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Barcelona: a digestive tract

Friday, 24 February 2006

An exhaustive (and for that matter downright exhausting) round-up of news from the 3GSM Congress.

Despite doubts about the wisdom of the move from Cannes, the 2006 3GSM World Congress was a smash hit in its new home in Barcelona: more than 960 stands and in excess of 50,000 visitors would suggest as much. There were quibbles about the distances between the extended Fira exhibition site, about overcrowding (Hall 8 was impassable most of the time) and about security – but overall the decision to move the world’s largest mobile show was shown to be a wise one.

Interestingly, unlike previous 3GSM events, it was hard to find a single theme that was getting everyone’s attention. Before the show it was expected that the big talking point would be IMS (IP-Multimedia Subsystem) but although there were a lot of vendors pushing IMS, the buzz did not seem to be there.

Much the same could be said of mobile TV, a hot topic in the run up to the show but strangely muted at the actual Congress. Part of the reason for this could be the continuing conflict over which technology should be used for mobile TV but another reason could be that operators are beginning to have doubts that this technology really does represent an ARPU booster.

For some observers, content was the big thing at 3GSM and there was certainly a fantastic range of different services and applications on show. Whether many of them will survive in the harsh world of commercial reality and become compelling and widely used is doubtful, but at least there are plenty of companies thinking outside the box.

An interesting early development was the announcement by the GSM Association’s heaviest hitting operator groups that they planned to join forces to introduce standardised instant messaging. Already reported on Telecomredux, this represents a tremendous volte face compared to only a few months ago when some operators were signing one-on-one agreements with the big IM players and others were expressing considerable doubts as to the viability of the IM model in the mobile space. O tempora! O mores!

As usual there were a plethora of news announcements and a number of these have been chosen for inclusion in our 3GSM round-up. Please consult a physician before reading what follows.
Ian Channing

Confone has added more than 20 new operator members to its broker solution, Key2Roam, including major Tier 1 players in developed mature markets. This brings the total number of networks using this service to around 80.

Thomson has been chosen by SiOL.net, a subsidiary of Telekom Slovenije, for the deployment of its Cirpack softswitches to support the delivery of VoIP to customers throughout Slovenia. In Latin America, Thomson has signed an agreement for the deployment of its softswitches with Americatel, in Chile which provides services in Guatamala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Fastmobile’s 'fmX' software platform is to be used in a trial with two of India's most successful mobile operators, Airtel and Idea Cellular. It is one of several projects being coordinated by the GSM Association to explore how advanced mobile technologies might be used in developing countries. Both operators have agreed to deploy the 'fastmobile experience' (fmX) software for the trial period.

The GSM Association (GSMA) and Intel announced an initiative to
facilitate and drive the adoption of GSM laptop computers. The GSMA and Intel will collaborate to develop guidelines for integrating 3G modems and SIM cards into laptop computers, enabling automatic connection to both 3GSM networks and Wi-Fi networks around the world - using the same SIM card technology used by mobile phones.

NTT DoCoMo released a new FOMA N902i mobile handset developed by NEC in Japan with Sasken's Multimedia Solutions. This announcement follows on the launch of NTT DoCoMo's FOMA N902i model, incorporating Sasken's multimedia solutions. Sasken's multimedia solution is delivered to NEC on OMAP 2 processor architecture.

GrameenPhone Ltd., the largest telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh, awarded a contract to Ericsson to expand its GSM/EDGE network and prepare the core network for all IP. The US$150mn contract is to be implemented over a period of two years.

Ericsson will provide WAP billing in the UK for ZapDance, a leading Norwegian developer of mobile internet portals. ZapDance is now able to provide an end-to-end WAP solution, with Ericsson IPX supplying the white-label billing element. This solution makes it possible for content and application providers to maintain brand ownership throughout the purchase process, which reduces the number of customers lost at the billing stage.

Colombia Telecomunicaciones, the largest wireless telecom operator in Columbia, selected Comverse's Kenan FX customer care and billing Solution. The solution will replace its legacy systems, allowing Colombia Telecomunicaciones to optimize its billing function by consolidating disparate systems and increasing the flexibility required to support a major business transformation effort that includes upgrading to IP-based networks.

First National Bank (FNB), one of the leading banks in Africa, has selected Clickatell to extend its inContact alert service to Namibia. FNB's inContact service immediately alerts customers of any transactions on their bank accounts via a text message to their mobile phones. This allows customers to monitor and detect any fraudulent activity on their accounts, confirm transactions and keep up-to-date with their account balances.

Telefónica de España has deployed VoIP services based on the BroadWorks VoIP application platform. The service, deployed over the Ericsson infrastructure, is one of the first IMS deployments delivering VoIP services to the residential and SME markets.

Lucent Technologies and Ubiquity Software have struck an agreement to deliver key IMS-ready applications and related communications technology to service providers worldwide. Under the agreement, Lucent is integrating Ubiquity's SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) Application Server and applications as part of its IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem)-based solution portfolio.

Sun Cellular, the fastest growing GSM operator in the Philippines has selected Ericsson's Mobile Softswitch solution and Base Station Subsystem (BSS) equipment for its GSM expansion in the Visayas and Mindanao region. Implementation of the turnkey contract, which includes the supply, delivery and deployment of equipment and solutions, is scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2006.

Vodafone Spain is deploying Motorola's Push-To-Talk over Cellular (PoC) handset and server solution to subscribers nationwide. Vodafone will initially offer the one-touch communication service to business customers, and plans to extend the solution to other subscribers over time.

Cingular Wireless has signed a three-year contract with Nortel to provide GSM and UMTS wireless voice core technology to support Cingular's rapid network expansion and subscriber growth and help enable Cingular to reduce costs, increase network reliability and improve the quality of service for subscribers through the use of a more cost efficient, packet-switched core network.

Portal Software announced the immediate availability of an integrated financial solution that combines Portal 7 Revenue Management with Revenue Management and Contract Accounting functionality from SAP for Telecommunications. The combined solution has been designed to give greater financial control to communications service providers, which will allow them to maximize their revenue streams and quickly react to changing market conditions and customer requirements.

Nokia and Sanyo have signed a preliminary agreement with intent to form a new global company comprised of their respective CDMA mobile phones businesses –separate from the parent companies. The new entity will have major operations in San Diego, USA as well as Osaka and Tottori, Japan. The relevant assets from both companies will be contributed or made available for the new entity. Final agreements are expected to be signed in the second quarter of 2006, with the new business expected to commence operations in the third quarter 2006, provided that the due diligence has been completed and all necessary regulatory approvals obtained.

Kodiak Networks and Sagem Orga announced the availability of Kodiak SIMpower on Sagem Orga Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards. This relationship addresses growing carrier demand for advanced voice services applications on SIM modules that can be quickly and efficiently launched into the wireless marketplace.

Sasken's Services Division and Open-Plug have formed a partnership which will allow Sasken to provide software integration and project management services to handset makers using the Open-Plug ELIPS platform. As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the Services Division of Sasken will setup an Open-Plug Competence Centre that will focus on building capabilities around the ELIPS open software platform. The Competence Centre will also work with Open-Plug to develop reference demonstrators based on ELIPS.

MIND has been chosen by Iskon Internet, a leading Croatian internet provider for the deployment of MIND's carrier-grade, convergent billing and customer care solution for Iskon's cutting edge IP based services. MIND will provide an end-to-end solution for billing, customer care mediation and provisioning for these services.

Followap is providing interconnectivity for Vodafone's Instant Messaging service. Vodafone Messenger customers can now seamlessly interact with Vodafone Messenger users from other countries, and with other operators. Vodafone customers are identified by their mobile number. Other instant messaging users can also use their mobile phones or their Internet Instant Messaging to interact with Vodafone customers just as they do with anyone else on their buddy list.

BorderWare Technologies and, PostX announced a strategic, global partnership to provide a comprehensive policy-based email security solution to address regulatory and compliance concerns. Under the partnership, BorderWare will integrate PostX email encryption technology into MXtreme, an email security appliance providing end-to-end secure email management. The joint solution delivers integrated email security and outbound content management with secure content delivery to anyone at anytime.

Openwave Systems has licensed its Openwave Phone Suite Version 7 (V7) to Sagem Communication for integration into its newest handset, the myW-7. Building on the successful launch of multiple 2 and 2.5G handsets with V7, SAGEM myW-7 mobile phone is the first SAGEM 3G phone to feature V7.

The Colibria Companion IM and Presence Server is being deployed in the Spanish market for Telefonica Móviles España, the region's premier mobile operator. Mobile instant messaging is seen as an important extension to Telefonica Móviles España's existing messaging services. The Movistar Messenger service will enable subscribers to send instant messages, and view their contacts' Presence, both from a PC client and a variety of mobile clients.

Avaya's Communication Manager now supports the Nokia Series 80 smart phones, such as the Nokia 9300 and the Nokia 9300i enterprise smart phones and the Nokia 9500 Communicator. This lets workers use a single mobile device that contains key functions usually found on a desktop business phone, and that keeps users easily accessible wherever they go.

Danger has formed a content partnership with Kicker Online, one of the most popular sports news properties in Europe. Leveraging Danger's mobile Internet platform, Kicker Online will supply a broad range of premium sports content, principally for T-Mobile Germany but in some cases for distribution in other countries. Together Danger, Kicker, and its development partner Dynetic will develop six different applications that will put real-time, personalized news and information right in the hands of sports fans.

Comneon has selected Kineto's UMA client technology for integration into its mobile software platform consisting of Comneon's GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS protocol stack and APOXI Application Framework. Handset developers can use the resulting solution to rapidly introduce new UMA-enabled mobile handsets to market.

TTPCom and Kineto Wireless announced a collaboration to pre-integrate UMA capability with TTPCom's portfolio of GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS cellular protocol stacks. As a result, customers will be able to rapidly develop mass market handsets that combine Wi-Fi and cellular with seamless handover of calls between the two bearers. The availability of UMA on lower cost platforms will serve to increase its adoption in mass markets. The combination of EDGE and UMA is particularly attractive to the many operators who have also committed to EDGE for high speed data and capacity.

Actix has formed a distribution partnership in Italy with Teleca, an international IT services company focused on R&D that develops and integrates advanced software and information technology solutions. Teleca Italia will supply Italian mobile wireless operators with all of Actix' market leading 2G, 2.5G and 3G network planning, rollout, troubleshooting, and optimization solutions. Teleca will also provide consulting services based on its Service Monitoring product and Actix' solutions in Italy.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers has selected the Sierra Wireless MC8755 PCI Express Mini Card modules to provide integrated HSDPA/UMTS network connectivity to specific models in its LIFEBOOK Professional Notebook Series, simplifying access to online information and corporate applications for mobile professionals. The AirCard Enabled LIFEBOOK notebooks from Fujitsu Siemens Computers will be available to mobile professionals in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa as of Q2, 2006.

O2 is planning to launch a Music Service that will provide its customers with an open and user-friendly channel to buy and manage their music collections and downloads. The O2 Music Service, which is due to launch later this year, will allow customers to experience a truly converged mobile and home entertainment platform that will harness the strengths of a PC / web based music download service with the convenience of over-the-air mobile downloads for the first time.

Beginning in March 2006, HP, O2 and Virgin Radio will be offering Visual Radio, a new mobile radio service to Virgin Radio listeners, with plans to roll out to other radio stations in the future. The service will be available to O2 customers who use a Nokia phone that has been pre-loaded with the Visual Radio application. Developed by Nokia and powered by HP, Visual Radio adds a new dimension to FM radio with interactive content and services for mobile listeners. Visual Radio allows listeners to tune in to local FM radio via their mobile phones while simultaneously receiving interactive information and graphics that are synchronized with the broadcast. Text and graphics are delivered via the mobile network onto the screen of the mobile handset.

The Autodesk European Location Services Developer Program provides European developers with the resources and support needed to rapidly bring LBS applications and services to market. Modeled on its successful U.S. program, this new program helps developers create LBS services using Autodesk's open standards platform to market their applications worldwide.

Ikivo AB and Expway have signed a marketing and technology alliance to bring full SVG Tiny 1.2 and DVB-CBMS mobile TV solution to the market. As part of this agreement Expway will integrate Ikivo's Multimedia SVG Player with their DVB-CBMS compliant ESG and EPG (Electronic Program Guide) solutions to deliver the world's first mobile TV reference platform based on the combination of DVB-CBMS and SVG Tiny 1.2. The combined solution will enable application developers and Mobile Operators to build rich multimedia SVG mobile TV applications to be distributed and played on Ikivo's Multimedia Mobile SVG player for both IP and DVB-H mobile TV broadcast.

Sprint will be the first operator globally to test the next generation of IPWireless’ mobile broadband technology. Starting in March, Sprint will test IPWireless’ new platform that is progressive to Long Term Evolution (LTE). The platform delivers peak speeds up to 29Mbits/s per sector in a pair of 5MHz channels and seamless interoperability from paired and unpaired spectrum. The new technology will be tested as part of the ongoing UMTS TD-CDMA trial in the Washington, D.C. area that was announced in June 2005.

Ericsson is to deliver mobile music to Polkomtel SA, operator of the Polish Plus GSM mobile network. MegaMuza, the music service of Polkomtel SA, aims to deliver music from all major record labels as well as from numerous independent labels to nine million subscribers. MegaMuza was created in cooperation with Ericsson, which took responsibility for Plus' music platform development, digital rights management, integration, hosting, content aggregation and content management.

Ericsson has been chosen to provide 3 Italia's customers with Ericsson Mobile Organizer (EMO), a hosted enterprise solution for mobile e-mail and Personal Information Management (PIM). Ericsson's hosted enterprise solution allows 3 Italia to offer end-users access to both corporate and private e-mail, as well as other personal information management data, while on the move.

Ericsson has been selected by Austrian operator ONE to host and manage the entire "Ladezone" entertainment portal. As part of the deal Ericsson, will supply www.ladezone.at with its white label personalized music service, its entertainment download service and its ringback tone service. This is the first contract awarded to Ericsson that comprises all three of the services.

Ericsson and Napster announced that SunCom Wireless, a leading wireless phone service provider in the Southeast United States and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, has agreed to offer the Napster Mobile music service to all of its subscribers. SunCom is the first U.S. wireless carrier to agree to offer Napster Mobile, Ericsson's new, hosted music service featuring Napster's massive catalog of artist images, ring tones and full-length songs.

Indonesian operator PT Hutchison CP Telecommunications has awarded Nokia with a convergent charging solution contract that will see it provide, integrate and manage an innovative network solution for Hutchison Telecom Indonesia. The solution will cover key call control functions and integrate with the company's other business systems for pre- and post-paid customers. This integrated system will also handle both 2G and 3G customers, supporting Hutchison Telecom Indonesia's strategy towards multiple market segments in Indonesia.

Musiwave has announced the pre-launch of Orange Music Cast by leading French operator Orange based on its SMART RADIO technology. The pre-launch will include a trial of the service with select Orange subscribers. Orange’s new service, Music Cast, is an interactive, streaming radio service available on both the mobile and PC.

Telefonica Moviles Espana has chosen the OZ IMPS Client to power their operator branded mobile instant messaging (IM) service. Offered under the 'movistar' brand, the OZ Client will work along with Colibria's IM and Presence Server to provide Telefonica Moviles subscribers in Spain, with the ability to stay connected in real-time with their contacts while they are on-the-go. Telefonica Moviles Espana will deploy this new service in Q2/2006.

Compal Communications has signed a license agreement with Ericsson
for the U250 WCDMA/GPRS (3G) platform from Ericsson
Mobile Platforms.

Vodafone and Microsoft Corp. announced the European launch of Windows Mobile Email from Vodafone. This solution is based on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 and incorporates the Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) which includes Direct Push Technology and enhanced security features. From March, Vodafone will deploy a range of Windows Mobile 5.0-powered devices with Direct Push Technology to corporate and small and medium sized business (SMB) customers in France, Germany and the UK. The service will also be available to corporate and SMB customers in other countries during 2006.

Openmind Networks has won five new messaging contracts including; Mobiltel, Bulgaria, Syniverse in Florida, and Tele.ring, Austria. The messaging solutions are all developed on Openmind Networks fourth generation platform called Message-OS and include the Cisco IP Transfer Point (ITP) a product for transporting SS7 traffic over IP (SS7oIP) networks.

Vodafone Ireland has awarded a contract to NetTest, now a member of the Anritsu group, for the delivery of an advanced 3G Network and Service Quality Monitoring and Troubleshooting solution. The MasterQuest system from Anritsu will provide Vodafone Ireland with service and network performance information and tools for pinpointing the causes of potential, service-affecting trouble.

Ericsson and Telenor R&D are to run tests on Ericsson's IMS solution for convergent services. Telenor R&D's convergence configuration includes Ericsson's IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) that enables an efficient evolution to all-IP with new revenue generating and cost-saving applications. As a first step, the IMS system will be tested with Ericsson's weShare application giving users the ability to share media during an ongoing mobile phone call, and IMS Multimedia Telephony, allowing multimedia services, including voice and content to be delivered over broadband networks that use IP technology. The system also includes Ericsson's triple play enabled IP-based broadband system, home gateways and base stations for public WLAN.

In co-operation with Nokia and Cisco Systems Inc., TeliaSonera will be the first operator in Europe to trial wireless IP telephony via WLAN for enterprise customers. The trial is one of TeliaSonera's numerous initiatives to take the lead in bringing new services to customers migrating from fixed to mobile and Internet-based services.

Macalla Software has provided the technology and services to enable O2 to enhance the centralised management of its credit and debit card data within a single platform. By utilising Macalla's Mobile Top-Up and wallet server solutions, O2 is able to improve their offering to customers who want to top-up their prepaid phones using a credit or debit card via the O2 website, a simple, speedy and secure service. Once registered, customers input their personal details in one single area, creating a 'single profile' with the same PIN for all services.

Openmind Networks has deployed its SMS personalisation system called My SMS, at the Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco), a leading telecommunications provider in the Middle East. My SMS enables Batelco to introduce innovative solutions to its customers by offering them new, value added services based on SMS. The subscriber is offered a suite of value added SMS services and they can set up their own services via a mobile operator portal, SMS short code or WAP. In January, Batelco introduced SMS+ GROUPS, SMS+ AUTOREPLY and, on 5 February, launched an additional three new services SMS+ Filter, SMS CUG, SMS+ Online.

Rococo Software’s suite of value-add voice applications now supports BEA WebLogic SIP Server, the industry's first converged Java EE-SIP-IMS application server, from BEA Systems. With Rococo's voice applications, BEA WebLogic SIP Server customers are able to integrate advanced voice services such as freephone call management and conference call scheduling with their enterprise voice systems. These applications can help enable business customers to use the Internet to control and make use of voice services.

VIVO, the largest mobile operator in the Southern Hemisphere, has selected CoreMedia DRM for their comprehensive digital content services together with the MMBox/DiNO Platforms, from Portugal Telecom (PT) Inovação. With CoreMedia DRM and PT Inovação MMBox/ DiNO, VIVO expands its innovative CDMA based content services for trusted multi-channel delivery for its premium content offerings of music and more.

CSR announced that its BlueCore silicon has been chosen by TCL Mobile Communication Co. Ltd., one of China's largest mobile phone manufacturers, for its latest handset, the TCLe787. TCL's new Linux-based smartphone, currently on sale in China, supports a number of business functions including the ability to share and view Microsoft Office documents on the go.

alphyra has been selected by the Starmap Mobile Alliance of eleven European mobile operators to provide an innovative Roaming Recharge Broker (RRB) solution that will allow prepaid mobile customers to seamlessly top up their credit while travelling abroad. Top-ups will be available to customers of the mobile companies in the Alliance, in local currency at over 300,000 outlets across Europe.

picoChip has signed an agreement to work in partnership with Spanish test laboratory and test systems developer Centro de Tecnología de las Comunicaciones (CETECOM), which is the WiMAX Forum’s sole approved testing laboratory for the certification of WiMAX products. Under the terms of the new contract picoChip will supply CETECOM with its multi-core processor arrays and software that will be incorporated into CETECOM’s protocol conformance tester, which is being developed jointly with Aeroflex. This platform will be available in 2006 to allow certification testing of 802.16e devices to start before the end of the year, and will provide both BS and SS test suites and sniffer capabilities.

Jinny Software announced a major deployment of its Ringback Tone Server with Fastlink, the first mobile operator in Jordan.

Schema’s GSM Forte Suite for automatic radio frequency optimization is now compatible with Nokia, Ericsson, Alcatel, Siemens, Motorola, Nortel and Huawei.

Telefonica Moviles Espana has selected Gemplus’ OTA over IP technology for the high speed delivery of multimedia services and applications into the (U)SIM for mobile subscribers.

Jinny Software’s SMSC product has achieved interoperability approval from Nortel Networks.

We did warn you.