Sign of the Times
Sign of the Times

Sign of the Times

The Challenges -and Potential- of 3G

Currently, increased competition and stagnating economies have helped drive down end-user prices and voice service has become a commodity. While call minutes are increasing, ARPU is failing to keep pace with growing costs and shrinking margins. The 3G business case says that every incremental dollar spent on the network must produce a return on investment almost overnight. In the Asia-Pacific, Pyramid Research says 3G mobile subscribers will jump from 21 million in 2002 to 162 million in 2008.

SD Card to Add Wi-Fi Capability

Chip design company SyChip Inc. is testing software for its SDIO (secure digital I/O) WLAN card so it can be used to add Wi-Fi capability to smart phones. With the card and the software, smart phones can use a WLAN to transmit data and double as a cordless VoIP when linked to a corporate IP telephony service, said Navi Miglani, SyChip’s director of marketing.

Market Too Gloomy on 3G

Hutchison Whampoa’s 3G business has been viewed too gloomily by the market, as its current setbacks are only short-term and supply-related, Merrill Lynch says. The investment bank holds the contrarian view that Hutchison’s disappointing take-up rate in Europe was mostly to do with a lack of handsets supply, rather than a lack of demand. It said Hutchison may spin-off part or all of its 3G assets in an initial public offering in 2005 or 2006.

Importing Wireless Products from Abroad

Importing Wireless Products from AbroadDo you have BREW contents that you want to put into 10 million cellphone browsers? We know somebody who wants to hear from you. Spun out of trading powerhouse Nissho Iwai and backed by camera giant Olympus, ITX E-Globaledge Corp. is a small company hungry to meet U.S., Korean and European ventures to introduce your BREW content, and your cutting-edge soft- and hardware, to a company with a huge appetite: KDDI. More than just a go-between to help customize ideas for the Japanese market, ITX also creates its own content. More interestingly, it recently put $4 million into a Seattle-based venture blending XML. Full Program Run-time 18:28

Vodafone Set to Boost Dividend

Vodafone is expected to announce a huge increase in dividend payments when it unveils half-year profits on Tuesday. Analysts believe that new chief executive Arun Sarin will increase dividends by as much as 30% a share for the current financial year. Sarin, who took over from Sir Christopher Gent after the group’s annual meeting in July, is also expected to give further details on the launch of Vodafone’s 3G mobile service.