Companies considering submitting a final bid to act as an investor for the telecommunications venture that will operate over infrastructure owned by the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) are reportedly dismayed with the tender committee responses to calls for clarification on a number of issues.
Malaysian telecoms group Axiata has inked a five-year strategic global framework agreement with China’s Huawei Technologies to establish a streamlined procurement platform, telecomlead.com reports. It is claimed that the new platform will help Axiata realise business efficiencies and competitive advantage through cash flow improvement and timely purchasing, as well as better leverage on its volume, resulting in cost savings for the group.
Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) has issued cellular operator Softbank Mobile with an additional tranche of 900MHz spectrum to bolster its capacity for high speed mobile services. Larger rivals NTT DoCoMo and KDDI have already been issued additional frequencies in the 800MHz operating band, which they use for 3G data services. Softbank claimed just over 28 million subscribers at the end of January 2012, while DoCoMo and KDDI had 59.7 million and 34.5 million respectively
China’s ZTE Corporation has reportedly been selected by Egyptian cellco Etisalat Misr to expand its network as part of plans which aim to ensure the operator meets forecast capacity requirements.
The French telecoms regulator Arcep has confirmed that the country’s newest cellular network operator, Iliad subsidiary Free Mobile, is meeting its coverage commitments. Some competitors had voiced concerns that the low-cost operator was directing traffic over infrastructure belonging to its roaming partners rather than using its own overloaded network, but Arcep has revealed that Free has an operational network which covers 27% of the population, thereby meeting the minimum coverage levels required under its licence.
The French industrial group Bouygues has reported its financial results for the year ended 31 December 2011, including those for its telecommunications subsidiary and France’s third mobile operator, Bouygues Telecom. Sales for the telco unit stood at EUR5.74 billion (USD7.71 billion) in 2011, up 2% from EUR5.64 billion the year before. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) was negatively impacted by the cut in mobile termination rate differentials, falling 7% to EUR1.27 billion, while net profit was down 17% to EUR370 million
Ill-fated USD7 billion open-access Long Term Evolution (LTE) start-up LightSquared has announced that Sanjiv Ahuja has resigned his position as chief executive officer with immediate effect. As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, earlier this month LightSquared, which planned to build out a nationwide hybrid LTE network using terrestrial and satellite networks to provide nationwide coverage, saw its plans overruled by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which declared that the non-traditional spectrum in the 1.4GHz and 1.6GHz bands interfered with GPS satellite navigation devices and aircraft flight safety equipment. Subsequent weeks have seen the stricken company beset with myriad financial and legal problems.
Portugal Telecom (PT), the dominant player in the country's broadband sector, has announced that its fibre-optic ‘Meo Fibra’ broadband offshoot has launched an advanced triple-play option, offering downlink transmission speeds of 400Mbps, which it says are ‘guaranteed at a national level’.
International Wi-Fi provider Fon has added Polish broadband operator Netia to its list of partners. The two have signed a Wi-Fi hotspot sharing deal, whereby subscribers signed up to Netia’s Wi-Fi services will have access to Fon’s five million hotspots, and vice versa. In addition, the pair plan to increase the number of Wi-Fi hotspots in Poland to over 100,000 by spring
Four submarine cables linking East Africa to the Middle East and Europe have been severed within a two-week period, the Wall Street Journal reports, affecting data transfer rates in as many as nine different countries. According to the WSJ, a ship allegedly dropped anchor in a restricted area off the coast of Kenya on Saturday, cutting The East African Marine Systems (TEAMS) cable – just days after three other submarine cables were severed in the Red Sea between Djibouti and the Middle East.
Hutch Telecom Lanka, the Sri Lankan unit of Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa Group, has selected Comverse’s ‘Mobile Internet Data Management and Monetisation’ (DMM) solution for its GSM-based network's rapidly growing data traffic, aiming to generate new revenues, it announced in a press release. Hutch Lanka, which focuses on value-for-money GSM services aimed at diverse segments, said of the upgrade: ‘Easy and rapid implementation of attractive segmented data plans and exciting services will increase our differentiation in the market and enable data to fulfill more of its revenue potential.’ The comprehensive solution selected by Hutch includes Comverse’s ‘DMM PCRF Policy Manager’, ‘DMM DPI Traffic Manager’ and ‘DMM Application Gateway’, which will be integrated with Hutch's existing Comverse ‘Real-Time Billing’ system.
The 3G mobile wing of Thai telecoms group True Corp, True Move H, is promoting its 3.5G HSPA+ services with a ‘Free 3G+ Aircard’ offer for customers who apply for its ‘NET SIM 3G+ Baht 399’ monthly package for twelve months.
Sweden’s Ericsson has announced it has entered into an agreement with Vietnamese mobile operator MobiFone to consolidate six of the cellco’s regional network operations centres (RNOCs) into one centralised NOC in Hanoi. Under the agreement, Ericsson will deliver an integrated and unified Network Management System combined with operational consultancy services. The unified Network Management System includes fault management, performance management, trouble ticketing and configuration management components.
A plan to scrap mobile roaming charges across the European Union (EU) by 2014 was defeated last night, after a committee of MEPs opted against implementing the plan, preferring instead to adopt a fresh round of price cuts this summer. Compulsory maximum mobile roaming rates were first introduced in Europe around five years ago to correct what the European Commission (EC) dubbed the ‘roaming rip-off’.
The Philippine Stock Exchange has sanctioned a move to delist domestic telecoms group Digital Telecommunications Inc (Digitel), effective 26 March, following its acquisition by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT).
Argentine cable TV company Supercanal, which is owned by media conglomerate Grupo Uno, has applied to take part in the country’s upcoming auction of wireless spectrum in the 850MHz and 1900MHz bands, NexTV Latam reports, citing Sebastian D’Alessandro, marketing manager of Uno Media. If successful in the tender, the company plans to use the spectrum to offer mobile telephony services, which would enable it to become Argentina’s first provider of quad-play packages. D’Alessandro said that Supercanal, which operates in several regions of the country, including Mendoza, Catamarca, Cordoba, La Rioja, Santa Fe, San Juan and Tucuman, would expect to launch its mobile service 24 months after receiving the required frequencies.*TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database states that the mobile spectrum up for sale had been returned to communications ministry Secretaria de Comunicaciones (SeCom) following the merger of cellcos Telefonica Comunicaciones Personales Argentina (TCP, formerly Unifon) and Movicom BellSouth in early 2005.
Dutch cable TV and broadband internet provider Ziggo (Zesko Holding) is planning to list on the Amsterdam bourse, although no date for the listing has been set, the Financieele Dagblad reports citing sources familiar with the situation. The cableco’s owners, private equity firms Warburg Pincus and Cinven, expect to raise EUR1 billion (USD1.34 billion) from the sale of the Netherlands’ biggest cableco by subscribers. Formed through the merger of Casema, Multikabel and Essent Kabelcom, Ziggo has an estimated valuation of between EUR7 billion and EUR8 billion, including EUR3.2 billion of debt
The Senate in the Philippines has passed a bill to set up a standalone department responsible for the country’s information and communications technology (ICT) policies and regulations. In a unanimous vote, legislators approved the third and final reading of Senate Bill No
Russia’s Sistema, the parent company of cellco Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTL, also known as MTS India) has threatened legal action against the Indian government over the cancellation of SSTL’s licences earlier this month. Sistema, which is part owned by the Russian state, cited the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between Russia and India, saying that India was not upholding its end of the deal: ‘Sistema believes that the cancellation of SSTL's licences following Sistema's investment of billions of dollars into the Indian cellular sector is contrary to India's obligations under the BIT, including obligations to provide investments with full protection and security, and obligations not to expropriate investments.’ *According to local daily The Hindu, Sistema has notified the Indian government of the dispute and has set a deadline of six months to resolve the issue.
According to new data from TeleGeography’s Global Bandwidth Forecast Service, demand for bandwidth on intra-Asian submarine cables is projected to grow 39% annually between 2011 and 2018.
Telefonica Germany (O2), the local subsidiary of Spanish telecoms group Telefonica, has announced it plans to launch Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband services in urban parts of the country on 2 July 2012. Initial coverage will be focused in the country’s main cities and regions, including Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Dresden, Hanover, Leipzig, Nuremberg and the Rhine-Ruhr region, but by the end of the year the 4G network, which supports maximum download speeds of up to 50Mbps, will be available in around 200 towns and cities. Telefonica Germany added that a number of LTE tariffs will be on offer for a variety of devices, including USB modems, tablets, netbooks and at least two smartphones.
3 Italia (previously H3G Italia), Italy's first commercial 3G mobile operator, has announced that Swedish vendor Ericsson is poised to complete an extensive upgrade of its backhaul network, paving the way for the cellco to offer its customers maximum download speeds of up to 42Mbps.
Mexican alternative fixed line and broadband operator Megacable has released its financial results for the last three months of 2011, revealing a 4% year-on-year rise in net profit on the back of higher service revenues.
Australian fixed line incumbent Telstra has finally cleared the last regulatory hurdle to its participation in the National Broadband Network (NBN) project, after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) accepted its revised structural separation undertaking (SSU). The announcement comes less than a week after Telstra submitted an updated version of the undertaking after regulator had come under increased pressure to reject the previous version, with submissions lodged by a number of Telstra’s rivals claiming that the plan was fundamentally flawed. ‘The ACCC's acceptance of Telstra's undertaking marks a significant milestone in the structural reform of the telecommunications sector,’ ACCC chairman Rod Sims said of the development.
Tele2 Kazakhstan has confirmed the completion of work to increase network coverage and improve its quality of service. Technicians have taken steps to improve the stability of the operator’s signal in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Ust-Kamenogorsk and Uralsk, Tele2 has announced. The cellco has also reiterated its intention to expand its network coverage to 80% of the population by end-2012, increasing the number of base stations in deployment by around 50%.
Solomon Telekom is set to upgrade its mobile network this year, the Island Sun newspaper reports, with 100 new base stations set for deployment in both urban and rural locations during the coming months. CEO Loyley Ngira commented: ‘One hundred new Telekom towers will soon be built in the coming months and the project will also boost the network system in urban areas’. Ngira said that the deployment seeks to boost business activities in rural areas, adding: ‘The Solomon Islands is made up of scattered islands, and business opportunities are very hard
Wind Telecomunicazioni (Wind Italy), the third largest player by subscribers in the Italian mobile market, has joined forces with global payment services firm Western Union to allow Wind subscribers to send money transfers from their mobile phones; recipients will be able to pick up their funds in cash at one of more than 450,000 Western Union agent locations in 200 countries and territories around the world.
Latvian fixed line operator Lattelecom has deployed a wireless LAN solution from Enterasys Networks to help it provide cloud wireless access to its customers. Lattelecom works with outlets such as banks, hotels, retail chains and gas stations to offer Wi-Fi internet access to more than half a million end users
Angolan mobile operator Movicel has announced a second technology partner in its plan to roll out nationwide 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services. Following the announcement of Huawei as LTE vendor partner in its initial launch of the 4G service in Cabinda province, Movicel has chosen another Chinese firm, ZTE to deploy its Uni-RAN and Uni-Core solutions for the rollout of LTE in areas across the country. In addition, ZTE will upgrade Movicel's 3G core network to support LTE services, and will provide management and maintenance for the network
Hong Kong’s PCCW has reported that its telecoms operations, under the HKT Trust unit it listed last November, achieved a 32% rise in net profit to HKD1.22 billion (USD157 million) in full-year 2011, on revenues that climbed by 7% to HKD19.82 billion. Consolidated annual EBITDA grew by 2% to HKD7.41 billion
Retail chain Tesco Mobile and Mobile network operator Vodafone Hungary have announced plans to launch a new mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service in the country on 1 March.
The French telco Orange has unveiled a range of initiatives at the Mobile World Congress trade show to create new mobile internet applications and streamline customer billing. The operator says it is working with Facebook and other industry groups to develop new services for customers, and as part of this it has joined the newly created W3C Core Mobile Web Platform Community Group. Orange has also announced that it is working closely with Facebook to implement a seamless billing and mobile payment option for its customers
According to MyBroadband.co.za Vodacom South Africa commissioned its 5,000th 3G base station on 20 February 2012. In addition, the cellco has reached the milestone of 3,000 DC-HSPA+ enabled sites, which it claims provides maximum download speeds of 43Mbps.
Canada’s Rogers Communications announced yesterday that its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network is now live in St.
Indian telecoms watchdog Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has reportedly instructed wireless operators to ignore subscribers’ attempts to withdraw or cancel porting requests. According to local paper the Indian Express, unless customers have outstanding bills with their current provider, the donor operator is no longer allowed to respond to requests from customers to cancel a request to move to another provider whilst retaining their number.
China Telecom, the smallest of China’s three wireless operators by subscribers, has inked a deal with Swedish vendor Ericsson to expand and upgrade the cellco’s CDMA network. Ericsson will upgrade Telecom's packet data serving node (PDSN), expand its CDMA core network and provide related services for two years. Ericsson will also deploy a smart pipe solution customised for CDMA networks in the Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.
Tele2 Lithuania, the local unit of Swedish telecoms group Tele2, plans to launch Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband services this year if it is successful in the regulator’s auction of 2.6GHz spectrum licences, Telecompaper reports, citing local newspaper Verslo Zinios. According to Tele2’s technical director Valeriy Kovzanas, the cellco could start providing 4G services one month after it has received the relevant frequencies. Lithuania’s two other mobile network operators, TeliaSonera-owned Omnitel (which already provides LTE services in the 1800MHz band over a network launched in May 2011) and Bite Lithuania, are also participating in the tender, which is scheduled to begin next month
Macedonia’s incumbent PTO Makedonski Telekomunikacii (MakTel), which is 51%-owned by Hungary’s Magyar Telekom, posted a ‘modest’ 0.9% year-on-year increase in revenue to HUF19 billion (USD87.6 million) in the three months ended 31 December 2011, while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 4.4%. The parent company said the depreciation of the Hungarian forint had a positive effect on the Macedonian operation’s contribution to group results (on average, the Hungarian forint weakened by 9.3% against the Macedonian denar in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to 2010, it said).
Telecom Italia’s Brazilian subsidiary TIM Participacoes (TIM Brasil) expects total CAPEX for the 2012/14 period to exceed BRL9 billion (USD5.26 billion), CEO Luca Luciani is quoted by BNamericas as saying. Earlier this month CommsUpdate reported that TIM Brasil plans to invest BRL3 billion (USD1.75 billion) in 2012 alone, with a primary focus on improving its 2G, 3G and fibre-optic capacity. Luciani was quoted at the time as saying his company ploughed BRL2.9 billion into its networks and services in FY2011, in the process doubling 2G capacity and extending its 3G footprint to almost 500 municipalities.
National PTO Djibouti Telecom and Saudi-based STC Group have co-signed a partnership agreement to link their respective operations in the region with Europe and the rest of the world. The Saudi firm says that additionally, the pair will also be able to take advantage of improved direct high speed data links between the Kingdom, Djibouti and other African countries.
Shareholders of Brazilian telecoms group Telemar Participacoes, which markets Oi-branded services in the country through Brasil Telecom, Tele Norte Leste Participacoes and Telemar Norte Leste, have agreed a plan to simplify the firm’s organisational structure, allowing its management to resume networks investments and set up a new dividend policy. In August last year the operating units’ respective boards approved a merger plan to create a single entity that will be Brazil’s second largest fixed and mobile operator by revenue
Ericsson has announced that Australia’s Telstra will become the first operator in the world to deploy the Swedish vendor’s latest SSR node running the EPG application to support its wireless core network. The SSR 8020 is a new ultra-high capacity and highly scalable product from Ericsson which, it is claimed, is capable of performing a number of different functions related to the handling of IP packet data in carrier networks. The EPG application is a specific application of the SSR which supports 2G, 3G and 4G mobile networks and their rapidly growing demand for mobile broadband services.
Telefonica is expected to bid for spectrum in Brazil and Chile this year as it seeks to roll out higher speed mobile networks with a view to meeting increased demand for mobile data services in Latin America.
Bosnian internet service provider (ISP) Europronet claims to have become the first operator to offer unbundled local loop (ULL) services using the infrastructure of Sarajevo-based BH Telecom. In the wake of the announcement, the alternative operator noted that the Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA) had played an important role in the development, with the regulator reportedly actively involved in monitoring and controlling the unbundling process. Europronet also claimed that the achievement heralded a step towards the liberalisation of the domestic telecommunications market
Australian fixed line incumbent Telstra will finally start selling retail fixed voice and broadband services over the National Broadband Network (NBN) after reaching a deal with the public-private company overseeing the construction and management of the network, NBN Co. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the agreement between Telstra and NBN Co comes as the former awaits approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for its revised structural separation undertaking (SSU), which, as previously reported by CommsUpdate, was resubmitted last week. Once the SSU is given the go-ahead Telstra and NBN Co will be able to finalise a deal valued at around AUD11 billion (USD11.78 billion) under which the incumbent will migrate all of its existing customers to the in-development NBN.
Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica has unveiled what it calls ‘the first live experience of the world’s ‘smartest’ 4G network’ at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The operator has revealed that it is offering trial services using Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology over the 2.6GHz band, with download speeds of up to 100Mbps on offer, while uplink rates are reportedly between 40Mbps and 60Mbps. Further, the operator claims the new infrastructure offers ‘vastly improved indoor coverage’ while it says it can ‘increase capacity by up to 400% in high-density traffic areas’.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced plans to ‘declare’ local bitstream access service, with the declaration intended to cover the last mile of fibre to premises on networks that are not owned by NBN Co. It has, however, confirmed that the declaration will not apply to mobile, wireless broadband or satellite broadband networks, nor those offered over the National Broadband Network (NBN). The bitstream access service will be used by retail service providers (RSPs) to supply broadband access to end-users, predominantly in new housing developments served by fibre-optic networks other than the NBN, and it will specifically apply to non-NBN ‘superfast’ internet services, i.e.
The planned liberalisation of the international gateway in Sierra Leone could lead to serious financial difficulties for the state-owned telecoms operator Sierratel, its chairman has said.
Maroc Telecom has released its financial results for the year ended 31 December 2011, with revenues falling by 2.5% to MAD30.84 billion (USD3.61 billion) and net income down 14.8% at MAD8.12 billion.
France Telecom-Orange has revealed that it is planning the launch of an Orange-branded handset powered by an Intel processor and running Google Android software. The telco says the device will be an entry-level handset, which will be targeted at the 50% of its users who do not own a smartphone
Press reports from Bulgaria are suggesting that the government’s planned award of three new mobile phone concessions is in doubt after two of the three licensees failed to meet the deadline for part-payment of the required licence fees. 24 Chasa reports that Bulsatcom has paid for its two paired blocks of 5MHz spectrum in the 1800MHz band, but Max Telecom and 4G Com have failed to pay for their 2x8MHz blocks in the same band. Bulgaria's Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) has asked the National Revenue Agency to collect the money from the defaulting bidders.
Airtel Kenya has confirmed the belated launch of its 3G network, Business Daily Africa reports, almost two years after being awarded an UMTS concession by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK). The network, which is initially available in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret and Naivasha, offers subscribers maximum download speeds of 21Mbps. Shivan Bhargava, chief operating officer at Airtel Kenya, commented: ‘The 3.75G platform we have launched allows customers to combine the enormous potential of the internet with the convenience of cellular phones and other mobile devices’
eAccess, which offers wireless services in Japan through its recently reintegrated eMobile unit, plans to launch a commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) service in the country from March this year. The telco says the new service, which uses FDD-LTE technology, will offer maximum transmission speeds of 75Mbps (downlink) using frequencies it holds in the 1.7GHz band
The Maribor Higher Court has rejected Telekom Slovenije’s demand for receivership at rival Slovenian full-service telco T-2, upholding an earlier decision of the Maribor District Court, reports news agency STA. The decision allows a debt restructuring plan to begin under which T-2’s creditors are to be repaid 44% of their claims totalling around EUR180 million (USD242 million) by 2020.
India’s Central Bureau of Information (CBI) has reportedly launched a fresh case against Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) officials, over irregularities in the awarding of a Leased Service Area (LSA) contract for deployment of WiMAX services. According to the CBI, the BSNL staff have been accused of abusing their positions to facilitate the award of the franchise for three LSAs to private firms Starnet Communications and Welcome Communications by intentionally withholding tender documents and diluting the eligibility conditions to accommodate the private company
Tunisia’s Supreme Court has cancelled the ruling of lower court to force censorship of web content. According to local media, a civil lawsuit was brought to the lower court, seeking a ban on websites with pornographic content, as the sites were deemed offensive to Muslims. However, the Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI) has fought for net neutrality and lauded the Supreme Court’s decision, calling the move towards greater a censorship ‘a step backwards.’ ATI Chief Executive Moez Chakchouk said: ‘Under Ben Ali, the ATI was an instrument of political control and censorship.
The auction of Albania’s third 3G concession has failed after the two bids entered fell short of the asking price. According to local news source Balkan Web, the nation’s two existing cellcos currently without 3G licences, Eagle Mobile and PLUS Communications, were the only bidders for the licence. Eagle entered the higher amount, bidding EUR3.55 million (USD4.77 million) whilst PLUS bid EUR2.2 million
Brazilian telecoms operator Telefonica Brazil is considering selling 50MHz of the 70MHz of Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) spectrum it holds in the 2.5GHz band. The spectrum was acquired by Telefonica when it purchased Brazilian MMDS pay-TV operator Televisao Abril, or TVA, from Grupo Abril
Spanish giant Telefonica has refuted suggestions it is considering the sale of its EUR800 million (USD1.08 billion) Irish mobile operation, O2 Ireland, following a report in the Sunday Independent that the Irish business was quietly offered to a select group of trade buyers before Xmas. A spokesman for the Madrid-based firm said: ‘Telefonica confirms that its Irish business is not for sale.’ The paper links Hong Kong telecoms conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa with a possible bid for O2 Ireland
The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) in Singapore is intervening in a bid to speed up the pace of deployment of the country’s next generation nationwide broadband network (NGNBN).
Troubled Irish former monopoly Eircom is planning a EUR1 billion (USD1.59 billion) network investment to better compete in its home market, the Sunday Times reports. In a five-year business plan tabled for its principal lenders, the telco – which is trying to restructure its massive EUR3.75 billion of debt – said the funding programme could be funded from its own cash resources if lenders agree to write down some of their debt.
Creative Technologies, the parent company of Singaporean WiMAX provider QMax Communications, is suing China’s Huawei Technologies for USD9.3 million following the failure of a mobile broadband project between them in the city-state, the Strait Times reports.
US mobile giant Sprint Nextel has reportedly pulled out of a deal to acquire Texas-based cellco MetroPCS Communications, two people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. The transaction, which would have valued MetroPCS at around USD8 billion, was rejected by Sprint’s board last week, sparking widespread speculation over the future of CEO Dan Hesse, who spearheaded the mooted takeover
Thai state-run telco TOT has launched a trial internet protocol television (IPTV) service in partnership with Malaysia's Cubic Associates Group.
Lithuanian telecoms group Bite, which provides mobile services in Latvia as well as its domestic market, has announced it generated service revenue of EUR38.4 million (USD51.6 million) in the three months ended 31 December 2011, down 0.4% from EUR38.6 million in the year-ago quarter, while total revenue increased by EUR7 million over the same period to EUR45.7 million. Bite said that despite a decrease in interconnection charges, consolidated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 26% year-on-year to EUR9.0 million in Q4 2011 and rose 11% in full year 2011 to EUR43.6 million, thanks to growth in the firm’s post-paid subscriber base and cost control. The company said its fourth-quarter consolidated net loss narrowed from EUR5.5 million in 2010 to EUR1.6 million a year later
Angolan cellco Movicel has signed a contract to deploy a commercial 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband network with China’s Huawei Technologies. Under the deal, Huawei will deploy an 1800MHz frequency division duplex (FDD) LTE network initially covering oil-producing province Cabinda, with Movicel expecting to launch commercial services by the end of May 2012, claiming what it says will be a first-of-its-type network in Africa. Movicel is aiming to provide mobile broadband services with a downlink speed of up to 100Mbps across the entire country, with expansion of the network set to begin in dense urban areas including the capital Luanda, and expects keen demand for LTE especially from large companies initially.
With a number of its European subsidiaries reporting a drop in turnover in 2011, in part as a result of the ongoing financial crisis in the eurozone, Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica has revealed that net profit in 2011 almost halved. For the twelve months ended 31 December 2011 Telefonica posted a consolidated net income of EUR5.40 billion (USD7.02 billion), down from the EUR10.18 billion recorded in the company’s previous fiscal year. It did, however, note that its bottom line had been affected by factors both in 2010 and 2011, highlighting firstly the positive net impact it saw in FY2010 from the revaluation of the previously held stake in Brazilian operator Vivo at the date of acquisition of the 50% in Brasilcel owned by Portugal Telecom.
Ron Styles, the CEO of Saskatchewan full-service telco SaskTel, said in an interview with the Globe & Mail that the regional operator will launch a Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G mobile broadband network in its home province in autumn (fall) 2012. Meanwhile, Styles said that SaskTel continues to build out its HSPA+ network across the province, and has also begun a project to deploy fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) high speed fixed broadband services.
Telecom New Zealand has announced operating revenues of NZD2.358 billion (USD1.960 billion) for the six months ended 31 December 2011. This figure represents a 7.7% drop from the NZD2.555 billion recorded a year earlier.
Telekom Austria Group has reported consolidated revenues of EUR4.454 billion (USD3.701 billion) for the twelve months ended 31 December 2011, down 4.2% compared to the EUR4.650 billion generated during 2010. The company blames the slump on ‘severe macro-economic headwinds in most of its major markets, fierce competition and further regulatory cuts of roaming and interconnection tariffs’
Malian fixed line incumbent Societe des Telecommunications du Mali (SOTELMA) is expected to begin trading on the Abidjan-based West African regional bourse by the end of June 2012, following a share sale to be conducted in April this year, Reuters claims. Jean-Paul Gillet, head of the Bourse Regionale des Valeurs Mobilieres (BRVM), the regional stock exchange serving the west African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, said that SOTELMA hopes to raise around XAF100 billion (USD198 million) from the listing, which will see around 20% of the telco sold into public hands, with a further 9% reserved for staff
Malta’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Communication (MITC) has called for expressions of interest for the rollout of a fibre-optic network on the island nation, reports the Times of Malta.
Egypt's Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding (OTMT) has reportedly said that it expects to conclude negotiations with France Telecom-Orange (FT) regarding the sale of most of its shares in Egyptian cellco MobiNil within a few weeks. According to Reuters, with OTMT having previously reached a preliminary agreement with FT last week for all but 5% of its holding in MobiNil - under which the French company would pay EGP202.5 (USD33.4) per share - it is understood that OTMT is now negotiating a put option mechanism for the remaining 5% holding, which would be exercisable between 2015 and 2017.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) has revealed that, in the wake of network and customer service issues that affected a number of its customers in late-2010/early-2011, in the twelve-months to end-2011 it saw a 7.3% year-on-year drop in subscribers. At 31 December 2011 the cellco’s wireless subscriber base totalled 7.022 million, down from 7.576 million a year earlier, of which 2.668 million were signed up to handset-based 3G services (up from 2.149 million at end-2010), while a further 819,000 had taken up VHA’s mobile broadband service, down from 855,000
Pakistan’s PM Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has made assurances that the government will ensure fair competition and transparency in the upcoming auction of 3G concessions in response to accusations that the tender would be ‘anti-competitive.’ The government is planning to auction the defunct Instaphone licence and three 3G authorisations on 27 March and 29 March respectively. If a new entrant purchases the Instaphone licence, they will then be eligible to bid for the 3G licences, though it would not be allowed to launch services until March 2013
Thailand’s National Broadcasting & Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has approved a schedule for auctioning 2100MHz 3G mobile network operating licences later this year. The chairman of the regulator’s telecoms committee, Settapong Malisuwan, confirmed that a bidding auction for the long-awaited frequencies is planned for either September or October 2012, local newspaper The Nation reports. According to the timetable, an open invitation to bidders will be made in June, but firstly NBTC must draft a detailed auction plan, propose the starting price of the licences and hold a public hearing on the plan in March-April.
Wireless operator Mobilkom Macedonia (VIP Mobile), a unit of Telekom Austria-controlled mobilkom Austria, turned in positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of EUR6.3 million (USD8.3 million) in FY2011, from negative EBITDA of EUR5.2 million a year earlier. According to Telekom Austria Group’s 2011 financial report, VIP Mobile turned to positive EBITDA of EUR5.2 million from a negative EUR2.2 million figure in the fourth quarter alone, on revenues which increased 38% y-o-y to EUR14.1 million from EUR10.2 million previously.
The Jakarta Post reports that Indonesian firm PT Dian Swastatika is buying a stake in local telecoms operator PT Smartfren Telecom (branded Smartfren), via an IDR1 trillion (USD110.7 million) mandatory convertible bonds deal. Both companies are affiliated to the Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas Group; Dian Swastatika’s operations are in the energy and infrastructure segments
Indian wireless operator Reliance Communication (RCOM) is seeking to recover INR12 billion (USD241.89 million) in unpaid fees for the use of its wireless infrastructure from Etisalat DB (EDB), reports the Deccan Herald. EDB, a joint venture between UAE-backed Etisalat and India’s Dynamix Balwas Group (DB) signed a ten-year contract with RCOM in 2009, agreeing to lease infrastructure to provide 2G wireless services
Telecom Italia (TI) has reported consolidated revenues of EUR29.96 billion (USD39.80 billion) for the twelve months ended 31 December 2011, up 8.7% from the EUR27.57 billion reported in 2010. Of the total, EUR19.03 billion was derived from TI’s domestic interests, down 5.2% year-on-year.
Hungarian mobile network operators T-Mobile, a unit of Magyar Telekom, and Telenor Hungary (formerly Pannon), plan to enter into talks about swapping the mobile frequency blocks each was allocated by the regulator last month, in line with the tender schedule. The two cellcos said yesterday that the blocks they were each awarded in the 900MHz band are not aligned in a way that would enable them to utilise them in the best way
Irish cable TV, broadband internet and voice telephony provider UPC Ireland reported an 11% year-on-year increase in revenues in FY2011, beating its own expectations, buoyed by solid subscriber growth in its core business areas. UPC, a unit of US-based Liberty Global Inc, said that its broadband user base expanded 28% last year to 255,400, while VoIP telephony subscribers surged 68% to 162,200
US-based digital trunking firm NII Holdings, which provides wireless services under the Nextel brand in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Chile, has announced its consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2011. The company said it generated consolidated operating revenues of USD6.719 billion in the year ended 31 December 2011, up 20% from USD5.601 billion the previous year, while Q4 2011 revenue inched up 5% to USD1.595 billion from USD1.520 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Australian fixed line incumbent Telstra has announced that it has lodged a revised Structural Separation Undertaking (SSU) with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for approval.
International cableco Liberty Global Inc (LGI) has reported net losses of USD435 million for the three months ended December 2011, compared to net profit of USD57.5 million a year earlier.
According to local news portal ABC.com.py, state-owned Paraguayan telco Copaco is poised to launch its long-delayed IPTV service on 2 March, with the latest delay blamed on premium US TV provider HBO, which deemed Copaco’s IPTV system vulnerable to piracy. According to Copaco commercial manager Nilton Amarilla, HBO intends to send representatives to Paraguay this week in order to carry out a technical verification of the encryption processes currently being used. In related news, NexTV LatAm reports that Copaco’s pending triple-play service will be priced at USD63 per month, with free installation for all customers
Kazakh telco Nursat has selected Israeli vendor Gilat to deploy a broadband satellite IP network based on Gilat's advanced Sky Edge II VSAT system. The solution will provide Nursat with an end-to-end solution for IP-connectivity and enable broadband communication services designed for advanced corporate users.
Istanbul-based telecoms group Turkcell has reported group revenue TRY9.37 billion (USD5.34 billion) for the twelve months ended 31 December 2011, representing a 4.1% rise year-on-year. EBITDA dropped 1.2% year-on-year to TRY2.91 billion, whilst net income slumped 33.2% from TRY1.76 billion in 2010 to TRY1.17 billion.
Verizon Wireless, the United States’ largest mobile operator by subscribers, should be prevented from acquiring dormant wireless spectrum from a consortium of US cablecos in order to avoid ‘excessive concentration’ of spectrum, rival cellco T-Mobile USA has warned.
Thailand’s largest cellco by subscribers, AIS, has set a capital expenditure (CAPEX) budget of THB8 billion (USD261 million) for network upgrades in 2012, with the aim of expanding its 900MHz 3G W-CDMA/HSPA services to 17 of Thailand’s 76 provinces by the end of the year. AIS’ chief operating officer Mark Chong Chin Kok, as quoted by Telecomasia, confirmed that the operator aims to double its number of 900MHz UMTS base stations to 3,500 in the year, with coverage to be concentrated in major cities of the 17 provinces, while 3G network capacity will be raised to five million users from the current two million
Ho Wai Ming, CEO of mobile operator 3Macau, part of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telephone Company (3), revealed yesterday that more than 90% of 3Macau’s users are using the cellco’s 3G network, and announced his confidence that a planned switchover of all remaining 2G users to the third-generation system in July 2012 would go smoothly. ‘By delivering various special offers and comprehensive customer services, we are confident that we can assist all 2G subscribers to upgrade to 3G before July 2012,’ Ho said.
The Chinese equipment vendor Huawei has announced that it has won a contract to supply a nationwide 3G/4G convergence network for Japanese operator eAccess, which provides cellular services under the 'eMobile' brand. Huawei is providing eAccess with an end-to-end SingleRAN convergent solution, including radio access network (RAN), core network and terminal devices
Cellular operator MTN Rwanda has blamed recent service disruptions on an ongoing network upgrade programme alongside problems with the international undersea cable EASSY. The cellco says its 3G network rollout is causing some short-term localised problems; according to a report from AllAfrica, MTN Rwanda’s managing director Khaled Mikkawi commented: ‘When you roll out new 3G sites, you have to carry out tests and an optimisation exercise
Greek and southeast Europe telecoms group OTE, jointly controlled by Germany’s Deutsche Telekom and the Greek government, has posted a net loss in the fourth quarter of 2011 due to a write-down on the value of its Romanian fixed line subsidiary RomTelecom.
Hong Kong cellco CSL New World Mobility added 167,000 net new customers in the second half of 2011 (its fiscal first half of FY2011/12) to give it a total of 3.16 million 2G/3G/4G network subscribers. CSL increased its six-month revenues by 12% year-on-year to HKD3.496 billion (USD451 million) in July-December 2011, its Australian parent Telstra reported. EBITDA jumped by 48% year-on-year to HKD824 million in the six-month period, while operating profit (EBIT) more than doubled, growing 112% to HKD527 million.
Rogers Communications has released its 2011 full-year financial and operating results. Wireless revenues increased by 2% to CAD7.138 billion (USD1.746 billion), whilst Rogers' Cable division (including cable TV, fixed broadband, fixed telephony and integrated business services) posted a small increase in sales from CAD3.785 billion in 2010 to CAD3.796 billion in 2011. Group annual operating profit crept up by 1% to CAD4.571 billion, and net income climbed 4% to CAD1.563 billion
German cableco Unitymedia, a subsidiary of US company Liberty Global, has reported revenue of EUR267.5 million (USD354 million) for the fourth quarter of 2011, an increase of 10% year-on-year, while full year 2011 turnover also rose 10% to EUR1.025 billion. The company said that growth was primarily due to increased revenue from its advanced services, particularly the accelerated take-up of its ‘Unity3play’ triple-play product bundles. This – alongside lower bad debt and network-related costs – helped to boost adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) by 17% year-on-year in Q4 2011 to EUR158.5 million and by 18% in FY 2011 to EUR613.2 million
Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has released its group financial results for the year ended 31 December 2011. Its earnings release flags up a 176% annual increase in capital expenditure (CAPEX) to LKR18 billion (USD152 million), including fixed line and internet/data networks as well as its mobile subsidiary, Mobitel. Consolidated profit after tax increased by 21% to LKR4.78 billion, on total group revenue of LKR50.95 billion in 2011, up by 1% from the previous year.
Mobile network operator Belarusian Telecommunications Network (BeST), which is 80%-owned by Turkish telecoms company Turkcell, reported falling revenues in FY2011 as the worsening economy in the east European nation saw consumers spending less on phone calls and related services. BeST booked revenue of USD47.89 million last year, down from USD48,92 million in FY2010, while CAPEX was trimmed sharply to USD55.03 million from USD120.01 million previously
The Information and Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) of the Cayman Islands has confirmed that a new local number portability (NP) regime – both fixed and mobile – went live this week allowing customers to move their number to a different service provider. The implementation was due in late-January 2012 but was pushed back to 20 February due to technical issues and ‘sensitive negotiations’ between the island’s principal operators – Digicel Caymans and LIME – which were involved in the committee controlling the process. The latest delay was designed to give operators more time to complete systems testing required to make porting a reality, CayCompass.com reports.
The UK’s largest mobile network operator in terms of subscribers, Everything Everywhere, is aiming to inaugurate commercial 4G services by the end of 2012, with the company announcing what it terms ‘significant progress in its network integration and evolution and outlined the path toward the rollout of Long Term Evolution (LTE)’.
Hungary’s dominant telecom services provider Magyar Telekom (MTel), backed by German giant Deutsche Telekom, reported a full year loss in 2011 as tax charges and an impairment charge relating to its Macedonian operation – arising from a reassessment of ‘fair value’ – pushed 4Q11 losses to HUF40.3 billion (USD185 million). Reuters quotes the Hungarian firm as saying: ‘The main reason for the impairment is a 15%-25% reduction in the ten-year revenue growth plans of the Macedonia segment prepared in 2011, compared to the plans prepared a year before’. Industry analysts had expected MTel to book a fourth-quarter loss of around HUF8.9 billion on the back of an ongoing contracts investigation and the negative impact of a government-imposed telecoms tax in Hungary.
US-based Mobixell Networks, which describes itself as a leading global provider of intelligent mobile internet solutions, has announced that Singpaorean fixed and mobile operator StarHub has selected its ‘Seamless Access’ solution as its mobile data traffic management platform. The Mobixell-supplied solution will enable the telco to reduce costs and enable the swift introduction of new next generation mobile internet services, such as video optimisation, personalised advertising and content filtering. StarHub is experiencing a dramatic increase in data and video traffic on its network as more and more users switch to smartphones, and some predictions suggest that mobile data traffic could double globally every year, increasing 39 times between 2009 and 2014 (to reach 3.5 Exabytes per month by 2014 – based on Cisco’s findings).
Malaysian mobile group Axiata has posted a profit for the last three months of 2011, having reported a net loss in the same period a year earlier, when it recorded an impairment loss of MYR1.1 billion (USD356 million) on its investment in Indian unit Idea Cellular. The group has released its financial results for the three- and twelve-month periods ended 31 December 2011, reporting a net profit of MYR544.59 million in its fourth quarter, up from a loss of MYR367.04 million in 4Q10
Switzerland’s telecoms regulator the Federal Communication Commission (ComCom) has announced the results of the auction re-allocating frequencies on licences due to expire, as well as currently unused spectrum.
German parent company Deutsche Telekom has outlined T-Mobile USA’s future strategy in its 2011 annual report, promising to launch Long Term Evolution (LTE) services in 2013 using USD1 billion worth of re-farmed frequencies that it received as part of the failure of its controversial USD39 billion merger with AT&T 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 Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Department of Justice (DoJ), a number of attorneys general and rival wireless carriers. At the time, Tom Sugrue, T-Mobile’s senior vice president for government affairs, commented: ‘This additional spectrum will help meet the growing demand for wireless broadband services
Etisalat has announced that it will shut down the operations of its Indian joint venture, Etisalat DB following the revocation of its licences by the nation’s apex court earlier this month, reports Reuters.
German telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom (DT) has said its unadjusted net loss for the fourth quarter of 2011 widened to EUR1.34 billion (USD1.77 billion) from a loss of EUR514 million in the year-ago period, due to impairments of around EUR3.3 billion on its US and Greek operations. A EUR2.3 billion cash payment from AT&T, which formed part of a USD6 billion breakup package after a deal to sell T-Mobile USA to its rival was abandoned, failed to offset the writedowns. Net profit for the year ended 31 December 2011 totalled EUR557 million, compared to EUR1.695 billion in 2010.
Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica has selected US-based Ceragon Networks as one of its global microwave backhaul vendors, the latter has announced. Initially it is understood that Telefonica will order systems from Ceragon for deployment in Chile, Panama and Venezuela, and it is understood that the Ceragon solutions selected by Telefonica are based on the carrier-grade FibeAir IP-10 family – a wireless transport solution optimised for all-IP mobile internet and broadband services; FibeAir IP-10 is a wireless microwave solution that integrates advanced networking functionality with high-capacity radio technology, enabling up to 1Gbps per channel. The solution, Ceragon claims, will enable simplified network provisioning and monitoring while reducing Telefonica’s total cost of ownership.
More than 800 new mobile towers are expected to be deployed in rural areas across Malaysia by the end of 2012, The Star Online reports, citing Deputy Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Joseph Salang. The minister noted that the infrastructure rollout formed part of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC’s) Time 3 programme, which aims to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban regions. With the minister also claiming that 84% of Malaysia now has cellular coverage, he added that the ‘Wireless Village’ project, which was launched in late 2011, has improved connectivity in some 1,610 rural areas
Zambia’s Transport, Works, Supply and Communication Minister Yamfwa Mukanga has called on the country’s largest cellco by subscribers, Airtel Zambia, to consider reducing calls costs in order that subscribers might use their services for business purposes. According to the Lusaka Times, the minister has claimed that Airtel should be looking to offer services at a low enough price point that would allow mobile connections to be used for business, and is understood to have suggested that the cellco should be looking to invest more in technology in order to reduce end-user costs
LightSquared, the ill-fated USD7 billion open-access Long Term Evolution (LTE) venture backed by billionaire hedge fund manager Philip Falcone, has reportedly failed to pay the USD56 million it owes to British satellite partner Inmarsat for the use of its radio spectrum in the US. With the first phase of their deal drawing to a close, Inmarsat has issued LightSquared a default notice, giving it 60 days to pay before it terminates the deal
Brunei telecoms regulator the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI) has entered into dialogue with domestic telecoms operators Telekom Brunei (TelBru), DST Communications and B-Mobile Communications, concerning the future deployment of infrastructure across the sparsely populated Tutong district. Backed by the Department of Town and Country Planning, and attended by village heads from the Tutong district, the public discussion saw AITI chief executive Hj Yahkup bin Hj Menudin urge the country’s operators to highlight ‘strategic, compatible and safe locations’ for cell tower rollout in the flash-flood prone region. According to a report by Brunei FM, Hj Yahkup commented: ‘These are due to challenges such as business viability to offer services in a specific location, scattered nuclear settlements, uneven land surfaces unsuitable for tower placement and lengthy processes.
Cellular operator MTN Rwanda is reporting revenues for 2011 of RWF80 billion (USD132 million), up from RWF73.6 billion a year earlier. The company says it is targeting sales of RWF96 billion in 2012, while capital expenditure (CAPEX) will be cut from USD35 million in 2011 to USD30 million this year, Bloomberg reports
The Moroccan postal service Poste Maroc is reportedly planning to launch as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) within the next few months. A report from Telecompaper, which cites Moroccan news source La Vie Eco, says that Poste Maroc has held discussions with the country’s telecoms regulator ANRT over the award of an MVNO licence, while it has also contacted local cellular operators Maroc Telecom, Meditelecom and Wana Corporate for wholesale service pricing.
Ukrainian incumbent PSTN operator Ukrtelecom has reported its consolidated financial results for the full year 2011.
France Telecom-Orange has issued a statement to clarify its position on the impact of competition from France’s fourth cellular network operator, Free Mobile, a new low-cost operation from the Iliad group which launched on 10 January 2012.
Testing of a Guyanese government-backed fibre-optic cable linking the country to Brazil is set to begin shortly, though the USD6 million project is currently running behind schedule, reports Kaieteur News. The 560km cable runs from the town of Lethem, on the border with Brazil to the capital, Georgetown.
STel, one of the Indian wireless providers to have its licences revoked by the Supreme Court earlier this month, has confirmed that it plans to shut down its operations.
Telecoms giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) says it is on course to complete the latest service upgrades for myDSL users in Metro Manila by the end of this month. The Business Mirror newspaper reports that PLDT commenced the upgrade on 1 February, upgrading all myDSL ‘Plan 999’ subscribers to a 1.5Mbps downlink connection (from 1Mbps) for free, as well as boosting ‘Plan 1995’ users from 2Mbps to 3Mbps and ‘Plan 3000’ connections from 3Mbps to 5Mbps. Commenting on the free upgrade, PLDT’s head of marketing for residential services, Dan C Ibarra, said: ‘Our high speed plans are now made even faster to provide the residential demand for fast and reliable connections, making downloading and video streaming seamless … Residential subscribers are now heavy users of internet with all the new content they can access online.
Fiji’s Amalgamated Telecom Holdings (ATH) has issued an update on its financial performance for the third quarter ending 31 December 2011 and explained how it intends to pay Cable & Wireless Communication’s (CWC’s) for the UK-based firm’s minority 49% stake in Fiji International Telecommunications (FINTEL).
Digicel’s mobile operation in Antigua & Barbuda has announced that it is the first service provider in the twin island state to offer integrated carrier billing via BlackBerry App World. Caribseek News writes that Digicel users will now be able to charge their application purchases from BlackBerry’s e-store directly to their Digicel monthly phone bill or using their Digicel pre-paid credit.
Taiwanese telco Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) has released its financial results for the three- and twelve-month periods ended 31 December 2011, revealing a 5.9% year-on-year drop in quarterly net profit, despite turnover growing by 5% compared to the year-earlier period.
France Telecom-Orange has reported a 0.5% fall in revenues in full year 2011 to EUR45.28 billion (USD59.96 billion), down from EUR45.50 billion in 2010. The firm said that turnover would have been stable year-on-year had it not been for the negative effects of regulatory measures. Restated earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped 4.8% from EUR15.85 billion to EUR15.08 billion on a comparable basis.
Hong Kong cellco SmarTone has announced interim fiscal results for the six months ended December 2011. Net profit for the half-year period increased by 48% to HKD475 million (USD61 million) on revenues that rose 83% to HKD5.06 billion, as mobile subscribers grew 12% year-on-year to 1.62 million. Service-only revenues climbed by 31% to HKD2.8 billion and handset/accessory sales more than doubled to HKD2.25 billion, while data service revenues expanded by 52%
Hong Kong cellco CSL unveiled its first handset operating on its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network on Saturday, offering voice services via Circuit Switch Fallback (CSFB) to those purchasing the HTC Velocity 4G smartphone, reports Light Reading. The Velocity device works on CSL’s integrated LTE and DC-HSPA+ network which it launched in 2010
Operators’ increasing investments in cable and fibre broadband infrastructure have widened the availability of and demand for broadband services in Latin America. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Chile’s broadband market has seen increased popularity of high speed packages in particular
Russian telecoms giants Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) and Rostelecom have formalised an agreement relating to joint access to infrastructure, the Moscow Times reports. The deal will allow for common use of communications lines, telecoms exchanges, cell towers and other property belonging to the two companies. The agreement will also reportedly gives MTS access to Rostelecom’s fibre-optic lines in areas where the state-owned company is the sole operator of trunk lines – particularly in some regions of Siberia and the Far East Federal District – whereas Rostelecom expects to boost its cellular coverage in areas where its base station coverage is sparse
Japan’s largest cellular operator by subscribers, NTT DoCoMo, is reported to be looking to invest around 1.5 times its annual profit in its next fiscal year on improving its mobile networks.
Ghana’s telecoms regulator the National Communication Authority (NCA) has revealed that more than 7.5 million mobile phone accounts are still in danger of being de-activated for failing to have their SIM cards registered. The regulator has set 3 March 2012 as the date by which all mobile SIM cards must be registered
Jamaica’s telecoms regulatory authority, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has proposed setting mobile termination rates (MTRs) at JMD5 per minute (USD0.06) as an interim measure, whilst it conducts a full analysis into the consequences of the controversial Claro acquisition, specifically the impact on customers of other providers connecting to the enlarged Digicel’s network. According to the Jamaica Observer, the OUR said that the measure will ‘prevent undue discrimination against other networks and removes an obstacle to fair competition.’ The response of the cellcos, which have been bitter rivals since Digicel’s entry to the market ended the monopoly of the Cable & Wireless subsidiary in 2001, was predictable: LIME, which would be the beneficiary of the proposed measure embraced the OUR’s suggestion, whilst Digicel rejected it
Smart Communications, a mobile unit of Filipino powerhouse Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), has activated its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in Baguio City in Northern Luzon. Smart official Rolando Pena said the latest rollout of commercial services is designed to coincide with the annual festival of Panagbenga and will allow residents of Baguio City and visitors flocking there to be ‘among the first to experience the future of mobile broadband, which is LTE.’ Smart initially rolled out its LTE network in Boracay and Cebu and has since expanded coverage to take in most parts of Metro Manila as part of the parent company’s recent announcement that it will complete its PHP67.1 billion (USD1.58 billion) network ‘transformation initiative’ by mid-2012. The modernisation project also includes plans to add more fibre to connect Smart’s base transceiver stations (BTS) to the backbone network
US billionaire Philip Falcone, the man behind the ill-fated USD7 billion LightSquared open-access Long Term Evolution (LTE) venture, is reportedly seeking to swap spectrum owned by the wireless start-up with alternative frequencies controlled by the US Department of Defense, in an effort to salvage his investment, Bloomberg reports. Last week LightSquared, which planned to build out a nationwide hybrid LTE network using terrestrial and satellite networks to provide nationwide coverage, saw its plans overruled by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which declared that the non-traditional spectrum in the 1.4GHz and 1.6GHz bands interfered with GPS satellite navigation devices and aircraft flight safety equipment. In related news, Dow Jones Newswires reports that investors in Falcone's Harbinger Capital Partners hedge fund have sued both the fund and Falcone himself, arguing that the ‘all in’ investment in LightSquared squandered billions of dollars
Brazil’s minister of communications Paulo Bernardo yesterday kicked off the first practical field test of 450MHz based services at the Rural Marumbi school in Morretes, as part of the country’s ambitious programme to develop rural internet access.
US-based equipment supplier Cisco has announced that Hungary’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, Magyar Telekom-controlled T-Mobile Hungary, is deploying a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) multimedia services platform based on Cisco-supplied products. T-Mobile Hungary launched LTE commercially on 1 January 2012 and will use the new converged IP architecture to strengthen its next generation mobile internet network across the country. Magyar Telekom, part of Germany's Deutsche Telekom Group, selected the Cisco ASR 5000 Series Mobile Multimedia Core, Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers, and Cisco ME 3800X Series Carrier Ethernet Switch Routers to help transform the cellco’s network for the delivery of mobile video, social networking and high speed internet browsing
UAE telecom operator Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) has said it is considering restructuring its operations to cut operating expenditures in the face of lower revenue and rising competition, Reuters reports. During a board meeting held in Abu Dhabi yesterday, Etisalat discussed the initiation of restructuring and outsourcing plans as a future strategy, in a bid to reduce and control operating expenditures. This, the company said, would help it face ‘rising costs of new technology necessary for organisations to increase their competitive edge in local and international markets, accompanied by drop in revenues of the global telecom industry.’ Etisalat Group CEO, Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar, added that the implementation of this strategy would give the Abu Dhabi-based firm ‘time, effort and financial benefits in achieving its main objective of offering advanced, high quality services to its subscribers in the face of the changing market conditions.’ *Etisalat, which is 60% owned by the UAE federal government through the Emirates Investment Authority, operates in 17 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa
Magyar Telekom (T-Mobile), Telenor Hungary (formerly Pannon) and Vodafone Hungary yesterday filed an appeal against the national telecom regulator’s recent award of mobile frequencies to a would-be new market entrant – a state-backed consortium of power utility MVM, postal services operator Magyar Posta and a unit of Hungary's development bank MFB. The appeal, which questions the consortium’s right to participate in the auction as well as regulations on domestic roaming services for the new operator, means the start of the newcomer’s network deployment could now be pushed back two months to April. On 31 January this year the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) closed out the tender for 900MHz when it sold a 10.8MHz block of spectrum to the three incumbents as well as to the MVM-led consortium
Ireland’s troubled fixed line and mobile operator Eircom yesterday published an update on its financial and business plan to June 2017 to its lenders along with estimated results for the month of December 2011. In a statement the firm said: ‘As expected, the estimated consolidated EBITDA for the six months through December 2011 shows a significant reduction in performance compared to the corresponding period in 2010. The results are also behind the results budgeted for the six months through December 2011 and the ability of cost control to compensate for declining revenue is diminishing.’ The telco stopped short of publishing the actual rate of the decline, or indeed the actual amount of EBITDA generated in what was the first six months of its current financial year.
Greek alternative telco Cyta Hellas has announced the expansion of VDSL2-based broadband services to 27 additional cities and towns, following the launch of its 50Mbps access network in Athens in December 2011. The company, a subsidiary of Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta), has upgraded its local loop unbundled (LLU) network with VDSL2 technology in Greece’s second largest city Thessaloniki, as well as in Crete (Aghios Nikolaos, Chania, Ierapetra, Iraklio and Sitia), Aegina, Aleksandroupoli, Aleksandria, Veroia, Volos, Giannitsa, Grevena, Edessa, Kastoria, Katerini, Kilkis, Kozani, Komotini, Lamia, Larisa, Naousa, Patra, Ptolemaida, Salamina, Serres and Trikala, as reported by Telecompaper. In January Cyta Hellas said the high speed expansion would be funded by a trebling of its annual investment.
Russian long-distance operator Rostelecom has selected TeliaSonera International Carrier to operate and manage its new backbone network between Kingisepp, Russia and Stockholm, Sweden.
New Zealand’s dominant telecoms operators have united to put pressure on communications minister Amy Adams, with calls for Crown Fibre Holdings (CFH) – the company charged with overseeing the government's NZD1.3 billion (USD1.09 billion) investment in the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) initiative – to be ‘sidelined or scrapped’, Stuff.co.nz reports. The website reports that David Stone, chief executive of the Telecommunications Carriers Forum (TCF), wrote to Adams on behalf of Telecom New Zealand, Vodafone New Zealand, CallPlus, 2degrees, Chorus, WEL Networks, Northpower and several smaller telcos, implying that CFH is actively delaying deals that need to be struck before UFB services can be offered to customers. A copy of the letter, which was leaked to The Dominion Post, quotes Stone as saying: ‘With a few minor exceptions, Crown Fibre's interventions have not been helpful and have delayed commercial arrangement’
China Mobile ended December 2011 with the largest customer base in China, having signed up 649.568 million subscribers by that date, up from 584.017 million at the end of the previous year. The proportion of customers using its 3G networks more than doubled over the twelve-month period, from 20.702 million to 51.212 million.
The Japanese cellular operator Softbank is set to launch its 4G wireless network this week, offering customers speeds of up to 76Mbps. The official launch date has been set for Friday 24 February, with the first 4G device unveiled as a portable Wi-Fi router which can support up to ten users simultaneously
Russian holding company Altimo, which indirectly owns a 13.2% stake in Turkish mobile phone giant Turkcell, has indicated that it intends to seize a further 13.7% stake in the company if Cukurova Holding fails to make good on its outstanding USD1.45 billion debt by early-March. According to Bloomberg Mustafa Kiral, vice president for mergers and acquisitions at Altimo (the telecoms investment firm controlled by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman’s Alfa Group) claims that the potential seizure is permitted by a decision in September 2011 by the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal.
