Mobile calls go HD

France T'el'ecom has become the first mobile operator to transmit voice calls and audio in high definition (HD), part of an effort by telecommunications companies to improve the quality of cellphone conversations, reports The New York Times.

France T'el'ecom, whose mobile unit is Orange, rolled out the network in Moldova this month and says the country was chosen because it has France T'el'ecom's newest third-generation network, which can accommodate the technology.

“We need to provide our mobile customers with a better voice experience and that's why we've invested in this technology, because we think it will differentiate us,” says Yves Tyrode, head of France T'el'ecom's Technocenter research division.

Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft has, according to government filings, agreed to sell wireless airwaves he acquired in 2003 to a unit of AT&T for an undisclosed price, states Bloomberg.

The 24 wireless licences cover spectrum in parts of Washington and Oregon, including the cities of Seattle and Portland, according to documents filed with the US Federal Communications Commission.

Allen holds the licences through his Seattle-based Vulcan Spectrum.

T-Mobile's attempt to charge users $1.50 for their monthly paper bills has been nipped in the bud after subscribers and regulators complained, according to InformationWeek.

T-Mobile backed off the $1.50 charge stating it will "be taking more time to determine the fairest way possible to encourage people to go paperless".

The change had been planned to go into effect last Saturday, but the protests made an impact on T-Mobile management.