Japan's Softbank said today it would offer mobile phones made by Casio Computer by the end of the year, broadening its handset line-up that already includes Apple's iPhone, Reuters reports. Casio's handsets, known for their waterproof and shock-resistant features and advanced digital camera functions, are expected to[...]

Verizon was named the top U.S. carrier for mobile enterprise applications, according to a recent poll from the Technology Practice at Chadwick Martin Bailey. The research firm surveyed 114 IT decision-makers from companies with more than 1,000 employees. Respondents ranked Verizon No. 1 with 46 percent of the vote. AT&T..;.[...]

Communication is step one in taking cable, telco providers out of the red in customer service Yuval Brisker, president and CEO of TOA Technologies, co-founded his Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company in 2003 with the goal of ridding the world of the ‘cable guy problem.’ He was tired of the all-too-common scenario[...]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The worldwide online video market is experiencing dramatic growth, reports In-Stat. Worldwide online video revenue is expected to eclipse US$4.5 billion by 2012, up from $1.2 billion in 2008, the high-tech market research firm says. Purchased/rented videos are expected to offer the most robust growth for online[...]

The long-awaited “hockey stick” growth effect on mobile data is finally happening. The demands on carrier infrastructure will be profound with major increases in the number of radio carriers, towers, additional cell sites and backhaul. Voice demand potential is finite; there’s a limit to the number of minutes a[...]

As cable companies continue to apply for, and generally receive, determinations of effective competition from the FCC granting them more pricing flexibility, the FCC has announced new standards for the data required to be submitted for a determination to be granted. In line with the more refined data now collected [...]

Even as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continues to test white space technology, companies involved are jockeying to spin the report that the FCC has yet to draft. Shure Inc. said that a test last weekend to evaluate interference with wireless microphones was a failure, Motorola has been public about [...]

Combine social networks, mobile phones and global positioning technology and you get what Duke University engineers call "virtual sticky notes." The notes, Web site-specific messages that people can leave for others to retrieve with their mobile phones, could turn out to be a potentially useful way to remind individuals[...]

Covergence has gone to market with a gateway it says enables incompatible Microsoft and IBM unified communications (UC) solutions to talk to each other. The new offering, called the Covergence Collaboration Gateway (CCG), hits market with pricing as low as $1 per user per month, depending on contract length and [...]

According to local media reports, Ericsson has set up a demonstration 3G network in Bangladesh. Under the project named "Alokito Bangladesh", the company will demonstrate 3G services, including mobile health and mobile learning, in Dhaka until October. Ericsson is conducting the 3G trial by using the site and transmission[...]

As the third anniversary of Verizon Communications Inc.(VZ) launching FiOS arrives in September, carriers, their infrastructure suppliers and industry analysts still lack a clear view of what will comprise the quad play. At least in general discussions and industry forums, it had all but been a forgone conclusion that[...]

The CommunicationsDirect latest poll results are in. The question posed was, ‘Do you agree WiFi hot-spots at airports and cafés offer reliable connection?’ Results are mixed, with 44% of our readers responding ‘yes’; 41% responding ‘no’; and 16% responding that they do not use WiFi. [...]

Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar will launch the iPhone 3G in India on 22 August. The price of the device will be announced closer to the launch. Significance: The launch of iPhone 3G further underscores the leadership of Bharti and Vodafone in the Indian market. Although the iPhone 3G will [...]

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that MVNOs should be allowed to offer services in the country. An MVNO is a company which does not have spectrum of its own for access service, but can provide wireless access services to its [...]

United Kingdom regulator Ofcom has announced that it is launching an investigation into the wholesale call pricing of BT, at the behest of alternative operators Thus and Gamma, reports Dow Jones. The rival operators have claimed that BT's pricing of wholesale end-to-end voice calls to resellers since April 2005, "amounts [...]

Apple Inc. said its wireless data syncing service is fully functional now, but some users are still reporting problems. The company's MobileMe service was billed as "Exchange for the rest of us," and is meant to offer near-instant syncing of email and data between a customer's iPhone and computer. But [...]

Sprint is taking its Airave femtocell pilot commercial, announcing today it will begin selling the home base station technology on Aug. 17 to its customers across the country. Sprint, however, seems to be defying industry expectations for the service, charging customers both for the femtocell and the service, effectively asking[...]

Harris Stratex Networks says mobile operators can save money--and help protect the environment--by using its new wireless transport product. The Eclipse Edge offering, which the company describes as "ultra-lightweight" and "compact," aims to provide high-speed wireless connectivity for both native NxE1 TDM[...]

Alcatel-Lucent has signed a contract to deploy the Atlantic-Mediterranean segment of the 15,000-km Europe India Gateway (EIG) submarine cable system. Alcatel-Lucent will provide complete turnkey work for its portion of the EIG system. The vendor will have responsibility for the design, manufacture, installation, and commissioning of[...]

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has said that it will propose a separate 3G policy for CDMA operators. In a note, it is asking for the Ministry of Communications’ approval to auction spectrum in the 450 MHz and 800 MHz bands for CDMA operators. This will be cautiously welcomed by [...]

Attempts by wireless operators to lower the cost of SMS and Internet access roaming in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) has left the European Commission (EC) adamant that further regulation is needed for the sector. According to TelecomWeb news break's sister e-letter Tarifica Alert, new measures [...]

CMT, the Spanish regulator, has reported its numbers for the first quarter of 2008. Given Vodafone’s well-documented problems in Spain in the second quarter, these are interesting. Total telecoms revenues were up 1.3% on a year-on-year (y/y) basis, which represented a major slowdown from previous quarters. Retail telecoms[...]

Internet VoIP telephony company Vonage has signed a deal with private equity company Silver Point Finance to provide the troubled company with at least US$125 million and agreed terms and conditions for up to US$215 million, provided Vonage can raise US$60 million from other sources. The cash will be used [...]

A report by the Wall Street Journal, confirmed by follow-up reports from Reuters and Associated Press, indicates that Motorola is aiming for further structural changes as it realigns the business. The Home and Networks Mobility unit—one of three divisions, alongside Enterprise Mobility and the Mobile Devices division—is[...]

After months of trying, pure-play VoIP market leader Vonage has managed to refinance most of its debt, beating a Dec. 16 do-or-die deadline. Vonage has some $253 million in convertible notes that can be put to the company right before the holidays and, if it doesn't pay up, no more [...]