Infinera Sweeps MSOs, Looks Abroad

Optical vendor says it has the top five US MSOs as customers and is targeting expansion in Europe and Asia as its client base grows

Moto Opens IPTV ‘Storefront’

Mediaroom-based ‘Storefront’ service allows IPTV service providers to manage and sell multimedia bundles across three screens

Force10, Turin Play Convergence Card

New buddies say their planned merger is a bet on increased convergence of data centers and service provider networks

Comcast Goes ‘Protocol Agnostic’ Everywhere

MSO makes good on its pledge to deploy a new bandwidth management system by the end of ‘08 that doesn’t discriminate against P2P apps

Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan) Mobile Services ARPU Trend Update

This IDC study presents an overview of the mobile services revenue and average revenue per user (ARPU) for Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) or APEJ between 2Q07 and 2Q08. This report provides the following data: Total mobile service revenue Mobile voice service ARPU Mobile non-voice service ARPU Segmentation by country

Ziggo Preps Docsis 3.0 Launch

Dutch MSO places ‘large initial order’ for wideband gear from Arris as it braces for fiber-fed competition from incumbent telco KPN

NEW REPORT! Who Makes What: Femtocells

Light Reading unveils our comprehensive list of the companies targeting the femtocell market and their products

Clearwire Cloudy on Chicago

Despite reports over the new year, it is still not clear exactly when Clearwire will launch in the Windy City

Force10, Turin to Merge

Ethernet equipment vendors seek safety in numbers with a merger that will see Turin’s CEO Henry Wasik take the helm at the ‘new’ Force10

Force10, Turin to Merge

Ethernet equipment vendors seek safety in numbers with a merger that will see Turin’s CEO Henry Wasik take the helm at the ‘new’ Force10

Mobile Spy Software May Be Illegal

There is a new application called Mobile Spy and lawyers are contemplating whether it is legal. The software works like this: if someone sends a text message from an iPhone, or to an iPhone user, a third party could receive the message on any desktop computer. Moblie Spy claims to be a useful tool for [...]

BlackBerry Storm Users Frustrated

The BlackBerry Storm is an impressive piece of hardware.
Global Positioning System, stereo Bluetooth, fast processor, powerful battery, excellent camera and a huge, sharp screen. The first touch-screen phone from Research in Motion comes with everything you could want, except Wi-Fi.
But the software suffers major problems.

BBT Notches First Install

Cable Nebraska gives BBT’s ‘downloadable’ conditional access system and MPEG-4-based video platform a shot

US Tops Broadband Revenues Chart

New Pyramid Research report puts US atop global fixed broadband revenues chart, even though China has the most connections

2008 Top Ten: Wireless Stories

There will be WiMax, LTE, maybe even ice cream - no wait, scratch the ice cream - just the year in stories, Unstrung-style

Seychelles government services tol be connected to SMS in 2009

The Seychelles government online centre will offer more computerised services to the public as from 2009, APA learns in the Mauritian capital Port Louis.

Li, China Netcom sweeten PCCW privatization offer

State-owned China Netcom and the son of one of Asia’s richest tycoons have sweetened an offer to buy out minority shareholders in leading Hong Kong phone company PCCW.

China approves long-delayed 3G mobile licenses

China’s Cabinet said Wednesday it has approved licenses for next-generation mobile phone services in a long-delayed step that is expected to trigger billions of dollars in equipment sales.

Shhh! Gadget racket threatens pulsar research

Of all the threats to scientific research Wesley Sizemore has stymied over the years, satellites and cell phone towers don’t stick in his memory quite like the possessive old hound and its treasured heating pad.

China’s Handset Industry Growth Slowed in Second Half of 2008

According to statistics - China’s mobile phone industry reached a shipment volume of 175.2 million units in the third quarter of 2008, representing 6.2% sequential growth and 4.3% year-on-year growth.

Motorola to Cut a Further 400 Jobs

Motorola has announced plans to cut a further 400 jobs on top of the 1,500 cuts announced in October.

Nokia Shows Off Chinese Pen-Input Phone

In an event held today in Nanjing Nokia unveiled the Nokia 6208c, a new pen input device which caters for a number of different customers, specifically those in China.

2008 Top Ten: Quotes

Light Reading’s quirky comments of the year, culled from our news stories

Philly Police Seek Cell Phone Thieves

[VIDEO] Police in Philadelphia are searching for thieves who are holding up cell phone stores throughout the city.

China’s 3G rollout sets off sales scramble

China is starting a long-delayed introduction of third-generation mobile phone service, setting off a politically charged scramble by foreign and Chinese equipment makers for up to $41 billion in orders.

Smartphones Need Stronger Malware Protection, Report Finds

As more mobile subscribers make the move to smartphones, growing security threats from mobile malware are spurring increased demand for more robust applications that minimize the potential impact of malware on mobile services,

Japanese WiMAX Network Launched in Okinawa

Japan’s Okinawa Telemessage, a broadband access service provider has launched a WiMAX Network using Airspan solutions. Beginning with Nanjo City, Okinawa Telemessage will provide more than 500,000 households in Okinawa Prefecture with high-speed broadband access.

Coptic Pope Bans Confessionals Over the Telephone

The Coptic Pope in Egypt, Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria has issued a ban on priests taking confessions over the telephone for fear that the government’s security agents may be bugging the phone lines.

Sprint Nextel Increases Comission Payments to Virgin Mobile

Sprint Nextel has changed the terms of its commission payments to its MVNO partner, Virgin Mobile USA which suggests that the firm is taking a more aggressive stance in trying to boost its flagging subscriber base.

China Mobile Signs Deal to Lease TD-SCDMA Network from Parent Company

China Mobile Ltd has agreed to lease the TD-SCDMA network being built by its parent company, China Mobile Communications (CMCC) and has announced that it will pay a maximum of RMB1 billion (US$146 million) during 2009.

HTC releases the S743 in the US

HTC has unveiled the HTC S743 to satisfy the need to message with a full slide-out keyboard. This stylish handset runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and will feature a more traditional 12-key keypad unlike the HTC Touch Pro which only posses the QWERTY keyboard.

The HTC S743 supports the high-speed HSDPA (850/1900 MHz) network for blacking fast [...]

Picture This: Moto’s Femto Frame

Motorola has built a femtocell in a picture frame and plans to show it off for CES

HTC Brings S740 to US

HTC today announced the S743, a version of the S740 with support for US 3G networks. The phone is a non-touch Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard device with a bar form factor and numeric keypad, plus a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. …(follow link to read)

SlingPlayer Coming to iPhone

Sling Media today announced SlingPlayer for iPhone, allowing SlingBox users to access their home TV and DVR from anywhere. The software is being demo’d this week, and will be submitted to Apple for approval this quarter.

Apple Enables iTunes Music Downloads Over 3G

Apple today announced that iPhone users can now buy music from the iTunes Store app and download the songs directly over 3G networks. Downloading previously required a Wi-Fi connection. The company also announced that all music will be now …(follow link to read)

Motorola Rolls Out Eco, Touch and PTT Phones

Today Motorola announced three new handsets that will become available through several different carriers over the course of the next few months.Renew W233: According to Motorola, the W233 is the first phone made from recycled water bottles. It has …(follow link to read)

Motorola announces three new handsets

Motorola has announced three new handsets for CES, the environment friendly MOTO W3233 Renew, tough Tundra VA76r and the new touchscreen MOTOSURF A3100 which runs Windows Mobile 6.1.  These three handsets are very different as one is designed to be eco-friendly, one touchscreen and the last is a tough handset.

The MOTOSURF A3100 is a very [...]

UIQ Files for Bankruptcy

UIQ’s CEO Johan Sandberg told Reuters in a recent interview that the company has filed for bankruptcy. UIQ was jointly owned by Sony Ericsson and Motorola, and supplied a version of Symbian to some mobile handsets. UIQ’s bankruptcy comes …(follow link to read)

Sprint Can’t Offer Service In iPCS Regions

A judge upheld an earlier decision that bars Sprint Nextel from providing wireless services in areas covered by iPCS. iPCS had sued Sprint and Clearwire in hopes to block the merger of the two companies’ WiMax businesses. iPCS is …(follow link to read)

Nokia’s USA Site Shows T-Mobile-Branded 7510 Supernova

Nokia’s USA-specific Web site has listed the 7510 Supernova with T-Mobile branding on it. The 7510 was first announced in June 2008 and is a flip phone with a push-to-open design, quad-band GSM/EDGE and FM radios, and 2 megapixel …(follow link to read)

Verizon: Alltel Deal to Close Jan. 9

Verizon Wireless indicated in regulatory filings that it plans to close its acquisition of Alltel on Friday, January 9. Verizon is paying $5.9 billion for Alltel, as well as taking on $22.9 billion of debt. The acquisition will make …(follow link to read)

PhoneMag Week in Review - Week 1 2009

We started off this week with the leak of the BlackBerry Storm 4.7.0.85 firmware. It seems RIM just can’t seem to keep these updates from getting out to the public before the official release. BlackBerry Storm also received the YouTube client, which should have been available since the release of the smartphone.

The Samsung C3110 made [...]

Nokia ‘Curse of Silence’ renders phones unable to receive text messages

There are many phones running Symbian S60 that can be affected by a potentially harmful SMS messaging bug. Though this occurrence is rare, it is very simple to do. The bug silently stops the phone from receiving text messages until you reset the device.

The bug is triggered when the user uses more than 32 characters [...]

Nokia N96 NAM version gets major firmware update

IntoMobile reports, Nokia has quietly released a huge firmware update for the North American version of its N96, allowing users to update their smartphone for some improvements and in order to have compatibility with the new Mail on Ovi service.

Improvements made from this lates update among others: Switch 4.0 (improved switch application to transfer user [...]

Samsung R470 Pops Up On FCC Site

Today new documents seen on the FCC site revealed an unannounced phone from Samsung. The R470 is a dual-band CDMA clamshell with Bluetooth. Photos reveal that the R470 has a dedicated camera key, USB port, microSD slot, dual displays, …(follow link to read)

Android Market to Offer Paid Applications

Google has informed developers for the Android Market — the storefront for Android-based applications — that they will be able to create applications that require payment. Up until now, all the applications available in the Android Market have been …(follow link to read)

Google Wants Your Ideas for Mobile Products

Google has set up a new site that allows users of Google’s mobile products to submit ideas for new mobile products, as well as rate them. Ideas posted to the site will be visible to everyone, and users can …(follow link to read)

Nokia N96 NAM Receives Major Firmware Update

Nokia has made a firmware update available to the North American version of the N96. Aside from some major bug fixes (including Bluetooth compatibility, stability, and camera performance), the update also makes the N96 compatible with Nokia’s newly-launched Mail …(follow link to read)

T-Mobile goes green with MOTO W233 Renew

Personally, I like to read this news: T-Mobile is going green by offering MOTO W233 Renew, a low-end phone:

“Exclusively from T-Mobile, the environmentally responsible MOTO W233 Renew is uniquely designed to reduce environmental impact by using sustainable materials in its design and packaging while at the same time delivering performance and quality customers rely on.”

According [...]

Happy New Year to everyone from all of us at PhoneMag

As everyone is heading out to greet the New Year with a bang, PhoneMag would like to wish all of our readers a happy and safe New Years. All of us here at PhoneMag are taking the day off to spend with family and close friends so unfortunately there will be no news the following [...]

Android Market priced apps coming within weeks

A blogger and app developer confirmed that Android App Market will start selling priced applications starting with the US and UK in early 2009. According to Martin Drashkov in his blog post, the eagerly-awaited Android Market will also roll-out to Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and Spain shortly thereafter.

Martin wrote:
A lot of people have [...]

T-Mobile G1 should be getting Android’s OS update

HTC’s confirmed to Engadget that the “cupcake” OS update should be available to the T-Mobile G1 some time (yeah, there is no exact date of the over-the-air update, though) in the future.

According to Gizmodo, the most practical updates should be done to the camera functions, browser and speed enhancements.
[via Gizmodo]

Free Musical theme for the Blackberry Bold, Flip

If you have BlackBerry Bold or Pearl Flip with you, you might be interesting in trying this theme. Akakios from BlackLightThemes offers his newest theme designs for the Blackberry Bold and Pearl Flip called ‘Musical’.

Since I just have a Curve, so I can’t test this theme, but I think this theme is awesome. You can [...]

Rent Your Next Phone Rather Than Buy It

A new start-up based in New Jersey is offering people stuck in lengthy wireless contracts the opportunity to switch handsets without paying full price. Rentobile has bought cell phones from the major cellular carriers at full price, and then …(follow link to read)

Fiber showdown looms as Verizon builds in AT&T territory

Verizon is setting up a Wild West-style telecom showdown by expanding its FiOS network further into territory traditionally held by rival AT&T, says a new report from Information Gatekeepers.

T-Mobile’s starting handset lineup gets leaked early

Everyday is seems there is a new leak of precious and valuable information. This time it was T-Mobile’s upcoming release schedule for both January and February. From what we see February is going to be a great month for T-Mobile.

The 18 holds a release date for two major handsets, one is the first 8-megapixel Samsung [...]

BlackBerry Storm YouTube client available

If you are a BlackBerry Storm user and one of YouTube fans, I think you’ll be interested in using this software: a client for your YouTube experience on your lovely touchscreen handheld.

YouTube client’s features including:

Browse millions of videos, including most viewed, top rated, and the day’s featured videos.
Access your YouTube account. Log in to your [...]

Samsung C3110 secures FCC approval

FCC has approved Samsung C3110, a low-end slider phone. C3110 offers standard features like Bluetooth connectivity and FM radio. This phone has no 3G capability, so you should forget about seamless Internet surfing, video calls and the likes.

We don’t have any further info on its specifications, but seems this phone is best used for messaging [...]

FCC approved NAM 3G Samsung i8510 INNOV8

Finally, Samsung brings its S60-powered cell phones over to the U.S., and just approved by the FCC. Supported by dual-band UMTS (850/1900MHz) with HSDPA, the Samsung i8510 INNOV8 uses Feature Pack 2 interface, 8 megapixel autofocus camera with a dual-LED flash, facial recognition, WiFi, built-in GPS receiver and microSD card slot.

There is no mention of [...]

TeleNav GPS Navigator for BlackBerry Storm

TeleNav has launched TeleNav GPS Navigator for Verizon Wireless subscribers with a free 30-day trial and $9.99/month for unlimited use. You can uset TeleNav GPS Navigator to have driving directions on your BlackBerry Storm — by voice and onscreen.

This service offers:

Full-color 3D moving maps.
Voice and on-screen directions.
Speech recognition.
Traffic alerts with one-click rerouting and an on-screen [...]