Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from October 2008, page 7

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from October 2008

Kazakhstan - Kcell launches coloured SMS service.
October 14, 2008... Kazakhstan mobile operator Kcell has launched a coloured SMS service called 'Colored SMS' for Kcell and Activ subscribers. The service comprises a Java application available for handsets supporting Java MIDP 2.0. With the application, users...

Oman - Nawras appoints new chief commercial officer.
October 14, 2008... Omani mobile operator Nawras has promoted Tore Solberg to chief commercial officer and member of the company's executive committee. Solberg previously held the position of marketing director at Nawras. Solberg began his career with Ericsson...

Hong Kong - Telecom penetration high, prices low in Hong Kong - study.
October 14, 2008... Thee take up of fixed voice services, mobile services, broadband services and data services in Hong Kong is in the top tier, compared with OECD economies plus Singapore, a study by the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) has...

Pakistan - PTCL offers free voice messaging service in 38 cities.
October 14, 2008... Pakistani operator PTCL has extended its Voice Messaging Service to 38 cities free of cost. Currently this service is available in twelve cities and 26 more cities will be added from 15 October. The VMS service allows PTCL landline customers...

India - Verizon Business expands presence in India.
October 14, 2008... Verizon Business is expanding its presence in India to support the direct delivery of advanced telecommunications services to multinational companies with operations in India and to India-based multinationals. Verizon Business is now...

Pakistan - EServGlobal signs services agreement with Averox.
October 14, 2008... Communications applications provider eServGlobal has signed an agreement with Averox to implement and support eServGlobal services in Pakistan. Under the terms of the services agreement, Averox will provide systems integration and...

Nigeria - MTN wins WAN contract at FCMB.
October 14, 2008... Nigerian mobile operator MTN has signed a five-year deal to provide a wide area network to support 89 up-country branches of First City Monument Bank (FCMB). The WAN will assist FCMB in reducing customer waiting times and developing its...

South Africa - Nashua Mobile to sell Apple products in South Africa.
October 14, 2008... South Africa's Nashua Mobile has signed an agreement with the Core Group to sell Apple products through its stores in South Africa. The company said the first three outlets set to offer Apple merchandise from 15 October will be those located...

Kenya - Zain Kenya launches low-cost handsets.
October 14, 2008... Kenya's mobile operator Zain has released new handsets in the market retailing for only KES 1,200. The sturdy Motorola C118, which started retailing at Zain shops and distributor shops countrywide, will be available to subscribers connecting...

Nigeria - Upay plans airtime distribution service.
October 14, 2008... Nigerian firm Universal Payment Systems (UPay) has been licensed by the Nigeria Communication Commission to roll out mobile electronic top-up sales points in Nigeria. The system will enable mobile agents to sell airtime to consumers in...

Bahrain - Batelco launches new number series.
October 14, 2008... Bahrain's mobile service provider Batelco has announced the launch of its 3888 range of mobile numbers. All postpaid customers are invited to reserve their preferred new number through Batelco's website, free of charge until 22 October. As...

Africa - Main One Cable System progressing on schedule.
October 14, 2008... Main Street Technologies has confirmed that Phase 1 of the Main One Cable System is progressing on schedule, following the company's acquisition of the first submarine cable system landing licence in West Africa. Main Street Technologies...

Lebanon - Lebanon raises USD 2.5 million in premium numbers auction.
October 14, 2008... Lebanese mobile operator MTC Touch has raised USD 2.5 million in an auction of 33 premium phone numbers held with the Lebanese government. The number 70-707070 alone raised USD 450,000. The state-owned operator plans to use the proceeds from...

New Zealand - Reannz funding to support new Tasman telecom cable.
October 14, 2008... The Research and Education Advanced Network of New Zealand has been allocated NZD 15 million from the government budget to buy international capacity on a new trans-Tasman telecommunications network. The submarine cable would break the...

Egypt - Egypt smartphone market held back by GPS ban.
October 14, 2008... The Egyptian telecom regulator has banned the commercial use of GPS technology in the country. The National Telecommunication Regulator Agency (NTRA) said the new Telecoms Law outlaws the import of GPS-equipped mobile phones, and retailers...

Kazakhstan - Kcell launches audio SMS service.
October 14, 2008... Kazakhstan mobile operator Kcell has launched an audio SMS service. Customers can add a prefix to the number they wish to call and use an interactive voice response system to leave a 30-second message. The recipient is then notified by text...

India - Indian ministry asks DoT to speed up 3G auction process.
October 14, 2008... The Indian finance ministry has asked India's department of telecommunications (DoT) to speed up 3G spectrum auction process, so that operators can roll out services as early as possible and avoid introducing new clauses in the guidelines,...

Pakistan - PTCL posts FY net loss on redundancy costs.
October 14, 2008... Pakistan operator PTCL reported a net loss of PKR 2.82 billion for the fiscal year to 30 June, versus a profit of PKR 16.34 billion a year earlier. The loss was due to a drop in revenues, to PKR 61.09 billion from PKR 65.28 billion, as well...

Uganda - I-Tel to launch CDMA services in Uganda.
October 14, 2008... I-Tel is set to launch CDMA services in Uganda. The company officials promised call tariffs that can only be matched by landlines, at an average of cost of UGX 200 or less per minute. The lowest tariff on the market currently is UGX 249 per...

Sri Lanka - Airtel to start operations in Sri Lanka by December.
October 14, 2008... Indian telecommunication services provider Bharti Airtel is expecting to begin its operations in Sri Lanka soon after inter-connection issues with local telecommunication firms were sorted out, writes the Economic Times citing an unnamed...

Singapore - NDS provides CA system for Singapore mobile TV trial.
October 14, 2008... Digital pay-TV technology provider NDS is providing the core conditional access security infrastructure for the commercial trial of the new OMA BCAST SCP standard, an emerging key standard for mobile TV content protection in Singapore. The...

Malaysia - Infolient targets 10% Malaysian market share by 2010.
October 14, 2008... Broadband service provider Infolient plans to increase its share in Malaysia's broadband market to 10 percent by the end of 2009, by helping SMEs and other prospective customers realise the full potential of broadband, reports the Edge Daily....

Africa - Sterlite wins USD 5.2 mln in contracts in Africa.
October 14, 2008... Sterlite Technologies has received contracts for its fibre-optic cables for deployment by telecom incumbents in Sub-Saharan Africa for the expansion of their telecom backbone infrastructures. The contracts are worth a total of USD 5.2 million...

Zambia - Zain Zambia CEO to step down at end of October.
October 14, 2008... Mobile service provider Zain Zambia's CEO David Venn has resigned. Venn decided not to renew his contract and will be leaving the company at the end of October, a Zain spokesman told IDG news service. Zain, which was re-branded from Celtel a...

Tajikistan - Babilon-T deploys EastWind contact centre platform.
October 14, 2008... Russian software developer EastWind, part of Sitronics Telecom Solutions, has commercially launched its contact centre platform at Tajikistan ISP Babilon-T. Babilon-T plans to use EastWind's service to improve customer care department...

China - Nokia Siemens adds service capacity for TD-SCDMA in China.
October 14, 2008... Nokia Siemens Networks will increase its current strength of TD-SCDMA trained engineers to over 1,200 in anticipation of the upcoming increase in TD-SCDMA deployments in China. The service experts will ensure on-time network launch, reduce...

Asia - Mobile Streams signs mobile distribution agreement with HBO.
October 14, 2008... Germany-based mobile content company Mobile Streams has signed a global distribution agreement with US premium television network Home Box Office (HBO) to mobilise content from its TV shows. As part of the deal, HBO content will be...

India - BSNL unveils web-conferencing service in India.
October 14, 2008... Indian state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) has launched its web-conferencing service on 1 October in collaboration with Communication Experts (CEPL). The web-conferencing service features multipoint audio and video conferencing,...

Bangladesh - Ericsson to upgrade Grameenphone's IP core network.
October 14, 2008... Ericsson and Bangladeshi operator Grameenphone have signed an agreement to extend the capacity of the Telenor Group's IP core network. The contract covers expansion and deployment of additional parts of the GSM core and radio access network....

India - Reliance Globalcom names president of new data business unit.
October 14, 2008... Indian operator Reliance Globalcom has appointed Mark Thompson as president of its Data Business unit. Thompson will be responsible for data communications services within the group. Thompson has been named president of Reliance Globalcom...

India - Reliance Globalcom names president of new data business unit.
October 13, 2008... Indian operator Reliance Globalcom has appointed Mark Thompson as president of its Data Business unit. Thompson will be responsible for data communications services within the group. Thompson has been named president of Reliance Globalcom...

Pakistan - PTCL to provide telecom service for Pakistani Dolmen complex.
October 13, 2008... Pakistan's PTCL and International Complex Projects have signed a commercial contract to provide telecommunication services for the Dolmen City complex in Pakistan. According to the contract, PTCL will deploy all necessary equipment to...

India - IdaTech to supply hydrogen fuel cells to Acme in India.
October 13, 2008... US-based fuel cell services company IdaTech has signed a supply agreement with the Indian telecommunications infrastructure company Acme Group to supply up to 30,000 5kW hydrogen fuel cell systems to be delivered by March 2013. The agreement...

Thailand - AIS appoints vice chairman.
October 13, 2008... Thai mobile operator Advanced Info Service has appointed Somprasong Boonyachai to the position of vice chairman of the board of directors. Boonyachai's appointment is effective from 8 October onwards.

Australia - Optus inks partnership with Football Federation Australia.
October 13, 2008... Australian communications company Optus has entered a three year, multi-million dollar partnership with Football Federation Australia and the Qantas Socceroos. Optus will be the official telecommunications partner of FFA and will sponsor all...

Taiwan - ChinaTel establishes wireless broadband applications centre.
October 13, 2008... Chinese telecom infrastructure engineering and construction services provider ChinaTel has established its wireless broadband applications centre in Taipei in Taiwan to provide advanced wireless applications for Next Generation wireless...

India - Maxis picks ZTE to develop Aircel's GSM network in India.
October 13, 2008... Telecommunications equipment maker ZTE has been selected by Malaysian mobile operator Maxis to help Indian subsidiary Aircel to expand GSM coverage in the country. The deal is worth USD 400 million and will help Aircel establish a...

Egypt - Egypt may move up fixed licence auction to next summer.
October 13, 2008... Egypt's government says the auction of the country's second fixed operator licence - postponed until September 2009 due to the global financial market woes - could take place as early as next summer. The country's minister of communications...

Middle East - HTC launches Touch Viva in Middle East.
October 13, 2008... HTC has announced the launched of its Touch Viva smartphone in the Gulf. The phone includes HTC's TouchFLO interface, which allows iPhone-like touch control for navigation and input. According to HTC, the phone is intended to be an affordable...

China - Draka, YOFC extend joint venture in China.
October 13, 2008... Netherlands-based cable manufacturer Draka has extended its joint venture agreement with the Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable (YOFC) by another 20 years, until May 2028. Draka owns a 37.5 percent stake in YOFC. The other shareholders in this...

China - Wi-Fi Alliance expands certification testing in China.
October 13, 2008... The Wi-Fi Alliance reveals that Shanghai-based TA Technology recently became its newest Authorized Test Laboratory (ATL), providing independent testing services to its worldwide member companies. The TA Technology lab completed testing on its...

Saudi Arabia - Cisco powers IP backbone for Saudi financial firm.
October 13, 2008... Saudi Arabian financial services firm Derayah has implemented Cisco network infrastructure for its IP backbone. Derayah's implementation of Cisco infrastructure and network-based services comprises Cisco Unified Communications and Cisco...

Lebanon - Global credit crisis delays Lebanon mobile privatisation.
October 13, 2008... The global credit crunch and wait-and-see approaches by many Gulf Arab investors may prevent the privatisation of Lebanon's mobile networks in the foreseeable future. "This may not be the time to invite foreign and Arab companies to bid for...

Hong Kong - PCCW abandons investment plans.
October 13, 2008... Hong Kong operator PCCW has abandoned plans to sell a stake in its new holding company HKT due to the turmoil in world financial markets. The company said in a statement that the recent market downturn had a "significant impact on the offers...

Asia - IPTV subscriber base in Asia to reach 22.4 mln by 2013.
October 13, 2008... IPTV subscriber base in Asia-Pacific, covering thirteen countries, had reached 4.1 million in 2007 and is estimated to reach 22.4 million by end of 2013, according to a study by Frost & Sullivan. Out of the thirteen countries, eight had...

Saudi Arabia - Mobily signs roaming agreements with GSM operators.
October 13, 2008... Saudi Arabian mobile operator Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) has signed roaming agreements with more than 100 GSM operators worldwide. Under the roaming agreements, the Mobily subscribers can receive all local and international voice calls and SMS...

Africa - EASSy cable to be online in 2010 - ITU.
October 13, 2008... International Telecommunications Union (ITU) says the construction of the East African Submarine System (EASSy) cable has started and the system is to become operational by 2010. ITU secretary general Hamadoun Toure said while Uganda suffers...

India - ICICI Bank launches digital interactive banking TV channel.
October 13, 2008... Indian financial institution ICICI Bank has launched an interactive banking channel for subscribers of satellite television service Dish TV. The service is designed to provide Dish TV viewers with access to information on various types of...

Azerbaijan - Azercell adds 17 base stations in September.
October 13, 2008... Azerbaijni mobile operator Azercell now has 1,500 base stations in operation in the country. In September the operator added 17 new base stations, Trend Capital reports. Three base stations were erected in the capital Baku with the rest set...

India - Research in Motion plans to expand operations in India.
October 13, 2008... Research in Motion has decided to expand its operations in India by adding two more carriers, reports the Economic Times, quoting a top RIM executive. BlackBerry co-chief executive officer Jim Balsillie said that the company will enter into...

India - Indian govt unveils new M&A framework - report.
October 13, 2008... India's department of telecommunications (DoT) has introduced a new M&A framework that will prevent promoters of new 2G players from selling majority stakes, writes the Economic Times. According to the report, the owners of companies such as...

India - India's BSNL to offer prepaid GPRS, 3G roaming services.
October 13, 2008... Indian state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) is planning to offer international roaming facility to its subscribers for prepaid GPRS and 3G services, writes the Economic Times. The connectivity has been established with a global...

India - MTN plans entry in Indian market - report.
October 13, 2008... South African mobile service provider MTN is planning to make an entry in the Indian market by partnering with an existing operator, but there is no fixed time for its entry, writes the Economic Times. MTN is not keen on picking up a stake in...

Hong Kong - HTC launches HTC Touch Viva in Hong Kong.
October 13, 2008... HTC has introduced the HTC Touch Viva phone in Hong Kong. The Touch Viva weighs 110g and has a ROM memory of 256 MB and RAM of 128 MB. The HTC phone uses the TouchFLO navigation technology and supports Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system,...

Australia - 3 signs Australian test cricketer for ad campaigns.
October 13, 2008... Australian test cricketer Adam Gilchrist (Gilly) will partner with Australia's 3G network 3 for a number of advertising campaigns and a series of small business seminars that will commence shortly. The business seminars will see Gilly share...

Malaysia - HTC brings the S740 smartphone to Malaysia.
October 13, 2008... HTC is introducing the HTC S740 smartphone in Malaysia. The smartphone combines a traditional 12-key phone design with HTC's signature sliding qwerty keyboard for messaging. The HTC S740 supports POP3, IMAP and Exchange push e-mail, as well...

Kenya - Kenya govt dismisses criticism of privatisations.
October 13, 2008... The Kenyan government has dismissed criticism from members of parliament, saying the sale of the country's fixed-line operator Telkom Kenya and the offloading of shares in the mobile phone operator Safaricom were within the law. Internal...

Australia - 3 signs Yahoo!7 as portal advertising partner.
October 13, 2008... Mobile operator 3 has entered into a partnership with Yahoo!7 to exclusively sell display advertising for 3's content portal Planet 3 effective 1 October. The partnership will see 3 and Yahoo!7 enable Australian brands to offer consumers...

Madagascar - Moov launches entry-level broadband service.
October 13, 2008... Madagascar operator Moov has launched a new broadband service plan called Moov yes. For MGA 49,000 per month, customers receive 200 MB of data volume over an ADSL line at up to 512 Kbps. Additional data can be purchased with prepaid cards....

South Africa - Telkom launches Pinnacle customer service.
October 13, 2008... South Africa's fixed-line operator Telkom has launched its Pinnacle customer service plan, promising improved service delivery through a dedicated call centre and website. Telkom subscribers are selected as Pinnacle customers based on their...

Thailand - KFC, Happy offers KFC Happy SIM.
October 13, 2008... KFC and Happy have teamed up to offer the 'KFC Happy SIM' SIM card. The callers using the pre-paid KFC Happy SIM is entitled to free calls from Happy, free meals at KFC plus an array of rewarding activities and promotions from October until...

India - Telecom service revenues down 1.30% to INR 353.11 bln in Q1.
October 10, 2008... The gross revenue of the telecommunication service sector for the first quarter was INR 353.11 billion, down 1.30 percent from INR 357.7 billion in the year-earlier quarter. The adjusted gross revenue (AGR) for the quarter under review is...

Japan - Japanese consumers pick phones on functionality - survey.
October 10, 2008... Almost half of Japanese shoppers for new mobile phones are looking first and foremost for advanced functionality, a survey shows. Respondents were asked whether design, price or functionality mattered most in their purchase decision, and 46...

Thailand - TT&T puts 3G investment plan on hold.
October 10, 2008... Thai fixed-line services provider TT&T is putting its THB 50 billion 3G plan on hold due to the global financial crisis, the Bangkok Post reports citing executive vice-president Prasitchai Kritsanayunyong. TT&T is not the only operator in...

Cook Islands - Telecom Cook Islands unveils roaming tariff charges.
October 10, 2008... Telecommunications services provider Telecom Cook Islands has introduced new roaming tariff charges as of October. During peak hours, the calls made while roaming in New Zealand cost NZD 0.99-5.12 per minute and the calls made while roaming...

Saudi Arabia - Mobily to launch personal data update campaign.
October 10, 2008... Saudi Arabia mobile operator Mobily will launch the Hawyyati (my identity) campaign from 12 October to encourage prepaid subscribers to update personal data. The Hawyyati campaign will continue until the end of 2008 and will call upon Mobily...

Azerbaijan - Azercell signs roaming agreements with MTN, Qtel.
October 10, 2008... Azerbaijani mobile operator Azercell has signed two new MMS roaming agreements, news agency APA reports. Azercell has signed agreements with MTN from Yemen and Qtel from Qatar. Azercell currently has MMS roaming services in 29 countries with...

Ghana - iBurst launches iShield, iSpeed products.
October 10, 2008... Ghana ISP iBurst has introduced iSpeed, a dedicated broadband service for business users. The product comes with the iShield internet management system, which allows control of the end user through a firewall, to ensure optimal use of the...

Taiwan - Chunghwa picks Alcatel Ethernet/MPLS system for FTTB network.
October 10, 2008... Alcatel-Lucent has signed a contract with Taiwanese telecommunication services provider Chunghwa Telecom to provide Ethernet/MPLS services for its fibre-to-the-building initiative. Alcatel-Lucent will supply CHT with its 7450 Ethernet Service...

Australia - Vodafone Australia delays 3G upgrade.
October 10, 2008... Vodafone Australia has delayed its AUD 500 million 3G network upgrade. Originally, Vodafone planned to expand its 3G network footprint to 95 percent of the country before the end of this year. However, equipment supplier Ericsson has asked...

China - Baidu tests consumer e-commerce platform.
October 10, 2008... Chinese language internet search provider Baidu.com is challenging Alibaba's Taobao with its own consumer-to-consumer e-commerce platform, the Wall Street Journal reports. Baidu is testing the 'Youa' platform with about 10,000 sellers from...

Taiwan - Taiwan could see 2 mln 3.5G users next year - Vibo Telecom.
October 10, 2008... The number of Taiwanese 3.5G mobile internet users could reach 2 million in 2009, Digitimes writes citing Vibo Telecom president Feng-hsiung Chang. Chang believes that increasing HSPA speeds and lower charges than for ADSL will drive ADSL...

Indonesia - 3 Indonesia launches VoIP service.
October 10, 2008... Mobile operator 3 Indonesia has launched VoIP services for consumers, the Jakarta Post reports citing chief commercial officer Suresh Reddy. Long distance and international calls will cost less than a domestic SMS through the VoIP service,...

Australia - Internode moves to 100% 'green' energy.
October 10, 2008... Australian ISP Internode has contracted to use 100 percent 'green' energy throughout its operations. The company said this has added a premium of more than 20 percent to the company's power bill, however the move is part of the company's...

Singapore - OpenNet consortium incorporates company.
October 10, 2008... Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) and its partners in the OpenNet consortium have incorporated a company called OpenNet. The company has an initial issued and paid-up capital of SGD 1,000 comprising 1,000 ordinary shares of SGD 1 each....

Singapore - Globalstar's Singapore satellite gateway is operational.
October 10, 2008... Mobile satellite voice and data services provider Globalstar has announced that its gateway or ground station located in Singapore is currently operational. The new gateway provides Globalstar satellite coverage throughout Singapore,...

Azerbaijan - Elcel launches video surveillance packages.
October 10, 2008... Azerbaijani wireless broadband provider Elcel is expanding its product range with video surveillance services. The new service, elVideo, uses new video compression technology and transmits the images in real time via Elcel's Mobile Broadband...

Africa - Vodafone agrees to buy 15% in Vodacom for ZAR 22.5 bln.
October 10, 2008... South African fixed-line operator Telkom has agreed to sell a 15 percent stake in Vodacom to Vodafone and list the rest of its holding in the mobile service provider on the stock exchange. Vodafone has offered ZAR 22.5 billion for a 15...

French Polynesia - OPT French Polynesia secures capacity on Intelsat satellite.
October 10, 2008... Office des Postes et Telecommunications of French Polynesia (OPT) has signed a multi-transponder contract for capacity on Intelsat's new satellite, IS-18. The contract spans the fifteen-year expected life of the satellite and expands the...

Bahrain - Batelco launches international VoIP service.
October 10, 2008... Bahrain operator Batelco has launched an IP-based international direct dial (IDD) service, VoIP 122, allowing its fixed-line and mobile customers to make discounted international calls by dialling the 122 prefix. The new service offers...

Mauritius - Mauritius to move to 8-digit numbers.
October 10, 2008... The Mauritius ICT regulator has proposed a move to eight-digit numbering, in order to expand the amount of phone numbers available. The regulator has opened a public consultation on the issue, proposing that mobile services switch to...

South Africa - MTN, Cell C dispute threatens poor customers.
October 10, 2008... A dispute between mobile operators MTN and Cell C over the roll-out of cheap pay phones could see thousands of poor communities lose the ability to make cut-price calls, according to a report in Business Day. Cell C's 100000 community service...

Middle East - Westcon expands VAR support in Middle East.
October 10, 2008... Networking products distributor Westcon Middle East has rolled out the first phase of a portfolio of trade-only partner services designed to provide resellers with immediate support. Dubbed ServiceVantage, the offering is available through...

South Africa - Vodacom raises ZAR 946 million in YeboYethu share offer.
October 10, 2008... South African mobile operator Vodacom has termed its YeboYethu share offer a resounding success, after attracting 102,531 valid applications, making the offer almost three times over-subscribed. Business partners subscribed for approximately...