Quantenna Forms Wi-Fi Partnership with Sagemcom

Quantenna Communications and Sagemcom have formed a collaborative partnership to integrate Quantenna's Wi-Fi technology in Sagemcom video bridges and other Wi-Fi products.

Quantenna's high performance 802.11n 4x4 MIMO solutions will enable Sagemcom to deliver value-added services to their subscribers that include the ability to stream and distribute HDTV along with other video content to multiple wireless devices in the home, such as Wi-Fi tablets and smartphones – with rock-solid whole home wireless coverage. This simplifies installation and enables a better home entertainment experience anywhere in the home.


As a result of this collaboration, Sagemcom will be able to more quickly deploy wireless services across almost any size home, even through multiple concrete walls and floors, to multiple devices simultaneously and reliably.


“The combined Quantenna and Sagemcom solution will deliver a whole new experience to consumers and enable us to rapidly deploy advanced video services,�? said Ahmed Selmani, deputy chief executive officer of Sagemcom Broadband. “We are very pleased to partner with Quantenna's best-in-class Wi-Fi solution and look forward to our continued involvement together.�?http://www.quantenna.com

• Quantenna's current family of Full-11n chipsets uses the company's cost-optimized, third-generation 4x4 MIMO technology to deliver up to 600 Mbps of bandwidth. The chipsets enable manufacturers to build products for delivering IPTV and other video streaming and data distribution services throughout the home over an ultra-reliable, high-performance Wi-Fi connection.



• Quantenna leverages dynamic digital beamforming to deliver very high-speed wireless coverage throughout the whole home for sharing high definition (HD) video and multimedia content between home gateways and TVs. Quantenna's silicon is targeted at devices such as home residential gateways, set-top boxes, routers, HDTVs and consumer electronic devices, which all require high bandwidth and reliability to support whole home HD video distribution and networking over standard Wi-Fi networks.

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Sequans and Fujitsu Enter LTE Partnership

Sequans Communications and Fujitsu Semiconductor announced a technology and marketing collaboration that combines Fujitsu Semiconductor's multimode 2G/3G/LTE RF solution with Sequans' newly announced LTE baseband solutions. The Fujitsu Semiconductor RF transceiver supports all major global bands and modes, including LTE bands, and will be pre-integrated and fully validated with Sequans' LTE chips by Sequans.


The Sequans/Fujitsu Semiconductor combined solution features Fujitsu Semiconductor's MB86L12A 2G/3G/LTE RF CMOS transceiver and Sequans' SQN3110 and SQN3120 baseband chips. The MB86L12A supports all 3GPP LTE-FDD and LTE-TDD bands. The SQN3110 is Sequans' new generation 40 nm LTE baseband chip that is 3GPP R9 compliant, supporting category 4 throughput and providing extremely low power consumption in a very small footprint for handsets and the smallest of mobile devices. The SQN3120 adds an integrated applications processor for portable hotspots, hostless USB modems, and CPE devices. http://www.sequans.com

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ABI Research: 80 Million LTE Connections Worldwide by 2013

ABI Research is predicting80 million LTE connections globally by the end of 2013, including both FD-LTE and TD-LTE. The research firm noted that all three operators in Saudi Arabia recently lit up TD-LTE networks using 2.5 GHz licensed spectrum meant for WiMAX and plan to extend their coverage nationwide. While the Saudi operators have conducted FD-LTE trials for over a year with various vendors, the reason behind the TD-LTE network choice is primarily due to unavailable paired spectrum. They are waiting on the regulator to release new spectrum, since preferred frequency is currently used for military purposes.


“The issue of insufficient spectrum echoes across various markets and is especially evident in developing regions as regulators are a bit slow in reacting to market needs,�? notes Philip Solis, research director, mobile networks. Many operators are looking into the option of spectrum re-farming. While the preferred spectrums are usually 2.6 GHz or 700 MHz, players such as Poland's Aero2 and Singapore's MobileOne have successfully deployed FD-LTE on 1.8 GHz, which was slated for 3G usage. Aero2 has deployed TD-LTE on 2.5 GHz band. http://www.abiresearch.com

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China Mobile Tops 633 Million Users

China Mobile added another 49.5 million users in Q3, giving it a total customer base of 633.52 million users as of September. The number of 3G subscribers now tops 43 million and is rapidly rising.


The Group's operating revenue reached RMB383.846 billion, representing an increase of 8.8% compared to the same period of last year. EBITDA reached RMB187.371 billion, representing an increase of 5.4% compared to the same period of last year. Profit attributable to shareholders reached RMB91.978 billion, representing an increase of 5.4% compared to the same period of last year. Margin of profit attributable to shareholders was maintained at a relatively high level of 24.0%.


http://www.chinamobileltd.com

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Nokia Shows Progress, Beating Expectations Ahead of Windows Phone Launch

"I am encouraged by the progress we made during Q3, while noting that there are still many important steps ahead in our journey of transformation. With each step, you will see us methodically implement our strategy, pursuing steady improvement through a period that has known transition risks, while also dealing with the various unexpected ups and downs that typify the dynamic nature of our industry. During the third quarter, we continued to take the action necessary to drive the structural changes required for Nokia's long-term success. Our results in Q3 indicate that our sales execution and channel inventory situation have improved," stated Stephen Elop, Nokia's CEO.


Some highlights:


Net sales were EUR 8.980 billion, down 13% from EUR 10.270 a year earlier.


Device sales came in at EUR 5.392, down 25% from EUR 7.173 a year earlier.


Nokia shipped a total of 106.6 million mobile devices in Q3, down 3% from a year earlier.


Nokia shipped approximately 18 million dual SIM devices in Q3


Windows Phone launch will occur next week.

Nokia expects its non-IFRS Devices & Services operating margin in the fourth quarter 2011 to be between 1% and 5%.


Average selling price continued to decline in Q3 as more low-end phones were shipped.


The decline in Smart Devices net sales in the third quarter 2011 was primarily due to significantly lower volumes because of stronger smartphone competitors.


NAVTEQ reported Q3 net sales of EUR 241 million, down from EUR 252 million, because of lower sales of map licenses to mobile device customers, partially offset by higher sales of map licenses to vehicle customers due to higher consumer uptake of vehicle navigation systems.


Nokia Siemens Networks reported Q3 net sales of EUR 3.413 billion, up 16% YoY from EUR 2.943 billion a year earlier.


The year-on-year increase in Nokia Siemens Networks' net sales in the third quarter 2011 was driven primarily by growth from the acquired Motorola Solutions networks assets. Excluding the acquired Motorola Solutions networks assets, net sales would have increased 3% year-on-year, primarily driven by growth in the Global Services business unit, which represented approximately 50% of Nokia Siemens Networks' net sales in the third quarter 2011.
The sequential decline in Nokia Siemens Networks' net sales in the third quarter 2011 was driven primarily by typical industry seasonality as well as some impact from the current macroeconomic uncertainty, offset to a certain degree by the contribution from the acquired Motorola Solutions networks assets. Excluding the acquired Motorola Solutions networks assets, Nokia Siemens Networks' net sales would have decreased 12% sequentially.
At constant currency, Nokia Siemens Networks' net sales would have increased 18% year-on-year and decreased 7% sequentially.


NSN's research and development expenses increased 18% year-on-year and 4% sequentially, primarily due to the addition of R&D operations relating to the acquired Motorola Solutions networks assets as well as investments in strategic initiatives.


Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks expect Nokia Siemens Networks' net sales to be between EUR 3.7 billion and EUR 4.0 billion in the fourth quarter 2011.
http://www.nokia.com

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Ericsson's Sales Rise 17%, Driven by Mobile Broadband

“Group sales in the quarter increased by 17% year-over-year driven by a continued strong demand for mobile broadband as well as increased services revenues,�? stated Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson. Operating income, excluding joint ventures, was SEK 6.3 (6.2) b. in the quarter and net income amounted to SEK 3.8 (3.6) b., an increase of 6%. The company said it is benefitting from the rising demand for smartphones and the resulting inexorable rise in mobile data traffic. Ericsson also believes it is gaining market share globally.

Some highlights for the quarter:


Sales for comparable units, adjusted for currency and hedging, increased 24% year-over-year.


Networks sales grew 25% year-over-year. The sequential decrease of -3% was attributed to seasonality and reduced CDMA sales in North America. All regions except North America, Northern Europe & Central Asia, Mediterranean and India showed sequential growth in Networks. In the quarter, all remaining effects from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March this year on Ericsson's supply chain have been eliminated and lead times are back to normal. With economic uncertainties in parts of the world, we cannot exclude somewhat more cautious short-term operator spending.


Segment Global Services sales grew 7% year-over-year and sequentially and Professional Services, currency adjusted, grew by 13% year-over-year. Managed services showed good development with increased sales of 12% sequentially, following 24 new managed services contracts reported in the second quarter.


Segment Multimedia sales grew 11% year-over-year and 8% sequentially, with good traction also this quarter for revenue management
in Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.


ST-Ericsson posted net sales $412 million slightly ahead of expectations, even when excluding IP licensing to a third party, but there was still an operating loss $194 million. Q4 net sales are expected to be slightly up sequentially.


Sony Ericsson saw sales rise 33% over Q2. Android-based smartphone sales represent >80% of Q3 sales. http://www.ericsson.com

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AT&T Tops 100 Million Mobile Users, 53% Smartphone Penetration

For Q3 2011, AT&T reported consolidated revenues totaled $31.5 billion, down $103 million, or 0.3 percent, versus the year-earlier quarter. Third-quarter 2011 net income attributable to AT&T totaled $3.6 billion, or $0.61 per diluted share. These results compare with reported net income attributable to AT&T of $12.3 billion, or $2.07 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2010, which included one-time gains from a tax settlement and the sale of Sterling Commerce. Excluding one-time gains, earnings were $0.54 in the third quarter a year ago.


“Mobile broadband growth continues to be robust, execution was strong across the business, and we delivered another solid quarter,�? said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and chief executive officer. “Smartphones, connected devices and tablets all posted impressive gains. Our first LTE 4G markets are up and running with terrific speeds. And we continue to work toward a successful completion of our planned T-Mobile USA merger. The next waves in the mobile Internet revolution represent tremendous growth potential, and we are laying the groundwork required for that future.�?


Here are some highlights from the company's financial report.


WIRELESS


AT&T posted a net gain in total wireless subscribers of 2.1 million, to reach 100.7 million in service.


Third-quarter net adds reflect adoption of smartphones, increases in prepaid and reseller subscribers and sales of tablets and connected devices such as automobile monitoring systems, security systems and a host of other emerging products.


A&T added 505,000 of branded computing devices (tablets, aircards, MiFi devices, tethering plans and other data-only devices) to reach 4.5 million, an almost 80 percent increase from a year ago. Most of those new subscribers were tablets, with 290,000 added in the quarter, of which more than 35 percent were postpaid.


Total churn declined to 1.28 percent versus 1.32 percent in the third quarter of 2010 and 1.43 percent in the second quarter of 2011. Postpaid churn was 1.15 percent, compared to 1.14 percent in the year-ago third quarter and 1.15 percent in the second quarter of 2011. Excluding the impacts of the Alltel and Centennial migrations, postpaid churn of 1.11 percent for the quarter was unchanged versus the year-ago quarter.


In the third quarter, the company sold 4.8 million smartphones representing nearly two-thirds of postpaid device sales. Sales of Android devices more than doubled year over year, and almost half of all smartphone sales were non-iPhone devices. During the quarter, 2.7 million iPhones were activated.


At the end of the quarter, 52.6 percent of AT&T's 68.6 million postpaid subscribers had smartphones, up from 39.1 percent a year earlier and 31.1 percent two years ago. The average ARPU for smartphones on AT&T's network is 1.9 times that of the company's non-smartphone devices. More than 85 percent of smartphone subscribers are on FamilyTalk or business plans. Churn levels for these subscribers are significantly lower than for other postpaid subscribers. The number of subscribers on tiered-data plans continues to increase. About 18 million, or nearly half, of all smartphone subscribers are on tiered-data plans.


Total wireless revenues, which include equipment sales, were up 2.8 percent year over year to $15.6 billion. Wireless service revenues increased 4.3 percent, to $14.3 billion, in the third quarter.


Wireless data revenues — driven by Internet access, access to applications, messaging and related services — increased by $857 million, or 18.0 percent, from the year-earlier quarter to $5.6 billion. AT&T's postpaid wireless subscribers on monthly data plans increased by 16.5 percent over the past year. Versus the year-earlier quarter, total text messages carried on the AT&T network increased by 22 percent to 196.3 billion, and multimedia messages increased by 54 percent to 4.3 billion.


Postpaid subscriber ARPU increased 1.4 percent versus the year-earlier quarter to $63.69. This marked the 11th consecutive quarter AT&T has posted a year-over-year increase in postpaid ARPU. Postpaid data ARPU reached $25.14, up 14.2 percent versus the year-earlier quarter.


WIRELINE


AT&T's third-quarter wireline results were highlighted by the first sequential growth in wireline revenues in more than four years.


Driven by strength in IP data services, revenues from residential customers totaled $5.3 billion, an increase of 0.2 percent versus the third quarter a year ago, the fifth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.


AT&T U-verse TV added 176,000 subscribers to reach 3.6 million in service. In the third quarter, the AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet attach rate was 90 percent and about half of new subscribers took AT&T U-verse Voice. Three-fourths of AT&T U-verse TV subscribers have a triple- or quad-play option from AT&T. ARPU for U-verse triple-play customers was almost $170, up 5.7 percent year over year.


AT&T's U-verse deployment now reaches almost 30 million living units. Companywide penetration of eligible living units is 15.7 percent, and 24.8 percent across areas marketed to for 36 months or more. AT&T's total video subscribers, which combine the company's U-verse and bundled satellite customers, reached 5.4 million at the end of the quarter, representing 22.6 percent of households served.


AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet delivered a third-quarter gain of 504,000 subscribers to reach a total of 4.6 million, helping offset losses from DSL. Overall, AT&T posted a slight net gain in wireline broadband connections. More than 70 percent of consumers have a broadband plan of 3 Mbps or higher.


Consumer IP revenues now represent 50.9 percent of wireline consumer revenues, up from 42.6 percent in the year-earlier quarter. Increased AT&T U-verse penetration and a significant number of subscribers on triple- or quad-play options drove 19.6 percent year-over-year growth in IP revenues from residential customers (broadband, U-verse TV and U-verse Voice) and 2.9 percent sequential growth. U-verse revenues grew 50.1 percent compared with the year-ago third quarter and were up 6.0 percent versus the second quarter of 2011.


Total consumer revenue connections at the end of the third quarter were 41.9 million, compared with 43.7 million at the end of the third quarter of 2010 and 42.5 million at the end of the second quarter of 2011.


Total business revenues were $9.3 billion, an increase of 0.7 percent sequentially and down 2.7 percent versus the year-earlier quarter. The year-over-year decline reflects economic weakness in voice and legacy data products somewhat offset by growth in IP data. Excluding the effect of the third-quarter 2010 sale of Japan assets, business service revenues, which exclude CPE, declined 1.7 percent year over year, compared to a year-over-year decline of 3.4 percent in the year-ago quarter.


Revenues from the new-generation capabilities that lead AT&T's most advanced business solutions — including Ethernet, VPNs, hosting, IP conferencing and application services — grew 19.3 percent versus the year-earlier quarter, continuing strong trends in this area. This now represents a nearly $5.8 billion annualized revenue stream.


Total business IP data revenues grew 10.2 percent versus the year-earlier third quarter, led by growth in VPN revenues. IP-based solutions allow customers to easily add managed services such as network security, cloud services and IP conferencing on top of their infrastructures. Total business data revenues grew 1.8 percent year over year.


Third-quarter total wireline revenues were $15.0 billion, down 2.2 percent versus the year-earlier quarter but up slightly sequentially. Third-quarter wireline operating expenses were $13.2 billion, down 1.3 percent versus the third quarter of 2010 and up 1.3 percent sequentially. http://www.att.com

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Sequans Pushes its LTE Silicon into 40 nm CMOS

Sequans Communications introduced three new FDD and TDD LTE baseband chips, a companion RF chip, and two new LTE platforms, supporting all global FDD and TDD LTE networks and implemented in 40 nm CMOS process technology. The devices also include embedded SDRAM.


The 40nm design pushes new boundaries for low power consumption and very small form factor.


Sequans is announcing two platforms: Andromeda, which is customized for the design of handsets and tablets; and Mont Blanc, which is customized for the design of mobile hotspots, USB dongles and CPE modems.


“Our LTE technology has been tested and proven in collaboration with nearly all of the world's leading system vendors in numerous networks on five continents,�? said Georges Karam, Sequans CEO. "Our new LTE platforms are uniquely comprehensive, supporting all global TDD and FDD networks from 700 MHz to above 3.5 GHz, and designed to meet the needs of device manufacturers for all types of devices in the most efficient way possible.�?


Sampling will begin in December. Sequans is based in Paris. http://www.sequans.com

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Acme Packet Posts Q3 Revenue of $70.6 Million

Acme Packet reported Q3 revenue of $70.6 million, compared to $56.6 million in the third quarter of 2010 and $79.7 million in the second quarter of 2011. Net income in the third quarter of 2011 was $7.9 million, or $0.11 per share, compared to $10.5 million, or $0.15 per share, in the third quarter of 2010 and $14.0 million, or $0.20 per share, in the second quarter of 2011.

“The fundamentals of our business remain strong, and we remain well positioned to take advantage of the profound shift to Internet-based voice, video and unified communications,�? said Andy Ory, President and CEO of Acme Packet, Inhttp://www.acmepacket.com

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MRV Announces Resignation of Chairman

Dr. Ken Shubin Stein, the current chairman of MRV Communications, has resigned from the Board and has been replaced by current Board member Philippe Tartavull as interim chairman. The Board also announced that current Chief Executive Officer, Dilip Singh, has also resigned from the Board. The changes will be effective immediately. Mr. Singh remains as chief executive officer of the Company and he and the Board of Directors look forward to negotiating in good faith an extension of his employment contract through July, 2012.


The Board also announced that Mr. Robert Pons and Mr. Ken Traub have been appointed to the Board of Directors to fill the vacancies created by the departures of Dr. Shubin Stein and Mr. Singh. The Board intends to commence a search for a ninth independent Board member who, upon election, will take over as chairman of the Board. http://www.mrv.com

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Telefónica and China Unicom Extend Partnership to M2M

Telefónica and China Unicom signed a strategic agreement to promote the development of M2M and the Internet of Things in a global scope. This extends the existing strategic partnership between the carriers, which already covers areas such as purchasing, mobile services platforms, services for multinationals, wholesale services, roaming or technology. The alliance also includes a share exchanging agreement between both parties and reciprocal representation at the Company's Board's, as well as a strategic alignment to exploit the combined scale of both Telefónica and China Unicom. http://www.telefonica.com

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Cisco to Acquire BNI for Video Control Plane Software

Cisco will acquire BNI Video, a start-up developing video control plane software for cable operators, for approximately $99 million in cash and retention-based incentives.


BNI's platform allows video service providers to easily incorporate social networking, search, and other next-generation applications into their offerings. BNI's website says its control plane software connects content to subscribers, enabling transcoding and digital rights management, invoking quality of service to ensure the content produces the appropriate user experience, and interfacing with billing and entitlement systems to ensure that it is correctly monetized. The video control plane software and CDN manager are currently available.


Cisco said the acquisition will advance the capabilities of its own Videoscape TV platform, which allows service providers to deliver compelling video experiences to any device over any IP network.

BNI was founded in 2009 and is based in Boxborough, Mass. http://www.cisco.com http://www.bnivideo.com

• BNI is headed by Conrad Clemson, who previously served as a senior director of engineering at Motorola, which he joined in the fall of 2006 through the acquisition of Broadbus Technologies. Previously, he was senior vice president for technical operations at Broadbus from 2002-2006, and before that was vice president of engineering at Gotham Networks, and a vice president of engineering at Lucent Technologies.


In October 2010, BNI Video announced that it had raised more than $16 million from Comcast Interactive Capital, and Time Warner Cable, as well as from venture capital firms Charles River Ventures and Castile Ventures.

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