MobilenniuM Express
3G Industry news from the UMTS Forum
06 February 2009

3 Selects In-Building Wireless Technology from Nextivity for Ireland’s National Broadband Scheme
3 Ireland has selected Nextivitys SMART Repeater solution as a fundamental element of the expansion of its WCDMA/HSPA network under Ireland's National Broadband Scheme. The in-building coverage technology developed by US-based Nextivity will enhance indoor 3G data coverage for 3s Irish customers. The government-backed National Broadband Scheme aims to provide 100% broadband coverage in Ireland by September 2010.

Orange Introduces New Devices to Its Mobile Broadband Portfolio
Orange has expanded its mobile broadband product offerings with the UK launch of two new laptops and a dongle device aimed at consumers. The operator will add the HP Compaq Mini 700 and Toshiba L300 to its ‘connected’ range, which will be available on a 2-year contract for £30 and £35 per month respectively. The new Huawei E160e dongle with 8GB memory will work in conjunction with Orange’s Internet Everywhere service.

Garmin and ASUS to Create Garmin-Asus Line of Co–branded LBS-centric Mobile Phones
GPS navigation company Garmin and PC/PDA vendor Asus have created a strategic alliance to develop a joint line of location-centric mobile phones. The companies plan to unveil several Garmin-Asus n|vifone models in 2009, featuring advanced personal satnav functions. The first Garmin-Asus n|vifone G60, which is based on the original HSDPA 850/1900MHz touchscreen Garmin n|vifone that was announced in 2008, will be announced at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona this month. It is expected to be shipped in the first half of 2009.

Vodafone Trials HSPA+ Mobile Broadband Technology (Speeds up to 21.6 Mbps) in Portugal
Vodafone Portugal has launched trials of HSPA+ 64QAM technology in partnership with Ericsson. The operator expects to launch HSPA+ Internet offerings during 2009, enabling mobile broadband services at a theoretical maximum download speed of 21.6 Mbps, compared to current downlink speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps.

Macedonia Opens Tender for Two UMTS Licences
The Macedonian Agency for Electronic Communications (AEK) has opened a public tender for two 10-year licences for its UMTS 1900 MHz spectrum. Successful bidders will be required to start operations within six months from the licence award. Two of Macedonias three mobile operators, Cosmofon and T-Mobile, hold 3G/UMTS licences, while newly launched operator VIP, backed by Telekom Austria, holds a GSM licence.

3.5 G Mobile Internet - All Over the Territory of Georgia
Georgias second largest mobile operator MagtiCom has launched its HSDPA network, as well as new mobile broadband internet tariffs. The technology will enable MagtiCom to provide its customers with faster Internet browsing plus video and music downloads. MagtiCom is the second operator to launch HSDPA behind Geocell, a unit of TeliaSonera, which launched its HSDPA platform in July 2008.