MobilenniuM Express
3G Industry news from the UMTS Forum
30 January 2009

Mobile Social Networking Driving Growth of the Mobile Internet in Europe, According to comScore
Research company comScore has revealed that social networks are one of the major drivers behind the dynamic take-up of mobile broadband services. The research shows that one third of European mobile social networking users accessing social media exclusively.

Vodafone Ghana, Huawei Sign $120 Million Technology Agreement
Vodafone-backed fixed line and mobile operator Ghana Telecom has signed a US$120-million deal with Huawei Technologies to upgrade its existing 2G network to 3G technology. Ghana Telecom, in which Vodafone acquired a 70% stake last year, plans to complete the upgrade by the middle of 2010. It expects to bring high-speed internet access, multimedia content and video calling, amongst other advanced features, to its customers.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Shipments Reach 1 Million Milestone as Nokia Marks Successful UK Sales Start
Handset vendor Nokia has shipped one million Nokia 5800 XpressMusic devices since the launch in October last year. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic device is Nokia’s first touch-screen phone, featuring an 8 MB internal memory, 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and single-touch-enabled links to popular online community networks such as Share on Ovi, Flickr or Facebook. The WCDMA/HSDPA-enabled device supports maximum download speeds of 3.6 Mbps. Nokia has just launched the device in the UK and plans to sell it in additional markets in the course of this year.

Vodafone Netherlands Increases Network Speed
Vodafone Netherlands has started the upgrade of its HSPDA network to provide a peak theoretical downlink rate of 7.2 Mbps and peak HSUPA uplink rate of 1.4 Mbps. The operator will enable the increased download speed first in Amsterdam, with remaining parts of the country to follow. The peak HSUPA uplink rate of 1.4 Mbps already covers 90% of the population, which will be gradually increased further.