Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from December 2007

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from December 2007

Namibia - Cell One subscribers get free calls during festive season.
December 17, 2007... Namibia's mobile service operator Cell One has introduced free calls and SMS in a promotion aimed at rewarding subscribers during the festive season. Company spokesman Jegg Christian said in the 'Finest Hour' festive season promotion, Cell...

Nigeria - MTN Nigeria says committed to improving service.
December 17, 2007... MTN Nigeria has underlined its efforts to expand infrastructure and improve servcie quality following government threats to revoke its licence if it doesn't improve its network. Amina Oyagbola, MTN's Corporate Services Executive told the...

Kenya - Kenya says Safaricom IPO on despite opposition.
December 17, 2007... The Kenyan government said the Safaricom IPO would proceed as scheduled with a three-week subscription period for investors. Finance Ministry spokesman Joseph Kinyua said the government was still awaiting the approval of the Capital Markets...

Kenya - Safaricom introduces on-net offers for festive season.
December 17, 2007... Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom has introduced new offers designed to reward customers and new subscribers during the Christmas season. Subscribers on both prepaid and postpaid will pay KES 10 per minute from 06:00 hours to 22:00 and KES 5...

Viet Nam - FPT Telecom launches iTV service in Vietnam.
December 17, 2007... FPT Telecom has launched an iTV service in Vietnam, featuring 45 TV channels and on-demand services such as movie, music, newspaper, archive, broadcasting, SMS and selection on users' TV sets. The service comes with a decoding device, which...

Azerbaijan - Azercell Telecom launches Gold Number & Phone Campaign.
December 17, 2007... Azercell Telecom JV has unveiled the Gold Number and the Phone Campaign promotion, reports Trend Capital. The campaign is available for Azercell customers and any user aspiring to join Azercell. The one-year campaign started on 14 December....

Zimbabwe - TelOne upgrades CDMA to improve service quality.
December 17, 2007... Zimbabwean service provider TelOne has warned subscribers of service interruptions in Harare until the end of the month due to upgrades on its CDMA network aimed at improving service delivery. The company said there would not be a complete...

India - US asks India to adopt auction for 2G spectrum.
December 17, 2007... The US government has strongly recommended to Indian telecommunication minister A Raja to adopt the auction method for allotment of 2G spectrum, reports the Economic Times. Ambassador David A Gross, co-ordinator for the Bush administration's...

Malaysia - Maxis, NGC Systems launch mobile video avatar service.
December 17, 2007... Maxis Communications has joined forces with NGC Systems, unit of DVM Technology, to launch Asia Pacific's first video avatar service for Malaysian mobile phone users, reports Theedgedaily.com. According to Maxis, the video avatar is a new...

Malaysia - Time dotCom, DiGi tie-up to benefit mobile broadband sector.
December 17, 2007... Time dotCom's (TdC) planned alliance with DiGi.Com will have a positive impact on the mobile broadband industry by boosting competition between players, according to Khazanah Nasional's managing director Datuk Azman Mokhtar, reports The Edge...

Japan - Softbank signals end to 2G services.
December 17, 2007... Japanese mobile operator Softbank Mobile will stop accepting new applications for 2G mobile service subscriptions, including prepaid services, from 31 March 2008. The cut-off is introduced to promote migration to 3G mobile services as the...

India - Spice to launch mobile TV service in Karnataka.
December 17, 2007... Indian mobile operator Spice Telecom is planning to soon launch a mobile TV service in Karnataka, India, writes the Business Standard. The service is test launched in Chandigarh and is expected to be launched in Karnataka shortly. The new...

China - KongZhong raises Q4 revenue guidance.
December 17, 2007... Chinese mobile value-added services and mobile media company KongZhong has raised its revenue guidance for the fourth quarter of its 2007 fiscal year. KongZhong now expects its fourth-quarter revenues to be between USD 18.5 million and USD...

Australia - PacNet launches private broadband network in Victoria.
December 17, 2007... Pan-Asian communications provider Pacific Internet Australia has rolled out a secure private broadband network to 137 state emergency service units in Victoria. PacNet's flagship product, SecureSite, will be a key component of the service....

India - RCom completes takeover of Yipes.
December 17, 2007... India's Reliance Communications has completed the acquisition of US-based Yipes in a deal valued at around INR 12 billion, reports the Economic Times. The acquisition was announced in July and will give the company access to a INR 4 trillion...

Africa - Africa prepares for Rascom-1 launch.
December 17, 2007... Africa is set to have its first-ever satellite launched, which is expected to drastically cut the cost of telecommunications on the continent. The launch into orbit of the first pan-African telecommunications satellite system Rascom-1 is...

China - ZTE selects Trolltech's Qtopia for smartphone platform.
December 17, 2007... Chinese equipment maker ZTE has selected Trolltech's Qtopia Phone Edition as the Linux-based application framework for the ZTE U980 smartphone platform. The Qtopia Platform is an application framework for creating Linux-based devices with...

Oman - Oman Mobile, RIM launch BlackBerry in Oman.
December 17, 2007... Oman Mobile, Research In Motion and Emitac Mobile Solutions have launched BlackBerry services for Oman Mobile's customers. The BlackBerry service comprises smartphones, software and services that provide connectivity for customers, even while...

Saudi Arabia - Arabsat wins USD 300 mln credit facility from Saudi bank.
December 17, 2007... Satellite operator Arabsat has signed a USD 300 million credit facility agreement with Saudi Hollandi Bank for an Islamic facility that will secure Arabsat's expansion over the next five years. Arabsat will be launching a satellite every year...

Viet Nam - MobiFone reduces tariff by 20% from 15 December.
December 17, 2007... Vietnamese mobile operator MobiFone has cut call charges by 20 percent which will be applicable to all services and inner and inter network calls. The activation fee for post-paid mobile subscribers MobiGold will fall from VND136.364 per...

Australia - ACCC issues consultation papers for telecoms networks.
December 17, 2007... The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued for public consultation two papers related to next generation telecommunications networks. The first paper is a draft decision on a 15-year special access undertaking given by...

Asia - Asus Tek selects Ericsson U360 m-platform for T500 card.
December 17, 2007... Mobile device manufacturer Asus Tek selects the Ericsson U360 mobile platform for its recently launched T500 HSPA PC card. Ericsson's U360 is an EDGE/WCDMA/HSPA platform with quad-band EDGE as well as triple-band HSPA capabilities on the...

Taiwan - Chunghwa Telecom, Taipei Smart Card to launch NFC trial.
December 17, 2007... Taiwanese mobile operator Chunghwa Telecom teams with Taipei Smart Card to start a NFC service trial in Taiwan, reports GlobalSmart. Chunghwa Telecom has developed the Combi SIM card needed for NFC-enabled mobile phones utilising secure smart...

Australia - Sepura wins Tetra radios contract from Australian hotel.
December 17, 2007... Sepura has won a contract from the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove resort hotel to supply Tetra digital radios to replace an analogue system. The hotel is a 5-star resort hotel on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The contract to supply SRH3800...

Australia - Vodafone Australia launches GPS Navigation Pack.
December 17, 2007... Vodafone Australia has launched the GPS Navigation Pack, thus offering its Vodafone Compass service on a range of Nokia mobile phones and BlackBerry mobile e-mail devices. The pack costs AUD 149, including GST, and includes a portable GPS...

Philippines - Innove Communications gets licence to operate in Olongapo.
December 17, 2007... Innove Communications, a subsidiary of Globe Telecom, has secured a licence from the National Telecommunications Commission to operate both international and local telephone services at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and in Olongapo City, north...

Japan - Emobile signs 3G mobile service roaming deal with NTT DoCoMo.
December 17, 2007... Japanese mobile operator Emobile has signed a 3G mobile service roaming agreement with NTT DoCoMo and its eight group companies. The agreement enables Emobile to provide nationwide coverage immediately upon the launch of its voice services...

Azerbaijan - Azercell offers New Year gifts to SimSim subscribers.
December 17, 2007... Azerbaijani mobile operator Azercell is offering special New Year gifts to subscribers joining the SimSim tariff package before 31 January 2008. New subscribers will be able to choose one of the three gifts provided within the New Year...

Australia - Optus raises speed on Optus Cable Network.
December 17, 2007... Optus has unveiled a speed upgrade on its Optus Cable Network. New and existing customers on the MyHome Broadband Cable and Optus 'yes' Fusion Cable plans accessing the network in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will be able to receive speeds...

India - BSNL unveils business broadband plans at up to 8 Mbps.
December 17, 2007... Indian state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam has launched three broadband service plans for businesses offering speeds of up to 8 Mbps. The plans include Business 2000, Business 4000 and Business 15000. The Business 2000 offers a speed of...

Thailand - Nokia Siemens provides service delivery platform to AIS.
December 17, 2007... Mobile operator AIS Thailand has selected Nokia Siemens Networks to provide a service delivery platform, based upon technology from jNetX, one of its technology partners. The service provides a means of creating new services on both...

Japan - IIJ to use DoCoMo 3G network as MVNO.
December 17, 2007... Internet Initiative Japan and Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo have signed a preliminary agreement under which IIJ will become the MVNO using DoCoMo's 3G Foma network. As the first step, IIJ plans to offer corporate customers an internet...

Maldives - Dhiraagu offers special IDD promotion.
December 17, 2007... Maldives-based communications provider Dhiraagu has announced a special IDD promotion for Al'haa Eid and the New Year. During the promotion period Dhiraagu fixed line users, mobile post-paid and prepaid and payphone users can call Australia,...

Kenya - Celtel unveils KES 1 tariff for festive season.
December 17, 2007... Celtel Kenya has slashed its overnight calling rate for the festive season, charging KES 1 per minute. The tariff dubbed Bonga na Bob is the lowest on-net tariff in Kenya for both prepaid and postpaid customers. Celtel CEO David Murray said...

Philippines - PLDT to tie up with Macau, Italian mobile operators.
December 17, 2007... Philippine operator PLDT is expanding its partnerships with mobile phone operators in Italy and Macau in 2008. PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan said the plan to forge a mobile virtual network operation deal with Italy would come through in...

China - CDC posts Q3 net loss of USD 7.1 mln.
December 17, 2007... Global enterprise software and new media company CDC has reported total revenue of USD 99.6 million for Q3 2007, up 27 percent from USD 78.2 million a year earlier. CDC Software had Q3 sales of USD 89.5 million, up 46 percent from USD 61.3...

India - WiMAX Forum to open certification lab in India in 2008.
December 17, 2007... The WiMAX Forum has planned to create the WiMAX Forum Designated Certification Laboratory in India by 2008. WiMAX Forum Certified equipment gives operators a platform to roll out advanced services and applications across a range of devices....

India - DoT grants 2G spectrum to Idea, Vodafone, Aircel - report.
December 17, 2007... The Indian Department of Telecommunication has given in principle clearance for Idea Cellular, Vodafone Essar and Aircel to be granted 2G spectrum where they currently hold licences, reports the Economic Times citing a source from DoT. At...

China - H3C releases MSR 20-1X series of multi-service routers.
December 17, 2007... H3C has introduced the MSR 20-1X series access router developed for small and medium enterprise applications. H3c's multi-service router is based on open application architecture and integrates service functions such as routing, switching,...

New Zealand - New Zealanders to conduct one-third Xmas shopping online.
December 14, 2007... At Christmas 2007, New Zealand shoppers plan to carry out nearly one-third of their Christmas shopping online, according to research from MasterCard. The research also says that three in five aim to use the internet to make purchases, vs two...

India - SemIndia to make wireless routers by Q1 2008.
December 14, 2007... India-based SemIndia Systems, unit of SemIndia, company with plans to make semiconductor chips, aims to start making next generation wireless routers and other home computer networking equipment by Q1 2008. The company aims to follow this up...

Kenya - Safaricom assures subscribers of improved quality.
December 14, 2007... Kenyan cellular phone operator Safaricom has assured its customers of improved quality services, improved network performance and customer satisfaction following the rigorous certification process carried out by international audit firm...

India - Spice to begin operations in 12 new circles.
December 14, 2007... Indian mobile operator Spice Telecom expects to start operations in twelve new telecommunication circles by end December, reports the Business Standard. Spice Telecom presently operates in Punjab and Karnataka and has a subscriber base of 2...

India - Tata Tele to set up Telecom Centre of Excellence.
December 14, 2007... Indian operator Tata Teleservices has signed a memorandum of understanding with the department of telecommunications and Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai) to set up a Centre of Excellence. According to a report from the Economic Times,...

India - Tata Teleservices to divest up to 49% stake in tower arm.
December 14, 2007... Indian mobile operator Tata Teleservices plans to divest upto 49 percent stake in its tower arm, reports the Business Standard. Managing director of Tata Teleservices Anil Sardana said the company currently holds a 100 percent stake in the...

Thailand - AIS to shift focus to maintaining revenue share.
December 14, 2007... Thailand's Advanced Info Service plans to shift its focus in 2008 to maintaining revenue share rather than increasing subscribers, reports the Bangkok Post. AIS plans to expand aggressively into fixed-base wireless broadband services and...

Cape Verde - T+ launches in Cape Verde.
December 14, 2007... Mobile operator T+ will launch in Cape Verde as a second mobile operator, which will compete with the current monopoly of Cabo Verde Telecom, reports news service Macauhub. The chairman of the board of the company, Marco Bento, said that T+...

Kenya - Telkom Kenya to deploy GSM network.
December 14, 2007... Telkom Kenya said it will run two mobile phone services upon receipt of a national mobile licence, using both GSM and CDMA. The company's CCO, Peter Mugo said the two services would cater for different market segments. The company will deploy...

Tanzania - Zantel launches airtime promotion.
December 14, 2007... Tanzanian mobile operator Zantel has launched a new sales promotion drive offering subscribers an airtime bonus when re-charging. Zantel Chief Commercial Officer Justin Coetzee said in a statement the promotional drive was aimed at giving the...

Uganda - Reliance Telecom to operate in Uganda.
December 14, 2007... Reliance Telecom of India has been licensed to operate telecom services in Uganda. The New Vision reported that Uganda Investment Authority Executive Director, Maggie Kigozi said the Indian firm becomes the sixth telecom operator to be...

Nigeria - MTN Nigeria launches 3.5G service.
December 14, 2007... MTN Nigeria has launched 3.5G services, following shortly after rival Glo's 3G launch. Features of the service include video calling, high-speed internet access and video streaming. The service will run on HSPA technology, and the operator...

Malaysia - Celcom targets 30% revenue from content by 2010.
December 14, 2007... Celcom (Malaysia) aims to grow its content revenue contribution to 30 percent by end 2010 from the 5 percent to 7 percent achieved in 2006, reports the Edge Daily. Content accounted for MYR 300 million of the group's revenue in 2006. Celcom...

Kenya - Kenya plans digital TV tests in 2008.
December 14, 2007... Kenya will start the switch from analogue to digital broadcasting next year following completion of preliminary work by the government. The switch is expected to improve reception quality, allow more channels and also promote efficient use of...

Bahrain - Batelco to launch 3.5G mobile services.
December 14, 2007... Bahrain operator Batelco is set to launch its 3.5G mobile services on 16 December, which is Bahrain's National Day. Batelco has dubbed the 3.5G products as a family of 'O' services. Batelco's 3.5G portfolio includes mobile broadband via a...

Georgia - Geocell offers promotional package.
December 14, 2007... Georgian mobile operator Geocell launches the Start Pack offer that includes a GEL 5 prepaid SIM card and a CD with Christmas songs. After the SIM card is activated, each subscriber is allowed to order a gift from a list which will be shown...

Hong Kong - ABC's half-year profit drops 19%.
December 14, 2007... ABC Communications' turnover for the six months ended 30 September rose 139 percent to HKD 70.89 million from HKD 29.62 million in the comparable period of 2006. The turnover from the financial quotation and securities trading system...

Africa - Seacom, Tyco begin African sea cable system construction.
December 14, 2007... Seacom and its supplier Tyco Telecommunications have commenced the construction of the 13,700 km Sea Cable System. The system will be connecting the South and East Africa countries of South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya and Tanzania...

Australia - Commander's COO, CFO resign.
December 14, 2007... Australian business ICT services provider Commander Communications has announced that its COO Lakshman Mawalagedera and CFO Carl Russett will be leaving the company on 7 January 2008. They both will be taking leave until 7 January.

China - Madhouse launches mobile contextual ad network for SMEs.
December 14, 2007... Chinese mobile advertising network Madhouse has launched a mobile contextual ad network for Chinese small and medium enterprises via its subsidiary company, Madsmart. MadSmart will serve mobile contextual ads, MadWords and MadSense, and...

Bangladesh - Grameenphone sets up two solar-powered base stations.
December 14, 2007... Bangladeshi mobile operator Grameenphone has installed two hybrid solar-powered base station sites in Bangladesh. The two sites have been set up on an experimental basis at Habiganj and are designed to discharge power to the base stations for...

China - Alcatel provides network services for China's e-govt project.
December 14, 2007... Alcatel-Lucent has been selected by the Chinese government as the sole supplier of China's high-speed e-government backbone network. The network will improve communications with citizens and businesses in the country's 31 provinces,...

Nigeria - Shareholders approve Sudatel-Intercellular deal.
December 14, 2007... Shareholders of Intercellular Nigeria have approved the takeover of 70 percent in the company by Sudatel, This Day reports. The deal will give Intercellular a cash injection of around USD 500 million to extend and upgrade its national...

Indonesia - Palm launches Treo 500v on XL network in Indonesia.
December 14, 2007... Palm and Excelcomindo Pratama have launched the Palm Treo 500v smartphone on the XL network in Indonesia. The Treo 500v includes the new and exclusive Vodafone user interface running on Windows Mobile 6 Standard edition. It combines multiple...

India - India adds 6.1 mln GSM users in November.
December 14, 2007... Reliance Communications has added 326,682 GSM subscribers in November to reach a total of 5.67 million users, according to monthly figures from the Cellular Operators' Association of India. Including Reliance Communications, 6.1 million new...

India - Samsung to launch phones for business users in India.
December 14, 2007... Samsung India is expected to officially launch a touchscreen phone and slider phone in the business phone segment, reports the Business Standard. Samsung aims to double its share in the Indian mobile phone market to 15 percent in 2008 and...

Namibia - Telecom Namibia provides internet access in schools.
December 14, 2007... Namibian telecommunication services provider Telecom Namibia and the Xnet Development Alliance Trust have signed an agreement to provide internet access to all 1500+ schools as well as educational establishments in Namibia. The deal is...

Middle East - Du provides 50,000 SIM cards to ETA Star employees.
December 13, 2007... UAE mobile operator Du has provided du SIM cards to over 50,000 employees of the ETA Star group of companies. The Du offering includes a 50 percent discount on the cost of calls made among ETA-Star employees in the UAE. Du also has a...

Australia - Optus confirms technology, vendors for 3G network.
December 13, 2007... Optus has confirmed the technology and vendors which it will work with to deliver a national 3G/HSPA network in Australia. The company will use a combination of 900MHz and 2100MHz frequency ranges to complete the network, and has appointed...

Australia - Federal Court dismisses class action vs Telstra.
December 13, 2007... The Australian Federal Court has dismissed a shareholder class action against Telstra, approving the settlement of the claim and awarding judgment for Telstra. According to Telstra's group general counsel Will Irving, the class action should...

Australia - Australia's BigPond unveils Liberty 25GB plans.
December 13, 2007... BigPond has launched its BigPond Liberty 25GB plans, allowing internet enthusiasts and networked homes or small businesses to have greater control over their monthly bill. The plans provide 25GB of monthly data without excess usage fees. The...

Africa - Nokia sees massive growth potential for East Africa.
December 13, 2007... Nokia is targeting 25 percent growth in demand for mobile handsets in East Africa. Nokia Area Manager for East Africa Piotr Labuszewski told Telecompaper that sales of mobile phone handsets in East Africa would be driven by the restructuring...

Japan - Japan reaches 16 mln VoIP users.
December 13, 2007... Japan has reported a total 15.949 million users of IP telephony services at the end of September, up 22.7 percent form a year earlier. According to figures from the communications ministry, the total number of fixed telephony subscribers in...

Hong Kong - Hong Kong finishes September with 9.925 mln mobile users.
December 13, 2007... Hong Kong had 9.925 million mobile users at the end of September, compared with 9.913 million in August, according to figures from regulator OFTA. Of the total, some 4.629 million were prepaid users and 2.544 million used 2.5G and 3G...

India - TDSAT turns down COAI plea against grant of new licences.
December 13, 2007... The telecommunications tribunal TDSAT has refused to grant a stay on a petition filed by the Cellular Operators Association of India against allocation of new licences, reports the Economic Times. This paves the way for the Department of...

Thailand - Qualcomm provides wireless medical services in Thailand.
December 13, 2007... Qualcomm has signed an agreement with Princess Mother's Medical Volunteer to launch the second Wireless Reach project in Thailand in celebration of His Majesty the King's 80th birthday on 5 December. This project will serve the medical needs...

India - Alcatel wins USD 350 million deal from Reliance.
December 13, 2007... Flag Telecom, a subsidiary of Reliance Communications, has awarded a contract estimated at USD 350 million to Alcatel to build a fully IP-enabled trans-Pacific undersea cable, reports the Economic Times. The cable is a part of the USD 1.5...

Cote d'Ivoire - Koz claims 570,000 subscribers in 6 months.
December 13, 2007... Newcomer on the Cote d'Ivoire mobile market Koz has signed up 570,000 subscribers just six months after launch. The company, part of the Comium group, last reported 470,000 subscribers two months ago, reports local paper Nord-Sud, citing the...

Algeria - Djezzy celebrates 13 mln customers.
December 13, 2007... Algerian mobile operator Djezzy has reached the milestone of 13 million customers, according to local media reports from a press conference by the Orascom Telecom subsidiary. The company last reported 12.71 million subscribers at the end of...

Nigeria - MTN licence may be revoked over poor services.
December 13, 2007... The Nigerian parliamentarian committee on communication has threatened to recommend revoking mobile operator MTN's operational licence over poor service. Jerry Mamwe, chairman of the committee, said MTN had been given three weeks to improve...

Kenya - Telkom Kenya to switch subscribers to wireless.
December 13, 2007... Telkom Kenya's landline customers are being offered the option to switch to its CDMA fixed wireless service in an effort to help the company reduce maintenance costs. Telkom's CCO Peter Mugo said the national operator would offer the service...

Kuwait - Kuwait govt stops issuing licences to internet companies.
December 13, 2007... Kuwait's Communications Ministry has stopped issuing new licences to internet companies hoping to open new branches in Kuwait, reports the Kuwait Times. The suspension will last for three months and stems from a series of violations by...

Australia - Pipe Networks raises FY revenue guidance.
December 13, 2007... Australian telecommunications company Pipe Networks expects revenue for the full year to 30 June 2008 to reach AUD 33-35 million with net profit at AUD 7.0-7.4 million. First-half profit is expected to be AUD 3.1-3.3 million. The increase in...

Malaysia - VADS, TimeCom to provide computers for schools.
December 13, 2007... Managed network services provider VADS has signed a joint venture agreement with ICT products and services provider TimeCom for the supply and installation of computer equipment to computer labs at certain primary and secondary schools in...

Pakistan - PTCL introduces entertainment service line.
December 13, 2007... Pakistani operator PTCL has announced an entertainment service line for its customers. Users calling the number 0900-11777 from a PTCL line can select from categories such as kid's world, Islam, horoscope, ladies' corner, jokes and news. The...