Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from March 2011

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from March 2011

Middle East - HTC launches new phones, tablet in MENA.
March 31, 2011... HTC launched five new smartphones and a tablet in the MENA region. The products were launched in Dubai, which HTC says is one of the biggest markets for its products in the region. The Desire S, Wildfire S, Incredible S, ChaCha and Salsa...

South Africa - Huge Group issues cautionary on deal talks.
March 31, 2011... South African telecommunications group Huge Group has issued a cautionary notice to shareholders indicating it is in talks on a potential significant transaction, but has not disclosed any details. The company said the negotiations may affect...

Taiwan - Pacnet, NCIC to enhance network connectivity in Taiwan.
March 31, 2011... Business telecommunications provider Pacnet and Far EasTone's subsidiary New Century InfoComm Tech Company (NCIC), have partnered to increase Taiwan's network connectivity. Far EasTone will deliver additional terrestrial connectivity between...

Africa - Intelsat New Dawn satellite launch postponed.
March 31, 2011... Satellite operator Intelsat said that the launch of the Intelsat New Dawn spacecraft aboard an Ariane 5 rocket, initially scheduled for launch on 30 March was scrubbed after the launch sequence was shut down automatically. The spacecraft is...

India - Vodafone raises stake in Indian unit for USD 5 bln.
March 31, 2011... Vodafone announced an agreement to buy another 33 percent of its Indian mobile operator Vodafone Essar. Its local partner Essar Group exercised a put option to sell a 22 percent stake to Vodafone. Vodafone then exercised its own call option over...

Ghana - Vodafone Ghana launches TV, radio health issues show.
March 31, 2011... Vodafone Ghana has launched a TV and radio health initiative which will bring health information to millions of Ghanaians across the country. The radio show, which will be broadcast in English and Twi, will feature specialist doctors who will...

Algeria - Nedjma promotes mobile business plan.
March 31, 2011... Mobile operator Wataniya Telecom Algerie (Nedjma) has introduced a promotion for enterprise customers, offering one month of free subscription to its "Nedjma Pro Controle" service. New customers and existing ones who add Nedjma Pro Controle...

Australia - IntraPower selects Equinix IBX data centre in Sydney.
March 31, 2011... Cloud-based IT, voice and data services provider IntraPower will expand its footprint with data centre operator Equinix's Platform Equinix to the International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre in Sydney (SY3) when it becomes operational...

Philippines - SEC may look into PLDT-Digitel deal for insider trading.
March 31, 2011... The Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission may look into a multi-billion peso deal for possible insider trading, reports the Manila Times. SEC commission secretary Gerard Lukban said that the agency would hold an inquiry should it find...

Japan - NTT sees almost all services restored by end-April.
March 31, 2011... NTT Group reported that more than 90 percent of its exchange offices and mobile base stations affected by the earthquake have been restored and services are gradually recovering. Going forward, NTT Group is planning to have its exchange offices...

New Zealand - Vodafone NZ adds 125 jobs to Auckland contact centre.
March 31, 2011... Vodafone New Zealand will create another 125 jobs in Auckland after deciding to consolidate contact centre operations in New Zealand, reports BusinessDay. The company had closed its Egyptian facility for a period during the political uprising...

Qatar - Doha Bank launches mobile banking service.
March 31, 2011... Qatar-based financial services provider Doha Bank has launched a mobile banking service. The tool will initially be available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android mobile devices, Gulf Times reports. The service allows customers to access their...

Australia - Cochlear deploys Avaya UC, data systems in Sydney HQ.
March 31, 2011... Implantable hearing products provider Cochlear has chosen an integrated Avaya voice and data systems for its new global head office at Macquarie University in Sydney. The system is being implemented by Avaya Connect Channel Partner NSC in a deal...

Singapore - OCBC launches m-banking app for Android.
March 31, 2011... The Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), a financial services provider in Southeast Asia, has launched a mobile banking app for Android handsets. The OCBC Android mobile banking app is designed to enable customers to scan barcodes to...

Syria - Etisalat withdraws from Syria licence bid.
March 31, 2011... UAE-based operator Etisalat has abandoned plans to bid for Syria's third mobile licence. An Etisalat statement confirmed the company was not satisfied with the terms of the tender and had decided to withdraw. Etisalat is unhappy with the 25...

Australia - Western Australia issues mobile coverage tender.
March 31, 2011... The Western Australian government has issued tenders for the AUD 39.2 million State Government's Royalties for Regions-funded Regional Mobile Communications Project (RMCP). A State Telecommunications Needs Assessment and community consultations...

Bangladesh - BTRC to review operating ban of five companies.
March 31, 2011... The Bangladesh telecommunications regulator is planning to review its decision to ban five PSTN services providers as a penalty for participating in illegal VoIP businesses. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will soon...

Australia - Vita Group CFO resigns.
March 31, 2011... The chief financial officer of Australia's Vita Group, owner of telecommunications retail chains, has resigned. Christine Kelly will leave the company per 8 April and Vita Group has engaged a recruitment firm to seek a replacement.

China - China Comservice grows profit 14% in 2010.
March 31, 2011... China-based telecommunication services provider China Comservice saw its revenues and profit grow in 2010. Revenues totalled CNY 45.42 billion, up 15 percent from CNY 39.50 billion in 2009. Revenues from telecommunications infrastructure (TIS)...

Taiwan - NCC approves Chunghwa's rate plan for islands.
March 31, 2011... The Taiwanese communications regulator has approved Chunghwa Telecom's plan on local calling rates for the country's outlying islands. The National Communications Commission (NCC) turned down Chunghwa's rate plan for the outlying islands earlier...

Thailand - CAT accelerates HSPA base station roll out.
March 31, 2011... Thai state-owned communications provider CAT Telecom is planning to accelerate the roll out of HSPA base stations. The company is planning to roll out 3,000 to 5,000 base stations for its HSPA service this year, up from the originally planned...

Australia - Pipe calls for changes in carrier access laws for buildings.
March 31, 2011... Australian network operator Pipe Networks has called on the government to change carrier access laws for apartment buildings. Under the law of 1999, fibre providers are allowed to install fibre into buildings, such as apartments, to serve...

Philippines - Globe ready to compete with PLDT/Digitel.
March 31, 2011... Philippine communications firm Globe Telecom will not change its strategy following the announcement that PLDT will acquire Digitel. "We stand ready to compete, and to defend and grow our market share. This industry has always been intensely...

New Zealand - InternetNZ wants stronger open access obligations.
March 31, 2011... New Zealand internet industry group InternetNZ has released a submission to the Ministry of Economic Development that sets out suggestions for improving the open access obligations that will apply if Vodafone and Telecom are confirmed as the...

Viet Nam - Vietnamese telco sector achieves revenues of VND 29.2 mln.
March 31, 2011... The Vietnamese telecommunications and post sector generated revenues of VND 29.2 trillion in the first quarter, up 14 percent year-on-year. Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Group (VNPT) alone generated VND 18.7 trillion in revenues in the...

India - MTS India completes share issue to Russian govt.
March 31, 2011... The parent company of Indian mobile operator MTS India has allotted 547.31 million shares to the Russian government holding company Rosimushchestvo. Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTL) issued the shares for a total of USD 600 million under a plan...

China - Linktone narrows net loss in Q4.
March 31, 2011... Chinese provider of media and entertainment content services Linktone narrowed its net loss in the fourth quarter ended 31 December 2010. Fourth quarter gross revenues rose to USD 16.1 million from USD 15.4 million while gross profit was USD 4.6...

India - US seeks changes to India's security rules.
March 31, 2011... The United States Trade Representative is seeking changes to India's policies on telecommunications security and encryption in its next meeting with telecommunications department officials. Also on the table is liberalising internet telephony on...

Cambodia - Beeline Cambodia offers top-ups through Wing.
March 31, 2011... Mobile operator Beeline Cambodia has partnered with mobile payments provider Wing. The partnership allows Beeline customers to top-up their balance through a Wing account. The move follows partnerships with Acleda Bank and ABA Bank to allow...

South Korea - SK Telecom launches iPass client for Android users.
March 31, 2011... SK Telecom is offering the iPass Open Mobile client to its Android smartphone and tablet users, as well as its laptop users. The new SK Telecom offer provides its customers with seamless and secure access to the iPass Open Mobile Network with...

Asia - Spice i2i shareholders approve Affinity Group buy.
March 31, 2011... The shareholders of internet telephony company and mobile phone maker Spice i2i have approved a plan to acquire an Indonesian handset distributor, the Straits Times reports. Spice i2i will spend between USD 100 and 175 million to acquire the...

Thailand - TrueMove calls on NBTC to issue mobile licences.
March 31, 2011... Thai mobile operator TrueMove has reiterated its call for the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to issue new fifteen-year mobile licences. Without a change in the concession system, negotiations over past amendments...

China - China Mobile to buy 1 mln tablet computers.
March 31, 2011... China Mobile plans to procure 1 million tablet computers this year for a total procurement value of CNY 2.2 billion. The company is planning to develop low-price tablets based on its Ophone platform with Taiwanese OEMs such as Quanta Computer...

Australia - Vodafone Australia allows tethering on Infinite plans.
March 31, 2011... Vodafone Australia will allow tethering on its Infinite plans. From 28 March, Infinite plan customers will be allowed to use their included data allowance to tether. Previously the included data of the plan excluded tethering and an additional...

Australia - Telcos Make Providing Informed Consent Hard - Survey
March 31, 2011... Australian consumers can find it difficult to provide what they consider to be fully informed consent when signing up to telecommunications contracts, according to Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) research. Community research...

Kyrgyzstan - Sky Mobile expands international capacity, 3G network.
March 31, 2011... Mobile operator Sky Mobile, working under the Beeline Kyrgyzstan brand, has doubled its international voice capacity, in cooperation with several international operators. Sky Mobile has also launched three new UMTS base stations in Bishkek. The...

India - India to charge former minister, operators in spectrum scam.
March 31, 2011... India's Central Bureau of Investigation has accused the mobile operators Swan Telecom and Loop Telecom of acting as front companies for respectively Reliance Communications and Essar in order to obtain 2G spectrum during the tenure of former...

Egypt - Mobinil launches BlackBerry Bold 9780 smartphone.
March 31, 2011... Egyptian mobile operator Mobinil has launched the BlackBerry Bold 9780 smartphone on the local market. Customers can acquire the Bold 9780 smartphone at Mobinil stores for EGP 3,499.

Saudi Arabia - Injazat signs learning partnership MoU with Zayed university.
March 31, 2011... Injazat Data Systems signed a memorandum of understanding with Zayed University covering cooperation in various educational, research and professional growth areas. Under the terms of the agreement, Injazat will allow Zayed University students...

China - UC to launch mobile internet application centre in China.
March 31, 2011... Chinese browser company UC has collaborated with the National Software and Integrated Circuit Public Service Platform for the establishment of a national mobile internet application innovation centre in China, reports China Tech News. After the...

Qatar - Vodafone Qatar interconnects with iBasis.
March 31, 2011... iBasis announced that Vodafone Qatar has interconnected to the iBasis global network for the exchange of international mobile calls. The move enables Vodafone Qatar to keep pace with rapid growth and provide customers with quality service, while...

Armenia - Armentel to cut GPRS rates.
March 31, 2011... Mobile operator Armentel, working under the Beeline Armenia brand, is reducing rates for GPRS services for subscribers on ten of its tariffs from 1 April. The price is cut from AMD 90 to 29 per 1MB.

Israel - Pelephone picks MIND billing for MVNO platform.
March 31, 2011... MIND CTI announced it has been chosen by Israeli operator Pelephone Communications to provide a billing platform for MVNOs. MIND provides Pelephone with an integrated billing and customer care system for full support of its MVNE (mobile virtual...

Qatar - Qatar Airways goes live at Qtel data centre.
March 31, 2011... Qatar Airways and Qtel announced the completed migration of the national airline's primary IT infrastructure to the purpose-built Qtel Data Centre. As Qatar Airways' primary IT infrastructure business partner, Qtel will provide a broad range of...

India - Tata Photon plays branding jingle in Meru Cabs in Bangalore.
March 31, 2011... Indian operator Tata Teleservices' Tata Photon Plus mobile broadband service is playing a voice over branding/jingle of Tata Photon Get Speed, Get Time in Meru Cabs across Bangalore. A campaign jingle of Tata Photon Get Speed, Get Time is played...

New Zealand - About 2.1 mln users watch online video in New Zealand in Feb.
March 31, 2011... About 2.1 million online users in New Zealand watched online video in February, representing 77 percent of the total online population, according to a study by comScore. Google Sites led the market as the top online video property, driven by...

South Africa - WASPA names management committee for 2011.
March 31, 2011... The Wireless Application Service Providers' Association of South Africa announced the members of its management committee for 2011 and the portfolios and working groups they will be responsible for. WASPA founder Leon Perlman will once again...

Kazakhstan - Tele2 to launch services in Kazakhstan in April.
March 31, 2011... Tele2 will re-launch its mobile network in Kazakhstan on 24 April. The operator will start coverage in the Aktobe region under the Tele2 name and cover Astana and Almaty, the Western Kazakhstan region and some areas in the northeast of the...

South Korea - NHN's social networking service surpasses 5 mln users.
March 31, 2011... South Korean internet company NHN's social networking service has drawn more than 5 million subscribers, outstripping Twitter and Facebook in the domestic market, reports the Yonhap News Agency. A company spokeswoman said that the number of...

Thailand - Thai finance ministry names 7 board of directors for TOT.
March 31, 2011... The Thai finance ministry has appointed seven executives to serve as directors of state-owned operator TOT, accounting for a full eleven-member board, reports the Bangkok Post. The seven members are Suchart Boonbanjerdsri, Prasit Siripakorn,...

South Africa - DStv Mobile to get new channels, prices.
March 31, 2011... MultiChoice announced three new channels for DStv Mobile from the first week of April. CNNi, E! Entertainment and Sony Max will join the existing nine DStv channels that have been available as part of the introductory phase. The channels from...

Japan - Fujikura Group donates JPY 70 mln for Japan quake victims.
March 31, 2011... Japanese cabling group Fujikura and domestic and overseas Fujikura Group companies will donate a total of JPY 70 million for earthquake and tsunami victims in northeastern and eastern Japan. The donation aims to aid the earthquake and tsunami...

China - Vtion launches PCtoTV wireless terminal.
March 31, 2011... Chinese mobile data card manufacturer Vtion Wireless Technology has launched a product for its wireless terminal connectivity line. The Vtion PCtoTV device is a wireless terminal that connects to a standard HDTV monitor through an HDMI cable....

China - Russia's DTS invests in 360buy - report.
March 31, 2011... Russian internet investment group DST has joined a group of investors committing hundreds of millions of dollars to Chinese online retailer 360buy.com. This latest round of funding, 360buy's third, includes investment from several other...

Kenya - CCK sets out terms for number portability.
March 31, 2011... The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) said it will take a maximum of two days for a mobile phone subscriber to migrate to a new network once mobile number portability comes into effect on 1 April, Daily Nation reported. The MNP process is...

Oman - BankMuscat deploys Avaya UC.
March 31, 2011... Oman-based BankMuscat has deployed an Avaya unified communications system to enhance customer service and boost productivity. With more than 1,600 staff in its new head office, located in the Airports Heights area of Muscat, and with firm plans...

South Africa - West African Cable System to land in South Africa in April.
March 31, 2011... The West African Cable System (WACS) will land on South African shores in early April, bringing the construction phase of the project to an end, Techcentral reported. The commercial launch has been pushed back to the Q1 2012 from Q3 2011. South...

China - Zoom Technologies revenues grow 67% to USD 86.6 mln in Q4.
March 31, 2011... Chinese handset maker Zoom Technologies' fourth quarter revenues grew 67 percent to USD 86.6 million from USD 51.8 million in the year-earlier quarter. Net profit grew 169 percent to USD 5.1 million from USD 1.9 million. The increase was mainly...

Timor-Leste - Timor Telecom mobile customer base passes 500,000.
March 30, 2011... Portugal Telecom's unit in Timor-Leste passed 500,000 mobile customers, which corresponds to about 50 percent of the Timorese population. Portugal Telecom and Timor Telecom reiterated their aims for 2012: covering 95 percent of the country with...

Africa - North Africa mobile market grows despite political unrest.
March 30, 2011... The social and political turmoil in the developing countries of the Middle East and North Africa is having a short-term disruptive effect on mobile communications markets, but Strategy Analytics still projects steady growth in subscriptions and...

Israel - Palestine electric company plans fibre trial.
March 30, 2011... The Palestine Electric Company (PEC) will begin a trial to deploy fibre optics on the electricity grid in the Palestinian Authority. Palestinian Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology Mashhur Abu-Daka granted permission for...

Kenya - AccessKenya sponsors golf tournament.
March 30, 2011... AccessKenya has unveiled a KES 4 million co-sponsorship package for the Kenya Open Golf Tournament to take place at Muthaiga Golf Club. The ISP will be the tournament's Official Technology Partner. The event kicks off with the Pro arm on 30...

Africa - MTN extends ad partnership with CNN.
March 30, 2011... MTN has extended its commercial partnership with CNN International. The deal will see an MTN advertising campaign built around the network's Africa business programme 'CNN Marketplace Africa'. The mobile operator said this offers the company a...

Qatar - Vodafone Qatar expands cell sites.
March 30, 2011... Vodafone Qatar has expanded its cell sites to 416 across the country. In the last few weeks, new outdoor sites were placed in several locations all over the country. Al Rayyan, Madinat Al Kaban, Wadi Jallal, Al Wakair, and Abu Nakhleh will all...

Rwanda - Central bank endorses Tigo's mobile money service.
March 30, 2011... Tigo Rwanda will introduce a mobile money service before the end of this year after receiving regulatory approvals from the country's central bank, writes the New Times. Tigo will be the second operator in the country to launch such a service,...

Japan - TI production sites in Japan recovering from damage.
March 30, 2011... Semiconductor company Texas Instruments (TI) has reported that recovery at its manufacturing sites in Miho and Aizu is progressing well and is on schedule to return to full production, after the earthquake in Japan. The repairs of the site in...

Asia - Akamai names Rich as vice president of Asia Pacific.
March 30, 2011... Cloud-based services provider Akamai Technologies has appointed David Rich as vice president of Asia Pacific to lead its expanding regional team covering Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. Rich has over 30 years...

Tunisia - Tunisian government seizes 51% of Orange Tunisia.
March 30, 2011... The Tunisian government has seized a 51 percent stake of Orange Tunisia owned by entrepreneur Marwan Mabrouk, the son-in-law of former president Ben Ali, Les Echos reports. After initially freezing the assets of Mabrouk and his ex-wife Cyrine...

Hong Kong - New World Telecom selects Juniper's network architecture.
March 30, 2011... Hong Kong-based telecommunication service provider New World Telecommunications (New World Telecom) has selected network equipment manufacturer Juniper Networks' network architecture to provide the foundation for its enhanced Metro Ethernet...

China - Jiangsu, Ningxia select Alcatel's Wireless Network Guardian.
March 30, 2011... Chinese operators Jiangsu Mobile, a subsidiary of China Mobile, and Ningxia Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom, will deploy the Alcatel-Lucent 9900 Wireless Network Guardian (WNG) in their 3G network and operations centre. By providing...

Pakistan - PTCL launches new Vfone internet, SMS tariff.
March 30, 2011... Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL) has introduced new Vfone internet and SMS tariff for its customers. PTCL is offering an internet tariff of PKR 2 per 15 minutes (15 min plus) and an SMS tariff of PKR 0.3 per SMS for all networks.

China - China Unicom grows 2010 revenue 11%.
March 30, 2011... China Unicom grew its 2010 revenue by 11.3 percent to CNY 171.30 billion from CNY 153.95 billion in 2009. China Unicom recorded EBITDA of CNY 59.59 billion, up 2.2 percent. However, due to network expansion and the initial stage of the 3G...

Australia - Vividwireless confirms NBN plans.
March 30, 2011... Australian Wimax operator Vividwireless has confirmed plans to become a key wholesale customer of the upcoming national broadband network (NBN). At the CommsDay Summit in Sydney, Vividwireless re-affirmed that its wireless technology is...

Bangladesh - BTRC plans audit of mobile operators.
March 30, 2011... The Bangladesh telecommunications regulator plans to audit mobile operators and has already appointed two firms for the project. The first two operators to be scrutinised by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) are...

Australia - Internode CEO: NBN will wipe out smaller ISPs.
March 30, 2011... The chief executive of Australian ISP Internode, Simon Hackett, claims the upcoming national broadband network (NBN) will wipe out small ISPs. The complexity of the cost model might deter small ISPs from participating in the NBN as the service...

Indonesia - Indosat expects profits to improve this year.
March 30, 2011... Indonesian communications services provider Indosat is expecting to improve profits this year due to efficiency programmes and debt repayments. The company ended 2010 with a total debt of IDR 24.03 trillion, down 5.5 percent from 2009. The...

Hong Kong - Wharf T&T's revenues grow 2%, profits fall in 2010.
March 30, 2011... Hong Kong business ICT services provider Wharf T&T posted lower profits on the back of slightly higher revenues in the year 2010. Net revenues went up 2 percent to HKD 1.68 billion from HKD 1.65 billion in 2009. Local telephony revenues...

Singapore - SingCash ups share capital.
March 30, 2011... SingTel's wholly-owned subsidiary, SingCash has increased its share capital from SGD 1 to SGD 100,000 via the allotment and issue of 99,999 ordinary shares to SingTel Singapore. SingTel established the subsidiary earlier this month for mobile...

Taiwan - HTC to buy 11% stake in Kkbox.
March 30, 2011... Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC plans to acquire a 11.1 stake in online music provider Kkbox with which it has cooperated since early 2004. HTC will spend USD 10 million to acquire the stake, the Taipei Times reports. Kkbox, which currently...

Taiwan - Fitel to test TD-LTE in Taiwan with China Mobile.
March 30, 2011... Taiwanese Wimax operator First International Telecom (Fitel) will set-up a number of TD-LTE base stations in Taiwan with China Mobile. Fitel and China Mobile will roll out five to ten TD-LTE base stations in the government-planned Taoyuan...

Thailand - CAT provides Wi-Fi to McDonald's.
March 30, 2011... Thai state owned communications provider CAT Telecom has been selected by fast food outlet McDonald's to provide Wi-Fi. CAT will provide Wi-Fi services in 134 branches across Thailand.

Australia - Australia forms whole-of-govt data centre panel.
March 30, 2011... Australia's special minister of state Gary Gray has announced the formation of a whole of government panel for the provision of data centres to Australian Government agencies. The companies forming the panel are: Canberra Data Centre, Datacom...

Malaysia - Xox aims to sign-up 75,000 subscribers in northern region.
March 30, 2011... Malaysian MVNO Xox is planning to increase its subscriber base in the northern region by 500 percent or 75,000 by year-end. The company has opened a full service branch office in Penang to service dealers and distributors in the region, Bernama...

Philippines - PLDT to buy Sun Cellular in PHP 74 bln deal.
March 30, 2011... Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) is planning to buy Digital Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel) in a deal worth up to PHP 74.1 billion. Digitel is the 100 percent owner of Digitel Mobile Philippines which owns the brand Sun...