Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from July 2012

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from July 2012

Qatar - Qtel Launches SMS Directory Enquiries Service
July 31, 2012... Qtel has launched a SMS Directory Enquiries service, which enables customers to request numbers with a simple short-code. Customers send the name of the business or government organisation whose details they are searching for via SMS to short...

Mauritius - IBM Inks Training Deal with University of Mauritius
July 31, 2012... IBM announced a collaboration agreement with the University of Mauritius to help meet the demand for computer science skills in the Indian Ocean island region. The joint academic initiative will provide technology and training resources while...

Nigeria - MTN Nigeria Introduces MTN Zone Pricing
July 31, 2012... MTN Nigeria has introduced its dynamic tariff plan MTN Zone, offering subscribers an up to 100 percent discount on calls, depending on where they make the calls. MTN Zone offers discounts based on the level of traffic and congestion at the cell...

Ghana - MTN Ghana Offers Free Calls after President's Death
July 31, 2012... MTN Ghana is giving all of its over 10.6 million customers two minutes free airtime between 05:00hrs - 00:00hrs on 31 July in commemoration of the death of President John Evans Atta-Mills who passed away on 24 July. Its on-net standard call rate...

Australia - Optus Selects Nokia Siemens for LTE, Network Modernisation
July 31, 2012... Australian communications provider Optus has selected Nokia Siemens Networks as a partner for its network initiatives. The agreement includes modernisation of the mobile network, refarming the 900 MHz GSM frequency band, and providing...

Nepal - eServGlobal Launches Post Paid Bill Payment Offering at NT
July 31, 2012... Global telecommunications software vendor eServGlobal launched its post paid bill payment offering at Nepal Telecom (NT) in March this year. Through eServGlobal's service, Nepal Telecom offers both voucher and electronic recharge and have...

Philippines - Court of Appeal Stops NTC from Re-Allocating Spectrum
July 31, 2012... The Philippine Court of Appeal has stopped the regulator from re-allocating broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum. The Court of Appeal reversed earlier court orders on the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)'s memorandum circular...

Australia - AGIMO Changes Mobile Phone Procurement Panel
July 31, 2012... Following a review of the mobile phone panel, the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) has decided to simplify mobile phone procurement. The review found that the panel arrangement did not offer enough value for money when...

China - AsiaInfo-Linkage Sees Q2 Profit Fall on Tax Changes
July 31, 2012... Chinese telecommunications software provider AsiaInfo-Linkage achieved a net income in the second quarter of USD 6.2 million, or USD 0.09 per basic share, compared to USD 32.9 million or USD 0.45 per share in the year-ago period. The decrease...

Australia - Macquarie Telecom Ups Earnings Guidance
July 31, 2012... Australian business telecommunications services provider Macquarie Telecom has upgraded the earnings guidance for the full year ended 30 June. EBITDA is expected to be AUD 40.6 million, up from the previous guidance of AUD 36 to 38 million. In...

Malaysia - Redtone Moves to Profit in Q4
July 31, 2012... Malaysian broadband services provider Redtone International posted a profit of MYR 2.47 million for the fourth quarter ended 31 May versus a net loss of MYR 8.01 million a year earlier. Revenues were MYR 22.74 million, down by 1.4 percent from...

Thailand - NBTC Engages ITU to Value Broadcasting Spectrum
July 31, 2012... Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has engaged a team from the International Telecom Union (ITU) to value the country's radio and television spectrum ahead of issuing broadcasting licences. The regulator...

Australia - Telstra Not Concerned about Data Retention Costs
July 31, 2012... Australian telecommunications provider Telstra believes the government's proposal on data retention will not be that onerous. Under the government's proposal, which is currently being reviewed, ISPs would be required to keep customer data for up...

Bangladesh - Bangladesh Nears 94 Million Mobile Subs
July 31, 2012... The mobile base in Bangladesh grew to 93.79 million in June, from 92.12 million in May. Grameenphone led with 39.29 million, up from 38.41 million a month earlier, followed by Banglalink with 25.49 million customers, compared with 25.25 million...

Philippines - PLDT Recommends Floor Price for Cure
July 31, 2012... Philippine communications provider PLDT has recommended a floor price of PHP 2.125 billion for the auction of its former subsidiary Cure. PLDT was required to divest Cure as a condition of the approval of the merger with Digital...

South Africa - Vodacom Starts Social Media Game with Radio Stations
July 31, 2012... Vodacom South Africa has teamed up with Primedia Broadcasting to bring 94.7 Highveld Stereo and 94.5 KFM listeners a social media game. Called Gotcha! SA, the game will see listeners across Johannesburg (94.7 FM) and Cape Town (94.5 FM) chase...

Qatar - Nawras Q2 Profit Falls 3%, Revenues Stable
July 31, 2012... Oman operator Nawras reported a 3.0 percent drop in second-quarter net profit. The firm, majority-owned by Qatar Telecom, made a net profit of OMR 9.7 million in the three months to 30 June, down from OMR 10 million in the year-earlier period....

Bahrain - Bahrain Starts Work on National Telecom Plan
July 31, 2012... Bahrain's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has started to implement the objectives of the third National Telecommunications Plan for the years 2012-2015, following its approval by the Council of Ministers early July. TRA chairman...

India - Infotel in Talks with Samsung for LTE Equipment - Report
July 31, 2012... Reliance Industries-owned Infotel Broadband is likely to procure over USD 1 billion of network gear from Samsung Electronics to meet a sizeable chunk of its 4G equipment requirement, reports The Economic Times. Executives familiar with the...

Ghana - Ghana Reviews Mobile Calls Tax
July 31, 2012... The Ghana government plans to review the communications service tax (CST), locally known as the talk tax. According to news agency GNA, communications minister Alhaji Haruna Iddrisu said operators in Ghana have complained about what they call...

Nigeria - Globalcom Re-Launches Glo Flexi Tariff
July 31, 2012... Nigerian mobile operator Globacom has re-launched its tariff plan Glo Flexi, which offers subscribers a discount of up to 40 percent on calls made to other networks and up to 99 percent for on-net calls, depending on network congestion. The plan...

UAE - Du Net Profit Up 57% in Q2
July 31, 2012... UAE operator Du reported a 57 percent rise in second-quarter profit to AED 325.5 million. Quarterly revenue was AED 2.45 billion, up 12.9 percent from a year earlier. Of this, AED 1.9 billion came from mobile customers, up 14.0 percent...

Thailand - CAT, TOT in Talks over Infrastructure Sharing
July 31, 2012... Thai mobile operators CAT Telecom and TOT are negotiating a possible network roaming agreement to share infrastructure with each other ahead of the expiry of their concessionaires' agreements, reports the Bangkok Post. As part of the deal, CAT...

Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe Regulator Decries Poor Service
July 31, 2012... The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) has expressed concern over the poor telecommunication services being offered by mobile operators in the country. According to IT News Zimbabwe, the regulator accused the...

Middle East - Etisalat to Open Up Shares to Foreigners
July 31, 2012... UAE-based operator Etisalat will soon allow foreigners to own its shares, Al-Khaleej newspaper reported, citing the operator's CEO. Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar told the newspaper that Emirates Investment Council is currently working on amending the...

Sierra Leone - Edgewater Wires Inks Wi-Fi Deal with World Affinity Telecom
July 31, 2012... Edgewater Wireless said it entered into a USD 4.9 million CDN agreement with World Affinity Telecom to supply WiFi3 technology as part of the first phase of a programme designed to deliver Wi-Fi coverage throughout several Western and Central...

Hong Kong - Hong Kong's Mobile User Base Grows to 15.45 Mln in May
July 31, 2012... Hong Kong's mobile user base rose to 15.45 million in May from 15.33 million in April, according to figures from regulator Ofta. Of the total 7.29 million were postpaid users and 8.15 million were prepaid users. The number of 3G customers also...

India - India Looks to Extend 2G Auction Deadline - Report
July 31, 2012... India's Department of Telecom (DoT) may file a plea before the Supreme Court by 10 August to seek the extension of the 31 August deadline for completing the auction of 2G spectrum freed up from the cancellation of 122 licences by the Supreme...

South Africa - Telkom Launches Satellite Voice, Internet Service
July 31, 2012... Telkom South Africa introduced SpaceStream Home, an IP-based communication service using satellite technology. The offer provides voice and internet services to small business and residential customers. SpaceStream Home offers internet access...

Saudi Arabia - Saudi Regulator Extends Deadline on New Top-Up Rules
July 31, 2012... The Saudi government has warned companies that sell unregistered prepaid Sim cards that they will face fines amounting to SAR 5 million. Communications and Information Technology (CITC) governor Abdullah Al-Dharab said his commission decided,...

Mozambique - Mozambique Looks at Unifying Telecom Licences
July 30, 2012... The Mozambique government is studying the viability of unifying the licensing of new telecom operators and new internet service providers. According to Noticias, the Minister of Transport and Communications, Paulo Zucula, said that granting...

Kenya - CCK Calls for Cheaper Set-Top Boxes
July 30, 2012... The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) has called on the Ministry of Information and Communications to ensure that digital-to-analogue TV signal converters become more affordable for faster digital TV migration. CCK acting Director General...

Bangladesh - Bangladesh Targets BDT 12 Bln in Revenue from VoIP
July 30, 2012... The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is expecting to earn a minimum BDT 12 billion each year by issuing licences for VoIP, the Daily Independent reported online. The telecom regulator has already invited applications for...

Asia - Tapit Plans to Raise USD 8 Mln for Expansion
July 30, 2012... Tapit, an Australia-based provider of brand content to consumer phones via NFC, started the process of raising a Series A funding to support further expansion, writes online publication NFCWorld.com citing Tapit CEO and co-founder Jamie...

Bangladesh - Bangladesh Sees 2G Dispute Resolved by August
July 30, 2012... Bangladesh's Finance Minister AMA Muhith expressed hope the government will settle the dispute over 2G licence renewal outside court by August, The Daily Star reported online. Talking to journalists after an inter-ministerial meeting at his...

Bangladesh - Grameenphone Denied 3G Trial
July 30, 2012... Bangladesh's telecom regulator has denied mobile operator Grameenphone a trial of 3G services, The Financial Express reported online. Officials of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said they will not allow any private...

China - Samsung Leads Chinese Smartphone Market
July 30, 2012... HTC outpaced global smartphone brands Apple and Nokia to rank sixth with a 6.07 percent market share in China in June, up from 4.8 percent in May, reports Tainwan publication Cens citing data from Sino Market Research in China. Samsung led with...

Africa - Nokia Picks Howe as GM for East Africa Region
July 30, 2012... Nokia has appointed Bruce Howe as the General Manager for its East African operations covering Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia and Mozambique. Howe, who joined Nokia in 2004, has held several senior positions within the organisation...

Japan - LG Electronics to Release Optimus Vu in Japan
July 30, 2012... LG Electronics will roll out its smartphone Optimus Vu in Japan on 3 August, reports the Korea Herald. The company said that the smartphone, which will be offered by Japanese operator NTT Docomo, has been open for pre-orders since 28 July. The...

Taiwan - Want Want Gets Conditional Approval to Buy CNS
July 30, 2012... Taiwan's National Communications Commission (NCC) has given conditional approval to Want Want China Times Group to buy Chin Network Systems (CNS) cable TV service. The regulator has reviewed the controversial proposal for eighteen months before...

Japan - Docomo's Q1 Profit Grows 3.5% on Data, Smartphone Sales
July 30, 2012... Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo grew its net income 3.5 percent to JPY 164.3 billion in the fiscal first quarter, compared to JPY 158.7 billion a year earlier, on increased smartphone sales and data revenues. Operating revenues were JPY 1.07...

Macau - Macau's Internet Base Grows to 140,807
July 30, 2012... Macau ended June 1.47 million mobile subscribers, up from 1.45 million in May, according to figures from regulator DSRT. The total comprises 27,279 2G postpaid subscribers, 1,396 2G prepaid users, 526,261 3G postpaid subscribers, and 911,736 3G...

Australia - BYOA Trend Gathering Pace
July 30, 2012... As more Australian businesses allow staff to bring their own device (BYOD) to the workplace, another significant trend - bring your own apps, or BYOA - is gathering pace as people use publicly downloadable applications for work purposes,...

Nigeria - Airtel Nigeria Unveils Special Ramadan Offer
July 30, 2012... Airtel Nigeria has introduced a special Ramadan offering. Customers who subscribe to the Voice Islamic Content during Ramadan will get the daily voice wakeup call service at NGN 0.15/sec and also receive tips on Hajj preparation and daily Jummah...

Tanzania - Vodacom TZ Blames Forex for High Cost of Doing Business
July 30, 2012... Vodacom Tanzania has blamed the rising cost of doing business in the country on the spectrum charges pegged to foreign currencies. MD Rene Meza said the charges add an unnecessary burden and wondered why the Tanzania Communications Regulatory...

Zimbabwe - Telone Seeks to Calm Fears of Lay-Offs
July 30, 2012... Zimbabwe operator TelOne said it requires at least USD 300 million to digitise its operations. According to the Herald, the operator said the digitisation of the current analogue systems was not feasible in the immediate to medium term. New...

Oman - Nawras Extends International Calling Offer
July 30, 2012... Oman's operator, Nawras has extended its international calling offer once again due to high demand. Until 26 October, Nawras customers can dial the 0902 VoIP prefix instead of 00 to receive a rate of just OMR 49 per minute when making...

Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe Mulls Radiation Bill
July 30, 2012... Zimbabwe's Radiation Protection Authority has proposed a bill that seeks to protect people from non-ionising radiation emitted by mobile phones, radio transmitters and relay stations. According to local paper the Herald, RPAZ senior inspector...

Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe Regulator Considers Law on Infrastructure Sharing
July 30, 2012... The Posts and Telecommunication Authority of Zimbabwe mulling a legislation compelling mobile service providers to share infrastructure. Potraz director general Charles Sibanda said the firms were only agreeing to share base stations when there...

UAE - UAE University Deploys Data Centre with Schneider Electric
July 30, 2012... The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) at Al Ain has installed a new data centre that will serve the campus and provide the backbone for the academic network. The data centre was designed by the UAEU, working with Schneider Electric. In...

India - India Offer Incumbents Option to Avoid Auction - Report
July 30, 2012... India's commerce ministry has proposed that mobile operators who lost their licences in the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year could avoid having to participate in the auction to regain their rights. The Economic Times reports that the...

Thailand - Dtac Changes Shareholder Structure
July 30, 2012... Thai mobile operator Dtac announced a change in its shareholder structure. Thai Telco Holding, which holds 22 percent in the company, is setting up a new investment company to manage its stake in Dtac. The new company, majority owned by the...

China - Vtion to Build Fixed-Line Network with China Unicom
July 30, 2012... Vtion Wireless Technology, supplier of wireless data services for mobile computing in China, has participated in a joint project with China Unicom to develop fixed-line internet connections in housing developments throughout Fujian Province....

Hong Kong - NT Starts PoP in Hong Kong
July 27, 2012... Nepal Telecom (NT) has started a multi-service Point of Presence (PoP) in Hong Kong, reports the Himalayan Times. This is the third PoP after Singapore and Qatar, Nepal Telecom said, adding that establishing the PoP will help the company expand...

Middle East - Batelco H1 Net Profit Down 11%
July 27, 2012... Bahrain operator Batelco Group posted an 11 percent decrease in its half-year net profit to USD 91.8 million. EBITDA for the period was USD 148 million, giving a margin of 36 percent, down from USD 171.6 million in the corresponding period in...

Japan - Inmarsat, Jsat, NTT Docomo to Launch IsatPhone Pro in Japan
July 27, 2012... Inmarsat has launched global satellite handheld IsatPhone Pro in Japan. The trusted IsatPhone Pro will be available to Japanese users from the beginning of August. Japan's NTT Docomo will deliver IsatPhone Pro to the Japanese market in...

Asia - NEC to Globally Expand Smart Devices Services
July 27, 2012... NEC is seeking to globally expand the availability of its 'smart device' services that help businesses use devices such as smartphones and tablets to enhance their business. NEC will initially concentrate on the promotion of four services,...

China - SAP Taps Huawei as Chinese Global Technology Partner
July 27, 2012... Huawei has signed an agreement establishing SAP as its Chinese global technology partner. Through their agreement, SAP and Huawei will enhance their technical integration and support, build an interoperability competency centre and carry out...

China - Consumer Watchdog Slams Apple After-Sale Clauses
July 27, 2012... A consumer watchdog in China's Guangdong province has criticised certain after-sale clauses for Apple iPhones and iPads. The clauses ban the use of used or reconditioned parts to replace damaged product parts in repairs. Customers also have to...

Australia - Telstra Ups Fixed, Mobile Prices
July 27, 2012... Australian communications provider Telstra has announced changes to fixed and mobile price plans. Access fees for about half of the HomeLine plans will be increased but Bundled access prices will remain the same. Local call prices for three...

India - Tata Communications Narrows Net Loss in Q1
July 27, 2012... Indian communications provider Tata Communications narrowed its net loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 to INR 1.43 billion from INR 2.16 billion in the year-ago quarter. Consolidated gross revenues grew 26 percent to INR 41.07 billion from...

Taiwan - Chunghwa to Be Forced to Share Last Mile Connection
July 27, 2012... Taiwan's National Communications Commission (NCC) has passed an amendment to the telecommunications act that requires Chunghwa Telecom to share the last mile connection to customers with other operators. The carrier will also be required to only...

Japan - Smartphone Ownership Rises to 39% in Japan
July 27, 2012... Smartphone ownership grew 2.6 fold in over the past twelve months, which was also a significant increase over the growth recorded in 2011 over 2010, according to findings by Communications and Information network Association of Japan (CIAJ)....

Taiwan - Taiwan Mobile's Profit Grows 13% in Q2
July 27, 2012... Taiwanese communications firm Taiwan Mobile posted a net income of TWD 3.91 billion in the second quarter, up 13 percent from TWD 3.47 billion a year earlier as service revenue growth more than offset the increased marketing expenses related to...

Australia - Anonymous Attacks ISP AAPT
July 27, 2012... Australian corporate ISP AAPT has been hacked in a security incident. In a statement, the company confirmed that customer records stored on servers operated by supplier Melbourne IT had been stolen. AAPT said it immediately instructed Melbourne...

Japan - Fujitsu's Raku-Raku Smartphone to Be Offered by NTT Docomo
July 27, 2012... Fujitsu announced that its new 'Raku-Raku Smartphone', a smartphone designed for users who are new to touchscreen operations, will be available in Japan from NTT Docomo, beginning 1 August. Raku-Raku ('easy-to-use') Smartphone is equipped with...

South Africa - South Africans Spending More on Mobile Data Service - Study
July 27, 2012... The average mobile phone user in South Africa is spending increasingly more of their monthly average spend on data, according to a report by World Wide Worx. The researcher found that 12 percent of the average ZAR 200 spent on mobile phone use...

Uganda - UCC Ordered to Crack Down on Unsolicited Messages
July 27, 2012... Uganda MPs have given a two-month ultimatum to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to crack the whip on operators sending unsolicited messages to their customers, New Vision reported. The ultimatum was issued by MPs on the ICT committee...

South Africa - Vodacom Launches Mobile Phone for Elderly
July 27, 2012... Vodacom South Africa announced the launch of the Vodafone 155, an affordable and easy-to-use mobile handset specifically designed for the elderly. This handset is also suitable for customers with low vision, hearing loss or limited dexterity....

Malawi - Airtel Malawi Claims Best Quality Network
July 27, 2012... Airtel Malawi said a quarterly network performance report released by the Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority shows that it offers the best quality network in Malawi. The regulator's report looked at the performance of the two mobile...

Zambia - Zambia Approves Technical Guidelines for Digital TV Launch
July 27, 2012... Zambia's government has approved technical and policy guidelines for digital broadcasting migration to meet the 2013 and 2015 analogue switch-off deadlines, IT Web reported. Amos Malupenga, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Information and...

Rwanda - Rwanda Mobile Subscriber Base Up 3% to 4.76 Mln
July 27, 2012... The number of mobile phone subscribers in Rwanda increased by 3.02 percent in June to 4.76 million, from 4.62 million in May, statistics from the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) indicate. The regulator projected that the figure, which...

South Africa - Vodacom Opens Western Cape ICT Centre
July 27, 2012... Vodacom South Africa, in partnership with the Department of Basic Education, has launched the Western Cape chapter of the Vodacom Mobile Education Programme in Worcester. The programme includes the establishment of an ICT resource centre that is...

Tanzania - Vodacom Tanzania Launches Ramadhan Offer
July 27, 2012... Vodacom Tanzania has introduced an offer of unlimited voice calls, SMS and data services at TZS 250 per day throughout the month of Ramadan. The offer is valid every day from 23:00hrs to 07:00hrs and over the weekends from Friday 23:00hrs to...

Kenya - Huawei Launches Smartphone, Tablet in Kenya
July 27, 2012... Huawei has launched its Honor smartphone and Media Pad tablet in Kenya. Retailing at KES 31,999, the Huawei Honor operates on Android 2.3 and offers up to 650 hours standby time and nine hours talk time. It has a 4.0-inch LCD touchscreen,...

Rwanda - Rwanda Distributes 120,000 Laptops to Schools
July 27, 2012... The government of Rwanda through its Ministry of Education has so far distributed about 120,000 laptops to 220 schools throughout the country. Jean Paul Hitimana, who is in charge of Training and Awareness at the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)...

Malawi - TNM Hikes Calling Tariffs by 19.5%
July 27, 2012... Malawi's operator TNM has increased its calling tariffs by 19.5 percent effective 1 August. TNM said the hike is due to recent exchange rate adjustments and the rise in the cost of utilities, goods and services, which resulted in a direct...

New Zealand - Kordia Offers Blue Coat Cloud Service as Managed Security
July 27, 2012... New Zealand-based state-owned telecommunications networks provider is delivering web security and WLAN optimisation provider Blue Coat Systems' Blue Coat Cloud Service as a managed security offering for businesses that want to extend corporate...

South Africa - Vodacom SA Picks Telmap for Location Service
July 27, 2012... Vodacom South Africa has reselected Telmap to power its location-based service offering in the country. Vodacom now offers Telmap Navigator free to all in South Africa, both Vodacom subscribers and non-subscribers. Telmap Navigator is now...

Pakistan - Pakistan Mobile Base to Exceed 160 Mln by 2020
July 26, 2012... The mobile phone subscriber base in Pakistan is expected to cross the 160 million mark and broadband subscribers reach 19.5 million by 2020, reports The Express Tribune citing the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's 'Telecom Vision 2020'...

Viet Nam - Vietnam May Issue More 10-Digit Mobile Numbers
July 26, 2012... Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications may issue several new ten-digit mobile numbers because Vietnamese people do not like the new eleven-digit numbers, reports Vietnam News Agency. The ministry's telecommunications department is...

Madagascar - Orange Starts International Remittances to Madagascar
July 26, 2012... Orange Madagascar and MFS Africa announced the launch of an online money transfer service to enable customers to receive international remittances directly to their Orange Money accounts. The Orange Money Transfert International service extends...

Israel - Intel Names Two Investment Directors in Israel
July 26, 2012... Intel Capital has strengthened its Israeli investment team with the appointment of two investment directors, Yair Shoham and Merav Weinryb. Based in Tel Aviv, Shoham and Weinryb will join Uri Arazy, Intel Capital's existing investment director...

Japan - NTT Docomo to Launch Raku-Raku Smart Phone for Beginners
July 26, 2012... Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo will launch Raku-Raku Smart Phone on 01 August, the smartphone designed for users who are new to touchscreen operations. The smartphone features a 4-inch display, has three buttons for phone, e-mail and...