Rumors have been circulating again about Google getting into the mobile phone market, with a report today on the The Wall Street Journal’s Website that says the search giant has been in talks with carriers such as T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless about technical specs and about carrying handsets optimized to run Google applications.

The Journal, citing people familiar with the project, also said that Google has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in its mobile phone project, and has already developed prototype handsets. Unlike Apple’s exclusive deal with AT&T, the Journal reported that Google is hoping to forge deals with multiple manufacturers and offer the handsets through multiple carriers and that the phones will not necessarily carry the Google brand.

The phones are still very much in the planning stages, and consumers shouldn’t expect to see them until next year at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Google continues to make its applications more mobile-friendly, reportedly even working on a new mobile browser.

Abertis Telecom and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that they have set up a joint workgroup to evaluate the potential of Alcatel-Lucent’s “Unlimited Mobile TV” solution for Abertis Telecom’s broadcast TV business. The joint workgroup has started a technical evaluation of Alcatel-Lucent’s proposed system. These analyses will validate certain technical and cost hypotheses associated with the deployment of Alcatel-Lucent’s solution in relation with new business opportunities for Abertis Telecom.

This cooperation follows a straightforward rationale after the acquisition by Abertis of a significant stake in Eutelsat Communications, which invested jointly with SES ASTRA into an S-Band (2.2 GHz) payload onboard Eutelsat’s W2A satellite provided by Alcatel Alenia Space, allowing the delivery of mobile broadcast services over Europe. In this context, Alcatel-Lucent’s “Unlimited Mobile TV” solution, using a high-power satellite complemented by terrestrial repeaters in the S-Band, could represent one of the first examples of synergies for hybrid terrestrial/satellite telecommunication networks and applications, further projecting Abertis’ telecommunications business internationally.

Both companieswill perform together live mobile TV demonstrations during the 3GSM World Congress 2007 in Barcelona from February 12 to 15, 2007. These demonstrations are based on the forthcoming DVB-SH broadcast mobile TV standard. Abertis Telecom, as “The official 3GSM Mobile TV Network Partner”, will provide their support to showcase the forthcoming DVB-SH technology on the Alcatel-Lucent’s booth (Hall 8, Booth# A8 139 & A8 147).

Abertis Telecom stands as the reference TV broadcast network operator in Spain. Its cooperation with Alcatel-Lucent places Abertis Telecom in the best position to assess the potential of the S-band, which is widely available across the continent, for the cost-efficient delivery of broadcast mobile TV in Europe. In Spain, results from several DVB-H trials lead by Abertis Telecom confirmed the users’ acceptance of a high-quality mobile TV service proposition.

The commitment of Alcatel-Lucent’s “Unlimited Mobile TV” solution is to make television available on mobile phones and other devices throughout rural and urban areas, including indoors, with a wide range of programming options and excellent image quality, regardless of the number of viewers simultaneously watching the same program.

Alcatel-Lucent is committed to support service providers in delivering a truly converged TV experience. Alcatel-Lucent has already established a leading position in interactive TV services, and already enables TV, video and music services for more than 110 fixed and mobile service providers around the world.

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that it has been selected by TelefГіnica to deliver and integrate its Presence Server project, enabling users to define easily their reachability: what to do with incoming communications based on the originator, the time of the day, their location, or any other information which could impact their availability. With this project TelefГіnica will be able to add this level of intelligence to all its applications.

Once implemented, communication services such as instant messaging, video mailbox, push-to-talk and push-to-view, click-to-call, or instant collaboration, both in fixed and mobile communications will benefit from this new capabilities based on the information, control and intelligent management of location, presence and availability of users.

Pre-established and configurable levels of presence (available, in-a-meeting, unavailable, reachable only by messaging, for family, community, colleagues, etc.) enable to define and identify priority messages and appropriately redirect incoming phone calls to a colleague, alternate application (voice mail, instant messaging) or device, whether fixed or mobile.

As part of Telefónica’s Presence Project, Alcatel-Lucent will provide the IMS Presence Server, as well as the integration in Telefónica’s core and the maintenance services. This platform enables a virtually instant creation of new attractive services that combine most of the multimedia capabilities offered by service providers.

Alfredo Redondo, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s Iberia activities, declared: “This is a strategic project for Alcatel-Lucent as we work with Telefónica to enable new attractive communication services for groups and communities, and to enrich people’s lives by transforming the way the world communicates”.

The new IMS-based services are typical innovative user-centric applications that address end-users demand for blended and personalized communication services, the possibility to share community content and new ways of communicating with friends or family in remote locations, in a seamless fashion, regardless the access or device.