RoW Short Takes

Services accessed over mobile internetUsing a mobile phone or PDA to access emergency services and driving directions tops the list of services that individuals are somewhat or very interested in accessing over the mobile Internet. Receiving sports scores and trading stocks ranks at the bottom. Source: Canadian Consumer Technology Survey, PricewaterhouseCoopers, November 2000.COM DEV signs agreement worth US$40 millionThe wireless group of COM DEV International Ltd, Cambridge ON, has received a letter of intent and initial purchase orders worth more than US$43 million. Potential supply contracts from these are valued in excess of US$100 million. COM DEV Wireless will supply a major global provider of wireless networks and equipment with RF conditioning equipment for its new third generation network. Wireless group president Roger Boivin says that these agreements solidify the company’s financial plans for the next year.Wi-LAN launches legal action against unnamed companyCalgary-based Wi-LAN Inc has launched a $780 million lawsuit against an Radiata Communications, recently targeted by Cisco Systems as a takeover target. In June of this year, the company had stated that any devices implementing this standard infringes on Wi-LAN’s patent number 2,064,975 and that it would move forward to protect it. In other Wi-LAN news, it has restated its earnings projections for the fiscal year ending Oct 31/01. It says that revenue will come in at approximately $50 million. While this is 3.5 times greater than revenue for the current fiscal year, it is well below the $84 million that financial analysts had projected. The decrease in earnings has been the result of some customers not receiving enough financing. The company anticipates reaching a break-even point at the end of next year and positive earnings the following.Nokia unveils new mobile phone for CanadaPotential mobile phone customers in Canada will get to see the new Nokia 3390 wireless phone in 2001Q1 through GSM dealers across the country. The Nokia-made 3390 makes a bold fashion statement with smooth, flowing lines, backlit metallic keys and a contrasting bezel treatment. The new phone has downloadable profiles, four exciting new games, mobile text and picture messaging and changeable front and back covers. The phone features predictive text for quicker message composition, boasts 5.5 days of stand-by time and two hours and forty minutes of talk time with standard battery. Other features include voice dialing, picture messaging, internal antenna and calendar, among others.WaveRider deploys non-line-of-sight wireless systemWaveRider Communications Inc, Toronto, has completed the first installation and deployment of its LMS 3000 system, the newest addition to the company’s portfolio of last mile Internet access products. Platinum Communications Corp of Calgary, is the first to deploy the system and has established 1Mbs Internet connections to homes and small businesses in High River AB using a prototype of the LMS 3000. The end user modem of the LMS 3000 does not require line-of-sight with the communications access point. The system operates at the licence-exempt 900 MHz frequency range. Cell-Loc creates new division to sell and license gearCell-Loc Inc, Calgary, has created a new technology division that will license and sell its location equipment. The company had previously decided not to employ this business model. Its share price has subsequently taken a hit on the stock market for reversing its strategy. The company said that this new division will enhance revenue generating opportunities by selling its Cellocate System to customers beyond its TimesThree subsidiary. The company also announced that it will separate the two divisions into distinct and independent operating companies.IDC expands security measures for Mexican universityInternational Datacasting Corp, Ottawa, and its partner Grupo Etercom SA de CV of Mexico have won a contract to expand the encryption capabilities of a Mexican technology institute’s distributed education network. The Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey’s Universidad Virtual Empressarial (UVE) provides service to more than one thousand locations across the country and other Latin American countries. This new contract is valued at US$269,000.SiGEM launches e-Ping EchoKanata ON-based SiGEM Inc has introduced its latest GPS tracking solution for the vehicle location market. E-Ping Echo is an in-vehicle location and telematics platform that, when combined with the Internet, provides precise location information to better enable asset tracking and fleet management.Microcell increases subscribers, expands network coverageMicrocell Telecommunications Inc has posted better than average churn and ARPU for the three months ending Sept 30. In Q3, post paid churn was 2.1 per cent a 30 basis point improvement over 99Q3. Prepaid churn rang in at 2.4 per cent which the company says is significantly lower than industry averages. Post paid ARPU increased from $57.59 to $59.14 quarter over quarter. Prepaid ARPU was $25.05 reflecting an average monthly usage of 80 minutes per customer. Additionally, the company has expanded its network coverage in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. Fido users can now enjoy the full benefits of digital service for the first time in Mont-Tremblant QC and Windsor ON. Coverage has been expanded around Calgary, Valleyfield QC and Hamilton. Microcell also expanded highway coverage in Quebec to include the #10 from Montreal to Sherbrooke, the #15 from Montreal to Ste-Agathe. In Ontario, highway 401 from London to Kitchener and in Alberta highway 2 from Calgary to Edmonton have been turned on.Clearnet to test location equipment from LucentClearnet Communications, part of Telus Mobility, is collaborating with Lucent Technologies on a live market trial of mobile Internet services based on clients’ locations. The trial is part of an agreement between the two companies to introduce a third-generation wireless network. Clearnet will use Lucent’s mobile Internet gateway to provide personalized wireless data services to its customers. Other participants in the trial include MobileQ Inc, Sympatico-Lycos Inc and TrafficStation Inc. Telus Mobilty president/CEO George Cope says that this new technology will enable the company to go to the next level in offering personalized, location-specific services and content to its PCS customers. Additionally, as part of the ongoing integration operations between Clearnet and Telus, the western-based wireless operator will now offer Clearnet PCS Pay & Talk prepaid wireless phones at its dealer locations across the country. Clearnet’s prepaid products will now be sold at 240 Telus Mobility dealers and other retail locations in Western Canada, while both its postpaid and prepaid products will be sold in an additional 30 dealer locations across Canada.Rogers Wireless expands coverage in western CanadaRogers AT&T Wireless Inc is making an $11-million investment to expand its wireless coverage in Manitoba. This investment builds upon the $100 million the company has already spent in the province building and expanding its network since 1988. Fifteen new cell sites will be erected by the end of January 2001, enabling 15 new communities to enjoy the benefits of full digital PCS services, including two-way messaging, caller ID, extended battery life, among other services. Communities to be turned on are: Brunkild, East Braintree, East Brandon, Gimli, Grandview, Lorette, Neepawa, Oak Bank, Portage La Prairie, Dauphin, Stonewall, Whiteridge, Winnipeg Beach and Richer. Additionally, Rogers and itravel2000 have partnered to bring online travel arrangements to BlackBerry wireless handhelds. itravel2000 hosts the only Canadian travel site that is dedicated to those who access the Internet wirelessly. Proprietary handheld-friendly and WAP software enables users to access and view content on the site regardless of the type of device.Bell Mobility and e-plicity launch mobile commerce solutionBell Mobility and e-plicity have launched a wireless payment processing service designed for the enterprise market. The product, PayLink, allows enterprise customers with mobile workers to process and authorize their customers’ cash, credit card and corporate account transactions in real time. The product will be delivered over Bell’s digital territory via PCS phones equipped with a mobile browser. Bell and e-plicity developed their partnership nearly two years ago when e-plicity was one of the successfully funded projects through Bell Mobility’s R&D fund. Enterprises in the sales, transportation, delivery and in-home sales will be able to realize significant benefits from the new service. By enabling acceptance of financial transactions with customers in the field, businesses will be able to offer customers a choice of how to pay and the result is put on the books in real time. The credit card validation is done through BCE Emergis’ secure network and its AssurePay service, which makes more than 140 million transactions annually. The first customer of the service is Taxi Coop Sainte-Foy, a member of the Quebec Taxi Industry Association representing 150 taxi drivers in Quebec City.Voice Mobility joins Phone.com AllianceVoice Mobility International Inc has joined the ranks of other wireless and communications firms in the Phone.com Alliance program as an application developer. The wireless interface of Voice Mobility’s unified communications product was developed with the Phone.com SDK to provide mobile subscribers with the ability to wirelessly retrieve voice and fax messages from a single mailbox. The Phone.com Alliance has two goals: to promote the concept of wireless information access and to coordinate the exchange of ideas and information among other alliance members.C-COM launches high-speed cellular modemC-COM Satellite Systems Inc, Ottawa, has introduced TurboCell, the first commercially available cellular modem designed to deliver high-speed digital data connections using existing cellular infrastructure. The company has also signed an agreement with Warp9 Communications to market and resell the TurboCell in North America. The modem, which connects into a USB port of any desktop or laptop computer, can send data at speeds of 56 kbs to 156 kbs which is much faster than conventional speeds of 14.4 kbs.SR Telecom joins broadband wireless industry forumSR Telecom Inc, Montreal, has joined other telecom heavy hitters as a member of the recently established Broadband Wireless Industry Forum (BWIF) The BWIF is an association of that is working towards the adoption of a broadband wireless access industry standard. The association will drive product roadmaps aimed at lowering product costs, simplifying data roll out, deploying advanced services and ensuring the availability of interoperability of standards-based solutions based on V-OFDM.JetForm expands wireless research capabilitiesJetForm Corp has acquired Joey Technologies Inc, St Petersburg FL, a R&D organization specializing in access software for the handheld mobile market. The purchase price was less than $1 million, paid for through a combination of cash and stock.

RoW Short Takes

News | November 27, 2000

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