Year: <span>2005</span>
Year: 2005

Year: 2005

3GPP Sets Standard for Mobile Video

Digital Fountains DF Raptor technology has been standardized by 3GPP, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, as a mandatory component of the Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) for 3G cellular networks. Commented Frederic Gabin, 3G Standards Project Leader at NEC, “Digital Fountain’s FEC provides the best of all worlds: low bandwidth overhead, low processing requirements for client devices, and effective protection of MBMS file transfer and streaming services from packet loss over 3G wireless channels.”

Willcom to Bid for 2GHz Spectrum

Willcom Inc. has decided to bid for use of the 2GHz band that the Communications Ministry plans to offer to one 3G cellular phone service company this year, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned Monday. If approval is granted, Willcom plans to launch next-generation PHS service that will realize a data speed of 20-30 megabits per second — about 100 times as fast as current PHS services and equal to that of ASDL.

Cybird Expands Overseas

Cybird Co., a Japanese provider of games, ring tones and other content for mobile phones, agreed to pay $60 million for a majority stake in closely held Airborne Entertainment Inc. to expand in North America. Cybird announced the acquisition in a release to the Tokyo Stock Exchange after the close of regular trading on Japanese markets. It plans to sign a contract on June 23, and receive the shares on June 30.

DoCoMo: No Decision on Network Share

NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s largest cell-phone service provider, said it hasn’t made a decision on letting other carriers use its network in rural areas, responding to a newspaper report. DoCoMo may share its mobile phone network in less-populated areas with competitors, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported earlier, without saying where it got the information.

Cellphone Firms Offer New Repeater

Does your cellphone drop off the radar in most basement locales? Help may be on the way. A new “repeater” device that enables cellphones to receive signals underground has been jointly developed by the four major mobile phone companies: NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp., Vodafone KK and Tu-Ka Cellular Tokyo Inc.

DoCoMo Shareholders: Higher Dividend?

NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s largest mobile operator, faced tough questions at its annual shareholder meeting on Tuesday as unhappy investors complained about the company’s dividend level and stock performance. Some shareholders demanded the company apply more of its profits in the last business year ended March to double its dividend for the 2004/2005 year.