Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from July 2009

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from July 2009

Tanzania - Zain Tanzania offers water bills payment over Zap.
July 31, 2009... Tanzania's mobile operator Zain has signed an agreement with the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (DAWASCO) to enable its customers pay water bills through the mobile money transfer service Zap. The collaboration will allow Zain...

Australia - NEC Australia expands cloud computing strategy.
July 31, 2009... NEC Australia has launched a hosted managed service for SMEs to extend its cloud computing and services strategy. Hosted out of the Polaris data centre, NEC will bring the security and resilience provided by a tier 3 data centre to the SME...

South Africa - CSIR picks Telkom to build 10 Gbps SANReN network.
July 31, 2009... The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has awarded the contract for the installation of the national backbone network of the South African National Research Network (SANReN) to Telkom. SANReN forms a crucial part of the...

South Africa - Telkom appoints Marais as acting MD for data centres.
July 31, 2009... South African fixed-line operator Telkom has appointed Pierre Marais as acting MD of its Data Centre Operations business unit with immediate effect. Marais is the current Group Executive for Network Core Operations. In April, Telkom's new...

Israel - Pelephone cancels SMS storage policy.
July 31, 2009... Israeli mobile operator Pelephone Communications has decided to change its SMS storage policy in the wake of the harsh criticism it received after a lawsuit was filed with the Central District Court against the company for saving subscribers'...

India - Tata Comm offers hosted core banking system to Nainital Bank.
July 31, 2009... Indian communication services provider Tata Communications' hosted core banking system (CBS) is ready to go live in the Delhi NCR region for Nainital Bank, a private sector bank in India. Tata Communications' BFSI drive is spearheaded by its...

China - China Unicom to expand 3G trials by 168 cities.
July 31, 2009... China Unicom will expand trials of its WCDMA netwwork to 168 more cities in August. The company has continuing trials in 100 cities at present, the South China Morning Post reports. The newly added cities are in eighteen provinces, including...

Viet Nam - VNPT opens data centre in Thanh Hoa province.
July 31, 2009... Vietnamese telecommunications group VNPT has opened a data centre in the Thanh Hoa province. The data centre was opened in collaboration with Vietnam Data Communications (VDC).

South Korea - LG Telecom to expand mobile music service with MNet.
July 31, 2009... LG Telecom plans to combine its music service, MusicOn, with content from local entertainment company MNet Media. The combined portal will offer a catalogue of 1.3 million songs and more than 80,000 music videos, the JoongAng Daily reports. With...

Taiwan - Chunghwa in talks with acTVila about shopping services.
July 31, 2009... Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom and acTVila are eyeing a TV shopping collaboration. The companies are in talks about a possible TV shopping services deal, Cens reports. AcTVila is a TV portal held by Sony, Sharp, Panasonic, Toshiba, Hitachi, and ISP...

Thailand - CAT Telecom's revenues slip 3% in H1.
July 31, 2009... Thai communications provider CAT Telecom saw its revenues drop 3 percent year-on-year to THB 23.79 billion. Net profits dropped 13 percent to THB 3.98 billion, the Nation reports. Excluding concession revenues, the company posted income of THB...

New Zealand - Commerce Commission issues regulatory guidelines.
July 31, 2009... The New Zealand Commerce Commission has released draft guidelines to provide greater clarity for the telecommunications industry on how the Commission exercises its powers and functions under the Telecommunications Act. The paper identifies and...

New Zealand - Business NZ calls for more regulation on telco market.
July 31, 2009... Lobby group Business New Zealand is calling for more effective regulation on the telecommunications market. The group has issued its productivity document which calls for light-handed regulation on the telecommunications market, Computerworld...

Indonesia - Indosat launches Group offering.
July 31, 2009... Indosat has launched its Group offering again. The Group offering allows IM3 and Mentari (GSM prepaid) customers to gather a group of up to four members to get special benefits. The group members get a fee phone and 60 free minutes that can be...

Malaysia - Xox launches radio campaign, plans further services.
July 31, 2009... Malaysian MVNO Xox has launched services targeting the Chinese youth market in Malaysia. The company has about 40,000 subscribers and aims to increase the number with a major advertising campaign. The company is working with radio station 988 FM...

Nepal - Nepal Telecom launches voice 'notice board' service.
July 31, 2009... Nepal Telecom (NT) plans to launch a 'notice board' service. Participating organisations can provide voice messages, the Kantipur reports. Nepal Telecom customers can dial into the notice board and listen to the messages. PSTN users pay NPR 1...

Hong Kong - SmarTone Telecom issues profit warning.
July 31, 2009... Hong Kong telecommunications provider SmarTone Telecom has issued a profit warning. The company expects consolidated net profit for the year ended 30 June to drop significantly due to adverse market conditions which affected the group's H1...

Palau - PNCC launches anniversary promotion.
July 31, 2009... Palau National Communications (PNCC) has launched a promotion to celebrate its 27th anniversary. Until 31 August, PNCC offers free activation for digital TV services, dial-up services, Debusch charge cards, caller ID services, call waiting, and...

Singapore - Macquarie Telecom sells Singapore unit to CITIC 1616.
July 31, 2009... Australian business telecommunications provider Macquarie Telecom has sold its wholly-owned subsidiary Macquarie Singapore to wholesale telecommunications services provider CITIC 1616 Holdings. Macquarie Telecom agreed to sell the subsidiary for...

Hong Kong - Hutchison Hong Kong picks NSN for network upgrade.
July 31, 2009... Hutchison Telecom Hong Kong has signed a five-year framework agreement with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) for the purchase of equipment and services to modernise and expand Hutchison's 3G network. Under the agreement, Hutchison will purchase at...

India - Bharti Airtel expands digital TV line-up.
July 31, 2009... Indian mobile operator Bharti Airtel has added fourteen new channels to its digital TV service. The company now offers 164 channels in eleven languages. The new entertainment and news channels will be available across various subscriptions plans...

Japan - Softbank's profits rise 41% in Q1.
July 31, 2009... Softbank saw its net income rise on a slight increase in sales in the first quarter ended 30 June. Sales went up 2.9 percent to JPY 666.33 billion from JPY 647.26 billion in the year-ago quarter, primarily from sales growth at the Mobile...

Japan - NTT Docomo sees profits, revenues fall in Q1.
July 31, 2009... NTT Docomo saw its revenues and profits drop in the first quarter ended 30 June. Revenues fell 7.3 percent to JPY 1.08 trillion from JPY 1.17 trillion in the year-ago period. Mobile services revenues plunged 5.8 percent to JPY 881.9 billion. Net...

Azerbaijan - Azerfon expands coverage with 20 new base stations.
July 31, 2009... Azerbaijani mobile operator Azerfon, using the Nar Mobile brand, has installed twenty new base stations. The new base stations were installed in the Absheron region (2), and in Baku (16), Sheki (1) and Gabala (1). The company currently has 1.3...

Taiwan - Taiwan Mobile forecasts flat revenues, lower profits in Q3.
July 31, 2009... Taiwan Mobile expects flat revenues and lower profits for the third quarter this year. The company expects revenues of TWD 17.57 billion, which would be similar to the year-ago quarter and up 1 percent sequentially. EBITDA is expected to fall 4...

Fiji - Vodafone Fiji signs 2 sponsorship agreements.
July 31, 2009... Vodafone Fiji has signed two sponsorship agreements. The company has extended its sponsorship for the Prime Minister's Exporter of the Year's Awards for a further three years. Vodafone has already sponsored the awards for the past three years as...

Australia - Australian enterprises increase bandwidth, mobile use.
July 31, 2009... Some 52 percent of Australian businesses have required increased bandwidth for video conferencing and collaboration applications. Some 52 percent required increased bandwidth for video conferencing and 54 percent for collaboration technologies...

New Zealand - Woosh launches fixed phone, dial-up bundle.
July 31, 2009... New Zealand's wireless ISP Woosh has launched a new home phone and broadband bundle that is available nationwide for customers that cannot get ADSL or are outside the company's wireless coverage area. The bundle costs NZD 55 per month and comes...

Japan - J:Com's profits rise 9.5% in H1.
July 31, 2009... Japanese cable operator Jupiter Telecommunications (J:Com) saw its revenues and profits go up in the six months ended 30 June. Revenues went up 13 percent to JPY 162.48 billion from JPY 143.82 billion in the year-ago period. J:Com's operating...

Taiwan - Shipments for Taiwanese wireless gear to hit USD 3.22 bln.
July 31, 2009... Shipment value of the Taiwanese wireless communications equipment industry in the full-year 2009 is forecast to reach USD 3.22 billion, down 14.4 percent compared to 2008, according to research by MIC. Due to steady Wimax CPE growth in emerging...

Africa - West Africa internet access hit by undersea cable damage.
July 31, 2009... Serious damage has been caused to the 15,000-km undersea SAT-3 cable, which has resulted in major disruption to West African internet access and services, the BBC reports. Several countries, including Benin, Togo, Niger and Nigeria, have all...

Africa - Connor appointed as regulatory advisor for Samena.
July 31, 2009... The Samena Telecommunications Council, a multi-continent telecom operators' consortium, has appointed Justin Connor as strategic regulatory advisor to support and coordinate the activities and efforts of its regulatory committee, comprised of...

Africa - Masabi, Mi-Pay unveil SMS-based mobile transactions system.
July 31, 2009... Applications developer Masabi and mobile payments provider Mi-Pay have partnered to develop Street Vendor, a mobile transaction system that allows mobile operators, banks and other retailers to offer their services in remote regions using mobile...

Lebanon - Lebanese group launches petition for faster internet.
July 31, 2009... The Lebanese Broadband Stakeholders Group (LBSG) has launched a petition to improve the country's internet connection, challenging the new Lebanese government to make the changes, the Daily Star reports. The group, a coalition of individuals,...

India - Indian govt may allow Telenor to hike Unitech stake - report.
July 31, 2009... India's home ministry is set to give security clearance to Indian mobile operator Unitech Wireless' proposal to hike its foreign shareholding by Norwegian telecommunication group Telenor to up to 74 percent, writes the Economic Times. But...

Rwanda - SMS Media introduces bulk SMS advertising.
July 31, 2009... Rwanda-based SMS Media, a wireless application service provider, has introduced bulk SMS advertising for businesses in the country. The service will help improve the way the business community keeps in touch with customers. It can also help them...

Kuwait - KIA wants updates on potential Zain stake sale - report.
July 31, 2009... Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) has asked Middle East and Africa operator Zain to keep it updated on any talks linked to a stake sale in the mobile operator, al-Qabas newspaper reported. KIA, the Gulf state's sovereign wealth fund, which owns...

Australia - Tata Comm signs voice outsourcing contract with Gotalk.
July 31, 2009... Indian communication services provider Tata Communications has signed a voice outsourcing contract and network expansion project with Australian telecommunications services provider Gotalk. Tata Communications will deploy a voice infrastructure...

India - Tata Comm launches Easy Internet service for SMBs.
July 31, 2009... Indian communication services provider Tata Communications has launched its SMB-focused internet leased line service called Easy Internet in India. This service is developed to resolve the application requirements of small and medium enterprises...

South Africa - The Grid launches iPhone, Android applications.
July 31, 2009... Vodacom's mobile social network The Grid has launched iPhone and Android applications, allowing users to see their friends on local street maps, chat to them via instant messaging and upload or view geo-tagged content. This new Grid iPhone...

Malawi - Malawi's telecom industry growth to slow in 2009.
July 31, 2009... Growth in Malawi's telecommunications and information sector is expected to slow to only 18.5 percent in 2009 from 51.3 percent in 2008, the Daily Times reports. According to the 2009 Malawi Economic Report compiled by the Ministry of...

South Africa - Edgars launches ADSL service.
July 31, 2009... South African clothing retailer Edgars has launched its Club Connect service, offering Edgars Club Members ADSL bandwidth at ZAR 28 for a 1 GB service. This is currently the lowest price for a 1 GB service in the market, according to local...

Hong Kong - EADS DS to upgrade Tetra network for CLP.
July 31, 2009... EADS Defence & Security is upgrading the Tetra network for CLP Power Hong Kong. The upgrade will increase efficiency of the network, extend the natural lifecycle of the network and enhance its capabilities in meeting operational needs. EADS...

India - Nokia Siemens India appoints Pennanen as head.
July 31, 2009... Nokia Siemens Networks has appointed Urs Pennanen as head of sub-region India. Currently, Pennanen is the head of sales for the company's operations and business software business unit in Finland. He takes over as sub region head of Nokia...

Namibia - ITS signs deal with Cell One Namibia.
July 31, 2009... IT services provider International Turnkey Systems (ITS) has signed an agreement with Namibia's mobile operator Cell One. The deal comes in line with ITS' strategic partnership with Orascom Telecom, the parent company of Cell One. Under the...

Lebanon - LG launches KS660 touchscreen dual-Sim phone in Lebanon.
July 31, 2009... LG Electronics announced the availability of the new LG-KS660 handset in Lebanon at all Class outlets. LG-KS660 is the company's first touchscreen handset equipped with dual-Sim card slots. Designed for business users, LG-KS660's slim design and...

Singapore - StarHub expands 3G network with Nokia Siemens Networks.
July 31, 2009... Singapore operator StarHub has signed a contract with Nokia Siemens Networks to expand its 3G core network. StarHub will now be able to offer an improved mobile broadband experience to its subscribers. Nokia Siemens has expanded the network...

Middle East - SES Astra signs capacity agreement with InSat.
July 31, 2009... SES Astra has signed a new capacity agreement for its 31.5 degrees east orbital position with German satellite service provider InSat. InSat will use one transponder on Astra 2C to provide IP backbone services to small and medium sized...

Nigeria - MTN Nigeria launches Hyconnect Wireless internet service.
July 30, 2009... Nigeria's mobile operator MTN has launched its Hyconnect Wireless Internet service. Part of the MTN Business range, the prepaid broadband service offers download speeds of up to 1Mbps over MTN's Wimax network in Lagos and Abuja. MTN HyConnect...

Qatar - Qtel slashes international call rates for Shahry users.
July 30, 2009... Qtel has cut its international calling rates for its Shahry Value Pack customers. Customers can now make international calls using their monthly free minutes allowance. As a result, effective call rates with Shahry Value Packs are now as low as...

Nigeria - NCC defers Sim registration to Q1 2010.
July 30, 2009... The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has shifted the date for the start of the registration process for all GSM-enabled Sim cards in the country to the first quarter of 2010. The NCC had earlier set July this year as the start date for...

India - Verizon Business launches managed services in India.
July 30, 2009... Verizon Business has launched its managed services portfolio in India. Verizon Managed LAN, WAN, Network Management Reporting-Visual, and Wireless LAN services offer customers a migration path and a range of management options to suit their...

Japan - NextGen signs distribution contract with Sonus.
July 30, 2009... IP communications technology provider Sonus Networks has signed a contract with NextGen to offer and support a full portfolio of Sonus carrier-grade IP communications products to the Japanese market. With the distributor contract and the...

Japan - KDDI deploys Teradata Enterprise Data Warehouse platform.
July 30, 2009... Japanese operator KDDI has deployed Teradata's Active Enterprise Data Warehouse platform. The Active EDW will serve as the data retrieval and analysis platform that KDDI uses to perform analyses of customer, rate and other related data from its...

South Korea - Seoul Metro picks Alcatel-Lucent for IP network.
July 30, 2009... Subway transportation company Seoul Metro has signed a contract with Alcatel-Lucent for a converged IP-based network. Alcatel-Lucent's system supports the IP transformation of Seoul Metro's communications network. The new Seoul Metro network...

Australia - Macquarie Hosting wins contract from Healthways.
July 30, 2009... Macquarie Hosting, a division of Macquarie Telecom, has signed a three year AUD 1 million deal with Healthways Australia. Under the deal Macquarie Hosting will host Healthways Australia's internet-based suite of health and wellness resources...

Philippines - Piltel withdraws wireless data network application.
July 30, 2009... Philipino Telephone (Piltel) has withdrawn its application for a wireless nationwide data network. Earlier, Piltel planned to invest PHP 7.6 billion over five years to roll out a wireless data network, the Manila Times reports. However, the...

Japan - NTT Docomo lowers minimum data charges.
July 30, 2009... Japan's NTT Docomo will reduce the minimum charge for mobile data on its flat-rate billing plans, the Nikkei reports. The charge has been lowered by JPY 100 to JPY 390 per month. The move follows Softbank and KDDI, which cut minimum data charges...

South Korea - Koreans pay most for domestic calls - KCA.
July 30, 2009... Korea has the highest mobile fees among fifteen countries that have more than 180 monthly mobile minutes of use per subscriber, the JoongAng Daily writes citing the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA). The other countries include: the US, Australia,...

Thailand - Samart targets FY revenues of THB 23 billion.
July 30, 2009... Thai telecommunications equipment group Samart expects to see revenues of THB 23 billion this year, boosted by government projects. The company also plans to focus on 3G mobile content and handsets next year, and plans to combine its digital...

India - Nokia India expands recycling programme.
July 30, 2009... Nokia has launched its 'Take-Back' recycling programme across fifteen cities in India. The programme is aimed at creating consumer awareness on the benefits of recycling old phones, chargers and accessories. Nokia will plant a tree or contribute...

Australia - Telstra secures AUD 21 mln deal with BoQ.
July 30, 2009... Telstra has secured a AUD 21 million deal with the Bank of Queensland (BoQ). Under the deal, Telstra will provide internet, fixed-line services, and mobile voice and data, ZDNet reports. Telstra will also provide BlackBerry handsets. Recently,...

Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka's fixed user base drops, mobile up.
July 30, 2009... The number of fixed-line users in Sri Lanka fell by 60,000 in the first quarter to 876,064 in the first quarter of this year. The number of fixed wireless access users, however, went up by 18 percent to 2.09 million, the Lanka Business Online...

New Zealand - TelstraClear to invest NZD 10 mln in Docsis 3.0.
July 30, 2009... New Zealand's TelstraClear is planning to invest NZD 10 million in Docsis 3.0 roll out. Docsis 3.0 will be rolled out on the company's Wellington and Christchurch networks beginning in March 2010. The company is announcing it will offer...

India - Sify narrows net loss in Q1.
July 30, 2009... Consumer, internet and enterprise services provider Sify Technologies narrowed its net loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2009/10. Revenues were USD 34.54 million, up 10 percent from USD 31.39 million in same quarter a year earlier. Enterprise...

India - Idea to expand coverage, presence in Maharashtra and Goa.
July 30, 2009... Indian mobile services provider Idea Cellular plans to increase its market share in Maharashtra and Goa with expanded coverage. The company currently has over 8 million subscribers in the region and a market share of 35 percent on the GSM market...

China - Greater Chinese netbook industry to hit 11.13 mln in H2.
July 30, 2009... Shipment volume of the greater Chinese netbook PC industry (shipment statistics based on shipments of Taiwanese netbook PC ODM companies) is forecast to reach approximately 21.10 million units in the full-year 2009. The industry's shipment...

Bhutan - Bhutan Telecom opens customer service facility in Khuruthang.
July 30, 2009... Bhutan Telecom has opened a another customer service facility in Khuruthang. The new facility, which was established in addition to the facility in Punakha, will allow customers to pay bills and sign-up for services.

China - AsiaInfo posts higher revenues, profits in Q2.
July 30, 2009... Chinese provider of telecommunications software AsiaInfo posted higher revenues and profits in the second quarter. Total revenues were USD 58.6 million, an increase of 39.3 percent year-over-year, driven by strong performance among all three...

Indonesia - Qtel not delisting Indosat.
July 30, 2009... Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has confirmed that it is not currently in the process of de-listing Indonesia's Indosat, in which Qtel has a 65 percent stake. Indosat remains subject to the rules of both the Indonesia Stock Exchange and the New York Stock...

Thailand - Thai regulator picks Nera for help with 3G auction.
July 30, 2009... Thailand's National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has picked Nera Economic Consulting help with a spectrum licence auction and policy framework. The regulator asked Nera to design and to recommend the appropriate process for the upcoming...

India - MTS India launches 'One MTS, One India' tariff plan.
July 30, 2009... Indian mobile operator MTS India has launched its 'One MTS, One India' tariff package. The package costs INR 11 and allows subscribers to make local and STD calls on the MTS network for INR 0.35 per minute. The tariff plan is available across...

Japan - Emobile expands data roaming services.
July 30, 2009... Japanese mobile services provider Emobile has expanded roaming to Macau. Emobile has signed a data roaming agreement with SmarTone in Macau. Data roaming services are also available in Mexico (TEMM), Philippines (Smart Communications),...

Azerbaijan - Azercell launches prepaid promotion.
July 30, 2009... Azerbaijani mobile operator Azercell has launched a prepaid promotion campaign. New SimSim users that join before 31 October, will get the Super BizdenBize tariff add-on for free, and will get 50 free on-net SMSs, GizletCell (hide number)...

Australia - Telstra adds BlackBerry Bold to Blue Tick line.
July 30, 2009... Telstra will add the BlackBerry Bold to its Blue Tick line, which recommends handsets for use in metro, rural and regional regions. Telstra worked with Research In Motion to develop a software upgrade that boosts the device's coverage...

Taiwan - Chunghwa, Fonestock push sales of stock info app.
July 30, 2009... Taiwan's Fonestock Technology is collaborating with Chunghwa Telecom to sell its application for receiving real-time stock information via smartphones. The software works on the iPhone 3G, Android-based phones, and Windows Mobile-based...

Indonesia - Telkom boosts Multimedia Nusantara's funds with IDR 1 trln.
July 30, 2009... Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) is providing IDR 1 trillion to its subsidiary Multimedia Nusantara. The move is aimed at making Multimedia Nusantara a third major revenue stream for Telkom, Tempointeractive reports citing head of information...

Australia - Telstra provides wholesale services to AAPT.
July 30, 2009... Telstra Wholesale and AAPT have reached commercial agreement on a range of products and services including Wholesale Line Rental (WLR), Local Carriage Service (LCS) and PSTN Originating Terminating Access (PSTN OTA). The agreement extends an...

Philippines - Philippine mobile operators ask to dismiss COUP suit.
July 30, 2009... Philippine mobile operators Globe Telecom and Digitel Mobile Philippines (using the Sun Cellular brand) have asked the regulator to dismiss a complaint by the Cellphone Owners & Users of the Philippines (COUP) for lack of merit. COUP...

New Zealand - Telecom New Zealand to lower mobile termination rates.
July 30, 2009... Telecom New Zealand plans to more than halve its mobile termination rates. In its submission to the Commerce Commission, Telecom offers to lower its mobile termination rates from the current NZD 0.15 per minute to NZD 0.07 by 2015, Computerworld...

China - China's mobile internet user base up 32%.
July 30, 2009... The number of mobile internet users in China has gone up by 32.1 percent in six months reaching 155 million. This represents 46 percent of all internet users. In total China has 338 million internet users, of which 320 million are broadband...

Japan - Dena's net income falls on higher revenues.
July 30, 2009... Japanese online and mobile commerce and entertainment provider Dena saw its net income fall on higher revenues in the first quarter ended 30 June. Net sales were JPY 9 billion, up from JPY 8.81 billion in the year-ago quarter. Operating income...

Namibia - Telecom Namibia, Unam sign strategic deal.
July 30, 2009... Telecom Namibia and the University of Namibia (Unam) have entered into an MoU on exploring ways to strengthen their relationship and to foster co-operation in the field of ICT. The agreement calls for both parties to identify various areas for...

Kenya - Zain Kenya signs payment deal with DStv.
July 30, 2009... Zain Kenya and Multichoice Kenya have entered into a partnership that will see Multichoice pay-TV customers pay their bills through Zain's mobile money service Zap. Speaking during the launch, Zain Kenya MD Rene Meza said DStv customers will not...