Wi-Fi networks could be next cost-saving telecom move

By ELLEN SIMON

The Associated Press

Now that some Wi-Fi «hot spots» have grown into broader neighborhood «hot zones,» the next wave is waiting.

Coming soon: phones and gear that send conversations over wireless Internet networks — for free or at a fraction of the cost of traditional calls.

Mobile phone maker Motorola Inc. has a device that would seamlessly switch calls from cellular networks to cheaper Wi-Fi networks wherever they are available. Discount carrier IDT Corp. is testing consumer Wi-Fi phone service in Newark, N.J.

If successful, Wi-Fi calling would be one more factor decreasing calling costs and shrinking revenue at traditional carriers.

[ read more ]

The company once known as WorldCom has filed suit against former chief executive Bernard Ebbers in a bid to collect more than $US300million ($416 million) the deposed executive still owes on loans totalling $US408 million.

Mr Ebbers was ousted in April 2002, largely as a result of controversy over the loans he had taken from the company, now known as MCI.

WorldCom filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2002, in the wake of an accounting fraud that ultimately came to about $US11 billion.

[ read more ]

Krishnan Thiagarajan

Recent policy moves by the Government on the telecom sector could help bring tariffs down to benefit both operator and customer.

OVER the past few months, policy decisions in the telecom sector had virtually ground to a halt, both in the run-up to the Parliamentary elections and in the post-Parliamentary election phase as the new government took time to settle down.

During the past couple of weeks, however, action on the policy front, especially in the cellular arena (applicable for both GSM and CDMA operators) has started showing signs of picking-up again. There have been encouraging signals on at least four fronts: licence fee reduction, access deficit charge review, consultation for spectrum allocation and consolidation within the cellular sector (with Hutch acquiring Aircel operating in the Tamil Nadu/Chennai circle recently). Each of these moves and more so, in combination, if carried to fruition, may have a significant bearing on the tariffs charged to consumers in the coming months and also dictate the competitiveness/profitability of the key operators in the cellular sector.

[ read more ]

Consumer-goods makers are realizing they have only one direction to go for growth: down-market

By Mac Margolis

Newsweek InternationalJuly 19 issue — It wasn’t exactly banner news, but May marked a watershed for the Brazilian economy. In the run-up to Mother’s Day, consumers flooded stores, snapping up 1.5 million cell phones. The vast majority of these were prepagos—basic, cut-rate handsets that operate on prepaid phone cards and can be had on installment plans for as little as $3 a month. More than a shopping binge, the Mother’s Day mob represented a new consumer vanguard: a battalion of buyers with shallow pockets but a keen eye for a deal. The result: Brazilians now own 53 million cellular phones, nearly 20 million more than two years ago—and 78 percent of them are prepagos. «The cellular phone is no longer an item for the elite,» says Roberto Iunes, executive vice president for marketing and innovation for Vivo, Brazil’s biggest mobile operator. «Companies that turn up their noses at low-income consumers are snubbing their own potential for growth.»

[ read more ]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2004 edition of The Real Yellow Pages® from BellSouth celebrates Jacksonville hosting Super Bowl XXXIX in February 2005. An exciting new addition to the directory is the special Jacksonville Super Bowl XXXIX Host Committee section, featuring information on the Host Committee Membership Club as well as local events surrounding Super Bowl 2005. The new directory is available in its standard format, on CD-ROM and in a new smaller «Companion» book.
ADVERTISEMENT

«The Super Bowl is recognized around the world as the highlight of the football season and the host city selection process is very competitive,» said Lisa Almeida, BellSouth Regional Manager for Jacksonville. «By spotlighting this classic downtown scene, we pay tribute to the city of Jacksonville and communicate our enthusiasm for this big event.

[ read more ]

TORONTO, July 9 /CNW/ — Nokia and Bell Mobility today announced the
availability of the Nokia 6585 mobile phone, a 3.1-ounce wireless handset that
strikes the perfect balance between elegant style and cutting-edge technology.
The latest addition to Nokia’s growing CDMA line-up, the Nokia 6585 handset is
the only handset in Bell’s line-up to offer a stereo FM radio and Chinese
language support.

«With the Nokia 6585 mobile phone, we are pleased to bring a new level of
design to CDMA customers looking for new options in their handsets,» said
Grace Belmonte, Director of Marketing, Nokia Canada. «With its compact form
factor, customization capabilities and the latest technology — including a
stereo FM radio — this device gives them just that.»

With a full suite of customizable features, the Nokia 6585 mobile phone
allows users to personalize their handset to best suit their personalities and
lifestyles. For example, with the range of user-changeable Xpress-on™
covers available in the latest colours and designs and a selection of
on-screen colour schemes, Nokia 6585 users can coordinate their phone to match
their own personal styles.

[ read more ]