Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from October 2011

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from October 2011

UAE - Etisalat launches voice, data roaming offers for Hajj.
October 31, 2011... UAE operator Etisalat announced the launch of a new offer for customers roaming in Saudi Arabia. They will be able to receive international calls via local operator Mobily free during the Hajj period, from 30 October to 15 November. The offer is...

Thailand - TOT says 3G expansion on track.
October 31, 2011... Thai state-owned operator TOT is determined to proceed with its 3G network expansion in eighteen provinces next month as scheduled, reports the Bangkok Post. President Arnon Tubtiang conceded that the floods are posing a challenge TOT's 3G...

India - Sify revenues grow to USD 37 mln in Q2.
October 31, 2011... Indian consumer, internet and enterprise services provider Sify Technologies' revenues for the fiscal second quarter ending 30 September grew to USD 37.10 million from USD 35.08 million in the year-earlier quarter. Enterprise service revenues...

Maldives - Dhiraagu unveils new plans for touchNet prepaid service.
October 31, 2011... Maldives operator Dhiraagu has unveiled new packages for touchNet prepaid, its prepaid mobile broadband service. Dhiraagu will be offering the prepaid mobile broadband package from MVR 30, with an excess date usage charge of MVR 0.9 per MB. The...

Viet Nam - Viettel plans EVN Telecom acquisition.
October 31, 2011... Vietnam military-run operator Viettel is preparing to take over mobile operator EVN Telecom, Saigon Time Daily reports. Viettel's management has issued an internal resolution on the date and plan of acquiring EVN Telecom, making Viettel's...

Philippines - Ipanema selects Infosight as distributor.
October 31, 2011... Application-performance management software provider Ipanema Technologies has selected distributor of IT network products Infosight Solutions as its value added distributor. Ipanema's focus on telecommunication companies and managed service...

India - Lava Mobiles launches Android smartphone.
October 31, 2011... India-based mobile phone maker Lava Mobiles is launching the Android Froyo (2.2) S12 smartphone. The S12 offers sixteen customisable home screens and features a set of animated 3D widgets, a 3.2-inch display, a 5-megapixel fixed focus camera on...

UAE - BigTime Arabia appoints new general manager.
October 31, 2011... Big Time Arabia, a UAE-based mobile VAS business, announced the appointment of Roland Beckmann-Kunz as General Manager. His appointment is with immediate effect and he will work directly with the C-level suite of Big Time Entertainment Group....

Middle East - Qtel 9-mth revenue grows 16.6% to QAR 23.6 bln.
October 31, 2011... Qatar Telecom (Qtel) announced that group revenue increased by 16.6 percent year-on-year to QAR 23.6 billion in the nine months ended 30 September. Its consolidated customer base stood at 82.4 million, against 69.1 million in 2010, which...

India - GSM operators protest 'free' spectrum for EVDO services.
October 31, 2011... The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has written a letter to the Department of Telecom alleging a revenue loss of INR 148.23 billion at GSM operators due to CDMA players providing EVDO services without acquiring spectrum designated...

Japan - NEC to temporarily shift production facilities to Japan.
October 31, 2011... NEC will temporarily shift production normally handled by two Thai group factories to Japan, reports the Nikkei. The Thai facilities remain offline due to damage from severe flooding in that nation. Manufacturing equipment will be transported...

Australia - Govt saves AUD 12 in travel costs from TelePresence system.
October 31, 2011... The Australian government announced that the TelePresence system, deployed by Cisco and Telstra in 2009, had achieved productivity, sustainability, and cost benefits. The service hosted more than 1031 official meetings totalling more than 1660...

Japan - Japan ends June with 57.19 mln fixed-line subs.
October 31, 2011... Japan ended the June quarter with 57.192 million fixed line subscribers (includes NTT East and West subscriptions, special lines, 0ABJ-IP and CATV phones), down 0.5 percent from the previous quarter. The market share of NTT East West also...

Bangladesh - Airtel launches vessel tracking, weather update service.
October 31, 2011... Mobile operator Airtel Bangladesh is providing a vessel tracking and weather update service together with Care, Centre for Global Change (CGC) and Oxfam/CSRL for a number of fishermen. The service will track subscriber vessels and the company...

Hong Kong - SmarTone-Vodafone changes name to SmarTone.
October 31, 2011... Hong Kong mobile operator SmarTone-Vodafone has changed its name back to SmarTone following the end of the marketing arrangement with Vodafone. The operator said that customers will not be affected by the change as all services will continue...

Bangladesh - Robi launches usage promotion.
October 31, 2011... Bangladesh-based mobile operator Robi has launched a cash-back promotion for its prepaid customers. Customers that spend BDT 5 on phone calls, will get BDT 1 in credit back for on-net usage. The bonus credit is valid for one day and customers...

China - China Mobile establishes 3G terminal subsidiary.
October 31, 2011... China Mobile has established wholly-owned subsidiary to handle the company's 3G smartphone purchases. The new company, called China Mobile Terminal, will be responsible for customisation, testing, procurement, sales, and service of the company's...

China - China Telecom secures mapping licence.
October 31, 2011... China Telecom has been granted a Class A online mapping services licence from the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM). With the licence, China Telecom will be allowed to operate national mapping and location-based services, Sina reports.

Pakistan - Pakistan has over 20 mln internet users - study.
October 31, 2011... The number of internet users in Pakistan has exceeded 20 million as more people use mobile phones to access the internet, Freedom on the Net said in its 2011 annual report, the Express Tribune writes. The report cited figures from the ITU....

Indonesia - Indonesia to ask Telkom to buy state publishers.
October 31, 2011... Indonesian state enterprises minister Dahlan Iskan is planning to ask healthy state enterprises to acquire underperforming firms. Under the plan, state publishers Pradnya Paramita and Balai Pustaka will merge and be acquired by...

Australia - NetComm develops Telstra Ultimate Gateway.
October 31, 2011... Australian fixed and wireless broadband devices supplier NetComm has developed the Telstra Ultimate Gateway for Australian communications firm Telstra. The gateway allows businesses to establish a Wi-Fi and wired network for multiple devices and...

Taiwan - MediaTek's Q3 revenues and profits fall.
October 31, 2011... Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company MediaTek has seen its revenues fall by17 percent to TWD 23.38 billion from TWD 28.18 billion a year earlier but revenues rose by 11.4 percent from the second quarter. Net income fell 42 percent to TWD 4.07...

Singapore - SingTel completes asset sale to NetLink Trust.
October 31, 2011... Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) has completed the sale of assets and business to CityNet. In July, SingTel established a trust - NetLink Trust - for infrastructure assets used by national fibre network operator OpenNet. SingTel sold ducts...

Indonesia - Telkom's Q3 profit slips on one-off costs.
October 31, 2011... Indonesian communications provider Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) saw its third quarter profits slip on one-off costs. Revenues were IDR 53 trillion, up 3.4 percent from IDR 51.3 trillion in the year-ago quarter. During the quarter, the...

Bangladesh - Robi launches loyalty discount.
October 31, 2011... Bangladeshi mobile operator Robi Axiata is giving long term professional customers a discount on their monthly bills. The discount ranges from 2 percent for customers that have been with Robi for one to three years to 10 percent for customers...

Taiwan - Chunghwa Telecom's Q3 profit slips 0.2%.
October 31, 2011... Taiwanese communications firm Chunghwa Telecom saw its third quarter profits dip on higher operating costs and expenses. Total consolidated revenue increased by 9.5 percent to TWD 55.71 billion, of which 42.6 percent was from the mobile...

China - China Telecom grows nine-month profit 10.1%.
October 31, 2011... China Telecom grew its nine-month revenues by 11.8 percent to CNY 182.36 billion from CNY 163.16 billion a year earlier. Revenues from sale of mobile handsets were approximately CNY 10.10 billion, up nearly two times over the corresponding...

Indonesia - XL Axiata grows nine-month profit 5%.
October 31, 2011... Indonesian mobile operator XL Axiata grew nine-month profits by 5 percent to IDR 2.18 trillion from IDR 2.08 trillion in the same period last year. Normalised net income (excluding the impact of forex, accelerated depreciation, and a severance...

Hong Kong - PCCW Begins Process for Listing Business Trust
October 31, 2011... Hong Kong communications firm PCCW has said that 8 November is the last day for investors wanting to buy preferential units of the company's telecommunications trust, which will be listed shortly, to buy shares in PCCW. To be eligible for the...

South Korea - KT gives up on fixed-line telephony.
October 31, 2011... South Korean communications provider KT will stop investing in its fixed-line telephony services as mobile and internet communications are growing. The company will instead focus on smartphones and other mobile internet devices, the Korea Times...

Australia - Iinet's television ad banned over hidden message.
October 31, 2011... A television ad for Naked DSL by Australian ISP iiNet has been banned over a hidden message embedded in two frames. The ad breached rules on subliminal advertising. The ad had some text embedded that congratulated the viewer for finding the...

Australia - Vodafone Aus launches HTC handset competition.
October 31, 2011... Vodafone Australia has launched a Summer Beats competition. Customers can enter the competition for one of twenty HTC handsets as well as tickets to the Summer Beats Party in Sydney by e-mailing the company with their favourite summer track.

Bangladesh - Banglalion launches bonds for non-resident Bangladeshis.
October 31, 2011... Bangladeshi Wimax services provider Banglalion Communications is hoping to raise BDT 2.8 billion through zero-coupon bonds for non-resident Bangladeshis. The move is part of the company's BDT 4 billion fund-raising plan. "We have already...

Bahrain - Zain Bahrain launches roaming promotion for Hajj.
October 31, 2011... Zain Bahrain has announced a roaming promotion for Hajj, discounting standard roaming rates by nearly 85 percent for its customers while roaming in Saudi Arabia on the Zain KSA network. Customers can make local call in Saudi Arabia, calls back...

Saudi Arabia - STC launches Win Gold with Marhaba cards promotion.
October 31, 2011... Saudi operator STC has launched the Win Gold with Marhaba Calling Cards offer, giving all Marhaba card customers the weekly chance to win different weights of gold. The promotion will run for two months, and customers can enter the draw by...

Zambia - Zambian mobile handset plant under threat from China.
October 31, 2011... Zambian mobile phone assembling plant M-mobile Telecommunications (M-Tech) is facing closure unless the government takes action to protect it from unfair competition from China, ITWeb reported. M-Tech chairman Mohammed Seedat said that the...

Kazakhstan - Beeline Kazakhstan offers free access to social networks.
October 31, 2011... Mobile operator Kar-Tel, working under the Beeline Kazakhstan brand, is offering free access to social networks. Subscribers can now have access to Mail. Ru Messenger, as well as to 0.facebook.com and 0.vkontakte.ru at no extra cost.

Swaziland - MTN Swaziland launches MyChoice.
October 31, 2011... MTN Swaziland has launched a new product which allows contract customers to be in control of their offering. The new product is called MTN MyChoice and it allows customers to choose their entire mobile phone experience from the handset to...

UAE - Intel Capital invests in Neustring.
October 31, 2011... NeuString, a supplier of predictive data analytics software in the mobile communications sector, has completed its Series B financing round led by Intel Capital, alongside new and existing private shareholders. UAE-based NeuString serves more...

Kenya - Orange Kenya plans triple-play offer in 2012.
October 31, 2011... Orange Kenya plans to launch a triple-play offering in the second half of 2012. CEO Mickael Ghossein told Capital Business the firm had been given the go-ahead by its parent company France Telecom to ready its infrastructure to launch the...

Uzbekistan - Beeline Uzbekistan offers free access to social networks.
October 31, 2011... Mobile operator Beeline Uzbekistan has introduced free access to social networks at night for subscribers of its Zo'r-Zo'r tariff. Wap and mobile versions of Facebook, Twitter, as well as Russian social networks Odnoklassniki and vKontakte have...

Georgia - Geocell offers SMS to Facebook, Twitter.
October 31, 2011... Georgian mobile operator Geocell has introduced a service enabling subscribers to send SMS messages to Facebook and Twitter. The standard rate for the SMS message is applied under the service.

Tanzania - Tigo Tanzania launches online recharge service.
October 31, 2011... Tigo Tanzania has introduced a worldwide recharge service using credit cards. Tigo's Deputy General Manager (Consumer) Diego Gutierrez said the product Web Airtime Top-up would enable Visa credit card holders to top up their family, friends and...

Kazakhstan - Kcell offers automatic top-ups from bank account.
October 31, 2011... Kazakhstan mobile operator Kcell introduced the 'Automatic Payment' service. The service enables customers to receive a top-up to their balance automatically from their bank account. The top-up is carried out after reaching a balance of KZT 100;...

Algeria - NSN, Huawei to open training centres in Algiers.
October 28, 2011... Algeria has reached agreements with telecom equipment markets Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei to open ICT training and innovation centres in Algiers, La Tribune reports. The deals were signed at the ITU World 2011 conference in Geneva by...

South Africa - Neotel FY loss widens to ZAR 1.8 bln.
October 28, 2011... South Africas fixed operator Neotel reported a loss of ZAR 1.8 billion in the financial year to end March, Techcentral reports citing the latest annual report from parent Tata Communications. In 2010, the company turned in a loss of ZAR 1.15...

South Africa - NEC launches SL1000 server in Southern Africa.
October 28, 2011... NEC and its Southern African distribution partner TelecomDistribution have introduced NEC's new SL1000 smart communication server to the Southern African market. Directed at smaller businesses, the SL1000 is equipped with the capabilities to...

Israel - Partner's VP for legal affairs takes leave of absence.
October 28, 2011... Israeli operator Partner announced that Roly Klinger, VP for Legal Affairs and Company Secretary, is taking a leave of absence, during which she will study abroad. From 1 November to June 2012, the firm said Yonit Raviv shall act as a substitute...

Papua New Guinea - Digicel selects Telepin Software for mobile money service.
October 28, 2011... Digicel Group has selected mobile money transaction platforms provider Telepin Software to power cellmoni, a mobile money service which offers Papua New Guineans (PNG) a range of financial services including the ability to transfer money...

Egypt - Telecom Egypt strike still on despite bonus payout.
October 28, 2011... Workers at the fixed-line operator Telecom Egypt are continuing with their strike for almost two weeks even after the company said it would give employees a bonus before an Egyptian public holiday next month, Al Alam Al Youm reported. The...

South Korea - LG Uplus revenues grow 15.3% in Q3.
October 28, 2011... Korean operator LG Uplus' revenues for the third quarter grew 15.3 percent to KRW 2.38 trillion from KRW 2.07 trillion in the same period last year. Service revenues grew 1.4 percent from a year ago to KRW 1.6 trillion, led by a 52.6 percent...

Morocco - Meditel launches mobile app development contest.
October 28, 2011... Moroccan operator Medi Telecom (Meditel) has launched the second edition of the Meditel Apps Challenge, a contest challenging young developers to come up with "100 percent Moroccan apps". Candidates must register by 18 December and submit their...

Morocco - Morocco adds 1.18 mln mobile customers in Q3 - study.
October 28, 2011... Morocco added 1.18 million mobile phone customers in the third quarter, taking the total to 36.15 million, according to telecommunications regulator ANRT. At the end of September 2010, the mobile customer base stood at 30.5 million. Maroc...

Malaysia - YTL front-runner for 1Bestarinet project - report.
October 28, 2011... Malaysian Wimax provider YTL Communications is reportedly the front-runner for the MYR 1.5 billion 1Bestarinet project. The project involves connecting 9,924 schools to the internet as well as providing a virtual learning platform. Unnamed...

China - China Unicom grows nine-month profit 4.1%.
October 28, 2011... China Unicom posted a nine-month profit of CNY 4.25 billion, up 4.1 percent year-on-year, and EBITDA totalled CNY 48.57 billion, up 4.1 percent as well. Revenues for the first nine months rose 23.5 percent to CNY 155.92 billion with service...

Japan - IIJ ups net income target for H1.
October 28, 2011... Japanese internet and networking services provider Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) has revised its first half consolidated financial target in light of its recent business performance. The company has lowered its revenue target to JPY 47.20...

China - Baidu grows profit 80%.
October 28, 2011... Chinese search services provider Baidu posted a net income for the third quarter of CNY 1.88 billion, up 79.8 percent. Third quarter revenues were CNY 4.18 billion, up 85.1 percent year-on-year, meeting guidance. Online marketing revenues were...

New Zealand - TeamTalk looking to buy telco.
October 28, 2011... New Zealand mobile radio and high-speed broadband provider TeamTalk is seeking to acquire a telecommunications firm. Managing director David Ware told shareholders at its AGM it had ''dusted off its chequebook'', and was looking for telco...

Sri Lanka - Mobitel launches Upahara promotion.
October 28, 2011... Sri Lankan mobile operator Mobitel has launched a promotion for users of the Upahara package. The operator launched the package in 2008 for state sector employees and pensioners. Upahara customers that have active mobile connections with all...

Cambodia - Metfone launches unlimited internet package.
October 28, 2011... Cambodian mobile operator Metfone has launched an unlimited internet package for USD 25 per month. The new package offers the first 5 GB of data at a maximum speed of 512 /256 Kbps, which is then reduced to 256/128 Kbps.

Philippines - Smart refreshes corporate logo.
October 28, 2011... Philippine mobile operator Smart Communications has unveiled a new logo. Smart's corporate name in blue remains, but its signature rays have been replaced with eight dots in various colours to reflect the broader range of products and services.

Malaysia - Maxis powers KiddyTrack's locator service.
October 28, 2011... Malaysian communications firm Maxis has partnered with child locator service provider KiddyTrack. The service is powered by Maxis' managed machine-2-machine technology provides users with a device track children or elderly by sending a text...

Cambodia - Camintel to launch mobile services next year.
October 28, 2011... Cambodian fixed-line services provider Camintel is planning to offer mobile services from 2012. Camintel is a joint venture between the Cambodian government and a Korean company KTC Cable. Camintel will offer converged fixed and mobile services...

Japan - Softbank's H1 sales boosted by iPhone, Android phone sales.
October 28, 2011... Softbank's net sales for the first half ended 30 September went up 4.8 percent to JPY 1.54 trillion due to steady growth in the mobile subscriber base driven by iPhone and Android smartphone sales. Revenues in the mobile communications segment...

Taiwan - Taiwan Mobile's Q3 revenues grow 23%, profit slips.
October 28, 2011... Taiwanese communications provider Taiwan Mobile ended the third quarter with 6.57 million mobile subscribers, up 3 percent year-on-year, including 4.90 million 3G subscribers. The number of pay-TV subscribers stood at 575,000, up 2 percent, and...

Philippines - Globe Telecom adds Summit Media mags to m.globe.
October 28, 2011... Philippine communications firm Globe Telecom has added Summit Media magazine's to its mobile portal, m.globe. Customers can now access mobile versions of fifteen Summit Media titles. The content is offered for free until 31 October.

Australia - Samsung fights Galaxy Tab injunction.
October 28, 2011... Samsung is seeking to overturn an injunction on the distribution of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia. In an appeal hearing at the Federal Court in Sydney, Samsung argued that Justice Annabelle Bennett's granting of an injunction to Apple to stop...

New Zealand - Westpac picks Gen-i for data centre facilities.
October 28, 2011... Telecom New Zealand's ICT unit Gen-i has been selected by Westpac for the provision of data centre facilities to the bank. The ICT firm will design, deliver, and support a new data centre for Westpac, which is due to go live in early 2012. The...

Japan - J:Com grows nine-month profits 4%.
October 28, 2011... Japanese cable operator Jupiter Telecommunications (J:Com) grew its revenues and profits in the nine months ended 30 September. Revenue increased by 3.2 percent to JPY 276.30 billion from JPY 267.75 billion in the year-ago period. Operating...

Australia - Iinet launches business mobile handsets.
October 28, 2011... Australian ISP and communications firm iiNet has introduced its first-ever range of mobile handsets and plans for Australian small and medium businesses. Three Android mobile phones will be offered on a 24-month contract or outright with a Sim...

Philippines - Reps mull court action to stop PLDT-Digitel merger.
October 28, 2011... Philippine legislators on the Bayan Muna party list are considering seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the acquisition by PLDT of a majority stake in Digitel. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) recently approved PLDT's...

South Korea - SK Telecom's Q3 profit slips 18.5%.
October 28, 2011... Korean mobile operator SK Telecom saw its net income for the third quarter fall 18.5 percent to KRW 384 billion from KRW 471 in the third quarter last year. Operating revenues, however, rose 1.9 percent to KRW 4.07 trillion on contributions from...

Australia - Australia lags on data breach notification laws.
October 28, 2011... The lack of data breach notification laws are hurting Australia's reputation as a leader in security standards, Verizon global security services director Jonathan Nguyen-Duy told ZDNet Australia. There is little incentive for companies in...

Bangladesh - Court stays part of regulator's letter to Grameenphone.
October 28, 2011... The Bangladesh High Court has stayed part of a letter from the regulator to operator Grameenphone on paying spectrum fees. The court also asked the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to explain why this part of the letter...

China - Unicom to construct business centre in Chongqing.
October 28, 2011... China Unicom has begun the construction of a business and data centre in Chongqing. The centre will be equipped with 20,000 cabinets and 180,000 servers to facilitate China Unicom's cloud computing business, news agency Xinhua reports. The...

Pakistan - PTCL cuts on-net rates.
October 28, 2011... Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has introduced new landline offers. PTCL is now offering unlimited on-net calls on Sundays and budget packages with no line-rental fees. It's also cutting the on-net rate for calls to PSTN and...

Africa - MTN grows subscriber base 4.1% in Q3.
October 28, 2011... Africa and Middle East mobile operator MTN saw its subscriber base increase by 4.1 percent in the third quarter to 158.59 million on 30 September. MTN said it successfully maintained market share in most of its markets. Although social unrest...

Africa - IHS raises USD 52 mln from ECP, Investec.
October 28, 2011... Emerging Capital Partners (ECP), an African private equity firm, announced that it has made a USD 32 million investment in IHS, a telecommunications infrastructure provider. IHS was founded in 2001 to provide tower infrastructure in Africa. The...

Oman - Renna announces international call offers.
October 28, 2011... Oman operator Renna Mobile announced a new international calling offer. The promotion consists of a three-month offer from 26 October whereby customers can enjoy low calling rates from 18:00hrs to 06:00hrs by subscribing to one of two available...

Kenya - Safaricom launches cloud computing project.
October 28, 2011... Kenyan operator Safaricom has unveiled what it claims to be the largest indigenous public cloud solution in the region. Safaricom said it has invested an initial KES 2 billion in the necessary infrastructure, while a further KES 1.5 billion wil...

Algeria - Nedjma's Q2 revenue up 28.9%.
October 28, 2011... Algerian mobile operator Nedjma recorded revenue for the first nine months of 2011 up 28.9 percent year-on-year to USD 594.6 million. Nedjma had 8.24 million customers at the end of September, an increase of 2.1 percent compared to the same...

Saudi Arabia - STC offers 50% discount for 24 hours on calls to Turkey.
October 28, 2011... Saudi operator STC will offer postpaid Sawa and Lana customers a reduction of 50 percent on outgoing voice and video calls, SMS and MMS towards Turkey on 29 October, the national day of Turkey. As this day follows the disastrous earthquake that...

Saudi Arabia - Mobily negotiates SAR 10 bln refinance deal.
October 28, 2011... Saudi operator Mobily announced that it in the process of concluding an Islamic refinance agreement with local banks to refinance the balance of the following loans: a SAR 10.781 billion long-term loan, which it obtained in 2007; a medium-term...

Saudi Arabia - Bravo subscriber base grows to 210,000.
October 28, 2011... Saudi Arabia operator Bravo's customer base increased by 5.8 percent to reach 210,000 at 30 September, compared to the same period in 2010. Revenues for the first nine months of 2011 decreased to USD 51.4 million from USD 59.5 million for the...