CommsUpdate
TeleGeography's free daily email summary of the world’s top telecom news stories.
25 Feb 2013
WIRELESS
Eircom rolls back eMobile aspirations
The Irish Independent newspaper writes that the country’s former monopoly Eircom is planning to scale back its eMobile operations as part of its wider EUR1.6 billion (USD2.1 billion) expansion plan... more
Auction for fourth Iraqi mobile concession rumoured to be imminent
UK-based accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is reportedly advising the Iraqi government on its long-awaited auction for a fourth mobile licence, which is tipped to include concessions for both 3G and... more
Bahrain confirms no new entrants in 4G auction
Bahrain’s Cabinet yesterday approved the launch of the country’s 4G mobile licence auction, which will be open only to existing mobile licensees in the country, Gulf Daily News reported, quoting... more
Mobile operators ink number portability agreement
Azerbaijan’s three mobile network operators – Azercell, Bakcell and Azerfon – have signed an agreement on the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) in the country, according to the Ministry... more
Pioneer Cellular boosts LTE coverage to five new markets
Oklahoma-based rural operator Pioneer Cellular has reportedly expanded its Long Term Evolution (LTE) coverage to five new markets across the state, namely: Alva, Canton, Fairview, Okeene and Woodward. RCR Wireless... more
Ericsson to supply O2’s LTE network
Ericsson has announced that it has been selected by O2 UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Spanish telecoms operator Telefonica, to supply an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) – the core... more
AT&T confirms USD20m investment in USVI in 2010/12
Telecoms giant AT&T has announced that it invested more than USD20 million in its wireless and wireline networks in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) between 2010 and 2012. Ray... more
Uninor users to be refunded, allowed MNP
Norwegian-backed cellco Uninor has begun offering mobile number portability (MNP) to customers in Mumbai after an order from the Supreme Court last week obliged the carrier to immediately cease operations... more
T-Mobile NL keeps cards close to chest on DC-HSPA+, paper says
Dutch mobile network operator T-Mobile Netherlands has told Telecompaper that whilst it is continuing to invest in its W-CDMA/3G network, it is remaining tight-lipped on plans to deploy dual-carrier (DC)... more
Umniah inks deal with Skype
Bahrain-backed cellco Umniah has partnered with US voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) provider Skype to provide additional voice services, primarily to Umniah’s 3G ‘Evo’ users. AME Info writes that, under the deal,... more
GT&T teams up with Indian firm for mobile money
Guyanese incumbent Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has confirmed its plans to roll out mobile financial services and will partner with India’s Mahindra Comviva to deliver the new offering,... more
100,000 registered for Qtel mobile money
Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has registered 100,000 users of its Mobile Money service, launched in 2011 in partnership with Qatar National Bank (QNB). The service allows users to deposit money into... more
True confirms April LTE launch date
Confirming previous reports, Thailand’s True Corp has fixed a target date of April 2013 to launch the country's first commercial 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile service using its 2100MHz... more
TOT, CAT sign 3G roaming pact
Coinciding with TOT’s launch of an expanded 3G 2100MHz mobile service across Thailand last week, the state-run telco and its sister company CAT Telecom signed a network roaming agreement allowing... more
BROADBAND
Sierra Leone hooks up to ACE
Sierra Leone has launched its connection to the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable system, providing the West African country with its first direct fibre-optic link to the global... more
Telma inks fibre expansion deal
Fixed line incumbent Telecom Malagasy (Telma) has signed an agreement with Sagemcom to extend the reach of the national fibre-optic backbone network, Agence Ecofin reports. The 2,000km extension will connect... more
Videotron’s Gallic web flicks rival Netflix
Quebec-based quadruple-play cableco Videotron last week launched ‘Illico Club Unlimited’, an online video-on-demand (VoD) service offering the largest collection of French-language television and movie titles in Canada, initially with 800-900... more
WIRELINE
Telkom Kenya announces USD45m ‘transformation’ from copper to fibre
Telkom Kenya (Orange) has revealed that work is underway on a nationwide ‘transformation programme’ that will see the firm replace its copper cables with fibre infrastructure in order to enhance... more
SingTel, Bharti and Tata charged over illegal ILD
India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a case against Bharti Airtel, Tata Communication and Singapore Telecommunication (SingTel) for allegedly causing the loss of INR480 million (USD8.82 million) to... more
Maroc Telecom implementing IMS with Ericsson
Moroccan incumbent telco Maroc Telecom has chosen Swedish technology giant Ericsson to provide an IP Multimedia System (IMS) to transform its fixed network, to support a range of IP-based services... more
CORPORATE/FINANCIAL
Group buys Charoen Pokphand’s 35% stake in HCPT, paper says
Pak Thohir’s [Garibaldi Thohir] investment group has reportedly acquired Thai company Charoen Pokphand’s 35% stake in Indonesian mobile operator PT Hutchison CP Telecommunications (HCPT), The Jakarta Post reports. HCPT spokesperson... more
Germany blocks KDG’s acquisition of Tele Columbus
Following Kabel Deutschland’s (KDG’s) announcement last week that the Bundeskartellamt (also known as the Federal Cartel Office – FCO) had rejected its remedy package for the proposed acquisition of smaller... more
Vodafone considers move for Yoigo in Spain
UK giant the Vodafone Group is considering a move for TeliaSonera-owned Spanish telecoms service provider Yoigo, The Sunday Times reported, quoting unnamed sources. The carrier is also being monitored by... more
Numericable to table cash offer for SFR?
French privately owned cable operator Numericable is understood to be planning a cash offer for fellow fixed and mobile operator SFR, a unit of Vivendi, according to an unconfirmed report... more
MISCELLANEOUS
NCC maintains 2.5% operating tax on telecoms operators
Nigeria’s telecoms network operators will continue to pay 2.5% of their annual revenue as operating levy, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said. Local newspaper This Day reports that the... more