Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from October 2008

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from October 2008

Australia - NetComm's revenues slip on reduced product lines.
October 31, 2008... Australian fixed and wireless broadband devices supplier NetComm saw its revenues fall 9.2 percent in the financial year 2008 as the company dropped certain product lines to improve profitability. Revenues were AUD 19.37 million, versus AUD...

Japan - Dena sees net income rise 42 percent.
October 31, 2008... Japanese online and mobile commerce and entertainment provider Dena saw its net income and sales rise significantly in the second quarter. Net sales were JPY 8.69 billion, up 36 percent from JPY 6.39 billion in the year-ago quarter. Operating...

Australia - Optus launches mobile phrasebooks.
October 31, 2008... Australian communications provider Optus has launched Lonely Planet Mobile Phrasebooks for its mobile users. Subscribers can download the phrasebooks to their mobile in 10 languages for free while data charges apply.

Thailand - True launches online community for students.
October 31, 2008... Thai communications company True has created an online community for students in Thailand. The site offers a variety of content including tutoring services in collaboration with academic tutoring institutions. The Schoolbus community is part...

China - AsiaInfo revenues up 38.4% to USD 44.8 mln in Q3.
October 31, 2008... Chinese provider of telecommunications software AsiaInfo Holdings reports third-quarter revenues of USD 44.8 million, up 38.4 percent from USD 32.4 million in the year-earlier quarter. The growth was mainly driven by strong uptake for the...

Japan - Docomo cuts FY forecast, launches action plan.
October 31, 2008... NTT Docomo saw its revenues drop in the first half ended 30 September but profits jumped by 41 percent. Revenues dropped 2.5 percent to JPY 2.27 trillion from JPY 2.33 trillion in the year-ago period. Mobile services revenues were JPY 1.87...

Uganda - Huawei signs network deal with Uganda Telecom.
October 31, 2008... Huawei has signed a USD 10 million agreement with national operator Uganda Telecom to expand its network, IDG News reports. Under the agreement, Huawei will replace 33 analog remote line units (RLUs) spread across Uganda with new soft...

Indonesia - Telkom's profits fall as revenues rise 2 percent.
October 31, 2008... Indonesian telecommunications firm Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) saw its profits drop but registered strong subscriber growth on increased marketing activities in the third quarter. Revenues rose by 2.2 percent to IDR 446.6 trillion, from...

China - China Unicom's nine-month revenue rises 3 percent.
October 31, 2008... China Unicom registered single-digit nine-month revenue and profit growth. Revenue from continuing operations rose 3 percent to CNY 52.48 billion from CNY 50.93 billion in the year-ago period. Of the total revenue, service revenue was CNY...

Malaysia - Redtone's revenues fall 38% in Q1.
October 31, 2008... Malaysian communications group Redtone International posted a net loss on the back of lower revenues in the first quarter ended 31 August. Revenues dropped by 38 percent to MYR 21.39 million from MYR 34.67 million in the year-ago quarter....

Nigeria - Wavion, Emperion deploy Wi-Fi base stations in Nigeria.
October 31, 2008... Wi-Fi infrastructure services provider Wavion has partnered with Nigerian services provider Emperion to deploy Wavion WBS-2400 base stations throughout Nigeria. The WBS-2400 base station will deliver high-speed internet access to large and...

Africa - Gateway picks Newtec for IP trunking service.
October 31, 2008... Africa-based network services provider Gateway Communications has selected satellite and communications specialist Newtec to provide an IP trunking service to increase the bandwidth efficiency of its intercontinental data links between Europe...

Pakistan - PTCL offers broadband in 103 cities in Pakistan.
October 31, 2008... Pakistan Telecommunication Company is providing broadband services in over 100 cities in Pakistan. Since its broadband launch in May 2007, PTCL has made broadband technology affordable by lowering the barriers to entry and also by...

India - MTNL revenues up 8.75% to INR 15.49 bln in Q2.
October 31, 2008... Mahanagar Telephone Nigam has reported second-quarter revenues of INR 15.49 billion, up 8.75 percent from INR 14.24 billion in the year-earlier quarter. Revenues from mobile services increased to INR 12.05 billion from INR 11.92 million. Net...

China - 12snap forms mobile marketing partnership in China.
October 31, 2008... Mobile marketing company 12snap has established a presence in China, working in partnership with WE Marketing Group for local account management and campaign execution. The partnership will allow 12snap to offer customers in China mobile...

Uganda - Zain Uganda spends USD 100 mln on network expansion.
October 31, 2008... Uganda's mobile service provider Zain announced it is investing another USD 100 million in network improvement to increase its penetration capacity in the countryside. The company's country manager Yesse Oenga said the company has now 2...

Viet Nam - Dot VN, E Band, VDC complete wireless technology test.
October 31, 2008... Domain name registrar for Vietnam Dot VN has completed a field test of E-Link 1000 millimetre wave communication systems from E-Band Communications. The field test was conducted in Hanoi, Vietnam between June and July of 2008 together with...

Hong Kong - Citbank Hong Kong to provide m-banking via MMV platform.
October 31, 2008... Citibank Hong Kong has selected a service platform powered by Mobile Money Ventures (MMV) to provide mobile banking and mobile stock trading to its customers. Citibank Mobile Financial Services enables online banking customers accessing the...

Philippines - Regulator allows Innove to offer services in BCG.
October 31, 2008... Globe Telecom's Innove will be allowed to offer services in commercial hub Bonifacio Global City (BGC). The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has ordered PLDT, Fort Bonifacio Development and the BGC to allow Innove Communications...

Malaysia - Malaysia to monitor service quality under new rules.
October 31, 2008... Malaysian telecommunications providers will be closely monitored to see if their quality of service meets industry standards, the Malaysian Star writes citing communications minister Shaziman Abu Mansor. The ministry is drafting new...

Angola - ZTE takes over network management at Movicel.
October 31, 2008... The Angolan government has awarded a contract to ZTE to take over management of the state-owned mobile network operator Movicel. According to Angolan news agency Angpop, the agreement was sealed in a contract signed a month ago between the...

Lebanon - Alfa picks Ericsson for network expansion.
October 31, 2008... Lebanese mobile service provider Alfa has signed an agreement with Ericsson for the expansion of its network in the country. Under the agreement, Ericsson will upgrade and expand its core network, which dates from the start of the Alfa (then...

Asia - Comtech wins USD 2.4 mln satellite equipment order in Asia.
October 31, 2008... Comtech EF Data has won a USD 2.4 million order for satellite communications equipment. The equipment will be used by a major telecommunications operator in Southeast Asia to support satellite-based voice and data trunking applications. The...

Australia - Commander to finalise sale busines this month.
October 31, 2008... Troubled Australian communications company Commander Communications has found a buyer for some of its telecommunications and managed services businesses, the Australian reports. In August the company was placed in receivership by its...

Australia - Kogan to launch Android phone in Australia before Christmas.
October 31, 2008... A small consumer electronics maker in Australia plans to launch an Android phone this year, the Sydney Morning Herald reports citing founder Ruslan Kogan. Kogan Technologies plans to sell the phone from 15 December for AUD 199. The phone...

Pakistan - Motorola powers Wateen's WiMAX network upgrade in Pakistan.
October 31, 2008... Motorola has signed a contract with Pakistani telecommunications company Wateen to expand Wateen's WiMAX network. Wateen's network expansion will enhance coverage and double the capacity of the network which covers a population of 30 million...

Malawi - TNM reports IPO oversubscribed.
October 31, 2008... Malawi mobile operator TNM's initial public offering of shares has been oversubscribed. The company is selling 1.29 billion shares at MWK 2 each and has so far received applications for 3.94 billion shares. The shares will list on the Malawi...

South Africa - Neotel wins ZAR 250 mln Vox Telecom deal.
October 31, 2008... South African services provider Vox Telecom has signed up Neotel as its preferred supplier of telecommunications infrastructure for enterprise customers, in a long-term contract worth about ZAR 250 million. Vox's Orion and DataPro divisions...

Japan - Access widgets power Softbank's mobile widgets service.
October 31, 2008... Japanese operator Softbank Mobile has chosen mobile technology and software provider Access' NetFront Browser Widgets to implement the Softbank mobile widgets service. Softbank Mobile will launch the mobile widget service in Japan in late...

Kenya - Kenya Data Networks to help set up digital villages.
October 31, 2008... Kenya Data Networks will assist in setting up digital villages across the country. The KES 210 million project, dubbed Digital Village Cluster, will be implemented in partnership with a local ICT group, ICTVillage.com, with the aim of...

Senegal - Senegal threatens to cancel Sentel licence.
October 31, 2008... The Senegalese government is planning to revoke Millicom unit Sentel's licence to provide mobile phone services in the West African country. Millicom said Sentel, which has 1.8 million subscribers in Senegal, accounted for less than 5 percent...

Hong Kong - MTR picks H3C to upgrade data network.
October 31, 2008... MTR has deployed IP technology and services provider H3C Technologies' 10GE IP network with Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) technology to upgrade its data network across ten stations along the Airport Express and Tung Chung Line. H3C's RPR...

India - Nortel provides network infrastructure for CYG 2008 in Pune.
October 31, 2008... Nortel has provided data network infrastructure for Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) 2008 in Pune. The CYG 2008 Pune network infrastructure was able to support 1000 users at a time and was running several online software applications including...

Africa - Nortel offers discounts on data network energy bills.
October 31, 2008... Nortel has introduced the Nortel Powers Your Network Promotion. The promotion offers discounts based on three times the estimated annual energy consumption costs of a new Nortel data network system to customers in Europe, Africa and the...

Philippines - Ayala establishes mobile microfinance bank.
October 31, 2008... Philippines-based conglomerate Ayala has set-up a mobile microfinance bank. The company has set up the Pilipinas Savings Bank under an agreement between its lending and mobile units, GMANews.TV reports. The bank will issue small loans to...

Taiwan - Asustek to launch Android phone in H1 - report.
October 30, 2008... Asustek Computer plans to launch an Android-based phone in the first half of next year, the Digitimes reports citing unnamed sources close to the company. The company could initially sell the phone under its own brand in Taiwan before...

Taiwan - Chunghwa's nine-month profit falls 3.3 percent.
October 30, 2008... Chunghwa Telecom's nine-month revenues increased by 3 percent year-over-year to TWD 151.9 billion, versus TWD 147.4 billion last year, of which 28.4 percent was from fixed-line services, 35.9 percent was from mobile services, 24.5 percent was...

Australia - Mobile Messenger launches mobile VOD in Australia.
October 30, 2008... Mobile Messenger has launched its Mobile Video On Demand service in Australia. Mobile Messenger has partnered with Optus, Virgin and Hutchison to provide an interactive video service to consumers across Australia. The VOD calling service...

Taiwan - Intel invests in Vmax, mobile app centre in Taiwan.
October 30, 2008... Intel has signed agreements with government and industry in Taiwan to establish a mobile software development centre while Intel Capital will invest in a Wimax licensee. Intel has signed an agreement with the Taiwan Ministry of Economic...

Australia - Telstra launches indigenous graduate programme.
October 30, 2008... Telstra has launched an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduate programme. The eighteen-month rotational programme will see successful applicants undertake various tasks and gain exposure to a range of functions within customer care...

Japan - Kyocera halves FY profit forecast on market slowdown.
October 30, 2008... Kyocera reported revenues for the fiscal first half to 30 September of JPY 658.7 billion, up 3.5 percent from a year earlier due mainly to the takeover of Sanyo's mobile phone business. Operating profit fell 8.2 percent to JPY 62.2 billion,...

Australia - Optus launches IOU Credit service.
October 30, 2008... Optus has launched a new prepaid mobile service for customers running out of credit. The IOU Credit service allows prepaid customers to send a free text to Optus to borrow AUD 3. When customers next re-charge they will automatically reimburse...

Taiwan - Compal Communications' profit slips 68 percent.
October 30, 2008... Taiwanese handset maker Compal Communications saw its nine-month sales and profit slip as costs went up year-on-year. Sales were TWD 26.05 billion, down 32 percent from TWD 38.26 billion in the same period last year. Selling expenses, SG&A,...

Singapore - SingTel Interactive raises shareholding in OpenNet.
October 30, 2008... SingTel subsidiary SingTel Interactive has increased its issued and paid-up share capital from SGD 15 million to SGD 39 million through the issue of 24 million shares to SingTel. SingTel Interactive in turn has subscribed for 299,700 shares...

Viet Nam - S-Fone ceases SMS, online prepaid registrations.
October 30, 2008... S-Fone prepaid users can no longer register their personal details via SMS or the internet with the company. S-Fone is complying with regulations from the Ministry of Information and Communications which requires all prepaid users to register...

Taiwan - Taiwan Mobile's profits rise 9 percent in Q3.
October 30, 2008... Taiwan Mobile saw its profit go up on flat revenues in the fourth quarter as mobile performance was down. Third quarter revenue was flat at TWD 17.61 billion while EBITDA fell 5 percent year-on-year to TWD 7.67 billion from TWD 8.05 billion...

Hong Kong - Citbank Hong Kong launches m-banking services with MMV.
October 30, 2008... Mobile Money Ventures has commercially launched its first mobile financial services with Citibank Hong Kong. Mobile Money Ventures (MMV) is a joint venture between South Korea's SK Telecom and Citi.Citbank Hong Kong now offers m-banking...

Australia - MBlox pays fine for violating Spam Act.
October 30, 2008... Mobile transaction services provider MBlox has paid a penalty in Australia for failing to include unsubscribe facility on premium ringtone SMS. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) issued the company with a AUD 11,000 fine...

Japan - Willcom picks Alcatel's IP routers for wireless services.
October 30, 2008... Japanese mobile network operator Willcom has selected Alcatel-Lucent's IP service router portfolio as the foundation for its wireless IP network. The Alcatel-Lucent service routers will enable Willcom to support increased traffic growth and...

China - TechFaith, QIGI sign strategic cooperation agreement.
October 30, 2008... Original design manufacturer China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with QIGI Future Technology to market smartphones in China. Under the terms of the agreement, TechFaith will be the...

Australia - Vodafone Australia picks SAS to optimise marketing campaigns.
October 30, 2008... Business analytics specialist SAS will provide Vodafone Australia with SAS Marketing Optimization software to enhance marketing campaigns through advanced analytics and optimisation techniques. Vodafone is expected to use the SAS software to...

Angola - Huawei set to open training centre in Angola.
October 30, 2008... Huawei has announced that it will soon open a training centre for sector professionals in Angola. Newswire Macauhub said that expected growth in Africa has led Huawei to open another centre in Angola, after in July inaugurating a training...

Philippines - Eastern Communications forecasts 16% revenue growth.
October 30, 2008... Eastern Communications expects 16 percent growth in revenue for 2008 to PHP 901 million. The Philippine Star reports that Eastern chief financial officer Raul Pagdanganan said net income this year would be lower, at PHP 120 million versus PHP...

Kenya - Telkom Kenya planning mobile money transfer service.
October 30, 2008... Telkom Kenya is planning to launch a mobile money transfer service. Telkom Kenya deputy CEO Peter Reinartz told Business Daily that France Telecom, which acquired a 51 percent stake in Telkom Kenya last December, is working on plans to enter...

South Africa - South Africa to switch on digital TV signal.
October 30, 2008... South Africa will switch on its digital broadcasting signal on 30 October. The department of communications announced that it will host an event to mark the advent of a new digital era in the broadcasting sector, which will see the country...

Taiwan - Samsung targets shipments of 1.3 mln in Taiwan this year.
October 30, 2008... Samsung has shipped almost 1 million units at the end of September, Digitimes reports citing a Samsung Taiwan official. The company expects handset shipments to reach 1.3 million by the end of this year boosted by the the Omnia i908 which...

South Africa - Vodacom launches BlackBerry Bold.
October 30, 2008... South African mobile service provider Vodacom and Research In Motion have launched the new BlackBerry Bold smartphone in the local market. It is the first BlackBerry smartphone to support tri-band HSDPA high-speed networks and comes with...

Hong Kong - Fixed-line users in Hong Kong drop further in August.
October 30, 2008... Hong Kong ended August with 3.72 million fixed-line users, down from 3.74 million in July, according to figures from regulator Ofta. The total comprises 1.76 million business users and 1.96 million residential users. The number of IP...

Morocco - Morocco opens tender for 3rd GSM licence.
October 30, 2008... Moroccan regulator ANRT has opened the tender for the third GSM operator's licence. Interested parties can obtain the documents on the tender from the regulator for MAD 40,000 from 3 November. Morocco first announced in May plans to issue a...

Japan - Eaccess to buy further shares in Acca Networks.
October 30, 2008... Japanese communications company Eaccess will acquire further shares and share warrants in subsidiary Acca Networks at JPY 120,000 per share. Eaccess currently holds 45.10 percent in Acca Networks and aims to increase this holding through a...

Bangladesh - Grameenphone's revenues up 7% in Q3.
October 30, 2008... Bangladeshi operator Grameenphone posted third quarter revenues of BDT 15 billion, up 7 percent year-on-year. The increase was mainly due to subscription growth, partially offset by declining ARPUs. The company added 500,000 new customers in...

China - Nielsen Online, ChinaRank form web measurement JV in China.
October 30, 2008... Nielsen Online and ChinaRank have formed a joint venture that will develop and deliver internet measurement and analysis services in China. ChinaRank is the only internet firm authorised to create and publish website rankings in China. The...

India - Boingo adds Tata hotspots to roaming network in India.
October 30, 2008... Wi-Fi services provider Boingo Wireless has added Indian internet service provider Tata Communications hotspots to the Boingo Roaming Network, giving Boingo members access to over 500 new hotspots under the Tata Indicom brand. With the...

Nigeria - NigComSat to offer broadcast services from December.
October 30, 2008... Nigeria Communications Satellite (NigComSat) expects its digital infrastructure for broadcasters will be ready by December. The company's MD Ahmed Rufai said the digital platform will provide capacity for broadcast stations to expand their...

Nigeria - Sony Ericsson launches R300 radio phone in Nigeria.
October 30, 2008... Sony Ericsson and its distributor for Nigeria Celect Distribution have announced the launch of a new mobile phone with radio. The Sony Ericsson R300 offers AM and FM radio with a radio-inspired design, dedicated speakers, volume enhancements...

Malaysia - Malaysian handset shipments to grow 2.3% this year - study.
October 30, 2008... The Malaysian handset market is expected to see slower growth due to increasing inflation and petrol prices, Bernama reports citing research firm IDC. Total handset shipments are expected to grow by 2.3 percent this year to reach 4.8 million...

Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan to introduce mobile number portability.
October 30, 2008... Azerbaijan plans to introduce mobile number portability, APA reports citing the deputy communications minister. The service should become available within three months after a decision about the matter has been taken.

Malaysia - Court dismisses wind-up petition against Time DotCom.
October 30, 2008... The wind-up petition against Time DotCom by Esat has been dismissed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court. Esat sued Malaysian communications provider Time DotCom for unpaid bills resulting from technical and installation services in 2004. Esat...

Thailand - Jay Mart re-launches own-branded handsets.
October 30, 2008... Thai mobile handset distributor Jay Mart has resumed sales of its own brand handset. Jay Mart recently launched two new jFone-branded phones, the Bangkok Post reports citing chief marketing officer Kittipong Kanokvilairat. About five years...

Malaysia - Motorola opens mobile broadband tech lab in Malaysia.
October 30, 2008... Motorola Technology has set up a MMU-Motorola Wireless Broadband Technology Lab at the Multimedia University in Cyberjaya to provide a conducive mobile network environment for students and faculty members to conduct applied research on mobile...

New Zealand - Telecom NZ to offer free internet security pack.
October 30, 2008... Telecom New Zealand is offering its internet customers a free internet security package. According to the operator, only 51 percent of internet users have current up-to-date internet security on their computers, and only 55 percent have...

Japan - Willcom to launch fresh PHS phones, services in November.
October 30, 2008... Japan's Willcom will launch four new PHS devices and three new services as early as November, the Nikkei writes. The new Honey Bee 2 handset comes with a digital camera and was made by Kyocera. The Willcom LU handset is a Toshiba slider hone,...

Pakistan - Telenor Pakistan records drop in Q3 results.
October 30, 2008... Telenor Pakistan reported a drop in third-quarter results as susbcriber growth slowed. The company added just 347,000 new susbcribers in the quarter, versus 1.88 million in the year-earlier period, for a total base of 18.472 million at the...

Asia - Pantech deploys InnoPath's mobile device management client.
October 30, 2008... Pantech has deployed InnoPath Software's OMA-DM client in AT&T, KDDI and KTF phones. These deployments cover both GSM and CDMA networks. Pantech handsets featuring InnoPath device management include AT&T's C520 Breeze, the C610 flip-phone and...

China - C-Com sets up second support and service centre in China.
October 30, 2008... Mobile satellite antenna provider C-Com Satellite Systems has established its second service and support centre in China. The service centre will be operated by one of C-Com's Chinese value added resellers, Blue Satellite Communications...

Thailand - TOT forecasts full-year profit drop.
October 30, 2008... Thai telecommunications services provider TOT warns for a profit decline of around 13 percent for the full year, the Bangkok Post reports. The company posted nine-month revenues of THB 39 billion, comprising THB 21 billion in service revenues...

New Zealand - MVNO Black + White launches services.
October 30, 2008... A new MVNO in New Zealand has launched services using Vodafone's network through Australian company M2, the Dominion Post reports. Black + White was founded by a former Telecom New Zealand executive, Jonathan Eele. The company offers four...

Madagascar - Zain Madagascar, post office sign resale, banking deal.
October 30, 2008... Mobile operator Zain Madagascar has formed a partnership with the country's postal service, Paositra Malagasy (Paoma), writes L'Express du Madagascar. From 4 November, Zain's SIM cards and prepaid top-up cards will be sold at 113 Paoma...

Africa - MTN unveils regional training centre in Ghana.
October 29, 2008... MTN has unveiled a training centre in Ghana to help train the company's staff to meet future business challenges. The MTN Academy provides a training platform for staff in the WECA region, focusing on competency areas such as leadership,...

Congo, Dem. Rep. - CCT passes 1 million customer milestone.
October 29, 2008... GSM operator Congo Chine Telecom (CCT), a 51/49 joint venture between the Democratic Republic of Congo and ZTE, has passed the 1 million subscriber mark, reports Le Potentiel. Service began in Kinshasa in 2001, and now covers the whole city....

Asia - Level 3 expands content delivery network capacity in Asia.
October 29, 2008... Communications services provider Level 3 Communications has expanded its content delivery network capacity in Asia. Level 3's expansion increases content delivery capacity in Asia by a factor of 10 and extends the CDN network into China. The...

Japan - J:Com's net income rises 14 percent.
October 29, 2008... Japanese cable operator Jupiter Telecommunications (J:Com) saw revenues and income rise for the first nine months of the year. The number of subscribing households rose to 2.90 million households, an increase of 288,000 households (or 11%)...

Australia - ACCC grants Telstra wholesale voice exemptions.
October 29, 2008... The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has granted Telstra an exemption from its obligations to supply a 'declared' service in parts of metropolitan Australia, subject to a number of conditions. Declared services carry...

Japan - Softbank's group profit up 2 percent in Q2.
October 29, 2008... Softbank saw its net income increase 2 percent in the second quarter ended 30 September as sales fell almost 3 percent. Sales fell 2.8 percent to JPY 681.7 billion, versus JPY 701.7 billion in the year-ago period, on lower handset sales and a...