Telecom Asia articles from August 2003

Telecom Asia archives from August 2003

Keeping the US safe from competition.(Inside Line)(Singapore Technologies Telemedia investment in Global Crossing)
August 1, 2003... Remember the joke a few months back: The world has turned upside down. The world's best golfer is a black guy. The best rapper is a white guy. The best basketballer is Chinese. And the French are calling the Americans arrogant. To which we...

The few, the proud, the EDGE adopters.(Tanner)
August 1, 2003... EDGE appears to be on a roll. In the US, Cingular became the world's first commercial EDGE operator last month. Meanwhile, Siemens has landed three EDGE contracts in the last two months (including one with Malaysia's DiGi.com), Nokia has been...

Inmarsat warms up for broadband.(First Mile)
August 1, 2003... Iridium and Globalstar did little to break satellite telephony out of its niche market, but Inmarsat has been quietly demonstrating that niche markets can still be profitable. Its Mini-M satellite telephony service with briefcase-sized...

GPRS still playing catch-up.(Stat Snap)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... GSM may dominate the planet when it comes to mobile subscriber numbers, but not when you include packet-based wireless data services. The latest figures from EMC World Cellular Data Metrics, released last month, put the number of worldwide GPRS...

Fubon in driver's seat at Taiwan Cellular.(News Analysis)(Fubon Financial Holdings)
August 1, 2003... With the departure of founding chairman Jack Sun from Taiwan Cellular Corp., the winds of change threaten to change the landscape of the Taiwan telecom industry. Sun is the second industry leader to fall this year, just months after...

Indonesia ends speculation over joint operators: flashbacks, updates and nostalgia: Telecom Asia, August 1995.(Resend)
August 1, 2003... SYNOPSIS: The Indonesian government announces the bids to form five joint operating schemes (Known as KSOs) that will allow foreign telecoms players to partner with monopoly telco Telkom in separate regional fixed-line projects over the next 15...

Blow-out Down Under.(News Analysis)(third-tier telecom failures in Australia)
August 1, 2003... As Australia marks the sixth year of a deregulated telecommunications market, the failure of several third-tier players has posed a question mark over the viability of the competition regime. Third-tier players have invested around A$2...

Growth in Japanese 3G.(Insight)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Japan's 3G subscribers will be worth [yen] 6.4 trillion ($54.3b) or 81.4% of the total Japanese cellular market in 2007, says IDC Japan. The mobile sector is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 2.4% in subscriptions, and 1.3% in...

Outsourcing going mainstream.(Insight)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... IT outsourcing is "irreversible" and is becoming mainstream for application-related services, says Gartner. Early adopters are actively exploring beyond application-related services, including business process outsourcing (BPO), call...

WLAN shipments.(Insight)(leading sales were Buffalo/Melco, Cisco, Samsung and Garner's John Calvert)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Unit shipments of wireless LAN gear in Asia-Pacific grew 75% last year to 3.4m units, but sales increased at a comparatively slower rate of 41.4% to $390m. Leading the sales thanks to its strong performance in Japan was Buffalo/Melco,...

Integration the key to enterprise IM.(Insight)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Instant messaging in the enterprise space is growing steadily, but companies offering IM technology won't succeed: without integration, says Yankee Group. "The killer app of enterprise instant messaging is the integration of the presence...

Mobile data pricing.(Insight)(GPRS pricing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Pricing is still a bottleneck to the growth GPRS, says Strategy Analytics, suggesting operators should charge no more than $5 per MB. Right now European and American GPRS providers are fixing prices at around the $10-20 mark. Analyst...

Beijing: the State Council appoints MII chief Wang Xudong as director of the State Council Informatisation Office.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Beijing: The State Council appoints MII chief Wang Xudon as director of the State Council Informatisation Office, which promotes national telecoms policy, suggesting Wang will have a stronger mandate to reform the telecoms sector as a result.

Hong Kong: PCCW issues a $500 million ten-year bond, its second debt issue of the year.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Hong Kong: PCCW issues a $500 million ten-year bond, its second debt issue of the year. The company, whose telecom services arm posted an 8% fall in profit last month, says it will not issue more bonds this year.

Hong Kong: China Unicom is reportedly looking for a syndicated issue of at least $700 million, with the aim of acquiring more networks from its parent.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Hong Kong: China Unicom is reportedly looking for a syndicated issue of at least $700 million, with the aim of acquiring more networks from its parent.

Hong Kong: Hutchison will launch its 3G mobile service in August, two months behind its previously stated timetable.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Hong Kong: Hutchison will launch its 3G mobile service in August, two months behind its previously stated timetable. The group blames a shortage of handsets for the delay. Hutchison reportedly had to replace over 700 Nokia base stations at the...

Bangkok: AIS bondholders approve a plan to raise the company's dividend limit.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Bangkok: AIS bondholders approve a plan to raise the company's dividend limit from 40% of earnings to 70%.

Bangkok: United Communication Industry (UCOM) withdraws its $739 million bid to build a CDMA network.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Bangkok: United Communication Industry (UCOM) withdraws its $739 million bid to build a CDMA network that has been delayed since last year due to concerns over the project's viability.

Bangkok: the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) delays its IPO.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Bangkok: The Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) delays its IPO, originally slated for the first quarter of 2004, to mid-2004, as it is still looking for strategic partners to strengthen its operations before going public.

New Delhi: MTNL is bidding for license in Mauritius.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... New Delhi: MTNL is bidding for license in Mauritius, and for a stake in Malawi's state telco, as part of the group's overseas expansion drive to boost growth.

Hanoi: Saigon Postel launches Vietnam's first cdma2000 1x network.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Hanoi: Saigon Postel launches Vietnam's first cdma2000 1x network, S-Fone.

Islamabad: Pakistan plans to offer free computer software to filter Internet Web sites for pornographic material deemed unethical in nation.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Islamabad: Pakistan plans to offer free computer software to filter Internet Web sites for pornographic material deemed unethical in nation. The software, expected to be launched later this year, will be distributed to computer users to help...

Jakarta: Telkom appoints PricewaterhouseCoopers to re-audit its 2002 financial results.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Jakarta: Telkom appoints PricewaterhouseCoopers to re-audit its 2002 financial results after they were rejected by the US SEC.

Islamabad: Pakistan approves a long-awaited deregulation scheme allowing private investment in the fixed-line sector.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Islamabad: Pakistan approves a long-awaited deregulation scheme allowing private investment in the fixed-line sector. Information Technology Minister Awais Leghari says the scheme, which will end the fixed-line monopoly of state-run PTCL, is...

Seoul: Hanaro Talecom fends off a takeover bid from the American International Group by approving a $423 million share issue.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Seoul: Hanaro Talecom fends off a takeover bid from the American International Group by approving a $423 million share issue, which also opens the door for conglomerate LG to take a controlling stake.

Seoul: SK Telecom will invest 221.2 billion won ($186.9 million) to expand its handling capacity and coverage area.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Seoul: SK Telecom will invest 221.2 billion won ($186.9 million) to expand its handling capacity and coverage area. SKT will use its own funds for the investment, and says the expansion project will end in June 2004.

Seoul: KT Corp lowers call charges from fixed-line to mobiles by an average of 5.2%.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Seoul: KT Corp lowers call charges from fixed-line to mobiles by an average of 5.2%. The reduction will save customers 104 billion won ($87.65 million) a year and help lower consumer prices, according to the Ministry of Information and...

Tokyo: Debt-laden KDDI sells its 1.24% stake in SingTel for S$344.3 million ($198.9 million).(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Tokyo: Debt-laden KDDI sells its 1.24% stake in SingTel for S$344.3 million ($198.9 million).

Tokyo: the Telecommunications Ministry says in its annual telecommunications white paper.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Tokyo: The Telecommunications Ministry says in its annual telecommunications white paper that Japan's broadband users will triple to 60 million by 2007.

Canberra: the Australian government unveils legislation to privatize the remaining 50.1% of Telstra.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Canberra: The Australian government unveils legislation to privatize the remaining 50.1% of Telstra after promising a A$181 million ($117 million) rural telecom package.

Manila: Smart Communications and ITXC signs an agreement for the bilateral exchange.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Manila: Smart Communications and ITXC signs an agreement for the bilateral exchange of international voice traffic to and from the Philippines over ITXC.net.

Singapore: SingTel and StarHub are headed for the courts in a dispute over the terms of the challenger's lease of SingTel's access network.(News Map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Singapore: SingTel and StarHub are headed for the courts in a dispute over the terms of the challenger's lease of SingTel's access network. SingTel has filed a suit claiming the 1995 lease agreement confines resale to residential customers and...

A US court approves WorldCom's $750 million fine to settle fraud charges in its record-setting $11 billion accounting scandal.(movements)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * A US court approves WorldCom's $750 million fine to settle fraud charges in its record-setting $11 billion accounting scandal. The fine needs the approval of the bankruptcy court.

US Commerce Secretary Donald Evans is promising a decision soon on the ST Telamedia bid for Global Crossing.(movements)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * US Commerce Secretary Donald Evans is promising a decision soon on the ST Telamedia bid for Global Crossing, with the outcome in the hands of several Washington departments. Defense, Commerce and Homeland Security all have an interest in the...

Hutchison Whampoa CFO Frank Stixt insists there was no need to write down its 3 UK investment, as its partners have done, despite it is under pressure from analysts to do so.(movements)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * Hutchison Whampoa CFO Frank Stixt insists there was no need to write down its 3 UK investment, as its partners have done, despite it is under pressure from analysts to do so. Separately, Hutch has asked for an independent valuation of its UK...

As Telefonica Moviles begins selling its i-mode service in Spain.(movements)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * As Telefonica Moviles begins selling its i-mode service in Spain, NTT DoCoMo clinches an agreement with Wind to bring its i-mode into Italy by the end of the year.

A US court gives the go-ahead for 3Com to participate in a lawsuit.(movements)(Cisco and Huawei Technologies Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * A US court gives the go-ahead for 3Com to participate in a lawsuit between Cisco and its joint venture partner Huawei Technologies.

European, American and Australian legislators are drafting laws that would criminalize the delivery of spam.(movements)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * European, American and Australian legislators are drafting laws that would criminalize the delivery of spam. The Europeans want an opt-in mechanism, where email can be sent only with the recipient's permission, while the Americans are...

Sony Ericsson will cease making CDMA handsets for the North American market, and shed 500 jobs in ah attempt to swing into profit.(movements)(Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * Sony Ericsson will cease making CDMA handsets for the North American market, and shed 500 jobs in ah attempt to swing into profit. The company will continue making CDMA handsets for Japan.

Deutsche Telekom reveals it is keen to sell its share of Globe Telecom.(movements)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * Deutsche Telekom reveals it is keen to sell its share of Globe Telecom to fellow shareholders SingTel and Ayala.

Intel signs an agreement to implement its chips into 802.16a gear made by Israel's Alvarion for next-generation wireless MANs, targeting rural and developing markets.(movements)(investments in IPone and Ocamar)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * Intel signs an agreement to implement its chips into 802.16a gear made by Israel's Alvarion for next-generation wireless MANs, targeting rural and developing markets. The company has also invested in two Asian Wi-Fi startups, IPone in Seoul...

Sharp and Texas Instruments agree to jointly davelop components and software for cameraphones.(movements)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * Sharp and Texas Instruments agree to jointly davelop components and software for cameraphones, with plans to start selling software-loaded chips to handset makers at the end of this year.

Gilat Satellite Networks is cutting its workforce.(movements)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... * Gilat Satellite Networks is cutting its workforce and streamlining operations as part of a restructuring program.

Getting to the outsource: by contracting out its network ops, a carrier is tied in with a vendor partner who is going to cut costs while it delivers a next-gen network. Or is it limiting its future to a single supplier with its own agenda? The industry outsourcing debate has just begun.
August 1, 2003... For all the market shocks, deregulation and wild swings of the past years in telecoms, some things have remained pretty constant. The industry still breaks down into carriers, vendors and customers. Carriers provide services to end-users....

Working within their capacities.(Forum: Asian bandwidth)(Panel Discussion)
August 1, 2003... When group editor Robert Clark sat down with four regional bandwidth players and Pyramid's Ross O'Brien he found a shared belief that the worst is behind the capacity sector. The short-term outlook might be tough, but prices are stabilizing,...

A place in the SAN: storage protocols vie for life after fiber channel: new protocols like GFP can help carriers make their Sonet/SDH systems SAN-friendly, but emerging IP-based alternatives could tempt carriers to accelerate their DWDM plans instead.(Backbone)(storage area networks, Generic Framing Procedure)
August 1, 2003... It's hard to over-emphasize the importance of disaster recovery in the post-9/11 world. By no coincidence, interest in storage area networks has risen among enterprises looking to network their databases. And as interest grows, storage...

Rapid service deployment with ZTE softswitch.(Advertorial)
August 1, 2003... Network operators are today turning to softswitch technologies to carry growing IP traffic loads. As well as providing a logical upgrade path to next-gen network (NGN) platforms, softswitch solutions provide carriers with the ability to deploy...

With a little help from its partners: an active partnering strategy has helped Juniper Networks weather the worst of the telecoms capex winter, most recently seen in a tie-up with Lucent. "It's really important that companies understand how to partner well," Juniper chief executive Scott Kriens tells global technology editor John C. Tanner.(One-to-One)
August 1, 2003... Telecom Asia: What sets your recently announced partnership with Lucent Technologies apart from your existing partnerships with other vendors? Scott Kriens: Lucent is critical because of Lucent's reputation, credibility and trust within...

HK mergers law emerges.(Telecom Forum)
August 1, 2003... Hong Kong legislators have just passed the SAR's first competition law-based regime for reviewing telecommunications mergers and acquisitions. Transactions will be assessed against a "substantial lessening of competition" test, the first such...

AT&T names Asia Pacific VP.(Telecom Career)(Steve Lowe appointed to AT and T Business Asia Pacific)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... AT&T has appointed Steve Lowe as rice president of AT&T Business Asia Pacific, excluding Japan, with effect from July 1. Lowe was previously managing director of AT&T Australia and New Zealand. He will manage the direct sales, channel sales and...

Nokia Networks senior VP.(Telecom Career)(promotion of Simon Beresford-Wylie )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Nokia has promoted Simon Beresford-Wylie to senior vice president of Nokia Networks, Asia Pacific, based in Singapore. He joined Nokia in 1998 as director of business development, Nokia Networks, APAC, and since then has held several...

Acting OFTA chief.(Telecom Career)(Anthony Wong Sik-kei leaves the Office of the Telecommunications Authority for the Innovation and Technology Commission)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Anthony Wong Sik-kei, head of Hong Kong's Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) since 1997, has taken up a new position as commissioner for Innovation and Technology. His post has not yet been filled. M.H. Au, the former deputy...

AAPT chief executive.(Telecom Career)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Telecom Corporation of New Zealand has hired Jonathon Stretch as chief executive of AAPT, the group's Australian subsidiary. Stretch comes to AAPT from AT&T, where he was most recently vice president of business services.

Sprint MD for Japan and Korea.(Telecom Career)(Kei Furuta)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Sprint has appointed Kei Furuta as managing director for Japan and Korea. Based in Sprint Japan's offices in Tokyo, Furuta reports directly to acting regional president of Asia-Pacific, Dan Dooley. Furuta joins Sprint from AboveNet...

Ciena's China head.(Telecom Career)(Zhou Jianhui)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Ciena Corporation has named Zhou Jianhui as vice president and general manager of its China operations. Zhou was previously vice president of product management.

GSA India Chapter chairman.(Telecom Career)(Sanjay Bhasin)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) has named Sanjay Bhasin as the new chairman of the GSA India Chapter. Bhasin takes over from Rohit Chandra, vice president marketing, Ericsson India, who was the founding chairman. Currently Bhasin...

Ericsson global services head.(Telecom Career)(appointment of Hans Vestberg)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Ericsson has promoted Hans Vestberg to vice president, general manager and head of business unit global services. Vestberg previously was head of Ericsson's Mexico market unit.

3Com worldwide sales EVP.(Telecom Career)(appointment of Nick Ganio)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... 3Com has hired Nick Ganio as its executive vice president, worldwide sales. Based in Massachusetts, Ganio will report directly to president and CEO Bruce Claflin. Ganio joins 3Com from Bell Microproducts, where he was president of the...

Corporate market VP.(Telecom Career)(New World Telecommunications appoints William Kwan)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... New World Telecommunications of Hong Kong has appointed William Kwan as vice president of its corporate market business. Kwan will drive NWT's expansion in the corporate market, system integration and data businesses. Kwan was formerly...

Intelsat taps GlobeCast pair.(Telecom Career)(appointments of Doug Triblehorn and Jean-Philippe Gillet)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Intelsat has tapped two GlobeCast execs for regional sales posts in the company's media and entertainment business unit. Former GlobeCast CEO Doug Triblehorn is the new vice president Asia Pacific, while Jean-Philippe Gillet, who heads up...

Pandatel product chief.(Telecom Career)(appointment of Juergen Schroeder)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Pandatel has appointed Juergen Schroeder to the new position of director of product development. Schroeder, 41, comes to Pandatel from Alcatel Kommunikations-Elektronik, where he was director of product management/strategy, marketing and...

Infonet's first CTO.(Telecom Career)(appointment of Paul Hibbert)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Infonet has appointed its first CTO--Paul Hibbert, who has been with the company since 1995.

Juniper upgrades China role.(Telecom Career)(Eric Yu of Juniper Networks)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Eric Yu, formerly Hong Kong/Taiwan chief at Juniper Networks, has been appointed to the newly-created post of vice president Greater China. Yu, who joined Juniper Networks in June 2003 as part of the Unisphere Networks acquisition, will...

W-CDMA-compatible MMS solutions.(Premiere)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Huawei Technologies has announced the availability of MMS solutions interoperable with W-CDMA technology. The launch comes after a successful demonstration of 3G MMS services on Huawei's trial W-CDMA network in Shanghai, during which the...

3G drive-test system.(Premiere)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Comarco Wireless Test Solutions has launched Seven.Five, a drive-test tool for UMTS. The system combines an integrated tri-band RF scanning receiver with voice, data and video QoS tests that can measure QoS from the perspective of the...

Interop/co-existence tests for UMTS FDD/TDD.(Premiere)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... IPWireless says it has successfully completed what it describes the world's first inter-operability and co-existence testing between UMTS TDD (TD-CDMA) and UMTS FDD (W-CDMA) networks at Nortel Networks wireless headquarters in Chateaufort,...

W-CDMA handset with digital TV.(Premiere)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... NEC has developed a working prototype of a 3G mobile phone equipped with a receiver for terrestrial digital TV broadcasting. The prototype employs a portable antenna for digital TV broadcasting, UHF tuner, and OFDM decoding LSI developed by...

Secure visitor management solution.(Premiere)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Siemens Business Services is offering a new solution which it says provides companies and government agencies with secure visitor management for their premises. The SecurA+ solution, developed by Siemens Information Systems Ltd (SISL), the...

Access concentrator for cellular backhaul.(Premiere)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... RAD Data Communications has unveiled the ACE-2002E, an ATM access device designed for cellular backhaul, LAN extension and leased line services over ATM. The ACE-2002E is an enhancement of RAD's ACE-2002 multi-service access concentrator...

VSNL and AT&T offer managed MPLS-based data services.(Premiere)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... AT&T and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) have launched a host of enhanced networking services for Indian corporate customers. Under the partnership, the two companies agree to jointly offer AT&T-branded MPLS-based services in India...

Equant unveils managed intrusion detection service.(Premiere)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Equant's new managed intrusion detection service is designed to help multinational corporations detect and respond to network intrusions at a relatively lower cost than in-house solutions. The service, which is supported by Cisco Systems'...

Where the growth is: today's telecom landscape may be tough, but look close and you'll find a number of opportunities that are beginning to take root. This analysis looks at six US market segments posting growth of at least 30% per year.(Telecom Corporate)
August 1, 2003... Network niche THE OPPORTUNITY: Network-based VPNs GROWTH: IDC expects the managed VPN market to climb from around $2.5 billion in 2003 to more than $3 billion for 2004--and to reach $5 billion by 2006. WHY NOW: MPLS has matured to...

Slowing down for the market.(Telecom Planet)
August 1, 2003... First let me declare this magazine's bias. We have a bias in favor of diversity. By that I mean that month after month, we seek to write about as many different technologies and services and ideas as possible. Our motives are clear--we want to...

Retiring.(Backpage Briefing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... RETIRING: Sing Tel has a new chairman following the retirement of Ang Kong Hua, just a month altar he admitted buying, 235,000 shares in rival MobileOne. The investment by Ang, 59, who has been chairman for two years, sparked rare criticism...

Unequal.(Backpage Briefing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... UNEQUAL: People with disabilities are missing out on the communications revolution, warns the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. The commission said in a report last month that the disabled were often being ignored. ...

Quantum.(Backpage Briefing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... QUANTUM: In a leap forward for network security, both NEC and Toshiba have separately completed quantum encryption transmissions over long distances. Both companies sent single-photon transmissions using quantum cryptography more than 100...

Security.(Backpage Briefing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... SECURITY: If you've ever thought that tracking and inventorizing network assets was dull, think again. Two US researchers who mapped the physical structure of the Internet now find themselves of acute interest to corporate CIOs, CTOs and...

Small print.(Backpage Briefing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... SMALL PRINT: An Australian court has ordered Jodee Rich, former MD of collapsed telco One.Tel, to pay his A$333,754 corporate American Express card bill. Rich argued that he did not have to because he had not read the small print, and because...