Latest Telecoms News

C&W remains firm favourite for Thus

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:48:00 +0000

Colt Telecom and Global Crossing considered unlikely contenders to rescue Thus from the advances of Cable & Wireless

Cable & Wireless looks likely to have a clear run at smaller rival Thus as the City concluded there was little real hope of “white knight” counter bids from competitors.

Shares in Thus had been tipped to soar this morning after newspaper reports at the weekend suggested Colt Telecom and US-based Global Crossing had approached the embattled telecoms company to discuss a counter offer as it seeks to stave off the unwanted advances of Cable & Wireless.

However, the Glasgow-based company added just 2.75p to its share price, bringing it up to 156p as the market closed – still almost 10p off C&W’s indicative offer.

At the end of last month, C&W made an unsolicited 165p-per-share bid for its rival. Thus rejected the bid, saying the offer undervalued it.

According to industry sources, Thus has since been attempting to drum up counter bids, but has so far failed to mobilise any formal offers.

C&W has set a self-imposed deadline to either make a firm offer, or withdraw, by 5pm next Monday, June 30.

Thus therefore has one week to convince its shareholders it was right to turn down an offer that at the time represented a 50 per cent premium to the company's share price.

Industry analysts believe it is unlikely Colt or the UK arm of US-based Global Crossing will challenge C&W. Sources close to the negotiations said Colt would probably not bring a bid to the table.

Jonathan Groocock, telecoms analyst at Investec, said the “white knight” rumours “may simply be tactics encouraging a higher bid before the June 30 deadline.”

In a note to clients he wrote: “We can see fewer synergies available to Colt [than C&W] and would be surprised to see it bid given its lack of M&A activity in recent years.”

He added recent speculation that Global Crossing UK could be up for sale did not tally with it bidding, concluding C&W was the “prime candidate” for acquiring Thus.

Estimating a deal would bring £30 million to £50 million of synergies, Mr Groocock said C&W could justifiably raise its offer to 180p to 200p-per-share.

He said: "Some major shareholders of Thus are keen for a deal to be done, and 180p-200p represents a 65 per cent to 80 per cent premium to the pre-deal share price."

WiMax May Yet Find Success In Emerging Markets

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:21:00 +0000

WiMax, the wireless broadband technology, may find its place serving emerging markets without a fixed-line infrastructure rather than providing blanket coverage in industrialised countries.

At a WiMax Congress in Amsterdam, executives said the technology had potential in emerging markets -- Africa, for instance, has only 35 million fixed telephone lines for almost a billion people -- but also in rural areas of industrialised countries with poor wired broadband service.

"WiMax serves the richest of the rich and the poorest of poor," Kevin Suitor, VP of Marketing and Business development of WiMax equipment maker Redline Communications told Reuters.

The WiMax Forum, the main industry group, estimated that about 3.6 million people worldwide used WiMax last year, a tiny figure compared with the roughly 200 million users of third-generation mobile phone networks that also offer wireless Internet access.

But the WiMax Forum forecasts that the number of subscribers will grow to 100 million by 2012.

Analysts, however, are sceptical of industry claims that WiMax also has a bright future providing urban users in industrialised countries with mobile Internet access -- areas already well-served by mobile networks whose operators will likely use competing technology LTE to upgrade.

Analysts note that building a WiMax network in developed countries is akin to launching a new mobile operator, with many costs -- such as the acquisition of sites for base stations and the core network -- similar to those a mobile carrier incurs.

Big-spending business customers will likely wait as WiMax networks initially have limited coverage and operators will need time to offer roaming access abroad.

"The only real market opportunities we are seeing are in emerging markets lacking wired infrastructure, or in rural areas of developed countries," said Pierre Carbonne, consultant for mobile technologies at Idate.

SHARPER FOCUS

As previous expensive forays into new technologies have shown -- such as the billions of euros spent by European carriers to acquire licences for third-generation mobile phone networks -- sound business cases are crucial to success.

Offers with a sharp focus could be successful in developed countries, Redline's Suitor said.

Suitor said a typical WiMax network in Africa to cover a dozen cities may cost about $20 million to build and could break even after four to five years with less than 1 percent of the total population of the country taking up the service.

Carriers pursuing narrower goals, such as plugging a gap in their service offering, could break even after as little as six months, he said.

In emerging markets, many operators will likely build "fixed WiMax" networks where users have to be stationary to get service -- an option for consumers or small enterprises to get Internet access where fixed-line connections are not available.

Such networks are cheaper than those designed to compete with mobile carriers and also an option for rural areas in industrialised countries -- both Redline and Motorola announced deals at the Amsterdam congress to supply WiMax networks in rural areas of France.

"The broadband market today is about 250 to 300 million lines, and there's a potential to go to much more than 1 billion," Tzvika Friedman, Chief Executive of Alvarion, a leading WiMax equipment maker, told Reuters.

The biggest remaining issue for emerging market networks is the cost of the equipment needed at consumers' homes, said Mohammad Shakouri, board member of the WiMax Forum.

The price for such hardware had already dropped from $1,000 per customer three years ago to $200-$250 today and would fall further to around $150 by the end of the year, he said.

"India said to us: if you can make the price below $75, expect 200 million devices alone in India." (Editing by David Cowell)

T-Mobile to Sell 3G iPhone for Just One Euro

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:32:00 +0000

FRANKFURT -(Dow Jones)- Deutsche Telekom unit T-Mobile said Monday it will sell Apple's new third-generation, or 3G, iPhone in Germany from as low as EUR1.

This represents a significant price cut compared to the first version of the device, which cost EUR399 when it launched in November.

T-Mobile said Monday the 8 gigabyte version of the 3G iPhone will be priced from EUR1 to EUR169.95, depending on the customer's rate plan. The 16 gigabyte version will be priced from EUR19.95 to EUR249.95.

T-Mobile will sell Apple's device exclusively and customers are required to sign a two-year contract when buying the iPhone.

In the U.S., the 8GB version of the new phone, which can run on faster networks than earlier versions, will retail for $199 including a subsidy from exclusive operator AT&T, down from $399.

Earlier this month a T-Mobile spokesman told Dow Jones Newswires the new version of the iPhone would be cheaper than the older version.

T-Mobile will launch the new 3G iPhone July 11 in Germany.

T-Mobile will also start selling Apple's the new iPhone in Austria and the Netherlands the same day.

T-Mobile said earlier this month that it will sell the phones in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia later this year.

Deutsche Telekom Chief Executive Officer Rene Obermann said recently T-Mobile had sold 100,000 iPhones in Germany since its launch in November 2007.

T-Mobile existing iPhone customers in Germany will be entitled to upgrade to the new 3G version, the provider also said.

Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/-

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:23:00 +0000

Now this is really unexpected ! The next Generation 3G enabled Iphone is going to cost you…hold your breath…$199 or mere INR 8400/- . Now that is a real news.

Last month I had written about Apple Iphone officially coming to India through 2 Indian mobile operators. Rumours were rife that Iphone in India (without 3g) will be introduced in India for a price point above 25000/-. I got quite a few comments stating that Apple is using India as a dumping phone for their first generation phones.

Jury is still out on whether this version of the Iphone will come to India or not. But rumours have it that Bharti will be introducing this phone in the market later this year.

Whether or not it gets launched in India, IPhone lovers can surely get their hands on these not-so-pricey phones through grey market for around 10,000 rupees within days from its launch in U.S. The new IPhone, looks very similar to the old one but has a glossy black or white plastic in place of a metal back cover.

Even though this next generation IPhone has much lower price point, it has host of mouth watering features built into it.

The best part is that new Iphone runs on third-generation (3G) wireless networks and loads Internet pages nearly 3 times faster than its previous avatar. The Iphone has much improved email features too.

The new Iphone also includes satellite navigation capability and comes with a inbuilt 8GB memory, which I think is more than sufficient to most of us.

A new service, “MobileMe,” will automatically send e-mail and other information to iPhones, similar to Microsoft Corp’s Exchange e-mail server product. The pay service will replace Apple’s .Mac service and offer Web applications intended to make the phone work more like a desktop computer. (source)

You MUST look at this video to get an idea of new features that IPHONE 3G has introduced…Mouth Watering

It will not be long before we see an IPhone in the hands of every 2nd or 3rd urban mobile user.

The new Iphone sure seems to be a big threat to its competitors…!

India overtakes U.S to become 2nd Largest Wireless Network in the world

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:36:00 +0000

This was on cards - India has become the second largest wireless network given the exceptional growth in Mobile subscribers in India.

According to latest release by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory authority of India), the total wireless subscribers base stood at 261.09 million at the end of March 2008, compared to 255 million subscribers in U.S. A total of 10.16 million wireless subscribers have been added in the month of March
2008 as against 8.53 million wireless subscribers added in the month of February 2008.

Another landmark that march saw was reaching a total telephone connections to 300 million (wireline+wireless). The overall tele-density is pegged at 26.22% at the end of March 2008 as against 25.31% in February 2008.

Total of 96 million subscribers were added since March last year.

Comparatively, broadband connections have performed dismally with addition of only 1.56 million broadband subscribers since March 2007. The total broadband subscriber base stands at 3.90 million, far from 10 million subscribers that government had predicted by end of 2008.

What do readers think is the main reason for dismal penetration of broadband subscribers in India?

How cheap can your mobile tariffs get?

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Sat, 31 May 2008 04:24:00 +0000

Way back in late nineties when I procured my first mobile phone (a.k.a brick), I used to think more than 10 times before making a phone call from my cellular.

Do you know why?

Each minute of a outgoing call used to cost me a whooping 16 rupees a minute. It was huge ! The phone was used only for ultra urgent and important calls. Fast forward ten years and an outgoing call now costs around 50 paise for a local outgoing call - nearly 30 times lesser. Now-a-days, even if I am at home, I prefer using a cell phone to make a call rather than my landline. It turns out cheaper. No wonder India has become the second largest Wireless network in the world.

The only time I am careful while making calls is when I am traveling out of station. The STD and roaming charges can really make a dent in your pocket. According to research, close to 70% of STD users in India do not use this facility for more than 5 minutes a month. Also close to 80% of users switch off their mobiles while roaming.

However, even this does not seem to be much of a worry now.

Airtel today announced a cut of 40% in their roaming and STD charges. Now that is really is great news, especially for people who live out of their suitcases.

Airtel has taken the market by surprise by slashing STD tariffs by upto 40%. So no matter which plan you’re currently on, STD tariffs per minute will now be just 1 and half rupees. There’s good news even for frequent travellers. The cut in roaming tariffs which in a sense was long overdue has finally happened. So incoming roaming will be charged at a flat rupee a minute. The same tariff is applicable for local outgoing calls while roaming.

The management says it has got its arithmetic right and it expects usage to rise sharply. Bharti says close to 70% of STD users in India do not use this facility for more than 5 minutes a month. Also close to 80% of users switch off their mobiles while roaming. [source]

Given the break-neck competition, all other wireless service providers will soon follow suit. Airtel has set the benchmark now, its just matter of time before others come down on their rates.

I had not really expected rates to come down any further, but it has happened.

Can they come down any further?

Internet Poll Verdict: Indian Broadband connections are expensive…but why ?

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Thu, 29 May 2008 10:19:00 +0000

I had set up a poll a fortnight back on this to understand why Indian Internet penetration is lagging behind so much so that a country of size of Hong Kong beats India, even when we out number them in population by over a billion people. Obviously, one of the basic reason is that more than 70% of Indian still live in villages and are dependent on farming with no need of internet as yet what so ever.

But what about urban Indians? India has more than 250 million people living in cities, then why is it that we have only 3.5 million broadband connections to show?

Here is the Poll Verdict:

Out of total of 156 poll participants around 44% felt that Internet connections are expensive. I feel so too.

Lets compare Indian Internet broadband prices to that of U.S.

A 3 MBPS speed unlimited download broadband connection in US is available from ISPs like Comcast or Verizon at $29.99 or roughly Rupees.1200 per month. A 512 KBPS speed, unlimited download Internet connection from VSNL or Airtel or Reliance is available from Rs. 1499 or $37.5 to Rs.1799 or $45 per month. This is 6 times slower and 25 to 50 percent costlier than in US. In India, the monthly charge for a broadband connection accounts to 47 to 56 percent of the per capita income*, while it is less than 1 percent in the USA. Obviously, paying 1500 rupees in India is much much higher than paying 30 dollars in USA !

I fail to understand this overpricing in India. Especially, when the wages are a much lower than in the US - the minimum wage in US is approximately Rs.232 per hour, where as in India, it is only around Rs.25. Most Internet service providers in the USA built their infrastructure when the telecom equipment prices were at their peak several years back. Right now, Indian ISPs are able to purchase equipment at far lesser prices. I also do not feel that bandwidth costs to Indian Internet Service providers will be much different from their counterparts in U.S.

Than why do these Indian ISPs charge such exorbitant rates?

Essentially Indian ISPs have not passed the benefits of lower operating costs in India to the customers. Until such profiteering is indulged by ISPs, Internet prices will be beyond the reach of most Indian and Internet usage will not become common. You have to remember that mobile usage became viable for the common man only after both the mobile equipment prices and the mobile usage charges became one of the cheapest in the world. That led to the rapid growth of mobile users.

The most worrying aspect of lower penetration of Broadband connections is that Indian e-commerce is lagging. Indian online startups are finding it difficult to sustain due to lack of consumer interest.

I do not have any doubt that Internet connections prices will fall and we will see a surge in subscribers.

The question is WHEN?

AIRCOM to optimise Vinaphone’s GSM 900 network

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:24:00 +0000

News, Aircom, Mobile networks, Vietnam: Aircom International, a mobile network planning and optimisation consultancy, has won a contract with Vietnamese mobile network operator Vinaphone to provide RF network planning, design support and surveying activities for the expansion of Vinaphone's GSM 900 network.

Aircom will be providing network planning and design services for 1,212 macrosites in 27 province’s capitals and along Vietnam’s national highway. The deal, which comes on the back of a commercial bidding procedure, will see Aircom deliver a range of consultancy services, including network planning and formal on-the-job training, to Vinaphone.

“We’re delighted to have won the opportunity to do more work with a growing network operator like Vinaphone,” said Nick Brown, Regional MD Asia, at AIRCOM International. “We had experience of working with Vinaphone in the past, having carried out some minor consulting projects as well as network planning and management tools supply, so to have been brought on board to help with the network expansion is a great result."

* Vinaphone is a subsidiary of the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation and currently boasts more than 8 million subscribers in the country. It is expanding its existing GSM network to boost subscriber numbers and provide service coverage to all nationwide districts through the installation of an extra 5,000 base transmission stations (BTS). With Aircom's support, Vinaphone wants to have some 9,000 optimised BTS installed on its network by the end of the year.

More info: www.vinaphone.com.vn
www.aircominternational.com

Ufone launches Kirusa's Voice SMS service in Pakistan

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Tue, 27 May 2008 02:56:00 +0000

News, Kirusa, Ufone, Voice SMS, Pakistan: Ufone, one of the leading mobile carriers in Pakistan, has launched the Awaz SMS service based upon the pioneering Voice SMS technology from Kirusa, the world's leading vendor of Voice SMS and a leading developer of mobile value added services.

Ufone subscribers across Pakistan can now send personalized Awaz SMS messages to friends, family and colleagues across mobile networks in Pakistan. The Awaz SMS service is available nationwide to all Ufones's prepaid and postpaid subscribers. To deliver the Voice SMS solution to Ufone, Kirusa has deployed Voice SMS application and multimodal platform, integrated with HP open call media platform in the Ufone network in Islamabad.

Kirusa's Voice SMS technology allows its clients to offer the ultimate seamless Voice SMS experience to their mobile subscribers. The service provides a user the facility to send SMS messages without the hassle of typing a message on mobile phone keypads; instead a user is simply required to dial 9399-94 followed by the recipient's phone number, and records a short message of 30 seconds, in the language of his/her choice. A Ufone subscriber will get a network call that will take him to his Voice SMS. If the recipient is on another network he/she will get an SMS message from the sender, and can directly dial a predefined number in the message to access the recorded message. After listening to the message, Ufone subscribers can reply to an Awaz SMS by voice, or by text, and can also forward the message if they like. He/she can also dial *0* to retrieve new messages, and *1* to retrieve old messages. The user also has the option to schedule the Awaz SMS for sending the message at a later predefined time. A subscriber on another network also has an option to reply to an Awaz SMS sent by a Ufone subscriber. A number of other enhanced features are also available.

Ufone subscribers will pay PKR 0.75 (USD 0.018) to send an Awaz SMS. They will be able to listen to the message free of charge for the first time, and will pay PKR 0.50 (USD 0.012) per minute for subsequent listens.

"We have always believed in maintaining a strong focus on high quality of service and providing innovative solutions to add value to the lives of our subscribers. We believe that Awaz SMS will be just the right market initiative to fulfill the need of the masses. We are happy that we worked with Kirusa to bring this service to the market mainly because of their proactive stance and industry leading technology platforms," said Asher Yaqoob, CMO, Ufone.

"Awaz SMS will have tremendous appeal to youth along with servicing the messaging needs of the low literacy market segment. It will have all the colors of emotion and will allow our subscribers to give a personalized touch when they communicate," said Mr Ali Ikram, Head of VAS, Ufone Pakistan.

"Our customers can be confident in our ability to help them deliver a world class service today and in the future," said Kirusa CEO, Inderpal Singh Mumick. He added, "We are pleased to work with Ufone to bring the Voice SMS service to their mobile subscribers in Pakistan and we congratulate Ufone on the launch of the Voice SMS service."

More info: www.kirusa.com

Philippines 3G Operator CURE selects 3ple-Media's Mercury

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Mon, 26 May 2008 03:51:00 +0000

News, CURE, 3ple-Media, Multimedia platforms, Philippines: Philippines based 3G Mobile Operator, CURE, has selected 3ple-Media's award winning Mercury multimedia platform as its core mobile multimedia platform. CURE (Connectivity Unlimited Resource Enterprise Inc) is scheduled to launch during 2008 and will use Mercury as their sole and mission critical mobile multimedia platform. CURE is now the second Asian Operator to implement the Mercury platform, which is fast gaining recognition for its unique combination of commercial and technical innovation.

Mercury has been created to help operators position themselves at the centre of the newly emerging mobile multimedia ecosystem. Operators, content providers and media companies can easily and rapidly launch new, advanced services using any number of multimedia bearers and tap a variety of new revenue streams. Through Mercury, operators are able to mobilize subscribers to use new multimedia services, increase data ARPU by monetizing this growing base and micro-personalize the offering to enhance the end-user experience and fight churn.

CURE CMO, Ardie Balderrama, believes Mercury will play a crucial role in supporting their roll out: "As a new operator, we are very conscious that we have an opportunity to avoid some of the problems experienced by existing operators. Customers will expect innovation and a high quality of service right from the start. Mercury will give us the means to deliver fast, relevant and highly differentiating multimedia services. It will give us technical and commercial advantages to compete effectively and profitably in our market."

More info: www.3ple-Media.com

WSIS take three: making what you are doing look important?

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Sun, 25 May 2008 00:45:00 +0000

Analysis, ICTs, WSIS, North Africa: As ITU Telecom Africa wraps up in Egypt, the ITU segues seamlessly through World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) on 17 May into 10 days of WSIS events, taking place in Geneva. This will be the third time WSIS representatives have gathered post Tunis. We ask if anything has been achieved through the WSIS process which has really made a difference to ICT service levels in emerging markets.

In fact it looks like Telecom Africa was little more than a prequel to WTISD and the WSIS cluster of events in the minds of senior ITU officials. Which indicates an interesting and questionable set of priorities. Telecom Africa seemed distinctly underwhelming; I'm still struggling to find newsworthy events to report on from the show. The forum's program under the banner of ICTs in Africa - A Continent on the Move looked stale, with all the usual suspects of ‘Challenges and Opportunities', ‘Regulation' and ‘Investment Frameworks' well represented over the four days. The event seemed more like a rallying point for analysts and journalists who look at what is happening in Africa every couple of years and produce the same cliché ridden pieces about events which took place more than six months ago and present this as news (Kigali, if you are interested).

And while the closing theme of improving access to ICTs for disabled people is as important in Africa as elsewhere, it is not the most pressing ICT issue in Africa by a long measure.

The problem for ITU is that the massive increase in ICT use in Africa and other developing areas around the world that has taken place in the last five years has happened almost exclusively using wireless technology. It is a private sector driven mobile phone revolution we are witnessing. This has lead to the creation of an entirely new set of powerful but nimble companies who are driving service development forward faster than anyone could have imagined. The ITU, on the other hand, seems stuck in the fixed wire, public sector, big project, over regulated rut.

This is very similar to the problem faced by WSIS. WSIS aimed to bring together civil society with government and commercial interests to seek out, fund and implement new projects. The current cluster of WSIS related events are intended to take stock of and advance the implementation of the WSIS outcomes. Meetings will cover internet governance and... well I'm not quite sure what, as it is all tied up in so many ‘facilitators' and ‘commissions' as to obscure any real understanding of what they hope to achieve other than to have a jolly nice few days in Geneva at someone else's expense.

Indeed it is hard to escape the impression when you look at WSIS's action lines that very few projects which could have resulted in an actual increase in ICT services in developing countries have actually got off the ground. What you have in their place is a series of best practice recommendations, policies and expressions of hope, wrapped up in the best politically correct, gender and everything else neutral language. It all looks like making what you are doing look important, rather than doing what is important. And all at someone else's expense again.

Of course WSIS defenders, including the ITU will rightly say that the WSIS program was never resourced to undertake projects and was always intended to be a facilitator. But on that measure it is fair to ask what has been facilitated? How many of the introductions that were made in Tunis have lead to an implementation of service. Very few that we know of. And how many of the ones which were publicised at the time would have happened anyway or, as we were frequently told at the time, were stage managed to make it look as if they were WSIS projects.

And how many disappointed communities are there who were lead to expect much and ended up with very little? Over the last two years we have heard from quite a few here at Developing Telecoms.

It is not appropriate for Developing Telecoms to carp unduly about WSIS - after all we launched our website at Tunis and were grateful for the platform and the opportunity it afforded. But that was 2005. Now we are in 2008 and in the intervening period a few hundred million individuals and hundreds of thousands of communities in some of the poorest and most disadvantaged areas of the world have gained access to a functioning mobile phone and all the benefits that brings. Even the Taliban of Afghanistan had to back down last week and accept this most representative icon of the 21st Century forms a part of contemporary society.

This is the greatest increase in ICT services in developing countries ever to have taken place. And WSIS has had not the slightest impact on or involvement in the process.

Come to Kuala Lumpur for South East Asia Com 2008

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Sat, 24 May 2008 05:20:00 +0000

News, South-East Asia Com, WiMAX, ASEAN, Malaysia: South East Asia Com 2008 takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 23-24 July, 2008. Comprising the ten members of the ASEAN regional group (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) plus East Timor and Papua New Guinea, the region is one of the world's telecommunications hubs.

The 12 markets totalled over 280 million mobile subscribers in March 2008, with an average penetration rate of 49.8% across the region. Growth opportunities are significant. Indeed, Informa Telecoms and Media forecasts total mobile subscriptions to reach over 400 million by 2012. There are, however, differences within the region's market, with some highly penetrated markets such as Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia (each over 90% penetration), and some severely under-penetrated ones such as Myanmar (0.6%), Papua New Guinea (3.5%) and East Timor (7.6%).

Between these extremes, a number of countries are showing exceptional growth opportunities thanks to a combination of high population, relatively stable economic environment, and low penetration rates that leave plenty of space for growth: Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam are the most notable. The region's markets are attracting investment from its major operator groups (SingTel, Telekom Malaysia International, Hutchison Whampoa), as well as interest from groups outside the region looking for high returns outside their own markets.

WiMAX is also a key technology used in the development of broadband access in the region. The leaders of the region's telecommunications industry will meet at South-East Asia Com in Kuala Lumpur in July, the leading event to discuss commercial and technology strategies for growth in the market. The high-level strategic conference will be opened by a welcome allocution from Hon Dato Shaziman Abu Mansor, Malaysia's Minister of Energy, Water & Communications, followed by a keynote presentation from Johnny Swandi Sjam, President of Indonesia's Indosat.

Over two days, the multi-streamed conference will include presentations from senior representatives of the region's operators (including Laos's ETL, Cambodia's TM International, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications, Malaysia's Maxis, Indonesia's PT Excelcomindo Pertamina, Thailand's AIS, Philippines' Bayan Telecommunications) and regulators (Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission, National Telecommunications Commission of Philippines, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of Indonesia (Badan Regulasi Telekomunikasi Indonesia). The event will also include an exhibition showcasing the latest telecommunications solutions.

More info: www.comworldseries.com/seasia

Acision: mobile messaging revenues can double to US$165 billion globally by 2011

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:16:00 +0000

News, Mobile Messaging, Acision, Emerging Markets, Global: Messaging company Acision is outlining a five-step strategy to achieve increased messaging revenue. The company's predictions forecast doubled revenue in thee years time. Acision, the messaging company, has forecast mobile messaging revenues of US$165 billion globally by 2011, 200% higher than previous industry predictions.

Releasing the projection to coincide with the annual Global Messaging gathering in Cannes, the company, which powers half the world's text and multimedia messages, has explained its optimism with a five-step action plan that operators are already embarking upon in pursuit of messaging revenues. Since its inception fifteen years ago, mobile messaging has delivered a 6,000% return on investment but the growth phase is not yet over, with markets such as India, North America and China seeing phenomenal traffic increases.

Even within the more mature markets of Western Europe and South East Asia messaging still has huge growth potential. Acision believes that the following five steps have the capability to double messaging revenues for operators in the next four years: personalising the messaging experience with added functionality relevant to specific consumer and enterprise segments; using partnerships and multi-play strategies to extend mobile messaging to the fixed environment using converged messaging; subsidising mobile Internet revenues through messaging integration with interactive web applications such as Facebook and eBay; mobilising enterprise applications; and leveraging the mobile marketing opportunities offered by the reach of messaging platforms.

Acision CEO Rory Buckley explains Acision's optimism; "SMS has achieved more than anyone imagined it would fifteen years ago, but speculation that messaging has reached its peak ignores much of today's market dynamic. Peer-to-peer communication is showing no sign of stalling or declining, and already in South-East Asia operators' efforts to differentiate their services by adding features such as out-of-office and blacklisting are proving popular with subscribers. However, it is with application-to-peer and peer-to-application messaging that the wider opportunities lie. We believe that capitalising on the opportunities afforded by web applications such as Facebook (essentially an enormous web-based multimedia messaging environment) and effectively harnessing mobile marketing will enable operators to double mobile messaging revenues by 2011."

Christian Dior Touchscreen Phone Unveiled

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Thu, 22 May 2008 01:34:00 +0000

The first ever Christian Dior luxury mobile phone is now ready for all those mobile users who don't mind spending several thousand dollars on a new handset. The famous French designer created the new phone together with ModeLabs, the company that stands behind other exclusive and expensive mobile devices, like the ones that were released under the brands of Levi's or TAG Heuer.

The Christian Dior phone comes in a clamshell form factor, resembling (for no reason, apparently) most of the handsets produced by Japanese manufacturers. The new luxury phone features an internal touchscreen display, a photo camera of unknown performances and a fashionable geometrical pattern on its shiny case. More interestingly, the device also comes with some sort of remote control, but its exact functionality is not known for the moment.

The price of the Dior phone will be somewhere between $3,500 and $5,000 (2,230 and 3,190 Euros), probably depending on the number of diamonds and other fancy things that will dress its case. The Wall Street Journal says the Dior mobile phone is mainly targeted towards rich users from mobile markets like Russia and China, but this will surely not stop people from other countries from buying it (if they have enough money, of course).

According to Modelabs, the new luxury handset is available as of today, the 21st of May, from the Parisian Christian Dior store situated on Avenue Montaigne – a street where other famous clothing and jewelry designers have stores: Chanel, Bulgari, Valentino and so on.

Unfortunately, until now there are no images to show the handset opened, nor too many details about its technical specifications. However, since it's a touchscreen phone, we can expect it to have many other high-end features. For example, 3G connectivity, a big internal memory and an easy to use interface could make the Dior mobile device really attractive. Otherwise, it will be just another accessory for wealthy people.

Metal Gear Solid Mobile N-Gaged by Nokia

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:46:00 +0000

Nokia unveiled today that Metal Gear Solid Mobile, the award-winning mobile game developed by the Japan-based Konami, will soon be available via the N-Gage gaming platform (accessible at this address). This is part of a broader collaboration between Nokia and Konami, which will bring, in the future, more Konami mobile games for N-Gage.

Based on the original Metal Gear stealth game, the mobile version brings a similar atmosphere as well as several exclusive features: cutting edge 3D graphics, ingenious camera works and special controls that allow mobile players to better feel the game action. Leveraging on Ideaworks3D's Airplay 3.5 SDK, the graphics and colors of Metal Gear Solid Mobile are set to redefine mobile gaming. This being said, I'm sure the new N-Gage game will look very nice on Nokia's Nseries high-end phones.

"We're excited to see Konami tap into the performance and community features we've built into the N-Gage platform. Metal Gear Solid on N-Gage will raise the bar with respect to graphical detail and made-for-mobile features. We look forward to the launch of this great franchise on N-Gage", declared Gregg Sauter, Director, Third Party Games Publishing, Nokia.

Hideo Kojima, Executive Producer of Kojima Productions and Corporate Officer of Konami Digital Entertainment, added: "It is my sincere hope that global Nokia N-Gage users will experience the appeal of Metal Gear that has been brought to the mobile platform in the form of Metal Gear Solid Mobile. I believe that this cooperation between Nokia and Konami will form the perfect match to share the vast potential of mobile entertainment content with users all around the world."

Besides new games, Konami will also provide ringtones and wallpapers for Nokia's N-Gage platform, bringing many of its well-known franchises closer to mobile users.

Adapted from material provided by www.news.softpedia.com

EntreCard

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Russia and Ukraine - the battleground for GSM and CDMA

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:12:00 +0000

Analysis, Telephony, Fixed-line, Russia, CIS, Ukraine, CEE: Delegates at the Russia & CIS Com congress in Moscow on 3-4 June 2008 will enjoy an opportunity to learn more about a sector undergoing major changes. For the Ukraine and Russia are currently a battleground for growing GSM and CDMA mobile operators.

For example, a recent Ukraine Mobile Market Update identifies the Ukrainian mobile market as one returning to growth in 3Q07, following a fall in subscriptions in 2Q07. Net additions were down 26% over 3Q06 but as penetration had reached 116% by end-3Q07, subscription growth of 35% in the year to end 3Q07 was higher than might have been expected. As in 2Q06, Kyivstar accounted for the lion's share of net additions, claiming 1.5 million, or 50% of the total figure, in 3Q07. However, MTS Ukraine experienced a drastic decline in its growth, with its share of net additions dropping from 30% in 3Q06 to just 3% in 3Q07.

It seems that that Astelit (branded Life:) GSM) has gained most from this disappointing performance by MTS. Astelit has, in fact, forged ahead, accounting for 43% of market growth in 3Q07. At the end of the quarter its subscriptions stood at 7.6 million, pushing its market share up 2.4 percentage points to 14.2%. Astelit's total subscriptions have been boosted by the high number of users with multiple SIMs and by inactive subscriptions, and the operator says its active-subscription base stood at just 4.7 million at end 3Q07.

Although this figure appears fairly low, it also signifies that the proportion of Astelit's subscriptions that are active has been growing. At end 3Q06 Astelit had 1.9 million active subscriptions, accounting for just 41% of its total subscription base, while at end 3Q07 the proportion had risen to 62%. Astelit does have one of the lowest ARPU levels in the market but in the first nine months of 2007 its ARPU steadily increased, rising from US$2.50 in 1Q07 to US$3.60 in 3Q07. Again, the ARPU of Astelit's active subscription base is significantly different from that of its registered base, standing at US$5.80 in 3Q07. However, even Astelit's active-subscription ARPU is substantially lower than that of MTS or Kyivstar.

The rise in Astelit's ARPU helped it record positive EBITDA for the first time in 3Q07, with the figure standing at US$2.9 million for the quarter. This result put Astelit ahead of its target, as it had originally stated that it planned to record positive EBITDA in 4Q07. Astelit's EBITDA result has been helped by strong growth in revenues of 260% in the year to end 3Q07. Encouraged by this, and less than three years after launching in Ukraine, Astelit is looking to expand overseas and has announced plans to launch an MVNO in Italy in 2Q08. According to Astelit, statistical data indicates that more than 200,000 Ukrainians live in Italy, and it is hoping to capitalise on this presence by offering its service in partnership with Hutchison 3G Italy.

Participants at the June conference will gain from privileged access to Tansu Yegen, the company's CEO, who is a confirmed member of the panel of speakers. He will be on hand to describe the company's plans and to field questions from conference participants - and will not be the only CEO representing a Ukrainian operator. Also present will be Tsvika Pakula, General Director, PeopleNet, Ukraine and Michael Chobanyan, Managing Director, CDMA Ukraine. The former competes with GSM-standard rivals Astelit, Kyivstar, MTS and Golden Telecom in the mobile space, using a CDMA2000 network and 1x EV-DO. The presence of Messrs. Pakula and Chobanyan is a clear signal to the CIS region's telcos that all are most welcome to gain from two days of networking and high-value insights.

This year's Russia & CIS Com is not only gathering delegates from the mobile/wireless space. Also expect to meet representatives of the Russian Federation's many different kinds of fixed-line operators and cable MSOs.

More info: http://www.comworldseries.com/Russi

Bolivia's President Evo Morales announces his take-over of Bolivia's main telco, Entel

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Mon, 19 May 2008 02:48:00 +0000

News, Telephony, Markets, Bolivia, CLA: Living up to this reputation as a radical leader, Bolivian president Evo Morales has used the opportunity of May Day to announce that he will be nationalising Entel, his country's main telco. He also declared that he would take over four foreign-owned gas companies. Key to the decision is the fact that 50% of Entel's ownership is in the hands of Telecom Italia SpA. Negotiations whereby Entel would purchase Telecom Italia's share go back several months and have been complicated.

President Morales is obviously keen to proceed, not least as he has even sent police officers to stand outside Entel's offices in the capital La Paz and the eastern city of Santa Cruz. This physical presence supports his determination which he has expressed in the following words: "Basic services - call them energy, water or communications - cannot be in the hands of private business. They're public services," he stated in his May Day address.

Quite how much money will change hands will become apparent in the next two months, according to Bolivian Public Works Minister Oscar Coca. Regarding employment in the intended new entity, the government has said that Entel employees would be keeping their jobs. The background to Telecom Italia's acquisition of 50% of Entel is complicated. The Government of Bolivia realised in 1995 that a company generally accepted as struggling needed major and urgent improvement. For this reason 50% of the company was handed to Stet International, which promised US$608 million investment. Stet ultimately merged with Telecom Italia. At this point in time Telecom Italia maintains that it has spent more than the US$608 million to build up the largest mobile/Internet enterprise in Bolivia; the Morales administration charges that US$25 million in tax remains unpaid.

The negotiations which have impeded the take-over started in October last year when Telecom Italia filed its claim seeking international arbitration to block President Morales efforts to take over Entel. The law suit has since been with the World Bank's International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). In recent weeks talks have collapsed when Bolivia refused Telecom Italia's request to move the negotiations to another country. Of course, accusation and counter-accusation have been frequent. Telecom Italia believes the intention to nationalise Entel violates the contract signed when Entel was capitalised in 1995. Bolivia's government has said it is planning to withdraw from the ICSID; a government official has accused ICSID of favouring multinational companies in its rulings. President Morales has also declared that Entel has spent far less than it should have done. This has been promptly denied by Telecom Italia.

So where does this leave Bolivian telecoms? Well, there is some competition left for those who do not want to dial long-distance or use a mobile with Entel. The competition can only go one way - up - as it is only 10% of long-distance telephone and just 30% of the mobile sector. Of course, this assumes that the Morales regime will leave the other companies alone - he is quite strident in his intentions and rhetoric. And if there is a change of government? Would any new administration want to go through another process of privatisation involving consultants, stockbrokers and precious political time? At a time when private hands are the norm for telcos it is easy to be sceptical about a model which is dominated by politicians, bureaucrats, and possibly workers' representatives. It is unfashionable but that does not in itself make it wrong. One recent development does leave President Morales isolated - Raul Castro's allowing Cubans to purchase mobile phones. One wonders what will happen in Bolivia when the current network is up for repair or replacement. An injection of foreign capital, perhaps?

* Developing Telecoms acknowledges the initial reporting of this story by Associated Press reporter Dan Keane. The opinions expressed are those of Developing Telecoms alone.

EarthLink to remove Philadelphia Wi-Fi

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Sun, 18 May 2008 06:03:00 +0000

The ailing service provider made the announcement Tuesday, saying it is proceeding with that plan after months of negotiations with the city and a nonprofit that had planned to offer free Wi-Fi on the network. The deal fell apart because of a disagreement among the city, the nonprofit, and the group Wireless Philadelphia, EarthLink said. The carrier will provide a 30-day transition period, finally shutting down the network on June 12, and offer its Wi-Fi subscribers discounts on other EarthLink services.

Unless a deal to hand over the network can be salvaged, it will be a somber ending to the project that put municipal Wi-Fi on the map in the U.S. just three years ago. Philadelphia's plan in 2005 to build the nation's largest municipal Wi-Fi network, spanning 135 square miles (350 square kilometers), drew fire from Verizon Communications, which charged it was unfair to use tax dollars to create a network that would compete with private service providers.

Under EarthLink's winning proposal for the project, the carrier financed, built, and operated the network at no cost to taxpayers, sharing revenue with Wireless Philadelphia. The idea was to make Wi-Fi available to residents and businesses throughout the city, reaching areas the city said didn't have broadband, and to offer the service at a subsidized rate to low-income residents to bring them online.

But there were delays in rolling out the network, and it never gained much traction. In court papers filed Tuesday, EarthLink said it had only 5,034 regular residential and business subscribers and 908 customers under the subsidized plan. EarthLink said it knew by late 2007 that the business was unsustainable.

EarthLink's other municipal Wi-Fi networks also failed to deliver, and the company started shutting down its municipal Wi-Fi unit last year. Since then it has given networks back to cities, including Corpus Christi, Texas, and Milpitas, Calif. The company offered to give the Philadelphia network to the city or the unnamed nonprofit for free, after which the nonprofit would offer free service, according to EarthLink. Representatives of the city and Wireless Philadelphia were not immediately available for comment.

Also on Tuesday, EarthLink asked a federal court to declare it has the right to take down the network and that its liability for pulling out is capped at $1 million.

Wireless Philadelphia, the entity providing low-cost network access, said it has not given up on the network.

"Wireless Philadelphia and the city are still working actively together to identify alternatives for preserving this network and applying it to numerous civic, commercial and social purposes. We remain optimistic for an orderly resolution of this matter," Greg Goldman, the group's CEO, said in a statement.

The history of Philadelphia's wireless initiative is making it harder for the city to move on, according to Craig Settles, an independent municipal network consultant who has written a book about the project. The high hopes raised by the project, the long wait to see it built and the bitter conflict with incumbent service providers -- who might have taken over the network -- have put leaders in a tough position, Settles said.

Given the potential cost of taking down the network versus just running it at a loss for a few more months, Settles believes EarthLink may have threatened the move to scare its negotiating partners into a resolution. Yet given more time, the city and its partners might find other stakeholders such as hospitals or universities to help out, he said.

"I can't see why you would just walk in and pull the plug," Settles said, though he added, "Dumber business deals have been done because of someone just getting peeved." EarthLink might also want to resolve the issue quickly to clear the way for a sale of the company, he added.

European Commission Considers SMS Roaming Price Cap

noreply@blogger.com (THE GANDHIS) — Sat, 17 May 2008 06:32:00 +0000

Caps on the price of sending an SMS from a mobile phone while abroad came a step closer Wednesday, when the European Commission launched a two-month public consultation into its rules on mobile phone roaming charges.

Mobile phone manufacturers, network operators and consumer groups have been invited to submit comments about the effectiveness of the regulation on roaming charges for voice calls that came into force last year.

As well as seeking general feedback on the impact of the European Union law, the Commission also asked stakeholders whether regulation is necessary for data roaming services and SMS in light of current retail prices and market developments.

The results of the consultation will influence the Commission's decision whether or not to extend the existing roaming law to include data and SMS roaming charges.

A report published by the European Regulators Group in January showed that on average across the E.U., users had to pay €5.24 per megabyte of data and €0.29 for an SMS sent while roaming in the third quarter of 2007. The Commission suspects that this is disproportionately high compared to data and SMS prices when sent from a person's home country.

The existing roaming law requires operators to offer customers a "Eurotariff" for voice calls when roaming in other E.U. member states, and introduced ceilings of €0.49 per minute for making calls and €0.24 per minute for receiving calls. These will decrease to €0.46 and €0.22 respectively on Aug. 30, and to €0.43 and €0.19 on Aug. 30, 2009.

The roaming regulation is limited to voice calls and expires on June 30, 2010 unless the European Parliament and the Council decide, on the basis of a proposal from the European Commission, to extend it beyond this date.