BriefingRoom on Connected Planet Online

About 212 Million ‘Smart’ Electric Meters in 2014, Says ABI Research

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — “Smart” electricity meters, which enable two-way communication between the meter and the utility, and may enable greater consumer control over consumption, are being deployed at an increasing pace, especially in North America and Europe. According to a new study from ABI Research, the number of smart electric meters deployed worldwide will rise from a 2009 level of 76 million to reach about 212 million in 2014.

“it has been suggested that China will replace 300 million electricity meters over the next five or so years.”

Practice director Sam Lucero says, “As momentum for infrastructure renewal grows, a number of factors are driving the process. High on the list are government regulators. In the US, $3.4 billion in federal economic stimulus funding was directed to smart grid development in November 2009. The more

Overland Park, Kan. – Jan. 19, 2010 - The results are in and conclusive: Sprint has earned top honors in the competitive business marketplace – winning the #1 ranking for overall satisfaction for wireless voice service providers  and a matching #1 ranking in overall satisfaction for wireless data service providers  in a survey of large business decision makers, according to a comprehensive study by an independent research firm and Mobile Enterprise Magazine (www.mobileenterprisemag.com).  

The study indicated that Sprint ranked first in overall satisfaction in wireless voice and data and, in voice services, ranked first or second in nine of the 10 categories among large business customers.   

The study (www.mobileenterprisemag.com/carriers), which is summarized in Mobile Enterprise Magazine’s January/February 2010 issue, will be released in its entirety by Yankee Group later this month.   According to the report, “Sprint and more

Comprehensive data solution puts a leash on pet specialty retailer’s technology costs and helps its employees focus on serving customers.

Overland Park, Kan. – January 28, 2010 – As a leading pet specialty retailer, PETCO associates are trained and responsible for helping pet parents select the right food, products and services to best care for their pets. That job is now easier due to a recent partnership with Sprint (NYSE: S) that helps PETCO associates spend less time gathering information and more time directly advising customers, while also helping PETCO reduce operational costs.

Through the partnership, Sprint is now providing PETCO with a comprehensive communications solution, including 3G wireless data services, router hardware and Sprint on-site technical support. The solution has improved connectivity and performance for each of the more than 1,000 PETCO locations across all 50 states. Sprint managed the staging, testing, project management, specialized fulfillment more

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Jan. 28, 2010 – 2009 was another active year for the Sprint Emergency Response Team (ERT), providing secure and reliable communications with wireless equipment, infrastructure and operational support to more than 850 events, including the 56^th presidential inauguration, the Red River floods and the shooting massacre in Fort Hood, Texas.

With more than 3,800 deployments since the team was created in 2002, this team is prepared daily with dedicated and experienced personnel with backgrounds in military, public safety and business continuity; a fleet of voice and data infrastructure; and more than 25,000 handsets and mobile broadband devices. The deep expertise of Sprint ERT ensures quick and thorough operations support in any type of situation and during rapidly changing conditions.

A sample of key 2009 deployments and initiatives for Sprint ERT:

• January – The 56th presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C. 
• February more

Nokia Q4 2009 Net Sales EUR 12.0 Billion, Non-IFRS EPS EUR 0.25 (Reported EPS EUR 0.26)

Nokia 2009 Net Sales EUR 41.0 Billion, Non-IFRS EPS EUR 0.66 (Reported EPS EUR 0.24)
HELSINKI, January 28 — Nokia Board of Directors will propose a dividend of EUR 0.40 per share for 2009 (EUR 0.40 per share for 2008)

Nokia Corporation
Interim Report
January 28, 2010 at 13.00 (CET+1)
The complete press release with tables is available at: http://www.nokia.com/results/Nokia_results2009Q4e.pdf
Non-IFRS fourth quarter 2009 results 1

Q4/ Q4/ Q3/ QoQ
EUR million 2009 2008 YoY Change 2009 Change
Net sales 11 988 12 665 -5.3% 9 810 22.2%
Devices & Services 8 179 8 141 0.5% 6 915 18.3%
NAVTEQ 225 206 9.2% 166 35.5%
Nokia Siemens Networks 3 625 4 340 -16.5% 2 760 31.3%

Operating profit 1 473 1 239 18.9% 741 98.8%
Devices & Services 1257 983 more

AT&T Reports Fourth-Quarter Earnings Growth with a 2.7 Million Net Gain in Wireless Subscribers, Continued Strong Growth in IP-Based Revenues, Record Full-Year Cash Flow

$0.51 diluted EPS for the fourth quarter versus $0.41 in the year-earlier period

$34.4 billion full-year cash from operating activities versus $33.7 billion in 2008, and $17.1 billion free cash flow, up 28.4 percent versus 2008 (free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital expenditures)

2.7 million fourth-quarter net addition in total wireless subscribers, the second highest quarterly net gain in the company’s history; full-year wireless net adds totaled 7.3 million, equaling the company’s best-ever annual total, to reach 85.1 million subscribers in service

Best-ever fourth-quarter wireless subscriber churn levels – 1.19 percent postpaid and 1.44 percent total
2.6 percent growth in postpaid wireless subscriber ARPU (average monthly revenues per subscriber), eighth consecutive quarter with a year-over-year increase

Continued robust more

Communology’s carrier-grade apps for visual voicemail, instant messaging and mobile social networking meet mobile carriers’ and device makers’ stringent requirements

Cologne, Germany, January 26, 2010: Communology, a Cologne, Germany-based software house specializing in mobile applications, is showcasing sophisticated solutions for personal mobile communications at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona (Hall 2, Stand 2B68). Communology’s successful LiveMedia portfolio includes visual voicemail, mobile instant messaging and social networking applications for common platforms like Android, Java ME, Symbian and Windows Mobile. The LiveMedia clients are carrier grade apps – mobile software meeting the high standards that mobile carriers require in terms of quality and integrability with backend systems like IM gateways or voicemail servers.

Communology offers ready-made white-label client software for the various platforms that can simply be branded to customers’ requirements and ported to specific models of mobile devices. Communology also conducts the requisite software tests. Customers more

Major Expansion and Enhancement of Innovative Self-Service Tools Provide Greater Convenience for Consumers

NEW YORK – Verizon has significantly expanded and enhanced its self-service tools for wireline residential customers, enabling them to do everything from shopping for bundles of services to paying bills to fixing problems with TV and Internet services – at any time of day or night.

The online and voice-activated tools, the expansion and enhancement of which were announced Wednesday (Jan. 27), are designed to be easy for customers to use and to put them in direct control of their specific service needs. The tools also meet the needs of consumers, a growing number of whom use self-service tools every day for such things as paying bills, purchasing airline tickets and making hotel reservations.
more

AT&T Supports More Than 370 Wireless Specialty Devices

Solidifies Leadership in Wirelessly Connecting eReaders, Netbooks, Personal Navigation Devices, Other Consumer Electronics

DALLAS, Jan. 26 — AT&T, which offers the nation’s most advanced mobile broadband experience, announced today that through 2009, it has certified more than 370 wireless specialty consumer and machine-to-machine devices – such as eReaders, netbooks, digital photo frames, personal navigation devices, and home security monitoring and smart grid devices – for use on its mobile broadband network.

Consumers and business customers rely on AT&T’s wireless network to access a range of new, innovative solutions to make their lives and workplaces more efficient and productive. In addition to consumer electronics devices, or emerging devices, these solutions include rugged handsets and laptops, healthcare tracking tools, and meter-reading, vending machine, and home detention devices, among multiple devices designed to support the needs of a broad range of M2M more

Good Technology Acquires CloudSync

Acquisition of cloud-based device management provider further strengthens Good’s position as leader in mobile device management and security

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 27 — Good Technology today announced it has acquired CloudSync, a Denver, Colorado-based mobile device management company. The acquisition furthers Good’s mission of enabling device choice in the enterprise by providing enhanced device management for the broadest range of devices, including laptops, tablets, ruggedized handhelds, and leading smartphone platforms, all through a simple, secure, cloud-based service offering that does not require enterprises to deploy and manage additional hardware or software.

The acquisition of CloudSync complements Good’s robust Good for Enterprise™ solution and reinforces Good’s position as the only solution enterprises need to meet all of their mobile security, management, collaboration and application access needs. Good for Enterprise is comprised of three components:
Good Mobile Control™ for mobile device management
Good more