2003

BEIJING-Motorola Inc. said it has signed a $10 million contract extension to build the second phase of a location-based services network for China Unicom. “LBS allows China Unicom’s subscribers to access a range of location-based information, including nearest public facilities, …

VIENNA, Va.-XtremeSpectrum Inc. reported Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has integrated its ultra-wideband modules with Samsung’s multimedia platform in a laboratory environment. The integration includes XtremeSpectrum’s UWB evaluation kit and Trinity chipset to wirelessly connect a variety of Samsung consumer products, …

GLEN COVE, N.Y.-Acclaim Entertainment Inc. announced it will develop and license interactive entertainment content for mobile gaming platforms under the new publishing label Acclaim Connected. “Mobile gaming represents an opportunistic market that we believe is additive to our core publishing …

TOKYO-NEC Corp. said it has introduced a new SGSN and GGSN product platform to enhance large-volume Internet Protocol packet transmission applications, such as video streaming and global positioning system services. The vendor said it will soon deliver the new product …

TORONTO-A concept car outfitted with wireless technology from Canadian wireless data and global positioning systems solutions company Baka Trak-IT is being used to demonstrate wireless network operability at this week’s Bell Mobility Wireless Internet conference. Dubbed the Baka Wireless Smart …

PISCATAWAY, N.J.-Greece’s National Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) has awarded a five-year exclusive contract to Telcordia Technologies Inc. for number portability. Telcordia will support the provision of fixed and mobile number portability to Greece’s 16 million phone lines, including 10 …

SAO PAULO, Brazil-Nokia Corp. has released several new handsets focused on the Latin America market, with Nokia Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jorma Ollila emphasizing the importance of the market. The news follows the Finnish supplier’s announcement at the beginning …

WASHINGTON-Although rural wireless carriers may have special needs when deploying enhanced 911, rural public-safety answering points may need a higher percentage of the grants in proposed legislation, said Indiana State Treasurer Tim Berry. Berry was the first witness at a …

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-724 Solutions announced that a recent series of integration tests of its X-treme Alerts Platform, released in March, showed a “significant level” of performance, scalability and fault tolerance. 724 worked with Sun Microsystems and BEA to test the …

WOBURN, Mass.-Boston Communications Group Inc. said it has signed a contract with Coastel Communications of Lafayette, La., to provide its Voyager Billing and Customer Care offering, which BCGI said includes a solution for customer management, including retail operations and inventory …

CHESTERFIELD, Mo.-Video via mobile phone will be the No. 1 reason wireless subscribers upgrade to third-generation services, according to a new study from Datacomm Research Co. “A large market for short videos is emerging: mobile-phone and portable computer users,” explained …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission Wednesday proposed streamlining its rules for transmitters in the unlicensed bands to allow for the deployment of new technologies. The current rules are sometimes confusing, said Neal McNeil, an engineer in the technical rules branch of …

HELSINKI, Finland-The Open Base Station Architecture Initiative has released its first specification for base stations, which is aimed at reducing development effort and costs. OBSAI is at odds with another initiative known as the Common Public Radio Interface led by …

Tropos Networks Inc. will provide its Tropos Wi-Fi equipment to enable the deployment of a metro-scale Wi-Fi network in downtown Baton Rouge, La. The network will be managed by 802.11 services provider Verge Wireless Networks Inc. The Tropos system works …

SEATTLE-Airline passengers may soon be able to access personal mobile communications applications during flights with a new subscriber identity module-card based solution from Altobridge. The solution combines Altobridge’s communications architecture with a passenger’s SIM card to convert seatback Inflight Entertainment …

SEATTLE-Cometa Networks said it will launch more than 100 new hot spot sites in the Seattle area Sept. 25, and it expects to activate an additional 150 locations in the area by the end of this year. The company, which …

BRASILIA, Brazil-Brazilian wireless operator Oi signed a contract to be the first to deploy Nokia Corp.’s ConnectSite base station in Latin America. The GSM solution provides voice service at low cost of ownership, according to Nokia. “The new Nokia solution …

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-Mobile end users continue to use wireless technology more for personal use than professional, according to research by IDC. A survey of more than 2,500 members of IDC’s Mobile Advisory Council found 34 percent of respondents use a wireless …

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands-Motorola Inc. introduced a new line of wireless cable modem gateways known as SBG900 for broadband and consumers in Europe, Middle East and Africa. The company said the product line incorporates two models, which are the DOCS 2.0-certified …

WASHINGTON-If the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association hoped to prove to the consumer-advocate world that its voluntary code of conduct, which it officially unveiled Sept. 9, is an adequate response to criticism about lack of quality customer service, it was …

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-The emergence of converged wireless handheld devices capable of multiple communications tasks may provide relief for the seemingly slowing PDA industry, according to research firm ABI. Converged devices, which ABI refers to as “connected PDAs,” have thus far …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission Wednesday proposed relaxing future license and buildout rules in an effort to bring the benefits of wireless to rural America. While the notice of proposed rulemaking passed unanimously, the Democrats on the panel expressed some concerns. …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission Wednesday closed out the four-year-old National Coordination Committee, which developed standards for using public-safety spectrum in the 700 MHz band. After more than 20 meetings, the NCC reached consensus that will ensure public-safety interoperability at 700 …

MANILA, The Philippines-Globe Telecom, the second-largest mobile operator in the Philippines, launched multimedia messaging service interconnection with more than 30 MMS operators around the world and a new Java-based subscriber identity module card. Mobileway said it worked with Globe Telecom …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless and Ztango announced that Verizon customers can now download polyphonic ring tones and monotonic ring tones using the operator’s TXT messaging. Verizon said Ztango’s offering is the first premium content available to its TXT customers and offers …