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Last modified: | Mobile Insight Vol: 8 Issue 323 June 26th 2006Vodafone puts 3G laptops into IT channelThe full Inquirer story ... IT stores become Vodafone resellers www.vodafone.co.uk/builtin3gbroadband UK readying O band sell-offAccording to a lead story in The Business, the UK government through the auspices of the telecom watchdog, Ofcom, is drawing up plans to auction more radio spectrum. This is an apparent reference to the area of spectrum in the 2.5-2.69 GHz band, normally referred to as the 'O' reserved for expansion of 3G under the rules for IMT-2000 (the international standard for 3G). The Business argues that the UK Chancellor, Gordon Brown, maybe hoping that the sell-off will raise something near the £22.5 billion that was obtained from the sale of British 3G licences. The article quotes an Ofcom spokesman as saying, "We believe that auctions are the best way of bringing spectrum to market." The UK mobile network operators which were almost crippled by the previous sale definitely won't agree. The interesting point here is that Ofcom has previously told Mobile Insight that future spectrum sales will be technology agnostic. That is to say, that it won't insist that a specific scheme – such as W-CDMA – must be used at a particular frequency. This means that instead of being used to increase 3G networks' capacity, it might be employed for something completely different – such as WiMax. The main WiMax frequency bands are 2.5 GHz, 3. 5 GHz, and 5. 8 GHz, but countries in Asia Pacific have already consider this spectrum for WiMax. The report suggested this new spectrum could be used for 4G, but the current state of thinking is that all the technologies which are aiming to provide a 4G service – like OFDM – will be in the 3.6 GHz frequency. This is the frequency at which UWB (Ultra Wide Band) technologies are most likely to operate and UWB is definitely in the running for 4G.
The full Inquirer story ... UK planning further spectrum sell off Rok offers two-way TV streamingWhile some companies struggle to offer interactive TV over 3G networks (let alone super-fast 3G), Rok claims to have perfected two way streaming over GPRS (2.5G). A source claimed that Rok has already had an approach from a major casino chain over acquiring sole rights to the technology but the offer was rejected in favour of a more generic marketing approach. Nonetheless, the beta version which Mobile Insight has seen is labelled 'Rok Bet'. The concept is simple. Rok streams a live TV/video feed to a 2.5G or 3G handset. The programme could be a live horse race such as one taking place currently at Royal Ascot. Over the top of the image, Rok can now provide a simple menu system. Using the handset's star (*) key, the user can then navigate through menus and place a bet. Instead of a horse race, the stream could be a live image of a casino roulette wheel, for example. Rok is currently expanding its international operations beyond just the United Kingdom. In a separate deal it's signed up with Teletouch Communications to distribute its pre-loaded mobile phone memory cards across North America.The full Inquirer story ... Rok targets gambling with new mobile TV capability Mio seeks to build out on GPS portfolioHow do you get to travel on a train, a Tube, a boat, in a helicopter and in a taxi all in the same day? Answer: attend the launch of Mio's two latest portable navigation devices (PNDs). This Taiwanese supplier of GPS capable devices is obviously determined to stamp its mark on the European market. According to the latest figures from Canalys, Mio Technology is Europe's number four vendor of mobile satellite navigation devices with integrated GPS receivers. To grab an even larger slice of the pie, Mio launched its C710 and C510E models yesterday. They will retail for £359.99 and £239.99 respectively. The difference being that the C710 has a built in TMC receiver to incorporate live traffic updates. It also has maps of 24 countries pre-installed. Mio can now offer a full range of GPS based products. In addition to PNDs, it offers both GPS enabled PDAs and the A701. That's basically a Windows based smartphone with a 2.7 inch touch screen, Bluetooth and a 1.3 megapixel camera plus a built-in SiRFstar III GPS receiver. Judging from yesterday's events, - sticking a bunch of journalists in helicopters and on fast motor launches - Mio is obviously determined to get its brand better known. Plus it's determined to grab market share from the leaders such as Garman and TomTom. With its keenly priced range, it might just well do that.
The full Inquirer story ... Mio out to grab GPS market share Nokia merges networks division with SiemensNokia and Siemens have admitted they plan to merge their respective network divisions into a new 50:50 joint venture called Nokia Siemens Networks. The new, combined business should prove to be the second-largest company in mobile infrastructure. To give it further rankings, it will be second in services, third in fixed infrastructure and the third-largest in the overall telecommunications infrastructure market. Merging two ventures of this size frequently doesn't result in the new company retaining the combined market shares. Sony Ericsson and Siemens/BenQ, provide an example of this. It's also a fact that jobs will go as companies combine sales teams, and so on. Observers are now speculating that after the Alcatel/Lucent deal, the next logical merger is Ericsson and Motorola. However, a look at the list of capabilities which the new venture boasts shows it poses the biggest threat to Cisco. It includes mobile core, fixed broadband, IPTV, and WiMAX. There's been plenty of speculation that Cisco might be forced to buy into the mobile infrastructure arena. So Mobile Insight tips a Motorola Networks division merging with Cisco, not Ericsson. Curiously there's no mention of NEC. In order to break into the 3G and HSDPA market, NEC has been working closely with Siemens. The pair even won a contract to supply 3's HSDPA capability. This will prove even more interesting since Ericsson is managing 3's networks. Ericsson will now have to work with NEC, Siemens and now Nokia to get the HSDPA gear into place.The full Inquirer story ...Nokia and Siemens merge networks www.nokia.comwww.siemens.com
Things
are
moving
very
fast in
the
world of
GPS and
satellite
receivers.
The C710
has a
features
list for
which
you
could
easily
have
paid
twice
the
price
twelve
months
ago. Its
supplier,
Mio
Communications,
calls
the C710
a
personal
navigation
device (PND).
That's
to
convey
the
meaning
that
this
product
is
designed
to work
for
pedestrians
as well
in-vehicle.
And the
C710
comes
with a
mounting
bracket
as
standard
for you
to
install
it on a
motorbike
as well
as a
bicycle.
Bizarrely,
the C710
will
also
work as
an MP3
player,
too.
Anyway,
let's
look at
the
specs.
For
starters
there's
seven
digit
post
code
recognition
as
standard.
Previously,
manufacturers
used to
offer
four
digit
recognition
and
charge
extra
for the
full
seven
digits.
There
are maps
for 24
countries
pre-installed
on the
C710. If
you want
to
install
them
yourself
from
DVD, you
can pay
£110
less for
the
C510E
model.
But then
you'd
lose the
TMC
(Traffic
Messaging
Channel)
function
as well.
Another
feature
which
hasn't
been
tried
yet is
the
built in
safety
(speed)
camera
warning
facility.
Apparently
you get
12
months
of free
updates
included
in the
purchase
price.The
actual
navigation
part is
handled
by Mio
Map
version
3. It
was very
difficult
to pick
holes
with
this
software.
When
changing
cities
and
roads,
for
example,
Mio Map
will
beep as
soon as
it has
matched
your
initial
input.
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