w-cdma
w-cdma

DoCoMo to Acquire Guam Carriers

NTT DoCoMo, Inc. has just announced that the company will wholly acquire Guam Cellular & Paging, Inc. (Guam Cellular) and Guam Wireless Telephone Company, LLC (Guam Wireless) for the total amount of US$71,800,000. Both companies provide mobile services in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. DoCoMo intends to establish a holding company to acquire 100% of the shares of Guam Cellular. It will then acquire the business of Guam Wireless through Guam Cellular and merge the two companies. DoCoMo will also provide additional funds up to approximately US$6,500,000 to strengthen the newly merged company’s facilities and infrastructure according to their press release.

eMobile Chooses Ericsson Network

eMobile, a new entrant to the Japanese 3G market, has selected Ericsson as the prime supplier of its new W-CDMA/HSDPA network. The agreement involves W-CDMA 1.7GHz radio networks in the most
populated areas of Japan, such as Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, and a complete nationwide core network, including Ericsson’s service-aware packet core and mobile softswitch solution. Fast roll-out will enable eMobile, a subsidiary company of eAccess, to launch commercial services in March 2007.

DoCoMo Introduces LG Handset

NTT DoCoMo have just announced they have developed a 3G FOMA series called SIMPURE — a combination of ‘simple’ and ‘pure’ — comprising basic and compact handsets [.jpg] for people who do not require highly sophisticated functions. The series has two models, SIMPURE L, supplied by LG Electronics, and SIMPURE N, supplied by NEC. DoCoMo is positioning this series for use as second handsets for international travel as both models work on W-CDMA, GSM and GPRS networks.

DoCoMo Announces Nokia 3G Phone

DoCoMo announced today they will start selling the 3G FOMA NM850iG handset, made by Nokia [ .jpg image ], which works on DoCoMo’s 3G FOMA network in Japan and W-CDMA, GSM and GPRS networks overseas where DoCoMo’s global roaming services are available, beginning February 24, 2006. Application to DoCoMo’s WORLD WING 3G roaming service is required to use the handset overseas for voice calls, i-mode, videophone and short messaging service (SMS).The handset connects wirelessly with Bluetooth devices, including PCs for data synchronization and connection to the Internet.

Sanyo and Nokia to JV for U.S.

Sanyo Electric Co. has reached a basic agreement with Finland’s Nokia Corp. to set up a 50-50 joint venture in the US as early as next autumn to make 3G mobile phones, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported without citing sources. The new joint venture, which will likely be located in San Diego will produce CDMA2000 3G cell phones, the business daily said. For Nokia, the joint venture will likely help it absorb Sanyo’s know-how, particularly in the development of thin handsets, according to the report.

Global 3G Platform Announced

NTT DoCoMo, Inc., Renesas Technology Corp., Fujitsu Limited, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Sharp Corporation today announced that they will jointly develop a comprehensive mobile phone platform combining a single-chip LSI for dual mode handsets supporting HSDPA /W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and core software such as operating systems. The new mobile phone platform will help accelerate the global adoption of W-CDMA services including FOMA, and lower the costs of these handsets. The companies expect to have the platform developed around Q2/FY2007 (July-September).