Wireless Blog

"This ultimately provides a reliable and secure mobile command and control capability that supersedes conventional two-way or land mobile radio systems by allowing the transmission of more diverse types of data."

SATELLITE 2008, BOOTH # 627 -- TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. , a leading provider of mission-critical wireless communications, today announced the immediate availability of TCS Wireless Point-to-Point Link . via Market Wire

"Harris Stratex is a valued addition to the growing Brix community, and offers customers renowned products, services, and system integrator capabilities"

Brix Networks, a global provider of open and extensible converged service assurance solutions, today announced a worldwide reseller agreement with Harris Stratex Networks, Inc. via Unstrung

Worldwide sales of mobile phones skyrocketed to 1.5 billion in 2007, according to research firm Gartner, a 16 percent increase from 2006 sales of 990.9 million. Sales at the end of the year matched a trend that has demand spiking in the fourth quarter. Fourth-quarter sales reached 330 million.

"Emerging markets, especially China and India, provided much of the growth as many people bought their first phone," said Carolina Milanesi, research director for mobile devices at Gartner. "In mature markets, such as Japan and Western Europe, consumers' appetite for feature-laden phones was met with new models packed with TV tuners, global positioning satellite functions, touch screens and high-resolution cameras."

Nokia is the Global Leader

Nokia continues its global leadership with a 40 percent market share in the fourth quarter, when it sold slightly more than 133 million phones. Samsung maintained second place and, although its market share slipped slightly, the gap widened between Samsung and third-place Motorola.

The problems that beset Motorola in the third quarter continued in the fourth quarter. The company recorded global sales of 39 million for the quarter, taking 11.9 percent of the market.

Motorola retained second place in annual sales, Gartner reported, largely thanks to the inventory it disposed of in the first half of the year. Nevertheless, the extent of Motorola's troubles can be seen in the 9.7 percent drop in its market share in the fourth quarter from the same period in 2006.

Sony Ericsson ended 2007 with another positive performance, growing its market share on a quarterly basis to nine percent from 8.7 percent. And LG's mobile-phone sales totaled 23.5 million in the fourth quarter, maintaining its 7.1 percent market share despite a sales increase of more than 3 million..

The Ones to Watch

The market saw three new players in the top 10 for the fourth quarter...

The international CTIA WIRELESS 2008 tradeshow, the premier global event representing the $500 billion global wireless industry, today announced the participants and agenda for its Infrastructure Roundtable, ... via Earth Times

Apple has scheduled an event to present the Software Development Kit (SDK) that can open up its iPhone to third-party native applications. It also will present new iPhone features for the enterprise.

Press invitations went out this week for the iPhone Software Roapmap on Thursday, March 6, at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. The original launch date for the SDK had been in February.

A Blackberry Competitor?

The SDK will allow thirty-party developers to create applications for the iPhone. Up until now, outside developers' offerings have had to run within the Safari browser on the iPhone, not on the iPhone itself.

The invitation promises "some exciting new enterprise features." Some observers have speculated that Apple will position the iPhone as a competitor to the BlackBerry, which would require Apple to address a variety of compatibility, application and security issues.

Avi Greengart, an analyst with Current Analysis, noted there are also issues about how Apple expects developers to use the SDK. For instance, he said, "can a developer post the application on their Web site, or does it have to go through iTunes?" There are also questions about how users will load third-party apps onto iPhones, whether Apple gets a cut of apps revenue, and whether certain kinds of apps are off-limits because Apple reserves them for itself.

Until we know the answers to these and other questions, Greengart noted, it isn't possible to estimate the impact that the much-awaited SDK might have on opening up the iPhone.

New Business Models?

Apple may also be open to new carrier arrangements. COO Tim Cook has been quoted in news media as telling investors that "we're not married to any business models."

Some observers take this to mean that Apple is reconsidering its exclusive-in-the-U.S. relationship with AT&T, but Greengart said there isn't "any indication that Apple is reconsidering that deal." He characterized...

It was also a very rainy evening and we were in no mood to drive to a movie theater or even to the local Blockbuster store. via CBS News

"As the resolution of mobile handsets increases, providing the user with innovative ways in which to enjoy digital photography becomes more important. Our software makes every image a keeper"

Morpho, Inc., a leading provider of image processing software solutions for mobile devices, today announced that it has received an investment in the amount of 165 Million Japanese Yen from Nokia Growth ... via News From Symbian Smart Phones World...

Former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt formed Frontline Wireless to build a nationwide emergency communications network using 700 MHz spectrum. Frontline bailed out of the auction just before it began, but is widely regarded as a visionary.

Reed spoke with Telephony Magazine in an exclusive interview this week.

On a national emergency communications network:

First the FCC has to declare the [700 MHz spectrum] auction to be over. Second we have to find out whether or not anybody bought the D block. I think we’ll know both these things—what’s today? Wednesday? I think we’ll know by Friday or Monday. Third the FCC has to announce who won the auction, and actually their rules say they won’t necessarily do that. They have to be realistic; they have to tell everybody. So the smoke has to clear.

On changing the Universal Service Fund:

I think the FCC is paying attention to something minor while something major is going unaddressed. What’s major is the U.S. is the only developed country in the world without a broadband policy. We’ve not had a real broadband policy in eight years. The FCC and the White House have collaborated in trying to convince the media and the people that everything is peachy whereas global travelers all know that Japan and England and France and Germany are way ahead of the U.S. in terms of broadband.

On municipal broadband:

There just aren’t very many [muni broadband providers]. The reason [the muni broadband model] is not viable is because there’s not enough money in municipalities to pay for it. Period. End of story. And there never is going to be.

On P2P throttling:

This issue of what Comcast and others are doing–that is just a reflection of the lack of a broadband policy. The problem with Comcast, the problem with the telephone companies is that they’re not delivering 100 Mb/s. The problem is not that they’re throttling P2P. Here’s what we ought to say: We want 100 Mb/s. We want it to be at the world’s lowest price. If we had 100 Mb/s, we’re not going to talk about throttling because there will be plenty of bandwidth.

On the U.S. wireless market:

[The U.S.] is the last market in the world that people choose to bring a new wireless product to. Not second or third–the absolute last. Right now the policy of the FCC has been to encourage AT&T and Verizon to become the twin Bells that dominate the wireless business. They’re allowed to buy all the spectrum they can find. The antitrust laws are waived and ignored every time they appear to be a problem. The FCC is the only spectrum auction entity in the world that does not carve out spectrum for new entrants.

Apple has begun shipping Time Capsule, its latest external hard drive that is pretty much the only game in town if you want to do wireless Time Machine backups from your notebook. via CNET News.com

"The CTIA Educational Sessions are designed to explore the complex issues impacting the wireless industry"

The International CTIA WIRELESS 2008 Educational Sessions are the most comprehensive in the industry, addressing the most important issues facing wireless carriers, mobile device and infrastructure ... via SymbianOne