Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from February 2011

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from February 2011

Saudi Arabia - Shastech expands iStore chain.
February 28, 2011... Shastech, a Saudi distributor and retailer of Apple and Griffin Technologies, has opened three new iStore showrooms and three iCare maintenance centres in each of Riyadh, Khubar and Jeddah. The company said that it plans to add nine more, for a...

Oman - Sama Telecom wins third Oman licence.
February 28, 2011... Sama Telecommunications has won Oman's third telecommunication licence, according to a decree issued by the ruler Sultan Qaboos. The first grade licence allows Sama Telecommunications to set up and operate a system to provide general...

Lebanon - Huawei wins 3G network deal with MTC in Lebanon.
February 28, 2011... Huawei has signed a major contract with MTC Lebanon to deploy 3G technologies for the MTC Touch network. According to the contract, Huawei will integrate its end-to-end network solution including the provision of RAN and Packet Switching and...

Thailand - China Mobile, NTT seek to carry AIS mobile business - report.
February 28, 2011... China Mobile and NTT Docomo are expressing an interest in proposing business models to carry Thai mobile services provider Advanced Info Service's (AIS) mobile business should it fail to pay THB 74 billion in compensation stemming from changes...

UAE - Etisalat launches mobile broadband promotion.
February 28, 2011... UAE operator Etisalat announced the new 'Double Mobile Data Volume' promotion which offers customers double the data at no extra cost, for two months from date of subscription. Etisalat offers also up to 66 percent discounts on HSPA+ routers and...

Saudi Arabia - Level 3 inks partnership deal with STC.
February 28, 2011... Level 3 Communications announced a strategic long-term agreement with Saudi Telecom (STC) to enable international IP and content distribution services in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East. In addition, Level 3 is providing STC with...

Uganda - Airtel Uganda cuts call rates for EAC.
February 28, 2011... Airtel Uganda has slashed call rates to East Africa. Customers can now Kenya and Tanzania at UGX 3 per second. Eriya Kategaya, the East African Community Affairs minister, lauded the industry for slashing call rates. He asked Airtel to extend...

Qatar - Qtel's Shahry offers personalised numbers.
February 28, 2011... Qtel announced that customers who subscribe to a Shahry line can now get an Easy-to-Remember (ETR) special phone number of their choice. This includes numbers running in sequential order and others using the same digits, making them stand out as...

Bahrain - Cisco postpones Bahrain event.
February 28, 2011... Cisco Live! 2011 Bahrain has been postponed, according to Shaikh Ahmed Bin Atteyatallah Al Khalifa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Minister Responsible for the Telecommunications Sector. The event was scheduled to take place in the country from...

Japan - Japan's online music market falls 5% in 2010.
February 28, 2011... Japanese online music market contracted for the first time in 2010, reports The Nikkei. Online sales of music fell 5 percent from the 2009 figure to JPY 85.99 billion, the Recording Industry Association of Japan reported. Sales of music via...

South Korea - Elpida to set up DRAM-testing facility in South Korea.
February 28, 2011... Japanese memory chip maker Elpida Memory will set up a DRAM-testing facility in South Korea in March to ensure that the memory chips work properly when used in electronics devices, reports The Nikkei citing sources close to the matter. Elpida...

Japan - Japanese govt to use Russia's Glonass satellite system.
February 28, 2011... The Japanese government plans to start using Russia's Glonass satellite system in fiscal 2011, in addition to the US GPS for land surveys, to expand coverage and improve accuracy, reports The Nikkei. The former Soviet Union began developing...

Zambia - Airtel Zambia to launch 3G in Q2.
February 28, 2011... Airtel Zambia intends to launch its 3G network in the second quarter of this year, the Lusaka Times reports. The firm has spent over ZMK 257.6 billion (USD 53.7 million) on the installation of 151 base sites across the country and expects...

Israel - Dor Alon, Virgin in advanced talks with Partner - report.
February 28, 2011... Dor Alon Energy in Israel and Virgin Mobile are in advanced talks with Orange franchisee Partner Communications to use its network for a MVNO. The companies had been in talks with rival mobile operator Pelephone until a few months ago, Globes...

South Africa - Neotel cuts call prices to mobile phones.
February 28, 2011... South African fixed-line operator Neotel has reduced its call prices to mobile phones, following the regulatory cut in interconnection rates. From 1 March, calls from a Neotel line to MTN and Vodacom phones will cost ZAR 0.95 per minute during...

Qatar - Vodafone Qatar sells white BlackBerry Torch.
February 28, 2011... Vodafone Qatar said a white version of the popular BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone is now available online and at its retail and partner stores. The Arabic-enabled smartphone features a combination of a large capacitive touch screen and optical...

China - Groupon, Tencent partner on daily deals site in China.
February 28, 2011... Groupon has teamed up with Tencent and other Chinese investors to launch the new daily deals website GaoPeng in China. The group-buying portal GaoPeng.com is funded by Groupon, Tencent Collaboration Fund and Yunfeng Capital. The site is now...

Australia - Fujitsu unveils Global Cloud Services portfolio.
February 28, 2011... Fujitsu has unveiled its Global Cloud Services portfolio. Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand (FANZ) is the first region outside Japan to roll out Fujitsu's standardised global cloud offering. Combining the scale of public platforms and the...

Thailand - True offers shares in BFKT, Real Move to CAT Telecom.
February 28, 2011... Thai communications and media group True has offered the rights option to state-owned communications firm CAT Telecom to purchase ordinary shares in its businesses BFKT (Thailand) and Real Move, which have joined with the state agency to develop...

Bangladesh - Robi, bKash sign mobile financial service agreement.
February 28, 2011... Bangladeshi mobile operator Robi Axiata and mobile money service bKash have signed an agreement to make financial services accessible to broader segment of people through mobile telecommunication network. bkash is a joint venture of BRAC Bank...

Asia - Fujitsu picks Tqtvd's Ginga software.
February 28, 2011... Fujitsu Semiconductor Asia has adopted Ginga software from Tqtvd, a Brazilian company in the Totvs group. Totvs will port its Ginga service to a Fujitsu high definition decoder product family and promote it, together with Fujitsu, as a full...

Australia - Optus CEO calls for independent board to run NBN.
February 28, 2011... Operation of Australia's planned National Broadband Network (NBN) should be put out for competitive tender to give the project a chance of commercial success. Optus chief executive Paul O'Sullivan said tenders for the operation of the fibre...

Cook Islands - Telecom Cook Islands overhauls broadband plans.
February 28, 2011... Telecom Cook Islands has introduced two new broadband plans which will be available from 1 March and overhauled its existing plans. The first plan, the 'Intro' plan, costs NZD 29 and comes with 750 MB of data. Excess data is charged at NZD 0.10...

Afghanistan - Afghanistan ends September with 14.86 mln GSM users.
February 28, 2011... Afghanistan ended September with 14.86 million GSM users, up from 14 million GSM users at the end of June 2010. The number of CDMA users rose to 96,947 from 84,143 in June, according to statistics from the ICT ministry. The number of landlines...

China - China to see 150 mln 3G users this year.
February 28, 2011... China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) expects the 3G user base in the country to hit 150 million by the end of this year. In January, the number of 3G users exceeded the 50 million mark, the China Daily reports. China...

China - SK Telecom, Mtek establish chip JV in China.
February 28, 2011... Korean communications provider SK Telecom has established a chip joint venture with Mtek Vision in China called SKMtek. The KRW 19 billion joint venture will focus on building system-on-chips for mobile devices and will expand into other...

China - China Unicom to build international comms hub in Nanning.
February 28, 2011... China Unicom will cooperate with the government in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region to build an international telecommunications hub in Nanning. The hub will be China Unicom's fourth entry- and exit point for international telecommunications...

Australia - Freshtel's H1 revenues drop, net loss narrows.
February 28, 2011... Australian VoIP services provider Freshtel saw its revenues slump in the half year ended 31 December but the company narrowed its net losses. Revenues dropped 81 percent to AUD 136,100 from AUD 726,657 but the company narrowed the loss before...

Australia - Eftel acquires regional ISP Colour City.
February 28, 2011... Australian ISP and wholesale provider Eftel has acquired regional New South Wales internet services provider Colour City for an undisclosed amount. The business has around 500 active accounts, delivering xDSL, dial-up, e-mail, hosting, and...

Australia - BigAir's revenues rise 51% in H1.
February 28, 2011... Australian wireless broadband service provider BigAir Group saw its revenue and EBITDA grow strongly in the first half year ended 31 December 2010. The company recorded revenues of AUD 5.1 million, up 51 percent from AUD 3.4 million in the...

Australia - Govt consults on draft USO determination.
February 28, 2011... The Australian communications minister, Stephen Conroy, has released a draft Ministerial Determination. The Determination, Telecommunications Universal Service Obligation (Standard Telephone Service - Requirements and Circumstances)...

Singapore - Telechoice grows full year profits.
February 28, 2011... Singaporean provider of services to the telecommunications industry Telechoice International saw its fourth quarter profit slip but full year profit went up 9 percent. Fourth quarter revenues rose 2.6 percent to SGD 79.8 million from SGD 77.7...

Taiwan - Taiwan establishes Internet of Things Alliance.
February 28, 2011... The Taipei Computer Association in Taiwan has established the Taiwan Internet of Things (IOT) Alliance, the Digitimes reports. The Alliance will promote IOT-based applications for daily life, such as for medical care, security monitoring, power...

Australia - ACMA Consults on Updated Mobile Booster Regulation
February 28, 2011... The Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) is seeking comments on the Telecommunications (Prohibition of Mobile Phone Boosters) Declaration 2011. The proposed declaration prohibits the operation, supply, or possession of mobile...

Australia - ACMA directs Netfast to join TIO scheme.
February 28, 2011... Australian internet service provider Netfast Communications, which uses the Net Power Communications brand, has been directed by the ACMA to join the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) scheme. This follows more informal efforts by both...

Malaysia - Telekom Malaysia grows Q4 revenues 2.1%.
February 28, 2011... Telekom Malaysia (TM) saw its revenues grow 2.1 percent in FY 2010, exceeding the target of 2 percent. Fourth quarter revenues rose 2.1 percent as well to MYR 2.32 billion from MYR 2.27 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009, mainly due to higher...

New Zealand - NZ operators continue Christchurch network restoration.
February 28, 2011... Telecom New Zealand reported that its network remains up and stable in Christchurch, following the earthquake on 22 February. All Telecom exchanges are operational with a combination of mains and generated power, as are the majority of mobile...

Australia - Queensland MP calls for mobile coverage before NBN.
February 28, 2011... The Queensland Member of Parliament George Christensen says the federal government should first expand mobile coverage before rolling out the National Broadband Network (NBN). Christensen made his comments in light of a teen drowning near...

Philippines - Philippines plans digital TV roll out in key cities.
February 28, 2011... Philippine telecommunications regulator aims to roll out digital television by next year, starting with a number of key cities. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) wants to roll out the digital TV service in phases, similar in the...

Nepal - Govt committee to study illegal VoIP, frequency licences.
February 28, 2011... A sub-committee of Nepal's Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee will begin an investigation into the frequency distribution of mobile services, royalty dues, and irregularities in VoIP services. The undersecretary of the Ministry of...

Thailand - Samart sees revenues drop in 2010, profits rise.
February 28, 2011... Thai telecommunications equipment and services group Samart posted lower revenues for the year ended 31 December while net profit rose. Revenues were THB 16.27 billion, down from THB 17.31 billion, with sales and services revenues totalling THB...

Kyrgyzstan - Katel expands online payments system.
February 28, 2011... Kyrgyzstan mobile operator Katel has expanded its online payments system to Epay terminals. The service is available at 12 Epay terminals located in Bishkek.

Japan - Japanese smartphone users reach 7 mln in December.
February 28, 2011... Japanese users are continuing to adopt smartphone devices, with Apple and Google platforms seeing significant increases in subscribers, according to a study by comScore Japan. Compared to other mobile markets such as the US and Europe,...

Australia - Amcom H1 net profit rises 30% to AUD 9.9 mln.
February 28, 2011... Australian communications provider Amcom Telecom reported results for the six months end-December, with a net profit up 30 percent to AUD 9.9 million, including the the contribution of iiNet Limited. Excluding iiNet Limited, the net profit after...

Japan - NHK keen on simulcast of TV programmes online.
February 28, 2011... Public broadcaster Japan Broadcasting (NHK) needs to consider streaming programming online at the same time the shows run on television, reports The Nikkei citing president Masayuki Matsumoto. Masayuki Matsumoto said that innovations in...

South Korea - Korean regulator rejects KMI's licence application.
February 28, 2011... Korea's telecommunications regulator has rejected Korea Mobile Internet's (KMI) application for the licence to run the country's fourth mobile carrier, questioning its funding and technical features, reports the Joong Ang Daily. The Korea...

India - India's FIPB approves SSTL's application for NLD services.
February 28, 2011... India's Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has approved Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTL) application for offering national and international long distance services in India, reports The Economic Times. The FIPB approved SSTL's proposal...

Maldives - Wataniya Maldives FY revenue up, losses grow.
February 28, 2011... Maldives mobile operator Wataniya recorded revenues of KWD 9.2 million (USD 32.6 million) in 2010, up from KWD 7.7 million a year earlier. Total customers stood at 0.11 million at year-end. The company generated EBITDA for the year of KWD 1.2...

Saudi Arabia - Bravo reduces FY losses.
February 28, 2011... Saudi Arabia mobile operator Bravo's customer base stood at 0.20 million at the end of 2010, up 8.3 percent from 2009. Revenues for the year 2010 increased to KWD 22.1 million (USD 78.6 million), from KWD 20.1 million in 2009, and the net loss...

Malaysia - UTeM picks Cisco network for Durian Tunggal campus.
February 28, 2011... Malaysia's Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) has implemented a 20Gbps network infrastructure powered by Cisco in its Durian Tunggal campus to create a connected learning environment, reports the Bernama. The 20Gbps network runs on the...

Tanzania - Zantel set to roll out 3G network in Tanzania.
February 28, 2011... Tanzania's mobile operator Zantel is planning to roll out a 3G network in the country from April, the Citizen Daily reports. CEO Norman Moyo said the new network will offer services such as mobile internet access, videoconferencing and video...

UAE - Du investa USD 50 mln in submarine cable system.
February 28, 2011... UAE-based operator Du said that it is investing USD 50 million as part of a consortium to build the new Europe India Gateway (EIG). Du said that a partial activation of the USD 700 million submarine cable has already started. The operator said...

Qatar - Vodafone Qatar offers Crazy Cricket Deal.
February 28, 2011... Vodafone Qatar introduced the 'Crazy Cricket Deal' aimed at World Cup cricket fans. This new offer is a package that includes a Welcome Pack, Red 20 reload card, and a schedule of cricket matches, for QAR 30. Customers can also benefit from...

Pakistan - Warid Glow launches Cricket World Cup offer in Pakistan.
February 28, 2011... Warid Telecom's youth brand Glow has introduced a new SMS bundle, 100 SMS at PKR 0.50 per day to any number, any network as a cricket world cup offer in Pakistan. An IVR based service called 'Fantasy Cricket' will be available that can be...

Algeria - Nedjma moves to net profit in 2010.
February 28, 2011... Algerian mobile operator Nedjma posted revenues for 2010 of KWD 174.7 million (USD 622.1 million), an increase of 23.5 percent, according to its shareholder Wataniya. Its customer base reached 8.25 million at the end 2010, up 2.7 percent on...

Pakistan - PTCL net profit fall to PKR 1.94 bln in fiscal Q2.
February 28, 2011... Pakistan operator PTCL reported a net profit of PLR 1.94 billion for its fiscal second quarter to December 2010, down from PKR 2.78 billion a year earlier. The company said it focused in the last half year on expansion of broadband and corporate...

Thailand - TOT, CAT plan to seek damages from 2003 Thaksin cabinet.
February 25, 2011... The boards of Thai state-owned companies TOT and CAT Telecom have unanimously agreed to take legal action against the 2003 Thaksin Shinawatra cabinet. The companies will be seeking almost THB 100 billion in damages for the cabinet's approval of...

Bangladesh - Bangladesh govt considers Sim tax cut.
February 25, 2011... The Bangladesh government is planning to reduce Sim taxes and plans to rationalise fees for 2G licence renewal and spectrum charges. In the upcoming budget, the Sim tax of around BDT 800 could be reduced, the Daily Star writes citing...

Australia - Ombudsman complaints rise 9 percent on mobile issues.
February 25, 2011... The Australian Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) reported a 9 percent increase in complaints, which is mostly driven by a 20 percent increase in mobile service issues. The Ombudsman's office received 87,264 new complaints between 1...

Taiwan - FET's 2010 net income falls short of target.
February 25, 2011... Taiwanese communications provider Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) ended the fourth quarter with 6.36 million mobile subscribers, up from 6.24 million at end-2009. Of the total, 3.92 million are 3G postpaid subscribers, 1.08 million are 2G...

Taiwan - Asustek launches 4 TD-SCDMA smartphones.
February 25, 2011... Asustek Computer has launched four TD-SCDMA smartphones. The launch of the new smartphones is Asustek's first move into the TD-SCDMA segment and includes the T10, T20, T25, and T60. The company is also developing a TD-LTE smartphone and plans to...

Viet Nam - Beeline Vietnam launches SMS number swap service.
February 25, 2011... Beeline Vietnam has launched the 'Kook Number Service'. The number allows customers to pick a special phone number without having to change Sim cards. Customers can check if numbers are available via SMS and then swap their old number for a new...

Australia - Hutchison Australia swings to profit on VHA performance.
February 25, 2011... Hutchison Telecommunications Australia has posted a full year profit of AUD 73.4 million for 2010, owing to strong growth in postpaid customers and service revenue for Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA), in which it owns a 50 percent share. The...

Japan - Softbank changes shareholder benefit programme.
February 25, 2011... Japanese communications provider Softbank has made changes to its benefit programme for shareholders. This change is made based on opinions and requests by shareholders and aims to increase the number of shareholders who can enjoy the benefit...

Japan - eAccess to absorb Emobile business.
February 25, 2011... Japanese communications firm eAccess has decided to fully absorb subsidiary Emobile. In July 2010, eAccess and Emobile completed a share exchange transaction which made Emobile a subsidiary of eAccess. However, with the changing business...

Uzbekistan - Ucell launches usage campaign.
February 25, 2011... Uzbek mobile operator Ucell has launched a new 'Super 7' raffle which runs until 31 March. All prepaid customers can enter the campaign by sending a USSD-request to *707#. When a customer's usage exceeds USD 7, they will then automatically go in...

Australia - Court dismisses appeal in iiNet copyright case.
February 25, 2011... The Australian Full Federal Court has dismissed the movie studios' appeal in the copyright case against ISP iiNet. Afact brought the case against the ISP in 2008 claiming iiNet did not do enough to stop copyright infringements. In February 2010...

Taiwan - Chunghwa Telecom's Q4 revenues rise 2.4%.
February 25, 2011... Taiwanese communications provider Chunghwa Telecom saw its revenues and net profit rise in the fourth quarter ended 31 December 2010. Revenues rose 2.4 percent to TWD 52.35 billion from TWD 51.13 billion in the year-ago quarter. Mobile...

Australia - ACCC allows collective bargaining by Telstra shops.
February 25, 2011... The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has granted authorisation to TLS Association (TLSA) to collectively bargain with a range of suppliers on behalf of Telstra licensed shops. The authorisation is valid for five years. TLSA...

New Zealand - Vodafone, 2degrees provide dual-Sim phones to recovery staff.
February 25, 2011... New Zealand mobile operators Vodafone and 2degrees are providing the Christchurch Earthquake Operations centre staff with dual-Sim card mobile phones to aid the rescue and recovery effort. The LG 310 phones, which carry 2degrees and Vodafone Sim...

South Africa - Vodacom Business introduces M2M Sim card.
February 25, 2011... Vodacome Business has launched the M2M VQFN-8 SIM, a SIM card that is packaged in a standard Very Thin Quad Flat Narrow 8 pin (VQFN-8) semiconductor chip. The SIM is soldered onto the customer's printed circuit board when their product is being...

China - Via Group, China Telecom renew cooperation agreement.
February 25, 2011... The Via Group represented by handset chip designer Via Telecom and China Telecom have renewed their cooperation agreement. This agreement promotes further collaboration in the fields of CDMA technology, product and market development for...

Africa - MTN, GIZ sign development partnership to manage e-waste.
February 25, 2011... MTN Group has signed a development partnership with German public-benefit enterprise Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to manage the safe disposal of e-waste and foster enterprise development for e-waste handlers....

Timor-Leste - Timor Telecom EBITDA grows 29% in 2010.
February 25, 2011... Timor Telecom increased its revenues 17.8 percent in 2010 to USD 57 million, and EBITDA grew 29.1 percent to USD 32 million, mainly as a result of the strong increase in the number of mobile customers. Data revenues accounted for 14.6 percent of...

Sao Tome & Principe - CST grows FY revenues 15%, EBITDA hit by supplier tax.
February 25, 2011... Sao Tome and Principe operator CST increased its revenues 15.3 percent in 2010 to STD 310.53 billion, while EBITDA fell 1.5 percent to STD 73.97 billion. EBITDA performance was negatively impacted by a new tax on foreign suppliers. Excluding...

Namibia - MTC FY revenues, EBITDA flat after MTR cuts.
February 25, 2011... Namibia mobile operator MTC reported revenues and EBITDA little changed in 2010, at respectively NAD 1.444 billion and NAD 769 million. The revenue performance was achieved against a backdrop of a significant decline in MTRs and promotions with...

Bahrain - Batelco launches eFax promotion.
February 25, 2011... Bahrain's operator Batelco ha started a one month promotion on its eFax service to celebrate the the two year anniversary since the launch of the service in February 2009. New residential and business customers will benefit from free...

Angola - Unitel results down in 2010 on currency devaluation.
February 25, 2011... Angola mobile operator Unitel posted revenues of USD 1.05 billion for 2010, down 3.8 percent, while EBITDA fell 16.0 percent to USD 865 million. The decline was due to the devaluation of the Angolan Kwanza; in local currency, revenues rose 14.0...

Kyrgyzstan - Beeline Kyrgyzstan expands 3G network to regions.
February 25, 2011... Mobile operator Beeline Kyrgyzstan has launched three UMTS base stations in the Chuya region. The stations cover Kant, Tokmok and Belovodskoye. This is the operator's first 3G coverage outside the country's capital Bishkek.

India - India's Coai, Auspi lobby for tax changes, spectrum auctions.
February 25, 2011... India's mobile industry associations Coai and Auspi are lobbying for a rationalisation of taxes on the telecommunication industry in the government's budget, reports The PTI. The industry has repeatedly requested that the multiple taxes, charges...

Bahrain - TRA to implement customer relations management system.
February 25, 2011... Bahrain's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has released a request for proposals seeking a vendor to implement a customer relations management (CRM) system to handle consumer enquiries and complaints and manage the investigation and...

Kuwait - Viva Kuwait offers national day promotion.
February 25, 2011... Viva Kuwait launched a special offer for the period of national days. The new offer includes a discount on international calls, with a calling rate of KWD 0.50 per minute after the completion of the third minute, and international SMS at KWD...

Botswana - Bostwana launches services on Eassy cable.
February 25, 2011... The Botswana government has invested BWP 69.7 million to bring the East Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) to the country. Live in Botswana since December, the cable brings more diversity of internet connectivity, reducing the country's...

China - China Telecom to procure 60 mln mobiles, tablets from Taiwan.
February 25, 2011... China Telecom's chairman and chief executive Wang Xiaochu said his company will procure 60 million units of consumer-premise telecommunication equipment from Taiwan this year, a 33 percent increase from 2010's 45 million units, reports Cens....