Telecom Asia articles from August 2002

Telecom Asia archives from August 2002

Do regulators matter? (Inside Line).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 1, 2002... With the drums beating louder and louder for tougher measures against corporate misbehavior, now is a good time to put regulators under the microscope. In the current climate, government watchdogs from securities to telecom regulators can...

Watch this tech space. (Tanner).(CommunicAsia conference and exhibition)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 1, 2002... Another year, another CommunicAsia conference and exhibition. If you were there, feel free to choose your personal highlight--the workshops, the keynote speeches, the Panasonic dance squad, the World Cup--but for me it's almost always the...

Behind Falun Gong's satellite hack. (First Mile).(cult hijacks satellite signal)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The Chinese government is furious over a rare but successful case of satellite signal hijacking in which TV signals from the Sinosat-1 satellite were temporarily overridden and replaced with programming promoting the outlawed Falun Gong cult....

Resend: flashbacks, updates and nostalgia.(history of CTR Group's Project Oxygen plan)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Project Oxygen breathing new life into the global Internet backbone. (Telecom Asia, August 1997) SYNOPSIS: CTR Group announces its intention to construct a planned global Internet backbone network connecting 175 countries with 275,000...

Stat snap. (First Mile).(capital expenditures by Asian telecommunications companies)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... If you're desperately in need of an upbeat telecoms forecast, try the Asia-Pacific, where telcos and carriers are actually expected to lay down more capex this year, according to research company IDC. In fact, south Asia will be where more of...

PCCW, Telstra shuffle the pack: PCCW is out and Telstra is in as the Aussie telco takes full control of Hong Kong's sole profitable mobile provider. (New Analysis).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... In a changing of the guard in Hong Kong telecoms, PCCW has moved out of the mobile sector after two decades, selling out to its regional partner Telstra. The deal--a non-cash arrangement valued at between $475 million and $529 million--saw...

Fall in Singapore ends Virgin's Asia dream. (New Analysis).(Virgin Mobile Asia-Pacific closes mobile virtual network operator business)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The Virgin Group's attempt to begin an Asia-wide mobile business with SingTel has crashed at the first hurdle. Virgin Mobile Asia-Pacific announced on 8 July the closure of its Singapore mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) business,...

Asian telcos feel investor chill: Chunghwa Telecom's repeated failure to attract a bidder--despite its underlying strength--highlights the poor climate for regional telco stocks. (New Analysis).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Telstra and China Telecom beware. The investment outlook is tough for telco privatizations, even with carriers as financially strong as Chunghwa Telecom. The Taiwan authorities have once again failed in their attempt to find a buyer for a...

Prospects uncertain as Asia gets landline SMS. (New Analysis).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Riding on the success of text messaging in the wireless sector, an increasing number of Asian fixed line carriers are now offering SMS over landlines. Landline SMS was first introduced in Asia in February 2001 by Globe Telecom in the...

Beijing: SK Telecom signs a MoU to launch a wireless Internet joint venture with China Unicom this year. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Beijing: SK Telecom signs a MoU to launch a wireless Internet joint venture with China Unicom this year. The two companies will finalize details, including the scope of business and amount of investment in the joint venture, by October. Unicom...

Shanghai: Telstra and China's Shanghai General Electronics (Group) Co Ltd (SVA) enter informal negotiations to set up a joint venture to provide value added services like email, voice mail and other telecoms services to business customers. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Shanghai: Telstra and China's Shanghai General Electronics (Group) Co Ltd (SVA) enter informal negotiations to set up a joint venture to provide value added services like email, voice mail and other telecoms services to business customers. SVA...

Hong Kong: PCCW and China Telecom will form a joint venture to provide IT business solutions to the finance sector in China. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Hong Kong: PCCW and China Telecom will form a joint venture to provide IT business solutions to the finance sector in China. Separately, PCCW announces it will exit the local mobile business after selling its 40% stake in its Regional Wireless...

Bangkok: Thailand's Shin Satellite signs an iPSTAR broadband satellite contract with Samart Telcoms. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Bangkok: Thailand's Shin Satellite signs an iPSTAR broadband satellite contract with Samart Telcoms, one of Thailand's major VSAT satellite providers, who will provide broadband networks by using the technology of Shin's planned $350 million...

Colombo: a planned float of a key 10%-15% stake in majority state-owned Sri Lanka Telecom may be pushed back from the third quarter to December, an official said, putting at risk government plans to slash its huge budget deficit this year. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Colombo: A planned float of a key 10%-15% stake in majority state-owned Sri Lanka Telecom may be pushed back from the third quarter to December, an official said, putting at risk government plans to slash its huge budget deficit this year. The...

New Delhi: Telecoms provider Bharti Tele-Ventures cuts mobile tariffs in the New Delhi market in a bid to retain its leading position in an increasingly competitive sector. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... New Delhi: Telecoms provider Bharti Tele-Ventures cuts mobile tariffs in the New Delhi market in a bid to retain its leading position in an increasingly competitive sector. Bharti Tele-Ventures runs 10 mobile networks and has licenses to start...

Jakarta: Indonesian capital market watchdog Bapepam says it has found insufficient evidence of insider trading involving a May shares sell-off of state-run international phone operator Indosat, but would keep probing parties who sold shares in Indosat on 16 May through Merrill Lynch. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Jarkarta: Indonesian capital market watchdog Bapepam says it has found insufficient evidence of insider trading involving a May shares sell-off of state-run international phone operator Indosat, but would keep probing parties who sold shares in...

Kuala Lumpur: Telekom Malaysia wins board control of cellular firm Technology Resources Industries (TRI), paving the way for a quick merger to create the country's biggest mobile group. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Kuala Lumpur: Telekom Malaysia wins board control of cellular firm Technology Resources Industries (TRI), paving the way for a quick merger to create the country's biggest mobile group. TRI founder and chairman Tajudin Ramli resigned, along...

Pyongyang: South Korea's Ministry of Information and Communication puts off planned talks with North Korea. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Pyongyang: South Korea's Ministry of Information and Communication puts off planned talks with North Korea on starting a mobile phone service in Pyongyang as the South Korean government reviews its aid policy to North Korea following a naval...

Seoul: SK Global, the trading arm of the SK Group, agrees to buy the leased line business of Korean broadband ISP Thrunet. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Seoul: SK Global, the trading arm of the SK Group, agrees to buy the leased line business of Korean broadband ISP Thrunet. A Thrunet official says its leased line business is worth 350-400 billion won ($293-335 million).

Seoul: KTF contracts Lucent Technologies to upgrade its CDMA network. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Seoul: KTF contracts Lucent Technologies to upgrade its CDMA network in the Kyungsang province to cdma2000 1x.

Tokyo: a white paper from the Japanese Telecommunications Ministry recommends that telecommunications companies focus research and development on mobile technology. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Tokyo: A white paper from the Japanese Telecommunications Ministry recommends that telecommunications companies focus research and development on mobile technology, a field in which they have a competitive advantage over the United States.

Tokyo: NTT DoCoMo is offering "two-piece" PDA handsets for its third-generation FOMA service. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Tokyo: NTT DoCoMo is offering "two-piece" PDA handsets for its third-generation FOMA service. The keyboard-equipped handset, which comes with a separate cigar-shaped wireless terminal that can receive and make calls, is manufactured by Sharp.

Tokyo: NTT-ME Corp, a subsidiary of regional carrier NTT East Corp, says it will start offering IP telephone services on an OEM basis to ISPs--the first such service in Japan. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Tokyo: NTT-ME Corp, a subsidiary of regional carrier NTT East Corp, says it will start offering IP telephone services on an OEM basis to ISPs--the first such service in Japan. Rival KDDI says it plans to begin offering IP telephone services in...

Tokyo: NTT DoCoMo launches its third communications satellite, N-STAR c, which was manufactured by Lockheed Martin. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Tokyo: NTT DoCoMo launches its third communications satellite, N-STAR c, which was manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The satellite will become operational in late August

Sydney: Telstra will spend A$187 million ($104 million) to upgrade its rural and remote networks as part of its efforts to reduce faults. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Sydney: Telstra will spend A$187 million ($104 million) to upgrade its rural and remote networks as part of its efforts to reduce faults, provide additional network redundancy and improve availability for rural customers.

Sydney: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issues a draft report recommending extending pricing principles to cover CDMA service in the country as well as GSM. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Sydney: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issues a draft report recommending extending pricing principles to cover CDMA service in the country as well as GSM. These principles will cover only GSM and CDMA mobile services and...

Melbovrne: Telstra expects to deliver stronger mobile revenue in 2001/02 for corporate business but margins remain flat. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Melbovrne: Telstra expects to deliver stronger mobile revenue in 2001/02 for corporate business but margins remain flat. Telstra has signed up 130 new corporate mobile customers from rival networks since the introduction of mobile, the carrier...

Wellington: Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and LG Telecom of South Korea sign a MoU to share information on CDMA and jointly develop content for data services. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Wellington: Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and LG Telecom of South Korea sign a MoU to share information on CDMA and jointly develop content for data services. TCNZ is looking to expand data services for CDMA, which it began rolling out in...

Singapore: Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation says it will enter Japan's telecoms market through a joint venture with construction and engineering services firm MVNO K.K. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Singapore: Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation says it will enter Japan's telecoms market through a joint venture with construction and engineering services firm MVNO K.K. The deal is expected to be completed by September.

Singapore: The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore has decided not to appeal a court ruling that a 1997 S$1.5 billion ($850 million) state compensation payout. (Asian telecoms this month).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Singapore: The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore has decided not to appeal a court ruling that a 1997 S$1.5 billion ($850 million) state compensation payout to Singapore Telecom to end its monopoly early was free of tax.

The GSM Association Security Group and the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) jointly develop a new security algorithm, known as A5/3, which will provide GSM mobile phone users with a higher level of protection against eavesdropping. (movements).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The GSM Association Security Group and the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) jointly develop a new security algorithm, known as A5/3, which will provide GSM mobile phone users with a higher level of protection against eavesdropping. The...

Hutchison Whampoa announces the brand it will use for its worldwide 3G mobile offerings: "3". (movements).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Hutchison Whampoa announces the brand it will use for its worldwide 3G mobile offerings: "3". Hutchison will use the 3 brand for all of its 3G offerings in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Sweden and the United...

Philippines incumbent telco PLDT files a suit against parent First Pacific in a New York district court for alleged violations of securities laws. (movements).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Philippines incumbent telco PLDT files a suit against parent First Pacific in a New York district court for alleged violations of securities laws. PLDT is accusing First Pacific of failing to disclose to the Philippine SEC a copy of the...

EDS, the computer services company under scrutiny because of its relationship with troubled WorldCom, says its accounting is solid and that it would cut about 2,000 jobs. (movements).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... EDS, the computer services company under scrutiny because of its relationship with troubled WorldCom, says its accounting is solid and that it would cut about 2,000 jobs. WorldCom's accounting problems have led investors to focus on the...

The break-up of bankrupt pan-European telecoms group KPNQwest begins with Telia and Interoute buying up various sections of its Ebone network. (movements).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The break-up of bankrupt pan-European telecoms group KPNQwest begins with Telia and Interoute buying up various sections of its Ebone network, as other parts are shut down.

Wireless software developer Openwave Systems reports a preliminary quarterly loss per share about twice as wide as forecast. (movement).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Wireless software developer Openwave Systems reports a preliminary quarterly loss per share about twice as wide as forecast. Openwave said its loss, excluding non-operating items, was 17 cents to 22 cents per share in its fiscal fourth quarter,...

Tellabs executives are being sued by shareholders for allegedly making misleading statements regarding the company's performance. (movements).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Tellabs executives are being sued by shareholders for allegedly making misleading statements regarding the company's performance. The complaint charges Tellabs chairman Michael Birck and then chief executive Richard Notebaert--now chairman of...

Hewlett-Packard plans to cut 5,900 jobs in Europe from a total of 15,000 already announced worldwide, as part of its merger with Compaq. (movements).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Hewlett-Packard plans to cut 5,900 jobs in Europe from a total of 15,000 already announced worldwide, as part of its merger with Compaq. A spokeswoman for HP in Germany declined to say which countries would be most affected and whether the jobs...

Ericsson says it will go ahead with its $3.2 billion rights issue. (movements).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Ericsson says it will go ahead with its $3.2 billion rights issue, denying a rumor it planned to scrap the move by divesting more businesses, including its 50% stake in the Sony Ericsson mobile phone joint venture for $2.16 billion.

Network operator Flag Telecom Holdings says it has filed a restructuring plan with a New York bankruptcy court that would pave the way for it to emerge from Chapter 11 by September. (movements).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Network operator Flag Telecom Holdings says it has filed a restructuring plan with a New York bankruptcy court that would pave the way for it to emerge from Chapter 11 by September. Flag's creditors back the plan, which would allow it to keep...

After WorldCom: which way out of the crisis? Behind the headlines of the latest telecoms scandal, the industry is going through an unprecedented period of value destruction and corporate failure. While there are signs of price stabilization, the shakeout has only just begun.(Cover Story)
August 1, 2002... KPNQwest may have been a short-lived European venture between its US and Dutch parents, but it has left a mark on the industry like no other. After its parent KPN cut off its cash supply at 9pm on 12 July, engineers began shutting down what was...

Time of the softswitch: three years ago, vendors unveiled the first softswitches, heralding the arrival of next-generation networks that would unite voice and data and enable opex savings and fast service creation. With carriers today desperate to cut costs and generate revenue, the softswitch revolution looks ready to begin. (Network).(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Softswitches arrived on the telecoms scene about three years ago, promising--or threatening, depending on your point of view--to transform the PSTN forever. The pitch was straightforward and easy to understand: the Internet was on fire, and...

Top technology key to service provision: carriers are more concerned about new revenue-generating services than next-generation technologies these days. Ironically, however, they need next-generation technologies to enable their networks to support new revenue-generating services.(interview with Greg Mumford, Yrjo Neuvo)(Interview)
August 1, 2002... Two chief technology officers representing the wireline and wireless sectors--Greg Mumford of Nortel Networks, and Yrjo Neuvo of Nokia--talk to global technology editor John C. Tanner about the state of technological play in service-enabled...

IP clustering for security platforms. (Premiere).(from Nokia Internet Communications)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Nokia has integrated two of its IP clustering technology features, dynamic load balancing and active session failover, into the company's secure IPSO operating system. Nokia's IP clustering technology, which is specifically tailored for...

Solution optimizes spectrum frequencies. (Premiere).(4RF Communications introduces new version of Aprisa point-to-point digital radio)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... New Zealand-based 4RF Communications has launched a 64 QAM version of its Aprisa point-to-point digital radio to help telco and mobile network operators optimize their available frequencies. The Aprisa radio has been specified for long...

Class 4 and Class 5 softswitches. (Premiere).(from Argent Networks)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Argent Networks has announced the availability of its new softswitch framework solution that targets Class 4 and Class 5 replacement markets and wireless markets. The softswitch comes pre-configured with the company's application server...

World's first dual band EV-DO data card. (Premiere).(from GTRAN Wireless)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... GTRAN Wireless has launched a dual band cdma2000 1xEV-DO data card. The DotSurfer 6200, touted as the first of its kind, is a Type II PCMCIA card with a single antenna. It is small and easy to use, GTRAN says. Supporting both 800 and...

Tellabs, Jinpeng partner for optical. (Premiere).(Tellabs Inc., Jinpeng Telecom form optical networking products company Jinpeng GrandView)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Tellabs has formed a partnership with Guangzhou-based Chinese communications equipment manufacturer, Jinpeng, to jointly explore the mainland's optical networking market. Under the partnership, Jinpeng will establish a new company, called...

UPS for enterprise-wide network. (Premiere).(from Advance Galatrek)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Power quality management solution provider Advance Galatrek has developed a new three phase in--three phase out uninterruptible power system (UPS), specifically for enterprise-wide data and voice processing networks. The MasterElite ERT...

Centralized reporting application. (Premiere).(Packeteer Inc. introduces ReportCenter 2.0)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Packeteer, Inc. has announced the availability of ReportCenter 2.0, its new central reporting application that works with the company's PacketShaper and AppVantage systems. The application, based on technology from Valencia Systems,...

Surfing an oasis of opportunity. (Telecom Planet).(Middle East)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... It goes out without saying that much of the Middle East is tremendously affluent. Mobile penetration rates exceed 50% across much of the region, extraordinarily achieved under what are mainly monopoly and duopoly conditions. The Internet is...

Implants. (Backpage Briefing).(telephone tooth implant)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... For the cyberpunk who has everything--a telephone implant for your teeth. No, really. Designed in the UK by James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau, the "telephone tooth" comprises a micro-vibration device and wireless receiver that can be implanted...

Competition. (Backpage Briefing).(Chinese telecommunications employees)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Telecoms employees in China are continuing to take the concept of competition to a more intense level. In mid-June, China Netcom employees in the northern city of Tangshan allegedly cut telephone lines belonging to China Railcom on three...

IT. (Backpage Briefing).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... When it comes to IT adoption, you can't beat the Nordic region--unless you're Switzerland or the US. This year's information Society Index from IDC/World Times, which measures and ranks the top IT societies in the world by way of utilization,...

Discipline. (Backpage Briefing).(Internet Service Providers sign self disciple pacts with China Internet Association)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... China's ISPs have taken action to pre-empt government censorship of Web content--by doing it themselves. Some 300 ISPs across the country have signed "self discipline pacts" with the China Internet Association, a self-regulatory industry...

Hacking. (Backpage Briefing).(Hacktivismo introduces file sharing software)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... International hacker group Hacktivismo wants to help Internet users share files anonymously in countries where the Internet is tightly monitored, and has plans to release free software that can do just that. Hacktivismo's protocol software,...