RoW International Short Takes

Aperto gear approved for sale California-based Aperto Networks received the green light to begin selling its broadband wireless access equipment into the Canadian market. Industry Canada granted the company approval on Jan. 7. The gear operates in the 3.5 GHz band. Aperto had previously received Canadian approval to sell 5 GHz band equipment. Antenova signs agreementAntenova, a U.K.-based smart antenna developer, has signed an agreement with Cambridge Consultants to jointly market advanced antenna systems to the wireless industry. The deal is expected to shorten time to market for smart antenna products. In other Antenova news, the company has released a new multi-directional antenna to support the emerging mobile location-based services market. The antenna minimizes interference by dividing the space around it into three sectors. The antenna represents the first commercial release of the company’s smart antenna technology. Navini partners with TINavini Networks Inc. has signed a strategic partnership with Texas Instruments to use its digital signal processing chip technology in customer premise equipment (CPE). This will enable Navini to develop higher performance CPE at a reduced cost with increased functionality. 33% of global population to own wireless devices by 2008The Strategis Group projects that one-third of the global population will have a wireless device by 2008. In a benchmark study, the telecommunications research firm indicates that the arrival of next-generation wireless devices and services will spur demand across global markets. The group also projects that more than 480 million devices will be sold this year. In another study, the Yankee Group takes a more conservative approach and predicts that about 435 million handsets will be sold around the world. That report goes on to say that while European sales declined eight per cent in 2001, a modest uptake of 2.4 per cent will happen in 2002. Wavecom selected by GSTHong Kong-based GST has selected Wavesom SA’s wireless standard modules (WISMO) as the wireless "brain" for its e938 PDA, one of the world’s first English-Chinese PDAs. The e938 is a PDA and mobile phone combined into a single unit that has been described as a "mobile office." The WISMO provides GSM/GPRS functionality including voice capability as well as Internet, email, fax and short messaging service. The e938 measures 135x75x20.9mm and weighs 170 grams. Advertising groups mergeAdvertising groups from the U.S. and the U.K. have decided to merge operations. Both the U.S.-based Wireless Advertising Association and the U.K.-based Wireless Marketing Association, which focused on developing standards for advertising transmitted to wireless devices, decided to merge on Jan. 10/02. The new group will operate under the Mobile Marketing Association moniker. Representatives from the new group said they will continue promoting the industry’s growth, establish effective standards and to support user privacy and consumer protection. The Mobile Marketing Association will hold its first meeting on Jan. 28 in conjunction with the Mobile Marketing & Advertising Conference in London. U.S. carriers want to spike local number portabilityA plethora of U.S.-based wireless carriers want to squash a plan to force them to offer local number portability by the end of this year. After fighting for the requirement for years, Verizon Wireless and its rivals want the Federal Communications Commission to scrap the plan. Wireless operators are now arguing that implementing such a service would be cost-prohibitive and that it’s not necessary to promote competition. However, some of the smaller wireless carriers are opposed to the Verizon petition, saying that eliminating the requirement will help large operators

RoW International Short Takes

News | 01/22/2002 5:00 am EST

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