Carriers Breaking News

Mobile industry split over UMA versus femtocells
As mobile data traffic continues to increase, with more generated by home users, operators are under pressure to adopt either UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) or femtocells, both of which have a lot going for them, according to their respective proponents. More..

Ericsson attaches blades for wind power to base station
Ericsson has equipped its environmentally friendly radio base station site concept Tower Tube with built-in support for wind power, in a bid to help operators go green and expand mobile networks to where electricity isn't available, it announced on Thursday. More..

One in three iPhone 3G customers ditch their carriers
If the iPhone 3G was enough impetus to get you to drop your wireless provider like it was hot, then this news probably won't surprise you. According to figures from market-research firm NPD Group, almost one-in-three iPhone 3G customers were defectors from other mobile operators. The report also says iPhone 3G also topped sales in the smartphone category. More..

Two African mobile providers look to grow with mergers
Battle lines have been drawn in the fight to acquire African telecom service providers as mobile operators MTN and Zain seek to expand across the continent. More..

Telkom SA rolls out WCDMA, appoints Huawei
Telkom South Africa has signaled its intention to compete in cellular service provision and the small- and medium-business sector with the rollout of W-CDMA from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. More..

Industry bands together to push mobile broadband in laptops
Operators, along with laptop and chipset manufacturers are joining forces to push built-in support for mobile broadband, using a newly created mark that will signal that a laptop is ready to offer mobile Internet access. More..

Japan's KDDI to offer 1G bps Internet connections to homes
Japanese telecommunications carrier KDDI will start offering from October 1G bps (bits per second) fiber-optic Internet hook-ups for less than the current price of a connection one tenth the speed, it said this week. More..

Uganda regulator confirms Smile Communications license
The Uganda Communications Commission has awarded PIP and PSP licenses to Smile Communications of South Africa, confirmed UCC executive director Patrick Masambu. More..

Mobile broadband outpaces hotspots in the UK, survey says
Almost half of U.K. users accessing the Internet away from home or work prefer mobile broadband networks, according to a survey by Point Topic. Last year Wi-Fi hotspots held the lead. More..

Android phone due in Europe before Christmas
T-Mobile's G1, the first mobile phone based on Google's Android platform, will be available in the United Kingdom before Christmas this year. More..

T-Mobile, Google and HTC introduce first Android phone
The first Android phone looks a lot like the fuzzy pictures that have surfaced online for months, with a touch screen similar to the iPhone and a full slide-out keyboard. More..

Mobile service provider, Malawi gov't relations sour
As the relationship between the Malawian government and mobile service provider Zain sours, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority has warned Zain to cease its aggressive advertising campaign until the company improves its network. More..

Extreme, Alcatel-Lucent feed carrier Ethernet frenzy
Extreme Networks and Alcatel-Lucent this week are unveiling equipment designed to further whet carriers' appetites for Ethernet. More..

Mobile operators that want to go green get help
Industry organization GSM Association (GSMA) has launched the Green Power for Mobile program, which will help operators that want to use renewable power sources, including solar, wind or sustainable biofuels, to power base stations, it announced on Thursday. More..

Mobile provider hopes casual dress will create sales
Zain Kenya's customer service staff will adopt a new, more casual style of dress aimed at attracting the youth market, said company managing director Rene Meza. More..

How telcos and ISPs are prepping for a pandemic
Network operators and IT professionals already worried about how hurricanes and financial meltdowns will impact their work lives can add another potential catastrophe to their list of concerns: a global pandemic. More..

India wants to secure Wi-Fi hotspots, citing terror threat
Security experts and other citizens in Mumbai, India, are planning a drive to make people in the city and the rest of the country more aware of the need to secure their Wi-Fi networks. More..

African mobile providers extend geographical footprints
As European and Middle Eastern service providers compete for a slice of the African mobile market, African operators are also extending their footprints across borders to consolidate their telecom businesses. More..

Uganda radio spectrum policy may force price hikes
Over the last five months, telecommunications companies and wireless data service providers in Uganda have been engaged in a quiet war with the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) over a new pricing structure for radio spectrum that will see rates increase for operators and, in turn, end users. More..

NTT DoCoMo buys in to GSM provider for ships
Taking its global expansion to places few of its customers venture, Japan's NTT DoCoMo has acquired an 11.5 percent stake in Blue Ocean Wireless, a cell-phone network carrier that provides coverage on merchant ships. More..

Why the FCC slashed reporting requirements for carriers
An overview of how the FCC’s ruling will change carriers’ reporting requirements, as well as the different arguments both in favor and against changing these requirements More..

Start-up ParaScale launches cloud storage beta trial
Storage start-up ParaScale is opening a beta trial for software that will let IT shops build internal storage “clouds” and give service providers the ability to build cloud storage services similar to Amazon’s S3. More..

Vodafone to resell Dell's netbook
Dell's new netbook, the Inspiron Mini 9, will be sold with built-in mobile broadband by Vodafone, the companies announced on Thursday. More..

South African telecoms allowed to build their own networks
The cost of communication in South Africa is set to fall after Pretoria High Court ruled in favor of Altech last week, giving telecom companies the right to build their own networks. More..

AT&T security guru talks DoS attacks, tomorrow’s hackers
AT&T CSO Edward Amoroso lists his biggest security challenges: protecting sensitive information and defending against denial-of-service attacks. More..