Canadian firms make big announcements at Mobile World Congress

Mobile World Congress is always an event where key stakeholders in the wireless communications ecosystem come to make big announcements and unveil revolutionary technologies, services or applications. This year was no different with some Canadian firms introducing new products. Below is a collection of some of those announcements. Intrinsyc Software International Inc. The Vancouver-based firm made two announcements at the event in Barcelona. First, it added 3G and touch-screen support to its feature phone development platform Soleus and it added greater support for independent software vendors (ISVs). Soleus allows for a quicker time to market for Windows-based mobile devices, services and applications. On the technology front, both upgrades are part of the company's 2008 product roadmap. Third-generation network support will be available in the second quarter of 2008, while touch screen support and other advanced user interface developments will hit the market in Q4 2008. Picsel Technologies, VisualOn Inc. and Westtek LLC are the latest ISVs to sign up with Intrinsyc's alliance program. The initiative allows ISVs to reach new consumer markets with minimal incremental development by using Microsoft developer tools. Sandvine Inc. The Waterloo ON-based company, which has grabbed some headlines lately for enabling ISPs to prioritize traffic over their network, demonstrated an application that allows wireless operators to identify and track subscribers' data usage in real time. This gives the mobile operator the ability to notify subscribers when they approach their limit of data and also enables the customer to buy more data if he/she needs to. "This functionality lets mobile data providers monitor and charge the subscriber for application usage, track historical usage and monitor the network for congestion, especially during peak hours," read a news release. Nortel Networks Corp. The telecommunications equipment giant showed off the ability to make a WiMAX VoIP call using 2G and 3G networks. Nortel said this allows operators to leverage previous investments while enabling the migration to newer advanced services. GSM and UMTS wireless operators can now look to Nortel as they evolve to 4G as a provider of cost-effective technology that can support a broad range of network protocols and services. "This industry-first demonstration proves that Nortel is committed to designing solutions that protect wireless operator investments, allowing them to support today's subscriber demand for voice and text services as well as future 4G services like end-to-end IP and high-quality streaming video," Graham Richardson, GM for GSM networks at Nortel. Sierra Wireless Inc. The Vancouver-based company made a number of announcements at Mobile World Congress, but two of the more important include new AirCard modems for high-speed packet access (HSPA) networks, as well as a new products for the machine to machine (M2M) market. For laptop users, the AirCard 885E ExpressCard and the Compass 885 USB modem were unveiled and are small, full-featured high-speed mobile broadband solutions. Compatible with mobile broadband networks worldwide, the Compass modem is the only product in its class to include a connector for an external antenna, which allows users in areas where network coverage is poor to extend and strengthen their connection to the network. With a more compact ExpressCard design, the AirCard 885E is an ideal wireless modem for people who regularly travel with a notebook computer that includes an ExpressCard slot. The M2M market has become increasingly important to Sierra Wireless and the company introduced at the event a new line of M2M radios for the European region. "The expansion of mobile broadband networks across Europe has opened up new opportunities for enterprises to improve business processes by utilizing wireless data in a variety of critical applications, such as remote data collection, security and infrastructure monitoring, fleet management, and mobile point-of-sale transactions," said Jim Lahey, VP of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Sierra Wireless. Bridgewater Systems The Ottawa-based firm announced several new initiatives at the global event, but one of its more important is support for converged networks. The company announced support for fixed mobile convergence networks based on a number of protocols including, unlicensed mobile access, voice call continuity, and wireless LAN. "The Bridgewater FMC solution allows GSM/UMTS and fixed service providers worldwide to meet the challenges of supporting subscribers dynamically across whichever access network they choose, and provide a seamless subscriber service experience, operational efficiencies, and a migration path to support Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and converged IMS core networks," read a news release. Bridgewater is also making it easier for ISPs to allocate IP addresses in more a dynamic way. The company's product improves both the overall scalability of the network, and the experience for the subscriber by giving them access to the network and applications faster and more efficiently. The company also announced that seven WiMAX operators have chosen to deploy Bridgewater's service control solutions, which enable operators to view each subscriber's context - the network and device being used, network quality of service, as well as the subscriber's profile. "This provides operators with the tools they need to support key WiMAX applications such as over the air provisioning, lawful intercept, and subscriber service control across networks," read a news release.

Canadian firms make big announcements at Mobile World Congress

News | February 19, 2008

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