RoW Short Takes

Mobile revenue continues to gain groundRevenue from mobile and paging services continues to grow at a healthy pace, finally surpassing long distance revenue last year. The chart below illustrates the changes in revenue for long distance, local, mobile, Internet and other telecommunications services. Internet and mobile revenue had the largest growth rates with 50.9% and 16.2% respectively. Mobile and paging revenue increased from $5.8 billion to $6.8 billion from 2000 to 2001. Charles Dalfen, chair of the CRTC, presented the figures at EXPO COMM Canada 2002 last week in Toronto. Research in Motion lands key licensing dealsWaterloo ON-based Research in Motion Ltd. has landed three key technology licensing agreements. Cell phone giant Nokia has agreed to license certain BlackBerry software. Under terms of the agreement, Nokia has the right to use and distribute BlackBerry software in conjunction with Nokia products on a global basis. The company has also agreed to drop a lawsuit against Handspring Inc. in return for a licensing agreement covering certain aspects of RIM’s keyboard technology. Thirdly, Palm Inc. has signed a deal that would see it use RIM’s keyboard technology in future products. The estimated values of the deals were not disclosed. The three licensing agreements helped push the stock price higher last week. RIM has been trying to get its licensing program on track for years, but only now seems to be taking hold. fSONA Communications introduces FSO video productfSONA Communications, Vancouver, has announced the commercial availability of the SONAbeam 270-M. The company’s latest free-space optics (FSO) product is designed for the transport of digital video. The 270-M is part of a family of products that offer wireless transmission of digital video and is specifically designed for SMPTE standards providing 360 Mbps. It also supports HDTV, SDI and DVB-ASI digital video standards. The SONAbeam 270-M enables the extension of the video network to remote production locations resulting in cost savings. 3COM introduces two new WLAN products 3COM Canada has introduced two new wireless local area network (WLAN) products. The Wireless LAN PC card, which offers 11 Mbps data throughput rates, features the patented design of the retractable XJACK antenna and also has enhanced software capabilities improving security. The Wireless LAN Outdoor Bridge Solution is designed with a weatherproof enclosure to withstand adverse weather conditions, while maintaining connectivity. Mobile Knowledge gains another customerOttawa-based Mobile Knowledge Inc. has signed a key contract with Yellow Checker Cab Company Inc. of San Jose CA. The value of the contract is US$300,000. The company recently entered the California market and this contract bolsters Mobile Knowledge’s presence in the lucrative market. CSI Wireless releases new line of GPS receiversCSI Wireless Inc. of Calgary has introduced its new Vector line of GPS heading sensors that allow users to maintain accurate headings without the high cost of implementing traditional gyro compasses or competing GPS-based systems. The Vector product family includes the Vector ST for the global marine market and the Vector Sensor for the machine control market, which includes agricultural and heavy construction equipment. The ST is a dual-antenna system integrated into a single enclosure, while the Sensor separates the two antennas providing even greater accuracy. 01 Communique begins shipping product in Japan01 Communique Laboratory Inc. and Hitachi Business Solutions Co. Ltd. have announced that the Japanese version of the I’m InTouch unified communications system is now shipping in Japan. Dubbed DoMobile, the product offers the same features and functionality as the regular version. Hitachi expects to sign up approximately 500,000 subscribers in the next three years. Spotwave releases new coverage extension productsSpotwave Wireless Inc. has announced the commercial availability of two new products: the SpotCell 111 for GSM and TDMA networks and the SpotCell 112 for CDMA systems, both operating in the 1900 MHZ band. As the revenue potential of wireless data grows, carriers will need to ensure their subscribers have the greatest possible coverage, the company notes. "SpotCell 111 and SpotCell 112 provide carriers with the means to offer these customers more accessibility and greater coverage for their wireless devices such as PDAs, pocket PCs and mobile phones with data storage and transfer capabilities," Spotwave president and CEO Shane Young said in a news release. 724 Solutions announces deal with ACCESSToronto-based 724 Solutions Inc. and Japan-based ACCESS have announced an interoperability agreement. ACCESS’ NetFront browser technology and 724 Solutions’ X-treme Mobility Gateways are now interoperable and provide mobile network operators with the opportunity to use NetFront-enabled handsets with 724 Solutions’ WAP-based infrastructure. WaveRider products used in Georgia networkWaveRider Communications Inc. has announced that its non-line-of-sight wireless infrastructure equipment is being used to build a high-speed wireless broadband network in Fort Valley GA as part of that state’s multi-phased GeorgiaSpeed.Net project. NetStar Communications will install and support the equipment, and will work with Tri-State Broadband Inc. in the installation and maintenance of the hybrid fibre wireless system. The system officially launched on October 29. At the time of the launch, more than 150 businesses and residents had pre-signed up for the service. Belnet lights up wireless network in OttawaBelnet Communications Inc. has turned on a wireless network in the World Exchange Plaza in Ottawa. Capitalizing on the growing "hot spot" phenomenon, the company is trying to show the viability of these types of networks. The network is tied into other public access networks through Airpath Wireless, a global hot spot roaming aggregator, meaning that users with existing accounts can simply log on to the network. New users can subscribe at the Plaza and buy airtime with their credit card or over the counter. Mitec Telecom joins Flarion Technology allianceMitec Telecom Inc. has been invited to join Flarion Technologies’ Alliance Program for always-on mobile broadband communications. Mitec will provide power amplifier products and related technology for Flarion’s RadioRouter base stations. The goal of the program is to push the adoption of Flarion’s flash-OFDM mobile broadband system by global mobile network operators. SkyWave Mobile secures second-round financingSkyWave Mobile Communications Inc. has scored second-round financing worth $19.3 million from McLean Watson Capital and Investissment Desjardins. Proceeds of the funding will be used to accelerate the company’s business plan in two areas. A portion of the funding will go to expanding and improving network infrastructure for current and potential partners and clients, particularly those in the Americas and Asia regions. The balance of the financing will go to build on the momentum of SkyWave Mobile’s sales and marketing efforts. The company plans to grow its sales force in Asia and the United States and will roll out a number of industry-specific marketing programs. Toronto-based law firm launches wireless projectMcMillan Binch LLP has launched a wireless local area network (WLAN) pilot project at its headquarters in Toronto. The project enables lawyers to connect to the Internet and corporate intranet from anywhere in the office. The firm eventually wants to provide connectivity to its lawyers from a larger downtown wireless campus. "Other firms may have wireless access points but McMillan Binch expects to be the first legal professional service business in Toronto with a firm wide network wireless solution," managing partner Graham Scott said in a news release. Colligo announces support for new software, devicesVancouver-based Colligo Networks Inc. has announced that its Bluetooth collaboration tools will be supported on Palm Inc.’s Tungsten handheld and Microsoft Corp.’s Tablet PC software. At the launch of Tablet PC in New York last week, Microsoft demonstrated the Colligo Workgroup Edition software, which enables secure collaboration and data synchronization on the fly. The company also announced that its products will now be bundled with Palm’s Tungsten handheld, building on the success of a previous arrangement between the two companies (RoW, March 5/02). "The breadth of Tungsten’s features combined with our flexible, easy-to-use software make it the perfect solution for business professionals that need to interact on the go," Colligo’s president and CEO Barry Jinks said in a news release.

RoW Short Takes

News | November 12, 2002

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