Wednesday, 3 January 2001

Confusion Prevails on the Way to 3G21:15 PM GMT on Jan 02, 2001[123Jump]

Following extensive discussions on mobile data, the delivery of non-voice informationto a mobile device, analysts have been remarking in each of the past several yearsthat the method-of-the-moment will usher in the new era of go-anywhere, do-anythingcommunications. Notwithstanding those predictions, however, latest estimates showthat nowadays only 2% of all mobile traffic is data.

Contrary to technology optimists gushing about the possibilities of instant-responseWeb browsing and full-motion video cell phones, analysts explain facts with anunsatisfied demand for voice services driving the growth of new subscribers. Othersargue that, as with wireline Internet service, a critical mass must be achieved in orderfor widespread market appeal to materialize.

Approaching the Inflexion PointMeanwhile, a series of announcements from independent sources confirm theslowdown in subscriber growth and handset unit expansion worldwide. Citing recentstatistics, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson forecasts that subscriber penetration in Europeis quickly approaching an "inflexion point" of 55%, beyond which further expansion isset to be increasingly restrained as at present confirmed by Scandinavia.

The research agency expects the growth rate to weaken to around $70 million fromthe current pace of $30 million, which represents a slowdown amounting to no lessthan 30%.

The global handset industry is also in a phase of deceleration - several of the largestproducers of chipsets for wireless communications have lowered their output targetsfor the current year. Consensus on unit shipments in 2000 seems to be graduallycontracting to the range of $400 million to $435 million. As such, global output is setto increase by 55%, compared with around 65% in the past two years.

In a further confirmation of the ongoing slowdown, leading cellular operators such asBT Cellnet and Vodafone (VOD) are allegedly trimming their capital expenditure plansin 3G equipment deals with the chosen suppliers. This should hardly come as asurprise because they have to act carefully to compensate for the hefty license fees.

The opposing camp of analysts believe, however, that the mobile data sector has

turned a corner this year and that it is finally beginning to witness the long-promisedgrowth in demand and revenues to mobile telephone providers and other wirelessoperators.

Among the number of developments contributing to this change, in agreement withthe Federal Communications Commission (FCC), existing mobile telephonesubscribers provide a large potential market of mobile data users.

In some markets, wireline data traffic is almost equal to wireline voice traffic. A YankeeGroup study shows that 46% of mobile telephone subscribers have Internet access athome. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that wireless carriers would be anxious tocapture even a small portion of such a vast market.

According to Merril Lynch (MER), other potential growth drivers of the mobile datasector include the tremendous increase in digital handset use, the low retail price forshort messaging service (SMS) and greater computer literacy. Some even dare topredict tremendous potential for growth of wireless data services in the United States.

One forecast estimates that by 2002 mobile data services will outnumber wirelinedata subscribers. Other analysts expect at least $35 billion to $40 billion in revenuesby 2007, representing an annual growth rate of 25% to 30%, along with as much as100 million subscribers using some form of wireless data.

3G ProgressionTo date, mobile telephone operators in the U.S. have begun to deploy 2.5Gtechnologies, the first phase of the transition to 3G as described by some analysts.Equipment manufacturers are in the process of developing 3G equipment andoperators are testing technologies.

Although some industry insiders observe that future 3G global networks might turn outto be fragmented and incompatible, in particular lacking roaming - one of the mostcritical features of wireless communications - here's a brief discussion of the currentmobile data capabilities of digital cell phone technologies and the software togetherwith infrastructure upgrades available for each technology. Having deployed a cellular digital packet data (CPDP) overlay over their networks,TDMA carriers are currently working on the implementation of general packet radioservice (GPRS) because it is compatible with both TDMA and GSM networks. GPRS isa packet-based, data-only upgrade that ultimately allows data rates up to 115 Kbps.

In order to migrate to an interim 2.5G technology called enhanced data for GSM

evolution (EDGE), TDMA carriers have to use a core GPRS backbone for IP and EDGEas the radio interface technology. AT&T (T) announced plans to use EDGE for its 3Gstrategy, while SBC Communications (SBC) and BellSouth (BLS) said they wouldlaunch EDGE in late 2001 or early 2002. At present, Lucent and Ericsson are runningtrials with AT&T.

In the United States and abroad, GPRS is believed to be the primary migration path forGSM operators due to its reliance on packet rather than circuit switching, a factor ofconsiderable importance.

European operators estimate that the upgrade from GSM to GPRS will cost between$50 million and $120 million. Among U.S. carriers, Omnipoint, prior to its merger withVoiceStream (VSTR), expected the upgrade to GPRS to cost less than $10 million.

For the Importance of i-mode

Much of what is driving the potential growth in U.S. mobile data services is based ontrends observed elsewhere. NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service was launched almost twoyears ago and had 13 million mobile data customers at the end of September. As aresult, the company is currently the largest ISP in Japan offering access to over 6,000Web sites and content provided by more than 400 companies.

Being a simpler solution than WAP and capable of working on 2G networks, i-modemay be easier to bring to market. DoCoMo is deemed one of the most importantcompanies to watch on the battleground for the mobile Internet, and its huge successin Japan gives it a technological and marketing edge over any global competitors.

But Asia's shine in the wireless space is not only because of the i-mode service.Recent statistics from DataQuest highlight the growing impact of leading Japanesemanufacturers. Taking into consideration their stagnating domestic markets and thehuge opportunities opening up in 3G, Japan and Korea are set to build a strongerpresence in the overseas markets.

Significant advances have been made by Panasonic, NEC (NIPNY), Mitsubishi andKyocera (KYO). Samsung has fallen victim to the ban of subsidies in Korea.

Facts such as Sony's (SNE) fresh launch of its state-of-the-art cmd-Z5 GSM model inEurope, Panasonic's readiness to ship 1.2 million TDMA handsets through itscontract with AT&T Wireless (AWE), and increasing proliferation of i-mode areindicative that the playing field will shift further in favor of the East by the middle of thedecade when 3G handsets begin to reach mass-market volumes.

Although the high-profile battle is going in Europe and the Americas, mounting threatsare emerging from China, the largest growing market of all. Unconfirmed reportsclaim that domestic suppliers now command some 10% of the Chinese handsetmarket, a ten-fold increase from the figure a year ago.

Deriving political preference and benefiting from the vernacular citizenship status,local vendors are likely to keep altering the market dynamics materially. With theadoption of a common 3G standard, the W-CDMA, Asian handset makers are set tobolster their market positions well before the transition to 3G products.

The Better TechnologyTurning to next-generation, off-the-wire communications again, the lack of a specificair interface compels users to face choices in mobile services as they do in today'scellular market. The variety of interim technologies add to the confusion amongoperators.

Some see the solution in trade-off, which not only will bring about simplicity but willalso allow consumers to have roaming capabilities on a fair number of networksaround the world. The CDG, however, argues that dual-mode phones able tocommunicate over two types of networks, such as cdma2000 and W-CDMA, will offerthe same kind of roaming many operators allow at present.

This may prove true once the whole world has migrated to fully formed W-CDMA orcdma2000 systems, which will most likely not happen smoothly because of the morecomplicated choices facing operators of the current two major types, GSM and TDMA.This is particularly important for the United States.

While GPRS is essentially an upgrade of existing GSM networks, the implementationof universal mobile telecommunications systems (UMTS), which is said to be a real3G technology, will require entirely new radio equipment in both networks and userdevices. It makes sense for different operators to make such large investments whenlocal market conditions justify it, i.e. at different times.

It seems like the choice of technology is just the beginning of the struggle foroperators, and in the longer term, for their customers. In keeping with HerschelShosteck Associates, a market research firm, equally important is engineering andbuilding the physical network.

What determines its success is that for the 2G digital arena, the question has alwaysbeen how the network is designed rather than which is the better technology.

Qpass, SkyGo to Add Commerce Functionality to WirelessMarketing Offers20:54 PM GMT on Jan 02, 2001[PR Newswire]

Qpass, the global leader in digital commerce services, and SkyGo(TM), the authorityon wireless marketing, today announced an agreement to provide merchants with anend-to- end solution for wireless marketing and m-commerce. The partnership willequip wireless promotions delivered via the SkyGo network with easy and secure"Click-to-Buy" functionality.

This alliance will unlock the revenue potential of the wireless Web by driving andfacilitating m-commerce transactions from promotion through to fulfillment. Forcompanies looking for a way to extend the Internet shopping cart model to mobiledevices, Qpass and SkyGo will offer a complete wireless solution to promote goods,guide consumers to relevant product offerings, drive action, and facilitate transactionand payment.

Integration with the SkyGo Wireless Marketing Platform will add valuable promotionalcapabilities to the Qpass mobile commerce platform and eWallet credential storingfunction. In addition, SkyGo will look to Qpass to securely store, manage and transferpayment information for any m-commerce transactions triggered by SkyGo's targetedwireless marketing offers. WAP Forum Responds to Negative NN/G Report20:47 PM GMT on Jan 02, 2001[Business Wire]

The conclusions of a recent report issued by the Nielson Norman Consulting Groupregarding the viability of WAP as a standard for accessing the Internet through mobiledevices, are being challenged by The WAP Forum, a non-profit industry associationdevoted to the development of WAP specifications and dissemination of accurateinformation about the use and benefits of WAP.

After a review of the Nielson Norman report, The WAP Forum believes themethodology employed in the survey and its subsequent findings is flawed. Thisparticular report, based on only 20 users, lacks the basis on which to draw anymeaningful conclusions. As a result, this study perpetuates unfair and unwarrantedcriticisms, and false assumptions about WAP.

The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a standard for wireless access to theInternet via cellular phones, PDAs and other mobile devices. The WAP Forumcomprises more than 600 companies worldwide. WAP is the only open,non-proprietary wireless standard. Its base of developers, content, phones, andcarriers is huge, global, and growing. Members of the WAP Forum built the standardby consensus, so that interoperability among devices and between bearers isassured.

The WAP Forum appreciates the opportunity to address these issues and presentevidence of WAP's acceptance by companies and individuals around the world.

Full-Length Movie Downloads Available on Pocket PC Platform21:33 PM GMT on Jan 02, 2001[Haymarket]

Forget the trips to Blockbuster; now consumers can just download full-length moviesto their pocket PCs thanks to a partnership between Filmspeed of Venice, Ca., andMicrosoft.

The films are being encoded for internet delivery using a new Windows Media Player7 video compression software designed to provide high resolution transmission atspeeds as low as 100 Kbps. The pocket PC version of the each film will be encodedat 100Kbps for playback, and will fit on a 128MB CompactFlash storage device.Desktop or home TV users will also be able to access a near-DVD quality version ofthe films encoded at 400 Kbps.

Thursday, 4 January 2001

Report: WAP Unique, Ready for Future06:21 AM GMT on Jan 04, 2001[Newsbytes News Network]

A report just published says that while the mobile Internet, and wireless applicationprotocol (WAP) technologies in particular, have been criticized of late, the technologyremains unique.

Because of this, Strand Consult, the publishers of the independent report, said thatWAP technology is extremely well positioned for the future.

The Danish research firm said that criticisms of WAP have been that the servicesavailable are two slow, and that users cannot view the "regular Web" using their WAPhandset. Added to the fact that most WAP screens are too small, Strand Consult saidthat critics have concluded the technology can be written off.

Not so, said the report, as a deconstruction of this criticism reveals it as bothunfounded and based on a set reference point not applicable to this new media:

"To say that WAP is slow may be true, but only if you allow yourself to compare applesand pears. Entering the Mobile Internet via WAP is much faster than entering theInternet via a PC," the report said.

In fact, the study added, by the time the WAP phone has loaded the first page, the PCis still loading its systems software. When comparing how long it takes to load anews service, the WAP phone wins out again.

The report said that WAP was designed for people who are on the move. Because ofthis, it said, comparing the WAP phone with a PC is like a Walkman compared to a

symphony orchestra - both can provide you with a musical experience, but to comparethe two is meaningless.The study added that when TV was launched it was hailed as radio with pictures. Theresult turned out to be very different, and the same will be the case for the mobileInternet.

"WAP will not develop into a mini Internet, but rather into a media in its own right whooffers both mobility and portability," it said.

For its report, Strand Consult conducted a survey which polled 1, 825 WAP usersacross Europe. The results of the survey were that WAP users are logged into themobile Internet on average for around eight minutes per day, with 81 percentaccessing via a portal.

The research firm says that in many ways, the development of WAP is similar to that ofSMS. Traffic is slow in the beginning, but after a while grows exponentially.

"Therefore we believe the mobile Internet will be a success for the same reason thatmade mobile phones a success - mobility and the freedom to access informationanytime, anywhere," said the company.

Wireless 2000: Where's WAP?06:19 AM GMT on Jan 04, 2001 [123Jump]

Before going under the spotlight, WAP technology was publicized as the future ofmobile communications, entertainment and commerce. Unhappily, the highexpectations were shattered by disappointed customers who had to sit and wait forages for black-and-white WML sites to open, which, to cap it all, offered unimpressiveservices when compared with Web sites.

WAP has indeed made a jump in wireless technology - now we can e-mail, purchaseand access data on the move - delivering what was impossible just a few monthsago. But now that all the hype has died down, consumers have to admit anindisputable fact - it is simply an interim technology, useful only while we wait for thereal deal.

A recent report by Dataquest shows that most Europeans are displeased with thetechnology, calling it a flop, whereas 73% of Asia's subscribers are using WAPthrough operators who have installed gateways supporting WAP or Handheld DeviceMarkup Language (HDML) micro-browsers. However, these figures are not deemedpromising by analysts, who predict that WAP will not dominate the Asian market sixmonths from now.

A strong rival is rearing its ugly head from the East - i-mode, a wireless technologyenabling users to access Internet services via mobile phones (the "i" stands for

information as well as Internet, interactivity, independence etc.)

Do Communications Over Mobile NetworkThe first wireless broadband service in the world, i.e., the first step to real 3Gdeployment, is anticipated to be introduced in Japan before May next year by NTTMobile Communications Network (NTT), known as DoCoMo, the largest cellularoperator in Japan with more than 30 million subscribers.

When it launched its wireless Web service less than two years ago, DoCoMo had noidea what kind of stir it would cause. "From cell phones for talking to cell phones forusing," said Chairman Koji Oboshi, "... this is where the cell phone market is going.Voiceless communications is sure to exceed voice communications in the future."

With the installation of new network hardware and software that will increase thespeed of current data transfer rates of 9.6 kbits/sec up to 200 times, Japan will be thefirst country in the world to offer 3G services thanks to i-mode. Besides regularcellphone functions, e-mail and Web access, i-mode services are capable ofreceiving special content provided by partner companies.

The Key Advantage - Packet TransmissionBut the key advantage offered by the service is its adoption of the packet transmissionsystem - the customer is charged only for data actually sent or received. To usei-mode, a basic mobile phone subscription with NTT DoCoMo is purchased alongwith an additional monthly cost of approximately $3 for i-mode use.

On using the service, additional charges are incurred - there is a basic data charge ofapproximately 3 cents per data packet transmission of 128 bytes, charges for usinge-mail and for premium subscription services. For example, an e-mail messagecontaining about 15 Japanese characters would cost less than a cent.

Moreover, consumers don't pay the true cost of i-mode enabled phones - typical totalcosts, including DoCoMo's charges when switching to the service, are in the region of$70, but this can vary depending on the popularity of the model or the geographicarea.

Given i-mode's powerful takeoff, it is often compared to WAP in diverse ways, but asboth technologies are in their infancy, each has its own advantages anddisadvantages. Also, it is important to keep in mind that while WAP is a protocol,i-mode is a complete wireless Internet service.

i-mode presently covers almost all of Japan with about 13 million subscribers. Thepercentage of users in the land of the Rising Sun who access the global network viadesktop computers, is one of the lowest among developed nations.

To many of DoCoMo's i-mode subscribers, it is the Internet. Therefore, it is not quiterelevant today to compare WAP with i-mode and doing so would resemble comparing

Rolls Royce jet engines with United Airways.

cHTML vs. WMLWAP-based wireless services today are used in Europe, Japan, Korea and manyother regions of the world.

WAP implementations use a page description language - WML - while i-mode usescompact HTML (cHTML), which is in part, a subset of ordinary HTML. However, inaddition to HTML tags, there are some special i-mode-only tags, such as a tag to setup a link that dials a telephone number when pressed, or a tag informing searchmachines that a particular Web page is an i-mode page.

Technically, i-mode is an overlay of DoCoMo's ordinary mobile voice system, butdiffers in that it is circuit-switched (i.e., it can be reached via dial-up), packet-switchedand always on. Upon transmission, data is immediately downloaded and there is nodelay for dialing to set up the connection; however, there is a delay for data to return tothe requesting point.

Different companies implement wireless Internet services in very different ways.WAP-based services in Japan that are in competition with i-mode, provide a verydifferent user experience than WAP-based services in Europe, demonstrating theflexibility of its approach.

A significant difference, from the user and site developer's perspective, is that Websites for i-mode are very similar to ordinary HTML-based Web sites due to usage ofcHTML as a page description language.

It has an advantage over WML in that a large majority of developers come from theWeb, where they are used to HTML. However, the future of Internet content serving liesin XML and from XML, the step to WML is hardly noticeable - much less thanencountered with cHTML or ordinary HTML.

Finally, a bonus for i-mode is that the cost is simply added to a mobile phone bill -eliminating the need to own a credit card, which is particularly important to companiestargeting younger audiences and hurdles the barrier between consumers and onlinepurchasing.

i-mode is like the phone systems of old, when all a consumer had to do was ask theoperator to establish a connection, according to one admirer of the service, GregWolfond, chairman and CEO of 724 Solutions (SVNX).

But the biggest problem with i-mode is that it is a proprietary technology, unlike WAP,which was conceived by an open-industry consortium, and nothing proprietary workson the Internet unless it is licensed.

DoCoMo plans to have its entire digital subscriber base i-mode-enabled by the end ofthis year. Experts forecast that if it succeeds, with around 20 million subscribers themobile arm of NTT will become the largest ISP in the world.

And what is good for business-to-consumer is also good for business-to-business -many companies looking to deploy a wireless strategy will admire the standardplatform, pervasive implementation and ease-of-use with added capabilities ofleveraging networks on the back-end.

So, is i-mode WAP's killer? Not likely.NTT DoCoMo is a member of the WAP Forum and there is no major support outsideof Japan for the i-mode platform. Without the aid of major players around the world,the technology, for all its pluses, will never be pervasive, despite itsstraightforwardness and established subscriber base. Indeed, analysts agree thatadministrators are unlikely to request special provisioning to keep their mobileworkers in touch.

But 'who is going to win' may not be the correct question to ask. There are manydifferent WAP implementations in the world and both the WAP protocol and the i-modebrand and services will evolve over time.

Mobile communications are a revolution and it's difficult to predict developments atpresent. Meanwhile, companies like Microsoft receive both WAP and i-mode withopen arms, because both formats have qualities that could benefit the other.

Convergence of PDA's and SmartphonesPDA's that can surf the Web or be used to call your business associate. Cellularphones that feature addresses, day planners and notepads. What is going on? We'reseeing the beginning of a convergence between PDA's and 'Smartphones', whereeach device takes on additional functionality. Eventually, these two formerly differentindustries will clash.

Handspring (HAND), the innovative company in California that designs andmanufactures the Visor Handheld, recently came out with an unusual add-on - amodule that converts your Visor into a mobile phone. Not to be outdone, bothHewlett-Packard (HWP) and Casio announced packages designed to allow theirrespective Pocket PC handhelds to take cellular traffic.

For HP's Jornada, consumers will be able to buy a Novatel Minstrel 540 wirelessmodem bundled with service from Omnisky or GoAmerica, while Japan's Casio willannounce a similar deal involving GoAmerica and a Pocket Spider modem fromNextcell.

Cellphone manufacturers, meanwhile, are integrating organizer capabilities into theirphones. In December, Sweden's Ericsson will begin to market its R380 world phonein the United States, according to company representatives.

The R380 is approximately the size of a standard cellphone, but a horizontal screen -

about the size of a package of Dentyne gum - occupies one side of the phone. Thelarger screen allows Ericsson to incorporate an organizer based on the Symbianoperating system. To use the organizer, users hold the phone sideways. The R380,which will cost just under $700, has already been released in Europe.

Motorola unveiled its first Java-enabled cellphone, which also doubles as a pager anda two-way walkie-talkie. The phone will support the Java programming language,allowing people to download into their phones software programs such as games,address books and calculators. It is due in the first half of 2001 and will cost between$149 and $199.

While Ericsson (ERICY) and Motorola (MOT) demonstrated prototypes that actuallyworked, Finland's Nokia (NOK) showed off a plastic prototype. Nokia displayed ayellow, egg-shaped handheld device intended to serve as a cellphone, personaldigital assistant and camera. The phone has a color screen and supports the Epocoperating system from Symbian. Nokia executives said the company will startreleasing some of the features in its family of cellphones next year.

However, though PDA's and mobile phones become more alike everyday, they bothstill face fundamental problems in turning a highly specialized device into amultipurpose one.

PDA ProblemsCost: PDA's may have more functionality than the average smartphone, but they aregenerally more expensive and require additional add-ons to obtain wirelessfunctionality. A low-end Visor will cost $149 U.S. and the phone addition costs another$299 - plus there are still connection and airtime fees.

Penetration: The penetration rates of PDA's are significantly lower than those ofmobile phones. This leads to poorer coverage by service providers.

Form Factor: PDA's are just plain bulkier than cellular phones. In addition to beingmore inconvenient to carry around than a cellular phone, they are also less 'chic.'While this may not be a large concern for the average technophile, this would be aconcern for the burgeoning teenage cellular market.

Smartphone ProblemsSmall Screen: One of the major barriers to the rapid acceptance of wireless Internet ormobile phones is the tiny display screen. Small screens make it difficult for the user toread longer messages and are terrible for displaying any kind of Web content.However, several manufacturers, most notably Ericsson, are enlarging their displayscreens to solve this problem.

Poor Interface: While inputting text using the graffiti language is difficult on a PDA, it'seven more difficult on a cellular phone where the keys are generally limited to 0through 9.

No Expansion Capability: While most PDA's have the ability to add or delete software,only the newer smartphones have this capability. More importantly, PDA's featureexpansion slot for additional hardware, while smartphones do not.

A recent report issued by the Strategic Group predicts that by the end of this year, thenumber of wireless subscribers will exceed 500 million and will go beyond the onebillion mark by 2005.

At that time, a substantial portion of mobile devices on the market will havemultimedia capabilities - including the ability to retrieve e-mail and push-and-pullinformation from the global network. According to WAP Forum research, 75% of allcellular phones will be Internet-enabled by then.

Bluetooth: Short-Range Wireless Ready in the Near FutureEricsson, while failing in the mobile phone sector, appears ready to make a giant leapforward in its short-range wireless technology, Bluetooth.

What is Bluetooth?Bluetooth is short-range (up to 30 feet) wireless interface technology that usesunregulated radio frequencies to connect electronic devices.

Bluetooth, a trademark owned by Ericsson, uses a frequency-hoppingspread-spectrum technology - with 79 channels each being 1 megahertz wide,capable of switching at speeds of up to 1,600 times per second.

Such speed is necessary since data packet collision and congestion tend to becommon on these unregulated frequencies. High-speed switching also tends toeliminate interference from other wireless signals.

So What?Bluetooth will enable any Bluetooth-compatible device including personal digitalassistants, PDAs, mobile phones, notebook PCs and even your microwave, to link toeach other in a wireless manner. Thus, synchronizing your calendar and addressbook between your PDA and your computer will no longer require the use ofinconvenient docking cradles.

The Bluetooth concept has nearly unlimited applications, ranging from using yourlaptop to print off a client's printer without the inconvenience of hooking up to hisnetwork, to being able to use your cellphone as a modem for your laptop, or even touse your cellular phone to start your coffee-maker in the morning. Thus, the Bluetoothwill be a godsend to highly mobile employees who are constantly away from ahard-wired network.

Market PotentialThe potential market for Bluetooth devices is huge. Cahners In-Stat Group predictsthat by 2001, sales for just the Bluetooth chips alone will total $1 billion, with expectedgrowth to $3.5 billion by 2005.

The Semiconductor Industry Association estimates that Bluetooth-relatedcomponents will grow from $16 billion in 2000 to $19 billion in 2001. On top of that,

the Gartner Group is estimating that more than 75% of new cellular phones in 2004will be Bluetooth-enabled.

At the moment, the Bluetooth chip costs between $15 and $20, expected to drop toaround $5 in a couple of years. Thus, it is inexpensive to make a device Bluetoothcompatible and soon a variety of Bluetooth devices will be available.

Ericsson is likely to capture a large portion of the Bluetooth market since it not onlypioneered the technology and is intimately familiar with it, but it is also the first tomarket a mobile phone and PC Card with built-in Bluetooth technology.

PartnersThe Bluetooth concept, named after a 10th century Viking king, was initiated byEricsson in 1994 and was joined by Nokia, IBM (IBM), Intel (INTC) and Toshiba in1998.

Seeing the potential for a standardized, short-range radio platform, heavy-hitters,3Com (COMS), Microsoft (MSFT), Lucent (LU), Motorola (MOT) and 1,800 othercompanies soon joined the joint development venture.

As a result, the Bluetooth system has the potential to become the short-rangewireless standard for the 21st century. However, rival solutions include radio, cellular,infared and Ethernet-based technologies using the IEEE 802.11, IrDA, Dect orHomeRF standards.

Ericsson is throwing a lot of support behind the Bluetooth project. In a November 22announcement, company execs announced the formation of a separate company tosell its Bluetooth technology, expanding its products based on the wireless protocol toinclude hardware, software and support services.

The yet-to-be-named company is intended to strengthen Ericsson's position withinthe budding Bluetooth market and to allow it to focus on licensing the technology. Itwill license Ericsson's Bluetooth intellectual property to chip and modulemanufacturers as well as to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that makemobile consumer devices.

A number of equipment makers announced plans to support the new technology. Inthe 2Q 2001, Compaq Computer (CPQ) plans to begin integrating modules intonotebooks that will let consumers more easily snap on connections for Bluetooth orcellular communications.

Friday, 5 January 2001

Report: Only Five Pan-European Mobile Operators Seen Surviving Past 200714:31 PM GMT on Jan 05, 2001[BridgeNews]

The unsustainable burden of astronomically priced third-generation mobile telecomslicenses is expected to be the key catalyst for a major wave of consolidation in theEuroepan wireless communications market that will leave just five groups serving allmobile users in Europe by 2008, according to a study released Friday by ForresterResearch, an independent Internet research firm.Four players--Vodafone Group PLC of the United Kingdom, Deutsche Telecom AG'sT-Mobil, France Telecom SA's Orange and BT Cellnet, owned by BritishTelecommunications PLC--will rank among the certain winners, since they alreadyhave a significant presence across the region, the study found. Fighting it out for fifthplace will be Royal KPN NV of the Netherlands, Spain's Telefonica SA, Telecom ItaliaSpA and Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc."European mobile operators will consolidate or disappear, and (third-generation)UMTS will be remembered as the trigger that imploded Europe's mobile industry,"said Lars Godell, telecom analyst at Forrester's European headquarters inAmsterdam. "Scale will become a key success factor as grim profitability prospectsand huge capital requirements take their tool," Godell added. Amid the crush ofconsolidation, he predicted that the current leaders in smaller markets like Norwayand Sweden will be forced to ally themselves with the larger groups, "leaving no trulyindependent operators at all." The outlook is gloomiest for those companies that areentering the market for the first time in the hope that the advent mobile Internet willdeliver revenues to match the industry's own hype."We expect no new UMTS entrants will survive after 2007," Godell said. "Also,second-tier operators in high-license-cost countries like the U.K. and Germany willrun out of funds before they can jump this hurdle as their ARPU (average revenue peruser) drops more than (that of) their national competitors," he added.To assess operators' prospects, Forrester created a model of average mobileoperator revenues in the 17 markets of Western Europe. Its analysis of 26 mobileoperators predicted that despite skyrocketing mobile Internet usage, the averageannual revenue per European mobile subscriber would fall 15% between 2000 and2005, from 490 euros to 419 euros. Increased competition is expected to drive down prices for traditional voice, SMSmessaging and data connections, which contribute to the bulk of wireless revenuestoday, Forrester said. But with the rise of mobile Internet, voice revenues are expectedto fall by 44% over the next five years, while SMS revenues will also fall, leaving datatransmission as the only source of revenue growth."All told, traditional mobilerevenues per user will shrink by 36% between 2000 and 2005 to reach 313 euros peryear," Godell said. Furthermore, Forrester's report dumps cold water on the view thatgrowing Internet revenues will fill the gap left by voice and SMS. "Mobile Internetrevenues from access, content, retail, advertising, location data and other services willfall below expectations, totaling 106 euros per user annually, making up only 60% ofthe shortfalls in traditional revenues." Finally, Forrester's report asserted that mobile

carriers' operating profits will disappear in 2007 and take six years to return, "leadingto major operator business failures." To determine whether operators can sustain profits amid declining revenues peruser, Forrester said it modeled the operating profit of an average incumbentEuropean operator through 2015, over the typical 15-year period of a UMTS license.Making what it said were conservative cost and revenue estimates, Forrester foundthat "operating profit will begin to shrink in 2003, turn negative in 2007, and recoveronly in 2013" as Europe's mobile markets become saturated around 2005, forcingoperators to spend more on advertising and prompting greater willingness amongcustomers to switch providers. Wireless Data Users to Reach 1.3 Billion14:10 PM GMT on Jan 05, 2001[Computer Dealer News]

The use of wireless data technology is expected to skyrocket, according to CahnersIn-Stat. The research firm predicts the wireless data market will grow from its currentlevel of 170 million subscribers worldwide to more than 1.3 billion by 2004. As a result, more than 1.5 billion handsets, personal digital assistants and Internetappliances are expected to be equipped with wireless capabilities by the end of 2004,says Cahners.

British Airways WAPs Away Queues14:13 PM GMT on Jan 05, 2001[M2 Communications]

British Airways is "wapping" away airport queues as switched ontravellers check-in on the move.British Airways is the first UK airline to introduce a facility whichallows frequent flyers to use their WAP phones to check-in for flightsout of the UK, and the first airline in the world to enable passengersto select their seat via a graphical seat map on their handset.In addition, any WAP phone user will be able to look up flightavailability and view up-to-the-minute flight arrivals and departuresinformation for any British Airways flight.Subscribers to the service will be able to check-in using the pictorialseat selection tool on the WAP phone, arrive at the airport, collecttheir boarding pass from a self-service kiosk in a matter ofseconds, leave their luggage at the fast bag drop and go straight tothe boarding gate, saving valuable minutes queuing at the check-indesk.The new services, developed in conjunction with IBM, will beavailable to millions of British Airways' frequent flyers in the first halfof 2001.The new WAP services will bring a host of new benefits tocustomers:* Passengers can avoid check-in queues at the airport, cuttingdown the hassle at the airport* Customers can check seat availability on flights while in ameeting without the disruption of making a voice call* Customers can check real-time departures of their flights ifdelayed in traffic

Monday, 8 January 2001

Mobile Phone Companies to Face Lawsuits Over Brain Tumors03:31 AM GMT on Jan 08, 2001[Dr. Joseph Mercola, Optimal Wellness Center / Mercola.com]

Mobile phone companies are facing new legal action from brain tumor victims in theUnited States, Britain's Times of London has reported.According to the paper, Peter Angelos, a US lawyer who recently helped win $4.2billion in damages from the tobacco industry, is planning to launch 10 claims againsthandset manufacturers, mobile network operators and fixed-line phone companies.The news comes amid continued concern among some mobile phone users thatradiation from handsets could cause brain tumors.In a separate case, a Maryland neurologist filed an $800 million lawsuit againsthandset maker Motorola Inc. in August as well as eight other telecommunicationscompanies and organizations, claiming that his use of cellphones caused amalignant brain tumor.For a successful campaign, the lawyers are likely hoping that a court would grantthem access to mobile companies' internal documents and that they will be able toget experts to testify of possible dangers.A US study published this month concluded there did not appear to be any link,though it said more research was needed into the impact of long-term use of mobilephones.However, the study by the American Health Foundation was funded in part by aresearch group established by the cellular telephone industry, which put more than$28 million into a blind escrow account for the group to finance research.The newspaper reports that Angelos, who fought the tobacco industry in Maryland,plans to launch two claims against the mobile phone companies before March, andthe remaining seven or eight within a year.If these companies knew about the dangers of cellphone radiation they should bepunished and they should be punished dearly: not only for what they did to the public,but for the billions of pounds of profits they made.

NTT DoCoMo Plans to Cut i-Mode Fees for 3G Service04:08 AM GMT on Jan 08, 2001[Yomiuri Shimbun]

NTT DoCoMo Inc. plans to lower fees for users of its third-generation (3G) i-Modecellular phone Internet service, which will be launched in parts of the Tokyometropolitan area in May, an official of the firm said Friday.In addition, those who buy the new 3G cellular phones will be able to keep theircurrent phone numbers when they switch to the new unit, the official said.NTT DoCoMo plans to equip the 3G cellular phones with a detachable integratedcircuit card that memorizes customized information, such as phone numbers,inputted by users.By inserting the IC card, users will be able to use any phone unit equipped to acceptthe customized cards to make calls and connect to the Net, the official said.

NTT DoCoMo aims to enable customers to use the 3G service for various purposes,such as videocon-ferencing and personal digital assistance, the official said.NTT DoCoMo plans to launch the world's first attempt at a 3G cellular phone service inTokyo's 23 wards and parts of Yokohama and Kawasaki in late May and to graduallyexpand the service area, the official said.The 3G cellular phones, which will transmit data about 40 times faster than currentmodels, will enable music, pictures and video data to be transmitted much moresmoothly, the official said.Currently, i-Mode service fees are based on the amount of information transmitted.If the charging system remained after the 3G service--which would transmit muchlarger amounts of information--went into effect, fees would increase dramatically.NTT DoCoMo therefore plans to lower the fees for the i-Mode service to enablecustomers to use the service at a reasonable price, the official said.

Tuesday, 9 January 2001

Verizon, Unplugged Games to Launch Mobile Web Games04:43 AM GMT on Jan 09, 2001[Business Wire]

Verizon Wireless today announced that Unplugged Games, Inc., a leading developerand provider of multiplayer games for wireless devices, will be the first provider ofwireless games for Mobile Web(TM) customers.Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web(TM) users will have access to networked gamesthrough their Internet-enabled wireless phones.

Study: Wireless Devices Too Hard to Use04:38 AM GMT on Jan 09, 2001[MobileDataBiz.com]

Cultural differences, difficulty learning to use wireless devices and inadequateemphasis on the social utility of wireless devices are keeping the wireless industryfrom reaching its potential, Baltimore-based Context-Based Research Groupannounced today. The company conducted interviews and photo essays with 180 participants in ninemajor cities in the United States, China, Japan, Sweden, France and England. Thestudy found that many cultural differences exist in the use and knowledge of wirelessdevices, but that these differences are not reflected in current wireless marketing andproduct design. The study also found that wireless technology is far from user-friendly, and wirelesscompanies are doing a poor job helping people learn about the device. One reasonfor the confusion stems from companies insisting on developing wireless businessapplications, while putting social utility in the back seat, the company said. "While everyone's talking 'wireless,' our findings suggest that no one has truly figuredout what consumers really want and(nobody has) fully tapped into the opportunities

wireless presents," said Context principal anthropologist Robbie Blinkoff. "We gotinside the minds of consumers and what they are saying to wireless manufacturersand marketers is, 'Don't over-promise what the devices can do and make it easier forme to use them.'"

Text Message Pricing Threat04:22 AM GMT on Jan 08, 2001[VNUNet.com]

UK mobile phone operators plan to charge each other a fee for every text messagesent to a rival network, but they insist that the plan won't affect customer pricing.Under new plans, agreed by all five UK operators, there will be an interconnectioncharge between the operators for each cross network text message. According to asource close to one operator this could be as much as 3p per message.The number of text messages sent throughout the UK last year topped 5.4 billion andis one of the biggest source of revenue for the network operators.Orange, One2One, BT Cellnet and Virgin Mobile all confirmed to vnunet.com that theyhave agreed to introduce the charge, possible from next month. Vodafone was unableto provide comment. However, they deny that the charge will lead to the cost ofsending a text message, ususally around 10p, rising for the customer.

According to the operators, there will be no knock-on price hike for customers becasethe interconnecton charges will cancel each other out as messages are sent betweenoperators.Steven Day, head of media relations at Virgin Mobile, said: "As far as the mobilephone user is concerned the introduction of an interconnection charge is not releventand will not affect the price they pay for sending a text message."While a spokeswoman for One2One said: "In conjuction with the rest of the industrywe are looking at charging for cross-network messages. But we have no plans tochange the cost of text messaging for customers and they shouldn't notice anydifference."A spokeswoman for telecoms watchdog Oftel said: "The operators have made plansto introduce charges. We don't know if this will reflect on charges to customers socan't really make a comment on this. But as far as we are aware these charges willwork/cancel each other out.""BT Cellnet and Vodafone are obliged to notify us of any changes they make and havenot done so yet."Nigel Deighton, an analyst with research group Gartner said costs may well rise. "It iseasy for the operators to say now that the charge will not affect the consumer, but willthis be the case in a years time? It is easy to say that the costs will wipe each otherout but in reality this is not always going to happen."

"There are different numbers of subscribers for each operator, catering for differentsegments of the market. A charge of 3p seems a bit high and could start to impactwhat customers are paying. This seems to be a negative message for the operatorsto be sending out," said Deighton.

Wednesday, 10 January 2001

McDonald's Tests Wireless Payment Technology04:49 AM GMT on Jan 10, 2001[Cosmiverse.com]

Information Week reported yesterday that McDonald's is currently testing new wirelesspayment systems - expected to ensure faster delivery of their fast food.Already, customers at nine Chicago area McDonald's restaurants can simply swipetheir Mobil Speedpass transponders at special cash registers to pay for their BigMacs, reports Information Week. Diners in four restaurants in California can also dothe same with the transponders they use on the tollway.McDonald's Corp is currently in talks with Massachusetts officials about a similar dealon the Massachusetts turnpike. Massachusetts officials recently hired the fast-foodchain to run the concessions along the roadway.McDonald's is approximately about half way through the six-month beta test of theMobil Speed Pass.As a business built on streamlining the checkout process, McDonald's is clearlylooking for a way to speed up the check out process by experimenting with newpayment alternatives.Officials have not commented on whether or not they will expand this programnationwide. A spokesperson for McDonald's told Information Week, "We want a full sixmonths' worth of data, and then we'll analyze the numbers and the feedback fromcustomers before making a decision. But we think allowing customers to pay with aquick wave of the wand is a great way to cut service time and create convenience forthem."According to the news agency, Exxon Mobil said 4.3 million customers carry theSpeedpass - used to pay for gas or goodies purchased at 3,500 Mobil conveniencestores. The program is expected to expand to Exxon stations and stores later thisyear. The company is also pitching the program to drug, video, and grocery stores.However, McDonald's is the first retailer to give the transponders a try.

Thursday, 11 January 2001

Wireless Web Providers Now Avoid Comparisons with Desktops05:31 AM GMT on Jan 11, 2001[New York Times Syndicate]

That wireless route to the Web may not yet be the six-lane, high-speed Autobahn you

were promised, but there is a parallel path you can trek right now -- if a little moreslowly.No, you still can't watch videos on your phone, listen to the entire Pearl Jam catalogueon your pager or download Harry Potter's greatest literary triumphs to your digitalassistant. You can't watch a parade of colorful graphics cascade across yourhand-held device as you sit in traffic surfing the Internet.Sorry, you can't even get a soda machine to pop out a can by dialing the right number,the way they can in Finland.Wireless Web is a little like the early days of the personal computer, a great-soundingtechnology that has been a bit slow to catch on. But we are getting there. And - barringa severe recession - the advance of technology will continue to add lanes to thatwireless Web connection.Some wireless carriers in Atlanta are offering phones that can at least get started,while behind the scenes, some Atlanta companies - like Air2Web and Veriprise - areproducing software that helps make it work.Well, what can you do?You can send e-mail and exchange instant messages - at least with someone elsecarrying a similar device. You can tap a few buttons and get a list of restaurants inyour area. You can receive updates on sports scores, stock quotes and summaries ofthe day's news.Phones that make some use of the Net are in the market from AT&T, Nextel, Powertel,Sprint, Southern LINC and Verizon Communications. Cingular Wireless, the jointventure between BellSouth and SBC Communications, expects this month to unveilits own.Introduction of the idea some months back often used come-ons about having theInternet in your hand. But that encouraged customers to compare their hand-held withtheir desktop computer where they learned about the Internet. And no hand-held cancompete in that contest - especially against the big screens and high-speed linesmany people have at work.But what a phone, PDA or pager does have is mobility.And the carriers have learned from their slow start. So as they crank out this year'snewer models, expect an emphasis on practicality, on usefulness, on filling the needsof workers and consumers when they are away from their desktops. The wirelessphone in the United States has gone from luxury to commodity in about a decade - anestimated 100 million users. But with rates sliding and competition for newcustomers fierce, companies are hoping to nudge the country into that next step,enmeshing wireless even more with everyday life and economics.To get there, the carriers are hoping to see some of the devotion to wireless that hasswept through Europe or the near-fanatical embrace of phones - especially by theyoung - in Japan to constantly send messages.What is most likely to catch on here? Most likely, analysts say, it will be e-mail and theability to tap into corporate systems from afar. For example, International Data Corp.

predicts there will be 68 million users of short messaging services within three years,up from a relative handful today.Also, carriers hoping to mimic the success of Japan's NTT DoCoMo can look to aboom in the youth market here, according to the Cahners In-Stat Group. A Cahnersstudy estimates a fourfold increase within four years in the number of wireless usersunder 24 years old.The cost of Net-enabled phones ranges wildly, from sub-$40 near-giveaways to $400,which isn't surprising: Nearly all new phones now come with software that could - withthe right system - let them access the Net and send messages. But carriers'approaches vary.Sprint, for example, will let a subscriber pick either long-distance or wireless Web asa free option. With a one-year contract, the wireless Web is free. Or a user can just pay$10 per month for the service.Cingular plans to offer the wireless Net access for $6.99 per month, with the first threemonths free. Included in the service are instant messaging, an address book, acalendar and e-mail. However, each minute of use will count as a minute againstwhatever monthly allotment the customer buys.AT&T offers a number of tiers of service, leading up to a $15-a-month package thatincludes Web access, an organizer, an address book, e-mail and a personalized Website.Verizon, the former AirTouch, offers Web access for $7 a month, with airtime countedagainst whatever amount the user is signed up for. You can have the messagingfeature, sending up to 200 messages to other Verizon customers for $5 a month.While some of the features are consumer-friendly, carriers now clearly expect mobileprofessionals and businesses to lead the way.The two offerings most tuned to companies and contractors are from regional carrierSouthern LINC and nationwide Nextel. Both use Motorola's combination of phone andtwo-way radio. Both charge substantially more for that combo than the competitors dofor consumer-oriented service.At Southern LINC, unlimited access to the Net is $25 per month, including e-mail andvarious "productivity enhancers" like address books, said spokeswoman StaceyLiederman.Meanwhile, nearly all phones come with the new capabilities."My expectation is that by the end of the new year, all handsets will be Web-enabled,"said Stephen Krom, vice president of marketing for data and Internet services atCingular Wireless. "I expect 2001 to be the transition year to where the wireless Webreally needs to be to gain mainstream acceptance. The shift is going to occur, and it'sstarting to occur already."But carriers must get real - underscoring the practical, not pitching the pretense.Wireless is nowhere close to competing with desktop Web surfing, Krom said.

"People need to realistically set expectations about speed, the size of the screen andthe interface for the user," he said. "We need to focus on the applications that peoplewill find necessary and interesting on wireless devices. And a good model for that isNTT DoCoMo."That would mean hammering home the ways wireless can be part of everyday life -and making much of the pitch to the young.AT&T originally launched Internet access via phone in 1998, then reintroduced thefeature in May 2000. Tom Trinneer, company vice president for data productdevelopment, said - in retrospect - it was a mistake to pitch the wireless Web toconsumers as a mobile version of something they already knew."Expectations were not set very well with consumers," Trinneer said. "As werelaunched, we've tried pretty hard to talk about specific uses and not talk about theInternet. We won't set up the consumer with the expectations that it is going to be theInternet in your phone. We are trying to describe this as a new medium, and you haveto apply it it that way."Making that medium work, however, calls for various layers of software. If the wirelessWeb is a potentially huge market, then those who make the service work are aiming ata critical and potentially lucrative spot.Metro Atlanta is home to several companies churning out those invisible butnecessary connections.Air2Web, for example, is a 174-employee company that developed software for UnitedParcel Service, Total System Services and other companies. With UPS, the softwarelets customers get the same information via wireless devices that they can be viadesktop Net connection."We are the piece in the middle that masks the complexity," said Patrick Taylor, vicepresident of marketing.But Air2Web increasingly, too, believes that consumer uses will be outpaced by thosefor business, where wireless can save money or boost productivity, he said. "It's notall that compelling to make a restaurant reservation on a cell phone. But if you havesales force or customers who have ordered products and want to check the status ofthe order, that's compelling today."Business uses are the key, agreed Julio Palacio, president and CEO of 95-employeeVeriprise Wireless Corp. in Alpharetta.Veriprise is aimed mostly at the needs of companies to connect their own employeesto corporate data, applications that he called "B-2-E" -- business to employees. It canbe salespeople, service technicians, truckers, insurance agents, health careprofessionals -- anyone out of the office whose work is improved by keeping in touch,Palacio said."More and more people are mobile, and they want access to their corporate

information," he said.Analyst Perry Walter of Robinson Humphrey Co., an Atlanta-based investmentbanking firm, said companies could repeat their role in driving the computer boom.Businesses stopped sniffing at desktop devices and began to see their economicvalue, and that bottom-line analysis - along with the urge to upgrade - could berepeated with the wireless Web."This is like the PC was in the early 1980s - slow and clunky," Walter said. "Therewere very few applications that made sense. Then you began to have the killerapplications: word processing, spreadsheets and games. When that happened,people said, `Oh, I get it."'

Anthropologists Study Wireless Usage Worldwide05:26 AM GMT on Jan 11, 2001[Newsbytes News Network]

A report on the use of wireless technologies and what consumers want from thetechnology has just been published. What's unusual about the study is that it wasconducted by researchers taking an anthropological and ethnographic approach totheir research.The Context-Based Research Group, the anthropology group which undertook thestudy, says that the research brings a new perspective to what consumers really wantfrom wireless.The report, the 1,00 anthropologist-strong group says, also found what wirelesscarriers need to do if they want to close the gap between expectation and userexperience that is keeping wireless from reaching its potential.The study involved anthropologists in six countries around the world watchingwireless users in action, with the aim of uncovering what their true needs, desiresand opportunities are.The report says that wireless companies are failing to market their services effectivelybecause of cultural differences, the difficulty learning to use devices, and not enoughemphasis on the social utility of wireless generally.These, the report says, are keeping the wireless industry from reaching its fullpotential.However, Context says, carriers and allied companies that address these issues willclose the gap between expectations and actual user experiences.It will also, the research group says, enable wireless to deliver on its promise tocreate more satisfying communications and relationships, and make it easier toaccess information.For the study, a Context team of ethnographers observed and conducted structuredinterviews and photo essays with 10 participants in nine major cities in the US, China,Japan, Sweden, France and the UK.In addition to observing wireless users in action, the researchers examined theexpectations of wireless users, explored how wireless use has changed behavioramong certain groups, interacted with non- wireless users, and analyzed howwireless is advertised and communicated in the media.Robbie Blinkoff, Context's principal anthropologist, said that, while everyone is talkingabout wireless, the research found that no-one has truly figured out what consumersreally want and fully tapped into the opportunities that wireless presents."We got inside the minds of consumers, and what they are saying to wireless

manufacturers and marketers is 'don't over-promise what the devices can do andmake it easier for me to use them,'" he said.The report says that wireless technology is far from user-friendly and wirelesscompanies are doing a poor job helping people answer the question "how do I learnto use your device?"The result, the report says, is a gap between usage and what devices are capable ofdoing, with many wireless features on people's devices going unnoticed or unused.Context's analysis suggests that wireless companies should use the device itself todeliver tips that show users how to better take advantage of a device's features.The report also found that non-users across the globe are mystified by wirelessadvertisements and other marketing messages, making them reluctant to buy intowireless.

Friday, 12 January 2001

o iMetrikus, Wireless Knowledge to Create Mobile Health Management App http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011201&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=1799328

o Developer Bets the Farm on Cell Phone Games http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011201&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=1792259

o Conversay Speech-Enables First Linux PDA http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011201&l=/pda/Article.po?id=1799311

o MGI Photosuite Mobile Edition Targets Handheld Market with Photo, Video http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011201&l=/pda/Article.po?id=1792003

Monday, 15 January 2001

o ThinkersGroup's New Program Adds Revenue Model to Wireless Web http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011501&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=1831344

o Bloomberg Study: Advanced Wireless Networks May Cost $751 Billion http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011501&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=1831263

o GSM Global Roaming Forum to Include TDMA Technology http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011501&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=1831240

o Funmail Starts Beta Test of Animated i-Mode Instant Messaging http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011501&l=/imode/Article.po?id=36790

Wednesday, 17 January 2001

o Vodafone Introduces New Service for Customers Roaming in Europe http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011701&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=84608

Thursday, 18 January 2001

o Snaz, Rogers AT&T Wireless to Launch Canada's First Wireless Shopping Mall http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011801&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=1019

o Airbiquity, Televigation Announce GPS-Enabled Voice-Activated Location App http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011801&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=1013

o NTT DoCoMo to Offer i-Mode in Europe Later This Year http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix011801&l=/imode/Article.po?id=1034

Monday, 22 January 2001

o Motorola, BMW Introduce Wireless In-Vehicle System http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix012201&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=18354

o Agency Finds Some Ultra-Wideband Interference http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix012201&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=18346

o Nexmedia Rolls Out Breakthrough Application for WAP http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix012201&l=/wap/Article.po?id=8644

o i-Mode Coming Soon to Phones Worldwide? http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix012201&l=/imode/Article.po?id=8648

Tuesday, 23 January 2001

o Study: Wireless Devices to Surpass PCs As Most Popular Net Access Devices http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix012301&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=42949

o CES Panelists See Cellphones For Every Occasion http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix012301&l=/bluetooth/Article.po?id=42897

Wednesday, 24 January 2001

o Study: Ericsson Expected to Take Initial Bluetooth Market Leadership http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix012401&l=/bluetooth/Article.po?id=58724

o Bluetooth Taking Off at Low End of Market http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix012401&l=/bluetooth/Article.po?id=58722

Thursday, 25 January 2001

o Lucent, Profilium Team to Offer Location-Based Mobile Advertising Systems http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix012501&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=19071

o Java-Based WAP Microbrowser for Palm PDAs Debuts http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix012501&l=/pda/Article.po?id=18815

Tuesday, 30 January 2001

o Fears for 3G Masts After Court Ruling http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix013001&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=74908

o US GSM Auction a Huge Success http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix013001&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=74632

o Study: M-Commerce An Emerging, Vital Market, Yet Obstacles Remain http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix013001&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=74372

o Will WAP Win the Wireless War? http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix013001&l=/wap/Article.po?id=74370

Wednesday, 31 January 2001

o Wireless Information Services Project for the Deaf Community Launched http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix013101&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=26609

o Finding Content with Wireless Advertising http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix013101&l=/wireless/Article.po?id=26579

o M-Game Gladiator Conquers Wireless Web Arena http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix013101&l=/wap/Article.po?id=26585

o Openwave Introduces Next-Generation Wireless Technology http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix013101&l=/wap/Article.po?id=26553

o NTT DoCoMo, Sony to Offer Mobile Playstation Services http://www.ayg.com/R.po?t=dfix013101&l=/wap/Article.po?id=26589