Mobile Phones

BEIJING—The world’s largest mobile market could become decidedly less attractive for cell-phone manufacturers if new proposed rules on cell-phone radiation emissions come into play. A proposed change would restrict the …

TEL AVIV—Commil announced it will demonstrate voice SCO handover at the upcoming Bluetooth Congress in Amsterdam June 11-14. The voice SCO handover demonstration allows users to move about while talking …

HONG KONG—MSN announced a new initiative to bring its Hotmail Web-based e-mail service to mobile phones in Asia. MSN has partnered with U.S.-based Mobileway to allow mobile operators in Asia …

LONDON—A new report stated the number of contract mobile subscribers has increased in the United Kingdom for the first time since 1999. J.D. Power and Associates said the number of …

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Worldwide mobile phone unit sales reached 93.8 million units in the first quarter of 2002, a 3.8-percent decline from first-quarter 2001, according to Dataquest Inc., a unit of …

DUBLIN, Ireland—In a further indication of the necessity of closer cooperation between previously fierce rivals, Nokia and Siemens have announced plans to collaborate on mobile terminal software. Open standards is …

REDWOOD CITY, California, United States—Openwave Systems announced it will expand its highly successful relationship with J-Phone in Japan by creating a new service for subscribers to send short video clips …

WASHINGTON—The Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies today said rural wireless legislation should be strengthened to free up spectrum sooner in areas not served by mobile …

OXFORD, United Kingdom—While the theft of cell phones has attracted widespread news coverage in the United Kingdom, a new study is expected to suggest that many of these reports of …

MEBOURNE, Australia—The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has instituted federal court proceedings against mobile operator Virgin Mobile Australia for allegedly “engaging in false, misleading and deceptive conduct in advertising …

WASHINGTON—Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) today introduced Internet privacy legislation that would rely heavily on industry self-regulation and bar consumer lawsuits. The Stearns bill, which also covers non-cyber consumer privacy and …

BOSTON—TDK Systems announced it has added three new software applications for its Bluetooth products: TDK Mobile, TDK Dialer and TDK blueDial, which all allow users to back up and transfer …

BEIJING—Hong Kong’s CSL and Hutchison Telecom started offering services that enable corporate customers to use mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to access intranets, e-mail and contacts. Users can …

WASHINGTON—A new report claims the costs of arbitration—billed as a low-cost alternative to lawsuits and required in service contracts for mobile phones and other electronic contracts—are so expensive that consumers …

TOKYO—East Japan Railway, the leading railroad operator in Japan, on 1 May said it would launch a new service letting mobile users use their phones as train tickets beginning in …

NEW DELHI, India—Bangladesh has reduced the import duty on mobile phones and dropped the levy on new connections. The duty on handsets has been reduced to 2,500 taka (US$44) from …

TOKYO—NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it halted sales of the Mova R211i mobile phone because of a technical problem. Due to a software bug, the incoming and outgoing call logs, voice …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.—Verizon Wireless and LG Mobile Phones introduced the new Verizon Wireless VX1 a small, lightweight, tri-mode digital wireless phone. The new phone, designed by LG Mobile Phones, includes voice …

DALLAS—Alliance Data Systems Corp., Alon USA and Cellenium Inc. announced a new joint mobile commerce product, a move that further crowds the already complex mobile commerce market. The three companies …

NEW DELHI, India—It will cost less to make calls over mobile networks in Pakistan beginning 1 May. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reduced the airtime ceiling from 6.50 rupees (US$0.11) …

MANILA, The Philippines—Leading Philippine wireless operator Smart Communications and Yahoo Southeast Asia, a leading online and wireless service provider in the region, announced the availability of Yahoo Mail for SMS …

NEW DELHI, India—Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, the 50:50 joint venture between Ericsson and Sony Corporation, hopes to grab a substantial share of the emerging market for multimedia mobile phones in …

BELLEVUE, Wash.—Merchants now have a variety of new options to choose from in order to conduct business when they are away from their cash register. Wireless Internet application and service …

NEW DELHI, India—Handset manufacturers worried about the disturbing trend of low sales in European and U.S. markets can take comfort from emerging trends in the Asia-Pacific region. All research findings …

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission today granted a temporary waiver to VoiceStream Wireless Corp. to provide wireless priority access service on a short-term basis to local, state and federal officials here …