• The Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP), GSMA, CTIA and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) have all announced support for the broad adoption of micro-USB in mobile handsets. The support is part of an effort to select a single universal charging solution (UCS) for mobile devices in order to reduce the number of chargers manufactured, transported and subsequently disposed of.
• Motorola's investment arm has announced a strategic investment in social media music players and related applications company TuneWiki. Motorola acted as lead investor and was joined by new investors Intellect Capital Ventures, a venture fund initiative of TeliaSonera, as well as HillsVen Capital and Novel TMT. TuneWiki's previous venture capital investor, Benchmark Israel, also participated in the round. TuneWiki will use the investment to expand and enhance its product offerings for leading mobile platforms and the Internet.
• Allot Communications reports that its Global Mobile Broadband Traffic Report indicates that worldwide mobile data bandwidth usage has increased significantly by about 72 percent during the second half of 2009. Over-the-top applications such as YouTube and Skype are driving mobile broadband growth. The report collected statistics from leading mobile operator networks worldwide with a combined user base of more than 180 million subscribers.
• Novatel Wireless has completed its first data transmission call using LTE. The company says it is working with operators and plans to launch commercial 4G data devices in late 2010. LTE provides data rates of up to 100 Mbps on the uplink and 50 Mbps on the downlink.
• Mobile Messenger has appointed Larry Robiner to the position of vice president, customer relationship management (CRM) channel sales. Robiner will spearhead efforts for continued market expansion in standard messaging and mobile CRM sectors and support the company's global business. Prior to joining Mobile Messenger, Robiner was vice president of business development at Epsilon.
• Lancope has received its fourth U.S. Patent No. 7,644,151 for its Network Service Zone Locking technology. Network Service Zone Locking provides a means of monitoring and alerting on policy violations at the application service level between a client and a server without requiring a network device between the two hosts.
• Mobile backhaul switching solutions company Celtro has opened two new offices in Argentina and Hong Kong. The new offices will handle Celtro's installed base in Latin America and spearhead the company's strategic push into Asia Pacific.