Siemens says more costs possible from new mobile phone software problem
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FRANKFURT  - Siemens AG says more costs could be coming from a software problem with its new mobile phones that has led retailers to suspend sales.
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After a public outcry over the collapse of BenQ's German mobile telephone making operations, electronics giant Siemens has sought to repair its reputation by cancelling a generous pay-rise for top managers and using the money saved to help BenQ's German employees instead.
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(InfoWorld) - Mobile operators need to rethink how they price their 3G data plans to better compete with fixed-line broadband services, according to the top executive at Singaporean operator MobileOneÂ (M1). "Operators need to move forward," said Neil Montefiore, M1's chief executive officer, in a phone interview ahead of the Telecom World exhibition and conference organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Hong Kong. Last week, M1 announced plans to offer a faster 3G data service based on HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), an upgrade to WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) networks that increases download speeds from 384KbpsÂ to 3.6Mbps. That service will be available in Singapore starting Wednesday. Rather than increasing its prices with the introduction of the faster service, M1 decided to offer users of the existing service a discount. It dramatically cut the price of its 3G data plan that offers unlimited access, from S$68 (US$44) per month to S$22 per month,. In addition, M1 introduced two HSDPA data plans with unlimited access -- one offering a maximum of 1.8Mbps and another offering 3.6Mbps -- for S$38 and S$68, respectively. Mobile data services based on 3G technology are generally expensive to use, partly because operators charge for data using a per-byte or per-minute pricing model similar to voice. As a result, 3G data services primarily serve business customers who can afford the premium charges, rather than the average mobile user. "We've got to look to the future," Montefiore said. "We've got to be competitive with current fixed broadband prices." Prior to the price cut, M1 sold about 500 3G data cards each month to users who wanted mobile data access. What impact the new pricing levels will have is not yet clear, but Montefiore does not expect to see a dramatic surge in adoption. These mobile user numbers could rise, as most Singaporean broadband users are still locked into 24-month service plans for their existing broadband connections, Montefiore said. "Over time, it will be an attractive way to get online," he said, adding that M1 will offer a more detailed forecast in January when the company announces its financial results. Telecom World runs through Friday, Dec. 8.ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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(InfoWorld) - Ahead of its planned launch next month,Â the new venture between Nokia and SiemensÂ presented a product roadmap on the opening day of theÂ 3GSM World Congress in BarcelonaÂ that shows a strong focus on networking technologies based on IP. Admitting that the mobile phone industry may have overhyped its 3GÂ technology and missed the opportunity to connect with the world of IP, Simon Beresford-Wylie, designated chief executive of Nokia Siemens Networks, said at a news conference that "there is only one Internet, and I think we misunderstood this as a sector." Before joining Nokia, Beresford-Wylie was CEO of the Indian mobile operator Modi Telstra. The joint venture between the former German and Finnish rivals will have a combined customer base of around 600 companies with half of them mobile operators and the other half fixed-line operators, according to Beresford-Wylie. The launch of the new company has been pushed back a couple of times as the result of a corruption probe against executives at Siemens' networking division over accusations of bribes offered to secure business. Beresford-Wylie expects the venture to launch next month. "We were ready, and we still are ready to roll on day one," he said. The decision to merge networking operations was prompted by consolidation in the sector, in particular the launch ofÂ Alcatel-Lucent. Opportunity abounds, according to Beresford-Wylie. The number of people connected to the Internet with broadband connections -- both wireless and wireline -- will increase from 2.5 billion in 2006 to 5 billion in 2015, he said. The CEO designate also predicted that the rise of HDTVÂ and IPTV (Internet Protocol television) would lead to a hundred-fold increase in data traffic by 2015, ballooning at a rate of between 60 percent every year. These services will create demand for gigabyte-per-second connections for individual users. Nokia Siemens Networks will provide a range of products including mobile WCDMA (wideband code division multiplex access) and wireless WiMAX infrastructure systems, broadband access and, in particular, IP technology. But Beresford-Wylie was quick to point out that Nokia Siemens Networks intends to move away from being a "box provider" to a supplier of "managed solutions." The company's service portfolio will include applications and content management as well as consulting and systems integration.
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The Enterprise Communications division of German conglomerate Siemens AG is to unveil a fixed-mobile convergence offering for organizations to run themselves, rather than relying on a carrier to provide it as a service.
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German electronics giant Siemens has failed to find a buyer for its loss-making Enterprise Networks division, with observers directly blaming the debacle surrounding the collapse of mobile phone maker BenQ Mobile, the Financial Times Deutschland reported.
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Siemens mobile has warned users about a software-related defect in its 65 product series, the C65, CX65, M65, S65 and SL65 may cause an extremely loud melody when the battery is run down causing your connection to be lost.
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FRANKFURT: German phone maker Siemens could see a dent in its mobile handset sales and may post a loss in the unit after it halted sales of faulty models that have a sharp ringtone sparking fears of hearing damage, it said yesterday.
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Ongoing legal disputes over mobile phone patents between Nokia and Qualcomm are consuming much executive management time, generating substantial lawyer fees, and, if they escalate, could affect handset development and prices, experts warn.
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German electronics giant Siemens could decide on the future of its mobile phone manufacturing division as early as next month, a company spokesman said.
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Siemens warned customers of a software defect in a range of mobile phones that could cause hearing damage.
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3,000 jobs axed BenQ's mobile phone business - the former Siemens division BenQ took over less than a year ago for â¬250m - is facing imminent collapse.â¦
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Siemens AG, Germany s largest engineering company, said fourth-quarter profit fell because of costs related to design faults in trains and a software bug in mobile phones.
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Siemens AG tried Sunday to blunt fierce criticism from politicians, labor unions and the media for unloading its mobile phone business on a Taiwanese company which has failed to keep it afloat.
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German electronics giant Siemens said on Friday that financial burdens connected with a technical fault in its new mobile phone handsets were likely to reduce earnings in the final quarter of its business year ending in September.
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Nokia's replacement of potentially faulty mobile phone batteries made by the Japanese electronics maker will be pricey.
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Siemens has been working with Malaysia mobile-phone carrier Maxis since 1995 as a supplier of 2G/GSM mobile technology. As of June 2004, Maxis had 5.12 million customers, giving it over 40