O2 will stop selling the 8GB iPhone, according to an internal memo reported by Engadget. The memo reportedly reads: “Due to the highly successful sales of the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) 8GB I-Phone [sic], supply chain have today run out of stock & will not be replenishing stock of this product as it has now gone to end of life.” Based on the assumption that O2 hasn’t tired of its deal with Apple, this means the next version of the iPhone (3G, greater storage, whatever it may turn out to be) should be appearing in the UK soon. This comes pretty quickly after O2 cut the price by $200.

Analysts are predicting a June 9th launch date for the 3G iPhone, which will correspond with Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ keynote at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference reports IDG. The article notes that “the iPhone shortage is consistent with Apple’s “tendency to wind down inventory ahead of an update”.

Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) announced today the successful demonstration of Europe’s first broadcast of live TV channels on mobile handsets in S-band. The demonstration took place in Alcatel’s UK premises. It is using the new DVB-SH standard (Satellite services for Handhelds), which is currently being drafted by the DVB Project. To perform this demonstration, Alcatel was assisted by UK broadcasters Sky, ITV and BBC.

Representatives from European mobile operators, TV broadcasters, industry analyst firms and regulatory bodies attending this demonstration were able to enjoy high quality images displayed on SAGEM myMobileTV handsets. These terminals are using the S-band telecom frequency between 2.17GHz and 2.20GHz, which is adjacent to the 3G/UMTS band. 30MHz of spectrum is currently available all across Europe and in other major regions in the world.

DVB-SH is a new technology targeting the S-band. DVB-SH is a related standard to DVB-H. With DVB-SH technology, Mobile TV signals can be broadcast from satellites as well as from terrestrial transmitters directly to handhelds. DVB-SH handhelds can be designed in such a way that they become compatible with DVB-H so that both standards can be received in one end-user terminal.

In addition, Alcatel demonstrated two possible key technical features using the DVB-SH standard. Reception Antenna Diversity, a feature using two antennas inside the same mobile device, enables improvements in the signal quality under difficult conditions. Furthermore, improved Time Interleaving overcomes fading impairment in mobility conditions. The significant quality enhancement was demonstrated by implementing these DVB-SH features.

On the occasion of this demonstration, Professor Ulrich Reimers, Chairman of the Technical Module of DVB Project declared: “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to witness a live Mobile TV demonstration in the S-band even before the new Mobile TV standard has been finally designed. Within the DVB -Project, we have decided to give that standard a new name – DVB-SH – digital video broadcast from satellite for handhelds. DVB-SH is a perfect complement to other standards, such as DVB-H, which is typically using UHF frequencies but is capable of using the L-band. Thus DVB-SH may have a significant impact on the global Mobile TV industry.”

Olivier Coste, President of Alcatel’s mobile broadcast activities concluded: “Quality of Service is essential for operators to attract and retain Mobile TV users. Today, we demonstrated that high quality live Mobile TV using the S-band works. This can be up and running commercially very soon. With the additional benefits of universal indoor and countrywide coverage, the fundamentals of our solution are already solid enough to enable operators to profit from sustainable Mobile TV market growth thanks to the S-band.”

3UK beats off other network providers to take Best Operator and Best Content Service awards

3UK has been awarded two top honours at the prestigious Mobile Entertainment Awards 2006. The mobile media company beat off competition from other network providers including Vodafone, O2 and Orange, to claim the Best Operator award and Best Content Service for the highly acclaimed SeeMe TV service.

The globally recognised awards are one of the most prestigious sources of independent verification for the entire mobile content industry and are voted for by a panel of 300 industry peers. This panel is drawn from thought leaders, industry-heads and independent experts across US, Europe and Asia.

With over 3.75 million subscribers on its network, and some of the most innovative initiatives in the UK, 3 can justly claim to be the leading operator for mobile content and services. 3 prides itself on constantly responding to the demands of its customers so that it is always offering ground-breaking mobile entertainment.

In addition, the company was also recognised for its innovative SeeMe TV service, the ultimate user-generated content mobile channel, as well as enabling 3 customers to earn cash for clips. SeeMe TV is one of the most heavily used user-generated content sites on mobile and is breaking new ground.

Graeme Oxby, Marketing Director, 3UK, said: “The Mobile Entertainment Awards are designed to recognise excellence, so to be the only operator singled out amongst our competitors is a great achievement as well as a huge validation of 3UK’s service.”

“The Best Content Service Award is a great statement of the impact that SeeMe TV has had on the market. By widening the audience for customer content and rewarding creativity, the SeeMe TV service brings life to the possibilities offered by our network.”