NTT DOCOMO's Smartphone for Beginners - Raku-Raku

NTT DOCOMO introduced the Raku-Raku SMART PHONE, the first smartphone designed for users who are new to touchscreen operations.

The Raku-Raku offers a 4-inch display with a simplified menu and large fonts for increased clarity and ease of use. The touch screen mimics the impression of a conventional phone key, allowing users to first confirm where their finger is touching by highlighting the contact point and then requiring them to press more strongly to actually select the menu button or icon. The device confirms the selection with a slight vibration and click. The menu has three large, easy-to-understand buttons for phone, email and phonebook-and also includes three programmable one-touch speed dial buttons.
http://www.nttdocomo.com/pr/2012/001604.html

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Corning's Telecom Sales Rose 10% Sequentially in Q2

Last week, Corning reported its telecommunications segment sales were $559 million, a 10% sequential and 2% year-over-year increase. The sequential gain was driven by stronger optical fiber and cable products and enterprise network solutions sales. North America and China were the most robust geographies for Corning’s Telecommunications segment.

Looking forward, Corning said that it expects telecommunications segment sales to be consistent with the previous quarter and consistent with normal seasonal trends. Corning expects sales of optical fiber and cable in China to remain strong.
http://www.corning.com

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Analog Devices Intros Programmable Dual Clock for OTN

Analog Devices introduced a fully-programmable, jitter-attenuating, dual-clock translator IC for optical transport network (OTN) applications and high-density line cards. The AD9559 quad-input multiservice line card adaptive clock translator simultaneously supports different standard frequencies for wired communications applications, including synchronous Ethernet, SONET/SDH, 1/10/100G Ethernet, Fiber Channel, and other applications that require low jitter, flexibility and fast time-to-market.

The AD9559 translator IC synchronously converts any standard input frequency to any standard output frequency at up to 1.25 GHz with sub-400-fs RMS (root mean square) total jitter over a 12-kHz to 20-MHz integration bandwidth. The AD9559 replaces two synchronous timing devices with a single IC, helping designers with board space constraints and cost optimization.
http://www.analog.com

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Rostelecom Acquires Sky Link to Expand its Spectrum

Rostelecom, Russia’s national telecommunications operator, has acquired Sky Link CJSC, which currently owns licences in 76 Russian regions. The licenses cover over 90% of the total Russian population, which includes Moscow, St. Petersburg and several other major Russian cities. Sky Link’s licences enable the Company to provide services using CDMA-450 and UMTS-1900/2100 technologies in 65 regions, CDMA-450/2000 in 3 regions, GSM-1800 in 45 regions and GSM-900 in one region.


Alexander Provotorov, President of Rostelecom, commented: "The strategic acquisition of Sky Link enables us to strengthen our competitive position and increase the value of our Company. This was the last asset available in the market that could offer such extensive network coverage and unique frequencies. Sky Link is also the fourth operator to have obtained the remaining 3G frequencies in Russia. In addition, the consolidation of Sky Link’s assets marks an important landmark in our complex reorganisation process, which merges Svyazinvest with Rostelecom. The aim of this process is to eliminate any cross-ownership between the two companies, to simplify our shareholder structure and help attract interest from a broader range of investors."
http://www.rostelecom.ru

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UTStarcom to Divest IPTV Business

UTStarcom will divest its IPTV business into a privately-held, standalone company. Jack Lu will leave UTStarcom to lead the IPTV equipment business. In addition, UTStarcom will seek to accelerate the growth of its media operational support services business. http://www.utstar.com

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AuthenTec for Fingerprint Sensors

Apple agreed to acquire AuthenTec, a specialist in mobile biometrics, for approximately $355 million.


AuthenTec provides smart fingerprint sensors and modules. The company also offers a comprehensive embedded security portfolio that includes IP security (IPsec) and SSL toolkits, DRM content protection, semiconductor IP and security processors.


AuthenTec claims nearly 200 foundational technology patents related to fingerprint biometrics covering fingerprint sensors and sensor packaging, software and end use. Top tier customers include Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Fujitsu, HBO, HP, Lenovo, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Samsung, Sky, and Texas Instruments. AuthenTec is based in Melbourne, Florida.
http://www.apple.com
http://www.authentec.com/

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Vodafone Egypt Picks Ericsson for Radio Upgrade

Vodafone Egypt has selected the Ericsson RBS 6000 base station for an upgrade of its radio access network. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.ericsson.com

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Vodafone Spain Offers "joyn" Rich Communications to Competitors

Vodafone Spain has been offering a whole Rich Communication Suite to other operators in order to better compete with OTT providers. The umbrella name for the brand is joyn and the deployment in Spain is the world’s first joyn network. It offers users a combination of IM chat, video and file sharing services that are native on new smartphones or available as a downloadable client for those already in the market.


Vodafone Spain worked with Ericsson to develop the Rich Communication Suite evolved (RCSe) platform that joyn is based on. Ericsson supplied hardware, software and services, including Ericsson’s Messaging in One product which was adapted to meet the GSMA specification and then implemented as the joyn platform.


Vodafone said the ability to provide feature-rich services will bring users back to the network and in time will enable new revenue-generating services. The carrier noted interest in joyn from aroung the world, including New Zealand, India, China, the US, Canada, Turkey and Korea.
http://www.ericsson.com

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AT&T Looks to Repurchase More Shares

AT&T's Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to 300 million additional shares, representing approximately 5 percent of AT&T shares outstanding, with no expiration date. This authorization is in addition to the 300 million share repurchase authorization approved by the Board of Directors in December 2010.


"This action allows us to continue returning cash to our shareholders through dividends and buybacks while maintaining a strong balance sheet and investing in the future of our business," said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and chief executive officer.


Under the December 2010 authorization, AT&T had repurchased 143.5 million of its shares for about
$4.6 billion through June 30, 2012. Including dividends, the company returned nearly $10 billion to shareholders in the first half of 2012.
http://www.att.com

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