Telecom Asia articles from September 2006

Telecom Asia archives from September 2006

The coming war on inflight broadband.(TANNER)
September 1, 2006... Last month's foiled terrorist plot in the UK to blow tip airplanes using liquid explosives spawned, among other things, speculation in the media over the future of carry-on consumer electronics. Because the plot involved using an electronic...

3G spurs microwave revival.(FIRST MILE)
September 1, 2006... The arrival of 3G cellular-and, with it, bandwidth-intensive apps like music downloads, media streams and even video sharing, to name a few--has forced mobile operators to revisit their suddenly insufficient backhaul infrastructure. Existing...

VoIP quality deteriorating.(STAT SNAP)
September 1, 2006... As VoIP moved from a PC-to-PC app to a mainstream service, criticisms of poor call quality faded as the technology improved. But in the last 18 months, VoIP call quality has been declining steadily, according to figures from a VoIP testing Web...

Telstra's Trujillo under fire.(NEW ANALYSIS)
September 1, 2006... Sinking profits, a slumping share price and an ongoing battle with regulators are threatening to derail the Australian government's plan to sell its majority stake in Telstra this year amid calls for the sacking of the company's chief executive...

Consolidation slows telco spending.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S TELECOM RESEARCH)
September 1, 2006... Mergers in the global telecom industry will slow capital spending in the coming years, although capex allocations will still grow over the next three years. According to Infonetics, while cumulative spending from 2005 to 2009 will hit $1.1...

VAS to buoy residential telephony revenue.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S TELECOM RESEARCH)
September 1, 2006... After peaking last year at $51.58 billion with a subscriber base of 415.1 million, Asia-Pacific residential telephony revenue is expected to wane by 2012 to just $45 billion. According to Frost & Sullivan, however, carriers, especially those in...

Enterprises warm up to managed services.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S TELECOM RESEARCH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The problems of reducing the cost of running an IT infrastructure and having to keep abreast with constantly changing technology are prompting companies in Asia Pacific to embrace the idea of managed services. IDC says emerging managed services...

US FTTH subscriber base expands 340%.(INSIGHT: ONE MONTH'S TELECOM RESEARCH)
September 1, 2006... The number of FTTH subscribers in the US has increased by 34% quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter to 463,000, due largely to Verizon's FiOS initiative. This makes the US a far second to Japan, which now has more than 5.4 million FTTH...

Chunghwa makes its NGN move.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
September 1, 2006... Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan's largest telecom service provider, plans to invest NT$50 billion ($1.5 billion) over the next five years to build its first next-generation network (NGN) as it seeks to upgrade its technology capability and fend off...

DSL finds its voice--again.(RESEND: Flashbacks, updates and notalgia: Telecom Asia, September 2006)
September 1, 2006... SYNOPSIS: As DSL deployments ramp up in Asia and elsewhere, operators are already looking for value-added "killer apps" to differentiate their fat access pipes from the competition. Ironically, the first of DSL's key apps may be voice-as in...

The Ministry of Information Industry plans to offer consultations on its business policies for foreign Internet investors.(BEIJING)
September 1, 2006... The Ministry of Information Industry plans to offer consultations on its business policies for foreign Internet investors. The government earlier issued stricter guidelines for foreign Internet investors, saying that some foreign firms continue...

The MII and Intel (China) sign a MoU, under which Intel will invest $30m to promote the development of information and communication networks technologies in rural areas.(BEIJING)
September 1, 2006... The MII and Intel (China) sign a MoU, under which Intel will invest $30m to promote the development of information and communication networks technologies in rural areas. The cooperation will also include setting up R&D laboratories and...

China Telecom cuts its cooperation with Yahoo China after a partnership contract between the two firms expired.(BEIJING)
September 1, 2006... China Telecom cuts its cooperation with Yahoo China after a partnership contract between the two firms expired. China Telecom is preparing to launch its own Internet search service within one to two months.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announces An ambitious project to provide low-cost laptop Computers to all of Thailand's millions.(BANGKOK)
September 1, 2006... Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announces An ambitious project to provide low-cost laptop Computers to all of Thailand's millions of elementary school students starting in October.

State auditor begins investigations of the sale of Shin Corp.(BANGKOK)
September 1, 2006... State auditor begins investigations of the sale of Shin Corp, which owns 43% of AIS, following concerns of tax evasion by the Shinawatra family.

TT&T is jumping onto the red-hot "triple-play" online bandwagon.(BANGKOK)
September 1, 2006... TT&T is jumping onto the red-hot "triple-play" online bandwagon with commercial operations scheduled to start early next year.

Vietnam Datacommunication Company signs a deal with NTT Communications.(HANOI)
September 1, 2006... Vietnam Datacommunication Company signs a deal with NTT Communications to form a partnership to offer IP-VPN services in the country.

Bayantel announces plans to roll out 100,000 DSL lines nationwide.(BAYANTEL)
September 1, 2006... Bayantel announces plans to roll out 100,000 DSL lines nationwide. The company has selected a foreign firm for the project, which it says is "significant" considering the country's low broadband Internet penetration rate.

The Energy, Water and Communications Ministry cancels a tender for WiMAX licenses, citing the lack of a provision calling for a nationwide roll-out.(KUALA LUMPUR)
September 1, 2006... The Energy, Water and Communications Ministry cancels a tender for WiMAX licenses, citing the lack of a provision calling for a nationwide roll-out. As such, the government will call for a new tender after consulting with industry players and...

Essar calls off its proposed sale of BPL Mobile to its telecom joint venture Hutchison Essar, citing delays in getting the necessary approvals, which it said was hurting the business of BPL.(NEW DELHI)
September 1, 2006... Essar calls off its proposed sale of BPL Mobile to its telecom joint venture Hutchison Essar, citing delays in getting the necessary approvals, which it said was hurting the business of BPL. A couple of telecom players and some Mideast...

Motorola and Wipro Technologies, the global IT arm of Wipro.(NEW DELHI)
September 1, 2006... Motorola and Wipro Technologies, the global IT arm of Wipro, plan to invest $20m in their newly formed joint venture in India, called WMNetServ, over the next three years.

SK Telecom slashes its earnings projections for 2006 from 4.4 trillion won ($4.6b) to 4 trillion won ($4b).(SEOUL)
September 1, 2006... SK Telecom slashes its earnings projections for 2006 from 4.4 trillion won ($4.6b) to 4 trillion won ($4b). SK also revises upward its sales-to-marketing expenses ratio for this year to 20.5% from 17.5%.

LG Telecom posts a Q2 loss of $205m compared to a net profits of $56.8m in the same quarter last year and $109.5m in the previous quarter.(SEOUL)
September 1, 2006... LG Telecom posts a Q2 loss of $205m compared to a net profits of $56.8m in the same quarter last year and $109.5m in the previous quarter. The company blames its Q2 financial struggles on an increase in marketing expenses.

Taiwan Mobile sells 8.7m shares of Chunghwa Telecom for NT$473m ($14.4m)Taipei.(TAIPEI)
September 1, 2006... Taiwan Mobile sells 8.7m shares of Chunghwa Telecom for NT$473m ($14.4m), reducing its stake in the incumbent carrier to 1.1%.

NTT reports an 18.5% dip in profit for the first fiscal quarter due to continuing declines in income from its fixed-line business.(TOKYO)
September 1, 2006... NTT reports an 18.5% dip in profit for the first fiscal quarter due to continuing declines in income from its fixed-line business. Costs to promote its broadband Internet services and its mobile operations also hurt group net profits at the...

Softbank vows to spend aggressively to make its acquisition of Vodafone's Japanese unit a success.(TOKYO)
September 1, 2006... Softbank vows to spend aggressively to make its acquisition of Vodafone's Japanese unit a success. Softbank made the decision after posting a $12.39m profit in its most-recent quarter.

Telstra's full year net profit falls 26.2% on the back of lower earnings.(SYDNEY)
September 1, 2006... Telstra's full year net profit falls 26.2% on the back of lower earnings at its key fixed-line business down to A$3.18b ($2.43b) from A$4.31b ($3.30b) in the fiscal year ending June 30.

Optus expands to its broadband coverage to include rural and remote areas in Australia and New Zealand.(SYDNEY)
September 1, 2006... Optus expands to its broadband coverage to include rural and remote areas in Australia and New Zealand. Optus signs a deal with Gilat Satellite Networks for the supply of several thousand VSATs for the expansion.

New Zealand Telecom posts a wider-than-expected net loss of NZ$435m ($269m), after a further write down in the value of its poorly performed Australian unit AAPT.(WELLINGTON)
September 1, 2006... New Zealand Telecom posts a wider-than-expected net loss of NZ$435m ($269m), after a further write down in the value of its poorly performed Australian unit AAPT. The carrier posted a net profit of NZ$967m ($598m) the previous fiscal year.

SingTel enters into an agreement with Cibernet of Pakistan to provide IP-VPN coverage in Karachi.(SINGAPORE)
September 1, 2006... SingTel enters into an agreement with Cibernet of Pakistan to provide IP-VPN coverage in Karachi. SingTel is offering its ConnectPlus IP-VPN service in Pakistan for the first time in to growing demand from enterprises.

SingTel plans to test two new ultra-fast broadband technologies-FTTH.(SINGAPORE)
September 1, 2006... SingTel plans to test two new ultra-fast broadband technologies--FTTH and residential metro Ethernet--on two local condominiums for six months.

Deutsche Telekom's second-quarter net income fell 14% because of the loss of traditional phone users.(movements)
September 1, 2006... The company cut its profit outlook for the rest of this year and 2007.

Motorola and Samsung will supply the network infrastructure for Sprint Nextel's planned $3b WiMAX initiative in the US.(movements)
September 1, 2006... Motorola and Samsung will supply the network infrastructure for Sprint Nextel's planned $3b WiMAX initiative in the US. Motorola plans to offer Sprint Nextel both single and multi-mode devices while Intel is developing chipsets and software....

Philips Electronics sells an 80.1% stake in its semiconductor unit to a private equity group for 6.4b euros ($8.2b).(movements)
September 1, 2006... Philips Electronics sells an 80.1% stake in its semiconductor unit to a private equity group for 6.4b euros ($8.2b). The consortium, made up of US-based private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Silver Lake Partners along with...

Swisscom's second-quarter net profit drops to 299m Swiss francs ($244m) from 596m francs ($486m) in the year-earlier period.(movements)
September 1, 2006... Swisscom's second-quarter net profit drops to 299m Swiss francs ($244m) from 596m francs ($486m) in the year-earlier period. Swisscom attributed the decline in part to a fine of 180m francs ($147m) for overcharging termination fees.

Cisco Systems exceeds Wall Street estimates with a fiscal fourth-quarter profit almost the same as a year ago.(movements)
September 1, 2006... Cisco Systems exceeds Wall Street estimates with a fiscal fourth-quarter profit almost the same as a year ago. Net income for the three months ended July 29 was $1.544b compared with $1.540b in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2005.

China Mobile overtakes Vodafone as the world's biggest mobile company.(movements)
September 1, 2006... China Mobile overtakes Vodafone as the world's biggest mobile company. China Mobile now has a market value of 69.7b pounds ($131.6b), against 57.9b pounds ($109.3 b) for Vodafone.

Ericsson files a new lawsuit against Samsung in a court in Texas.(movements)
September 1, 2006... Ericsson files a new lawsuit against Samsung in a court in Texas. The suit charges Samsung with infringing on Ericsson mobile phone patents and is related to a lawsuit that Ericsson filed in February.

Nokia agrees to buy digital music distributor Loudeye for about $60m.(movements)
September 1, 2006... Nokia agrees to buy digital music distributor Loudeye for about $60m. Nokia, seeking to grab a larger share of the growing digital mobile music market, will pay $4.50 for each share of Loudeye.

There are more mobile phones in Germany than inhabitants, telecom industry federation Bitkom reports.(movements)
September 1, 2006... There are more mobile phones in Germany than inhabitants, telecom industry federation Bitkom reports. As of August 1, there were a total of 82.8m mobile phone accounts in Germany compared with a population of about 82m.

Spain's Telefonica won a tender.(movements)
September 1, 2006... Spain's Telefonica won a tender for Slovakia's third mobile operators' license.

Alcatel buys the 34% stake it did not already own in Evolium.(movements)
September 1, 2006... Alcatel buys the 34% stake it did not already own in Evolium, a 3G mobile technology joint venture the company formed with Fujitsu in 2000.

Motorola and Huawei Technologies announced a new collaboration.(movements)
September 1, 2006... Motorola and Huawei Technologies announced a new collaboration. to bring an enhanced and extensive portfolio of UMTS and HSPA infrastructure equipment to customers worldwide.

Neutral suspicion.(Cover story)
September 1, 2006... It's the war of the tech titans. On one side, the Internet's biggest brand names--Yahoo, Google, eBay, Amazon, Microsoft and Intel. On the other, the heaviest of heavyweight carriers--AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Sprint. They're slugging it out...

The search for process innovation: Bill Chang, EVP of SingTel's corporate business, outlines to group editor Joseph Waring the reasoning behind the group's recent restructuring and how it is pushing for process innovation to cut costs and improve turnaround.(ONE-TO-ONE)(Interview)
September 1, 2006... Telecom Asia: Tell us about the internal reorganization of the business group. Bill Chang: After a restructuring in April, the corporate business group now includes fixed, mobile and broadband for businesses as well as everything for...

Your new favorite set-top box: the PC: Microsoft, Apple and Intel envision a future where media servers replace the STB in pay-TV networks, but issues over CPE costs and management control may keep the PC-TV revolution from being televised.(TECHNOLOGY)
September 1, 2006... Telcos making plans for video services are already aware that there will be more to IPTV than the TV bit, as the set-top box (STB) evolves from an interface for channel-surfing to a gateway for value-added services, from interactive channels...

Indian telcos attract global notice: with merger and acquisition activity rising, European and Asian telecom companies are staking their claims.(COUNTRY FOCUS: INDIA)
September 1, 2006... As India transforms into one of the fastest-growing mobile markets in the world by adding four to five million new subscribers each month, merger and acquisition activity is on the rise. Many observers note the Indian telecom market is...

HSUPA simulation, optimization solution.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)(Actix Ltd introduces HSUPA simulation and optimization solution )(high-speed uplink packet access )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Actix has launched what it claims is the industry's first state-of-the-art simulation and optimization solution that supports high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), a data access protocol for mobile networks with upload speeds of uplink to...

Leaping to 3G and beyond.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)
September 1, 2006... Tellabs has released its IntegratedMobile solution, enabling service providers in the region to efficiently advance mobile networks from 2G to 3G and beyond. The solution supports all technologies used in mobile networks, including TDM,...

Support for mobile VoIP apps.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)
September 1, 2006... Global IP Sound (GIPS) has enhanced its embedded voice-processing solution to support mobile VoIP applications developed for wireless devices based on Enea's OSE real-time operating system. The new VoiceEngine Mobile solution addresses the...

Simplified Gigabit network creation.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)(Allied Telesyn introduces AT-GS950/8 10/100/1000T WebSmart switch)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Allied Telesyn's AT-GS950/8 10/100/1000T WebSmart switch promises to simplify the creation and expansion of Gigabit networks. The switch can be installed on a desktop or rack or the switch mounted on the wall. It integrates the simplicity...

Next-gen 10-Gigabit edge router.(PREMIERE: Latest products and services)
September 1, 2006... Juniper Networks has released a next-generation, mid-range, 10-Gigabit enabled multiservice edge router. The M120 offers 10-Gigabit density with a flexible and cost-effective service configuration that enables traditional and mobile...

Compact RF front-end module for Wi-Fi.(PREMIERE)
September 1, 2006... SiGe Semiconductor has expanded its RangeCharger product line with the introduction of the SE2559L, an RF front-end module designed to improve the integration and reduce the cost of 802.11b/g-compliant Wi-Fi systems. The new RF front-end...

Networking opportunities across Asia.(EVENTS CALENDAR)(Calendar)
September 1, 2006... Networking opportunities across Asia Date Event Location Sep 13 - Sep 16, 2006 Vietnam Telecomp Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Sep 14 -...

New deputy director general at OFTA.(TELECOM CAREER)(Office of the Telecommunications Authority)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA), Hong Kong's telecom regulator, has appointed Ha Yung-kuen as its new deputy director general, replacing Gracie Foo who will assume a new government post. Prior to the appointment, Ha...

Intec hires new COO.(TELECOM CAREER)
September 1, 2006... Intec Systems (Asia) has named Norm Halvorson as COO for Asia Pacific to oversee daily operations across the company, including professional services and support, as well as finance and general administration. He was previously EVP of...

Allied Telesyn appoints Malaysia country manager.(TELECOM CAREER)
September 1, 2006... Allied Telesyn has hired 17-year ICT industry veteran Paul Choy as country manager for Malaysia. Choy was sales director for service providers at Cisco Systems Malaysia, prior to joining Allied Telesyn.

Argent Networks gets new CEO.(TELECOM CAREER)(chief executive officer)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... New Zealand-based telecom solutions firm Argent Networks has appointed Larry Barker as CEO, succeeding company founder Chris Jones, who will remain on the company board as a non-executive director. Before this assignment, Barker served as...

TechnoConcepts marketing head.(TELECOM CAREER)
September 1, 2006... TechnoConcepts, a developer of radio chips that can be used for universal wireless communications, has hired Chun-tsung Lee as its new VP for marketing. Lee joins the company from Accton Technology in Taiwan, where he served as a VP and...

SanDisk appoints president.(TELECOM CAREER)
September 1, 2006... SanDisk Corp. has appointed Dr. Atsuyoshi Koike as president of its wholly owned Japanese subsidiary SanDisk Ltd. In his new post, Koike will focus on technology and Fab operations at SanDisk's flash wafer development and manufacturing...

EMC Greater China president.(TELECOM CAREER)
September 1, 2006... Denis Yip has joined EMC Corp. as president of Greater China, spanning customer operations in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Yip has more than 15 years of IT industry experience in the US, Asia Pacific and Japan. Prior to the EMC post,...

Cambridge Broadband has new EVP.(TELECOM CAREER)
September 1, 2006... Cambridge Broadband has hired Graham Peel as EVP in charge of operations, to help oversee the expansion of its customer base and manufacturing capabilities. Peel was previously CEO at Keronite, where he established new specialist...

Telcogames names CMO.(TELECOM CAREER)
September 1, 2006... Global mobile game publisher, developer and distributor Telcogames has appointed Enda Carey as chief marketing officer. Carey comes to Telcogames from iFone Ltd.

Ovum taps public sector head.(TELECOM CAREER)
September 1, 2006... Research firm Ovum has tapped Dr. Steve Hodgkinson as research director to head its newly created public sector practice in Australasia. Before joining Ovum, Hodgkinson was the deputy CIO for the Victorian State Government in Melbourne...

Voxeo hires new VPs.(TELECOM CAREER)
September 1, 2006... Voxeo, a provider of hosted and premise-based VoIP and IVR services, has assigned John Amein as VP of strategic partnerships and John Hibel as VP of marketing. Amein was the founder and CEO of VoiceReady, which Voxeo acquired in July....

InnerWireless appoints VP.(TELECOM CAREER)
September 1, 2006... In-building wireless systems provider InnerWireless has hired Dr. Janet Lind as VP of product development. Lind will help expand the company's product line to meet the needs of the healthcare, commercial, hospitality and government markets...

Asia telecom transactions index.(TELECOM CORPORATE)
September 1, 2006... Asia telecom transactions index Seller Buyer Ericsson China Mobile ZTE BSNL CyMed Spi Bliss-Tel International Engineering Datacraft hanarotelecom Datacraft Chevron-Unocal...

TA Index creeps up 0.9%.(TA30 TELECOM STOCK INDEX JUL 12-AUG 14, 2006)(Samart Telcoms PLC index rise)(Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Corp index gains 3.3%)
September 1, 2006... The TA30 experienced slower growth this month, moving up 0.9% compared to a 5.2% jump the previous month. Gainers outnumbered decliners 16 to 14. The top gainer was Dacom of South Korea, which extended its recent climb by another 15%. Following...

WiMAX faces the test.(INSIDE LINE)
September 1, 2006... August in Asia is the month of exams and results. Sweat, blood and a lot of tears as millions of 18-year-olds try to get through examination hell. Just one result is going to define the rest of their lives. Funnily enough, the same...

Metcalfe's Law is dead.(BACKPAGE BRIEFING)(Metcalfe's Law is no longer applicable to the current surge in broadband demand)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The 90s Internet Bubble was driven largely on a trend known as Metcalfe's law, under which the value of a communications network is proportional to the square number of its users. However, Metcalfe's Law no longer applies to the current surge...

M&A.(BACKPAGE BRIEFING)
September 1, 2006... The pending merger between telecoms vendor giants Alcatel and Lucent Technologies hit a milestone last month when they finally decided on one of the most important aspects of the deal: what to call the new company? Speculation was rife in...

Liberalization.(space market liberalization of India)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The failed launch in July of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) carrying the Insat 4C satellite--which was intended to provide fresh Indian-owned capacity for DTH and other services--has renewed calls for the Indian...

Fraud.(BACKPAGE BRIEFING)
September 1, 2006... US consumers alone lost $630 million over the past two years to so-called "419" email scams (a.k.a. Nigerian email scams), according to Consumer Reports. Even so, email scammers have learned to diversify and go after specific potential suckers....