Wireless Blog

Sales representative Ryan Sammut talks on his phone in a BCE Inc. Bell wireless store in Toronto, Ont.

Texas Instruments Inc. said Monday its second-quarter profit fell 4 percent, missing Wall Street estimates and sending the stock to a multiyear low in after-hours trading.

NextPhase Wireless, Inc. , a nationwide developer of WiMAX-ready networks and provider of advanced broadband solutions, today announced that NextPhase will launch a licensed 802.16e Mobile WiMAX network serving ...

According to an online community, the latest iPhone operating system 2.0 has been hacked less than a week after its release. The iPhone Dev Team, a portal for iPhone hacks, cracks and comments, announced in a blog entry that it had broken the code.

The group posted its PwnageTool 2.0.1 software on its site and noted that it works on the first-generation iPhone and iPod touch as well as the latest versions. Its "unofficial" blog reported that user response "brought down several of our servers, and some of them have yet to recover!"

One of the hackers noted, "We adapted our Pwnage technique to the 2.0 firmware, using a new, unreleased exploit that we'd been keeping to ourselves in the hope that Apple wouldn't patch it. This ... enable[s] you to run all the custom software and patches you please."

Demand to jailbreak the iPhones is huge, and non-Apple applications give customers utilities not otherwise available for the iPhone. Dozens of Internet sites host hundreds of these applications. Apple's official policy is that any hacking of the iPhone OS voids the warranty.

Not Unlocked

Earlier rumors suggested that the hack would also unlock the OS -- allowing users to connect the iPhone to carriers other than AT&T in the U.S. However, the blog clarified that the iPhone 3G is not unlocked because the new OS uses a different bootstrap loader. U.S. customers who don't want AT&T are out of luck, since Apple has an exclusive arrangement with AT&T through 2012.

However, there are reports that Russian Web sites are advertising unlocked iPhones at prices nearly triple those in the U.S. While the iPhone 3G has been released worldwide in more than 20 countries, Russia and China have not received allotments. Some Russian and Chinese dealers reportedly offer unlocking services so iPhone users can connect to local...

Wireless Japan 2008 - Staccato Communications and Silicon Technology enter into distribution agreement for WUSB products. Leading Japanese distributor selected to represent Staccato’s Ripcord® family of single-chip, all-CMOS WiMedia Ultrawideband products (via Press Release from Staccato - July 19, 2008) San Diego, California - Staccato Communications, an Ultra Wideband (UWB) wireless technology pioneer and [...]

Apple appears to be having trouble keeping its new iPhone 3G in stock in the U.S., as reports suggest few phones were available in Apple's stores.

The problem appears to be exacerbated by the simultaneous launch of the iPhone 3G across international markets. Another factor driving demand is likely because exclusive carrier AT&T is offering subsidies on the iPhone 3G, making the price considerably less than when the first-generation iPhone launched.

Severe Shortages

An Apple fan site reported severe shortages in California and New York. It said only one store in California had stock on hand, and that was limited to the black 16GB model. It also said Apple's 5th Avenue store was the only outlet in New York with stock, limited to the white 16GB model.

The Web site for the Apple Retail Store has a tool to check iPhone availability at Apple's stores in the U.S., but it appeared to be disabled Monday and a notice advised visitors to return after 9 p.m. Reportedly, last week only 13 Apple stores had all three iPhone 3G models in stock, and on Sunday no stores had all the models. Those models are the black 8GB, the white 16GB, and the black 16GB versions.

AT&T stores began running out of stock just four days after the July 11 launch for the iPhone 3G. AT&T says the average wait time for the iPhone 3G is now about three weeks.

There were also problems on launch day, with AT&T reporting in-store iPhone 3G activations were stopped at about 9:30 a.m. Eastern time because of issues with the iTunes 7.7 software needed to configure the device. AT&T then recommended that customers activate the smartphones at home.

Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch, noted that the July 11 launch started in New Zealand and was to continue on to California as stores...

Iayn Dobson, a computer technician from a suburb of Manchester, downloaded a 60-minute episode of the U.S. television show Prison Break last September using a 3G network and mobile data card. Wireless data are expensive in Europe, but Dobson's mistake was making the download while on vacation in Portugal.

That became clear when his monthly bill arrived from Yes Telecom, a subsidiary of Vodafone, the largest European mobile operator: pound(s)31,000, or about $61,000 -- most of it for international data-roaming charges from the video download.

"Mr. Dobson knew he had downloaded a lot of data but thought this went beyond the pale," said Danielle Mestraud, Dobson's lawyer at Farleys Solicitors in Manchester, where Yes Telecom is based. "What he felt was unfair was that at no point during the download could he determine how much he was paying. The system was simply opaque."

Dobson's case may be an exception, but incidents of similar high billing are prompting European lawmakers this year to pursue limits on the price of cross-border mobile data. A bill limiting roaming charges for short text messages will be considered this autumn, which could be expanded to include large-scale data downloads made by unwitting consumers like Dobson.

Given the attention that European policy makers have paid to the issue, some analysts were surprised that Viviane Reding, the European Union telecommunications commissioner, did not include price limits on data-roaming charges in a recent plan to limit cross-border fees for text messaging. Both she and the European Regulators Group, the advisory panel of the 27 EU national telecom regulators, said they wanted to give mobile operators a few more weeks to voluntarily bring down the charges before pursuing regulation.

Roaming fees for data have fallen by an average of 36 percent in the European Union over the past year, according to the European Commission, the...

Investors: Efrat Makov, CFO +972.3.645.6252 +1-650-314-2652 efrat.makov@alvarion.com or Claudia Gatlin, +1-212-830-9080 claudia.gatlin@alvarion.com or Press: In the U.S.: Heather Mills, +1-972-341-2512 ...

The iPhone-Dev Team quietly released PwnageTool 2.0 over the weekend, allowing iPhone and iPhone 3G owners to hack, or "jailbreak," their handhelds and load applications that aren't available through Apple's App Store.

The utility also lets first-generation iPhone owners unlock their device for use on unapproved cell carrier networks.

According to the group, Pwnage 2.0 will also jailbreak the iPod touch.

Jailbreaking was popular among iPhone power users before the launch of the App Store and its Apple-sanctioned third-party applications.

While some users speculated that hacks for unauthorized apps wouldn't be necessary after the iTunes-based store opened, it appears that there is still interest in apps that fall outside of Apple's approval circle.

Since jailbreaking is not an Apple sanctioned process, there is a chance that it could damage your handheld, and in some cases Apple may refuse to provide warranty coverage for jailbroken devices.

Alvarion announced today that it has been chosen by GO Mobile, Malta’s mobile operator, for a nationwide Mobile WiMAX network deployment. Using Alvarion’s 4Motion solution with BreezeMAX as its RAN (radio access network), GO Mobile plans to provide voice and data services at the 3.5 GHz frequency band to the residents of the island of Malta.

Rollout of the commercial network is expected to begin in the next few weeks. The new network will offer an enhanced portfolio of high quality wireless broadband services over Alvarion’s Mobile WiMAX solution, opening opportunities for high speed Internet, as well as video, TV and gaming. Alvarion’s partner for this deployment project is SIAE MICROLETTRONICA, an Italian microwave company.

“We chose Alvarion because it was the one vendor to answer to all our demands, enabling us to guarantee nationwide coverage for optimized broadband experience. This technology will augment our already nationwide 3G-3.5G/HSDPA wireless coverages,” aid Norbert Prihoda, Chief Mobile Operations Officer of GO.

As an awarded licensee of the 3.5 GHz frequency band in Malta, GO Mobile is required by MCA (Malta Communication Authority) to complete network rollout and provide 99% nationwide coverage by October 2009. MCA supports open networks and believes that OPEN WiMAX encourages beneficial competition and promotes a state-of-the-art broadband market.

In related news, SOMA Networks has secured an additional $51 million of equity financing. The financing has been earmarked for continued expansion of international operations and deployments, including ongoing support with BSNL, India’s state-owned telecommunications company. BSNL and SOMA announced an agreement earlier this year to roll out a Mobile WiMAX network across three of India’s fastest-growing telecom regions.