Wireless Internet
Wireless Internet

Wireless Internet

Kyocera Developing WiMax Devices

Kyocera Wireless Corp. and Runcom Technologies disclosed a development agreement aimed at leveraging Kyocera’s expertise in wireless device development and Runcom’s leading chipset technologies. The companies are working closely to develop exciting new consumer electronic devices employing the latest in broadband Mobile WiMAX technology. Kyocera and Runcom worked closely over the last several months in the early development of multiple classes of Mobile WiMAX terminals.

Common Platform for Mobile Security

A coalition of government, industry and research organizations in Japan has proposed the adoption of a common platform based on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) authentication for higher security on mobile-phone networks, bypassing ID- and password-based security. The group announced that it has developed the technology with the aim of providing a common platform for secure mobile-phone communications in Japan. The group comprises the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), the mobile IT Forum (mITF), Hitachi, NTT Docomo, KDDI R&D Laboratories and NEC. Hitachi, Docomo, KDDI and NEC have been working for three years to develop the mobile-security technology, funded with about $5 million from NICT.

93% Subscribe to Mobile Magazines

INFO PLANT recently conducted a nationwide survey during a one-week period of mobile phone users, via the Toku-suru menu on NTT DoCoMo i-mode, and based the following results on 4,987 valid responses. 93.2% of all respondents had subscribed to receive mail magazines on their phones. 39.6% of them have signed up to 3-5 different ones. The largest portion of the users have signed up for 3-5 mail magazines (39.6%), followed by 6-9 (19.1%), and 1-2 (16.2%). Looked at by gender and age, over 20% of those subscribed to over 10 mail magazines were males and females in their 40’s, which was higher than any other age group.

ACCESS to Exhibit at Telecom World

ACCESS announced today that it will exhibit and demonstrate its latest mobile software solutions at ITU Telecom World 2006 to be held in Hong Kong from December 4 through 8, 2006. In addition to showcasing solutions and success stories developed to support Chinese handset makers’ global strategies, ACCESS will demonstrate server solutions developed jointly by its Beijing-based group companies, RedZero and ACCESS Media Solutions. ACCESS will also exhibit a variety of cutting edge technologies — including its IMS Solution for businesses that integrate Internet viewing and messaging environments as well as audio and visual media — for global telecommunications carriers.

Japan FTC to Investigate Qualcomm

Japan’s antitrust watchdog has told Qualcomm Inc.’s Japanese subsidiary that it may investigate its licensing and chip business practices in Japan, Qualcomm said on Thursday, sending its shares down more than 3 percent. The news comes after sources said last week that the European Commission is likely to intensify its investigation of Qualcomm’s patent licensing rates for a new generation of mobile phone technology. Japan’s Fair Trade Commission did not say when it might investigate the company or identify any complainant, Qualcomm said.

Shift Announces Mobile Designers Contest

SHIFT holds several competitions aiming to discover fresh creators and support their activities, such as “SHIFT CALENDAR COMPETITION” and “DOTMOV”. This time, in collaboration with Crypton Future Media, they are requesting submissions for a mobile phone as “MOBILE ART COMPETITION”. The works will be functioned as a mobile phone clock, and the submissions are available in 2 forms; analog and digital. The selected works will be broadly distributed within Japan, in a mobile content managed by Crypton Future Media, which can be accessed from an official site of AU and SoftBank.

Nortel and Qualcomm Trial HSUPA

Option’s announced that they have successfully completed the industry’s first demonstration of live HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) data card calls reaching a wireless uplink transmission rate of 1.3 Mbps and a wireless downlink of 2.7 Mbps at application level. A laptop fitted with an Option HSUPA data card (category 3 in uplink, cat 6 in downlink) based on QUALCOMM Mobile Station Modem MSM7200 chipset and commercial HSDPA/HSUPA network equipment from Nortel were used to achieve the new record data speeds. Commercial availability of “HSUPA-Ready” and full HSUPA products from Option are planned for the first half of 2007.

Strix Wins Big Japanese Mesh Deal

WiFi mesh startup Strix Systems Inc. has scored one of the largest multi-city 802.11 municipal deals yet announced, working with an NTT Group subsidiary to unwire a hundred cities in Japan over the next couple of years. The firm is working with NTT West and Network Value Components to deploy the network, which will use Strix’s Access/One OWS and IWS modular mesh products to provide voice, video, and data services in both indoor and outdoor settings. Nan Chen, Strix’s VP of marketing, says that the network could cover “about 50 million people” by the time it is completed, although he’s not sure which cities NTT plans to include in the deployment.

Solectek Chooses Fujitsu WiMAX

Solectek Corporation has selected the MB87M3550 Fixed WiMAX SoC from Fujitsu Microelectronics as the standard silicon for integration into its new WiMAX-compliant series of SkyWay-MAX base stations and subscriber units. The SkyWay-MAX system will be available in limited quantities at the end of 2006, and will be generally available during the first quarter of 2007.

Panasonic Making Re-Connexion

Panasonic has announced a plan to take up where Connexion by Boeing left off. Panasonic has set about securing agreements covering a minimum of 500 aircraft in the next 60 days. That schedule is being driven by the need to be ready to serve ex-Connexion airlines within a tolerable time after the discontinuation of that service by the end of the year.