Portugal's stock market regulator approved Sonaecom's offer for its larger rival Portugal Telecom, paving the way for the nation's largest-ever hostile takeover bid to go ahead.
The regulator, the CMVM, said in a statement it had registered Sonaecom's offer of 9.50 euros per share in former state monopoly Portugal Telecom (PT) and 9.03 euros per share in PT's cable unit PT Multimedia.
The bid, worth 13 billion euros (17 billion dollars), was first unveiled in a surprise move in February.
Sonaecom, a listed subsidiary of Portuguese conglomerate Sonae, submitted its offer prospectus to the stock market regulator on December 29.
Portugal Telecom has about 75 percent of the nation's fixed-line telephone market, 80 percent of the broadband cable market and, through TMN, about half of the mobile phone market, according to company figures.
It also runs Brazilian mobile services operator Vivo in a joint venture with Telefonica.
Sonaecom controls Optimus, Portugal's third-biggest mobile phone provider.
Shares in Sonaecom closed up 0.85 percent at 5.95 euros while PT shares ended the day Friday up 0.69 percent at 10.20 euros.
Portuguese stock market regulator approves Sonaecom's bid for larger rival
01-12-2007, 18h37
LISBON (AFP)
photo
Portugal's stock market regulator approved Sonaecom's offer for its larger rival Portugal Telecom, paving the way for the nation's largest-ever hostile takeover bid to go ahead.
(Sonaecom)
Portugal's stock market regulator approved Sonaecom's offer for its larger rival Portugal Telecom, paving the way for the nation's largest-ever hostile takeover bid to go ahead.
The regulator, the CMVM, said in a statement it had registered Sonaecom's offer of 9.50 euros per share in former state monopoly Portugal Telecom (PT) and 9.03 euros per share in PT's cable unit PT Multimedia.
The bid, worth 13 billion euros (17 billion dollars), was first unveiled in a surprise move in February.
Sonaecom, a listed subsidiary of Portuguese conglomerate Sonae, submitted its offer prospectus to the stock market regulator on December 29.
Portugal Telecom has about 75 percent of the nation's fixed-line telephone market, 80 percent of the broadband cable market and, through TMN, about half of the mobile phone market, according to company figures.
It also runs Brazilian mobile services operator Vivo in a joint venture with Telefonica.
Sonaecom controls Optimus, Portugal's third-biggest mobile phone provider.
Shares in Sonaecom closed up 0.85 percent at 5.95 euros while PT shares ended the day Friday up 0.69 percent at 10.20 euros.
AFP
Saturday, January 13, 2007
CES 2007 + iPhone
The thought of storing credit card or bank information on a cell phone is a scary one. After all, cell phones are notoriously easy to lose and/or break. Heaven forbid it is stolen and some thief makes off with your most sensitive information and makes purchases with your funds before you have a chance to suspend your account. According to the demos we saw this week, you can set aside at least some of those fears.
Near-field communications, or NFC, is simply a short distance radio technology that sends and receives information over a distance of about an inch. The tags measure about 1.5 by 1.5 inches and can store 1kb. There are other tags that can store 96 bits, which right now are far cheaper than the larger ones. Not Bluetooth and not RFID, it enables cell phones to become instant payment and info collecting devices in a number of different ways. We'll explain.
The most fascinating demo we saw was an integrated application on Nokia's 6131nfc phone, which we mentioned briefly in our CES Day 1 coverage. Starting with the basics, yes, the phone can be used for contactless payments. You're at QuickCheck, you forgot your wallet, you touch the phone to the reader and bang, your account is charged for the Gatorade and Lays potato chips that you needed to get you through the afternoon. The interface on the 6163nfc included all different levels of security that users can apply to the NFC radio for making payments, including password protection and more. To say it another way, your phone will not accidentally pay for some outrageous thing because you happen to wave it past a reader. And unless a thief steals your phone and is magically gifted at cracking passwords, no one else can use it or access your information.
This is by far the simplest and most rudimentary way to use NFC. The banking information itself can be tied to a credit card, a debit account, a checking account and you can store multiple accounts on the phone, giving you the freedom to pay with whichever account is best at that time.
The radios can be programmed with all sorts of different levels of interactions and we saw some pretty cool ones. Imagine your business card carrying your information electronically. Rather than trading cards, you simply tap your phone to someone else's card and pop, it instantly reads the card and adds the person's information to your contact database. Hate pairing your phone to a digital picture frame with Bluetooth? It's no longer a problem. The Nokia representative took our picture, tapped the phone to the digital frame, and the application automatically initiated the Bluetooth connection and transferred the image.
Because the NFC chips store very little information and are controlled by software applets you can download directly to your phone, the number of ways you can use NFC is virtually limitless. In Japan, where NFC enabled phones have been on the market for a few years, you can use your phone as a transit pass for trains or subways, as a work ID, and even as a key to open NFC enabled door locks, which you can now but for your home over there.
In speaking with a VISA representative, he said that their retail readers will reach full deployment in the U.S. within the next 18 to 24 months (by the way, that'll be 4 years behind our friends in Tokyo). We really think the potential here is unlimited. Being able to leave your wallet at home can be appealing. The day when we leave our houses with just our mobile phones is closer than you think.
source : www.phonescoop.com
Near-field communications, or NFC, is simply a short distance radio technology that sends and receives information over a distance of about an inch. The tags measure about 1.5 by 1.5 inches and can store 1kb. There are other tags that can store 96 bits, which right now are far cheaper than the larger ones. Not Bluetooth and not RFID, it enables cell phones to become instant payment and info collecting devices in a number of different ways. We'll explain.
The most fascinating demo we saw was an integrated application on Nokia's 6131nfc phone, which we mentioned briefly in our CES Day 1 coverage. Starting with the basics, yes, the phone can be used for contactless payments. You're at QuickCheck, you forgot your wallet, you touch the phone to the reader and bang, your account is charged for the Gatorade and Lays potato chips that you needed to get you through the afternoon. The interface on the 6163nfc included all different levels of security that users can apply to the NFC radio for making payments, including password protection and more. To say it another way, your phone will not accidentally pay for some outrageous thing because you happen to wave it past a reader. And unless a thief steals your phone and is magically gifted at cracking passwords, no one else can use it or access your information.
This is by far the simplest and most rudimentary way to use NFC. The banking information itself can be tied to a credit card, a debit account, a checking account and you can store multiple accounts on the phone, giving you the freedom to pay with whichever account is best at that time.
The radios can be programmed with all sorts of different levels of interactions and we saw some pretty cool ones. Imagine your business card carrying your information electronically. Rather than trading cards, you simply tap your phone to someone else's card and pop, it instantly reads the card and adds the person's information to your contact database. Hate pairing your phone to a digital picture frame with Bluetooth? It's no longer a problem. The Nokia representative took our picture, tapped the phone to the digital frame, and the application automatically initiated the Bluetooth connection and transferred the image.
Because the NFC chips store very little information and are controlled by software applets you can download directly to your phone, the number of ways you can use NFC is virtually limitless. In Japan, where NFC enabled phones have been on the market for a few years, you can use your phone as a transit pass for trains or subways, as a work ID, and even as a key to open NFC enabled door locks, which you can now but for your home over there.
In speaking with a VISA representative, he said that their retail readers will reach full deployment in the U.S. within the next 18 to 24 months (by the way, that'll be 4 years behind our friends in Tokyo). We really think the potential here is unlimited. Being able to leave your wallet at home can be appealing. The day when we leave our houses with just our mobile phones is closer than you think.
source : www.phonescoop.com
FREEING THE FILMS Cox, AT&T take on video stores, Netflix
ON-DEMAND MOVIES PREMIERE IN WICHITA
he next time Chris Buser decides to rent a movie, she'll be able to do it from the comfort of her living room -- and watch it within minutes, whenever she wants.
On-demand movie rental is now playing in Wichita.
"I think it's every bit as cheap as Blockbuster, and you don't have to run to and from the store," said Buser, a retiree and longtime Wichita resident.
Since November, the area's two biggest providers of Internet service, Cox Communications and AT&T, have begun offering on-demand movies and other content for viewing on television.
On-demand service is similar to pay-per-view but allows viewers to watch selected movies, TV shows and other programs when they want to, rather than at scheduled times. Some content is included with base subscription fees; recent movie releases and some other offerings carry additional charges.
Most observers expect on-demand service to change the face of the $24 billion-a-year home entertainment industry. But how big the change will be, and when it will take place, is uncertain.
AT&T launched its Homezone on-demand service in Wichita on Nov. 1. The $9.95 monthly fee includes a set-top box that connects a customer's TV to Internet content. Customers choose from a variety of broadband-speed and satellite-TV packages, starting at about $45 a month. Movies can also be rented on an individual basis from Movielink.
Cox rolled out its On Demand service Dec. 28, giving subscribers access through their existing digital cable boxes. There's no additional fee for the on-demand service except for the rental fee for certain movies and other content. At any one time, about 1,300 hours of on-demand content is available, about 450 of it free.
AT&T and Cox say customer response has been good.
"We don't share specific customer-use statistics, but it has proved to be a popular item," AT&T spokesman Don Brown said.
"This is just another option," Cox spokeswoman Sarah Kauffman said. "They (customers) want to be able to have a choice."
On the other hand, few people expect the traditional video store to disappear overnight as a result.
Amy Rush, district manager for the Family Video chain, said video stores have weathered challenges from other on-demand content providers, satellite dishes, Netflix and other entertainment options before. Netflix mails DVDs to customers who order them online.
"I think people are always going to want to go to the store and actually touch the (video) boxes," she said.
Rush said video stores tend to have more movies, newer movies and cheaper movies than on-demand services.
For instance, a typical Family Video store has 15,000 to 25,000 titles; Cox boasts of "more than 275 hours" of movies available on demand. Several movies being touted as new releases by Cox and AT&T first appeared in video stores in November. And Family Video stores feature a section of movies that can be rented 2-for-$1, whereas the cheapest on-demand rental is $1.99.
Joe Malugen, chairman of the Movie Gallery chain, which also owns Hollywood Video stores, echoed Rush's comments in a statement, adding, "The Internet remains an attractive alternative only for a small percentage of movie renters."
Dillons recently decided to close the video shops in two of its busiest stores -- Central and Rock Road, and 135th West and Maple. But spokeswoman Sheila Lowrie said the move was designed to "make way for new and exciting departments," not in response to competition in the movie rental business. She noted that video shops will remain open in 10 Wichita-area Dillons.
Buser learned about Cox's on-demand service shortly after she and her husband bought a high-definition TV for Christmas.
She has used the on-demand option to watch shows on the History and E channels, at no extra charge. She's also scanned through the preview feature for new movie releases and figures she'll rent one eventually. In addition to the convenience, she figures the service has at least one advantage over the traditional video store.
"When I go to Blockbuster, invariably the one I want to rent is the one they're sold out of," she said. But with on-demand movies, "You don't have to worry it's out."
he next time Chris Buser decides to rent a movie, she'll be able to do it from the comfort of her living room -- and watch it within minutes, whenever she wants.
On-demand movie rental is now playing in Wichita.
"I think it's every bit as cheap as Blockbuster, and you don't have to run to and from the store," said Buser, a retiree and longtime Wichita resident.
Since November, the area's two biggest providers of Internet service, Cox Communications and AT&T, have begun offering on-demand movies and other content for viewing on television.
On-demand service is similar to pay-per-view but allows viewers to watch selected movies, TV shows and other programs when they want to, rather than at scheduled times. Some content is included with base subscription fees; recent movie releases and some other offerings carry additional charges.
Most observers expect on-demand service to change the face of the $24 billion-a-year home entertainment industry. But how big the change will be, and when it will take place, is uncertain.
AT&T launched its Homezone on-demand service in Wichita on Nov. 1. The $9.95 monthly fee includes a set-top box that connects a customer's TV to Internet content. Customers choose from a variety of broadband-speed and satellite-TV packages, starting at about $45 a month. Movies can also be rented on an individual basis from Movielink.
Cox rolled out its On Demand service Dec. 28, giving subscribers access through their existing digital cable boxes. There's no additional fee for the on-demand service except for the rental fee for certain movies and other content. At any one time, about 1,300 hours of on-demand content is available, about 450 of it free.
AT&T and Cox say customer response has been good.
"We don't share specific customer-use statistics, but it has proved to be a popular item," AT&T spokesman Don Brown said.
"This is just another option," Cox spokeswoman Sarah Kauffman said. "They (customers) want to be able to have a choice."
On the other hand, few people expect the traditional video store to disappear overnight as a result.
Amy Rush, district manager for the Family Video chain, said video stores have weathered challenges from other on-demand content providers, satellite dishes, Netflix and other entertainment options before. Netflix mails DVDs to customers who order them online.
"I think people are always going to want to go to the store and actually touch the (video) boxes," she said.
Rush said video stores tend to have more movies, newer movies and cheaper movies than on-demand services.
For instance, a typical Family Video store has 15,000 to 25,000 titles; Cox boasts of "more than 275 hours" of movies available on demand. Several movies being touted as new releases by Cox and AT&T first appeared in video stores in November. And Family Video stores feature a section of movies that can be rented 2-for-$1, whereas the cheapest on-demand rental is $1.99.
Joe Malugen, chairman of the Movie Gallery chain, which also owns Hollywood Video stores, echoed Rush's comments in a statement, adding, "The Internet remains an attractive alternative only for a small percentage of movie renters."
Dillons recently decided to close the video shops in two of its busiest stores -- Central and Rock Road, and 135th West and Maple. But spokeswoman Sheila Lowrie said the move was designed to "make way for new and exciting departments," not in response to competition in the movie rental business. She noted that video shops will remain open in 10 Wichita-area Dillons.
Buser learned about Cox's on-demand service shortly after she and her husband bought a high-definition TV for Christmas.
She has used the on-demand option to watch shows on the History and E channels, at no extra charge. She's also scanned through the preview feature for new movie releases and figures she'll rent one eventually. In addition to the convenience, she figures the service has at least one advantage over the traditional video store.
"When I go to Blockbuster, invariably the one I want to rent is the one they're sold out of," she said. But with on-demand movies, "You don't have to worry it's out."
Carphone bullish despite broadband slowdown
Carphone Warehouse saw a sharp slowdown in the growth of its broadband business at the end of last year, with new subscribers growing by just 20 per cent in its third quarter compared with more than 80 per cent in the three months before.
The news was the only blip in an upbeat trading statement from the mobile phone retailer yesterday, which saw it report a 3 per cent growth in like-for-like gross retail profits for the quarter, on the back of a 7.3 per cent growth in like-for- like revenues.
The group said it was on track to meet analysts' full-year profit forecasts, and was bullish about prospects for the year ahead, claiming the market continued to favour its "impartial model and brand strength".
Carphone now has some 2.2 million residential broadband customers, of which 540,000 have joined since it introduced its free package for Talk Talk customers last summer. Last year, the company acquired AOL's UK broadband and phone businesses, increasing its subscriber base by more than 1 million.
"The completion of the AOL deal makes us the clear number three player in the UK broadband market with 2.2 million residential broadband customers, giving us the scale we need to deliver significant profitable growth in the medium term," said Charles Dunstone, the company's chief executive. "Our immediate focus continues to be on improving our processes and customer service."
The group said it was also making good progress in getting its phone customers on to its own unbundled lines. The unbundling process sees the firm put its own equipment into BT exchanges, and allows the company to continue increasing its profitability. By the end of 2006, it had unbundled 569 exchanges, and is unbundling others at a rate of about 100 a month.
Roger Taylor, the finance director, brushed aside concerns about the slowdown in broadband subscriber growth, sayingthe focus was to get more customers on to unbundled lines.
Analysts at Credit Suisse said the results were good, but that there was an element of concern over the slowdown in broadband subscriptions. A note published by its telecoms team yesterday said: "Whilst investor concerns over weak overall retail market demand should be allayed by this morning's update, with stronger than expected total connections and like-for-like growth, the slowdown in subscriber acquisition growth within the free TalkTalk broadband division may disappoint."
Outside the UK, the group saw strong performance in its new French joint venture with Virgin Mobile, reaching almost 380,000 customers in just nine months. Mr Dunstone said the company's US joint venture with Best Buy had also made a "promising start".
Shares in Carphone closed up 1.75p at 324.5p, giving the company a market value of £2.9bn.
The news was the only blip in an upbeat trading statement from the mobile phone retailer yesterday, which saw it report a 3 per cent growth in like-for-like gross retail profits for the quarter, on the back of a 7.3 per cent growth in like-for- like revenues.
The group said it was on track to meet analysts' full-year profit forecasts, and was bullish about prospects for the year ahead, claiming the market continued to favour its "impartial model and brand strength".
Carphone now has some 2.2 million residential broadband customers, of which 540,000 have joined since it introduced its free package for Talk Talk customers last summer. Last year, the company acquired AOL's UK broadband and phone businesses, increasing its subscriber base by more than 1 million.
"The completion of the AOL deal makes us the clear number three player in the UK broadband market with 2.2 million residential broadband customers, giving us the scale we need to deliver significant profitable growth in the medium term," said Charles Dunstone, the company's chief executive. "Our immediate focus continues to be on improving our processes and customer service."
The group said it was also making good progress in getting its phone customers on to its own unbundled lines. The unbundling process sees the firm put its own equipment into BT exchanges, and allows the company to continue increasing its profitability. By the end of 2006, it had unbundled 569 exchanges, and is unbundling others at a rate of about 100 a month.
Roger Taylor, the finance director, brushed aside concerns about the slowdown in broadband subscriber growth, sayingthe focus was to get more customers on to unbundled lines.
Analysts at Credit Suisse said the results were good, but that there was an element of concern over the slowdown in broadband subscriptions. A note published by its telecoms team yesterday said: "Whilst investor concerns over weak overall retail market demand should be allayed by this morning's update, with stronger than expected total connections and like-for-like growth, the slowdown in subscriber acquisition growth within the free TalkTalk broadband division may disappoint."
Outside the UK, the group saw strong performance in its new French joint venture with Virgin Mobile, reaching almost 380,000 customers in just nine months. Mr Dunstone said the company's US joint venture with Best Buy had also made a "promising start".
Shares in Carphone closed up 1.75p at 324.5p, giving the company a market value of £2.9bn.
DISA seeks broadband satcom service for Air Force One
The Defense Information Systems Agency is looking for ways to deliver broadband data service to Air Force One and as many as 26 other Special Air Mission aircraft, with a minimum data rate of 3 megabits/sec.
According to a request for information, DISA seeks commercial satellite services to replace an existing service known as Connexion, which Boeing has been providing. Boeing designed Connexion to serve commercial airlines and business jets, and the company announced in August 2006 that it would shut down the service.
Inmarsat provides additional service to the fleet with its Swift64 service, which operates at 64 kilobits/sec.
According to the RFI, vendors should propose solutions that can support as many as six aircraft at a time with 20 users per plane. The service needs to support virtual private network connections, access to government intranets, high-speed Internet, Internet-based voice services, e-mail, videoconferencing and secure telephone calls.
DISA also wants the new system to provide direct broadcast TV services, and all those services should be globally accessible from major air routes. The agency would like the solution to use existing antennas on Air Force One because no modifications to the aircraft are planned in the near term.
The Air Force’s 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., operates two specially modified Boeing 747-200Bs, which carry the Air Force One designation when the president is aboard. Other Special Air Mission aircraft include a fleet of four Boeing 757 and four 737-700 twin engine aircraft and 10 Gulfstream business jets.
According to a request for information, DISA seeks commercial satellite services to replace an existing service known as Connexion, which Boeing has been providing. Boeing designed Connexion to serve commercial airlines and business jets, and the company announced in August 2006 that it would shut down the service.
Inmarsat provides additional service to the fleet with its Swift64 service, which operates at 64 kilobits/sec.
According to the RFI, vendors should propose solutions that can support as many as six aircraft at a time with 20 users per plane. The service needs to support virtual private network connections, access to government intranets, high-speed Internet, Internet-based voice services, e-mail, videoconferencing and secure telephone calls.
DISA also wants the new system to provide direct broadcast TV services, and all those services should be globally accessible from major air routes. The agency would like the solution to use existing antennas on Air Force One because no modifications to the aircraft are planned in the near term.
The Air Force’s 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., operates two specially modified Boeing 747-200Bs, which carry the Air Force One designation when the president is aboard. Other Special Air Mission aircraft include a fleet of four Boeing 757 and four 737-700 twin engine aircraft and 10 Gulfstream business jets.
Thirteen reasons to doubt the iPhone hype
The honeymoon is over for the iPhone.
It's not that we're sick of it already (well, maybe a bit), it's just time for it to answer some questions. Otherwise, it may join the Sony PS3 in the realm of "tech that looks absolutely amazing but is far too expensive for most people to even consider buying."
Here, accompanied by rambling speculation, are those questions:
1. Why no 3G compatibility? The answer might be as simple as the fact that Cingular's 3G coverage still has gaping holes outside of major U.S. cities.
The 3G question is very pertinent to those who want to stream video and audio to their phone at any time. But that requires living in an area with great 3G network coverage, and 3G will drain a battery faster than the 2.5G EDGE network.
complete read this article visit at :
Turning Cell Phones On Their Ear
His usual smooth voice turned raspy, Steve Jobs nonetheless radiated the satisfied glow of a man who had just pulled off a bravura performance before a packed house at San Francisco's Moscone Center. In his hand was his latest gem: a combination phone/music player/Web browsing device called the iPhone. Tapping on its sleek, candy-bar-size screen, Jobs conjured up Wall Street's verdict: "Let's see, Apple's stock is up...8%!" he said matter-of-factly. "Now let's look at RIM (cell-phone rival and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. Hmm, it's down 7%."
Look out--here comes another genre-busting gadget from Jobs and the newly named Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL - News). Despite the iPhone's high starting price of $499, Jobs is promising to turn the cell-phone business on its ear. That's no idle threat, coming from the guy who paved over the personal computer's awkward interface of arcane commands with easy-to-use graphic icons in the 1980s. Apple also set the tone for the digital music market when it brought out the iPod in 2001, sweeping away a clutter of clunky, hard-to-use players.
Drop The "Computer"
Now, jobs aims to leapfrog rivals with a device that offers a similar panoply of capabilities to other high-end "smart phones" like the BlackBerry and Palm's (PALM) Treo--minus the frustrating complexity that has turned away mainstream consumers. "The problem is that they're not so smart, and they're not so easy to use," Jobs told the adoring Macworld crowd.
Here's why the iPhone should scare the daylights out of phone makers: Despite Apple's announcement that it was dropping "Computer" from its name, there's more computer in the iPhone than just about any other smart phone out there. It runs a slimmed-down version of the Mac
OS X software found in every Mac PC. And it's a lot easier for Apple to add phone features to a mobile computer than it is for a handset maker to move the other way. If the iPod helped people take all their music with them anywhere, the iPhone promises to cut the moorings from a whole new swath of digital activities, from e-mail to video entertainment. "This clearly underlines the fact that we are entering a new phase of computing," says Seamus McAteer, co-founder of the market research firm M:Metrics Inc. "Mobile phones are becoming full citizens in the computer world."
The iPhone could set a new standard for the universal digital device when it goes on sale in June. An ingenious interface lets the phone play many roles. Gone is the keyboard, the usual mess of tiny keys and cryptic buttons, replaced by a touch-sensitive 3.5-inch screen.
But if the iPhone is to be truly revolutionary, it must also crack open the power structure of the cellular industry. That will be a much tougher nut. Today, most consumers choose a carrier, then pick from various phones that are compatible with its network. Apple created the online music infrastructure in an environment where the established market had been disrupted by file sharing (remember
Napster?). But the wireless phone industry is completely different, with strong incumbents. And unless Apple drops the price, iPhone may not appeal to enough buyers to seriously disrupt the industry. There's also the little issue of whether Apple can wrest the iPhone name away from Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - News).
Still, Apple's rethinking of the phone may spur the whole industry to deliver on its many visions of an easy-to-use, universal digital device. This has been an ongoing struggle for Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT - News), even while it was scoring a major hit with its slick-looking RAZR. CEO Edward J. Zander is now pushing simplicity. His new RIZR Z6 model, due out midyear, will let users download a song, send photos, or leap to the Web in a click or two, down from about six with current phones. "Wouldn't it be great to have an easy-to-use, same-as-your-PC mobile device in your pocket?" Zander asked an audience at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 8.
Sure--but it sounds like the iPhone. If it really catches fire and Cingular Wireless, Apple's exclusive U.S. partner, benefits from the relationship, other carriers may have to rethink their strategy. Instead of pushing their mobile services such as movies and music, they might let handset makers and content partners control more applications that lead to greater data usage. The iPhone's capabilities also could help spur Cingular's sales of other services, from photo sharing to basic three-way calling.
It's still six months before Jobs's latest brainstorm hits stores. But already it is delivering the phone industry a wake-up call.
Look out--here comes another genre-busting gadget from Jobs and the newly named Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL - News). Despite the iPhone's high starting price of $499, Jobs is promising to turn the cell-phone business on its ear. That's no idle threat, coming from the guy who paved over the personal computer's awkward interface of arcane commands with easy-to-use graphic icons in the 1980s. Apple also set the tone for the digital music market when it brought out the iPod in 2001, sweeping away a clutter of clunky, hard-to-use players.
Drop The "Computer"
Now, jobs aims to leapfrog rivals with a device that offers a similar panoply of capabilities to other high-end "smart phones" like the BlackBerry and Palm's (PALM) Treo--minus the frustrating complexity that has turned away mainstream consumers. "The problem is that they're not so smart, and they're not so easy to use," Jobs told the adoring Macworld crowd.
Here's why the iPhone should scare the daylights out of phone makers: Despite Apple's announcement that it was dropping "Computer" from its name, there's more computer in the iPhone than just about any other smart phone out there. It runs a slimmed-down version of the Mac
OS X software found in every Mac PC. And it's a lot easier for Apple to add phone features to a mobile computer than it is for a handset maker to move the other way. If the iPod helped people take all their music with them anywhere, the iPhone promises to cut the moorings from a whole new swath of digital activities, from e-mail to video entertainment. "This clearly underlines the fact that we are entering a new phase of computing," says Seamus McAteer, co-founder of the market research firm M:Metrics Inc. "Mobile phones are becoming full citizens in the computer world."
The iPhone could set a new standard for the universal digital device when it goes on sale in June. An ingenious interface lets the phone play many roles. Gone is the keyboard, the usual mess of tiny keys and cryptic buttons, replaced by a touch-sensitive 3.5-inch screen.
But if the iPhone is to be truly revolutionary, it must also crack open the power structure of the cellular industry. That will be a much tougher nut. Today, most consumers choose a carrier, then pick from various phones that are compatible with its network. Apple created the online music infrastructure in an environment where the established market had been disrupted by file sharing (remember
Napster?). But the wireless phone industry is completely different, with strong incumbents. And unless Apple drops the price, iPhone may not appeal to enough buyers to seriously disrupt the industry. There's also the little issue of whether Apple can wrest the iPhone name away from Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - News).
Still, Apple's rethinking of the phone may spur the whole industry to deliver on its many visions of an easy-to-use, universal digital device. This has been an ongoing struggle for Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT - News), even while it was scoring a major hit with its slick-looking RAZR. CEO Edward J. Zander is now pushing simplicity. His new RIZR Z6 model, due out midyear, will let users download a song, send photos, or leap to the Web in a click or two, down from about six with current phones. "Wouldn't it be great to have an easy-to-use, same-as-your-PC mobile device in your pocket?" Zander asked an audience at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 8.
Sure--but it sounds like the iPhone. If it really catches fire and Cingular Wireless, Apple's exclusive U.S. partner, benefits from the relationship, other carriers may have to rethink their strategy. Instead of pushing their mobile services such as movies and music, they might let handset makers and content partners control more applications that lead to greater data usage. The iPhone's capabilities also could help spur Cingular's sales of other services, from photo sharing to basic three-way calling.
It's still six months before Jobs's latest brainstorm hits stores. But already it is delivering the phone industry a wake-up call.
Cingular Wireless to Get New Name, Again
Three years after AT&T Wireless subscribers found their cell-phone carrier was now Cingular Wireless, Cingular Wireless subscribers will soon be learning to call their carrier AT&T.
In the latest step of a confusing dance of brand names in the wireless world, AT&T Inc. (T) will next week start its planned rebranding of Cingular, just two weeks after AT&T gained full ownership of the nation's largest wireless carrier through the purchase of BellSouth Corp.
The multimonth awareness campaign will include inserts with monthly bills and promotional materials at Cingular stores advising customers of the coming change.
Cingular's name and orange "Jack" logo, both created only six years ago, will continue to appear alongside the AT&T brand and blue "globe" logo until the company is confident customers won't be confused by the switch, AT&T announced Friday.
But by midyear, it's "likely" the Cingular name and symbol will be disappearing from ads, promotional materials, trucks, bills, stores and buildings, said Wendy Clark, senior vice president of advertising for San Antonio-based AT&T. The only remnant to survive the transition will be the orange, which will be used for accent and background coloring for AT&T's cellular products and services.
"Any time you see us talking about wireless you'll see us use orange," said Clark.
But as cell phone users tend to buy new handsets only once every couple of years, it's likely that tens of millions of Cingular's roughly 60 million subscribers will be toting around devices with the Cingular name and logo for years to come.
In fact, a dwindling number of Cingular subscribers are still carrying around phones bearing the name and logo AT&T Wireless — artifacts of a tongue-twisting corporate saga.
Today's AT&T was known as SBC Communications until late 2005, when that regional Bell company acquired its former parent, the AT&T Corp. long-distance business. Several years before that deal, the AT&T long-distance company spun off its cell phone business, AT&T Wireless, as an independent concern. Then, in late 2004, AT&T Wireless was acquired by Cingular, which had no real desire or legal right to adopt a brand still owned by the AT&T long-distance business.
Instead, Cingular parents SBC and BellSouth decided to unify the companies under the Cingular brand, neither one realizing they'd all soon be merged into one company called AT&T.
Estimates vary widely, but there's no doubt that billions of dollars have been spent creating the Cingular brand from scratch and marketing its products under that name.
Yet while the sudden elimination of the Cingular brand might appear to be a waste of that investment, AT&T expects tremendous savings on the advertising that would have been required to maintain three distinct brands: AT&T, BellSouth and Cingular. (BellSouth's local phone and Internet customers began seeing ads announcing the planned replacement of that brand with AT&T soon after the $86 billion acquisition closed on the next-to-last day of 2006.)
When the AT&T-BellSouth acquisition was announced last March, executives estimated the combined company would save up to a half billion dollars a year on marketing. Overall, those savings are expected to account for a fifth of the estimated $14 billion in operational savings the deal is projected to allow over time.
The decision to rename Cingular as AT&T rather than AT&T Wireless reflects the company's push to sell a wide bundle of services, with a growing level of integration between wired and wireless capabilities that make such distinctions less meaningful. For example, AT&T has said it wants to let customers use their cell phones to check the channel guide and record programs on the new U-verse cable TV service AT&T is launching.
The ad campaign will borrow from Cingular's "Raising The Bar" theme with the phrase "Raising It Higher." Each commercial will end with an animation in which the Jack character appears to skywrite the AT&T globe while an announcer states that "Cingular is now the new AT&T."
source : www.foxnews.com
In the latest step of a confusing dance of brand names in the wireless world, AT&T Inc. (T) will next week start its planned rebranding of Cingular, just two weeks after AT&T gained full ownership of the nation's largest wireless carrier through the purchase of BellSouth Corp.
The multimonth awareness campaign will include inserts with monthly bills and promotional materials at Cingular stores advising customers of the coming change.
Cingular's name and orange "Jack" logo, both created only six years ago, will continue to appear alongside the AT&T brand and blue "globe" logo until the company is confident customers won't be confused by the switch, AT&T announced Friday.
But by midyear, it's "likely" the Cingular name and symbol will be disappearing from ads, promotional materials, trucks, bills, stores and buildings, said Wendy Clark, senior vice president of advertising for San Antonio-based AT&T. The only remnant to survive the transition will be the orange, which will be used for accent and background coloring for AT&T's cellular products and services.
"Any time you see us talking about wireless you'll see us use orange," said Clark.
But as cell phone users tend to buy new handsets only once every couple of years, it's likely that tens of millions of Cingular's roughly 60 million subscribers will be toting around devices with the Cingular name and logo for years to come.
In fact, a dwindling number of Cingular subscribers are still carrying around phones bearing the name and logo AT&T Wireless — artifacts of a tongue-twisting corporate saga.
Today's AT&T was known as SBC Communications until late 2005, when that regional Bell company acquired its former parent, the AT&T Corp. long-distance business. Several years before that deal, the AT&T long-distance company spun off its cell phone business, AT&T Wireless, as an independent concern. Then, in late 2004, AT&T Wireless was acquired by Cingular, which had no real desire or legal right to adopt a brand still owned by the AT&T long-distance business.
Instead, Cingular parents SBC and BellSouth decided to unify the companies under the Cingular brand, neither one realizing they'd all soon be merged into one company called AT&T.
Estimates vary widely, but there's no doubt that billions of dollars have been spent creating the Cingular brand from scratch and marketing its products under that name.
Yet while the sudden elimination of the Cingular brand might appear to be a waste of that investment, AT&T expects tremendous savings on the advertising that would have been required to maintain three distinct brands: AT&T, BellSouth and Cingular. (BellSouth's local phone and Internet customers began seeing ads announcing the planned replacement of that brand with AT&T soon after the $86 billion acquisition closed on the next-to-last day of 2006.)
When the AT&T-BellSouth acquisition was announced last March, executives estimated the combined company would save up to a half billion dollars a year on marketing. Overall, those savings are expected to account for a fifth of the estimated $14 billion in operational savings the deal is projected to allow over time.
The decision to rename Cingular as AT&T rather than AT&T Wireless reflects the company's push to sell a wide bundle of services, with a growing level of integration between wired and wireless capabilities that make such distinctions less meaningful. For example, AT&T has said it wants to let customers use their cell phones to check the channel guide and record programs on the new U-verse cable TV service AT&T is launching.
The ad campaign will borrow from Cingular's "Raising The Bar" theme with the phrase "Raising It Higher." Each commercial will end with an animation in which the Jack character appears to skywrite the AT&T globe while an announcer states that "Cingular is now the new AT&T."
source : www.foxnews.com
Cingular finishes $125 million upgrade
Cingular Wireless has completed a $125 million network upgrade to its Idaho and Utah system that includes the addition of 93 new cell sites, 75 of which are in Utah, according to Dewey Garner, director of sales for Utah and southern Idaho.
Utah cell sites include 26 for the Salt Lake area, serving the south and southwest part of the county, as well as new coverage at 4100 South between 3000 West and 7500 West.
Utah County received 21 new sites that cover Alpine, Highland, Pleasant Grove, Orem and Provo.
In the Ogden area, 12 new cell sites are now operational, expanding service in Hooper, West Point, Syracuse and North Ogden.
The St. George area now has nine new cell sites, which has expanded coverage from Snow Canyon through St. George and from Hurricane north to Toquerville.
"This has been a great venture for us and really is just part of our commitment to our customers," Garner said. "We created contractor jobs which were an incredible opportunity for us to go out and put people to work in Utah."
The expanded coverage included a new cell site at the Point of the Mountain, where many cellular calls are dropped.
In Idaho, 12 cell sites were where activated in the Treasure Valley area, which provided enhanced coverage in downtown Boise, Meridian and Nampa.
Beginning next week, Cingular will be branded as AT&T in an effort to save in advertising costs, according to a Bloomberg News article.
"The return of mobile customers to the AT&T brand means a full circle for those users who were with AT&T Wireless until that company was acquired by Cingular in 2004," the article said. "This time, AT&T is dropping wireless from the name.
"AT&T's campaign marks the final stage in its $86 billion acquisition of BellSouth, which closed last month and gave the company full ownership of Cingular. With 35 million residential customers, AT&T wants to offer packaged services of phone, television, Internet and mobile service under one name."
Utah cell sites include 26 for the Salt Lake area, serving the south and southwest part of the county, as well as new coverage at 4100 South between 3000 West and 7500 West.
Utah County received 21 new sites that cover Alpine, Highland, Pleasant Grove, Orem and Provo.
In the Ogden area, 12 new cell sites are now operational, expanding service in Hooper, West Point, Syracuse and North Ogden.
The St. George area now has nine new cell sites, which has expanded coverage from Snow Canyon through St. George and from Hurricane north to Toquerville.
"This has been a great venture for us and really is just part of our commitment to our customers," Garner said. "We created contractor jobs which were an incredible opportunity for us to go out and put people to work in Utah."
The expanded coverage included a new cell site at the Point of the Mountain, where many cellular calls are dropped.
In Idaho, 12 cell sites were where activated in the Treasure Valley area, which provided enhanced coverage in downtown Boise, Meridian and Nampa.
Beginning next week, Cingular will be branded as AT&T in an effort to save in advertising costs, according to a Bloomberg News article.
"The return of mobile customers to the AT&T brand means a full circle for those users who were with AT&T Wireless until that company was acquired by Cingular in 2004," the article said. "This time, AT&T is dropping wireless from the name.
"AT&T's campaign marks the final stage in its $86 billion acquisition of BellSouth, which closed last month and gave the company full ownership of Cingular. With 35 million residential customers, AT&T wants to offer packaged services of phone, television, Internet and mobile service under one name."
Say goodbye to Cingular, hello AT&T
Three years after AT&T Wireless subscribers found their cell-phone carrier was Cingular Wireless, Cingular Wireless subscribers will soon be learning to call their carrier AT&T.
In the latest step of a confusing dance of brand names in the wireless world, AT&T Inc. will start its planned rebranding of Cingular next week, just two weeks after AT&T gained full ownership of the nation's largest wireless carrier through the purchase of BellSouth Corp.
The awareness campaign will include inserts with monthly bills and promotional materials at Cingular stores advising customers of the coming change.
Cingular's name and orange "Jack" logo, both created six years ago, will continue to appear alongside the AT&T brand and blue "globe" logo until the company is confident customers won't be confused by the switch, AT&T announced yesterday.
But by midyear, it's "likely" the Cingular name and symbol will be disappearing from ads, promotional materials, trucks, bills, stores and buildings, said Wendy Clark, senior vice president of advertising for San Antonio-based AT&T. The only remnant to survive the transition will be the orange, which will be used for accent and background coloring for AT&T's cellular products and services.
"Any time you see us talking about wireless you'll see us use orange," Clark said.
But as cell phone users tend to buy new handsets only once every couple of years, it's likely that tens of millions of Cingular's roughly 60 million subscribers will be toting around devices with the Cingular name and logo for years to come.
In fact, some Cingular subscribers are still carrying phones bearing the name and logo AT&T Wireless -- artifacts of a tongue-twisting corporate saga.
Today's AT&T was known as SBC Communications until late 2005, when that regional Bell company acquired its former parent, the AT&T Corp. long-distance business. Several years before that deal, the AT&T long-distance company spun off its cell phone business, AT&T Wireless, as an independent concern. Then, in late 2004, AT&T Wireless was acquired by Cingular, which had no real desire or legal right to adopt a brand still owned by the AT&T long-distance business.
Instead, Cingular parents SBC and BellSouth decided to unify the companies under the Cingular brand, neither one realizing they'd all soon be merged into one company called AT&T.
source : ASSOCIATED PRESS
In the latest step of a confusing dance of brand names in the wireless world, AT&T Inc. will start its planned rebranding of Cingular next week, just two weeks after AT&T gained full ownership of the nation's largest wireless carrier through the purchase of BellSouth Corp.
The awareness campaign will include inserts with monthly bills and promotional materials at Cingular stores advising customers of the coming change.
Cingular's name and orange "Jack" logo, both created six years ago, will continue to appear alongside the AT&T brand and blue "globe" logo until the company is confident customers won't be confused by the switch, AT&T announced yesterday.
But by midyear, it's "likely" the Cingular name and symbol will be disappearing from ads, promotional materials, trucks, bills, stores and buildings, said Wendy Clark, senior vice president of advertising for San Antonio-based AT&T. The only remnant to survive the transition will be the orange, which will be used for accent and background coloring for AT&T's cellular products and services.
"Any time you see us talking about wireless you'll see us use orange," Clark said.
But as cell phone users tend to buy new handsets only once every couple of years, it's likely that tens of millions of Cingular's roughly 60 million subscribers will be toting around devices with the Cingular name and logo for years to come.
In fact, some Cingular subscribers are still carrying phones bearing the name and logo AT&T Wireless -- artifacts of a tongue-twisting corporate saga.
Today's AT&T was known as SBC Communications until late 2005, when that regional Bell company acquired its former parent, the AT&T Corp. long-distance business. Several years before that deal, the AT&T long-distance company spun off its cell phone business, AT&T Wireless, as an independent concern. Then, in late 2004, AT&T Wireless was acquired by Cingular, which had no real desire or legal right to adopt a brand still owned by the AT&T long-distance business.
Instead, Cingular parents SBC and BellSouth decided to unify the companies under the Cingular brand, neither one realizing they'd all soon be merged into one company called AT&T.
source : ASSOCIATED PRESS
Free Wireless Labs For Schools
Teachers and administrators can enter a sweepstakes for a free wireless lab, worth about $50,000.
Teachers who want to expand their use of technology in the classroom can enter a sweepstakes for a free wireless lab, worth about $50,000.
CDW-Government, a technology consulting firm and solutions provider, and Discovery Education announced their fifth annual "Win a Wireless Lab" sweepstakes, which runs through May 1. Teachers, administrators, and technology specialists can compete for five grand-prize labs and dozens of smaller prizes.
"When this program began five years ago, mobile computing in education was still a relatively new concept," Bob Kirby, senior director of K-12 sales for CDW-G, said in a prepared statement. "Fast-forward to today, and mobile computing is taking hold in our schools. We are setting the same high standards for education that we have in our global workforce."
Paul Thomas, senior VP of schools services for Discovery Education, said that the number of entries has grown substantially over the years as more educators seek to engage students with technology.
Each of the five grand prize winners will receive wireless labs with 20 notebooks or Tablet PCs from Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, or Toshiba, three wireless access points from D-Link or Netgear, one Bretford mobile cart, and Computrace security software. They also will receive one video projector from Epson, Mitsubishi, or NEC Solutions, one laser printer from Epson, HP, or Lexmark, an APC power supply, and one networked collection of Discovery School CD-ROMs. They also will receive on-site training.
Other prizes include: interactive whiteboards from Polyvision, projectors from InFocus, Acer or Sony notebooks, Sony or Canon digital cameras, and gift certificates for multimedia products from Discovery Education.
Teachers who want to expand their use of technology in the classroom can enter a sweepstakes for a free wireless lab, worth about $50,000.
CDW-Government, a technology consulting firm and solutions provider, and Discovery Education announced their fifth annual "Win a Wireless Lab" sweepstakes, which runs through May 1. Teachers, administrators, and technology specialists can compete for five grand-prize labs and dozens of smaller prizes.
"When this program began five years ago, mobile computing in education was still a relatively new concept," Bob Kirby, senior director of K-12 sales for CDW-G, said in a prepared statement. "Fast-forward to today, and mobile computing is taking hold in our schools. We are setting the same high standards for education that we have in our global workforce."
Paul Thomas, senior VP of schools services for Discovery Education, said that the number of entries has grown substantially over the years as more educators seek to engage students with technology.
Each of the five grand prize winners will receive wireless labs with 20 notebooks or Tablet PCs from Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, or Toshiba, three wireless access points from D-Link or Netgear, one Bretford mobile cart, and Computrace security software. They also will receive one video projector from Epson, Mitsubishi, or NEC Solutions, one laser printer from Epson, HP, or Lexmark, an APC power supply, and one networked collection of Discovery School CD-ROMs. They also will receive on-site training.
Other prizes include: interactive whiteboards from Polyvision, projectors from InFocus, Acer or Sony notebooks, Sony or Canon digital cameras, and gift certificates for multimedia products from Discovery Education.
Five Disruptive Technologies To Watch In 2007
This year will see the impact of several slow-developing technologies, such as RFID, virtualization, and advanced graphics.
Several technologies that have been percolating around the edges of mainstream business will bubble up to the surface this year, and CIOs and IT managers need to be prepared for the opportunities they represent--or risk getting burned.
Radio frequency identification will begin to ramp up the data loads IT centers must handle, as the tags become more pervasive. Web services will present workaday challenges, as managers are tasked with integrating Web-based apps into enterprise computing systems. The cost savings promised by server virtualization will be too compelling to pass up. Graphics processing will get a boost from the advent of Microsoft's Vista operating system. And as far-flung workforces face new and more troubling threats, mobile security will be more of a challenge.
RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION
"What ERP did to the enterprise, RFID will do to the supply chain," says Marlo Brooke, senior partner at Avatar Partners, a systems integrator. "It's all about centralization, visibility, and automation."
RFID isn't new, having been around in one form or another for more than a decade. Over the last several years, Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense have helped move RFID into the mainstream, using the technology to track everything from pallets to people to pill bottles, and insisting that their partners adopt it as well. RFID standards are solidifying, making it easier to develop applications and interoperate various pieces. Products such as Reva Systems' Tag Acquisition Processor make it easier to funnel RFID data directly into inventory, manufacturing, and supply chain systems.
There are challenges. An RFID deployment needs to take into account potential radio frequency issues and how wireless networks are deployed across an organization. Also, warehousing and inventory experience are needed to collect the scanned information and integrate it into existing supply chain applications. The IT shops that embrace RFID will have to be able to handle the massive data dumps the technology generates, route this data to the right places within their applications infrastructure, and be able to act on this information as part of their decision-support systems.
continue this news visit at : http://www.informationweek.com
Several technologies that have been percolating around the edges of mainstream business will bubble up to the surface this year, and CIOs and IT managers need to be prepared for the opportunities they represent--or risk getting burned.
Radio frequency identification will begin to ramp up the data loads IT centers must handle, as the tags become more pervasive. Web services will present workaday challenges, as managers are tasked with integrating Web-based apps into enterprise computing systems. The cost savings promised by server virtualization will be too compelling to pass up. Graphics processing will get a boost from the advent of Microsoft's Vista operating system. And as far-flung workforces face new and more troubling threats, mobile security will be more of a challenge.
RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION
"What ERP did to the enterprise, RFID will do to the supply chain," says Marlo Brooke, senior partner at Avatar Partners, a systems integrator. "It's all about centralization, visibility, and automation."
RFID isn't new, having been around in one form or another for more than a decade. Over the last several years, Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense have helped move RFID into the mainstream, using the technology to track everything from pallets to people to pill bottles, and insisting that their partners adopt it as well. RFID standards are solidifying, making it easier to develop applications and interoperate various pieces. Products such as Reva Systems' Tag Acquisition Processor make it easier to funnel RFID data directly into inventory, manufacturing, and supply chain systems.
There are challenges. An RFID deployment needs to take into account potential radio frequency issues and how wireless networks are deployed across an organization. Also, warehousing and inventory experience are needed to collect the scanned information and integrate it into existing supply chain applications. The IT shops that embrace RFID will have to be able to handle the massive data dumps the technology generates, route this data to the right places within their applications infrastructure, and be able to act on this information as part of their decision-support systems.
continue this news visit at : http://www.informationweek.com
Littleton, Sugar Hill and Franconia Residents to Benefit From Verizon Wireless Network Expansion
In a continuing effort to provide the best wireless service for local residents in Grafton County and all of those traveling to ski mountains in the area, Verizon Wireless, operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, has expanded its network with three new cell sites. The two new sites in Littleton provide coverage and capacity along NH-135, NH-142, and NH-116, as well as to downtown Littleton. The new site in Sugar Hill provides coverage along I-93 and into the Town of Franconia.
This network expansion is part of the company's aggressive multi-billion dollar network investment each year (more than $1 billion every 90 days), including nearly $318 million in New England in 2006 alone, to stay ahead of the growing demand for Verizon Wireless voice and data services. Verizon Wireless has invested $35 billion - on average $5 billion a year - into its national wireless network over the past seven years as part of its commitment to offer customers the most reliable service available, including wireless data services such as picture messaging, text messaging, and the company's exclusive V CAST service. V CAST brings video clips of TV shows, music on demand and other multimedia services to wireless phones over Verizon Wireless' high-speed EV-DO network. BroadbandAccess offers customers the nation's most reliable high-speed wireless broadband network, operating at average speeds between 400 kbps - 700 kbps.
Strong demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during the third quarter of 2006 as the company added 1.9 million net new customers and also reported the lowest customer turnover (highest customer loyalty) rate in the wireless industry, well below the rate reported by the other major wireless carriers.
The company's 'nation's most reliable wireless network' reputation is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women throughout the country who inspired the "can you hear me now" national advertising campaign. These engineers drive nearly 100 specially equipped vehicles some 240,000 miles quarterly on Interstate, US and state highways as well as major roads and surface streets. Test vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than 750,000 voice call attempts and more than four million data tests quarterly on the Verizon Wireless network and the networks of other carriers.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 57 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 60,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ - News) and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD; LSE). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
Source: Verizon Wireless
This network expansion is part of the company's aggressive multi-billion dollar network investment each year (more than $1 billion every 90 days), including nearly $318 million in New England in 2006 alone, to stay ahead of the growing demand for Verizon Wireless voice and data services. Verizon Wireless has invested $35 billion - on average $5 billion a year - into its national wireless network over the past seven years as part of its commitment to offer customers the most reliable service available, including wireless data services such as picture messaging, text messaging, and the company's exclusive V CAST service. V CAST brings video clips of TV shows, music on demand and other multimedia services to wireless phones over Verizon Wireless' high-speed EV-DO network. BroadbandAccess offers customers the nation's most reliable high-speed wireless broadband network, operating at average speeds between 400 kbps - 700 kbps.
Strong demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during the third quarter of 2006 as the company added 1.9 million net new customers and also reported the lowest customer turnover (highest customer loyalty) rate in the wireless industry, well below the rate reported by the other major wireless carriers.
The company's 'nation's most reliable wireless network' reputation is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women throughout the country who inspired the "can you hear me now" national advertising campaign. These engineers drive nearly 100 specially equipped vehicles some 240,000 miles quarterly on Interstate, US and state highways as well as major roads and surface streets. Test vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than 750,000 voice call attempts and more than four million data tests quarterly on the Verizon Wireless network and the networks of other carriers.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 57 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 60,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ - News) and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD; LSE). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
Source: Verizon Wireless
Investing to Stay Ahead of Growing Demand for Wireless Calling, Data Access, and Music
In a continuing effort to provide the best wireless service for local residents in Worcester County, Verizon Wireless, operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, has expanded its network with a new cell site. The new site increases coverage and capacity along Routes 32 and 67, the town of New Braintree, and surrounding areas.
This network expansion is part of the company's aggressive multi-billion dollar network investment each year (more than $1 billion every 90 days), including nearly $318 million in New England in 2006 alone, to stay ahead of the growing demand for Verizon Wireless voice and data services. Verizon Wireless has invested $35 billion -- on average $5 billion a year -- into its national wireless network over the past seven years as part of its commitment to offer customers the most reliable service available, including wireless data services such as picture messaging, text messaging, and the company's exclusive V CAST service. V CAST brings video clips of TV shows, music on demand and other multimedia services to wireless phones over Verizon Wireless' high-speed EV-DO network. BroadbandAccess offers customers the nation's most reliable high-speed wireless broadband network, operating at average speeds between 400 kbps - 700 kbps.
Strong demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during the third quarter of 2006 as the company added 1.9 million net new customers and also reported the lowest customer turnover (highest customer loyalty) rate in the wireless industry, well below the rate reported by the other major wireless carriers.
The company's 'nation's most reliable wireless network' reputation is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women throughout the country who inspired the "can you hear me now" national advertising campaign. These engineers drive nearly 100 specially equipped vehicles some 240,000 miles quarterly on Interstate, US and state highways as well as major roads and surface streets. Test vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than 750,000 voice call attempts and more than four million data tests quarterly on the Verizon Wireless network and the networks of other carriers.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 57 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 60,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ - News) and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD; LSE). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
Source: Verizon Wireless
This network expansion is part of the company's aggressive multi-billion dollar network investment each year (more than $1 billion every 90 days), including nearly $318 million in New England in 2006 alone, to stay ahead of the growing demand for Verizon Wireless voice and data services. Verizon Wireless has invested $35 billion -- on average $5 billion a year -- into its national wireless network over the past seven years as part of its commitment to offer customers the most reliable service available, including wireless data services such as picture messaging, text messaging, and the company's exclusive V CAST service. V CAST brings video clips of TV shows, music on demand and other multimedia services to wireless phones over Verizon Wireless' high-speed EV-DO network. BroadbandAccess offers customers the nation's most reliable high-speed wireless broadband network, operating at average speeds between 400 kbps - 700 kbps.
Strong demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during the third quarter of 2006 as the company added 1.9 million net new customers and also reported the lowest customer turnover (highest customer loyalty) rate in the wireless industry, well below the rate reported by the other major wireless carriers.
The company's 'nation's most reliable wireless network' reputation is based on network studies performed by real-life test men and test women throughout the country who inspired the "can you hear me now" national advertising campaign. These engineers drive nearly 100 specially equipped vehicles some 240,000 miles quarterly on Interstate, US and state highways as well as major roads and surface streets. Test vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than 750,000 voice call attempts and more than four million data tests quarterly on the Verizon Wireless network and the networks of other carriers.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 57 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 60,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ - News) and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD; LSE). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
Source: Verizon Wireless
Crown Castle Buys Global Signal for $4B
Crown Castle Buys Global Signal for $4 Billion in Cash and Stock
Cellphone tower company Crown Castle International Corp. said Friday it completed its $4 billion acquisition smaller rival Global Signal Inc.
Including Global Signal's debt of about $1.8 billion, the transaction is valued at $5.8 billion.
Each Global Signal share will be exchange for $8.16 in cash and about 1.375 shares of Crown Castle common stock.
Crown Castle issued about 98.1 million shares in connection with the merger. Including these shares, Crown Castle has about 300.2 million common shares outstanding, of which about nearly one-third are owned by former Global Signal stockholders.
Global Signal shares will cease trading Friday and will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
Cellphone tower company Crown Castle International Corp. said Friday it completed its $4 billion acquisition smaller rival Global Signal Inc.
Including Global Signal's debt of about $1.8 billion, the transaction is valued at $5.8 billion.
Each Global Signal share will be exchange for $8.16 in cash and about 1.375 shares of Crown Castle common stock.
Crown Castle issued about 98.1 million shares in connection with the merger. Including these shares, Crown Castle has about 300.2 million common shares outstanding, of which about nearly one-third are owned by former Global Signal stockholders.
Global Signal shares will cease trading Friday and will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
AVOP Launched Aggressive Marketing Campaign Working With Sellers
Nettel Holdings,Inc., Berlin and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges, AVOP Division, today announced it has Launched an Aggressive Marketing Campaign to attract new Sellers of minutes to meet the increased demand of new international buyers.
Progress from telecom sales over the pass two quarters has been overwhelmingly positive. Current buyers are very satisfied with our performance and consistency. They have been placing orders for additional telecom minutes at a much larger volume than what our current suppliers can provide. We have received firm commitments from these buyers for over 2 million minutes per day. This would generate a gross revenue of over $100K per day for Nettel. In addition to ramping up current providers, we are aggressively looking for more reliable suppliers with good routes at competitive prices. We expect the process of finding and testing qualified reliable suppliers on a consistent basis could take up to 4 or 5 months.
Our Account Specialists have been taking steps to prepare for the anticipated traffic and revenue resulting from the activation of these new buyers and sellers.
Selling minutes to AVOP has many advantages over other exchanges. AVOP at this time is the only exchange in the telecom industry that offer the sellers instant access to over 5 million LIVE minutes per day. In addition, by selling minutes to AVOP, they will no longer have to wait 30-45 days to receive payment for the minutes that were sold today. We provide suppliers with the fastest way to earn quick revenue by being the only Exchange in the industry that pays the same day. Suppliers can log into their account 24 hours a day, post the routes they have available, and be able to receive instant live traffic sent from AVOP to their gateways within 1-2 hours.
complete read this article visit at : http://biz.yahoo.com
Progress from telecom sales over the pass two quarters has been overwhelmingly positive. Current buyers are very satisfied with our performance and consistency. They have been placing orders for additional telecom minutes at a much larger volume than what our current suppliers can provide. We have received firm commitments from these buyers for over 2 million minutes per day. This would generate a gross revenue of over $100K per day for Nettel. In addition to ramping up current providers, we are aggressively looking for more reliable suppliers with good routes at competitive prices. We expect the process of finding and testing qualified reliable suppliers on a consistent basis could take up to 4 or 5 months.
Our Account Specialists have been taking steps to prepare for the anticipated traffic and revenue resulting from the activation of these new buyers and sellers.
Selling minutes to AVOP has many advantages over other exchanges. AVOP at this time is the only exchange in the telecom industry that offer the sellers instant access to over 5 million LIVE minutes per day. In addition, by selling minutes to AVOP, they will no longer have to wait 30-45 days to receive payment for the minutes that were sold today. We provide suppliers with the fastest way to earn quick revenue by being the only Exchange in the industry that pays the same day. Suppliers can log into their account 24 hours a day, post the routes they have available, and be able to receive instant live traffic sent from AVOP to their gateways within 1-2 hours.
complete read this article visit at : http://biz.yahoo.com
County launches latest effort for community shared wireless
Summit County is ramping up efforts for a community wireless network, nearly two years after its first attempt deemed "The Beanpole Project" failed to bring reliable service to the county.
New technology and a partnership with a company called WisperTel has increased the confidence of county planners, after watching a $480,000 state grant originally funding the "Beanpole" network waste away.
When Netbeam, the original grant recipient, and then its sister company, Peak Speed, filed for bankruptcy in 2005, the county received criticism for not taking control of the network's assets. It stepped back and began talking with WisperTel, who services 4,000 internet customers throughout much of the state east of Summit County.
WisperTel, who presented its WiMax technology Thursday night at the Our Future Summit gathering, is entering the market to compete with giants like Comcast and Qwest. The goal of the new network is to give reliable access to towns and government, and to help increase options for private citizens and businesses.
According to Don Whitlow, director of product development for WisperTel, technology advancements will allow for about 80 percent of county residents to be covered by its network, which is nearing completion. Rates for private residents would vary, and the county sees potential for free access in town core areas. The company will also be working on "dark spots" this summer, and says increased competition will only lower prices.
Summit County customers should be able to join a plan by the end of the month, according to Whitlow.
The town of Vail recently began a community wireless service, and chose WiFi and not WiMax. Representatives said they chose WiFi because it was unsure of the future of WiMax technology, and it wanted portability within the network. WiMax only serves fixed locations - like a desktop computer in a home - and a portable version - similar to WiFi "hot spots" - won't be available in at least 2 to 3 years, according to Ron Braden, Vail's technology director.
"We're not exactly looking at apples to apples," Braden said Thursday night, comparing Summit's goals of a countywide network with Vail's goals of servicing a small geographic area. "We think we made the right choice with WiFi, because it fit our needs and through partnerships, we were able to build this nearly cost-free, because we didn't want to spend any money."
More than 40 locals and technology experts attended Thursday night's discussion at the Summit County Community and Senior Center near Frisco. Gary Sadler from the town of Breckenridge also attended, and reported Breckenridge is investigating its own wireless network for the town core.
New technology and a partnership with a company called WisperTel has increased the confidence of county planners, after watching a $480,000 state grant originally funding the "Beanpole" network waste away.
When Netbeam, the original grant recipient, and then its sister company, Peak Speed, filed for bankruptcy in 2005, the county received criticism for not taking control of the network's assets. It stepped back and began talking with WisperTel, who services 4,000 internet customers throughout much of the state east of Summit County.
WisperTel, who presented its WiMax technology Thursday night at the Our Future Summit gathering, is entering the market to compete with giants like Comcast and Qwest. The goal of the new network is to give reliable access to towns and government, and to help increase options for private citizens and businesses.
According to Don Whitlow, director of product development for WisperTel, technology advancements will allow for about 80 percent of county residents to be covered by its network, which is nearing completion. Rates for private residents would vary, and the county sees potential for free access in town core areas. The company will also be working on "dark spots" this summer, and says increased competition will only lower prices.
Summit County customers should be able to join a plan by the end of the month, according to Whitlow.
The town of Vail recently began a community wireless service, and chose WiFi and not WiMax. Representatives said they chose WiFi because it was unsure of the future of WiMax technology, and it wanted portability within the network. WiMax only serves fixed locations - like a desktop computer in a home - and a portable version - similar to WiFi "hot spots" - won't be available in at least 2 to 3 years, according to Ron Braden, Vail's technology director.
"We're not exactly looking at apples to apples," Braden said Thursday night, comparing Summit's goals of a countywide network with Vail's goals of servicing a small geographic area. "We think we made the right choice with WiFi, because it fit our needs and through partnerships, we were able to build this nearly cost-free, because we didn't want to spend any money."
More than 40 locals and technology experts attended Thursday night's discussion at the Summit County Community and Senior Center near Frisco. Gary Sadler from the town of Breckenridge also attended, and reported Breckenridge is investigating its own wireless network for the town core.
Horizon Wi-Com Selects Navini for Its Wireless Broadband Deployment
Horizon Wi-Com is launching its high-speed wireless broadband service in the Northeast US region using WiMAX 802.16e equipment from Navini Networks, the global leader(1) in providing plug-n-play broadband wireless access solutions with the most experience in commercial deployments.
The FCC recently approved Horizon's purchase of the WCS A Block spectrum previously owned by Verizon. Phase I of the deployment will implement service in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Richmond, and Cincinnati.
"We selected Navini due to their experience, customer base and proven technology," said Ron Olexa. "Our objective is to provide wireless last mile access to residential, business and emergency restoration markets. We will start building the network in 1Q07, with a view to ongoing expansion and additional network deployments in the latter part of 2007."
"We are delighted that Horizon has chosen us for this very significant network deployment in major U.S. cities," said Roger Dorf, Navini's president and CEO. "Delivering WiMAX in the U.S. is a key strategic opportunity for us."
This is a turnkey Management and Support Services deal for Navini, which will allow Horizon to make the most of their network from day one. Services include Network IP Design, Turn-Key Deployment Services (Commissioning, Test and Turn-up/ Cabinets and backhaul equipment), Network Management and Support Services, and Network Optimization.
The deployment features Navini's Ripwave(TM) MX8 platform that is being certified for 802.16e mobile WiMAX with Navini's Smart WiMAX(TM) solution. Smart WiMAX(TM) combines the Smart Beamforming technology currently in commercial service around the world, with beamformed MIMO, which can reliably double the data throughput for WiMAX subscribers.
This will allow Horizon Wi-Com to deploy less base stations with more complete coverage and higher speeds.
About Horizon Wi-Com LLC:
Horizon Wi-Com is a Wireless System Operator headquartered in Alexandria, VA. Horizon owns 10 MHz of A Block WCS spectrum in MEA 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, and 13. These MEA's include the cities of Boston, New York, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington DC, Richmond, and Cincinnati Dayton. Horizon Wi-Com is currently planning deployments in these markets which will provide wireless broadband service to customers. Service is planned to commence in the second quarter of 2007.
http://www.horizon-wicom.com
About Navini Networks:
Navini Networks is the leader in providing portable, plug-n-play broadband wireless access solutions, with the largest commercial deployments in the world, over 70 commercial networks in 6 continents and strategic partnerships with industry leaders. Navini is the only company that has the patented Smart Beamforming technology, enabling personal broadband for the mass market today, with a seamless upgrade to the Mobile WiMAX standard to deliver Smart WiMAX(TM). (Smart WiMAX(TM) is the combination of mobile WiMAX with Smart Beamforming & MIMO). Navini's Ripwave® MX portable, zero-install(TM), non- line-of-sight (NLOS) solution consists of customer modems, base stations, and element management systems (EMS) that run in the full range of spectrums with software upgrades to the IEEE 802.16e standard.
Navini Networks is a principal member of the WiMAX Forum and the IEEE 802.16e committee. Headquartered in Richardson, Texas. http://www.navini.com .
(1) "State of the Market Wireless Broadband Analysis Report 2006 - 2010 &
SkyLight Research Wireless Broadband Five Year Forecast 2006 - 2010"
by SkyLight Research (published June 2006)
Source: Navini Networks, Inc.
The FCC recently approved Horizon's purchase of the WCS A Block spectrum previously owned by Verizon. Phase I of the deployment will implement service in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Richmond, and Cincinnati.
"We selected Navini due to their experience, customer base and proven technology," said Ron Olexa. "Our objective is to provide wireless last mile access to residential, business and emergency restoration markets. We will start building the network in 1Q07, with a view to ongoing expansion and additional network deployments in the latter part of 2007."
"We are delighted that Horizon has chosen us for this very significant network deployment in major U.S. cities," said Roger Dorf, Navini's president and CEO. "Delivering WiMAX in the U.S. is a key strategic opportunity for us."
This is a turnkey Management and Support Services deal for Navini, which will allow Horizon to make the most of their network from day one. Services include Network IP Design, Turn-Key Deployment Services (Commissioning, Test and Turn-up/ Cabinets and backhaul equipment), Network Management and Support Services, and Network Optimization.
The deployment features Navini's Ripwave(TM) MX8 platform that is being certified for 802.16e mobile WiMAX with Navini's Smart WiMAX(TM) solution. Smart WiMAX(TM) combines the Smart Beamforming technology currently in commercial service around the world, with beamformed MIMO, which can reliably double the data throughput for WiMAX subscribers.
This will allow Horizon Wi-Com to deploy less base stations with more complete coverage and higher speeds.
About Horizon Wi-Com LLC:
Horizon Wi-Com is a Wireless System Operator headquartered in Alexandria, VA. Horizon owns 10 MHz of A Block WCS spectrum in MEA 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, and 13. These MEA's include the cities of Boston, New York, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington DC, Richmond, and Cincinnati Dayton. Horizon Wi-Com is currently planning deployments in these markets which will provide wireless broadband service to customers. Service is planned to commence in the second quarter of 2007.
http://www.horizon-wicom.com
About Navini Networks:
Navini Networks is the leader in providing portable, plug-n-play broadband wireless access solutions, with the largest commercial deployments in the world, over 70 commercial networks in 6 continents and strategic partnerships with industry leaders. Navini is the only company that has the patented Smart Beamforming technology, enabling personal broadband for the mass market today, with a seamless upgrade to the Mobile WiMAX standard to deliver Smart WiMAX(TM). (Smart WiMAX(TM) is the combination of mobile WiMAX with Smart Beamforming & MIMO). Navini's Ripwave® MX portable, zero-install(TM), non- line-of-sight (NLOS) solution consists of customer modems, base stations, and element management systems (EMS) that run in the full range of spectrums with software upgrades to the IEEE 802.16e standard.
Navini Networks is a principal member of the WiMAX Forum and the IEEE 802.16e committee. Headquartered in Richardson, Texas. http://www.navini.com .
(1) "State of the Market Wireless Broadband Analysis Report 2006 - 2010 &
SkyLight Research Wireless Broadband Five Year Forecast 2006 - 2010"
by SkyLight Research (published June 2006)
Source: Navini Networks, Inc.
Motorola expands Mobinil GSM network to serve remote areas and improve service quality
Motorola, Inc. today announced the completion of a GSM network expansion project with long-standing customer Mobinil, which enabled Mobinil to extend its coverage in Cairo, Delta, Alexandria and North Coast regions and add three million subscribers nationwide in 2006.
The project's successful completion was announced at the Motorola Future Technology Seminar (FTS), which is being held in Cairo from 10 to 11 January 2007. The project also supported Mobinil's network enhancements, which enabled the company to offer even higher quality of service to its growing customer base.
Motorola delivered its Reach GSM solutions, along with comprehensive services including network optimization and ongoing support. The expansion extended Mobinil's network into new, remote areas and provided better network performance in high population density areas, allowing Mobinil to add new subscribers quickly and efficiently.
'In order to maintain our leading position in the mobile market, we need to ensure that we are able to continue offering our customers the best competitive prices, the highest possible quality of service and the widest possible network coverage. With Motorola's network expansion and enhancement project, we were able to substantially reduce Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operating Expenditure (OPEX), which made it possible for Mobinil to offer extremely competitive price per minute packages to its valued subscribers. Mobinil and Motorola have worked closely together for a number of years now, and given Motorola's leading portfolio of GSM solutions, its long presence in Egypt, and understanding of the requirements of the Egyptian market, Motorola was a natural choice for this strategic expansion,' said Alex Shalaby, Mobinil's president and CEO.
'Motorola's support on projects such as this, and through events like the FTS, will no doubt further strengthen our relationship. The FTS will offer us the opportunity to preview the next wave of technology that will help us to continue to lead the Egyptian mobile communications market and continue to offer our customers the best service. We trust and have full confidence in Motorola's expertise and look forward to continue working with them to achieve our strategic objectives and total subscriber satisfaction,' Shalaby added.
'With this network expansion project, we were able to successfully support Mobinil in extending its coverage to underserved areas of the country and effectively enhance the quality of its network. Through Motorola's technology and its expert services solutions, we were also able to reduce the call blocking rate below international and Egyptian Regulatory standards. We are proud to have worked with Mobinil since its inception to provide the operator with different solutions to address their rapidly growing demand in the country. There are indications for a great potential in the mobile communications market in Egypt and overall subscribers' numbers and mobile usage are expected to grow significantly in the next few years. With the FTS, we aimed to show how Motorola technology and solutions could assist Mobinil in growing its market share further and introducing new services and revenue streams. We look forward to continue to support Mobinil in achieving their ambitious goals for many years to come,' said Osman Abu Al Nasr, general manager and global account director, Motorola Networks & Enterprise.
Motorola hosted senior executives, managers and technical staff from Mobinil at the FTS, to share its vision for seamless mobility and strategic direction in future technologies. During the two-day event, Motorola showcased developments in key areas, including mobile and wireless broadband, applications portfolio and services as well as developments in its enterprise mobility, connected home and mobile devices businesses. The seminar included demonstrations of Motorola leading solutions such as its GSM Reach, UMTS/HSXPA and MOTOwi4™ portfolios, IPTV, IMS, VoIP and next generation handsets and accessories.
Through their near decade old relationship, Mobinil and Motorola have introduced a number of technologies and services to Egypt's telecommunications sector for individuals and corporate subscribers. These technologies covered voice and data communication. Data technologies provide subscribers with remote access to their office and the Internet and the first live call was made on the Mobinil network using Motorola GPRS technology in 2001.
In 2006, Motorola also deployed its Reach GSM solutions and services to support Mobinil to successfully manage the calls of 40,000 local and international visitors roaming on its network during the sun eclipse event in the Mersa Matrouh area of the North Coast. Mobinil was commended by The Egyptian regulatory board for its effective support of this important event.
In addition, Mobinil and Motorola are working together to increase access to underserved areas in Egypt and 'Connect the Unconnected'. Motorola, who won the GSM Association's Emerging Market Handset Programme in 2005 and 2006 to bridge the digital divide for its high quality range of low cost handsets, has teamed up with Mobinil to offer a low cost mobile phone and SIM card package to more than 300,000 subscribers in Egypt so far.
A portion of revenue on this contract was recognized in 2006.
source : www.ameinfo.com
The project's successful completion was announced at the Motorola Future Technology Seminar (FTS), which is being held in Cairo from 10 to 11 January 2007. The project also supported Mobinil's network enhancements, which enabled the company to offer even higher quality of service to its growing customer base.
Motorola delivered its Reach GSM solutions, along with comprehensive services including network optimization and ongoing support. The expansion extended Mobinil's network into new, remote areas and provided better network performance in high population density areas, allowing Mobinil to add new subscribers quickly and efficiently.
'In order to maintain our leading position in the mobile market, we need to ensure that we are able to continue offering our customers the best competitive prices, the highest possible quality of service and the widest possible network coverage. With Motorola's network expansion and enhancement project, we were able to substantially reduce Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operating Expenditure (OPEX), which made it possible for Mobinil to offer extremely competitive price per minute packages to its valued subscribers. Mobinil and Motorola have worked closely together for a number of years now, and given Motorola's leading portfolio of GSM solutions, its long presence in Egypt, and understanding of the requirements of the Egyptian market, Motorola was a natural choice for this strategic expansion,' said Alex Shalaby, Mobinil's president and CEO.
'Motorola's support on projects such as this, and through events like the FTS, will no doubt further strengthen our relationship. The FTS will offer us the opportunity to preview the next wave of technology that will help us to continue to lead the Egyptian mobile communications market and continue to offer our customers the best service. We trust and have full confidence in Motorola's expertise and look forward to continue working with them to achieve our strategic objectives and total subscriber satisfaction,' Shalaby added.
'With this network expansion project, we were able to successfully support Mobinil in extending its coverage to underserved areas of the country and effectively enhance the quality of its network. Through Motorola's technology and its expert services solutions, we were also able to reduce the call blocking rate below international and Egyptian Regulatory standards. We are proud to have worked with Mobinil since its inception to provide the operator with different solutions to address their rapidly growing demand in the country. There are indications for a great potential in the mobile communications market in Egypt and overall subscribers' numbers and mobile usage are expected to grow significantly in the next few years. With the FTS, we aimed to show how Motorola technology and solutions could assist Mobinil in growing its market share further and introducing new services and revenue streams. We look forward to continue to support Mobinil in achieving their ambitious goals for many years to come,' said Osman Abu Al Nasr, general manager and global account director, Motorola Networks & Enterprise.
Motorola hosted senior executives, managers and technical staff from Mobinil at the FTS, to share its vision for seamless mobility and strategic direction in future technologies. During the two-day event, Motorola showcased developments in key areas, including mobile and wireless broadband, applications portfolio and services as well as developments in its enterprise mobility, connected home and mobile devices businesses. The seminar included demonstrations of Motorola leading solutions such as its GSM Reach, UMTS/HSXPA and MOTOwi4™ portfolios, IPTV, IMS, VoIP and next generation handsets and accessories.
Through their near decade old relationship, Mobinil and Motorola have introduced a number of technologies and services to Egypt's telecommunications sector for individuals and corporate subscribers. These technologies covered voice and data communication. Data technologies provide subscribers with remote access to their office and the Internet and the first live call was made on the Mobinil network using Motorola GPRS technology in 2001.
In 2006, Motorola also deployed its Reach GSM solutions and services to support Mobinil to successfully manage the calls of 40,000 local and international visitors roaming on its network during the sun eclipse event in the Mersa Matrouh area of the North Coast. Mobinil was commended by The Egyptian regulatory board for its effective support of this important event.
In addition, Mobinil and Motorola are working together to increase access to underserved areas in Egypt and 'Connect the Unconnected'. Motorola, who won the GSM Association's Emerging Market Handset Programme in 2005 and 2006 to bridge the digital divide for its high quality range of low cost handsets, has teamed up with Mobinil to offer a low cost mobile phone and SIM card package to more than 300,000 subscribers in Egypt so far.
A portion of revenue on this contract was recognized in 2006.
source : www.ameinfo.com
Malaysia to announce WiMax licence winners by Feb
Malaysia will unveil the winners of licences to operate wireless broadband WiMax services by the end of February, the Star newspaper on Saturday quoted Communications Minister Lim Keng Yaik as saying.
Malaysia, scrambling to boost Internet transfer speeds and catch up with its more technology-savvy Asian neighbours, has said it aims to launch the service this year. The announcement will end months of speculation on which companies will be allocated the 2.3 GHz spectrum.
Lim did not disclose how many WiMax licences the government plans to issue.
"We are still finalising the details," he said.
In October, he said Malaysia planned to make available three licences to operate WiMax services in a re-tender of spectrum, after the original tender was cancelled in July because its specifications were not in line with ministry policy.
A total of 17 firms applied for the WiMax spectrum. They include Telekom Malaysia , Maxis Communications , DiGi.Com , Redtone International and NasionCom Holdings.
WiMax is similar to the more familiar WiFi technology featured on most laptops, but it has a higher capacity and operates across much larger distances.
It was developed to beam the Internet across cities using radio networks with much wider ranges than WiFi, which is normally limited to "hotspot" areas of around 50 to 100 metres.
Malaysia, scrambling to boost Internet transfer speeds and catch up with its more technology-savvy Asian neighbours, has said it aims to launch the service this year. The announcement will end months of speculation on which companies will be allocated the 2.3 GHz spectrum.
Lim did not disclose how many WiMax licences the government plans to issue.
"We are still finalising the details," he said.
In October, he said Malaysia planned to make available three licences to operate WiMax services in a re-tender of spectrum, after the original tender was cancelled in July because its specifications were not in line with ministry policy.
A total of 17 firms applied for the WiMax spectrum. They include Telekom Malaysia , Maxis Communications , DiGi.Com , Redtone International and NasionCom Holdings.
WiMax is similar to the more familiar WiFi technology featured on most laptops, but it has a higher capacity and operates across much larger distances.
It was developed to beam the Internet across cities using radio networks with much wider ranges than WiFi, which is normally limited to "hotspot" areas of around 50 to 100 metres.
Cingular Is Growing in Lexington With New West Reynolds Superstore
More than 3,700 sq. ft. of retail space offering latest phones, PDAs and wireless devices.
Cingular Wireless, part of the new AT&T, is giving Lexington residents even more access to the hottest wireless products and devices as it opens a new store at 111 West Reynolds Blvd. From January 19-21, customers can take advantage of Grand Opening events and specials at the store, located at 111 West Reynolds Blvd. next to Fayette Mall and between Target and Arby's.
The new location, with more than 3,700 square feet of retail space in an open, customer-friendly design, will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Special Grand Opening events scheduled for Saturday the 20th include live remote radio broadcasts, with WLXX on site between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and WGKS broadcasting from the store from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Big L, the Lexington Legends' mascot, will keep children and adults alike entertained while Lexington Police Department officers register children for their Child ID program and firefighters from the Lexington Fire Department conduct free child safety seat inspections. Cingular will also offer special handset pricing and door prizes throughout the weekend.
Larry Fox, director of sales for the region, says, "We're very excited about this store. Its size, layout, and location will allow customers to shop for the best wireless services, features, and products in a convenient and comfortable environment."
For more information on Cingular Wireless' new Lexington store, please call the store at (859) 272-7790.
About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless, part of the new AT&T, is the nation's largest wireless carrier, serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular is solely owned by AT&T Inc. , a premier communications holding company in the United States and worldwide. Cingular has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology, featuring the first widely available HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) service in the world. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company in the United States and around the world, with operating subsidiaries providing services under the AT&T brand. AT&T is the recognized world leader in providing IP-based communications services to business and the U.S. leader in providing wireless, high speed Internet access, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. As part of its "three screen" integration strategy, AT&T is expanding video entertainment offerings to include such next-generation television services as AT&T U-verse(SM) TV. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/.
Cingular Wireless
CONTACT: Laurie Parker, office: +1-615-221-3690,
wireless: +1-615-202-3463, Laurie.parker@cingular.com
Web site: http://www.cingular.com/
http://www.att.com/
Cingular Wireless, part of the new AT&T, is giving Lexington residents even more access to the hottest wireless products and devices as it opens a new store at 111 West Reynolds Blvd. From January 19-21, customers can take advantage of Grand Opening events and specials at the store, located at 111 West Reynolds Blvd. next to Fayette Mall and between Target and Arby's.
The new location, with more than 3,700 square feet of retail space in an open, customer-friendly design, will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Special Grand Opening events scheduled for Saturday the 20th include live remote radio broadcasts, with WLXX on site between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and WGKS broadcasting from the store from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Big L, the Lexington Legends' mascot, will keep children and adults alike entertained while Lexington Police Department officers register children for their Child ID program and firefighters from the Lexington Fire Department conduct free child safety seat inspections. Cingular will also offer special handset pricing and door prizes throughout the weekend.
Larry Fox, director of sales for the region, says, "We're very excited about this store. Its size, layout, and location will allow customers to shop for the best wireless services, features, and products in a convenient and comfortable environment."
For more information on Cingular Wireless' new Lexington store, please call the store at (859) 272-7790.
About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless, part of the new AT&T, is the nation's largest wireless carrier, serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular is solely owned by AT&T Inc. , a premier communications holding company in the United States and worldwide. Cingular has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology, featuring the first widely available HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) service in the world. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company in the United States and around the world, with operating subsidiaries providing services under the AT&T brand. AT&T is the recognized world leader in providing IP-based communications services to business and the U.S. leader in providing wireless, high speed Internet access, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. As part of its "three screen" integration strategy, AT&T is expanding video entertainment offerings to include such next-generation television services as AT&T U-verse(SM) TV. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/.
Cingular Wireless
CONTACT: Laurie Parker, office: +1-615-221-3690,
wireless: +1-615-202-3463, Laurie.parker@cingular.com
Web site: http://www.cingular.com/
http://www.att.com/
Friday, January 12, 2007
Smartphones And Services Ride Next-Gen Cell Networks
Amid the 3G buildout comes a bevy of feature-rich devices and bandwidth-hungry services.
Streaming video and music, mobile TV, and bandwidth-intensive business applications came into wider use over the past year on mobile phones. The Consumer Electronics Show last week served as a showplace for what's next: wireless services that operate at faster speeds and smartphones that take advantage of them.
Cingular has been upgrading its network since last year to High Speed Downlink Packet Access, or HSDPA, to give users connectivity from 400 Kbps to 700 Kbps with 1-Mbit burst speeds, enough for Web browsing and downloading multimedia files. Cingular's existing Universal Mobile Telephone System maxes out at 250 Kbps. Other U.S. cellular carriers are bolstering their networks, too. Verizon Wireless has upgraded its Evolution Data Optimized network in some cities, and Sprint's doing the same. The upgrades make it possible to send more bits over the airwaves in support of services such as voice over IP and video telephony.
The proliferation of third-generation networks is creating an explosion of new mobile services. At CES, Cingular demonstrated a service, due this summer, that lets cell phone users make live video calls. Customers will need a special Video-Share phone, such as LG Electronics' CU500v, and they'll have to deal with spotty coverage in the early going. Verizon Wireless unveiled V Cast Mobile TV, a service that "marries the phone, the Internet, and television," according to the company. It's due sometime this quarter.
Yahoo came out with a revamped version of its Web browsing and search software for mobile phones called OneSearch, part of Yahoo Go for Mobile 2.0, with services such as e-mail, maps, and news that are in test mode. Mobile search continues to be kludgy, often causing people to click through a list of Web sites on a small device screen. With OneSearch, Yahoo is trying to provide answers to queries more directly. Yahoo has yet to sign up any major cellular carriers to preload Go for Mobile 2.0 on the phones they sell, but consumers can download the app.
NEXT-GEN DEVICES
Mobile devices are equipped to support these new services. Palm rolled out the Treo 750, the latest addition to its line of smartphones that work over 3G networks. It's the first Windows Mobile 5.0-powered Treo to use Cingular's 3G network. With Cingular, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint now offering Windows Mobile Treos with high-speed data capabilities, businesspeople aren't restricted to a single carrier or smartphone model. More important, they finally have fast-enough data connections to use those phones to work remotely.
Motorola unveiled the MotoRizr 76, a Linux-based cell phone that can synchronize with online stores that support Microsoft's Windows Media Player. It also debuted the Yahoo Go for Mobile service on its new MotoRazr phones.
Chipmakers Qualcomm and Broadcom showed their latest technologies for mobile devices. Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset comes with a 1-GHz microprocessor for improved performance and power savings. Samsung plans to embed the chips in future devices. "Our goal is to bridge the gap between mobile phones and laptops," says Alex Katouzian, Qualcomm's VP of product management. Meanwhile, Broadcom is working with manufacturers to get its single-chip HSDPA processor, capable of connecting mobile users to the Web at 7 Mbps, inside phones.
Service providers are putting the IP Multimedia Subsystem in their infrastructures to let cellular, Wi-Fi, wireline, and emerging technologies like WiMax work together. Cingular recently deployed IMS to make video calling possible. Sprint Nextel last week revealed that Chicago and Washington, D.C., will be the first U.S. cities for its WiMax service. Sprint refers to WiMax as its fourth-generation network.
Network convergence is causing excitement among systems vendors, which envision new mobile services generating new revenue opportunities. Cisco CEO John Chambers outlined a vision for creating "human networks." What's that? A person might watch a baseball game on TV, start an instant messaging session or video call with a friend during the game on the same screen, purchase tickets for a future game electronically, and receive a confirmation on his smartphone within seconds.
"Now that broadband is finally taking off in this country, we expect convergence of all forms of human expression," Chambers said. Motorola has a similar vision it's calling "seamless mobility," which refers to enabling content to follow mobile users wherever they go. Both companies have a vested interest in this vision: Cisco because of its investment in technology like TelePresence that combines audio, high-definition video, and interactive elements to deliver content over one network; and Motorola because of its growing portfolio of next-gen mobile devices and communications equipment for service providers.
Building the infrastructure of networks, devices, applications, and services to make mobile technology work as intended is the big focus for wireless carriers, chip and device manufacturers, and software providers this year. They're not there yet, but the pieces are coming together.
Streaming video and music, mobile TV, and bandwidth-intensive business applications came into wider use over the past year on mobile phones. The Consumer Electronics Show last week served as a showplace for what's next: wireless services that operate at faster speeds and smartphones that take advantage of them.
Cingular has been upgrading its network since last year to High Speed Downlink Packet Access, or HSDPA, to give users connectivity from 400 Kbps to 700 Kbps with 1-Mbit burst speeds, enough for Web browsing and downloading multimedia files. Cingular's existing Universal Mobile Telephone System maxes out at 250 Kbps. Other U.S. cellular carriers are bolstering their networks, too. Verizon Wireless has upgraded its Evolution Data Optimized network in some cities, and Sprint's doing the same. The upgrades make it possible to send more bits over the airwaves in support of services such as voice over IP and video telephony.
The proliferation of third-generation networks is creating an explosion of new mobile services. At CES, Cingular demonstrated a service, due this summer, that lets cell phone users make live video calls. Customers will need a special Video-Share phone, such as LG Electronics' CU500v, and they'll have to deal with spotty coverage in the early going. Verizon Wireless unveiled V Cast Mobile TV, a service that "marries the phone, the Internet, and television," according to the company. It's due sometime this quarter.
Yahoo came out with a revamped version of its Web browsing and search software for mobile phones called OneSearch, part of Yahoo Go for Mobile 2.0, with services such as e-mail, maps, and news that are in test mode. Mobile search continues to be kludgy, often causing people to click through a list of Web sites on a small device screen. With OneSearch, Yahoo is trying to provide answers to queries more directly. Yahoo has yet to sign up any major cellular carriers to preload Go for Mobile 2.0 on the phones they sell, but consumers can download the app.
NEXT-GEN DEVICES
Mobile devices are equipped to support these new services. Palm rolled out the Treo 750, the latest addition to its line of smartphones that work over 3G networks. It's the first Windows Mobile 5.0-powered Treo to use Cingular's 3G network. With Cingular, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint now offering Windows Mobile Treos with high-speed data capabilities, businesspeople aren't restricted to a single carrier or smartphone model. More important, they finally have fast-enough data connections to use those phones to work remotely.
Motorola unveiled the MotoRizr 76, a Linux-based cell phone that can synchronize with online stores that support Microsoft's Windows Media Player. It also debuted the Yahoo Go for Mobile service on its new MotoRazr phones.
Chipmakers Qualcomm and Broadcom showed their latest technologies for mobile devices. Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset comes with a 1-GHz microprocessor for improved performance and power savings. Samsung plans to embed the chips in future devices. "Our goal is to bridge the gap between mobile phones and laptops," says Alex Katouzian, Qualcomm's VP of product management. Meanwhile, Broadcom is working with manufacturers to get its single-chip HSDPA processor, capable of connecting mobile users to the Web at 7 Mbps, inside phones.
Service providers are putting the IP Multimedia Subsystem in their infrastructures to let cellular, Wi-Fi, wireline, and emerging technologies like WiMax work together. Cingular recently deployed IMS to make video calling possible. Sprint Nextel last week revealed that Chicago and Washington, D.C., will be the first U.S. cities for its WiMax service. Sprint refers to WiMax as its fourth-generation network.
Network convergence is causing excitement among systems vendors, which envision new mobile services generating new revenue opportunities. Cisco CEO John Chambers outlined a vision for creating "human networks." What's that? A person might watch a baseball game on TV, start an instant messaging session or video call with a friend during the game on the same screen, purchase tickets for a future game electronically, and receive a confirmation on his smartphone within seconds.
"Now that broadband is finally taking off in this country, we expect convergence of all forms of human expression," Chambers said. Motorola has a similar vision it's calling "seamless mobility," which refers to enabling content to follow mobile users wherever they go. Both companies have a vested interest in this vision: Cisco because of its investment in technology like TelePresence that combines audio, high-definition video, and interactive elements to deliver content over one network; and Motorola because of its growing portfolio of next-gen mobile devices and communications equipment for service providers.
Building the infrastructure of networks, devices, applications, and services to make mobile technology work as intended is the big focus for wireless carriers, chip and device manufacturers, and software providers this year. They're not there yet, but the pieces are coming together.
Why The iPhone Won't Make Apple A Player In Business IT
It will likely pressure smartphone rivals and corporate IT to provide better mobile computing. But it's unlikely to change the company's status as a runner-up in businesses.
Of all the marketing tricks Apple CEO Steve Jobs has pulled off in three decades peddling computers, last week's was the best. He made a wake-up call from a phone that doesn't exist.
Jobs touted Apple's prototype iPhone, due in June, as a music and video player, smartphone, and Internet device rolled into one. The message for people running business IT, and for the smartphone industry, didn't come from Jobs, however. It was embedded in the euphoric reaction from would-be users. The message? People crave a much better mobile computing experience. IT departments will be on the hook to provide it.
The hell of it is, the upcoming iPhone isn't likely to be the ticket, at least for businesses, even as it raises expectations. The iPhone's drawbacks include a relatively slow data network, a closed OS X platform that will limit available applications, exclusivity to the Cingular network, and, at $500, a shockingly high price tag. One of the iPhone's main strengths--a design that emphasizes music and video--may work against it on the job. "Providing a device like the iPhone to business users is like giving them a PlayStation," says Justin Hectus, director of information at Keesal, Young & Logan, who outfits the law firm with Treos.
Yet it's also true that consumer technologies like the iPhone drive innovation that IT pros must respond to. For instance, the iPhone's large, 3.5-inch screen will pressure other smartphone vendors to follow, given the growing business demand to put more full-featured applications on mobile devices.
Whether IT departments embrace the iPhone or not, some employees will walk in the door with them. If they're senior execs or stars of the sales team, IT will be called on to support the gadgets. "There's a vibe around Apple," says Credit Suisse analyst Robert Semple. "People want to be associated with it." Cingular, the largest U.S. cellular provider, certainly wanted to, having spent two years quietly working with Apple on its phone.
Done right, the iPhone could give Apple (which dropped the "Computer" from its name last week) better footing in business technology environments. After all, the company sells laptops, desktop computers, servers, storage, and software for the enterprise, and its brand has never been stronger. But there's no indication Apple will seize that opportunity. Apple's dust-up with Cisco Systems over the iPhone moniker (Cisco owns the U.S. rights to the name and filed suit against Apple) brought evidence of that. According to Cisco general counsel Mark Chandler, the two companies failed to reach an agreement that would have given Apple permission to use "iPhone" in exchange for technical collaboration. Apple apparently wants to do things Apple's way.
To be clear, Apple hasn't forgotten devotees who use its products at work. At Macworld last week, products were demonstrated that make Mac computers a bit more practical for business use, including a new version of Microsoft Office for Macs and virtualization software that lets Windows run on Macs.
But Apple barely mentioned its next operating system upgrade, Mac OS 10.5, known as Leopard, that's due this spring. The company said it will incorporate Boot Camp, which can partition a Mac to run Windows XP and Windows apps, when it releases Leopard--but that was it. No mention of possible quad-core Macs, either, which many anticipate now that Macs use Intel chips.
Apple takes care of its key education and creative industry customers, but overall it doesn't make business sales a priority. Mac's a bit player in mainstream business computing, with 2% of the desktop and 9% of the laptop markets, even including its education stronghold, IDC estimates. Apple's new Xserve, equipped with two Intel Xeon dual-core processors and running Mac OS X, shipped in November. While popular with researchers, the servers account for only a minute share of the Unix server market.
Mac tools like an updated Office suite from Microsoft and virtualization software from VMware make Apple a more viable business option. Still, "they aren't going to target the business market," Semple says. "They're going to let businesses use them if they want to." Apple didn't make executives available for this article.
What function might the iPhone do so spectacularly well that businesses can't pass it up? The dominant U.S. smartphone--Research In Motion's BlackBerry, with more than 50% market share--seized its place with wireless push e-mail. It wasn't so long ago that execs plunked down more than $400 for the honor of being hounded wherever they go. (BlackBerry prices now start around $200.)
Of all the marketing tricks Apple CEO Steve Jobs has pulled off in three decades peddling computers, last week's was the best. He made a wake-up call from a phone that doesn't exist.
Jobs touted Apple's prototype iPhone, due in June, as a music and video player, smartphone, and Internet device rolled into one. The message for people running business IT, and for the smartphone industry, didn't come from Jobs, however. It was embedded in the euphoric reaction from would-be users. The message? People crave a much better mobile computing experience. IT departments will be on the hook to provide it.
The hell of it is, the upcoming iPhone isn't likely to be the ticket, at least for businesses, even as it raises expectations. The iPhone's drawbacks include a relatively slow data network, a closed OS X platform that will limit available applications, exclusivity to the Cingular network, and, at $500, a shockingly high price tag. One of the iPhone's main strengths--a design that emphasizes music and video--may work against it on the job. "Providing a device like the iPhone to business users is like giving them a PlayStation," says Justin Hectus, director of information at Keesal, Young & Logan, who outfits the law firm with Treos.
Yet it's also true that consumer technologies like the iPhone drive innovation that IT pros must respond to. For instance, the iPhone's large, 3.5-inch screen will pressure other smartphone vendors to follow, given the growing business demand to put more full-featured applications on mobile devices.
Whether IT departments embrace the iPhone or not, some employees will walk in the door with them. If they're senior execs or stars of the sales team, IT will be called on to support the gadgets. "There's a vibe around Apple," says Credit Suisse analyst Robert Semple. "People want to be associated with it." Cingular, the largest U.S. cellular provider, certainly wanted to, having spent two years quietly working with Apple on its phone.
Done right, the iPhone could give Apple (which dropped the "Computer" from its name last week) better footing in business technology environments. After all, the company sells laptops, desktop computers, servers, storage, and software for the enterprise, and its brand has never been stronger. But there's no indication Apple will seize that opportunity. Apple's dust-up with Cisco Systems over the iPhone moniker (Cisco owns the U.S. rights to the name and filed suit against Apple) brought evidence of that. According to Cisco general counsel Mark Chandler, the two companies failed to reach an agreement that would have given Apple permission to use "iPhone" in exchange for technical collaboration. Apple apparently wants to do things Apple's way.
To be clear, Apple hasn't forgotten devotees who use its products at work. At Macworld last week, products were demonstrated that make Mac computers a bit more practical for business use, including a new version of Microsoft Office for Macs and virtualization software that lets Windows run on Macs.
But Apple barely mentioned its next operating system upgrade, Mac OS 10.5, known as Leopard, that's due this spring. The company said it will incorporate Boot Camp, which can partition a Mac to run Windows XP and Windows apps, when it releases Leopard--but that was it. No mention of possible quad-core Macs, either, which many anticipate now that Macs use Intel chips.
Apple takes care of its key education and creative industry customers, but overall it doesn't make business sales a priority. Mac's a bit player in mainstream business computing, with 2% of the desktop and 9% of the laptop markets, even including its education stronghold, IDC estimates. Apple's new Xserve, equipped with two Intel Xeon dual-core processors and running Mac OS X, shipped in November. While popular with researchers, the servers account for only a minute share of the Unix server market.
Mac tools like an updated Office suite from Microsoft and virtualization software from VMware make Apple a more viable business option. Still, "they aren't going to target the business market," Semple says. "They're going to let businesses use them if they want to." Apple didn't make executives available for this article.
What function might the iPhone do so spectacularly well that businesses can't pass it up? The dominant U.S. smartphone--Research In Motion's BlackBerry, with more than 50% market share--seized its place with wireless push e-mail. It wasn't so long ago that execs plunked down more than $400 for the honor of being hounded wherever they go. (BlackBerry prices now start around $200.)
Company Announces Cameras that See Through Walls
Camera uses ultra-wideband wi-fi signals to construct a 3D image. With airport security ever increasing, an Israeli company named Camero has developed a camera that is able to "see" through walls by using wireless signals in the ultra-wideband spectrum. According to reports however, the camera does not actually visually see anything, but instead constructs a 3D image representing what its radio waves see. Called the Xaver800, the camera itself sends out ultra-wideband signals, which are reflected and bounced off of objects in a room or in other rooms -- however far the signals can reach and penetrate. Then, using the reflected signals, the Xaver800 constructs a 3D representation of the area.
Apple stores coming to SW Fla.
New products make it even more exciting.
Fans of iPods and Apple computers will soon be able to buy the latest products right here in Southwest Florida. Although Apple will not confirm it, rumors have been swirling for months about two new Apple stores opening in the area. According to Diane Ganz, director of mall marketing for Coconut Point, an Apple store is expected to open there at the end of January. Another Apple store will open this year at Waterside Shops in Naples, according to Waterside Shops' Web site.
This week, Apple introduced two products at its annual convention that shoppers will be clamoring for: the iPhone (about $500) and Apple TV ($299).
Apple CEO Steve Jobs calls the iPhone a revolutionary product that will change the way we communicate much like the iPod changed the way people listen to music. The phone combines the features of a phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls and an Internet communications device. All wrapped up in a sleek Apple package that will be easy to use. Oh yes, I want one, but it won't be available until June.
The Apple TV will be available in February, and Apple is taking orders for it now at apple.com. This is a wireless device that allows people to watch movies, shows and videos on a widescreen TV from iTunes. It works with PCs and Macs.
I have a similar device that plays songs from iTunes on my stereo. Apple Airport Express with Airtunes ($99) is a wireless router that connects all the computers, printers and stereos in the house. It is available at CompUSA at Market Square on Daniels Parkway and U.S. 41 in south Fort Myers. Call 432-2592.
— Send news about store openings, sales and shopping events to The Artful Shopper c/o The News-Press, P.O. Box 10, Fort Myers, FL 33902; or e-mail theartfulshopper@yahoo.com.
Fans of iPods and Apple computers will soon be able to buy the latest products right here in Southwest Florida. Although Apple will not confirm it, rumors have been swirling for months about two new Apple stores opening in the area. According to Diane Ganz, director of mall marketing for Coconut Point, an Apple store is expected to open there at the end of January. Another Apple store will open this year at Waterside Shops in Naples, according to Waterside Shops' Web site.
This week, Apple introduced two products at its annual convention that shoppers will be clamoring for: the iPhone (about $500) and Apple TV ($299).
Apple CEO Steve Jobs calls the iPhone a revolutionary product that will change the way we communicate much like the iPod changed the way people listen to music. The phone combines the features of a phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls and an Internet communications device. All wrapped up in a sleek Apple package that will be easy to use. Oh yes, I want one, but it won't be available until June.
The Apple TV will be available in February, and Apple is taking orders for it now at apple.com. This is a wireless device that allows people to watch movies, shows and videos on a widescreen TV from iTunes. It works with PCs and Macs.
I have a similar device that plays songs from iTunes on my stereo. Apple Airport Express with Airtunes ($99) is a wireless router that connects all the computers, printers and stereos in the house. It is available at CompUSA at Market Square on Daniels Parkway and U.S. 41 in south Fort Myers. Call 432-2592.
— Send news about store openings, sales and shopping events to The Artful Shopper c/o The News-Press, P.O. Box 10, Fort Myers, FL 33902; or e-mail theartfulshopper@yahoo.com.
Lawsuit filed over Lincolnville cell tower impact
A group of business people who earn their living in the tourist industry and hikers who climb Bald Rock are suing the Town of Lincolnville over the siting of a cell telephone tower.
Fourteen people filed the complaint Jan. 2 in Waldo County Superior Court asking the judge to reverse the Lincolnville Board of Appeals decision on the application of National Grid Communications Inc. and RCC Atlantic/Unicel to put up a 190-foot cell tower within the “viewshed” of Bald Rock. GridCom would build the tower and Unicel would be the first occupant.
Plaintiffs say Bald Rock and its viewshed are identified in the town’s Comprehensive Plan as one of Lincolnville’s most valuable and important scenic resources that offer breathtaking panoramas of the bay and islands from the mountains.
Public meetings on the controversy sometimes grew emotional.
Town Administrator David Kinney said town officials haven’t been served with legal papers yet and couldn’t comment on the lawsuit.
Kinney said GridCom had filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Bangor last summer, accusing the town of unlawfully denying the application for a cell telephone tower, but the complaint was put on hold pending the outcome of the Board of Appeals decision.
There are no other cell towers in Lincolnville. The nearest towers are in Northport and Camden, and the company said it was trying to deal with a “dead zone” in communications where reception fades and disappears, Kinney said.
GridCom applied in 2005 to build the tower on property owned by James Munroe, of Atlantic Avenue in Lincolnville, in an area that would be visible from the Bald Rock viewpoint in Camden Hills State Park.
The Lincolnville Planning Board held a public hearing Dec. 14, 2005 to consider whether the application met the requirements of a wireless communications provision of a town ordinance that it shouldn’t unduly obstruct, or have an unreasonably adverse impact upon, a scenic view as identified in the Comprehensive Planning Scenic View Map.
As part of its application, GridCom submitted a visual impact study done by TerraSearch to assess the impact the tower would have on scenic views of the hills and bay looking down from Bald Rock and up from the bay toward the rock.
More than a dozen people spoke in opposition to the application and many more submitted written comments questioning the legality of the project, the quality of the photographs taken and the simulations conducted in the visual impact study, according to the complaint.
The Planning Board voted unanimously to have an independent consultant review the TerraSearch Report and hired Richard Davol, of Communications Consulting Services, to do it. The Davol Report was submitted to the board Feb. 22, 2006.
Terrence DeWan, a specialist in visual impact studies, sent a letter to the board at the request of two of the plaintiffs on the quality of the TerraSearch Report and its review in the Davol Report.
DeWan questioned conclusions in the Davol Report and said both reports contained too little information and the photos were of poor quality.
The Planning Board denied GridCom’s application March 8, and said the tower would have an unreasonably adverse impact on the scenic view from Bald Rock. The board said the application failed to meet at least two of seven requirements of the wireless communications section of the land use ordinance.
GridCom appealed to the Board of Appeals.
The Board of Appeals ruled in June that the Planning Board erred in denying the application and wrongfully accepted the DeWan testimony without notice to the applicant or allowing GridCom to rebut the testimony.
The appeals board remanded the application back to the Planning Board for correction of procedural deficiencies and errors.
The Planning Board talked to its lawyer and found GridCom failed at least three of seven standards and again concluded the cell tower would have an unreasonably adverse impact on a scenic view.
GridCom again appealed.
On Nov. 22, the Board of Appeals reversed the Planning Board decision and directed approval of GridCom’s application, finding that the Planning Board decision on the adverse impact on the scenic viewshed wasn’t supported by substantial evidence in the record.
Plaintiffs Lorraine Davis and Barbara Gould filed a request for reconsideration and the appeals board denied their request Dec. 7.
Davis and co-plaintiff Dan Henry run Ducktrap Kayak. Other litigants are residents Will Brown, Maria Irrera, David McLean, Susannah Gage, Whitney and Tony Oppersdorf, Cindy and Jim Dunham, Cheryl Cassidy and Ron Pinkham, and St. George resident Rob Stenger, all of whom are hikers.
They said in their lawsuit that the appeals board erred in overturning the Planning Board decision.
They asked the court to reverse the Board of Appeals decision and reinstate the Planning Board ruling.
Defendants are the Town of Lincolnville, Waldo County, the State of Maine, National Grid Communications Inc. and RCC Atlantic/Unicel.
Fourteen people filed the complaint Jan. 2 in Waldo County Superior Court asking the judge to reverse the Lincolnville Board of Appeals decision on the application of National Grid Communications Inc. and RCC Atlantic/Unicel to put up a 190-foot cell tower within the “viewshed” of Bald Rock. GridCom would build the tower and Unicel would be the first occupant.
Plaintiffs say Bald Rock and its viewshed are identified in the town’s Comprehensive Plan as one of Lincolnville’s most valuable and important scenic resources that offer breathtaking panoramas of the bay and islands from the mountains.
Public meetings on the controversy sometimes grew emotional.
Town Administrator David Kinney said town officials haven’t been served with legal papers yet and couldn’t comment on the lawsuit.
Kinney said GridCom had filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Bangor last summer, accusing the town of unlawfully denying the application for a cell telephone tower, but the complaint was put on hold pending the outcome of the Board of Appeals decision.
There are no other cell towers in Lincolnville. The nearest towers are in Northport and Camden, and the company said it was trying to deal with a “dead zone” in communications where reception fades and disappears, Kinney said.
GridCom applied in 2005 to build the tower on property owned by James Munroe, of Atlantic Avenue in Lincolnville, in an area that would be visible from the Bald Rock viewpoint in Camden Hills State Park.
The Lincolnville Planning Board held a public hearing Dec. 14, 2005 to consider whether the application met the requirements of a wireless communications provision of a town ordinance that it shouldn’t unduly obstruct, or have an unreasonably adverse impact upon, a scenic view as identified in the Comprehensive Planning Scenic View Map.
As part of its application, GridCom submitted a visual impact study done by TerraSearch to assess the impact the tower would have on scenic views of the hills and bay looking down from Bald Rock and up from the bay toward the rock.
More than a dozen people spoke in opposition to the application and many more submitted written comments questioning the legality of the project, the quality of the photographs taken and the simulations conducted in the visual impact study, according to the complaint.
The Planning Board voted unanimously to have an independent consultant review the TerraSearch Report and hired Richard Davol, of Communications Consulting Services, to do it. The Davol Report was submitted to the board Feb. 22, 2006.
Terrence DeWan, a specialist in visual impact studies, sent a letter to the board at the request of two of the plaintiffs on the quality of the TerraSearch Report and its review in the Davol Report.
DeWan questioned conclusions in the Davol Report and said both reports contained too little information and the photos were of poor quality.
The Planning Board denied GridCom’s application March 8, and said the tower would have an unreasonably adverse impact on the scenic view from Bald Rock. The board said the application failed to meet at least two of seven requirements of the wireless communications section of the land use ordinance.
GridCom appealed to the Board of Appeals.
The Board of Appeals ruled in June that the Planning Board erred in denying the application and wrongfully accepted the DeWan testimony without notice to the applicant or allowing GridCom to rebut the testimony.
The appeals board remanded the application back to the Planning Board for correction of procedural deficiencies and errors.
The Planning Board talked to its lawyer and found GridCom failed at least three of seven standards and again concluded the cell tower would have an unreasonably adverse impact on a scenic view.
GridCom again appealed.
On Nov. 22, the Board of Appeals reversed the Planning Board decision and directed approval of GridCom’s application, finding that the Planning Board decision on the adverse impact on the scenic viewshed wasn’t supported by substantial evidence in the record.
Plaintiffs Lorraine Davis and Barbara Gould filed a request for reconsideration and the appeals board denied their request Dec. 7.
Davis and co-plaintiff Dan Henry run Ducktrap Kayak. Other litigants are residents Will Brown, Maria Irrera, David McLean, Susannah Gage, Whitney and Tony Oppersdorf, Cindy and Jim Dunham, Cheryl Cassidy and Ron Pinkham, and St. George resident Rob Stenger, all of whom are hikers.
They said in their lawsuit that the appeals board erred in overturning the Planning Board decision.
They asked the court to reverse the Board of Appeals decision and reinstate the Planning Board ruling.
Defendants are the Town of Lincolnville, Waldo County, the State of Maine, National Grid Communications Inc. and RCC Atlantic/Unicel.
State records cell phone no-service zones
The Public Advocate’s Office has recently contacted people across Maine who had earlier named places where cell phone service was unavailable or where calls were regularly dropped.
This effort is in order to update the “I Can’t Hear You Now” map of dead zones in Maine that the Public Advocate Office has maintained on its Website since February 2005. The map now deletes all locations identified prior to March 2006.
“It is a good idea to update the dead zone map periodically due to the fact that Maine’s wireless providers have made significant investments in new cell phone infrastructure over the past 18 months” stated Public Advocate Stephen Ward. “In view of new cell towers erected by U.S. Cellular, Unicel, T-Mobile and other carriers, there is no good reason to preserve out-dated information on the OPA’s cell phone coverage map.”
The map can be viewed at http://www.maine.gov/meopa/telephone/wireless_service.html.
The Public Advocate urges customers who continue to experience problems with inadequate wireless signals to use the OPA Website to record the location of the dead zone, the type of equipment or handset and the name of the wireless provider.
“We hope that Mainers will continue to record cell phone dead spots so we can continue to press for improvements in cell phone coverage in Maine,” Ward stated.
For more information about wireless services in Maine, go to the OPA web site for the current edition of the Ratewatcher Telecom Guide, published every six months and provided upon request at no charge.
The Public Advocate Office is an eight-person state agency in Hallowell whose task it is to represent consumers in utility matters at Maine’s Public Utilities Commission, the Legislature, the FCC, FERC and the courts.
This effort is in order to update the “I Can’t Hear You Now” map of dead zones in Maine that the Public Advocate Office has maintained on its Website since February 2005. The map now deletes all locations identified prior to March 2006.
“It is a good idea to update the dead zone map periodically due to the fact that Maine’s wireless providers have made significant investments in new cell phone infrastructure over the past 18 months” stated Public Advocate Stephen Ward. “In view of new cell towers erected by U.S. Cellular, Unicel, T-Mobile and other carriers, there is no good reason to preserve out-dated information on the OPA’s cell phone coverage map.”
The map can be viewed at http://www.maine.gov/meopa/telephone/wireless_service.html.
The Public Advocate urges customers who continue to experience problems with inadequate wireless signals to use the OPA Website to record the location of the dead zone, the type of equipment or handset and the name of the wireless provider.
“We hope that Mainers will continue to record cell phone dead spots so we can continue to press for improvements in cell phone coverage in Maine,” Ward stated.
For more information about wireless services in Maine, go to the OPA web site for the current edition of the Ratewatcher Telecom Guide, published every six months and provided upon request at no charge.
The Public Advocate Office is an eight-person state agency in Hallowell whose task it is to represent consumers in utility matters at Maine’s Public Utilities Commission, the Legislature, the FCC, FERC and the courts.
iPhone may boost Cingular's reach
Company once exclusively carried RAZR phone
Cingular Wireless could see a flood of new customers looking to buy Apple's recently unveiled iPhone. The company announced this week that it will be the exclusive carrier for the iPhone when it is released in June.
A salesman at one of Cingular's Loop stores said Thursday that several customers have stopped in to inquire about the iPhone since Tuesday's announcement.
For consumers, this means there are six months to get out of their current mobile phone contracts. For providers, it means there are still six months to figure out how to build customer loyalty before a potential iPhone tidal wave.
The iPhone is Apple's first entry into the competitive mobile phone market.
Essentially an iPod fused with a smart phone. The device is set to be released in June, with a 4-gigabyte model priced at $499 and an 8-gigabyte model priced at $599. Buyers will be required to sign a two-year service contract with Cingular.
The iPhone is not the first popular phone Cingular has carried exclusively.
In November 2004, the company was the first wireless provider in the U.S. to offer the Motorola RAZR. Later T-Mobile began distributing the RAZR, followed by Sprint, Verizon and other providers in 2006. Once an elite status symbol, the RAZR is now the most popular mobile phone on the market, with more than 50 million units shipped.
"A lot of people would definitely see (the iPhone) as a status symbol," said Suzanne Fogel, chair of the marketing department at DePaul University, citing the cost of the device and its "cool factor" as reasons for its appeal to status seekers. But she also said that the iPhone is not going to become commonplace overnight.
"Only people who can really swing the financial end of it are going to have it first," she added.
How can other wireless providers avoid losing droves of customers to Cingular once the iPhone debuts?
Aaron Radelet, a spokesman for Sprint, said that the company can compete with Cingular based on its current offerings, including its over-the-air music download store.
DePaul's Fogel disagrees.
"Make an agreement with Apple," she said. "They (other providers) can't compete in this particular niche."
Cingular Wireless could see a flood of new customers looking to buy Apple's recently unveiled iPhone. The company announced this week that it will be the exclusive carrier for the iPhone when it is released in June.
A salesman at one of Cingular's Loop stores said Thursday that several customers have stopped in to inquire about the iPhone since Tuesday's announcement.
For consumers, this means there are six months to get out of their current mobile phone contracts. For providers, it means there are still six months to figure out how to build customer loyalty before a potential iPhone tidal wave.
The iPhone is Apple's first entry into the competitive mobile phone market.
Essentially an iPod fused with a smart phone. The device is set to be released in June, with a 4-gigabyte model priced at $499 and an 8-gigabyte model priced at $599. Buyers will be required to sign a two-year service contract with Cingular.
The iPhone is not the first popular phone Cingular has carried exclusively.
In November 2004, the company was the first wireless provider in the U.S. to offer the Motorola RAZR. Later T-Mobile began distributing the RAZR, followed by Sprint, Verizon and other providers in 2006. Once an elite status symbol, the RAZR is now the most popular mobile phone on the market, with more than 50 million units shipped.
"A lot of people would definitely see (the iPhone) as a status symbol," said Suzanne Fogel, chair of the marketing department at DePaul University, citing the cost of the device and its "cool factor" as reasons for its appeal to status seekers. But she also said that the iPhone is not going to become commonplace overnight.
"Only people who can really swing the financial end of it are going to have it first," she added.
How can other wireless providers avoid losing droves of customers to Cingular once the iPhone debuts?
Aaron Radelet, a spokesman for Sprint, said that the company can compete with Cingular based on its current offerings, including its over-the-air music download store.
DePaul's Fogel disagrees.
"Make an agreement with Apple," she said. "They (other providers) can't compete in this particular niche."
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Advanced Information Technologies to Help Improve Healthcare Workflow and Enhance Patient Safety Initiatives
Virginia Hospital Center joins a growing number of medical facilities utilizing advanced information technologies (IT) to create efficiencies and orchestrate clinical best practices by signing an agreement with Siemens Medical Solutions to implement its workflow-engineered health information solution, Soarian®.
The implementation of Soarian places Virginia Hospital Center at the forefront of the national movement toward utilizing advanced IT to build a nationwide health information infrastructure and supports its effort to receive Magnet Hospital designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Soarian's unique workflow management tools will enable Virginia Hospital Center to re-engineer processes throughout the entire healthcare continuum to help drive organizational efficiencies, address patient safety initiatives and enhance clinical decision-making. By managing and synchronizing information across the entire enterprise, Soarian not only coordinates the complex processes of healthcare, it anticipates them by intuitively delivering information when and where it's needed most.
"Virginia Hospital Center is excited about our partnership with Siemens and the implementation of this new, market-leading platform that will improve patient safety and process efficiency. This advanced hospital information system will have far-reaching benefits for our patients, physicians and hospital staff," said David Crutchfield, chief information officer, Virginia Hospital Center. "This system is a perfect match to the sophisticated medical expertise currently in place at Virginia Hospital Center."
The 334-bed private teaching and research hospital will deploy Soarian's clinical, financial, scheduling, portal and health information management (HIM) applications, as well as a number of ancillary applications that support the hospital's efforts to ensure patient safety and a positive patient experience at every touchpoint with the hospital. Siemens Med Administration Check(TM), which utilizes point-of-care barcode technology to seamlessly validate and document the medication administration process, will alert Virginia Hospital Center nurses immediately to allergic and drug interactions and potential errors. Additionally, Soarian Community Access will enable connectivity between physicians, hospital staff and patients through a secure Web-based application and messaging system.
Virginia Hospital Center will also implement Siemens Pharmacy, Enterprise Document Management, Siemens OPENLink(TM), as well as clinical specialty modules that include Soarian Cardiology and Soarian Critical Care.
"We look forward to bringing Soarian to Virginia Hospital Center to help optimize the complex processes of healthcare to improve the experience of both the medical team and patients," said Janet Dillione, president, Healthcare IT Division, Siemens Medical Solutions. "We will work closely with Virginia Hospital Center to make vital information accessible any time, anywhere, to help expedite care delivery, improve patient safety, and remove administrative burdens from physicians and other decision-makers."
To help Virginia Hospital Center maximize its technology investment, Siemens will provide end-user education to improve the skills, knowledge, and productivity of hospital staff, while providing tools to navigate government regulations, evolving technology, and advancements in healthcare processes.
Soarian combines clinical, financial and administrative processes to support patient-centered care. The solution is distinguished by three innovative characteristics: it manages processes and best practices across the enterprise through workflow management tools; it enables improved ease of use and faster training via a smart user interface; and its integrated embedded analytics help to manage and measure the events and activities of the organization. Additionally, by streamlining access to images and data from a variety of medical modalities in one location, Soarian helps facilitate more informed decision-making - leading to improved care delivery, increased staff satisfaction, and more efficient business practices.
About Siemens Medical Solutions
Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI - News) is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is known for bringing together innovative medical technologies, healthcare information systems, management consulting, and support services, to help customers achieve tangible, sustainable, clinical and financial outcomes. Recent acquisitions in the area of in-vitro diagnostics - such as Diagnostic Products Corporation - mark a significant milestone for Siemens as it becomes the first full service diagnostics company. Employing approximately 36,000 people worldwide and operating in more than 130 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of 8.23 billion EUR, orders of 9.33 billion EUR and group profit of 1.06 billion EUR for fiscal 2006. Further information can be found by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/medical-pressroom.
About Virginia Hospital Center
For over 60 years, Virginia Hospital Center has provided exceptional medical services to the Washington metropolitan area. Virginia Hospital Center's new $150 million state-of-the-art facility offers comprehensive healthcare and multiple Centers of Excellence including Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery, Neuroscience, Oncology, Women & Infant Health and Urology. Growing service lines include Executive Health and the only Lung Cancer Center in Northern Virginia. Virginia Hospital Center is a teaching hospital, long-associated with Georgetown University's School of Medicine, and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and Licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health. For additional information, please visit www.virginiahospitalcenter.com.
Source: Siemens Medical Solutions
The implementation of Soarian places Virginia Hospital Center at the forefront of the national movement toward utilizing advanced IT to build a nationwide health information infrastructure and supports its effort to receive Magnet Hospital designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Soarian's unique workflow management tools will enable Virginia Hospital Center to re-engineer processes throughout the entire healthcare continuum to help drive organizational efficiencies, address patient safety initiatives and enhance clinical decision-making. By managing and synchronizing information across the entire enterprise, Soarian not only coordinates the complex processes of healthcare, it anticipates them by intuitively delivering information when and where it's needed most.
"Virginia Hospital Center is excited about our partnership with Siemens and the implementation of this new, market-leading platform that will improve patient safety and process efficiency. This advanced hospital information system will have far-reaching benefits for our patients, physicians and hospital staff," said David Crutchfield, chief information officer, Virginia Hospital Center. "This system is a perfect match to the sophisticated medical expertise currently in place at Virginia Hospital Center."
The 334-bed private teaching and research hospital will deploy Soarian's clinical, financial, scheduling, portal and health information management (HIM) applications, as well as a number of ancillary applications that support the hospital's efforts to ensure patient safety and a positive patient experience at every touchpoint with the hospital. Siemens Med Administration Check(TM), which utilizes point-of-care barcode technology to seamlessly validate and document the medication administration process, will alert Virginia Hospital Center nurses immediately to allergic and drug interactions and potential errors. Additionally, Soarian Community Access will enable connectivity between physicians, hospital staff and patients through a secure Web-based application and messaging system.
Virginia Hospital Center will also implement Siemens Pharmacy, Enterprise Document Management, Siemens OPENLink(TM), as well as clinical specialty modules that include Soarian Cardiology and Soarian Critical Care.
"We look forward to bringing Soarian to Virginia Hospital Center to help optimize the complex processes of healthcare to improve the experience of both the medical team and patients," said Janet Dillione, president, Healthcare IT Division, Siemens Medical Solutions. "We will work closely with Virginia Hospital Center to make vital information accessible any time, anywhere, to help expedite care delivery, improve patient safety, and remove administrative burdens from physicians and other decision-makers."
To help Virginia Hospital Center maximize its technology investment, Siemens will provide end-user education to improve the skills, knowledge, and productivity of hospital staff, while providing tools to navigate government regulations, evolving technology, and advancements in healthcare processes.
Soarian combines clinical, financial and administrative processes to support patient-centered care. The solution is distinguished by three innovative characteristics: it manages processes and best practices across the enterprise through workflow management tools; it enables improved ease of use and faster training via a smart user interface; and its integrated embedded analytics help to manage and measure the events and activities of the organization. Additionally, by streamlining access to images and data from a variety of medical modalities in one location, Soarian helps facilitate more informed decision-making - leading to improved care delivery, increased staff satisfaction, and more efficient business practices.
About Siemens Medical Solutions
Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI - News) is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is known for bringing together innovative medical technologies, healthcare information systems, management consulting, and support services, to help customers achieve tangible, sustainable, clinical and financial outcomes. Recent acquisitions in the area of in-vitro diagnostics - such as Diagnostic Products Corporation - mark a significant milestone for Siemens as it becomes the first full service diagnostics company. Employing approximately 36,000 people worldwide and operating in more than 130 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of 8.23 billion EUR, orders of 9.33 billion EUR and group profit of 1.06 billion EUR for fiscal 2006. Further information can be found by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/medical-pressroom.
About Virginia Hospital Center
For over 60 years, Virginia Hospital Center has provided exceptional medical services to the Washington metropolitan area. Virginia Hospital Center's new $150 million state-of-the-art facility offers comprehensive healthcare and multiple Centers of Excellence including Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery, Neuroscience, Oncology, Women & Infant Health and Urology. Growing service lines include Executive Health and the only Lung Cancer Center in Northern Virginia. Virginia Hospital Center is a teaching hospital, long-associated with Georgetown University's School of Medicine, and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and Licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health. For additional information, please visit www.virginiahospitalcenter.com.
Source: Siemens Medical Solutions
"Big Brother" Creator Endemol to Re-Acquire French Subsidiary for euro450 Million
Endemol Entertainment Holding NV, the creator of "Big Brother" and other television programs, said Tuesday it has agreed to purchase Endemol France for around euro450 million (US$586 million) in cash and debt.
Endemol Entertainment Holding NV, the creator of "Big Brother" and other television programs, said Tuesday it has agreed to purchase Endemol France for around euro450 million (US$586 million) in cash and debt.
The French arm was separated from the rest of Endemol in 2005 due to a dispute over management pay.
Both Endemol and its French subsidiary are controlled by Spain's Telefonica SA, but Endemol has been publicly listed in Amsterdam since Telefonica floated a 25 percent stake in November 2005, with an eye to selling the company.
Not all conditions of Tuesday's deal were made public, and Endemol Entertainment said euro194 million (US$253 million) of the price tag is dependent on the French arm's future performance. Endemol added it would fund the deal partly by borrowing money.
On Monday the Dutch stock market regulator reported under disclosure rules that Dutch tycoon John de Mol, one of the original co-founders of Endemol, has accumulated a stake of 5.15 percent in Endemol Entertainment.
Telefonica bought Endemol for euro5 billion in 2000. Its current market capitalization is around euro2.3 billion (US$3 billion).
Shares traded 2.3 percent higher at euro18.67 (US$24.30) in Amsterdam Tuesday.
In Tuesday's announcement, Endemol said the French operations had sales of around euro175 million (US$228 million) in 2006.
Endemol had net profit of euro45.8 million (US$59.6 million) on sales of euro517 million (US$673 million) in the first half of 2006, its most recent reporting period.
Endemol Entertainment Holding NV, the creator of "Big Brother" and other television programs, said Tuesday it has agreed to purchase Endemol France for around euro450 million (US$586 million) in cash and debt.
The French arm was separated from the rest of Endemol in 2005 due to a dispute over management pay.
Both Endemol and its French subsidiary are controlled by Spain's Telefonica SA, but Endemol has been publicly listed in Amsterdam since Telefonica floated a 25 percent stake in November 2005, with an eye to selling the company.
Not all conditions of Tuesday's deal were made public, and Endemol Entertainment said euro194 million (US$253 million) of the price tag is dependent on the French arm's future performance. Endemol added it would fund the deal partly by borrowing money.
On Monday the Dutch stock market regulator reported under disclosure rules that Dutch tycoon John de Mol, one of the original co-founders of Endemol, has accumulated a stake of 5.15 percent in Endemol Entertainment.
Telefonica bought Endemol for euro5 billion in 2000. Its current market capitalization is around euro2.3 billion (US$3 billion).
Shares traded 2.3 percent higher at euro18.67 (US$24.30) in Amsterdam Tuesday.
In Tuesday's announcement, Endemol said the French operations had sales of around euro175 million (US$228 million) in 2006.
Endemol had net profit of euro45.8 million (US$59.6 million) on sales of euro517 million (US$673 million) in the first half of 2006, its most recent reporting period.
RFID boost for IBM as scooter co gets on board
IBM is set to announce it has won two new customers for its RFID tracking software - an Italian subsidiary of Honda Motor and packaging maker Pliant.
Honda Italia Industriale, which sold 12.7 million scooters last year, plans to use the chips and IBM software to track motorcycle parts and tools circulating within its manufacturing plant in Atessa, Italy.
US-based Pliant will sell a new RFID-embedded plastic wrap to consumer-goods companies that want to detect any tampering of their products in transit from manufacturer to distributor. Pliant is using IBM's software to keep track of RFID-marked cargo - everything from cereal boxes to nappies - in the warehouse.
Doug Lilac, Pliant's Technical Director for Innovation, said: "The goal of this programme is to commercialise practical and cost-effective bulk packaging solutions that incorporate RFID technology."
The news is a boon to IBM and an industry still in its early stages. While RFID tags are gaining ground in certain sectors - for instance, aircraft maker Boeing is tracking parts with the chips - many manufacturers and retail giants are reluctant to adopt the technology based on still-steep costs associated with the tags and potential consumer-privacy concerns.
The news comes a month after IBM introduced new software called WebSphere RFID Information Center, which helps manufacturers and distributors share data from the tracking tags.
CNET News.com
Honda Italia Industriale, which sold 12.7 million scooters last year, plans to use the chips and IBM software to track motorcycle parts and tools circulating within its manufacturing plant in Atessa, Italy.
US-based Pliant will sell a new RFID-embedded plastic wrap to consumer-goods companies that want to detect any tampering of their products in transit from manufacturer to distributor. Pliant is using IBM's software to keep track of RFID-marked cargo - everything from cereal boxes to nappies - in the warehouse.
Doug Lilac, Pliant's Technical Director for Innovation, said: "The goal of this programme is to commercialise practical and cost-effective bulk packaging solutions that incorporate RFID technology."
The news is a boon to IBM and an industry still in its early stages. While RFID tags are gaining ground in certain sectors - for instance, aircraft maker Boeing is tracking parts with the chips - many manufacturers and retail giants are reluctant to adopt the technology based on still-steep costs associated with the tags and potential consumer-privacy concerns.
The news comes a month after IBM introduced new software called WebSphere RFID Information Center, which helps manufacturers and distributors share data from the tracking tags.
CNET News.com
iPhone signals Apple evolution
Many wonder if the company can reinvent itself as a force in consumer electronics.
Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs made a big splash by jumping into the wireless communications business with iPhone, a touch-screen device that plays music, surfs the Internet and delivers voice mail and e-mail differently than any other cell phone.
But it remains to be seen whether the $500 gadget and other products announced Tuesday will allow the company to remain a Wall Street darling and sustain the market dominance enjoyed by iPod, Apple's iconic digital music player. Some industry veterans wonder whether the phone — despite its slim elegance and wide-screen display — is priced competitively.
Reflecting the company's new emphasis on phones, TV devices and the iPod music player lineup, the company announced Tuesday that it would strip the word "computer" from its name — from Apple Computer Inc. to simply Apple Inc.
But business experts worry that Apple — a Silicon Valley institution that began selling desktop computers in the 1970s — will struggle with the herculean task of reinventing itself as a full-fledged consumer electronics retailer.
"Prospects for the new device are positive, but it is not a given that Apple can win against a slew of wireless providers, phone manufacturers and Microsoft, all of whom are similarly motivated to raise their flag on the same territory," said James L. McQuivey, a communications technology professor at Boston University.
Even the phone's name is in contention.
Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems Inc. that makes networking equipment for the home and small businesses, unveiled the new iPhone line of Internet-enabled phones last month. Cisco has owned the trademark on the name "iPhone" since 2000. Although Cisco is agitating for Apple to make a public statement clarifying use of the name, Apple executives say their cellular phone doesn't compete with Cisco's Internet phone.
Despite that uncertainty — and despite the fact that Apple's phone won't be available until June — Wall Street has initially blessed it. Apple shares jumped $7.10 to close at $92.57 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, creating about $6 billion in new shareholder wealth. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $50.16 to $93.16.
Nearly 120 million Apple shares changed hands Tuesday, more than four times the average daily volume.
Meanwhile, shares of other smart-phone makers slid: Treo-maker Palm dropped 5.7 percent, BlackBerry's Research In Motion Ltd. lost 7.9 percent and Motorola Inc. shed 1.8 percent.
Tim Bajarin, principal analyst with Creative Strategies, said the iPhone appears poised to revolutionize the way cell phones are designed and sold.
"This goes beyond smart phones and should be given its own category called 'brilliant' phones," he said. "Cell phones are on track to become the largest platform for digital music playback, and Apple needed to make this move to help defend their iPod franchise as well as extend it beyond a dedicated music environment."
Apple's iPod commands about 75 percent of the market for downloaded music and portable music players. The company's iTunes digital media store has sold more than 2 billion songs, 50 million television episodes and more than 1.3 million feature-length films, catapulting iTunes beyond Amazon.com for digital media sales.
Initial hopes for the iPhone are relatively modest. The company hopes to sell about 10 million units in 2008, or about 1 percent of the market. About 957 million cellular phones were sold in 2006.
But the phones are expected to have a "halo effect," intimidating competitors and polishing Apple's reputation as a maker of elegant, easy-to-use gizmos that technophiles pine for. It could even boost sales of Apple's Macintosh computers.
On Tuesday, Apple also unveiled a set-top, video-streaming box dubbed Apple TV. The $300 gadget — which has a 40-gigabyte hard drive and stores up to 50 hours of videos, 9,000 songs or 25,000 photos — will be available in February.
"We sell Macintoshes and will continue to do so and are very happy with that business," said Phil Schiller, senior vice president for worldwide marketing. "We sell iPods but people don't think of them as computers, and we don't think they'll think of iPhones and AppleTV as computers either."
The phones, which will operate exclusively on AT&T Inc.'s Cingular Wireless network, will start shipping in June. A 4-gigabyte iPhone will cost $499, while an 8-gigabyte model will be $599.
Cingular would not provide details of its financial arrangement with Apple. Executives said both companies would make and distribute advertisements for the iPhone in the spring.
Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs made a big splash by jumping into the wireless communications business with iPhone, a touch-screen device that plays music, surfs the Internet and delivers voice mail and e-mail differently than any other cell phone.
But it remains to be seen whether the $500 gadget and other products announced Tuesday will allow the company to remain a Wall Street darling and sustain the market dominance enjoyed by iPod, Apple's iconic digital music player. Some industry veterans wonder whether the phone — despite its slim elegance and wide-screen display — is priced competitively.
Reflecting the company's new emphasis on phones, TV devices and the iPod music player lineup, the company announced Tuesday that it would strip the word "computer" from its name — from Apple Computer Inc. to simply Apple Inc.
But business experts worry that Apple — a Silicon Valley institution that began selling desktop computers in the 1970s — will struggle with the herculean task of reinventing itself as a full-fledged consumer electronics retailer.
"Prospects for the new device are positive, but it is not a given that Apple can win against a slew of wireless providers, phone manufacturers and Microsoft, all of whom are similarly motivated to raise their flag on the same territory," said James L. McQuivey, a communications technology professor at Boston University.
Even the phone's name is in contention.
Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems Inc. that makes networking equipment for the home and small businesses, unveiled the new iPhone line of Internet-enabled phones last month. Cisco has owned the trademark on the name "iPhone" since 2000. Although Cisco is agitating for Apple to make a public statement clarifying use of the name, Apple executives say their cellular phone doesn't compete with Cisco's Internet phone.
Despite that uncertainty — and despite the fact that Apple's phone won't be available until June — Wall Street has initially blessed it. Apple shares jumped $7.10 to close at $92.57 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, creating about $6 billion in new shareholder wealth. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $50.16 to $93.16.
Nearly 120 million Apple shares changed hands Tuesday, more than four times the average daily volume.
Meanwhile, shares of other smart-phone makers slid: Treo-maker Palm dropped 5.7 percent, BlackBerry's Research In Motion Ltd. lost 7.9 percent and Motorola Inc. shed 1.8 percent.
Tim Bajarin, principal analyst with Creative Strategies, said the iPhone appears poised to revolutionize the way cell phones are designed and sold.
"This goes beyond smart phones and should be given its own category called 'brilliant' phones," he said. "Cell phones are on track to become the largest platform for digital music playback, and Apple needed to make this move to help defend their iPod franchise as well as extend it beyond a dedicated music environment."
Apple's iPod commands about 75 percent of the market for downloaded music and portable music players. The company's iTunes digital media store has sold more than 2 billion songs, 50 million television episodes and more than 1.3 million feature-length films, catapulting iTunes beyond Amazon.com for digital media sales.
Initial hopes for the iPhone are relatively modest. The company hopes to sell about 10 million units in 2008, or about 1 percent of the market. About 957 million cellular phones were sold in 2006.
But the phones are expected to have a "halo effect," intimidating competitors and polishing Apple's reputation as a maker of elegant, easy-to-use gizmos that technophiles pine for. It could even boost sales of Apple's Macintosh computers.
On Tuesday, Apple also unveiled a set-top, video-streaming box dubbed Apple TV. The $300 gadget — which has a 40-gigabyte hard drive and stores up to 50 hours of videos, 9,000 songs or 25,000 photos — will be available in February.
"We sell Macintoshes and will continue to do so and are very happy with that business," said Phil Schiller, senior vice president for worldwide marketing. "We sell iPods but people don't think of them as computers, and we don't think they'll think of iPhones and AppleTV as computers either."
The phones, which will operate exclusively on AT&T Inc.'s Cingular Wireless network, will start shipping in June. A 4-gigabyte iPhone will cost $499, while an 8-gigabyte model will be $599.
Cingular would not provide details of its financial arrangement with Apple. Executives said both companies would make and distribute advertisements for the iPhone in the spring.
The New Zealand Mobile Market Is Now Approaching Saturation And Mobile Subscriber Growth Will Taper Off Significantly In 2007 And 2008
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c48148) has announced the addition of 2007 Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in New Zealand & the South Pacific Islands to their offering.
With over 540 pages of research, the 2007 Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands contains a comprehensive analysis of the telecoms industry and the companies involved in it.
This research is divided into the following volumes: Volume 1 - 2007 Telecoms Overview, Statistics and Analyses in New Zealand
Volume 2 - 2007 Mobile and Broadband in New Zealand
Volume 3 - 2007 Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in the South Pacific Islands
Telecom New Zealand maintains a stranglehold on the local access market in fixed-line voice and broadband. It has made steady progress during 2006 with strong growth in broadband and data services; however, it is still heavily reliant on revenue from declining traditional services. Total market growth of around 3.9% is predicted in 2007 and 3.6% in 2008, down from 4.1% in 2006. The combined fixed network voice and local access market displayed negative growth for the first time in 2006. This negative growth will gradually accelerate over the next few years. Mobile growth will, however, begin to taper off as the market approaches saturation.
The New Zealand mobile market is now approaching saturation and mobile subscriber growth will taper off significantly in 2007 and 2008. During 2006 the trend of ISP consolidation slowed; however, moving forward into 2007 and 2008, commoditisation of products is likely to see the speed of ISP consolidation pick up once again. The long-awaited government policy that will pave the way for Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) was finally introduced in New Zealand in mid-2006.
A growing number of wireless broadband players, including Woosh Wireless and CallPlus are also making some inroads into the market and this trend will continue into 2007. ADSL2 was the prevailing high-speed broadband technology deployed in New Zealand in late 2006. Broadcasting's ad revenues are gradually being squeezed due to falling audiences and rising costs.
The progressive introduction of ADSL2+ broadband will enable the delivery of new services on top of Telecom's broadband infrastructure. Services delivered over its NGN in 2007 and 2008 will include VoIP, video calling, converged fixed/mobile offerings, Interactive television and VoD.
It was not until mid-2006 that the government put legislation in place that will pave for the way for Local Loop Unbundling (LLU). Both LLU and an upsized UBS service should, but will not necessarily, allow triple play services. While upsized UBS went live in 2006, LLU and Naked DSL are still waiting for introduction, perhaps in late 2007 or possibly even as late as 2008.
South Pacific Islands
Penetration rates of telecom services in the South Pacific Island region remain comparatively low, although mobile and Internet penetration have gained traction is some of the more highly populated and developed islands such as Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Guam. Access to basic telecom services remains relatively expensive.
By the end of 2006 less than half of all Pacific Islanders had a phone and generally only had one supplier for any particular fixed, mobile or Internet service. Internet cafes and telecentres help to address the issue of low Internet penetration. To communicate outside the region, most islands are in a satellite footprint and both Fiji and Guam are connected by submarine cable.
Mobile telephony is expected to outpace growth in fixed-line connections as the market moves into 2007. New technologies are gaining ground in some island countries: 3G mobile services are expected to be launched in Fiji in 2007. Several of the South Pacific nations are upgrading satellite links to outer islands, installing wireless broadband and upgrading fixed-line broadband capability and some are rolling out high-speed ADSL2+ broadband. There is strong interest amongst South Pacific operators regarding WiMAX as a communications solution.
Source: Research and Markets Ltd.
With over 540 pages of research, the 2007 Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands contains a comprehensive analysis of the telecoms industry and the companies involved in it.
This research is divided into the following volumes: Volume 1 - 2007 Telecoms Overview, Statistics and Analyses in New Zealand
Volume 2 - 2007 Mobile and Broadband in New Zealand
Volume 3 - 2007 Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in the South Pacific Islands
Telecom New Zealand maintains a stranglehold on the local access market in fixed-line voice and broadband. It has made steady progress during 2006 with strong growth in broadband and data services; however, it is still heavily reliant on revenue from declining traditional services. Total market growth of around 3.9% is predicted in 2007 and 3.6% in 2008, down from 4.1% in 2006. The combined fixed network voice and local access market displayed negative growth for the first time in 2006. This negative growth will gradually accelerate over the next few years. Mobile growth will, however, begin to taper off as the market approaches saturation.
The New Zealand mobile market is now approaching saturation and mobile subscriber growth will taper off significantly in 2007 and 2008. During 2006 the trend of ISP consolidation slowed; however, moving forward into 2007 and 2008, commoditisation of products is likely to see the speed of ISP consolidation pick up once again. The long-awaited government policy that will pave the way for Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) was finally introduced in New Zealand in mid-2006.
A growing number of wireless broadband players, including Woosh Wireless and CallPlus are also making some inroads into the market and this trend will continue into 2007. ADSL2 was the prevailing high-speed broadband technology deployed in New Zealand in late 2006. Broadcasting's ad revenues are gradually being squeezed due to falling audiences and rising costs.
The progressive introduction of ADSL2+ broadband will enable the delivery of new services on top of Telecom's broadband infrastructure. Services delivered over its NGN in 2007 and 2008 will include VoIP, video calling, converged fixed/mobile offerings, Interactive television and VoD.
It was not until mid-2006 that the government put legislation in place that will pave for the way for Local Loop Unbundling (LLU). Both LLU and an upsized UBS service should, but will not necessarily, allow triple play services. While upsized UBS went live in 2006, LLU and Naked DSL are still waiting for introduction, perhaps in late 2007 or possibly even as late as 2008.
South Pacific Islands
Penetration rates of telecom services in the South Pacific Island region remain comparatively low, although mobile and Internet penetration have gained traction is some of the more highly populated and developed islands such as Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Guam. Access to basic telecom services remains relatively expensive.
By the end of 2006 less than half of all Pacific Islanders had a phone and generally only had one supplier for any particular fixed, mobile or Internet service. Internet cafes and telecentres help to address the issue of low Internet penetration. To communicate outside the region, most islands are in a satellite footprint and both Fiji and Guam are connected by submarine cable.
Mobile telephony is expected to outpace growth in fixed-line connections as the market moves into 2007. New technologies are gaining ground in some island countries: 3G mobile services are expected to be launched in Fiji in 2007. Several of the South Pacific nations are upgrading satellite links to outer islands, installing wireless broadband and upgrading fixed-line broadband capability and some are rolling out high-speed ADSL2+ broadband. There is strong interest amongst South Pacific operators regarding WiMAX as a communications solution.
Source: Research and Markets Ltd.
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