Markus Beyrer, the head of Austria’s state holding company OeIAG, has declared that the government should retain its 28.4% stake in Telekom Austria, reports Reuters. The comments follow moves by investor Ronny Pecik to acquire 15.8% of the telco, with a view to increasing his stake further.
UK telecoms watchdog Ofcom had published results showing the number of complaints made in the last year against each major wireless, fixed line and internet service provider. In the fixed line segment, TalkTalk received the greatest number of complaints by a significant margin, with 1.16 per 1,000 customers in final quarter of 2010. This fell to 0.77 in three months ended September 2011, though this was still much higher than the next most-complained-about competitor, BT Retail, which received just 0.29 at the same date.
AT&T has received approval from US regulators for the purchase of spectrum in the 1700MHz band worth USD1.93 billion. The decision comes days after AT&T was forced to abandon its pursuit of T-Mobile USA, and the acquisition of the airwaves is seen as being vital if the cellco is to develop its mobile broadband coverage. AT&T agreed to purchase the frequencies in December 2010, which Qualcomm first acquired for a mobile television service it later closed
Telecoms authorities from Chile and Peru have met to discuss improvements to cross-border coordination of the communications sector. Chile’s Undersecretary of Telecommunications Jorge Atton, and Peru’s Deputy Minister of Communications Raul Perez Reyes, began the talks in Tacna yesterday, and agreed to consider ways to reduce roaming costs between the two countries. Teams from both nations are to begin analysing the legal and technical aspects of integration immediately, and by March 2012 will draw up proposals to reduce or eliminate the current cost to end users in the Tacna-Arica border area.
Reuters quotes a senior Indian government official as saying that the telecoms ministry may ban mobile operators from offering 3G roaming over each others’ networks to cover zones where they do not possess 3G frequencies. No Indian operator owns a full national set of regional UMTS licences, and domestic cellcos including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular currently provide 3G services beyond their licensed zones via roaming agreements. Another report from Dow Jones quotes the country’s Telecom Secretary (of the Department of Telecommunications) as saying that the existing 3G roaming agreements are illegal.
Polish telco Polkomtel, which offers its wireless services under the Plus brand, has expanded the footprint of its 3G network using frequency in the 900MHz band. Finish vendors Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) installed a 900MHz band refarming solution to supplement the cellco’s existing 2.1GHz services.
Myjoyonline reports that Ghanaian would-be cellular services provider Glo Mobile has announced it will officially launch its commercial services in the country on 19 January 2012. The newcomer’s chief operating officer, George Andah, made the announcement at the Glo CAF Awards, in Accra
National fixed line operator and broadband provider ArmenTel, which markets services under the Beeline banner, has announced the launch of a new line of tariff plans for its ‘Hi-Line’ high speed internet service. The telco says monthly subscriber fee for Hi Line ‘Like 1024’, ‘Like 2048’ and ‘Like 3072’ tariff plans will cost AMD4,500 (USD11.76), AMD6,000 and AMD8,000 respectively. The new ‘Like’ plans are open to new and existing subscribers, with new users also being offered a ADSL modem and one month’s free broadband access when signing up.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology has directed the nation’s telecoms regulator the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to complete the auction of 3G concessions within the next three months, reports The Express Tribune. The ministry, headed by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, has issued a notification to create a committee to supervise the tender.
Bell Canada and Bell Aliant will cease the practice of slowing download and upload speeds of customers using peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing applications (so-called ‘bandwidth throttling’) with effect from 1 March 2012. The sister telcos confirmed the move in a letter to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The change applies to Bell retail internet package users and end-users of Bell’s wholesale ISP clients.
The government of France has raised a total of EUR2.64 billion (USD3.45 billion) from the second round of its auction of 4G mobile licences. Yesterday, the country’s telecoms regulator Arcep confirmed that licences to operate next generation mobile services in the ‘golden’ 800MHz band had been won by France Telecom-Orange, Bouygues Telecom and SFR. The fourth bidder, Iliad’s Free Mobile, was unable to secure a licence but will be able to apply to share SFR’s network, as part of the terms of the latter’s commitment in the auction
Thai cellco True Move has budgeted THB23 billion (USD735 million) for network expansion in 2012, of which more than half, THB15 billion, is expected to be spent on 3G infrastructure. According to CEO Supachai Chearavanont, quoted in a report from the Bangkok Post, True ‘will not invest further in the existing 2G mobile infrastructure next year, only on network maintenance,’ while it hopes to reach four million 3G users, up from the current user base of 700,000-800,000. The Thai operator expects the 3G business to break even by 2013.
Fixed, broadband and mobile operator Telefonica Brazil (including Vivo Participacoes) has signed up one million high speed internet customers under the country’s National Broadband Plan (PNBL) - which is designed to provide low-cost access to the Brazilian population. The operator signed up for the federal government’s PNBL on 30 June this year, at which date it committed to offering affordable broadband access capped at BRL35 (USD18.95) per month in 622 cities in the state of Sao Paulo by 2013. With the first 229 cities covered by September, the company says that it has witnessed an explosion in demand thanks to 300,000 net sign-ups – an increase of 43% in the user base since 28 September
Qatar-based Gulf Bridge International (GBI) and TE SubCom have announced the completion of construction of their 5.12Tbps submarine fibre-optic network, GBI Cable System, including segments covering the Gulf, the Gulf to India, the Gulf to Egypt, across Egypt and across the Mediterranean to Italy. GBI and TE SubCom said they are working to achieve a final ready-for-service date across the entire network within the coming few weeks. Ahmed Mekky, CEO of GBI, said the new system will ‘deliver greater communications capacity and reliability to support the on-going growth in the region
Merger and stock market listing rumours surround Canadian cellular newcomers Wind Mobile and Mobilicity in the press this week. According to sources quoted by Bloomberg, Wind is ‘in talks’ to purchase fellow Toronto-based cellco Mobilicity, although the Globe & Mail reported that Mobilicity was also looking at an initial public offering (IPO) in early 2012, potentially to raise funds for an acquisition of its own.
France Telecom-Orange has revealed three of the five parties battling for its Swiss wireless arm, Orange Switzerland. According to Dow Jones Newswires which cited people close to the sale, Apax Partners, Providence Equity Partners and a consortium consisting of Xavier Niel, founder of French telco Iliad, Goldman Sachs Private Equity and Doughty Hanson have been cleared for the final stages of the auction
The imminent introduction of a new parliament in Guyana has ignited a row between the country’s two wireless providers, Digicel Guyana and incumbent Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T). Before the dissolution of the previous parliament, plans to pass two bills - the Telecommunications Bill and the Public Utilities Commission (Amendment) Bill - that would improve the conditions for competition in the sector were scrapped at the last minute due to comments from an unspecified party. The two pieces of legislation would have created a new regulator, the Telecommunications Agency, and a new framework of regulations including careful management of interconnection rates and the liberalisation of international call termination
Albania’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology has announced plans to award a third 3G concession by February 2012, reports local news source Scan-TV. The decision was made with the intention of reducing end-user prices and a tender is due to be launched shortly.
Dhiraagu, the Maldives business of Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), has begun the rollout of a new fibre-optic submarine cable network system which will run from the north to the south of the island nation. In a press release, CWC said the Dhiraagu Domestic Submarine Cable Network (DDSCN) is a 1,253km fibre-optic submarine cable that first came ashore on the island of Kulhudhuffushi, capital of the Haa Dhaalu Atoll in the north of the Maldives. The DDSCN project will enable Dhiraagu to offer high quality, high speed broadband internet services that will also facilitate services such as e-health, telemedicine, e-government and other online services.
KPN of the Netherlands today confirmed that it has agreed terms to sell its Simyo-branded French mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) to Bouygues Telecom. No financial details were disclosed. In May this year the Dutch telco’s CEO, Eelco Blok, confirmed the group’s intention to refocus efforts to expand its international mobile division, including French MVNO Ortel, but simultaneously look to offload any inefficient operations outside the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium
The government of Tanzania has said that it has no plans to sell its 40% stake in Airtel Tanzania – the local operating subsidiary of India’s Bharti Airtel group – citing the success of the cellco’s mobile money service as the reason for the decision. The East African Business Week quotes the Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs, Mustafa Mkulo, as saying that it will not unload the shares because of the inherent profitability of the service. ‘We have decided to continue with you until further notice because there is no risk of losing our tax payers money … We want to still maintaining our dividend,’ he said.
Japan’s NEC Corp has been awarded a construction and maintenance deal contract by a consortium of telcos – including NTT Communications, Chunghwa Telecom and Korea Telecom – for the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) submarine cable network.
Bloomberg reports that the French telecommunications regulator, the Autorite de Regulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes (Arcep), has fined domestic cableco Numericable EUR5 million (USD6.5 million) for failing to comply with its 4 November 2010 ruling calling for amendments to its fibre-optic network contracts.
Bakcell, Azerbaijan’s second largest mobile operator by subscribers, has announced the expansion of its wireless network to remote parts of the country. The company has installed new base stations in the villages of Qarakhanli, Imamqulubeyli, Alibeyli and Boyat in the Agjabedi region to boost coverage in the remote area
Japan’s NTT Communications Corp.(NTT Com) has announced a data transmission expansion on its global IP network link to the United States, increasing capacity bandwidth to 600Gbps, equivalent to approximately 35,000 channels of digital terrestrial television (DTT).
A mobile equipment tender for Indian state-run telecoms company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has attracted bids from a number of major global equipment vendors, Reuters reports, citing India's junior telecoms minister Milind Deora. Sweden’s Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) of Finland, French-US vendor Alcatel-Lucent and China’s ZTE and Huawei have all reportedly bid for the tender to supply equipment for 14.37 million 2G and 3G GSM mobile lines, the minister told parliament in a written reply to questions from lawmakers
Argentine police have raided the headquarters of local cable company Cablevision to enforce a court order following a complaint over unfair competition from rival operator Supercanal, news agency Reuters reports. The move is an escalation of a bitter dispute between Cablevision’s parent, domestic media giant Clarin, and President Cristina Fernandez, which has been ongoing since Clarin criticised Fernandez's handling of farmer protests soon after she succeeded her late husband as president. ‘This is part of a systematic campaign of harassment the national government is carrying out against Clarin group companies,’ Cablevision said in a statement
Swedish private equity firm EQT VI has agreed to acquire Norwegian telecoms provider Ventelo from six regional power companies – BKK, Troms Kraft, Agder Energi, NTE, Eidsiva Bredband and Altibox – for an equity value of up to NOK1.8 billion (USD304.9 million). Following the successful completion of the transaction, the new owner says it will provide expertise, resources and support for further profitable growth and expansion of Ventelo’s nationwide fibre network.
Leap Wireless has launched Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband services in Tucson, Arizona, with further expansion planned for neighbouring cities in 2012. The cellco is offering a USB modem from Huawei for USD150, and will charge customers based on maximum connection speed, with all plans limited to 5GB data usage volume per month. A service with speed capped at 3Mbps costs USD50 per month, with a 6Mbps package priced at USD60 per month
The third- and fifth-largest Australian broadband ISPs are set to merge following the announcement that Perth-based iiNet will acquire Adelaide-based Internode for AUD105 million (USD106 million) in a deal expected to be completed by the end of February 2012. The consolidation of privately-owned Internode would give iiNet an additional 260,000 subscribers including 190,000 broadband connections, and a further 36 DSLAM network exchanges, largely in South Australia and on the Eastern seaboard, writes ITNews.com. If completed, the deal will give iiNet a total of around 900,000 broadband customers, or around 16% of the market, to challenge rival SingTel Optus, which lies in second place in the sector behind incumbent PSTN operator Telstra.
Switzerland’s largest mobile operator and fixed line incumbent, Swisscom, has signed a five-year contract with Swedish vendor Ericsson to update its wireless network and a future upgrade to Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology.
TeliaSonera has announced that it has signed an agreement with Kazakhtelecom to acquire 49% of the shares in mobile operator GSM Kazakhstan (Kcell) for USD1.5 billion.
Etihad Atheeb Telecom has received regulatory approval to launch a share issue worth USD310 million, paving the way for the company to resume trading on the Saudia Arabian stock exchange.
Russian operator Yota (Scartel) has begun the testing of an LTE network in Novosibirsk in Siberia. The company currently has 63 base stations in Russia's third largest city, although the number is set to increase to 150 base stations by March 2012, with equipment supplied by Huawei
Hits Telecom reportedly plans to make two acquisitions during the first half of 2012, reports Bloomberg. According to the Kuwait-based company’s CEO Par Eriksson, Hits will ‘definitely announce an acquisition in a country in Africa’ during the first quarter, and then may announce a second acquisition in another country during the second quarter. Eriksson gave no further details
Yemeni wireless operator Sabafon claims to have been the victim of repeated attacks from government forces, as a result of the political affiliation of the cellco’s majority owners, the Al-Ahmar family. Sabafon’s chairman, Hamid Al-Ahmar, has backed opposition forces during the recent crisis, aiming to end the rule of the outgoing president Ali Abdullah Saleh.*According to Reuters, the company headquarters was hit three times by rocket propelled grenades during the conflict, and more than 250 of its transmission towers and other facilities were attacked or looted by state forces. A Sabafon spokesperson claimed that the damage sustained to the company’s infrastructure prevented the provision of services, and led to an ‘exodus of subscribers to other providers’, with the cellco losing ‘hundreds of thousands’ of customers
State-owned incumbent fixed line operator Telecom Cambodia (TC) has signed a business cooperation agreement with Vietnamese counterpart Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (VNPT) to boost its product portfolio and coverage area. The Phnom Penh Post cites TC director general Lao Saroeun as saying that state-owned VNPT will provide the technology and equipment necessary for TC to grow its operations in Cambodia, allowing the firm to better compete in the country’s crowded telecoms sector.
In an announcement dated 19 December 2011, Morocco’s National Agency of Telecommunications Regulation (ANRT) has launched a scheme to register the identity of all pre-paid mobile SIM card owners. In accordance with a decision effective on 1 October 2011, all new and existing mobile subscribers of the country’s three network operators Maroc Telecom, Meditel and Wana (Inwi) are required to provide their name, address and a copy of an official identification document, including data-only users purchasing a USB modem for internet access.
In a bid to make up for the loss of oil revenue from the newly independent South, the government of Sudan plans to increase taxes on the country’s telecoms operators, Reuters reports. Under the 2012 budget, which was approved by parliament on Monday, manager of Sudan's tax office, Mohamed Osman Ibrahim, told reporters that the government will raise sales and services taxes for telecoms firms from 20% to 30%, while a tax on profits will be hiked from 15% to 30%.
Surging demand for mobile data services has prompted Oman’s two telecoms companies, incumbent Oman Telecommunications (Omantel) and second national operator Nawras, to request lower-frequency spectrum from the country’s telecoms regulator, reports Trade Arabia citing news agency Reuters. Both operators currently utilise 2100MHz spectrum to provide third-generation services, but have entered into talks with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) on the possibility of acquiring new spectrum in lower frequency ranges. In an emailed statement, the watchdog said it wants to refarm its 800MHz spectrum to the two operators for mobile broadband services
Japan’s big three mobile network operators – NTT DoCoMo, KDDI Corp (au) and Softbank Mobile – have established the Japan Mobile NFC Consortiu¬m to coordinate and plan the adoption of international standards for near field communication (NFC) technology in their handsets and services. The cellcos already utilise an indigenous mobile payment service – Osaifu-Keitai, which is based on a contactless-IC smartcard, dubbed FeliCa. However, given that other markets are adopting differing standards for NFC services, Japan is now looking to widen its base to ensure compatibility with Type A and Type B NFC standards used elsewhere
The Associated Press reports that the Netherlands' national telecoms regulator, the Independent Post Telecommunications Authority (OPTA), is tightening its supervision of former monopoly KPN (or Royal KPN as it is also known) amid concerns the operator may be breaking competition laws. In a brief statement, the watchdog said it was placing KPN under ‘sharpened supervision’ with immediate effect.
Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) is providing a capacity boost for Telekomunikasi Indonesia’s (PT Telkom’s) 354km JaSuKa submarine link, deemed critical to Indonesia’s international connectivity. The capacity upgrade means that the telco can now provide data transmission speeds of 40Gbps per channel on the JaSuKa sub-sea cable between Dumai and Dangas, while reusing existing assets. Under the contract, NSN is supplying Telkom with its dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) solution, comprising the hiT 7300 optical network platform – part of the company's so-called ‘Liquid Transport’ architecture
Zimbabwe’s Post & Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) director general, Charles Sibanda, has disclosed that state-run PSTN operator TelOne has connected 2,600 ADSL broadband customers to date since launching the service earlier this year. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, TelOne launched ADSL with connection speed options of 256kbps-2Mbps in July 2011 in areas where its copper access network and fibre backbone reach (although subject to local availability)
The Kosovan government will restart its attempt to sell 75% of state-owned telco Post and Telecommunications Kosovo (PTK) in the first quarter of 2012, reports Bloomberg. The previous attempt to sell the company was halted in October this year after corruption charges levelled at the telco’s heads caused the two bidders shortlisted for the stake, Telekom Austria and T-Hrvatski Telekom (T-HT), to reconsider their participation in the tender. In June, just two days after the selection of T-HT and Telekom Austria, PTK’s chief executive and board chairman Shyqyri Haxha and Rexhe Gjonbalaj were accused of ‘entering into harmful contracts, abusing official position and misuse of economic authorisations’ by prosecutors from the EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX).
UK mobile operator 3 is to conduct tests of next generation mobile services based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in parts of the Thames Valley, The Financial Times reports.
New data from TeleGeography partner Synergy Research Group show that the market for web conferencing equipment grew 21 percent between Q3 2010 and Q3 2011, with Software as a Service (SaaS)-based systems accounting for 83 percent of quarterly revenues. According to Synergy’s Unified Communications Applications Research Service, revenues from SaaS-based systems exceeded USD400 million for each of the past three quarters
Australian fixed line incumbent Telstra is reported to have extended the deadline for completing the deal under which it will lease its infrastructure and transfer customers to the in-deployment National Broadband Network (NBN). The Australian Financial Review reports that, having been due to expire yesterday, the agreement signed in June 2011 between Telstra and NBN Co, the public-private company set up to oversee the management and construction of the NBN, has been extended. The additional time has been given for completion of the deal as Telstra is still awaiting regulatory approval for its Structural Separation Undertaking (SSU), which forms a core part of the agreement made with NBN Co.
AT&T has dropped its bid for T-Mobile USA following fierce regulatory opposition.
San Diego-headquartered VelaTel Global Communications has announced that it has signed an agreement with Cyprus-based holding company Kerseyco Trading to acquire a 51% controlling interest in Kerseyco and its Serbian subsidiary, internet service provider (ISP) VeratNet. In exchange for the stake VelaTel will upgrade VeratNet’s wireless broadband infrastructure, doubling the subscriber capacity of the network. The development will utilise equipment provided by Chinese vendor ZTE under its existing strategic agreement with VelaTel.
According to local press reports, Global Mobile has launched Taiwan’s first dual-mode 3G/WiMAX handsets, called 7G Miracle. The operator is one of the country’s six officially licensed operators, and is targeting 250,000 WiMAX subscribers by the end of 2012.
France Telecom-Orange has selected Alcatel-Lucent (Alca-Lu) to undertake a capacity upgrade on its fibre-optic network link between Paris and London to meet rising demand for bandwidth. Telecoms News reports that a field trial of a 100 Gigabit per second (100G) connection was put into operation at the end of last November and a second connection is expected to be available by the end of December
Nigeria’s House of Representatives is looking to launch an investigation into the country’s SIM registration programme, which was carried out by telecoms regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) during the year. Local newspaper THISDAY cites Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, as saying that the government will investigate how the funds allocated to the SIM registration project were utilised in view of the objectives of the NGN6.1 billion (USD37.2 million) exercise
Egypt’s second largest mobile network operator by subscribers, Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (MobiNil), has applied for a licence to set up an international gateway, according to Zawya. It is understood that the operator is currently negotiating with the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) regarding the fee for such a concession, with the report citing MobiNil chief executive officer Yves Gauthier as saying: ‘We want to have our own international calls license to provide our service directly to more than 31 million customers in Egypt.
New Zealand’s Commerce Commission has revealed that consumers are starting to benefit from the cut in mobile termination rates (MTRs) implemented seven months ago. Last May the commission slashed MTRs from NZD0.14 (USD0.11) per minute to NZD0.07
Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) revealed this week that it has won a five-year contract from Vodacom Tanzania to modernise the cellco’s mobile networks in the country.
Business News Americas reports that Brazilian mobile operator Telecom America (Claro), a unit of Mexico’s America Movil (AM), is spending BRL3.5 billion (USD1.88 billion) in its networks in 2012, with a primary focus on enhancing and expanding its HSPA+ coverage.
With the deployment of third-generation networks now in full swing by Indian cellcos, and with suggestions that 4G services may not be too far behind, one of the country’s fixed line broadband operators has looked to bolster speeds with a view to shoring up its customer base. According to The Hindu Business line, Bharti Airtel has revealed that it is upgrading the connections of all its fixed broadband connections in 14 large cities to a minimum speed of 2Mbps, those being: Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR), Lucknow, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bhopal and Calcutta
SingTel Mobile, the wireless arm of southeast Asian telco Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel), yesterday unveiled its fourth-generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) tariff plans in the city-state, promising a doubling in maximum download speeds for both consumers and business customers. SingTel Mobile’s new 4G service has theoretical and typical download speeds of up to 75Mbps and 12Mbps respectively, and will be priced at SGD69.90 (USD53.55) per month. Offered as ‘Mobile Prestige 75 LTE’, the bundle includes 10GB of 4G data, as well as 50GB of 3G 21Mbps data.
The government of Pakistan, citing threats to national security, has reportedly decided to ban mobile number portability (MNP), Pakistan Today reports. The development comes after a meeting led by minister of the interior Rehman Malik was held on the misuse of electronic equipment, with a view to examining necessary measures to curb illegal activities.
Digicel Bermuda says it is ‘delighted’ with the Supreme Court’s ruling which clears it to offer international long-distance (ILD) telephony services through its ISP subsidiary Transact. The firm issued a statement confirming the court had ‘fully discharged Digicel and Transact from their undertaking in respect of the provision of international long-distance services. The Judge further refused applications made by the defendants to issue an injunction against Digicel and Transact from providing international services in Bermuda’.
Bulgaria’s Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) has awarded three licences for the use of vacant spectrum in the 1800MHz range for wireless communications. Max Telekom and 4G Com won concessions for two paired blocks of 8MHz, whilst Bulsatcom won two paired blocks of 5MHz
UAE-based telecoms operator Etisalat has announced the commercial launch of Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband services for its domestic post-paid customers. The 4G compatible E398-LTE USB modem is available for AED799 (USD217) per month and supports download speeds of up to 100Mbps. Subscribers of Etisalat’s ‘My DataPlan Ultra’ package bundle on a six or twelve month contract will receive the modem for free, including a monthly data allowance of 20GB
The privatisation of incumbent fixed line telecoms operator Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC), which was initially scheduled to take place during 2011, is now expected to happen by mid-2012, local newspaper Mmegi Online reports. ‘The BTC is ready for privatisation, but the steps to achieve that are taking a bit longer than they should,’ stated the telco’s chairman, Len Makwinja, adding: ‘We have all the requirements for a successful privatisation.’ TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database states that BTC began to look for a strategic equity partner in early 2009, and following lengthy consultation activities with all of the telco’s stakeholders, Botswana’s president Ian Khama announced in November 2010 that the government would begin to sell its shares in BTC via an initial public offering (IPO) in early 2011. Under the latest sale plans, a 49% stake in BTC will be sold to investors and BTC employees, while the government will retain the remaining 51%.
Bhutanese daily Kuensel Online has reported that the Bhutan Information Communications & Media Authority (BICMA) has unveiled a nationwide fibre-optic network connecting all 20 dzongkhags (administrative/judicial districts) in the country.
According to MVNOnews.com, Bladna Mobile, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) owned by Saudi Mobile Services, has launched operations in Italy. The website reports that the new service piggybacks on Vodafone Italy’s network, citing existing links between the Italian cellco and its sister company Vodafone Egypt, which is said to wholly-own Saudi Mobile Services
Russia’s state-controlled telecoms giant Rostelecom has postponed its imminent listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) until early next year, citing regulatory red-tape as the reason.
Following last month’s antitrust court action launched by the Swedish Competition Authority (Konkurrensverket), a deal has been cancelled under which the country’s largest cableco Com Hem would have acquired the Swedish cable TV business of Canal Digital, currently part of the Telenor group.
Serbia has agreed to pay EUR380 million (USD495.4 million) to buy back a 20% stake in state-run telco Telekom Srbija from Greece’s OTE. Whilst the deal is yet to be finalised, Belgrade approved the price and the key elements of the proposed agreement in a meeting on 16 December.
Ireland’s national telecoms regulator the Commission for Communications Regulation, or ComReg as it is also known, issued a press release last Friday welcoming Eircom’s announcement to cut interconnection rates relating to its Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO) price list for the period from 1 July 2012. ComReg notes that the update will reduce call origination and call termination interconnection rates by an average of 5% from 1 July 2012. The watchdog adds that, given the past reductions of 15% since early 2010, this further reduction will give a total average saving of 20% on call origination and call termination rates over the past two years.
Colombian telco Une-EPM has launched Long Term Evolution (LTE) services following network rollouts from Swedish vendor Ericsson and China’s Huawei. The fourth-generation network spans Bogota, Villavicencio, Cartagena, Bucaramanga, Armenia, Manizales, Medellin, Pereira, Ibague, Barranquilla and Cali and will offer customers download speeds of up to 20Mbps. The start of commercial services began earlier than Une-EPM’s original projection, which scheduled the first quarter of 2012 for launch.*The state-owned telco was awarded a concession for ten blocks of 5MHz in the 2500MHz-2690MHz band in June 2010, paying COP8 billion (USD4.09 million) for each block
US-based EMC Corporation has revealed that it has been selected by Palestinian fixed line incumbent Palestine Telecommunications Company (Paltel) to rollout a new IT infrastructure for the telco.
Spanish cableco Euskaltel will spend more than EUR240 million (USD312 million) over the next five years, Telecompaper reports citing Spanish news agency EFE. The bulk of the investment is expected to be directed towards expanding the company’s own mobile infrastructure, while funds will also be used for technology upgrades and enhancing the capacity of the operator’s cable network. As noted in TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, in August 2011 the Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio (MITYC) confirmed Euskaltel as one of the winners in its large-scale spectrum auction, with the operator successfully bidding EUR2.42 million for 20MHz in the 2600MHz band in Pais Vasco, with the spectrum available for immediate use
Zamtel Mobile, Zambia’s smallest mobile network operator by subscribers and a wholly-owned unit of fixed line incumbent Zamtel, has outlined the progress of its 3G network rollout thus far.
Verizon Wireless has agreed a USD315 million deal with Cox Communications for the purchase of its 20MHz block of Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum licences, which cover around 28 million people.
Lebanon’s telecoms minister Nicolas Sehnaoui yesterday pledged a USD110 million investment to upgrade the country’s two state-run, privately managed cellular networks to improve services. As reported by the local Daily Star newspaper, the minister said that the new ‘National Quality of Services’ programme ‘will put an end to the poor mobile services.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has opened Canada’s Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut regions to local telephony competition from 1 May 2012, from which date users will be able to choose an alternative service provider, where available. Up until now, Northwestel, part of Bell Canada, has been the sole provider of local telephone service in the far northern regions.
Rogers Communications has announced the beta launch of its ‘Rogers Live TV’ application which streams live TV channels on iPad tablet computers, allowing its pay-TV channel subscribers to view real-time broadcast programmes from anywhere in the home via Wi-Fi. The beta launch in Ontario initially offers 20 streamed iPad channels to customers of Rogers’ Hi-Speed Internet cable broadband with a ‘MyRogers’ account. The Live TV app will officially launch in early 2012, and a version for Android tablets will be available soon.
Verizon Communications has announced that it is establishing a new division to serve its enterprise, government and wholesale customers, to be known as Verizon Enterprise Solutions. The consolidation will bring together mobility, cloud and information technology, strategic networking and advanced communications offerings, according to CEO Lowell McAdam, who stated the reasons for the move: ‘We know that the intersection of mobility, cloud computing and security will drive a revolution in enterprise IT over the next ten years...
China’s ZTE has been selected by Portugal Telecom (PT) as its exclusive equipment provider to build a DWDM metro network throughout Portugal, including the mainland and islands. According to a press release, PT said that a comprehensive transmission network overhaul was critical to cope with rising bandwidth demands, with existing fibre facilities insufficient for future developments and SDH-based networks covering less densely populated suburban areas having limited capacity, coupled with the need to cover long distances between various different sites. An ‘intelligent, maintainable and reliable DWDM transport network’ is necessary to face the traffic challenges from new services, the telco announced, adding that the DWDM network ‘significantly raises fibre resource use rate, improves network reliability and flexibility and reduces CAPEX and OPEX to meet the demands for PT’s present and future services.’
Following on from total investment of ARS2.6 billion (USD607 million) this year, Argentine incumbent telecoms operator Telefonica de Argentina (TdA) plans to spend ARS10 billion between 2012 and 2014 to prepare for the sales growth with increased broadband and telecommunications capacity. According to a report by Dow Jones, which cites a company statement, TdA expects fixed broadband internet revenue to increase 30% next year, while sales from its mobile internet service could grow by as much as 80%.
US-based cable operator Liberty Global Inc (LGI) yesterday announced the authorisation of a new USD1 billion stock repurchase programme.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says it will decide within the next six months whether or not to approve AT&T‘s plans to buy Qualcomm’s wireless spectrum, which the US telecoms giant has earmarked for 4G mobile network expansion.
Cable and Wireless Communications Jamaica (CWC) has announced the commercial launch of services over the country’s first fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network, providing theoretical download speeds of up to 100Mbps. CWC’s FTTH service is currently only available in Montego Bay and St Catherine, though the telco plans to gradually expand the network to other parts of the country
Uganda Telecom Ltd (UTL) will receive capital from the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio Green Network (LAP Green Network), which owns 69% of the telco, according to local news source The Observer. LAP Green Network’s new board chairman Wafik Shater said ‘We are currently looking at UTL’s critical funding need for the remainder of this year. After ascertaining the actual funds required, we will inject them into our operations here.’ UTL has suffered indirectly as a result of sanctions imposed on LAP Green Network by the UN during Libya’s civil war, worsening the telco’s already substantial debts
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has revoked a ruling which exempted fixed line incumbent Telstra from providing a range of wholesale services at more than 200 exchanges. Having completed a public inquiry examining the geographic exemption provisions of Wholesale Line Rental (WLR), Local Carriage Services (LCS) and PSTN Originating Access (PSTN OA) services, the regulator has said it will vary final access determinations (FADs) to remove the exemptions
The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) has once again rejected an application from Korea Mobile Internet (KMI) to roll out a WiBro network with a view to competing against the three incumbent mobile network operators. According to the Yonhap News Agency, both KMI and Internet Space Time (IST), which also submitted an application for an operating concession, have had their requests rejected by the regulator; CommsUpdate reported earlier this month that both consortiums had made their submissions with a view to providing voice and data services based exclusively via WiBro (a South Korean variant of WiMAX) technology. The regulator’s rejection, the report claims, is seen as something of a blow to WiBro development, while it has also raised questions regarding just how the KCC aims to follow up its pledge to pressure cellcos SK Telecom, KT Corp and LG Uplus into further reducing mobile tariffs
The Royal Gazette writes that Bermuda’s Ministry of Business Development and Tourism is ‘actively considering’ revoking or suspending the operating licence of internet service provider (ISP) Transact, amid an ongoing dispute of the legality of the concession. Transact is a sister company of Digicel Bermuda.
Eircom’s principal creditors have apparently rejected the latest restructuring proposal put forward by majority shareholder Singapore Technologies Telemedia (STT), preferring instead to forge ahead with their own plans to take control of the company, according to Reuters citing people close to the situation. Yesterday the beleaguered Irish fixed and mobile operator confirmed that it has agreed terms with lenders to extend the waiver of the breach of its senior debt to EBITDA covenant until end-January 2012
South Korea’s largest cellco by subscribers, SK Telecom (SKT), has announced that in the first four months of offering Long Term Evolution (LTE) services it has signed up more than half a million customers to its 4G tariffs.
An official report has confirmed that LightSquared’s proposed nationwide wireless broadband network could cause interference with GPS satellite navigation devices and aircraft flight safety equipment, The UK's Financial Times writes.
Hutchison Whampoa’s Swedish mobile subsidiary Hi3G Access Sweden (3, or Tre) has launched 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services in partnership with Chinese technology provider ZTE, over a network which the companies claim is the world’s first commercial implementation of LTE FDD/TDD dual-mode technology. 3’s 4G mobile broadband service is initially available in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo, but will be expanded across the rest of Sweden in due course
Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has been selected to supply an upgrade for Japanese mobile operator KDDI Corp, that will enable two types of radio communications technology to work side by side in Japan.
Germany’s antitrust body, the Bundeskartellamt, has announced it has cleared Liberty Global’s acquisition of the country’s third largest cableco by subscribers Kabel BW, subject to certain conditions and obligations. US cable company Liberty Global, which already owns Germany’s second largest cableco Unitymedia, offered a series of concessions in order to smooth the way for approval of the merger. Under one such remedy, housing associations with more than 800 housing units in the network areas of Unitymedia and Kabel BW will be granted a special contract termination right for retail TV services.
The French telecommunications regulatory authority Arcep says it received a total of four bids for 4G mobile licences in the 800MHz band by yesterday’s deadline. The watchdog confirmed that Orange France, Vivendi-backed SFR, Bouygues Telecom and newcomer Free Mobile, a subsidiary of fixed and broadband operator Iliad, have submitted bids, although it declined to say how much each has offered. The four cellcos have already secured 4G concessions to offer services in the 2600MHz band.
Bulgaria’s parliament is this week expected to approve a set of amendments to the Electronic Communications Act that will focus on consumer protection and enhancing the powers of the regulator, the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC). According to local news source Novinite, the legislation, which was first introduced in June this year, will concentrate on limiting unnecessary additional charges to customers
Alcatel-Lucent and Portuguese telco Oni Communications have established a 100Gbps connection over a fibre-optic network linking Lisbon, Portugal and Badajoz, Spain. The French-US vendor upgraded Oni’s existing Lisbon-Badajoz link which was already supporting 10G channels
Swedish telecoms group Tele2 yesterday cut its forecast for end-year mobile subscriber numbers in Russia, its most important growth market, to 20.6 million-20.7 million, down from an earlier forecast of 21 million, as it said it was focusing on existing customer retention. ‘We have chosen to focus... on reducing the value of customer churn rather than on competing on net intake,’ Tele2 CEO Mats Granryd said in a statement, adding: ‘We still believe that Russia is Tele2's most important growth market and the company will continue to have a balanced approach between customer intake and profitability.’ Mobile-only unit Tele2 Russia accounted for 29% of group consolidated revenues in Q3 2011, compared to domestic integrated telecoms service provider Tele2 Sweden’s 30%; the Russian division’s monthly net new GSM subscriber additions fell to 48,000 in November 2011 from 98,000 the previous month
Saudi Telecom Company (STC) says it has acquired an additional 20% stake in United Arab Emirates (UAE) digital media firm Intigral for USD24 million, lifting its total equity to 71%. STC, which is funding the purchase through its own internal resources, said in a statement on the Saudi bourse: ‘The move is consistent with the strategy to focus on providing content services that are important to many of its customers.’ Intigral provides telcos and ISPs with content for mobile phones, TV and the internet
Three of India’s largest mobile network operators – Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular – are reportedly pressing for ‘first right of refusal on the airwaves they hold’ once their respective existing concessions for the frequencies expire. According to India’s Economic Times, the move comes after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said it would stand by an earlier recommendation that spectrum be refarmed when mobile licences come up for renewal
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has proposed a framework for the licensing of mobile broadband spectrum in the 2.6GHz and 800MHz spectrum bands, under which it plans to receive proposals from applicants in March 2012, and aims to avoid a traditional auction process. Instead, the regulator will launch a comparative process, or ‘beauty contest’ procedure taking into account factors including: business plan, technical plan, market innovation and network rollout. A monetary sealed bid stage will be a ‘last resort’ if more than one applicant is successful for each licence package under consideration, the watchdog added at a briefing for interested parties held on 13 December
Vietnamese software and technology company the Corporation for Financing and Promoting Technology (FPT) will miss its profit target for full year 2011, after the economic slowdown and the country’s high inflation hit demand. Bloomberg cites FPT’s chief executive officer Truong Dinh Anh as saying that the company estimates 2011 pre-tax profit at VND2.57 trillion (USD120 million), compared to the revised target of VND2.62 trillion announced in July, while revenue could be around VND26 trillion, rather than the target of VND26.8 trillion.
Israeli incumbent fixed line provider Bezeq has revealed plans to launch the first tests of its fibre-optic network in Petah Tikva's Em Hamoshava neighbourhood. The telco will trial fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) services in the area over a three-month period, granting residential customers access to the fibre-based connections. It has suggested that, in the future, should it move forward with a commercial deployment of the technology it would be able to offer downlink speeds of up to 1Gbps to its customers
NBN Co, the public-private company tasked with the management and construction of Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN), has announced that it has selected Visionstream Australia to build the first stage of its transit network. NBN Co said it had inked a contract worth around AUD19 million with the networking service provider for the infrastructure deployment following a tender process
Households and business in Douala are set to enjoy new services and applications based on high speed broadband internet following the launch of a 50km fibre-optic ring in Cameroon’s largest city.
Online news portal e-belarus.org quotes the director of Belarus’ national PTO Beltelecom, Andrei Soborov, as saying that his company will not increase internet access tariffs next year. The decision is good news for Beltelecom’s broadband subscriber base which topped 1.1 million this month – thanks to net additions of around 100,000 since September. Soborov added that Beltelecom plans to increase its 'byfly' broadband user base by a further 50,000-60,000 in the short-term.
Namibian state-owned incumbent Telecom Namibia has agreed to purchase 100% of the country’s second largest mobile operator Powercom (branded as Leo), although a spokesperson for the PSTN operator, Oiva Angula, told Reuters there remained ‘legal and regulatory issues to sort out’ before the deal could be completed. Angula said that a further statement on the takeover – which would result in a duopoly of two majority state-owned operators – would be released sometime on Thursday. In June 2011 Telecel Globe, part of Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, agreed to sell Powercom (Leo) to UK-registered, southern African investment fund Investec Asset Management and South African banking group Nedbank Group in a cashless deal involving the transfer of the cellco’s USD60 million of debt.
Verizon has announced that the rollout of its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network has reached another milestone, with 200 million people (or two-thirds of the population) now covered by the operator’s 4G signal. Today, Verizon will unveil the latest seven markets to receive 4G services when it goes live in Dover (DE), Lafayette (IN), Fitchburg/Leominster (MA), Duluth, The Rochester Area and St.
Australia’s Telstra is strengthening its footprint in the Asia-Pacific region and to that end has secured telecoms licences enabling it to operate its own network infrastructure and serve customers directly in Singapore and Japan. The move follows the Australian telco’s recent award of operating licences in India to provide international and domestic long-distance telecommunications (ILD/DLD) and internet services
Greece is among the countries hardest hit by the Eurozone monetary crisis, and data from TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database reveal the effects of the sharp downturn on the country’s telecom market. However, recent trends suggest that the embattled Greek telecoms sector is gradually stabilizing
Finnish cellco DNA Finland has announced that it expects to offer what it terms ‘4G speeds’ in some 130 municipalities across the country, representing as much as half of the Finnish population, by the end of 2011. The operator said it is achieving the higher downlink speeds via the deployment of two technologies, those being dual carrier HSPA+ (DC-HSPA+) and Long Term Evolution (LTE)
Alcatel-Lucent has announced that Argentine cable network operator Cablevision will deploy its advanced 100G optical networking solution, which will enable the cableco to increase performance and service speeds to meet the growing demand for video, multimedia and internet applications from its customer base. ‘With Alcatel-Lucent’s solution, we are taking a major step towards providing a highly flexible, future-proof network, scaling up to 100G, to support current and future bandwidth demands with increased efficiencies and reduced time-to-market for new services,’ commented Gabriel Carro, head of Engineering for Cablevision Argentina. The vendor is supplying its 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) featuring next-generation 100G coherent technology to dramatically improve capacity scalability
Bloomberg reports that Swisscom's full-year 2011 net income will be cut by USD1.3 billion due to a writedown on its Italian fixed line and broadband unit FastWeb, following an impairment test.
Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM), the country’s second largest mobile operator by subscribers, has announced in a company statement that it has ended talks with an unidentified potential strategic equity partner. TNM said that the interested party had ‘proposed substantive amendments to the indicative offer terms outlined in its original expression of interest’
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has outlined its strategy for the introduction of up-to-date communications and information management solutions as parts of the national state building effort, the Palestine News & Info Agency reports. The Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology (MTIT) has said that its strategy for a unified communications and government computer centre will ‘build a more connected government, foster national unity and accelerate e-government services,’ and the regulator expects to adopt new innovations in hosted services, cloud computing and person-to-person networking in order to provide real-time voice, data and video collaboration solutions across the existing government network. Unified communications services are expected to be deployed initially in the West Bank, although the Palestinian government expects the project to improve cooperation and collaboration among all of its departments and public institutions.
Indian mobile network operators Tata Teleservices (TTSL) and Aircel have reportedly terminated an agreement allowing roaming on their respective 3G networks in those regions where the other did not hold a licence to offer third-generation services. According to the Hindu Business Line, with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) having looked into the legality of such arrangements, and subsequently announcing that as they were effectively spectrum sharing deals they were indeed illegal, such a move is thought to have been taken with a view to avoiding any punitive action by the regulator
Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has announced that it is set to list an unspecified number of shares in its Kuwaiti subsidiary Kuwait Telecom Company (Viva) on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE); local financial services specialist NBK Capital has been selected to manage the listing. Viva CEO Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Badran commented: ‘Viva is keen to meet all requirements and professional standards to successfully complete the listing process which will in turn build trust among shareholders’.
US WiMAX operator Clearwire has announced that it has raised USD715.5 million from its shareholders to fund ongoing network expansion plans.
Canada’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, Rogers Communications, has decided to discontinue its ‘Portable Internet’ WiMAX wireless broadband service on 1 March 2012, to focus on its 3G and 4G cellular mobile broadband networks. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Portable Internet was launched in April 2006 over the Inukshuk Wireless network, a 50/50 joint venture with Bell Canada based on 2500MHz pre-WiMAX technology, which by June 2011 had coverage of 204 towns and cities and approximately 65% of the population.
US satellite TV giant DISH Network has indicated that it is keen to form a strategic partnership with T-Mobile USA if AT&T Inc’s ill-fated bid for control of the Deutsche Telekom-owned cellco fails. DISH, which acquired wireless spectrum earlier this year as part of deals for bankrupt satellite smartphone operator TerreStar (July 2011) and hybrid satellite and communications company DBSD North America (February 2011), has set its sights on rolling out a cellular network using Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, with the company requesting permission from the FCC to offer a standalone cellular service, as opposed to an integrated satellite service
Mozambican communications minister Paulo Zucula has confirmed that the government has ruled out the possibility of selling shares in mCel, the country’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, bringing to an end two years of speculation over the cellco’s future. Speaking to local newspaper O Pais, Zucula said he hoped to dissuade interested parties, such as long-term suitor Portugal Telecom (PT), from pursuing its interest in mCel
Ailing Irish operator Eircom has published a statement warning that its earnings for fiscal 2011 will be significantly lower than for the year-earlier period due to the flagging Irish economy. The fixed and mobile operator said that lower consumer confidence and competition is putting increased pressure on its performance in all business market segments. On a more positive note, Eircom confirmed it is on track to launch a fibre-optic rollout plan in January.
Business Wire reports that SKY Brazil, a subsidiary of Latin American satellite TV provider DIRECTV, today launched a 4G wireless broadband service in Brasilia, with plans to roll out the service to other Brazilian cities next year. The fledgling service utilises TD-LTE technology and promises to deliver consumers high speed broadband access to the internet. At launch SKY Brazil’s metropolitan footprint in Brasilia spans a number of neighbourhoods that are currently underserved when it comes to advanced broadband infrastructure
The French telecoms regulator Arcep yesterday confirmed that having audited Iliad’s Free Mobile network, the newcomer is clear to launch as the country’s fourth mobile operator.
Reuters reports that France Telecom-Orange has received five offers in its auction of its Swiss unit, although it declined to reveal the bidders. 'The offers are all of good quality and in line with our expectations,' a spokesperson for the French group said yesterday, adding that 'each of the offers is self-financed with certain funds,' and that France Telecom aimed to sign a deal with the eventual winner early next year.
Kenya’s Wananchi Group, which offers triple-play services – comprising cable TV, broadband internet and voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) – under the ‘Zuku’ brand in parts of Nairobi, has confirmed that it intends to raise KES8.9 billion (USD97.9 million) in 2012 to fund its rollout of triple-play services across East Africa. The firm, which also operates in Tanzania, has earmarked Rwanda and Malawi for future connectivity. CEO Richard Bell told Business Daily Africa that, as a result of the high interest rates currently prevailing in Kenya, Wananchi has been forced to raise the funds outside of the country
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in the Philippines has filed proceeding against the country’s three biggest mobile operators – Smart Communications, Globe Telecom and Digitel Mobile (Sun Cellular) – over their failure to reduce SMS rates under an NTC directive. News service 24 Oras quotes NTC director Ed Cabarios as saying the commission will now decide what legal action to enforce against the three companies.
China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has reportedly told China Telecom Corporation and China Unicom to submit more specific plans for reform, saying that those received so far were too vague. The two telecoms giants are currently being investigated for practicing price discrimination and other anti-competitive measures.
Russian mobile operator MegaFon has announced its acquisition of 100% of Luchshe.net, an internet service provider (ISP) that offers services in Kursk under the ‘SVOE’ brand. The transaction, which was valued at RUB318 million (USD10.1 million), was carried out through MegaFon’s wholly owned Net By Net broadband subsidiary. Luchshe.net is believed to be one of the largest ISPs in the Kursk region, with around 40,000 subscribers.
Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM), the country’s second largest mobile operator by subscribers, has partnered with Dubai-based solutions and services provider Emitac Mobile Solutions (EMS) to introduce Research In Motion’s BlackBerry products and services to the operator’s customers. BizCommunity reports that services will be available to personal and corporate users, on both a pre- and post-paid basis. ‘TNM mobile subscribers will now be able to enjoy the freedom and productivity benefits of using BlackBerry smartphones to stay connected to people and information while on the go,’ commented TNM's CEO, Willem Swart, at the launch ceremony in Blantyre last week
Digicel Vanuatu has inaugurated its new 3G network in the towns of Port Vila and Luganville; the network supports 3G-enabled handsets, tablet devices and USB dongles.
Hong Kong cellco CSL has announced a strategic alliance with Jasper Wireless to connect and support a host of emerging enterprise and consumer devices. Jasper Wireless, the developer of a connected devices platform for machine to machine (M2M) and consumer electronics, will provide CSL with its software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, offering the necessary tools to eliminate complexity associated with connecting and managing new devices, according to a press release
US-based American Tower has reportedly entered into a definitive agreement to acquire around 2,500 towers from Pegaso PCS, the Mexican subsidiary of Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, for up to USD500 million. According to Cellular News, American Tower expects to acquire the bulk of the towers before the end of this year, subject to the deal receiving regulatory approval
India’s Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has ordered fixed line operators Bharti Airtel and Tata Communications to pay 10% of a INR500 million (USD9.31 million) fine that has been levied against each of them for alleged violation of the terms of their respective international long-distance (ILD) licences. According to the Indian Economic Times, the tribunal has directed the two telcos to pay INR50 million each to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) within two weeks; the regulator imposed the fine after both provided international private lease circuits to SingTel, allegedly violating the terms and conditions of their ILD concessions.
Openreach, the network arm of British fixed line incumbent BT, has announced the latest phase of its fibre deployment programme, revealing a further 178 exchanges at which it aims enable access to superfast broadband services.
France Telecom-Orange has announced the launch of its ‘Fibre Pro’ offer, which enables SMEs and business professionals to sign up to fibre-optic network services offering symmetrical data speeds of up to 100Mbps. The telco says the Fibre Pro offer includes fixed line telephony (including functions such as multiple-call), internet and television, as well as a range of services designed to meet the needs of professionals such as a personalised URL, a fixed IP address, the ‘e-mail for professionals’ service and a digital fax function. The offer is available from EUR69 per month and includes communications to fixed lines and mobiles both in France and abroad.
Myrepublica.com reports that Nepal’s Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has ordered the country’s telecoms regulator, Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), to stop issuing 3G mobile frequencies to telecoms operators and to abandon its plan to implement a unified licensing scheme which would enable telcos to offer any type of service via a single concession. The journal quotes a source at CIAA as saying: ‘The decision was taken based on a complaint filed at the CIAA which said giving away 3G frequencies to telecom operators was inflicting huge revenue losses on the government and the plan to issue unified licence smacked of suspicious motive of serving certain groups’ vested interest.’ It is understood that in the wake of the complaint, two weeks ago the CIAA asked the secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications - the authority to which the NTA the reports - to open an investigation into the complaints. However, with no response forthcoming it has decided to issue a formal order
Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has approved fixed line operator Netia’s acquisition of rival telco Telefonia Dialog and corporate provider and wholesaler Crowley Data Poland, for PLN944 million (USD276.4 million) and PLN100 million respectively. Dialog was bought from Polish mining firm Kombinat Gorniczo-Hutniczy Miedzi (KGHM), which has been intermittently seeking a buyer for the telco since 2006, though the process was put on hold in 2008 in the wake of the global economic downturn. Earlier this year KGHM divested its other telecoms asset, selling its 24.39% stake in cellco Polkomtel as part of a complete takeover by Polish media mogul Zygmunt Solorz-Zak.
Malaysian telco Axiata is reportedly in talks to sell its 49% stake in Iran's Mobile Telecommunications Company of Esfahan (MTCE).
The single largest shareholder in Irish former telecoms monopoly Eircom, Singapore Technologies Telemedia (STT), has confirmed that it has submitted a restructuring plan to the operator’s independent directors. Eircom has published a statement saying it will consider the STT proposal, alongside two others received earlier this month. The plans on the table are aimed at restructuring the struggling telco’s EUR3.75 billion (USD4.98 billion) of debt
Jordanian cellco Umniah Telecommunications and Technology Company has announced plans to launch 3G services in the first half of 2012, according to CommsMEA. Despite being the last of the country’s three mobile operators to offer 3G services, Ihab Hinnawi, CEO of the Bahrain-owned telco is confident that it will be able to compete with the Jordan Telecom Group and Zain Jordan in the segment. Hinnawi stressed that the decision for a late entry into the 3G market was deliberate, as the cellco was waiting for certain specific developments in the sector to occur before it began work on delivering the technology
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) reportedly intends to file a motion this week that will see it postpone the court proceedings relating to its challenge to AT&T Mobility’s proposed USD39 billion acquisition of rival cellco T-Mobile USA. According to Dow Jones Newswires, DoJ lawyer Joseph Wayland has indicated that legal action against the controversial merger is no longer necessary, because the companies have formally withdrawn their application for approval by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Wayland said that the DoJ will either ask the federal court to stay the court proceedings, or simply withdraw its case until the companies once again attempt to seek approval with the FCC
Zimbabwean state-run cellco NetOne has commissioned a new mobile switching centre in Bulawayo in the south of the country, at a cost of USD45 million. As well as mobile voice calls, the switching centre also supports broadband internet and packet data traffic, and is designed to improve network reliability, availability and security in the southern region. As reported by Telecompaper, the new network facilities, sourced from Huawei Technologies using a loan from China Export & Import Bank, will also enable NetOne subscribers to use internet services on their mobile phones.
Osnova Telekom, the controversial start-up company which is partly-owned (25.1%) by Voyentelekom, a holding company controlled by the Ministry of Defence, has confirmed that it intends to actively pursue frequencies in the 790MHz-862MHz spectrum band, with a view to launching a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Although the operator was authorised to oversee the formation of an ‘experimental dual-purpose LTE zone’ which would comprise a primary network used to provide services on a commercial basis, and a confidential telecoms subsystem used by the government and the Ministry of Defence, in January 2011, its commercial plans stalled amid pressure from the country’s established telecoms operators.
The French competition authority has lined up behind national regulator Arcep in supporting its proposal for lower voice call termination rates for new mobile start-up Free Mobile and other full mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) than for the three incumbent cellcos, Telecompaper writes. Unconfirmed reports suggest the authority prefers ex-ante regulation in the case of the Iliad group’s would-be newcomer Free Mobile, as well as for MVNOs Lycamobile, Omea Telecom and NRJ Mobile. The paper says the competition authority has stressed the need to strive for an ongoing reduction in mobile termination rates, including setting asymmetric rates in instances it deems will address ‘competitive distortions’ in the market.
Cambodian wireless operator Smart Mobile has expanded network coverage to the provinces of Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Mondulkiri, Telecompaper reports. The company's GSM/GPRS/EDGE mobile services currently cover around 80% of the population and roughly 50% of the country's territory, while Smart Mobile’s HSPA+ mobile broadband network, which was commercially launched in August 2011, is available in 14 provinces
More than a year after first announcing plans to hand a number of operators spectrum in the 2.6GHz band, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has confirmed that nine companies will indeed gain new frequencies. According to the Star Online, however, the blocks of spectrum which will be handed out will be smaller than originally planned.
Switzerland’s telecoms regulator, the Federal Communication Commission (ComCom) has increased the minimum transmission speed required under the universal service licence, and lowered the cost ceiling for a connection.
