in the global market.
Besides, Qualcomm will also be launching evangelism programs in India to promote BREW among the software developer community apart from organising developer conferences in India.
...Game For Glabal Market
In what may open doors of a new business opportunity for Indian software companies, two small Indian software firms have broken into a fast growing global mobile gaming market. Mumbai-based Indiagames and Paradox Studios have adopted Qualcomm’s BREW platform to develop applications, and have already started supplying mobile phones games to the global clients.
According to Indiagames chief executive Vishal Gondal, the company has developed games that have been quite popular with Verizon (a US based telecom operator) wireless customers. Indiagames has also bagged an order to develop the wireless version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a popular series in the US.
Paradox Studios has also developed around 50 game titles, some of them with multi-player capability games. The company has recently received an order from Hutch Thailand, claimed Paradox Studios senior marketing manager Salil Bhargava.
“I am quite optimistic that Indian developers will make an important contribution and a big impact on BREW application development in the global market. Qualcomm will step up its efforts to promote BREW in India,” Qualcomm group president-wireless and Internet group Paul E Jacobs said.
The global technology giants like Microsoft and Sun Microsystems are already making substantial efforts and investments to woo Indian software developers to work on their platforms. This helps these companies to keep the flow of skilled resources (on their platforms) in the software job market, making it easier and cheaper for the software companies to develop applications on their platforms.
Qualcomm’s BREW is also spreading its wings in the Indian mobile service market. Tata Teleservices that offers CDMA based services, has announced that the company will be offering BREW applications to its customers. Reliance Infocomm, another CDMA operator, is also expected to announce the launch of BREW applications soon, according to Qualcomm officials.
Tata Teleservices’ launch of BREW-based products and services will enable its mobile customers to use BREW phones to download games wirelessly, ring tones, communication, e-mail and business-focused applications, virtually anytime, or anywhere. The flexibility of the BREW solution also gives Tata Teleservices the ability to differentiate its service from multimedia messaging services, Web browsers and customised user interfaces.
Tata Teleservices will offer BREW-based services to its wireless users in Andhra Pradesh, New Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra. In the coming months, it plans to extend its BREW-based offering to 12 additional circles.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=61320
NextLinx Provides QUALCOMM with an Expanded Trade Export Solution to Address Global Trade Compliance Needs; Real-Time Access to Trade Content Expected to Streamline Customer Transactions
ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 14, 2004--NextLinx Corporation, the leading provider of global trade content and management solutions, will deploy its browser-based Trade Export solution at QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq:QCOM), pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, to streamline and automate the screening, licensing and document creation process for shipping its products to multiple destinations worldwide. Expanding its agreement with NextLinx, QUALCOMM expects to reduce global supply chain costs and minimize trade compliance risks.
"As QUALCOMM continues to offer innovative solutions, we acknowledge the importance of getting our products to market quickly and efficiently," said Kathleen Gebeau, director of export compliance at QUALCOMM. "By growing our relationship with NextLinx, we can further streamline export processes across all of our various business groups and multiple enterprise resource planning systems worldwide so that we can efficiently meet the global market demand."
Integrating into Oracle and PeopleSoft, Trade Export provides QUALCOMM with real-time access to the various international trade rules, thus allowing them to easily comply with export requirements and Customs laws. In addition, QUALCOMM will have the ability to calculate landed costs, generate shipping documents, determine required licenses and screen for restricted trading parties.
"Responding to increased security and stricter penalties, QUALCOMM recognized the importance of adjusting IT to remain compliant with changing trade regulations. Fully utilizing the Trade Export solution will allow them to make cross-border shipping more manageable across their enterprise," said Rajiv Uppal, founder, president and CEO of NextLinx Corporation. "QUALCOMM's increasing use of NextLinx products is a tremendous validation of our trade content, scalable technology and continued ability to deliver solutions to meet any business or industry need."
Powered by Global Knowledge(TM), the industry's most comprehensive database of global trade content and international business rules, Trade Export decreases the complexities of global trade, eliminates border delays and minimizes potential fines and penalties due to improper classification and regulatory documentation.
About QUALCOMM Incorporated
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 2003 FORTUNE 500(R) company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market(R) under the ticker symbol QCOM.
About NextLinx Corporation
NextLinx Corporation is the leading provider of global trade management solutions. NextLinx software and Web services solutions combine global trade business rules and country-specific trade data, consisting of denied party lists, landed cost components, import and export controls, and customs duties and documentation, to help companies reduce the risks and costs associated with importing and exporting goods across international borders. NextLinx prestigious list of customers include: Boeing, FedEx, UPS, ABN AMRO, Cisco Systems, 3Com, Fairchild Semiconductor, Rockwell Automation, Sotheby's, Panasonic and VF Corporation. For additional information, please visit us at www.nextlinx.com.
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http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040614005...
Qualcomm "overweight," estimates raised
Monday, June 14, 2004 11:00:50 AM ET
Prudential Financial
NEW YORK, June 14 (New Ratings) - Analyst Inder M Singh of Prudential Financial maintains his "overweight" rating on Qualcomm (QCOM.NAS), while raising his estimates for the company. The target price is set to $75.
Shares of Qualcomm, the global market leader in CDMA applications, are currently trading at $69.
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According to Prudential Financial's research note published this morning, Qualcomm is poised to benefit from the increasing adoption of BREW based applications in the forthcoming quarters. The company is expected to aggressively launch new wireless services in the near term, the analyst says. The company is likely to launch the MSM6150 and MSM6550 chipsets this quarter, as per schedule, the analyst adds.
According to Prudential Financial, Qualcomm is benefiting from the consistently growing demand for CDMA handsets. Wireless operators and developers expressed their satisfaction regarding the company's products during the recently held BREW Developers' conference in Sandiego, the analyst adds.
The EPS estimate for 2004 has been raised from $2.06 to $2.10. The P/E estimate for 2004 is 33.3x.
Prudential Financial maintains its "overweight" rating on Qualcomm.
http://www.newratings.com/new2/beta/article_432667.html
MSM Chipset to Have GHz Processing Power by 2005: Qualcomm Exec
June 11, 2004 (SAN DIEGO, Calif.) -- Sanjay K Jha, executive vice president and group president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies at Qualcomm Inc, delivered the keynote speech to open the final day of the BREW 2004 Developers Conference.
"The days of voice-only devices are gone," he announced. San Diego, Calif-based Qualcomm sponsored the conference and is the force behind Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW). BREW provides a software development environment for software developers making applications for cell phones. It also provides a business framework for the wireless industry.
Qualcomm's core CDMA technology, used in the chipsets it makes for cell phones and wireless networks, continue to advance and push BREW development to new levels, Jha said (photo). The arrival of BREW cell phones integrating cameras, MP3 players and other devices has been possible because of a focus on integration and cost with the internal chipsets. "We need to be able to delivery chipsets at a price point that is very compelling. The ways to achieve this are reduced cost of development and increasing the level of integration," he said.
He encouraged attendees by highlighting the opportunities available to develop applications for the growing number of BREW-capable phones available worldwide. More than 20 countries now have BREW service, and Jha specifically pointed to China, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America as market opportunities for BREW developers. "These are the fastest growing markets," he said.
Jha also provided a roadmap for Qualcomm's MSM chipset series, the core processor behind BREW phones. The MSM6100, currently used in most BREW phones, has integrated various functions while remaining cost effective, he said. There are some 16 variations of the MSM chipset to accommodate the needs of the 28 service operators Qualcomm works with worldwide. "At the end of the day carriers have significant input on defining what goes onto the handsets," he said.
Quickly ironing out handset specifications is especially critical to BREW developers, Jha explained, as now the market has become more complex. "The lifetime of a handset now is about six to nine months. If you miss that window your ability to make money is seriously challenged," Jha said.
He also announced that next generation MSM chips -- the MSM6550 and MSM6150 -- will be in the hands of developers later this year. Jha also anticipates the MSM chipset will have GHz processing power by next year. "The BREW environment around it will only turn on the GHz processor when it is required. If a job doesn't require that power, it runs the other processor running at 100 MHz, optimizing the power consumption," he explained.
(Michael Thuresson, Special Correspondent for BREW 2004, NE Asia Online)
http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/wcs/leaf/CID/onair/asabt/news/313055
3 Mega-Pixel Camera Phone to Hit Market This Year
By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
Camera phones pose a genuine threat to digital cameras as the debut of mobile handsets equipped with 3-mega-pixel resolution cameras are slated for late this year.
Industry sources on Sunday said Korea¡¯s three largest cell phone makers _ Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Pantech Group _ plan to release 3-mega-pixel camera phones within this year.
If they live up to their promises, the resolution of camera phones will almost triple in just a year as mega-pixel camera phones were only unveiled late last year by Samsung Electronics and Pantech.
Samsung Electronics plans to roll out 2-mega-pixel products this month armed with MP3 players and aims at developing a 3-mega-pixel model late this year.
LG Electronics, which has taken the initiative in the high-end camera phone market, has already brought out its 2-mega-pixel model, LG-SD330, last month and looks to follow suit with 3-mega-pixel phones as early as in the third quarter.
Pantech also has a similar schedule to Samsung¡¯s with the aim of rolling out 2-mega-pixel phones this month and 3-mega-pixel products within this year.
``Up to now cameras are just attractive accessories to mobile phones. But the advent of 3-mega-pixel phones represents the two items converging into a single device in a full-fledged manner,¡¯¡¯ a Seoul analyst said.
``Three-million-pixel resolution is a landmark in the business as it means cell phones may feature camera functions without compromising the quality of photos,¡¯¡¯ he added.
Currently, the mainstream camera phones come with 300,000-pixel resolution, of which picture quality is poor compared with most stand-alone digital cameras.
``As the resolution of camera phones reaches 3 mega pixels, they will rapidly undercut the digital camera market.¡¯¡¯
voc200@koreatimes.co.kr
06-13-2004 20:16
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/tech/200406/kt2004061320150011810.htm
Mobile to Capture 74% of Telecom Biz by 2008
By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
Wireless services are forecast to account for about three-fourths of the overall telecom market of Korea in five years, according to a market research firm.
IDC Korea on Sunday projected the nation¡¯s mobile telephony market will expand about 20 percent per annum to 32.3 trillion won by 2008 from last year¡¯s 13.2 trillion won.
In comparison to the double-digit growth of the mobile sector, IDC Korea expected the land-line market to remain idle over the coming years, maintaining just 11.1 trillion won in 2008 from 10.8 trillion won in 2003.
This indicates the sales gap between the wire line and wireless sectors will widen to 21 trillion won in 2008 from last year¡¯s 2.4 trillion won.
As a result, the mobile segment is expected to carve out up to 74 percent of the Korean telecom market in 2008 at the expense of the fixed-line area, the company said in a statement.
``Voice call growth hit saturation marks both in the wireless and fixed-line markets. But unlike the fixed-line, wireless has an alternative revenue stream of mobile contents and added services,¡¯¡¯ IDC Korea researcher Ha Ki-seok said.
Ha forecast wireless operators¡¯ revenue from non-voice services will emerge as a new growth engine, by expanding 42 percent on average over the next five years.
He also said the ratio of the newfound cash cow against overall wireless turnover will soar to 32 percent in 2008 from last year¡¯s 13 percent.
``With the number of new subscribers expected to remain flat, mobile carriers will focus on locking in the existing customers by providing highly-customized services,¡¯¡¯ Ha said.
The researcher said convergence services will eventually catch on, which will enable mobile clients to savor various bundling features via a single wireless device.
voc200@koreatimes.co.kr
06-13-2004 20:12
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/tech/200406/kt2004061320112011790.htm
Bright Future for Video Conferencing
ITWeb (Johannesburg)
June 11, 2004
Posted to the web June 11, 2004
Rodney Weidemann
Johannesburg
As video conferencing becomes more important to business operations, so the world is moving towards a system of unified collaborative communication, a Dimension Data Technovision breakfast was told yesterday.
According to Dan Engel, regional sales manager at Polycom, unified collaborative communication can be described as a system that breaks down distance, time and media barriers and allows communication anywhere, at any time, from any technology and from multiple endpoints.
"It has taken time to get to this point, as in the early to mid-eighties, video was all proprietary and wired, and audio conferencing was just beginning as a communication method," he says.
"By the early nineties we saw the introduction of standards in video operations - the protocols that brought an end to proprietary video - as well as an uptake in mobile phones and the introduction of ISDN."
He says this period also saw the emergence of faster PCs and the start of the public Internet, which meant that video conferencing via PC was possible. This was proved when the first PC-based video conference call was made from the space shuttle Endeavour.
"By the late nineties, standards for video conferencing had been properly developed, while audio conferencing had reached the stage of acceptance as a day-to-day business tool. Conferencing over IP and ISDN had also arrived," says Engel.
"Today we have reached a point where video conferencing over 3G has arrived, meaning that mobile group meetings can be held via cellphone."
He says that in South African terms, video conferencing came into being in 1991, with the installation of the first unit at Unisa, and today 80% of the top 500 companies in the country use it.
"The key issue is that here in SA we don't have to wait for the future to come - the technology is already here."
According to Wessel Pieterse, a convergence specialist at Cisco Systems, the power of face-to-face is something that should never be underestimated.
"One study has shown that around 55% of your impact on someone comes through in your body language, while 38% of the impact is on how the message is said. Only 7% of the impact is related to what is actually said," he claims.
"The beauty of video conferencing is that it reduces the cost of travel, focuses attention specifically on the matters under discussion - since it isn't easy to let the mind drift in a face-to-face situation - and it helps to speed up decision-making."
He says the applications for video conferencing technology are many and varied, from a standard business meeting to a concept like distance learning.
"It could also work for an HR department, for example, that needs to conduct remote interviews, or it could work in the telemedicine field, with doctors conducting remote consultations.
"We are now moving into a world where video is becoming accessible to everyone, in much the same way as the telephone did before it," he says.
"The next step with video is to make it as simple for people to use as they currently find the telephone."
http://allafrica.com/stories/200406110621.html
High-spec mobiles 'threaten digital-camera sales'
Reuters
June 10, 2004, 15:45 BST
Mobile handsets able to take photos with up to three megapixels of resolution may lead consumers to drop digital cameras
Asia's top mobile-phone makers are rolling out handsets equipped with cameras so advanced that many consumers may come to the conclusion they don't need a separate digital camera any more.
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That prospect should worry digital camera makers such as Canon, which could lose potential customers to a slew of snazzy new phones that take pictures with up to three megapixels of resolution, analysts say.
Megapixels are the measure of how many million picture elements are captured in a digital snapshot and are one of the key ways in which digital camera makers differentiate their products.
"Camera phones are advancing to the point where they can attract consumers away from digital cameras," said Koo Hee-jin, an analyst at LG Investment & Securities.
Analysts have been warning about the threat camera phones pose to the digital camera industry since the first one was launched in Japan in late 2000. But so far there has been little impact -- even Sharp's introduction of the world's first megapixel phone in May 2003 didn't appear to affect demand.
The first handsets had cameras capable of taking 110,000 pixel pictures, good enough for photos posted on a Web site but far short of the two megapixels needed to produce a sharp postcard-sized print.
Now many of Asia's leading phone makers -- from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to LG Electronics Ltd to NEC Corp -- have camera phones with one, two or even three megapixels, bringing them closer to digital camera turf.
South Korea's LG, the world's fifth-largest cellphone maker, rolled out a two-megapixel camera phone last month and local rival Samsung, the world's third-largest handset manufacturer, plans to follow suit this month.
But Japan's Casio will trump them all when it comes out with the first 3.2-megapixel handset through telecoms carrier KDDI Corp later in June. In terms of pixel count, it will be on par with some of Casio's own cameras.
"The emergence of the 3.2-megapixel phone will have a direct negative impact on the digital camera market from three megapixels on down," said J.P. Morgan analyst Hisashi Moriyama.
"Demand for the three-megapixel category should naturally begin to shift from digital cameras to camera-equipped phones."
Sales of camera-equipped mobile phones outnumbered those of digital cameras last year for the first time, rising almost five-fold from 2002 to 84m.
US-based market research group Strategy Analytics estimates the market will double this year to 174 million phones. Digital camera shipments are expected to grow a slower 40 percent to 68.5 million units this year, according to UBS analyst Ryohei Takahashi, who sees the market peaking at 77.5 million units in 2005 before falling slightly in 2006.
Still, even the most advanced camera phones match up with a segment of the camera market that is waning in importance. Only about 5 percent of all camera shipments are in the two-megapixel category, meaning Samsung and LG's new phones would be addressing a very small portion of potential demand.
Some of the best-selling digital cameras are of the four- and five-megapixel variety. Six- and even eight-megapixel cameras are gaining in popularity, as are digital single-lens reflex cameras.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,39020351,39157407,00.htm
"Chinese standard" aims at international market
www.chinaview.cn 2004-06-13 12:07:10
BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhuanet) -- In 2004, the TD-SCDMA standard for the 3-generation (3G) mobile communications network initiated by China and ratified by the International Telecommunication Union, has become a focus of the global telecom industry in 2004, reported People Daily. Both telecom operators and telecom equipment manufacturers have paid growing attentions to the "Chinese standard" for 3G. Almost all-mobile communication equipment suppliers in the world are putting more investment and efforts in R&D for the "Chinese standard".
The Chinese government has been making efforts to push forward the "Chinese standard" since the beginning of the year with the pace of R&D and industrialization becoming apparently quickened. The signing of supply contract for the field test of 3G and emergence of TD-SCDMA cellular phone are proof of such progresses.
Technical advantages of the Chinese standard gradually come to show
In response to the questions for the so-called level problems of the "Chinese standard", Zhang Xinsheng, Vice Director of Science and Technology Department, Ministry of Information Industry is of opinion that the underlying reason for having drawn the world's attention so far lies in the technological advantages of the TD-SCDMA.
The world mobile communication industry unanimously agrees that TD-SCDMA can serve as one of the standards for 3G after intensive researches and discussions on it. The TD-SCDMA is more extensively recognized following the auction of 3G frequencies in Europe.
At present, the "Chinese standard" for 3G has become a highlight of the world. Japan, Europe and US are all paying attention to it. Each and every major telecom corporation in the world is doing research related to the "Chinese standard". The TD-SCDMA has been recognized by the industry even though some problems still need for further research. TD-SCDMA can be connected with the current telecom system, and with its features of intelligent antenna, high application rate of frequency, the TD-SCDMA's technical advantages are coming to show gradually.
TD-SCDMA changes world's orientation of research for 3G
Zhang holds that the TD-SCDMA standard has changed the world's orientation of research for 3G in the following aspects.
1.The "Chinese Standard" for 3G is the only 3G standard based on intelligent antenna. China is leading the world in this field.
2.Development of TD-SCDMA pushes the world telecom industry to make further research and discussion for the software wireless. The 3G will take on a new look if software wireless is enabled.
3.The development of TD-SCDMA makes people pay more attention to the development trend of IP.
The "Chinese standard" makes the 3G research concentrate on the above three aspects, the biggest contribution of TD-SCDMA. If a breakthrough can be made in the above three aspects, the world wireless communication will take on a new look.
China is capable of doing fundamental researches
According to Zhang, China's economic growth as well as development of information industry have created conditions for the development of an innovative telecom system. Chinese enterprises have seen great improvements in terms of economic strength, personnel quality and ability of industrialization. Especially, the overall strength-improvement of the Chinese enterprises in the industrial chain has created conditions for the growth of TD-SCDMA. Aside from the development of core network, terminals and the most important cell site system, the development of a new telecom system still involves design of chip and components production. China has now acquired basic abilities for doing fundamental researches and development even though it is still backward in some areas as compared with foreign advanced level. This ability is a key factor that enables continuous advancement of TD-SCDMA. Chinese enterprises are competent in committing large-scale investment because they have strong R&D strength. Chinese government has been offering strong support to the "Chinese standard", but the major investment is put in by enterprises. Chinese enterprises, especially the Datang group, has put large amount of money into the development of the "Chinese standard". Without such a long-term investment, rapid growth of the TD-SCDMA standard is unimaginable.
The "Chinese standard" targets at the world market
Chinese government will develop the "Chinese standard" as a strategic industry. It will actively call for the domestic enterprises' participation in the industrialization of the TD-SCDMA standard. On the other hand it welcomes foreign enterprises to take part in the development of the TD-SCDMA standard, said Zhang.
"Our target is not limited to the domestic market. We shall go overseas into the world market. By fully exploiting the synergy advantage in the manufacturing and operation fields, we will bend on pushing the commercialization process of the 3G "Chinese standard" ahead.
(People's Daily Online)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-06/13/content_1522887.htm
Silicon Valley Rejects India’s Pall Of Gloom
SHIV AROOR
SAN JOSE, JUNE 12: The serene streets—lined with palms of every sort and afflicted by the softest sun—don’t give away the muted excitement.
The techies dress in their easiest garb. They move around in understated professionalism. But even more understated is their bullishness about cranking up their business in India.
Indeed, deeper conversations force one to question the pall of gloom surrounding Dalal Street. No such clouds here. The only one’s you see are serene and puffy white. The techies feel them as they go home.
Software lords and IT brass from the Bay Area and other US infotech hotspots are hardly the sentimental types. Networking solutions companies, broadband internet providers, storage companies, website performance-enhancing firms, satellite bandwidth providers: each one has a good reason to be upbeat about India.
San Jose-based Cisco Systems senior VP and GM (routing technology) Prem Jain says ops in India are growing as fast as his company’s fastest growing markets. Cisco predicts that India will have 10-million broadband internet services subscribers in less than four years. “Everything is on the right track. Development is increasing,” Jain promises.
Qualcomm Inc, a provider primarily of CDMA technology, has ramped up the India Plan. Hear out what Anil Kriplani, senior VP (global tech marketing) has to say. “India is on the cutting edge. Regulatory flexibility has come only in the last two years, and there’s now tremendous room for growth.”
Hughes Network Systems says it is sniffing around for the right time (which will be soon) to launch some of its newest technology. As Mahesh P Bhave, vice president (business development) puts it, “If Delhi wanted to become wi-fi enabled, all the government has to do is call is and say ‘end-to-end’.”
Scientific Atlanta, a developer of high-end content delivery and direct-to-home (DTH) technology, wants to be big in India’s conditional access market. “When CAS comes through, we will license manufacture of set-top boxes to an Indian manufacturer. We are on call to go over to India almost any week now,” says Bob McIntyre, chief technology officer.
Atlanta-based Tripoint Global, which makes satellite receivers, will beef up Indian operations. Responsibilities of the company’s customer service and feed design abilities are expected to zoom.
Dallas-based Tekelek, maker of gen-next switching solutions and signalling, opened shop in India three months ago. It is already on the job to add muscle to the 50-member outfit. “India has been very successful because of high reliability and performance networks. It is very competitive, so we have to build quick,” says Monty Johnson, president and GM (network signalling division).
Amidst all this, the rallying cry remains. “Open up!” it says. Profit margins remain low. But then that’s an incentive to build economies of scale.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=61213
Singapore telecom companies dial into wireless India
FINANCIAL EXPRESS
Krishna Gopalan
There has been a visible change of mood in the telecom industry ever since the STT and Telekom Malaysia combine decided to pick up the 33 per cent stake held by AT&T Wireless in Idea Cellular. This deal, which is expected to conclude over the next two months, has an overall size of $200 million (Rs 900 crore).
STT is the telecommunications arm of the Singapore Technologies (ST) group apart from being its subsidiary. The good news for Indian wireless majors getting more investments from Singapore does not end here. Two weeks ago, the same combine decided to put in a bid to acquire a total stake of 49 per cent in Idea Cellular. There were quite a few bidders for this stake though an investment banker closely associated with the deal says that the combine was the keenest on picking up this stake. The value of this 49 per cent is estimated at $350 million (Rs 1,575 crore).
Has it been a case of Singapore telecom companies looking at India with more optimism than ever before? “They see more certainty on the regulatory front apart from India being very conducive to invest in,” explains Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) director-general TV Ramachandran. That indeed is true since Singapore Telecom (SingTel) was among the earliest to put money in India when it picked up a 28.5 per cent stake in Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd (BTVL).
The interest in India is not restricted to the GSM space alone. CDMA major Reliance Infocomm has been in dialogue with several investors for diluting a 10 percent stake in the company. Temasek Holdings is said to be the frontrunner on this deal. The deal, if it goes through, may well end up with Temasek putting in over $1 billion (in excess of Rs 4,500 crore) in Reliance Infocomm.
Industry observers succinctly point out that there are two reasons for the renewed interest in “Wireless India” - the saturation in most parts of South East Asia and the fact that India just cannot be ignored. “Singapore is a stagnant market today. Organisations in mature markets like Singapore look at those markets with high potential,” points out Gartner India’s principal analyst (telecom) Kobita Desai. She adds that India offers large opportunities and is relatively more open than China.
It is worthwhile to look at a futuristic scenario. If Temasek does pick up a stake in Reliance Infocomm, it would pose some interesting numbers. Out of the total 35 million strong wireless market, as many as 20 million will be accounted for by Singapore investee companies - Bharti, Idea Cellular and Reliance Infocomm. Interestingly, the market has been agog with news that Tata Teleservices is also in talks with Singapore-based investor companies to bring in investments for the company.
According to DSP Merrill Lynch’s joint managing director Amit Chandra, Singapore’s interest in India is just not telecom-specific. “India is an attractive destination today and Singapore has historically underinvested in India,” he says. Agrees COAI’s Mr Ramachandran, who elaborates that Singapore is definitely more bullish on India today. “India is the fastest growing wireless market. What is required is more clarity on the hike in FDI limit in telecom to 74 per cent and the way forward once unified licensing takes place,” he says. Once these are resolved, it is almost sure that Wireless India will see a flood of investments from Singapore.
© 2004 The Indian Express Online Media Ltd.
http://www.agencyfaqs.com/news/stories/2004/06/13/9233.html
Victoria first to upgrade CDMA network
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Melbourne
June 11, 2004
Telstra has announced the state of Victoria is the first in the country to have its CDMA mobile network 100 per cent upgraded for high speed data services.
Telstra CDMA customers in the state can now have portable access to the internet at data speeds of up to 144kilobits per second.
Known as CDMA 1x, the service enables people to surf the net, access their own office networks, check email and send and receive data or information using either a compatible mobile phone, or a PDA, laptop or desktop computer, fitted with a suitable card or modem.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/11/1086749873529.html?oneclick=true
Orbital Data's Fat Pipe
Former Inktomi execs tackle appliance solution for large file transfers; digital asset management targeted first
Two-year-old Orbital Data today closed a $12 million round of financing and launched its flagship rack appliance, aimed at speeding large file transfers, specifically in the digital asset management (DAM) space.
The Orbital 5500 is not a compression device. Rather, it employs an updated transport algorithm technology called TotalTransport, which is tuned to business applications. One device at each end of a distant network link speeds file transfer by 10 times and many more according to Orbital. Pricing runs $10,000 to $50,000 per appliance.
The product has already been adopted by 16 companies, including media companies overseas and three of the ten largest Hollywood studios. Large media buyers typically exchange high-end digital files of hundreds of megabytes or gigabytes with ad agencies and production houses. With transfers possible in minutes instead of several hours, cycle times are shortened for digital markups and revisions.
Qualcomm uses the device in a PLM collaborative workflow setting, for transferring Cadence design documents from Triangle Park to San Diego. Orbital is also working with oil and gas companies that transmit large files of seismic data to central repositories for evaluation.
"TCP is a 40-year-old protocol updated in the 80s to include congestion control and traffic management, but never designed for the scale of networks we see today," says Dick Pierce a former Inktomi COO who is now CEO of Orbital Data. "It inherently limits the ability to completely fill a long-distance pipe, so that's what we do."
On the surface, it appears there are limited selling opportunities for the appliance, but Pierce feels there is widespread pent-up demand for the transfer of large files. "One is in medical records space where more records are going digital," he says. "X-ray and MRI work at a standard hospital will generate a terabyte of storage a month." Software distribution is another area for use, as are settings when peak-hour WAN use pulls down network performance, reminiscent of the old mainframe days.
"[Author] William Gibson once said, 'The future's arrived, unfortunately it's unevenly distributed,'" says DAM authority Michael Moon, president and CEO of GISTICS. "Where latency defines a critical success factor for an application or a business process, this [type of appliance] is a lifesaver."
With respect to DAM, accelerating the speed and volume of data will effect synchronization of business processes and workflows, Moon says. For large stock and customer image providers like Getty or Corbis, a five or 10 second latency can translate to cash in the till at the end of the day. "Perhaps in five years, more companies will think in terms of these requirements," Moon says
There are other acceleration devices for protocols like XML, but Orbital Data is placing its bet at the transport level. Large file transfers are a logical starting point, but Pierce says this does not preclude looking at smaller files that are also time-sensitive. "Enterprises build WANs that cover a broad area of applications," he says. "They'd really like to tune their WAN to critical business needs."
http://www.line56.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=5706
Wall Street Transcript:Analyst Roundtable Focuses on Trends and Predictions for Wireless Services Sector
Friday June 11, 4:15 pm ET
67 WALL STREET, New York--June 11, 2004-- A TWST Roundtable Forum, leading analysts and top CEOs focus on the Wireless Services sector in a new report from the Wall Street Transcript. View the latest issue online at www.twst.com/info/info932.htm Rapid market growth and strong stock performance fuel the strength of the wireless sector. A roundtable panel delves into issues such as wireless number portability, data service expansion, market share shift, pricing plans, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, regulatory issues, industry risks and stock recommendations.
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Positioning in the wireless services industry continues to revolve around market positioning, technological efficiency and infrastructure buildout. In addition, opportunity solidifies as the sector continues to converge with the consumer electronics industry and continuing consolidation results in better capitalization and bigger bases
TWST: Ken, what's your take on what's going to be important over the next two or three years?
Mr. Leon: I think it's a matter of being well-positioned for market opportunities. We expect wireless to continue to be viewed as one of the most important places to be in telecommunications. Operators that have a position in wireless are certainly going to benefit in terms of their fundamental growth for the value of their stocks.
What we see in the developed countries over the next two to three years is higher velocity in terms of the replacement cycle of handsets, now with upgraded network platforms with 3G. All of this is emanating from more robust chipsets, either developed by QUALCOMM (QCOM: Buy, $67) or perhaps others that are giving greater feature functionality in the handsets and from more intelligent networks.
What this means, we believe, is that we're going to begin to see the convergence of wireless communications with the consumer electronics industry. Our handsets should have chipset features in them in less than two years which are likely to give you DVD capability, a camcorder function, 6 megapixels with alert focus for camera features, and a wider range of Web-based capabilities. We expect all of these to be at attractive price points from the carriers. That is really what is exciting about planned handset or other wireless device rollouts as you get to the end of 2005 and 2006.
At the same time, we're beginning to see increased market penetration rates in developing countries such as China, India, other parts of Southeast Asia and Latin America. Even with wireless for narrowband voice, wireless looks to be a true replacement for where telecommunications doesn't exist. We think both these forces are going to have positive impact on country economies and also in terms of standards of living. I really see wireless remaining the key driver as it relates to voice over IP or broadband capability. Many of them are likely to be embedded right into wireless platforms.
TWST: As wireless becomes more important, what do the land-based phone companies do about this? Do they become more competitive or get into the space more?
Mr. Leon: We see they are definitely investing heavily in wireless, whether they have the business today or plan to acquire it. For most integrated telecom companies around the world, an important benchmark would be what percentage of your assets or, more important, revenues and profits, are coming from wireless. That's part of the recombination of Sprint, which exceeds 40% of its total revenues from wireless services. We truly believe it was part of the high premium ($41 billion plus) that Cingular Wireless - which is owned by BellSouth (BLS).
TWST: Seth, do you see some pull in that direction?
Mr. Potter: Yes, I do. As it pertains to the companies that I'm looking at, WiMAX, Wi-Fi and any deployment of wireless is a benefit for companies that deploy and design these networks. Clearly, demand for sites where the antennas and/or equipment have to be placed should increase. So as I look at it, just the growth of new technology and of wireless (whether it's WiMAX or wireless LANs right now) will benefit the companies that we follow.
For a copy of this complete issue, call (212)-952-7433 or use the web at http://www.twst.com/info/info932.htm .
The Wall Street Transcript does not endorse the views of any interviewees nor does it make stock recommendations.
For Information on subscribing to The Wall Street Transcript, please call 800-246-7673
http://biz.yahoo.com/twst/040611/way400.html
Cutting The Line In Telecom
S&P's Todd Rosenbluth Says Wireless Has The Edge Over Wireline. So What's Old-Timer AT&T Doing Among His Picks?
http://www.ksat.com/money/3408350/detail.html
CDMA 450 Flows Into Norway
06.10.04
The CDMA 450 market has strengthened its foothold in Europe with an announcement by the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority that Swedish startup carrier Nordisk Mobiltelefon AB has been awarded a license to deploy commercial services in the 450MHz radio spectrum.
The carrier has successfully bid 1,078,600 Norwegian Kroner (US$157,975) for the right to launch the region’s first CDMA 450 network.
Deployed in frequency bands previously hosting analog Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT) cellular systems, CDMA 450 belongs to the CDMA2000 family of technologies, but operates in the 450MHz spectrum. Signals yield a broader cell radius at 450 MHz than on networks running over 850-, 1800/1900-, or 2100-MHz systems, meaning up to 80 percent fewer base stations are required for a given deployment.
“CDMA 450 gives us all the possibilities of UMTS, but it’s only a small cost in comparison,” Nordisk’s chairman, Jan Freese, tells Unstrung. “We aim to cover between 80 to 90 percent of the country.”
The carrier will have to wait until the beginning of next year before launching the service, as rival Telenor Mobil SA owns the existing NMT 450 license that expires on December 31, 2004.
Nordisk’s award will be welcomed by the glut of network vendors targeting this market. The likes of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Nortel Networks Ltd. (NYSE/Toronto: NT - message board), and Lucent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: LU - message board) have all announced European contract wins; while ZTE Corp., UTStarcom Inc. (Nasdaq: UTSI - message board), and LM Ericsson (Nasdaq: ERICY - message board) have added CDMA 450 products to their portfolios. (See CDMA 450 Seeps Into Europe, Eurotel Picks Nortel, Lucent Scores in Moscow, UTStarcom's CDMA Play, and Ericsson Adds to CDMA Portfolio.)
Freese states that no decision has yet been taken on a network supplier but insists “they are all queuing up for the deal.”
Nordisk’s chairman adds that the carrier is also “hoping” to obtain a license to deploy CDMA 450 services in Sweden.
— Justin Springham, Senior Editor, Europe, Unstrung
http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=54226
Forbes Newsletter Watch :Summer Of Tech
John Dobosz, 06.10.04, 1:45 PM ET
Excerpt from above article:
<<As a sector play, Peter Way, editor of Block Traders' ETF Monitor, recommends buying the iShares Goldman Sachs Networking (amex: IGN) exchange-traded fund, which includes networking companies like Qualcomm (nasdaq: QCOM - news - people ), Corning (nyse: GLW - news - people ) and Broadcom (nasdaq: BRCM - news - people ). Way looks at block trades and corresponding hedging activity in options to determine the expectations of block traders. When similar hedging profiles for the IGN existed in the past, prices were higher in the next three months 84% of the time and lower 16% of the time. When they did rise, prices did so by 21%.>>
http://www.forbes.com/investmentnewsletters/2004/06/10/cz_jd_0610inlwatch.html?partner=yahoo&ref...
Global mobile sales up 34% on last year
11/06/2004 by Leigh Phillips
Worldwide mobile phone sales totalled 153m units in the first quarter of 2004, the highest figure for sales in the first quarter of a year, according to figures from market analysts Gartner, Inc. Strong sales in all regions resulted in worldwide mobile phone sales growing 34 per cent from the first quarter of 2003.
"Another record quarter of mobile phone sales resulted from an Asia/Pacific market buoyed by purchases for the Chinese New Year, healthy growth in emerging markets and surprising numbers of people in mature markets choosing to upgrade their phones," said Ben Wood, principal analyst for mobile terminals research at Gartner. "Based on first quarter results, we believe worldwide mobile phone sales will exceed 600m units in 2004."
All of the top five vendors experienced an increase in sales in the first quarter of 2004. Nokia's sales increased by nearly 5m units worldwide, but it suffered a decline in market share because of decreased sales in Western Europe and North America. "Nokia’s dramatic drop in market share resulted from a weak product portfolio and the decision by operators in Western Europe to source more phones from Nokia's competitors," Wood said.
After successive disappointing quarters, Motorola's mobile phone sales rebounded in the first quarter with particularly robust sales in Western Europe. The popularity of new products based on its "triplets" platform (the V300, V500/525 and V600 phones) helped drive sales. "The challenge for Motorola is to maintain this strong performance. Now that it has started to regain the trust of key global operators, it must keep its promises," Wood said. "Given Nokia's recent price cuts and more flexible approach to working with operators, Motorola can't afford to be late with new products in the second half of 2004."
Samsung's mobile phone market share reached 12.5 per cent in the first quarter, as its decision to add lower-cost, lower-specification phones to its portfolio paid off. Its ability to offer mobile terminals across multiple technologies — Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA) and time division multiple access (TDMA) — helped drive sales.
On a regional basis, higher-than-expected sales in Western Europe resulted from the continuation of Christmas sales promotions, as well as buoyant replacement sales. The researchers expect demand for 3G phones in Western Europe to rise in the second half of 2004, following the recent launch of 3G offerings by mobile operators Vodafone, T-Mobile and TIM.
Mobile phone sales in North America grew 30 per cent in the first quarter. Healthy competition between operators of CDMA and GSM networks brought attractive products to market. Consumers gravitated toward colour phones, often with built-in cameras.
In Asia/Pacific, sales were strong in Australia, China, India and Thailand. In China, the top Western makers continued to improve their distribution strategies to counteract growing competition from local and regional rivals. More than 11m units were sold in Japan.
Source(s): press release
http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=2021
CDMA Fastest-Growing Wireless Technology
11th June , 2004
US : The CDMA Development Group (CDG) reported today that CDMA added nearly 13.5 million subscribers in 1Q 2004, reaching 202 million users worldwide. In one year, from March 2003 to 2004, the CDMA subscriber base grew by a record 43 million users, or 31 percent, representing the highest growth for any leading cellular technology, and significantly higher than the 21percent gain for the whole industry. CDMA2000® further strengthened its leadership in 3G by adding 13 million users in the quarter to total 86.2 million, including 6.6 million CDMA2000 1xEV-DO users. Over 43 percent of the global CDMA subscriber base has access to CDMA2000 technologies.
“CDMA2000 operators reported yet another quarter of strong gains in net adds and revenue,” said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. “CDMA2000 delivers results across all regions and markets, both developing and mature. We expect that this trend will continue with the significant growth of CDMA2000 in key markets such as China, India and the Americas.”
Asia Pacific is the largest region for CDMA with 84.4 million users. The base is expanding at 44 percent annually, driven by continued growth in China and phenomenal advancements in India. China has more than 20 million CDMA users and in India, where there is now widespread deployment of CDMA2000, the CDMA base grew by 745 percent in 2003 and reached 9.3 million users in March 2004.
Asia also remains the largest and most advanced market for CDMA2000, with 19 CDMA2000 networks and 52 million users in 12 countries. 62 percent of CDMA subscribers in the region use CDMA2000, and in Japan and Korea, over 80 percent of the CDMA base use CDMA2000. Demand for advanced CDMA2000 1xEV-DO services is growing rapidly with more than 2 million new subscribers added in the past quarter.
KDDI continues to lead in net adds and data services in Japan. In the past year, KDDI’s subscriber base grew 21 percent to 17 million, of which 13.5 million are using CDMA2000. 81 percent of KDDI’s subscribers use data, and the operator controls 48 percent market share for data services in the country.
In the Americas, CDMA carriers added 7.2 million new customers in the first quarter, bringing the total number to 114.2 million. CDMA has become the dominant technology in the region.
CDMA expanded its leadership, in North America reaching 81.4 million users with market share growing to 46 percent.Latin America and the Caribbean have more than 33 million CDMA users in 20 countries.
Latin America has the largest number of CDMA2000 networks commercially deployed, with 26 CDMA2000 1X and two CDMA2000 1xEV-DO networks in 16 countries. VIVO, the largest operator in Latin America, controls 45 percent of the market in Brazil and continues to capture 54 percent of net adds in markets it competes in
http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/June2004/7885.htm
Ring tones not making ka-ching tones
By Ben Charny
CNET News.com
June 10, 2004, 6:45 PM PT
Two U.S. cell phone giants say subscribers are using handsets to connect to the Internet more than ever, but Net-related revenue remains relatively low.
Verizon Wireless and Sprint are each on pace to earn about $1 billion this year from customers who download games and ring tones, use wireless broadband connections, and send and receive instant messages, the companies said. Although that's a significant improvement over 2003, this year's pace is below what people expected when such products and services debuted years ago.
Nonetheless, carriers say it's encouraging that Verizon Wireless is seeing an average of 20 billion instant messages a month so far this year and Sprint has seen data revenue rise 33 percent. Industry executives assert that the inexpensive Net services now gaining popularity are "gateways" to wireless broadband and other more lucrative offerings.
"Wireless data represents a bigger and bigger percentage of our revenue," said Verizon President Lawrence Babbio Jr. "We see growth in that area."
Most popular among the new services are games, says Sprint, which claims to lead all other U.S. carriers in that area. Between January and April, Sprint customers bought 3.5 million games, priced between $3 and $15 each, compared with the 5 million sold all of last year.
"We have widened our industry lead," a Sprint representative said.
Verizon Wireless' 2-year-old Get It Now service has never seen higher traffic, the company reported earlier this week. Get It Now uses Qualcomm's BREW technology to sell ring tones, games and business applications. Verizon is the only carrier in the United States selling BREW-based games. Between January and May, 34 million purchases were made through Get It Now, nearly matching last year's overall tally.
Another of the more popular services is instant messaging, specifically the current versions of cell-phone-oriented IM programs from MSN, Yahoo and America Online. Some 125 billion IMs have been sent over the Verizon network since December, the carrier said.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5230992.html
Nokia Pushes 3G Business in Korea
Friday, 11 June 2004
Nokia, the world’s largest handset maker, is seeking ways to head the 3G league table in the Korean market
The handset maker, which never gained the expected market share in Korea, is now aiming at 3G service market of Korea including WCDMA and cdma2000 1x EV-DV
An official of Nokia Korea said on June 11,” We are continually contacting with Korea’s dominant mobile carriers such as SK Telecom and KTF for WCDMA handset supply.”
The company’s hopes for leading in the 3G race are rising as the Ministry of Information and Communication encourages domestic mobile operators to actively engage in WCDMA service.
Nokia said, ”If Korean mobile carriers want, we can introduce WCDMA handsets customized to Korean users.” Nokia’s potential customer, SK Telecom plans to invest 250billion won in WCDMA business. Nokia also expects its chip-sets to be adopted in EV-DV service of LG Telecom next year.
The company is confident about its EV-DV technology as Qualcomm, the undisputed leader in CDMA handset market, has been reluctant to EV-DV technology development, being skeptical of the marketability. Against this backdrop, LG Telecom said last year that it might choose Nokia chipsets for its EV-DV service, giving more boost to the handset maker.
Last August, Nokia succeeded in data communication through EV-DV technology for the first time around the world. At that time, its Nokia 2285 model completed data communication at the maximum speed of 3.09Mbps through EV-DV repeater of Racal Instrument, a wireless solution developer.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm, the late entrant in EV-DV market recently announced that it would supply EV-DV chipsets to LG Electronics. LG Telecom said in May that it would invest 400~500billion won in EV-DV by 2006.
http://www.telecomskorea.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=172&Itemid=2
Tata Tele Brews New Age Apps with Qualcomm Technology
CyberMedia News Service
Friday, June 11, 2004
The entry of India into the new world of wireless telephones that do a lot more than just enabling voice communication was commended at Qualcomm's global meeting in San Diego, California.
'It is yet another milestone,' announced Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs, launching the fourth BREW developer conference. BREW is Qualcomm's software platform, which allows a host of new functionalities to be built into mobile handsets using its patented CDMA (code division multiple access technology). BREW-based services have been used by Tata Tele to launch a host of new multimedia services in India. Tata's launch heralds the arrival of 3G telecom services and India became the 21st country to offer such high-end services using the CDMA platform.
BREW-based services will enable mobile customers to use BREW phone to wirelessly download games, ring tones, communication, e-mail and business-focused application, virtually anytime, or anywhere.
'Our customers demand cost-efficient, high-speed wireless Internet experience and the advanced voice and data services enabled by the BREW solution allows us to easily exceed these expectations,' said Amit Bose, president of telecom, Tata Teleservices, in a press released issued by Qualcomm here on Tuesday.
Tata will offer BREW-bases services to its wireless customers in the states of Andhra Pradesh, New Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra. It will be further expanded to 12 more circles covering Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
The first BREW-enables handsets offered are from Kyocera Wireless Corporation and have color screens. Tata has 1.7 million mobile customers with 1.43 million of them based on the CDMA platform.
CDMA's rival platform based on GSM continues to dominate the telecom market in India and the world thanks to its position as an early starter. However, the amazing range of functionalities such as camera recorders, position locaters, e-mail, graphics and music downloads, and even a diabetes monitor are luring new users to the CDMA platform. To make seamless roaming possible between the competing networks, telecom vendors are planning to soon introduce dual-band phones in India.
'The realm of possibilities among software developers and wireless subscribers will be greatly enhanced by Tata Teleservices' introduction of BREW solution to India,' commented Peggy Johnson, president, Qualcomm Internet services. ' The flexibility and the rapid time to market enabled by the BREW system is helping Tata Teleservices and the developer community in India remain on the leading edge of wireless data services.'
These new capabilities are pushing the expansion of a new age telecom solutions. Already over 26 handset manufacturers are providing such capabilities and 130 million downloads of various applications have been reported from around the world in the past 12 months. Besides India, telecom users primarily in Japan, South Korea and Brazil are the early adapters of these applications, not easily available through the dominant mobile services based on the GSM platform.
Reliance Infocomm with over seven million customers is the other leading user of Qualcomm's CDMA-2000 1X technology in the network. Telecom companies around the world are enthused by the predictions of a massive surge in demand for mobile telephones in India. The recent TRAI report, which forecast a surge in mobile user base from 28 million to 100 million by 2005 in India has been a major attraction for telecom vendors and service providers.
N Suresh at San Diego, California
CyberMedia News Service
http://www.voicendata.com/content/vndtoday/104061101.asp
Sold-Out BREW(R) 2004 Developers Conference Highlights the Global Success of QUALCOMM's BREW Solution
Friday June 11, 7:30 am ET
SAN DIEGO, June 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM - News), pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, today announced the successful conclusion of its BREW 2004 Developers Conference. The June 7-9 San Diego conference was sold out with nearly 1,600 industry professionals in attendance, including key BREW publishers, developers, operators and handset manufacturers from around the world.
"This year's conference theme, 'connect and create,' exemplified the tenor of the event -- members of the BREW community gathered from around the world to conduct productive business discussions and explore creative opportunities that will drive BREW development to the next level," said Peggy Johnson, president of QUALCOMM Internet Services. "With 30 commercial operators offering BREW-enabled services, publishers and developers are reaping the technology benefits and extraordinary revenue opportunities of this world- class solution."
Speaker Highlights
BREW 2004 Developers Conference featured more than 60 speakers, who focused on a broad range of business and technical topics related to the wireless data industry. Johnson's welcoming comments to conference attendees highlighted the conference's "create and connect" theme and reiterated key milestones for BREW technology since the previous year's conference.
Keynote addresses included "A Journey Through the Wireless World" by Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, executive vice president and president of QUALCOMM Wireless and Internet Group, and "Enabling Tomorrow's Devices" by Dr. Sanjay K. Jha, executive vice president and president of QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies Group.
In his keynote address, Dr. Jacobs provided insight to where wireless devices and technologies have been and where they are headed. "The BREW client software can go across all tiers of handsets and that means it is more accessible to more consumers," said Dr. Jacobs. "You, the developers, are the ones who are driving new technology development. That technology development comes from meeting the needs for making your applications work."
Dr. Jacobs also spotlighted the significant growth that the BREW solution has experienced in the last year, noting consumers worldwide have now downloaded more than 130 million applications compared to the 30 million downloads reported at last year's conference. The number of BREW-enabled devices in the market has grown to more than 30 million versus eight million last year at this time. Almost tripling the number of commercial device models available last year, there are more than 140 commercial device models available today.
Additional general session speakers included:
* Jay Ellison, executive vice president of U.S. Cellular, emphasized the
importance of valuing the wireless customer in his keynote, "Takin' It
to the Streets."
* Dr. Tomy Kamada, co-founder and executive vice president of Access
Co., Ltd., discussed "Attracting and Keeping Data Customers: The New
Browser Model."
* Roger Sole, director of Wireless Data and Value Added Services for
VIVO, discussed the steady growth and potential outlook for the
wireless data services market in Brazil.
* Makoto Takahashi, vice president of KDDI Corporation, spoke on "The
Mobile Internet Strategy of the Broadband Era," in which he shared
details about the continued success of KDDI's BREW-based service
offering and talked about how the BREW solution is enabling the
advanced applications such as location-based services and multimedia.
* Jim Straight, vice president of Data and Wireless Internet Services
for Verizon Wireless, Ray Taylor, executive director of Consumer
Multimedia Products for Verizon Wireless and Paul Palmieri, executive
director of Business Development for Verizon Wireless, updated
attendees on the continued success of Get It Now(R) and discussed how
its continued roll-out of a CDMA2000 1xEV-DO high-speed data network
would be the catalyst for faster, more robust wireless applications.
Conference Announcements
The BREW 2004 Developers Conference included announcements from QUALCOMM as well as industry news by several companies.
Key QUALCOMM news included:
* Value billing capabilities that allow wireless operators to further
monetize BREW applications by offering customers additional purchase
opportunities within the context of content and applications on their
BREW-enabled devices.
* A Developer Extract XML report for the BREW solution. The report
provides BREW developers access to important application usage
information and may be used for business intelligence reporting and
financial reconciliation.
* Significantly expanded support for the development of fully customized
user interfaces (UI) on wireless devices via the BREW solution.
Operators can now work with handset manufacturers to create an
operator-branded UI on the BREW system that can then be standardized
and ported to all handset tiers and models that an operator offers to
subscribers.
Key industry news included:
* Verizon Wireless, the United States' leading wireless provider,
announced that the total number of downloads on its BREW-powered Get
It Now service has reached 70 million since its national launch in
September 2002, and the total volume of application downloads in the
first five months of 2004 alone has reached 34 million. The Get It
Now library currently contains 520 unique applications and Verizon
Wireless also shared that Get It Now is available on 13.3 million
handsets, approximately one-third of all handsets currently being used
by its 40 million customers.
* Activision, Inc., a leading international publisher of interactive
entertainment software products, announced that it has signed an
agreement to become a publisher of wireless applications developed for
QUALCOMM's BREW solution.
* VIVO, one the largest mobile carriers in the southern hemisphere,
announced that more than one million BREW-based applications have been
downloaded since the carrier officially introduced BREW-enabled
services in March 2003.
* Tata, one of India's premier private telecom service providers,
announced its launch of BREW-based wireless services throughout six
states across India.
* MidWest Wireless, a leading regional carrier, announced that the
company will bring an extensive line of downloadable applications
based on QUALCOMM's BREW solution to customers in rural areas across
the United States.
QUALCOMM's BREW solution provides products and services that connect the mobile marketplace value chain, which includes publishers, developers, content providers, device manufacturers, operators and consumers.
Publishers and developers worldwide are generating revenue from BREW-based applications and content and 26 manufacturers have offered more than 140 BREW- enabled device models to consumers. There are many successful operators that have deployed commercial BREW-based wireless data services around the world, including Verizon Wireless, Alaska Communications Systems, ALLTEL, Cellular One, MetroPCS, Midwest Wireless, NTELOS, Rural Communications Corporation and U.S. Cellular in the United States, China Unicom, KDDI in Japan, KTF in South Korea, Hutch in Thailand, Tata in India, Telstra in Australia, VIVO in Brazil, BellSouth Chile, BellSouth Colombia, BellSouth Ecuador, BellSouth Panama, BellSouth Peru, Movicom in Argentina, Telcel and Movilnet in Venezuela, Verizon in the Dominican Republic, Verizon Wireless Puerto Rico, Pelephone in Israel and Zapp in Romania.
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 2003 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties including the extent and speed to which the BREW solution is adopted and deployed, change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 28, 2003, and most recent Form 10-Q.
QUALCOMM and BREW are registered trademarks of QUALCOMM Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For further information please contact: Michele Bakic, QUALCOMM Internet Services, +1-858-651-4017, mbakic@qualcomm.com, or Emily Gin, Corporate Public Relations, +1-858-651-4084, publicrelations@qualcomm.com, or Bill Davidson, Investor Relations, +1-858-658-4813, ir@qualcomm.com, all of QUALCOMM Incorporated
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: QUALCOMM Incorporated
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040611/laf005_1.html
Midwest Wireless Helping Rural Cellular Corp. Bring BREW to Its Customers
Two Regional Wireless Providers Announce their Own First-of-its-kind BREW
Development on the First Day of BREW 2004 Developers Conference
SAN DIEGO, June 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Regional wireless providers
Midwest Wireless and Rural Cellular Corporation (RCC) today announced an
agreement which will enable RCC to bring BREW(TM) services to its customers
using Midwest Wireless' already existing BREW service platform. This is the
first such "BREW hosting" agreement for Midwest Wireless.
BREW offers an extensive line of sophisticated entertainment applications
and communication services that can be downloaded onto a compatible wireless
phone.
Midwest Wireless, which has been offering BREW-based services to its own
customers since August 2003, will help facilitate RCC's launch of the service
to its customers in July of this year.
"By hosting the BREW services for RCC, Midwest Wireless is able to more
fully utilize our existing BREW platform, while helping make BREW available to
a much larger audience," said Tom Riley, Vice President of Market Operations
for Midwest Wireless.
"We are committed to expanding wireless offerings for our customers and
working with Midwest Wireless to deliver BREW allows us to do so with great
efficiencies of resources," said Ann Newhall, Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer for Rural Cellular. "We are very pleased with the
robust variety of applications BREW provides."
"The collaboration between Midwest Wireless and RCC is exciting as it
enables an even greater proliferation of wireless data in the United States,"
said Peggy Johnson, president of QUALCOMM Internet Services. "The flexibility
of the BREW solution provides scalability, allowing operators such as RCC to
access and offer robust data services to their subscribers without having to
spend valuable time and internal resources to build a system from the ground
up."
About QUALCOMM
QUALCOMM Incorporated ( http://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 2003
FORTUNE 500(R) company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market(R) under the ticker
symbol QCOM.
About Midwest Wireless
Based in Mankato, Minnesota, Midwest Wireless is a leading regional
wireless services provider with more than 370,000 customers in Minnesota, Iowa
and Wisconsin. With a company-wide focus on customer satisfaction, Midwest
Wireless has one of the highest customer loyalty rates in the industry.
Midwest Wireless offers wireless phone services, as well as mobile Internet
access on phones and wireless devices at speeds up to 70K. In select areas,
the company also offers High-Speed Wireless Internet, a fixed wireless
broadband service that delivers high-speed internet access to homes and
businesses at speeds ranging from 256K to 1.5M. More information on Midwest
Wireless is available at http://www.midwestwireless.com .
About Rural Cellular Corp.
A leading rural service provider headquartered in Alexandria, Minnesota,
Rural Cellular Corporation (Nasdaq: RCCC) was established in 1990 and
conducted its initial public offering in February 1996. RCC serves more than
750,000 wireless customers in 44 markets in the Midwest, Northeast, South and
Northwest Regions. From its array of services including cellular, paging, long
distance and PCS, RCC tailors its offering to address the needs of each of its
rural markets in 14 states. Additional information about RCC is available at
http://www.rccwireless.com .
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK1.story&STORY=/www/story/06-07-2004/00...
Qualcomm has taken a big step into tiny transactions.
The company on Monday released a new version of BREW, or Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, that lets cell phone service providers broker "minitransactions" that allow customers to pay a few cents for add-on feautres to games or small amounts of data.
The software, which is typically used to funnel downloadable ring tones, games and video mail programs to consumers, breaks "new ground," said Gina Lombardi, Qualcomm's senior vice president of marketing and product management.
By next year, Verizon Wireless and about two dozen other BREW carriers could "sell a more powerful baseball bat or a super-fast bowling ball" for mobile games, Lombardi said. "Someone could buy a new address book for their phone or a new calendar."
Minitransactions have been a part of the wired broadband world for a while, especially in Korea where people spend freely to outfit their Net avatars or buy slick new armor for role-playing games. Executives at a recent E3 game trade show said minitransactions offer companies a new business model somewhere between the current extremes of free online play and games that require monthly subscriptions.
But paying nickel-and-dime prices on cell phones presents challenges. Cell phone service providers say wireless data in general still represents just a small percentage of their overall revenue.
However, Verizon Wireless is expected to offer some signs of an upswing in wireless data later this week at Qualcomm's BREW developer conference.
BREW is one of several software options available to service providers. The most popular is Java 2 Micro Edition, which, according to creator Sun Microsystems, competes with BREW.
http://news.com.com/Qualcomm+brews+tiny+transactions/2100-1039_3-5227868.html
Nextreaming powers most advanced CDMA 1x EV-DO handset
June 7, 2004
Nextreaming Corporation, a provider of mobile video software for operators and handset manufacturers announced that its Nexembedded Suite was selected to equip PG-K6000V of Curitel Communications, a major handset manufacturer in Korea, with advanced multimedia features unavailable on any previous CDMA 1x EV-DO handset.
The PG-K6000V provides advanced features such as a 1.3 megapixel CMOS camera and MPEG-4 streaming player working on KTF's EV-DO network in Korea. The PG-K6000V's clamshell form factor with swivel hinge simplifies creating pictures and movies. Nextreaming licensed its Nexembedded player, a MPEG-4 audio/video player supporting downloaded and streaming content playback, Nexembedded Camcorder, a MPEG-4 video encoder, Nexembedded Camera, a JPEG codec and sophisticated image management tools, and provided professional services, to integrate them into the handset.
"The release of the PG-K6000V marks an important milestone in our mobile multimedia evolution," said M.S. Song, President & CEO of Curitel Communications. "Working with Nextreaming, we were able to efficiently integrate a complete multimedia solution, enabling our handset to enter the market on time and with more advanced features than any other in the market. We plan to develop high-tech multimedia mobile phones continuously and aim to be one of the leading mobile phone companies in the world market."
Nextreaming's optimized software based camcorder creates personal movie clips of up to 3 hours without adversely affecting battery life. It also enables a camera supporting up to 1280x960 resolution, with better resolution than other handsets currently released in the EV-DO market.
"Nextreaming is honored to have been selected by Curitel to include our multimedia software in their advanced handset," said Dr. IL-TAEK LIM, President & CEO Nextreaming, "Adding multimedia software solutions within advanced handsets provides additional functionality with little incremental costs. Choosing Nextreaming provides partners such as Curitel with the most complete and optimized multimedia solution on the market today."
Nextreaming is demonstrating this handset and other products at CommunicAsia 2004 in Singapore between June 15-18.
http://www.3gnewsroom.com/3g_news/jun_04/news_4564.shtml
China to have 300 million mobile users by 2005
June 07 2004
by Wang Dan
That's just one in four of the population
China has predicted that by the end of this year, mobile phone penetration will have reached 24.5 per cent in that country.
According to the Chinese Ministry for Industry, mobile revenues now account for close to half of all communication spend.
In the first four months of this year, there was an increase in users of 2.7 million, which means a total of 295.7 million. By 2004, according to the Ministry, this number will break the 300 million mark.
Use of SMS text messaging is increasing fast and is reckoned to be the one of the most profitable operations. Cellular data services based on CDMA 1x and GPRS are also becoming accepted by more people.
However, many believe the market is still not exploited fully. Around 800 million Chinese live in rural communities and there are those who want prices to be more flexible - in other words cheaper - than that in towns and cities.
In Europe the mobile phone penetration rate is between 60 and 70 per cent. In the US it is about 50 per cent.
Meanwhile in neighbouring Japan, South Korea and Singapore it is respectively about 60, 70 and 80 per cent of the population. In Taiwan the rate is over 100 per cent as many people have more than one handset.
Wang Dan writes for CNET Networks China.
http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,39024665,39121148,00.htm
Hop-on Receives FCC Approval for GSM Phone
Hop-on Model 1806 GSM Phone also receives NOM Approval in Mexico
IRVINE, Calif., June 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hop-on, Inc. (OTC: HPON)
today announced that it has received approval from the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) for its initial GSM cell phone. Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM) is the international standard for digital cellular
telephone service. Hop-on's Model 1806 GSM handset is a tri-band phone that
operates in the 900/1800/1900 MHz frequency bands. This is the third approval
Hop-on has received from the FCC for its cellular handsets. The prior two
approvals covered the company's CDMA phones. For more information, visit
http://www.fcc.gov and enter Hop-on Wireless in the applicant name field.
In addition, through a distributor in Mexico, Hop-on's Model 1806 GSM
phone has received NOM approval, which is similar to FCC approval in the
United States. Hop-on expects the homologation certificate to be issued by
the end of June, which will complete the certification required by the Mexican
government.
Hop-on's Model 1806 GSM handset is a tri-band phone that operates in the
900/1800/1900 MHz frequency bands. It is a feature rich, high quality,
entry-level priced handset that is targeted to both domestic and international
markets. The phone is a very lightweight (63 grams) with a compact
(81 x 45 x 16 mm) design that includes such features as a colored LCD screen,
SMS messaging, predictive text input, 200 entry phone book, speed dialing,
buzzer and vibration call alert, extensive calling features and a
rechargeable, lithium ion battery. Talk time is 4 hours, standby time is
150 hours and it comes with a travel charger all packaged in an
attractive gift box. To view the Model 1806 specification sheet, visit
http://www.hop-on.com/hop1806
Dan Gannon, Chief Executive Officer of Hop-on, said, "In addition to now
having our GSM 1806 phone being FCC approved for sale domestically, this
certification will give our international partners added confidence in our
phone due to the U.S. government's stringent approval process. Hop-on has
generated significant interest among international carriers who see the GSM
Model 1806 handset as a way to reduce current subsidies offered to customers
and also reach new classes of customers, especially in emerging markets with
greater cost sensitivity such as Latin America and India. We have already
approached many of the carriers in Latin America, India and Europe and are
currently in the homologation process in various Latin America countries."
About Hop-on
Hop-on (OTC: HPON) is the developer and marketer of the world's first
disposable, recyclable and contract free cell phone. Its initial IS-95 CDMA
phones provided a much-needed alternative to full service cellular contracts
and prepaid calling cards and also provided the end user the capability to add
on additional minutes. Hop-on has expanded its product portfolio to include
the next generation CDMA2000 handsets designed by its Dallas R&D team as well
as GSM/GPRS handsets. Hop-on targets its phones to both emerging market
carriers and other domestic carriers and resellers needing an entry level
priced phone. Hop-on also offers a line of innovative and attractively priced
wireless accessories for both Hop-on phones and other leading manufacturers as
well as affordable, wireless surveillance systems. For more information,
visit http://www.Hop-on.com.
CONTACTS:
David Pasquale, 646-536-7006, or Jim Olecki, 646-536-7021
Both of The Ruth Group, http://www.TheRuthGroup.com
Forward-Looking Statements: All statements contained in this press release
that are not historical facts are forward-looking statement that are not
guarantees of future performance or events. Rather, they are based on current
expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, and goals and objectives and
are subject to uncertainties that are difficult to predict. As a result, our
actual results may differ materially from the statements made. Often such
statements can be identified by their use of words such as may, will, intends,
plans, believes, anticipates, visualizes, expects, and estimates. These
forward-looking statements speak only as to the date of this release, and,
except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly release
updates or revisions to these statements whether as a result of new
information, future events, or otherwise. Consequently actual events and
results may vary significantly from those included in or contemplated or
implied by such statements.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK3.story&STORY=/www/story/06-07-2004/00...
NEC supplies i-mode platform, handsets to Greece
Saturday, June 5, 2004 at 06:00 JST
TOKYO — NEC Corp said Friday it has delivered its "i-mode" mobile Internet platform and mobile handsets to COSMOTE Mobile Telecommunications S.A., a major Greek telecommunications service provider.
NEC, which manufactures the i-mode platform under a licensing deal with NTT DoCoMo Inc, made the announcement a day after the leading Japanese mobile provider said it will launch its i-mode services in Greece next Monday in a tie-up with COSMOTE. (Kyodo News)
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=4&id=301030
Portugal - Optimus offers 3G services, Sony Ericsson phone
infobites
Infobites
04 June 2004
Optimus (Portugal), mobile operator owned by Sonae, conglomerate, has launched UMTS cellular services. The company will sell Sony Ericsson's Z1010 phone for Euro689.60 with the 3G launch package. Some corporate plans will include partial subsidies for the handsets, but there are no plans to subsidise it for consumers, said Optimus CEO Antonio Casanova. The company will invest Euro300 mil in its network by 2009 and intends to become Portugal's market leader for cellular data services. Vodafone launched a 3G data card service in February 2004 and voice and video services in May 2004. Portugal Telecom introduced wireless voice and video in May 2004.
http://www.europemedia.net/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=marlin/home&siteid=30000000461&m...
Qualcomm serves up BREW strategies
Last modified: June 4, 2004, 5:10 PM PDT
By Ben Charny
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Qualcomm plans to tout its BREW cell phone download software next week, announcing a deeper commitment from handset maker Kyocera Wireless.
About 1,500 wireless executives are expected to gather in San Diego starting Monday for the fourth BREW developer conference.
BREW, or binary runtime environment for wireless, is typically used to funnel downloadable ring tones, games and video mail programs to consumers. Such features are an increasingly important part of every cell phone service provider's business plans, mainly because competition is beating down the price of voice calling, the carriers' primary way of making money.
Kyocera is among a number of handset makers planning to introduce new BREW-specific phones. A company representative said Kyocera will be prepackaging BREW games on many of its lower-cost handsets, the same ones U.S. service providers usually give away to entice people into signing multiyear contracts.
BREW is one of several software options available to service providers. The most popular is Java 2 Micro Edition, which, according to creator Sun Microsystems, competes with BREW. Gina Lombardi, Qualcomm senior vice president of marketing and product management, criticized Sun's competitive stance.
"It's not an apples-to-apples comparison," she said Friday. "Java is a...programming language. With BREW, you get the whole ecosystem."
Among the largest of the 27 carriers to use BREW is Verizon Wireless, which at the show will introduce its 520th downloadable application. The company also plans to present updated information about the number of BREW downloads, an amount a company representative called "very encouraging."
Other carriers in attendance will be Japan's KDDI and KTF in Korea.
http://news.com.com/Qualcomm+serves+up+BREW+strategies/2100-1039_3-5227043.html?part=rss&tag=fee...