Telecompaper Africa/Asia articles from September 2011, page 4

Telecompaper Africa/Asia archives from September 2011

Australia - Qantas to trial in-flight internet services next year.
September 26, 2011... Australian airline Qantas is planning a trial of satellite-based in-flight internet services next year. The trial will be carried out on a limited number of A380 flights to either Singapore/London or Los Angeles, the Australian Business...

Philippines - Senator slams Altimax, NTC over spectrum leasing deal.
September 26, 2011... Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada has criticised Altimax Broadcasting for breaching its Congressional franchise and also condemned the regulator for allowing this to happen. In a speech, Estrada criticised the National Telecommunications...

Nepal - Ministry rejects NTA's unified licence proposal again.
September 26, 2011... Nepal's Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) has rejected a proposal by the telecommunications regulator on unified licensing. The Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) asked the government to create a single licence that would...

Azerbaijan - Azercell launches lottery promotion.
September 26, 2011... Azerbaijani mobile operator Azercell has begun a promotion campaign for its subscribers and increased included traffic for students. The promotional campaign allows subscribers to send an SMS, which is priced at AZN 1.18, to take part in a...

Taiwan - TBC to invest TWD 2 bln in digital TV services.
September 26, 2011... Taiwanese cable TV and internet services provider Taiwan Broadband Communications (TBC) is planning to invest TWD 2 billion over the next five years for digital cable TV services. Some TWD 1.5 billion will be used to procure new set-top boxes...

Singapore - StarHub begins multicurrency notes programme.
September 26, 2011... Singaporean communications provider StarHub has established a SGD 1 million multicurrency medium term notes programme, under which StarHub may issue notes from time to time. ANZ and DBS Bank have been appointed as the arrangers and dealers for...

Philippines - Globe launches unlimited IDD package.
September 26, 2011... Philippine communications services provider Globe Telecom has launched an international calls package called 'SuperIDD Unlimited International' for its prepaid customers. The package allows customers to make unlimited calls to three unique...

Malaysia - U Mobile signs up 1 mlnth subscriber, expands services.
September 26, 2011... Malaysian mobile operator U Mobile has signed up its 1 millionth subscriber. Separately, the company also announced that it has expanded its 42 Mbps mobile broadband offering to Klang Valley, Seremban, and Port Dickinson. The service was earlier...

Australia - Fixed lines dominate downloads in Australia - study.
September 26, 2011... Subscription numbers in Australia for both fixed and mobile services suggest that while mobile take-up continues to grow, this is not necessarily at the cost of fixed-line services. Convenience is prompting the growth of mobile phone services,...

India - DoT rejects Qualcomm's BWA licence application.
September 26, 2011... India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has rejected Qualcomm's broadband wireless licence application for missing the deadline. The DoT also told Qualcomm in a letter that while the company applied for the licence for four nominee...

Singapore - NeraTel receives purchase orders worth SGD 13.4 mln.
September 26, 2011... Singapore-based telecommunication services and equipment provider Nera Telecommunications (NeraTel) has received purchase orders with an aggregate value of nearly SGD 13.4 million (approximately NOK 59.8 million).

Uzbekistan - Uztelecom, NSN provide web access and PCs for IT college.
September 26, 2011... Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has donated PCs for the computing class at the IT college in the city of Uchkurgan in the Namangan region. The national operator Uztelecom has installed a local network and is providing internet access for the...

Kyrgyzstan - Megacom expands services in Osh.
September 26, 2011... Kyrgyzstan mobile operator Megacom said it now owns over 300 base stations in the Osh region. It also has four retail outlets there, two of which are located in the city of Osh, and the others in Uzgen and Kara-Suu.

Tajikistan - Megafon Tajikistan offers cheap roaming services in Russia.
September 26, 2011... Mobile operator Megafon Tajikistan has introduced its Convenient Roaming service for subscribers located in Russia. Incoming calls from subscribers of Megafon Tajikistan and Russian mobile operator Megafon are free, while other incoming calls...

Georgia - Magticom introduces call bundles.
September 26, 2011... Georgian mobile operator Magticom has introduced new call-bundles offering special rates for calls to all Georgian networks. The bundle includes 1,000 minutes and costs GEL 60, the one with 400 minutes costs GEL 30, the one with 150 minutes is...

Kazakhstan - Tele2 Kazakhstan to launch services in Pavlodar.
September 26, 2011... Mobile operator Tele2 Kazakhstan will launch services in the Pavlodar region on 1 October. The services will be available in Pavlodar, Ekibastuz, Aksu and in other agglomerations. The network of the operator covers 70 percent of the region's...

Georgia - Geocell introduces social networks pack for mobile customers.
September 26, 2011... Georgian mobile operator Geocell has launched the Social Networks package, which gives access to mobile versions of Facebook, Twitter, Odnoklassniki and other social networks to mobile internet subscribers. The subscription costs GEL 0.20 per...

Azerbaijan - Azerkosmos launches tender for optical cable network.
September 26, 2011... Azerbaijan satellite operator Azerkosmos has launched a tender for the deployment of a fibre optical cable network. The network will connect Khyrdalan telephone exchange to the satellite management centre, reports Trend. The section of the...

Tajikistan - Takom cuts GPRS roaming rates.
September 26, 2011... Mobile operator Takom, working under the Beeline Tajikistan brand, has reduced rates for GPRS services for subscribers using international roaming by five times to USD 0.10 per 1 MB. The offer is available on Beeline networks in Russia, Armenia,...

Rwanda - Airtel names Paluku as country manager for Rwanda.
September 26, 2011... Airtel has announced the appointment of Marcellin Paluku as country manager for Rwanda. Paluku has over fifteen years of experience at leading fast-moving consumer goods and telecoms companies, including Coca-Cola and Celtel, and has worked in...

South Africa - FibreCo selects ZTE for national open-access fibre network.
September 26, 2011... South Africa's FibreCo, the joint venture between Cell C, Convergence Partners and Internet Solutions, has chose ZTE to construct its national open-access fibre optic network, MyBroadband.co.uk reported. FibreCo plans to build a 12,000 km...

Ghana - Tigo Ghana customers can Tweet via SMS.
September 26, 2011... Tigo Ghana has introduced the Tigo Twitter SMS Service, Adom News reported. The service allows all Tigo subscribers, both prepaid and postpaid, to send and receive Tweets through text messages. This means Twitter users can now use the social...

Israel - Israeli co Partner's personnel VP quits after 2 months.
September 26, 2011... Israeli mobile operator Partner Communication's Vice President for Human Resources, Avi Zamir, has quit the company just two months after taking up his post, Globes reported. Zamir, formerly head of the IDF Manpower Directorate, was appointed by...

South Africa - Nokia N9 set for South Africa launch in October.
September 26, 2011... Nokia said its N9 smartphone will be available in South Africa from mid-October at a recommended retail price of around ZAR 5,999, MyBroadband reported. It said the press pack had put the price at ZAR 7,000 and the launch date as November, but...

Ghana - Vodafone Ghana to roll out new chain of stores.
September 26, 2011... Vodafone Ghana intends to roll out a new chain of stores across the country, Luv Biz Report said. CEO Kyle Whitehill said Vodafone is eager to exceed customers' expectations with the best products, especially through its franchise operations,...

Qatar - Starlink launches BlackBerry smartphone in Qatar.
September 26, 2011... Qatar communications service provider Starlink has launched Blackberry's latest handset, the Blackberry 9810, the Gulf Times reported. The handset is similar in appearance to its predecessor, with a QWERTY keyboard design and high-resolution...

Kenya - Essar to pay KDN in two weeks or be switched off.
September 26, 2011... Essar Telkom, parent of mobile operator Yu, must pay Kenya Data Networks (KDN) about KES 25 million in the next two weeks to avoid being switched off, the Daily Nation reported online. It will also have to continue paying USD 65,665 (KES 6.2...

Tanzania - Vodacom Tanzania supports safety initiative for disabled.
September 26, 2011... Vodacom Tanzania has donated 30 road signs posters to the National Committee for persons with Disabilities on road safety, worth a total of TZS 3.5 million, the Daily News reported. Vodacom Foundation Officer Grace Lyon said the operator wants...

Ghana - Airtel, Databank launch M-payment for Databank investors.
September 26, 2011... Airtel Ghana said that its Airtel Money mobile transfer service and Databank have together launched a service to enable users to top up investments via their mobile phone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Databank investors registered on...

Namibia - Telecom Namibia staff get pay rise, benefits after talks.
September 26, 2011... Salaries for unionised staff at Telecom Namibia (TN) and Namibia Post and Telecom Holdings (NPTH) have been increased by 9.5 percent and 10 percent respectively after talks between the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) and the employers, New...

South Africa - ICASA sets local loop unbundling hearings for 10-14 Oct.
September 26, 2011... The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has set a provisional date for hearings on local-loop unbundling, the regulatory intervention that will force Telkom to open its "last mile" of copper cables to competitors,...

Kuwait - Viva Kuwait offers special rates for Saudi National Day.
September 23, 2011... Viva Kuwait said it is offering a new special celebration offer for prepaid and postpaid customers on Saudi Arabia's National Day on 23 September. The special celebration offer allows customers to make calls to Saudi Arabia, with each call...

Kenya - Airtel Cashmania promotion to run through Nov.
September 23, 2011... Airtel Kenya has up to now given 21 customers KES 100,000 each in the 90 day Cashmania promotion that was launched on the 26 August. Customers who want to participate send an SMS answering fun and easy questions that offers them points and...

Uganda - Mozilla Firefox to launch Luganda language version.
September 23, 2011... Mozilla plans to launch a version of its Mozilla Firefox internet browser in the Luganda language, the Daily Monitor reported in its online edition. The launch of Mozilla Firefox Luganda is expected on 29 September. It is part of a localisation...

Bahrain - Batelco offers free fun park admission to inbound roamers.
September 23, 2011... Bahrain operator Batelco has reached an agreement with the funfair Adhari Park to develop a number of promotions for the benefit of Batelco's home customers and of inbound roamers who select the Batelco network. The first promotion is...

UAE - Etisalat selects Zhone to provide mobile data backhaul.
September 23, 2011... UAE-based operator Etisalat has expanded its use of Zhone Technologies MXK's intelligent terabit access concentrator to backhaul its mobile data traffic, including traffic from its most recent LTE deployment. Etisalat will use Zhone's flagship...

Kenya - Nokia extends 'Create for Millions' competition.
September 23, 2011... Nokia said it has extended the deadline for its 'Create for Millions' Competition in East and Southern Africa to give developers ample time to work on mobile applications running on its Series 40 operating system. Participants now have until 01...

Nigeria - Glo 3G modem renamed Net Pro, speed doubled.
September 23, 2011... Globacom's popular 3G plus High Speed Internet (HSI) modem has been upgraded to make it much faster and more convenient and has been renamed the Glo 3G Net Pro. The modem now has the potential for speeds up to 7.2 Mbps, up from 3.6 mbps. Head of...

UAE - MTN Uganda opens new service centre in Kampala.
September 23, 2011... MTN Uganda has opened another service centre in Kampala to bring its services closer to customers in the downtown area. The new centre comes on the tail of its first ever Mobile Customer Service Centre, which hit the road three months ago. CMO...

Kenya - Tecno Telecom launches 4-SIM handset in Kenya.
September 23, 2011... Mobile phone manufacturer Techno Telecom said it plans to launch a four-SIM handset in the Kenyan market, The Daily Nation said online. This is expected to change the face of competition by making it possible for a subscriber to switch between...

India - Spice launches MiTab tablet.
September 23, 2011... Spice Mobiles has launched the Mi-720 tablet, known as the MiTab. The device runs on Google's Android 2.2 Froyo OS, Snapdragon S1 800 MHz processor with an Adreno 200 graphics processing unit. It features a 7-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen,...

Hong Kong - ZTE launches Skate smartphone in Hong Kong.
September 23, 2011... ZTE has completed the first phase of the global roll-out of its Skate smartphone in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong roll-out is the first Skate launch in Asia-Pacific. The Skate smartphone is powered by Android 2.3 and features 4.3-inch TFT (thin film...

China - China's MOST selects Polycom for UC video services.
September 23, 2011... China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has deployed video and voice communications systems provider Polycom's UC video services including the RealPresence Platform, to speed development of its projects and conferences, in particular...

China - UTStarcom wins EPON contract from Ningxia Electric.
September 23, 2011... IP networking products provider UTStarcom Holdings has won an EPON contract to enhance China-based Ningxia Electric Power Company's integrated electric distribution system and communication platform. By 2012, Ningxia Electric expects the...

China - QQ.com partners with HTC on customised ChaCha phone.
September 23, 2011... Taiwanese handset maker HTC has partnered with Chinese internet company QQ.com to launch a customised version of its ChaCha social networking smartphone in China. HTC earlier launched another social networking phone, the Salsa, in China with...

Australia - ACCC releases draft MTAS pricing.
September 23, 2011... The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released a draft final access determination for the domestic mobile terminating access service (MTAS). The regulator reduced the rate for the MTAS from AUD 0.21 per minute in 2004 to...

China - SK Broadband, Unicom agree on internet connection expansion.
September 23, 2011... South Korean internet provider SK Broadband has signed a preliminary agreement with China Unicom on cooperation on internet services in China and South Korea. SK Broadband, part of SK Telecom, will collaborate with China Unicom to expand...

Australia - Telstra launches prepaid promotion.
September 23, 2011... Telstra has launched a prepaid promotion to attract new customers. Mobile users that buy a AUD 2 prepaid Sim kit online before 24 October and switch their mobile number to Telstra will get AUD 30 bonus credit. Furthermore, prepaid customers that...

China - Japanese publisher launches e-book JV in Taiwan.
September 23, 2011... Japanese publisher Kodansha will launch an e-book business in China in the second half of this year. The company will establish a joint venture in November in Taiwan to deliver translated books and cartoons to internet and smartphone users....

China - Unicom Shanghai to invest CNY 12 bln in broadband.
September 23, 2011... China Unicom's Shanghai branch plans to invest CNY 12 billion on broadband over the next three years. The project will see the roll out o fibre optic networks in urban areas and mobile broadband networks, CapitalVue writes citing a report in the...

Australia - Telstra developing 3G wholesale product.
September 23, 2011... Australian communications provider Telstra will soon begin wholesaling its 3G network. The company confirmed to ZDNet Australia that it has begun advising its wholesale customers that it is developing a 3G wholesale product. The company did not...

Philippines - Meralco picks Tejas for MSPP system.
September 23, 2011... Philippine electricity provider Meralco has picked Indian telecommunications equipment maker Tejas Networks for its optical transport MSPP system to provide telecommunications services in Manila. All of the Meralco's traffic (data and voice)...

Japan - Japan ends June with 26.42 mln IP phone lines.
September 23, 2011... Japan ended June with 38.55 million ISDN subscribers, down by 9 percent year-on-year. The total number of ISDN contracts held by NTT East and West stands at 33.65 million, showing an ongoing trend of decline, according to the Ministry of...

Australia - ACMA releases paper on testing self-regulation.
September 23, 2011... An updated tool kit to test the effectiveness of communications and media self-regulation has been released by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). The tool kit outlines twelve conditions relevant to analysing the...

Australia - TPG to offer broadband over Telstra's Brisbane fibre.
September 23, 2011... TPG will offer broadband plans on Telstra's fibre link in the South Brisbane exchange area. Telstra is replacing the copper network in South Brisbane with fibre as the South Brisbane telephone exchange is scheduled to close to make way for the...

Singapore - SingTel subscribes for further units in NetLink Trust.
September 23, 2011... Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) has completed its subscription for a further 567.38 million units at SGD 1.00 each in NetLink Trust. SingTel established NetLink Trust in July this year to hold infrastructure assets used by national fibre...

Singapore - StarHub launches shared plan.
September 23, 2011... Singaporean communications provider StarHub has launched a postpaid mobile plan that offers sharing of inclusions with family members. The new SmartSurf SharePlus mobile plan is available to StarHub mobile customers who have SmartSurf 300 or...

China - Chunghwa to establish ICT joint venture with Farglory.
September 23, 2011... Chunghwa Telecom will establish a joint venture with Farglory Land Development in China. The joint venture, which has yet to be named, will provide ICT services in China. Chunghwa will invest USD 1.7 million in the new company.

China - Group of investors to invest USD 1.6 bln in Alibaba.
September 23, 2011... A group of investors plan to invest USD 1.6 billion in China-based internet marketplace services provider Alibaba Group Holding. The group of investors include private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners, Russian venture company Digital Sky...

Philippines - Globe Telecom opens 33rd flagship store.
September 23, 2011... Philippine communications firm Globe Telecom has opened its 33rd flagship store at the Abreeza Mall in Davao City. The company plans to open a total of seventy flagship stores by the end of the year. Globe has a total of 136 stores nationwide.

Philippines - NTC wants Globe, PLDT to interconnect in 7 more provinces.
September 23, 2011... The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is expecting Philippine communications firms Globe Telecom and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) to interconnect their networks in seven more provinces before the end of the year. When...

Australia - Google wins case against ACCC.
September 23, 2011... The Australian Federal Court has dismissed allegations by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that internet search engine Google engaged in practices likely to mislead consumers. The ACCC claimed that by failing to...

Maldives - Dhiraagu adds 2 ADSL plans.
September 23, 2011... Maldives communications provider Dhiraagu has introduced two new ADSL 'Home Unlimited' packages. The packages are specially designed for internet users who require better speeds than the existing Home Unlimited package. The Home 50GB plan is...

Australia - AARNet, Huawei link up telepresence suites.
September 23, 2011... Australia's Academic and Research Network (AARNet) and Huawei have linked up Huawei's telepresence suite in Melbourne with AARNet's existing Polycom and Cisco telepresence equipment. The demo also marked the launch of Huawei's first telepresence...

Viet Nam - Vietnam's mobile phone exports up to USD 3.29 bln.
September 23, 2011... Between January and August, mobile handset and component exports generated USD 3.29 billion in Vietnam, a three-fold increase year-on-year. In August, mobile phones and component exports earned USD 710 million, up 59.5 percent from July, Viet...

Malaysia - Celcom launches smartphone promotion.
September 23, 2011... Malaysian mobile operator Celcom Axiata will hold a promotional handset campaign between 23 and 25 September in several locations around the country. During the three-day event, customers can buy a BlackBerry Torch 9860 for MYR 988 (normally MYR...

Lebanon - Alfa starts 3G tests with customers.
September 23, 2011... Lebanese mobile operator Alfa has launched the pilot phase of its 3G network, which will last until 20 October. The exercise will see 2,000 participants test 3.5G Sim cards and modems. The testing phase extends from Beirut and Mount Lebanon up...

Uganda - Zuku TV targets 100,000 subscribers in Uganda in 2 years.
September 23, 2011... Uganda's pay-TV service Zuku targets 100,000 subscribers within two years after going through a successful soft launch and setting up a countrywide distribution and customer service network. CEO Richard Bell said Zuku has been very well received...

Georgia - Geocell offers social networking add-on.
September 23, 2011... Georgian mobile operator Geocell launched 'Social networks pack,' an add-on available at GEL 20 per day. With this add-on, end-users get 10MB per day to access the mobile versions of Facebook, Odnoklassniki, Twitter or other social networks....

Middle East - Aptec to distribute Microsoft 365 in Mideast.
September 23, 2011... Aptec Holdings has qualified as the first Microsoft Cloud Distributor for the Middle East. The distribution agreement will see Aptec offering the Microsoft Office 365 cloud service to resellers in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait, with the intent to...

South Africa - FNB launches m-banking app for Nokia smartphones.
September 23, 2011... South Africa's First National Bank announced that its mobile banking app is now also available for Nokia Symbian smartphones, making the FNB App available on all major operating systems. FNB clients who have Nokia Symbian touchscreen phones are...

Kenya - Stanchart upgrades m-banking in Kenya.
September 23, 2011... Standard Chartered Bank Kenya signed an agreement with Cellulant to roll out new mobile commerce services. Cellulant will deploy its new mobile commerce platform dubbed Release 3.0, which enables banking, merchant services, digital services,...

South Africa - World of Avatar buys MXit.
September 23, 2011... South Africa-based World of Avatar has signed a binding agreement to acquire 90 percent of MXit for an undisclosed amount, with 10 percent remaining in the hands of its staff via a trust set up by founder Herman Heunis in 2005. With more than 43...

India - BSNL's FY loss triples to INR 60 bln.
September 23, 2011... Indian state-owned operator BSNL's losses have more than tripled to about INR 60 billion during its fiscal year 2010-11 mainly due to employee costs and expenses for procuring 3G and BWA spectrum, reports the PTI. According to the unaudited...

India - RIM launches BlackBerry Torch 9860 in India.
September 23, 2011... Research In Motion has launched the BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone in India, reports the Business Standard. The handset features the BlackBerry 7 operating system, a 1 GHz central processing unit, a 3.7-inch display and a new Webkit browser....

Kenya - Yu to route international traffic with Tata Comunications.
September 23, 2011... Tata Communications and Essar Telecom Kenya announced a contract to route international traffic from the Yu mobile network in Kenya through Tata Communications' network. The partnership will allow Yu to access Tata Communications' extensive...

Congo, Dem. Rep. - Tigo DRC's Voice SMS achieves 60% take-up.
September 23, 2011... Tigo DRC said that its Voice SMS service has achieved an adoption rate of over 60 percent in a little more than the previous six months. Tigo launched the Voice SMS service across the Democratic Republic of Congo in September 2010, based on...

Singapore - SingTel selects Horizon for communications over internet.
September 23, 2011... Horizon Globex, a wholly owned subsidiary of One Horizon Group, has signed an agreement with SingTel to provide its Horizon platform. Horizon provides communications over the internet. Enabled by the company's SmartPacket technology, it offers...

Tajikistan - Takom offers cheap calls to Afganistan, new GPRS plans.
September 23, 2011... Mobile operator Takom, working under the Beeline Tajikistan brand, introduced an offer of cheap calls to Afganistan for subscribers on its Pamir tariff. Calls to Afganistan are offered for USD 0.18 per minute. Activation of the service costs USD...

Georgia - Megafon launches 3G network in South Ossetia.
September 23, 2011... South Ossetian operator Ostelecom, a subsidiary of Russian mobile operator Megafon, has begun commercial operation of its 3G network in South Ossetia. Megafon has invested RUB 300 million in the development of mobile services in the republic in...

Kazakhstan - Tele2 Kazakhstan expands services to Kokshetau.
September 23, 2011... Mobile operator Tele2 Kazakhstan will open a retail outlet in Kokshetau city and launch sales of its services there on 26 September. The operator has already expanded its network supporting both 3G and 2G standards in the Akmola region in order...

India - Mobile phone shipment in India grows 6% in Q2 - study.
September 23, 2011... Mobile phone shipments in India in the second quarter witnessed a growth of 6 percent from year ago and there was a minor decline of 3 percent from the previous quarter, according to a study by IDC. In absolute terms, the market clocked a...

South Africa - Trudon selects Amdocs for mobile site creation, applications.
September 23, 2011... Customer systems provider Amdocs has signed an agreement with Cellcity and MobeeArt to deliver mobile capacities to South Africa-based search and digital advertising provider Trudon. MobeeArt's mobile site creation service and Cellcity's mobile...

Israel - Israeli committee recommends lower fixed interconnection fee.
September 23, 2011... Israel's committee charged with regulating the telecommunication industry has recommended an immediate reduction in fixed interconnection fees, similar to the recent cut in mobile termination fees. According to Globes, the Hayek committee...