Peru’s Special Committee of Public Safety Multiparty Congress has approved legislative proposals to impose more stringent restrictions on the sale of mobile phones, La Republica reports.
Telecom Namibia achieved an 8.7% year-on-year increase in turnover to NAD1.2 billion (USD135 million) in its financial year ended 30 September 2012, its managing director Frans Ndorama announced, adding that FY 2012 operating profit rose by 29% to NAD133 million. As reported by Namibia Press Agency, the growth was attributed to increased uptake of the telco’s broadband services, supported by capital expenditure (CAPEX) since 2009 of NAD746 million, covering investment in services/networks including ADSL, WiMAX, MPLS, submarine and terrestrial fibre-optic cables.
Chinese equipment vendor Huawei Technologies has filed a lawsuit against Uganda Telecom Ltd (UTL), accusing the telco of failing to pay some USD13 million for equipment and services received between 2005 and 2009. The Daily Monitor reports that in 2011 UTL and Huawei had agreed upon the outstanding amount, but following a change in management at UTL, the telco has refused to settle the amount.
Adtran, a provider of next-generation networking solutions, reports that its GPON platform is enabling Greek alternative telecoms operator ForthNet to implement the first fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) pilot network in the metropolitan area of Athens. This platform will enable delivery of high-bandwidth triple-play services to residential and business subscribers in over 2,000 premises in the municipality of Nea.
Bloomberg writes that the share price of Telefonica O2 Czech Republic hit an eight-year low on the Prague bourse amid concerns that the advent of new competition will impact on its future earnings potential. The country’s largest telco by subscribers and revenue, backed by Telefonica of Spain, saw its share price slump by 3.1% to CZK323.5 (USD10.36) at the close on Friday, its lowest level since October 2004
Air Telecom, a subsidiary of F & N Marketing Group, has reportedly taken control of Czech mobile operator Mobilkom (U:fon), online journal tyden.cz reports. It is understood the new owner paid CZK21 million (USD672,200) for U:fon which was previously in insolvency proceedings and had debts of CZK2 billion. However, as a condition of the purchase U:fon’s liabilities have been wiped out and the insolvency administration ended, allowing Air Telecom to forge ahead with plans to resuscitate the CDMA operator
Alberto de Larrazabal, the chief financial officer of Filipino operator Globe Telecom, says his firm is close to completing a tender offer to acquire the restructured debt of fellow telco Bayan Telecommunications Inc (Bayan) and its Radio Communications of the Philippines Inc (RCPI) subsidiary.
T-Mobile Hungary says its fourth-generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile network is now available to 99% (outdoor coverage) of the residents of Budapest; indoor coverage has increased to 83%. Further, the LTE has been rolled out to over 60 towns and cities across the country, boosting 4G/LTE coverage to almost 27% of the population. The cellco also reports that it is now offering 4G-enabled smartphones for T-Mobile customers in the country and that from 1 January 2013 it will revamp its mobile internet packages to reflect the increased availability of ultra-high speed mobile broadband in Hungary
Diemeleou Bile, the director general of L'Agence des Telecommunications de Cote d'Ivoire (ATCI), has announced that a total of 16.168 million mobile subscribers have registered their SIM cards, ahead of the 31 December 2012 deadline.
Telecom Italia (TI) has rejected a EUR3 billion (USD3.91 billion) investment offer from Egyptian telecoms tycoon Naguib Sawiris, Reuters reports. The heavily indebted telco said that its board had decided ‘not to proceed further’ with regards to an expression of interest from Sawiris, who had proposed to invest capital to engineer a strategic turnaround.*In other news, TI’s eight-hour board meeting also saw management urged to continue its investigation into a possible sale of a stake in its copper network to state fund Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP)
In separate reports, Fierce Wireless has revealed pre-paid plans earmarked to be introduced by both T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS, the Texan pay-as-you-go specialist that it agreed to acquire in October this year. T-Mobile told the website that it is testing a new pre-paid brand, GoSmart Mobile, in ‘select markets’, and will be ‘using what we learn to make a decision about a potential national launch sometime in 2013’.
Irish former monopoly Eircom has reported a 7% year-on-year fall in revenue to EUR363 million (USD473.24 million) for its fiscal first-quarter ended 30 September 2012, although operating costs of EUR160 million were a 4% improvement on the same period in 2011. Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) declined by EUR14 million (10%) from July-September 2011 to EUR124 million
US satellite TV provider, and would-be wireless operator, DISH Network plans to start selling mobile phones through the retail stores of its wholly owned home entertainment chain Blockbuster, Bloomberg reports.
Bahamian PM Perry Christie has been involved in talks with pan-Caribbean operator Digicel regarding the company’s possible entry into market once the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC’s) monopoly on the wireless sector ends in 2014. The Nassau Guardian quotes the prime minister as saying: ‘I’ve had a number of conversations with representatives of another major entity in the region who have made a formal request to see me with respect to doing business in the Bahamas.’ The PM added that he had some ‘specific ideas of how the Bahamas can also benefit from the presence of a new entrant’ but remained tight-lipped with any details, as the government currently holds a 49% stake in BTC: ‘I represent the 49% shareholder of BTC…There is an obligation… I do and say the right thing.’*As previously noted by CommsUpdate, Christie’s government has sought to regain majority control of BTC since taking office and although talks were described earlier as ‘fruitful’, Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) is reluctant to concede control of the operator back to the government.
Oman Brunei Investment Company (OBIC) has acquired a majority stake in mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Renna Mobile, reports the Times of Oman. In return, OBIC will inject capital in the mobile service provider to further its expansion plans. ‘We have finalised an investment agreement with OBIC to secure our growth plans in Oman and beyond,’ commented Renna Mobile CEO Joakim Klingefjord, adding: ‘We are honoured by the fact that OBIC scrutinised several other similar investment opportunities before they decided in our favour.’ Meanwhile, without stating the size of the stake OBIC has acquired, or how much it capital it will be injecting in Renna, OBIC CEO Abeer Mohammed Al Abduwani said: ‘In our thorough due diligence, we were impressed by Renna Mobile's operation, and how it has built a strong brand and healthy customer base, while maintaining a very prudent and cost conscious approach to its operations.
Jordan’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) has announced that it will auction frequencies in the 1800MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz and 2600MHz bands, inviting expressions of interest by 17 January 2013.
German telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom (DT) has unveiled plans to spend around EUR30 billion (USD39 billion) over the next three years as it steps up investment in broadband networks and products in order to improve its competitive position in the long term.
India’s Competition Commission has approved the proposed sale of a 51% stake in Norwegian telco Telenor’s new Indian unit Telewings to Lakshdeep Investments and Finance but has ruled that the transfer of business from Uninor – Telenor’s ill-fated joint venture wireless operator with real estate firm Unitech – cannot be considered an intra-group asset transfer. Money Control cites a statement from the watchdog as saying that: ‘The proposed acquisition of 51% of the shares of Telewings by Lakshdeep is not likely to have any appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.’ As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, Uninor had its licences revoked by the Supreme Court in February this year and, after an acrimonious split with former partner Unitech, Telenor opted to remain in the market, winning spectrum rights in six circles. *The transition from Uninor to Telewings was planned to take place in four steps: after being declared successful in the 2G auction, Lakshdeep would take a 51% stake in the company.
Moldova’s telecom regulator, the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI), has announced that it is to auction a new wireless broadband licence, offering 50MHz of spectrum between 3750MHz and 3800MHz. According to a report from Telecompaper, the 15-year concession will be auctioned with a starting price of EUR1 (USD1.30)
The Japanese mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Japan Communications Inc (JCI) has launched a new 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Wi-Fi router. The new router costs JPY2,980 (USD36.16) a month and includes 2GB of data usage. It can handle up to ten simultaneous Wi-Fi connections.
Kuwaiti operator Wataniya Telecom is to launch 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services in the first half of 2013. According to a report from Dow Jones, which cites Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai, Wataniya intends to begin 4G trials later this month, with a commercial launch to follow within the next six months
Monrovia-based paper The News reports that the Tax Court has given domestic mobile operator Atlantic Wireless Liberia (Libercell) a 15-day ultimatum to pay all unpaid taxes and licence fees owed to the government.
Telenor Norge claims it has become the country’s first operator to enable access to Long Term Evolution-based (LTE-based) services via mobile phone.
France Telecom-Orange’s Spanish subsidiary is reportedly set to acquire local mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Simyo, according to Europa Press. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report claims that Dutch telecoms group Royal KPN will sell the virtual operator, which already offers its services over Orange Espana’s network to around 400,000 customers, to the Spanish cellco for approximately EUR30 million (USD39.1 million).
France Telecom-Orange (FT-Orange) yesterday relaunched its wholly owned wireless operator in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as ‘Orange RDC’, replacing the cellco’s former Congo Chine Telecom (CCT) name. Since assuming control of the operator last year, FT-Orange has invested CDF87.4 billion (USD89.6 million) to expand and enhance the network, including an upgrade to 3G: its 3G services are currently available in Kinshasa, and will be launched in Lubumbashi and Matadi before the end of the year and Goma, Bukavu and Mbuji-Mayi in early 2013. As noted by TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, FT-Orange acquired the company in October 2011 from its former owners Chinese equipment vendor ZTE and the Congolese government for a total of USD196 million, the majority of which was assumed debt.*Jean-Leon Bonnechere, CEO of Orange RDC commented: ‘We think that there is a strong desire for simple, dynamic and innovative services in the DRC, a country with incredible development potential; it is the Group’s ability to meet these requirements that makes Orange one of the most renowned brands in the world.’
Telecom New Zealand (Telecom) has revealed that it will launch trials of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in parts of Wellington and Auckland from tomorrow. French-US vendor Alcatel-Lucent will reportedly conduct the test which will take place in the Lower Hutt area of Wellington using spectrum in the 2600MHz band. Meanwhile, China’s Huawei Technologies has been called on to carry out a separate pilot – again using 2600MHz frequencies – in parts of the North Shore in Auckland.
Romania’s telecoms industry regulator the National Authority for Management and Regulation of Communications (ANCOM) has issued a draft decision on amendments to the country’s general authorisation framework under which would-be operators of electronic communications networks and/or services notify and register details of their activities with the watchdog. ANCOM announced that alterations were made following consultation with industry players, to comply with the latest provisions of electronic communications legislation, and largely relate to issues including ‘security and integrity of networks and services, providing networks and electronic communications services in special situations, numbering resource requirements, technical requirements for retransmission services/broadcasting and content description of networks and services.’ The regulator says the draft ensures ‘a higher degree of safety and transparency’ and increases the accountability of providers in terms of security and integrity, by obliging them to inform users about ‘security incidents’ and making it mandatory for all providers to establish communications with public authorities for disaster management purposes. The draft also opens the possibility that registered (authorised) providers will have the right to use certain numbering resources without a separate application.
British fixed line incumbent BT has announced that it is cutting the wholesale rental price for its 330Mbps fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) service by 37%. With the service currently costing communications providers (CPs) GBP60 (USD97 per month), BT has confirmed that from June 2013 the price will drop to GBP38 per month. Alongside this, the telco has revealed that the lower price will also apply to its yet-to-launch ‘FTTP-on-Demand’ (FoD) service, which it aims to make available in ‘spring 2013’.
The French cellular operator Free Mobile, part of the Iliad groyup, has enhanced its market-changing EUR2 (USD2.6) monthly mobile tariff, doubling call time and including unlimited SMS messaging plus Wi-Fi wireless internet access at associated hotspots. The operator has upped the monthly call allowance to two hours from the previous limit of one hour, with the allowance now covering calls to all mobile numbers within France, the USA and Canada, plus calls to landlines in France and 40 international destinations. The monthly SMS message limit has been lifted, with unlimited texts now available under the plan, up from the previous cap of 60 per month.
Spanish telecoms group Telefonica has selected Alcatel-Lucent to upgrade its IP networks, initially in Argentina and the Czech Republic, with the vendor’s 7950 Extensible Routing System (XRS). Following the core router deployment, Telefonica will have a high-capacity IP network in these two markets to support all of its service offerings, including fixed and mobile broadband and IPTV. ‘This collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent is part of a far-reaching network modernisation effort which will give us one of the most powerful and efficient IP networks,’ commented Enrique Blanco, Telefonica’s global chief technology officer, adding: ‘In order for us to dramatically increase our network capacity and intelligence to address our customers’ fast evolving demands we needed the support of a new, truly disruptive solution
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to begin testing mobile number portability (MNP), ahead of a planned launch of the long-delayed service in the first quarter of next year. IT News Africa quotes the NCC’s director for Public Affairs Tony Ojobo as saying that the test run of MNP is scheduled to begin this month in order to address any problems before the full introduction of the service
Communications and IT professionals in Myanmar are urging the country’s government to make amendments to the proposed new telecoms bill to ensure that the legislation promotes competition rather than hinders it. A report from the Asia News Network cites Ye Yint Win, president of the Myanmar Computer Professionals Association, as saying: ‘According to Section 4 Article 7, every telecommunications services will need a licence. Web-development businesses, e-commerce businesses and individuals who want to sell their applications will also need licences
The Japanese cellular operator NTT DoCoMo has announced that it is planning to offer machine-to-machine (M2M) communications services in up to 200 countries worldwide under a partnership with M2M provider Jasper Wireless. The operator says that the new offering will enable enterprises to manage M2M communications remotely using a new web interface. The interface can be used for real-time monitoring of data usage and communication fees, remote activation and deactivation of communication lines, and basic diagnosis of failures, DoCoMo says
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) has signed three deals for the deployment of fibre-optic links connecting a number of central and northeastern provinces to the national fibre backbone. Chinese vendor ZTE was awarded the contract for ‘Package A’, which covered the supply and installation of all non-cable equipment for the project and had an estimated budget of USD5.03 million.
Ukrainian telco Ukrtelecom has registered three new trade marks for telecoms/software services with the Ukrainian Institute of Industrial Property – ‘U.fiber’, ‘U.wire’ and ‘U.wall’ – reports ProIT. The new brands appear to be part of Ukrtelecom’s preparations to launch direct fibre-based broadband services to upgrade its currently ADSL-only network
Alcatel-Lucent has announced the renewal of its marine maintenance contract for Main One Cable Company’s submarine cable system, which stretches 7,000km along the West African coastline from Portugal to Nigeria. Under the service level agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will make available its maintenance vessels, as well as experienced, fully trained and certified specialist personnel for cable repairs, while Main One will continue to manage and maintain its network. ‘To ensure the optimal network availability for continuity and quality of communications that our customers demand, we rely on world-class technical support including state-of-the-art cable ships capable of delivering rapid response repair services in any weather condition,’ said Bernard Logan, Main One chief commercial officer, adding: ‘Alcatel-Lucent’s demonstrated capability and experience in all aspects of marine operations and maintenance assures and enhances the reliability of our network.’ The USD300 million Main One cable went live in July 2010 with a design capacity of 1.92Tbps, providing open access, wholesale, international broadband capacity to countries along the western coast of Africa
Dow Jones Newswires reports that Brazilian operator TIM Participacoes (TIM Brasil) has secured an additional BRL2.16 billion (USD1 billion) in fresh funding from Brazil's development bank, Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social, or BNDES. The latest increase brings the Brazilian firm’s total credit line with the bank to BRL3.97 billion, although it has not disclosed how it will use the new monies. TIM Brasil invested BRL2.37 billion in its networks and services in the first nine months of this year, up 26% when compared to the corresponding period in 2011.
The chief executive of France Telecom-Orange (FT-Orange) has revealed that the company may be interested in acquiring Maroc Telecom. According to a report from Dow Jones, Stephane Richard told Le Figaro newspaper that the Moroccan operator could have ‘strategic interest’ for FT-Orange, although he did add that his firm would not be constrained by demands on the valuation or timing of the deal. The French giant is currently saddled with a huge debt pile, but Richard said that this would not stop the company ‘from looking for ways to seek interesting opportunities’
Bahraini WiMAX-based broadband operator Menatelecom’s board of directors has approved a planned investment in a nationwide Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Menatelecom’s chairman Abdul Razak Jawahery, quoted by AmeInfo, announced that the company would ‘shortly’ finalise its choice of technology vendor for the LTE network, which would allow it to ‘provide both consumers and enterprise customers the fastest mobile broadband speeds ever experienced in the Kingdom of Bahrain at over 80Mbps’ as well as ‘superior voice services across the Kingdom’
Brazilian operator Telefonica (Vivo), part of the Telefonica Group, has selected Huawei Technologies and Ericsson of Sweden as key vendors for the rollout of its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in Brazil. Under the plan, the Swedish manufacturer will be responsible for the core 4G network and the access network in the north and mid-west, and the states of Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and Bahia.
Taiwan’s National Communications Commission (NCC) has approved investments made in local WiMAX operators VMAX Telecom and Tatung Infocomm by rival wireless broadband provider Vee Time. However, according to the Taipei Times, Vee Time has been fined TWD200,000 (USD6,870) for failing to file the details of the investment with the administrative authority before carrying it out.
Globe Telecom, the joint venture between Filipino conglomerate Ayala Corp and Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), yesterday informed the Philippine Stock Exchange that it has amended its earlier cash offer to all the holders of Bayan Telecommunications (Bayan's) remaining 13.5% senior debt notes due 2006, in a bid to sweeten the deal. Globe is looking to become the single major creditor of Bayan, which is under rehabilitation having seen its debts soar to levels of USD325 million in 2003.
Belarusian Telecommunications Network (BeST), 80%-owned by Turkish telecoms company Turkcell and trading under the banner life:), is increasing the cost of international calls and roaming from 20 December, as well as upping other rates associated with them. Tut.by reports that the cellco’s decision is the result of the hike being levied by state-owned fixed line monopoly Beltelecom for international call rates
Colombian competition regulator the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) has issued fixed line operator Telmex Colombia a fine of COP10.77 billion (USD5.93 million) for breaching regulations regarding minimum contract periods for pay-TV services. According to a statement from the watchdog, between 1 January 2009 and 1 October 2010 Telmex charged 9,135 customers a total of COP1.65 billion in penalties for switching to other providers before the end of their contract period.
Millicom International Cellular (MIC) has announced that its Colombian wireless arm, Colombia Movil, has renewed its operating licence for a further ten years. The cellco, which operates under MIC’s preferred ‘Tigo’ brand, will pay COP93 billion (USD51.26 million) in February 2013 to renew its licence, including continued access to 50MHz of 1900MHz band spectrum
Ghana's National Communications Authority (NCA) has ordered the country's largest cellular operator by subscribers, MTN Ghana, to halt sales of SIM cards to new customers after it found that service quality on its network 'continues to deteriorate'. The regulator says it has discussed the situation with MTN several times in recent months but MTN's network performance is still showing no improvement, Bloomberg reports
French watchdog the Autorite de Regulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes (Arcep) has announced a new maximum termination rate for voice calls in French overseas territories.
Brazilian alternative operator Algar Telecom (formerly CTBC) has reported solid financial results for the three months ended 30 September 2012, with revenues climbing 5% year-on-year to BRL446.4 million (USD210.9 million), EBITDA up 15.8% at BRL116.5 million and net income increasing a more modest 1% to BRL39.3 million.
Brazilian telco Telefonica (Vivo) says it plans to extend the reach of its IPTV service to greater Sao Paulo in the period April-June 2013. The operator launched the platform at the start of November and has already expanded its fibre-optic networks to more than 1.1 million homes passed. The new network is ideally suited to TV and broadband services and NexTV LatAm Daily reports that Vivo has signed up 4,500 pay-TV subscribers.
Sprint Nextel is unlikely to make a competing bid for Texan pre-paid carrier MetroPCS, Reuters reports, scotching previous speculation that it intended to counter the October bid lodged by Germany’s Deutsche Telekom (DT). Instead, the news agency says that Sprint will focus on getting Softbank's USD20.1 billion purchase of 70% of it approved by regulators. The report, which cites three people familiar with the matter, said that Sprint believes a counter-offer would unnecessarily complicate the regulatory review of the Softbank deal.
National regulator the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) has reportedly been served a ‘Stay Order’ by the courts barring it from pursuing any action against mobile operator MTN Liberia (LoneStar Cell) concerning its violation of an earlier suspension order. The Heritage newspaper confirms an LTA press release as saying that the order, signed by the honourable Judge Jusif D Kaba, directs the regulator to "stay all further proceedings in connection with the suspension of the operating licences of LoneStar Communications Corporation.’ In response, the LTA says it will abide by the ruling and instruct its legal team to review the matter as it looks to pursue it ‘to its logical conclusion during the December term’ of court sessions. Last month, the LTA reaffirmed that its decision to suspend MTN Liberia’s operating licences for three days was ‘irreversible’
Honduran newspaper La Prensa writes that a group of Jordanian businessmen are interested in taking a possible 49% stake in the country’s ailing fixed line and mobile operator Hondutel. The development was confirmed by Armando Urtecho, the director of Consejo Hondureno de la Empresa Privada (Cohep), the Honduran private enterprise council, who said that the interested parties ‘have three types of they are interested. One is telecommunications
Louisiana-based telco CenturyLink has announced that it has deployed the Infinera DTN-X platform, featuring 500Gbps long-haul super-channels on its nationwide fibre-optic backbone. The Infinera DTN-X platform enables the carrier to enhance its next generation backbone transport network to support critical video, mobile, and cloud IP services, and extend its ability to deliver up to 100Gbps Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) services to the company’s data centres and customer facilities across the country.
MTS Ukraine, the country’s second largest mobile operator by subscribers, has outsourced its MPLS and DWDM backbone network management to the Ukrainian branch of Russia’s Sitronics IT, reports Telecompaper.
Alternative Mexican fixed line and broadband provider Maxcom Telecomunicaciones has given the nod to MXN764 million (USD59 million) takeover bid tabled by private equity firm Ventura Capital Privado, Bloomberg reports. Under the terms of Ventura’s proposal it has offered to pay MXN2.90 per share for the entire holding in Maxcom, with the operator’s board and investors – which represent 44% of outstanding stock – having now approved the deal.
Time Warner Cable (TWC) will offer a usage-based billing option to cable broadband customers in every state it serves except Hawaii by the end of this month, CEO Glenn Britt has revealed. Fierce Cable reports that the cableco began testing usage-based pricing on systems in southern Texas in February. Subscribers that choose the option and take an ‘Essentials’ version of its broadband service can download just 5GB of data each month
Telecom Italia (TI) has announced that its long-awaited ‘Ultra Internet Fibra Ottica’ fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) solution has gone live in Rome, Turin and Naples.
Com Hem, Sweden's largest cable TV operator, has selected Harmonic's NSG 9000 HectoQAM solution to increase the speed of its data services and add new multi-screen services based on TiVo technology. Com Hem says it will be able to cost-effectively deliver high-quality video on demand (VOD) content, as well as high speed data services, to approximately 1.8 million households from a single, unified edgeQAM platform.
The Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) has published a number of decisions related to the obligations imposed on those operators deemed to have significant market power (SMP) in the local loop and wholesale broadband access markets. The announcement comes just a month after the watchdog revealed that it planned to amend the obligations due to the European Commission (EC) having said that its initial proposals were ‘insufficient’.
Digicel is set to invest more than USD40 million in its mobile operating subsidiary in El Salvador. Speaking in an interview with local weekly newspaper Expansion, Digicel owner and chairman Denis O’Brien stated that over the next 18 months his company would likely spend between USD40 million and USD50 million in the Latin American country, with a focus on improving data services and customer service. The executive also hinted that the company would seek to expand into El Salvador’s fixed line market: ‘We would like to take a slice of the fixed line market here too, and I think we have a very interesting solution for the corporate market in El Salvador.’ According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Digicel El Salvador ended September 2012 with 1.253 million mobile subscribers, giving it a 14.7% share of the country’s mobile subscriber market.
United Telecommunication Services (UTS) CEO Glen Carty has denied that Sint Maarten has been ‘left out in the cold’ by the recently announced Pacific Caribbean Cable System (PCCS) submarine link, TodaySXM.com reports. The 6,000km cable – which lands at fellow Caribbean island nations such as Aruba, Tortola (British Virgin Islands) and Curacao – as part of its route between Jacksonville, Florida and Manta, Ecuador, is a joint venture between UK-based Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), Aruba’s Setar, Telconet of Ecuador, Telefonica Global Solutions and pan-Caribbean telco UTS.
France Telecom-Orange has reiterated that it has no interest in divesting the holding it has in Belgian mobile network operator Mobistar, while it has reportedly also stated that it does not plan to acquire the shares in the cellco which it does not currently own. FT-Orange CEO Stephane Richard was cited by Reuters as saying that he was glad his company had not taken full control of Mobistar last year, in particular because of the difficult conditions in the French market, with executive noting: ‘That's why buying out the minority shareholders in Mobistar is not on our agenda today.’ Setting out the French firm’s commitment to the Belgian operator, Mr Richard added: ‘France Telecom has been in the Belgian market for 17 years, we have no plans to leave.’
The US wireless broadband market has witnessed an obscure, but important, transition. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Verizon Wireless overtook Clearwire as the country’s—and the world’s—largest 4G mobile broadband service provider in Q2 2012. This transition also marks an inflection point in the battle between two competing 4G standards, WiMAX and LTE
China Mobile Hong Kong has set a new date of 18 December 2012 to launch commercial operations of a dual mode FDD/TDD LTE network to augment its existing FDD-LTE 4G services, according to industry sources quoted by the China Daily newspaper. On 25 September CommsUpdate reported that ZTE, one of the two vendors contracted to roll out dual-mode TDD/FDD LTE infrastructure for China Mobile Hong Kong, revealed it had deployed TDD components of the 4G network, which was launched commercially in FDD mode in April 2012. In July China Mobile Hong Kong awarded Ericsson and ZTE contracts to expand the capacity and coverage of its 4G network by deploying LTE-TDD (TD-LTE) technology to augment its existing FDD-based LTE platform, aiming for dual-mode coverage of over 70% of the territory, and with commercial TDD/FDD LTE services expected by the end of the year once devices supporting both modes were ‘sufficiently available’.
The offices of Norwegian telecoms giant Telenor have been raided by European and Norwegian competition authorities. It is understood that the raids have been conducted amid allegations that the company had abused its dominant position in the mobile sector in its home country, with the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) and the Norwegian Competition Authority having reportedly initiated an investigation against both Telenor ASA and its domestic subsidiary, Telenor Norge. In a statement on its website Telenor confirmed the development, noting that the investigation ‘comprises mobile communication services at wholesale and retail level in Norway, including voice, SMS, MMS and data, as well as mobile services sold in bundles that include other products/services’
MTN South Africa’s Long Term Evolution (LTE) network went live on Saturday 1 December, MyBroadband.co.za reports.
Gulfsat Madagascar, which offers commercial services under the Blueline banner on this island nation, has reportedly inked a long-term capacity deal with Jersey-based global satellite services provider O3b Networks.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) has been given the go-ahead by shareholders for a multi-billion dollar strategy aimed at turning the cellco’s fortunes around, The Australian reports. A strategic plan put forward by VHA CEO Bill Morrow, coupled with a request for funding, has been approved by both of the operator’s 50/50 owners, UK-based Vodafone Group and Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL). It has been suggested that the pair will provide for investment of as much as AUD2 billion (USD2.1 billion) to refinance VHA, though the report cites an unnamed spokeswoman for the cellco as saying that that figure was simply speculation
Little known Enigma Systems has revealed that it intends to become Romania’s first mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), Ziarul Financiar reports, citing an interview with the company’s owner, Michael Euthymius.
According to Agence Ecofin, the long-dormant Kinshasa Internet Exchange (KINIX) went live on 16 November, after originally falling into disuse back in 2002. The re-launch was made possible through a Community Grants Programme, and the facility will be managed by the Congolese Association of Internet Service Providers, as part of its ‘RDC-IX’ project, which aims to establish internet exchange points of presence (PoP) in Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Goma. The project reportedly brought together 20 engineers representing six different ISPs, representatives of the Autorite de Regulation de la Poste et des Telecommunications (ARPTC), officials from the Central Bank of Congo, and personnel from local universities and financial authorities.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is planning to take action against a number of internet service providers (ISPs) for opening access to video sharing website YouTube without the permission of the regulator, the Business Recorder writes. The PTA had banned access to the site earlier this year after an anti-Islam video posted there sparked riots and protests across the country. In spite of the ban, a number of ISPs reopened access to YouTube in certain cities yesterday: a spokesperson from the PTA confirmed that the government’s position had not changed, and the website was still banned
Australian mobile network operator Optus aims to launch a Time Division Duplex Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) network in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in the early part of next year, ZDNet Australia reports. With the operator expected to close down the network of Vividwireless – which it acquired earlier this year – in February 2013, it is understood that it plans to use the 98MHz of spectrum in the 2.3GHz band which will be freed up as a result of such a development. The TD-LTE network deployment is expected to complement Optus’s existing 4G rollout, which it is carrying out using the 1800MHz band
According to an unconfirmed report by Tengrinews.kz, Kazakhtelecom (KT) is poised to initiate its long-awaited Long Term Evolution (LTE) pilot project in Astana and Almaty on 20 December. The website quotes company chairman Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev, who outlined plans for a USD400 million three-year nationwide 4G deployment.*According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, in May this year Kazakhstan’s minister of communications Askar Zhumagaliyev confirmed that preparations for the introduction of LTE services would get under way this year, with a view to the country’s cellcos launching commercial offerings in Almaty and Astana in 2013. Going forward, LTE technology should be prevalent in all regional centres by 2014, with all municipalities with a population of over 50,000 earmarked for connectivity by 2015
Ukraine’s largest cellco Kyivstar, part of the Vimpelcom group, has reported that its number of mobile internet subscribers reached more than 8.8 million at the end of September 2012, representing 35% of its total cellular customer base of 25.2 million at that date.
The French telco Bouygues Telecom has confirmed that it has resumed talks with rival firm SFR over the possibility of sharing their network infrastructure in rural areas, Reuters reports. The two companies had been in talks earlier this year but the discussions ended without a deal being reached. The French government has defined what it terms as ‘priority deployment areas’ for 4G mobile services outside of the country’s main cities, covering 63% of French territory but only 18% of the population.
The recent two-day outage of the internet in war-stricken Syria appears to be over, with sources reporting that access is now largely back to normal. Renesys, one of the internet-monitoring sites that first reported the outage, writes that by last Saturday it could confirm ‘a largely complete restoration of the Syrian internet’. A number of telcos are responsible for the provision of internet access in the Middle Eastern nation, including Telecom Italia, Tata Communications, Turk Telecom, and Hong Kong’s PCCW, Renesys adds
A consortium of telecoms operators consisting of UK-based Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), Aruba’s Setar, Telconet of Ecuador, Telefonica Global Solutions and pan-Caribbean telco United Telecommunication Services (UTS), has signed a turnkey contract with French-US vendor Alcatel-Lucent to deploy the Pacific Caribbean Cable System (PCCS), a 100G submarine cable system linking Jacksonville, Florida to Manta, Ecuador. *The 6,000km submarine cable system will also connect to Tortola (British Virgin Islands), Puerto Rico, Aruba and Curacao, as well as Cartagena in Colombia and Maria Chiquita and Balboa in Panama.
The Japanese mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Japan Communications Inc (JCI), which operates under the ‘b-mobile’ banner, has filed a complaint with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) over the fees charged by its wholesale provider NTT DoCoMo for access to data services.
The Saudi telcos Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and Etihad Atheeb Telecom (GO Telecom) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to extend their cooperation in the area of integration of services. According to a report from Trade Arabia News Service, GO will provide Mobily with voice services and fixed lines, allowing Mobily to provide converged residential and business voice and data services in one package via its fibre-optic network. In turn, Mobily will allow GO to use its infrastructure in providing voice and data services via the Saudi National Fibre Network (SNFN) across all major cities and governorates in the Kingdom and neighbouring countries, which will help GO to increase its access to residential and corporate customers.
Plans by the Irish government to cut free telephone services for older people under a budget revamp could seriously impact on troubled fixed line operator Eircom, The Irish Times reports.
Croatia’s IPTV subscribers grew by less than 2% year-on-year to 356,000 at the end of September 2012, telecoms regulator HAKOM reported, while fixed broadband internet connections reached 879,600 at the same date, up by 4.1% in twelve months. Mobile broadband subscriptions meanwhile increased by 11.6% year-on-year to 371,000 at 30 September 2012
The Algerian cellular operator Mobilis has invested DZD22 billion (USD300 million) in the first nine months of this year, up from the USD75 million it spent in the same period of 2011. The firm says the high level of investment makes it the biggest spender in the Algerian telecoms market this year. Mobilis, a subsidiary of state-owned fixed line operator Algerie Telecom, currently lies in second place in the Algerian mobile market according to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, with almost eleven million subscribers and a 29% market share at the end of September 2012
AT&T Puerto Rico has expanded its commercial 4G LTE mobile network to three additional areas of the island, serving new customers in Guayama, San German–Cabo Rojo and Yauco.
Asiacell, the Iraqi mobile subsidiary of Qatar Telecom (Qtel), will launch its initial public offering (IPO) on 3 January 2013, Reuters cites a company spokesperson as saying.
Serbian regulator the Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (Ratel) has announced that the implementation of fixed number portability (FNP) will be delayed indefinitely. Ratel received notice from fixed line incumbent Telekom Srbija that the operator had run into ‘complex administrative and technical issues’ preventing it from being able to determine exactly when it will be ready to implement the service
Vivo Participacoes, the Brazilian fixed and mobile group controlled by Telefonica of Spain, has improved the reach of its 3G mobile network in the country, with the announcement that its signal is now available in 3,000 municipalities, BNAmericas reports. Vivo leads the way when it comes to deploying 3G in the Latin American country, and according to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database at August this year claimed coverage of 2,852 municipalities, putting it well ahead of the second-placed operator – Telecoms America (Claro) – with 959, and TIM Brasil’s 554
Polish cellco Polkomtel has booked revenues of PLN1.791 billion (USD567.23 million) for the three months ended 30 September 2012, a 3.8% drop year-on-year from PLN1.861 billion. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) also fell, slipping by 3.8% to PLN721 million with an EBITDA margin of 40.3%, unchanged from the previous year. The cellco, which operates under the ‘Plus’ brand, has begun testing 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) in the 1800MHz band with downlink speeds of up to 150Mbps.
Moldova’s National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI) has reported that the total number of fixed broadband internet subscribers reached 396,500 at 30 September 2012, an increase of 20.4% from 329,100 at the same date a year earlier.
Brunei telecoms regulator the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI) has released a consultation paper regarding spectrum in the 1800MHz band, which it says is the only vacant frequency band available for ‘immediate deployment’. With this in mind, the watchdog notes that the coordination of the re-farming of the 2.5GHz band is ‘ongoing’.*The 1800MHz band is comprised of 2x 75MHz blocks of paired spectrum, and the AITI intends to make available 2x 5MHz lots covering the lower and upper band. Going forward, the AITI proposes to distribute two operating licences, which will be distributed following a so-called ‘beauty contest’; concessions will be valid for 15 years apiece and come with an annual charge of just BTN100,000 (USD1,843).
Pakistan’s wireless operators have withdrawn a petition in the Islamabad High Court to overturn the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA’s) ruling banning low-rate tariffs at off-peak times on the basis that the offers encourage ‘vulgarity’, Pro Pakistani reports.
Agence Ecofin quotes Tidjane Deme, the operations manager for Google Africa (Francophone West), as saying that the ‘lack of status of ISPs ’ in Senegal is acting as a bar to investment in the country’s telecoms sector. At a meeting with ISPs on 27 November, Deme argued that the fact that local laws do not allow ISPs to deploy their own infrastructure – state telecom laws do not once mention the word internet and as such, ISPs are classed as providers of value added services (VAS) – means no investment, and in turn, no competition
Czech incumbent Telefonica O2 CR has completed a buyback of 2% of its shares for CZK2.48 billion (USD126.76 million) Reuters reports. The telco, a division of Telefonica of Spain, added that its management board has not yet reached a decision on whether to continue the buyback programme – approved in April this year – which allows for the purchase of up to 10% of its shares
The Irish Examiner reports that Vodafone Ireland plans to roll out fourth-generation (4G) mobile services in the Republic by the summer of 2013. The paper cites the cellco's chief executive Jeroen Hoencamp as saying: ‘We will see 4G probably at the end of the first half of next year and then roll out very fast .’ The operator’s chief technology officer Fergal Kelly added that the new network will hopefully benefit those who currently have limited 3G connectivity in the country
Mobile network operator Cellcom Liberia has launched a range of low-cost internet tariffs for its GPRS/EDGE users, its head of corporate communications Dr Kimmie L Weeks has announced.
Israeli-American television and media proprietor Haim Saban has reportedly agreed to acquire a controlling stake in Israeli mobile network operator Partner Communications, according to Reuters. It is understood that Saban Capital will pay ILS250 million (USD65 million) to the largest current shareholder in the cellco, Israeli handset distributor Scailex Corp, for a 30.7% holding; the transaction will leave Scailex with a 13.8% stake, while its parent company, Suny Electronics, will retain its 1.4% direct holding in Partner.
New legislation currently awaiting presidential approval will see Uganda’s telecoms regulator the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) merge with TV and radio watchdog the Broadcasting Council, writes local paper New Vision. The Uganda Communications Bill 2012 would also allow the regulator to fine operators for poor quality of service (QoS), with the penalty based on the gross annual revenue of the provider in the previous year
The Telecommunications Office of the Slovak Republic (TU SR) has issued a fine of EUR50,000 (USD65,000) on incumbent PSTN operator Slovak Telekom for failing to satisfy its universal service obligations, following complaints from inhabitants of several remote areas. Telecompaper reports that the TU SR had ordered Slovak Telekom to renew provision of public services it had previously disconnected in certain areas, but in one instance, in a village with 132 inhabitants mostly aged over 70, the operator re-enabled access to public payphones only and did not renew end-user services
According to South African website Business Day Live, India’s Bharti Airtel is said to be looking at acquiring one of South Africa's two smaller mobile operators, Cell C or Telkom Mobile (8ta). A source close to the Indian telecoms giant – which acquired 15 companies comprising Zain Africa in June 2010 – told Business Day that a new play was being made after the failure of Bharti’s 2009 bid for MTN.
Indonesian CDMA wireless service provider Telekom PT SmartFren (Smartfren) has struck a partnership agreement with online video site Viki as it looks to bring advanced value added services (VAS) to its 9.4 million-strong subscriber base.
UK-based telecoms giant Vodafone Group has announced the creation of a new Group Enterprise unit, which will begin operating from the start of next year. In unveiling the organisational addition, the group noted that Nick Jeffrey, currently the CEO of Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CWW), which Vodafone agreed to acquire in April 2012 for approximately GBP1.044 billion (USD1.7 billion) in cash, will head up the new unit. It will comprise four divisions – Vodafone Global Enterprise, Vodafone Carrier Services, Machine-to-Machine solutions and Hosting and Cloud Services – each of which will operate worldwide.
Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) has revealed that it has reached an agreement with Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) regarding the sale of the majority of its businesses within its ‘Monaco & Islands’ division. In a press release confirming the development, CWC has confirmed that it will sell off its entire shareholdings in the Maldives, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, the Seychelles, South Atlantic and Diego Garcia, while it will also divest a 25% stake in Compagnie Monegasque de Communication SAM (CMC), the company which holds CWC’s 55% interest in Monaco Telecom
Mobile number portability (MNP) is now available in Paraguay, TeleSemana reports. The service is priced at PYG21,864 (USD4.82) and includes an eight-day processing time, which is scheduled to decrease to five working days by the end of the year.
