Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from January 2012

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from January 2012

Asia - Aircom adds Viet Hai as channel partner in South East Asia.
January 31, 2012... Network planning and optimisation consultancy Aircom International has added Vietnam-based Viet Hai to its list of certified channel partners in South East Asia. As a main supplier of Aircom's tools, Viet Hai will give operators across Vietnam,...

Taiwan - Koobe, Qualcomm unveil mirasol integrated reader in Taiwan.
January 31, 2012... Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm and Taiwan-based e-reader manufacturer Koobe have unveiled an enhanced Jin Yong Reader featuring mirasol display technology at the Taipei International Book Fair, site of the...

Tanzania - Zantel makes new appointments.
January 31, 2012... Tanzania operator Zantel has made two new appointments as it realigns its Commercial department. Ahmed Seif is now the Commercial Director/Project Management Office, and Sarah Mwigune becomes the Customer Experience Director. The appointments...

Ghana - Ghana to host mobile entrepreneurship training in March.
January 31, 2012... Ghana will host a three-week mobile entrepreneurship training from 15 March to provide expert knowledge needed to develop, create and start a successful business in ICT. Florence Toffa, Project Coordinator for Mobile Web Ghana, a community of...

South Africa - Huge Telecom executive resigns.
January 31, 2012... South Africa's Huge Telecom announced the resignation of Rajen Pillay, MD of Huge Business Support. CEO James Herbst said Pillay's departure was unfortunately inevitable after he decided to relocate his family last year. Under Pillay, Huge made...

Kenya - Yu urges Safaricom to open up M-Pesa to other networks.
January 31, 2012... Kenyan operator Yu has called on rival Safaricom to open up its mobile money transfer service M-Pesa to other networks. Yu Country Manager Madhur Taneja said Yu is willing to pay royalties to Safaricom, if the mobile operator were to open up its...

Nigeria - MTN, Qualcomm collaborate to improve 3G network.
January 31, 2012... MTN Nigeria has collaborated with Qualcomm to improve its network to enable more than 42 million subscribers on its network to enjoy reliable services on their mobile devices. MTN CTO Lynda Saint-Nwafor said that the mobile service provider was...

Angola - Angola Telecom undergoes restructuring.
January 31, 2012... The chairman of the board of Angola Telecom, Antonio Feliciano, believes that the current process of restructuring will allow the company to recover financially, reports local news agency RNA. Feliciano said the audit of the 2009 accounts...

Cambodia - Ipanema adds Infinite Data as value added distributor.
January 31, 2012... Application-performance management software provider Ipanema Technologies has selected IP networking and telephony services provider Infinite Data as a value added distributor. As a value added distributor of Ipanema services in Malaysia, Brunei...

Jordan - Orange Jordan renews deal with Armed Forces.
January 31, 2012... Orange Jordan and the Jordanian Armed Forces announced the activation of Orange's discounted service program for members of the Jordanian Armed Forces, the security forces and their family members. This is a continuation of a relationship...

Africa - NEC appoints Yoshikawa as new head of sub-Saharan Africa.
January 31, 2012... NEC announced the appointment of Masahiro Yoshikawa as President of NEC Africa, a 100 percent subsidiary of NEC Europe. Yoshikawa will lead NEC's sub-Saharan African business from its new sub-regional headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa....

Cote d'Ivoire - Cote d'Ivoire drafts cybercrime law.
January 31, 2012... Cote d'Ivoire has become a major haven for internet fraud, Le Nouveau Reveil reports. People used to think mainly of Nigeria when it came to internet scams, but since that country passed a cybercrime law, villains have moved to Cote d'Ivoire,...

India - India's telephone user base grows to 926.53 mln in December.
January 31, 2012... The number of telephone subscribers in India increased to 926.53 million at the end of December 2011, from 917.33 million at the end of November 2011, thereby registering a growth rate of 1 percent, according to the Telecom Regularity Authority...

India - Sify Q3 revenues grow to INR 1.8 bln, narrows net loss.
January 31, 2012... Indian consumer, internet and enterprise services provider Sify Technologies revenues for the fiscal third quarter ended 31 December 2011 grew to INR 1.8 billion from INR 1.7 million in the year ago quarter. Revenue from enterprise services was...

South Korea - Jays collaborates with Samsung for promotions in Korea.
January 31, 2012... Swedish company manufacturing portable media accessories Jays has signed an agreement with Samsung. The deal sees Jays and Samsung team up for a number of joint promotional activities during February. The cooperation will see Jays' v-Jays being...

Middle East - Qvest to distribute Teracue IPTV systems in Middle East.
January 31, 2012... UAE-based distributor and system integrator Qvest Media is expanding its portfolio. The company is now responsible for the exclusive distribution of IPTV systems for Germany-based IPTV equipment developer Teracue in the Middle East. The IPTV...

Australia - Western Australia picks Telstra to improve mobile coverage.
January 31, 2012... Telstra had been awarded AUD 39.2 million in Royalties for Regions funding under the Regional Mobile Communications Project (RMCP) to upgrade telecommunications coverage in the state by 22 percent and improve access to mobile broadband. Under...

China - China Telecom to launch CDMA iPhone 4S model in February.
January 31, 2012... China Telecom could launch a CDMA version of the Apple iPhone 4S as early as February. The Beijing subsidiary of China Telecom said in a news release that the CDMA model of the iPhone 4S would likely be launched at the end of February or in...

South Korea - LG Uplus to pump KRW 955.6 bln more in LTE.
January 31, 2012... Korean communications company LG Uplus is planning to invest an additional KRW 955.6 billion into LTE network infrastructure this year. Last year the company invested KRW 1.7 trillion, the Korea Herald writes. LG Uplus is planning to complete...

Australia - NBN Co waters down anti-sledging requirement for Optus.
January 31, 2012... The Australian government firm that is rolling out the National Broadband Network, NBN Co, has changed its requirements that Optus not criticise the NBN project as part of an AUD 800 million deal. NBN Co and Optus had agreed that the latter...

Australia - Optus names John Paitaridis MD of business unit.
January 31, 2012... Australian communications firm Optus has hired former Telstra executive John Paitaridis as managing director of Optus Business. Paitaridis will run Optus Business and is also responsible for units Alphawest and Uecomm. Optus plans to step-up its...

Australia - Internode, iiNet continue lead in customer satisfaction.
January 31, 2012... In the six months to November 2011, Australian ISPs Internode and iiNet continue to maintain their lead in customer satisfaction at 94 and 91 percent, respectively. Satisfaction for Optus internet services rose to 80 percent of Australians aged...

Australia - Mobile customer satisfaction remains at 68% in Australia.
January 31, 2012... Overall satisfaction with mobile phone service providers in Australia remained stable, according to a Roy Morgan survey. In the six months to November 2011, 68 percent of customers said they were either "Very" or "Fairly" satisfied. Comparing...

Philippines - Globe secures USD 90 mln loan from China Banking Corp.
January 31, 2012... Philippine communications provider Globe Telecom has secured a ten-year, USD 90 million loan from the China Banking Corporation. The floating rate term loan will be used to finance the company's 2012 capital expenditures, which are part of...

Japan - eAccess tests 300 Mbps wireless service.
January 31, 2012... Japanese telecommunications firm eAccess has successfully field tested a wireless data transmission service with a maximum download speed of 300 Mbps. The company is planning to commercialise the service in three years, the Nikkei reports. The...

South Korea - LG Uplus widens net loss in Q4.
January 31, 2012... Korean telecommunications firm LG Uplus widened its net loss in the fourth quarter while revenues rose. Revenues went up 20.7 percent to KRW 2.45 trillion from KRW 2.03 trillion in the year-ago quarter. Wireless revenues were KRW 881.8 billion,...

New Zealand - Telecom NZ rejigs iPhone subsidies.
January 31, 2012... Telecom New Zealand has launched cheaper deals on selected iPhones and plans. From 1 February, customers signing up for 24 months on NZD 80, 100 or 120 plans will pay up to NZD 50 less up-front on selected iPhone models. At the same time, the...

Singapore - IDA raises quality standards for 3G services.
January 31, 2012... The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is raising the minimum quality of service (QoS) standards for 3G mobile services. The new standards will be introduced in phases starting from 1 April. Other consumer protection measures that...

Indonesia - Axis opens shop in Bandung.
January 31, 2012... Indonesian mobile services provider Axis has officially begun providing services through its new Axis shop in Bandung, West Java. This year, the operator will continue to expand its network as well as its customer service and outlet presence...

Pakistan - Warid launches trading service.
January 31, 2012... Mobile operator Warid Pakistan has introduced a trading interface. The Warid Tijarat service allows customers to sell goods through SMS, web, or WAP platforms. A basic subscription, allowing customers to sell 3 items a week, is priced at PKR 10...

China - Via Telecom ships 18 mln CDMA chips in 2011.
January 31, 2012... Handset chip designer Via Telecom has shipped 18 million CDMA chipsets last year, including 10 million entry-level chips. The company recorded revenues for 2011 of USD 100 million, up 60 percent from 2010, the Digitimes writes citing a report in...

Pakistan - Qubee launches advance pay promotion.
January 31, 2012... Wimax provider Qubee Pakistan has launched a promotion that offers free usage when customer pay several months in advance. Customers will get the fourth month subscription fee for free when they pay three months in advance, or if customers pay...

Bangladesh - Grameenphone IT, Drishti-Soft partner in Bangladesh.
January 31, 2012... Grameenphone IT, the IT arm of communications firm Grameenphone, has partnered with Drishti-Soft, software firm, to pursue business opportunities in Bangladesh. The companies are focussing on the call cente market using Drishti-Soft's...

Taiwan - Taiwan continues Wimax support.
January 31, 2012... Taiwan's Wimax production value last year is estimated at TWD 48.7 billion, with terminal devices reaching a global market share of 79 percent. This year, the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs targets a...

China - Online advertising revenues to grow to CNY 187.3 bln in 2015.
January 31, 2012... Online advertising revenues in China is expected to rise to CNY 187.32 billion in 2015, the Digitimes resport citing iResearch Consulting Group. Last year, online advertising revenues stood at CNY 51.19, up 57.3 percent year-on-year, and this...

China - Online search in China generates revenues of CNY 18.78 bln.
January 31, 2012... Online search in China generated revenues of CNY 18.78 billion last year. The revenues grew 70.2 percent from 2010, the Digitimes reports citing iResearch Consulting Group. Online search revenues are forecast to hit CNY 29.14 billion this year...

Taiwan - Taiwan's direct internet bandwidth hits 579.3 Gbps in Q3.
January 31, 2012... Taiwan's direct internet connection with eighteen countries reached a total bandwidth of 579.309 Gbps as of the end of the fourth quarter. This represents a growth of 4.4 percent from Q3 and 17.4 percent from the same period last year, the...

Australia - Primus wins contract from Competitive Foods Australia.
January 31, 2012... Australian communications firm Primus Telecom won a AUD 6 million three-year contract from fast food giant Competitive Foods Australia (CFAL) for the provision of upgraded, advanced voice, data and managed WiFi services. This builds on a...

Bahrain - Bahrain's mobile users hit 1.7 mln in 2011.
January 31, 2012... There were about 1.7 million mobile subscribers in Bahrain at the end of 2011, representing a mobile penetration rate of 133 percent. At the end of 2011, there were also 126,000 mobile broadband subscribers. The latest report from the...

Africa - Samsung launches events for Cup of Nations.
January 31, 2012... Samsung has launched a series of events for fans to share the excitement of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Samsung, an official sponsor of the competition, has launched its official fan page for the 2012...

Nigeria - Court says Airtel Nigeria must return Econet Wireless' stake.
January 31, 2012... A Nigerian court has upheld Econet Wireless' rights to own a 5 percent stake in Airtel Nigeria. The court declared null and void all actions and resolutions taken by Airtel Nigeria since October 2003, in which Econet Wireless should have had a...

Middle East - South Africa's PayU adds Ukash as online payment partner.
January 31, 2012... South African mobile and online payment service provider PayU has announced a partnership that enables online businesses to accept Ukash as a payment method. Ukash is a UK-based prepaid cash voucher company. PayU SafeShop now enables online...

Middle East - STC says GSMA acknowledges first regional LTE rollout.
January 31, 2012... Saudi Arabia's STC Group said the GSMA has officially stated that STC was the first operator to launch LTE in multiple countries in the Middle East, ITP.net reported. STC started up its LTE network in Saudi Arabia in mid-September with Viva...

Africa - InMobi, Perform sign mobile ad sales deal in Africa.
January 31, 2012... Mobile advertising network InMobi has signed a mobile advertising agreement with digital sports media group Perform for football news website Goal.com. The exclusive agreement covers all African traffic to m.goal.com, the mobile version of the...

Israel - TelZar 019 selects FTS billing, customer care service.
January 31, 2012... Business support systems provider FTS has implemented its Leap Billing, customer care service at Israel-based provider of international calling services TelZar 019. The implementation of FTS' Leap Billing includes charging, billing and customer...

Thailand - Thai NBTC to draft mobile data quality standards in March.
January 31, 2012... Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) plans to draw up quality standards for mobile data services in March to boost consumer protection, writes Bangkok Post. The NBTC is also about to set a tariff ceiling for...

Kyrgyzstan - Fonex offers free premium numbers.
January 31, 2012... Kyrgyzstan mobile operator Fonex introduced a promotion on premium numbers. Premum numbers normally costing USD 40 are offered for free in the flagship retail outlet of the operator at its headquarters in Bishkek.

Kuwait - Wataniya Telecom introduces Wnet bundles.
January 31, 2012... Kuwait operator Wataniya Telecom has introduced Wnet offers on cash or installments allowing postpaid customers to get an electronic gadget at KWD 1.5 per month. The offer entails four different bundles. In the first bundle the customer gets a...

South Africa - ATEC rolls out FTTH in Cape Town suburb.
January 31, 2012... ATEC Systems and Technologies has completed the first phase of a fibre-to-the-home network in Cape Town's Clifton suburb, MyBroadband reported. ATEC has long been offering FTTH services in gated communities, office parks and hotels, but this is...

South Africa - Vox Telecom plans uncapped ADSL service.
January 31, 2012... South African ISP Vox Telecom is planning to launch an uncapped ADSL service, and is even considering its own 3G service, CEO Douglas Reed told MyBroadband. Reed said Vox thinks an uncapped ADSL product is sustainable, but that a "proper...

China - Tadiran delivers softswitch to Kunming subway.
January 31, 2012... IP business telephony and communications supplier Tadiran Telecom has been selected to provide Kunming Subway in China with a customised service for all three of its subway lines. The service is both a dispatching control and administrative...

Pakistan - PTCL launches mobile bucket-2 for PSTN subscribers.
January 31, 2012... Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL) has launched the 'mobile bucket-2' offer specially designed for existing and potential PSTN subscribers. The 'mobile bucket-2' offers two packages allowing customers to call from fixed to mobile...

Kenya - Kenyan watchdog declines to cut telecom licence fees early.
January 31, 2012... The board of the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) has rejected an appeal by the telecommunication companies for an immediate reduction in their monthly licence fees, the Daily Nation reported. Any such cut would risks crippling the CCK's...

India - Airtel digital TV launches iKidsworld for kids learning.
January 31, 2012... Indian operator Bharti airtel's DTH service Airtel digital TV has launched iKidsworld an interactive service for kids to expand their learning and imagination. The video content of iKidsworld offers activities like stories, hobbies, songs,...

Hong Kong - Hong Kong's fixed line user base fall to 3.557 mln.
January 30, 2012... Hong Kong saw its fixed-line user base decline slightly to 3.557 million in November from 3.559 million in October, figures from regulator Ofta show. The number of business users grew to 1.77 million from 1.76 million a month earlier, while the...

Middle East - Qtel Group outlines business strategy.
January 30, 2012... The Qtel Group will increase its focus on broadband solutions, business-to-business opportunities, digital futures and fibre technologies as part of a new strategic plan. The group will also drive further operational and cost efficiency,...

Saudi Arabia - Zain KSA extends maturity on Murabaha loan.
January 30, 2012... Zain Saudi Arabia announced that its Murabaha investors have consented to extend the maturity of the facility for an additional six months. The facility worth approximately SAR 9.75 billion will now mature on 27 July. The company has used an...

Uganda - UCC to meet operators over service quality.
January 30, 2012... The Uganda Communication Commission will in February hold a meeting with operators to discuss the deteriorating service quality, the Daily Monitor reports. UCC Executive Director Godfrey Mutabazi said the meeting will mainly focus on the...

Iran - MTN rejects lobby group's call to withdraw from Iran.
January 30, 2012... MTN Group said that it will not comply with calls for it to withdraw from Iran, Dow Jones reported. An MTN spokesman said it is "business as usual" in the country, according to the news agency. Mark Wallace, the president of lobby group United...

Israel - Golan talks to Partner, Pelephone on site sharing - report.
January 30, 2012... Israel's new operator Golan Telecom is negotiating to share mobile sites with mobile operators Partner Communications and Pelephone, Globes reports. The aim is to use the sites of the two established mobile operators in order to reach a maximum...

Kenya - AccessKenya to add over 100 new buildings to fibre network.
January 30, 2012... AccessKenya Group announced plans to expand its metropolitan fibre network in Nairobi and Mombasa at a cost of over KES 100 million within the next 12 months. The expansion, which will cover additional areas along Thika Road, Outering Road,...

South Africa - Telkom, KT to finalise potential JV findings in a few weeks.
January 30, 2012... South Africa's fixed-line operator Telkom said it expects to finalise the results of a review of a potential joint venture with South Korea's KT Corporation in a few weeks, IT Web reports. Once the review has been completed, the parties will...

Egypt - Telecom Egypt hopes to become 4th mobile operator.
January 30, 2012... Telecom Egypt (TE) plans to apply to become an MVNO if the regulator makes this possible, Ahram reported, citing CEO Tarek Aboualam. TE has also been waiting for the establishment of a new government in Egypt following last year's uprising in...

Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone govt launches web portal to boost transparency.
January 30, 2012... President Ernest Bai Koroma has launched the Transparency Sierra Leone Portal to enhance the accountability of his government. The web portal was established by the Commonwealth Secretariat and aims to build on the Open Government Initiative in...

Japan - Kyocera cuts outlook after sluggish Q3.
January 30, 2012... Kyocera has cut its outlook for the fiscal year to March, citing the stronger yen, weak European economies and impact on supplies from the flooding in Thailand. The company said results were "sluggish" in the three months to December and it does...

Qatar - CGC introduces Nokia X2-02 in Qatar.
January 30, 2012... Consolidated Gulf Co (CGC) announced the launch of the Nokia X2-02 dual-Sim phone in Qatar. The Nokia X2-02 features the 'Play via Radio' functionality which allows music lovers to transmit and share individual playlists over a music system, car...

Oman - Omantel unveils Nokia N9 with data deal.
January 30, 2012... Omantel and Nokia announced an exclusive offer for customers buying the new Nokia N9 64 GB white handset. Omantel offer will provide customers buying the smartphone with 1 GB data usage per month for three months. In addition, customers with the...

Kenya - Yu lifts subscriber base to 2.3 mln over 3 months.
January 30, 2012... Kenyan operator Yu has seen its customer base grow by over 700,000 to 2.3 million in the last three months, attracted by the free daytime on-net calls tariff brought in by Yu in September, the Star reported online. Yu's country manager for...

Congo, Dem. Rep. - Vodacom must pay USD 21 mln to adviser for DRC venture.
January 30, 2012... A court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has ordered South Africa-based Vodacom to pay at least USD 21 million in unpaid fees to a former consultant, Business Day newspaper reported. Moto Mabanga had worked with Vodacom in its negotiations in...

Ghana - MTN extends managed services deal with Ericsson in Ghana.
January 30, 2012... MTN has extended its managed services agreement with Ericsson for its Ghana operations. Under the extension, Ericsson is responsible for network operations, field maintenance and optimisation. MTN will retain ownership of the network and...

Oman - Nawras launches Super Off Peak international calling rate.
January 30, 2012... Omani operator Nawras has introduced what it claims is the cheapest international calling rate in the country, called Super Off Peak. It is offering calls to any country for OMR 0.49 per minute from a mobile or home number between 20:00 hrs and...

UAE - Du offers 100 jobs for Emiratis at recruitment fair.
January 30, 2012... UAE-based operator Du said it is offering 100 jobs to Emiratis who visit its stand at the Tawdheef 2012 recruitment fair at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 31 January to 02 February. Du said visitors to its stand can submit their...

Ghana - Ghana mobile phone penetration reaches 89% in December.
January 30, 2012... There were 21.45 million phone users in Ghana on 31 December 2011, or 89.4 percent of the estimated 24 million population, according to the National Communication Authority (NCA). The total number of fixed lines in Ghana was 284,721, down from...

Japan - Docomo to buy food delivery group Radishbo-ya.
January 30, 2012... NTT Docomo announced an agreement to buy Radishbo-ya, a Japanese home-delivery service for premium and organic food. The company said the acquisition presents a promising area for new business development, due to its proximity to mobile...

India - Google apps most favoured among 25% of Indian users.
January 30, 2012... Smartphone users in India are spending over 40 percent of total active time on their smartphones on data-centric activities, according to a study by Nielsen. A full 25 percent of users' time with applications is spent on those developed by...

Israel - ClearOne to acquire Vcon Video Conferencing.
January 30, 2012... Global provider of audio conferencing systems ClearOne will acquire Israel-based video conferencing software services provider Vcon Video Conferencing. ClearOne entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all the assets of Vcon....

Thailand - Mobile broadband users in Thailand to hit 35 mln in 2015.
January 30, 2012... The number of mobile broadband users in Thailand are expected to account for half of total mobile users in 2015 as smartphones and tablets become more popular. Sales of smartphones and tablets in Thailand are forecast to exceed personal computer...

Japan - Docomo execs to return part of their pay over disruptions.
January 30, 2012... Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo plans to cut pay for executives over the recent network disruptions. Docomo will ask company president Ryuji Yamada and five other company directors to return part of their compensation to take responsibility...

Australia - Telstra seeks mobile, internet rights for Olympics.
January 30, 2012... Australian communications firm Telstra is in negotiations to acquire the mobile and internet coverage rights of the London Olympics. Telstra is a sponsor of the Australian Olympic Team and is seeking to increase its sporting coverage, The...

Thailand - Thai govt expected to buy tablets from China.
January 30, 2012... The Thai government is expected to sign a tablet purchase agreement with the Chinese government in February. Under the agreement, Thailand will buy 900,000 tablet PCs worth a total of THB 2.2 billion, The Bangkok Post reports citing a source...

Australia - Telstra to restore services in Bundaberg.
January 30, 2012... Telstra will install a temporary cable with the aim of having full fixed line telephone and internet services operational for north Bundaberg residents by 1 February. The company will be relocating and hauling a 2400pr temporary cable across the...

Thailand - MVNO licences may be allowed under frequency law.
January 30, 2012... The Thai regulator may grant more MVNO licences as it appears this is allowed under the new Frequency Allocation law. The subcommitte of the NBTC assigned to study the impacts of the 2010 Frequency Allocation Law on MVNOs believes the law is...

Nepal - Nepal ends 2011 with 15 mln telephony users.
January 30, 2012... Nepal saw its telephony customer base rise to 15.03 million in mid-December from 14.75 million on 14 November, according to figures from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA). The total comprises 13.35 million mobile subscribers, 845,542...

Bangladesh - Bangladesh ends 2011 with 85.5 mln mobile subs.
January 30, 2012... The total number of mobile phone subscribers in Bangladesh reached 85.46 million in December 2011, up from 84.07 million at the end of November, according to data from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). The market's...