Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from October 2011, page 8

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from October 2011

Africa - Microsoft, Brightpoint partner on Windows Phone shop in MEA.
October 18, 2011... Microsoft announced a partnership with mobile handset distributor Brightpoint to bring Windows Phone devices to the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. The Windows Phone Online Shop will launch later this year as an e-commerce website that...

China - BT opens second Customer Innovation Showcase in China.
October 18, 2011... BT has opened a new Customer Innovation Showcase in Shanghai, making China the only country outside the UK with two BT showcase centres. The Customer Innovation Showcase brings the latest video conferencing equipment and networked IT...

Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe mobile subscriber base hits 8 mln.
October 18, 2011... The number of mobile subscribers in Zimbabwe reached 8 million at the end of September. According to industry regulator Potraz, Econet subscribers increased by 29 percent from 4.2 million in the same period last year to 5.4 million customers,...

South Africa - Geo delivers London connectivity for Vox Telecom.
October 18, 2011... UK dedicated fibre network provider Geo Networks has been selected by South Africa-based voice and data services provider Vox Telecom to provide a diverse route in London. Vox Telecom serves over 16,000 businesses and is seeing a rise in the...

India - HCL unveils X1 ME tablet in India.
October 18, 2011... ICT systems integrator HCL Infosystems has unveiled its X1 ME tablet in India. The ME tablet features user interface that enables consumers to navigate the Android device and comes with pre-loaded applications. X1 ME tablet also provides access...

UAE - Du suspends 4G ads on regulator TRA's request.
October 18, 2011... UAE telecommunications operator Du has announced that it will comply with the instructions of regulator TRA with regard to its 4G service advertisements. On the eve of the Gitex 2011 technology fair, Du released an advertisement for its Fastest...

Bangladesh - Robi launches mobile remittance service.
October 18, 2011... Bangladeshi mobile operator Robi has launched its mobile remittance service which targets Bangladeshis overseas who send money home. The service is offered with partner BRAC Bank and allows customers to receive money free of charge via Robi...

South Africa - Vodacom to reimburse BlackBerry customers.
October 17, 2011... Vodacom South Africa announced that it will give all BlackBerry customers affected by last week's service disruption 20 free on-net minutes for use from 17-21 October. The operator said it will also be giving affected customers 20 free SMS for...

Africa - Airtel Africa picks NSN for device management.
October 17, 2011... Airtel Africa has selected Nokia Siemens Networks' Serve atOnce Device Management (SADM) software to enhance internet services to be implemented across affiliates in 16 countries. Under a three-year contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will provide...

Africa - Airtel Africa compensates BlackBerry users for disruption.
October 17, 2011... Airtel Africa announced that it will offer its BlackBerry customers a service waiver following a global outage attributed to the service provider Research in Motion (RIM). The BlackBerry maker has now fully restored data services to its...

India - Karbonn Mobiles launches four smartphones for festive season.
October 17, 2011... Indian mobile handset brand Karbonn Mobiles has launched its four smartphones for Diwali festive season. The K 1616 smartphone features 8.9 cm HVGA capacitive touch screen, Tornado based 3D UI, G-Sensor to change the screen alignment, proximity...

Kuwait - Viva Kuwait launches Nokia N9 smartphone.
October 17, 2011... Viva Kuwait and Nokia announced an exclusive offer for Viva customers with the Nokia N9, Nokia's latest offering in the smartphone category. Customers can get the KWD 30 Premium plan, offering unlimited monthly data, minutes and SMS with a free...

UAE - Etisalat to test Alcatel-Lucent lightRadio products.
October 17, 2011... Alcatel-Lucent and UAE-based operator Etisalat have signed an agreement to jointly develop the Alcatel-Lucent lightRadio product family. Under the joint innovation and collaboration agreement signed with Alcatel-Lucent, Etisalat will help...

Thailand - Thai operators shift focus to FTTH for high speed internet.
October 17, 2011... Thai broadband service providers are gearing up to promote high-speed internet via optical fibre lines as an alternative to ADSL broadband, reports the Bangkok Post. Thai communications providers TOT and CAT Telecom are also pinning their hopes...

South Africa - Telkom rebrands Hillbrow Tower with 8ta.
October 17, 2011... South Africa mobile operator 8ta is increasing its brand awareness in Johannesburg with the rebranding of the iconic Telkom Hillbrow Tower. Amith Maharaj, Telkom Mobile's managing executive, confirmed that the tower will for the next three years...

Kuwait - Zain names acting CEO in Kuwait.
October 17, 2011... Zain has named Omar Al-Omar as acting chief executive of its domestic operations in Kuwait, replacing Khalid Al-Omar who last week was appointed head of the operator's affiliate Zain Saudi Arabia. The reshuffle follows the departure of Saad...

Qatar - Qtel, Vodafone offer BlackBerry compensation.
October 17, 2011... Qatar's mobile operators Qtel and Vodafone have announced plans to compensate BlackBerry customers with three days' credit for the service outages in recent days. The two companies decided to offer the compensation after Research In Motion (RIM)...

Middle East - Xtera to provide 100G networking line to GBI.
October 17, 2011... Optical and IP networking services provider Xtera Communications has signed a multi-year, sole source contract with Middle East-based submarine cable operator Gulf Bridge International (GBI). Under the terms of this contract, Xtera...

India - MTS India offers international roaming for prepaid users.
October 17, 2011... Mobile operator MTS India has launched International Roaming services for its prepaid subscribers enabling them to roam across 433 GSM networks in 231 countries. The company has also launched a dual mode Sim card which would work both on GSM...

Nigeria - Etisalat launches Gaga Android smartphone.
October 17, 2011... Etisalat Nigeria announced the launch of its Gaga Android smartphone, also known as the Huawei U8180. This follows the recent roll-out of Etisalat's HSPA+ network. The Gaga Android smartphone is an Etisalat-customized 3G device that operates on...

Egypt - Mobinil expands contract with NetCracker for 3G.
October 17, 2011... NetCracker Technology announced that Mobinil has completed Phase 2 of its ongoing 3G transformation programme. In 2009, NetCracker announced that it was selected to transform Mobinil's 3G infrastructure. Phase 1 of that project, which centered...

Armenia - Orange Armenia sponsors congress on telemedicine, e-health.
October 17, 2011... Orange Armenia was the general sponsor of the Armenian International Congress on Telemedicine and e-Health "Armtelemed road to the future" which took place in the capital Yerevan on 14-16 October. The congress was organised by the Association of...

Singapore - NeraTel revenue grows 0.8% to SGD 36.6 mln in Q3.
October 17, 2011... Singapore-based telecommunication services and equipment provider NeraTel revenues for the third quarter increased 0.8 percent to SGD 36.6 million from SGD 36.3 million in the year-ago quarter. Telecommunications revenue decreased 30.2 percent...

Philippines - PLDT willing to give up 10 MHz of 3G spectrum - report.
October 17, 2011... Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) has agreed to give up some of its 3G spectrum to clear the way for its acquisition of a majority stake in Digitel. PLDT would be willing to divest 10 MHz of 3G spectrum, the Manila Times reports citing a...

Indonesia - Axis launches voice, SMS usage offer.
October 17, 2011... Indonesian mobile services provider Axis has launched a 'Breakthrough to 24 Hours Saving' offer. Under the offer, customers get 1,440 minutes for on-net calls after spending IDR 1,000 on calls and customers get 10,000 SMS messages to all...

Japan - Emobile launches Xperia mini.
October 17, 2011... Japanese communications firm eAccess has launched the Sony Ericsson Xperia mini through its mobile brand Emobile. The smartphone measures 88mm x 52mm and weighs 99 grams. The Xperia mini comes with HD recording and playback through the Mobile...

China - China Unicom issues second tranche of commercial paper.
October 17, 2011... China Unicom subsidiary CUCL has issued the second tranche of commercial paper for this year in the amount of CNY 8 billion. The issue will be completed on 20 October and he final coupon rate will be announced upon completion of the issue.

China - China Telecom sells 1 mln C8650 smartphones in 60 days.
October 17, 2011... China Telecom has sold 1 million C8650 smartphones in sixty days. The e-Surfing smartphone, made by Huawei, sells at CNY 1,000. The new milestone surpasses an earlier record set by Huawei C8500's sales of over 1 million units in 100 days. China...

Australia - PieNetworks to provide Wi-Fi to Tabcorp.
October 17, 2011... Australian managed communications services provider PieNetworks has been selected by betting company Tabcorp to install and operate a Wi-Fi service at parts of the Flemington Race Course for this year's Spring Carnival and Melbourne Cup....

Malaysia - P1 secures fibre deal from Telekom Malaysia.
October 17, 2011... Malaysian Wimax services provider Packet One Networks (P1) has signed a ten-year transmission and access agreement with Telekom Malaysia. Under the agreement, P1 will be allowed to use Telekom Malaysia's high-speed broadband (HSBB) network for a...

Thailand - Mobile operators prepared for flooding in Bangkok.
October 17, 2011... Thai mobile operators and broadband service providers are confident that their backup plans and recovery operations will cope with possible flooding in Bangkok. Floods have swept across 60 of Thailand's 77 provinces over the past two months and...

Nepal - Colors, Teletalk launch fresh handsets.
October 17, 2011... Mobile phone provider Colors has launched a new CDMA handset in Nepal, the G-100. The new phone comes with multimedia features such as an MP4 video player, audio player, FM radio, 1.3 megapixel camera, and Bluetooth connectivity, the Himalayan...

Philippines - Wi-tribe launches rewards for on time payments.
October 17, 2011... Philippine Wimax operator Wi-tribe has launched a promotion that rewards subscribers for paying on time. Postpaid customers that pay before the due date will get one entry into the raffle with the main prize being a home theatre system. Wi-tribe...

Thailand - Jasmine appoints CFO.
October 17, 2011... Thai telecommunications group Jasmine International has appointed Churnkamol Treesuttacheep as chief financial officer.

Hong Kong - Wharf T&T launches cloud voice service with Cisco.
October 17, 2011... Hong Kong business ICT services provider Wharf T&T, together with Cisco, has launched its new Cloud Voice service. The service includes a full-featured Cisco IP phone that provides traditional telephony features as well as enhanced features...

Uzbekistan - Ucell launches fresh Giga internet plan.
October 17, 2011... Uzbek mobile services provider Ucell has added another plan to its Giga mobile internet plans. The Giga 3.5 package offers 3.5 GB of data for USD 17. The new plan sits in between the Giga 2 plan and the Giga 5 plan.

Philippines - Globe launches iPad 2, lowers prices for iPhone 3G S.
October 17, 2011... Philippine communications provider Globe Telecom has launched the iPad 2 and lowered prices for the iPhone 3G S. Customers can get the iPad 2 with the Plan 999 (My Super Plan Unli Surf Combo) under a 24-month contract. The 16 GB model is offered...

Bangladesh - Robi launches re-activation promotion.
October 17, 2011... Bangladeshi mobile services provider Robi has launched a re-activation offer for prepaid customers who have not used their connection between August and October. Customers that re-activate their account will pay BDT 0.68 for on-net and off-net...

Australia - IBM opens R&D lab in Melbourne.
October 17, 2011... IBM has opened a research and development laboratory in Melbourne, Australia. The company expects to employ 150 people at the lab within five years. A number of research projects are already underway with partners, including the University of...

New Zealand - Telecom NZ changes postpaid billing cycle.
October 17, 2011... Telecom New Zealand has changed billing cycles for its mobile postpaid customers. Previously, plans were cut off at 4pm on the last day of the monthly bill cycle. Telecom has now changed this to cut off at midnight the day before.

South Korea - SK Broadband ends September with 9.27 mln subs.
October 17, 2011... Korean internet provider SK Broadband ended September with 9.27 million customers as it signed-up 56,508 new customers in the month. The number of internet subscribers went up by 20,752 to reach a total of 4.15 million while the number of...

Asia - IIJ establishes offices in China, Thailand.
October 17, 2011... Japanese network and internet services provider Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) has established a subsidiary in China and a representative office in Thailand. The offices are opened by subsidiary IIJ Global Solutions and target Japanese firms...

Nepal - NTA to draft merger and acquisition policy.
October 17, 2011... The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has established a committee to draft a merger and acquisition policy for the telecommunications sector. The committee will study merger and acquisition trends across the globe and recommend a suitable...

Philippines - SMS interconnection rates may drop immediately.
October 17, 2011... The Filipino National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) will release a memorandum circular shortly that will bring down SMS interconnection rates significantly. Sources told the The Star that the regulator is leaning towards bringing SMS...

Indonesia - Content providers not allowed to hold call data.
October 17, 2011... Mobile content providers in Indonesia are not allowed to retain customer call data records. "Content providers are not allowed to hold customer call data records, or CDR, owned by operators," ICT ministry spokesperson Gatot S Dewa Broto said....

Bangladesh - Grameenphone to refuse to pay tax claim.
October 17, 2011... Bangladeshi mobile operator is refusing to pay the BDT 30 billion and may go to court over the recent audit findings. Grameenphone chairman, and head of head of Telenor Asia, said at a press conference: "We are not going to pay the BDT 30...

Uzbekistan - MTS Uzbekistan launches IVR self-service.
October 17, 2011... Mobile operator MTS Uzbekistan has launched a free IVR self-service system. The system enables subscribers to stay informed of the company's news, to get information about current payments, the state of their balances and to manage tariffs and...

Tajikistan - Takom offers cheaper calls to neighbouring states.
October 17, 2011... Mobile operator Takom, working under the Beeline Tajikistan brand, has launched the Neighbours service offering cheaper calls to Beeline networks in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakshstan and Uzbekistan, as well as calls to China. The first minute of...

Kazakhstan - Tele2 Kazakhstan launches online top-ups.
October 17, 2011... Mobile operator Tele2 Kazakhstan has started providing subscribers with the option to top up their balances online. The service is available using Visa, EuroCard/MasterCard and American Express bank cards to top up balances by between KZT 50 and...

Bangladesh - Icon offers promotional deal for Nokia N9 smartphone.
October 17, 2011... Icon, the telecommunication brand of Orascom Telecom Bangladesh, has collaborated with Nokia Bangladesh in an exclusive promotion of Nokia's smartphone N9 for Icon subscribers, reports The Daily Star. The promotion will start from November....

India - Carlyle, Advent to buy BT stake in Tech Mahindra - report.
October 17, 2011... Private equity giants Carlyle Group and Advent International are in the race to buy BT's 23.2 percent stake in IT services firm Tech Mahindra, reports The Times of India citing two sources briefed on the matter. Carlyle is likely to join hands...

Japan - IIJ to offer worldwide VPN service.
October 17, 2011... Japanese internet and networking services company Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) is launching a VPN service which can connect a client with over 200 countries around the globe. The service, offered by subsidiary IIJ Global, will do all the work...

Kyrgyzstan - O! launches flat-rate on-net call package Your Zero.
October 17, 2011... Kyrgyz mobile operator O! has launched a package providing on-net calls for set periods for a flat rate. The Your Zero service is being offered for either 30, 90, 180 or 365 days for activation rates of KZS 100, KZS 290, KZS 570 and KZS 1,100...

Kazakhstan - Kcell offers weather forecast service.
October 17, 2011... Kazakhstan mobile operator Kcell, in cooperation with the content provider GSM Tech Management, has launched its Weather Forecast voice connection portal. The daily subscription rate of the service is KZT 10.

Azerbaijan - Bakcell launches mobile package aimed at youth market.
October 17, 2011... Azerbaijan mobile operator Bakcell has launched the CINeration mobile connection package aimed at the youth market. The package provides on-net calls for AZN 0.02 per minute and SM or MMS messages for AZN 0.02 to all Azerbaijan networks, as well...

Armenia - Armentel provides PC centre for tourism institute.
October 17, 2011... Mobile operator Armentel, working under the Beeline Armenia brand, has donated a PC centre for training to the Armenian Institute of Tourism. The PC centre includes 20 workstations connected to the internet.

South Africa - Korea Telecom in talks to buy 20% of South Africa's Telkom.
October 17, 2011... South African operator Telkom is in talks to sell 20 percent of its equity to Korea Telecom. Telkom said in a statement on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange's Sens news service that the companies were entering long-term agreements to formalise the...

Kenya - KDN launches Metro Lease Circuits in Malindi.
October 17, 2011... Kenya Data Networks (KDN) said that its Metro Lease Circuits in Malindi Town are complete and ready for use. KDN COO Atul Chaturvedi said this is expected to assist businesses within the Malindi Area greatly. The new infrastructure service will...

Ghana - MTN Ghana offers roaming discount to Hajj pilgrims.
October 17, 2011... MTN Ghana said subscribers visiting Saudi Arabia to perform the 2011 Hajj or for business are being offered a discount of between 30 percent and 96 percent on voice and data roaming services. Chief Marketing Officer Raul De said the offers are...

South Africa - Cell C to compensate BlackBerry users for outage.
October 17, 2011... South African operator Cell C said it will be compensating its BlackBerry customers with a discounted BIS rate and free SMSes for the prolonged downtime this week, MyBroadband reported. Cell C said that it will give its customers ZAR 10 off the...

Egypt - Mobinil lifts market share to 45% at end-July.
October 17, 2011... Egyptian mobile operator Mobinil had increased its share of the market to 45 percent of subscribers at the end of July, compared with Vodafone Egypt's 38.9 percent and Etisalat Egypt's 16.1 percent, according to Almal newspaper. Mobinil had 34.9...

UAE - Etisalat open to acquisitions, could re-bid for Zain Kuwait.
October 17, 2011... The UAE's Etisalat Group remains open to acquisition opportunities and would not rule out another play for Zain Group, CommsMEA reported online. Group CEO Ahmad Julfar said opportunities will appear in the region, and will come in different...

Eritrea - Eritel launches mobile phone service in Afabet.
October 17, 2011... The Eritrean Telecommunications Service (Eritel) has introduced mobile phone services to the town of Afabet in its efforts to expand provision in sub-zones. Semere Gebrekidan, the head of the mobile phone unit, said that services have been...

Nigeria - Nigerian NCC tells mobile operators to cut tariffs.
October 17, 2011... The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Eugene Juwah, has ordered mobile telecommunications service providers to reduce telephone tariffs, the Leadership Newspapers website reported. He said that while...

UAE - Etisalat partners with Zservices ME on cloud computing.
October 17, 2011... UAE-based operator Etisalat said it is tying up with Zservices, the provider of Zscaler cloud service in the Middle East, to bring managed security services to the cloud computing platform. The soon-to-be-launched service is currently being...

UAE - Service2Media opens office in Dubai.
October 17, 2011... Service2Media, the global provider of Advanced App Solutions, celebrates the opening of its Dubai office during Gitex Technology Week 2011. The Dubai office will focus on supporting existing clients such as CNN, Al Jazeera and Abu Dhabi Media...

Egypt - Telecom Egypt picks Ixia for 10GE IP test services.
October 17, 2011... Ixia, a converged network testing technology provider, said its Egyptian partner Medsciences has won a contract to supply 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) IP test services to Telecom Egypt's data communications and internet arm, TE Data. TE Data uses...

Ghana - Govt says Ghana has broadband capacity of 7.16 TBps.
October 17, 2011... The Ghanaian government says Ghana currently has a broadband spectrum of approximately 7,160 GBps or 7.16 TBps, Ghana Business News reported. Haruna Iddrissu, Minister of Communications, said that over the past two years, major telecoms players...

Kenya - Orange Kenya cuts back investment plans.
October 14, 2011... Orange Kenya said it is analysing its investments in the country as operators begin feeling the effects of the tough economic climate. CEO Mickael Ghossein said the continued weakening of the shilling against major currencies forces the operator...

Australia - Court rejects fresh Apple bid to block Samsung tablets.
October 14, 2011... The Australian Federal Court has rejected an application by Apple to stop Samsung from launching new tablets in Australia before its patent infringement case goes to a full hearing , reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The court also rejected...

Middle East - Microsoft launches Dynamics AX 2012 ERP in Gulf region.
October 14, 2011... Microsoft Gulf has announced that Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is available to enterprise customers across the region. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is a new generation of business applications. It has more than 1,000 new features and enhancements...

UAE - Dubai Police partners Du for traffic information transfer.
October 14, 2011... The Dubai Police has signed an agreement with Du, giving the police access to use the operator's mobile data network to transfer information captured by radar to the traffic police control room. This is the first collaboration of its kind...

Ghana - Ghanaian govt to establish public internet registry.
October 14, 2011... The government of Ghana is facilitating moves to establish a public Internet Registry to improve the governance and security of the internet in the country, Ghana Business News reported online. An internet registry is an organisation that...

India - MobiQuest registers 5 mln consumers for M'Loyal platform.
October 14, 2011... Enterprise mobility services company MobiQuest's mobile loyalty product, M'Loyal, has engaged more than 5 million retail consumers across India with their favourite brands. Leading brands like Gini n Jony, VLCC, Forever New and Mochi have...

Zimbabwe - NetOne close to commercial launch of 3G services.
October 14, 2011... Zimbabwe's state-run GSM network operator NetOne has finalised plans for the commercial launch of its 3G services, telling users who have been testing the service that they will soon have to pay for mobile broadband access. According to Techzim,...

Kenya - Safaricom says BlackBerry data services restored.
October 14, 2011... Kenyan operator Safaricom said the BlackBerry data outage that has affected millions of users across the world has ended and services restored. Safaricom has apologised to its BlackBerry users who were affected by the outage, which lasted nearly...

Ghana - Vodafone Ghana restores sight of 2,500 people.
October 14, 2011... Vodafone Ghana has announced that it is working in collaboration with Sightsavers and the Ghana Health Service to restore the sight of 2,500 visually impaired people suffering from cataract and trachoma. The operator will pay for the medical and...

South Africa - Altech Autopage opens 4 more shops.
October 14, 2011... South African communications service provider Altech Autopage is expanding its retail presence, MyBroadband reported. The news portal said Altech Autopage will open its first Soweto outlet in Maponya Mall on 15 October and a store at the Glen...

Taiwan - Asus licenses Rovi's DivX technology.
October 14, 2011... Digital entertainment products provider Rovi has signed a new multi-year licensing agreement for DivX technology with Taiwan-based computer maker Asus. Through the agreement, Asus plans to integrate DivX Plus HD, the premium level of DivX...

China - GCF certifies Huawei's TD-LTE device.
October 14, 2011... Network security and storage appliance services provider Huawei Technologies has achieved GCF (Global Certification Forum) certification for its E398s-81, a USB dongle, during September. The E398s-81 is the first TD-LTE device. The device, which...

India - Conax offers content distribution to Indian pay-tv operators.
October 14, 2011... Global security provider Conax will offer its service for uniting traditional broadcast and broadband content distribution to Indian pay-tv operators at Scat in Mumbai this week. Based on product Conax Contego, the Conax Contego Unite product...

Australia - Vocus provides transit services to Vividwireless.
October 14, 2011... Australian wholesale IP transit and voice supplier Vocus Communications has secured a multi-year deal to provide international internet access and domestic communication services to Wimax services provider Vividwireless. Vocus will provide the...

South Korea - Pantech signs licence agreement with IV.
October 14, 2011... Korean mobile handset maker Pantech has signed a licence agreement with patent portfolio company Intellectual Ventures (IV). The agreement ends a suit which IV launched in July as part of a patent infringement suit that also named other companies.

Philippines - YouTube launches Filipino version.
October 14, 2011... Video site YouTube has opened a Filipino version of the site and announced partnerships with local content providers. This is YouTube's 34th localised service and the first in Southeast Asia, the BusinessWorld reports. Adam Smith, Google's...