Consumers Want Citywide Wi-Fi – And Are Willing to Pay for It January 30, 2009
Posted by aikservices in 3G, Google, Mobile, Nokia, Telecom, UK, USA, Wi-Fi, Wireless, iPhone.Tags: 3G, Google, iPhone, Mobile, Nokia, Telecom, UK, USA, Wi-Fi, Wireless
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A report commissioned by Wi-Fi application vendor, Devicescape has found that most respondents want citywide Wi-Fi (84%) and, surprisingly, many are willing to pay for it (56%) as they would a utility. The report also found that an overwhelming number of Wi-Fi users expect Wi-Fi while on the road (91%) and when traveling, the most-often used device for accessing Wi-Fi was the smartphone, such as an iPhone (vs. laptops). The overwhelming majority of smartphone users (81%) prefer using Wi-Fi over 3G for browsing Web sites, downloading data, Google searches and sending e-mail. Also, 86% of respondents want OEMs to build Wi-Fi into their handsets and 82% of respondents want the service provider to provide an overall 3G/Wi-Fi data package.Many of the statistics within the UK and mainland Europe were similar to the US, but one significant difference is that Nokia is the most used device tapping into Wi-Fi, more than laptops and iPhone users.
Afghanistan to Boost Mobile Coverage in Underserved Areas January 30, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Afghanistan, Asia, GSM, Mobile, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Afghanistan, Asia, GSM, Mobile, Telecom, Wireless
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Afghanistan’s government has announced plans to start spending the income from a Telecom Development Fund (TDF) which will be used to expand mobile and landline services into underserved rural areas.According to the licenses issued to the current GSM operators, they should pay 2.5% from their net revenues to this fund to facilitate the communications services to remote and under services districts of the country, said Eng. Barialai Hassam Deputy Minister Technical in a news conference.The mentioned money should be paid by the operators to this fund quarterly and at the moment, the fund has nearly US$26 million available to it.
Afghanistan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATRA) is the only Governmental Administration that regulates the telecom services in the country and also manages the procedure of expending the Telecom Development Fund (TDF) to extend the telecom services to rural areas.
Deutsche Telekom Substantially Increased its Customer Numbers in 2008 January 30, 2009
Posted by aikservices in 3G, Apple, Deutsche Telekom, Europe, Germany, T-Mobile, USA, iPhone.Tags: 3G, Apple, Deutsche Telekom, Europe, Germany, iPhone, T-Mobile, USA
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Deutsche Telekom has issued a trading statement and says that it saw encouraging developments in its mobile communications markets during last year. The number of customers with the companies in Europe and the United States totaled 128.3 million. This means that the number of customers increased organically by 7.6 million. The contract customer segment accounts for 5 million of this growth with a current customer base of 65.9 million.
T-Mobile Deutschland also defended its leading position in Germany. With over 950,000 new contract customers, the high level of the previous year was reached once again. The successful introduction of the Apple iPhone 3G and the attractive range of calling plans were the main reasons for this development.
Asia Pacific Subscriber Percentage Growth Crashes to 3 Years Low January 30, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia Pacific, Mobile, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Asia Pacific, Mobile, Telecom, Wireless
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Quarterly mobile connection growth in Asia Pacific crashed to a three-year low of 5.8% in Q3 2008, even though net additions figures, at 89.4m, were the second best ever seen in the region. The result left rolling annual growth down at 28.6% – the lowest level recorded since the 12 months period ending 31st December 2006 – although rolling annual net additions set a new record for the 14th successive quarter, reaching 364.5bn.
The reason for this seemingly paradoxical result was that net additions were up year on year by 10% from 81.2m, but down quarter on quarter by 10% from the record 98.8m posted in Q2 2008, the increase in the total number of mobile connections in the region in the meantime being enough to cause the effects we have seen.
Warid Telecom Gets Funding for Network Expansion January 30, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Financial, Mobile Network Operator, Pakistan, Singtel, Warid Telecom.Tags: Financial, Mobile Network Operator, Pakistan, Singtel, Warid Telecom
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Pakistani mobile network operator, Warid Telecom says that it has had an injection of US$250 million in equity by its two joint shareholders, Singtel and the Abu Dhabi Group. The company said that the funds will be used to expand the network coverage.Tariq Gulzar – Warid’s Chief Financial Officer said, This equity injection of US$250 Million by the company’s shareholders, namely Abu Dhabi Group and SingTel, demonstrates the confidence reposed by our shareholders in the company’s ability to continue to provide highest level of quality services to our valued subscribers at very affordable prices. We are going to further enhance our technical and retail network across the country to exceed the expectations of our existing and potential subscribers.
Warid Pakistan is a joint venture between Abu Dhabi Group & SingTel Group. Abu Dhabi Group entered into a strategic alliance with Singapore Telecom. Subsequent to this transaction in July 2007, telecom giant SingTel acquired 30% percent equity stake in Warid Pakistan, for US$758 million.
Bintel budgets USD 250 mln for expansion in Africa January 29, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Africa, Bahrain, Bintel, Dubai, GSM, Lebanon, Middle East.Tags: Africa, Bahrain, Bintel, Dubai, GSM, Lebanon, Middle East
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Middle East and Africa telecom service provider Bintel has announced major investment plans as part of its strategic expansion programme. The Bahrain-based company plans to enter at least three new markets in Africa in the next two years and has allocated USD 250 million for investment in the region. In early 2008, Bintel acquired a majority stake in Telesonique, a Swiss-based wholesale traffic company, as part of its strategy to build a reliable network of telecommunications services strategic partners. Established in 2007, Bintel has Middle East offices in Bahrain, Dubai and Lebano and operates GSM networks in Central African Republic (since mid-2007) and Somaliland (since mid-2008).
Nigerians Lose 2 Million Phones to Thieves Annually – Minister January 29, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Africa, Mobile, Nigeria, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Africa, Mobile, Nigeria, Telecom, Wireless
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Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, says a total of 2 million mobile telephones are lost or reported stolen in Nigeria every year.Speaking at the launch of Nigeria’s mobile phone anti-theft initiative, a development expected to curtail the incidence of stolen phones in Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja, Akunyili said: It is on record that more than 2 million mobile telephones are lost or reported stolen in Nigeria each year.This means that 38,500 mobile telephones are lost or stolen every week, and that three mobile phones are stolen every minute, she said.
Akunyili said that the initiative was in partnership with telecommunications service providers and a private firm.A Central Equipment Identity Registry (CEIR) will be established to record all handsets so that users can report cases of loss, and it could be blocked and made unusable, she added.
Eight Mobile Technologies to Watch in 2009 and 2010 January 29, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Gartner, Mobile, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Gartner, Mobile, Telecom, Wireless
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Gartner says that it has identified eight mobile technologies that will evolve significantly through 2010, impacting short-term mobile strategies and policies.All mobile strategies embed assumptions about technology evolution so it’s important to identify the technologies that will evolve quickly in the life span of each strategy, said Nick Jones, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. The eight mobile technologies that we have pinpointed as ones to watch in 2009 and 2010 will have broad effects and, as such, are likely to pose issues to be addressed by short-term strategies and policies.
First SIMpass-enabled Mobile Phone Launched in China January 29, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, China, China Unicom, Cqpass, Mobile Network Operator, Mobile Payment, Near Field Communication, SIMpass.Tags: Asia, China, China Unicom, Cqpass, Mobile Network Operator, Mobile Payment, Near Field Communication, SIMpass
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China Unicom has launched a mobile phone based payment service in the city of Chongqing which enables users to use their phone to pay for transport tickets and at various retailer for normal purchases. The ‘Cqpass’ is a multi-system mobile payment service first to use the SIMpass enabled custom-made mobile phone that was unveiled in Chongqing last month. SIMpass is a Single Card Near Field Communication (SC-NFC) platform. The custom-made mobile phone for this service is developed under the cooperation between China Unicom, Chongqing Yucheng Transportation Card, Guohong Telecom and Digital Group and Watchdata that provided the SIMpass technology.
The Cqpass mobile payment service has all the functions similar to the regular Yucheng Tong Card and can be used to pay for bus rides, cable car rides, hotels, parks entrance and restaurants. Apart from these functionalities, it also features transaction record query and card number display.In 2009, the project will start the development of its second stage of application that would link the subscriber’s bank account to enable the OTA top-up functionality.
Vodafone issues handset strategy to manufacturers January 29, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Mobile, Mobile Network Operator, Telecom, UK, Vodafone, Wireless.Tags: Mobile, Mobile Network Operator, Telecom, UK, Vodafone, Wireless
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Vodafone told manufacturers that it would reduce the number of handsets in its range this year.The operator gathered all of the manufacturers it uses for its annual meeting at its head office in Newbury last week.Chairing the meeting was devices chief, Chris Edwards, who also hinted at standardised services and user experience on the handsets.One manufacturer in attendance said: The message was clear. They want to drive down how much we charge them, and they want a richer, more uniform “Vodafone” experience on handsets.
A spokeswoman for Vodafone said: At a recent device conference that Vodafone UK held for manufacturers, we updated on our strategy to continue to take best in class devices that meet the cross section of customer types. This will mean that we will continue to focus on a narrower range of devices overall, avoiding duplication and improving in market execution and the customer experience.
SmarTone-Vodafone Confirms LTE Network Upgrade Intent January 28, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, Hong Kong, LTE, SmarTone-Vodafone, WiMAX.Tags: Asia, Hong Kong, LTE, SmarTone-Vodafone, WiMAX
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Hong Kong’s SmarTone-Vodafone has announced that it plans to migrate its network towards an LTE platform after it withdrew from last weeks WiMAX license auction. The operator said that it decided not to persue the WiMAX option after the cost of the license started to exceed the cost of deploying the LTE upgrade.SmarTone-Vodafone said that its maximum bid price for the WiMAX license was based on the incremental value attributable to implementing LTE with the new spectrum, and the savings made upon return of existing excess spectrum to the government. As bidding for the new spectrum went beyond this maximum bid value, SmarTone-Vodafone chose instead to implement LTE on its existing spectrum.
We will re-use part of our existing spectrum to implement LTE. This provides the greatest flexibility and the most efficient way to meet market demand for LTE as and when required, as well as maximising value for our shareholders and customers. said Mr. Douglas Li, CEO of SmarTone-Vodafone.
Vodacom 9-month revenue up 13.7% January 28, 2009
Posted by aikservices in ARPU, Africa, Financial, Mobile, Network Operator, Vodacom.Tags: Africa, ARPU, Financial, Mobile, Network Operator, Vodacom
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African mobile operator Vodacom posted a 13.7 percent rise in nine-month revenue as it boosted subscriber numbers. Revenue for the nine months ended 31 December rose to ZAR 40.5 billion, while the number of mobile customers increased 14.3 percent year-on-year to 37.8 million. Its customer base increased 5.8 percent versus the previous quarter. Its South African subscriber base swelled 4.8 percent versus the previous quarter to 26.45 million, and it lost one percentage point of market share to 52 percent. ARPU in its home market rose 2.3 percent from the previous quarter to ZAR 135. The non-South African operations comprised 11.3 million customers, or 30 percent of the total. On a quarterly basis, non-South African customers rose 8.4 percent. Vodacom said expanding its African footprint beyond South Africa is one of the pillars of its growth strategy.
Earnings Preview: AT&T to report 4Q results January 28, 2009
Posted by aikservices in AT&T, Apple, BlackBerry, Financial, USA, iPhone.Tags: Apple, AT&T, BlackBerry, Financial, iPhone, USA
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AT&T Inc. reports its fourth-quarter results on Wednesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.As the largest telecommunications company in the country, AT&T has been something of a haven in a dismal economy. But its stock is down 24 percent from a year ago, compared with a 37 percent decline for the S&P 500.AT&T’s wireless unit has kept posting healthy growth, helped in particular by the July release of Apple’s second-generation iPhone. Analysts expect that growth to have slowed down in the fourth quarter, even though AT&T did launch another high-profile smart phone, the BlackBerry Bold, in November.Paradoxically, fewer iPhone sales help the company in the short term, because AT&T subsidizes each unit by hundreds of dollars, which it then recoups through service fees. AT&T is the exclusive U.S. carrier for the iPhone.
T-Mobile CEO sees stable results in 2009 January 28, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Android, Apple, G1, Google, Mobile, T-Mobile, Telecom, Telecompaper, Wireless, iPhone.Tags: Android, Apple, G1, Google, iPhone, Mobile, T-Mobile, Telecom, Telecompaper, Wireless
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T-Mobile International has yet to see a direct impact on its results from the economic slowdown and expects to maintain its performance in 2009, CEO Hamid Akhavan told Telecompaper in an interview. Results for the fourth quarter were in line with the company’s expectations, he said, adding that based on November and December sales figures, the company saw no major changes in the number of clients or spending. T-Mobile is on track to meet its 2008 forecasts, and for 2009 the company expects a stable performance with no decline in results, he said.
Looking ahead, T-Mobile is focused on growing service revenues, while maintaining its profit margins. Growth will come from innovative services such as its mobile data service Web’n’walk and new data-driven phones such as Apple’s iPhone and the G1 Android handset. Mergers and acquisitions are not on the agenda at the moment, due to the high cost of capital, according to the CEO.
Motorola global marketing chief exits January 28, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Job Cuts, Mobile, Motorola, Telecom, UK, Wireless.Tags: Job Cuts, Mobile, Motorola, Telecom, UK, Wireless
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Motorola corporate vice president for marketing, Jeremy Dale, will become the latest executive to leave the struggling manufacturer at the end of this month.It is thought that Dale will pursue a career in the UK, but is not known if he has a job to go to. His current reports will report to senior vice president and business general manager for Greater China, Bruce Brda, until a possible replacement is found. Dale, a former Orange marketing executive, joined Motorola in 2005 and took the top marketing job in March 2007. A year later, he was promoted following Casey Keller’s resignation, after Keller’s job was absorbed by two executives: Dale, and Eduardo Conrado.
Dale was formerly VP of retail marketing at Motorola Mobile Devices and was involved in promoting Motorola’s three-year advertising and retail collaboration with David Beckham, and promoted the Motorola Red products, part of a campaign to fight AIDS in Africa. Earlier this month, Motorola announced that it is cutting a further 3,000 jobs in addition to the 4,000 it announced last year.
