Telecom Asia articles from April 2006

Telecom Asia archives from April 2006

RFID: what's in a tag?(TANNER)
April 1, 2006... The news last month that RFID chips are reportedly vulnerable to virus attacks shouldn't have, been news at all. After all, an RFID tag is essentially a tiny computer chip connected to a network, and it relies on software that is inevitably...

IPTV: the customer is always confused.(FIRST MILE)(internet protocol television)(Survey)
April 1, 2006... IPTV may be the future of pay-TV and the heart of the average telco's "triple play" strategy, but telecoms/IT experts are advising telcos that if they want IPTV to be a commercial success, it has to be better than current pay-TV offerings--but...

Asia's spacious collocation centers.(STAT SNAP)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Colocation facilities in Asia average more floor space than any other region in the world, according to recent data from TeleGeography's Global Colocation Database. Colocation centers across the region average 12,831 square meters per site...

Cisco converges comms tools.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
April 1, 2006... Cisco CEO John Chambers used his keynote at the VoiceCon show in Orlando to introduce a new suite of voice, data and video products and applications that enable enterprises to communicate more effectively by integrating traditionally separate...

Optical networking market hits $11b.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S TELECOM RESEARCH)
April 1, 2006... The global optical networking market grew 17% in 2005 to reach $11 billion. Ovum-RHK said that in the fourth quarter of 2005 alone, the market posted $3 billion in revenue, up 7% from the same period the year before. Leading the market were...

Telcos should reevaluate outsourcing strategies.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S TELECOM RESEARCH)
April 1, 2006... To become more competitive, telecom operators worldwide should reevaluate their outsourcing strategies and consider handing over to third parties the management of activities that are traditionally considered as core. Analysys says that while...

PC users face phishing onslaught.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S TELECOM RESEARCH)
April 1, 2006... Financially-motivated computer crime continued to gain ground, with more than 20% of PC users worldwide now receiving five or more phishing emails every day. According to Sophos, 58% of the 640 business PC users that participated in its Web...

Fixed line feels further squeeze.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S TELECOM RESEARCH)(Industry overview)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Fixed voice service providers in Australia are increasingly feeling the pinch of competition as the market continues to shrink in favor of mobile and VoIP services. According to Market Clarity, local call volumes will drop by more than 22% and...

Broadcasters face deregulation threat.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
April 1, 2006... Japan is a country where the urban landscape changes at unbelievable speed, but business in the over-regulated and over-protected staid world of broadcasting shows little evidence of recent change beyond digitalization. Despite the fact...

Death of the LEOsats.(RESEND: FLASHBACKS, UPDATES AND NOSTALGIA: TELECOM ASIA, APRIL 2000)
April 1, 2006... SYNOPSIS: In a post-mortem analysis on the collapse of LEOsat operator Iridium, Telecom Asia global group editorial director Grahame Lynch writes that one of Iridium's fatal flaws was that it assumed that global mobile roaming was...

Promoters of China's controversial wireless encryption technology accuse rivals of "dirty tricks" after the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) rejected WAPI as a global standard.(BEIJING)(China Broadband Wireless IP standard)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Promoters of China's controversial wireless encryption technology accuse rivals of "dirty tricks" after the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) rejected WAPI as a global standard. A statement issued by ChinaBWIPS, the official...

The Hong Kong government launches a three-month consultation on the establishment of a unified regulator to deal with competition issues stemming from convergence of telecoms and media.(HONG KONG)
April 1, 2006... The Hong Kong government launches a three-month consultation on the establishment of a unified regulator to deal with competition issues stemming from convergence of telecoms and media. The new Communication Authority will take over the...

Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association unveils plans to conduct a small-scale.(HONG KONG)
April 1, 2006... Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association unveils plans to conduct a small-scale lab trial of China's 3G TD-SCDMA in Hong Kong.

Hutchison Telecommunications International reports a net loss of HK$768m ($98m) in 2005 from HK$30m ($3.8m) in 2004.(HONG KONG)
April 1, 2006... Hutchison Telecommunications International reports a net loss of HK$768m ($98m) in 2005 from HK$30m ($3.8m) in 2004. The result is worse than analysts' estimate of a HK$178m ($22.9m million).

TOT refuses to heed the National Telecommunications Commission's order to immediately stop charging customers for its 1133 phone-directory inquiry service.(BANGKOK)
April 1, 2006... TOT refuses to heed the National Telecommunications Commission's order to immediately stop charging customers for its 1133 phone-directory inquiry service. TOT claims it has to maintain the charge in order to reduce the operating costs of its...

The government clears the way for protecting e-commerce under new legislation to bring the country in line with neighbors in regulating electronic transactions.(COLOMBO)
April 1, 2006... The government clears the way for protecting e-commerce under new legislation to bring the country in line with neighbors in regulating electronic transactions. Sri Lanka's parliament has approved laws to recognize electronic signatures.

Celltel plans to invest $100m to bring services to the island's embattled northeast.(COLOMBO)
April 1, 2006... Celltel plans to invest $100m to bring services to the island's embattled northeast. Celltel also plans to add 500 new base stations in the north and east, including the port district of Trincomalee, within three months.

The government plans to partly privatize the military-owned mobile operator Viettel "in the near future.".(HANOI)
April 1, 2006... The government plans to partly privatize the military-owned mobile operator Viettel "in the near future." The Vietnam Military Electronics and Telecommunications had recently received an acceptance letter for the deal from the government.

SLD Telecom readies a $260m investment to capture a larger share of Vietnam's lucrative mobile market.(HANOI)
April 1, 2006... SLD Telecom readies a $260m investment to capture a larger share of Vietnam's lucrative mobile market. The listed firm is aiming to create a breakthrough in the implementation of CDMA technology in Vietnam.

Telekom Malaysia's net profit plunges 66% in 2005 after making a provision to pay an award to Deutsche Telekom.(KUALA LUMPUR)
April 1, 2006... Telekom Malaysia's net profit plunges 66% in 2005 after making a provision to pay an award to Deutsche Telekom. The company posted a net profit of 875.23m ringgit ($235.59m) during its 2005 financial year compared to 2.61b ringgit ($705m) in...

DiGi.Com fails to win a lucrative 3G license due to its high foreign ownership level.(KUALA LUMPUR)
April 1, 2006... DiGi.Com fails to win a lucrative 3G license due to its high foreign ownership level. The decision sparks surprise and controversy in the industry.

Telekom Malaysia agrees to buy 49% of India's Spice Telecom for $178.8m, its latest foray in South Asia's booming mobile market.(KUALA LUMPUR)
April 1, 2006... Telekom Malaysia agrees to buy 49% of India's Spice Telecom for $178.8m, its latest foray in South Asia's booming mobile market.

Korea Cable Telecom, a joint venture of cable TV system operators of the country, obtains approval from the Ministry of Information and Communication to launch VoIP service.(SEOUL)
April 1, 2006... Korea Cable Telecom, a joint venture of cable TV system operators of the country, obtains approval from the Ministry of Information and Communication to launch VoIP service. KCT plans to launch the service as early as October.

The Ministry of Information and Communications unveils a set of measures aimed at staving off online identity theft.(SEOUL)
April 1, 2006... The Ministry of Information and Communications unveils a set of measures aimed at staving off online identity theft. Under the measures, MIC will strengthen its monitoring of IP addresses suspected of being used in the theft of private...

BenQ Mobile plans to sell phones with preinstalled Google software.(TAIPEI)
April 1, 2006... BenQ Mobile plans to sell phones with preinstalled Google software. The firm will start selling handsets in April that can download software upgrades over the air.

eAccess announces plans to begin mobile services in the Kanto.(TOKYO)
April 1, 2006... eAccess announces plans to begin mobile services in the Kanto, Chubu and Kansai regions in early 2008 before expanding its service area to all parts of Japan two to three years later.

Cable TV operator Jupiter Telecommunications plans to digitize all its main free-charging multi-channels at the end of 2008.(TOKYO)
April 1, 2006... Cable TV operator Jupiter Telecommunications plans to digitize all its main free-charging multi-channels at the end of 2008, two years ahead of the digitalization of all terrestrial broadcasts planned by the industry.

Softbank is acquiring British mobile phone company Vodafone's struggling Japan unit for $15 billion.(TOKYO)
April 1, 2006... Softbank is acquiring British mobile phone company Vodafone's struggling Japan unit for $15 billion, a move that will boost Softbank's foray into Japan's mobile phone Industry

Around 1.4m people in Australia are considering canceling their landline and moving entirely to mobile.(SYDNEY)
April 1, 2006... Around 1.4m people in Australia are considering canceling their landline and moving entirely to mobile, according to a survey commissioned by mobile operator Vodafone Australia.

State-linked JTC and the National Parks Board have jointly launched Wi-Fi facilities in the first three hectares of One-North Park.(SINGAPORE)
April 1, 2006... State-linked JTC and the National Parks Board have jointly launched Wi-Fi facilities in the first three hectares of One-North Park, which will eventually comprise 16 hectares.

M1, SingTel and StarHub, jointly announce an initiative to self-regulate their respective mobile content.(SINGAPORE)
April 1, 2006... M1, SingTel and StarHub, jointly announce an initiative to self-regulate their respective mobile content. The initiative is in response to concerns about minors having easy access to undesirable content on their mobile phones.

Philippine-based online broker Cashrounds plans.(MANILA)
April 1, 2006... Philippine-based online broker Cashrounds plans to begin offering VoIP services within the year.

Reliance Communication debuts on the Indian stock markets, opening above analyst expectations and pushing telecom stocks up.(MUMBAI)
April 1, 2006... Reliance Communication debuts on the Indian stock markets, opening above analyst expectations and pushing telecom stocks up. Reliance was listed as a separate entity after it was split off from India's largest private sector company Reliance...

Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization (ISO) rejects China's controversial wireless encryption system.(movements)
April 1, 2006... Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization (ISO) rejects China's controversial wireless encryption system, WAPI, dealing a blow to Beijing's efforts to promote its homegrown protocol around the world.

US consumer groups oppose AT&T's purchase of BellSouth.(movements)
April 1, 2006... US consumer groups oppose AT&T's purchase of BellSouth, arguing that the deal will reduce competition and drive up prices in the telecommunications industry.

BlackBerry maker RIM pays $612.5m to settle its long-running patent dispute with NTP.(movements)
April 1, 2006... BlackBerry maker RIM pays $612.5m to settle its long-running patent dispute with NTP, averting a possible court-ordered shutdown of the BlackBerry system and a disruption of wireless service for millions of users.

AT&T says its China revenue grew 45% last year.(movements)
April 1, 2006... AT&T says its China revenue grew 45% last year, four times the rate for its Asia region, but added that murky regulation had dampened its development in the nation.

Intel, which had previously said it expected to have WiMAX products in 2007.(movements)
April 1, 2006... Intel, which had previously said it expected to have WiMAX products in 2007, now plans to have WiMAX cards for laptops in the second half of this year.

Samsung Electronics will start selling cheap cellular phones, making it the last of the top five handset vendors to enter the volume segment of the market.(movements)
April 1, 2006... Samsung Electronics will start selling cheap cellular phones, making it the last of the top five handset vendors to enter the volume segment of the market. Samsung will not come out with ultra-cheap handsets priced at $30 to $40 but is looking...

The European Commission is calling for swift action to harmonize mobile television rules and regulations.(movements)
April 1, 2006... The European Commission is calling for swift action to harmonize mobile television rules and regulations, saying Europe cannot wait until 2012 when sufficient radio spectrum will become available.

Deutsche Telekom posts a 43% decrease in fourth quarter profits due to a charge on its British wireless operations and lower sales of traditional telephone services.(movements)
April 1, 2006... Deutsche Telekom posts a 43% decrease in fourth quarter profits due to a charge on its British wireless operations and lower sales of traditional telephone services. However, full-year profit grew strongly and the company proposed its highest...

Swisscom's net profit drops 18% in the fourth quarter of 2005, but full-year profit jumped more than a quarter despite lower revenue.(movements)
April 1, 2006... Swisscom's net profit drops 18% in the fourth quarter of 2005, but full-year profit jumped more than a quarter despite lower revenue. Swisscom's fourth-quarter profit was 372m Swiss francs ($285m), down from 456m francs ($349m) in the same...

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approves a deal which allows VeriSign to raise its annual fee for ".com" domain names.(movements)
April 1, 2006... The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approves a deal which allows VeriSign to raise its annual fee for ".com" domain names. The deal limits VeriSign's annual price increases to 7% in four of the next six years.

Squaring off over net neutrality: the debate in the US over net neutrality highlights a core broadband issue-the cost of broadband Internet capacity is rising, and someone must pay. Telcos have other options besides making companies like Google pay extra for QoS, but content providers may have little choice if they want to offer video.(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... For all the talk about "convergence" these days, there are still times when it's clear that the telecoms and IT camps don't always mesh well. One interesting example that's been escalating over the last few months in the US is the public...

Warning: high-speed danger ahead: the great broadband disruption is about to hit cellular. That might threaten voice revenues, but is a high-speed boost to the data segment.(TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2006... These are precarious times for mobile operators. The old voice business is declining and the new 3G networks have not created the anticipated bonanza. Too bad. Now cellular must face the biggest disruption of all: broadband. The coming of...

Enterprise mobility's new darling.(EUROPE FORUM)(Market overview)
April 1, 2006... If you survived the taxi-rank-at-dusk, the mushy sandwiches, the search for non-existent "Hall 3," the Scottish Bagpiper and a certain beachfront nostalgia, you've earned your 3GSM Barcelona spurs. Not to mention a better insight into the new...

Interface technology for videos on cellphones.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)
April 1, 2006... Texas Instruments has introduced a new range of interface integrated circuits for true-color, high-resolution video content in handheld devices. The FlatLink 3G family of serializers and deserializers provide a high-speed interface between...

W-CDMA base station portfolio.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)
April 1, 2006... The new generation of radio base stations unveiled by Ericsson addresses customers' needs for smooth capacity growth, fewer sites and improved power efficiency. The new products allow mobile operators to provide services, such as...

Advanced entertainment functions for 3G handsets.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)
April 1, 2006... Royal Philips Electronics' Nexperia cellular system solution 7210 delivers rich entertainment functions such as advanced audio, video, DVB-H and FM radio for 3G handsets. As it supports UMTS, EDGE and DTM (dual transfer mode), the solution...

Backhaul with integrated multi-band antenna.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)
April 1, 2006... Outdoor fixed wireless networking equipment provider smartBridges has launched its latest Nexus backhaul, the airHaul Nexus PRO TOTAL, which operates in the unlicensed 2.4-GHz and 5.x-GHz frequency bands. It is designed for demanding...

Next-gen integrated service assurance platform.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)(Vallent Corp)(www.vallent.com)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Vallent Corp. has launched what it claims as the industry's only integrated performance management/service quality management solution. The next-generation Virtuo platform helps service providers connect network performance, service...

New switch with multicast capability.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)
April 1, 2006... Tundra Semiconductor's newly released switch enables designers of embedded designs to build reliable, high-performance RapidIO-based systems for next-generation wireless and video infrastructure platforms. According to Tundra, the new...

Switches for simply network configurations.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)
April 1, 2006... Allied Telesyn has launched the second generation of its Fast Ethernet and Gigabit WebSmart switches, the AT-FS750 and AT GS950 series. According to the company, the new switches integrate the simplicity of unmanaged switches with the...

Precision LBS solutions.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)(location-based services )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Independent handset design firm Shanghai Simcom's new range of GSM handset solutions are all enabled with Matrix high-accuracy location technology from Cambridge Positioning Systems. According to the company, the three handset solutions are...

Networking opportunities across Asia.(EVENTS CALENDAR)(Table)(Calendar)
April 1, 2006... Networking opportunities across Asia Date Event Location Apr 04-Apr 06, 2006 Mobile Content World Asia Singapore 2006 Apr 14-Apr 17, 2006 ICT Expo 2006 ...

Summit to highlight future of mobile, broadband.(COMMUNICASIA PREVIEW)
April 1, 2006... The organizer of ComnmnicAsia 2006, Singapore Exhibition Services (SES), announced that is has already lined up high-profile executives from more than 90 service providers and equipment suppliers to speak at the CommunicAsia2006 Summit--the...

South China MD for Cisco.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... Cisco Systems has appointed Fredy Cheung as MD of South China to head its newly-integrated China and Hong Kong operation. Cheung, who is based in Hong Kong, will oversee Cisco's sales operations in Hong Kong, Macau and five provinces in...

Senior appointments at Juniper.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... Juniper Networks has appointed Andy Miller as VP heading the company's enterprise sales team in developing growth in the enterprise, government and academic sectors. Miller was previously Juniper's regional senior director of marketing....

APAC, India spokespersons for GSA.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... GSA has appointed Stephan Buchholz as its spokesperson for Asia Pacific and Anders Kager as spokesperson for India. Buchholz is currently based in Bangkok as head of Siemens Communications mobile networks center of competence in Asia...

Airtel appoints marketing boss.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... Bharti's mobile unit Airtel has appointed Akshay Kumar, an ex-Standard Chartered Bank head from Singapore, as the company's chief marketing officer for broadband and telephone services.

MSV has new VP for engineering.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... Mobile Satellite Ventures has assigned David Claassen as VP of its core engineering unit. He joins MSV with seven years of experience as VP of engineering development at Nextel Communications.

Infineon gets new finance chief.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... Infineon has announced the appointment of Klaus Gohlke as head of the company's finance and business administration department. Prior to the assignment, Gohlke was CFO at Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific.

New Lucent CFO.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... John Kritzmacher has been assigned CFO of Lucent Technologies, after being the company's corporate controller since 2001. He succeeds Frank D'Amelio, who became Lucent's COO in January.

Nortel hires strategy chief.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... George Riedel has taken the role of chief strategy officer at Nortel, giving him responsibility over business development and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to the appointment, he was VP of strategy and corporate development at Juniper...

Management changes at Linktone.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... Raymond Yang has resigned form his post as CEO and executive director of mobile VAS provider Linktone. Until a permanent successor is named, current CFO Colin Sung will assume the role of acting CEO. Him Tiem Foo, currently VP of finance,...

Sonus Networks taps new VP.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... Chuba Udokwu has joined VoIP solutions provider Sonus Networks as its new VP of worldwide engineering. The 25-year telecom engineering and product development veteran joins Sonus from Cisco Systems.

HDS appoints new CEO.(TELECOM CAREER)(Hitachi Data Systems Corp. appoints Dave Roberson as chief executive officer)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Hitachi Data Systems has appointed Dave Roberson as president and CEO, taking over from Shinjiro Iwata, who is now chief marketing officer for Hitachi's strategic business segment, the company's information and telecom systems group. ...

New CEO for Anytime.(TELECOM CAREER)
April 1, 2006... VoD channel Anytime has promoted Craig Zimbulis to president and CEO. Since joining Anytime in 2004 as COO, Zimbulis has been instrumental in the company's development into a true on-demand content provider. Before joining Anytime, he was...

Asia telecom transactions index.(TELECOM CORPORATE)
April 1, 2006... Asia telecom transactions index Value Seller Buyer Deal (US$) Vodafone Group Softbank Acquisition of Vodafone KK ...

TA Index rebounds slightly: TA30 TELECOM STOCK INDEX FEB 16-MAR 15, 06.(TELECOM CORPORATE)
April 1, 2006... The TA Index rose 1.7%, or 22 points, as most Asian stocks rallied from losses the previous period. Gainers outnumbered decliners 19 to 11. The top gainer was Singapore-based Pacific Internet, surging 20.4% on news that the Nasdaq-based ISP...

The WAPI resurrection.(INSIDE LINE)
April 1, 2006... Just when foreign vendors thought they had slain the beast, WAPI has leapt off the slab to put a flight into the tech sector. In a move that has flatfooted the US IT industry, the Chinese Wi-Fi security protocol is now mandated for all Chinese...

Return of the brick.(BACKPAGE BRIEFING)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... There seems to be a retro mobile novelty craze underway amongst the telecoms/IT intelligentsia. Last year, a novelty product called Pokia--an analog deskphone handset that could be plugged into the headphone jack of a mobile phone--was a...

Wi-Fi.(BACKPAGE BRIEFING)
April 1, 2006... WI-FI: In Australia, wireless broadband isn't for everyone--particularly if you're an ISP, according to a survey that claims wireless access is falling out of favor with ISPs across the country. The survey of 512 ISPs by Market Clarity...

Fraud.(BACKPAGE BRIEFING)
April 1, 2006... FRAUD: Korea has a cloning problem. Not humans, but cellphones. The Ministry of Information and Communication says that the number of cloned phones in the country--which is to say, illegal phones that duplicate the factory-set electronic serial...

Interference.(BACKPAGE BRIEFING)
April 1, 2006... INTERFERENCE: Airline safety is the new mobile radiation--at least when it comes to controversial safety studies. As mobile industry players and government agencies continue to debate the health risks of long-term cellphone usage, a new study...