Device Arena

Verizon Wireless has activated a new cell site in Owen County that expands network coverage, enabling more customers to use their wireless phones concurrently to make calls; send and receive e-mail and text, picture and video messages; download music, games and ringtones; view high-quality videos; and browse the Internet while enjoying clearer reception and fewer dropped calls.

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Motorola today announced it will be showcasing its MOTOA4™ portfolio of mission critical devices and solutions at TETRA World Congress (TWC) 2008, the world’s largest TETRA conference and exhibition held in Asia for the first time from 26 to 29 May, 2008. Motorola’s booth ‘W’ is located on Level 7, Hall 7A of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“Since the first generation network was deployed in 1997, TETRA technology has evolved and undergone much development. It is entering a new phase with advances in areas such as enhanced applications and data capabilities. We are excited to be at the forefront of this growth and it is timely that TWC is held in Asia where Motorola is expanding its TETRA footprint not only in public safety, but also in other markets such as transportation,” said John Gherghetta, corporate vice president, Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East & Africa, Motorola Government and Public Safety.

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Alcatel-Lucent today announced that, following the publication of the Dell’Oro 1Q’08 access report*, the company remains the worldwide leader in DSL with 6.6 million DSL lines shipped in 1Q’08. Witha cumulative market share in DSL port shipments of more than 40%, more than three times that of its nearest competitor, and a worldwide installed base of 166 million DSL lines, Alcatel-Lucent continues to lead the fixed broadband access market.

According to Dell’Oro, Alcatel-Lucent leads the IP digital subscriber line access multiplexer (IP DSLAM) market with a Q1 2008 market share of 33%. Alcatel-Lucent has also seen a rapid uptake of its very high-speed DSL (VDSL) shipments in 1Q’08, surpassing a 47% market share in terms of ports shipped - an all-time high, and more than threefold the number of shipments of Alcatel-Lucent’s nearest competitor in this field.

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AT&T has announced that L.N. Curtis & Sons, a provider of emergency responder equipment, has signed a new three-year agreement for AT&T’s Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. The service will link L.N. Curtis & Sons’ nine facilities across the western United States.

The new AT&T MPLS-VPN network services will provide seamless voice and data connectivity among L.N. Curtis & Sons’ offices, improving communications, boosting efficiencies and allowing company sites to be linked together regardless of location or application. The MPLS environment also will allow L.N. Curtis & Sons to prioritize and run voice traffic over the AT&T network.

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Nuevatel PCS, one of the leading telecommunications operators in Bolivia, where it operates under the VIVA brand name, and Alcatel-Lucent announced today the launch of a commercial WiMAX rev-e network in Bolivia, based on the WiMAX 802.16e-2005 standard. This new network will support voice over IP (VoIP), high-speed Internet access and other data services for Nuevatel customers.

“This new WiMAX network will make it possible for us to offer our business and residential customers a wide range of easy-to-use wireless broadband services,” said Freddy Maldonado Valcik, Nuevatel’s CEO. “Alcatel-Lucent’s WiMAX solution will enable us to better serve customers in such major urban centers as the cities of La Paz, El Alto, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, which currently are under-served. Alcatel-Lucent’s unique expertise and ability to set up a wireless broadband network has enabled us to begin offering these new services to our customers quickly and efficiently.”

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Alcatel-Lucent today announced that it has been selected by Beijing Netcom, a subsidiary of China Netcom, for a next-generation network service transformation in Beijing. By leveraging the services launched on this next-generation network (NGN) and through the deployment of a new softswitch, Beijing Netcom will be able to provide a wide range of advanced services to its customers, such as point-to-point video telephony services. This contract was signed through Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel-Lucent’s Chinese flagship company.

This project is the first in a series of service transformations planned by China Netcom to provide video telephony service in six cities hosting Olympics-related activities. In addition to Beijing, the new services will be offered to Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao, Shenyang and Qin Huangdao.

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AT&T announced today that the company has shattered its text messaging record of 64.5 million by generating more than 78 million messages this season of “American Idol” — the most popular show on television.

Since AT&T introduced text message voting in season 2 of FOX’s “American Idol,” text messaging has continued to play a significant role in the Idol interactive experience. In fact, during last week’s hometown visits, a new text messaging component was used to inform the final three contestants of the Producer’s Choice selection via their Apple iPhones, an AT&T-exclusive handset.

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AT&T today announced a three-year hosting and managed services contract with Global Hyatt Corporation, one of the world’s most recognizable hotel brands. Initially, AT&T will provide centralized hosting services for Hyatt.com and for Hyatt’s property-management system. During the next two years, Hyatt and AT&T will work closely to migrate numerous other applications to the new hosting environment.

“A true global presence, secure facilities, disciplined processes and a dedication to customer satisfaction were all very important criteria to Hyatt,” said Phil LaBelle, vice president, IT Strategy, Architecture and Planning, Global Hyatt Corporation. “As we move to centralize the vast majority of our applications, AT&T has stepped up and continues to provide valuable guidance, support and direction every step of the way.”

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As Alabama residents gear up for hurricane season, Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) continues to harden its networks so that critical communications are available to its customers before, during and after a storm.

One of the primary reasons for the loss of wireless service in a hurricane is the loss of commercial power to the cell site. Sprint continues to take steps to reduce the effect of power loss on its wireless networks. In 2007, Sprint invested $59 million for hurricane preparations in storm-prone coastal communities. This investment included the installation of permanent generators for critical wireless sites and network facilities as well as investment in additional portable generators and Cell Sites on Wheels (COWs) - mobile cell sites that can be deployed in impacted areas to restore service quickly. This equipment provides backup to the networks in the event of power outages or other damage that could result after a hurricane.

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Nokia today announced that its highly anticipated update for Nokia Maps has left beta stage and is now ready for consumers to download.

Downloaded over 240,000 times since announced in February, Nokia Maps 2.0 has improved its optional Car Navigation, enhanced its pedestrian navigation, added multimedia city guides, now offers satellite images, and is sporting a redesigned user interface. Nokia’s mapping and navigation solutions give people navigation features, local content and world maps directly on their mobile device, in a way that only connected devices can.

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