The semiconductor silicon and the ferromagnet iron are the basis for much of mankind's technology, used in everything from computers to electric motors.

The fixed-mobile convergence market (FMC) is on the brink of very interesting times, according to analysts at ABI Research.

Slovakia's anti-monopoly authority said Wednesday it is fining Slovak Telekom 885 million koruna (EUR29.2 million) for abusing its dominant market position.

STMicroelectronics's planned mobile platform and semiconductor joint venture with Ericsson is targeting a quick increase in its market share, STMicro's chief executive said Wednesday.

With the Treo Pro, Palm shows it, too, can innovate. The company on Wednesday unveiled its new business-class smartphone, which features a sleeker, cooler look and represents a radical departure from the standard clunky Treo model.

Israeli market leader Cellcom maintained a lead of more than quarter of a million at the end of Q2 08 with 3.12m customers compared to 2.86m for nearest rival Partner.

Greece's OTE has announced that its pilot WiMAX network in Mount Athos is now operational. In total, six WiMAX base stations have already been installed. The network range reaches 50 km, covering the majority of the Monasteries and Scetea of Mount Athos

Telekom Austria Group has reported that during the first half 2008, revenues grew by 7.7% to EUR 2,54 billion (US$3.7 billion) primarily due to the consolidation of Velcom in Belarus and to higher contributions from the other international operations.

India's BSNL has set itself a target of launching its 3G network before the end of this year - significantly sooner than the company had hinted at when it was granted a 3G license earlier this month.

Alcatel Mobile Phones - which is actually part of China's TCL Communication - has reported net profit for the first half of 2008 of HK$112 million (US$14.34 million) compared to 2007’s HK$2 million.

Palm announced Wednesday it will sell a new smart phone aimed at business users this fall, but it won't have the backing of a U.S. carrier.

MTN Group, Africa's largest mobile phone network operator, Wednesday said its earnings rose as much as 14.5% in the first half of the year.

[CN+] China telecommunications equipment maker ZTE Corp. said Wednesday its first-half net profit rose 21% from a year earlier, driven mainly by rising sales in the overseas market.

[CN+] The two largest makers of chips for mobile phones just gained a third rival, and smaller competitors now have a new leader to chase.

The Virgin Group’s two largest mobile businesses reported their second quarter results this week, which showed a drop in customer numbers on both sides of the pond.

Nokia's Services and Software unit today announced plans to refine parts of its global research and development activities.

Nokia is customising a range of handsets, including some 3G models for the Ethiopian market by adding Ethiopic text capabilities to their phones.

ZTE Corp.said in a statement Wednesday that a tender by China Telecommunications Corp., parent company of Hong Kong-listed China Telecom Corp., for CDMA equipment is still underway and hasn't reached a conclusion.

[CN+] Idea Cellular, an Indian telecommunications company, expects its Mumbai operations to break even in four years, the company's chairman said Wednesday.

Despite licensing delays that slowed the progress of WiMAX in India, deployments are now accelerating and India remains the biggest single hope for revenue and global influence for WiMAX, according to a report released today by communications market research firm Infonetics Research.