Globe, Smart to release iPhone 6 in November

MANILA – Subscribers of both Globe Telecom and Smart Communications Inc. may soon get their hands on Apple's latest iPhone models.

The rival firms announced on Wednesday that the much-awaited iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available to their subscribers starting November 14.

Smart spokesperson Ramon Isberto said the company is looking forward to the positive response of the Philippine market.

"Market response has been very positive, and there is much anticipation," he said.

He added that subscribers in the Philippines can take full advantage of the robust long term evolution (LTE) network of the PLDT Group using the new devices.

"The enhanced features of the iPhone 6 will be fully enjoyed in Smart’s LTE network," he said.

Smart subscribers can pre-order beginning November 7. Globe subscribers, on the other hand, can now pre-register via Globe’s website.

Apple launched the iPhone 6 featuring a 4.7-inch Retina HD display and iPhone 6 Plus with a 5.5-inch display in September.

Apple earlier said the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available in more than 115 countries by the end of the year.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Smartphones seen to boost mobile commerce

MANILA -- Smartphones, which deliver a computer-in-your-pocket experience to consumers, is going to be a key catalyst of growth of mobile commerce (m-commerce), according to major processor manufacturer Qualcomm.

"The computing, graphical and connectivity performance of these devices have increased dramatically over the years, allowing developers for the first time to design applications and services," Qualcomm public relations manager for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Adrian Fu said in a recent email interview with ABS-CBNnews.com.

With its increased transmission speeds and capacity, Fu believes long-term evolution (LTE) technology will enable consumers to experience smoother and faster m-commerce services.

"Certainly, however, the performance of any LTE network is heavily dependent upon the level of infrastructure deployment, as well as the amount of contiguous spectrum an operator has," Fu said.

LTE requires at least 10 MHz of continuous spectrum in order to deliver a reasonable service.

As mobile users increasingly demand richer streaming media entertainment experiences, Fu pointed out that the modem will become a crucial element in delivering that experience.

Furthermore, Fu said modems will have a major role in the continuous development of networks by supporting all the latest communication technologies and adapting to network conditions and user needs.

In response to the growing needs of the market, Fu said Qualcomm has introduced its Gobi modems for industry connectivity solutions.

Fu noted that Qualcomm was the first to commercialize carrier aggregation in Snapdragon 800, enabling CAT5 speeds (150mbps) in fragmented 20 MHz spectrum.

"Our RF360 front-end solution enables for the first time a single, global LTE design for mobile devices, as it tackles the complexities associated with the wide range of radio frequencies used to implement 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE networks," Fu said.

"With RF360, consumers will now roam on LTE technologies in most parts of the world."

"For device vendors, this means greater cost efficiencies as they are able to reduce the number of variations of devices needed to be designed—simply to address the different frequency band requirements among different regions of the world," Fu added.

He claimed Qualcomm Snapdragon to be the leading portfolio of mobile processors, noting that Snapdragon processors are best-in-class technology designed from the ground up specifically for mobile, including custom CPUs, GPUs, modems, DSPs, navigation and system level management software.

In 2013, he reported that more than 1,000 devices were announced and/or commercially available, with many of them making their way to the Philippines.

"With our recent announcements of Snapdragon 801, 805, 610, 615 and 410 processors, Qualcomm is in an excellent position to capture more device wins in 2014," Fu said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

LTE could spur cloud adoption in the Philippines, telco claims

MANILA, Philippines — The upcoming launch of the country’s first LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network will likely bolster the use of cloud computing services in the country, an official from one of the country’s telecom firms remarked recently.

Citing the need of cloud services for high-speed Internet connections, Smart Communications’ Broadband Internet and Data Services Head that to fully enjoy the benefits of the cloud, users would “need a high-speed connection like Smart LTE.”

Cloud computing has taken root in most businesses in the past years, but it is only recently that the cloud gained mainstream status among consumers with the launch of cloud storage and syncing services led by technology giants such as Apple and Google.

And with smartphone penetration in the Philippines predicted to surge in the coming months due to the onslaught of low-cost mobile devices, cloud-based services could be seeing a fresh round of uptick from Filipino users.

However, while cloud-based services offer convenience to the increasingly mobile, smartphone- and tablet-toting consumers, experience is still largely dependent on the speed of Internet connection — especially when accessing or uploading large files through the cloud.

“We are creating more data than what can be stored in just a single memory card or hard drive, which is why being able to store and access everything online is such an attractive proposition,” Manaloto said, stressing how the cloud is the “future of mobility.”

This is why high-speed mobile broadband connectivity, such as those offered by LTE networks, will become a necessary companion for the cloud’s growth in the country.

LTE throughputs, Smart claims, can reach speeds of about 100 Mbps, as proven by the telco’s beta-testing of the service several months ago. A 1-gigabyte file, for example, only takes about 15 minutes to be downloaded through the new network.

“With LTE, accessing software and services on the web will be as quick as when you open files or programs stored locally in your computer’s hard drive,” Manaloto said.

“LTE’s low latency also ensures a reliable connection comparable to that of a high-speed wired connection such as DSL,” he added.

Smart is said to be rolling out its commercial LTE offering “soon,” but the company did not disclose an exact date as to when it would be available for consumers, nor advised about pricing details for the service. Sources, however, said the service will be launched this month.

During the beta-test of its LTE network beginning late last year — where InterAksyon was also a participant — Smart allowed beta users to access a host of fired-up LTE networks in various places in Metro Manila, including ones located in Makati, Paranaque, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City.

There has been no word yet about the total number of base stations Smart is currently fitting with LTE connectivity, although Manaloto pointed out that the new network will be backed by over 50,000 kilometers of fiber optic cabling and the latest Single Radio Access Network located across the country

source: interaksyon.com