EG - Egypt asks mobile firms to bar anonymous users

(Reuters)
Egypt has asked mobile phone companies to block service to anonymous subscribers as a public security measure, and at least two firms have begun efforts to comply.

Labels: Interception, Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Vodafone offers unlimited web access

(BBC)
New monthly mobile price plans from Vodafone will offer unlimited internet access as a standard feature in a bid to meet the growing demand for access to email and social networking on the move. Facebook, Google and the BBC are the top three internet sites on the Vodafone Mobile Internet, according to the company.

Labels: Internet_access_and_use, Mobile_and_wireless, Social_networking

The mobile future is calling

(BBC)
Developers are being asked to devise applications for mobile devices so users can "access it, mix it up, save it, and store it". The plea to harness the creativity of the internet and apply it on mobile phones was made by Mitchell Baker the chair of Firefox developer Mozilla.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Mobile phone trio agree internet project

(FT.com)
Two of the world's largest mobile phone operators signalled their determination to profit more from the growing popularity of wireless internet. Vodafone, the world's largest operator by revenue, and China Mobile, the largest by number of customers, announced a research project aimed at speeding the roll-out of mobile internet services. Softbank, Japan's third largest mobile operator, is also part of the project, to be known as the joint innovation lab.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Bypassing Carriers for Mobile Content

(Business Week)
Sales of ringtones and games through phone makers and the Web are way up, another sign service providers are losing their grip on the industry

Labels: Market, Mobile_and_wireless

Nomads at last

(Economist)
Wireless communication is changing the way people work, live, love and relate to places?and each other,

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Google sees surge in Web use on hot mobile phones

(Reuters)
Google has seen an acceleration of Internet activity among mobile phone users in recent months since the company introduced faster Web services on selected phone models, fueling confidence the mobile Internet era is at hand. Early evidence showing sharp increases in Internet usage on phones, not just computers, has emerged from services Google has begun offering in recent months on Blackberry e-mail phones, Nokia devices for multimedia picture and video creators and business professionals and the Apple iPhone, the world's top Web search company said.

Labels: Internet_access_and_use, Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Mobile Internet Usage In Europe To Surge Over The Next Five Years

(Forrester)
Thirty eight percent of cell phone users in Western Europe will use mobile Internet services by 2013 according to a new five year forecast by Forrester Research. The growth in adoption means that 125 million Europeans will access the Web regularly from their mobile phone ? triple the number that do so today. One of the key drivers will be the proliferation of 3.5G-enabled devices, which will overtake the number of GSM-only and GPRS phones by 2010. By 2013, one in four consumers will own a 3.5G-enabled phone. Forrester Research Analyst Pete Nuthall said "Deploying high-speed mobile networks and rolling out advanced handsets are not enough to spark demand - our data shows that less than half of 3G phone owners use the 3G capability on their phone. To drive the mobile Internet, operators will need to push flat-rate data plans, increase the number of relevant services and applications, and introduce new devices that provide a better user experience."

Labels: Internet_access_and_use, Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Mobile TV across Europe: Commission adds DVB-H to standards list

(RAPDI)
The Commission has added the Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld standard (DVB-H) to the EU List of Standards, which serves as a basis for encouraging the harmonised provision of telecommunications across the EU. The addition of DVB-H is a new step towards establishing a Single Market for Mobile TV in Europe that will enable all EU citizens to watch TV on the move.

Labels: Convergence, Mobile_and_wireless, Standards

EU - Digital TV, Mobile TV: let's push for open technologies in Europe and worldwide

(RAPDI)
Speech by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, DVB World Conference 2008, Budapest, 12 March 2008.

Labels: Convergence, Mobile_and_wireless

Text Generation Gap: U R 2 Old (JK)

(New York Times)
Children increasingly rely on personal technological devices like cellphones to define themselves and create social circles apart from their families, changing the way they communicate with their parents.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Concern in Europe on Cellphone Ads for Children

(New York Times)
Bright new "kiddie" telephones have begun appearing on the market that can speed-dial grandma and grandpa with a click of a button. The MO1 - developed by Imaginarium, a toy company, and Telefónica in Spain - prompted some parent groups in Europe to demand a government ban on marketing to children. In France, the health minister recently issued a warning against excessive mobile phone use by young children.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

UK - The mobile internet kids

(BBC)
Children are at the cutting edge of the mobile internet revolution and both teachers and the phone industry can learn from them. We were using a group of 12 and 13 year olds to investigate how children used - and abused - mobile phones and they were knowledgeable, articulate and very demanding of the technology.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

US - Mobile Access to Data and Information

(Pew Internet & American Life Project)
62% of all Americans are part of a wireless, mobile population that participates in digital activities away from home or work. Not only are young people attuned to this kind of access, African Americans and English-speaking Latinos are more likely than white Americans to use non-voice data applications on their cell phones.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Statistics

Social Networking Moves to the Cellphone

(New York Times)
Social networks may be nothing new to habitués of the Internet. Several years of competition among Facebook, MySpace and Friendster have generated tens of millions of members. But now the market is teeming with companies that want to bring the same phenomenon to the cellphone. There are so many "mobile social networking" upstarts, in fact, that when New Media Age magazine in Britain tried to identify the "ones to watch," it ended up naming 10 companies.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Social_networking

MeetMoi: dating for those on the go

MeetMoi hopes to revolutionize social networking with the first truly location-based mobile dating service. So whether it is a bar, an office, or a restaurant, users can open their cell phones and use MeetMoi to browse, chat, flirt with and meet people near them. Using groundbreaking technology, MeetMoi looks for people in a specified location and helps its users find local matches. Since MeetMoi values safety above everything, no one's actual location is ever revealed.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Social_networking

Microsoft targets the mobile web

(BBC)
Microsoft has launched a bid to capture a segment of the growing market for rich web content on mobile phones. The software firm has signed a deal with handset manufacturer Nokia to bring its Silverlight platform to millions of mobile phones. Silverlight is seen as a competitor to Adobe's Flash, which is already used by popular websites such as YouTube.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Vodafone rejects EU call for caps on data roaming charges

(IHT)
The chief executive of Vodafone, the world's largest mobile operator, rejected Tuesday a European commissioner's demand that wireless operators cut fees for cross-border text messaging by July or face the possibility of new retail price controls. Arun Sarin, in remarks at the Mobile World Congress here, called the ultimatum by Viviane Reding, the European Union commissioner who oversees the telecommunications industry "inappropriate."

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Mobile goes Internet : Key Challenges for Mobile Ubiquity in Europe's Single Market

(RAPID)
Speech by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, GSMA Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, 11 February 2008. Data roaming: I want to see the end of these artificial borders between networks and nations which are both preventing private consumers and business customers to benefit fully from the single borderless market we have created between 27 EU countries so far. The objective is clear: Sending text messages or downloading data via a mobile phone while in another EU country should not be substantially more expensive for a consumer than sending text messages or downloading data at home. If the mobile industry responds to the need for attractive packages of data services offered to their customers, with a credible Eurotariff for data roaming in all EU Member States, I will applaud your action. However, if I see no such single market offers for data roaming evolve by 1 July of this year, I will have no other choice than to propose regulatory intervention again.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Text scams warning to youngsters

(BBC)
Thousands of young people have been sent fake scam text messages by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to warn them about con-artists. The campaign saw 25,000 mobile phone users aged between 18 and 24 receive a message telling them they might have won £1,000 in cash. But a second message arrived soon after informing them that the message was a fake and warning them about scams.

Labels: Consumer_protection, Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Mobile goes Internet : Key Challenges for Mobile Ubiquity in Europe's Single Market

(RAPID)
Speech by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, GSMA Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, 11 February 2008

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Mobile firms to block child porn

(BBC)
Mobile firms from across the world have launched a new alliance which aims to block paedophiles using phones to send or receive child sexual abuse images. The GSMA, the global association for mobile firms, has launched the Mobile Alliance, and says it is vital to act as web access via phones improves. Among planned measures will be a block on mobile phone access to websites which host abusive content. There will also be hotlines to report services carrying inappropriate images. The Alliance has been founded by the GSMA, Hutchison 3G Europe, mobilkom austria, Orange FT Group, Telecom Italia, Telefonica/02, Telenor Group, TeliaSonera, T-Mobile Group, Vodafone Group and dotMobi.

Labels: Child_abuse_images, Mobile_and_wireless

Vodafone pre-empts regulator to cut internet roaming charges

(Guardian)
Vodafone has became the latest mobile phone operator to try to head off a clash with regulators over the cost of using the mobile internet abroad by cutting its data roaming prices. EU telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding is expected to use her appearance at next week's mobile world congress (MWC), the industry's annual get-together in Barcelona, to accuse the operators of overcharging customers to send texts and access the mobile internet while overseas.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Mobiles 'not brain cancer risk'

(BBC)
Mobile phone use does not raise the risk of brain tumours, a Japanese study suggests. The research is the first to look at the effects of hand set radiation levels on different parts of the brain. Tokyo Women's Medical University found no increased risk of the three main types of brain cancer among regular mobile phone users. The study, comparing 322 brain cancer patients and 683 healthy people, appears in British Journal of Cancer.

Labels: Health, Mobile_and_wireless

Cellphones take spotlight at Cannes music show

(IHT)
The mobile phone is now the world's best-selling portable music device - even if most people don't play tunes on their phone. An MP3 player is almost standard on any midrange or high-end phone coming to market these days. Orange is about to open digital music stores in a half-dozen countries. The Orange stores will not be just for phone users, however. They will be on the Web, and anyone with an Internet connection can buy. In addition, Orange customers will be able to get their downloads from either their computer or their phone. Internet access is key for music on phones. Nokia said that 75 percent of customers were "sideloading" music from their computers to their phones via a cable, while 25 percent were downloading the tunes over the air.

Labels: Digital_content, Mobile_and_wireless

DE - Mehr Jugendschutz bei Handys

(bildungsklick.de)
Die führenden Mobilfunkunternehmen in Deutschland haben nach intensiven Verhandlungen mit den Jugendministerien der Länder, die durch das Land Rheinland-Pfalz vertreten wurden, eine freiwillige Selbstverpflichtung zu mehr Jugendschutz im Mobilfunkbereich unterzeichnet. Jugendmedienschutz im Mobilfunk - Selbstverpflichtung der Mobilfunkanbieter.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Self-regulation_Codes_of_Conduct

EU - Ofcom seeks lower charges for texting in Europe

(Guardian)
The cost of sending a text message and accessing the mobile internet looks as if it will fall dramatically for business travellers and holidaymakers who use their phones and mobile devices abroad. At a meeting of European telecom regulators, Ofcom boss Ed Richards will call for urgent action to reduce roaming charges for texting and data services such as the mobile internet. He will also raise concerns about hidden charges faced by mobile phone users when they make a call from other European countries.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Flat-rate tariffs drive mobile networking

(Guardian)
Flat-rate internet tariffs are helping drive take-up of social networking tools on mobile phones, with some users spending more than an hour a day online, according to research. Singapore-based mobile communities firm BuzzCity polled 875 users of its MyGamma service, which offers discussion groups, photo sharing, calendars, mobile blogging and virtual gifts for around 2 million users in 60 countries.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Social_networking

EU-Medienkommissarin: "Wettbewerb, Wettbewerb, Wettbewerb"

(Heise)
Die EU-Kommissarin für Informationsgesellschaft und Medien, Viviane Reding, hat die Mobilfunkbetreiber in Europa erneut aufgefordert, die Preise für die Nutzung von Datendiensten im Ausland zu senken. "Die Menschen sollten nicht dafür bestraft werden, wenn sie über die Grenze gehen", sagte die EU-Kommissarin in München.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Mobiles linked to disturbed sleep

(BBC)
Using a mobile phone before going to bed could stop you getting a decent night's sleep, research suggests. The study, funded by mobile phone companies, suggests radiation from the handset can cause insomnia, headaches and confusion.

Labels: Health, Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Mobile firms face tough rules on internet access for children

(Times)
A scheme to prevent children accessing pornography, gambling and other adult services on the latest mobile phones is to be reviewed by the telecoms regulator. The inquiry has been triggered by complaints from charities about the project, which was launched at the request of the Home Office. It could lead to the voluntary code being replaced with tough new rules.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Self-regulation_Codes_of_Conduct

EU - Roaming Regulation: Commission welcomes first implementation benchmark report

(RAPID)
The first benchmark report on international roaming has been published today by the European Regulators' Group. This report confirms that implementation of the roaming regulation has generally gone smoothly with a high level of compliance in all EU Member States. The European Commission welcomes the findings of this report and urges national regulators to continue monitoring developments so that all European consumers benefit fully from lower roaming charges when making or receiving calls from abroad.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

US - Study children and cell phones, experts advise

(Reuters)
Researchers should study more children and pregnant women in trying to figure out if cell phones or other wireless devices could damage health, the U.S. National Research Council advised. A few studies have indicated a possible link between mobile telephone use and brain tumors, although far more show no connection. But because wireless devices have become almost ubiquitous, researchers want to ensure their safety. More study needs to be done on multiple, long-term, low-intensity radio frequency (RF) exposure, the report said.

Labels: Health, Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Mobile rivals attack Ofcom spectrum plans

(Guardian)
Vodafone and O2 have condemned plans by the communications regulator Ofcom to snatch back part of the radio spectrum they have used since the 1980s to provide mobile phone coverage, and sell it to their rivals for 3G services. [Ed: if you don't know what "refarming" means, you should read this article.]

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

FR - France warns of health risks from mobile phones

(Reuters)
A French health ministry has issued a warning against excessive mobile-phone use, especially by children, though it recognised cellular technology had not been scientifically proved to be dangerous.

Labels: Health, Mobile_and_wireless

FR - Orange sees bumper iPhone sales

(BBC)
Mobile phone firm Orange has sold nearly 30,000 iPhones in France, just five days after it was launched. Mobile companies mostly sell iPhones to customers who take out network contracts with them, a point of contention for some consumers. About 80% of the phones were sold for 399 euros on a special Orange tariff plan, with 15% sold for 549 euros on a regular Orange tariff plan. The rest were sold for 649 euros. For 100 euros extra, these can be unlocked.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Europe officially chooses DVB-H for mobile TV

(vnunet.com)
The European Commission has officially selected DVB-H as the mobile TV standard in Europe. EU member states endorsed the Commission's three-pillar strategy presented in July, putting in place a joint approach to licensing mobile TV to accelerate rollout of services and encourage innovative business models. See Commission strategy for Mobile TV in Europe endorsed by Member States (Commission Press Release).

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Mobile porn to hit $3.5bn by 2010

(vnunet.com)
Revenues from mobile 'adult services' are set to approach $3.5bn by 2010, according to a new report. Juniper Research said that growth will be fuelled by increasing adoption of streamed video and video chat, and a sharp rise in the adoption of 3G services.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Protection_of_minors

EU - European Commission scientists launch mobile phone application to track your carbon footprint

(RAPID)
mobGAS is a new mobile phone application available in 21 European languages that allows users to see how their daily choices impact on climate change. This smart technology, developed by scientists working at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, allows users to see the implications of the choices they make every day, in terms of the three major greenhouse gases ? carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Information about everyday activities ? cooking, transport, lighting, electronic appliances etc. - is put into the application, and calculations made of individual emissions. A user diary of daily, weekly and yearly emissions can be registered on a secure website, allowing a comparison with national and world averages. The application also includes an animation reflecting the user's contribution to the Kyoto Protocol target.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Wi-fi health study gets go ahead

(BBC)
The government is taking another look at the effect that wireless networks have on health. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has announced it will carry out "systematic" research into how wireless networks are being used. The research will aim to establish average exposure to the low level radiation emitted by wi-fi access points and wireless links on computers. The HPA said it expected the results of the research to be "reassuring". In its statement outlining its intentions, Professor Pat Troop, chief executive of the agency, said there was "no scientific evidence to date" that wi-fi or wireless local networks could have an adverse effect on the health of the general population.

Labels: Health, Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Antitrust probe against Qualcomm

(Reuters)
The European Commission launches a formal antitrust proceedings against U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm after complaints that its patent licensing for third-generation mobile telephones broke competition rules.

Labels: Competition, Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Globalisation Fund to help 4,000 workers in mobile phone sector

(RAPDI)
The European Commission has approved two further applications for assistance under the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) ? from Germany and Finland. These will now be put before the European Parliament and the Council for decision. They are the third and fourth applications for EGF support and concern redundancies in two companies in the mobile phone sector: BenQ in Germany and Perlos in Finland. Both applications are made against a general trend towards delocalising production for mobile phones and accessories, mostly to Asia. This is not only because it is cheaper to make mobile phones there, but also because of the proximity of technology partners and a fast-growing consumer market.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

AU - Vodafone to block kids from chatrooms

(Australian)
Vodafone Australia will lock children out of its mobile phone chatrooms from early next year in an effort to protect them from sexual predators. The mobile phone carrier has been monitoring its mobile chatrooms to protect children from online predators since late 2004, but it was no longer economically sustainable for the carrier to continue providing the service. The carrier said the chatrooms would be made available only to adults when the company launches its new adult verification system, Parental Lock, which is scheduled to be included on all Vodafone mobile handsets from March next year.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Protection_of_minors

Apple iPhone warning proves true

(BBC)
An Apple software update is disabling iPhones that have been unlocked by owners who wanted to choose which mobile network to use. Earlier this week Apple said a planned update would leave the device "permanently inoperable". Thousands of iPhone owners hacked their expensive gadget in order to unlock it for use with other mobile carriers and to run a host of unsupported programs.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

JP - Why mobile Japan leads the world

(Guardian)
A combination of an urban lifestyle and infrastructure advantages mean that the fixed internet is being left behind by the mobile

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Advertisers lure youth market with free calls

(Guardian)
Cash-strapped students will be able to save their money for books and more likely beer with the launch of a new mobile service which offers free calls and texts if customers agree to receive advertising on their phone. Blyk, a startup run by the former president of Finnish mobile firm Nokia, is targeting the key 16-to-24-year old market with free texts and minutes of talktime every month. It has signed up 45 brands from McDonald's and Coca Cola to Boots and L'Oreal who want to target this key demographic.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Mobiles to become digital wallets

(BBC)
The UK's big five mobile phone firms have switched on a payment system that turns handsets into digital wallets. Called PayForIt, the scheme is designed for those buying goods and services with a value of up to £10. The industry hopes it will be used to pay for ringtones, train tickets, parking fees and eventually as a payment system on web shops and sites.

Labels: Electronic_commerce, Mobile_and_wireless

Unlocking the locked phone debate

(BBC)
Internet law professor Michael Geist gets to grips with the legal implications of unlocking the iPhone.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

US - AT&T offers parental control service

(Associated Press)
It may be something of a teenage nightmare: limits on when a wireless phone can make and receive calls and to whom, restrictions on text messages and talk time, and set allowances for ring tones and other downloads - all at a parent's fingertips. AT&T will launch a service giving parents that kind of wide-ranging control on almost all of its 63.7 million subscriber lines.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Protection_of_minors

Mobile phones ruining children's sleep

(vnunet.com)
Mobile phones are keeping children awake at night, new research has revealed. A study to be published in the September issue of the journal Sleep suggests that mobile phone use after bedtime is "very prevalent" among adolescents, and is related to increased levels of tiredness. The research by Jan van den Bulck, of the Leuven School for Mass Communication Research in Belgium, focused on 1,656 school children with an average age of 13.7 years in the youngest group and 16.9 years in the oldest group.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Statistics

UK - Briton held over wireless broadband 'theft'

(Reuters)
A 39-year-old Briton has been arrested on suspicion of using someone else's wireless Internet connection without permission, police said on Wednesday. Officers spotted the man using a laptop as he sat on a wall outside a house in Chiswick, West London. He told officers he had browsed the Internet via an unsecured broadband link from a nearby house, Scotland Yard said. He was arrested and later released on police bail to November 11 pending further inquiries. See also Police: Wi-Fi arrest not part of a crackdown (ZDNet UK).

Labels: Computer_crime, Internet_access_and_use, Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Roaming: All mobile operators have now informed the Commission of their new Eurotariffs

(RAPID)
Following the Commission's publication of its "name and shame" roaming benchmarking website on 2 August, all mobile operators have since informed the Commission of the Eurotariffs they are offering their customers as required by the EU's new Roaming Regulation. All these Eurotariffs are now listed on the Commission's website. For mobile customers roaming in Europe, the first result is quite positive: In 23 of the 27 EU Member States, there is at least one mobile operator offering roaming tariffs below the regulation's ceilings.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Mobile operators see 10 times more potential in social networking

(Guardian)
The success of social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and even YouTube could represent the next boom for the mobile phone operators. Revenues from putting so-called user-generated content - meaning content such as videos and blogs created by consumers rather than media organisations - onto mobile phones is expected to rise more than tenfold over the next five years, according to estimates by Juniper Research.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Social_networking

Conflict over digital content moves to cellphones

(IHT)
Microsoft and Nokia, which both make operating systems for mobile phones and compete for control of that market, are coming together in a rare accord in an effort to take advantage of the expected explosion of the sale of mobile digital content in the coming years. Under the agreement, Microsoft's PlayReady DRM technology - which helps content owners like music companies and service providers deliver digital content while restricting access - will be loaded directly on some Nokia phones beginning early next year.

Labels: Copyright_trademarks_and_patents, Mobile_and_wireless

Cost-conscious consumers transform European mobile phone market

Across Europe, growing ranks of cost-conscious consumers are transforming the Continent's mobile phone market by bypassing established networks and forcing big operators to reinvent themselves to stay competitive. The pressure to "go low" is now so great that T-Mobile, the wireless unit of Deutsche Telekom, last month created its own discount brand, Congstar.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Google sidesteps mobile reports

(BBC)
Google has refused to deny mounting speculation that it is working to produce its own brand mobile phone. Reports suggest that the web giant is developing a series of'GPhones', centred on its mobile services, such as search, e-mail and maps.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Roaming after the deadline: Most operators comply with the law

(RAPID)
One month after the EU Roaming Regulation to reduce mobile roaming charges by up to 70% entered into force, the Commission has published a website to benchmark how mobile operators in all 27 Member States have applied the new EU rules. The Commission has found that the broad majority of mobile phone operators comply with the EU Regulation by offering customers the new "Eurotariff" (tariffs no higher than ?0.49 per minute for calls made abroad and no higher than ?0.24 for calls received abroad, excluding VAT). The Commission notes that many operators offered the Eurotariff already at the start of July while others waited till just before the 30 July deadline. Some operators are also offering prices below the EU cap or new roaming packages. The implementation of the regulation by operators appears to be proceeding smoothly, even though some non-transparent offers risk depriving consumers of the new EU rules' full benefits.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Television is a turnoff for mobile users

(Guardian)
Television on mobile phones might not be dead in the UK, but after BT's decision last week to close its Movio service for Virgin Mobile, it is certainly in intensive care - and operators have shovelled a lot of money that they won't recoup into it. Yet it might be rescued by the European Commission, which is preparing to mandate a European standard for mobile TV - just as it did for mobile phones by enforcing the use of the GSM standard.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Commission proposes to remove restrictions on radio spectrum for innovative wireless services

(RAPID)
The Commission has proposed measures to make it easier and more lucrative for mobile operators in Europe to offer and develop innovative wireless technologies. By opening radio spectrum for advanced mobile data and multimedia services (such as 3G services that allow video streaming and fast downloads on a mobile handset), the Commission proposals, if they become law, will increase the number and choice of wireless services available, and will expand their geographic coverage to the benefit of all European citizens. The new EU measures will also reduce network deployment costs for Europe's wireless communications industry.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Start of reduced mobile phone roaming charges

(BBC)
Mobile phone companies have to cut by up to 70% the amount they charge customers for making and receiving calls between EU countries. Under the new EU rules, the companies have to offer customers now a new pricing structure, with cheaper "roaming" fees.

Labels: Competition, Mobile_and_wireless, Telecommunications

EU backs standard for mobile TV

(BBC)
European officials have backed a single standard for the rollout of mobile TV services across Europe. Telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding has called on member states to roll out services using the DVB-H standard "as quickly as possible". See also Press Release and Television on the Move (Europa).

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Hanging up on ringtones

(Guardian)
With the market for downloadable over-the-air content flat, operators and music companies are looking to other ways of making money from mobiles, says Adam Webb

Labels: Digital_content, Mobile_and_wireless

EU - 3g mobile telecommunications licences not subject to VAT

(RAPID)
Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-284/04 and Case C-369/04 T-Mobile Austria GmbH and Others v Republik Österreich Hutchison 3G UK Ltd and Others v Commissioners of Customs & Excise. The award by the State of 3g mobile telecommunications licences by auction does not constitute an economic activity. Consequently that activity does not fall within the scope of the Sixth VAT Directive

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Taxation

EU - Cheaper roaming tariffs now available across Europe

(EurActiv)
Starting from 30 June 2007, European consumers can request cheaper tariffs for phone calls abroad from their mobile-phone operators. The regulation on mobile-phone roaming. It was published in the Official Journal on 29 June 2007 and will come into effect on 30 June. Until then, all mobile phone operators in Europe have to offer tariffs that are on the same level or cheaper than the Eurotariff. Since operators have up to a month to activate the new tariff, Europeans going on holiday in August will need to request the cheaper rate from their operator at the beginning of July, in order to make sure they benefit from the cheaper rates. See Regulation (EC) No 717/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2007 on roaming on public mobile telephone networks within the Community and amending Directive 2002/21/EC. See also EU Roaming Regulation enters into force across all 27 Member States on 30 June and International Mobile Roaming : how will the new"Eurotariffs" reduce the cost of using a mobile phone in the European Union? (RAPID)

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Mobile theft ads aimed at young

(BBC)
Buying stolen mobile phones is a "waste of money" because the industry blocks them within 48 hours, a new advertising campaign will aim to point out. The Home Office adverts will use abbreviated text and be distributed via networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace, to target under-25s.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Roaming : Commission welcomes political agreement in Telecom Council

(RAPID)
On 7 June 2007, the Council has adopted politically the European Commission's proposal for an EU Roaming Regulation to bring down mobile roaming charges by up to 70%. The EU Regulation will, as from this summer, enable consumers to benefit from a "Eurotariff" which sets a maximum limit for calls made and received. These price caps will be further reduced in 2008 and 2009.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Home truths about telecoms

(Economist)
Mobile operators and handset-makers are turning to social scientists, and in particular to anthropologists, the better to understand how telephones are used. Some of their findings are quite unexpected. A typical user spends 80% of his or her time communicating with just four other people. Despite much talk of "convergence" within the industry, people are in fact using different communications technologies in distinct and divergent ways. Even when people are given unlimited cheap or free calls, the number and length of calls does not increase significantly. Private communications are invading the workplace. Migrants are the most advanced users of communications technology.

Labels: Internet_access_and_use, Mobile_and_wireless

Vodafone's new mobile internet customers can access all areas

(Guardian)
Vodafone has launched a new mobile internet service designed to make it easy for customers to access websites from mobile handsets. New 'rendering' technology means almost 10 million of Vodafone's UK customers, who already have the right sort of phone, will be able to get onto any website they want and send emails from existing online services such as Hotmail and GMail.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU caps roaming mobile phone fees

(BBC)
The cost of making mobile phone calls in Europe is set to fall substantially after lawmakers backed plans to cap so-called "roaming" charges. The amount mobile customers are charged by local phone operators for using their handsets while abroad should now fall by as much as 75%. More than 150 million people across Europe will be affected by the changes in the pricing regime. But the new charges are not likely to come into effect until later this year.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Success for Everest mobile effort

(BBC)
A British climber has set a world record by making a mobile phone call from the top of Mount Everest. In the early hours of 21 May, Rod Baber made two calls from the mountain's north ridge. The calls were made possible when China set up a mobile base station with a line of sight to the north ridge.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Wi-fi health fears are 'unproven'

(BBC)
Scientists have said there is no evidence to suggest a link between the use of wi-fi and damage to health. BBC programme Panorama found that radiation levels from wi-fi in one school was up to three times the level of mobile phone mast radiation. The readings were 600 times below the government's safety limits but there is ongoing debate about wi-fi use.

Labels: Health, Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Roaming price cap shelved as negotiations stall | OUT-LAW.COM

(OUT-LAW News)
A European Parliament vote on mobile phone roaming charges has been postponed because the three EU governing bodies cannot agree on a compromise deal. The plan would cap voice call charges for calls made within the EU. Two days of talks failed, leading negotiators to cancel this week's Parliament hearing. It will be heard at the next plenary session, which starts on 21st May. While a cap now seems almost certain, mobile operators seem to have won a concession of a three month delay from politicians, which would allow them to operate without caps during the lucrative summer period. Negotiations are also focusing on whether or not subscribers should be placed on the capped tariffs automatically, or whether or not they should have to request the new price structure.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU assembly group moves towards lax roaming rules | Technology | Reuters

(Reuters)
The European Parliament's biggest political faction is moving closer to backing looser rules on mobile telephone 'roaming' price caps that would not be automatically set for all consumers. The centre-right European People's Party is scrabbling for enough support among lawmakers that would enable it to pass the proposal backed by EU countries and viewed more favourably by the industry, leapfrogging opposition from the socialist bloc.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

FR - French Government Decree on data retention - another Big Brother act | EDRI

(EDRI-gram)
The French Government, during this election period, is preparing a decree for the application of the law on the confidence in the numerical economy (LCEN) of 21 June 2004, which requires webmasters, hosting companies, fixed and mobile telephony operators and Internet service providers to retain all information and on Internet users and telephone subscribers and to deliver it to the police or the State at a simple request.

Labels: Data_protection_privacy, Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Wi-fi laptop fears for children

(BBC)
Computers with wireless internet should not be placed on children's laps, says the head of the government's committee on mobile phone safety research. Professor Lawrie Challis told the Daily Telegraph children using wi-fi networks should be monitored until research into potential health risks is completed. He says children should keep a safe distance from the embedded antennas. The Health Protection Agency has said wi-fi devices are of very low power - much lower than mobile phones.

Labels: Health, Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Roaming - The bell tolls

(INFSO Newsroom)
The European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee has voted on the Commission's proposal of 12 May 2006 for an EU Regulation to reduce international mobile roaming charges by up to 70% by this summer. The ITRE Committee is the European Parliament's lead Committee on the EU Roaming regulation, in association with the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO). This vote supported all the main points of the Commission's proposal for an EU Roaming Regulation. EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding commented "Loudly, the bell is now tolling for international mobile roaming charges in Europe. Thanks to the tremendous work accomplished in the European Parliament over the past days, this last border in the EU's internal market, still visible for the moment on most consumers' mobile phone bill, is now bound to disappear very shortly. The best part of this is: in the view of the Parliament's Industry Committee, these low roaming tariffs should apply automatically to all customers unless they decide to opt for an even cheaper package offered by a mobile operator (opt out-system). This is the solution also favoured by the Commission, as it is easy to handle and avoids red tape both for consumers and for operators. It also means that mobile operators will now have to convince consumers that they offer an even better package than prescribed by the new EU roaming rules. This is a strong incentive for more competition among mobile operators. I also welcome the fact that the Industry Committee voted in favour of low price caps at wholesale level. This will help ensure that smaller mobile operators also will be able to compete on the European roaming market".

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Websense extends parental controls to mobile surfing

(vnunet.com)
Websense has unveiled software that allows wireless operators to protect users from malware and protect minors from inappropriate internet content. The software, dubbed the Websense Wireless URL Categorisation Engine (WUCE), allows operators to add services such as customised parental controls, premium content offerings for subscribers, enhanced wireless security identification, as well as mobile advertising and marketing.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Rating_and_filtering

UK - Web bosses must block pupils' videos mocking teachers, says minister

(Guardian)
Website providers have a moral obligation to stop pupils posting offensive school videos that demean their teachers or other children, the education secretary said yesterday. Alan Johnson told teachers that companies had a responsibility to ensure their sites were properly policed to prevent young people putting humiliating clips taken by mobile phone cameras on the internet.

Labels: Liability_jurisdiction_applicable_law, Mobile_and_wireless

US - Phone for tweens and kids

(Net Family News)
Kajeet is a new cellphone specifically aimed at 8-to-16-year-olds (but probably more appealing to, say, 8-to-11-year-olds). It has a "mature look and simple pricing," the Washington Post reports. "Parents can set monthly allowances" for minutes, ring tones, games, and text messaging on the $99 phone's "pay-as-you-go cellphone service" on the Sprint Nextel network. No contracts or cancellation fees. And there's a "wallets" option, so that calls to family members are covered by Mom, for example, but ring tones come out of the kid's wallet. As for kid phones, The Olympian describes popular brands like Wherify, Disney Phone, Firefly, and Tic Talk.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Protection_of_minors, Video_games

One Laptop Per Child manufacturer to sell $200 laptop in developed countries

(Ars Technica)
Quanta, the company manufacturing the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project's XO laptops, plans to begin selling low-cost budget mobile computers for $200 later this year. The company plans to leverage the underlying technologies associated with OLPC's XO laptop to produce laptop computers that are significantly less expensive than conventional laptops. The OLPC project hopes to bring inexpensive Linux-based laptops to the education market in developing countries.

Labels: Internet_access_and_use, Mobile_and_wireless

OECD - Mobile Commerce ? consumer issues and policy challenges for a promising market

(OECD)
Mobile commerce is a promising market both for consumers and businesses. However, consumer troubles and complaints are increasing and can sometimes become serious, including issues for minors. Member countries? experiences show that we should ensure that consumers benefit. In particular, countries may review their instruments with regard to a more effective scheme for information disclosure, liability protection over SIM and RFID cards, effective notice to excessive consumption, and the importance of consumer education. Businesses may also consider more effective consumer protection schemes. see also Mobile Multiple Play: New Service Pricing and Policy Implications. This paper provides an overview of the evolution in mobile multiple play services (voice, data and video) and raises relevant regulatory and policy issues. The mobile infrastructure is being upgraded as 3G network coverage expands and as mobile broadcasting networks are being developed.

Labels: Electronic_commerce, Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Substantial progress on Roaming

(Europa)
The EU's 27 Telecom Ministers gathered on 15 March at the CEBIT IT fair in Hannover/Germany for an informal EU Telecom Council to discuss the roaming proposal. Substantial progress has been made on this issue. EU Commissioner Viviane Reding attended the meeting. An ambitious EU regulation that will reduce roaming charges by up to 70 per cent for citizens in the EU is now within reach and could be agreed upon in June. This will be achieved by a combination of compulsory caps both at wholesale and at retail level, following the Commission proposal of July last year. The next important steps are the vote in the European Parliament in May and the formal Telecom Council on 6 and 7 June.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Mobile TV warned to standardise

(BBC)
European Commission telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding has issued a stern warning to those involved in mobile TV to agree on adopting a single technology standard. She said that if the industry did not agree on one, she would do it for them. Ms Reding warned that Europe risked losing a chance to be a global player in the burgeoning mobile TV market. See Mobile TV: Commission urges industry and Member States to develop a proactive European strategy

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

The effects of a "happy slapping" epidemic

(IBLS)
European governments crack down on the recording and distribution of violence online. Several years ago, the United Kingdom noticed a disturbing pastime among a segment of its youths - 'happy slapping'. Individuals or groups found amusing the slapping or striking of strangers while accomplices filmed the assaults using mobile phones. The images were later showcased on the Internet. In recent years, the 'happy slapping' virus has spread into France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, among other European countries. And governments have had enough of this cruel and sometimes lethal form of entertainment.

Labels: Computer_crime, Mobile_and_wireless

CA -Canada's Telus drops mobile porn

(vnu.net)
Canadian network operator Telus has bowed to pressure from the Catholic church and stopped sales of mobile porn to subscribers.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Commission Decision for next generation wireless devices

(RAPID)
A single market for a new generation of mass-market consumer electronics (laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras, TVs...), that can exchange data wirelessly at very high rates over short distances is a step closer. The Commission Decision outlines the mandatory conditions for using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology in these next generation wireless devices all across the European Union. see Wider choice for users through more flexible radio spectrum use: Frequently Asked Questions.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Mobile operators deceitful on charges, says EU consumer group

(EurActiv)
Mobile phone operators could easily afford to lower roaming charges to less than what the Commission is asking for, but are engaged in large-scale collusion to keep prices up. Mobile phone operators are "twisting the truth" when they claim to have cut the price of making phone calls abroad, according to a study on roaming charges published on 20 February 2007 by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Safer Internet Day

(New Europe)
Vivian Reding, European commissioner for telecommunications and media scored another major victory for European citizens when leading European mobile operators signed up to measures aimed at protecting minors from accessing pornography and hate speech on cell phones.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Mobiles make content their king

(The Australian)
Five short films, made especially for mobile phones and commissioned by Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival, were screened this week at the global mobile industry's annual shindig: 3GSM in Barcelona. After close to a decade of paying only lip service to mobile content, the booming mobile industry this week embraced it. With bundled and subscription pricing for voice taking hold of the industry, new revenues must now come from data services. Many operators are finally starting to tear down their walled gardens. The mobile industry had been trying to create a separate mobile internet but users want to access its sites and services from fixed and mobile devices alike. This is something the mobile industry is finally admitting.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Phone makers cash in on location services

(CNET News.com)
In a bold move to accelerate the adoption of location services for mobile devices, the world's two largest handset makers have each introduced their own navigation services, a move that could pit them against mobile operators. Nokia and Motorola, the number one and number two handset makers in the world respectively, each introduced new products at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona. In addition to adding new hardware products that will be able to receive signals from satellites to fix a subscriber's exact location, the companies have also introduced their own navigation services, which they plan to sell directly to consumers.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Sound future for music on mobiles

(BBC)
Music phones are emerging as the quality players in mobile entertainment. Some of the models on show at Europe's largest mobile phone show, 3GSM, already look slick enough to nudge MP3 players off the shelf. The secret of their success is that phones can now become mass-storage devices, using tiny, removable memory chips many gigabytes in size that can take thousands of tracks. Some have embedded memory that can hold yet more.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

Ringtones will always be bigger than mobile smut

(The Register)
Ringtones and music will always take a bigger slice of the mobile content market than games or erotica. An adult content aggregator said the introduction of age verification systems had made it easier to sell what the industry calls 'erotica' or adult content - and you'd call mobile porn - in Europe.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless, Video_games

Vodafone inks mobile deals with web giants

(vnunet.com)
Vodafone has secured deals with three of the web's highest-profile brands to enable Vodafone Live customers to access mobile versions of MySpace, YouTube and eBay. Applications can be downloaded to existing handsets, and future phones will have the software embedded.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Mobile operators agree on how to safeguard children using mobile phones

(RAPID) Leading European mobile operators signed in Brussels an agreement on how to protect minors using mobile phones. This agreement, brokered by the European Commission, responds to the findings of the Commission's public consultation on child safety and mobile phones published today. In the agreement, mobile operators undertake to develop self-regulatory codes by February 2008.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

EU - Growth for creative content online,

(RAPID)
Revenue from online content will reach ?8.3 billion by 2010 in Europe, a growth of over 400% in five years, says 'Interactive Content and Convergence: Implications for the information Society', a new study for the European Commission. For the most advanced sectors, online content will represent a significant share of total revenue: about 20% for music and 33% for video games. Thanks to the spread of broadband, the roll-out of advanced mobile networks, and the massive adoption of digital devices, the study shows that mass market online content distribution is becoming a reality, creating unique opportunities for Europe.

Labels: Convergence, Mobile_and_wireless, Video_games

Mobile firm 3 drops international roaming charges - vnunet.com

(vnunet.com )
Mobile operator 3 has announced that it is dropping most international roaming charges, and has challenged the rest of the industry to end what it calls the 'international roaming rip-off'. Under the new 3 Like Home pricing policy, subscribers will be able to make calls from abroad at no extra charge, so long as 3 has an arrangement with a local operator. Agreements are now in place in Ireland, Italy, Austria, Australia, Hong Kong, Sweden and Denmark.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

IQ - How one mobile phone made Saddam's hanging a very public execution

(Times)
The final image of Saddam Hussein was on jerky unedited footage filmed by an anonymous onlooker standing at the foot of the steps beneath the gallows. The footage was filmed on a mobile phone.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

UK - BSkyB looks at broadcasting straight to mobiles

(Guardian)
BSkyB has set its sights on the very small screen with plans to start broadcasting direct to mobile phones, bypassing the existing five mobile phone operators in Britain. The UK's dominant pay-TV operator is considering using technology developed in the United States to beam its most popular programmes on to mobile phones.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless

UK - Children 'swap music via phones'

<(BBC)
Children are increasingly swapping music via mobile phones, often without realising they can be breaking the law. A survey of almost 1,500 eight to 13-year-olds found almost a third shared music via their mobiles. hildren are using the built-in Bluetooth wireless feature of many phones to swap music - but without the consent of copyright holders.

Labels: Copyright_trademarks_and_patents, Mobile_and_wireless

GR - Greece bans mobiles in schools

(BBC)
Greece's education ministry has banned children from using mobile phones while at school. The ruling follows the rape of a 16-year-old girl during a school sit-in which was reportedly videoed by fellow pupils on their mobiles.

Labels: Mobile_and_wireless