"Today Clear said in an interview with Phone Scoop that it does not expect any WiMax-equipped smartphones to hit the market until the very end of 2010. Clear believes that 2011 will see more WiMax phones become available. Clear would not say what hardware or software vendors it is pursuing to bring a smartphone to market..."

Clearwire, provider of the nation's first (and largest) WiMax wireless network announced that we may have to wait until late 2010-2011 before we see WiMax enabled smartphones hit the market that work with their 4G network. Currently, Clearwire is still focusing on improving its service for notebook & desktop PCs.

Although no manufacturers have officially announced availability of Clearwire compatible smartphones, I suspect that HTC and/or Samsung will be the first to the plate since they have already developed WiMax-enabled devices like the HTC Max 4G smartphone and Samsung Mondi mobile internet device. Since Clearwire's WiMax service is data-only, this leaves the option for a VOIP app that can be installed on some existing smartphones, or a dual-mode option that allows WiMax and support for another voice carrier's network. Since Sprint owns a majority of Clearwire, they will more than likely be the first U.S. carrier to offer a dual WiMax/CDMA compatible smartphone.

AIRCOM International, the network planning and optimisation consultancy, revealed the economic reality of LTE migration facing mobile operators around the world - as much as US$1.78 billion for a tier one US operator in the first year.

As the economic downturn puts pressure on credit markets, and mobile operators attempt to limit significant CAPEX commitments, AIRCOM says they believe that innovative approaches to LTE network roll out, network sharing for example, will be essential in ensuring the profitable delivery of future mobile services.

Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom are planning to merge T-Mobile UK and Orange UK. The companies have entered into exclusive negotiations to combine T-Mobile and Orange in a new 50:50 joint venture company.

If the negotiations are successfully accomplished (the deal is expected to be completed by the end of October), the new joint venture will create the UK’s leading mobile operator. It will have a combined mobile customer base of around 28 million, representing approximately 37 percent of UK mobile subscribers.

INTERVIEW: Smartphone.biz-news spoke to John Dubois, global roaming director for the WiMAX Forum, to hear the latest on the deployment of the 4G technology's networks - and plans for operators to use a hub model for roaming agreements.
Getting underway are the first commercial global roaming trials, which will involve 14 "ecosystem leaders" carrying out end-to-end testing of roaming over live WiMAX networks.

While the African teleco market may not capture the headlines as much as other parts of the world, that's not to say it's being overlooked by the industry.
So it's good to see the organisers of West & Central Africa's largest telco event announcing record pre-registered attendance for the AfricaCOM event in Abuja, Nigeria.

INTERVIEW: Mobile network operators traditionally seem to have done their utmost to prevent developers from innovating on the mobile web.
But Michael Crossey, chief marketing officer at Aepona, tells smartphone.biz-news that barriers seem to be tumbling - and the mobile industry is steadily moving towards openness.

Operators in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) markets are starting to make progress with acquiring spectrum and finance for WiMAX networks.
At the same time they are beginning to encounter challenges associated with identifying profitable business models and the practicalities of operating a WiMAX network.
So it's a crucial time for the region's operators - which makes attending this year's WiMAX Forum MENA on 23-24 June in Dubai all the more essential.

The first ever commercial WiMAX interoperability and roaming trials are to be carried out by 14 companies involved with the Next Generation wireless technology.
Ron Resnick, president and chairman of the WiMAX Forum, said the testing of networks and equipment will demonstrate to all WiMAX operators that they can easily provide roaming services to their customers.

INTERVIEW: As mobile operators in Europe rush to comply with legislation to protect consumers from massive roaming and SMS/MMS bills, Amit Daniel, vice president of marketing for Starhome, tells smartphone.biz-news about the challenges - and the advantages - the new rules will bring.

Apple will almost certainly break with its exclusive AT&T agreement and allow other carriers to support the iPhone, according to analysts.
Citigroup's research firm say that while the arrangement with AT&T has benefitted Apple, the company is likely to open its smartphone to more US operators within the next two years.

Lukasz Michalkiewicz, from smartphone software developer eLeader, tells smartphone.biz-news about developments in mobile banking and the importance of tailoring applications to mobile platforms.
The Polish company has developed the first mobile banking solution customised for specific mobile operating systems.

MACH has announced a range of solutions designed to offset the impact on mobile operator roaming revenues of the recent European Union (EU) pricing regulations.
The company says its EU Compliance Power Pack will immediately counter the forecast reduction in revenues by implementing smart rating and price optimisation.

Bharti Telesoft has been renamed Comviva Technologies Limited as part of a company-wide re-branding initiative.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and managing director of the Bharti Group, said the name change also signals its intent to be the leading integrated VAS solution provider for mobile operators in emerging markets.

Skype is now available for the iPhone - and will be coming to BlackBerry in May.
The VoIP app on the iPhone will only work over Wi-Fi and not 3G.
It will allow iPhone subscribers to use phone numbers in their existing iPhone address book - without the need for duplicate lists.
UPDATE: Since being released on Tuesday it has emerged that Skype on iPhone does works over 3G, despite being intended only for use with WiFi.

Telecom service providers are competing in saturated markets and many are experiencing flat or declining margins in the economic downturn.
That's the opinion of Jim Messer, CEO of Transverse, who said legacy back office software is often what keeps them from being agile in the marketplace.

Steamezzo has announced that Samsung has selected its software products and professional services to develop, deploy and run its Rich Internet mobile portal.
The French company's Mobile Open Development Platform is already certified on hundreds of handsets and compatible with all mobile operating system.

While prospects for the overall mobile handset market remain gloomy, smartphones remain a bright spot with global unit growth as high as 11.1 per cent in 2009, according to iSuppli.
The analysts' optimistic forecast for global smartphone unit shipments translates into 192.3 million units in 2009, up from 173.6 million in 2008.

Bitstream is launching its new BOLT mobile browser today with the claim that it is the fastest on the market.
Sampo Kaasila, VP of R&D at Bitstream told smartphone.biz-news, that the new browser was "25-50 per cent faster" than competitor Opera.
Speaking at Showstoppers on the eve of Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona he said this was backed up by tests carried out in India.

Palm has secured a USD $100 million equity lifeline from Elevation Partners just a few weeks before it unveils its new Nova operating system.
Faced with mounting losses and weak smartphone sales, the success of the new operating system could very well decide the company's fate.

Games publishers and developers will give up on Java unless operators follow Apple's lead in offering more appealing revenue shares.
That's according to a report by analyst Windsor Holden, of Juniper Research, who warns that as well as being a lost opportunity for developers it would seriously reduce the variety of games for players.

The final release of the Opera Mini 4.2 browser is now available - and it works on Google's Android phone.
Opera Mini 4.2 is the first browser alternative for the Android platform, which comes preloaded with Chrome light.
Already known for its fast internet access, Opera claims this has increased in speed by more than 30 per cent for users in the US since the previous beta version launched.

DeFi Mobile is to make its Global Access VoIP service available to  iPhone owners - possibly by the new year.
Users will have access to unlimited global calling, roaming, and long distance for a monthly subscription fee.
While calls will require a WiFi connection, DeFi says it has struck global partnerships that ensure an extensive network of private and commercial connections.

Mobile game sales are "flatlining" across North America and Western Europe despite increased interest from consumers, according to a report from Juniper Research.
It says that unless more operators adopt an Apple-like approach to rewarding games publishers, they will be driven away from the sector - and the number and variety of games available will decline.

Smartcard vendor, Sagem Orga has formed a partnership with BlueSky Positioning to integrate its A-GPS positioning technology onto conventional SIM cards.
A GPS receiver and proprietary antenna are integrated into the SIM card, which the companies say then enables mobile operators to deploy applications without the need for software or hardware changes.

Vyke Communications has announced a beta version of its mobile VoIP software and service for all Windows Mobile 6.0 and higher based smartphones.
The solution is based on Vyke's stand-alone proprietary mobile VoIP technology, which the company claims allows it to provide high quality voice service while circumventing any operator handset tampering issues.

Microsoft is not expected to complete a final build of its Windows Mobile 7 operating system until the second half of 2009.
The delay is a significant blow for the software giant, which has been counting on the next version of WinMo to enable devices that better rival Apple's iPhone.

You might expect sales to be intitially sluggish for a new smartphone with an unproven mobile operating system.
But that was never going to be the case with the hotly anticipated first Google Android handset from T-Mobile and HTC, which is expected to be officially announced Tuesday.

The success of Apple’s App Store is making smartphone software developers increasingly attractive to venture capitalists and phonemakers with millions to invest.
The head of one US$100m fund that invests in smartphone application start-ups has told the New York Times he expects to tap into the iPhone’s success.

The team responsible for Google’s Android open-source operating system is to be enlarged with openings for designers, engineers, and developers.
Ads from the search giant ask for people who can work in areas as diverse as “innovative” hardware user interface design, battery life, RF issues, and handset-security software.