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GSMA and Cloudmark cooking up an SMS spam reporting system
If you get just five spam text messages a day then consider yourselves lucky, as a Chinese mobile user could easily amass at least 30 messages daily, according to Cloudmark. Fortunately, said company has been working with GSMA and various network operators on building an SMS spam reporting system, which should help drastically reduce worldwide cellphone spam. The idea is rather simple: in a multi-country trial that ended last December, participants from AT&T, Bell Mobility, SFR, Sprint, Vodafone, Korea Telecom, and the Korean Internet & Security Agency forwarded suspect spam to "7726," which is short code for "spam." Cloudmark's cloud-based system would then be able to identify and block these messages in the future, be it scams, linkbaits, or just ads from perverse companies. While this sounds like a perfect solution, it's not entirely clear how much this service would cost the operators, but hey, it's never too early to start a petition if you need it that badly.
HTC prepping VoLTE-enabled smartphone for MetroPCS
Hot on the heels of Verizon's completion of a test call using voice over LTE on its LG Revolution, the word on the street is that MetroPCS is hooking up with none other than HTC for its own VoLTE-capable phone -- though it's not MetroPCS making the announcement: instead, the GSM Association's technology director broke the news, which was followed by a swift "no comment" from the carrier itself. As PCMag points out, there's a sense of urgency for MetroPCS to deploy VoLTE in short order because it's using AWS bandwidth for its LTE services -- the same bandwidth it uses for CDMA -- whereas Verizon has LTE deployed down by its lonesome in the newish 700MHz space, which means MetroPCS could open up 4G bandwidth by migrating away from CDMA voice as quickly as possible. No word on when we might see this mysterious HTC device surface just yet.
GSM Association proposes embedded SIM cards with remote activation for 2012
The GSM Association is taking a serious look at embedded SIM cards that can be remotely activated, in both traditional (e.g. phones) and non-traditional devices (e.g. cameras, MP3 players). According to the presser, a task force has been assembled, culled from "leading technical experts" whose home turfs include virtually every major worldwide carrier. An "analysis of market requirements" is due in January 2011, and devices with the new technology are reportedly expected in 2012. If all that sounds familiar, perhaps you'll recall a recent rumor that pegged Apple and SIM gurus Gemalto as privately collaborating on a similar (if not virtually identical) idea. Coincidence? Don't blame us if your Krispy Kreme Android phonelet's nanoSIM doesn't mesh with the iPhone 6.
Hell freezes over: Verizon CTO Dick Lynch joins GSMA's board
Of course, seeing how Verizon was one of the earliest and most staunch supporters of LTE in the mobile operator world, it comes as no huge shocker that Big Red has earned itself a seat on the GSM Association's 26 member- and 13 carrier-strong board of directors -- especially now that it's a full, card-carrying member of the GSMA as a whole -- but still, feels a bit weird, doesn't it? From a PR perspective, we're figuring Verizon wanted to have this wrapped up before it stages its first commercial 4G launches later this year, but at any rate, it's official: you're now welcome to call Verizon "a GSM carrier. What about you, Sprint? Follow the break for the full press release.
Meganet's Dominator I snoops on four GSM convos at once, fits in your overnight bag
"Dominator I" sounds more like a monster truck than a collection of small boxes that collectively erase 20 years of relatively secure wireless phone service, doesn't it? Alas, what you're looking at here is a convenient, plug-and-play solution for exploiting the hard work the world's hacking community has put into cracking the A5/1 encryption used on GSM networks in Europe and the US over the past few years. The system consists of two nondescript white boxes, two directional antennas that you'll point in the direction of your victim, and a laptop that you can use to get a glimpse at all of the phones currently connected to your nearest cell site and record up to four active calls simultaneously -- and if you're more of the text messaging type, Dominator I's got you covered there, too, with full access to SMS. The company claims that the system was "declassified only last week" and is completely undetectable both by the operator and the end user, putting it in this rare nexus of "awesome" and "completely terrifying." It can't do the 128-bit A5/3 used in UMTS, but now that it's been cracked in a somewhat practical way, we're sure the Dominator II can't be far behind. Follow the break for Meganet's video of the system in action.
GSMA backpedals, changes Telus' HSPA launch window to October
We can imagine the phone call now: "GSM Association, how can I help you?" "Yo, this is Telus... where'd you hear September for our HSPA launch? What are you smoking?" "But we..." "Yeah, 'but you' nothing. October, broham... you heard it here first. Telus out." (click) [Thanks, Alex]
GSMA spills beans on September launch for Telus' HSPA network
There was really never any question that Telus' shiny new HSPA network was launching this fall, but the carrier's generally been tightlipped on specifics; fortunately, standards bodies and industry associations have a funny tendency to unintentionally help fill in some of those blanks, and this time around it's the GSM Association doing the honors. The GSMA is now reporting that HSPA (well, HSDPA, anyway) will be live next month, and customers apparently can expect to be treated to the opportunity to buy some world-class devices like the Hero and BL40 to celebrate the launch. It's hard to tell what Rogers is really thinking through the poker face -- but if you look closely, we think you can see a few beads of sweat forming. [Via MobileSyrup and HowardForums]
GSM Association sets 2012 target date for universal cellphone charger
Well, this is certainly interesting. Just a couple of days after a top European Union commissioner mused about the need for a universal cellphone charger, the GSM Association has now come out and announced that it and 17 of its partner companies are indeed working on such a solution, and that they plan to have a common format in place by 2012. That rather ambitious date will be a bit easier to meet considering the group's choice of connector, micro-USB, which has already gained quite a bit of acceptance as a common format. The use of micro-USB apparently won't be firm requirement by 2012, however, with the GSMA simply saying that the "majority" of new phones sold by then will support what they're describing as the universal charging solution (or UCS), which itself will have to meet a number of strict requirements in order to be broadly compatible. Of course, while everyone including the likes of Nokia, Motorola, LG, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson have signed on with the GSMA, there are a few big names absent, not the least of which, unsurprisingly, is Apple, so there's certainly still quite a ways to go before we have a truly universal standard.[Via BBC News]
GSM Association proudly endorses NFC and Carrier ENUM
The GSM Association has been gung-ho about near-field communications (NFC) for a good while now, but just recently at a meeting in Macau did it take the opportunity to officially proclaim its support for NFC and Carrier ENUM. As for the former, it's urging manufacturers to have NFC technology (which is most commonly used for mobile payment systems) in "mainstream mobile phones by mid-2009 by using the standardized single wire protocol (SWP) interface, which enables communications between NFC hardware and a SIM card." Furthermore, it gave a hearty thumbs-up to ENUM (previously known as Number Resolution Service), which is an IETF-sanctioned standard for converting traditional phone numbers into IP addresses. It also announced that a related service (dubbed PathFinder) was generally available to mobile and fixed network operators from NeuStar. All this sounds fine and dandy, but what we're really interested in is what these folks did in Macau after the business was settled. Lucky...[Via phonescoop, image courtesy of ISOC]Read - Official GSMA support for ENUMRead - Support for NFC / ENUM
ETSI finalizes NFC standard
The GSM Association has been rearing to go for a while now with its Pay-Buy Mobile initiative with the ultimate goal of making contactless payment more the norm than the exception, but naturally, the GSMA isn't the only standards body that wants in on the action. ETSI -- the European Telecommunications Standards Institute -- has just decided on the final piece of what will ultimately become Europe's NFC standard. It seems the little matter of communication between the NFC circuitry and the phone's SIM was the holdup, and now that it's settled, the GSMA says it'll "[enable] mobile operators to prepare for the rollout of contactless payment services and other applications that make use of this flexible short-range radio technology." If there's one surefire way to redouble support for a new technology, it's by standardizing it -- now, let's just hope those standards start to cross borders.[Via Phone Scoop]
LG crafts its first handsets for 3G global roaming
LG came up big with its KU250 last year, a low-end 3G candybar that won the hearts and minds of the GSM Association's 3G for All campaign, and now they're at it again by winning the first phase of the consortium's "Horizon Phone" contest to foster interest in the relatively new 850MHz band and in global 3G roaming in general. Granted, triband WCDMA is by no means a novel concept, but it sorta is to LG; the manufacturer has yet to release a handset that's capable of roaming on 850, 1900, and 2100MHz UMTS bands for 3G access around the globe -- and that's exactly where the Horizon Phone-winning KM560 and KP330 come into play, theoretically keeping us attached to high-speed networks as we hop the pond. Specs are few and far between at this point, but we can expect the models first through the Horizon Phone initiative's judging carriers -- Telstra, Telenor, Rogers Wireless, Telefonica, Cable & Wireless, and Entel -- in the second half of the year, and later throughout Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
Video: Opera Mobile 9.5 redesign is lickity quick, slick
Bring it, we say. Opera Mobile 9.5 is prepped and (almost) ready for beta release. Version 9.5 is noticeably faster thanks to a re-engineered Presto rendering engine and features a new browser interface and downloadable Opera Widgets. A World Factbook widget pulls data from Flickr, Google Maps, and CIA World Factbook simultaneously. Opera was more than happy to compare their new browser with Microsoft's Internet Explorer Mobile to demonstrate the obvious -- IE mobile is cruel. Opera mobile 9.5 will see its first public unveiling starting February 11th at GSMA with a public Symbian, WinMo, and Linux beta expected soon. Click on through for the video.
E-TEN's Glofiish M810 and V900 with secret touch-based WinMo interface
After teasing us with a lustful peep from their V900's marketing collateral, E-TEN had the good grace to make their newest Glofiish official. Their first handset to offer mobile TV does so without hesitation -- DVB-H, DVB-T, T-DMB, and DAB broadcast media are all supported on that generous VGA display. These consumer oriented Windows Mobile phones pack an unspecified GSM radio, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS underneath an E-TEN developed touch-based user interface. Presumably, E-TEN has a TouchFLO-like layer to hide the consumer-unfriendly ugliness of Microsoft's increasingly dated and finger-meat hating mobile OS. Also announced is E-TEN's new Glofiish M810 with HSDPA, WiFI (b/g), and GPS with full QWERTY in tow. More on these with their unveiling at GSMA. [Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
LG's slinky KF510 slider is ready to rumble
The run-up to 3GSM GSMA Mobile World Congress has begun with the announcement of LG's KF510 slider. Launching February 11th in Barcelona, the new 10.9-mm thin phone features a metal frame and tempered glass touch interface. LG primarily touts the phone's "advanced touch technology" (incorporating VibeTouch haptic feedback like their Voyager, we presume), 3 megapixel camera, and MP3 player. Available worldwide in March in Stardust Dark Gray or Sunset Red. How sweet.%Gallery-15302%[Via AVING]
EU agrees to open up GSM spectrum for other technologies
A 20-year old EU legislation is on the brink of being abandoned, and it's good news for those wanting more 3G across the pond. Reportedly, European Union telecom ministers supported proposals to "open radio frequencies allocated exclusively for GSM mobile phone services to other technologies, such as 3G mobile data." If approved by the European Parliament, creating a 3G network in the 900MHz band could provide "up to 40-percent greater coverage than one in the 2,100MHz band for the same capital expenditure," according to the GSM Association. Furthermore, some 300 million more individuals across Asia, Europe and Africa could purportedly have access to mobile broadband by 2012 if operators could use the 900MHz spectrum for 3G services. Sounds good from here, but we've no idea how long it'll take to hear a final decision on all this.
LG's "3G for all" KU250 on sale this month
What you're looking at here, LG's KU250, might be the first 3G phone some folks in developing nations ever see. Chosen to lead off the GSM Association's "3G for all" campaign to bring high-speed data outside its typical industrialized comfort zone, the 15mm candybar goes on sale this month in parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East on a variety of carriers. Pricing will likely vary from market to market, but the goal is to keep it cheap -- pretty impressive considering the phone's video calling capability, media player with support for AAC+ and WMA, microSD expansion, and 1.3 megapixel cam.
Is the Sony Ericsson W999i real? The GSMA thinks so
Look, we want the W999i slider to be real just as much as the next guy. And who wouldn't? It's a beautiful phone -- but it's also totally Photoshoppable, as is virtually anything these days. Lending a small semblance of credibility to the W999i rumors, though, is its recent appearance on the GSM Association's HSPA website. No details are offered, and clicking on the phone takes you to Sony Ericsson's home page (which has no comment whatsoever W999i's existence), but we've gotta figure that the GSMA cameo is a pretty good sign even though "W999i" kinda sounds like an internal codename to us. UIQ, QWERTY rocker keypad, hip styling, HSDPA, and Walkman branding? Count us in.[Via Reg Hardware]
GSM Association gets everyone together for phone e-wallets
With services like NTT DoCoMo's FeliCa-based Osaifu-Keitai in Japan and Mifare deployed through much of Europe, perhaps one of the last great hurdles to widespread acceptance of phone-based e-wallets is a lack of standardization. Either that, or most people don't feel the need to pay for things by tapping their phone on various devices, but we digress; the point is that the GSM Association has now taken up the cause of getting everyone on the same page with its global "Pay-Buy Mobile" initiative. We really mean global, too -- among a slew of carriers, AT&T, NTT DoCoMo, Vodafone, and KTF are on board, representing the US, Japan, Europe, and South Korea, respectively, and the manufacturer camp counts Nokia, Samsung, and LG as its members. The first Pay-Buy Mobile trials are schedule to kick off this October, a schedule that is probably helped along by the availability of existing software and chips from Sony and NXP and the GSMA's pledge to build off financial institutions' existing NFC initiatives. We can't promise we'll use it -- but yeah, if it's secure, go ahead and build it into our phones, folks.[Via Phone Scoop]
Sundance Film Festival: coming soon to your cellphone
While it's no surprise that video on cellphone screens is quickly becoming the next hurrah, it's saying something when ole Robert Redford himself dedicates a new branch of the Sundance Film Festival specifically to the mobile audience. Teaming up with the GSM Association, Sundance Institute is creating the Sundance Film Festival: Global Short Film Project in order to showcase the popularity and credibility in delivering media to those wee screens. Organizers have commissioned "six independent filmmakers to create five short films, crafted exclusively for mobile distribution," and all will make their debut at the world's largest annual mobile event -- the 3GSM World Congress -- in Barcelona next year. Dubbed as "the fourth screen," there's certainly a lot of coin to be made by opening up a new medium to deliver content, but there's always TinyTube (or Orb) to keep your multimedia-playing mobile happy until Hollywood takes it over.[Via Mobile Gadget News]
GSMA wants 3G for developing countries
Sure, the OLPC project's connectivity options are all well and good with the promise of WiFi and mesh networking, but how's about tethering that $100 $130 laptop up to some high-speed WWAN action? The GSM Association has announced its "3G for all" initiative to bring UMTS access well beyond its current user base of 72 million people, most of whom reside in industrialized nations. Although OLPC is not specifically mentioned, the synergy is pretty obvious -- we suspect these laptops could find themselves in a few places where WiFi is hard to come by. Besides challenging carriers to build out the network, GSMA is asking manufacturers to develop 3G handsets with the needs of emerging markets in mind, something they've done in the past for 2G handsets with the goal of mass production at the $30 price point. UMTS has a long way to go in some industrialized nations before we see this all happening, but dare to dream, guys -- we're all about $130 laptops tethered to $30 3G-capable phones.
