Award the 3G Licenses Urges Ericsson to Bangladesh May 11, 2009
Posted by aikservices in 3G, Asia, Bangladesh, Ericsson, GSM, Mobile.Tags: 3G, Asia, Bangladesh, Ericsson, GSM, Mobile
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Ericsson has urged the Bangladeshi government to speed up the process to offer 3G licenses so that the mobile operators can tap the existing 3G phone user base in the country. “If the government releases appropriate spectrum for 3G, which is the proven global mainstream for the mobile broadband, then we are confident that it will contribute significantly to the country’s GDP (gross domestic prodcut) growth,” Arun Bansal, managing director of the Ericsson Bangladesh, told the Reuters news agency.”It is estimated that there are over 6 million mobile internet users and already today 15 percent of the mobile handsets used in Bangladesh market are 3G enabled,” Bansal added.The regulator has delayed the award of 3G licenses several times, and they were last due to have been awarded a couple of months ago. A previous report by the GSMA had called on the regulator to issue the licenses by the 3rd quarter of last year.
Malaysia’s Digi Reports Full-Year Revenues Up 10% February 9, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, Digi, Financial, Malaysia.Tags: Asia, Digi, Financial, Malaysia
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Malaysian mobile operator, DiGi has reported an after-tax-profit of RM1.1 billion (US$304 million) on the back of a 10% growth in revenue to RM4.8 billion (US$1.3 billion) in 2008. The rise in revenue was driven by steady demand for mobile services and an increase in subscriber base to 7.1 million at the end of 2008. Average revenue per user (ARPU) maintained at RM59 (US$16.35).
Commenting on DiGi’s performance in 2008, chief executive officer Johan Dennelind said, We are pleased to have met our financial guidance despite intense competition and a more challenging macro-economic environment towards the second-half of 2008. Encouragingly, we are gaining positive momentum for our postpaid business as seen in the significant increase in subscriber base by 56%, surpassing the 1 million mark.
Year-on-year, DiGi’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose to RM2.2 billion (US$609 million). As expected, EBITDA margin decreased to 45.1% due to competitive price pressure, higher traffic and network operating costs as well as increased sales and marketing expenses.
Tata Completes GSMA IP EXchange Trials February 6, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, GSM, India, Tata Communications, Telekom Austria, Telus.Tags: Asia, GSM, India, Tata Communications, Telekom Austria, Telus
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India’s Tata Communications says that it has successfully completed trials of its wireless IP interconnection technology, part of the international GSM Association’s program to develop the next generation of wireless services. Tata Communications’ trials were part of the GSMA’s IP eXchange (IPX).Pre-Commercial Implementation Project, which is verifying the design and operation of IPX networks through a series of trials designed to validate technical and commercial specifications.Once adopted, IPX will act as a private global IP backbone, open to any telecommunications company adhering to the required standards. IPX will provide fixed and mobile service providers with a technical and commercial platform for the performance-based exchange of IP-based services.
Tata Communications’ participation and completion of the GSMA’s IPX trial is key to our strategy of delivering innovative voice solutions to our customers worldwide,” said Michel Guyot, President, Global Voice Solutions for Tata Communications. Our company is committed to working with the IPIA (IP Internetworking Alliance) to promote and support the launch of IPX services and is planning to launch its own IPX rich, integrated offering to service providers – like TELUS and Telekom Austria – delivered over next-generation network architecture. We truly believe the IPX model will have a very significant impact on the industry.
Gemalto Expands Mobile Banking Availabilty February 3, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, Bangladesh, Gemalto, India, Indonesia, mChek, Mobile Banking, Philippines, Sri Lanka.Tags: Asia, Bangladesh, Gemalto, India, Indonesia, mChek, Mobile Banking, Philippines, Sri Lanka
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Gemalto says that it is planning to expand the availability of its mobile banking services to markets in South Asia. The firm has been working with India-based technology partner mChek since last September to offer mobile banking services with telecom operators in India and Sri Lanka. Tan Teck Lee, President of Gemalto Asia said: mChek has demonstrated an exceptional platform that is flexible and scalable for a broad range of mobile banking and payment applications. By leveraging Gemalto’s worldwide partnership programme, we can partner with mChek to better serve our customers be they telecom operators or subscribers. Together we aim to bring new levels of security and convenience beyond India and Sri Lanka into markets such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines.
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.
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.
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.
LG Reports Record Quarterly Loss – Sees Tough Year Ahead January 23, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, Financial, LG Electronics, Mobile, South Korea, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Asia, Financial, LG Electronics, Mobile, South Korea, Telecom, Wireless
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South Korea’s LG Electronics has swung to a record fourth quarter loss on slowing handset and flat-screen sales – and warned that it sees little upside for the rest of 2009. The firm reported a net loss of KRW 671 billion (US$493 million) on sales of KRW 6.59 trillion (US$4.84 billion).LG’s mobile phone division reached a company high of KRW 4.49 trillion (US$3.3 billion) in sales, 34.6% higher than a year earlier. Handset sales accounted for KRW 4.09 trillion (US$3.0 billion), up 40.3% YoY and 16.5% QoQ.
Shipments of handsets recorded 8% growth YoY to 25.7 million, which resulted in a record 100.7 million units being sold in 2008 versus 80.5 million units in 2007. Operating profit margin declined 8.8% YoY and 11.5% QoQ to 5.2% in the handset division due to increased marketing to minimize year-end inventory.
China’s Semiconductor Market to Fall 5.8 Percent in 2009 January 23, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, China, Mobile, Semiconductor, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Asia, China, Mobile, Semiconductor, Telecom, Wireless
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China’s semiconductor industry is expected to contract in 2009, the first time a significant decline has occurred since iSuppli Corp. began gathering statistics on the market – and perhaps for the first time in the history of the nation’s chipbusiness. China’s semiconductor market is expected to decline by 5.8 percent to $72 billion in 2009, down from $76.5 billion in 2008, according to iSuppli’s China Application Market Forecast Tool (AMFT). The only previous decline iSuppli recorded was in 2008, when revenue decreased by a scant 0.1 percent – essentially a flat year for the market.
Such a downturn is remarkable for an region long regarded as a vigorous and reliable growth driver for global semiconductor market, Kevin Wang, senior manager of China research at iSuppli. Even during the disastrous year of 2001, when global semiconductor revenue plunged by 28.6 percent, China’s industry managed to surge by 24.4 percent. With global semiconductor revenue expected to decline by 9.4 percent in 2009, and with consumer confidence at risk of falling further, China’s semiconductor outlook could dim even more than iSuppli presently forecasts.Despite this, iSuppli predicts growth will return in 2010, with a smart revenue rebound of 9 percent, followed by an 11 percent increase in 2011.
Vodafone Report Says Mobile Phones Drive Economic Growth January 20, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, India, Mobile, Telecom, Vodafone, Wireless.Tags: India, Mobile, Telecom, Vodafone, Wireless
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A report funded by Vodafone has looked at mobile phone use in India, and found clear evidence to suggest that mobile penetration facilitates economic growth. It shows that Indian states with 10% higher mobile phone penetration will enjoy an annual average growth rate 1.2% higher than those with a lower teledensity.There have been similar claims in the past – but the difficulty has typically been in finding out which came first, the prosperity or the mobile phone.
The report on the socio-economic impact of mobile technology was carried out by a team of researchers led by Professor Rajat Kathuria of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). Funded by Vodafone as part of a series of studies on the socio-economic impact of mobile (SIM), the report demonstrates that mobiles aid the process by which disadvantaged groups, including the low-skilled labour force, enjoy the fruits of economic growth.
China Mobile sets USD8.6bn rollout budget for 2009 January 15, 2009
Posted by aikservices in 3G, Asia, China, China Mobile, Mobile, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: 3G, China, China Mobile, Mobile, Telecom, Wireless
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China Mobile has announced a mobile network investment budget for 2009 of RMB58.8 billion (USD8.6 billion) to expand coverage of its 3G Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) services. The company also said it plans to issue subsidies of around RMB10 billion (USD1.4 billion) to TD-SCDMA handset manufacturers to encourage take-up of its 3G services, including videocalling, high speed downloads and streaming TV programmes. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, the TD-SCDMA network was launched on a pre-commercial basis in ten cities in April 2008, with an estimated 300,000 3G users by end-September 2008 (a tiny fraction of China Mobile’s total 436 million user base at that date). Earlier this month China Mobile was awarded a commercial TD-SCDMA licence, whilst it also met equipment suppliers in preparation for the launch of its third-phase TD-SCDMA network rollout tender in 162 cities. The tender is expected to open on 25 January, with winners to be announced at the end of March. Its RMB30 billion second-phase network tender was carried out in November 2008, and will increase TD-SCDMA coverage to 38 cities by the end of 2009.
The company says it plans to cover a total of 238 cities by building 60,000 base stations, up from approximately 20,000 currently. The Chinese government has set a target of 100 million TD-SCDMA subscribers by the end of 2010. According to a governmental statement issued last month, the country’s three 3G licensees – China Mobile, China Unicom (W-CDMA licence) and China Telecom (CDMA2000-based concession) – are expected to invest USD41 billion in third-generation networks in the next two years, including around USD29 billion in 2009.
Nepal Orders Operators to Lower Interconnection Fees January 13, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, Mobile, Nepal, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Asia, Mobile, Nepal, Telecom, Wireless
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Nepal’s telecoms regulator, the NTA has ordered the country’s four telecoms operators to lower their interconnection charges to between 14-90 paisa, from the existing 60-252 paisa, by the middle of February.The NTA said that the operators had ignored an earlier request to lower the charges, so it was making the reduction mandatory.Chairman of the NTA Bhesh Raj Kandel told the local media, We are now going to make sure the telecom companies implement it.
The NTA has fixed the mobile-to-mobile interconnection charge at 54 paisa regardless of whether the connection is local or long distance, while landline interconnection charges will vary depending on the type of call made.“Although we had directed the service providers to reduce the interconnection charge on May 1, 2008, they have been ignoring the instruction for nine months,” said Kailash Prasad Neupane, NTA spokesperson.
Bharti starts mobile services in Sri Lanka January 12, 2009
Posted by aikservices in 3G, Airtel, Asia, Bharti, India, Mobile, Sri Lanka, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Airtel, Asia, Bharti, India, Mobile, Sri Lanka, Telecom, Wireless
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India’s top mobile operator, Bharti Airtel, said on Monday it had launched mobile services in Sri Lanka and would invest $200 million on the operation in the island.
The services were launched on a third generation network through its subsidiary Bharti Airtel Lanka.
The company said it signed a three-year managed network deal with Huawei and has partnered with IBM to manage its IT, infrastructure and application requirements in Sri Lanka.
South Korea ends 2008 with 45.6 mln mobile subscribers January 7, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, KTF, LG Telecom, Mobile, SK Telecom, South Korea, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Asia, KTF, LG Telecom, Mobile, SK Telecom, South Korea, Telecom, Wireless
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South Korea ended 2008 with 45.61 million mobile subscribers, up from 48.46 million at end-December 2007, figures from the mobile operators show. SK Telecom led with 52,000 net adds in December 2008, bringing its total to 23.03 million mobile subscribers. Rival KTF ended the month with 14.37 million customers, after adding 36,000 new subscribers. Smallest operator LG Telecom ended the year with 8.21 million subscribers as the company gained 23,303 subscribers in December.
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