• Nokia Siemens Networks has been awarded a services contract to manage Orange’s fixed and mobile multivendor networks that cater to more than 11.3 million mobile customers and 1.2 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers across Spain. Under a five-year contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will implement an end-to-end managed services solution for Orange’s networks.
• Brightpoint North America has extended its preferred supplier agreement with Associated Carrier Group through March 2012. Pursuant to the agreement, Brightpoint will continue to be the primary supplier of wireless devices from leading wireless handset and device manufacturers and provide additional services related to product development and management to ACG.Shipments of GPS semiconductors will increase 15 percent on a unit basis in 2009 compared with 2008, according to ABI Research. That growth rate is lower than the year-on-year growth experienced in 2007 and 2008 and reflects the impact of several factors, most prominently the softness in demand for consumer devices in the current economic downturn, the firm says.
• NextG Networks, provider of distributed antenna systems (DAS), expanded its East Coast presence with the launch of its latest DAS system in the greater Boston, Mass., area.
• PCTEL announced its new vertically polarized wideband base station antenna series with improved coverage characteristics. The wideband antennas serve all licensed and unlicensed frequency bands in the 2.3-2.7 GHz range. Separately, the company announced the introduction of its Medallion GPS multi-band antenna platform. Along with GPS tracking support, the antenna covers 806-960 MHz, 1710-2170 MHz and 2.3-2.6 GHz frequency bands for Wi-Fi, WiMAX and PCS/cellular technologies in a single unit.
• IDT Spectrum says the FCC has authorized it to operate 46 WiMAX base stations in the 3.65 GHz band. The authorization affords IDT Spectrum the opportunity to provide WiMAX services in Texas, Louisiana and Colorado within an area that contains about 350 oil rigs.
• The Orchard announced that a comprehensive iPhone Apps program is being made available to its artist and label clients as a method of driving promotional strategy and increasing artist revenue. Orchard has tapped Fluidesign, the creative company behind a new developer program called Mobile Roadie, as its technology partner for the service. Orchard clients now can create iPhone Apps directly through The Orchard’s Artist/Label Workstation.
• Spectrum Bridge announced it will be hosting the first online spectrum auction conducted by a private enterprise. Two sets of licenses will be auctioned. First are ultra high frequency (UHF) Part 22 spectrum licenses, covering Clark County, Nev., which includes metro Las Vegas. The second set consists of very high frequency (VHF) spectrum licenses covering the state of Florida.
• IPWireless says the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development has granted technical acceptance to IPWireless’ 3GPP broadband wireless product family, including the company’s V5 NodeB base station, Integrated Network Controller and end-user devices.