AMTA Snapshot Edition 116

AMTA joins school parents? bodies to promote safe and responsible mobile use The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has announced a partnership with the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) to help parents promote their children?s safe and responsible use of mobile phones in the school environment.

Mobile technology upgrade presents recycling opportunity The community?s growing uptake of so-called smart phones presents an opportunity for consumers to recycle their old, outdated mobiles and to do something for the environment as they adopt new technology.

Be on guard against threatening mobile phone scam People should be on guard against a mobile phone scam that demands money with menaces, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association warned today.

Database development expression of interest An Expression of Interest for Development of a National Antenna Database has been released by the Mobile Carriers Forum (MCF), a Division of the Australian Mobile telecommunications Association (AMTA). The National Antenna Database is required as part of the MCF?s data consistency baseline for the management of its EME compliance program on mobile telecommunications base station sites.

Regional locations to receive extended mobile phone coverage The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today released guidelines for the $8 million Mobile Connect program for 2008-2009.

Smart phones on the rise, says market trends Midrange phones will be overtaken by smartphones and entry-level phones by 2013, ABI Research said. The wireless handset market will see significant growth at the top and bottom ends of the feature and price ranges, according to a report from ABI Research as reported by CTIA Smartbrief this week.

Whole-of-government review of e-security The Attorney-General Robert McClelland and the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy today announced a whole-of-government review of e-security.

Regulation jeopardizes European mobile broadband services Europe?s mobile industry is cutting back spending on new networks and services as a growing regulatory burden from the European Union puts profitability under pressure - claims the GSM Association, as reported in Cellular News. To justify the imposition of retail price caps, the European Commission has claimed that mobile operators are making excessive profits, but the European mobile industry?s return on capital employed (ROCE) was just 9% in 2006 compared with more than 20% in software, pharmaceuticals and several other sectors, according to management consultancy A.T. Kearney.