Europe Intelligence Wire articles from July 2007

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from July 2007

Germany - Around 17 mln German homes want bundled services - study.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Around 17 million or 45 percent of German households belong to target groups for a bundled package of fixed-line and mobile telephony, according to a new study from Capgemini Consulting. Those most interested...

Ireland - ComReg warns operators over contract obligations.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Irish regulator ComReg has told service providers to improve their customer contracts and information supplied to clients. In a review of 74 standard contracts on the market, the watchdog found numerous...

Ireland - Meteor launches ad campaign with singer Dolan.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Itish mobile operator Meteor has launched a new advertising campaign for its free weekend calls offer. The ads feature Irish singer Joe Dolan and will run from 30 July. Dolan replaces soccer star Liam Brady in...

Malta - MCA reports on consumer switching intentions.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The Malta Communications Authority has issued the results of two consumer surveys on internet and fixed telephony services. The surveys of 1,000 consumers examined respondents existing use of the services, how...

Switzerland - Swisscom disconnects Migros M-Budget customers - report.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Swisscom has disconnected 2,300 M-Budget pre-paid mobile phone users, reports Netzwoche. The affected users gave illegible, incomplete or false addresses when registering and were sent three text messages...

Ireland - O2 Ireland posts small drop in customer base in Q2.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) O2 Ireland registered a drop in its customer numbers in the second quarter, to 1.6315 million from 1.6325 million in March. The decline was due to a loss of prepaid customers, while contract subscribers rose...

Germany - Avodaq restructures company management.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Germany-based IP telephony provider Avodaq has restructured its management. From now on, the former and new board chairman Andreas Kusch will be the only representative on the board. Former members and company...

Europe - Jux.de launches VoIP phone service for users.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German-language online community Jux.de has teamed with VoIP value-added systems provider Finocom to launch the JUX-Phone service. This allows Jux.de members to talk to each other on the phone without giving...

Latvia - BITE Latvija posts H1 revenue of LVL 5.1 million.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Mobile operator BITE Latvija has reported revenue of LVL 5.1 million for first half 2007, up 2.7-fold from first half 2006. Revenue reached LVL 2.8 million in the second quarter. It posted a negative EBITDA of...

Denmark - TDC acquires 20% stake in UnoTel.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) TDC has purchased 20 percent of Denmark's UnoTel, provider of mobile services for retailers that market mobile products. Some UnoTel customers include household appliances chain punkt1, which offers the...

Switzerland - Bakom receives two applications for mobile TV licence.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Switzerland's Federal Office of Communications (Bakom) has announced that it has received two applications for a nationwide mobile TV licence. Bakom launched the tender in June. The Federal Communications...

Czech Republic - Kapsch wins follow-on GSM-R order from Czech railway.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Austrian telecom equipment provider Kapsch CarrierCom has won a follow-on order from the Czech railway operator to further expand its GSM-R digital communications system. The contract covers expansion of the...

Switzerland - Sipcall lowers international call rates for Swiss users.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) VoIP services provider sipcall has announced reductions to international call tariffs for customers in Switzerland from 01 August. It has lowered rates for calls to fixed and mobile networks in over 140...

Germany - T-Mobile Germany launches MMS promotion - report.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) T-Mobile Germany has announced an MMS promotion for customers to send a total of 60 free MMS messages over a 3-month period free of charge, reports teltarif.de. It is offering customers the chance to book the...

Spain - Internet phone calls 83% cheaper than conventional calls.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) In Spain, making calls via the internet to fixed-line phones is 83 percent cheaper on average than via fixed-line to fixed-line, according to a study by Consumer Eroski reported by El Pais. Making calls via the...

Austria - Mobilkom Austria activates A1 World roaming tariff.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Mobile operator mobilkom Austria activated the Eurotariff A1 World for pre-registered A1 post-paid customers. In line with EU regulations, this tariffs offers reduced rates when roaming within the EU. It also...

Finland - Sonera raises rural fixed-line fees from September.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) TeliaSonera has announced changes to its regional fixed-line pricing in Finland. It will increase fixed-line phone subscription fees in sparsely populated areas from 01 September to better reflect the costs of...

Switzerland - Viasuisse outsources ICT infrastructure to T-Systems.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Swiss traffic news provider Viasuisse is outsourcing its complete information and communications (ICT) infrastructure to T-Systems. T-Systems will manage the agency's entire information processing and all its...

Czech Republic - Vodafone CR customers get bonuses for recommending friends.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Vodafone Czech Republic (Vodafone CR) is offering existing customers the chance to earn between CZK 150 and CZK 2,000 worth of service for recommending friends and family to join Vodafone. The promotion runs...

Germany - United Internet CEO expresses interest in Freenet DSL ops.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The CEO of German ISP United Internet, Ralph Dommermuth, has expressed interest in the DSL business of rival Freenet. In an interview with 'Euro am Sonntag', Dommermuth said that United Internet would examine...

Spain - Telefonica may have lost EUR 500 mln over wholesale tariffs.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Telefonica would have lost at least EUR 500 million if it had had to pay the wholesale tariffs which it applied to its internet rivals, according to a confidential version of the EU's recent decision to fine...

France - Alice France plans MVNO service by year-end.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Triple play operator Alice France will have an MVNO service by the end of the year, with a GSM/Wi-Fi hybrid offer, the company's business and quality director, Daniel Fava, told Journal du Net. Fava explained...

Germany - E-Plus launches new Time & More All in PRO tariff.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German mobile network E-Plus Mobilfunk will extend its PRO range for business customers with the new Time & More All in PRO tariff on 01 August. The packages will offer inclusive call minutes and text messages...

Germany - HanseNet offers up to four Alice Mobile SIM cards.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German regional operator HanseNet Telekommunikation is now offering up to four SIM cards with their own phone numbers for its Alice Mobile customers. The promotion is targeted at families. Launched at end-April,...

Netherlands - Nimbuzz adds Hyves features.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Mobile messaging platform Nimbuzz has added features for using the Hyves social networking platform. Nimbuzz already supported mobile chatting with MSN, Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo and AIM contacts. The Nimbuzz...

Germany - E-Plus Q2 sales up 1.9%, end June with 13.6 mln users.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German mobile network E-Plus Mobilfunk generated revenue of EUR 736 million for Q2 2007, up 1.9 percent or EUR 14 million from EUR 722 million a year earlier, according to figures released by parent company...

Spain - Telefonica Espana sees H1 revenue rise to EUR 10.19 bln.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Telefonica Espana, the Spanish unit of Telefonica Group, had EUR 10.19 billion revenue in H1 2007, up 5.4 percent vs the year-earlier period. OIBDA was EUR 4.72 billion, up 10.4 percent, for a 46.3 percent...

Germany - O2 Germany Q2 sales fall, adds 374,000 net new users.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) O2 Germany generated revenue of EUR 861 million for Q2 2007, down 2.9 percent from a year earlier, according to figures released by parent company Telefonica. Revenue for the six months reached EUR 1.70 billion,...

Belgium - BASE adds 106,000 subscribers in Q2.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Belgian mobile operator BASE added 106,000 new subscribers in the second quarter, for a total 2.581 million at the end of June. The company's revenues fell 0.6 percent from a year earlier to EUR 155 million,...

Netherlands - KPN Dutch sales flat in Q2, profits fall.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) KPN reported second-quarter revenues in its home market the Netherlands flat versus a year earlier, at EUR 2.12 billion, as growth in business and mobile services offset lower consumer fixed and wholesale...

Germany - Premiere Star signs deal to carry ProSieben channels.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Premiere Star, subsidiary of German pay-TV operator Premiere, has signed a multi-year agreement with broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Group for distribution of the pay-TV channels Sat.1 Comedy and kabel eins classic...

Austria - Telekom Austria extends IPTV service to Klagenfurt.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Telekom Austria has extended availability of its aonDigital TV IPTV service to Klagenfurt. The service is already offered in Graz, Links, Innsbruck and Salzburg. The service will be launched in the remaining...

Germany - T-Mobile Germany opens web'n'walk portal to mobile ads.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) T-Mobile Germany has opened up the web'n'walk portal to mobile advertising, allowing advertisers to put links and banners on web'n'walk portal pages. InteractiveMedia CCSP, wholly-owned unit of Deutsche...

France - Arcep opens public consultations on fibre market.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French telecommunications regulator Arcep has opened two public consultations on the fibre market. The body highlights France Telecom's leverage due to its ownership of ducts built for telecommunication cables...

Western Europe - KPN posts drop in Q2 results.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Dutch operator KPN reported a decline in second-quarter results, hurt by weakness at its fixed-line business in the Netherlands. Sales fell to EUR 2.957 billion from EUR 2.968 billion a year earlier, as growth...

France - SFR introduces Mobile + ADSL option.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French mobile operator SFR has launched the SFR Mobile + ADSL option, costing EUR 29.90 per month in unbundled areas and EUR 37.90 in non-unbundled areas. The deal is available to subscribers to call plans...

Italy - Tiscali agrees MVNO with Telecom Italia.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) ISP Tiscali has agreed to launch a mobile service in Italy using the Telecom Italia network. Tiscali's MVNO will offer prepaid and contract services under its own brand, integrated with its fixed-line products....

Portugal - PT deploys ADVA, Nokia Siemens equipment in Portugal.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) ADVA Optical Networking and Nokia Siemens Networks have announced that PT Comunicacoes, fixed communications division of Portugal Telecom, has deployed the ADVA Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 3000 and FSP Network...

Turkey - Avea expands network service in Marmara Sea.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Turkey's GSM operator Avea has expanded its network coverage to the international boat and national ferry lines in the Marmara Sea. Avea will provide mobile voice and data services to the customers of...

Germany - Arcor unveils range of cut-price fixed call plans.
July 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Germany-based operator Arcor has unveiled a series of new fixed-rate call packages. Customers can choose from a number of packages, depending on how often they call and where to. With Preselect Weekend...

Netherlands - Payter starts mobile payments trial.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Dutch mobile services provider Payter is starting a trial of mobile payments in Rotterdam in the second half of this year. Around 1,000 consumers will participate in the trial using near-field communications...

Ireland - Eircom faces line rental price cap.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Irish regulator ComReg has proposed price caps in the narrowband retail access market for incumbent operator eircom. The reason for proposing a price cap is to ensure that prices for retail customers reflect...

Netherlands - Pluk adds e-mail to SMS service.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Pluk, the SMS information service started in 2006 by KPN and BarTrack, is adding direct e-mail to its service. Pluk currently allows consumers to send an SMS with a shortcode in order to receive additional...

Netherlands - Casema picks OpenTV for interactive PVR.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Setp-top box middleware supplier OpenTV has won a contract from Dutch cable operator Casema. Casema will deploy high definition personal video recorders with OpenTV Core2 middleware, OpenTV PVR2 and the OpenTV...

Europe - EC starts competition case against Intel.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The European Commission has started a case against Intel alleging that the chipmaker has abused its dominant market position. A statement of objections was sent to the company outlining the commission's view...

Czech Republic - Vodafone CR signs agreement with Tesco Stores.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Due to its partnership with Star Communications, Vodafone Czech Republic has signed an agreement with Tesco stores that enables Vodafone to offer its products and services in 53 Tesco stores in the Czech...

Czech Republic - Telefonica O2 CR grows net profit 14%.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Telefonica O2 Czech Republic reported first-half net profit of CZK 4.9 billion, up 14.2 percent from a year earlier. Revenues improved 3.2 percent to CZK 31.1 billion, while OIBDA dipped 2.2 percent to CZK 14.2...

Austria - Tele2 says own network business model 'vindicated'.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Tele2 Austria says its successful court victory against eTel over misleading price claims vindicates its business model. A trade court ruled in the future Telekom Austria's subsidiary eTel Austria must ensure...

Germany - Teles reports 13 percent less revenues for Q2.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German telecom services provider Teles reports 13 percent less revenues for the second quarter of 2007 with EUR 5.9 million compared with EUR 6.8 million in the same period a year earlier. Gross profit...

Europe - Econocom grows revenues partly due to telecoms recovery.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Belgian IT and telecommunications integrator Econocom increased its operating result for the first half of 2007 by 150 percent to EUR 8.5 million. It grew revenue by 14 percent to EUR 32 million. In a...

Europe - Amdocs introduces data retention service.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Customer systems provider Amdocs is offering the Amdocs Data Retention service. The software and hardware package is designed for rapid, low-cost deployment. A key component within the Amdocs Data Retention...

Cyprus - Cablenet selects Arris C4 CMTS technology in Cyprus.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Cablenet Communication Systems has deployed a number of C4 CMTS chassis in Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca, three of the major cities of Cyprus. The C4's were purchased from Arris value-added reseller (VAR) BASE...

Portugal - Portugal's Optimus launches summer promotion.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Portuguese mobile operator Optimus has launched a new promotion valid during 01-31 August, in which calls and video calls will be charged at only EUR 0.01 a minute. Pre-paid customers only need to make a top-up...

Italy - TIM, RIM launch BlackBerry Pearl Rosso in Italy.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) TIM and Research In Motion have announced the launch in Italy of a new red version of the BlackBerry Pearl smartphone, to be added to the existing black and white model. The new BlackBerry Pearl Rosso has a 1.3...

Greece - PPC says Tellas talks continuing.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Greece's Power Public Corp has denied reports that talks on selling its stake in telecoms operator Tellas have collapsed. It has been discussing selling its stake in Tellas to partner Weather Investments, which...

Italy - T-DMB trials to launch in Rome in September.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Around 30 radio and digital multimedia programs will launch in the Rome, Italy, area in September, as the result of a cooperation agreement between Rai Way and radio consortia Club DAB Italia, CR Dab and Eurodab...

Portugal - Portuguese mobile operators add 169,000 customers in Q2.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Portugal's three mobile operators added nearly 169,000 new customers in Q2 2007. TMN added 100,000 to its subscriber base, according to a company source quoted by the Lusa news agency, pointing out that this...

Bulgaria - European Commission clears acquisition of BTC by AIG.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The European Commission has cleared the acquisition of Bulgarian Telecommunications Company by AIG Capital Partners. The European Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede...

Europe - Intel denies claims of anti-competitive behaviour.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Intel has issued a statement denying claims of anti-competitive behaviour by the chipmaker. The European Commission has launched a case against the company allegedly it abused its dominant market position and...

Spain - Jazztel to invest EUR 50 mln-70 mln in 2007.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Telecommunications operator Jazztel aims to invest EUR 50 million-70 million in 2007, down from EUR 91.2 million in 2006, reports Efecom. The lower investment is due to the company's DSL network being almost...

Spain - CMT to freeze line rental costs in Spain in 2009.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The CMT, Spanish telecommunications regulator, has decided to freeze users' monthly cost for renting individual lines from Telefonica in 2009. The cost is the monthly amount which users pay for line...

Spain - Barcelona Televisio, Telefonica I+D in mobile TV broadcast.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Barcelona Televisio and Telefonica I+D have carried out a live TV broadcast, on a full screen, without using a unit for linking the TV. The program Hola Barcelona broadcast a 20-minute report live, without...

Iceland - Skipti sees H1 sales rise to ISK 15.51 bln.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Iceland-based Skipti had ISK 15.51 billion sales in H1 2007, up 32 percent from ISK 11.75 billion in the year-earlier period. The growth is explained partly by the inclusion in the group of earnings from the new...

Spain - Telefonica rolls out 3.5G Plus mobile technology in Spain.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Telefonica has rolled out its 3.5G Plus mobile technology in around 20 Spanish cities. The service will allow mobile customers to send information and data at up to 1.4-Mbps, and receive information and data...

Germany - Infineon sees revenues fall 11 percent in Q2.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German semiconductor firm Infineon Technologies reported EUR 1.75 billion revenues in its Q3, down 11 percent vs the year earlier period. Revenues for the company excluding Qimonda were EUR 1.01 billion, up 3...

Italy - 3 Italia deploys Dilithium's VT-Phone video phone software.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Dilithium, supplier of 3G multimedia solutions, has seen 3 Italia, mobile media company of the Hutchison Whampoa Group, select Dilithium's VT-Phone video telephony software as a key component of Pupillo Pro,...

France - M6 Mobile reaches 1 mln customers.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French MVNO M6 Mobile has passed the milestone of 1 million customers. The service is a joint venture of broadcaster M6 and Orange. The 1 millionth customer won a Nokia N95 handset and M6 scooter. M6 Mobile...

Portugal - Sonaecom posts small net profit in Q2.
July 27, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Portuguese operator Sonaecom posted a small net profit of EUR 1.3 million the second quarter, reversing a loss of EUR 2.1 million a year earlier as it lowered financial and depreciation charges. Revenues...

Germany - KDG posts full-year sales up 8% to EUR 1.09 billion.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German cable operator Kabel Deutschland (KDG) has reported revenue of EUR 1.09 billion for its FY to 31 March, up 8 percent from EUR 1.01 billion a year earlier, with subscription revenue up to EUR 949.5...

Germany - VATM calls for broadcasting law to be revised.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The German Federation of Alternative Operators (VATM) is calling for a radical shake-up of media policy and fundamental changes to broadcasting regulations to accommodate the convergence of TV, internet and...

France - Google is most popular online property in France.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Google was the top online property in France in June, attracting 18.1 million unique visitors to reach 70 percent of the total French online population, according to comScore. The online French population is...

Czech Republic - Vodafone CR offers permanent discounted calls to Vietnam.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Vodafone Czech Republic (Vodafone CR) has decided to make its price reduction for calls to Vietnam permanent. During a promotion from 19 April to 31 July, it reduced fees for calls to Vietnam by around 46...

Europe - Eutelsat FY sales up 4.8% to EUR 829.1 million.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications has reported revenue of EUR 829.1 million for its FY ending 30 June 2007, up 4.8 percent from EUR 791.1 million a year earlier. EBITDA reached EUR 652.6 million, up...

Hungary - Pannon cuts EU roaming rates by 38-79 percent.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Hungarian mobile operator Pannon will cut its roaming tariffs for calls made within the EU by 38-79 percent from 29 August. Customers will not need to register for these lower rates as they will automatically be...

Ireland - 3 Ireland reaches 150,000 subscribers.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Three Ireland has reached 150,000 subscribers following rapid growth in recent months, reports The Irish Independent. The mobile operator has never released subscriber figures, but is expected to give an update...

Turkey - Turk Telecom cuts local call rates.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Turk Telekom has cut its local call rates. Subscribers to the StandartHATT scheme will see local prices drop by 16 percent, while the reduction is 10 percent for the HesapliHATT scheme. The move follows a...

Spain - Spanish govt to pay out EUR 12 mln to Sintel workers.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Spain's government is to pay out EUR 12.02 million to workers who lost their jobs when a former Telefonica subsidiary went bankrupt, reports Cinco Dias. The sum represents 55 percent of compensation agreed six...

France - Numericable signs MVNO deal with Bouygues Telecom - report.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French cable operator Numericable is set to enter the mobile phone market after signing an MVNO agreement with Bouygues Telecom, reports Les Echos citing unnamed sources close to the talks. This is Bouygues...

Netherlands - Netherlands starts spectrum consultation.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The Dutch government has opened a public consultation on proposed changes to the national spectrum plan. Comments can be submitted until 5 September. Proposed changes include the defense ministry freeing up some...

Spain - Telefonica creates international office for lobbying.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Telefonica has created an office to lobby public and private organisations outside Spain, reports Cinco Dias, citing EFE. The creation of the new office comes the same month the Spanish operator received a...

Netherlands - AMS-IX sees FY income rise 28%.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The Amsterdam Internet Exchange reported a 28 percent rise in 2006 income to almost EUR 5 million, helped by an increasing number of 10 GE connections. The AMS-IX currently has 267 members on 447 ports. The...

Netherlands - KPN, Hi cut roaming rates.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Dutch mobile operator KPN and its brand Hi are lowering roaming rates in the EU. Customers can sign up for the lower rates from 23 August and they will apply automatically to all customers from 23 September....

France - Completel Q2 sales up 27% to EUR 69.6 million.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Completel Europe, national infrastructure-based operator providing telecom services to the French business market, has reported revenue of EUR 69.6 million for Q2 2006, up 27 percent from EUR 54.8 million in Q2...

Netherlands - Bondd offers ad-supported free phone service.
July 26, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The Dutch firm Bondd has started offering an advertising-supported free phone service. Depending on the number of advertisers, users can call for up to 10 minutes twice a week. During the call, the customer...