EuropeanCommision
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Nokia, Apple, RIM and others agree on micro-USB phone charger standard for Europe
While the free-market works pretty well when, uh, left alone to be free, sometimes it needs a push from a visible hand. Case in point, phone chargers; at the moment some 30 different types of chargers are used with handsets throughout Europe. Today, the European Commission received industry backing of its phone charger standard that relies on a micro-USB socket. The standard is now backed by all the majors (representing 90% of the European mobile market) including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Apple, LG, NEC, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung and Texas Instruments with compatible devices starting to appear in Europe next year. Or course, the micro-USB charger standard already has the blessings of CTIA, OMTP, and GSM Association which implies a broader adoption beyond Europe, someday. One charger for any mobile phone... where's the catch?
EU to cap European SMS roaming rates at 11 Euro cents
While the United States and Canada are still pondering what to do (if anything) about the rising cost of text messaging, it looks like the European Union has finally decided to put its rather large foot down and set a cap on all texts sent within Europe. According to Reuters, the new maximum rate will be 11 Euro cents, which is quite the bargain considering that, as Mobile Burn points out, a German customer sending a text from Spain now has to pay a hefty 41 Euro cents for the privilege. Under the same European Commission proposal, phone calls will also have to be billed by the second, and competition for accessing the internet abroad will also apparently be "increased," although any further specifics on that point are a bit light at the moment. There's also no word exact word as to when the new rules will go into effect, but previous reports had said it could happen as soon as January.[Via Mobile Burn]
EC cuts a slice of spectrum for vehicle-to-vehicle communication
It seems that Dash-like devices that rely on plain old GPRS for two-way vehicle communications could one day be a bit redundant in Europe, as the European Commission has just set aside a slice of spectrum that's intended specifically to let vehicles communicate with each other. As with the Dash and other similar devices, the idea here is to give drivers a heads up about traffic jams and other potential hazards, with real-time data provided by other drivers ensuring all that info is as up to date as possible. The system, which will make use of 30MHz of spectrum in the 5.9GHz band, will also apparently allow roadside transmitters to send vital info to vehicles passing by, although exactly when that might happen is, of course, a bit unclear at the moment.[Via The Register]
European Commission set to talk antitrust with Apple, music labels
Last we heard anything about Apple's antitrust troubles in Europe was in June, when the company issued a last-minute response to the European Commission's investigation into the matter. Now, according to Ars Technica, Apple is getting ready to meet directly with the EC, with a number of music labels also along for the ride. The hearings, dealing with alleged unfair pricing practices of Apple's iTunes stores in Europe, will take place September 19th and 20th, although the EC is apparently stressing that they will not lead directly to a final decision. Interestingly, EMI, Universal Music Group, and Sony BMG will each be meeting with the EC and Apple separately. That's apparently being done in order to protect the "confidential nature" of each company's agreement with Apple.
