The first half of 2007 saw the launch of Nokia-Siemens Networks. Industry mergers such as this have become a feature of the telecoms scene in recent years. But although the merging companies are based in developed markets, the mergers are being driven by the need to drive down costs in order to compete in emerging markets...

Less than three months remain before the governments of the world meet at this year's World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) to decide whether to re-assign C-band for the terrestrial-wireless sector...

Satellite communications, when properly deployed, will always mean an improved global response to disasters. Now the ITU has forged a partnership with satellite-based ICO Global Communications and the Commonwealth Business Council to exploit satellite communications for exactly this purpose...

Aimed at meeting all the major reporting, monitoring and control protocols, Intamac's latest device is aimed at putting customer needs at the top of the agenda in home and office automation...

Teledata Networks has now launched its BroadAccess-100 New Outdoor Mini IP DSLAM, aimed at easing upgrades to triple play...

Some months ago we carried a press release from Nokia which extolled the virtues of a Nokia handset whose design was said to be inspired by Alice in Wonderland. The press release was so brilliant we carried it unedited. Now, Nokia has released its Nokia 8600 Luna, 'a definitive design statement with a touch of glass.' We thought those of you dealing with telecoms in rural wastelands, or building up tele-density in urban squalor, or installing disaster management systems might just be interested in what Nokia has to say. Take it away, Nokia Luna...

One of the most important subjects Developing Telecoms reports on regularly is Disaster Management. We were therefore pleasantly surprised to find that the Economist had recently published an article with the above title. Subtitled "You don't have to be big to make a difference" it is reproduced here, to reach a wider audience...

Anam Mobile, a leading provider of revenue generating SMS applications, has announced a new service that will allow global money transfers via SMS...

Vodafone has unveiled its first branded ultra-low cost consumer handsets, the Vodafone 125 and Vodafone 225, aimed at providing millions of people in emerging and developing markets the opportunity to access to the benefits of mobile technology for the very first time...

Nokia Siemens Networks has now introduced its new Village Connection, a solution aimed at providing affordable rural connectivity and coverage in new growth markets. Village Connection is based on an easy concept: build rural connectivity village by village, exploiting a franchise-based business model between operator and local village entrepreneur...

Kasenna Portal TV ushers in third generation IPTV Middleware - and gains number 2 spot for VOD server software...

Nortel and Microsoft are pooling their expertise to encourage unified communications among the world's businesses. New converged office innovations are set to benefit service providers and businesses alike...

CTIA Wireless 2007 gave Nokia the chance to explain its future convergence strategy. Centred on the four 'Cs' of Connectivity, Cost-savings, Creativity, and Culture, Nokia seeks to explain how its business mobility products, solutions, ecosystem and strategy will benefit millions of mobile professionals at work and in their personal lives.

Alternet Systems will be the new name for the company formed out of the merger between Alternet Systems and TekVoice. The primary brief for the company will be to acquire and develop wireless broadband networks in under-served countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, delivering voice, data and content services to customers in these regions...

Rohde & Schwarz has been appointed RCT tester/developer for mobile WiMAX by the WiMAX Forum. The electronics company introduced its R&S TS8970 to a broad public for the first time at 3GSM Barcelona, after having previously presented it at various WiMAX conferences...

The SMS Forum has just announced it is to disband. The Forum believes it has successfully achieved its objective of introducing universal standards for SMS, and so further work from the Forum is no longer required.

Nokia has started offering the smart2go mapping and navigation platform as a free download, which will allow millions of people to use map coverage offered via their mobile devices...

The incumbent international gateway monopoly business model is past its sell-by date; governments should liberalise this market immediately and all stakeholders will benefit. This forceful assertion is the conclusion of Tom Phillips, Chief Government & Regulatory Affairs Officer to the GSM Association.

Should Auld acquaintance be forgot? Not according to the record numbers of SMS sent this New Year. Thousands of miles, different time zones and even the seas and oceans proved no barrier for friends, family and loved ones this most recent New Year...

Is there a role for alternative energy sources in the mobile industry? Yes is the answer, according to Motorola, which recently announced that it had successfully completed a trial to demonstrate the feasibility of alternative power systems that can support remote GSM base stations.

Huawei has announced the commercial introduction of its IP Multimedia Subsystem 3.0 solution aimed at providing an open architecture for the development of multimedia services...

Spearheaded by the arrival of real-time billing systems, billing is now a dynamic force with strategic implications and major repercussions for operators worldwide. Operators and subscribers in emerging markets, including those in the Asia-Pacific region, are among those enjoying the powerful benefits of real-time billing. Haim Kantor, Associate Vice President of the Real-time billing division of Comverse, sets the scene...

Texas Instruments is expanding its portfolio of WiMAX solutions with 2 new announcements in the WiMAX sector...