CommsUpdate
TeleGeography's free daily email summary of the world’s top telecom news stories.
16 May 2012
WIRELESS
3G licensing draft approved by regulator’s committee; 4G trials okayed
A committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) yesterday approved Thailand’s draft licence auction framework for the 2100MHz 3G mobile frequency band, reports the Bangkok Post. Under the... more
PURA enforcing mid-June deadline for SIM registration
Gambia’s Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA) has confirmed that it will block all unregistered mobile SIM cards which remain at the 15 June deadline which it has set for the... more
Mobily prepares for MVNO deals with Xius contract
The Saudi Arabian telco Etihad Etisalat, which trades as Mobily, has awarded India-based software vendor Xius a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE) management contract. With the Saudi government preparing to... more
Fresh threats over TRAI proposals
Russia’s Sistema, majority owner of Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTL), has threatened to withdraw from operations in India if the government accepts the controversial proposals put forward by the Telecoms Regulatory... more
Digicel Barbados launches fixed substitution bundles
Digicel Barbados has launched a new alternative to landline voice and fixed internet services with the introduction of the cellcos’s latest bundle, ‘Digicel Choice’, which offers voice and internet services... more
O2 UK rolling out DC-HSPA+?
British mobile network operator O2 UK has reportedly begun the deployment of Dual Carrier HSPA+ (DC-HSPA+) technology, CNET UK claims. Citing an unnamed O2 UK spokesman as confirming the development,... more
CMT begins public consultation on MVNO legislation update
Spain’s Comision del Mercado de las Telecomunicacinoes (CMT) has announced the launch of a public consultation examining proposals for the future regulation of the country’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO)... more
Government considering regional LTE tenders
According to an unconfirmed report by Vedomsoti, Russia’s Ministry of Communications (MinSvyaz) is considering a plan to hold separate Long Term Evolution (LTE) tenders in at least ten regions. The... more
Las Vegas cops take a gamble on LTE
Florida-based Harris Corporation has announced that it installing 700MHz Long Term Evolution (LTE) configured modems in a number of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) vehicles in a pilot programme... more
Digicel BVI: ‘If you are not living on the EDGE you are taking up too much space’
In a surprise move, Digicel’s British Virgin Islands’ subsidiary has announced a ‘significant’ upgrade to its EDGE network, promising to deliver a better user experience and faster transmission speeds for... more
BROADBAND
AzTelekom widens broadband coverage in rural areas
Azeri telecoms operator AzTelekom, which is wholly owned by the state via the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), is set to expand the availability of broadband services in... more
HAKOM extends broadband tender to August
Croatian telecoms regulator, the Postal & Electronic Communications Agency (HAKOM), has extended a bidding deadline in a public tender for the award of state aid to roll out broadband networks... more
Gateway steps up terrestrial network initiative
Pan-African telecoms service supplier Gateway Communications has announced that it has brought additional capacity from submarine cable SAT-3 to landlocked Botswana via South Africa, under its Southern African Development Community... more
NetCologne to bring services to Burscheid
Regional network operator NetCologne has announced that it will begin offering high speed internet services in Burscheid, a town in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, from autumn this year.... more
Subtel and Entel complete rural connectivity project
Chilean telecoms regulator the Sub-Secretaria de Telecomunicaciones (Subtel) has announced the completion of its public-private initiative, to deliver broadband services to remote rural communities. The project, which saw Subtel partner... more
WIRELINE
GNC-ALFA claims national coverage for fixed telecoms services
Armenian alternative fixed line service provider GNC-ALFA claims it can now provide services across the entire country using non-geographic numbers from the list (060) 46????. Local news journal ARKA says... more
CORPORATE/FINANCIAL
SLT increases sales, EBIT by 9%, 14%; PSTN lines rise
Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has reported that its consolidated operating profit (EBIT) grew by 14% year-on-year to LKR1.86 billion (USD14.5 million) in the first quarter of 2012, on revenues which... more
Lightsquared files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Stricken open-access Long Term Evolution (LTE) start-up LightSquared has announced that it has commenced voluntarily reorganisation cases under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code to give it time to... more
Tele2 denies Russian exit rumours
Swedish telecoms giant Tele2 has denied Russian media reports suggesting that the company plans to sell its Russian subsidiary. In a statement issued late on Tuesday, Tele2 said: ‘The management... more
Oi reports tripling in Q1 profits as business plan gains traction
Brazilian telecoms group Oi SA, the company formed through the restructuring of Telemar Participacoes’ former operating divisions Brasil Telecom, Tele Norte Leste Participacoes, Coari Participacoes and Telemar Norte Leste, says... more
Tesco Mobile Ireland doubles revenues, posts pre-tax profit
Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Tesco Mobile Ireland, a joint venture between retail giant Tesco and Telefonica O2 Ireland, booked revenues of EUR21.5 million (USD27.5 million) in FY 2011, more... more
Eircom rescue plan thrown into doubt following court application
Eircom’s rescue plan, currently in the throes of being finalised by the court-appointed examiner Michael McAteer, has been thrown into doubt following an unprecedented application to the Commercial Court, which... more
Bouygues loses 379,000 subscribers as competition bites
French operator Bouygues Telecom lost 379,000 subscribers in the first three months of 2012 due to the increased competition following the launch of low-cost cellular operator Free Mobile on 10... more
Djezzy sees 7% increase in sales in Q1 2012
The Algerian telco Djezzy, which is backed by the Russia-based telecoms group Vimpelcom, has reported a 7% rise in sales for the first three months of 2012 to DZD34.3 billion... more
IIJ reports 18% rise in sales for FY2011
The Japanese internet service provider (ISP) Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) has reported full-year net income of JPY3.64 billion (USD44.1 million) in its 2011 fiscal year to 31 March 2012, a... more
Zain to invest JOD85m in infrastructure in 2012
Kuwait-backed Zain Jordan plans to invest JOD85 million (USD119.42 million) in infrastructure and new technologies in 2012, the company’s CEO Ahmad Al Hanandeh told Dow Jones Newswires. The figure represents... more
Morgan Stanley trims KPN stake to 4.93%, financial regulator says
MarketWatch reports that Morgan Stanley has reduced its stake in Dutch telco KPN Telecom (also known as Royal KPN) from 10.01% to 4.93%. Citing a report by the Dutch financial... more
Cellcom suffers amid increased competition as it posts 43.5% drop in net profit in 1Q12
Amid increasing competition and lower prices for consumers in the wireless sector, Israel’s largest cellco by subscribers, Cellcom, has revealed a 43.5% year-on-year on drop in net profit. For the... more