Mobile Networks to Cover 90% of the World's Population by 2010
ASIA Singapore : Mobile networks will provide coverage to 90% of the world’s population by 2010, compared with 80% today, despite the misplaced policies of many governments, who continue to subsidize the rollout of fixed-networks, according to a study commissioned by the GSM Association, the global trade association for mobile operators.

AMX: LatAm mobile penetration of 70-75% in 3yrs is "reasonable"
Mobile telephony penetration in Latin America could reach 70-75% within the next three years, Mexican giant América Móvil's CEO Daniel Hajj said in an investor conference call.

Shockwave.com Launches New Category of Mobile Games With Verizon Wireless
Shockwave.com launched Shockwave Minis, a new category of mobile games built with Adobe Flash Lite, available exclusively on Verizon Wireless. In introducing Shockwave Minis, the companies unveiled a new pricing structure that gives Verizon Wireless customers access to all 30 games for a small monthly fee, marking the first time a complete library of titles is made available to wireless customers on a subscription basis. Several of the new titles are based on such hit franchises as Nickelodeon's SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS and MTV's PIMP MY RIDE, reflecting the first joint endeavor between Shockwave.com and its new parent, MTV Networks.

New Mobile Games Development Studio Massively Mobile Announces Its Entry into Wireless Gaming
BROOKLYN, N.Y-- Video game industry veterans formerly of Gameloft and Activision, Inc. have joined forces to launch Massively Mobile, a game development studio committed to delivering ground breaking entertainment for mobile devices. The company has developed a proprietary engine that will allow them to deliver immersive and addictive single and multiplayer gaming experiences, utilizing the unique advantages of the mobile platform to offer players new experiences not possible on other gaming platforms.

Handset Sales Forecasts Upgraded
Merrill Lynch has upgraded their forecasts for handset sales next year to 1,067 million, in a research note from their analysts. Their 2006 handset estimate has also increased from 918 million to 970 million. In their view, 2006 could be the peak year for global and emerging market net adds at 440 million and 387 million.

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/20091.php
MEXICO CITY -(Dow Jones)- Mexican mobile operator America Movil sees its net subscriber additions reaching 22 million next year, a top company executive said Friday.

CTI Móvil revenues up 50.7% in 3Q06
Mobile operator CTI Móvil, a unit of Mexico's América Móvil, grouping operations in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, saw its third quarter 2006 revenues reach 1.2bn pesos (US$388mn), up 50.7% compared to the same period in 2005, AMX said in an statement.

CRM Vendor Buys Stake in Chinese Mobile Internet Portal
PacificNet has entered into an agreement with MOABC to purchase a 20% ownership equity interest in MOABC to strengthen PacificNet's wireless internet, mobile games, and mobile e-commerce unit, the company is said to have quoted...

QUALCOMM Announces Open Call for Submissions for BREW 2007 Developer Awards
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 30 -- QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and mobile data solutions, today announced an open call for submissions for the BREW(R) 2007 Developer Awards. BREW publishers and developers are invited to submit their top BREW applications for consideration by completing an online entry form and providing a demo of their application. The submission deadline is February 28, 2007. Finalists will be announced on the BREW 2007 Web site on May 21 and winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony hosted during the BREW 2007 Conference, being held June 20 - 22, in San Diego at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. For more information, visit: http://www.brew2007awards.com.

Analyst sees smartphone sales in Russia at 2 mln units in 2007
MOSCOW, Oct 30 (Prime-Tass) -- Sales of smartphones in Russia are expected to amount to 2 million units in 2007, J'son & Partners consultancy said in research obtained by Prime-Tass Monday.

Mattel Makes Contactless RFID Connection With Innovision R&T For Innovative HyperScan Games Platform
Innovision Research & Technology, a leading developer of NFC (Near Field Communication) and UHF & HF RFID solutions, is providing the contactless RFID reader and re-writable video tag technology at the heart of Mattel’s new, first-of-its-kind, HyperScan™ hybrid games platform. Hyperscan is unique in combining modern video gaming with classic collector card play. Innovision R&T’s technological edge in RFID technology has enabled a cost and performance breakthrough for low-cost RFID by delivering a mass market contactless card reader/writer and RFID game card tag at significantly lower cost than previously available.

We look under the hood of some of RealArcade's brain-bending mobile games
If there's one thing we love on mobile, it's an addictive puzzler. You know, the sort of game that you can dip into for a five-minute blast, but just as often find yourself hypnotised by for an hour or more.

Sony Ericsson to focus on mobile gaming
MUSCAT — A focus on cutting-edge Mobile Java 3D technology has made Sony Ericsson a preferred choice among game developers and a leader in mobile gaming. "Mobile gaming is a space that Sony Ericsson intends to lead and we will be speaking and exhibiting at the eGames in December," Peter Andersson, Ericsson's country manager said here.

Sony Ericsson Overtakes Motorola
Sony Ericsson has overtaken Motorola to take second place in Taiwan's handset market, reports the local China Economic News Service. Nokia is still the number one handset vendor in the country. Yeh Shun-fa, president of Sony Ericsson Taiwan, said his company will introduce five brand-new models of mobile-phone handsets in October. The launch of these new models will help Sony Ericsson Taiwan to create historic-high sales in October.

Global Handset Shipments Hit Record 256 Million Units in Q3 2006
Global mobile phone shipments grew a healthy 22 percent year-over-year, to reach an all-time record 256 million units in Q3 2006, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics. Sony Ericsson was the star performer, growing volumes at a market-leading annual rate of 43%

Entertainment Will Drive USA Mobile Data Revenues
Non-voice services will account, on average, for 13.3% of total service revenues for US mobile operators in 2006 and this is set to grow to 24.5% by 2011, according to a new report published by Analysys. The biggest driver of this growth is entertainment services, although messaging is also a major contributor.

3 Launches Sony Ericsson W850i 3G Phone in Australia
Australia : Download and store all the music you need with the ultimate music mobile – the Sony Ericsson W850i with inbuilt Walkman – now available from 3. Like to listen to music on the go? mobile’s new W850i - available in mystic black and golden white - is the ultimate 3G music mobile.

Mobile: Versaly Making MS Mobile Game Tie-Ins
Mobile entertainment company Versaly announced today that it has acquired the rights to create mobile personalization products based on a trio of Microsoft Game Studios titles, for the US and Canadian markets.

Mobile: Glu Launches ATV Offroad Fury
The first results of Glu's licensing agreement with SCEA came to fruition today, as the company announced the launch of ATV Offroad Fury.

Mobile: Actionscript.it Announces Mobile Game Contest
Italian Flash news and information site actionscript.it has announced a call for submissions to its second annual Mobile Game Contest, sponsored by Jamba, Adobe, and O'Reilly, with a January 29, 2007 deadline.

Mobile: Hudson Announces Lode Runner Deluxe
Hudson Entertainment recently announced Lode Runner Deluxe for both BREW and Java platforms. The retro update, available now on some carriers, features overhauled graphics and up to 100 new stages.

Mobile: IdeaWorks3D Partners For AirPlay 3.0
In a trio of announcements, London-based mobile game & mobile technology developer Ideaworks3D revealed today the third generation of the company's mobile game development middleware tool, AirPlay.

Mobile Q&A: AirPlay CEO Discusses 'TV Viewing Revolution'
AirPlay is one of the more interesting young players in the "mobile gaming" space, specifically because of its definition of just what "mobile gaming" is. AirPlay's technology allows TV viewers to interact with live TV broadcasts in real-time, via their handset.

Mobile: Model Leilani Dowding Featured in 'Sexy' Titles
Irish mobile game developer Selatra Games announced recently that model Leilani Dowding's likeness is featured in the company's recently released Sexy Golf and Sexy Hold 'Em Poker.

Mobile: Greystripe Recieves $1.2 Million Series A Funding
Mobile in-game advertising start-up Greystripe announced today that it has recieved $1.2 million in initial, series A funding, to further develop the company's AdWRAP technology, and GameJump.com consumer portal. The funding was provided by venture firms Monitor Ventures, Incubic Venture Capital and W.S. Investments.

CVG, Huawei to install mobile factory
Venezuelan state-owned telco CVG Telecom and Chinese equipment manufacturer Huawei plan to jointly install a mobile phone factory in the South American country, local paper El Universal reported CVG Telecom president Julio Durán as saying.

Mobile: Artificial Life Signs with CBS
Hong Kong based mobile technology provider Artificial Life announced today a licensing deal with CBS Digital Media to develop a series of mobile games. Under the terms of the partnership, Artificial Life has acquired the rights to develop several mobile 2.5G, 2.75G and 3G games over a license period of 2 years, and to sell and distribute them in the USA and global markets.

Mobile: AirPlay Receives $14M Series B Funding
Mobile start-up AirPlay announced today that it has received $14 million in series B funding. The company is developing technology and applications to allow TV viewers to interact with live TV broadcasts in real-time via their handset.

Mobile Editorial: The Shroud Creators On The GPS Gaming Hurdle
"It’s 2006 and we are on the verge of the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii joining Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in the next-generation console wars. However, if you were to add all three companies’ existing and expected next-generation sales some people might be surprised to find out that not even the big three combined can beat the cell phone in terms of units on the street or in market penetration.

Column: 'Mobile Q&A: In-Fusio on Halo: Mobile Portal'
Yesterday's announcement of the Halo: Mobile Portal, a service which allows cellphones to check Xbox Live stats, get tips, wallpapers, ringtones, and more related to Bungie's game franchise, is another great example of Microsoft nurturing and growing their still-young Halo brand.

Mobile: VeriSign Deals with JoWooD for Distribution
VeriSign, provider of "intelligent infrastructure for the networked world", today announced its partnership with JoWooD Productions Software AG, to deliver a number of JoWooD's video games to mobile devices.

DoCoMo Unveils 14 New 3G FOMA Handsets
ASIA Japan : NTT DoCoMo announced 14 new 3G FOMA™ handsets-the 903i series, SIMPURE™ series and N902iL. Above shows the N902iL ( left ), the 903i ( middle ) and the 903ix ( right ).

Mobile games to rival music and TV — Juniper
06.10.2006 - Mass market casual games will drive growth in the gaming industry over the next three years with female gamers emerging as a powerful market force, new research from Juniper has revealed.

Namco Networks Puts Players’ Skills to Test in Mobile Gaming Tournament at DigitalLife in New York
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Namco Networks, the official wireless game company for DigitalLife and leading publisher and developer of wireless games and network content, today announced a series of PAC-MAN® and Galaga® mobile gaming tournaments that will take place at the consumer technology and entertainment show, DigitalLife in New York, October 12–15.

Mobile: Gameloft Unleashes Asphalt 3
Gameloft announced today the launch of Asphalt 3: Street Rules for mobile phones. The previous two installments in the series, Asphalt: Urban GT and Asphalt: Urban GT 2, have surpassed a combined 3 million downloads worldwide.

Mobile Q&A: Greystripe On Mobile Ads
Mobile in-game advertising is a touchy subject for many. Phones are intensely personal devices, and many fear that consumers will resent advertising intruding into that personal space. On the other hand, advertising-subsidized gaming is a real possibility in mobile markets. “Free mobile games” is an attractive proposition for gamers, just as it is a very disruptive one for established mobile publishers.

Mobile: Glu Launches Sonic The Hedgehog: Part 2
Glu Mobile announced recently that Sonic the Hedgehog Part 2 has launched across multiple European carriers. The title contains the last three worlds of Sega's Mega Drive classic Sonic the Hedgehog - Labyrinth Zone, Star Light Zone, and Scrap Brain Zone.

Column: 'Mobile Q&A: In-Fusio on Halo: Mobile Portal'
Yesterday's announcement of the Halo: Mobile Portal, a service which allows cellphones to check Xbox Live stats, get tips, wallpapers, ringtones, and more related to Bungie's game franchise, is another great example of Microsoft nurturing and growing their still-young Halo brand.

Causal and Female Gamers to Drive Mobile Gaming Industry
NEW YORK (International Business Times) - Technologically advanced games from some of the largest game developers draw widespread attention, however new research indicates that mobile gaming will drive the gaming industry, led by casual and female gamers.

CDC Games Clarifies Position Regarding Recent U.S. Legislation
BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CDC Games, a business unit of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA), today announced it is emphasizing its position as one of the largest providers of online and mobile games, without any gambling assets, in China, as a clarification to recent U.S. legislation which effectively outlaws Internet gambling in the U.S.

Sona Mobile Submits Its Wireless Gaming Platform to GLI for Certification
NEW YORK, NY -- October 02, 2006 -- Sona Mobile Holdings Corp. (OTCBB: SNMB) announced today that it had submitted its mobile gaming platform with Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) for testing and certification. GLI is designated as the official test laboratory by over 360 gaming regulatory bodies worldwide. Certification by GLI is crucial for getting approval to deploy and operate gaming solutions in a variety of domestic and international jurisdictions. The Sona Mobile Platform consists of device software that runs on a personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone or similar device, and application software for various games including Shuffle Master's (NASDAQ: SHFL) proprietary table games, horse racing and sportsbook applications. The many applications running on the Gaming Platform are intended to provide a rich wireless extension to the gaming experience.

Cooperation Agreement Vetween IndiaGames and Touchlink Mobile
HERNING, DENMARK, September 27, 2006 – Touchlink Mobile, Danish mobile content developer and publisher, signed a cooperation agreement with Indiagames, leading international developer, publisher and distributor company.

Mobile Gaming: FISHLABS Releases Heli Strike 3D
FISHLABS announces the release of Heli Strike 3D, supporting over 150 3D-capable Java mobile phones. This action-packed shoot 'em-up game offers a real firework display of 3D graphics as well as a gripping story with multiple mission campaigns. Players can get instant satisfaction with the "Instant Action Mode" or push their skills to perfection with an extensive medal reward system.

3D Images on Cellphones
Japan's DoCoMo says that it has co-developed a portable, seven-inch 3D display system with Associate Professor Yasuhiro Takagi of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. Both still images and video can be viewed in 3D without special glasses, and unlike similar displays, the images are visible off-center vertically, as well as horizontally.

Claro unit to sell Alcatel handsets
Chilean mobile operator Claro, the local unit of Mexico's América Móvil, has signed an agreement with French equipment supplier Alcatel to sell its handsets in Chile, Chilean tech magazine Gerencia reported.

Pantech aims for 10% handset share
Korean mobile manufacturer Pantech is targeting 10% of the Argentine handset market by the end of 2007, the company said in a statement.

JBlend Deployed in Sony Ericsson's First 3G i-mode Handset
ASIA Japan : Aplix Corporation confirmed its JBlend(TM) Java platform has been deployed in K610im ( above ), Sony Ericsson's first i-mode phone.

Ericsson: 1 million 3G users by 2007
Swedish telecoms equipment supplier Ericsson expects nearly 1 million users of 3G services in the Argentine mobile telephony market next year, newspaper Infobae reported.

LG may start assembling mobile phones in Tierra del Fuego
South Korean manufacturing giant LG Electronics may start assembling mobile telephones in Argentina's southern Tierra del Fuego province in 2007, newspaper Infobae reported LG Argentina mobile telephony director Marcelo Palazzo as saying.