Communications

Antenna developer Antenova has won a contract to supply more than one million of its compact quad-band dielectric antennas to a “top five” mobile handset OEM. The deal, struck in conjunction with its manufacturing partner Galtronics, is by far and away the company’s biggest to date. “It’s our first major contract. This is with one of the big boys,” CEO ...

UK-based mobile messaging software specialist, Magic4 has been bought by Openwave Systems of the US for $82.6m. The two software firms have signed a definitive agreement for Openwave to purchase all outstanding shares of privately held Magic4. Openwave plans to integrate Magic4 into its client software operation. According to Don Listwin, president and CEO of Openwave, browsing and messaging are ...

The worldwide market for mobile phones slowed slightly in Q1 due to expected seasonal effects, but still posted impressive growth year-on-year with a boost from smartphones, IDC reported. According to the firm, worldwide mobile phone shipments decreased sequentially by 5.9 per cent in the March quarter and increased by 29.3 per cent year-over-year to 152.7 million units. Additionally, the nascent ...

In an effort to hurry DVB-S2 broadcast receiver and equipment production, STMicroelectronics said it will license the VHDL code of its DVB-S2-compliant design to broadcast equipment manufacturers. The Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) organisation and the introduction of the DVB-S specification, which occurred 10 years ago, is used globally by satellite operators for TV broadcasting and data transmission. ST has been ...

The sun has started to shine through the clouds in the telecoms sector, according to PMC-Sierra, which reported higher revenues and net income for Q1 2004 – the fifth consecutive quarter of gains. The maker of chips for telecommunications and enterprise applications saw revenues climb to $78.7m compared to $70.6m in Q4 and $55.4m for the same period a year ...

CSR has announced that China-based Bluetooth software specialist IVT has been appointed as an official CSR design support centre for embedded Bluetooth short-range radio comms designs. IVT has its own Bluetooth core protocol stack code called Bluelet, which is already qualified as a fully compliant v1.2 Bluetooth protocol stack. Along with CSR, IVT has been instrumental in qualifying the first ...

Despite saying that the UK is the envy of the world over its progress on digital TV rollout, the BBC has warned there is work to do if the Government’s 2010 total switchover target is to be met. A BBC report has said the government must act to support the industry in converting the public to digital TV. If left ...

A Norwegian mobile phone software firm is to open an office in Cambridge to support its development of smartphone technology based on the Symbian operating system. Birdstep Technology of Oslo aims to tap into the local skills base in wireless design and in particular knowledge of the Symbian OS, which was largely developed in the UK by Psion. The company ...

Communications regulator Ofcom has reopened an old debate about whether BT should be split up by asking the question in a consultation document. The consultation is the first of two being undertaken as part of Ofcom’s strategic review of the UK telecoms sector. The review, which is due to be completed by the end of this year, is being carried ...

The BBC has reported that the progress of switching the nation to digital television has been “astonishing” and that “it puts the UK in an enviable position”. The BBC report also said the UK could switch over by 2010, but only if Government and industry worked together. If left to the market it will take until 2013 for 95 per ...