Femtocell Industry Awards 2009

The Femto Forum, the independent industry association that supports femtocell deployment worldwide, today announced the winners of the inaugural Femtocell Industry Awards. The awards recognise outstanding achievement within, and contributions to, the femtocell industry. The awards were presented at a gala dinner at the Femtocells World Summit in London last night.
The winners for the Femtocell Industry Awards 2009 are:
1. Award Category: Femtocell or femtocell network element design and technology innovation
Award Winner: ip.access Ltd - nano3G Enterprise Solution
The nano3G represents an evolution of the femtocell into the enterprise environment. Not only does it support the 3GPP's new femtocell standard, it also represents a step up in coverage and capacity.

2. Award Category: Femtocell service (commercial, prototype or demo)
Award Winner: ip.access Ltd - Facebook virtual fridge notes
The service implements a "classic" application use case - where the subscriber receives a reminder message when arriving at home - but with an innovative extension that enables the message to be composed and sent using Facebook.

3. Award Category: Progress in commercial deployment (vendor or ecosystem)
Award Winner: NEC Corporation
This recognizes NEC's strong traction in the market with several commercial contracts in place and several live trials underway with operators around the world.

4. Award Category: Significant progress or commercial launch by a large carrier
Award Winner: Sprint Nextel Corp.
This recognizes this commercial launch, which was the world's first commercial deployment of femtocells.

5. Award Category: Significant progress or commercial launch by a small carrier
Award Winner: Cellcom
For Cellcom’s deployment of the world's first IMS-based CDMA femtocell network for consumers and enterprises.

6. Award Category: Contribution to femtocell standards (individual or company)
Award Winner: Taka Yoshizawa, Thomson
For his pivotal role in defining the femtocell management specifications by working through the Femto Forum, the Broadband Forum and the 3GPP.

7. Award Category: Enabling technology (components, subsystems, modules etc.)
Award Winner: picoChip Designs Ltd -picoXcell™ PC302 SoC.
This optimized system-on-chip, which supports the 3GPP's new femtocell standard, embodies five years of femtocell experience, comprehensive interoperability testing and numerous real-world deployments.

8. Award Category: Social vision - use of femtocells for social / economic / environmental development
Award Winner: Softbank Mobile Corp - Niimi project
The project illustrates how femtocells can be cost-effectively deployed to deliver services in rural environments where existing coverage is limited.

9. Award Category: Award for individual contributions to Femto Forum activities
Award Winner: Chris Fenton of Telefónica-O2
For achieving architectural consensus as chair of the Femto Forum Network & Interoperability Working Group.

“The judges were extremely impressed by the high quality and number of award submissions which reflect the health and innovation of the femtocell industry,” said Simon Saunders, Chairman of the Femto Forum. “The femtocell industry is rapidly evolving as major advances are made in the technology, standards, services and applications - these awards recognise and reward this progress. Our congratulations to the winners and to all those who participated.”
The awards were open to the whole industry and were judged independently of the Femto Forum by a panel of distinguished analysts, journalists and industry experts, chaired by Professor William Webb, Head of R&D at Ofcom.
For more information on the Femtocell Industry Awards, please visit: http://www.femtoforum.org/femto/aboutforum.php?id=96

Orange will bring iPhone 3G to Romania on August 22

Bucharest - August 6, 2008. Orange Romania today announced it will bring iPhone 3G to Romania on August 22. iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone plus 3G networking that is twice as fast*, built-in GPS for expanded location-based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs hundreds of third party applications available through the new App Store.

"We are excited to be the only network provider to offer iPhone 3G in Romania from August 22. With our 3G/HSDPA capabilities and widespread broadband coverage, Orange customers in Romania will be able to enjoy the full iPhone 3G experience,” said Richard Moat, CEO Orange Romania.

Orange customers are welcomed to attend the official launch of iPhone 3G at midnight on August 22. The doors of six Orange shops across the country will open simultaneously: Orange concept store in Bucharest and the Orange shops in Iasi (Anastasie Panu Blvd.), Cluj (21 Decembrie Blvd.), Brasov (Muresenilor St.), Timisoara (Republicii Blvd.) and Constanta (St. Stefan cel Mare).

Starting August 7, customers can register online their pre-order at www.orange.ro/iphone.

The combination of widespread EDGE, Wi-Fi, 3G and HSDPA networks mean customers can fully enjoy the mobile Internet almost wherever they go. In addition, Orange will offer a range of new tariffs plans and benefits for iPhone 3G customers. Details of pricing and availability will be announced soon.

3G iPhone

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 3G to an appreciative audience during the opening keynote speech at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday.
The new iPhone, sporting a thinner and sleeker look, will support faster 3G (third-generation) broadband wireless networks and come with built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) capabilities, Jobs said. Support for 3G networks will enable the new iPhone to download data up to 2.8 times faster than the earlier model, Jobs said. Built-in GPS will make it easier for users to navigate roads.

The iPhone 3G will come with a 3.5-inch screen and have better battery life, with talk time of five hours, stand-by time of 300 hours, six hours of high-speed browsing time, 20 hours of audio and seven hours of video, Jobs said. Some who had previously bought iPhones complained about its battery life and that was a problem that Apple needed to solve with the new iPhone, Jobs said.

While Jobs said the phone is "even thinner at the edges," it is just a hair thicker than its predecessor. The 3G iPhone is 0.48 inch, or 12.3 mm, thick, while the previous version is 0.46 inch, or 11.6 mm, deep.

Quicker data downloads and lower prices are key to greater adoption of iPhones worldwide, Jobs said. Apple has cut the price by half to make the new iPhone more affordable for users, so that the 8GB model will sell for $199 (£101) and the 16GB model for $299. The company found that 56 percent of people surveyed wouldn't buy the earlier iPhone because they found it expensive.

The phone will ship on 11 July in North America and will eventually be rolled out in 70 countries, including India, China, Singapore and Australia, Jobs said.

iPhone and 3G iPhone will be available at Orange locations across Romania soon. More details here

Here is a hands-on review of the new iPhone

Source

Here are some videos with Steve Jobs at WWDC08 presenting the new iPhone:






Here is the ad for the new iPhone:

iPhone boosts data traffic in Germany

Speaking at Deutsche Telekom's AGM, the CEO, Rene Obermann, let slip that the iPhone had done wonders to T-Mobile Germany's data traffic. Obermann revealed that German iPhone customers use mobile internet services thirty times more than other cell phone subscribers, while one third of all T-Mobile iPhone customers have chosen the most expensive plan.

This level of success perhaps prompted T-Mobile's CEO, Hamid Akhavan, to state that the company expected to remain the sole seller of the handset in Germany. "We have a very good relationship with Apple... at least in Germany it is exclusive, and we expect it to remain as such," he said. 'If and when there is a 3G iPhone we expect to have it exclusively in Germany as well," he added.

While T-Mobile is reported to have sold over 100,000 iPhones since last November, Apple has recently started to make deals with more than one operator in all the major European countries, with the exception of Germany.

Source FierceWireless

Nokia Siemens and Pirelli to co-develop femtocells

Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has signed a co-development deal with Pirelli Broadband. The agreement will see Pirelli's femto-enabled Multiplay equipment coupled with NSN's home access software with the aim being to allow operators to introduce femtocell-based services to home and small office environments.

The Pirelli Multiplay box offers broadband support for ADSL2+, VDSL2 and FTTH, together with the company's Epicentro middleware and applications platform. Pirelli said that its Epicentro software manages the co-existence of 3G handsets with Pirelli's access gateway, IPTV set top box and 3G femtocells.

Separately, ABI Research claimed that vendors attempting to ramp up the sales of 3G femtocells will only have limited early success with just 100,000 units being forecast to ship this year. Noting that more than 20 femtocell development trials are currently underway, ABI said development of the units is not likely to see shipment volumes until 2010, when shipments will likely total tens of millions. "By 2010, femtocell silicon solutions will have been optimised to the degree that US$100 price points for femtocell access points will be within reach, and OEMs' order books will have the volume to sustain critical wholesale price reductions," said Stuart Carlaw, ABI Research's VP and research director. "The turning point for this market will be late 2009."

More EETimes

Orange brings Macbook Air in Romania

Orange launched at CERF 2008 a new portable broadband solution. The thinnest laptop in the world, the Apple MacBook Air, the smallest USB modem in the world, Option ICON 225 and Internet Unlimited Start were created for the wireless world.

You can Connect to the internet wherever you are, at 3G+ speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps in over 300 localities in Romania and at EDGE speeds of up to 220 Kbps in the rest of the country.

The subscription fee starts from 10 euros. The price of the MacBook Air is 1689 euros including VAT.

IRIS, the Romanian distribuitor for Apple, will sell MacBook Air only after 2 weeks to those who pre-ordered him online.

More about this: Orange

Ericsson boost its deals in China

Wireless infrastructure specialist Ericsson has won two major deals with the Chinese operators China Mobile and China Unicom in total worth nearly $1.5 bn to the Swedish group.

Separately, Ericsson has also signed a GSM expansion framework agreement with China Mobile valued at $1.3 bn and another with China Unicom valued at around $140 million. The expansion projects are set to be completed in 2008.

Together, China Mobile and China Unicom provide mobile services to about 550 million subscribers. The expansion projects will allow both operators to boost their network capacity and performance.

Under the framework deal with China Mobile, Ericsson will be one of the main suppliers of core and radio network equipment, along with related technical support and services, to expand GSM/GPRS coverage and capacity in 19 regions across China.

Suppliers are still waiting for China to sign 3G license agreements with the country's major operators, and have been for over three years.

Earlier this month, the country moved a step closer to commercializing its home grown 3G technology, with the revelation that the country's leading operator is to trial TD-SCDMA services.

Wireless08 21-22 May London

Wireless’08 is about delivering wirefree enterprise mobility and services. It brings together all the leading suppliers and expert speakers giving you an overview of the full breath of wireless solutions for your business whatever your chosen delivery platform is be it WiFi, WiMax, RFID, 3G, 4G.

Wireless08, now in its sixth year has an unprecedented track record of exhibitor and visitor growth, reflecting the demand for a dedicated enterprise mobility event. Wireless08 will deliver in excess of 4,000 technical and strategic decision-makers, all eager to discover how wireless can be put to work for their enterprise.

You can register here

BelAir Networks's wireless products for military applications

BelAir Networks, the leading provider of broadband wireless mesh networks, is delivering high-performance wireless mesh solutions for mission-critical Defense applications to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Charleston (SSC Charleston). Two new products, the BelAir200D and BelAir100D Wireless Mesh Node for Defense Applications include 802.11n features and support for the 4.4 GHz frequency band.

The 4.4GHz to 5GHz band, with its wider bandwidth, is providing greater flexibility and security for communication systems. A major advantage is that commercially available radio systems based on WLAN and WiMAX technologies can be converted to this military-designated band, enabling a system to be developed and deployed quickly.

“SSC Charleston has extensive experience installing and testing communications systems in ships and at shore and the high performance, reliability and flexibility of the BelAir Networks wireless mesh gear has proven to be a great fit for their wireless requirements,” said Bernard Herscovich, President and CEO, BelAir Networks. “We’ve been honored to serve the needs of many military customers over the past few years and working with SSC Charleston has enabled us to accelerate the availability of the next generation of high-performance wireless mesh solutions for a broad range of Armed Forces applications.”

Building on its success in delivering high-performance wireless mesh solutions for both temporary Defense installations (including emergency, disaster recovery, and special events networks) and permanent networks, such as SSC Charleston’s Wireless Pier Connection Systems (WPCS), the integration of 802.11n features and support for the 4.4 GHz frequency band will further enhance BelAir’s unique fit for Defense applications. BelAir Networks wireless mesh nodes are also broadly deployed in civilian Port security applications providing high-performance networks for video surveillance cameras and chemical detection sensors.

Customized to address the needs of demanding Defense installations at home and abroad, the new BelAir200D and BelAir100D feature support for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology and other performance-enhancing features encompassed in 802.11.n. The products also support BelAir Networks new Military Radio Module (MRM) operating in the 4.4 GHz spectrum designated in the US and NATO countries for military fixed and mobile communications.

See more info here: BelAir

About BelAir Networks

BelAir Networks is the first company to offer scalable, mobile wireless broadband mesh networking solutions with the highest quality for data, voice and video. The company teams with world-class global partners to deploy proven, cost-effective wireless broadband mesh networks. BelAir’s wireless networking solutions are built on the only multi-service architecture for municipal wireless broadband deployments of Wi-Fi, WiMAX and 3G Cellular networks. Built specifically for outdoor-in deployments, BelAir Networks’ patented solution delivers the lowest cost per user and deploys in days, blending into the physical infrastructure of downtown business districts, hotels and resorts, and campuses. Founded in 2001, BelAir Networks is a privately held company.
BelAir Networks is the new worldwide wireless mesh node market leader based on revenue, according to Dell’Oro Group’s recently released Q3 2007 Wireless LAN quarterly report.