Sprint announces 3G PCS Vision network (Back to News Reports)

09 August 2002 -- Sprint has officially launched its third generation CDMA200 1x network under the 'PCS Vision' brand.

It is the first US carrier to offer a nationwide 3G service. Vision will deliver messaging, gaming, ringtones, web content and corporate connectivity at speeds of up to 144 Kbs. Sprint has underlined the significance of the launch by revising its back office and sales operations, unveiling a new range of handsets and updating its price plans. Vision will be marketed to appeal to both consumers and business users. There will be a range of colour screen handsets capable of downloading J2ME games, sending picture messages and receiving polyphonic ringtones. In addition, Sprint will also sell smartphones from Handspring and Toshiba and PC card modems to connect laptops and PDAs to the Vision network. PCS Business Connection will enable users to connect to their personal and corporate e-mail, calendar and contacts on Vision devices.

Sprint's integrated approach to marketing its 3G network borrows from the Japanese model for wireless data services, although it differs notably in emphasising the similarity to the traditional web browsing experience. It also places high priority on connectivity to existing e-mail and PIM services. The pricing model, which charges for the amount of data transfered and offers several plans including different data levels, is akin to that employed by most Western European operators. Sprint has also become the latest operator to work with Bytemobile to optimise data transfer on its network, promising speed improvements by compression and stream optimisation. As speeds improve, Sprint is planning to introduce audio, video and additional J2ME downloads.

"Our customers tell us they're ready for a wireless device that does more than make a phone call," said William T. Esrey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sprint. "PCS Vision brings together all the devices, applications and content that make it faster and easier than ever for Sprint customers to communicate, access information, entertain themselves, conduct transactions and take their desktops with them wherever they are across our enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network, which covers more people than any other next generation wireless network in the country and provides a single technology that allows services and features to work the same everywhere. PCS Vision opens up a whole new mobile window to the world with clarity you can see and hear." Further information from the Sprint web-site.

SOURCE PMN Publications Back to News Reports

Mobile network Fraud on the increase (Back to News Reports)

Fraud has affected telephone operators since the very inception of the public communications networks. In the communications and IT boom of 1999 and 2000, fraud losses were tolerated by many operators as the revenue generated by their rapidly increasing customer base easily overshadowed them. However, the decline in the market coupled with the huge debt burden operators have found themselves which has meant that they have had to reassess their situation. Shareholders need to see that companies are doing their utmost to protect the revenues they are generating. Fraud is a global problem that can no longer be ignored if a company wants to maintain a healthy market standing in the current climate. It has been estimated the fraud problem is worth between $12bn and $55bn per year globally, with companies losing anything up to 15% of their total annual revenue to criminals. Couple this with losses attributed to other issues such as interconnect discrepancies and data corruption and it is not hard to see how some companies lose up to 30% of total revenue.

The Evolution Of Fraud
Traditional types of fraud still exist and the majority of operators have shown themselves to be ineffectual in curbing them. The development of next generation networks offers huge potential for revenue generation but the amount of risk operators will expose themselves to will also increase dramatically. The more complex networks, services and processes become, the more opportunity fraudsters have to exploit loopholes and steal vitally needed revenue. The factors that will lead to more risk exposure include:

• Multiple new and immature services
• Increased numbers of business transactions
• Open, distributed networks
• Entrance of new, non ‘traditional’ players
• Mergers and acquisitions
• New methods of access
• New billing systems and processes
• Huge increase in amount of data generated by users

These factors are all part and parcel of a successful next generation network, but to be successful their impact must be comprehensively analysed. In the 3G market, operators will want to quickly launch services with the aim of gaining a sizeable market share and establishing a brand. This will leave the operator with significant risks that without careful planning will result in huge losses. As networks and services evolve, so will the forms of fraud. Variations of fraud previously unseen on the telecommunications networks will emerge, associated with the production and distribution of content, high value mobile transactions, ‘always on’ IP connections and the emergence of mobile communities.

SOURCE Chorley Woods Publications Back to News Reports

New cell phone sight--3D (Back to News Reports)

8 August 2002 - U.K. chip designer ARM Holdings is readying its first silicon designs that will bring console-class 3D graphics to mobile phones.

ARM's processor components, or cores, are used in about three-quarters of the world's mobile phones, and power Pocket PC and next-generation Palm handheld computers.

The new products are the fruit of a year-and-a-half-long collaboration with Imagination Technologies, also based in the United Kingdom. The company's PowerVR architecture has powered everything from arcade games to the defunct Dreamcast console. ARM worked with Imagination to retool PowerVR for the embedded market, a broad term for non-PC computing devices, resulting in the PowerVR MBX graphics and video core. This core was recently licensed by chip giant Intel, which separately licenses ARM's products for its XScale embedded processor architecture.

ARM's involvement is important because it has the potential to bring PowerVR MBX to a wide variety of mass-market embedded devices. The company is initially targeting the huge mobile phone industry, which can use the chip to offer games on phones.

"Mobile phone service providers have invested a lot of money (in 3G), and they need to get that back by raising their revenues per user," said Noel Hurley, consumer entertainment segment manager with ARM. "Gaming is going to be an increasingly important feature in phones. There is a tremendous demand for games in the marketplace."

ARM is now in the process of pitching its implementation of PowerVR MBX, which can be licensed alongside the company's other products, to semiconductor makers. The first products using the technology are expected to debut in 2004 or 2005, although the timeline depends on manufacturers. ARM said it has seen a "good level of interest" from semiconductor makers.

PowerVR MBX is expected to put PlayStation-level graphics into low-power mobile devices such as phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants).

SOURCE ZDNet UK News Back to News Reports

Police warn mobile phone owners (Back to News Reports)

A YOUNG woman was pushed to the ground and robbed of her mobile phone mid-conversation while she was walking through an alleyway.

Police have warned people to think carefully about where they are before using their phones and say people should try to avoid talking on them while walking in public.

The woman, in her 20s, was walking through an alleyway which runs between Stratford Road and Yeading Lane in Hayes at 7.15am on August 1.

The robber, described as a white male, aged 18, around 6ft 2in, and of slim build, came up behind his victim, who was on her way to work, before shoving her and grabbing the Siemens phone.

A police spokesman said: 'It is not ideal for women to walk on her own down alleyways and it is certainly not ideal for her to be on her mobile phone at the same time.

"Think of safety and think of where you are."

The suspect, who was wearing a cap, dark track suit bottoms and a green sweat-shirt, ran in the direction of Yeading Lane.

Anyone with information should contact DS Gary Crisp at Ruislip Police Station on 020 8246 1456.

SOURCE Hillingdon Times News Back to News Reports

Acrobat Reader for Mobile phones (Back to News Reports)

7 July 2002 - Adobe Systems Incorporated, announced on Monday the public beta availability of Acrobat® Reader® for Symbian OS, a new software application that provides mobile professionals and others the flexibility to view Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files on data-enabled mobile phones. The product, which builds on the company's vision to drive delivery of compelling content regardless of platform or device, is immediately available free of charge from the Adobe.com Web site at http://www.adobe.com/symbianbeta.

Acrobat Reader for Symbian OS extends the value of award-winning Adobe® Acrobat® 5.0 software by allowing enterprises the freedom to share a wide range of Adobe PDF documents on a third prominent mobile device platform. Acrobat Reader products for Palm OS® and Pocket PC handheld computers, available for several months, have already collectively surpassed two million downloads from the Adobe.com site. The latest Acrobat Reader product is initially offered for the Nokia 9290 Communicator and Nokia 9210 Communicator, and provides Symbian OS phone users access to Adobe PDF files they download from the Web, receive by email or transfer from a personal computer.

"We have been working with leading content application providers to make Symbian OS phones more attractive to mobile enterprise users," said Jerry Panagrossi, Director of the Symbian Technology Partner Program. "As a result of our close working relationship with Adobe, we are delighted to see its compelling application now available on Symbian OS phones, providing business users the ability to read PDF documents wherever and whenever they need."

"The Nokia 9290 Communicator and Nokia 9210 Communicator bring the best of wireless communication together, and allow business professionals to be effective anytime, anywhere," said Darrell Sagehorn, Director of Business Applications, Nokia. "The ubiquitous nature of Adobe PDF files on the Web and email make Acrobat Reader one of the essential tools for sharing information across an extended enterprise of mobile workers. We're sure Nokia customers will be delighted about the added utility Adobe's product provides them."

Acrobat Reader for Symbian OS enables users to read, navigate and search graphically rich Adobe PDF documents — including those secured with measures like password protection — in their original format or re-flowed to fit the width of a wireless device screen. Adobe PDF files created using Acrobat 5.0, Adobe InDesign® 2.0, Adobe FrameMaker® 7.0 and Adobe PageMaker® 7.0 will offer the best reading experience on Symbian OS phones because they are automatically tagged with information on page structure and organization. This allows for easier and more reliable text re-flow on a wireless device.

Pricing and Availability
The public beta of Acrobat Reader for Symbian OS is immediately available free of charge for the Nokia 9290 Communicator and Nokia 9210 Communicator. Acrobat Reader for Symbian OS requires a Symbian OS phone with minimum available memory of 1.3 MB. The shipping product will be offered in English only and is expected to be available by the end of the current calendar year. Support for other languages is expected in future versions. For more information, please visit http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/acrrmobiledevices.html.

SOURCE Adobe Press Release Back to News Reports

Commercial Wi-Fi network for Laptop's & PDA's (Back to News Reports)

BT has launched BT Openzone -- its Wi-Fi service that gives laptop and PDA users high-speed wireless Internet access in selected locations.

BT announced back in April that it was planning to set up high-speed wireless LANs across the UK that could be accessed by the public. Such Wi-Fi hot spots have been popular in America for some time, but it has only just become legal to offer such commercial services in the UK.

BT has been trialling BT Openzone, which currently consists of 20 hot spots, since June. As planned, it began the commercial launch of the service on 1 August, and is targeting business users, although individuals will also be able to sign up.

"The trial period finished on 31 July," a BT spokeswoman told ZDNet UK. "The government only recently changed the law to make commercial Wi-Fi services legal, so 1 August was the first day that the commercial launch could take place," she added.

E-commerce minister Stephen Timms announced back in June that the government would lift the restrictions that prevented companies offering commercial wireless services in the 2.4GHz range of the radiocommunication spectrum.

A range of different payment models are available. Subscribers can pay £85 per month for unlimited access, £40 per month for 900 minutes Wi-Fi surfing per month, or £20 for 300 minutes. Anyone who signs up before 31 December will get a 50 percent discount.

Two pre-pay schemes are also available. For £6, users can get a one-hour pass that allows 60 minutes of Wi-Fi access within 24 hours of the first log-in. Unlimited access within a 24 hour period will cost £15.

Some commentators have complained that BT's pricing is too expensive, especially as a subscription to BT Openzone would not give access to a rival Wi-Fi network being implemented at the UK's largest railway stations by Megabeam.

Several of BT Openzone's 20 hot spots are in London, at locations such as Earls Court and Olympia, the Bluewater shopping centre, Hilton hotels at Heathrow, Islington, Kensington and Tower Thistle, and the Euston Travel Inn.

Other hot spots include the Maidstone and Sandback RoadChefs, the Moto Services at Heston and the Jarvis Royal Berkshire hotel at Ascott. The remaining hot spots are located at offices belonging to BT, including at its Adastral Park reseach centre in Suffolk, and at the offices of Cisco and Motorola.

"Motorola and Cisco helped BT to build its Wi-Fi network, and they are also acting as pilot customers," said the BT spokeswoman, adding that around 100 Motorola employees are subscribed to BT Openzone.

BT is aiming to have 70 Wi-Fi hot spots in place by the end of 2002, and 400 by next summer.

SOURCE ZDNet UK News Back to News Reports