Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from May 2007, page 3

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from May 2007

New Zealand - CRE8, Microsoft in mobile products deal in New Zealand.
May 23, 2007... CRE8, subsidiary of Plus SMS, has reached an agreement with software firm Microsoft, reports National Business Review. Plus SMS said that CRE8 and Microsoft will co-develop mobile solutions. Terms of the deal were undisclosed.

China - BroadSoft launches opens office in China.
May 23, 2007... VoIP technology provider BroadSoft has planed to open an office in China to roll out its BroadWorks VoIP and IMS platform. BroadSoft expects its Beijing office to build operations in China to serve the quickly changing needs of telecom...

Japan - Sharp develops dual-mode tuner module for DVB-H/T-DMB.
May 23, 2007... Sharp has developed the VA3B5EZ915 dual-mode tuner module capable of receiving both DVB-H and T-DMB terrestrial digital broadcasts. The tuner module is designed to be embedded in mobile devices mainly mobile phones. The tuner module measures...

Asia - Quiconnect signs Wi-Fi roaming agreements in Asia.
May 23, 2007... UK-headquartered wireless broadband interconnectivity management services provider Quiconnect has signed several bilateral Wi-Fi roaming agreements to extend Wi-Fi services in Asia. This will see hotspot access considerably enhanced for...

Japan - J:COM board approves merger with Jupiter TV.
May 23, 2007... Japanese MSO Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM) announces that its board of directors has approved the company's merger with Jupiter TV, expected on 01 September. Jupiter TV currently supplies 17 channels to J:COM for distribution to the...

Asia - DiBcom unveils digital TV chip with USB capabilties.
May 23, 2007... Chipset designer DiBcom has launched a chipset which it says is the first of its kind in the digital television industry. DiCom's three-in-one chip, the DIB7770 and its associated USB 2.0 development platform, the STK7770P, paved the way for...

India - Reliance Communications cuts roaming rates.
May 23, 2007... Indian mobile operator Reliance Communications has cut its roaming rates by up to 70 percent. It now offers roaming rates from just INR 0.40 a minute on select plans, with incoming calls whole roaming reduced from INR 1.75 to INR 1 per minute.

Oman - Oman Telecom to launch ringback tone service in June.
May 23, 2007... Oman Mobile Telecommunications will launch a ringback tone service for customers in June, adding to its portfolio of over 33 value-added services and products. The service will allow customers to choose a customised clip of record music to...

Oman - Oman has 268,153 fixed-line, 1.96 million mobile subs in Q1.
May 23, 2007... Oman Telecom (Omantel) had a total of 268,153 fixed-line subscribers at end-March, with 84 percent post-paid customers and 16 percent using the pre-paid Sahl service, according to data released by the Ministry of National Economy. Overall,...

China - Cisco wins USD 110 mln in Chinese telecom equipment deals.
May 23, 2007... Cisco Systems has signed large telecom deals with China Netcom, China Construction Bank and China Mobile, according to news agency Interfax citing a PR official of Cisco China. The total value of the deals is approximately USD 110 million....

Malaysia - Samsung wants to increase Malaysian mobile market share.
May 23, 2007... Samsung Malaysia expects to increase its mobile phone market share to 30 percent this year from 20 percent currently, reports Malaysian newspaper Business Times. The company has a target to post sales of USD 350 million from its mobile phone...

China - Nokia eyes Chinese mobile music market in 2007.
May 23, 2007... Nokia is planning to launch a complete range of music mobile phones in China in 2007, reports the China Daily citing David Tang, vice president of sales at its Chinese customer and market operations. Tang says that Nokia controls over 25...

Japan - Sanyo devises shortlist of bidders for chip unit - report.
May 23, 2007... Sanyo Electric has devised a shortlist of candidates to purchase its semiconductor business, in a deal that could be worth JPY 150 billion-JPY 200 billion (USD 1.2 billion-USD 1.6 billion), reports the Financial Times citing unnamed sources...

Australia - Amcom raises peering download allowances for free.
May 23, 2007... Amcom has raised its peering download allowances by two-fold, free of charge. With the company's AUD 39-per-month ADSL Broadband 2 plan, the allowance has been raised to 2GB Download and 4GB Peering from 2GB Download and 2GB Peering. With the...

China - GrenTech supplies base station components to Datang Mobile.
May 23, 2007... China's GrenTech has signed a contract to provide 2,000 sets of TD-SCDMA base station RF power amplifier modules to Datang Mobile Communications Equipment. The bulk of this contract will consist of the TD-SCDMA TRB 2W module, customised for...

Hong Kong - Hutchison Telecom declares special dividend of HKD 6.75.
May 23, 2007... Hutchison Telecommunications' board of directors has declared a special cash dividend of HKD 6.75 per share or approximately USD 12.94 per ADS*, payable on 29 June to shareholders of record on 8 June and ADS holders of record on 5 June. The...

India - UTStarcom wins GEPON fibre deal in India.
May 23, 2007... Global IP network equipment manufacturer UTStarcom signed a contract with Indian telecommunications operator United Telecom to deploy its Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GEPON) fiber access solution. The UTStarcom solution will...

Kazakhstan - Kazakhtelecom deploys Nortel equipment for NGN.
May 22, 2007... Kazakhstan-based communications operator Kazakhtelecom is making phone services and new multimedia applications more widely available across Kazakhstan using a nationwide next-generation network (NGN) from Nortel. Kazakhtelecom has made a...

Philippines - BiometriX Philippines expands CBN VectaStar platform.
May 22, 2007... Next generation network operator BiometriX Philippines is expanding the coverage of its Cambridge Broadband Networks VectaStar point-to-multipoint wireless platform to provide broadband services throughout the Metro Manila area in the...

Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Telecom supplies IP VPN to Lanka Ashok Leyland.
May 22, 2007... Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has won a contract from commercial vehicle retailer Lanka Ashok Leyland to provide an IP VPN service. The IP VPN platform can carry voice and mission critical data securely and reliably/ It connects five Lanka Ashok...

Singapore - SingTel deploys Axiom AXIOSS software for broadband services.
May 22, 2007... Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) has deployed the AXIOSS Suite from Axiom Systems, provider of service fulfilment software for telecommunications operators. SingTel is using AXIOSS for the end-to-end service design, creation and...

Jordan - Fastlink unveils pre-paid plan for university students.
May 22, 2007... Jordanian mobile operator Fastlink has launched the new S7abak pre-paid service for university students. Students can select from six 'super' numbers which they can call at a cost of up to JOD 0.01 a minute at peak times. They can also call...

Japan - KDDI deploys Acrodea's Vivid Panorama in 'au' handset.
May 22, 2007... Japan-based Acrodea has seen its 'Vivid Panorama' technology, jointly developed with Japan-based Morpho, installed in the KDDI au mobile handset model W52SA manufactured for KDDI by Sanyo Electric. Vivid Panorama allows the user to create...

China - KongZhong sees Q1 revenue fall to USD 20.13 mln.
May 22, 2007... KongZhong, provider of mobile value-added services and the operator of a top wireless internet portal in China, had USD 20.13 million revenue in Q1 2007, down 28 percent from USD 27.91 million in the year-earlier period. Gross profit was USD...

Singapore - StarHub deploys AudioCodes gateways for phone service.
May 22, 2007... Singaporean operator StarHub has chosen AudioCodes as systems integrator and solution provider for its residential telephony service, Digital Voice Travel. AudioCodes' GX-21 media gateway was deployed between StarHub's public switched...

Thailand - DTAC launches second refill card campaign.
May 22, 2007... Thai mobile network Total Access Communications (DTAC) has launched the second THB 60 refill campaign, called 'Bt 60 card Happy Fan Pin Tae' (Genuine Fan), in co-operation with its mobility partners. The partners are Nok Air, Yahama, Motorola...

Thailand - True Move offers free pre-paid SIM with LG phone.
May 22, 2007... Thai mobile network True Move and LG Electronics have joined forces to launch a new promotion, offering a free TrueMove pre-paid SIM to customers buying an LG KG275 handset. The handset costs THB 1,490 and has integrated Lost Mobile Track...

Sri Lanka - Dialog Telekom allows SMS donations to Trust Fund.
May 22, 2007... Sri Lankan operator Dialog Telekom, majority-owned subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia, has launched an SMS registering system for post-paid mobile customers to make contributions to its Change Trust Fund community service initiative. Dialog...

Africa - Iridium supplies Connect Africa project.
May 22, 2007... Iridium Satellite has become an official supplier to Connect Africa, a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is to introduce mobile communication and public service facilities for rural communities across Africa. Iridium will supply...

Thailand - Thailand's TOT may blacklist contractors for late delivery.
May 22, 2007... State enterprise TOT plans to crack down on contractors by adding them to a blacklist if they do not meet deadlines on any project, reports Bangkok Post. Even major longtime suppliers such as Siemens and Ericsson may be blacklisted for late...

Philippines - ISM Communications sees PHP 27.81 mln net income in Q1.
May 22, 2007... ISM Communications had PHP 27.81 million net income in Q1 2007, vs a PHP 1.99 million net loss in the year-earlier period. Net revenue was PHP 0.002 million, down from PHP 1.5 million. Cash and cash equivalents fell by around PHP 0.97 million.

India - Reliance unveils Lifetime Validity Recharge programme.
May 22, 2007... Indian mobile operator Reliance Communications has launched the Lifetime Validity Recharge at INR 499. Lifetime Validity from Reliance allows a subscriber to receive incoming calls for up to 15 years. Subscribers recharging with the INR 499...

Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabian ISP AwalNet unveils strategic alliance.
May 22, 2007... Saudi Arabian ISP AwalNet has announced a strategic alliance with Information Technology Security Training & Solutions (ITS2), provider of integrated security systems and security training and partner of VeriSign in Saudi Arabia. AwalNet will...

Indonesia - Setdco offers USD 1.6 bln for SingTel's Telkomsel stake.
May 22, 2007... An Indonesian entrepreneur-cum-rock musician has launched a USD 1.6 billion bid for the 35 percent of Indonesian mobile operator Telkomsel held by Singapore Telecommunications, reports the Financial Times. Chairman and chief executive of the...

China - TI, NSCC unveil AVS single-chip IPTV STB platform.
May 22, 2007... Texas Instruments (TI) and National Source Coding Audio & Video Technologies (Beijing) (NSCC) have delivered China's first single-chip IPTV set-top box (STB) solution enabling dual decoding of AVS and H.264. The HM2006 solution is based on...

Bahrain - TRA in Bahrain outlines 2007-2009 work plan.
May 22, 2007... The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of Bahrain has published its final Three Year Work Plan for the 2007-2009 period. This plan will be reviewed and update on an yearly basis in order to reflect achieved targets. The top...

China - Qiao Xing Mobile Q1 revenue up 44.1 percent.
May 22, 2007... Chinese mobile phone maker Qiao Xing Mobile Communication has reported unaudited results for Q1 2007, with revenue up 44.1 percent year-on-year to CNY 718.2 million, from CNY 498.3 million. Handset shipments reached 753,000 units in Q1 2007,...

Indonesia - Telkom offers Speedy Community SchoolNet packages.
May 22, 2007... Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) has launched the Speedy Community SchoolNet low-budget, high-speed internet access service for the education community. It can be used for internet access and to access the Jardiknas National Education...

Australia - Australia expands Do Not Call Register further.
May 22, 2007... People in Tasmania and Victoria in Australia are now able to register for the national Do Not Call Register by telephone, according to Australia's Minister for Communications, IT & the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan. The scheme becomes fully...

China - Nokia Siemens Networks, CMCC complete MSS testing.
May 22, 2007... Nokia Siemens Networks and China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC) have successfully completed performance testing of the 3GPP release 4 MSC Server System (MSS) from Nokia Siemens Networks. The MSC Server System is a circuit core...

Philippines - Liberty Telecom sees Q1 net loss narrow to PHP 71.3 mln.
May 22, 2007... Liberty Telecom made a PHP 71.3 million net loss in Q1 2007, vs a PHP 85.07 million loss in the year-earlier period. Revenue was PHP 38.68 million, up from PHP 13.03 million. Cash as of 31 March was PHP 2.49 million, down from PHP 13.25...

South Africa - Orange's Lowry named MD of MTN South Africa.
May 22, 2007... African mobile group MTN has appointed Tim Lowry as vice president for the Southern and East Africa region and managing director of MTN South Africa from 1 June. Lowry was most recently vice president for Western Europe at Orange/France...

Nigeria - Nigeria issues draft guidelines for Wi-Fi, WiMAX spectrum.
May 22, 2007... The Nigerian Communications Commission has issued a set of draft regulatory guidelines to facilitate access to spectrum in the 5.2-5.7 GHz band for services such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX, campus local area networks, public access, mass market and...

Middle East - Interoute, du launch voice exchange in Middle East.
May 22, 2007... European data network operator Interoute and UAE telecom operator du have further extended their partnership in the region by delivering the Middle East's first voice exchange. Based on Interoute's Arena technology, the new Virtual Voice...

Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Telecom deploys Ascade Carrier Cockpit platform.
May 22, 2007... Business operations systems (BOS) specialist Ascade has implemented its Routing and Trading service for international traffic at Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT). SLT has selected and implemented Ascade's software, Carrier Cockpit Suite, to manage its...

Japan - J:COM close to buying Jupiter TV - report.
May 21, 2007... Japanese cabler Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM) plans to buy content provider Jupiter TV, the Nikkei Business Daily reports without naming sources. J:COM will take over six of the seven Jupiter TV channels for about JPY 40 billion.

Australia - ACCC welcomes tribunal decision on Telstra ULLS price.
May 21, 2007... The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has welcomed a decision by the Australian Competition Tribunal to reject Telstra's proposed price for the Unconditioned Local Loop Service (ULLS). The Tribunal rejected the company's...

Hong Kong - City Telecom swings to net profit.
May 21, 2007... Hong Kong operator City Telecom swung to a net profit in the six months ended 28 February 2007. City Telecom posted profits of HKD 18.2 million, compared to a loss of HKD 55.2 million for the same period last year. Basic earnings per share...

Saudi Arabia - Mobily launches mobile internet bundles.
May 21, 2007... Saudi operator Etihad Etisalat's Mobily service has launched three mobile internet bundles, including a SAR 350 per month unlimited service. The internet data bundles are available to GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA customers. The 1 GB package costs SAR...

Israel - Cellcom to list shares on Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
May 21, 2007... The board of directors of mobile operator Cellcom Israel have resolved to list the company's ordinary shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE). The company's shares will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange. The proposed...

China - China Mobile adds more than 5 mln customers in April.
May 21, 2007... China Mobile has added 5.28 million new customers during April to reach a total of 321.39 million. The company's customer base is split in 66.62 million postpaid subscriber and 254.78 million prepaid customers. On average, China Mobile has...

Malaysia - Mtouche sees profits fall on higher revenues.
May 21, 2007... Malaysian mobile content developer mTouche Technology saw its profits fall in the first quarter, on the back of higher revenues. Revenues rose to MYR 12.28 million from MYR 11.96 million, and gross profit went up to MYR 7.39 million, versus...

China - China ends March with 39 million WAP users - report.
May 21, 2007... At the end of March there were 39 million WAP users in China, according to a report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), ChinaTechNews writes. There were 65,000 WAP sites and 260 million WAP pages. Some 60.8 percent of...

China - China Mobile to launch location based services this year.
May 21, 2007... China Mobile plans to offer nationwide location based services, Interfax reports citing a company official. The services will include a mobile map of China with navigation services. China Mobile will trial the service at its Tianjin Mobile...

Asia - Sprint Nextel connects to NTT Com's Asian networks.
May 21, 2007... NTT Communications and Sprint Nextel are collaborating to complement Sprint Global MPLS capabilities in Asia-Pacific by interconnecting the global data networks of the two companies. The agreement allows Sprint to extend its existing...

Zimbabwe - Econet Zimbabwe to trial 3G in June.
May 21, 2007... Econet Zimbabwe will start commercial trials of its 3G network in June with up to 2,000 selected customers. Company CEO Douglas Mboweni explained that services will be launched gradually, with high speed internet access at commercial launch...

India - NXP seeks acquisitions in India.
May 21, 2007... NXP is seeking acquisitions in India, says Frans van Houten, the company's president and CEO, reports EBN Online. With the move, the company aims to bolster the technology base and bolster the market potential, according to van Houten. The...

China - Guangzhou Global Telecom 2006 sales up 91 percent.
May 21, 2007... China's Guangzhou Global Telecom has reported revenue of USD 12.84 million for 2006, up 91 percent from USD 6.7 million in 2005, with gross profit up 84 percent to USD 1.4 million. It posted income from operations of USD 243,213, and net...

Australia - Telstra to launch prepaid services on 3G network.
May 21, 2007... On 24 May, Telstra will launch the first pre-paid mobiles on its Next G 3G mobile network. With the launch, customers will gain cost-controlled access to Next G and receive advanced applications including video calling, BigPond Music, Foxtel...

India - Virgin Mobile, Tata Teleservices preparing JV - report.
May 21, 2007... The UK's Virgin Mobile is preparing to enter the Indian mobile phone market via a 50/50 JV with CDMA network operator Tata TeleServices, reports The Economic Times. Tata TeleServices will exclusively licence the Virgin Mobile brand for the...

Taiwan - ZyXEL unveils new WiMAX products at Taipei WiMAX Summit.
May 21, 2007... ZyXEL Communications, Taiwan-based broadband access solutions provider, has unveiled its latest WiMAX products at the Taipei WiMAX Summit. The products consist of the MAX-100 PCMCIA card, along with the MAX-200 and MAX-300 router/CPEfor...

India - Bharti Airtel offers Lifetime Prepaid for INR 495.
May 21, 2007... Indian mobile operator Bharti Airtel is now offering its Lifetime Prepaid package at the lower price of INR 495, reports Equity Bulls citing a company announcement. Customers pay INR 495 and then use a minimum INR 200 every 180 days. It is...

Asia - APAC data services market faces pricing pressure - study.
May 21, 2007... The Asia-Pacific market for international data services is growing steadily, boosted by strong economic growth in the region, especially in China and India, according to new research from Frost & Sullivan. As connectivity needs increase,...

Jordan - Jordan Telecom gives into employee demands - report.
May 21, 2007... Jordan Telecom has given into the demands of employees after up to 3,00 workers went on strike over working conditions and pay, reports ArabianBusiness.com. Jordan Telecom maintains the strike action was illegal, but has nonetheless agreed to...

New Zealand - InternetNZ issues ISP spam code of practice in New Zealand.
May 21, 2007... InternetNZ (The Internet Society of New Zealand) has released the ISP Spam Code of Practice for public consultation. The body has allowed four weeks for comment to be received, with a deadline of 09:00 on 18 June. The Code is complementary to...

South Africa - MTN warns Icasa against cutting interconnection fees.
May 21, 2007... South African mobile operator MTN has warned regulator ICASA that any regulatory moves to reduce the cost of interconnection fees charged by operators to route calls between their networks could backfire, reports myadsl.co.za. MTN said that...

Australia - CS Mobile bids for mobile customers from third party.
May 21, 2007... Commoditel and Sonnet, via 50-50 JV firm CS Mobile, have presented an offer to acquire a mobile customer base from a third party. If the planned acquisition of Sonnet by Commoditel goes ahead, CS Mobile will be 100 percent owned by the merged...

China - ChinaCache boosts network capacity to 200 Gbps.
May 21, 2007... Chinese content distribution network (CDN) service provider ChinaCache says its nationwide CDN network reached a total capacity of 200 Gbps at end-April, up from 100 Gbps at end-2006. This extended network capacity will allow the firm to...

India - Spice obtains national, international long distance licences.
May 21, 2007... Telekom Malaysia Berhad's associate company in India, Spice Communications has launched national and international long distance (NLD / ILD) services. The NLD / ILD licences were obtained from the Department of Telecom (DoT) on 11 May. Spice...

China - China's router shipment grows 11.1 percent in Q1.
May 21, 2007... China's router shipments touched 88,300 sets in the first quarter of 2007, up 11.1 percent year-on-year, according to a report by CCID Consulting. Sales volume of the router market was up by 8 percent year-on-year. The accelerating growth of...

Egypt - Etisalat Egypt claims over 300,000 customers.
May 21, 2007... Mobile operator Etisalat has registered over 300,000 customers in Egypt in the first three weeks since launching service on 01 May, according to a company statement. Around 75 percent of these customers are using the HSPA 3.5G network to...

Australia - Australia expands Do Not Call Register.
May 21, 2007... People in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia, are now able to register for the national Do Not Call Register by telephone, according to Australia's Minister for Communications, IT & the Arts, Senator...

Qatar - Qatar Telecom changes organisational structure.
May 21, 2007... Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has changed its organisational structure to align it with its strategy of focusing on its customers. It has merged the Wireless and Wireline groups to form the new Networks Division, and created a new business unit called...

Australia - Internode ceases selling Agile Calling Cards.
May 21, 2007... Internode has ceased selling its Agile Calling Cards, which provided prepaid low-cost phone calls. The withdrawal of the cards comes after a detailed review which identified that the cards were costing the company twice as much as they...

Oman - DHL selects Nawras mobile services in Oman.
May 21, 2007... Omani mobile operator Nawras has won a contract to provide mobile phone services to international courier group DHL. The Nawras high-speed EDGE network will be used by DHL couriers to deploy handheld scanners. Nawras will provide its...

Australia - Australian rural broadband prices higher than urban prices.
May 21, 2007... The ACCC is now permitted to set rural broadband prices in Australia which are ten-fold higher than equivalent services in urban areas. People living in rural and regional Australia will suffer most from the decision. The decision will worsen...

Pakistan - Qtel finalises acquisition of 75% of Burraq Telecom.
May 21, 2007... Qatar Telecom (Qtel) and A.A. Turki Corporation for Trading and Contracting of Saudi Arabia (ATCO) completed their joint venture investment to purchase a 75 percent stake in Pakistani telecom operator Burraq Telecom. Burraq is an established...

Malaysia - Mtouche expects greater revenue contributions from abroad.
May 21, 2007... Malaysian mobile content company mTouche plans to increase the revenue contribution of overseas markets to about 75 to 80 percent in the next few years, the Edge Daily reports citing CEO Eugene Goh. Currently about 50 percent of the revenues...

Saudi Arabia - Mobily to award 3G mobile broadband contract - CEO.
May 21, 2007... Saudi Arabian mobile network Mobily plans to award a SAR 1 billion contract to upgrade its 3G network to mobile broadband technology, reports the Arab News citing an announcement by Mobily CEO Khaled Al-Kaf. The CEO did not disclose the...

Taiwan - Taiwan Mobile to buy ISP TTNS for TWD 1.5 billion.
May 21, 2007... Taiwan Mobile plans to buy Taiwan Telecommunication Networks Service (TTNS), an ISP 60 percent owned by PCCW, allowing the company entry on the Chinese telecommunications market. The company will buy TTNS at a maximum price of TWD 13.84 per...

Saudi Arabia - Wi-Fi wireless internet service planned for Jeddah.
May 21, 2007... Saudi International Computer Solutions Communications has announced an alliance with Intel and Canada's Line-Wave to support the launch of Wi-Fi wireless internet services in the city of Jeddah, reports the Saudi Gazette. The service has been...

Japan - Japanese govt to draft broadband congestion guidelines.
May 21, 2007... The Japanese communications ministry plans to set guidelines to alleviate slowed transmission speeds on residential broadband networks, the Nikkei Business Daily reports. The slowdown is caused by the increased traffic of large video files....

Bahrain - Balteco GSM network suffers service disruption.
May 21, 2007... The GSM mobile network of Bahraini operator Batelco suffered service disruption in some areas on the morning of 20 May. The disruption was due to a software failure after Baltelco migrated to its Next Generation Network on 19 May. The...

China - FiberHome provides fibre-optic network gear to China Unicom.
May 21, 2007... Chinese provider of fibre-optic systems FiberHome International will provide China Unicom with six state-level fibre-optic networks, Interfax reports citing a spokesperson. Under the contract, FibreHome will provide its long-distance...