• Vodafone has selected NeuStar as its principal partner in the rollout of mobile Instant Messaging (IM) solutions for its customers. Vodafone has deployed NeuStar's mobile IM solutions including its Mobile Messaging Gateway and NeuStar Clients to roll out Microsoft Windows Live Messenger to customers in France (via SFR) Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the U.K. NeuStar also has supported the launch of Yahoo! Messenger in Portugal.
• Pricing and rating solutions provider Highdeal released its Q4 2007 results, capping a successful year in performance. The company's sales figures rose to $16.7 million, 80% of which were generated in the telecommunications sector with the remaining 20% generated in the finance and transportation sectors. Last year, Highdeal signed contracts with major telecommunication players, including Bandwidth.com and Motricity.
• Anritsu Company has introduced three software packages for its MS269xA signal analyzer series that supports evaluation of 3GPP LTE uplink and downlink signals: the MX269020A LTE Downlink Measurement Software, MX269021A LTE Uplink Measurement Software and MX269908A LTE IQproducer. The MX269020A and MX269021A software measure the transmit characteristics of 3GPP LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD)-compliant signals. 3GPP LTE compliant waveform pattern files can be generated by the MX269908A. The patterns can then be output as RF signals from the MS269xA's optional signal generator to test RF receiver characteristics, as well as to perform transmitter and receiver evaluations.
• Boost Mobile, a wholly-owned division of Sprint Nextel, has introduced the new $1/Day Chat Plan for Pay As You Go subscribers. The company also announced a new price option for its 600-minute Premium Plan, formerly known as Boost Premium Prepaid. Pay As You Go subscribers now have three payment plans to choose from: Basic Pay As You Go, the Chat Plan and the Premium Plan. The new Chat Plan offers unlimited nights, unlimited mobile-to-mobile and a low daytime rate of 10 cents a minute. Customers can continue to take advantage of unlimited nationwide Boost Walkie-Talkie for an additional $1 a day on the days they use or receive the walkie-talkie service. Boost Mobile's Premium Plan is a nationwide "hybrid prepaid" service and is offered in three monthly rate plan packages - $30, $50 and $60. Boost Mobile just reduced the price of its $60 600 minute monthly rate plan from $70. The new $60 plan includes unlimited nationwide Boost Walkie-Talkie, unlimited nights and weekends, 600 minutes of talk time and reduced daytime per minute pricing.
• Agilent Technologies is collaborating with Comsys Communications and Signal Processing to roll out Mobile WiMAX-compliant chipsets. The two companies will work together on the speed-optimization of RF power calibration and production test systems for the modules.
• Numobiq, a global provider of the next-generation platform for enabling mobile content and services, announced that it has secured a $4.5 million Series A round of funding from Benchmark Capital. Numobiq has created a software platform that turns every mobile handset into a smartphone, the solution works across hundreds of mobile handsets to deliver a highly personalized user experience.
• LG and video compression provider, DivX have announced that the LG Viewty camera phone (LG-KU990) is the first mobile phone with DivX Certification to natively record video in the high quality DivX format. The LG Viewty now promises to enable consumers to capture high-resolution video, comparable in quality to what they would expect from a video camera, from their mobile phones. DivX videos recorded through the LG Viewty can easily be uploaded to online video sites or can be played back on any DivX Certified consumer electronics device, including DVD players, gaming consoles and portable media players.
• NextWave Wireless, a global provider of mobile multimedia and wireless broadband technologies and EB, a technology powerhouse with more than 20 years experience in solutions for wireless and automotive industries, have decided to collaborate to bring one of the first commercial mobile WiMAX handset reference designs to the global market for wide-scale deployment. The device will debut next week at the 2008 GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. EB and NextWave Wireless have developed a complete reference design based on NextWave Wireless' first-generation WiMAX chipset. Together, EB and NextWave Wireless will provide wireless device manufacturers the opportunity to bring mobile WiMAX products to market faster, and with lower development costs.
• Nokia Siemens Networks has been awarded a three year, 320 million euro ($464.2 million) GSM/EDGE contract by Russia's MegaFon. The agreement covers future network extensions and supplies, including GSM/GPRS/EDGE, as well as WCDMA/HSPA solutions. Under the terms of the deal Nokia Siemens Networks will also deliver related services, including network implementation and integration services, project management, competence development training for MegaFon's staff and technical support services.
• Japan's Oki Electric Industry has announced an agreement with Alcatel-Lucent, to jointly market it's mobile WiMAX terminals to the worldwide market. OKI expects to begin shipping WiMAX compatible products in the second half of this year.