Lycamobile launches pre-paid mobile services in Germany

Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Lycamobile has announced the successful launch of pay-as-you-go wireless services in Germany, lifting the company’s coverage to 14 countries and 80% of the population in Europe. According to a company press release, subscribers in Germany will receive free unlimited calls to other Lycamobile numbers in the country and free calls for 30 minutes to Lycamobile customers in Europe and Australia subject to a connection charge of EUR0.15 (USD0.19) with the firm’s ‘Lycamobile World’ service. Lycamobile also offers free voicemail, free multilingual customer service, 300MB free data per month and a free conference calling facility.

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OVETEL Lycamobile launches pre-paid mobile services in Germany

Zon shareholders agree to alter voting rights; is Sonaecom merger back on the table?

Shareholders of Portuguese cableco Zon Multimedia have voted their approval of a plan to lift voting rights beyond the current 10% limit, Bloomberg reports. The outcome paves the way for existing shareholders to raise their stakes in the company, whilst reigniting speculation that it could be set to merge with rival operator Sonaecom. Banks Caixa Geral de Depositos and Banco Espirito Santo, which own 10.93% and 2% of Zon respectively, are reportedly being pressed to sell assets to raise capital ratios under Portugal’s bailout programme.

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OVETEL Zon shareholders agree to alter voting rights; is Sonaecom merger back on the table?

Qatar makes direct approach for Oger Telecom

The State of Qatar has approached Dubai-based Saudi Oger with a view to acquiring a 55% stake in its UAE-based holding company Oger Telecom, Reuters reports.

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OVETEL Qatar makes direct approach for Oger Telecom

MTN brought into Vodacom discussions; consultant awarded USD21 million by Kinshasa court

South Africa’s MTN Group is reportedly investigating options relating to the future of Vodacom’s Congolese operation, Vodacom Congo. According to local news source IT Web Business, a spokesperson for MTN, Rich Mkhondo, said that MTN, along with other parties with an interest in the cellco, were involved in the process of assessing various options for Vodacom regarding its investments in the Democratic Republic of Congo. *Vodacom is embroiled in a long-standing dispute with its local partner Congolese Wireless Networks (CWN) regarding the funding and structure of the venture.

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OVETEL MTN brought into Vodacom discussions; consultant awarded USD21 million by Kinshasa court

China Telecom to launch CDMA-compatible iPhone

China Telecom, China’s smallest wireless operator by subscribers, will launch a CDMA-compatible version of Apple’s iPhone 4S by the end of February, reports China Daily, citing a press release from China Telecom subsidiary Beijing Telecom.

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OVETEL China Telecom to launch CDMA-compatible iPhone

Verizon extends ‘Private IP’ service to Africa, Middle East

US giant Verizon Communications has announced that it has expanded its global enterprise network platform, enabling multinational corporations to take advantage of its ‘Private IP’ service in six additional African countries, as well as Bahrain and Qatar in the Middle East. Through a combination of its own global multiprotocol label switching network (MPLS) network and its infrastructure alliance provider Vodacom Business in Africa, Verizon enterprise customers will now be able to access Private IP services in four key African markets: Gabon; Djibouti and Ethiopia on the Horn of Africa; Malawi and Zimbabwe in Eastern Africa; and Swaziland in the south. The expansion will make it possible for Verizon customers with operations in these emerging markets to more effectively exchange data and global business applications, and employ the company's managed network and security solutions

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OVETEL Verizon extends ‘Private IP’ service to Africa, Middle East

Magyar mobile frequency auction raises USD197m

Dow Jones Newswires reports that the Hungarian government has raised a total of HUF43.9 billion (USD197 million) from the auction of mobile frequencies in the 900MHz band. The regulator, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH), held the tender to sell a 10.8MHz block of spectrum and today reports that a consortium led by state-owned electricity wholesaler MVM has won the ‘A block’, suitable for both internet and voice services, paying HUF10 billion. Further, the country’s three incumbent mobile carriers – Telenor (formerly Pannon), Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom-backed T-Mobile Hungary – each secured spectrum from parts of the ‘less valuable’ ‘B block’, which is better suited to provide mobile internet access in rural parts of the country.

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OVETEL Magyar mobile frequency auction raises USD197m

VNPT to merge MobiFone with overseas investment unit

State-owned national PTO Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications (VNPT) will merge its VNPT Global unit and its wholly-owned mobile operator MobiFone to bolster resources for future overseas investment, Viet Nam News cites VNPT’s general director, Vu Tuan Hung, as saying.

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OVETEL VNPT to merge MobiFone with overseas investment unit

Court reinstates Econet’s 5% stake in Airtel Nigeria; Bharti to appeal

Bharti Airtel has said it will appeal a decision by the Federal High Court of Nigeria to reinstate Econet Wireless’ 5% shareholding in Airtel Nigeria, Reuters reports.

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OVETEL Court reinstates Econet’s 5% stake in Airtel Nigeria; Bharti to appeal

Nawras net profit hit by higher depreciation, amortisation charges

In a statement to the Muscat Securities Market, Oman’s second national telecoms operator Nawras Telecom has announced its preliminary unaudited financial results for the year ended 31 December 2011. The company said it generated revenue of OMR196.9 million (USD511 million) in 2011, an increase of 4.2% compared to the OMR188.9 million reported the previous year, while turnover for the fourth quarter of 2011 rose 1.8% year-on-year to OMR50.8 million

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OVETEL Nawras net profit hit by higher depreciation, amortisation charges

LG Uplus outlines plans for increased LTE investment

LG Uplus, South Korea’s smallest mobile network operator in terms of subscribers, has reportedly said that it plans to invest around KRW955.6 billion (USD645 million) on the development of its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in 2012.

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OVETEL LG Uplus outlines plans for increased LTE investment

Status quo encore in Ecuador

Ecuadorian regulator Supertel reports that the country's mobile operators reached 15.8 million telephony subscribers between them at the end of 2011, compared to 15 million a year earlier. Market shares were only fractionally changed from a year ago: Claro, the local subsidiary of America Movil, claimed around 70% of the total, with Telefonica unit Movistar Ecuador serving around 28% of users and state-backed CNT bringing up the rear with a 2% share. Growth of the total market is being affected by the implementation of compulsory pre-paid mobile user registration; Ecuadorian SIM card owners were given nine months from 5 July 2011 to register their details on a national database or have their services limited from 5 April 2012 to incoming calls or messages only

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OVETEL Status quo encore in Ecuador

LTE: Rogers rollout rolls on

Rogers Communications has notified its customers that its Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network is now available in additional cities surrounding Montreal, including: Laval, Terrebonne, Brossard, Longueuil and Vaudreuil, with plans to expand to more than 25 additional cities this year. The planned rollout will bring LTE to more than half the Canadian population by the end of 2012. Rogers was the first to launch an LTE network in Canada, starting in Ottawa last July, with expansion to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver following in September.

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OVETEL LTE: Rogers rollout rolls on

BTC unveils Metro Ethernet network in Hamilton

Bermuda Telephone Company (BTC) has officially unveiled a Cisco-based fibre-optic Metro Ethernet network in the city of Hamilton, BerNews reports.

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OVETEL BTC unveils Metro Ethernet network in Hamilton

eAccess completes tests of 300Mbps ultra-high speed data service

Japan’s eAccess has announced that it has successfully completed specification testing for Long Term Evolution (LTE) ultra-high speed data communication services, achieving downlink speeds of up to 300Mbps – seven times faster than currently available via mainstream mobile services.

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OVETEL eAccess completes tests of 300Mbps ultra-high speed data service

TNL (Oi) secures funding to complete mobile data network expansion

Unconfirmed reports in The Financial business journal say that KfW IPEX-Bank and Nordea bank have agreed a deal with Brazilian telco Telemar Norte Leste (Oi) to help finance the expansion of its mobile data networks in the country. It is understood the banks are each offering TNL (Oi) a loan worth USD100 million, with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) supplying the equipment under a ten-year agreement signed at the end of 2011. High speed internet access, and in particular mobile broadband, is a hot topic in Brazil where rapid growth is expected in the coming years – fuelled by its imminent hosting of two big sporting events, the football World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016, which is taking place in Rio de Janeiro.

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OVETEL TNL (Oi) secures funding to complete mobile data network expansion

Telecom Commission approves 2G spectrum sharing only

India’s Telecom Commission, the apex decision-making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has reportedly decide to allow the country’s mobile network operators to share spectrum, although it has said that such arrangements should be limited to 2G spectrum only. According to India’s Economic Times, the regulatory body has also chosen to attach a number of riders to govern any spectrum sharing agreements that are struck between operators

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OVETEL Telecom Commission approves 2G spectrum sharing only

Mexico to push broadband via fibre auctions

The Mexican government aims to promote high speed internet adoption in part by the sale of concessions which will allow the winning bidders to utilise state-owned fibre-optic lines and to build networks in those areas that currently do not have access to broadband services.

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OVETEL Mexico to push broadband via fibre auctions

yu adds 700,000 subscribers following ‘free calls’ tariff

Essar Telecom Kenya, which operates under the ‘yu’ brand name, reportedly gained more than 700,000 subscribers in the three month period ended 31 December 2011. Madhur Taneja, manager of Essar’s Kenyan unit, told The Star that the company’s customer base exceeded 2.3 million at end-2011, largely thanks to its unparalleled ‘free calls from 6am to 6pm’ offer, which replicated an earlier, limited promotion on a permanent basis

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OVETEL yu adds 700,000 subscribers following ‘free calls’ tariff

‘Big Three’ allow mobile customers to make cross-network payments

Russia’s self-styled ‘Big Three’ wireless operators – Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), Vimpelcom and MegaFon – have agreed to allow customers to make cross-network payments on restaurant and utilities bills and goods purchases, Bloomberg reports citing an emailed joint statement from the trio.

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OVETEL ‘Big Three’ allow mobile customers to make cross-network payments

Rostelecom granted FAS approval to ‘Enter’ Siberia

Rostelecom has been granted permission by Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) to acquire a 100% stake in Siberian broadband operator Enter. The internet service provider (ISP), which was established in 2005, counts around 22,000 subscribers in the cities of Bernaul, Novokuznetsk and Tyumen. Rostelecom acquired its stake in Enter from Netherlands-based Consumer Enter, although no purchase price has been quoted.

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OVETEL Rostelecom granted FAS approval to ‘Enter’ Siberia

No dividends from Germans once again for Slovakia

The Slovak Spectator reports that Deutsche Telekom has decided once again to withhold dividends from the Slovakian government, a 49% shareholder in Slovak Telekom, in which the German telecoms giant owns a 51% stake. The state has repeatedly tried to secure payment of extraordinary dividends from retained earnings, currently worth EUR258 million (USD341 million), but voting at the parent group’s shareholders meetings has consistently gone against the move. Slovakia’s Ministry of the Economy complained: ‘Deutsche Telekom approaches Slovak Telekom differently to its shareholdings in other countries.

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OVETEL No dividends from Germans once again for Slovakia

Ukraine launching first telecoms satellite

Ukraine will launch its first telecoms satellite in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to the head of its space agency, Yury Alexeyev.

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OVETEL Ukraine launching first telecoms satellite

CRTC implements capacity-based ISP billing

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) confirms that the new wholesale rates for independent internet service providers (ISPs) will be implemented on 1 February 2012.

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OVETEL CRTC implements capacity-based ISP billing

Tale of two segments: mobile voice up 65%, fixed down nearly 10%

Morocco’s Agence Nationale de Reglementation de Telecom (ANRT) reports that the country had 36.554 million mobile subscribers at the end of December 2011, an increase of 404,000 in the fourth quarter and up from 31.982 million twelve months earlier. According to the regulator's calculations this gives the country a cellular penetration of 113.6%.

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OVETEL Tale of two segments: mobile voice up 65%, fixed down nearly 10%

Vodafone interested in cable network deal

German fixed and mobile network operator Vodafone Germany is looking to sign a network access partnership deal with at least one cable operator in the country, onlinekosten.de cites Stephan Zimmermann, head of the unit’s wholesale division, as saying. Speaking at the Euroforum conference in Cologne, Zimmerman also said that the company is signing up around 5,000 new customers to its Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband network every week. Vodafone commercially launched LTE in rural areas of Germany in December 2010 using 800MHz frequencies it won at auction earlier that year

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OVETEL Vodafone interested in cable network deal

Arcep to check Free’s mobile network after rivals call foul

The French telecoms watchdog Arcep is launching an inspection of market newcomer Free Mobile’s infrastructure after accusations from rivals that its networks are not operational. Since the Iliad-owned unit launched its low-cost mobile service three weeks ago, a number of established mobile network operators have suggested the Free Mobile network is below par and its customer service poor.

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OVETEL Arcep to check Free’s mobile network after rivals call foul

Tigo losing ground to Vodafone in Ghana

The National Communication Authority (NCA) of Ghana has published its market update for the end of December 2011, showing that mobile operator Vodafone Ghana has consolidated its second place in the sector ahead of former number two player Millicom Ghana (Tigo).

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OVETEL Tigo losing ground to Vodafone in Ghana

STC abandons Iraq mobile licence plans, report says

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has pulled out of the running for Iraq’s fourth national mobile licence, writes Bloomberg, citing a report by MEED which quotes STC’s chief executive officer Ghassan Hasbani. According to Hasbani, the firm abandoned its plan to bid for the concession after delays in awarding the contract. The company, which is Saudi Arabia’s largest telecoms operator by subscribers, will only be interested in the Iraqi licence if it receives ‘concrete’ information from the government, Hasbani said

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OVETEL STC abandons Iraq mobile licence plans, report says

Golan Telecom in negotiations for further site-sharing deals

Israel’s Golan Telecom, despite already having a roaming and site-sharing agreement with the market’s largest cellco by subscribers Cellcom, is reportedly in talks to strike similar deals with both Partner Communications and Pelephone. According to Globes Online, Golan, which finally emerged as one of the two winners of an Israeli 3G concession in August 2011 after a number of other would-be players failed to meet the financial obligations of the licence, plans to use the sites owned by Partner and Pelephone in order to ensure its network coverage reaches maximum deployment in a short space of time

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OVETEL Golan Telecom in negotiations for further site-sharing deals

Carlos Slim’s America Movil secures control of Net

Mexico-based pan-regional operator America Movil (AM), owned by the tycoon Carlos Slim, last Friday confirmed it has secured approval from the Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel to take control of leading pay-TV and broadband cable providers Net Servicos de Comunicacao (Net). Reuters reports that under the terms of the deal, AM’s local operating arm Embratel Participacoes will buy Grupo Globo Participacoes shares currently held by Net, securing its control of the cableco. No financial terms or share stakes were disclosed

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OVETEL Carlos Slim’s America Movil secures control of Net

Globe signs USD90m loan with China Bank to fund 2012 CAPEX

Globe Telecom of the Philippines has signed a ten-year USD90 million floating rate term loan facility with China Bank, ABS-CBNnews.com reports. In a filing with the country’s stock exchange, Globe said the proceeds of the loan will be used to help fund its CAPEX requirements in 2012.

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OVETEL Globe signs USD90m loan with China Bank to fund 2012 CAPEX

NTA reports strong rise in telecoms users in Nepal

Figures published by the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) show that the country was home to 15.034 million fixed and mobile telephony users at 14 December 2011 (Nepal calendar: Magh, 2068), up from 13.762 million three months earlier (Bharda, 2068), a combined teledensity of 56.46% (up from 48.14%). At that date the regulator said there were more than 13.354 million mobile connections – broken down as 12.498 million (GSM) and 856,234 (CDMA) – and 845,542 fixed lines in service (618,426 PSTN and 227,116 WiLL).

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OVETEL NTA reports strong rise in telecoms users in Nepal

Movistar to bolster FTTH rollout

Spanish fixed line incumbent Telefonica de Espana, which offers it services under the Movistar banner, has revealed that it plans to enhance and expand its fibre-optic network deployment this year in four cities. According to ADSL Zone, the telco has outlined its commitment to its fibre rollout, saying that it expects to bolster coverage of its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) services, which currently cover around 1.5 million households, to more than two million, and possibly well beyond that figure if the government makes good on promises to eliminate red tape that has previously hindered the development of new infrastructure. Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia have been named as three of the four cities in which Movistar expects to carry out the network expansion

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OVETEL Movistar to bolster FTTH rollout

UCC to discuss network failings with telecom chiefs

The Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) will meet with representatives from the nation’s telecoms operators to discuss deteriorating service quality, reports local news source Daily Monitor. On the agenda are infrastructure-based issues such as service interruptions and network failures, as well as more customer-oriented problems, including ambiguous charges on bills and irregularities with mobile money services.*UCC executive director, Eng Godfrey Mutabazi commented: ‘Telecoms have grown their subscription but have not cared to grow their capacity so as not to interrupt customer services. Unless telecoms work on expanding their capacity to meet the growing subscriber numbers, communication might in the near future become worse.’*As previously reported by CommsUpdate, a UCC quality of service (QoS) survey carried out between May and September last year showed that of the five cellcos examined, all dropped more than 2% of calls, and three – MTN Uganda, Airtel Uganda and Uganda Telecom – blocked more than 10% of calls: a blocked call is a failed call attempt due to network failure, whilst dropped calls are those which have connected successfully but are terminated prematurely by the provider

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OVETEL UCC to discuss network failings with telecom chiefs

PLDT, Meralco consider new equipment supplier for BPL project

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and Filipino power utility Manila Electric Company (Meralco) are considering options to source a new equipment supplier for their joint broadband over power lines (BPL) project, Business Mirror reports citing Meralco’s Alfredo Panlilio as saying. The power firm’s VP for customer retail services says a ‘well-known vendor supplier from Germany’ has expressed interest in the plan and offered its services to conduct tests of BPL for the pair.

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OVETEL PLDT, Meralco consider new equipment supplier for BPL project

Bureaucracy and red tape stifling Nepal’s rural telecom development

The Himalayan Times reports that despite an increase in the number of telecoms providers contributing to Nepal’s Rural Telecom Development Fund, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has so far struggled to use the monies raised to improve telecom access to rural parts of the country. According to NTA director Purushottam Khanal, the nation’s telcos have added a total of NPR4.25 billion (USD54.1 million) to the Fund – including NPR22 million in the first half of the current fiscal year – with contributions coming from Nepal Telecom, Ncell, UTL, Nepal Satellite and STM. The sixth operator, Smart Telecom, will not have to contribute to the Fund until the next fiscal year according to its licence.

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OVETEL Bureaucracy and red tape stifling Nepal’s rural telecom development

Sercomtel targets DTH pay-TV launch by August

Brazilian regional telecoms operator Sercomtel hopes to use satellite DTH technology to launch its first pay-TV service by August 2012, company president Roberto Coutinho informed BNamericas.

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OVETEL Sercomtel targets DTH pay-TV launch by August

DoCoMo’s Q3 net profit slumps 29%; plans JPY160bn spend by 2015 to strengthen network

NTT DoCoMo today released its preliminary financial results for its fiscal third quarter to 31 December 2011, showing a 29% year-on-year drop in net profit, and lowered its full-year outlook on the back of a decline in revenue from voice services and tax adjustments. The mobile carrier said net income for the three months under review fell to JPY95.60 billion (USD1.23 billion) from JPY134.24 billion in the same period a year ago, and noted a write-down in deferred tax assets due to a change in its corporate tax rate.

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OVETEL DoCoMo’s Q3 net profit slumps 29%; plans JPY160bn spend by 2015 to strengthen network

Cogeco reports fiscal Q1 results

Canadian triple-play cable operator Cogeco Cable has reported its financial and operating results for its fiscal first quarter ended 30 November 2011. Net profit rose to CAD42.9 million (USD42.8 million) in the three-month period, up from CAD34.5 million the year earlier, on revenues that climbed 8% year-on-year to CAD356.9 million.

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OVETEL Cogeco reports fiscal Q1 results

KDDI reports 17% fall in third-quarter profits

Japan’s second largest telecoms group KDDI Corp has reported a 17% year-on-year fall in net profit to JPY54.2 billion (USD698 million) from JPY65.7 billion for its fiscal third quarter ended 31 December 2011, but raised its revenue outlook for the full year on the strength of iPhone 4S sales. The group booked operating profit of JPY117 billion in the period under review, down 5.4% from JPY124 billion a year earlier, although third-quarter revenue rose 5.7% to JPY902 billion fuelled by a rise in data traffic as more users buy its smartphones.

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OVETEL KDDI reports 17% fall in third-quarter profits

RACSA looking into Cablevision tie-up

State-owned internet service provider (ISP) Radiografica Costarricense (RACSA) is involved in negotiations to purchase rival ISP and pay-TV operator Cablevision, reports NexTV Latam.

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OVETEL RACSA looking into Cablevision tie-up

Aloha! Verizon confirms 2011 Hawaii investment

Verizon Wireless has announced that it invested more than USD41 million in Hawaii during 2011, providing new wireless services, increased network coverage and additional capacity for its customers across the 50th US state.

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OVETEL Aloha! Verizon confirms 2011 Hawaii investment

Internode reveals new fibre broadband tariff range

Australian alternative broadband operator Internode has announced the introduction of a number of new fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) tariffs at more than 20 real estate developments across the country, with the telco aligning speeds, monthly data allowances and prices with comparative products offered by NBN Co.

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OVETEL Internode reveals new fibre broadband tariff range

New tax to hit Zain Sudan earnings in 2012

A new tax on telecoms operators introduced by the Sudanese government to make up for the loss of oil revenue from the newly independent South is expected to impact on Zain Sudan’s earnings this year, despite an anticipated rise in the firm’s mobile subscriber base by two to three million, the unit’s CEO Ibrahim Ahmed El-Hassan told news agency Reuters.

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OVETEL New tax to hit Zain Sudan earnings in 2012

Zesco rolling out broadband-capable fibre in Western Province

The Zambia Electricity Supply Company (Zesco) has reportedly begun the installation of a fibre-optic network in the country’s Western Province, with the link expected to deliver broadband services once it is operational. According to ITWeb.co.za, the fibre infrastructure will bring high speed internet connectivity to banks, schools, government departments and businesses in the western region, which at present have little access to such services due to a lack of infrastructure. It is understood that Chinese vendor ZTE has been selected to install the fibre cables

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OVETEL Zesco rolling out broadband-capable fibre in Western Province

Candid Mobily admits to LTE spectrum shortfall

Saudi Arabian telco Etihad Etisalat, which operates under the ‘Mobily’ brand name, has admitted that it lacks sufficient spectrum to roll out its much-touted Long Term Evolution (LTE) network on a nationwide basis. In an interview with Reuters, chief executive Khaled al-Kaf suggested that rival operators in the Kingdom face similar constraints, despite a much-publicised flurry of LTE launch activity last September. As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, that month saw Mobily, Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and Zain Saudi Arabia all inaugurate LTE services within the space of 24 hours, with all three staking a claim to be the first operator in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to launch a commercial LTE network.

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OVETEL Candid Mobily admits to LTE spectrum shortfall

AT posts USD6.7bn loss on T-Mobile deal; 4Q sales up 3.6% to USD32.5bn

US telco AT&T has reported consolidated revenues of USD32.5 billion for the three months ended 31 December 2011, a rise of 3.6% compared to the same period a year earlier. Wireless sales accounted for the lion’s share of revenues in 4Q11, rising 10.0% to USD16.7 billion.

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OVETEL AT&T posts USD6.7bn loss on T-Mobile deal; 4Q sales up 3.6% to USD32.5bn

Objection to Claro’s IPTV licence enters court

Puerto Rican triple-play cable network operators OneLink Communications and Choice Cable have brought a legal case to the Federal Court of Puerto Rico against the recent approval of an IPTV licence issued to incumbent national PSTN operator Puerto Rico Telephone Company (Claro). TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database notes that in September 2011 Puerto Rico’s Telecommunications Regulatory Board (TRB) indicated that it would grant an IPTV licence to Claro which had originally been requested by the operator in 2008; OneLink had successfully objected to the original application from the telco, but the island’s Supreme Court overruled the objection in June 2010.

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OVETEL Objection to Claro’s IPTV licence enters court

Allstream’s fibre reaches 2,388 buildings

Allstream, the national carrier division of Manitoba-based telco MTS Allstream, has reported its recent progress in expanding its IP fibre access into buildings across Canada.

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OVETEL Allstream’s fibre reaches 2,388 buildings

Clearwire poaches MVNE Simplexity from LightSquared

US WiMAX operator Clearwire has announced that mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE) Simplexity will resell its services, and act as ‘an authorised reseller of Clearwire's 4G mobile broadband service, Clearwire's preferred MVNE and Clearwire's preferred provider for third-party branded services’. TeleGeography notes that Simplexity is also a customer of would-be Long Term Evolution (LTE) wholesale provider LightSquared, but the MVNE has stressed that the signing of a deal with Clearwire does not mean that it plans to curtail its association with the troubled LTE start-up. Under the terms of the Clearwire deal, Simplexity will become a wholesale customer on Clearwire's mobile WiMAX network and offer private-branded mobile broadband services to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).

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OVETEL Clearwire poaches MVNE Simplexity from LightSquared

Anatel orders 10.78% cut in tariffs, starting 24 February

Brazil’s national regulator Anatel has ordered local telecoms operators to reduce tariffs by 10.78% starting from 24 February, Dow Jones reports.

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OVETEL Anatel orders 10.78% cut in tariffs, starting 24 February

ANCOM, MapN initiate public consultation regarding 800MHz, 1.8GHz and 2.6GHz frequency bands

Romanian telecoms regulator the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) and the country’s Ministry of National Defence (MapN), have initiated a public consultation regarding the release of spectrum in the 830MHz-862MHz, 1747.5MHz-1785MHz, 1842.5MHz-1880MHz and 2500MHz-2690MHz frequency bands, all of which are presently ‘partially used’ by MapN. The frequencies are set to be auctioned off by ANCOM for the provision of wireless broadband services, which the regulator hopes will enhance competition and help to extend services to rural or ‘economically inefficient’ areas

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OVETEL ANCOM, MapN initiate public consultation regarding 800MHz, 1.8GHz and 2.6GHz frequency bands

Omantel unveils unified brand for fixed, mobile ops

Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) has unveiled a new common brand for its fixed and wireless communication services, the Times of Oman reports. ‘Our new brand is more than an enhanced logo and represents an exciting opportunity to show our customers what we stand for and what makes us different as a provider of fixed, mobile and internet services for consumers,’ noted Haitham Al Kharusi, VP of Omantel’s Consumer unit

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OVETEL Omantel unveils unified brand for fixed, mobile ops

Visafone invests in upgrade, expansion of data networks

To cope with surging demand for data services, Nigerian CDMA operator Visafone Communications plans to spend ‘billions of naira’ on the upgrade and expansion of its network, Bloomberg cites the company’s CEO Sailesh Iyer as saying.

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OVETEL Visafone invests in upgrade, expansion of data networks

Multimedia Polska reaps rewards of multi-play success

Polish cableco Multimedia Polska (MP) ended 2011 with over 400,000 broadband subscribers, and 195,000 pay-TV customers, according to a press release from the company.

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OVETEL Multimedia Polska reaps rewards of multi-play success

Liberty’s German cablecos to retain individual brands, for now

German cable operators Unitymedia and Kabel BW, which are both owned by US company Liberty Global, will retain their individual brand names for the time being, Digital Fernsehen cites Viktor Janik, Head of Regulatory Affairs at Unitymedia, as saying. Speaking at the Euroforum conference in Cologne, Janik said that he could not rule out the possibility of introducing a common brand for the two operators in the future.

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OVETEL Liberty’s German cablecos to retain individual brands, for now

State cellco splashes out

The wireless arm of state-owned telco Uzbektelecom, Uzmobile, will add 89 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev A base transceiver stations (BTS) to its network by the end of 2013, reports the Times of Central Asia. The expansion, which is expected to cost USD9 million, will see the network’s capacity boosted to support an additional 130,000 numbers

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OVETEL State cellco splashes out

Telekom Austria: USD390m impairment charge in Belarus will impact ‘significantly’ on 2011 income

Former state monopoly Telekom Austria says a USD390 million impairment charge in Belarus – where it owns the country’s second largest cellular operator Mobile Digital Communications (MDC, or Velcom) – will have a ‘significant impact on its full year net income for 2011. Bloomberg writes that the impairment charge was triggered after the Austrian group switched its accounting to take hyperinflation into account in Belarus, although Telekom Austria has reassured the market that the decision will not negatively impact on revenue or EBITDA forecasts

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OVETEL Telekom Austria: USD390m impairment charge in Belarus will impact ‘significantly’ on 2011 income

Bakrie Brothers leading push to sell 30% stake in Bakrie Telecom

Dow Jones Newswires writes that Indonesian telecommunications, infrastructure, property and oil conglomerate, PT Bakrie & Brothers, along with several other shareholders, is looking to offload a combined 30% stake in national mobile operator Bakrie Telecom to repay debt. According to a senior official at Bakrie Group, Nirwan Dermawan Bakrie, talks have begun with a number of possible suitors to gauge interest in a potential deal. The official suggested SK Telecom of South Korea as one potential partner, although the Seoul-based group has denied holding any talks about a stake purchase.

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OVETEL Bakrie & Brothers leading push to sell 30% stake in Bakrie Telecom

Orange’s Armenian investment tops EUR250m; plans new services for 2012

France Telecom-Orange has invested EUR250 million (USD325 million) in its Orange Armenia subsidiary since its commercial launch on 5 November 2009. ARKA News quotes the French group’s vice president for European markets, *Benua Shin, as saying that EUR186 million has been spent on capital investment and the remainder in ‘social and charity projects of Orange Foundation’. Orange Armenia aims to introduce a raft of new services this year, in an effort to stimulate the development of the mobile broadband segment, the official said at a news conference, although he stopped short of providing specific information, citing tight competition at the local market as the reason.

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OVETEL Orange’s Armenian investment tops EUR250m; plans new services for 2012

GNC-ALFA adds four more cities to Armenian footprint

Armenian alternative telecoms service provider GNC-ALFA has announced the extension of its countrywide 10Gbps bandwidth IP/MPLS network to the cities of Gavar, Idjevan, Martuni and Noemberyan.

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OVETEL GNC-ALFA adds four more cities to Armenian footprint

Econet Wireless launches VoIP

Zimbabwe’s largest cellco and wireless internet provider Econet Wireless today launched voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) telephony services under its Econet Broadband division, targeting businesses and home internet users, with two respective packages, ‘VoIP at Work’ and ‘VoIP at Home’. Local news site TechZim reported from the launch event in Harare this morning that the fixed VoIP service will provide phone numbers with the ‘07720’ prefix (as opposed to Econet’s ‘077’ mobile prefix) and offer call rates lower than the company’s mobile GSM voice plans, with tariffs similar to Zimbabwe’s existing IP-based call providers such as Africom, Broadacom, Telco and Gigatel. At the launch, Econet’s commercial director George Barbaressos explained the cellco’s reasoning for introducing VoIP technology – which has been considered disruptive to mobile operators’ revenues – by saying that the service will provide customers with the ‘convenience and flexibility’ that they demand

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OVETEL Econet Wireless launches VoIP

Ultra-high speed connections reach 100,000, paper says

A report in Singapore newspaper The Straits Times says that the number of people subscribing to the city-state’s new ultra-high speed broadband network has reached the 100,000 mark – or roughly one in ten households. The paper quotes a report published today by OpenNet, the government-authorised consortium set up to build, manage and operate a nationwide all-fibre platform for Singapore's next generation nationwide broadband network (Next Gen NBN). *The consortium was set up in 2008 as a joint venture between Axia NetMedia (Axia), Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and SP Telecommunications (SPT).

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OVETEL Ultra-high speed connections reach 100,000, paper says

Uninor to launch NLD network via leasing deal with TTSL

Uninor, the Indian subsidiary of Norwegian telecoms group Telenor, has reportedly inaugurated its own national long-distance (NLD) network via a long-term bandwidth leasing pact with Tata Teleservices (TTSL), according to India’s Economic Times.

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OVETEL Uninor to launch NLD network via leasing deal with TTSL

Cofeco reported to have nixed Televisa/Iusacell tie-up

Mexico’s antitrust authority, the Comision Federal de Competencia (Cofeco), is reported to have rejected the proposed acquisition of a 50% stake in mobile operator Iusacell by local broadcast giant Grupo Televisa. According to the Wall Street Journal, which cites a person close to the transaction speaking on condition of anonymity, Cofeco’s five board members voted three-to-two in favour of rejecting the tie-up, but no further details regarding the judgement have been forthcoming

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OVETEL Cofeco reported to have nixed Televisa/Iusacell tie-up

Cornish LTE trial extended by Everything Everywhere, BT Wholesale

Everything Everywhere, the joint venture between British mobile network operators T-Mobile UK and Orange UK, has announced that it is to extend the trials of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology that it is currently undertaking with BT Wholesale. As previously reported by CommsUpdate, in May 2011 Everything Everywhere and BT announced plans to launch a pilot of the 4G technology in the St Newlyn East area of Cornwall in the second half of that year, with the tests initially expected to run for a three-month period.

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OVETEL Cornish LTE trial extended by Everything Everywhere, BT Wholesale

ONE losing ground in Macedonia, report says

News portal Slovenska Tiskovna Agencija reports Telekom Slovenije as saying that its fixed and mobile asset in Macedonia, ONE Telekomunikaciski (including on.net and Cosmofon) is encountering strong competition in the country, and that in the third quarter of 2011 it dropped from second to third place in terms of mobile market share, behind Telekom Austria-owned VIP Mobile. The market leader remains T-Mobile Macedonia – a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, held through Magyar Telekom. As reported by CommsUpdate, earlier this month the Slovenian incumbent telco increased its equity holding in ONE Telekomunikaciski to 53.99%, by acquiring the shares held by its Netherlands-based subsidiary SIOL through a series of capital hikes totalling EUR90 million (USD117.4 million).

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OVETEL ONE losing ground in Macedonia, report says

Orange Armenia launches DC-HSPA+ network in three cities

France Telecom-Orange’s Armenian mobile unit Orange Armenia has announced the commercial launch of 3.5G mobile broadband services in the cities of Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor. The cellco’s new service promises to deliver maximum theoretical download speeds of 42Mbps (DC-HSPA+) and is being supported by the launch of the ‘Internet Now 4’ modem, it said, which has a maximum 21.1Mbps theoretical speed. Orange Armenia began testing the 3G+ network in November 2011, noting that during a public demonstration that month in the flagship store at Northern Avenue, it achieved a maximum speed of 39Mbps and an average speed of between 32Mbps-37Mbps

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OVETEL Orange Armenia launches DC-HSPA+ network in three cities

Bermuda CableVision selects Avail-TVN to provide VOD service

Cable TV and broadband internet provider Bermuda CableVision has migrated its video-on-demand (VOD) service to Avail-TVN, which describes itself as the largest independent digital media services company in North America.

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OVETEL Bermuda CableVision selects Avail-TVN to provide VOD service

FT publishes new 2012 reference offers, regulated wholesale tariffs

French behemoth France Telecom-Orange (FT) has cut its full unbundling tariffs from EUR9.00 to EUR8.80 (USD11.70 to USD11.45), Arcep reports. The move follows the publication of Decision No.2012-0007 of 17 January 2012, which amended Decision No. 05-0834 of 15 December 2005, setting the cost assessment method to be used for the twisted copper pair network, it said.

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OVETEL FT publishes new 2012 reference offers, regulated wholesale tariffs

PT Telkom to spend USD150m this year on fibre-optic networks

Indonesia’s largest telecoms operator by subscribers and revenues, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (PT Telkom), plans to invest USD150 million in its fibre-optic networks this year, to meet rising demand for data bandwidth-hungry services. The Jakarta Post quotes the firm’s president Rinaldi Firmansyah as saying that the deployment of fibre is ongoing and that it will be funded by internal resources

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OVETEL PT Telkom to spend USD150m this year on fibre-optic networks

State-backed cellco launches in Equatorial Guinea

A third wireless operator has launched in Equatorial Guinea, joining Orange Guinee Equatoriale (GETESA), and HiTS Equatorial Guinea, reports PR Newswires. The new cellco, dubbed Guinea Ecuatorial Comunicaciones (GECOM) is a joint venture between the governments of Equatorial Guinea (51%) and China (49%)

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OVETEL State-backed cellco launches in Equatorial Guinea

Verizon reports highest y-o-y quarterly revenue growth in eleven-year history for 4Q11

US telecoms giant Verizon Communications has reported revenues of USD28.4 billion for the three months ended 31 December 2011, an increase of 7.7% year-on-year; the results mark the company’s highest y-o-y quarterly revenue growth in its eleven-year history. Full year revenues increased 4% to USD110.9 billion, although Verizon notes that the 2010 figure included revenues from operations that have since been divested; on a comparable basis, Verizon’s FY2011 revenues increased 6.2% compared with FY2010

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OVETEL Verizon reports highest y-o-y quarterly revenue growth in eleven-year history for 4Q11

Alvarion supplies Wavion Wi-Fi solution to Telecel

Israeli wireless broadband solutions provider Alvarion has announced that it is supplying base stations for high speed Wi-Fi services provided by Telecel, a GSM operator in the West African country of Burkina Faso.

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OVETEL Alvarion supplies Wavion Wi-Fi solution to Telecel

Sawiris targets 25% Telekom stake through Pecik partnership

Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris has said that he is keen to raise his indirect stake in Telekom Austria Group to 25%, Bloomberg reports.

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OVETEL Sawiris targets 25% Telekom stake through Pecik partnership

Zamtel sale reversed as government retakes control of telco

The Zambian government has reportedly taken control of the country’s monopoly fixed line operator Zambia Telecommunications Company (Zamtel), reversing the hotly-debated June 2010 sale of the telco to Libya’s LAP Green Network. As previously reported by CommsUpdate, in November 2011 the country’s president, Michael Sata, who assumed office just two months earlier, announced that the sale of Zamtel to LAP Green could be reversed following an inquiry which found that the telco was illegally sold. The Libyan company acquired 75% of Zamtel in June 2010 for USD257 million amidst widespread criticism that the transaction was not transparent.

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OVETEL Zamtel sale reversed as government retakes control of telco

Joint venture inks expansion deal with NSN and Huawei

NetWorkS!, the network sharing joint venture initiated by Orange Poland and T-Mobile Poland has signed agreements with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) and Huawei to modernise and expand the company’s infrastructure.

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OVETEL Joint venture inks expansion deal with NSN and Huawei

Ukrtelecom reaches 790,000 3G mobile subscribers at year-end

Ukraine’s Ukrtelecom reports that its 3G mobile subscriber base increased in December 2011 by 4.5% or 34,000 users, to reach 790,200 active SIMs as of 1 January 2012.

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OVETEL Ukrtelecom reaches 790,000 3G mobile subscribers at year-end

USD48m investment to drive 60% rise in True Wi-Fi subscribers

Thailand’s True Corp has announced that it will raise annual investment on its public Wi-Fi wireless broadband access network six-fold to THB1.5 billion (USD48 million) this year to expand coverage in provincial areas, as it aims for 60% growth in its Wi-Fi subscriber base, shared between its cellular and fixed broadband customer divisions. The Wi-Fi CAPEX increase, based on average annual spending, ‘is needed quickly to accommodate increasing mobile data connectivity and to offload 3G and 4G data traffic to Wi-Fi networks,’ said Non Ingkutanon, True's general manager for broadband services, as reported by the Bangkok Post. ‘We plan to have 1.5 million Wi-Fi customers this year, up from 900,000 last year,’ he said, adding that Wi-Fi revenue is also expected to increase 60% in 2012.

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OVETEL USD48m investment to drive 60% rise in True Wi-Fi subscribers

Batelco’s group subscribers up 20% annually

Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) has reported its end-of-year results for its operations across seven countries in the Middle East, North Africa and India. Gross revenues reached BHD327.0 million (USD867.4 million) in the year ended 31 December 2011, down 4% from BHD340.3 million the previous year, reflecting ‘challenging market conditions and competitive pressures’ in its domestic market, whilst Batelco continued its drive to diversify its operations

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OVETEL Batelco’s group subscribers up 20% annually

Econet’s Liquid swallows ISP ZOL

ISP Zimbabwe Online (ZOL) has been acquired by southern African fibre backbone network operator Liquid Telecommunications, part of Zimbabwean-owned Econet Wireless Group, reports local ICT news site TechZim, adding that ZOL will remain an independent company in terms of branding and operations for the time being. ZOL is one of Zimbabwe’s biggest ISPs offering fibre, VSAT and wireless internet services around the country. Liquid is currently deploying a fibre network spanning Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while it also owns satellite operations in the UK, Botswana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Somalia, Burundi, Niger and Kenya.

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OVETEL Econet’s Liquid swallows ISP ZOL

Etisalat DB’s mobile network disrupted after RCOM halts access to its towers

Etisalat DB's mobile network, which spans 15 of India’s telecoms circles, has reportedly been disrupted in the wake of a payment dispute with Reliance Communications (RCOM), the latter of which leases tower capacity to Etisalat DB. It is understood that RCOM has said it will no longer continue to provide access to its tower infrastructure until Etisalat DB makes good on outstanding payments

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OVETEL Etisalat DB’s mobile network disrupted after RCOM halts access to its towers

Ukrtelecom pleased with broadband growth

Ukrainian fixed network operator Ukrtelecom has announced reaching a total of 1.343 million xDSL internet subscribers at the end of December 2011, an increase of 209,000 during the year and maintaining its position as the country’s largest fixed broadband provider.

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OVETEL Ukrtelecom pleased with broadband growth

OUR looking to protect Claro customers

In the wake of Digicel Jamaica’s announcement that it will deactivate the network inherited as a result of its merger with Claro on 1 March, sector watchdog the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has announced that it is looking into what protection can be offered to customers currently using the Claro network. In a press release from the regulator, the OUR expressed its concern at the potential safeguards available to Claro subscribers in light of the upcoming network closure. Digicel said it had moved forward its communication plan, informing those using the network of the imminent changes.

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OVETEL OUR looking to protect Claro customers

T-Mobile, AT seek FCC permission for frequency transfer

T-Mobile USA and AT&T have filed a formal request with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for regulatory approval of the transfer of around USD1 billion worth of spectrum that AT&T promised T-Mobile as a result of the failure of its controversial USD39 billion bid to take over its smaller rival last year. AT&T is obliged to hand over the spectrum – along with USD3 billion in cash – after pulling out of the deal as opposition mounted from the FCC, the Department of Justice (DoJ), a number of attorneys general and a handful of rival wireless carriers.

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OVETEL T-Mobile, AT&T seek FCC permission for frequency transfer

Uzbek cellcos outline spending for 2012

Three of Uzbekistan’s cellcos are planning to invest a combined USD118 million in infrastructure and network development in 2012. According to local news source Uz Daily, Russian-backed Beeline, a subsidiary of Vimpelcom, has set aside USD63 million to improve its network. Meanwhile, Ucell – the Uzbek arm of Sweden’s TeliaSonera – and MTS Uzbekistan are planning to spend USD35 million and USD20 million respectively.

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OVETEL Uzbek cellcos outline spending for 2012

US lobbyists seek to persuade MTN to abandon Iran

Prominent Washington lobby group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has said that it is preparing a campaign to persuade South African telecoms group MTN to dispose of its stake in MTN Irancell, the country’s second-largest mobile operator. The Wall Street Journal quotes UANI spokesman Nathan Carleton as saying that ‘investment in Iranian telecommunication aids government censorship and efforts by officials to track cellphone users’

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OVETEL US lobbyists seek to persuade MTN to abandon Iran

MegaFon cleared to acquire regional ISPs

Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has reportedly cleared NetByNet, the broadband unit of mobile giant MegaFon, to acquire the assets of two regional internet service providers (ISPs). Telecompaper reports that NetByNet is now poised to complete the 100%-acquisition of Kursk-based operator ZhGTK, alongside a 25% stake in Moscow’s Risenup.

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OVETEL MegaFon cleared to acquire regional ISPs

Number portability to be introduced in March

By the end of the first quarter of the year, mobile subscribers in Argentina will be able to retain their number if they change service provider. Local newspaper La Nacion cites a website announcement from wireless operator Telecom Personal as saying that it will introduce mobile number portability for its pre- and post-paid subscribers in March 2012

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OVETEL Number portability to be introduced in March

T-Mobile CR signs up 100,000 DSL subscribers, paper says

Czech operator T-Mobile CR has reportedly signed up more than 100,000 fixed (DSL) broadband internet customers, Telecompaper reports without citing a source. The Czech firm reported strong net additions of 13,000 in 1Q11, it says, with many customers taking advantage of the service provider’s fixed internet packages – ‘2in1’ (which includes voice telephony), or ‘3in1’ (which includes a voice tariff and mobile broadband internet). It is believed that roughly 33,000 xDSL customers are business accounts.

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OVETEL T-Mobile CR signs up 100,000 DSL subscribers, paper says

PNBL reaches 692 municipalities

The number of Brazilian municipalities covered by the country’s national fixed broadband plan (Plano Nacional de Banda Larga, or PNBL), now stands at 692, the communications ministry reports on its website. A total of 471 municipalities were covered in 2011, but the footprint has increased significantly through the addition of 221 new cities in January, it said.

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OVETEL PNBL reaches 692 municipalities

TCRA to announce new telecoms rules soon, paper says

An unconfirmed report in the Tanzania Daily News says that the industry regulator, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), will soon implement new rules requiring mobile operators to inform their customers of the roaming rates they are charged for making calls outside of Tanzania’s national borders. The paper reports that new resolutions passed by the East African Communications Organizations (EACO) will oblige bodies such as the TCRA to usher in clearer rules and regulations showing what East Africans will be charged when using their phones outside their home countries.

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OVETEL TCRA to announce new telecoms rules soon, paper says

KPN books 63% fall in Q4 profit; lowers outlook, scraps buyback

Dutch incumbent operator KPN Telecom, or Royal KPN as it is also known, has reported a 63% year-on-year decline in net income for its fourth quarter ended 31 December 2011, attributable to competition in its home market and the impact of impairment charges related to its IT services business Getronics. The telco has reacted to the weak results by lowering its outlook for FY2012 – a period it sees as one of transition in an unstable macroeconomic climate. The Netherlands’ biggest telecoms company by subscribers and revenue reported net profit of EUR176 million (USD227.9 million) in Q4 2011, down from EUR475 million in the corresponding year-ago period, impacted by a EUR298 million charge on Getronics.

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OVETEL KPN books 63% fall in Q4 profit; lowers outlook, scraps buyback

Idea’s net profit drops as 3G investment continues

India’s fourth largest mobile network operator by subscribers, Idea Cellular, has released its financial results for the three months ended 31 December 2011, revealing an almost 18% year-on-year decline in net profit for the period. In the cellco’s third fiscal quarter of the 2011-12 financial year it posted a consolidated net income of INR2.01 billion (USD39 million), down from INR2.43 billion a year earlier, with Idea claiming that the decline was primarily the result of higher depreciation and amortisation, along with increased interest and financing costs with regard to the investment in its in-deployment 3G network; a higher provision for deferred tax was also cited as another contributory factor for the drop in net profit. Revenues meanwhile rose against the corresponding period of 2011, with Idea reporting that consolidated turnover for the three months to end-December 2011 was INR50.31 billion, up just over 27% y-o-y, with the operator noting that the the strong revenue growth had been ‘primarily led by seasonal return of minutes growth to 114 billion, a growth of 7.3%, compared to Q2FY12.’ Consolidated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the three month period stood at INR13.45 billion, up from INR9.48 billion a year earlier.

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OVETEL Idea’s net profit drops as 3G investment continues

KCom outlines FTTP rollout for Hull and East Yorkshire

KC, the internet service provider (ISP) unit of Hull-based KCom Group, is planning to offer fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections in Hull and East Yorkshire as part of ambitious plans aimed at bringing superfast download speeds to the region.

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OVETEL KCom outlines FTTP rollout for Hull and East Yorkshire

Parliament reinstates mobile tax

Croatia’s parliament on Friday voted to reinstate a 6% ‘special tax’ on revenues generated by mobile network operators’ services, including voice, SMS and MMS, which will come into effect following publication in the Official Gazette, and will be enforced until 30 June 2013, when Croatia is expected to accede to the European Union.

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OVETEL Parliament reinstates mobile tax

Batelco and Ericsson demonstrate LTE HD video services

Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) has demonstrated high definition (HD) video services over a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network at the Bahrain International Airshow using equipment supplied by Sweden’s Ericsson. The HD video on demand (VoD) service over a 4G cellular network was showcased as part of Batelco’s preparations for launching commercial LTE services, and followed on from Batelco and Ericsson`s successful trial of LTE at the telco’s Hamala headquarters on 15 December 2011

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OVETEL Batelco and Ericsson demonstrate LTE HD video services

Croatia begins public debate on LTE

Seenews.com reports that Croatia's telecoms regulator, HAKOM, has initiated a public discussion on changes to the country's frequency band allotment plan aimed at opening up opportunities for the implementation of 4G mobile Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology. ‘Taking into consideration market demand and the decision of the European Commission to enable usage of LTE technologies over frequency bands of 900MHz and 1800MHz, HAKOM wants to provide the same functionalities to operators in Croatia’, the regulator said in a statement.

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OVETEL Croatia begins public debate on LTE

MNP stats reveal no big winners

Following Thailand’s introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) in December 2010, statistics for number porting up to 16 January 2012 have been released, showing that a relatively modest total of 304,779 phone numbers were successfully switched between cellular networks in the period of just over a year, of a total of 401,053 requests for number transfers. According to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), mobile market leader Advanced Info Services (AIS) saw a net effect of 54,000 subscribers moving to its network via MNP in the period, although AIS’s small, wholly-owned subsidiary Digital Phone Co (DPC) lost a net 12,000 phone numbers as a result of MNP

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OVETEL MNP stats reveal no big winners

Telstra will offer wholesale fibre service in South Brisbane

Australian fixed line incumbent Telstra has reportedly agreed to provide open wholesale access to its in-deployment fibre network in South Brisbane, as well at a number of new real estate projects.

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OVETEL Telstra will offer wholesale fibre service in South Brisbane

Qtel fibre broadband goes live

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has announced the commercial launch of its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) high speed broadband service, ‘Qtel Fibre’, for residential customers in more than 16,000 homes. The telco launched packages starting at QAR233 (USD62.30) per month for internet and residential voice telephony services delivered over direct fibre, with speeds of 1Mbps, 10Mbps, 50Mbps and 100Mbps.

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OVETEL Qtel fibre broadband goes live

OTE continues sell-offs with satellite business

Greek incumbent telco OTE has decided to sell its satellite division Hellas Sat as part of its attempts to offset repercussions from Greece’s economic crisis. As reported by AFP, OTE’s CEO Michael Tsamaz told a news conference that the group is devoting its efforts to refinancing EUR5 billion (USD6.5 billion) in debt due by 2014, and warned that ‘if there is no change to the banking system, we will have to take measures to face the situation.’ OTE – part-owned by Deutsche Telekom – has thus far opted for a programme of salary cuts and cutting the working week from 40 to 35 hours, avoiding large-scale redundancies. OTE, which reported a 17.3% slump in Q3 profits, also recently announced the sale of its 20% stake in Telekom Srbija.

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OVETEL OTE continues sell-offs with satellite business

Carl Icahn acquires USD300m LightSquared debt; is troubled LTE start-up close to collapse?

Self-styled ‘corporate raider’ Carl Icahn has reportedly purchased USD300 million worth of debt from LightSquared partner Farallon Capital Management, following a value drop last year. The move could potentially position Icahn as a controlling force behind LightSquared, meaning that the open access Long Term Evolution (LTE) start-up could find itself navigated away from Falcone’s initial vision, towards a more profitable direction.

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OVETEL Carl Icahn acquires USD300m LightSquared debt; is troubled LTE start-up close to collapse?

Globe launches major network modernisation as it takes the fight to Smart

Filipino operator Globe Telecom has embarked upon a major network modernisation programme in preparation for the expected rise in voice and data traffic in the country.

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OVETEL Globe launches major network modernisation as it takes the fight to Smart

Anatel launches consultation on 450MHz, 2.5GHz spectrum tenders

The board of Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel has put the finishing touches on the draft of the tenders for spectrum in the 450MHz and 2.5GHz bands, and launched a public consultation, Business News Americas reports. The watchdog intends to offer frequencies in the 451MHz-458MHz and 461MHz-468MHz range – to be designated for coverage of rural areas, and 2500MHz-2690MHz bandwidth to be used for 4G

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OVETEL Anatel launches consultation on 450MHz, 2.5GHz spectrum tenders

Internet Solutions enlists NTT as it seeks Asian expansion

Internet Solutions (IS), Telkom South Africa’s principal rival in the country’s wholesale broadband market, is reportedly investigating the option of moving into Asia, with the help of its parent company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT). The Japanese group acquired IS’s then-parent Dimension Data in July 2010, in a takeover deal valued at USD3.2 billion.

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OVETEL Internet Solutions enlists NTT as it seeks Asian expansion

Kuwait’s HiTS Telecom targets Tanzania/Liberia expansion

Reuters writes that the Kuwaiti communications group HiTS Telecom is holding talks with mobile operators in Liberia and Tanzania regarding a plan to share mobile towers and launch nationwide services in both countries before the end of 2012.

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OVETEL Kuwait’s HiTS Telecom targets Tanzania/Liberia expansion

Vodafone Ireland hits 200,000 fixed line subs milestone

Vodafone Ireland’s fixed line division has signed up its 200,000th customer, three years after entering the Republic’s voice telephony and broadband internet market. To mark the milestone, the operator is offering new and existing customers a free Android Vodafone Smart 858 smartphone – and including three months of free mobile broadband access via pay-as-you-go. Vodafone Ireland inked a deal with BT Ireland in 2009 to transfer its entire residential and SME user base for fixed telephony services to Vodafone

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OVETEL Vodafone Ireland hits 200,000 fixed line subs milestone

Free Mobile launch hitting MVNOs hardest, paper says

According to a report in the French newspaper Les Echos, the arrival of new competition in the shape of fourth mobile operator Free Mobile is hitting the nation’s MVNOs hardest, with many rushing to sign up to its low-cost offers.

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OVETEL Free Mobile launch hitting MVNOs hardest, paper says

Operators warned over service cancellation fees

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has asked the UAE’s two telecoms operators Etisalat and Du to stop charging for the cancellation of services that customers did not agree to sign up to, Emirates 24/7 reports, citing a TRA statement published by local newspaper Emirat Alyoum. ‘The service providers in the UAE must not impose any fee for cancelling services on customers who have not requested such service in the first place,’ the TRA said in a statement.

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OVETEL Operators warned over service cancellation fees

NCA sets new interconnection rates covering 2012-2014

The National Communications Authority (NCA) of Ghana has announced the setting of new telecoms interconnect termination rates to replace the existing regime, which was set up in 2008 and expired on 31 December 2011. The watchdog says the new framework, which entered into effect on 1 January this year, was decided upon following consultation with operators and as a result of the NCA’s own assessment of market conditions there. In its statement the regulator confirmed that from the start of this year: • A single 24-hour interconnection rate shall be applicable;*• The interconnect termination rates for voice calls originating from fixed and mobile networks in Ghana shall be charged at GHS0.05 (USD0.03) for 2012, and will glide to GHS0.045 and GHS0.04 in 2013 and 2014 respectively;*• The interconnect termination rate for SMS on all mobile networks in Ghana will cost GHS0.007 for 2012, and glide to GHS0.006 and GHS0.005 in 2013 and 2014 respectively;*• The incoming international transit interconnect termination rate for all calls shall be maintained at its current rate in accordance with the Electronic Communications (Amendment) Act, 2009 (Act 786)

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OVETEL NCA sets new interconnection rates covering 2012-2014

Cuba cuts mobile telephony charges

Mobile telephony services in Cuba are set to become more affordable following an announcement from the island’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) that the cost of calls and SMS will be reduced from 1 February 2012.

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OVETEL Cuba cuts mobile telephony charges

On thin ICE; Sutel unhappy with network coverage

Costa Rican telecoms regulator Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) has said that the network coverage of incumbent wireless operator ICE Celular, which offers its services under the ‘Kolbi’ brand, is still unsatisfactory in certain areas. Sutel conducted a study of ICE’s network coverage along roads and in cities between October and November last year and found that 2G coverage on only six of the 35 routes analysed met regulatory requirements. 3G coverage was better, meeting the watchdog’s requirements on 14 of the routes checked

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OVETEL On thin ICE; Sutel unhappy with network coverage

Bharti Airtel extends managed services deal with NSN for five years

India’s largest mobile network operator by subscribers, Bharti Airtel, has extended an existing managed services deal with Finnish vendor Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), the latter has announced in a press release. Under the terms of the five-year deal signed between the two companies, NSN will act as Bharti’s managed services partner in eight of India’s telecom circles, those being: Bihar, Calcutta, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, Orissa and West Bengal.

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OVETEL Bharti Airtel extends managed services deal with NSN for five years

Quad-play dawns for Swiss telco

Swiss broadband and wireless provider Sunrise officially launches its IPTV service today, having begun user tests in October last year.

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OVETEL Quad-play dawns for Swiss telco

Virgin examining options for next-gen wireless broadband service

UK cableco Virgin Media has reportedly carried out trials of next-generation mobile services using transmitters connected to its fibre network, the Financial Times reports. It is understood that the operator, which is the second largest British broadband provider by subscribers, is examining the prospect of launching a nationwide wireless broadband service using transmitters that function in a similar fashion to Wi-Fi technology. Virgin carried out trials of the technology in Oxford Street last month, using spectrum it was granted access to via a trial license issued by telecoms regulator Ofcom; unlike Wi-Fi, this technology requires licensed spectrum to operate

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OVETEL Virgin examining options for next-gen wireless broadband service

KT inks LTE rollout deal with NSN

South Korean mobile network operator KT Corp has reportedly selected Finland’s Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) as one of the vendors that will work on the deployment of its fourth-generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. According to NSN, it will provide its 1800MHz LTE radio equipment for the infrastructure rollout, including its Flexi Multiradio base stations, and the vendor has said it will also provide services including network integration and commissioning as part of its deal with KT

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OVETEL KT inks LTE rollout deal with NSN

Telco Pay-TV Subscribers Approaching 100 Million

New data from TeleGeography show that at the end of Q3 2011 telcos worldwide had a total of 94 million pay-TV subscribers, giving them a 12% share of the global pay-TV market.

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OVETEL Telco Pay-TV Subscribers Approaching 100 Million

Zamtel Mobile passes the one million subscriber mark ‘in record time’

Zamtel Mobile, the wireless operating arm of national fixed line operator Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited (Zamtel), has announced that it has passed the one million subscriber mark. According to ZambiaWatchdog.com, Zamtel chief commercial officer Amon Jere claims that the cellco has raised its subscriber base from ‘less than 100,000 to a million customers, an achievement previously considered impossible to within record time of less than twelve months’. Jere attributed its success to ‘diligent leadership with an abated focus on investment’; during 2011 Zamtel Mobile increased GSM coverage from 261 cell sites to more than 400, whilst deploying over 250 new 3G base stations in key cities across Zambia

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OVETEL Zamtel Mobile passes the one million subscriber mark ‘in record time’

Mobitel unit poised to acquire half of tycoon’s Rostelecom stake

According to Kommersant, Rostelecom's Mobitel unit is poised to buy more than half of Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov's 5.8% stake in Rostelecom. TeleGeography notes that Mobitel currently holds 3.44% of the charter capital (2.69% of common shares) of its parent company; the shares in question were acquired from a number of dissenting shareholders who failed to support the reorganisation of Rostelecom last year.

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OVETEL Mobitel unit poised to acquire half of tycoon’s Rostelecom stake

Glo Mobile Ghana kicks off launch plan with ‘Number Reservation Campaign’

Ghanaian mobile start-up Glo Mobile has kicked off its launch programme by unveiling a ‘Number Reservation Campaign’, giving new users the chance to reserve a ‘023-3’ number on its fledgling network by sending a code number via SMS. The newcomer had promised to launch the network commercially yesterday, but in a press conference in Accra, its chief operating officer George Andah said only that the reservation programme marked the first in a raft of launch activities it is planning. ‘In accordance with National Communications Authority (NCA) guidelines on number registration, no single individual subscriber shall be permitted to reserve more than five Glo Mobile numbers and the numbers will be activated upon the commencement of commercial operation,’ he said.

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OVETEL Glo Mobile Ghana kicks off launch plan with ‘Number Reservation Campaign’

Free Mobile said to be signing up 100,000+ new users per day

The French daily Les Echos reports that the number of people clamouring to sign up to the country’s latest market entrant, fourth mobile operator Free Mobile, currently exceeds 100,000 per day and threatens to swamp France’s mobile number portability (MNP) system. The paper quotes traffic management data collated by Orange France (Free Mobile’s partner operator – which is providing roaming cover to support its network launch) suggesting that the newcomer could have more than one million subscribers by the end of this month. It is understood that Free Mobile has agreed to limit the number of MNP requests it is receiving to between 35,000 and 40,000, given the potential overload on the systems that are in place.

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OVETEL Free Mobile said to be signing up 100,000+ new users per day

Minister sets two week deadline to solve competition crisis

Jamaica’s ICT minister Phillip Paulwell has announced that over the next two weeks he aims to have found a solution to protect competition in the telecoms sector, following the controversial acquisition of Claro Jamaica by Digicel Jamaica.

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OVETEL Minister sets two week deadline to solve competition crisis

Telcos reveal 4Q11 results to local bourse

In a series of announcements to the Saudi bourse, the Kingdom’s three mobile operators have announced their respective financial results for the three-month period ended 31 December 2011, Reuters reports. Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has reported a net profit of SAR2.28 billion (USD607.9 million) for the October-December quarter, down 0.3% from the figure of SAR2.28 billion generated during the same period one year earlier. Further, STC reported a 19% decrease in net income for FY2011, down to SAR7.7 billion; the telco attributed the drop in earnings to ‘foreign currency exchange fluctuation losses amounting to approximately SAR1.1 billion’

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OVETEL Telcos reveal 4Q11 results to local bourse

iPhone sales drive 3G for Unicom

China’s second largest cellco by subscribers, China Unicom has released operational information for December 2011, showing 3.485 million net additions of 3G subscribers for that month alone. Unicom’s 3G subscribers rose by 32.5% quarter-on-quarter from 30.230 million at end-September 2011, to 40.019 million by December 2011

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OVETEL iPhone sales drive 3G for Unicom

PLDT agrees to pay Digitel minority shareholders PHP600m; raises stake to 98%

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) has agreed to pay a total of PHP600 million (USD13.82 million) to minority shareholders of Digital Telecommunications Inc (Digitel) who agreed to sell their shares to the larger firm at PHP1.66 each. In total, 13% or 374 million Digitel shares are to be paid in cash, and 87% or 2,514 million shares are to be paid in PLDT common shares. The buyout offer was triggered by PLDT’s acquisition of a 51.55% controlling stake in Digitel last year

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OVETEL PLDT agrees to pay Digitel minority shareholders PHP600m; raises stake to 98%

Court rules that Vodafone is not liable for USD2.2bn Indian tax bill

The Associated Press writes that India’s highest court has ruled that UK-based Vodafone Group is not liable to pay up to USD2.2 billion in back taxes and penalties. A lawyer for the British group, Harish Salve, is quoted as saying that the court has published a ‘concurring judgment’ on the matter, and ordered that the deposit on its tax bill be refunded. The ruling in favour of Vodafone will no doubt be a relief to other international investors in India which had feared exposure to a new set of tax costs if Vodafone had failed in its case

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OVETEL Court rules that Vodafone is not liable for USD2.2bn Indian tax bill

ASSC-1, Huawei Marine Networks team up for Perth to Singapore cable

Private Australian submarine cable developer ASSC-1 Communications Group has announced the development of a new submarine fibre-optic cable system linking Perth to Singapore. Huawei Marine Networks, a joint venture between China’s Huawei Technologies and Global Marine Systems, will supply and install the ASSC-1 system, while Matrix Cable Systems will provide the Jakarta landing through its own cable landing station and will also work with ASSC-1 to manage the Indonesian permit process. Designed to cater for the exponential growth of internet and data traffic between Australia and the rest of the world, the four-fibre pair cable system will span 4,600km with an initial capacity of 6.4Tbps, to be delivered through 40Gbps technology, with the capability to be upgraded to 100Gbps in the future.

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OVETEL ASSC-1, Huawei Marine Networks team up for Perth to Singapore cable

Qtel eyes partner’s stake in Asiacell

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) is looking to purchase a private equity partner’s share of Iraq’s second largest mobile operator by subscribers Asiacell, ahead of the cellco’s initial public offering (IPO) expected to take place later this year. According to a report by Reuters which cites two banking sources, the Qatari incumbent, which owns a 30% stake in Asiacell, is eyeing London-based partner MerchantBridge’s 19% interest in the cellco. Morgan Stanley is assisting Qtel in the process, while MerchantBridge is being advised by Credit Suisse, the unnamed sources said, adding that a sale of the private equity firm's stake was likely to happen before the IPO.*TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database states that Asiacell – along with Iraq’s two other national cellcos Kuwaiti-owned Zain Iraq and Korek, part-owned by France Telecom – were all required to list 25% of their shares on the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) by 31 August 2011 under the terms of their 15-year national mobile concessions

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OVETEL Qtel eyes partner’s stake in Asiacell

Vodafone Qatar’s revenues up 39%, swings to positive EBITDA

Vodafone Qatar has announced its financial results for the nine months ended 31 December 2011. Total mobile and fixed network revenue was QAR906 million (USD249 million) for the nine-month period, a 39% increase compared to the same period last year.

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OVETEL Vodafone Qatar’s revenues up 39%, swings to positive EBITDA

Incumbent cellcos awarded frequencies in Hungarian auction, paper says

Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet reports that all three of the country’s incumbent mobile operators – Magyar Telekom’s T-Mobile unit, Telenor (formerly Pannon) and Vodafone Hungary – each won blocks of spectrum in the regulator’s auction. The paper stopped short of divulging the source of the story, but claims that the regulator, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH), has issued each player with spectrum in the 900MHz band

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OVETEL Incumbent cellcos awarded frequencies in Hungarian auction, paper says

H1 Telekom IPTV now nationwide

Croatian alternative telco H1 Telekom has announced that its IPTV service now has nationwide coverage. As from 16 January, the TV-over-DSL service, which a press release says is available via wholesale bitstream access, is offered to customers throughout Croatia, as reported by Seenews.com.

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OVETEL H1 Telekom IPTV now nationwide

TWM FY11 revenues up 16% to TWD81.37bn

Taiwan Mobile (TWM) has reported consolidated revenues of TWD81.37 billion (USD6.04 billion) for the twelve months ended 31 December 2011.

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OVETEL TWM FY11 revenues up 16% to TWD81.37bn

Verizon LTE network goes live in five new markets

US mobile giant Verizon Wireless has announced that it has extended coverage of its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network to five new markets, as of today, with Glen Falls and Utica (both New York), Lawton (Oklahoma) and Brownsville and McAllen (both Texas) all now benefiting from the cellco’s 4G connectivity.

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OVETEL Verizon LTE network goes live in five new markets

Southern Cross Cable slashes wholesale prices by 44% after progress by Chinese rivals; Kordia denies management deal

The Southern Cross Cable Network, New Zealand’s only international submarine cable, has confirmed that it has cut wholesale prices by as much as 44%. The news came just hours after Chinese firm Axin Ltd revealed that work on its own independent submarine cable has progressed significantly, following the signing of a ‘multi-million dollar’ marine survey contract with affiliate company Huawei Marine

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OVETEL Southern Cross Cable slashes wholesale prices by 44% after progress by Chinese rivals; Kordia denies management deal

Singapore group sells 6.2% of Shin, meets stock market free float requirement

Cedar Holdings, an affiliate of Singapore’s state-backed investment group Temasek Holdings, has sold a 6.2% stake in Thai telecoms group Shin Corp for THB8.1 billion (USD254 million). Reuters reports that the deal boosts the percentage of Shin’s shares in free float to 20.4%, complying with the 15% minimum level which had been stipulated by the Thai stock exchange. Around 75% of the shares were sold to Thai investors and the remaining to Thai NVDR Co Ltd.

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OVETEL Singapore group sells 6.2% of Shin, meets stock market free float requirement

Cellcos extend 3G sharing agreement in Czech Republic

Telefonica O2 Czech Republic and T-Mobile CR have extended the remit of a network sharing agreement signed last year, which will see them launching an additional 306 shared base stations this year. In February 2011 the two cellcos signed a 3G network sharing agreement covering areas not already served by UMTS. The move was designed to bring mobile internet services to a number of new towns and cities when a pilot commercial operation was implemented in the second quarter of 2011

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OVETEL Cellcos extend 3G sharing agreement in Czech Republic

Smart’s 4G upgrade on track for mid-2012 completion

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) yesterday released a statement saying that work to upgrade its mobile arm Smart Communications’ 4G mobile networks is on course to be completed by the middle of this year. The statement confirmed that by end-2011 it had already activated 5,000 of its 13,000 base stations, adding: ‘Smart Communications will upgrade its entire mobile phone network to LTE-ready status by as early as mid-2012.’ The cellco already offers a 3.5G, HSPA+ mobile internet platform and the head of PLDT/Smart’s technology group, Rolando G Pena, says that upgrading the entire network will mean that the operator ‘will be able to activate LTE or HSPA+ services at any of our base stations, depending what the market in that area requires’. He went on to say: ‘This is a major component of the PHP67.1 billion (USD1.5 billion) network modernisation of PLDT and Smart which we have accelerated and intend to complete within the year.’

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OVETEL Smart’s 4G upgrade on track for mid-2012 completion

AEC releases market update to end-September 2011

On Monday, Macedonia’s telecoms regulator the Agency for Electronic Communications (AEC) published its 3Q11 market report, revealing that the number of active mobile subscriptions climbed by 4.13% quarter-on-quarter, and by 6.47% year-on-year, to 2,257,118.

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OVETEL AEC releases market update to end-September 2011

Vimpelcom abandons mobile TV project

Russian telecoms company Vimpelcom has sold its 75% stake in regional television operator Dominanta to Albion Partners for an undisclosed amount, Kommersant reports. Vimpelcom bought its stake in the company for USD10.5 million in 2006 and invested a further USD10 million-USD15 million in the development of a mobile TV project

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OVETEL Vimpelcom abandons mobile TV project

Airtel Ghana launches HSPA+ service

Ghanaian mobile operator Airtel Ghana has launched a 3.5G HSPA+ service offering maximum download speeds of 21Mbps. In an interview with Citi Business News to announce the launch, Airtel Ghana’s managing director Philip Sowah said that going forward about 300 additional cell sites would be deployed across the country within the next three months to boost the accessibility of mobile broadband internet for its customers

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OVETEL Airtel Ghana launches HSPA+ service

CTU to auction 4G spectrum, report says

Telecoms regulator the Czech Telecommunications Office (CTU) has revealed plans to auction 4G frequencies in the country and hopes to encourage a fourth player to enter the market, Reuters reports.

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OVETEL CTU to auction 4G spectrum, report says

EU to assist Jordan with telecom reforms; NBN project resurrected

Jordan has launched a joint programme with the European Union (EU) to improve competition and quality of service in the telecommunications sector, reports the Jordan Times. The project, dubbed ‘The Jordan-EU Programme for Institutional Strengthening of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission’ will see Jordan update its regulatory framework in line with international and EU best practices over the next 24 months.

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OVETEL EU to assist Jordan with telecom reforms; NBN project resurrected

Telecom Commission submits recommendations on new telecoms policy

India’s Telecom Commission, the apex decision making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has reportedly recommended that the price for spectrum should, in the future, only be determined via auction.

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OVETEL Telecom Commission submits recommendations on new telecoms policy

Ministry says CANTV's fixed lines reach 6.3m, 14.8m mobile users with Movilnet

Venezuela’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Intermediate Industries (MPPCTII) has given a presentation announcing that state-run PSTN operator CANTV's fixed line subscribers grew from 3.6 million at the time of its re-nationalisation in May 2007 to 6.32 million at the end of 2011, an increase of 76%.

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OVETEL Ministry says CANTV's fixed lines reach 6.3m, 14.8m mobile users with Movilnet

Vodacom deadlock nearing end

A spokesperson for Vodacom has announced that the company is close to resolving a dispute that has prevented major investment in the telco’s Congolese operation since 2009, reports Bloomberg. South Africa-based Vodacom Group, 51% stake holder of Vodacom Congo, has been involved in a quarrel with its local partner in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congolese Wireless Networks (CWN) over the South African company’s plan to inject USD484 million of capital into the joint venture

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OVETEL Vodacom deadlock nearing end

Subtel launches MNP, 1,190 ports in first day

Chile’s telecoms regulator Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones (Subtel) has announced the launch of mobile number portability (MNP), which commenced on 16 January. Chilean wireless subscribers are now able to switch providers whilst retaining their phone number. Subtel encouraged customer mobility further with a ban earlier this month, forbidding the sale of carrier-locked handsets, and imposing on operators an obligation to unlock devices for free.

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OVETEL Subtel launches MNP, 1,190 ports in first day