M2M specialist Telit says one of its new modules has won the approval of Sprint for use on the operator’s US cellular network.

Telit (London, UK) says the new CE910-DUAL cellular M2M module is ideal for embedded applications requiring easy integration, but also suited to platforms based on Windows and Linux operating systems.

The manufacturer reckons it is particularly appropriate for applications such as vending, tracking, smart metering and telematics.

Banking on the enduring popularity of 2G networks for M2M services, third-placed US mobile operator Sprint says it is extending its partnership with Swiss-based module provider u-blox as it looks to capitalize on rivals’ plans to migrate all traffic to newer 3G and 4G networks over the next few years.

The operator says the u-blox (Thalwil, Switzerland) agreement will allow business customers concerned about the continuing availability of GSM-based 2G networks to extend the product lifetime of their existing 2G M2M devices by migrating to Sprint’s CDMA network.

Indian operator Sistema Shyam has managed to reduce its net loss to INR7.79 billion ($143 million) for the fourth quarter of 2012, from INR11.98 billion during the same period in 2011, despite the considerable uncertainty over the company’s future towards the end of last year.

The operator said the net loss would have narrowed further were it not for unfavorable movements in exchange rates.

Shipments of so-called MFF2 SIM cards designed to withstand the harsh conditions of various M2M deployments rose by 42%, to 5 million, between 2011 and 2012, according to new figures released by trade association the SIMalliance.

The organization said the increase illustrates the potential of the M2M opportunity and expects to see further growth in the next few months as applications are introduced in new vertical markets.

Aiming to expand its business in what looks set to become the world’s largest M2M market, module maker Telit has unveiled two CDMA modules developed specifically for use in China.

The manufacturer’s CE910-SC and DE910-SC modules have been designed for Chinese M2M applications using CDMA network standards and R-UIM card technology.

SSTL, the Indian unit of Russian investment company Sistema, has announced it will pay $665 million for 800MHz spectrum in eight of the 21 telecoms ‘circles’ where it had licenses revoked by authorities last year.

The company was the sole bidder in a government auction of frequencies used to support CDMA-based services.

SSTL’s new licenses are valid for 20 years and cover the regions of Delhi, Kolkata, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh (West) and West Bengal.

Indian ministers have urged a 50% cut in reserve pricing for CDMA airwaves due to be auctioned in March, reports Reuters.

A panel of ministers told India’s cabinet, which has the ultimate say on spectrum pricing, that fees should be lowered by 30–50%.

A frequency auction in November raised less than a quarter of the INR400 billion the government was targeting, with CDMA airwaves going unsold.

Due to begin on March 11, the next auction is set to include GSM airwaves worth up to INR200 billion, plus a number of CDMA concessions.

Soaring demand for 4G services is expected to drive the number of global LTE subscriptions to 1.6 billion in 2018 from just 55 million this year, according to a new study published by Ericsson.

The network-equipment maker describes LTE as the fastest-developing system in the history of mobile communications in its latest mobility report, which examines the worldwide growth of mobile technologies and services.

Growth in Brazil’s mobile-phone market tailed off last month with the addition of just 436,000 new customers, compared with 959,860 in September, according to figures from regulatory authority Anatel.

The data will be taken as a sign of increasing market maturity – penetration hit 131.7% in October, according to Anatel’s data – with Brazil’s economy weakened by the global slump.

Between them, Brazilian mobile-phone operators now serve a total of 259.29 million connections, with prepaid customers accounting for about 81% of those.

Tata Teleservices and Videocon Group have withdrawn their bids for spectrum due to be auctioned by India’s government in a process beginning on November 12, reports the country’s Economic Times newspaper.

Because the two organizations had been the only ones to bid for the airwaves used on CDMA-based phones, the government is apparently stuck with a slice of spectrum that attracts no interest.

Tata Teleservices (Mumbai, India), India’s sixth-biggest mobile-phone operator, was originally looking to replace operating permits it is set to lose in three zones.