Sprint Launches Open Software Platform,
New GPS Capabilities

Jan. 1, 2009 (Vol. 30, No. 1)

Sprint has launched an open software platform for Sprint Windows Mobile devices, the carrier announced Dec. 9.

The open platform will enable a larger audience of desktop computing developers to extend their skills to devices operating on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, the carrier says. It is available with its own set of developer tools that plug into the software platform.

Additionally, Sprint partnered with location service providers WaveMarket and uLocate Communications to help developers create location-based services for customers, it announced Dec. 17.

Sprint hopes to attract enterprise customers to the new open platform by leveraging the same app development framework that many already use for desktops and servers so that new apps can be extended to wireless devices with little additional training or investment.

Additionally, account administrators will be able to remotely manage their devices and apps through the platform’s device management functionality, the carrier says.

“We are presenting a way to unify the desktop and mobile developer communities to accelerate the delivery of innovative services to our customers,” says Len Barlik, VP of wireless and wireline services for Sprint. (

Nortel Explores Bankruptcy, Sees Shares Plummet

Nortel sought legal counsel on the possibility of filing for bankruptcy, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 10.

In response to the WSJ article, Nortel shares reportedly fell 12 cents, or 23%, to 40 cents the morning of Dec. 10, briefly hitting an all-time low of 37 cents.

Others have taken note: The manufacturer received notice from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that Nortel has fallen below NYSE's standards for price criteria, Nortel announced Dec. 11. The manufacturer has six months to bring its average common share price back above $1.

"Nortel may consider presenting a proposal to its shareholders for a consolidation of its outstanding common shares at its annual meeting planned for spring 2009," the company reports.

Additionally, Moody's Investors Service lowered some of its credit ratings on Nortel, saying the manufacturer is likely to face challenging industry conditions for a while, The Associated Press reports.

Nortel maintains that it is still committed to a restructuring plan set out in November, which calls for the manufacturer to bring down costs by $400 million per year. "Nortel is a viable partner for the long term," a company spokesman says. (

New App Hides Voice Traffic from Eavesdroppers

Jan. 1, 2009 (Vol. 30, No. 1)

Newly released software can protect your enterprise’s cell phones from eavesdroppers – for a price.

SecurVoice – from The Genesis Key Inc., in Portsmouth, N.H. – is a Java application that encrypts voice and data communications; it’s available for download now at www.genesis-key.com, the company announced in a Dec. 4 press release.

The app protects traffic at the application layer with a series of encryption keys.

Cracking it would require a hacker to match the randomly generated keys in real time, the creators of the program tell Voice Report.

The software approach is an alternative to buying special phones, sleeves or keypads to encrypt communications, explains Lou Altman, VP of The Genesis Key’s distribution channel.

The download costs $1,499, though it will cost less for large deployments and more for small ones, plus $149 a year for updates and maintenance.

Enterprises that need to protect more than 20 phones can upgrade to a SecurVoice Server and manage devices from a Web-based interface.

Cisco Faces Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

Jan. 1, 2009 (Vol. 30, No. 1)

Free Software Foundation (FSF) filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Cisco for reportedly violating the licenses of many programs on which the FSF holds copyright, denying Cisco users their right to share and modify the software, the Boston-based non-profit organization announced Dec. 11.

The FSF maintains that Cisco has been redistributing software programs licensed under the GNU General Public License without giving the recipients the source code to that program. This action would violate the software license.

“Our licenses are designed to ensure that everyone who uses the software can change it,” said Richard Stallman, president and founder of the FSF in a press release. “To exercise that right, people need the source code, and that’s why our licenses require distributors to provide it.” The case (08-CV-10764) was filed in the Southern New York district court. (