Hosted by the GSM Association, the trade show included equipment that can help users lower their mobile call costs, and products such as the latest Blackberry handheld phone and Windows Mobile 6 operating system.

Also hot at the 3GSM conference were mobile voice over IP (VoIP) clients, handsets with integrated satellite navigation technology, and dual-mode handsets that support both mobile and Wi-Fi wireless networking technologies in order to lower call costs.

The show also exhibited technology that promised mobile telephony cost reductions by replacing traditional telephony equipment with IP-based voice/data platforms that have integrated mobile phones. One example came from Private Mobile Networks (PMN), which has developed IT equipment that will lower mobile phone call costs made within an office building.

PMN launched a general packet radio service (GPRS) based system that allows users to route standard GSM mobile calls through a local, lower-cost network. It uses Private Mobile Exchange (PMX), a platform that enables mobile phones to become part of a corporate voice network so long as they remain in the vicinity of the workplace.

This means mobile phones can be used to make calls from the workplace for the same cost as calling from an internal telephone extension, said PMN.

"The inclusion of GPRS in PMX will allow our customers to take advantage of the existing corporate IP infrastructure for mobile voice and mobile data without incurring mobile operator data charges when within range of a private mobile network," said Dean Parsons, operations director for PMN.

"Cost control is one aspect, but we are also in discussion with a potential customer who requires a private GPRS network as a secure network for data transfer of business-related information around a large campus site."

Meanwhile, Nokia launched the latest version of its mobile enterprise mobility system, Intellisync Mobile Suite 8.0. The product enable users to synchronise fully their mobile devices to their office-based applications. Telecom Italia, IBM, LayerOne and Novell are among the providers selling the system to enterprises.

The latest version comes with a wider choice of deployment options - behind a firewall or hosted - and support for an increased number of mobile devices, whether Windows, Symbian or Palm driven.

Nokia`s rival Ericsson launched a version of its Enterprise Mobility Gateway, an integrated communications platform for network operators and large enterprises.

Ericsson said the system would initially provide mobile voice and data services, integrating fully into a corporate communications network that uses 2G/3G mobile devices as well as dual-mode mobile/Wi-Fi devices. The platform also supports IP-based phone calls.

Joe McGarvey, senior analyst at consultancy Current Analysis, said Ericcson`s move "highlights a requirement - namely, to extend enterprise-class communications and collaboration features to mobile users".

Mobile Linux was also under the spotlight at the 3GSM conference. Software supplier Access released product development kits for licensees in an attempt to boost the growth of mobile Linux.

In 2005 Access bought software supplier PalmSource, which developed the Palm OS mobile platform. The product development kit includes a Linux reference kernel, application development kit, reference drivers, documentation and a set of open source Eclipse development tools.

"The Access Linux Platform software has been designed from day one specifically for mobile phones and converged devices," said Tomihisa Kamada, chief technology officer and co-founder of Access. "We believe this approach has enabled us to deliver an integrated, commercial-grade Linux-based platform."

Broadband wireless standards continue to develop, with one supplier, Proxim, announcing it has combined three wireless radio technologies in one product called Meshmax. Meshmax unites Wi-Fi mesh, Wi-Fi access and Wimax transport technologies and supports 3.5GHz and 5GHz Wimax, along with 5GHz 802.11 mesh and 2.4 GHz 802.11 access.

Peter Jarich, principal analyst for wireless infrastructure at Current Analysis, said that integrating Wimax directly into a mesh node was "compelling", and signified an industry trend that would ultimately lead to wireless standards being more interoperable.

"In an attempt to build its mesh and Wimax businesses, the integration of Wimax into a unified node is nothing more than logical. Competitors - BelAir, AirSpan, Alvarion - are promising similar capabilities," said Jarich.

Mobile for business consumption

The 3GSM conference would not be the same without a flood of new mobile products, many of which appeal to consumers and senior business executives alike.

Among the stands, Samsung Electronics launched the X820, one of the world`s thinnest mobile phones at just 5.9mm thick, and the latest Blackberry device was also unveiled.

Research in Motion`s BlackBerry 8800 has adopted some of the features of its consumer version the BlackBerry Pearl, such as a media player and a microSD expandable memory slot for music and videos.

The 8800 has a Qwerty keyboard and a trackball screen navigation system and was its slimmest corporate design yet, said RIM.

The Blackberry 8800 also has in-built GPS software and Bluetooth 2.0 for use with wireless headsets.

"Senior managers are managing their lives around Blackberry," said one IT manager at the conference. He added that in his organisation, which uses 25 Blackberry devices, the Blackberry Enterprise Server had become a critical application.

by Arif Mohamed

You Can Discuss This News in Voice Over IP Forum.

As predicted here, Reality Check, only yesterday mobile VoIP [Voice over IP] supported by the current cellular carrier network is not going to happen any time soon.

If you read my blog you will see that the carriers are not that anxious to push a technology that undermines millions of dollars already invested in cellular spectrum.

John Blau, of the IDG News Service reports today on a speech made at 3GSM by T-Mobile CEO Hamid Akahavan.

"VoIP services provided over mobile phone networks will have `far less impact` than those offered over fixed-line networks," according to Akhavan.

Akhaan claims "there are technical issues that make mobile VoIP services difficult to implement," and I add there are monetary disincentives for the carriers to solve the problem.

In the meantime, Martyn Williams, another intrepid IDG News Service reporter writes that Samsung will demo faster Mobile WiMAX at 3GSM.

But if you read his report closely you will see the only one jumping on the WiMAX bandwagon is Sprint Nextel.

As I also mentioned in my column yesterday, Sprint is the only
major carrier that owns enough WiMAX licensed spectrum to make it worth their while to deploy WiMAX as an alternative to cellular.

By the way one of the great advantages of WiMAX is that it is an IP technology which would make it so much easier to deploy and support for network providers and their customers.

The news that Nokia and Siemens are combining networks makes one wonder if carriers haven`t quite figured out how to monetize their data services. It could be a sign that these two companies are trying to combine technologies and thus eliminate costly duplication, lower their operating costs and compete with the other major carriers who have been on a merger spree for the last two years.

If you doubt what I say look at this report from John Blau of the IDG News Service.

Blau reports that the CEO designate of the new Nokia Siemens network said that "HDTV and IPTV [Internet Protocol television] would lead to a hundred-fold increase in data traffic by 2015."

Perhaps this is a combination of wishful thinking and or reassurance to investors and financial analysts that everything will be okay.

You Can Discuss This News in Voice Over IP Forum.

The four-day event, which starts Monday, is expected to draw more than 50,000 industry officials from major cell phone makers like Finland`s Nokia Corp. and U.S.-based Motorola Inc., as well as Samsung and LG from South Korea.

The event is also expected to see the official debut by Microsoft Corp. on Monday of its next step in mobile computing, Windows Mobile 6, which has been talked about in the industry by its code name, "Crossbow."

The operating system for smart phones, the handheld gadgets that marry the functionalities of personal digital assistants with full-featured cell phones, is expected to sport a design like that of Microsoft`s new Vista PC operating system and connect more completely with PCs that are running the new OS. Windows Mobile 6 is expected to improve e-mail accessibility and speed and make for easier editing of Office documents, a frequent target of criticism from previous Mobile Windows efforts.

Other companies plan to introduce new models of phones from devices that are set to be on the market within weeks to the dream designs that are still in the planning stage.

Looming over 3GSM like a cloud, albeit perhaps one with a silver lining, will be Apple Inc.`s already announced iPhone.

On Friday, in Seoul, Samsung Electronics Co. showed off its Ultra Smart F700, which is expected to take center stage at Samsung`s presence in Barcelona.

Mobile phone makers have been scrambling to match the iPhone, which was unveiled last month. The device, which will be available starting in June, marks the iPod and Macintosh computer maker`s entry into the mobile phone business.

The ultra-thin iPhone is controlled with a large touch screen, plays music, surfs the Internet, and runs a version of the Mac OS X operating system, among other functions.

Last month, Samsung rival LG Electronics Co. announced its own touch-screen mobile phone, the KE850 Prada.

The LG phone, produced in partnership with the Italian fashion brand, will go on sale in late February for $ 780 at mobile phone dealers and Prada stores in Britain, France, Germany and Italy.

But phones are just one element of the event, said John Strand, of Copenhagen, Denmark-based Strand Consulting.

"One could call it the world`s largest trade related `networking party` with the sole purpose of stimulating the mobile development that has over the past years changed billions of people`s daily lives," he said.

Last year`s event focused greatly on VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, the technology used by Skype and others to trade phone calls using not wireless or land lines, but the Internet.

This year, though, the issue of bringing more content -- music, movies and television -- to tiny screens is expected to be the biggest draw.

"The biggest Hype this year will probably be mobile-TV, IMS (instant messaging services), mobile VoIP, as well as user generated content," Strand said.

Much of the content will come from familiar brands, such as The Cartoon Network, as well as new initiatives to bring the wildly popular feel of "Bollywood" films to the super-small screen.

News broadcaster CNN International said it plans to do its first global TV broadcast from a mobile phone from the conference.

The "live via phone" piece will be broadcast by correspondent Jim Boulden for the daily news show "Business International," the company said of the 90-second planned broadcast that airs Monday.

The conference is also a chance for the industry`s major technology suppliers -- Nokia-Siemens, Sweden`s LM Ericsson, France`s Alcatel/Lucent, Canada`s Nortel Networks Corp. and U.S. company Qualcomm Inc., among others -- to talk directly to their corporate customers about what is upcoming and, more importantly, what can implemented quickly.

Strand, however, said it would be more important to see what the newer, less-established firms will offer up, at least in terms of the wireless industry`s infrastructure needs.

"The mobile industry is developing in the same way as the pharmaceutical industry, which in one side is consolidating into a few large players, and it is not these big old players who are delivering the innovation anymore," he said. "Innovation is something you purchase from smaller companies. We believe that the exiting news this year will come from the smaller and medium sized players, who only have their unique products to profile themselves on, against the big boy`s PR machines."

By Matt Moore

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