Welcome to This Week, the only easy to read FREE weekly summary of the top news stories on wireless communications in Australia and New Zealand. This Week is updated daily with stories drawn from the popular press, regulatory bodies, vendors and operators. To receive a free copy of This Week delivered to your mailbox each Friday, please REGISTER here. You can also visit our archive where you can see stories posted since mid-2003. Our search engine is an easy way to locate a specific topic. For those that want to know more, click through hyperlinks are embedded in each story enabling you to view the source information. Note some of these links may require you to subscribe to the publication that provides the source material.

Australia

Telstra raises advertising alarm with Optus

13 June, 2008

Telstra is threatening Optus with legal action for making misleading comments about the Apple iPhone's compatibility with its new network expansion plans.

Mobile learning

12 June, 2008

Telstra has launched a new phone coaching service that sends experts out to customers to help them understand and use their mobiles.

iPhone invasion

12 June, 2008

A new report predicts that more than 1.3 million iPhones will be shipped to Australia over the next five years, as the appetite for converged devices continue to grow.

Not an enterprise bargain

12 June, 2008

While SME's are expected to use basic functions like push email, contact synching and basic security it is unlikely that Australian enterprise will migrate to the new iPhone phenomenon company wide.

Fone Zone slump preempts pain for Telstra

11 June, 2008

The recent slump in consumer spending has contributed to the closure of 15 Fone Zone outlets which writes as much as 20 per cent of Telstra's new mobiles business.

Opus announces iPhone launch for 96% of Australia

10 June, 2008

In a media release on its website Optus has promised that more iPhone users can enjoy 3G services as they expand its network to 96 percent of the population by December 2008 and 98 percent by December 2009.

Taking on the billing bugs

10 June, 2008

Corporate telecommunications users that have identified billing errors in the millions of dollars have been forced to write software to keep their carriers accountable.

Allphones in class action shadow

7 June, 2008

After being found guilty of "calculated dishonesty" and "continuing deceit" against franchisees by the Federal Court, about 30 Allphones franchisees have met to discuss the possibility of bringing a class action suit against embattled mobile phone reseller.

New Zealand

Mystery plan to Vodafone staff

12 June, 2008

The Commerce Commission has discovered that a mobile plan that Vodafone wanted included in commission benchmarking was non-existent in several retail stores visited by mystery customers.

Mobile phone car ban introduced to parliament

11 June, 2008

A proposed ban on drivers using hand-held mobile phones has been announced by the Government in a bid to reduce road accidents.

Science doesn't support car ban

11 June, 2008

Banning the use of mobile handsets in cars won’t necessarily cut down accidents with a corpus of research indicating that the talking component of mobile phone use is the major reason that distracts drivers.

New iPhone will be hacker-proof

11 June, 2008

The new iPhone and the way it will be sold is expected to shut down a small industry that was able to hack into the first model and offer it for sale before officially launched.

Plus SMS raises expansion finance

10 June, 2008

Plus SMS Holdings says it has raised $1.25 million by issuing 15.625 million convertible loan notes at 8c each to finance its expansion of its Windows Live for Mobile services across Latin America and Asia.

Vodafone to launch next generation iPhone

10 June, 2008

Cheaper and faster than its predecessor, Apple's next generation iPhone will hit New Zealand shores 11 July.

TR's Latest

TeleResources is Hiring- Senior Wireless Consultant

Australia’s leading independent wireless strategy and solutions company has a requirement for a experienced executive to join our team. The position will report to the Operations Manger and will carry direct responsibility for our engineering team involved in leading edge 3G and WiMAX deployments. It is expected that the successful candidate will posses superior presentation skills with the capacity to market and deliver complex software systems.

This is a permanent position with an attractive six-figure salary available for the right candidate.

For more details Click Here

Press Release- South East Asia Com

Malaysian’s Minister of Energy, Water & Communications will open South East Asia Com, the region’s meeting point for telecommunications leaders

Next month will see the launch of South East Asia Com a new event in Informa Telecoms & Media’s Com World Series. As all other events in the series, it which provide a meeting point for mobile, fixed and integrated telecoms service providers and their suppliers in the region’s high growth markets.

For more details Click Here

Upcoming Events

Vietnam International Telecoms Summit 2008

11-13 June 2008
Hanoi, Vietnam

Endorsed by: Ministry of Information and Communications, Vietnam Supported by: VNPT, Viettel, EVN Telecom, Saigon Postel, Hanoi Telecom, VTC, FPT

As Vietnam closes in on the 2010 WTO deadline, the Vietnam telecoms market offers enormous opportunities for all industry players. However, few telecoms conferences in Vietnam address the challenges and opportunities during this exciting time.

This summit will reveal the Vietnamese government’s plans to develop all aspects of their telecoms infrastructure – mobile and broadband. It will also detail the numerous investment and business opportunities for foreign operators and manufacturers in Vietnam. Attendees will gain a better grasp of regulatory and investment procedures to better facilitate the impending partnerships between foreign and local operators.

For details and registration, please visit: www.Vietnam-Telecoms.com

Oceania Com

7-8 July 2008
Sydney

Building profitable, world-class telecoms businesses in the Pacific.

The newest member of the Com World Series, Oceania Com conference and exhibition is designed to gather operators and vendors from Australia, New Zealand and the island nations and territories of the Pacific.

Discuss, debate and gather best practice on:

• Policies to Stimulate Growth, Innovation and Competitiveness
• Operator Growth and Profitability Strategies
• Profitable Deployment of Wireless Broadband Technologies
• Extending the Availability of Broadband Services

Advertising and Marketing Summit

21-22 July 2008
Sydney

The 7th annual summit in this highly successful series of events continues to examine the challenges of Australia’s evolving advertising & marketing landscape.

Join the leading minds who will share their authoritative predictions in vibrant discussion and leading insight in addition to the celebration of exemplary practice, giving you the insights to unlock excellence.

Get the advantage and avoid the rhetoric to the questions you have not considered and the answers you need to have.

For details and registration, please visit: www.acevents.com.au

South East Asia Com

23-24 July 2008
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Harnessing The Opportunity Of Regional Scale By Developing Partnerships And Deploying Strong Value Propositions In Each South East Asian Countries.

SE AsiaCom is the number 1 meeting place for the communications value chain in the region. It gathers thought leaders and purchasing decision makers from across SE Asia and the wider international community to learn, network and to do business

Untapping The Opportunities Of Key South East Asia Markets Including:
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore

For details and registration, please visit: www.comworldseries.com

17th Annual Wireless & Mobile Comms Conference

23-25 July 2008
Melbourne

Raise the security, reliability and responsiveness of your mobile communications to enable your team to make quick, smart decisions and ensure officer and public safety. IWCE in Association with 17th Wireless & Mobile Comms Conference is your unrivalled means of accessing the latest knowledge and meeting the leading professionals within the integrated communications sector.

If you are responsible for planning and implementing your organisation's wireless and mobile communications technology then note 23-25 July in your diary.

By attending the Conference you can learn from practical case studies presented by peers plus draw upon the expertise of international industry practitioners to help solve your wireless and mobile communications issues.

For details and registration, please visit: www.iir.com.au