LG Confirms Launch of :New L Series Smartphones

LG Electronics has confirmed that it will be unveiling the third generation of its L Series smartphones at the Mobile World Congress MWC 2014

All L Series III models come with Android 4.4 KitKat. Other specifications will be announced at the launch.

They all come with a protective cover -- called Quick Window, which comes in three colors, and is the first cover from LG to be designed specifically for a mid-range smartphone. Quick Window also offers functional benefits beyond just protection from drops and bumps, as the see-through window allows one to see who's calling and check the time without opening the cover.

"In addition to inheriting the refined design aesthetic that is synonymous with LG's premium devices, the L SeriesIII provides an array of user benefits that extend far beyond a simple upgrade," said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "We're confident that the L SeriesIII will be a strong volume driver in 3G markets."

Safaricom Bans Mobile Money Agents from Handling Rival Networks Services:

Kenya s Safaricom has been accused of abusing its dominant market power after it barred its mobile money agents from acting on behalf of rival networks at the same time

Both Airtel and Essar Kenya (Yu) had approached mobile money agents offering Safaricom's M-Pesa mobile money service asking them if they wanted to offer the rival services as well.

However, Safaricom has ordered the agents to stick to just one mobile network, theirs.

"By growing our agency network we have demonstrated that there is ample opportunity for our rivals to recruit and invest in their own agents so as to demonstrate their commitment to creating job opportunities for young Kenyans," Safaricom told the Business Daily.

Airtel has taken the matter to the Competition Authority claiming that it is an abuse of market power by the country's largest mobile network.

DTAC to Double 3G Capacity and Launch LTE Network:

Thailand s DTAC has said that it plans to double the capacity of its 3G network this year as it also prepares for a limited LTE launch in April

The company has pledged an investment of THB13 billion (US$400 million) this year as it adds 5,500 new 3G base stations by June. That will take the total to 11,000 base stations operating on its new 2.1Ghz spectrum.

DTAC's CEO, Jon Eddy Abdullah said that he expects the company to have 25 million 3G subscribers this year, or around 70% of its total customer base as the network migrates GSM concession customers to its own network infrastructure.

The aim is for all GSM customers to have migrated to the 3G network by 2015.

He also confirmed the LTE launch will take place in the second-quarter of this year, with around 300 base stations.

The company estimates that 20 percent of its 3G data traffic is currently consumed by customers using LTE-capable smartphones, so the network launch should release additional 3G capacity for the remaining customers.

Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom Brings Forward its LTE Network Launch Date:

Taiwan s Chunghwa Telecom has announced that it is bringing forward its LTE network launch by nearly six months

The network had been due to launch towards the end of the year, but will now start services in July, the company announced. It still aims to sign up at least 300,000 customers to the 4G service.

The company is rolling out its network, and aims to deploy 10,000 base stations by the end of 2016, but will have enough by this July to start a limited service.

Chunghwa Telecom was awarded a 4G license last October when it paid US$129 million in the auction.

The network infrastructure is being supplied by Ericsson as the main supplier, alongside NSN who are supplying some of the kit, and upgrading the existing 3G network.

Zambia's Government to Boost Rural Mobile Phone Coverage:

Zambia s government says that it plans to spend US 24 million building more mobile phone towers in rural areas to boost coverage where the networks currently lack services

The project is being carried out by the telecoms regulator, the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA), and will see the deployment of 169 new telecoms towers.

The project is due to be completed this year, and should see mobile phone coverage expanded to more than 200,000 people currently not served by mobile networks.

The towers will be leased to the mobile networks, who then provide the service direct to customers.

It's estimated that around 5 million people living in rural areas currently lack access to mobile phone coverage.

Bharti Airtel Said to Be Close to Announcing Loop Mobile Purchase:

India s Bharti Airtel is reportedly close to announcing a deal to buy Mumbai based Loop Mobile bringing to an end over a year of speculation about the future of the smaller mobile network

Dubai-based IP Khaitan owns the Mumbai based mobile network and has long been said to be looking for a buyer.

Citing unnamed sources, the Economic Times said that a deal worth around Rs 700 crore, including some Rs 400 crore of debt is likely to be announced within a few days following the latest round of talks between the two companies.

The move is a turn around, as last September, Bharti Airtel denied that it was interested in buying the company.

Although Loop Mobile is the dominant operator in Mumbai with around 3 million customers, it has limited coverage outside the region.

The deal would be primarily a customer base and infrastructure one as Loop Mobile's licenses expire later this year, and it did not win replacement spectrum in the recently concluded auction.

Google Plotting 10Gbps Broadband Service to the Home:

Although Google is currently rolling out a small scale test of a 1Gbps domestic broadband service in the USA it is already looking at a ten fold speed increase in the near future

The Google Fiber service offers speeds of up to 1Gbps, but is only available in the test market of Kansas City, with an expansion planned for the city of Austin.

Speaking at a conference, Google's CFO, Patrick Pichette indicated that the company is already looking at 10Gbps download speeds.

"That's where the world is going. It's going to happen," Pichette told USA Today. It may happen over a decade, but "why wouldn't we make it available in three years? That's what we're working on. There's no need to wait," he added.

However, while the headline speeds are impressive, and ideal for downloading large files, for average browsing, or gaming and live video streaming, it is latency that matters more than raw download speeds.

BlackBerry Adds Voice Calls and Channels for Andoid/iPhone BBM Users:

BlackBerry has announced that it is offering an upgraded version of its BBM app for all three smartphone platforms BlackBerry iOS and Android

Android and iPhone customers will now be able to make free voice calls to BBM contacts over a Wi-Fi or data connection with BBM Voice, as well as access BBM Channels.

In addition, BBM customers on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones will have more to chat about with fast one-click sharing of photos, documents, voice notes and more.

BBM users will also be able to share their live location for a specified amount of time with other BBM contacts by using location sharing, powered by Glympse, and will have 100 new emoticons available to help them say what's on their mind.

LTE Network Upgrade Completed for The Bahamas:

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company BTC says that it has completed the full commercial launch of the country s only LTE network

LTE services will be available in The Bahamas' four most populated islands this month and then rolled out to the rest of the country. The network upgrade has been undertaken by Huawei.

Geoff Houston, Chief Executive of BTC, said: "The launch of 4G LTE services positions us on a par with the gold standard for mobile data used in the United States. We have invested to meet our commitment to deliver a world class mobile data and voice experience to our customers."

BTC is the exclusive mobile operator in the country which has a population of 319,000 people. The company has has been granted a 15 year licence to provide LTE mobile data services on the 700 megahertz radio frequency.

Nokia Warns 30,000 Jobs at Risk at Indian Factory:

Nokia has appealed to India s Supreme Court for relief after a lower court imposed new conditions on its plans to sell its Indian handset factory to Microsoft

The Delhi High Court had previously said that Nokia could include the Chennai factory to Microsoft as part of the handset division sale, but late last week added new conditions to the sale.

The conditions have been applied as the factory assets had been frozen as part of a tax dispute that Nokia is engaged in with the government. Nokia made a deposit of Rs 2,250 crore against the tax demand to secure the release of the factory.

The transfer of the factory to Microsoft can now be blocked again if the tax authorities raise their tax demand against Nokia.

A Nokia global spokesperson said changes imposed by the court would be detrimental to India's reputation as a stable investment destination.

LG Hints at Smaller Version of its G2 Smartphone:

LG Electronics has dropped a less than subtle hint that it is about to launch another smartphone a mini version of its G2 handset

A photo montage was uploaded to the company's own Facebook account -- so at least we know it's legit for once -- showing off a smaller version of a smartphone sitting next to the G2 model.

The company simply added that potential customers should wait until a further announcement on the 24th February.

The downside of making an announcement then is that it is the middle of a huge trade conference, and there is every chance that the story will be buried under the flood of other announcements on the same day.

Whether the image choice of a cupcake, shoe and starfish is significant remains to be seen.

Google to Block Android App Upgrades That Use AdMob Services:

Google has announced that its own mobile app store Google Play will stop accepting apps that rely on its legacy AdMob platform to serve in app adverts

From the start of August, as the AdMob SDK doesn't support Google Play's Advertising ID code, it will become non-compliant with Google Play's own terms and conditions.

As AdMob is a Google subsidiary, it would be easy for Google to make the necessary changes, but it has been trying to discourage mobile developers from using the legacy AdMob code for some time. The latest change will force app developers to switch to Google's newer ad service services.

Ad serving through the legacy code will carry on after the cut-off date, it's just that app upgrades through Google Play will no longer be possible.

The company said that the deprecation allows "us to focus our development efforts on Google Play services and offer additional exciting features going forward."

Ericsson and Ciena Sign Agreement for Development of IP-optical Convergence:

Ericsson has signed an agreement with Ciena to develop joint transport solutions for IP optical convergence and service provider software defined networking SDN

As part of this agreement, Ericsson will resell Ciena's Converged Packet Optical portfolio, including the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform and 5400 family.

"This strategic global agreement brings together two companies uniquely positioned to drive the adoption of more open, programmable networks. The integration of our industry-leading packet-optical technologies into Ericsson's portfolio, combined with our global distribution agreement, allows us to address a wider market with a combined offering," said Gary Smith, President and CEO, Ciena. "As our industry moves toward a more open networking environment, collaboration within an ecosystem of specialists will be critical for innovation. Our SDN-focused joint development activities will enable us to deliver on network transformation strategies that dynamically support changing demands for network-level applications and services."

The agreement is effective immediately, and go-to-market activities and solution integration efforts are underway.

Apple Pushing for Larger Screen Sizes in iPhone 6 Models:

There is more evidence that Apple is working on two new iPhone handsets with larger screens than their current models

There has long been expectation that Apple would launch two different sized models, but most had expected the smaller of the two to be comparable to the current handset size.

A new report from the South China Morning Post suggests that both new models would be larger than the current crop of Apple smartphones.

Citing sources who have seen the prototypes, the SCMP reported that the two models will come in either  4.7-inch or 5.5-inch screen sizes, which would bring them closer to the more popular screen sizes from other handset manufacturers.

They would also come with a higher screen resolution, matching that offered by Samsung's soon to be replaced S4 smartphone.

Low-Cost BlackBerry Handset Specifications Spotted:

More leaks about what could be BlackBerry s cheapest handset to date just as the company is refocusing on its corporate customer base

Specifications for what is generally code-named the BlackBerry Jakarta and through to be the first handset being supplied by Foxconn under the company's new handset agreement have appeared online.

A handset benchmarking report shows up an unknown handset running the BlackBerry 10.2.1 operating system and coming in with 1.5GB of RAM and a 1.19GHz processor.

That puts it slightly below the company's current lowest priced model, the Q5 in terms of specifications, although it seems to be coming with a more powerful graphics processor.

The release date is still a mystery.

South Korea to Avoid Using Huawei Kit for Sensitive Communications:

The South Korean government appears to have bowed to pressure from the USA and will avoid using Huawei supplied equipment in government communications

All three of South Korea's mobile networks have signed contracts with Huawei for infrastructure upgrades, but US security officials have been expressing concern that communications with the US military based in the country could pass over Huawei equipment.

US officials have repeated their long-standing view that Huawei equipment is a security threat and that its installation in South Korea presented a problem for its military.

Huawei always denies any allegations that it would support spying activities.

However, the Wall Street Journal has reported that the South Korean government has agreed that Huawei gear won't be used or connected to U.S. military bases in the country.

LG U+ is the main customer for Huawei in the country, although both of its rivals also use the company's equipment, they say they do so only in non-sensitive areas.

Android Smartphone Shipments Just Shy of 800 Million in 2013:

The smartphone market passed an important milestone in 2013 when worldwide shipments surpassed the 1 billion mark for the first time driven by continued momentum from Android and iOS

According to IDC, Android and iOS accounted for 95.7% of all smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter of 2013 (4Q13), and for 93.8% of all smartphone shipments for the year. This marked a 4.5-point increase from the 91.2% share that the two platforms shared in 4Q12, and a 6.1-point increase from the 87.7% share they had in 2012.

"Clearly, there was strong end-user demand for both Android and iOS products during the quarter and the year," says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team. "What stands out are the different routes Android and Apple took to meet this demand. Android relied on its long list of OEM partners, a broad and deep collection of devices, and price points that appealed to nearly every market segment. Apple's iOS, on the other hand, relied on nearly the opposite approach: a limited selection of Apple-only devices, whose prices trended higher than most. Despite these differences, both platforms found a warm reception to their respective user experiences and selection of mobile applications."

Macedonia is First European Country with Pure All IP Network:

Amongst its much bigger brothers and sisters in Europe Macedonia can claim that it is the first European country with pure All IP

Deutsche Telekom announced today that Makedonski Telekom is the first company within the Group with a network fully based on Internet protocol (All IP). Starting in October 2011 and within just 25 months, all 290,000 fixed network lines were migrated onto the new platform. Now services such as Broadband on Demand are already on offer.

"Our vision is a Pan-European network on the basis of All IP. This network will integrate mobile communications and fixed-line network technology. And it will enable a new cloud-based production model", said Claudia Nemat, member of the Board of Deutsche Telekom for Europe & Technology . The objective is to have the customers across Europe migrated to IP by the end of 2018. "The experience gained from Macedonia is of great value. Migrating to All IP is a great challenge. With its successful launch our colleagues in Macedonia are real pioneers", said Nemat.

Over Half of US Smartphone Owners Using TV-Related Apps Monthly:

New research from Parks Associates shows mobile consumption of video is driving usage of TV apps with 55 of U S smartphone owners and 61 of tablet owners using a TV related app at least once a month

"TV app usage is altering the use cases for multiple connected devices; currently 57% of connected game console owners are using the device to watch TV shows," said Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates. "We are also seeing new revenue opportunities emerge through in-app solutions in the smart home and Internet of Things."

Additional research findings

Over 70% of TV-app users are satisfied with the TV show or network apps they use.

The number of global TV app users on smartphones will reach 1.29 billion by 2018.

Over 23% of U.S. smartphone owners 18-34 have used a TV app on their smartphone to schedule a DVR recording. Over 22% have used an app that transforms their smartphone into a remote control for their TV or set-top box.

Apple Starts Verifying Mineral Supplies Don't Come from War Zones:

Apple has started publishing details of which of its component suppliers may be at risk of sourcing materials from war or conflict zones

Conflict minerals as they are called are often mined in areas held by rebel forces in civil wars, and often lack even the most basic of safety systems, and the profits are used to fuel weapons purchases.

The company has confirmed that all its sources of Coltan, a vital mineral in electronics is now ethically sourced, but said that there are still over a hundred suppliers of other minerals that remain unverified.

A total of 59 mineral suppliers are compliant, 23 have agreed to be tested, but the status at 104 suppliers is unknown.

"The ethical sourcing of minerals is an important part of our mission to ensure safe and fair working conditions," Apple said in its latest Supplier Responsibility Report.