■ Telecoms
DoCoMo plans Super 3G
Japanese mobile phone giant NTT DoCoMo plans to launch a high-speed, low-cost data communications service in 2010 that is capable of showing high-quality video, a news report said yesterday. The Super 3G (third generation) service will only require upgrades to the existing network, keeping down necessary investment to between ¥100 billion and ¥200 billion (US$840 million to US$1.68 billion), the Nikkei newspaper reported. With a speed of roughly 100 megabits per second, Super 3G will be some 260 times as fast as the firm's existing 3G service.
■ Technology
Firms face Bluetooth lawsuit
Three major electronics makers have been accused of violating patented work from the University of Washington with their use of the Bluetooth wireless technology found in millions of computers, cellphones and headsets. Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co and Finland's Nokia Corp were accused of illegally incorporating unlicensed Bluetooth chip sets in a variety of products. The federal lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction barring the companies from selling those products. The lawsuit was filed last month by the Washington Research Foundation, a group that seeks commercial uses and enforces patents for technology developed at Washington's universities and nonprofit research institutions.
■ Mining
CVRD plans PRC venture
Brazil's Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, the world's largest iron ore producer, plans to set up a venture in China to ship iron ore to the nation's booming market, Chinese state media said yesterday. The joint venture with Shougang, China's fifth-biggest steel mill, will transport iron ore from Brazil to a new Shougang plant under construction in Hebei Province, the China Daily reported. Few details were available on the planned joint venture but the newspaper said it planned an iron ore fleet with vessels boasting a loading capacity of at least 300,000 tonnes each.
■ Aviation
AirAsia to double fleet size
Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia will double its A320 fleet size to 200 jets amid growing passenger demand and route expansion in Southeast Asia, an industry source said yesterday. Three individual shareholders from AirAsia and Fly Asian Xpress (FAX) will form an alliance to start the long-haul service to London and China as early as July using three aircraft -- a combination of Airbus A330s and Boeing 777-300s. An announcement to double AirAsia's fleet would be made in the weeks ahead while today AirAsia and FAX are due to hold a press conference regarding their long-haul ambitions, the source said.
■ Electronics
LG plans dual-format DVD
LG Electronics said it plans to sell a DVD player that will play both warring high-definition DVD formats. The first dual-format high-def player will play discs in the HD DVD format, which is backed by a consortium headed by Toshiba Corp, as well as the rival Blu-ray format, backed by a group led by Sony Corp. The LG unit will be unveiled next week, LG said. The firm said it expects its dual-format player to "end the confusion and inconvenience of competing high-definition disc formats."
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a