ROW Short Takes

ITU enables global wireless number portability The International Telecommunication Union has allocated the country +878 code to VISIONng Association so that it can eventually introduce global wireless number portability for its members. VISIONng plans to offer its members a unique Universal personal Telecommunications Number (UPTN) that will allow global portability regardless of geography or telecommunications carrier including those using new IP-based technologies. According to Roy Blane, chair of the ITU-T Study Group 2, ITU standards for UPT will greatly enable companies’ ability to operate across international markets, and will benefit consumers by allowing them to be reached anywhere in the world on any communications device. Telus begins testing on location-based servicesTelus has begun testing a voice business portal service from ViaVis Mobile Solutions that delivers location-based information about businesses, restaurants, events, movies, directions and more. Using Telus’ two provincial portals myBC.com, Alberta.com and myTO.com, callers will be able to find the closest music store location, for example, through recorded audio and text-to-speech technology. This service also enables the user to check specific information in other cities that the user will be visiting later that day, for example, because the service is not dependent on the current location of the caller. Paradigm secures financing to complete product deliveryThe PowerLOC division of Paradigm Advanced Technologies Inc. has set up a $2.5 million financing facility that will enable the company to complete the delivery of certain products to customers. Production Finance International LLC of Spokane WA and KBK Financial Inc. of Fort Worth TX are providing the financing. Mitchell Cohen of JAS Commercial Corp., which helped facilitate the transaction, has been watching the company with a close eye and plans to "assist Paradigm in expanding this facility as the company’s sales increase." Mobile Computing gets more financing from TelesystemToronto-based Mobile Computing Corp. has hit milestones enabling it to cash in on an additional level of financing from certain investors including Charles Sirois’ Telesystem Ltd. A stipulation in its originally deal signed last month allowed the company to get the additional funding if specific conditions had been met (RoW, Aug. 21/01). Other participants in this round included the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Board and The Vengrowth Investment Fund Inc. IDC wins contract for distance learning projectInternational Datacasting Corp., Ottawa, has signed a contract valued at $1.1 million for the supply of its SuperFlex broadband system to provide video and data services in a distance learning project. The customer is a government in Mexico. It declined to be named for certain policy reasons. The system will be used to provide training and skills upgrades to personnel at more than 100 remote sites across the country. The system also includes broadband multimedia content distribution as well as broadcast video using the same core infrastructure and satellite carrier. The customer will integrate the system into its own wide area network to enable two-way interactive connectivity. 3Com releases Wi-Fi workgroup bridgeThe Canadian subsidiary of 3Com has unveiled its latest wireless Ethernet bridge that supports the Wi-Fi wireless LAN standard. It offers cost-effective wired-to-wireless bridging for any Ethernet-enabled device to any Wi-Fi wireless LAN infrastructure. CSI Wireless signs contract with Case brand companyCalgary-based CSI Wireless Inc. has signed a $4-million supply agreement with CNH Global NV, one of the world’s largest manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment. CNH is the manufacturer of the popular Case farm equipment brand. Case Construction Equipment has incorporated CSI’s AssetVision product as the GPS tracking component of the brand’s new FleetLink asset-tracking service in North America. SiGe Semiconductor signs deal with Cypress SemiconductorSiGe Semiconductor Inc., Ottawa, has announced plans to collaborate with San Jose CA-based Cypress Semiconductor on a new silicon germanium (SiGe) process technology. Under terms of the deal, SiGe will combine its RF process and device modeling expertise with Cypress’ BiCMOS and manufacturing capabilities. Production-ready SiGe processes are expected to be ready in the first quarter of 2002. The two companies will then collaborate on new chips based on the innovative process. Business wireless LAN market continues to growThe business wireless LAN market showed resilience during the first half of 2001 posting a growth rate that exceeded expectations, even in the midst of an economic downturn. According to Cahners In-Stat Group, growth was buoyed by strong sales to vertical markets, including education, retail, financial and healthcare as well as in traditional wireless LAN network build out. North America continued to lead the way in market share with Asia Pacific and Europe posting strong growth. The wireless LAN network interface cards (NICs) market was dominated by Agere and Cisco, while Linksys, D-Link, Netgear, SMC and others battled it out in the equipment market. OKAMLogic gets second-round funding from AliantHalifax-based OKAMLogic Inc. has received a second investment from Aliant Telecom’s wireless R&D fund to continue developing and commercializing its speech-enabled wireless application. The WireFree Voice Commerce Gateway provides users with an entry into their corporate networks and corporate information from any phone. The platform provides a core, scalable, voice-enabled service delivery platform for deployment of voice applications across multiple industry verticals. Rogers enables taxi ordering with a click of a buttonRogers Wireless Communications Inc. has introduced a simple way for Canadians to order a taxi without having to know the phone number. Customers can simply dial #taxi and be connected to the first available taxi company in the area or to the taxi company of the user’s choice. The service costs $0.95 a call, plus local airtime. The #TAXI service, provided by CellWand Communications, allows users to connect to more than 100 taxi companies in 400 Canadian cities through its voice activated service. Customers simply state the city and province they are calling from and can then request to be connected to a specific taxi company or the first available service. 01 Communique launches next-generation productToronto-based 01 Communique Laboratory Inc. has unveiled the next generation of its unified communication product, I’m InTouch, remote access service. The latest version is ideally suited for the small- and medium-sized business market that is looking for cost-effective remote access to company email and PC files not traditionally available. Anthony de Fazekas, a partner in law firm and patent and trademark agents Keyser, mason, Ball, LLP, said that the new version of I’m InTouch is a simple solution that supports the BlackBerry and other similar technologies. Cell-Loc reaches deal on production and joint ventureCalgary-based Cell-Loc Inc. has reached a deal with two companies in China that will license Cell-Loc’s technology and to create a joint venture to offer location-based services. This deal should help Cell-Loc in convincing the wireless industry that its location-based services technology can be a viable option for wireless carriers here and abroad. Cell-Loc’s partners are A-INFO Electronic Technology Group Inc. and Chongqing Jinmei Communications Co. Ltd. The new operating company will be called Cell-Loc (Chongqing) Wireless Location Inc. and will hold the exclusive licence to use the company’s CDMA signal location technology. The deal is subject to regulatory approval. Craig Wireless to launch wireless system in B.C.Craig Wireless International Inc.’s BC-based MDS company has optioned equipment from IP Wireless to be the primary backbone of its wireless high-speed network. IP Wireless is the same company that Inukshuk Internet Inc. used in its trials for its MCS service offering. SkyCable is set to begin offering commercial services next spring and will then launch the network in Winnipeg the following year. There is still no word whether the company will actually deploy digital wireless cable services as part of a licence it received last year. Earlier this year, the company received an extension on its MDS licence, and has until July 2002 to implement its wireless cable offering (RoW, Aug. 21/01). Aliant Telecom lights up two new cell sites, third soonAliant Telecom Wireless has turned on two new cell sites and is close to going live with a third on the south coast of Newfoundland. The two completed sites are in Mermitage-Sandyville and Ramea and the one in Harbour Breton is nearing completion. All three sites will provide analog coverage.

ROW Short Takes

News | December 11, 2001

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