Oyster Bay, NY -  EDGE-enabled handsets have never attracted the same levels of attention that technologies such as WCDMA and HSDPA have enjoyed. However, recent forecasts from ABI Research indicate that the worldwide EDGE handset market will reach 148 million shipments in 2006, representing 14% of the total mobile phone market.

Principal analyst Stuart Carlaw notes, "EDGE is downplayed in the market because it cannot really provide a mobile broadband experience and is therefore not seen as being at the cutting edge of cellular handset evolution; it is viewed purely as an evolutionary step on the GSM ladder, and industry attention is very much focused on the newer technologies. That view is further compounded by the fact that operators do not actively report EDGE numbers in the public domain."

"However," adds research director Jake Saunders, "This lack of general market attention belies the real importance of the role EDGE plays in delivering mobile services today and will play in the effective delivery of content in the network of tomorrow."

Apart from the sheer volume of handsets, ABI analysts believe that the industry as a whole should pay more attention to this market because it is the only choice for some carriers to support any type of near-acceptable mobile broadband experience, especially those with no 3G licenses or those waiting for 4G.
 
Carlaw adds, "When the prospects for EDGE are viewed in the context of next generation networks, its true value comes to light. The technology still represents the only viable choice for supporting seamless service delivery on a very wide area basis. Neither WiMAX nor LTE nor HSUPA will be rolled out with enough geographic coverage to guarantee minimum service requirements on a wide scale."

ESCONDIDA, CHILE -- A workers' strike at the world's largest copper mine has pushed copper prices higher by 2% on the London Metals Exchange this week.

BHP's copper mine in Escondida, Chile, has slashed output to about 50% of capacity, the company said, following the August 6 walkout.

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SAN JOSE – North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.75 billion in orders in July (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.06 according to SEMI.

A book-to-bill of 1.06 means that $106 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

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Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – Valor Computerized Systems has appointed Dan Weitzman as vice president of sales, North America, and Howard Rupprecht as director of marketing.
 
Weitzman has been with the company for seven years, most recently serving as senior account manager.
 
Prior to joining Valor, Rupprecht worked at OK International for 12 years, initially European-based in various product management and business development roles and then more recently located in the U.S. as vice VP of marketing.
 
“We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dan to lead Valor’s sales operations for the North American region,” said Ori Braun, president. “Exciting times are ahead as we rollout a number of new product introductions. The first one, to be launched within a few months, is a platform that will allow our customers to unlock the power of DFM collaboration with their clients and contractors. It will add to the overall value of our solutions and will open new opportunities for us to continue our current growth trend.”