Ericsson Technology Enables New Safety Device Launched by Ntt Docomo

27 Dec, 2007

Ericsson has announced that a brand-new security device with positioning capabilities, enabled by Ericsson technology, has been launched in Japan.

NTT DoCoMo, the Japanese telecoms giant, has launched a safety device that gets high-precision location information by using the GPS function. The device is designed to provide family members or authorities with positioning information or to enable location tracking when the user pulls the slide switch in a dangerous or emergency situation. The slide switch also triggers a crime prevention buzzer on the device.
The device is based on the U310 platform developed by Ericsson. The platform enables the modem and GPS functionality within the device, which is small enough to be carried inside a pocket or bag for easy activation in case of emergency.
Robert Puskaric, Head of Ericsson Mobile Platforms, says: "This shows that our platform technology is flexible and small enough to be implemented in devices other than the traditional mobile phone. We are also pleased to see that our platform has been included in a security device within the DoCoMo portfolio, as this proves its stability and quality."
The product, CTG-001G, has been developed by Giant Electronics on behalf of DoCoMo, and was launched on the Japanese market on December 7.

Docomo, Google Join to Upgrade I-mode Service

TOKYO (AP)--Japan's top mobile phone carrier NTT DoCoMo will join with Internet search engine Google to provide Internet search and email services on the company's handsets, news reports said Tuesday.
Starting as early as the spring, users will be able to access Google search, email, scheduling and photo-saving features through NTT DoCoMo's i-Mode Internet network, Japan's main business daily The Nikkei said, without identifying its sources.
The two firms plan to integrate the search feature with handset software, enabling the development of new services, the paper said.
Tokyo-based NTT DoCoMo is also considering developing a next-generation handset using Google's free operating system for mobile devices, it said. Such a phone could be introduced in the second half of next year, paving the way for the companies to roll out a wide range of cutting-edge services.
Kyodo News agency carried a similar report.
DoCoMo spokeswoman Makiko Furuta said users can already search the Internet with Google and other search engines through its i-Mode service. DoCoMo is also exploring other possibilities with domestic and foreign search service providers, but nothing has been decided, she said.
DoCoMo's business strategy has been to handle everything from communications infrastructure to services. With the surge in Internet use, however, the company determined that it couldn't meet customer needs on its own, the Nikkei said.
While DoCoMo has logged strong profits under its existing business model, young customers - the core users of mobile Internet services - have recently defected to KDDI and Softbank Mobile.
DoCoMo has been the sole carrier to lose subscribers since the introduction of number portability in the autumn of 2006. Number portability allows customers to switch carriers but keep the same phone number.
For Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, the alliance will give the company better access to the Japanese search engine market, the Nikkei said. Although Google is the world's leading search engine, in Japan it lags behind Yahoo Japan.
Domestic mobile service subscriptions exceed 100 million as of the end of last year, with some 70 million users accessing the Internet through their cellular phones.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
Posted to the site on 26th December 2007

WiMAX Equipment Market Revenue Up 6% in 3Q07

3 Dec, 2007

The WiMAX market is heating up quickly, with worldwide sales of fixed and mobile WiMAX equipment up 6% in 3Q07 to $206 million following a 14% jump in 2Q07, says Infonetics Research in its latest report.
Worldwide unit shipments of fixed and mobile WiMAX equipment are up 16% in 3Q07, driven by continued rollout of new fixed and mobile WiMAX networks, and further expansion of those already in operation, the report shows.
"In addition to Sprint-Nextel's much-publicized roll-out, carriers including Vodafone, Brasil Telecom, Telmex, SK Telecom, Wateen, and NTT, amongst many others, have made a commitment to WiMAX, demonstrating that adoption is reaching all corners of the globe. Also this quarter, the ITU added mobile WiMAX as an approved 3G technology into its official IMT-2000 set of standards, consolidating WiMAX's position as a technology with a long-term future and posing a more serious challenge to W-CDMA and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO network deployments. Add in Cisco's entrance into the WiMAX market with its judicious acquisition of Navini, and the market is poised for big growth in 2008," said Richard Webb, wireless analyst for Infonetics Research.
Other highlights from the report:
Manufacturer revenue for fixed and mobile WiMAX equipment is forecast to grow at a 5-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 87% between 2006 and 2010
The number of worldwide WiMAX subscribers (fixed and mobile) is expected to skyrocket to close to 60 million in 2010, led by the Asia Pacific region
Unit shipments for access service network (ASN) gateways, which aggregate traffic from mobile WiMAX base stations, jumped 36% quarter over quarter
Alvarion continues to lead in fixed WiMAX equipment revenue share in 3Q07, followed by Airspan, then Aperto Networks
Outdoor mesh network access node shipments are up 7% worldwide in 3Q07; revenue is flat
Posted to the site on 3rd December 2007

Broadcom Joins the LiMo Foundation

18 Sept, 2007

[Broadcom joins LiMo Foundation as semiconductor supplier. LiMo Foundation members collaborate to create a unified Linux-based OS for mobile devices.]

Irvine, CA -- Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that it has joined the LiMo Foundation as one of its first semiconductor suppliers. Broadcom joins a prestigious group of founding members (Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics and Vodafone) that have collaborated to create a unified Linux-based operating system for mobile devices. As part of the group's charter the LiMo Foundation is delivering a globally consistent software platform and unified applications programming interface (API) to enable open source contributions that will help to drive smartphone capabilities and developments.
As Broadcom 3G solutions continue to evolve towards more powerful and increasingly connected devices, next generation handsets will require a software platform that can keep pace with this increasing level of sophistication. Today's smartphone is expected to enable, enrich and entertain consumers with dynamic user interfaces and increased security. As the Linux operating system continues to gain momentum in the mobile space, Broadcom will work with the LiMo Foundation to address industry concerns such as power, size and cost, in an effort to achieve widespread adoption of Linux-based handsets.
"Broadcom's membership in the LiMo Foundation highlights the growing enthusiasm for mobile Linux and the effort to build products within a shared architecture," said Morgan Gilis, Executive Director of the LiMo Foundation. "The power of the LiMo Foundation increases with each new committed contributor and the addition of Broadcom to this alliance will make the technology increasingly attractive for new handset products."
As an associate member of the LiMo Foundation, Broadcom will gain access to the Foundation's code, participate in working groups and make contributions that will enable Broadcom to further assert its leadership in the developing smartphone segment, while continuing to maintain technological leadership in the mobile Linux arena.
"Adding the expertise and commitment of a leading chip supplier such as Broadcom to the LiMo Foundation makes the organization stronger and ultimately more successful in commercializing innovative LiMo solutions," said Kiyohito Nagata of NTT DoCoMo, Chairperson of the LiMo Foundation. "We're excited to have Broadcom as a member and we expect the company to make strong contributions to our technology and market initiatives."
"Broadcom is an exciting addition to the LiMo Foundation," said Hankil Yoon, the chair of Architecture Council of LiMo and Vice President of Samsung Electronics. "Broadcom's diverse connectivity portfolio will drive increasingly advanced devices into Linux handsets."
Broadcom's move to join the LiMo Foundation follows the recent expansion of its smart-phone Design Center in Taiwan, which currently focuses on the development of Windows Mobile solutions, and joining the S60 developers' community for Symbian S60 based smart-phones. These three recent moves highlight Broadcom's strong commitment to and investment in all popular types of smartphone. It is this commitment and investment, combined with world-leading silicon solutions that enable Broadcom to target the majority of the feature-rich mobile phone market.
"Broadcom has a long history of working closely within the Linux community on advanced communications products. Our membership in the LiMo Foundation highlights our commitment to the expanding opportunities within the Linux mobile environment," said Jim Tran, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Mobile Communications line of business. "Support for advanced operating systems, such as Linux, is a key feature of our advanced baseband products and we're excited to support LiMo Foundation devices for both the smart- and feature-phone markets."
Key Broadcom Linux-compliant Mobile Solutions
Broadcom expects its initial Linux-compliant mobile solutions to include the BCM2153 and BCM2820.
The BCM2153 HEDGE (HSDPA + EDGE) multimedia baseband processor is the industry's first solution for mobile handsets that integrates a High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) baseband modem with world-class application, audio and multimedia processors on a single monolithic chip. The new Linux-compliant mixed-signal device is the first developed completely in a 65 nanometer CMOS process and integrates an advanced HSDPA modem that delivers 7.2 Mbps (megabits per second) for applications requiring high speed 3G connectivity. With this level of integration, the BCM2153 HSDPA processor requires less board space, cost and power than competing solutions, thus eliminating the cost premium associated with HSDPA handsets today.
The BCM2820 applications processor is a high performance system-on-a-chip solution that combines Broadcom's industry-leading VideoCore's multimedia processor and an ARM11(TM) applications processor. Fully supporting Linux, the BCM2820 is optimized for high volume markets including mobile phones, mobile TVs and portable audio/video/game devices, while delivering unprecedented levels of integration, multimedia performance and low power dissipation. The BCM2820 applications processor offers an impressive array of multimedia features including support for an 8 megapixel digital camera, MPEG-4/H.264 VGA video decoding at 30 frames per second, video encoding at 30 frames per second, and NTSC/PAL TV output via composite, component and S-video connections.
Both the BCM2820 and BCM2153 are currently available to Broadcom's strategic partners. Broadcom also makes available complete development platforms, pre-integrated with associated software and peripheral devices, such as PMU, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM Radio, and GPS.