Posts Tagged Nokia
Vodafone, T-Mobile plan mobile VoIP tariffs (Germany)
Financial Times Deutschland reports that mobile operators Vodafone Germany and T-Mobile Deutschland may back down from their position that they would not sell Nokia handsets with the Voice-over-IP (VoIP) programme Skype included. The service currently allows users to make telephone calls for free, or more cheaply than traditional telephone providers. Both operators have said that they are looking into offering special tariffs for mobile VoIP use instead of blocking the services, which have been available for their mobile internet customers for six weeks.
T-Mobile announced in early April 2009 it would not allow its customers to use the new Skype application designed specifically for Apple’s iPhone. T-Mobile spokesperson, Alexander von Schmettow, said: ‘It is clearly stated in our customer contracts that such services may not be used. There are two reasons for this – because the high level of traffic would hinder our network performance, and because if the Skype programme didn’t work properly, customers would make us responsible for it.’
1 comment May 13, 2009
Nokia threat to quit Finland ‘unless law changed’
Mobile phone giant Nokia threatened to leave its native Finland if a change to laws blocking companies from monitoring employee emails was not introduced, a respected Finnish newspaper said Sunday.Nokia spokeswoman Arja Suominen subsequently rejected the accusation, telling the STT news agency that Nokia has in no way threatened to move, claiming the Helsingin Sanomat article is quite polemic. It contains many mistakes and misunderstandings. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen also denied that politicians had been pressured by the company to change the law.
I have not heard about such an ultimatum. I have discussed (the law) with many companies including Nokia, and I have never heard that they have made such a threat, he told national broadcaster Yle.The daily quoted an unnamed civil servant as telling the paper that “Nokia lobbied very hard for the proposed law to be unanimously approved… (The message) was very clear: if the law was not approved, Nokia would leave Finland.
Add comment February 4, 2009
Nokia adds 3 phones to classic range
Nokia has unveiled three new phones for its classic range. The Nokia 6700 classic is the successor to the 6300, one of the company’s top sellers in the mid-range market. The slim bar phone with metal keymat shares the same ‘DNA’ as its predecessor, according to the company, and Nokia expects it will be one of its best selling devices in 2009. The 6700 comes with a 5 megapixel camera, assisted GPS and Nokia Maps and 3G access. The phone will sell for EUR 235 before taxes and subsidies. Next up is the 6305 classic, priced at EUR 135. The handset has a 2.2-inch screen, 3.2 megapixel camera, 3.5 mm headset, music player, pre-loaded Nokia Maps and long battery life. Finally at the low end is the Nokia 2700 classic for EUR 65. The phone comes with a 2 megapixel camera, music player and up to 2 GB storage via a memory card slot. All three devices are expected to ship in the second quarter of 2009.
Add comment January 29, 2009
Vodafone Expands Mobile Advertising in Greece and Netherlands
Mobile advertising agency, MADS says that it has won contracts from Vodafone Netherlands and Vodafone Greece to integrate mobile adverts within their Vodafone live! portals. We selected MADS because of their ability to power multi-channel and targeted ad delivery and their ability to provide innovative solutions and fast time to market, states Nils Rouwendal, Manager of Mobile Marketing at Vodafone Netherlands.
Johnson & Johnson, Nokia, EA games, Volkswagen, Nivea, Citroen, Motorola, Coca-Cola, LG and other premium brands have already launched successful advertising campaigns on Vodafone mobile channels. Research has proven that mobile advertising allows brands to target consumers in a very personal way, resulting in significantly higher response and click-through-rates compared to traditional online advertising.
Add comment January 29, 2009
Nokia Hits 1 Million 5800 XpressMusic 3G Mobile Phones Sales
Nokia has shipped the millionth Nokia 5800 XpressMusic device, a milestone that coincides with the successful sales start of the device in the UK. The latest in Nokia’s XpressMusic range, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is the company’s first mass market touch screen device.
Following its introduction in October 2008, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has seen successful sales starts in a number of markets, including Hong Kong and Moscow where the device sold out within hours of the sales start. Earlier today at the official sales start of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in the UK, more than 150 customers queued outside the Nokia Flagship Store on London’s Regent Street to be among the first to own the device.
“The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has been received very positively and this milestone is just further proof that people all over the world want a device that is not only a great music experience, but also makes the most of touch screen technology,” said Jo Harlow, Vice President, Nokia.
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic offers a complete music experience and features a number of music and entertainment essentials, including a graphic equalizer, 8GB memory for up to 6000 tracks, support for all main digital music formats, and a 3.5mm jack. Built-in surround sound stereo speakers offer the industry’s most powerful sound.
For the best screen resolution available on a mobile phone, the 3.2″ widescreen display brings photos, video clips and web content to life in vibrant color and true clarity. With a 16 by 9 aspect ratio and 30 frames-per-second playback and recording, the device is ideal for VGA quality video recording and playback. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic also features a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and, with a single touch, images or videos can be shared via a favorite online community, such as Share on Ovi, Flickr, or Facebook.
Add comment January 28, 2009
Nokia launches ‘premium’ mobile service (Japan)
Nokia of Finland has launched a ‘premium’ mobile service in Japan using its high-end Vertu handset brand as a platform and piggybacking on NTT DoCoMo’s network to provide MVNO services to customers. The world’s biggest handset maker says the new service will be run by Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) as a managed service, allowing the MVNO to introduce value added services (VAS) without the need to invest in its own software, equipment, human resources and skills.
In November 2008 Nokia announced it was withdrawing from the Japanese mobile handset market, blaming the decision on its inability to make inroads in a country that heavily favours locally-developed technologies. However, the vendor said at the time it would continue to market its high-end, niche mobile phone Vertu. The announcement came just days after CommsUpdate reported that Nokia had revealed plans to enter the mobile market in Japan this year through an MVNO partnership with DoCoMo.
Add comment January 27, 2009
Global Mobile Phone Shipments Dropped by 10% in Q4 2008
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global mobile phone shipments fell 10 percent year-over-year, to reach 295 million units in Q4 2008. An economic downturn in developed and emerging markets caused the industry’s slowest growth rate since 2001.Bonny Joy, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics said, Global mobile phone shipments fell to 295 million units during Q4 2008, down a significant 10 percent from 329 million units in Q4 2007. An economic downturn in developed and developing markets caused the industry’s slowest growth rate since Q4 2001. Retailers have been de-stocking due to credit tightness, while consumers delayed purchases because of fears of a recession.
Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, Three of the big 5 cellphone vendors recorded negative annual growth rates in Q4 2008. Motorola declined 54 percent, Sony Ericsson 21 percent and Nokia 15 percent. With volumes and revenues contracting sharply this year, much of the mobile industry’s focus will inevitably be on controlling costs and restoring profitability during 2009.
Add comment January 27, 2009
Nokia Q4 Profit Slumps 69% – Warns of Difficult 2009
Nokia has reported that its fourth-quarter sales dropped by 19% to €12.7 billion (US$16.4 billion) and profits slumped by a huge 69% to €576 million (US$744 million), compared to a profit of €1.84 billion (US$2.4 billion) a year ago. Analysts polled by Bloomberg News had estimated profit of €975 million on sales of €13.1 billion.Nokia’ mobile phone sales were down 15% year on year at 113.1 million units – and down 4% sequentially.
Nokia CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said “In recent weeks, the macroeconomic environment has deteriorated rapidly, with even weaker consumer confidence, unprecedented currency volatility and credit tightness continuing to impact the mobile communications industry. We are taking action to reduce overall costs and to preserve our strong capital structure. This is clearly our top priority in the current economic environment. However, it is important for Nokia to continue investing at the proper pace in future growth. We believe Nokia has a tremendous opportunity to capture value as the Internet services market evolves and grows,”The company warned that more limited availability of credit also reduced the purchasing ability of some its trade customers.
Add comment January 23, 2009
Blackberry support returning to Nokia
Last July, Nokia that it would discontinue the Blackberry Connect solution. Nokia at that time held a competitive position against the Connect. BlackBerry Connect was an application which allowed S60 handsets to communicate with BlackBerry servers. The particular move wasn’t all welcomed among users as Nokia’s email and PIM options were lacking. However, a recent interview with Nokia’s head of messaging services Tom Furlong suggested otherwise, and confirmed that RIM will continue to support Nokia. RIM is reportedly working on a new application and would be available soon. So it seems S60 users can access the connectivity option from RIM soon.We are in the interim period of time when we have dropped support ourselves, and Blackberry, is readying support for their service on Nokia devices.
Add comment January 22, 2009
Nokia Secures Pan-European Licensing for Music Download Platform
Nokia says that it has secured a pan European licensing deal to support its Comes With Music mobile music download platform. Nokia has entered into pan European licenses for its Comes With Music service with Universal Music Publishing Group, and the national collecting societies SACEM, SDRM, and SESAM (France), SGAE (Spain), and SIAE (Italy).In addition, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and the Nordic societies STIM (Sweden), TEOSTO (Finland) and TONO (Norway) have also confirmed their participation in the Comes With Music Service across Europe, and Nokia has concluded a pan European license with CELAS/EMI Music Publishing in respect of Nokia’s download service, Nokia Music Store.Customers who buy a Comes With Music device can explore and enjoy a diverse catalog of music of international and local artists with unlimited access to millions of tracks for 12 to 18 months, keeping the music when the “contract” ends. The United Kingdom was the first market to offer Comes With Music in October 2008 and Singapore and Australia are expected to launch later this quarter.
Add comment January 22, 2009
Doubling the GSM Voice Capacity with Standard Handsets
For the first time in the world, four calls have been carried in one GSM radio timeslot. This significant step in GSM evolution path was taken today by Nokia Siemens Networks who successfully completed a drive test for the Orthogonal Sub Channel (OSC), that doubles the voice capacity of GSM radio network.This successful demonstration opens up a profitable growth path for operators, evolving their networks to a new level of efficiency with minimized CAPEX and OPEX. This is made possible by a software upgrade to existing Flexi EDGE Base Station and Base Station Controller. OSC is fully interoperable with existing handsets, so it promises immediate cost saving for operators, said Prashant Agnihotri, Head of GSM/EDGE product management, Nokia Siemens Networks.
With OSC, operators can gain more capacity from the same base station hardware, meaning fewer base station sites are needed in network rollouts and capacity extensions, which in turn saves energy and decreases the CO2 emissions.The OSC demonstration was conducted as a drive test using four handsets sharing only one radio timeslot and without compromising the call quality. The demonstration with existing commercially available GSM handsets was the first one of its kind in the world, strengthening Nokia Siemens Networks’ leadership in GSM/EDGE radio technology.
Add comment January 22, 2009
Mobilkom trials e-ticketing (Austria)
Mobilkom Austria has partnered with handset vendor Nokia and national rail operator OeBB to trial a mobile ticketing solution. The system uses chip-based Near Field Communications (NFC) technology, allowing customers to receive electronic tickets which can then be validated at the touch of a button. 100 users have been signed up for the three-month trial which will run on the rail line between Vienna and Krems.
Add comment January 21, 2009
Nokia N97 will come with a hefty price tag
Nokia’s latest touch-screen sensation, the N97, dubbed by many as the ‘iPhone killer’ is set to have a hefty price tag when it hits the market.The phone, which has an estimated price tag of £500, is expected to hit the shelves in April after launching in December at Nokia World 2008 in Barcelona. Concern is growing over which networks will take on and subsidise the phone.
The current Nseries flagship phone, the N96, sparked controversy when O2 did not immediately take up the phone and other networks refused to fully subsidise the phone due to its expensive price. O2 eventually conceded and decided to stock the phone, but did not subsidise it. Some operators charged around £250 for the device on the mid-price tariffs.
1 comment January 20, 2009
Top Ten Selling Mobile Phones in 2008
The Swedish manufacturer of carrying cases for portable electronics, Krusell, has released their “Top 10″-list for 2008.
The list is based upon the number of pieces of model specific mobile- and smart phone cases that have been ordered from Krusell during 2008. Krusell’s list is unique due to the fact that it reflects the sales of phones on six continents and in more than 50 countries around the globe.
1. Apple iPhone 2. Nokia 3109 3. Nokia 6300
4. Nokia E51 5. HTC Diamond 6.Nokia N95 8GB
7.Sony Ericsson K800i 8. Sony Ericsson C702 9. Sony Ericsson K850i
10. Sony Ericsson K530i
Wireless Industry News
Add comment January 14, 2009
Motorola India axes sales force as handset business ebbs
The economic slowdown in India is hurting deeper. It has taken a heavy toll of Motorola India’s aggressive plans to expand mobile handsets business, where Nokia is the undisputed leader.
More than 200 people Motorola India had hired just a few months ago to drive hard its mobile handsets sales have all been laid off. The company has decided to carry on with its current model of doing business through its distributors.
As for the rationale behind this decision, Motorola India, through an email response sent via its public relations agency, said “while Motorola has a strong global brand as well as a solid balance sheet and cash position, the company is not immune to the currently weak global economy.”
On the lay-offs, the company further said “Motorola continuously reviews its business and the market to ensure that our resources are aligned with market conditions.”
Industry sources said Motorola paid all the laid-off sales personnel two months salary in lieu of notice period. Motorola would have made an announcement if it were laying-off employees in its home market, the US, as a matter of routine, but preferred to give the pink slips to such a large number of employees without making any noise.
Motorola, which was third in terms of market share, has fallen behind Samsung. Nokia is the leader far ahead of other mobile handsets makers with around 60 per cent market share. All others have their market share in single digits. Sony Ericsson has about 8 per cent market share, Samsung 7 per cent and Motorola 6 per cent.
Motorola India said “we are working diligently to improve the profitability of our business and are committed to delivering a strong portfolio of exciting new products in 2009 and beyond.”
Source: http://in.biz.yahoo.com
Add comment January 9, 2009
Nokia And Motorola Dominate China’s Smartphone Sales
Apple and RIM may be eating into its share of the smart phone market in developed markets, but Nokia is still king of the smart phone in China, where its third quarter share of sales reached an overwhelmingly dominant 69.3 percent, according to a new research report from China research group CCID Consultancy.
Nokia does especially well, CCID found, as the handset maker has a product offering that spans the low, mid, and high tiers of the market. There was also good news for the embattled Motorola, which has the second largest share of the Chinese smartphone market, cornering 19.9 percent of Q3 sales. Motorola does best with the mid-range of the market. The combined share of the two companies accounts for nearly 90 percent of smartphone sales in China. In third place, was local handset maker Dopod (4.7 percent), followed by Korean electronics firm Samsung (2.5 percent).
As for the actual number of handsets sold, the figure was 7.474 million, staying mostly flat (up 0.6 percent from the second quarter). Sales revenues in the third quarter hit 18.17 billion yuan ($2.65 billion), up 4.5 percent from Q2. Smart phone sales accounted for 19.3 percent of total mobile phone sales in China.
CCID expects China’s smartphone sales to grow moderately, but may see a boost from the launch of Android-based smart phones, which the research group said has caught the attention of many phone manufacturers in China.
Add comment December 18, 2008
