Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from August 2009, page 3

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from August 2009

Saudi Arabia - STC launches Sawa Ziyara Card promotion.
August 26, 2009... Saudi Telecom Company (STC) launched a new Sawa Ziyara Card promotion providing visitors a Sawa line with 120-day validity from activation. The price for one Sawa Ziyara card is SAR 40 with SAR 40 basic credit, which includes all services such...

Middle East - Zimbra picks Opennet for regional distribution deal.
August 26, 2009... Opennet Middle East and Africa has been appointed by Zimbra as a distributor for the Middle East region. Zimbra, a Yahoo! company, provides open-source server software for e-mail and collaboration at businesses. Since 2000, Opennet has been a...

Sierra Leone - Africell launches Ramadan offers.
August 26, 2009... Africell Lintel Sierra Leone has unveiled two new offers for the month of Ramadan. To enter the 'Holy Quran recitation' offer, subscribers should dial 7100 to listen to different Surahs of the Quran. This offer costs SLL 0.8 per minute both peak...

Algeria - Djezzy customer base passes 14.5 mln in H1.
August 26, 2009... Algerian mobile operator Djezzy finished the first half with over 14.53 million subscribers, maintaining its leadership position with a 63.7 percent market share. That compares to 14.14 million customers in March and 14.20 million in June 2008....

China - Linktone revenues up to USD 17.56 mln in Q2.
August 26, 2009... Chinese mobile entertainment producer Linktone's second-quarter net revenues increased to USD 17.56 million from USD 13.99 million in the year-earlier quarter. Data-related services revenue was USD 10.6 million, representing 58 percent of total...

Tunisia - Tunisiana grows H1 revenues 21.8%.
August 26, 2009... Tunisia's mobile operator Tunisiana closed the first half with 4.4 million subscribers, good for a marrket share of 52.3 percent. That compares to 3.9 million customers and a market share of 49.1 percent during the same period last year. The...

Jordan - Umniah sponsors TV programme for Ramadan.
August 26, 2009... Jordan mobile operator Umniah announced the launch of its humanitarian programme 'Urdon Al Khair.Umniah Al Khair' in cooperation with JTV, producer Hussam Hijawi and Information Technology Planet. The programme developed for Ramadan will be...

Bangladesh - Banglalink posts positive EBITDA in H1.
August 26, 2009... Bangladesh mobile operator Banglalink reported first-half revenues of USD 170 million, up 29 percent over the same period last year. ARPU increased by 18 percent compared to same time last year and by 4 percent compared to the first quarter, to...

Cambodia - Cambodia releases e-government project guidelines.
August 26, 2009... The National Information Communications Technology Development Agency of Cambodia has released e-government project guidelines to ensure government information is kept secure and protected from system intruders, reports the Phnom Penh Post. NIDA...

Middle East - Xtreme unveils new Bluetooth stereo headset.
August 26, 2009... Xtreme has launched the Xtreme Bluetooth Stereo Headset XTM-900, the latest addition to its growing portfolio of Bluetooth media products. The headset delivers wireless stereo music from all A2DP-enabled devices, such as mobile phones, PDAs and...

Australia - South Australia kicks off free bus wireless trial.
August 26, 2009... State transport authorities across Australia will be eyeing a six-month trial in South Australia, which will see one metropolitan bus equipped with a raft of multimedia equipment and free wireless internet access, ZDNet.com.au reports. The trial...

New Zealand - TeamTalk FY revenues grow 1.1% to NZD 31.22 mln.
August 26, 2009... New Zealand communications firm TeamTalk reported operating revenues for the full year to 30 June of NZD 31.22 million, up 1.1 percent from NZD 30.87 million in a year earlier. Revenues from fibre wireless group dropped to NZD 11.24 million from...

Pakistan - Mobilink adds almost 900,000 subscribers in Q2.
August 26, 2009... Pakistan mobile operator Mobilink grew its subscriber base to 29.137 million at the end of 30 June, with almost 900,000 net additions in Q2. The customer base was down 9 percent year-on-year as a result of the base clean-up undertaken throughout...

South Africa - Aastra picks Goldtel Solutions as distribution partner.
August 26, 2009... Aastra Telecom South Africa has partnered with Goldtel Industries for the supply of SME enterprise equipment into the South African market. Goldtel Industries incorporates the traditional Hymax network as well as a large number of independent...

Africa - MTN sees H1 profits hit by forex impact.
August 26, 2009... Mobile operator MTN Group expects its first-half adjusted headline earnings per share to fall 8.6-13.6 percent from a year earlier. Basic headline EPS will rise 19.8-24.8 percent, according to a trading update from the South Africa-based...

Viet Nam - S-Fone denies rift rumors with SK Telecom.
August 26, 2009... In response to a rumour that South Korea-based SK Telecom will stop pouring money into S-Fone, Ho Hong Son, S-Fone executive director, said that the company service remains stable and has a sound sustainable development in Vietnam, reports the...

Middle East - Orascom Telecom H1 revenue down 2.3% to USD 2.48 bln.
August 26, 2009... Mobile operator Orascom Telecom's first-half revenues fell 2.3 percent over the previous year to USD 2.48 billion, which the company put down to currency devaluations in key operations. EBITDA fell 3.5 percent to USD 1.1 billion, and net income...

Lebanon - Zhone delivers IP access equipment in Lebanon.
August 26, 2009... Telecommunications operator of the government of Lebanon Ogero (Organisme de Gestion et d'Exploitation de l'ex Radio Orient) has named Zhone Technologies as its preferred IP access equipment provider. Ogero selected Zhone equipment to support...

Viet Nam - VTN picks Alcatel-Lucent products for network transformation.
August 26, 2009... Alcatel-Lucent has signed two contracts with VNPT subsidiary Vietnam Telecom National to help the operator transform its network. Alcatel-Lucent will provide its IP and optical services enabling VTN to meet the increased capacity requirements...

Middle East - LinkDotNet inks Live@net contract with Microsoft.
August 26, 2009... Egyptian ISP LinkDotNet has signed a contract with Microsoft to provide the Windows Live online platform. LinkDotNet will offer the combined service of both MSN and Windows Live services across Europe and Middle East. Windows Live, which...

China - Emobile to rent handsets to Chinese travellers.
August 26, 2009... Japanese mobile services provider Emobile will begin a mobile phone rental service for Chinese visitors to Japan. From 1 September, visitors to Japan can rent an Emobile handset at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the Nikkei writes. The...

Japan - NEC, Renesas push back signing merger agreement.
August 26, 2009... NEC Electronics and Renesas Technology have again pushed back the signing of a planned merger agreement. The companies were planning to sign at end-August but have now postponed this to September. In April, NEC Electronics started talks with...

South Korea - SK Telecom launches sound effects service.
August 26, 2009... Korean telecommunications firm SK Telecom has launched a sound effect service for its mobile users. Subscribers can listen to various sound effects and famous quotes from television dramas, the JoongAng Daily reports. The service is offered for...

South Korea - Internet commerce in Korea up 11.3 percent in Q2.
August 26, 2009... Internet commerce in Korea went up 11.3 percent sequentially in the second quarter. E-commerce transactions in the quarter were worth KRW 166.90 trillion, the JoongAng Daily reports citing the National Statistical Office. Online transactions...

Taiwan - LGE targets number 3 smartphone spot in Taiwan.
August 26, 2009... LG Electronics (LGE) plans to launch five to six new smartphones in Taiwan next year. The company aims to become the third-largest handset brand in Taiwan in 2010, Cens reports. Currently, LG Electronics is the fourth-largest handset brand in...

Thailand - TOT may withdraw revised 3G plan to use earlier plan instead.
August 26, 2009... Thai state telecommunications enterprise TOT could withdraw its revised 3G plan from the cabinet and use the previous draft instead. TOT submitted the revised 3G plan to the cabinet several months ago but so far it has not yet been tabled for...

Australia - Optus awards IT support contracts to Accenture, EDS.
August 26, 2009... Optus has awarded separate multi-year IT application maintenance and support contracts to Accenture and EDS, an HP company. The announcement follows a selective tender which commenced in April. Accenture and EDS join Mahindra Satyam, NCS and...

Australia - Pipe's FY profit grows 46%, buoyant on FY 2010.
August 26, 2009... Australian telecommunications company Pipe Networks registered a 46 percent growth in profits for the year ended 30 June. Profit totalled AUD 10.5 million, up from AUD 7.2 million in the previous financial year. This result includes the results...

Australia - Telstra trials remote video conference.
August 26, 2009... Telstra has trialled a virtual site inspection via its Next G network. The test linked workers in the field to experts in the office via video conference using a power generator and a high-gain 17dbi Next G panel antenna. The company connected a...

China - Vimicro, Leadcore cooperate on TD-SCDMA mobile TV technology.
August 26, 2009... Multimedia semiconductor provider Vimicro has signed a collaboration agreement with Datang Telecom subsidiary Leadcore Technology. Vimicro and Leadcore will cooperate on developing 3G TD-SCDMA multimedia technologies and services for China...

Azerbaijan - Nar Mobile launches on-net calls promotion.
August 26, 2009... Azerbaijani mobile operator Nar Mobile has launched a free on-net calls promotion called 'Happy Hours. Users can pick from three different add-on options: one hour of free calls on the Nar Mobile network for AZN 0.20, one day of free calls for...

Kazakhstan - Kcell launches conversational music service.
August 26, 2009... Kazakhstani mobile operator Kcell has launched a service to play music during mobile conversations. Users can log on to musictalk.kcell.kz to pick a sound file and send and SMS with the code to the operator. Users can assign certain keys to play...

Hong Kong - NTT Com Asia launches virtualisation products in Hong Kong.
August 26, 2009... NTT Com Asia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTT Communications, has launched Virtualisation as a Service (VaaS) in Hong Kong. The VaaS series comprises Virtual Server Hosting, Virtual Infrastructure, and Virtual Office. The service is housed in...

Australia - Engin narrows FY net loss on higher revenues.
August 26, 2009... Australian VoIP provider Engin saw its revenues for the year ended 30 June grow by 2.3 percent and net loss narrowed. Engin posted full year revenues of AUD 20.20 million, up 2.3 percent from AUD 19.76 million, driven by increasing subscribers....

Malaysia - P1's Wimax subscriber base hits 80,000.
August 26, 2009... Malaysian Wimax services provider Packet One has seen the number of subscribers reach 80,000, one year after rolling out its P1 Wimax broadband service. P1 has also maintained an ARPU above MYR 85. The company plans to introduce new services in...

Asia - Pipe transmits first light between Sydney and Guam.
August 26, 2009... Australian telecommunications company Pipe Networks's subsidiary Pipe International has successfully transmitted 'first light' across its PPC-1 submarine cable system. The roll-out of the fibre-optic cable between Sydney and Guam has now been...

New Zealand - Union criticises Telecom NZ's CEO pay.
August 26, 2009... The board of Telecom New Zealand has defended the payment of more than NZD 5 million to chief executive Paul Reynolds following criticism by a union head amid industrial action among Telecom engineers. Reynolds will be paid NZD 5 million...

Cambodia - Metfone launches fixed wireless telephony promotion.
August 26, 2009... Cambodian communications provider Metfone has launched a promotion for its fixed wireless telephony service, MetHome. Prepaid users can get a MetHome terminal and SIM, which includes USD 10 in talk time) for USD 25. Under the promotion, prepaid...

Philippines - Bayan to launch further legal action on 3G licence issue.
August 26, 2009... Philippine communications provider Bayan Telecommunications plans to launch further legal action to reverse the communications regulator's decision not to grant the company with a 3G licence, the BusinessMirror Online reports. The court of...

Hong Kong - SmarTone to introduce HTC Hero.
August 26, 2009... Hong Kong mobile operator SmarTone-Vodafone will launch the HTC Hero and has begun pre-selling the handset. The device runs on Android and features HTC's Sense user interface cusomised for SmarTone. The handset further has a HVGA 3.2-inch...

Saudi Arabia - Go launches promotional offer for Ramadan.
August 26, 2009... Saudi Wimax operator Etihad Atheeb Telecom, which operates under the Go brand, launched its latest promotional offer for the holy month of Ramadan. The 'Generous offer for the holy month' includes a free Wimax modem with Wi-Fi with broadband...

Qatar - Qtel unveils mobile VPN upgrade for Qatar enterprises.
August 26, 2009... Qtel announced it has added another service improvement for Qatar's corporate clients, with an enhanced plan for corporate users of its WCDMA-GPRS Virtual Private Network (VPN) services. The new WCDMA service is available for corporate, postpaid...

Kenya - Zain Kenya introduces new SME features on Zap.
August 26, 2009... Mobile operator Zain Kenya introduced three new software features for its Zap mobile payments platform, aimed at securing and expediting the cash transfer process. The three services Zap Distro, Zap Master Pay and Zap Tranzact are aimed at small...

Middle East - Yahoo! signs deal to acquire Maktoob.com.
August 26, 2009... Yahoo! has agreed to acquire Maktoob.com, an online community in the Arab world with more than 16.5 million unique users. Maktoob claims to reach one in three people online throughout the Arab world. The deal gives Yahoo! access to this audience...

Algeria - Mobilis introduces Ramadan promotions.
August 26, 2009... Algerian mobile operator Mobilis is donating part of all top-ups and contract payments to charity during Ramadan. The operator will give DZD 10 for each top-up of at least DZD 200 and each contract payment to children's charities. The company...

South Africa - Vodacom picks Andrew for coverage in World Cup stadiums.
August 26, 2009... South African operator Vodacom has signed a contract with CommScope division Andrew Solutions, through its South African affiliate company, Systems Designs, to furnish its indoor wireless coverage and capacity network, the Intelligent Optical...

China - China mobile shipments set to reach 363 million in 2009.
August 26, 2009... Chinese companies shipped 165 million mobile handsets during H1, up 19 percent from the same period in 2008, according to iSuppli. Domestic handset shipments will reach 240 million units in 2009, representing an 8.4 percent annual growth rate,...

India - Bharti, MTN meet Indian ministers on merger talks - report.
August 26, 2009... India's Bharti group chairman Sunil Mittal and South Africa's MTN CEO Phuthuma Nhleko met Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and minister of state for corporate affairs Salman Khurshid on 24 August, triggering speculation about the motive...

India - India's comm sector to emerge as largest contributor to GDP.
August 26, 2009... The communication sector is predicted to emerge as the single largest sector of India's economy, with a 15.4 percent share, equivalent to INR 8.65 trillion, of GDP by 2014-15, reports PTI citing a study from National Council of Applied Economic...

India - Tata Indicom launches Photon+ in Nashik.
August 26, 2009... India's Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) has launched the Photon+ mobile broadband device in Nashik. The Photon+ service will be accessible via both USB modems and routers. The Photon+ mobile broadband service is offered on the Tata Indicom CDMA...

India - DirectPay, PayMate partner on mobile payments in India.
August 26, 2009... DirectPay has signed a partnership agreement with mobile payment services provider PayMate to provide merchants across India with a mobile payment facility. DirectPay is a bank-neutral payment gateway service which facilitates online shopping...

China - Taobao's transaction volume doubles in H1.
August 26, 2009... Alibaba's online auction and retail service Taobao saw transaction volume in the first half almost double. Transaction volume (gross merchandise volume) reached CNY 80.9 billion, a 97 percent increase year-on-year. Taobao's gross merchandise...

New Zealand - New Zealand establishes digital switchover steering group.
August 26, 2009... New Zealand has established a joint government and industry steering group to assist with the switchover to digital television. The group will monitor the take-up of digital television throughout the country, ensure technical coordination,...

Australia - Quoin buys more shares in Eftel.
August 26, 2009... Systems engineering and manufacturing company Quoin International will increase its shareholding in Australian ISP Eftel under an agreement between the companies. Quoin will buy an additional 11.03 million shares in the ISP. Following earlier...

Israel - Israel to consider mobile infrastructure sharing.
August 25, 2009... Israel's telecommunications regulator will consider allowing mobile operators to share infrastructure, Globes reports. The Minister of Communications Moshe Kahlon made the request for the review. The authority's director general Ronit Kan said...

Japan - Docomo's DCMX m-payment service tops 10 mln subscribers.
August 25, 2009... NTT Docomo's credit payment service DCMX has reached 10 million users since the original launch in April 2006, double the amount of users in February 2008. DCMX is a service brand for Docomo-issued credit cards, which enables subscribers to make...

Indonesia - Telkomsel files police report against Badung.
August 25, 2009... Indonesia's PT Telkomsel has filed a police report against the Badung administration, accusing its public order officers of vandalising the company's property, the Jakarta Post reported. Telkomsel's legal counsel, Hartanto, said the damage...

UAE - Etisalat, Nokia launch mobile content offer for Ramadan.
August 25, 2009... UAE operator Etisalat and Nokia announced a joint promotion to offer free Ramadan applications. With the purchase of any of the featured Nokia devices, customers will get a 1GB data package free for two months from Etisalat. The data service...

Rwanda - UTL, Rwandatel agree backhaul deal with Seacom.
August 25, 2009... Seacom announced that it has extended its connectivity across East Africa through a partnership with Uganda Telecom and Rwandatel. Through concurrent deals, UTL and RTL, both subsidiaries of the Libya's LAP Green Networks, have purchased a...

Nigeria - Nigeria orders Nitel/Mtel privatisation in 2 months.
August 25, 2009... The Nigerian government has ordered the interim board of the ailing national carrier Nitel/Mtel to complete the process of finding a new core investor for the company within 60 days. Vice President Goodluck Jonathan called on the Bureau of...

Qatar - Vodafone Qatar launches special services for Ramadan.
August 25, 2009... Vodafone Qatar has introduced several services for customers during Ramadan. Vodafone will be hosting an Iftar for free for 150 people in need every day throughout Ramadan. In addition, existing customers and any new customer who signs up to...

India - OnMobile sees 110,000 users for Antakshari app store product.
August 25, 2009... Indian VAS company OnMobile Developer Network's speech applications app store product, Antakshari, has been received in the market with over 110,000 users accessing the application within the first three months of launch. Antakshari is a multi...

China - Spansion to sell Suzhou facility to Powertech.
August 25, 2009... Flash memory maker Spansion has signed a contract with Powertech Technology to sell its final manufacturing facility located in Suzhou, China, and certain related equipment to Powertech Technology. Under the terms of the contract, Powertech will...

Nigeria - NCC to seek fresh bids for 2.3GHz spectrum licences.
August 25, 2009... The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given notice of the start of a fresh bidding round for licences for the 2.3GHz radio spectrum band. This follows the cancellation of previous licence awards by President Umaru Yar'Adua. According...

Israel - Bezeq to post gain of up to ILS 1.4 bln on Yes.
August 25, 2009... Bezeq Israel Telecom said it would post a one-off gain of between ILS 1.2 billion and ILS 1.4 billion after deconsolidating satellite TV unit Yes. The operator said the change would occur after the Supreme Court ruling rejecting its proposed...

Australia - Telstra deploys Cisco ASR 9000 router.
August 25, 2009... Telstra has deployed the Cisco Aggregation Services Router 9000 Series as the carrier Ethernet platform supporting bandwidth-intensive and content-based services such as video. The Cisco ASR 9000 deployment in the edge of the network complements...

Asia - Viper signs sales and distribution agreement with GIS.
August 25, 2009... Viper Networks and Cirilium India have entered into an agreement with Globalcom Information Services, a global infocomm service provider in the Asia-Pacific region, for sales, distribution and other value-added services for its recently awarded...

Singapore - Resorts World at Sentosa picks Cisco networking platform.
August 25, 2009... Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) is putting into place a comprehensive network built primarily with equipment from Cisco that will serve as a platform for the resort's integrated operations when it opens next year. The Cisco architecture includes...

India - Ignis, Dasan sign multi-year contract in India.
August 25, 2009... Fibre optical technology company Ignis has entered into a contract with network equipment manufacturer Dasan Network for delivery of optical splitters in India. The agreement will be part of a multi-year project and will go on into 2010. Ignis...

South Korea - LG Dacom's profit rises 20% in Q2.
August 25, 2009... South Korean internet operator LG Dacom saw its sales rise 11 percent year-on-year in the second quarter to KRW 462.7 billion from KRW 416.7 billion in Q2 2008. EBITDA grew by 27 percent to KRW 94.8 billion from KRW 74.6 billion, and net income...

Japan - Docomo ups stake in Zenrin DataCom.
August 25, 2009... NTT Docomo will increase its stake in Zenrin DataCom, the Nikkei reports. Zenrin DataCom, a subsidiary of Zenrin that distributes map information online, will issue new shares on 10 September. Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo will buy 3,038...

China - China Telecom buys 4 million 3G handsets.
August 25, 2009... China Telecom is buying 4 million 3G handsets with domestic mobile handset makers. The order includes 63 different customised models, which will expand the operator's 3G line-up and is expected to help it attract subscribers, the China Daily...

Cambodia - GT-Tell seeks investor for network expansion.
August 25, 2009... Cambodian CDMA operator GT-Tell, which offers services under the Excell brand, is seeking a strategic investor. The company plans to cover the entire country and needs a strategic investor. Currently, Excell offers services, including EV-DO...

Sri Lanka - Millicom to sell Sri Lanka business by March 2010.
August 25, 2009... Global mobile operator Millicom International Cellular will sell its Sri Lankan business by the first quarter of next year. The sale of Celltel Lanka, which uses the Tigo brand, should be completed by March 2010, Millicom's head of...

China - China Telecom to work with CAST on GPS, satellite services.
August 25, 2009... China Telecom has signed a framework agreement with China Aerospace Science and Technology (CAST) to collaborate on satellite communications and GPS services. Under the five-year agreement, the parties will cooperate on information services,...

China - China Mobile plans to introduce over 100 3G phones this year.
August 25, 2009... China Mobile plans to launch more than 100 3G mobile handsets by the end of the year to attract users. The company is currently stymied by the lack of TD-SCDMA phones, the Financial Times reports citing China Mobile chairman Wang Jianzhou. Wang...

Australia - Telstra to appeal regulator's rejection of ULL undertaking.
August 25, 2009... Telstra has launched an appeal in the Australian federal court to the ACCC's rejection of the company's AUD 30 per month ULL undertaking. The Competition Tribunal recently also rejected Telstra's appeal to raise prices for metropolitan unbundled...

Australia - Vocus secures contract from AussieHQ.
August 25, 2009... Australian wholesale IP transit and voice supplier Vocus will provide services to web host AussieHQ. Under the deal, Vocus will provide high capacity IP Transit services across both Sydney and Canberra.

Singapore - Customers for StarHub's Digital Voice service hit 200,000.
August 25, 2009... StarHub has seen the customer base of its home phone line service Digital Voice hit 200,000. This is double the 100,000 customer mark reached ten months ago when StarHub offered Digital Voice as a free value-added service to StarHub TV...

Taiwan - IT spending by Taiwanese SMBs to drop this year - study.
August 25, 2009... The average IT spending per Taiwanese small or medium sized business in 2009 is expected to total TWD 2.78 million. This figure is down TWD 320,000 compared to 2008, research firm MIC has found. The main reason for this decline is the continuing...

China - China Unicom set to launch mobile mail service.
August 25, 2009... China Unicom plans to launch a mobile mail service in October. The company has begun testing the Wo-branded service and plans to launch officially as early as 1 October, Interfax writes. Until 30 September the service is offered for free. After...

China - China Mobile to collaborate with Foxconn on e-book readers.
August 25, 2009... China Mobile hopes work with Taiwan's Foxconn Electronics on the production of e-book readers. China Mobile's chief executive Wang Jianzhou is currently visiting Taiwan to procure equipment and pursue collaborations. Wang will meet with Foxconn...

China - China's handset exports drop 8% in H1.
August 25, 2009... Handset exports from China dropped 7.7 percent year-on-year in the first half and 7.2 percent sequentially, the Digitimes reports citing China's customs authority. The decline was due to decreased demand in the global handset market. The total...

Taiwan - Taiwan ends Q1 with 25.7 mln mobile users.
August 25, 2009... The number of mobile subscribers in Taiwan has grown to 25.67 million in the first quarter of this year, according to research institute FIND. The penetration rate has gone up to 111.3 percent. The number of mobile users went up 1 percent from...