CommsUpdate
TeleGeography's free daily email summary of the world’s top telecom news stories.
12 Mar 2013
WIRELESS
Competition watchdog says Iliad should end roaming deal by 2018
The head of France’s competition regulator, Bruno Lassere, announced yesterday that Iliad should end its roaming deal with Orange France by 2018 at the latest. Iliad currently pays between EUR500... more
MTN Ghana outlines spending plans for 2013
According to the Ghanaian Chronicle, MTN Ghana will spend USD105 million in 2013 on upgrading and expanding its network. Part of the expenditure has been earmarked for a national fibre-optic... more
Geocell cancels mobile TV service
Georgia’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, Geocell, has announced that it will no longer offer mobile TV services from 25 March 2013. The operator, which is 99.9%-owned by Fintur Holdings,... more
Globe, Bayan receive green light for frequency sharing deal
The Rehabilitation Court of Pasig City in the Philippines has approved Bayan Telecommunications Inc (Bayan’s) proposed frequency sharing plan with fellow operator Globe Telecom, GMA News reports. The court reportedly... more
Antenna Hungaria improves mobile TV offer
Alternative operator Antenna Hungaria is augmenting its mobile TV offer with the launch of four new public TV channels, three radio channels and a new Euronews service, in the next... more
FAS files case against Yota over LTE discrimination
The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has filed a case against Russian Long Term Evolution (LTE) operator Yota, local press reports have revealed. The order, which has been signed by the... more
Pacific Mobile Telecom set for launch after receiving 900MHz spectrum
According to local press reports, French Polynesia’s council of ministers has granted Pacific Mobile Telecom (PMT) access to paired spectrum in the 900MHz band. The cellco will be allowed to... more
SSTL ditches three circles in CDMA auction
Following yesterday’s auction of CDMA spectrum, Russian-backed cellco Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTL) has confirmed that it will be closing down operations in the Mumbai, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh (East) circles.... more
Claro 4G rollout reaches trial stage
RCR Wireless writes that Claro Chile has begun trialling its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, completing what it describes as the nation’s first call over a 4G network albeit... more
TCSI issues Solomon Telekom with additional number range
The Telecommunications Commission of Solomon Islands (TCSI) has made available to Solomon Telekom an additional seven-digit GSM number range for use in ‘Honiara and other Provinces’ and the ‘Western Province’.... more
BROADBAND
KC unveils next locations for FTTP deployment
KC, the internet service provider (ISP) unit of Hull-based KCOM Group, has revealed the next locations for the deployment of its fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) services. Marketed under the ‘Lighstream’ banner, the... more
ACCC issues FAD for price terms of wholesale ADSL service
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has published a draft report on making a final access determination (FAD) for the declared wholesale ADSL service, with the regulator setting out... more
True upgrading to 100G platform
Thailand’s True Corp has earmarked THB100 million (USD3.4 million) to upgrade its core network and offer speeds of 100Gbps, to enable it to cope with demand for the next three... more
AKADO taps Infinera for Moscow core network
Moscow-based operator AKADO Telecom has selected California’s Infinera to roll out its metropolitan core network in Moscow and the surrounding area. The infrastructure is based on Infinera’s DTN and ATN... more
Wiseband targets Libyan enterprise customers with satellite offering
Wiseband Limited, a UAE-based company, has launched services across Libya on Avanti Communications’ Hylas 2 Ka-band satellite, which first launched in August 2012. According to Satellite Pro Middle East Wiseband... more
Andorra gears up for VoD launch
Andorra Telecom has deployed systems from Broadpeak and Viaccess-Orca to support the launch of a new video-on-demand (VoD) service, Broadband TV News reports. Andorra Telecom has rolled out Broadpeak’s content... more
WIRELINE
Honduras’ telecoms sector reform bill passes to Congress
The president of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, has announced that the country’s proposed telecommunications regulatory framework reform bill has been passed to Congress for consideration. It is understood that whilst... more
Batelco pleased with regulatory leeway on international wholesale services
The CEO of the domestic division of Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco), Rashid Abdulla, said the telco is ‘very pleased’ with the latest ruling from the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA)... more
Aftel bags two universal access projects
State-owned telco Afghan Telecom (Aftel) has been selected by sector watchdog the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) to install 1,000 public call offices (PCOs) in remote areas of 34 provinces.... more
ANAC alters VAT on fixed telephony
Cape Verde’s telecoms regulator Agencia Nacional das Comunicacoes (ANAC) has altered the rate of VAT to be applied to fixed telephony services, in line with the 2013 state budget which... more
CORPORATE/FINANCIAL
Renewed attempt to sell state mobile operator launched
Kyrgyzstan’s State Property Management Fund has launched a fresh attempt to find a buyer for a 75% stake in state-owned Kyrgyz Mobile Company, which holds a licence for the provision... more
Magyar govt has no intention of buying mobile operator
Hungary’s development minister Zsuzsa Nemeth has said that the government has no intention of acquiring one of the country’s mobile network operators, dismissing recent press speculation linking the state with... more
VIPnet buys satellite TV operator
Croatian cellco VIPnet, part of the Telekom Austria group, has bought direct to home (DTH) satellite TV operator Digi Satellite Television (Digi TV), extending its TV service footprint to the... more
CG purchases 80% stake in Nepal’s STM Telecom
The Himalayan News Service reports that Nepal’s Chaudhary Group (CG) is planning to enter the domestic telecoms market in the next six months through its subsidiary CG Telecom, following the... more
Kordia set to offload Orcon to industry veteran
Auckland-based internet service provider (ISP) Orcon is set to be sold by state-owned enterprise Kordia within a matter of weeks, technology website Stuff.co.nz reports, ending months of speculation over its... more
Superonline snags Deksarnet Telekomunikasyon for USD1.75m
Turkcell Superonline has reportedly acquired 100% of the shares in Deksarnet Telekomunikasyon from its affiliated company Vestel Elektronik. The deal has an enterprise value of USD1.75 million. While little is... more
MISCELLANEOUS
Mexican telecoms sector reforms take shape
The Mexican government has outlined proposals which look set to significantly reform the country’s telecoms sector. According to the Wall Street Journal, Latin American telecoms giant America Movil (AM), which... more
Level 3, Etisalat sign content delivery deal
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) will host a new Level 3 Communications content distribution network (CDN) node, following the signing of an agreement between the two companies. TradeArabia reports that the... more