Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from October 2011, page 6

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from October 2011

South Korea - Operators seek fees from smart TV makers.
October 20, 2011... Korean telecommunications providers say they are finding it difficult to maintain network neutrality with increasing traffic from smart TVs and web portals, the JoongAng Daily writes citing an unnamed source. SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus have...

Malaysia - Malaysia to boost ICT initiatives.
October 20, 2011... ICT services projects will be boosted to contribute 17 percent to Malaysia's gross national income, or MYR 294 billion, by 2020. Digital services currently contribute 12.5 percent, Bernama reports citing prime minister Najib Tun Razak. The...

Thailand - CS LoxInfo repositions to ICT services provider.
October 20, 2011... Thai internet and value-added services provider CS LoxInfo is transforming itself into an ICT services provider to offset declining margins from the internet business. CS LoxInfo is expecting demand for online data backup and data centre...

Philippines - Smart sells half of Netphone stock.
October 20, 2011... Filipino mobile operator Smart Communications has sold over 50 percent of its initial stock of the Netphone 701 smartphone by the end of September. It took Smart one year to develop the smartphone, which was launched early September for PHP...

Australia - ACCC can't guarantee Telstra split plan approval.
October 20, 2011... The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has said it cannot guarantee it will approve Telstra's structural separation plan before the deadline at the end of this year. If the plan is not approved before 20 December, the AUD 11...

New Zealand - Chorus, CFH name steering committee chairman.
October 20, 2011... Crown Fibre Holdings (CFH) and New Zealand network operator Chorus have announced the appointment of Gavin Walker as the independent chairman of the Steering Committee governing the partnership's Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) rollout. Walker is...

New Zealand - Vodafone NZ develops overspending prevention system.
October 20, 2011... Vodafone New Zealand has launched a service to prevent 'bill shock' for smartphone users. From March next year, all Vodafone customers will be hit with a 'big stop sign' when they use up their included data. Customers will then be forced to...

Pakistan - Ufone launches top-up promotion.
October 20, 2011... Pakistani mobile operator Ufone has launched its '100+100' offer. The offer, valid until 31 October, provides 100 free minutes every time a customer tops-up their account with PKR 100 or more. The bonus minutes comprise 10 off-net minutes and 90...

Taiwan - Taiwanese operators aim to launch NFC-based payments in 2012.
October 20, 2011... Several Taiwanese communications firms plan to set-up a joint venture for mobile payments. Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET), Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, Vibo Telecom, Asia Pacific Broadband Telecom, together with EasyCard, a local...

Viet Nam - FPT Telecom to complete North-South backbone in 2012.
October 20, 2011... Vietnamese ICT firm FPT Telecom plans to complete its North-South backbone system in 2012. From the second quarter next year, the company plans to begin exploiting the backbone. During the past years, the company has expanded its internet...

Azerbaijan - Bakcell launches off-net MMS service.
October 20, 2011... Azerbaijani mobile operator Bakcell has launched MMS services to and from Azerfon-Vodafone and Nar Mobile subscribers. MMS messages sent to other operators are priced at AZN 0.08 per message.

Taiwan - Chunghwa buys 3G gear from Nokia Siemens Networks.
October 20, 2011... Taiwanese communications provider Chunghwa Telecom will procure 3G equipment from Nokia Siemens Networks. The contract is worth TWD 4.81 billion and will provide equipment for Chunghwa's expansion plans.

Pakistan - PTA issues telecom installer guidelines.
October 20, 2011... Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has issued draft guidelines for telecommunications installers. The guidelines set standards for installing telecommunications equipment and wiring for residential premises, commercial premises, as well as for...

Australia - Telstra blocks 84,000 access attempts in voluntary filter.
October 20, 2011... Australian telecommunications firm Telstra has blocked access to sites on Interpol's "worst of the worst" child pornography blacklist some 84,000 times since July. Telstra is one of four ISPs that joined a voluntary internet filter programme to...

Australia - Guidelines for Digital Local Government programme released.
October 20, 2011... The Australian communications minister Stephen Conroy and the minister local government Simon Crean have released the final programme guidelines for the "Digital Local Government" programme. The AUD 17.1 million Digital Local Government...

Australia - Internode launches hosted VoIP service with Mitel.
October 20, 2011... Australian ISP Internode has introduced a hosted VoIP telephony service through a partnership with Mitel and Tie Networks. Using the NodePhone Business Trunks service and VMware Virtual Private Servers, Internode customers can engage a Mitel...

Philippines - Sun Cellular launches LG Wink WiFi II promo.
October 20, 2011... Filipino mobile operator Sun Cellular has launched a promotion for the LG Wink WiFi II. Postpaid customers that buy the handset will get 250 free SMS messages to all networks per month, for three months. The promotion runs until 31 December.

Nepal - Nepalese regulator tells operators to improve quality.
October 20, 2011... The Nepal Telecommunications Authority has told three operators to enhance the quality of service on highways. Nepal Telecom, Ncell, and UTL have been told the quality of service on highways needs to be improved quickly. "The Quality of Service...

China - AirTouch enters Chinese market.
October 20, 2011... Developer of telecommunication products AirTouch Communications has registered AirTouch China, a joint venture with one of the largest Chinese distributors of Epson products in China. The establishment of AirTouch China will enable the company...

Pakistan - PTCL quarterly revenues, profit up 7%.
October 20, 2011... Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL) announced a net profit of PKR 1.4 billion for its fiscal first quarter ended 30 September, up 7 percent from a year earlier. Group revenue was also up 7 percent to PKR 27.2 billion. Further...

India - BSNL halts interconnection in Maharashtra, Goa circles.
October 20, 2011... State-run operator BSNL has halted interconnection with Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular in Maharashtra and Goa circles since 14 October for non-payment of interconnect usage charges (IUC), reports The Financial Express. The GSM operators'...

Saudi Arabia - Batelco offers GPRS roaming deal in Saudi Arabia.
October 20, 2011... Bahrain operator Batelco announced a data roaming deal for customers on the occasion of Haj and for frequent travellers to Saudi Arabia. All Batelco postpaid mobile customers travelling in Saudi Arabia may subscribe to the Unlimited GPRS Roaming...

India - Trai says 3G roaming deals illegal - report.
October 20, 2011... Indian telecommunications regulator Trai has stated that the 3G roaming agreements between operators Airtel, Vodafone and Idea violate licence conditions, reports The Economic Times, citing an official aware of the development. Trai has decided...

Middle East - Libra, BigTime start mobile VAS joint venture.
October 20, 2011... Global conglomerate the Libra Group and mobile marketing specialist BigTime Entertainment announced the formation of a joint venture that will focus on the mobile VAS sector. The agreement covers the Middle East and North Africa, Asia and the...

Kazakhstan - Kar-Tel introduces Base Unlimited broadband plan.
October 20, 2011... Mobile operator Kar-Tel, working under the Beeline Kazakhstan brand, has launched the 'Base Unlimited' tariff for its fixed broadband subscribers on FTTB networks. The monthly subscription costs KZT 970 for up to 100Mbps using domestic internet...

Kuwait - Zservices, Zajil sign Kuwait partnership deal.
October 20, 2011... Provider of Zscaler cloud security services in the Middle East Zservices has signed a partnership agreement with Kuwait ISP Zajil to offer Zservices' cloud-delivered web security product as a value-added service to its customers. The service...

India - TDSAT directs Airtel to pay 50% penalty imposed by DoT.
October 20, 2011... India's Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has directed Bharti Airtel to pay 50 percent of the INR 500 million penalty imposed by the Department of Telecom within two weeks, reports The Financial Express. The penalty is...

India - Qualcomm to get ISP licence in India.
October 20, 2011... India has agreed to grant an internet service licence to Qualcomm, reports The Economic Times citing telecommunication secretary R Chandrashekhar. The move means Qualcomm will be able to launch broadband services in the country using the...

Zambia - Zamtel launches free calls offer.
October 20, 2011... Zambia's fixed-line operator Zamtel has announced an offer for ADSL customers with prepaid fixed lines to make free calls to all Zamtel numbers - both landline and mobile. The offer will last three months from 20 October. The offer is applicable...

Africa - Brightstar extends distribution deal with HTC in Africa.
October 20, 2011... Brightstar announced it has secured a distribution agreement with HTC in Africa. Under the agreement, Brightstar will begin distributing all HTC mobile devices to 28 sub-Saharan countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda and...

South Korea - Korea Telecom selects R&S to offer LTE coverage by 2013.
October 20, 2011... Korea Telecom has selected Rohde & Schwarz to provide nationwide LTE coverage in by 2013. The South Korean network operator is relying on the R&S TS8980 RF test system and the R&S CMW500 wideband radio communication tester from Rohde...

Kazakhstan - Tele2 Kazakhstan adds 459,000 mobile customers in Q3.
October 20, 2011... Tele2 Kazakhstan saw its net sales triple year-on-year to SEK 115 million in Q3. Tele2 continued to launch in new regions and develop operations in existing regions. During the summer, Tele2 started operating under its own brand in Karaganda and...

China - Microsoft to open App Store in China.
October 20, 2011... Microsoft will open its application store Market Place to Chinese developers by the end of October, reports China Tech News. Microsoft Greater China chairman Simon Leung, said that Microsoft's application store currently has over 30,000...

India - Tata adopts single Docomo brand, launches EVDO Rev B.
October 20, 2011... India's Tata Teleservices has announced plans to consolidate its operations and use the single brand Tata Docomo across its CDMA, GSM and 3G mobile services. CDMA customers under the Tata Indicom brand and data service customers under the Tata...

UAE - Juniper wins 10-year infrastructure deal from ADAC.
October 20, 2011... Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) announced that it has awarded Juniper Networks a 10-year infrastructure frame contract to support its expansion programme. ADAC, wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi government, has embarked on a large-scale...

South Africa - Doro inks distribution agreement in South Africa.
October 20, 2011... Doro has signed an exclusive agent agreement with Business Beyond Boundaries (BBB-SA) of South Africa. Under the agreement, BBB-SA will market Doro's mobile phones in the South African market. The firm said that its three models Doro PhoneEasy...

UAE - Du partners Akamai to offer cloud delivery services.
October 20, 2011... UAE operator Du announced an agreement with Akamai Technologies, a provider of cloud delivery services. Leveraging Akamai's global EdgePlatform, the agreement will provide Du's business customers with secure, cloud-based delivery services such...

South Africa - Mustek launches Huawei enterprise networking in South Africa.
October 20, 2011... South African distributor of Huawei enterprise networking products, Mustek, has officially launched the range to the local reseller market, IT-Online reported. David Kan, CEO of Mustek, said adding the Huawei brand allows Mustek to tackle the...

India - Zee TV selects Siemens' OTT TV to offer on-demand content.
October 20, 2011... Siemens CMT and Indian media group Zee Entertainment have signed an agreement to develop and establish TV offerings delivered over the internet. On the basis of the agreement, Zee TV will deploy the OTT TV system from Siemens CMT. International...

Middle East - Nuance picks SquareOne to sell eCopy range in Middle East.
October 20, 2011... Speech and imaging services provider Nuance Communications has appointed UAE-based SquareOne Technologies as a regional distributor of its Intelligent Document Capture products. SquareOne will supply Nuance's eCopy multifunction printer (MFP)...

Algeria - VimpelCom, Sawiris extend talks on Djezzy nationalisation.
October 20, 2011... Russian telecom operator VimpelCom and Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris said they will prolong their agreement to negotiate with Algeria about the possible nationalisation of Orascom's Djezzy, Dow Jones reported. VimpelCom and Weather...

South Africa - RSAWeb cuts business grade ADSL prices.
October 20, 2011... South African ISP RSAWeb has cut its prices for its business-grade ADSL products and claims these are now the lowest in South Africa, IT-Online reported. MD Rob Gilmour said the overwhelmingly positive response to its recent ADSL line price cuts...

Saudi Arabia - STC extends InVision interactive TV promotion with Samsung.
October 19, 2011... STC said it has extended its offer of a year's free subscription to its interactive TV service inVision for new customers who present coupons from Samsung. The deal is being prolonged for three months to 31 December. STC said the extension...

Kuwait - About 40% of foreign calls in Kuwait are illegal - report.
October 19, 2011... Nearly 40 percent of all international calls made in Kuwait are illegal, Al-Qabas reported, citing sources. The sources said there are about 20 illegal overseas call centres in the country, where service providers offer international calls at...

Algeria - Nedjma promotes postpaid plan.
October 19, 2011... Wataniya Telecom Algeria (Nedjma) is offering a free month of service to new subscribers to the One 1000 postpaid plan if they buy a handset for DZD 2,500 (EUR 25) or more before 14 November. The One 1000 plan comes with 4 hours of calls to...

India - Tech Mahindra to promote OSS/BSS services of Sitronics India.
October 19, 2011... Technology services provider Sitronics India has signed the MoU with ICT services provider Tech Mahindra. In the framework of the agreement, Tech Mahindra will promote the OSS/BSS services of Sitronics India in the Indian market and both the...

Qatar - IctQatar teams up with SAP to boost IT uptake.
October 19, 2011... Qatari telecoms regulator IctQatar has entered into a partnership with SAP to put Qatar on a par with more technologically advanced countries by bringing innovative IT to the private and government sectors, The Peninsula reported online. It said...

South Africa - Broadband Infraco gets new chairman, other directors.
October 19, 2011... South Africa's Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba has replaced three non-executive board members of state-owned broadband capacity supplier Broadband Infraco and filled four of the five board vacancies, MyBroadband News reported. The...

UAE - UAE's Prototype, Microsoft release Windows phone apps.
October 19, 2011... Microsoft Gulf, in partnership with UAE-based full service digital agency Prototype, has released customer-built applications for Windows phone users. Prototype, which helps brands develop online marketing, web development and mobile strategies...

Egypt - Telecom Egypt strike spreads to 37 service stations - report.
October 19, 2011... The Telecom Egypt workers' strike demanding the resignation of CEO Mohammed Abdel Rehim has spread to 37 of the company's service stations in its second day, Al Mal reported. According to the newspaper, the workers are also demanding the release...

South Africa - Telkom Business launches uncapped broadband for SMEs.
October 19, 2011... South Africa's Telkom Business has launched its first uncapped fixed-line broadband products targeted at small and medium enterprises, TechCentral reported. Data-only options start at ZAR 595 per month for 384 Kbps lines and rise to ZAR 4,224...

India - BSNL launches Rakshak Plan for central paramilitary groups.
October 19, 2011... Indian state-owned operator BSNL has offered Rakshak Plan, a 2G/3G postpaid plan, for central paramilitary groups like CRPF, ITBP, BSF and BRO. Under this plan, two Sims (main Sim and home Sim) will be issued/activated from the same CSC of the...

South Africa - MTN South Africa launches SMS spam filter.
October 19, 2011... MTN South Africa said it is launching an SMS spam filter to prevent fraud, MyBroadband reported. This followed complaints from customers who had been duped into ringing or sending an SMS to unsolicited premium numbers. Legitimate South African...

Ethiopia - Pilot SMS health scheme launched in Ethiopia.
October 19, 2011... A pilot project to use mobile phones to enable health professionals to collect data, have it analysed and give feedback will be launched in Ethiopia at a projected cost of around USD 370,000, news portal Addis Fortune reported. Non-governmental...

Angola - Angolan coastal airports to get internet services.
October 19, 2011... Angolan coastal airports will be able to provide internet services to their passengers, news agency Angop reports. The Chairman of the board of managers of the National Company of Airport Exploration and Air Navigation (Enana), Manuel Ceita,...

Azerbaijan - Aztelecom to provide more phone lines in rural areas.
October 19, 2011... Azerbaijan national operator Aztelecom plans to expand its telephone number resources in exchanges in rural areas, Trend reported. It said around 1,200 additional numbers would be provided for potential subscribers in seven towns. Turkish...

Tunisia - Tunisie Telecom offers Sim card to broadband customers.
October 19, 2011... In partnership with Tunisian ISPs, Tunisie Telecom is giving new subscribers to a 2 Gbps or faster ADSL service a free Sim card and the Formi 10 service, which comes with a TND 10 monthly rebate for one year. The Formi 10 plan doubles call time...

Macau - Macau MP criticises CTM over price and quality.
October 19, 2011... Portuguese news agency 'Lusa' reported on 18 October that Member of Parliament Chan Kam Meng has criticised Portugal Telecom subsidiary Companhia de Telecomunicacoes de Macau (CTM), saying its services are dearer and of poorer quality than those...

China - Waze secures USD 30 mln in funding.
October 19, 2011... Online traffic and navigation company Waze has secured additional funding of USD 30 million. Investing in the round are Horizons Ventures Hong Kong, managing the private venture investments of Li Ka Shing in the technology sector, and the...

China - Wasu selects Broadcom's Docsis-based EoC for network trial.
October 19, 2011... Chinese cable operator Wasu has completed its network trial based on chipmaker Broadcom's Docsis-based Ethernet over Coax (EoC) cable architecture. Wasu realised QoS gains when using Broadcom's architecture to deliver interactive TV, broadband...

China - Topway uses Broadcom's Docsis-based EoC for network testing.
October 19, 2011... Chinese operator Topway has completed its network test using chipmaker Broadcom's Docsis-based Ethernet over Coax (EoC) cable architecture. Broadcom's Docsis-based EoC offers 800Mbps, supporting future applications such as video conferencing and...

UAE - Ixia completes evaluation of Wi-Fi network at DWTC.
October 19, 2011... Global provider of converged network testing services Ixia has completed a thorough evaluation of the 802.11n Wi-Fi network for UAE-based Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC). This advanced network architecture will enhance connectivity coverage and...

Philippines - Globe Telecom upgrades data centre.
October 19, 2011... Philippine communications firm Globe Telecom has deployed its first terabit data centre. The company has upgraded its data centre facilities with Cisco's CRS-3 Carrier Routing System and the Nexus 7000 Series Switches, the Manila Times reports....

India - Trai tells BSNL to restore interconnection in Punjab.
October 19, 2011... The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has directed BSNL to restore all points of interconnection that it disconnected recently in Punjab. Recently, BSNL cut off services to Airtel and Vodafone over a payment dispute. The regulator has...

Australia - NBN plans cheaper than ADSL2+ plans - study.
October 19, 2011... Internet services on Australia's upcoming National Broadband Network (NBN) are likely to be cheaper than current ADSL2+ services for similar speeds. A study by price comparison website WhistleOut compared the four ISPs that have released pricing...

New Zealand - Chorus names Andrew Carroll as CFO.
October 19, 2011... Telecom New Zealand's network business Chorus has named Andrew Carroll as Chief Financial Officer for New Chorus, should shareholders and bondholders approve the proposed demerger from Telecom later this month. Carroll has worked for Telecom...

New Zealand - Telecom settles over broadband usage meter fault.
October 19, 2011... Telecom New Zealand has admitted breaching the Fair Trading Act and reached a settlement with the Commerce Commission. Telecom provided inaccurate broadband usage readings for approximately 97,000 customer accounts between November 2010 and June...

New Zealand - Telecom NZ launches top-up promotion.
October 19, 2011... Telecom New Zealand has launched a top-up promotion for its prepaid customers. Customers that recharge NZD 20 or more before 30 April 2012 and play the play the 'Catch a Kea' online game can win a prize in the daily draw. Furthermore, every...

Asia - Dimension Data builds data centre for conglomerate.
October 19, 2011... Dimension Data Asia Pacific will build a new data centre for an unnamed multinational conglomerate. Dimension Data will design and build the new data centre which will use the Cisco Unified Computing System. Initially, the new data centre will...

Taiwan - Handset shipments in Taiwan to grow slower in Q4 - study.
October 19, 2011... Handset shipments from Taiwanese manufacturers will grow at a slower-than-expected pace in the fourth quarter. The growth is affected by the launch of the iPhone 4S and the suspension or cancellation of some HP webOS device shipments, Digitimes...

Bangladesh - Robi to provide connectivity to Union Parishads.
October 19, 2011... Bangladeshi mobile operator Robi Axiata will provide integrated mobile services to over 4,000 Union Parishads, the lowest tier of local government in Bangladesh, under the 'Digital Bangladesh' programme. Robi will provide data connectivity, PCO...

Singapore - SingTel launches shipping comms package.
October 19, 2011... Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) has introduced a satellite communications package for shipping companies. The package provides broadband and all the ICT components a company needs at USD 2,888 per month on a 36-month contract. The service...

Malaysia - Scomi picks Time dotCom for connectivity.
October 19, 2011... Oilfield services provider Scomi Group has picked Malaysian telecommunications firm Time dotCom as the sole network provider to meet its global connectivity needs across five countries. Time will design, implement, and manage Scomi's private...

Japan - NTT Docomo launches LTE billing plans.
October 19, 2011... Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo has launched two billing plans for its Xi-branded LTE service. The launch is in conjunction with the unveiling of the new smartphone line-up. Docomo will offer two voice plans: the Type Xi Plan and the...

Australia - TPG buys small stake in iiNet.
October 19, 2011... Australian communications firm TPG Telecom has acquired a stake of around 4.4 percent in ISP iiNet. TPG bought the shares through the in-specie distribution by Amcom Telecommunications as well as through market transactions. Amcom offloaded its...

Indonesia - Operators to stop promoting content services.
October 19, 2011... Ten Indonesian mobile operators have agreed to stop sending SMS messages, pop-ups, and voice messages that promote content services. The Indonesian Telecommunications Regulatory Body (BRTI) asked the operators to stop promoting content provider...

Philippines - Globe, PLDT interconnect in Zamboanga.
October 19, 2011... Philippine communications firm Globe Telecom has interconnected its fixed network with Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) in Zamboanga. Globe and PLDT customers in the area can now call each other without being charged long-distance...

Taiwan - NCC drafts Wi-Fi fee plan for operators.
October 19, 2011... The Taiwanese communications regulator is drafting a plan to charge Wi-Fi networks for using state-owned spectrum, the Digitimes writes. The National Communications Commission (NCC) is collecting information from the mobile operators about their...

Bangladesh - Bangladeshi operators hit with further spectrum fees.
October 19, 2011... Mobile operators in Bangladesh have been told to pay renewal fees for additional spectrum they bought in 2008. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) told the operators they will have to pay the charges before 31 October...

Australia - NBN Co names 28 new rollout locations.
October 19, 2011... The Australian government-backed company rolling out the National Broadband Network, NBN Co, has released its first twelve-month construction schedule. The schedule names 28 new locations in different states where work will begin between now and...

Philippines - Meralco, PLDT to extend BPL tests.
October 19, 2011... Philippine electricity provider Meralco plans to extend broadband over powerline (BPL) tests until next year due to technical issues. The firm earlier planned to finalise tests this year. "We are not happy with the performance test. We will do...

South Korea - KT provides MVNO services to CJ Hello Vision.
October 19, 2011... Korean communications firm KT has signed an MVNO agreement with CJ Hello Vision. CJ Hello Vision, a cable broadcast, internet, and VoIP services provider, plans to launch a low-fee mobile service by the end of this year. KT will also support CJ...

South Korea - KT launches olleh Office 365.
October 19, 2011... KT has launched 'olleh Office 365' with Microsoft. Olleh Office 365 is a cloud-based service that offers Microsoft Office, Link, Exchange, and SharePoint. KT targets small and medium business with the service and provides a discount to KT...

Cameroon - MTN makes management changes in Cameroon, Zambia.
October 19, 2011... The MTN Group announced the appointment of Abdul Ismail and Karl Toriola as the new CEOs of MTN Zambia and MTN Cameroon, respectively, effective from 1 November. Ismail, currently the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of MTN Nigeria, will take...