The number of GSM subscriptions supporting M2M applications is expected to top one billion by 2015, according to equipment vendor Nokia Siemens Networks this week. To meet this demand, NSN has introduced a software suite catering to the use of GSM networks as M2M service platforms.
One of the most attractive characteristics of the anticipated M2M explosion is that its applications and modules will be based on older network technologies. Speak to anyone looking to promote M2M and they’ll tell you that it offers operators the opportunity to carry on monetising networks that are nearing the end of their useful life as platforms for consumer services. But is this really the best approach?
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In a major shift in operator preferences for LTE spectrum, three of Europe’s most influential carriers have joined together to encourage vendor support for LTE devices operating in the 1800MHz spectrum. Making their announcement at the LTE World Summit in Amsterdam, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom and TeliaSonera earmarked the soon-to-be-re-farmed 1800MHz spectrum as their preferred choice for rolling out LTE networks.
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The European Commission has agreed technical rules for how the opening up of spectrum in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands should take place. The rules are designed to avoid interference between 4G and existing 3G and GSM devices and, according to the Commission, must be implemented by member states before the end of this year.
The rules put in place a mechanism for the adoption of technical harmonisation rules that will allow GSM bands to be made available for LTE and WiMAX systems. Under EU telecoms regulations, member states have already had to examine competition between operators and address “any distortions of competition.”
Security researchers on Wednesday suggested that the future encryption protocol deployed to protect 3G (UMTS/WCDMA) phone calls is as weak as the existing, and potentially flawed, system used for 2G telephony.
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An estimated 25 million GSM handsets are expected to have gone quiet in India on Tuesday, as legislation requiring phones without an IMEI to be disconnected came into play.
The carcass of fallen Canadian giant Nortel continues to be picked over, with Swedish vendor Ericsson announcing that it has acquired the certain assets of the Carrier Networks division of Nortel relating to the GSM business in the US and Canada.
Nortel, the fading star of the telecoms world, said late Wednesday it is planning to sell off its GSM and GSM-R (GSM for railways) assets via an open auction process.
The CDMA Development Group (CDG) looks keen to steal some thunder from arch-rival trade body, the GSM Association (GSMA). The CDG on Wednesday announced that two suppliers are now offering ultra low cost cdma2000 3G devices for less than $35 and another five suppliers are offering cdma2000 handsets for less than $40. In total, the [...]
The ITU and the GSM Association (GSMA) joined forces on Tuesday in a bid to tackle the digital divide in some of the world’s least developed markets. During the meeting of the Global Symposium for Regulators taking place in Dubai this week, Hamadoun Toure, secretary general of the ITU, and Tom Phillips, chief of government [...]
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