ROW Short Takes

Nortel, Cingular ink three-year dealAmerica’s largest wireless provider, Cingular Wireless, has signed a three-year deal with Nortel Networks Corp. to supply wireless network services and equipment. Under the agreement, Cingular’s network expansion and subscriber growth will be bolstered by Nortel’s GSM and UMTS wireless voice core technology, thus reducing costs and increasing network reliability for the carrier. "This contract represents a new footprint for Nortel and is a testament to our leadership in voice over packet technology and 3G wireless broadband solutions," said Nortel’s president and CEO Mike Zafirovski in a news release. BelAir introduces wireless mesh solution for cellular backhaulOttawa-based Belair Networks has launched BelAir200, the industry’s first wireless mesh backhaul solution for mobile networks. The solution supports direct connection to GSM or 3G microcell and picocell base stations through a T1/E1 circuit emulation module, and the use of wireless mesh to interconnect microcells for cellular backhaul traffic allows operators to save significantly over traditional T1 and E1 lines. Said Philip Marshall, VP of Yankee Group, in a press release: "Cell sites are currently connected with point-to-point links, which are prohibitively expensive for micro- and pico-cellular sites. The Belair solution is the first wireless mesh that delivers the timing and quality of service required for cellular backhaul across multiple hops." As well as operational cost savings, Belair lists reduced installation costs, improved reliability and increased network flexibility as benefits of its cellular backhaul system. Nokia, Sanyo intend to form new global companyElectronics giants Sanyo, and Nokia have entered into a preliminary agreement to form a global company from their respective CDMA mobile phone businesses. The new entity will operate separate of the parent companies and will have major operations in San Diego and Osaka and Tottori, Japan. "We identified this new entity as the best way to create an attractive CDMA phone portfolio for our customers with the widest possible product offering at the high-end, mid-rage and entry levels," said Nokia’s president and COO, Pekka Kallasvuo in a news release. Final agreements of the partnership are expected to be signed in Q2 2006, with new business commencing in Q3. McAfee offers end-to-end security solution set for mobileMcAfee Mobile Security is the new mobile security platform from McAfee Inc. The company’s mobile security solutions will cover anti-virus, firewall, content filtering, anti-spam and anti-spyware capabilities. The key functionality of the new product will be support for mobile devices. Being billed as the "the only product designed from the ground up for mobile protection," VirusScan will protect devices against threats originating from email, instant messaging and Internet downloads. "McAfee is already the clear leader in security solutions for mobile devices protecting more than 17 million end-users," said Victor Kouznetsov, senior VP McAfee Mobile Security, in a news release. "We also have established technology leadership with solutions that have been designed and architected specifically for mobile handset terminals so they offer superior efficiency and flexibility versus products adapted from PC technologies." MasterCard and Cineplex team up with PayPassMoviegoers who carry a PayPass-enabled MasterCard will soon be able to buy tickets and concessions simply by tapping their card on PayPass readers thanks to a partnership between Cineplex Entertainment LP and MasterCard Canada. "By adding the MasterCard PayPass feature to our box office and concessions, we hope to expedite our speed of service and reduce line-ups in our theatres," said Pat Marshall, VP communications and investor relations for Cineplex, in a press release. The program will begin at three different theatres in the Greater Toronto Area, and expand to over 100 more across Canada throughout the year. Tough road ahead for 3G data and Wi-Fi: In-StatScottsdale AZ-based research firm, In-Stat, reports 3G cellular data and for-pay Wi-Fi services are going to be a tough sell, due to lack of perceived value and the availability of free services respectively. According to a press release from In-Stat, "More than 60% sometimes or always plan their travel with Wi-Fi availability as a consideration; laptop/notebook computers are used for mobile data almost twice as often as cell phones; more than one-third of Wi-Fi users use only free Wi-Fi connections, and 18.9% use Wi-Fi only at home or at work." Added In-Stat analyst Allyn Hall: "So far, neither service has found the sweet spot, the perfect balance of speed, coverage, and price." Motorola Canada, Tarsin team up for data backup offeringTarsin Ltd., a UK-based mobile software development firm, has joined forces with Motorola Canada to roll out a mobile backup and restoration application to more than 800 stores in Canada. Motorola Backup allows consumers to backup, retrieve and restore their mobile phone data from the phone’s memory or SIM card, over the air, by storing customers’ phonebooks on the Motorola server. "It’s bad enough when you upgrade handsets to re-enter all data to the new model, but the effects can be devastating to users should contact data be totally lost if the phone is mislaid, stolen or damaged," said Bill Tincup, VP business development for Tarsin, in a news release. "This type of loss could be extremely debilitating, so we designed a software application which gives users a cost-effective way to help safeguard their data." Aliant launches high-speed wireless in HalifaxAliant’s High-Speed Wireless service is now available in Halifax offering data speeds up to 2.4 Mbps. The company is also investing $20 million in Evolution Data Optimized (EvDO) network technology to be provided by Nortel Networks Corp. "Aliant’s EvDO upgrade will effectively transform its wireless network to deliver true mobile broadband services to Atlantic Canada," said Ken McIver, major account VP for Nortel, in a news release. "As a supplier to more than half of the world’s commercially-launched EvDO networks, Nortel has seen the potential this technology has for improving and changing the way people communicate." The EvDO service should be available to about 60% of the customers in Atlantic Canada by the end of 2007. Digital Dispatch gains recognition from AAA/CAARichmond BC-based Digital Dispatch Systems Inc. has won AAA’s 2005 Preferred Supplier of the Year award. The company, which provides mobile data solutions for fleet and mobile workforce management, was recognized for its work in the roadside assistance market. "Our rapid expansion in this market has been made possible to a great extent by AAA National’s integration of their software application to our Windows CE-based iPilot 8000 mobile computer," said Digital Dispatch’s director of business development, Geoffrey Goldsmith-Jones, in a press release. Past recipients of the award include Nextel and the National Automotive Parts Association. CSI Wireless secures international distributors for GSM phonesAccess Telecom Inc., Anglo-Nordic, and Wireless Market Rendszerhaz Kft have all agreed to distribute the new 405 Series and 415 Series GSM phones from Calgary-based CSI Wireless Inc. The 405 Series is an entry-level fixed wireless phone, while the 415 is enabled with Internet and speaker phone capabilities. CSI Wireless designs and builds the phones, which are then available to cellular carriers and retailers for customized branding. The company’s Motorola-branded FX800t product is the largest selling TDMA fixed wireless phone in Latin America. Anglo-Nordic and Wireless Market will begin distributing phones immediately in Finland and Hungary, respectively, and Access Telecom will bring them to the US market in April.

ROW Short Takes

News | 03/09/2006 5:00 am EST

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