• Dell'Oro Group reports that mobile infrastructure market revenues declined 13 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 to $10 billion due to steep declines in the GSM market, which offset a nearly 50 percent growth of the WCDMA market. Although the WCDMA and WiMAX markets are forecast to realize double-digit growth during 2010 and initial LTE revenue is expected in the second half of this year, the steep declines in the GSM and CDMA markets will result in 2010 total market revenue being flat with 2009.
• IBM is working with universities in India and Tokyo to explore an open, common user interface platform for mobile devices to make them easier to use for people who are illiterate, blind, deaf or elderly. Chieko Asakawa, a blind IBM researcher based in Tokyo who has driven the development of many assistive technologies, is spearheading the project. The project is part of IBM's $100 million investment in the mobile Web.
• Mobile advertising company Jumptap has announced a new self-service application for publishers of mobile Web sites and mobile applications, including iPhone and Android. The new service allows publishers to integrate their properties into Jumptap's mobile ad network. The company says the first 100 app developers or sites to join its mobile ad network will get to keep 100 percent of the ad revenue for the first 100 days.
• In-Stat reports that consumers are increasingly concerned about the security of Wi-Fi hot spots. According to a survey conducted by the company, over three-quarters of respondents are personally aware of and proactive regarding security concerns. Despite this, In-Stat found that hot spot usage will increase by 47 percent in 2009, bringing total worldwide connections to 1.2 billion.
• Amobee Media Systems has been selected by Philippine operator Globe Telecom to deliver ad serving and mediation for both of its Internet and mobile channels. Globe will use Amobee's Adserver platform and services including campaign management, business intelligence, reporting and mediation. Globe will also employ Amobee's Adserver technology for its push SMS services.
• Juniper Research reports the mobile retail market will exceed $12 billion by 2014 thanks to the rapid proliferation of smartphones. The firm expects that the mobile retail sector initially will be dominated by coupons before mobile advertising takes hold.