Accenture agreed to buy the professional services unit of Nokia, which is responsible for Symbian customer support. The operating system is the world’s most widely used platform for smartphones. The Nokia unit provides engineering consulting and product development services to mobile phone manufacturers, chip manufacturers and mobile operators worldwide, Accenture said. The purchase price and other terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed. Nokia purchased Symbian last year.
During the recession, venture capitalists in the U.S. telecom industry are focusing on keeping their current investments afloat instead of expanding their portfolios, experts said in interviews. But some wireless and IP investors are filling the gap, they said. Meanwhile, venture capital firms are interested in funding companies that might receive economic stimulus money.
The momentum of interactive TV applications and IPTV in the cable industry has picked up this year and vendors say they are encouraged by what they've seen from operators. “In the movement toward IPTV by a lot of the cable companies that we're dealing with, there’s a reality to it and they are actually starting to talk about time frames and how they are going to do it,” said Ken Lowe, vice president of strategic marketing at Sigma Designs, a video processor chip maker. IPTV offerings from AT&T and other competition are spurring cable operators to move forward with these technologies, Lowe said.
Clearwire said it launched WiMAX service Tuesday in Atlanta, covering nearly 3 million people across 1,200 square miles. Customers can expect download speeds of 4 to 6 Mbps with bursts exceeding 15 Mbps. The network uses an area-wide WiMAX radio system from Motorola. Clearwire is also offering devices including USB modems, residential modems, Clear Spot Wi-Fi devices and Intel embedded WiMAX laptops. Coming devices include a Panasonic Toughbook computer with embedded WiMAX chips and a Samsung WiMAX-enabled handheld device. Clearwire plans to launch in Las Vegas later this summer. The goal is to bring the service to 80 markets and up to 120 million people before 2010.
CableLabs names Paul Liao, ex-Panasonic, its next president and CEO, replacing Richard Green when he retires in December … Philippe Delusinne of RTL Belgium elected president of the Association of Commercial Television in Europe … New Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers board members: Charlotte Field, Comcast, and Mike LaJoie, Time Warner Cable … Craig Miller, ex-Intel and NextWave Wireless, joins WiMAX chip maker Sequans Communications as vice president, marketing and business development.
With satellite orbits becoming more crowded, and collisions more likely, lawmakers and space experts brain- stormed ideas to mitigate the dangers to spacecraft during a Wednesday House Aerospace Policy Briefing hosted by the Aerospace Industries Association. Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R- Mich.) said he hopes an international covenant can soon be adopted to address the issue. “I was horrified when people started to leave the space debris up there. It is way past time to blow the whistle on this,” he said.
End-to-end Internet-enabled devices are replacing stand- alone consumer electronic devices with configurations of customer experiences and providers, said speakers on a Fierce Wireless webinar Tuesday. With the help of stimulus money, embedded devices will gain significant adoption in health care and utility markets, in addition to consumer electronic markets, they said. The trend, which is changing the carriers’ business models, requires players to concentrate on certification and testing and simplify them, they said.
Intel, which has sought to revive its processor sales by expanding into the mobile-device market, agreed to buy Wind River, which makes embedded software for such devices, for $884 million in cash. No major regulatory and financial issues are expected, though there could be counterbids, companies and analysts said in interviews Thursday.
Stimulus money for energy-efficiency research in communications and information technology (CD June 3 p7) should be spent within two years, the Department of Energy said as it released details in a Funding Opportunity Announcement. The department is not immediately considering additional funding for continuing ICT projects chosen for the stimulus funds, it said. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Tuesday $50 million to finance research on energy efficiency improvements in the communications and IT industries.
Motorola will broaden its video applications and solutions portfolio, carrying its WiMAX and LTE deployments into broadband expansion this year, Dan Moloney, president of Home & Networks Mobility, said at the Bank of America and Merrill Lynch Technology Conference Wednesday. He hinted at potential LTE network and equipment deals with service providers China Mobile and Japan’s KDDI. The manufacturer is also looking at further video acquisitions this year, he said.