• Alltel Wireless announced that in its 2008 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study, J.D. Power and Associates ranked Alltel Wireless: “Highest Call Quality Performance Among Wireless Cell Phone Users In the West Region,” “Highest Call Quality Performance Among Wireless Cell Phone Users In the Southeast Region” and “Highest Call Quality Performance Among Wireless Cell Phone Users In the Southwest Region in a Tie.” The study measured wireless call quality based on seven problem areas that affect overall carrier performance: dropped calls; static/interference; failed connection on the first try; voice distortion; echoes; no immediate voice mail notification; and no immediate text message notification.
• Valista, provider of digital commerce software and managed services, announced that its Managed Payments Service has been named as a finalist for a Convergence World Award for Best Service or Product Innovation. The Convergence World Awards, held in association with the IEC and endorsed by the FMCA and the Wi-Fi Alliance, showcase the convergence of fixed and mobile communications, broadcasting and entertainment and recognize the innovations and achievements of the companies driving this convergence forward. The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held April 29 at the Olympia National Hall in London.
• Verizon Wireless announced that it will offer exclusive video from the Tribeca Film Festival over its V CAST Video service and on Verizon’s FiOS TV video-on-demand (VOD) service. Starting today, customers will be able to view trailers, short films and more on their mobile phones and for the first time, in their own homes. In addition, customers will have access to three commissioned short films that are exclusively available on FiOS TV VOD and V CAST Video. Verizon Wireless customers also will be able to view mobile shorts, red carpet coverage and celebrity interviews on their mobile phones. Full-feature films will be made available on Verizon’s FiOS TV VOD service.
• Comfone, a wholesale hub of Public WLAN and GSM roaming, signed an agreement with Wi-Fi access service provider Whisher, which allows the users of Whisher’s software application to access WeRoam’s established network of hotspots covering more than 60 countries worldwide. Whisher’s users will benefit from access to all these hotspots, without monthly subscription or minimum connection time. The agreement complements Whisher’s 100,000 residential hotspots shared by the end users through the Whisher application.
• Huawei and Qualcomm completed Europe’s first MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service) field trial, carried out in conjunction with Telecom Italia. MBMS technology is based on 3GPP standards and supports multicast and broadcast services, allowing speeds of up to 256 kbps on a mobile device. The trial, which was conducted by means of Huawei’s MBMS solution, together with handsets powered by Qualcomm’s MSM7201A chipset, demonstrated MBMS service deliveries of between 128 kbps and 256 kbps under various indoor and outdoor MBMS channel conditions. Test results also indicated that MBMS technologies, in some conditions, enable greater service reception and capacity than expected, thus enhancing MBMS’ potential within the commercial network environment.
• Topex, provider of next-generation network solutions, launched its new Bytton router with Sierra Wireless embedded modules for HSUPA networks, together with its Spanish partner Xacom Comunicaciones. Using the HSUPA option, the router enables mobile data uplinks at speeds of up to 1.44 Mbps.
• Openet unveiled it Parental Controls application. Using its FusionWorks Product suite, the application lets parents prevent children from using specific services; cap the total amount of spending for children while allowing calls to designated numbers, such as home and emergency services, after the limit is reached; limit the amount of usage by service, such as a maximum number of music downloads or gaming usage; control access to services by time of day, day of the week and specially designated times; and limit access to services based on the children’s location, such as while they are in school.
