Telecom mergers set for approval today.

"Two multibillion-dollar telecom mergers are expected to clear their final federal hurdle today and be approved, with conditions, by the Federal Communications Commission. SBC Communications, which is buying AT&T, and Verizon, which is buying MCI, agreed to concessions aimed at promoting competition and preventing the companies from unfairly controlling Internet traffic, say people with knowledge of the matter. The SBC-AT&T and Verizon-MCI mergers are expected to close by early next year."

Sharp to embed FOTA solutions on mobile devices.

"Red Bend Software, the provider of firmware over-the-air (FOTA) update solutions for mobile devices, announced it has signed a global agreement with Sharp Corporation to deploy its vCurrent Mobile FOTA update technology and Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) device management (DM) client on Sharp mobile phones."

SMS in USA grows 106% in a year.

"By 2008, mobile messaging alone will account for 10% (USD16.4 billion) of operators’ total mobile services revenue."

U.S. cell phone tracking clipped.

"Federal law enforcement attempts to use cell phones as tracking devices were rebuked twice this month by lower court judges, who say the government cannot get real time tracking information on citizens without showing probable cause."

SoonR lets you Google your desktop from your phone.

"SoonR is a mobile application that lets you access your desktop directly from your mobile phone. Looks like it plugs into the Google dektop app and then can send you the information wherever you are."

China now has 377m cell phone users.

"At the end of September, [China] had 377 million mobile phone subscribers, or an average of 29 mobile phones per every 100 people."

Om Malik: Should VoIP start ups start to worry?

"I find it quite amusing that only those who have no experience in the phone business or those who have not tussled with the phone companies are making wild eyed predictions that voice will be free... Port blocking and other traffic grooming techniques which I have written in the past are clearly going to make things difficult for anyone who threatens the incumbents livelihood. What we will see is move away from the billable minutes paradigm to flat rate, which in the end may not be such a bad thing at least for cable companies, who are used to the flat rate life."

also see: Carriers Won't Block Your VoIP, They'll Just Screw It Up

Will corporations put ‘smart phone’ deployments on hold as virus worries increase?

"An even more sinister scenario involves spreading malicious code through 'pattern files', which masquerade as software upgrades and synchronization user interfaces. These can be especially dangerous since most mobile devices are routinely upgraded through over-the-air (OTA) programming, and viruses that are inserted within this programming can easily infect tens of thousands of mobile systems within a single corporation.

At least four wireless carriers outside the U.S. now offer mobile virus protection software from software security companies like F-Secure Corp. and McAfee, Inc., although in most cases it is offered as a premium service for an additional fee. Both companies, as well as competitors like Symantec, Inc., Trend Micro and Panda Software, have their sites set on the U.S. market as demand slowly picks up for Web-enabled phones. Recently, Nokia Corp. announced that it equip its Series 60 smartphones with the Symantec Mobile Security anti-virus software, of example."

Dialing up a web site requirement.

"While accepting of the arguments against his company's efforts, mTLDs Evans blisters at the exacting controversy over mTLDs supposed 'walled garden' approach. Critics contend Microsoft, European cell phone giant Vodafone, handset makers Nokia and Samsung, plus other mTLD partners are creating their own Internet for use only by the tens of millions of cell phone subscribers and handset owners the companies represent... Companies that register a .mobi domain name must conform to rules that limit the size of graphics on a site and tailor the design to fit a small screen. The Web site will also detect what kind of device is attempting to connect; if a PC tries to connect to a .mobi site, for example, it might be forwarded to a different Web site designed for computers."

The 3G wireless opportunity is finally here.

"Sooner or later, like Apple, phone companies will wake up and realize that the small entrepreneurs who are building services and peripherals for 3G phones will ultimately be the best salespeople for their networks. And that's when the 3G economy will really start to take off."

Cingular pumps up wireless IM, e-mail.

"[Cingular] announced that it will offer e-mail and instant messaging from America Online, Yahoo and MSN on cell phones... Using a downloadable e-mail client powered by OZ Communications that converts the e-mail into a format that can be seen on the small screen, Cingular subscribers can access their personal e-mail from their phones. Unlike other e-mail services targeted at business customers that require expensive devices, such as Research In Motion's BlackBerry or Palm's Treo, Cingular customers will be able to use less-expensive cell phones from Cingular's current line-up."

Insignia Automatic Device Configuration selected by four mobile operators.

"The Insignia ADC has been adopted by Spring Mobil, a progressive new Swedish operator, and three Asian operators ranging in size from less than a million to more than fifteen million subscribers... Mobile operators may use the Insignia ADC to trigger workflows created by Insignia's Intelligent Service Creation Environment(TM), or ICE(TM), to perform specific initial device configuration based on a subscriber's demographic information, such as age or gender, usage history or other subscriber-specific information maintained in the carrier's network. ICE can be used to customize the browser home page, bookmarks, and media player settings, install specific applications, configure email accounts and install Over-the-Air Firmware. The technology can also be used to upgrade the consumer's phone to include mobile operator branding and customizations, and to conveniently diagnose and repair mobile devices."

Cell phone sales increasing worldwide.

"The world's mobile phone makers are expected to sell more than 800 million units this year, up from earlier estimates of around 775 million sales of handsets, top cell phone market research firms said today."

InnoPath Software moves to new HQ.

"InnoPath Software Inc. said Monday it has moved to a new headquarters in Sunnyvale, more than tripling its space after more than doubling its staff in the past year."

also see: Commerical vacancy rates drop again

Trusted Computing Group unveils mobile phone security use cases.

"The organization has created a set of use cases for mobile phone security and intends to have a publicly available specification ready for first half of 2006."

Japan to require GPS in mobile handsets.

"Japanese regulators are set to announce that GPS will be required in all handsets there after April 2007, and that it be able to locate devices with 15-meter accuracy."

Aruba goes mobile.

"Aruba Networks today introduced new access points and a software update to its ArubaOS Mobility Software to enable the deployment of the company's newly announced Mobile Edge architecture.

The Mobile Edge architecture securely connects mobile workers to enterprise VoIP and data networks from any location around the globe. The newly announced APs extend the enterprise WLAN to remote locations, creating corporate hotspots that follow the user. New capabilities in ArubaOS 2.5 simplify the deployment of remote and branch office networks for wired and wireless LANs."

Phone, cable firms rein in internet use.

"Phone and cable firms are starting to make it harder for consumers to use the Internet for phone calls or swapping video files. Companies say users are hogging bandwidth, but efforts to curtail Web use may spark a backlash."

Court ruling imperils prepaid wireless company.

"'The US prepaid wireless market landscape has been severely altered from this recent decision,' Mallinson wrote in a recent report. 'The example set by this broad interpretation on Freedom Wireless' patents will not only harm prepaid billing vendors and wireless providers, but it will also languish consumer adoption.'"

Quarterly wireless ARPU down worldwide.

"Despite the fact that it's a flawed metric, average revenue per user remains the most widely used financial metric in the mobile industry. A new survey out says ARPUs dropped around the world in the third quarter, led by significant drops in Eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific."

InnoPath successfully completes all OMA DM interoperability tests at OMA test fest.

"InnoPath Software, Inc., the industry leader in over-the-air (OTA) mobile device management, today announced successful participation in the latest round of interoperability testing at the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Test Fest held September 12-16, 2005 in Seoul, Korea. InnoPath successfully demonstrated interoperability between the InnoPath OMA DM server and clients from multiple major vendors. "

Users awash in emerging wireless options.

m-Payment: mobile data losing billions.

"Nearly 20% of mobile data revenues are lost through insecure transaction processing costing the premium mobile content industry billions of pounds in lost revenue according to a study commissioned by Qpass."

Om Malik: eBay’s Skype plans.

"Interesting to note, like Rupert Murdoch, eBay CEO Meg Whitman says voice will be free in five years. More on this later! but if I spent $4.1 billion on something, and it will be free…?"

Macromedia buys mobile UI specialist.

"Macromedia, in the process of being acquired by rival Adobe, has purchased Mobile Innovation, which makes interfaces to improve the user experience of mobile devices like smartphones and handheld computers."

Ipevo aims Skype phone at VoIP users in US.

"A Taiwanese start-up began selling handsets used with Skype's popular Internet phone calling software in the U.S. early this month for about half the price of rival products... Ipevo, which is based in San Jose, California, hopes its low prices, along with the hype surrounding eBay's recent $2.6 billion purchase of Skype Technologies, will help increase its exposure to users in the U.S."

Microsoft looks to mobilize with Exchange SP2.

"New mobile messaging tools in the Exchange Server Service Pack 2 (SP2) will help hardware partners and content providers deliver a device that 'meets the demands of the end user for a rich mobile messaging experience.'

For example, new direct push technology eliminates the need for SMS to notify and ensure that a mobile device automatically retrieves new e-mail from an Exchange server. SP2 uses an HTTP connection to push new e-mail messages to the device.

The new version also provides greater control over mobile device security, including policy settings that let a user unlock a device with a password; local wipe, which dictates how many incorrect log-on attempts are permitted before your data might be at risk; and remote wipe, which allows administrators to remotely delete information from lost or stolen mobile devices."

China's future mobile communication forum.

"Xinhuanet reports 'a forum organization was kicked off here Monday in Shanghai to boost the development of technology beyond the third generation mobile communication (3G).The 'Future Mobile Communication Forum, has 26 co-founders including nine multinationals, Siemens, Nokia, Ericsson, Philips, Shanghai Bell-Alcatel, Motorola, Sumsung, France Telecom and NTT Docomo from Japan'. Further,'China, which began to study beyond 3G technology in 2001, has made breakthroughs in key areas. According to the present research, new technologies could realize a transmission speed 5-10 times faster than under the 3G technology, said You Xiaohu, director of National Mobile Communication Research Laboratory."

Cities unleash free Wi-Fi.

"In late September, research firm MuniWireless.com forecast that U.S. cities and counties will spend nearly $700 million over the next three years to build municipal wireless broadband networks... Roland Van der Meek, a senior partner at Palo Alto, California, venture-capital firm ComVentures, said he doubts most cities will be able to maintain such networks on their own -- especially if they try to offer free or artificially cheap access. 'Since when is the government into running a utility?' he said. 'The economics are crazy. You've got to market it. You've got to make people aware of it. What government is in that business? It doesn't make sense to me.'"

Who's in charge of mobile costs?

"Research firm IDC expects the number of mobile and remote workers worldwide to grow to 162 million by 2006. Gartner predicts that two thirds of the workforce will be considered mobile by next year."

InnoPath eyes North America with buy of Openwave group.

"InnoPath Software, a vendor in the increasingly heated market for over-the-air mobile device management solutions, has recently hired a new CEO and gained product muscle through the acquisition of a competitor's business, moves that the company hopes are well-timed to a boom in deployment of OTA solutions by North American carriers."

Entering the "Mobile Media Era".

Shawn Conahan writes: "I would like to state clearly that, while it is an important link on the value chain, the definition of 'Mobile Media' is not 'TV on your mobile phone.'"

Diagram from Gerry Purdy of MobileTrax.

"You may want to reference this diagram when you're talking with others about the different wireless standards. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you to understand where a specific wireless technology 'fits' into the overall market."

Om Malik: giving SIP a big boost.

"With CommuniGate Pro, all users can use the same address for email, IM, voice, and video."

Respond to mobile email with voice.

"Push mobile email company Visto is to add the ability to respond to mobile emails with a spoken reply that is attached as an MP3 to the email. The technology means users will be able to receive an email, hit reply, and then simply speak the message. The service will be ideal for those situations where it isn't practical to use a keyboard such as while on the move or in bright sunlight."

'4G' leapfrogs next-gen wireless.

"But with Intel backing WiMAX, Qualcomm spending big on Flash-OFDM and UMTS TDD flexing its global muscles, experts are loath to pick winners. 'I think there will be multiple technologies because there are just so many players in the industry,' said Gilbert.

As a result, wireless devices may become increasingly network agnostic. Motorola's new CN620 model, for example, can switch seamlessly between Wi-Fi and cellular networks...

Whatever the technology, one likely component (in addition to higher data rates) of 4G will be 100-percent reliance on internet protocol, which would allow seamless integration of voice, data and multimedia on a grand scale never seen before.

But the larger question is how the wireless players intend to market it to the masses. 'The challenge for the carrier is the business model,' said Weise. 'What's the model for the carrier? Are they going to be able to control all of these applications or will it be more software-driven?'

Indeed, a wireless user liberated by an IP-based network could conceivably get their broadband fixes from anywhere. Don't like the prices your carrier charges for ringtones or video content? Just download them from a third-party website.

'Once it's a broadband pipe, you start to lose control,' said Roland Van der Meek, a senior partner at Palo Alto, California-based venture-capital firm ComVentures. 'As they go all-IP, they don't want to lose the separate revenue streams.'...

One thing is certain: Wireless carriers will need to work through such issues as they roll out 4G. 'Technology has a great tendency to be disruptive,' said Weise. 'We're seeing a bit of an arms race to upgrade networks.'"

Acer laptop includes VoIP phone inside.

"Acer Inc. has developed a new laptop PC that comes with a wireless voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone the size of a PC card that fits into an onboard slot."

Vodafone to begin fixed-rate service for sweethearts.

"Cell phone operator Vodafone KK said Tuesday it will begin a service on Nov 1 that will allow a subscriber to converse and exchange email with a designated person limitlessly for a fixed monthly fee of 315 yen." ($2.75 USD)

India adds 2.5 million new users every month.

OSDL to push Linux use on cell phones.

"Motorola Inc. and PalmSource Inc. are among the companies that lined up behind a new initiative today that aims to promote the use of the Linux operating system on cell phones. The Mobile Linux Initiative was launched by Open Source Development Labs Inc. (OSDL) to tackle technical challenges and generally support the adoption of Linux on handheld devices."

InnoPath expands OTA market reach with LG global agreement.

"InnoPath Software, Inc., the industry leader in over-the-air (OTA) mobile device management, today announced that LG Electronics, a major global player in electronics and telecommunications systems, has signed a global agreement to deploy DeltaUpgrade Plus -- InnoPath's firmware over-the-air (FOTA) update solution for device management."

also see: LG Taps into InnoPath's OTA Solution

Cell phone use changes life in Africa.

"And just as inevitably, there are those who wish they had never been invented. Ayi Aime, a 60-year-old Togolese, says both her school-age daughters have cell phones. 'I do not know how they got them. I do not mind,' she says. 'But the persistent noisemaking, constant ringing, has become a nuisance.'"

Linksys CIT200 Skype phone review.

It's good to talk - even better to sell.

"Africa is changing fast. Aid and debt relief may help, but mobile phones and trade with China are proving even more vital."

BT launches a whole range of terribly boring LBS services.

"Included in the range is:
- Child and elderly people tracking
- Traffic and directions
- Find my nearest things like ATM's, supermarkets and Petrol/Gas stations.
- Employee spying (actually they call it 'tracking')"

New gadget to make theft of mobile phones harder.

"Finnish scientists have invented a device to make it harder to steal mobile phones and laptops by enabling them to detect changes in their owner's walking style and then freeze to prevent unauthorised use, according to an article by Reuters."

Future mobile: predictions from Mobile Business Expo 2005.

[the entire post is worth reading; highlights follow] "We will NEVER see the perfect mobile device from an ergonomic standpoint... We must have better end to end security... User interfaces will become more customized at the same time that corporations take greater control of their device offerings and permissions... Messaging solutions are going to become more robust, more comprehensive and more malleable for the convenience of the user... WiFi and Cellular will merge to form a complete communication ecosystem... Location Based Services will be 'Huge Huge Huge' for both business and personal use... Your Mobile Will Become Your Wallet... Linux is stable, scalable, at the heart of a vast number of enterprises already, and, the kicker; there are tens of thousands of excellent Linux developers already. When these developers realize how much money there is to be made writing for mobile you'll see a proliferation of novel applications that itself will drive adoption."

Not all in mobile industry are under OATH.

"OATH—an acronym for open authentication—is an industry-wide collaboration, seeking to create a 'reference architecture' for authentication for all networks and devices... One firm, Intellisync, a wireless e-mail software vendor, has developed a mobile device management software for enterprise and carrier customers, enabling IT management to 'remotely update, patch or lock down a variety of devices from a central location,' a spokesman told Ziff-Davis Internet... 'Putting together policy and procedures to add security for a device like this (Blackberry) is becoming a real challenge,' said Larry Hardin, director of communications at Sysco Corp., a $30 billion food services distributor, which recently deployed 500 Blackberry devices into the field."

Japan preparing voice over internet telephony for mobile phones in 2007.

"The government plans to introduce mobile Voice over Internet telephony by 2007, officials said Thursday, reports Mainichi Daily News."

Securing mobile data more important than viruses.

"Enterprises with workers that can access corporate data from mobile devices should be less concerned about mobile viruses and more focused on setting and enforcing rules for securing the data... Companies can also deploy platforms that allow them to remotely erase or kill a device that might be lost or stolen, thus helping to protect sensitive data from getting into the wrong hands... Graubelle [Morton Graubelle, executive vice president of marketing at Red Bend Software] also stressed that mobile operators can implement device management platforms that can allow them to revoke applications that users may download, thus stemming the spread of potentially harmful viruses. While some operators are beginning to police such downloads, all have a responsibility to do so, he said."

Mike Gauba: why convergence leads to value dilution.

"Technology companies rightly or wrongly have an obsession of overwhelming people with technology, overlooking the fact that more than eighty percent of the population in any market is either technology conservative or technology averse. The technology service providers are no different and take fancy in overwhelming their users with technology. The technology companies may be able to excite people into buying their technology but integrating that into their lives is a different story."

Mobile inventor warns against convergence.

"There's the Convergionists, who believe that all devices will end up converged into one. And the Separatistas, who believe that one device can't possibly do anything as well as a specialist one and that people will continue to prefer to own lots of devices to do different things... Martin Cooper, who invented the mobile phone back in 1973, has come out firmly as a Separatista purist this week at the Global Mobile Congress in China."

Mobilatory delivers PC Files to mobile.

"Mobilatory, a new web-based application that allows you to send virtually any file straight from your PC to any WAP-enabled mobile phone has just launched."

Nokia launches new corporate phone line-up.

"Mobile phone maker Nokia said on Wednesday it was launching three new mobile devices for business users, aiming to capture a bigger slice of the lucrative corporate market, reports Reuters."

South Korea's "Ubiquitous City".

"In what at first seems to be a throwback to the utopian urban visions of early 20th century futurism, South Korea is developing a 'U-City' from the ground up, using bleeding-edge 'ubiquitous' technology to monitor everything from citizens' medical records to garbage collection. New Songdo City, being built on a man-made island 40 miles from Seoul, will feature pervasive computer technology throughout, driven by RFID tags and CDMA wireless communication."

Wireless users tap into GPS.

"Mobile phone features such as Internet access and games have won a lot of attention, but a new survey by Ipsos-Insight indicates that GPS may in fact be the most prized feature."

DoCoMo has world's highest data ARPU.

"DoCoMo earns $17.60 per month per user from data, with all but 70 cents of that from i-mode, and says 90 percent of its subscribers are active i-mode users -- which is slightly surprising, given that the carrier's CEO said in July that 80 percent of its customers either don't use data or use it just for email."

Symbian, Intel show off reference design.

"Symbian is now working with chip makers like Intel to offer handset manufacturers a reference design that includes silicon, the OS and drivers such as for video capabilities. Symbian expects the reference design will help drive down costs for handset makers, which can still customize their handsets on top of the reference design."

Mobile e-mail may push beyond executive corridor.

"Visto is one push e-mail provider that said it can address those potential users, mainly because its offering can be used with a wide variety of devices. 'A range of device choices will help get this to the mass market,' said Sanjay Kamble, vice president of marketing at Visto. 'We're taking this out of a device-centric mode to a service-centric.' ... smart phone operating system maker Microsoft Corp. has included a push e-mail client in Windows Mobile 5.0 and the BlackBerry has push e-mail as its core offering... Historically, mobile e-mail products were Web-based or used complicated short messaging mechanisms to deliver e-mail messages to devices. The more recent push e-mail products deliver e-mail to mobile devices automatically when new messages arrive at the e-mail server... Nokia recently introduced a push e-mail platform, and Sony Ericsson recently released an upgrade to its push e-mail platform."

Welltone unveils portable phone to use Skype Free Internet Phone.

"Welltone Co. will market a portable phone as of October 14, that enables people to make free Internet phone calls between computers by utilizing the Skype Internet telephony software."

Time for new mobile messaging strategy, analysts say.

"'This is a time of incredible change in the telecom industry,' said Lowenstein, during the keynote session. 'There are just three major carriers [Sprint Nextel Corp., Verizon Communications Inc., and Cingular Wireless] today, down from six a few years ago. This is also a time of technological change. Plus there are disruptive factors, like Google, eBay and Skype.'"

Yes, the threat of SMS DOS attacks was exaggerated.

"Basically the idea was to send so many text messages at once that a mobile network would get bogged down -- a crude, easily preventable attack. Textually now has a story with the head of a mobile messaging aggregator further explaining why the threat is bogus."

The coming Big PC Crunch: the broadband-fed black hole within each PC.

"Now, the thin client/fat server trend is happening--rather than being debated. And you will see client devices of all stripes, including the PCs, becoming thinner and dumber, and all providing richer user experiences. Users won't know and won't care how fat or thin the client is--it'll be transparent."

F-Secure extends antivirus to Windows Mobile.

"F-Secure announced today its Mobile Antivirus software will be available for Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS... The company also released another new product, Mobile Security, that has a mobile firewall and antivirus protection for Symbian Series 80 users."

Sub-$15 handset possible by 2008.

"Mobile phones could be sold wholesale for as little as $15 by the end of 2008, although the result might be a handset nobody wants, an executive from chip maker Texas Instruments said Tuesday."

Om Malik: 3G will make 2006 mobile blockbuster.

Enhanced Wireless Consortium.

"A group of 27 technology companies said on Monday they would collaborate on a new, faster Wi-Fi wireless Internet connection standard for computers and other portable devices.The alliance, dubbed Enhanced Wireless Consortium, joins previously separated camps that were heading towards separate standards for wireless networking."

also see: A Faster Path to 802.11n?

Nokia concept phones.

Allisblue and SMS mobile patents.

"The intention of Allisblue is to make the mobile handset a 'remote control' for the web. The company applied for the patent in 2000, so prior art claims and so on have to date from before then."

Om Malik: Marty Cooper on Google WiFi.

"I don’t believe it is possible to 'blanket' a place like San Francisco with Wireless LAN, and certainly not with the 300 access points per square mile Google is suggesting. I calculate they will need more like 3000 AP's per square mile. They are clearly a great company, but I suggest they need a few lessons in wireless propagation."

ZigBee and the mobile phone.

"SK Telecom, South Korea's largest cellular provider, will enable customers to monitor and control their homes remotely using cell phones, and the Internet, through SK Telecom's service offerings. A key enabler of SK Telecom's new Intelligent Home Network Service is a ZigBee wireless networking technology from Ember Corporation."

Nokia puts Symantec on its mobile phones.

"Nokia Corp. has announced it has signed an agreement to include Symantec Corp.'s Mobile Security software on its Series 60 and Symbian OS mobile phones... Mobile Security provide antivirus protection by closing vulnerable ports, according to a Nokia press release. The software's AutoProtect feature runs a continuing scan that looks for malicious code, and it also has a firewall. The software can be updated over the wireless network."

Katrina aftermath wireless proving ground.

"Hours after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast and knocked out telecommunications across much of the region, Mac Dearman visited shelters in northern Louisiana to connect telephones. Dearman doesn't work for a phone company. He owns a local wireless Internet service provider, and the gear he set up doesn't need a traditional phone network. It carries calls -- as well as e-mail and other data -- over the Internet."

MATERNA's vistream division licences Insignia's mobile device management suite.

"Insignia Solutions, Inc. announced today that MATERNA Information & Communications' new vistream GmbH subsidiary has licensed its suite of mobile device management solutions as a critical new component in its line of hosted solutions for Mobile Virtual Network Operators or MVNOs... vistream is one of the first companies to offer bundled services to MVNOs and the Company uses the phrase 'Mobile Virtual Network Enabler' or MVNE to describe this new segment... Mobile Device Management Suite enables MVNOs to selectively configure mobile phones based on consumer demographics enabling them to reach target customers more effectively."

Sprint Nextel sues Vonage over VoIP.

Text hackers may threaten cell phones.

"Malicious hackers could take down cellular networks in large cities by inundating their popular text-messaging services with the equivalent of spam, said computer security researchers."

Forrester Research: Incumbent telcos will fend off VoIP attackers.

"According to the hype, VoIP pure plays like Skype and Vonage are about to both change and take over the telecom industry. While Forrester agrees that the pricing of telecom services will continue to undergo dramatic change in the years to come, we think that pure plays have no chance of dethroning proactive European incumbent telcos from their consumer fixed voice market leadership. Currently, 70% of Europeans don't know about VoIP — and only 1% use it for nearly all their calls from home. Coupled with relatively low broadband take-up, European consumer VoIP adoption will move slowly."

Casio Hitachi signs InnoPath for OTA.

"Over the air (OTA) software developer InnoPath today announced that Casio Hitachi Mobile will deploy DeltaUpgrade Plus - InnoPath's firmware OTA update solution for mobile device management."

Reminder to mobile operators: you're competing against the regular internet.

"What people are forgetting is that the regular internet does compete with the mobile internet -- and unless something is really urgent, it's often going to pay to wait a bit until you can just use a regular computer where you avoid charges, get faster speeds, more comfort and a much bigger screen (and that's not even mentioning the growing ability to access the full, free internet from a mobile phone as well). Mobile operators may be drooling over what they believe is a 'locked-in' audience, but that audience is a lot less locked-in than they believe... and that's even without new laws that may ban walled gardens for mobile operators."

Palm-Microsoft deal sends ripple effects through the enterprise.

"One of the last major rivals to Microsoft’s mobile dominance has fallen. Palm, once a formidable competitor to Microsoft Windows on mobile devices, said last week that it will license Windows Mobile for its Treo Smartphone... According to analysts, the Microsoft-Palm deal has two key facets: It will bring Windows mobile into the forefront of OSes for high-end smartphones, and it will help bolster the market for smartphones in the enterprise. The first Treo with Windows Mobile 5.0 is expected to ship in early 2006."

Atomic cafe.

"Google plans to unwire San Francisco and provide free internet access everywhere. What's next? Free phone calls and free broadband throughout San Francisco? Will the rest of the country follow? Is it the end of the phone company as we know it? Is Googlezon the new power? ... The entire market capitalization of incumbent telcos such as Verizon ($90 billion) and SBC ($80 billion) simply vaporized (not to mention the IPO of Vonage). Gone."

WiFI and the end of carrier dominion over the handset manufacturer.

"There are going to be millions of people that rarely or never use a PC, and for most there will be no need. The relationship is, as you put it, unnatural. More and more reasons exist for owning a mobile device than simply using it to talk to someone; as these reasons grow in importance, the voice network becomes more and more trivialized as other kinds of data transport grow in volume and value to the consumer. Eventually, IMS must logically evolve to be the natural platform for the phone and when it does, unless the carriers move fast and with certainty there's a good chance, I agree, that the further evolution of the phone will result in the extinction of not a few carriers whose networks have been obviated by IP-friendly means of data transmission."

Microsoft ready to go mobile.

"The latest release, Windows Mobile 5.0, seems rock-solid and overcomes almost all the software problems of older versions... It's worth noting that in the latest Microsoft reorganization, Windows Mobile is no longer in the Windows platform group under Jim Allchin but is instead in Robbie Bach's group, which focuses on consumer products such as the Xbox."

InnoPath buys Openwave product line.

"InnoPath's new MDM platform will support applications such as firmware over-the-air (FOTA), Configuration Management, Diagnostics Management and Feature Upgrade... Feature Upgrade enhances OTA beyond its basic capabilities by updating application features and services, allowing carriers to brand their products and offer end-user personalisation. Going forward, Feature Upgrade will enable carriers to offer customised and branded user interfaces (UI), allowing subscribers to choose and change the look and feel of their mobile phones, and providing services such as anti-virus and security downloads...

'Openwave's MDM platform is a natural fit with our existing portfolio of solutions,' said InnoPath CEO John Fazio. 'In particular, their strength in controlling settings, testing and interoperability are welcome additions to our existing expertise. The consolidation of these two MDM product lines will help streamline MDM offerings and speed interoperability between handsets and platforms.'"

also see: InnoPath acquires Openwave device mgmt. suite

Peer to peer for your mobile?

"Whether 'Flash MobSharing' takes off or not, the interest in locating and sharing various forms of stored content on other people's moblie devices in the same way that peer to peer file sharing does on PC's is a virtual certainty... I can't believe that young people don't want to swap the expensive ring tones that have become one of the most lucrative data applications to date for mobile devices. With that in mind mophone (yes, that is supposed to be all lower-case) has just announced both a new application suite designed to support sharing of legally-shared content including ringtones, images, games and other types of files. What I'm wondering is if this clever leveraging of premium content will be the catalyst for opening a 'Pandora's Box' of peer to peer via mobile - and more of the unregulated variety."

Intellisync offers UM platform.

"Intellisync is offering enterprises mobile Unified Messaging that makes any type of mobile communication – email, voice, SMS or IM – accessible on a single interface on any device with 'One-Touch' access. "

Cellphone messaging finds Its voice.

"Users of the 'voice SMS' service aren't trying to talk directly to the people they call. Instead they just want to send a message in the form of voice instead of text. The recipient's phone doesn't even ring for a voice SMS; the recipient is alerted with a beep and can retrieve the voice message by pressing the star key. The technology was developed in Bangalore, India, by Sunil Coushik and his partner, who dubbed the new voice-text service 'bubble talk.'"

also see: Smart Mobs: Voice-Text Service Next Killer Ap?

VoIP wants to cut the computer cord.

"Once he finds an Internet connection, he only needs to download a piece of software, or 'softphone,' to make the call using voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, technology... The big question, however, is how exactly do all these companies plan to deliver a VoIP service beyond the PC and onto some sort of mobile device?"

Dialing in the VoIP strategic advantage.

"While the vast majority of individuals and companies still rely on conventional phones, an estimated 10 percent of international phone traffic now travels over the Internet using voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP. Most telling, this year, for the first time, U.S. companies bought more new Internet-phone connections than conventional phone lines... Businesses that push VoIP capabilities out to their employees, partners, and customers will gain efficiencies over those who continue to think of communications as a scarce, centrally controlled resource. And companies that harness VoIP to achieve business objectives will find it is much more than an undifferentiated commodity technology."

Free the cell phone!

"Last week, I was contacted by a small company that I'll call Unlocko. Unlocko sells software that 'unlocks' mobile phones so owners can select different cellular providers on the same handset. The company had received a cease-and-desist letter from a large mobile phone provider, which I'll call CellPhoneCo."