Telecom Asia articles from March 2005

Telecom Asia archives from March 2005

The great municipal Wi-Fi freakout: the argument that government Wi-Fi will kill private services seems overblown.
March 1, 2005... The move by the city of Philadelphia to build a public metropolitan Wi-Fi network has spawned no small amount of outrage from the broadband carriers that serve Philadelphia--particularly Verizon, which lobbied successfully to have a law passed...

UWB: it's here, and headed for home networks.(ultra-wideband)
March 1, 2005... After years of literally unbelievable hype, ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology made its commercial debut. The technology still doesn't make seeing through walls a snap, as its promoters predicted a few years ago, but it does make it...

China's Net growth slows despite broadband leap.(Stat Snap)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... China's Internet user base grew to 94 million at the end of 2004--an increase of 18.2% for the year, according to official figures from the China National Network Information Centre (CNNIC). That works out to a penetration rate of 7.2%, up from...

Service convergence--bringing it all together.(fixed mobile service convergence, a new wireless-centric model in telecommunications)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2005... Service convergence lets people connect simply to a wider number of services using a smaller number of devices. It's a wireless-centric model that brings convenience, coverage and cost-savings. The primary goal of service convergence is the...

Asian subsea fiber market recovers, but Indian Ocean could face glut.(News Analysis)
March 1, 2005... After several years of plunging bandwidth prices and bankruptcy filings, the submarine fiber carrier industry has emerged intact, if not unscathed, with Asia now at the center of cable capital investment and things looking generally...

Phishing takes its toll.(Insight: one month's telecom research)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A study by Forrester Research found that phishing concerns have caused 26% online consumers to not apply online for a financial product and 14% to stop using online banking and bill payment. Forrester also found that small business clients are...

Fixed-line penetration to hold steady.(Insight: one month's telecom research)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Thailand's fixed-line subscriber base is expected to stagnate over the next four years and reach only 6.8 million from 6.5 million in 2004, keeping the country's fixed-line penetration at about 10%. Hot Telecom forecasts that the number of...

Cellphones to boost VoIP IC market.(Insight: one month's telecom research)(Voice Over Internet Protocol)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Sales of VoIP ICs will soar from $137.6 million in 2003 to $938.4 million in 2008, according to In-Stat. The main growth driver is the integration of VoIP functionality with dual-mode cellular/VoIP (over WLAN) handsets. The company said that...

Focus turns to broadband in NZ.(Insight: one month's telecom research)(New Zealand)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The New Zealand telecoms market is expected to grow 5% this year to $8.5 billion. The market focus is rapidly shifting to broadband, says Research and Markets, which notes that the number of Internet users expanded only 7% to 2.45 million last...

Thrunet takeover to stabilize Korean broadband market.(News Analysis)(acquisitions by Hanaro Telecom Inc.)
March 1, 2005... The lingering drama over the future of Thrunet, the company that launched Korea's broadband age, is nearly at an end. In mid to late March the Seoul district court is expected to get the final okay from creditors and ratify the formal contract...

Discount flurry assures ISDN's future.(integrated services digital network )
March 1, 2005... SYNOPSIS: Two decades after its introduction to the market-place, ISDN is finally fulfilling its promise as a high-speed voice and data technology, thanks to a number of factors, including falling equipment prices, standardization via ETSI,...

Beijing: the number of Internet users in China is forecast to expand 30% to 134 million by the end of 2005.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The number of Internet users in China is forecast to expand 30% to 134 million by the end of 2005, according to Analysys International.

Shenzhen: Huawei Technologies' net profit rose 22% last year to $470m.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)
March 1, 2005... Huawei Technologies' net profit rose 22% last year to $470m. Revenue increased 45% year-on-year to $5.6b. International revenue accounted for $2.3b of the total, up 117% from 2003. Domestic revenue increased 18%.

Hong Kong: OFTA is considering creating a new carrier license for fixed and mobile services.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... OFTA is considering creating a new carrier license for fixed and mobile services. The regulator will conduct a public consultation on this issue later this year.

Hong Kong: PCCW agrees to sell a 20% stake in the company to China Netcom Group.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Pacific Century CyberWorks Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... PCCW agrees to sell a 20% stake in the company to China Netcom Group for $1b or HK$5.9 a share ($0.76) in cash.

Hong Kong: HK Broadband Network begins offering a 100-Mbps broadband service to residential customers.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... HK Broadband Network begins offering a 100-Mbps broadband service to residential customers. The company also plans to launch a 1-Gbps service in June.

Hong Kong: Hutchison Global Communications and Skype partner to offer a VoIP service in Hong Kong through a co-branded HGC-Skype portal.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)
March 1, 2005... Hutchison Global Communications and Skype partner to offer a VoIP service in Hong Kong through a co-branded HGC-Skype portal, which is scheduled to be in service this month.

Hong Kong: new World Telecom plans to invest $38m this year to support the growth of its data business to enterprise customers.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... New World Telecom plans to invest $38m this year to support the growth of its data business to enterprise customers. The company also signs an agreement Global Crossing to expand the coverage of its data network to 50 countries in North...

Bangkok: the National Telecommunications Commission finishes the task of drawing up new guidelines to promote competition.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The National Telecommunications Commission finishes the task of drawing up new guidelines to promote competition, including policies on the allocation of new frequencies and telecom licenses.

Bangkok: TA Orange signs a $133m contract with Alcatel to expand the its GSM/GPRS network.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)
March 1, 2005... TA Orange signs a $133m contract with Alcatel to expand the its GSM/GPRS network and upgrade it with EDGE and 3G/UMTS.

Islamabad: new Pakistani mobile operator Warid Telecom will launch commercial services in April.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... New Pakistani mobile operator Warid Telecom will launch commercial services in April. The company will invest about $1b over three years and will have a 1.5m network capacity at launch covering 25 cities across all regions.

Jakarta: Indonesia's wireless sector needs an additional investment of $5b to fully exploit the nation's market, according to the association of cellular telecommunications companies (ATSI).(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Indonesia's wireless sector needs an additional investment of $5b to fully exploit the nation's market, according to the association of cellular telecommunications companies (ATSI). ATSI secretary Rudiantara says there are 50m potential...

Jakarta: Indosat will issue two issue two bends--$200m in dollars and Rp1.5 trillion ($166m) in local currency.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Indosat will issue two issue two bends--$200m in dollars and Rp1.5 trillion ($166m) in local currency--to raise capital to meet its increased capex requirements.

Kuala Lumpur: DiGi.Com books group pretax profit of RM446.8m ($117.6m) for 2004.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... DiGi.Com books group pretax profit of RM446.8m ($117.6m) for 2004, an increase of 122% over that of the previous year.

Kuala Lumpur: Celecom plans to launch its 3G service.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Celecom plans to launch its 3G service before July.

Seoul: the ministry of Information and Communication roles out the prospect of fixed-line carriers such as KT Corp and Hanaro Telecom offering Web-based TV services.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)
March 1, 2005... The ministry of Information and Communication roles out the prospect of fixed-line carriers such as KT Corp and Hanaro Telecom offering Web-based TV services. Minister Chin Dae-je says telcos should not allowed to do so until technical and...

Seoul: LG Telecom abandons its court injunction to block SK Telecom from offering handset subsidies.(SK Telecom Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... LG Telecom abandons its court injunction to block SK Telecom from offering handset subsidies in the wake of regulatory steps to restrict the practice.

Seoul: Hanaro Telecom finally decides to pay 471.3b won ($460m) to acquire Thrunet, after cutting 5% off the original bidding price of 496.2b won.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)
March 1, 2005... Hanaro Telecom finally decides to pay 471.3b won ($460m) to acquire Thrunet, after cutting 5% off the original bidding price of 496.2b won. Hanaro plans to fund the acquisition cost through a rights offering and debt issue.

Seoul: LG Electronics signs a MoU with Nortel Networks to form a joint venture in Seoul to develop and produce W-CDMA equipment.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)
March 1, 2005... LG Electronics signs a MoU with Nortel Networks to form a joint venture in Seoul to develop and produce W-CDMA equipment. LG Electronics will own 49% of the venture and Nortel 51%.

Taipei: Chunghwa Telecom will raise its capital spending 4.4% to NT$23.6b ($766m) this year.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)
March 1, 2005... Chunghwa Telecom will raise its capital spending 4.4% to NT$23.6b ($766m) this year to meet demand for 3G and broadband services.

Taipei: the Ministry of Economic Affairs unveils dual-network application services based on integrated cellular and wireless technologies.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Ministry of Economic Affairs unveils dual-network application services based on integrated cellular and wireless technologies. The ministry, in conjunction with more than 10 IT and comms service providers, set up a model in Nanking Science...

Tokyo: the Ministry of Communications rejects Softbank's application.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Ministry of Communications rejects Softbank's application for a license to begin offering a cellular service using the 800-MHz frequency band.

Tokyo: Vodafone KK begins field tests for HSDPA using experimental radio stations.(high-speed downlink packet access )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Vodafone KK begins field tests for HSDPA using experimental radio stations, with the aim of offering faster speeds on its 3G network.

Sydney: Telstra announces a three-month trial to extend the coverage of its copper wire broadband footprint into regional Australia by using a device in its exchanges to boost its ADSL transmission range from four to 20 kilometers.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Telstra Corporation Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Telstra announces a three-month trial to extend the coverage of its copper wire broadband footprint into regional Australia by using a device in its exchanges to boost its ADSL transmission range from four to 20 kilometers. If successful, ADSL...

Sydney: unwired books a net loss of $A21.27m ($16.68m) for the six months ending December 31, up from a loss of A$1.14m in the same period a year ago.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Unwired books a net loss of $A21.27m ($16.68m) for the six months ending December 31, up from a loss of A$1.14m in the same period a year ago. Unwired generated revenue of A$5.41m, compared to just A$58,000 in the second half of 2003.

Singapore: StarHub forms a strategic partnership with NTT DoCoMo to offer the Japanese mobile carrier's i-mode services exclusively in Singapore by the fourth quarter of this year.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... StarHub forms a strategic partnership with NTT DoCoMo to offer the Japanese mobile carrier's i-mode services exclusively in Singapore by the fourth quarter of this year. Under the agreement, StarHub will offer i-mode services over both its 2.5G...

Singapore: SingTel's Q3 net profit fell 11% to S$760m ($460m).(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... SingTel's Q3 net profit fell 11% to S$760m ($460m) while its net for the nine months ended December 31 dropped 11.8% to S$2.23b.

Manila: the Philippines government plans to put five 3G licenses.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... MANILA: The Philippines government plans to put five 3G licenses up for bid by the end of this year.

Vientiane: Sky Telecom signs a contract with ZTE for a cdma2000 1x EV-DO network.(News map: Asian telecoms this month)(Sky Telecom Services Ltd.,)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Sky Telecom signs a contract with ZTE for a cdma2000 1x EV-DO network, which will create the country's first 3G network.

Verizon Communications agrees to buy MCI.(movements)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Verizon Communications agrees to buy MCI for $6.6b in cash, stock and dividends.

SBC Communications acquires AT&T for $16b.(movements)
March 1, 2005... SBC Communications acquires AT&T for $16b, combining SBC's strong domestic and local telecommunications holdings, hosted IP communications platform and ambitious VoIP plans with AT&T's long distance, international footprint and corporate data...

The WiMAX Forum selects Cetecom Spain as its official certification laboratory and announces a certification roadmap that marks July 2005 for the launch of the WiMAX Forum Certified program.(movements)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The WiMAX Forum selects Cetecom Spain as its official certification laboratory and announces a certification roadmap that marks July 2005 for the launch of the WiMAX Forum Certified program. Acting as an independent body, Cetecom will test and...

Marconi forms a strategic partnership with Huawei Technologies under which Marconi will provide Huawei's carrier-grade data products to key customers in Europe.(movements)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Marconi forms a strategic partnership with Huawei Technologies under which Marconi will provide Huawei's carrier-grade data products to key customers in Europe while Huawei would get access to Marconi's access radio gear and help the...

Siemens plans to cut 1,350 jobs in its new Siemens Com division, which covers the group's activities in fixed-line and mobile communications.(Siemens Communications Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Siemens plans to cut 1,350 jobs in its new Siemens Com division, which covers the group's activities in fixed-line and mobile communications. Around 600 jobs will be eliminated in Germany.

US FCC.(movements)(Michael Powell of Federal Communications Commission resigned)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Michael Powell will step down as chairman of the US FCC, a position he held for the past four years. His resignation will take effective sometime in March.

Former WorldCom finance chief Scott Sullivan admits he falsified the company's books to inflate earnings.(movements)
March 1, 2005... Former WorldCom finance chief Scott Sullivan admits he falsified the company's books to inflate earnings, and identifies former chief executive Bernard Ebbers as one person who helped him.

France Telecom buys the 46% of business telecomservices unit Equant it does not already own.(movements)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... France Telecom buys the 46% of business telecomservices unit Equant it does not already own, marking another step in its general integration strategy.

Ericsson reports full year net profits of $3.4b on strong sales growth.(movements)
March 1, 2005... Ericsson reports full year net profits of $3.4b on strong sales growth, which generated SEK132 billion in sales, compared to SEK117 billion the previous year.

Motorola joins Royal Philips, Samsung and Datang as an investor in China's T3G.(movements)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Motorola joins Royal Philips, Samsung and Datang as an investor in China's T3G, a company formed to promote China's TD-SCDMA standard.

Infonet Services opens a wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong.(movements)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Infonet Services opens a wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong to deliver Infonet's managed communications service and support to foreign-based multinationals with operations in Hong Kong.

Agilent Technologies plans to invest more than $100m in China.(movements)
March 1, 2005... Agilent Technologies plans to invest more than $100m in China over the next few years.

Power shift.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... Major infrastructure contract wins by Chinese vendors and aggressive moves to court western partners suggest that the center of power in the telecom equipment market is shifting to Asia. So far price has been the main lever to win new accounts....

Wary MNCs make leap of faith to IP-VPN: IP-VPN is not yet the biggest item in the Asia's data services market, but it's certainly the hottest.(multinational companies)(internet protocol-vitual private networks)
March 1, 2005... Asian regional data services revenues grew a measly 5% last year, according to IDC. By contrast, the IP-VPN business, although worth only 11% of the market, grew 40% by value. "It's our fastest-growing service--our bread and butter," said...

Converged, rested and ready.(One-To-One)(Interview)
March 1, 2005... Loral Skynet has had a tough ride through the satellite meltdown, with parent Loral Space and Communications selling its North American satellite business and filing for Chapter 11 in 2003. But re-emergence is imminent, HDTV and two-way IP are...

CRM: moving back to customer centricity: after years of hype and initial failures, telcos are staring to understand that CRM is about strategy and process, not just technology. CRM initiatives are evolving toward customer-centricity, but analysts say telcos face a challenge in getting it right.(customer relationship management)
March 1, 2005... Telcos have known for years that customer relationship management (CRM) is a vital ingredient for surviving in the competitive marketplace. However, analysts report that operators still don't understand how to maximize the value of their CRM...

The merger.(analysis of the merger of AT&T Corp. with SBC Communications Inc.)
March 1, 2005... The merger of AT&T and SBC in the US is being touted as a paradigm shift. And, as John Kenneth Galbraith said during the "weightless economy" debate in the late 1990s, "When you see reference to a new paradigm, you should always, under all...

WLAN product specialized for cable operators.(wireless local area network)(Nortel Networks Corp. launches wireless cable access point)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Nortel Network's new WLAN product allows cable operators to provide access to secure high-speed Internet and network services at hotspots in public locations and residential neighborhoods. The 6220 WLAN cable access point enables cable...

Nokia, Sierra Wireless cooperate on HSDPA.(Premiere: latest products and services)(High-Speed Downlink Packet Access)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Nokia and Sierra Wireless of Canada have agreed to jointly develop and promote an end-to-end solution based on High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) technology, an upgrade to W-CDMA. Under the terms of the agreement, Nokia's networks...

All-in-one cellular antenna.(Radio Frequency Systems Inc. launches Optimizer Plus)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Radio Frequency Systems has introduced the Optimizer Plus, an all-in-one cellular antenna assembly comprising antenna, tower-mounted amplifier (TMA) and antenna tilt control unit (ACU). The solution is fully factory assembled and tested,...

3G baseband design collaboration.(TTPCom Ltd. and ARM partners to develop third generation system-on-chip solutions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... TTPCom and ARM have formed a strategic collaboration to design and develop the next generation of 3G intellectual property platforms incorporating ARM processors and TTPCom cellular baseband engine (CBEmacro) technology. The new platforms...

Jitter-free reference transmitter.(Acterna L.L.C. developed reference transmitter )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Acterna has designed and manufactured a reference transmitter according to ITU-T 0.172 Appendix VII, which exceeds the minimum accuracy requirements set by the ITU's Technology Standardization Sector. Acterna says the reference transmitter...

CPCNet offers SSL VPN service.(CPCNet Hong Kong launches Secure Socket Layer virtual private network service)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... CPCNet Hong Kong has introduced Secure Socket Layer (SSL) VPN service in response to customers' increasing demand for a secure remote access services. The new service enables mobile users and executives to access their corporate network at home...

Singapore expo aims high with enhanced program.(CommunicAsia 2005, EnterpriselT 2005)
March 1, 2005... CommunicAsia2005 together with EnterpriselT2005, the largest ITC exhibition in the region, will bring together more than 45,000 industry professionals from 80 countries and feature an enhanced Line-up of prominent speakers from top telecom and...

TA index inches up 0.8%.(Telecom Corporate)
March 1, 2005... The TA30 closed 0.8% higher at 1,184 points, as the Asian telecom industry entered into the Year of the Rooster. Gainers outnumbered decliners 16 to 14, and the growth rate was the lowest in four months. Top gainer China Unicom was up 14.9%,...

Networking opportunities across Asia.(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... Networking opportunities across Asia Date Event Location Mar 21-Mar 23, 2005 Mobile Branding, Marketing Singapore & Advertising 2005 Mar 22-Mar 23, 2005...

Telecom's tough future.(telecommunications)
March 1, 2005... George Orwell's novel "1984" described a bleak totalitarian society of the future. For the telecom industry, 1984 has become a touchstone year in the past to which it has just returned. And while the future will be freer than on Airstrip One,...

Trial.(case on the damage inflicted on the subsea cable industry )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... TRIAL: A bogus court found the carrier sector guilty of contributing to the damage inflicted on the overall subsea cable industry by massive fiber build-outs in the late 1990s. John "The Judge" Hibbard, CEO of Hibbard Consulting, ruled at...

Games.(Pacific Telecommunications Council helds Wi-Fi enabled remote controlled car racing)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... GAMES: Last year's big sporting event at PTC was a foosball tournament. This year's offering was a little more high-tech: racing remote controlled cars over the Net via Wi-Fi and IPv6. The cars were equipped with 802.11b PC cards and...

VoIP.(Google Inc. to offer voice over internet protocol services)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... VOIP: More rumors have been surfacing about Google getting into the VoIP business. And while Google is still officially keeping its mouth shut, another analyst has given the concept of GoogleVoIP a thumbs-up. Ovum chief analyst Julian...

Prediction.(telecommunications providers to begin offering mobile voice and video services)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... PREDICTION: Forget triple-plays--in 2005, it's all about the quadruple and quintuple play. If you haven't heard already (and if you haven't, where HAVE you been?), where the triple play is fixed-line voice, data and video, a "quadruple...

Threat.(attack on internet ahead, survey)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... THREAT: Security administrators beware: there will be a "devastating attack" on the Internet or power grid some time in the next ten years. That's the prediction of 1,300 technology experts and scholars surveyed by the Pew Internet &...