Telecom Asia articles from June 2004

Telecom Asia archives from June 2004

Bailing from the WiMax hype train.(Tanner)
June 1, 2004... Nokia managed to kick up some dust last month after news emerged that it had quit the WiMax Forum. Shock! Horror! Calamity! And so on. That's how it played in the business media, anyway. Amid all the shock, horror and calamity, someone...

Wi-Fi goes metro with mesh.(First Mile)
June 1, 2004... Despite the continuing market buzz about Wi-Fi, its commercial potential for operators is still hampered by its limited coverage area and expensive backhaul requirements. These two downsides have been accentuated by the emergence of other...

Vietnam: running to stand still.(Stat Snap)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Vietnam's telecoms market has been gradually breaking out of its shell with the government allowing more competition, as well as new services like VoIP. Even so, the country's current market stats show just how far Vietnam has to go to join the...

Japan plays catch-up in high-speed PLC.(News Analysis)(power-line communications )
June 1, 2004... Nine high-speed Internet trials have recently started in Japan using power lines for transmission at between 2 MHz and 30 MHz. The trials will finish at the end of March 2005 and are likely to lead to the Ministry of Public Management, Home...

Capex continues to expand in Asia Pacific.(Insight: one month's telecom research)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
June 1, 2004... Bucking the international trend, Asia Pacific operators invested 4% more in capex in 2003 than in 2002, with capex reaching $44.2 billion. Infonetics Research reported that European carriers cut capex 15% and North American carrier slashed it...

Broadband market to double in 12 months.(Insight: one month's telecom research)
June 1, 2004... By 2010 more than 700 million broadband access lines will be in use world wide. Broadband requirements per household are doubling every 18 to 24 months and, by the end of this decade, at least 25% of all residential broadband connections will...

China emerges as visual communications power.(Insight: one month's telecom research)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... China's huge demand for videoconferencing equipment has made it the world's hottest market for visual IP communications and, with a 16% share of worldwide revenue, is one of the largest. The videoconferencing market in China expanded by 84%...

Bluetooth gains momentum in automotive.(Insight: one month's telecom research)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Automakers are becoming less apprehensive about supporting Bluetooth in new models as the OEM commitment to the technology continues to take off. With the number of Bluetooth-enabled devices in North America jumping 65% over the last year,...

Improved market for VOD over DSL.(Insight: one month's telecom research)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The outlook for video on demand (VOD) over DSL is beginning to look more positive after a sharp drop in the required setup capex per end-user and a fall in backhaul costs. An estimated 230,000 DSL and fiber subscribers worldwide have access to...

ADSL growth puts strain on Telstra's network.(News Analysis)
June 1, 2004... Australia's aging copper networks are facing a future broadband capacity crisis that could cripple businesses and put a brake on economic growth, according to critics of infrastructure monopoly Telstra. Recent reductions in Telstra's...

How the west spies on Asian telecoms.(Resend: flashbacks, updates and nostalgia: Telecom Asia, June 1999)(The Echelon Project)
June 1, 2004... SYNOPSIS: The Echelon Project, created under the 1948 UKUSA agreement by the government intelligence agencies of the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, was intended to establish a global communications surveillance network, mainly...

PCCW and Netcom generate debate in equity talk shocker.(New Analysis)(Pacific Century CyberWorks)
June 1, 2004... Hong Kong telco PCCW finally gave investors something to buzz about last month after admitting that it was not only in talks with mainland telco China Netcom "in relation to strategic and business cooperation opportunities," but that one option...

Asia telecom transactions index.(News Analysis)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
June 1, 2004... Asia telecom transactions index Seller Buyer Deal Value (US$) IBM SK Telecom Process and 120m application ...

Korea's number portability creates more used handsets.(News Analysis)(South Korea)
June 1, 2004... More than 13 million mobile phones became redundant last year in South Korea, and with the introduction of mobile number portability in January, the number is growing even faster. An unseen side effect of number portability is that people...

TA index down 11% on oil prices and early interest rate hikes.(TA30 Telecom Stock Index 13 April-14 May, 2004)
June 1, 2004... The TA Index closed more than 10% down at 1,050 points last month. The sell-off continued in Asian stock markets on the back of soaring oil prices, the prospect of early interest rate hikes in the US and fears of a slowdown in China's economy,...

The new-generation switch--C&C08 EV.(Advertorial)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... As next-generation networks (NGNs) mature, more and more service providers will migrate toward this architecture of the future. An approach based on evolutionary products and services will ensure a smooth transition with legacy voice networks...

Wireless local loop: fact & fiction.(Advertorial)
June 1, 2004... Like all other technologies, WLL has gone through its various phases of development. During its hype phase, several products were introduced in the market by various vendors. However, early installations did not meet the requirements as a...

Information Industry minister Wang Xudong says that China will not rush to pre-maturely issue 3G licenses, as network testing is still ongoing.(Beijing)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Information Industry minister Wang Xudong says that China will not rush to pre-maturely issue 3G licenses, as network testing is still ongoing. He also says the MII is in no rush to further regulate mobile pricing, identifying his priority as...

China agrees to delay indefinitely the implementation of WAPI, its homegrown wireless networking encryption technology, putting an end to a contentious dispute between US and China, which US officials have suggested might be taken to the WTO.(Beijing)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... China agrees to delay indefinitely the implementation of WAPI, its homegrown wireless networking encryption technology, putting an end to a contentious dispute between US and China, which US officials have suggested might be taken to the WTO....

China Unicom orders 500,000 GSM/CDMA dual-band handsets.(Beijing)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... China Unicorn orders 500,000 GSM/CDMA dual-band handsets from LG Electronics, Samsung and Motorola for its dual-mode service scheduled to commercially launch by mid-year.

OFTA cuts by 29%.(Hong Kong)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... OFTA cuts by 29% the local access charges phone companies pay incumbent carrier PCCW starting June 1.

Hutchison Whampoa signs a deal to buy three million 3G handsets.(Hong Kong)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Hutchison Whampoa signs a deal to buy three million 3G handsets from LG, without disclosing the amount of the deal.

Sunday Communications and Huawei Technologies finalize the $859m 3G deal.(Hong Kong)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Sunday Communications and Huawei Technologies finalize the $859m 3G deal announced last December.

iPass moves its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters to Hong Kong.(Hong Kong)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... iPass moves its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters to Hong Kong and appoints Steve Terry as managing director for APAC.

AIS' first-quarter profit increases 27%.(Bangkok)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... AIS' first-quarter profit increases 27% to $123m from $97m in the fourth quarter of 2003.

Shin Sat posts a 46% decline in first-quarter net profit to $4.8m.(Bangkok)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Shin Sat posts a 46% decline in first-quarter net profit to $4.8m following the loss of its main customer, the Indian government.

Bashundhara Group will invest $200m.(Dhaka)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Bashundhara Group will invest $200m to add an additional 3m fixed lines across the country.

Telkom records a 6.7% rise in first-quarter net profit to $202m.(Jakarta)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Telkom records a 6.7% rise in first-quarter net profit to $202m, boosted by the company's rapidly expanding mobile businesses.

Indosat sees its quarterly profit increase tenfold to nearly $64m on the back of strong revenue growth in its mobile business.(Jakarta)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Indosat sees its quarterly profit increase tenfold to nearly $64m on the back of strong revenue growth in its mobile business. The company raises its planned capex to $700m from $580m as mobile subscribers increased at a faster than expected...

Telkom increases its stake in Pasifik Satelit Nusantara.(Jakarta)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Telkom increases its stake in Pasifik Satelit Nusantara to 34.85% after buying a 16.85% stake in Centralindo Pancasakti Celluler.

Maxis Communications withdraws from the bidding.(Kuala Lumpur)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Maxis Communications withdraws from the bidding for a mobile License in Saudi Arabia.

PLDT sees its first-quarter net profit nearly double.(Manila)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... PLDT sees its first-quarter net profit nearly double to $94.2m due to strong growth in its mobile business.

Ningbo Bird and Siemens agree to form a venture to develop and market mobile phones.(Ningbo)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Ningbo Bird and Siemens agree to form a venture to develop and market mobile phones. The deal will give Siemens access to Bird's 30,000 outlets throughout China in return for Siemens' support to open overseas markets for Bird's products.

South Korea will invest $2b in the IT sector over five years, and plans to almost double IT production by $347b from $181b.(Seoul)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... South Korea will invest $2b in the IT sector over five years, and plans to almost double IT production by $347b from $181b. IT exports, which reached $58b last year, are expected to rise to $110b by 2007.

LG Telecom plans to spend 500b won ($430m).(Seoul)
June 1, 2004... LG Telecom plans to spend 500b won ($430m) upgrading its cdma2000 services to EV-DV over the next three years.

SK Telecom may postpone the launch of satellite-based mobile television until September from the original schedule of July 1.(Seoul)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... SK Telecom may postpone the launch of satellite-based mobile television until September from the original schedule of July 1. The postponement is mainly due to a slow decision-making process in the Korean Broadcasting Commission.

Softbank posts a record full-year net loss of 107.09b yen ($941m) compared with a loss of nearly 100 billion yen a year earlier.(Tokyo)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Softbank posts a record full-year net loss of 107.09b yen ($941m) compared with a loss of nearly 100 billion yen a year earlier. The company attributes the loss to heavy marketing costs, but says it expects to turn profitable during the second...

NTT DoCoMo is partnering with satellite television company SKY Perfect Communications.(Tokyo)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... NTT DoCoMo is partnering with satellite television company SKY Perfect Communications to test a new 3G service.

Vodafone will test FLASH-OFDM gear.(Tokyo)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Vodafone will test FLASH-OFDM gear from American start-up Flarion Technologies in Japan later this year.

NTT posts a record high of $5.6b net profit for fiscal 2003/2004 but forecasts a sharp decline in the current year, anticipating poor performances in all its businesses.(Tokyo)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... NTT posts a record high of $5.6b net profit for fiscal 2003/2004 but forecasts a sharp decline in the current year, anticipating poor performances in all its businesses. The company expects its operating profit to fall to 1.18 trillion yen...

KDDI plans to integrate digital television technology.(Tokyo)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... KDDI plans to integrate digital television technology into mobile phones.

Vodafone selects Nokia to build its 3G network.(Sydney)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Vodafone selects Nokia to build its 3G network in Australia and New Zealand.

Telstra's profit in the last quarter rises 1% to A$5.01b ($3.7b) on the back of strong growth.(Sydney)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Telstra's profit in the last quarter rises 1% to A$5.01b ($3.7b) on the back of strong growth in mobile phones and Internet service.

Optus chief executive Chris Anderson will step down at the end of the August after seven years in the job.(Sydney)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Optus chief executive Chris Anderson will step down at the end of the August after seven years in the job. Separately Optus signs a contract with Arianespace for the launch of its D1 and D2 satellites, which it says will form the base of its...

Telecom New Zealand's quarter net profit rises nearly 12% to $139m.(Wellington)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Telecom New Zealand's quarter net profit rises nearly 12% to $139m as it benefits from lower borrowing costs and modest returns on its mobile and Internet operations.

Indian GSM operators report a 30% rise in revenue to $1.86b for fiscal year 2003/04 ended March 2004, according to the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).(New Delhi)
June 1, 2004... Indian GSM operators report a 30% rise in revenue to $1.86b for fiscal year 2003/04 ended March 2004, according to the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). But COAI expects future growth fates could slow down because of heavy taxes...

BPL Mobile will invest 10b rupees ($220m) over the next year to expand its network and launch new services.(New Delhi)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... BPL Mobile will invest 10b rupees ($220m) over the next year to expand its network and launch new services, aiming to double its subscriber base from more than 2m to 4m.

SingTel posts a sixfold rise in quarterly net profits.(Singapore)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... SingTel posts a sixfold rise in quarterly net profits to a record $1.16b driven by a one-off sale of its stake in Belgacom and strong mobile user growth in Optus.

Datacraft Asia reports a second-quarter net profit of $158,000 for the three months ended March 31.(Singapore)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Datacraft Asia reports a second-quarter net profit of $158,000 for the three months ended March 31. The company attributes the small increase to stringent cost cuts and a modest pick-up in regional technology spending.

Vodafone expands its European 3G footprint.(movements)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Vodafone expands its European 3G footprint by launching limited 3G services in Germany and Portugal.

Alcatel and TCL Communications sign a MoU to form a $119m joint venture combing their respective mobile phone business.(movements)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Alcatel and TCL Communications sign a MoU to form a $119m joint venture combing their respective mobile phone business. TCL Communications will hold 55% stake, and Alcatel will take the remaining 45%. The two companies will finalize the deal...

UK Broadband, the British unit under PCCW, rolls out its Wi-Fi broadband service with a soft-launch in West London, with initial trials for about 300,000 homes.(movements)(Pacific Century CyberWorks Ltd)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * UK Broadband, the British unit under PCCW, rolls out its Wi-Fi broadband service with a soft-launch in West London, with initial trials for about 300,000 homes. The services are per month.

KPN reports a better-than-expected first-quarter profit of $449.6m as taxes and interest costs fall.(movements)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * KPN reports a better-than-expected first-quarter profit of $449.6m as taxes and interest costs fall, but revenues slips again due to competitive pressure on the firm's fixed-line business.

After three years of losses, Alcatel swings to a quarterly profit.(movements)(Compagnie Financiere Alcatel)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * After three years of losses, Alcatel swings to a quarterly profit of $158.5m on a $300m gain from an asset sale.

Ericsson's CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg says the company will maintain its profitability.(chief executive officer)(Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Ericsson's CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg says the company will maintain its profitability through tight cost controls.

Nortel Networks fires its CEO and president Frank Dunn with "cause", and replaces him with William Owens, a former vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has been a Nortel director since 2002.(movements)(Chief Executive Officer)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Nortel Networks fires its CEO and president Frank Dunn with "cause", and replaces him with William Owens, a former vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has been a Nortel director since 2002. In addition, former CFO Douglas...

Cisco Systems reports a 23% jump in quarterly profit.(movements)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Cisco Systems reports a 23% jump in quarterly profit to $1.21b on rising demand from corporate customers for its networking gear.

Intelsat's net income falls to $16.8m in the first quarter.(movements)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Intelsat's net income falls to $16.8m in the first quarter from $64.1m a year earlier. Revenue fell to $235.3m from $238.9m.

PanAmSat posts a quarterly net loss of $31.9m attributed to a hefty charge.(movements)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * PanAmSat posts a quarterly net loss of $31.9m attributed to a hefty charge for a power failure in one of its satellites.

BT and Hewlett Packard sign a $1.5b deal under which BT will manage HP's voice and data networks and call centers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while HP will manage BT's IT in the UK.(movements)(British Telecommunications )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * BT and Hewlett Packard sign a $1.5b deal under which BT will manage HP's voice and data networks and call centers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while HP will manage BT's IT in the UK. The deal will also see some 290 BT employees...

MCI posts a $388m loss in its first quarter after emerging from bankruptcy.(movements)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * MCI posts a $388m loss in its first quarter after emerging from bankruptcy, and says it will cut another 7,500 jobs as it attempt to restore profits.

Qwest suffers a first quarter loss of $310m compared to a profit of $152m in the same period last year.(movements)(Qwest Communications International )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Qwest suffers a first quarter loss of $310m compared to a profit of $152m in the same period last year, attributed to lower sales of local phone services.

Qwest sues AT&T claiming it avoided tens of millions of dollars in fees.(movements)(Qwest Communications International)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Qwest sues AT&T claiming it avoided tens of millions of dollars in fees for phone calls carded partly over the Internet.

Cingular names Peter Ritcher as its chief financial officer.(movements)(Cingular Wireless )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Cingular names Peter Ritcher as its chief financial officer, replacing Rick Lindner.

Siemens wins $243m 3G infrastructure contract.(movements)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Siemens wins $243m 3G infrastructure contract with Norway's NetCom.

Nortel Networks and Polycom team up.(movements)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... * Nortel Networks and Polycom team up to promote SIP-based video conferencing solutions for enterprises.

Fixed minutes go mobile--but don't cut the cord: while fixed-mobile substitution may be picking up steam in select markets in Europe, Asian users aren't giving up their wired lines just yet. Wireline carriers, however, have no room for complacency as mobile operators aggressively target fixed-line users and more and more fixed minutes are being lost to cellular.(Cover Story)
June 1, 2004... The prognostications are dire. "The underlying business model for landline telephony has formally ceased to exist and the stock markets no longer have faith in this sector," declares the Probe Group in a recent report. Edward Goff,...

Five rays of light for the satellite sector: between price pressures and flat demand, Asia's satellite industry has seen better days. The pessimists say it will stay that way for at least the next year or two, but optimists say the slump is opening new avenues for the industry to pursue. Telecom Asia reviews five of the most talked-about new satellite service opportunities.(Satellite)
June 1, 2004... Asia's satellite sector entered 2004 with a strange yet understandable mix of doom and optimism. The "doom" part lay chiefly in the balance sheets--the satellite sector experienced its share of pain during the telecoms meltdown, and many...

Tellabs[R] 8800 series of intelligent multi-service routers: a cost-effective migration to IP/MPLS services.(Product Showcase from Tellabs)
June 1, 2004... With the Tellabs[R] 8800 intelligent multi-service router (MSR) series, service providers can leverage existing infrastructure to cost-effectively migrate frame relay and ATM data networks to new profitable IP and MPLS services of the future....

Riding the Indian tiger: the good times are rolling for Bharti Tele-Ventures, crossing a billion in sales for the first time and signing an IT outsourcing deal. Joint managing director Akhil Gupta even thinks the playing field has been leveled, but the uneven supply of GSM spectrum still gives him headaches.(One-To-One)(Interview)
June 1, 2004... Telecom Asia: Talk about how Bharti got into the telecoms business and what your main operations are today. Akhil Gupta: The services side of the business started in 1995 when in November we started a cellular operation in Delhi. Prior to...

In search of [network] excellence: a 12-country survey finds Asia cellular users are more demanding than ever of their mobile operator, with more than 25% thinking about changing networks for more competitive prices and better coverage.(Asia Telecoms Index)
June 1, 2004... Mobile users in Asia are less satisfied with their network operators than a year ago, with 33% more people indicating they're likely to change networks within the next six months. Highlighting the level of uncertainly, three times as many users...

Pseudo convergence.(Telecom Forum)
June 1, 2004... Popular theory has it that the copper-based telecommunications industry is about to be engulfed by the twin threats of voice-over-IP and wireless Internet. Frankly, I doubt it. These ideas rest on a few misunderstandings about the...

Low-capacity voice trunking gateway.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... RAD Data Communications has developed a low-capacity voice and data gateway for both IP and leased-line TDM networks. The Vmux-110 gateway is a customer-located product offering full E1 compression over Ethernet at a fraction of the cost of...

Class 4/Class 5 voice switching solution.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Cirpack has introduced the SuperNode-B, a complete Class 4/Class 5 voice switching platform for telecom service providers and carriers. The system is a modular, scalable high-density platform, incorporating all the components of a powerful...

Protocol conversion and switching platform.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Aculab will present Groomerll, its protocol conversion and switching platform, at CommunicAsia 2004. The platform is designed to help network operators, switching equipment vendors and the like address the need to support protocol conversion...

IP-based video telephony solution.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Tandberg has partnered with Cisco Systems to offer an IP-based video telephony solution, incorporating a Tandberg 1000 video system, a Tandberg 550 set-top unit and Cisco's CallManager 4.0 IP PBX. The Tandberg 1000 is a compact,...

Compact ADSL splitter board.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Swiss cabling manufacturer R&M has released a compact 4-line ADSL splitter board for main distributor frame (MDF) applications. R&M says the small board can be easily plugged in, re-inserted or replaced, and can be mounted into existing...

Web-based enterprise survey software.(Product Showcase)
June 1, 2004... Perseus Development Corp's SurveySolutions Enterprise 6 is a comprehensive survey system with real-time Web-based reporting and analysis. The software is designed for surveys that require enterprise-wide access, research-quality reporting...

802.16 wireless broadband system.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Redline Communications will be presenting a range of broadband fixed wireless systems at CommunicAsia 2004 in Singapore. The AN-100 system is the industry's first 802.16 standards based broadband wireless switch configurable to either...

VSAT remote gateway.(Product Showcase)(OptiView WAN analyzer)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The OptiView WAN analyzer from Fluke Networks is the industry's first device enabling IT network engineers to identify all network elements that utilize O[C.sub.3] and O[C.sub.12] WAN links. It performs RMON2-based remote monitoring,...

900-MHz modems and Ethernet bridges.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Cirronet, a provider of wireless transceivers and broadband Internet products, has released 900-MHz versions of its HopNet line of modems and SEM family of Ethernet bridges. Like all Cirronet's wireless industrial products, the 900-MHz...

AISG-compliant product suite.(Product Showcase)(Antenna Interface Standards Group)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... RFS will unveil a line of base-station antenna products compatible with the open standard of the Antenna Interface Standards Group (AISG) at CommunicAsia 2004. RFS says the AISG-compliant suite is an end-to-end solution, consisting of...

VSAT remote gateway.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Shiron Satellite Communications will launch a remote gateway at CommunicAsia2004 in Singapore. The iRG 40, the second of the company's new iRG line of terminals, adopts open architecture and combine a range of advanced features. The...

GSM/CDMA duplex amplifiers.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Andrew Corp has debuted three new dual-duplex tower mounted amplifiers (TMAs) for GSM and CDMA networks. The TMAs support full band 60-MHz PCS1900, sub-band 300MHz PCS1900 and 800-MHz cellular A and B bands, improving uplink performance to...