Ericy Kinda Quiet @ GSM World Congress>
From the March 1, 1999 issue of Wireless Week
Vendor, Carrier Announcements
Abound At GSM World Congress
At the GSM World Congress last week in Cannes France, exhibitors and carriers made several anouncements. Here is a
sampling:
• AirNet Communications Corp. said it is expanding its international GSM sales and marketing efforts with two new base station
subsystem product lines. The company also signed a multimillion-dollar contract to supply GSM infrastructure equipment to Comtel
PCS Mainstreet LP.
• SIM card firm AU-System Mobile signed a technology and original equipment manufacturer partner agreement with iD2
Technologies, which develops and sells identification and secure transaction systems for the Internet. AU-System Mobile also
said its AviSIM OTA for over-the-air services now is enhanced with functionality for SIM Application Toolkit application
management. Finally, the company said it was selected as the preferred supplier of a point-of-sale SIM card management system
by Iridium LLC.
• CNN Interactive and Nokia Corp. launched CNN Mobile, a mobile phone news and information service that will be built on the
Wireless Application Protocol. The service is initially targeted at GSM customers in Europe and Asia Pacific. The service's
charter operators are EuroTel Praha, Orange Israel, Sonera, Sonofon, Telia, Mobile One, Hong Kong Telecom, New World
Mobility and Smartone.
• CommQuest signed a strategic licensing agreement with Advanced Recognition Technologies to provide ART
voice-recognition software as a feature of Comm-Quest's GSM Tri-Band chip set.
• Comverse Network Systems was awarded a contract by U.K.-based PCS operator Orange plc for systems to support the
deployment of the carrier's "Every Phone" service.
• EMC is showing its World GSM Datapack, a CD-ROM that provides country-by-country and operator-by-operator data about
GSM networks around the world.
• Ericsson Inc. introduced the RBS 2401 indoor pico base station for in-building coverage. The company also displayed its R250
PRO, which it said is a water-, dust- and shock-resistant mobile phone for GSM 900 and 1800 networks.
• Hewlett-Packard Co. and its VeriFone division teamed up with De La Rue Card Systems to provide a solution for secure
delivery of electronic commerce services to GSM. The Veri-Smart GSM solution will begin with information services and can
evolve to adopt such services as mobile stored value loading, mobile purchasing and full mobile commerce over the Internet.
• Microcellular system manufacturer interWAVE Communications International Inc. of Redwood City, Calif., demonstrated
new packet-switched network capabilities that provide interoperability between GSM and Internet protocol networks.
• Lucent Technologies Inc. demonstrated its prototype wideband CDMA family of products as part of a "live" third-generation
mobile system. The demo shows 3G applications such as high-speed wireless Web browsing, file transfer and videoconferencing.
Lucent is collaborating on the project with Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo.
• Lucent's Microelectronics Group introduced a digital signal processor chip that the company said performs more than 50
percent better than all wireless base station chips. The DSP16410 performs up to 800 million multiply-and-accumulate operations
per second, consumes up to five times less power and is less than one-third the size of the nearest competing chip, Lucent said.
• Motorola Inc.'s Network Solutions Sector is offering the M-Cell Horizonoffice, which allows GSM network operators the
ability to create an in-building wireless enterprise service for employee off-site and on-site mobility. GSM mobile phones become
the primary voice and data communications tool, Motorola said. The company also introduced the M-Cell Horizonmacro, its GSM
network infrastructure solution for high-capacity coverage. Motorola also introduced the L7089 tri-band phone for GSM 900, 1800
and 1900; the i2000 dual-mode phone for GSM and iDEN networks; and the Satellite Series 9500 phone, pager and cellular
cassettes for the Iridium network.
• Nokia Corp. announced the new 7110 dual-band GSM 900/1800 media phone based on the Wireless Application Protocol in
Mobile Media Mode. The product, which will be available in second-quarter 1999, can access text information made available on
the Internet. The display allows for viewing different font sizes and graphics. The phone can store up to 1,000 names in the
phonebook. Nokia also launched its Total Mobility Office solutions--GSM Office and GSM Intranet Office--that are alternative to
traditional private branch exchange systems. Nokia also launched its InSite Base Station and a general packet radio service
network solution. Nokia will supply the GPRS solution to Sonera of Finland and will develop a WAP-compliant solution for France
Telecom.
• Nortel Networks signed a $45 million supply agreement with Ireland GSM 900 operator Esat Digifone. Nortel will supply, install
and commission new switching equipment and several hundred new cell sites throughout the country. Nortel and France Telecom
are showing an integrated fixed/mobile corporate GSM network, which features Nortel's PicoNode system. Nortel also
demonstrating an end-to-end GSM over Internet protocol network.
• RangeStar International unveiled the latest in its Performa series for the original equipment manufacturer market, a dual-band
embedded antenna for GSM 900 MHz and 1800 MHz handsets. RangeStar said the antenna features a gain of 1 dBi, measures
1.25 by 0.5 by 0.03 inches and weighs 1 gram.
• SAFCO Technologies Inc. introduced new and enhanced wireless measurement and post-processing analysis tools, including a
GSM version of its Portable VoicePrint quality system. The OPAS32 post-processing software product now extends support for
GSM through the GSM data analysis feature. The company also said its dual-band GSM Walkabout provides a portable and
flexible data collection system for GSM 900 and DCS 1800 field surveys. The company also announced it will acquire Com-Opt
AB, an automatic frequency planning firm in Sweden.
• Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. licensed the Unwired Planet Inc. UP.Browser for integration in GSM handsets. Samsung said it
expects to support operator trials in early second-quarter 1999 with the browser-enabled SGH-800 handset. The phone includes
voice recording, dialing and memos; a personal information management device with calendar and to-do list; calculator; ring
customization; and personal melody creation.
• Schlumberger Test and Transactions joined with French startup firm In Fusio to deliver interactive games on mobile phones
over GSM networks. The companies will deliver a complete solution that enables subscribers to select and download games
remotely and to play games in true multi-player interactivity mode.
• Synopsys Inc. is offering a new set of design kits and services for creating system-level design and verification flows for 3G
wireless multimedia products.
• Teleglobe International Corp. said Nextel Communications Inc. wireless subscribers will gain international roaming capability
with Teleglobe's GlobePCS-Borderless Roaming signaling conversion service. Nextel's U.S. iDEN subscribers can roam on GSM
900 and GSM 1800 networks when traveling abroad. The platform also will give European GSM users access to the Nextel
National Network when traveling in the United States.
• Prepaid firm Telemac Corp. signed licensing and engineering consulting agreements with phone manufacturer Sensei Ltd.
Sensei will include Telemac's handset-based prepaid technology in Sensei's new generation of handsets. The companies also will
work together to integrate technology into handsets manufactured by other companies.
• Unwired Planet Inc. said Reuters developed a wireless version of its information service. Wireless Markup Language-enabled
phones will have access to a variety of Reuters services, including world and financial news and stock quotes and indices.
• Vodafone Ltd. and Motorola signed a collaborative agreement to foster the implementing of third-generation mobile
communications. Motorola will provide subscriber terminal equipment for Vodafone's UMTS field trials and simulate UMTS
network deployment. |
