CommsUpdate
TeleGeography's free daily email summary of the world’s top telecom news stories.
19 Mar 2013
FEATURE
Colocation competition varies by region and market maturity
While a handful of international operators top TeleGeography’s global colocation provider rankings, things often look quite different at the local level. New data from our Colocation Database reveal that the... more
WIRELESS
Tele2 switches on LTE network in five cities
Tele2 Lithuania has announced the launch of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband services in the five cities of Alytus, Jonava, Marijampole, Mazeikiai and Utena. The cellco, which is... more
U-Com Burundi adds mobile banking to drive customer growth
U-Com Burundi, a wholly owned subsidiary of Orascom Telecom (part of the Vimpelcom group) which offers services under the brand name leo, is adding a mobile banking service as it... more
Tele2 Sweden reaches 99% 4G coverage?
Tele2 Sweden has indicated that its multi-band 4G LTE mobile broadband network has reached a target of covering areas where 99% of the population live. In a footnote to the... more
Ericsson to manage mobile base stations for Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr
Egyptian mobile network operators Etisalat Misr and Vodafone Egypt have both granted Swedish vendor Ericsson the right to manage and operate their mobile base stations, Daily News Egypt reports. It... more
CDMA operators to be hit by spectrum fee
Indian regulator the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has instructed CDMA operators to pay a one-off fee for spectrum holdings above 2.5MHz in the 800MHz range. The Economic Times writes that... more
4G sale to bring in USD250m
The upcoming auction of 4G-suitable spectrum is expected to raise around USD250 million for state coffers, TeleSemana writes, citing ICT minister Diego Molano Vega as saying. Bidding is slated to... more
Better late than never? T-Mobile will finally launch LTE this month
T-Mobile USA has confirmed that it will launch commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) services in its first markets by the end of March. Further, the carrier is also issuing a... more
TKK unveils ‘combinatory clock auction’, T-Mobile forced to hire theoretician to understand rules
Austria’s Telekom Control Commission (TKK) will hold its largest auction of radio frequencies to date in September 2013, with a total of 28 spectrum blocks in the 800MHz, 900MHz and... more
Norwegian regulator receives application for Svalbard frequencies
According to an unconfirmed report by Telecompaper, the Norwegian Post & Telecoms Authority (NPT) has received an application for frequencies in the 2GHz band for use on the Arctic archipelago... more
MTC’s 4G expanding out of capital
Tim Ekandjo, corporate affairs officer at Namibia’s largest cellco by subscribers Mobile Telecommunications (MTC), has announced that the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network it launched in May 2012 in... more
BROADBAND
MCMC mulling 30 minutes of free web access for poorer citizens
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is reportedly examining the introduction of a service allowing the country’s poorer citizens in both rural and urban areas 30 minutes web access... more
STC signs FTTH deal with KACST
According to the Saudi Gazette, Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has signed a deal with King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) under which the telco will provide fibre-to-the-home... more
Beltelecom offers discount incentive to new byfly broadband subscribers
Belarusian state owned PTO Beltelecom has launched a promotional campaign to boost the number of people taking its byfly-branded broadband service. For the period 15 March to 30 April, the... more
Electricity coop selects Zhone solutions for FTTx deployment
Zhone Technologies, a provider of FTTx network access solutions, has announced that it has been selected by Argentine electricity cooperative Cooperativa Electrica de Lujan for a new GPON deployment in... more
MGTS eyes completion of Moscow GPON rollout by 2015
According to Izvestia.ru, Moscow City Telephone Network (MGTS), the fixed line operator controlled by Russian wireless giant Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), intends to complete its rollout of Gigabit Passive Optical Network... more
Connection failed? ISP rumoured to have bitten the dust
According to Dom-Tom ADSL, a website focusing on telecoms activities in the French overseas territories, internet service provider (ISP) CanalConnect, which offers services in Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinque and Reunion... more
TeliaSonera International’s 100G networks span Europe, North America
Following an upgrade of its pan-European network, TeliaSonera International Carrier (TSIC) says it has become ‘the first global carrier with 100Gbps networks spanning [both] Europe and North America.’ TSIC’s North... more
Pacnet deploys Infinera’s 500Gbps DTN-X platform
Pacnet has deployed Infinera’s DTN-X platform featuring 500Gbps long-haul super-channels, providing the Asian carrier with what a press release calls ‘the most technologically advanced solution for 100Gbps services and the... more
CAT launches OTT/IPTV service
Thai state-owned telco CAT Telecom has launched an over-the-top (OTT) entertainment streaming service to broadband internet subscribers on CAT’s 3G mobile and fixed line networks, in partnership with IPTV software... more
WIRELINE
Ratel names four universal service providers
Serbian regulator the Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) has named Telekom Srbija, Telenor Serbia, Mobilkom Serbia (which operates under the VIP Mobile brand) and Orion Telekom as having universal... more
WiMAX
WiMAX operator refreshes operational footprint with Samara launch
Wireless internet service provider (ISP) FreshTel, which first launched commercial services in April 2010, has extended its network to Syzran in the Samara Oblast, giving the company coverage of a... more
CORPORATE/FINANCIAL
Vivendi expects bids for Maroc Telecom in April at the earliest
In the wake of its suspension of the sale of Brazilian operator GVT, Vivendi has confirmed that it remains hopeful of divesting its majority stake in Maroc Telecom, but notes... more
Iliad net income slips on higher D&A
French low-cost operator Iliad has posted net profit of EUR186.5 (USD241.1 million) for 2012, down 26% year-on-year, despite a near-50% rise in revenues. The company attributed the fall in net... more
KPN sells off IS&P to trim debt
Dutch carrier KPN Telecom (or Royal KPN as it is also known) is to sell off its infrastructure unit IS&P to domestic engineering firm SPIE Nederland, as part of ongoing... more
TPG sees net profit rise 41% as customer numbers climb
Alternative Australian operator TPG Telecom has released its financial results for the first half of its 2013 financial year, revealing that net profit surged by 41% year-on-year in the six... more
Liberty linked with USD2.5bn Charter stake
Liberty Media Corp is close to buying a 25% stake in US cableco Charter Communications for around USD2.5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with the... more
Government approves Rostelecom appraisal ahead of Svyazinvest merger
Russia’s property and communications ministries have reportedly approved Ernst & Young’s appraisal of Rostelecom for the purpose of merging the latter with Svyazinvest, local press reports have indicated. The valuation... more
HTHKH achieves 16% rise in turnover and EBITDA
Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings (HTHKH) has announced its financial and operational results for the year ended 31 December 2012. Consolidated turnover rose 16% from HKD13.407 billion (USD1.727 billion) in... more