T-Mobile USA is teaming with Boku to introduce new carrier billing options within the T-Mobile Mall digital storefront, enabling Android application and game developers to accept in-app payments from the carrier's 34 million subscribers.
T-Mobile USA developer partners may now leverage Boku's 1-Tap SDK for Android to sell a variety of in-app premium content and services, like virtual goods and new gaming levels. Boku's 1-Tap Billing model enables consumers to make digital purchases with their wireless phone number and charge them to their monthly operator bill, sidestepping the need to manually enter credit card information or store financial data on their device.
Boku now partners with more than 250 mobile operators in 66 countries, among them T-Mobile USA rivals Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) and Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S). The firm has raised more than $75 million in venture funding since launching in 2008, and in March closed a $35 million round led by New Enterprise Associates and Telefonica Digital.
Earlier this year, Boku signed an agreement to expand its services to the offline sector, teaming with MasterCard's PayPass retailer network to enable consumers to make payments, earn discounts and receive targeted offers via mobile phone wherever PayPass is accepted.
The T-Mobile Mall is featured inside the larger Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play storefront and offers apps and games curated by T-Mobile USA. The mall includes Music Hub (offering access to music apps as well as MP3 tracks and albums and ringtones), Game Base (a collection of pre-screened titles) and Apps (highlighting T-Mobile's own applications as well as solutions from selected partners).
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NI star opens new 3G pitch in Castlecaulfield - tyronetimes.co.uk
THE opening of the new Castlecaulfield 3G pitch was the hottest event in the district last week with huge crowds of footballers and supporters descending on the normally quiet village.
The facility was officially opened by local Northern Ireland international Niall McGinn and the Mayor of Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council, Cllr Kenneth Reid, during a glorious evening of sunshine and high temperatures.
The event was attended by MLAs, Councillors, local Church leaders and huge numbers of the community that reflected the support for this project and event.
After the cutting of the ribbon, committee member Glenn Ferry welcomed everyone to the evening and asked the Mayor and Jayne Moore from Sport Northern Ireland to say a few words on the project, its impact and benefit for everyone in the local area.
Mayor Kenneth Reid said: “As a Council Dungannon and South Tyrone are delighted to have been associated with this project since its inception both in leasing lands for the 3G pitch and in awarding a grant of £15,000.
“The official opening was a showcase of Aughintober Regeneration Partnership’s dedication and hard work and was a fabulous evening for one and all. I congratulate everyone involved - this 3G pitch provides a state of the art sporting facility at Castlecaulfield and an excellent template for future development.”
Jayne Moore of Sport Northern Ireland added: “Our investment of £235,667 for this 3G synthetic pitch falls well within the Strategy for Sport. Sport Northern Ireland hopes this facility will plant the seeds for grass-roots development of sport, and encourage the local community to take part in sport, as well as nurturing a wealth of rising talent.
“It has been a pleasure to work with the Aughintober Regeneration Committee, in particular, I’d like to thank Ian Cuddy, Glenn Ferry, Dennis Kelly and Walter Cuddy. It has been a fruitful and enjoyable partnership and we have all delivered a high quality, and much needed facility for Castlecaulfield and surrounding district. The real hard work starts now in filling this excellent facility day and night and I would encourage everyone to give Aughintober Regeneration their support and custom.”
After the official opening, it was time to get the Charity tournament and entertainment underway.
With the tempting smell of burgers filling the air and families enjoying the face painting, chocolate, ice cream and a full range of children activities, the scene was set for a night of high drama.
With over 50 teams, 82 matches, spread over seven pitches, it was a busy evening for the organisers but after two and half hours of some excellent football, the ‘Goal Getters’ finished up as champions, defeating ‘Goat Storm’ in a tense, sudden death penalty shoot out.
Local club side ‘Dungannon Tigers’ triumphed in the plate competition by defeating the ‘Toon Army’ in the final and ‘Fake Madrid’ tasted victory in the junior competition after a busy playing schedule on Pitch 1.
Aughintober Regeneration Chairman, Ian Cuddy, concluded: “The support we have received for our opening and charity tournament has been very humbling for us in Aughintober Regeneration with a long list of people and businesses giving freely of their time and resources. To see over 500 people enjoying a night of football and friendship in the village is what this project is all about and to raise some funds for the Alzheimer’s Society and the local hospice is an added bonus.”
He continued: “I would like to thank Sport NI, our local Council, the committee and members of Aughintober Regeneration, players, referees, supporters and all those who came along on the night to make the event a real success.”
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Print this pageT-Mobile & Orange Everything Everywhere £50-million investment programme - Phones Review
There’s big news today for the UK mobile industry as Everything Everywhere, which runs T-Mobile and Orange has announced plans for a £50 million investment programme, intended to give customers a new service approach. The overhaul will bring several changes to T-Mobile and Orange customers.
The revamped customer service will be the first in the UK to be designed around phone operating systems and the devices that use them. Specialist agents will be highly trained to offer customers advice on specific devices and operating systems such as Apple iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry as it’s acknowledged that smartphone use and growth has completely changed the way people use their phones.
Experts in customers’ digital needs will be able to avoid the need to constantly transfer customers to different departments and will be able to offer advice on technology, devices and accounts. Being switched between departments can be a real bugbear to many consumers so this will be a welcome change. The £50 million will be spent on contact centres, high street stores and customer-facing staff.
Up to 12,000 employees will also be able to receive training at a special Development Academy. Around 7,000 customer service employees will receive training in operating systems and eventually they will be accredited with their area of specialty. It’s hoped that this will create excellent communication skills as well as engagement with the customer and also instill loyalty. Everything Everywhere Chief Customer Officer Jackie O’Leary said, “Being the first in the industry to champion something new is exciting and we are extremely pleased by the amazing feedback we are receiving from our customers, our people and the handset manufacturers and operating systems we represent.”
Trials have already been taking place and have proven to be successful with significant improvements in resolution of customer issues at first point of contact. There was also a double-digit increase in Net Promoter Scores that measure customer service and now the new approach is rolling out across the organisation. The companies previously announced that both would be offering T-Mobile and Orange products across stores.
Is this an impressive step forward by Everything Everywhere? Are you a T-Mobile or Orange customer and happy to hear this news? Do you think customer service needed revamping? Send your comments to let us know.
Proxicast Announces Easy Remote Access to Industrial Equipment Using The New LAN Cell 3 3G/4G Router - YAHOO!
The rugged industrial LAN-Cell 3G/4G Router instantly provides secure commercial-grade communications for industrial equipment and remote data applications using the latest high-speed 3G/4G (LTE, HSPA+) cellular technologies.
Pittsburgh, PA. (PRWEB) May 30, 2012
Proxicast (http://www.proxicast.com)The new Proxicast LAN-Cell 3 VPN 3G/4G Router is ideal for accessing remote industrial control systems, SCADA, machine-to-machine communication (M2M), remote telemetry, and other data collection and control applications. The next-generation rugged LAN-Cell 3 succeeds the older LAN-Cell 2 and provides fast, reliable and cost-effective wireless Internet access over any 3G/4G (LTE, HSPA+) network worldwide. The LAN Cell 3 router is excellent for industrial and remote applications such as:
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Factory Automation, PLCs & Industrial Controls
- Remote Telemetry, Data-Loggers & RTUs
- Water Management & Wastewater Treatment
- Building Automation, HVAC Control & Diagnostics
- Oil & Gas Well Monitoring & Pipeline Management
- Weather, Environmental & Earthquake Monitoring
- Electric Power & Automated Meter Reading (AMR)
- Smart-Grid Management & Intelligent Power Distribution
- Railroad Signals, Crossings & Trackside Sensors
- Traffic Signals, Street Lights & Traffic/Red-Light Cameras
- Video Surveillance, CCTV, Webcams & Security
- Green Renewable Energy, Solar, Biogas & Wind
- Temporary Work & Construction Site Monitoring
- Digital Signs, Signals & Displays
“Our industrial customers are no longer blind to what is happening in the field or on the factory floor,” said Jim Sabol, COO of Proxicast. “Sensors and other data gathering devices can report information to a central site; or programmable logic controllers (PLC), data-loggers, and industrial computers can be remotely monitored, diagnosed and updated as needed. The new LAN-Cell 3 combines all of these devices into single 3G/4G data stream utilizing a single cellular account typically costing $50 to $60 per month, saving thousands of dollars per year per site,” said Mr. Sabol.
Another major application for the LAN-Cell 3 is remote machine diagnostics and troubleshooting. A “truck-roll” to a site to diagnose a piece of equipment can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars if the location is very remote. “We have a customer doing seismic monitoring that has equipment deployed in locations accessible only by helicopter,” said Mr. Sabol. With the LAN-Cell 3, remote diagnostics and service can be performed instantly from any Internet connection.
Even when industrial sites are not so remote, establishing on-site communications can be challenging. Manufacturers of industrial equipment such as turbines, pumps, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, boilers, HVAC systems, and other large complex machinery that provide maintenance service for their equipment are often prohibited from connecting to their customer’s existing network. Proxicast’s customers use the LAN-Cell 3G/4G VPN router as a “drop-in” communications solution providing remote access to the equipment while allaying the security concerns of the factory’s IT department. The 3G/4G cellular connection gives the equipment manufacturer a secure, direct and unrestricted IP communications link to their systems on the customer’s premises.
The LAN-Cell 3 supports 2G, 3G and 4G cellular modem standards, but LAN-Cell 3 is specifically designed to take advantage of the new high speed 4G (LTE, HSPA+) networks. It supports many of the currently available off-the-shelf 4G USB modems. With speeds of up to 27 Mbps, many new high-bandwidth mobile applications are now possible.
Key advantages of the LAN-Cell 3 mobile router include:
- Open upgradable architecture - high speed 3G/4G USB modem slot and external antenna ports
- Supports LTE, HSPA+, EV-DO, 1x, HSPA, HSUPA, HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS USB modems
- Automatic fail-over between 3G/4G Cellular & Ethernet WAN
- Enterprise-Class 3G/4G router with full VPN client + server (IPsec & PPTP)
- Supports 25 simultaneous VPN tunnels with 3DES & AES encryption
- Compatible with Cisco, Juniper, SonicWall, and other VPN routers / software
- High speed Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) 2x2 MIMO - Max data rate 300Mbps
- Wi-Fi is available on the LAN and as a WAN client simultaneously
- (4) port 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN switch + (1) Ethernet WAN port
- Advanced SPI firewall, Quality-of-Service (QOS) & security functions
- Easy management with web Interface & SNMP management
- A rugged industrial-grade steel chassis and unique multi-function mounting base
- Patented USB Modem-LOCK secures USB modem in place
The LAN-Cell 3 mobile 3G/4G router is available for immediate delivery worldwide directly from Proxicast and select resellers. The LAN-Cell 3 is “carrier independent”, supports the new 4G (LTE, HSPA+) wireless standards, legacy 2G and 3G networks, and is user-upgradable to future cellular modem technologies.
About Proxicast’s Family of 3G and 4G Routers
The Proxicast LAN-Cell family of professional-grade 3G routers and 4G routers (LTE, HSPA+) are high-performance, rugged and upgradeable. LAN-Cell routers can connect multiple Ethernet based computers and devices to a single cellular data account for primary or backup connectivity eliminating redundant cellular service for multiple devices. The PocketPORT is the world’s smallest 3G/4G USB Cellular Modem Bridge (mini router). Proxicast products are optimized for corporate, financial, video surveillance, security, mobile in vehicle applications (cars, trucks, buses, trains, boats), industrial automation, solar power, public transit, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) telemetry and SCADA. Popular applications include mobile video surveillance, construction site monitoring, PLCs and industrial controls, remote device data collection, traffic control, point-of-sale (POS), ATMs, mobile Wi-Fi hot-spots and more.
Proxicast products (3G routers, 4G routers, 3G/4G routers, LTE routers, HSPA+ routers, 3G modems, 4G modems, 3G/4G modems and LTE modems) are cellular carrier independent and use either PC-Card or USB cellular modem architecture - and can easily be upgraded. The LAN-Cell and PocketPORT support all major worldwide cellular (wireless) carriers including Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS, AT&T Wireless, T Mobile, Rogers, Telus, Bell Mobility, Telcel, Orange, Vodafone, O2, Telstra and others. LAN-Cell and PocketPORT routers support 3G /4G modems made by Sierra Wireless, Novatel, Option, Pantech, Samsung, Huawei, ZTE and others.
About Proxicast
Proxicast designs and manufactures innovative, commercial-grade, rugged industrial, secure wireless communications equipment that enables customers to increase productivity, enhance security, improve operational efficiency and reduce on-going communication costs. Proxicast focuses on wireless equipment for use with all major worldwide cellular standards including (CDMA) EV-DO Rev-A, EV-DO Rev-0, 1xRTT (1x) and (GSM) LTE, HSPA+, HSPA, HSUPA, HSDPA, UMTS, W-CDMA, EDGE and GPRS on cellular carriers including Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS, AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile, Rogers, Telus, Bell Mobility, Telcel, Orange, Vodafone, O2, Telstra and others. In 2003, Proxicast introduced the revolutionary and award winning, LAN Cell Mobile Gateway, the original cellular router. Proxicast is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is a privately-held corporation founded in 2000.
Press Contact
Jim Sabol
412-406-7068
Email: jim(dot)sabol(at)proxicast(dot)com
Press photos of the LAN-Cell 3 are available at: http://www.proxicast.com/lc3/LC3-gallery-pr.htm
For more information, visit Proxicast’s web site at http://www.proxicast.com or
call 877-77PROXI / 877-777-7694 (U.S.) or 412-213-2477 (International)
Proxicast, LLC
312 Sunnyfield Drive, Suite 200
Glenshaw, PA 15116-1936 USA
Proxicast is a registered trademark of Proxicast, LLC. LAN-Cell, Modem-LOCK, PocketPORT are trademarks of Proxicast, LLC. All other brand, product and trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Jim Sabol
Proxicast
412-406-7068
Email Information
China Unicom edges in on bigger rival - MSN Money
China's second largest wireless service provider China Unicom (CHU) added 3.3 million subscribers in April. The company now has about 213 million mobile subscribers, up 1.6% from the prior month. China Mobile
(CHL) and China Telecom (CHA) also released their monthly subscriber adds. Both of them showed a healthy number of 3G subscriber additions, but fell well short of China Unicom's net 3G adds.With more than 670 million subscribers, China Mobile is the largest wireless carrier in the world and has twice as many subscribers as China Unicom. But when it comes to 3G, the difference is not nearly as wide.
As of April 2012, China Mobile had around 62 million 3G subscribers, only about 20% ahead of 52 million that subscribe to China Unicom's 3G network. A low but steadily growing 3G penetration of about 17% in China gives smaller wireless carriers such as China Unicom ample opportunity to compete on an even ground with the otherwise dominant China Mobile.
Moreover, China Mobile runs its 3G network on a proprietary homegrown TD-SCDMA standard, which has proved to be a big deterrent in securing smartphones that are compatible with its network. Even the iPhone, which has already been launched on the other two carriers in China, hasn't made its way to China Mobile yet.
Taking advantage of this, China Unicom has been closing the 3G gap with China Mobile by adding at least an equal number of 3G subscribers every month. In February, it added more than 2.8 million 3G subscribers compared to China Mobile's 2.65 million. In March, however, both added almost the same number of 3G subscribers. And in April, it added about 26% more 3G subscribers than China Mobile and contributed more than 40% of the total 3G net adds in the country.
The iPhone 4S addition in January this year is definitely providing a boost to China Unicom's 3G ambitions, and the carrier is looking to make the most of it before the popular smartphone arrives on China Mobile's network.
So, what happens when the iPhone arrives on China Mobile eventually?
The next-generation iPhone will, in all likelihood, have LTE capabilities and, currently, China Mobile is the only carrier "testing out" its TD-LTE network in China. However, it is unlikely that the 4G network will be up and running in a meaningful number of cities across China any time soon. This gives China Unicom enough time to market its recently launched faster HSPA+ network as 4G and drive the sales of iPhones and in turn promote 3G. This also helps it maintain a competitive edge over China Telecom -- the only other Chinese carrier to offer the iPhone currently.
The reason why carriers like China Unicom are increasingly trying to promote 3G is because most growth is coming from data rather than voice, which has reached near-saturation. Adding 3G subscribers will help China Unicom increase its ARPU levels as 3G smartphone users consume huge amounts of data. Higher speeds from the use of its HSPA+ network will also see users increasingly use data-intensive applications on their phones, driving data ARPUs further. However, margins will be impacted by the sale of subsidized 3G phones such as the iPhone, but the carriers are betting on making their money back over the term of the contractual period.
Our $23 price estimate for China Unicom stock is about 50% above the current market price.
More from Trefis
T-Mobile picks Ericsson, Nokia Siemens for network - Yahoo Finance
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- T-Mobile USA on Tuesday said that Nokia Siemens Networks and LM Ericsson AB will supply the network equipment for its new wireless broadband network, a project worth $4 billion.
T-Mobile is commissioning a "4G LTE" network, the same technology used by Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc. for their high-speed networks. It will use, in part, radio frequencies handed over by AT&T after the bigger company backed off its deal to buy T-Mobile due to opposition from federal regulators.
In addition to handing over spectrum licenses, AT&T gave T-Mobile $3 billion in cash, which will help finance the upgrade. T-Mobile plans to have the network live next year, covering 75 percent of the 25 largest cities.
Sweden's Ericsson is one of the main suppliers for the LTE networks of Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint Nextel Corp., along with Alcatel-Lucent SA of France.
For Nokia Siemens Networks, a joint venture of Finland's Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG of Germany, the T-Mobile order represents a new chance to get into the U.S. market for network equipment. It got a $7 billion order from Harbinger Capital, a hedge fund, to build a network for its startup, LightSquared, but that project appears moribund because regulators concluded it would have interfered with GPS navigation.
T-Mobile USA is making the announcement on the first day of CTIA Wireless, the U.S. cellphone industry trade show, in New Orleans. The company is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S., with 33.2 million devices on its network. It's a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG of Germany.
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