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itu posts

Support for universal micro-USB phone chargers grows with ITU approval

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 23rd 2009 @ 5:40PM

The entire wireless industry has been congealing around micro-USB as a universal charging standard for a while now, and we've taken yet another important step toward completely ridding the world of bizarre proprietary connectors (you know what we're talking about, Samsung) with ITU ratification this week. The UN-backed International Telecommunication Union isn't just making the move to make our lives a little less hellish, though -- it's also a strategic environmental move on a couple fronts, since universal chargers mean consumers will be able to hold on to a single charger over the life of several phones and modern chargers are far more power efficient than models that are even just a couple years old. The ITU move isn't binding or compulsory, but there's enough momentum behind micro-USB at this point that it's pretty much going to happen for any phone you'd ever consider buying going forward, and many of the big players have already hopped on the bandwagon. We won't lie, we won't miss the days of buying a $40 car charger that powers, like, two LG models.

[Thanks, d0mth0ma5]

LTE, WiMAX vie for ITU's love and affection

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 25th 2008 @ 10:16PM

The International Telecommunication Union's wireless division is getting ready to seal the deal on formal approval of its own official standard for 4G communication, officially dubbed IMT-Advanced, and the usual suspects are in the running to take the top prize. The folks behind LTE are submitting a modified version, LTE-Advanced (get it? because the ITU standard is IMT-Advanced!), while the WiMAX camp will come storming in with 802.16m. Pundits are looking at the standardization process as a clutch opportunity for the two to make nice and combine into a unified 4G force, but considering their relatively divergent development paths thus far, it seems like a pretty remote possibility -- not to mention the metal-on-metal clashing of corporate egos that'd undoubtedly tie things up into oblivion.

[Via dailywireless.org]

WiMAX now officially part of the 3G standard

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 19th 2007 @ 8:48PM

We remember when WiMAX was just a twinkle in a wireless engineer's eye, and now it's all ready for the big time, as the ITU officially approved the spec as part of the 3G standard today. That's doubly special since WiMAX is the first non-cellular tech to get approval as 3G, but with services like Sprint's Xohm blurring the line for consumers, we can see how it's easier to just lump it all together. Of course, Sprint confusingly says Xohm is "4G," but it looks like they may need to tone it down now that the ITU has spoken. Either way, the ITU's decisions usually get enacted by governments, which means carriers with 3G spectrum will soon be able to start building out WiMAX networks without additional regulations. It's so bittersweet when they grow up, isn't it?

[Via PhoneScoop]

Researchers show 100Mbps cellular data

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 21st 2006 @ 7:18PM

As usual, we're given virtually no time to revel in the high-speed (relatively speaking, of course) wireless data we do have before some eggheads have to go and throw the wet blanket on us. Researchers from Germany's Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (a division of Fraunhofer) have apparently taken some standard-issue UMTS equipment and modified it to use MIMO -- the same tech employed in many modern WiFi devices -- to achieve 100Mbps downstream and a full 50Mbps upstream. For the sake of comparison, UMB (aka EV-DO rev. C) takes the crown with 280Mbps down; while there's no word on when this MIMO stuff might hit the streets, UMB won't see the light of day until 2009 at the earliest, so our German friends have a little time to capitalize. And yes, we'll be just fine with a mere 100Mbps on our cellphones, thankyouverymuch.

SmarTone-Vodafone gets Toshiba TX80, TS32

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 10th 2006 @ 1:00PM

The goodness coming out of Hong Kong's ITU Telecom World 2006 continues, and this time it's Toshiba flaunting the hardware. Their new TX80 and TS32 are both destined for Hong Kong's own SmarTone-Vodafone, and Toshiba seems pretty confident about the launches -- the senior VP of its mobile group even went so far to say that these are "just the phones that people in Hong Kong want and need." We're a little skeptical about the claim, though, seeing how the TS32 doesn't even do 3G, instead topping out with EDGE on the 900, 1800, and 1900MHz bands. Other features include a 1.3 megapixel cam, microSD slot, and Bluetooth in the buyer's choice of Lunar Graphite, Desert Gold, and Midnight Purple. The TX80 is the more exciting of the pair, bringing 3G data, dedicated music controls, and a more respectable 3.2 megapixel shooter. Both should be available now across Hong Kong, though we don't envision much of a rush for either phone. Sorry, Toshiba!

[Via I4U News]

Samsung shows bright i718 Pocket PC

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 8th 2006 @ 1:54AM

Oh, you thought that when we said "bright," we meant "smart?" We suppose it could be that, too -- but more than anything, the Samsung i718's orange shell is just "bright." The fresh Pocket PC introduced at ITU Telecom World this week does the whole smartphone gig with a little more style than your average Windows Mobile device, though the specs aren't exactly earth shattering; would-be buyers can look forward to a 2.8-inch QVGA display, 2 megapixel shooter, 128MB of ROM, 64MB of RAM, microSD expansion, and Bluetooth 2.0. Though the phone's China-bound with no plans for a global release, the quad-band GSM / EDGE radio (somewhat unusual for a Chinese market device) means that North American readers pining for an orange PDA phone may have met their match.

[Via SlashGear]

Mobile WiMAX, HSUPA get spotlight at ITU Telecom World

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 4th 2006 @ 2:55PM

LG and Samsung are using Hong Kong's ITU Telecom World 2006 as a platform for highlighting a couple technologies that, frankly, can't get here soon enough. It seems somehow appropriate that the Korean crosstown rivals are fighting for their share of the spotlight, parading HSUPA and Mobile WiMAX equipment -- both of which have the potential to shatter upstream speeds offered by the latest live technologies (HSDPA and EV-DO rev. A), while Mobile WiMAX also offers the tantalizing opportunity to pull upwards of 10Mbps down to you. While this isn't the first time we've seen either of these technologies in the wild, they're obviously becoming more ubiquitous at each and every trade show around the globe -- which means our dream of some day hosting Engadget Mobile on a cellphone grows ever closer.

Read - LG
Read - Samsung