Press Clippings: March 2007
Major Industry items you might have missed
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Essar deal delayed as regulators mull details.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Telecoms regulators in India have confirmed there will be a delay on their decision to clear Vodafone’s deal to buy a controlling stake in Hutchison Essar.
The regulators want to extend their consultation period so they can assess whether the current arrangement puts too much control into the hands of the British operator.
Posted by Judith — 5:11 AM
Friday, March 30, 2007
3 Telecom companies win U.S. deal worth billions.
Source: NYT.
The federal government said yesterday that it had selected AT&T, Verizon and Qwest Communications to bid on portions of the government’s biggest telecommunications contract ever, leaving one longtime partner, Sprint Nextel, out in the cold.
The contract, by the General Services Administration, is valued at about US$20bn. over 10 years, but could grow to as much as US$48 bn.
None of the three companies selected know yet what portion of the total business they will receive under the contract, known as Networx Universal. Rather than split the business upfront, they will compete for the opportunity to provide telecommunications services to any of 135 government agencies.
Posted by Judith — 4:38 AM
DSL surges across Europe.
Source: Telecoms.com.
More than 17.5m. people took out DSL subscriptions across Europe last year, bringing the total to 66.3m. - a growth of 36% from 2005. The figures, from the DSL Forum, show Europe as the leading DSL region worldwide, accounting for more than 35% of all DSL subscribers.
In 2006 the number of DSL subscribers worldwide grew by more than 30% to 185m. In the year, global broadband subscribers increased to more than 281m. Almost two-thirds of new subscribers have selected DSL to deliver their broadband.
Posted by Judith — 4:33 AM
Vodafone gets in on some supermarket action.
Source: TeleGeography.
Asda, the UK’s second-largest supermarket chain, is to start selling branded mobile phones to its shoppers through a deal struck with Vodafone. The deal will be similar to the agreement between Tesco and Telefonica’s O2, under which the UK’s biggest grocer rents airtime on the O2 network. More than a million Tesco customers have so far signed up to the service. Vodafone, the world’s largest mobile phone carrier, has been looking for ways to increase revenues in western Europe, where many markets have reached saturation point.
Posted by Judith — 4:30 AM
BBC offers its shows via mobiles.
Source: BBC.
BBC TV and radio channels will be available on some mobile phones for a trial period, it has been announced.
For an initial 12 months, a range of broadcast output will be syndicated to the Vodafone, Orange and 3 networks.
The BBC said the trial would test both the effectiveness of the 3G network and the demand for BBC channels.
Posted by Judith — 4:29 AM
American mobile data market on the up.
Source: BWCS.
US cellular industry group, the CTIA, has released figures which show that the American market for mobile data services swelled by 77% last year, to reach a total value of US$15.2bn. The group said that non-voice services in the US market now account for around 13% of all mobile revenues.
Posted by Judith — 4:03 AM
Ofcom to regulate fast-growing VoIP telecoms sector.
Source: Independent.
Ofcom will start regulating the burgeoning internet telecoms sector this summer to ensure that customers are fully aware of the potential limitations of some computer-based phone services.
The new regulation recognises the growing popularity of internet-based voice services and is the first step in establishing a wider regulatory framework around emerging debates within the telecoms industry related to access to telecoms networks and different technological platforms.
Posted by Judith — 3:49 AM
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Google and LG team up.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Google has announced that it has inked a deal with Korean electronics firm, LG Electronics, to put its software on LG’s mobile phones.
The move comes days after Yahoo announced its ‘oneSearch’ service - widely hailed by analysts and industry observers as a significant leap over Google’s existing mobile technology.
Posted by Judith — 3:56 AM
Mobile banking takes tentative steps.
Source: Telecoms.com.
In the US, AT&T is to introduce mobile banking services through its Cingular Wireless business, in association with four banks. The deal is thought to be the biggest of its kind in the US.
AT&T customers will be able to use their mobiles for basic banking services such as checking balances and transfers with any of the four banks.
Posted by Judith — 3:53 AM
Ofcom cuts mobile connection fees.
Source: BBC.
People in the UK calling mobile phones from landlines could enjoy lower bills after industry watchdog Ofcom told mobile firms to cut their connection fees.
Following a review, Ofcom has announced limits on the amount mobile phone companies can charge other operators for connecting calls on their networks.
Posted by Judith — 3:41 AM
Orange and Bebo get social on the mobile.
Source: Telecoms.com.
UK mobile operator, Orange and social networking firm Bebo, have announced Bebo Mobile for Orange customers.
The service will kick off in the UK according to a statement from the pair and be rolled out to other regions in the future. Orange will have an exclusive on the service in the UK for an undisclosed period of time.
Posted by Judith — 3:04 AM
Telstra to roll out 9,000km cable to Hawaii.
Source: TeleGeography.
Telstra has announced it will invest in a 9,000km (5,600 mile) undersea cable stretching from Australia to Hawaii, to help improve telecoms links between the two countries and onwards to continental US.
Posted by Judith — 3:01 AM
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Injunction in Vonage patent row.
Source: BBC.
A US judge has banned internet phone firm Vonage from using technology patents owned by rival Verizon after it was found to have infringed its rights.
A permanent injunction was issued on Vonage using the technology to connect users to landline phones but it was stayed for two weeks pending an appeal. Vonage was told to pay US$58m. (GBP30m.) to Verizon for infringing three patents, as well as royalties on future sales.
Posted by Judith — 4:52 AM
Free mobile service financed by ads poised for deal with Orange
Source: Independent.
Blyk, a start-up mobile phone company, will offer free voice and text services to consumers who opt to receive advertisements on their handsets this summer, with a deal to use Orange’s UK network set to be completed within days.
The service will be aimed at younger mobile phone users who are happy to receive targeted advertisements to reduce their phone bills.
Posted by Judith — 4:44 AM
Friday, March 23, 2007
F.C.C. is against cellphone use on airliners.
Source: NYT.
The FCC will give up on the idea of allowing cellphone use on airplanes, the chairman said on Thursday, because it is not clear whether the network on the ground can handle the calls.
Posted by Judith — 5:19 AM
Another MVNO set for the Spanish market.
Source: BWCS.
Following the recent news that Dutch operator KPN is planning to move into Spain, BT has become the latest company to announce that it too has designs on launching an MVNO in the Iberian peninsular. According to press reports in Spain, the UK operator has already signed a deal with Vodafone to use the mobile giant’s Spanish infrastructure.
Posted by Judith — 5:13 AM
U.S. FCC to examine future of Internet access.
Source: Reuters.
The U.S. FCC took a small step to address a growing debate on whether high-speed Internet providers like AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp. should be barred from charging extra fees to guarantee access to the Internet.
The five commissioners backed a proposal on Thursday to start a “notice of inquiry” regarding broadband industry practices.
Posted by Judith — 5:07 AM
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Yahoo! strikes back in mobile search war.
Source: BWCS.
Following the recent persistent rumours that Google is looking to launch its own mobile phone, online rival Yahoo! has hit back with plans of its own. Having lost its fixed line search engine crown to Google some time ago, Yahoo! is determined not to give up the mobile ground without a fight. Yesterday the US giant launched its new oneSearch service for the mobile web, making the bold claim that it is “reinventing” search.
Posted by Judith — 5:56 AM
EarthLink targets voice market.
Source: TeleGeography.
The US ISP EarthLink is to launch a Wi-Fi handset which will place it in direct competition with fixed line and wireless telcos. The firm has launched or is deploying city-wide wireless LAN networks in a number of US cities, including Philadelphia, San Francisco and Atlanta.The new Wi-Fi handset is being manufactured by Accton Technology and will allow subscribers to make low-cost IP-based voice calls.
Posted by Judith — 5:50 AM
KPN seeks MVNO deal in Spain.
Source: TeleGeography.
KPN of the Netherlands is looking to enter the Spanish wireless market as an MVNO and is said to be holding talks with incumbent operators there concerning a network leasing deal. KPN hopes to offer its own-brand service as part of a wider strategy of developing fresh revenue streams in other European countries to offset stagnating revenues in its Dutch, Belgian and German markets.
Posted by Judith — 5:48 AM
Virgin reportedly ready to buy Pipex.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Virgin Media is reportedly poised to buy British broadband provider, Pipex Communications. It has been reported that the investment bank, UBS which is advising Pipex, is seeking first-round bids for the company by Friday. The Telegraph reported that British incumbent BT, is also interested in the firm.
Posted by Judith — 5:41 AM
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Four Nigerian ops win 3G licenses.
Source: Telecoms.com.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has awarded four 3G licenses.
Celtel, Globacom, MTN and long distance operator Alheri Engineering have all been awarded a 10MHz lot of spectrum in the 2GHz band.
Posted by Judith — 5:49 AM
Skype to offer money-transfer system via PayPal.
Source: Reuters.
Web telephone calling service Skype will shortly begin allowing users to send money to other Skype users via the PayPal online payments system, Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom said on Tuesday.
Posted by Judith — 4:45 AM
Google snubs Net Neutrality debate.
Source: The Register.
The first significant Net Neutrality debate to take place in the UK was held today at Westminster. Chaired by former trade minister Alun Michael and the Conservative shadow trade minister Charles Hendry, the event attracted the chief Telecoms regulator and ministry policy chief, a clutch of industry representatives, and a sprinkling of members of both houses.
Summing up, Michael described the clamour for pre-emptive technical legislation as “extreme… unattractive and impractical”. It was, he said, “an answer to problems we don’t have”.
Interestingly, the event was snubbed by Google, which in the USA has done so much to stoke the “Neutrality” crusade. Google has thrown lobbying money and muscle at Congress, but at Westminster, declined an invitation to speak.
Posted by Judith — 3:26 AM
Alcatel-Lucent to deploy IP network, CCTV solution for S-Bahn.
Source: Digital Media Europe.
Deutsche Bahn, the operator of the S-Bahn urban railway system in Berlin and Brandenburg, has contracted telecom solutions provider Alcatel-Lucent to provide an IP-based communication network that will support train dispatch by the driver via CCTV.
The system will combine fixed and mobile communications technology, transmitting CCTV images from four stationary video cameras on the platform to the driver’s cab and to the control office via Alcatel-Lucent’s solution.
Posted by Judith — 3:14 AM
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
China Mobile (finally) presses go button on 3G Contract talks.
Source: BWCS.
After years of waiting, it seems that China Mobile is finally about to start handing out some of the world’s most eagerly anticipated mobile contracts. The giant mobile operator has invited bids for contracts worth as much as Yuan 24bn.(US$3.1bn.) to construct new high-speed 3G networks in China.
The company has asked several major vendors, including Nokia and Ericsson, to submit their best prices for building a next generation phone network based on the home-grown TD-SCDMA standard.
Posted by Judith — 5:17 AM
IBM, Cisco partner on emergency services offering.
Source: C|NET.
IBM and Cisco Systems are expected to announce a joint emergency services offering aimed at government and corporate customers.
The IBM Management Services for Crisis Response will combine Cisco’s networking hardware and IBM’s services approach to offer up a range of hardware, software and satellite capabilities as a single service.
Posted by Judith — 5:15 AM
Airwide, Colibria integrate messaging.
Source: Telecoms.com.
SMS specialist Airwide Solutions has developed an integrated messaging solution with mobile-IM software firm Colibria. The system, based on Airwide’s Fusion messaging architecture, will handle SMS, MMS, and mobile-IM with full integration between the IM application and SMS.
Posted by Judith — 5:08 AM
Russian mobile spending to total US$14.7bn. over five years.
Source: TeleGeography.
The president of Russia’s largest cellco, MTS, says he expects the country’s mobile market to see investment of US$14.7bn. over the next five years. Leonid Melamed forecasts around 50% of the total to go towards the deployment of 3G networks. Three 3G licences are expected to be issued next month, with all of Russia’s main cellular operators among the bidders.
Posted by Judith — 3:07 AM
Monday, March 19, 2007
Lycos, early search engine, in a U.S. remake as Jubii.
Source: NYT.
Through a quirk of dot-com history, Lycos Europe cannot sell itself in the United States using its own once-famous name. Instead, the Internet service, partly owned by Bertelsmann of Germany and Telefonica of Spain, is remaking itself for the American market using the brand and services of Jubii, its Danish search and community business.
After barely surviving the early years of the Internet - often called Web 1.0 - Lycos Europe is hoping to ride the wave of Web 2.0 with Jubii, which combines search, e-mail, chat, photo and file storage, phone texting, blogging, Internet phoning and other services.
Posted by Judith — 5:58 AM
Google Phone is reported to be in the works.
Source: Reuters.
Google Inc. is developing its own mobile phone, according to industry insiders and analysts, while a Google official in Spain last week acknowledged the company is “investigating” such a project.
Google isn’t commenting directly on leaks from Europe and the United States which describe a low-cost, Internet-connected phone with a color, wide-screen design.
Posted by Judith — 5:54 AM
DT hires JPMorgan to sell Ya.com.
Source: TeleGeography.
Deutsche Telekom has hired JPMorgan to look for a buyer for its Spanish subsidiary Ya.com, sources close to the process said last week. JP Morgan has reportedly already given the sales documentation to Jazztel, Spain’s number-two broadband provider, and to mobile-phone operators Orange and Vodafone.
Posted by Judith — 5:42 AM
Nokia files for Qualcomm patent exhaustion.
Source: BWCS.
Nokia believes its long years of paying Qualcomm may be at an end. The Helsinki-based company has filed a Patent Exhaustion Case against the US vendor. In the German and Dutch courts, the Finns will argue that Qualcomm’s European patents are exhausted in respect of products placed on the EU market with a Qualcomm licence.
Posted by Judith — 4:25 AM
Saturday, March 17, 2007
WiMAX players sign roaming agreement.
Source: Telecoms.com.
The newly formed WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance (WiSOA) this week signed the world’s first WiMAX roaming agreement, providing seamless “GSM-like” roaming amongst WiMAX networks, as well as roaming partnerships with global wifi and 3G networks.
WiSOA was founded in September by a handful of early adopters of the technology including, Unwired Australia, Network Plus Mauritius, UK Broadband, Irish Broadband, Austar Australia/Liberty Group, Telecom New Zealand, WiMAX Telecom Group, Enertel, and Woosh Telecom.
WiMAX is also being adopted by Sprint Nextel, KDDI, Softbank, Telmex, AT&T and Vodafone, and has been championed by Intel, Motorola, Samsung, Alcatel-Lucent and Nortel.
Posted by Judith — 6:49 AM
Mobile TV warned to standardise.
Source: BBC.
EC telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding has issued a stern warning to those involved in mobile TV to agree on adopting a single technology standard. She announced that if the industry did not agree on one, she would do it for them.
Ms Reding warned that Europe risked losing a chance to be a global player in the burgeoning mobile TV market.
Posted by Judith — 6:14 AM
Friday, March 16, 2007
Nokia Siemens Networks ready to go
Source: Telecoms.com.
Newly merged mega-vendor, Nokia Siemens Networks, has announced that it will start operations under its new name on April 1.
Both companies have also agreed to increase their respective contributions to the new 50:50-owned company, with Siemens to contributing Eur2.4bn.(US$3.2bn.) and Nokia to contribute Eur1.7bn.(US$2.25bn.).
Posted by Judith — 6:16 AM
Cisco to buy an Online conferencing company
Source: NYT.
Cisco Systems has agreed to acquire the online meeting company WebEx Communications for about US$3.2bn. in cash, furthering its push beyond its core market for networking gear and into business communications.
Posted by Judith — 5:27 AM
Qualcomm, Broadcom settle patent dispute.
Source: Globe and Mail.
Wireless technology companies Broadcom Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. have settled a patent dispute involving cell phone chips less than a week before the case was scheduled for trial.
The agreement resolved a 2005 claim by Qualcomm that Broadcom was infringing on technology used to control power usage by mobile phones.
Posted by Judith — 5:21 AM
Vodafone Germany to launch DSL.
Source: TeleGeography.
Vodafone Germany has revealed plans to start offering a DSL service in the third quarter of 2007. Details at this stage are unknown, but the move comes as Vodafone seeks alternative growth possibilities from its more saturated markets.
Posted by Judith — 4:23 AM
ComReg issues rules on ‘home-zonal’ services.
Source: TeleGeography.
Ireland’s telecoms regulator has published new rules which allow the incumbent mobile operators to offer service plans under which customers can make wireless calls in and around their own homes at the cost of a landline call. The new rules on so-called ‘home-zonal’ services work by taking advantage of geographic numbers, until now the exclusive preserve of fixed line service providers.
Posted by Judith — 4:04 AM
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Vodafone strikes deal with Essar.
Source: TeleGeography.
Vodafone says it has reached an agreement with India’s Essar Group which will see it get operational control of India’s fourth largest mobile group, Hutchison Essar. The deal gives Essar an option to sell its stake to Vodafone for US$5bn. between the third and fourth anniversaries of the deal’s completion, expected in a few weeks. Alternatively, Essar could sell Vodafone Essar shares to Vodafone at an independently appraised valuation.
Posted by Judith — 6:38 AM
WiMAX comes to Lone Star state.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Nokia has announced that it has been selected by Sprint Nextel to deliver mobile WiMAX kit to four Texas markets as part of the US carrier’s initial build out.
Nokia will deploy WiMAX infrastructure, including its Flexi WiMAX Base Station, at sites throughout the four Texas markets in Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin.
Service is expected to commence in the Texas markets during the first half of 2008 and Sprint’s mobile WiMAX network is intended to cover 100 million people nationwide by the end of 2008.
Posted by Judith — 5:45 AM
Microsoft buys voice tech company.
Source: BBC.
Microsoft has bought a voice-recognition software firm in a move analysts say may change the way people search the internet.
The software giant has paid a reported US$800mm (GBP413m.) for California-based Tellme Networks.
The firm specialises in technology for call centres and directory enquiries.
Posted by Judith — 5:42 AM
Ericsson to acquire Mobeon.
Source: Digital Media Europe.
Ericsson will acquire business and assets of Mobeon, a provider of IP-messaging components for mobile and fixed networks.
Mobeon is a supplier of IP-based voice and video mail, key elements of Ericsson’s Enriched Messaging solution, which in turn is a cornerstone of Ericsson’s multimedia strategy.
Posted by Judith — 5:03 AM
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
FCC wants limit on cableco dominance.
Source: TeleGeography.
The FCC is looking at capping the size of cable TV networks to prevent one player becoming a dominant force in the market. It is reported that the regulator is proposing to limit the coverage of operators so that they cannot own networks which reach more than 30% of all pay-TV households. Comcast currently has networks which reach around 27% of households, so the new regulations would effectively bar it from making a move to acquire any other large operator.
Posted by Judith — 6:31 AM
AT&T to spend US$750m. on global network in 2007.
Source: Reuters.
AT&T Inc. has announced that it will spend more than US$750m. in 2007 to expand its global communications network for corporate customers, an 89% boost over last year, as customer companies increasingly do business abroad.
Posted by Judith — 6:00 AM
Viacom seeks US$1bn. YouTube damages.
Source: FT.com.
Viacom has launched the first legal challenge against YouTube, suing the Google-owned internet video site for ‘massive intentional copyright infringement’ and asking a federal court for more than US$1bn. in damages.
Posted by Judith — 5:55 AM
Motorola invests in wireless hi-definition video.
Source: Telecoms.com.
US kit vendor Motorola, has announced that its investment arm, Motorola Ventures, has made an equity investment in Amimon - a developer of semiconductor technology for wireless transmission of HD video.
Wireless HD paves the way for applications such as wireless flat panel TVs, wireless projectors, wireless HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) and wireless VGA repeaters.
Posted by Judith — 5:48 AM
China Mobile to invest heavily in Pakistan.
Source: BWCS.
China Mobile Ltd has reportedly agreed to invest US$700m. into Pakistan’s telecom sector since taking over one of the country’s mobile operators, Paktel Ltd, in late January. According to press reports, quoting the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecoms in Pakistan the sum will be spent over the next three to four years, principally in extending coverage of Paktel’s mobile network.
Posted by Judith — 5:17 AM
Telecom Italia to spend EUR6.5bn. on NGN2.
Source: TeleGeography.
Telecom Italia says it plans to invest EUR6.5bn. (US$8.6bn.) over the next ten years rolling out its Next-Generation Network 2 (NGN2) infrastructure. The system will support broadband access at speeds of up to 50Mbps, allowing the telco to launch services such as high-definition TV broadcasts over wireline networks. The 60,000km NGN2 system will be deployed in more than 1,100 towns and cities by 2010.
Posted by Judith — 5:05 AM
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Cisco, IBM to merge maintenance services abroad.
Source: Reuters.
Cisco Systems Inc. and IBM have announced that they will combine technical support services for mutual customers, highlighting increasingly close ties between the network equipment maker and computer services company.
Customers of both companies in 46 countries, including Australia, China, Germany and the United Kingdom, will now have common IT support centers that will respond to queries and maintenance requests for both Cisco and IBM products.
The two companies already have a similar agreement in the United States.
Posted by Judith — 5:10 AM
Swisscom bids US$4.9bn. for FastWeb.
Source: Light Reading.
In the latest European carrier M&A offensive, Swisscom has launched a cross-border EUR3.7bn. (US$4.86bn.) raid for Italian triple-play pioneer FastWeb.
Swisscom, which has already performed due diligence on FastWeb, is using its debt facility to fund the deal.
Posted by Judith — 5:05 AM
Deutsche Telekom cancels FMC service.
Source: Light Reading.
Deutsche Telekom has confirmed today that it has cancelled its fixed/mobile convergence (FMC) service, called T-One.
The German operator officially says the reason for cancelling the SIP-WiFi/GSM service was because it wants to focus on broadband and mobile Internet services.
The service was in conflict with FMS offers from wireless division T-Mobile International AG .
Posted by Judith — 4:44 AM
ComReg issues fourth 3G licence to eircom.
Source: TeleGeography.
Ireland’s telecoms regulator ComReg has issued the country’s fourth 3G mobile phone licence to eircom, which will pay a total of EUR114.3m.(US$150.2m.) for the concession. ComReg hopes the introduction of a fourth UMTS player in the market will bolster competition, improve choice, and drive down prices. Under the terms of the award, eircom is required to provide 33% demographic coverage by end-September 2008, rising to 53% by end-September 2009 and 83% coverage by end-October 2012.
Posted by Judith — 3:03 AM
Monday, March 12, 2007
Saudis get ten offers for wireline licence.
Source: TeleGeography.
The Saudi government has short-listed ten companies as candidates to run the country’s second national wireline operator. Bidders include Verizon of the US, Etisalat of the UAE, Batelco of Bahrain, China Telecom, Korea Telecom, Qatar Telecom, MTNL of India, Hong Kong’s PCCW, WorldCall of Pakistan, and a consortium involving Electronet and Autelia. The tenders will be reviewed and approved for entry into an auction later this year.
Posted by Judith — 6:12 AM
KDDI to team up with JR East to offer broadband over fibre.
Source: TeleGeography.
Japan’s second largest telecoms company KDDI Corp says it is teaming up with East Japan Railway Co (JR East) to offer fibre-based broadband services to customers using the latte’s cable network, as it looks to challenge the might of former monopoly NTT. KDDI has acquired the fibre business of Tokyo Electric Power Inc and signed agreements with several cable TV operators to compete with the incumbent.
Posted by Judith — 5:45 AM
Dubens puts broadband group Pipex up for sale.
Source: Independent.
Pipex has appointed bankers to sell the broadband group, with a host of larger internet companies set to do battle for its 570,000 customers.
Pipex had a stock market valuation of around GBP336m. after a 14% surge in the share price last week. The business grew revenue to GBP133m. last year and is likely to garner a price tag in excess of GBP400m.
BT has been linked with an acquisition of Pipex in the past, but the business could be of more interest to Carphone Warehouse, Orange and Sky, the broadband companies which competed for AOL’s UK business last year.
Posted by Judith — 5:28 AM
330 jobs to go at Moto in Ireland.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Handset maker Motorola has announced the loss of 330 jobs at its Cork plant in Ireland.
In a statement the company confirmed that after extensive consultations with staff at the plant, no basis was found to continue its operations there. The jobs will go by the end of May.
Posted by Judith — 5:03 AM
Saturday, March 10, 2007
AT&T, Yahoo downplay report partnership at risk.
Source: Reuters.
AT&T Inc. and Yahoo Inc. are reportedly negotiating how they could expand a broadband promotion deal to cover mobile Internet services and advertising.
Current discussions focus on a potential mobile phone deal with AT&T’s mobile unit, Cingular, the largest U.S. cellphone company, where Yahoo would provide advertising, Web search and other services along the lines of the contract Yahoo struck late last year to act as exclusive provider of advertising for Vodafone mobile phone customers in Britain.
Posted by Judith — 4:43 AM
France begins fourth 3G tender.
Source: Telecoms.com.
French telecoms regulator ARCEP has launched the tender process for the country’s fourth 3G licence.
Interested parties have 20 weeks to submit a bid for the licence, with the reserve price for the spectrum set at Eur619.2m.(US$812m.).
Posted by Judith — 4:29 AM
Biggest UK broadband names get smallest scores on service.
Source: Scotsman.
Big name broadband suppliers are often the worst for costs and services, causing many users to change providers, according to the 2007 Customer Review Index from comparison site Moneysupermarket.com. Almost 28% of broadband users had changed provider because of poor service.
Larger names, such as Sky Broadband, Talk Talk and Tiscali, were among the lowest rated.
Smaller providers, including Madasafish, Namesco and Eclipse Internet, scored considerably higher than their more well-known competitors.
Posted by Judith — 4:02 AM
Friday, March 9, 2007
Vonage loses net phone patents.
Source: BBC.
Internet phone company Vonage has lost a patent case that could threaten phone services for its 2.2m. customers.
A US jury ordered Vonage to pay US$58m. (GBP30m.) to rival Verizon for infringing three patents, plus royalties of 5.5% of future sales.
Verizon has now asked for an injunction that would stop Vonage from connecting its customers to landline telephones.
Posted by Judith — 4:45 AM
Leap takes control at ANB 1.
Source: TeleGeography.
US cellular operator Leap Wireless International has taken full control of Alaska Native Broadband 1 (ANB 1), a company which holds wireless licences covering 10.1m. people in Ohio, Kentucky, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. Leap’s wholly owned subsidiary Cricket Communications acquired the 25% of ANB 1 that it did not already own from ANB for US$4.7m. cash, having bought a 75% non-controlling interest in November 2004. Leap Wireless and its joint ventures now operate in 22 states, holding licences for 35 of the top 50 US markets.
Posted by Judith — 4:38 AM
Hutchison approves sale of assets to Vodafone.
Source: TeleGeography.
Shareholders of HTIL have approved the sale of the company’s stake in Hutchison Essar to UK mobile giant Vodafone for US$11.1bn. in cash with an overwhelming majority. The shareholders approved the deal at an Extraordinary General Meeting held in Hong Kong this morning.
Posted by Judith — 4:34 AM
EU throws out France Telecom appeal concerning market abuse ruling.
Source: TeleGeography.
It has been reported that the EU has rejected FT ‘s appeal against an EU Commission finding which found the incumbent’s broadband unit Wanadoo had abused its dominant position in the internet access market. An EU court upheld the fine of EUR10.35m. imposed on FT by the Commission in July 2003 after it found the telco guilty of practising predatory pricing.
Posted by Judith — 4:32 AM
China Mobile chooses potential 3G partners.
Source: BWCS.
The giant China Mobile says that it has added another four major telecoms equipment vendors to its roster of possible equipment suppliers for its yet-to-be-announced 3G network. The whole infrastructure could cost China Mobile around US$2.6bn.
The latest players to get their names on the guest list are: Ericsson, Alcatel Shanghai Bell, FiberHome Technologies and Guangzhou New Postcom Equipment Co. According to reports in the local press, these four will join local companies Datang Mobile, Potevio, ZTE and TD Tech on the list of possible contractors.
Posted by Judith — 4:32 AM
Mobile phone firms hope for easier ride on roaming charges from EU.
Source: Independent.
Mobile phone companies are confident that the proposed regulation of international roaming rates will be less onerous than initially suggested by the European Commission, after the latest round of lobbying in Brussels.
European Parliament members are due to vote on proposals for regulating roaming fees in May, ahead of legislation coming into effect in time for the July holiday season.
Posted by Judith — 4:29 AM
Court rules for Dell, Microsoft in Alcatel-Lucent case.
Source: Reuters.
A U.S. court has ruled that Dell Inc. personal-organizer products did not infringe a patent held by Alcatel-Lucent, according to a court document filed online on Thursday.
The court also ruled in the summary judgment that Microsoft Corp. would not be liable for indirect infringement of the patent, according to a filing at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Posted by Judith — 4:20 AM
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Clearwire IPO raises US$600m. towards WiMAX rollout.
Source: TeleGeography.
US wireless ISP Clearwire has raised US$600m. from an IPO. The firm sold 24m. shares at US$25 each, giving it a market capitalisation of US$3.9bn. Founder Craig McCaw is still Clearwire’s largest shareholder following the sale, with other investors including Intel and Motorola. The proceeds from the IPO will be used to help fund Clearwire’s rollout of mobile WiMAX wireless broadband technology.
Posted by Judith — 6:00 AM
Regulator orders Deutsche Telekom to open business network to competitors.
Source: TeleGeography.
The German telecoms regulator the Bundesnetzagentur (BNA) has ordered incumbent DT to give competitors wholesale bitstream access to its asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, which supplies businesses with high speed internet access. The BNA acted at the specific behest of the European Commission, which last August sent the regulator a letter asking it to issue access proposals for ATM bitstream access.
Posted by Judith — 5:54 AM
AT&T adds 13,000 new hot spots to global Wi-Fi access footprint.
Source: Converge.
AT&T announced a major expansion of its global Wi-Fi footprint for business customers, adding 13,000 hot spots around the world. The total global Wi-Fi service area offered by AT&T now exceeds more than 48,000 hot spots in 79 countries.
Posted by Judith — 5:16 AM
Telefonica not buying into Telecom Italia.
Source: TeleGeography.
Telefonica of Spain has ended negotiations to buy a minority stake in its Italian counterpart Telecom Italia. The Spanish firm was considering acquiring part of Pirelli’s stake in Olimpia, a holding company which has an 18% interest in Telecom Italia. Telecom Italia’s board may now consider the possibility of forming an international alliance with the Spanish telco, with synergies from such a venture estimated to be worth up to EUR2bn.
Posted by Judith — 4:44 AM
Fiber-to-the-Home Council calls for “100 Megabit Nation”.
Source: Converge.
The Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council is calling on the U.S. government to adopt a “100 Megabit Nation” policy aimed at ensuring that next-generation broadband connections are universally available by 2015.
The FTTH Council proposed that Congress and the President act by the end of 2007 to adopt a strategy and timetable for clearing the way for all Americans to gain access to communication services at transmission speeds in excess of 100 Mbps.
Posted by Judith — 4:18 AM
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Yahoo partnership with HTC (Taiwan).
Source: BWCS.
Taiwan-based, high-end mobile phone supplier HTC (High Tech Computer), has announced a new strategic global partnership with Yahoo!. Under the terms of the deal, HTC will be allowed to preload and distribute Yahoo!’s mobile services on millions of the vendor’s handsets.
Posted by Judith — 4:14 AM
ntl:Telewest takes on BT with next generation network.
Source: Telecoms.com.
UK business communications provider, ntl:Telewest Business, moved to beat BT with the unveiling of its own next generation, integrated network.
With the consumer part of its business tied up with the merger of NTL, Telewest and Virgin, ntl:Telewest Business, also part of the Virgin Media Group, is positioning itself as a contender to BT’s 21st Century Network.
Posted by Judith — 3:57 AM
Ofcom study slams wireless as last mile technology.
Source: Telecoms.com.
A study by Plextex, commissioned by UK telecoms watchdog Ofcom, has blasted wireless technology as insufficient to cope with future broadband requirements over the whole of the last mile to the home.
Ofcom asked Plextek to consider whether there is a way forward to offering economic, ubiquitous broadband wireless access, given that previous solutions have had marginal business cases.
Posted by Judith — 3:32 AM
Moto snubs Icahn board bid.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Days after Motorola confirmed that billionaire financier Carl Icahn was to invest in the company, it has announced that it will not endorse his nomination to the board.
The company has urged its shareholders “not to sign any proxy card” they receive from Icahn or his affiliates.
Posted by Judith — 3:09 AM
Telefonica to pay Jazztel EUR10m. to end quarrel.
Source: TeleGeography.
Telefonica has agreed to pay EUR10m. (US$13.1m.) to rival Jazztel to end a legal dispute between the two. Jazztel was pursuing a claim that Telefonica had obstructed competition.
Posted by Judith — 2:37 AM
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Palm put on the block with US$2bn. price tag.
Source: Independent.
Palm, the manufacturer of handheld computers whose fortunes have slumped since BlackBerry cornered the corporate market, has put itself up for sale.
The company is exploring strategic options, which could include a takeover by the mobile phone giant Nokia, the computer manufacturer Dell, or a private-equity buyer.
Palm managers are believed to have been persuaded to abandon their go-it-alone strategy after Apple unveiled its forthcoming iPhone, which will ratchet up the competition in the mobile device market.
Posted by Judith — 4:12 AM
China ban on new internet cafes.
Source: BBC.
China will not allow any more internet cafes to open this year, according to a government order obtained by the state news agency Xinhua.
The notice, issued by 14 government authorities, also vows to crack down on gambling through online games.
Posted by Judith — 4:01 AM
Qtel buys into NMT.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Qatar Telecom has agreed to buy a controlling stake in Kuwait’s National Mobile Telecommunications (NMT) in one of the biggest telecoms deals from the region.
Quatar Telecom took a 51% stake in NMT, costing US$3.7bn., to strengthen its position across the Middle East and Africa. Qtel already has assets in Qatar and Oman but following the deal it will also have presence in Algeria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Palestine and the Maldives.
Posted by Judith — 3:10 AM
Microsoft attacks Google on copyright.
Source: NYT.
Microsoft has prepared a blistering attack on rival Google, arguing that the Web search leader takes a cavalier approach to copyright protection.
In remarks prepared for delivery to the Association of American Publishers, the associate general counsel of Microsoft, argues that Google’s move into new media markets has come at the expense of publishers of books, videos and software.
The comments echo arguments at the heart of a 16-month-old copyright lawsuit against Google brought by five book publishers and organized by the Association of American Publishers, an industry trade group.
Posted by Judith — 2:59 AM
KPN in hot water over internet telephony complaints.
Source: TeleGeography.
Dutch incumbent fixed line operator KPN faces judicial action if it fails to address the high number of complaints being made against its internet telephony service. KPN connected 500,000 homes with VoIP in the second half of 2006, but more than 5% have registered complaints about the service, a figure which the Consumentenbond considers ‘far too high’.
In a separate story, KPN learned today that the telecoms regulator OPTA has reached the preliminary conclusion that the incumbent will not be forced to hive off its network into a separate business.
Posted by Judith — 2:48 AM
Monday, March 5, 2007
AT&T among Alltel suitors.
Source: TeleGeography.
AT&T Inc has joined the list of firms rumoured to be interested in acquiring cellular operator Alltel. The interest comes after Alltel’s CEO said last month that the firm was reviewing ‘a broad spectrum of options’; with regard to a possible sale. Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel are also reportedly considering a buyout.
Posted by Judith — 5:27 AM
High fees prompt Canadians to leave cellphones on hold.
Source: The Globe and Mail.
The average cellphone bill is one-third more in Canada than in the US, and although the price gap is closing, it continues to hinder the adoption of wireless communications in this country, a report to be released on Monday says.
Just 56% of Canadians have a mobile phone, compared with an average of about 90% in the rest of the developed world. The discrepancy leaves the country at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to using a basic productivity tool that has become the world’s most common communications device.
Posted by Judith — 4:35 AM
A richer trip to the mall, guided by text messages.
Source: NYT.
Technology companies like NearbyNow of Los Altos, Calif., and GPShopper in New York have introduced mobile Internet applications that allow shoppers to use their cellphones and PDAs to search the inventory and prices at the local mall.
Posted by Judith — 3:19 AM
Sonaecom’s PT takeover bid fails.
Source: TeleGeography.
Sonaecom has failed in its EUR11.9bn. (US$15.7bn.) bid to take control of larger rival Portugal Telecom (PT). PT shareholders voted on Friday to retain a 10% voting rights limit, thus putting an end to Sonaecom’s year-long takeover challenge. Sonaecom is now barred from launching another bid for PT for at least twelve months under stock market rules.
Posted by Judith — 3:15 AM
Patent fights are a legacy of MP3’s tangled origins.
Source: NYT.
Microsoft says it was doing the right thing: paying a German rights holder US$16m. to license the MP3 audio format, the foundation of the digital music boom. Then an American jury ruled that Microsoft had failed to pay another MP3 patent holder, and slapped it with a US$1.52bn. judgment.
The confusion stems from the number of companies and institutions- including Thomson, Royal Philips Electronics and AT&T - that worked to create the MP3 standard almost two decades ago.
Until now, the most prominent holder of MP3 patents has been the Fraunhofer Society of Germany, which was founded in 1949 and has become Europe’s largest applied research organization.
Posted by Judith — 3:01 AM
Saturday, March 3, 2007
HTIL seeks legal insurance in India.
Source: Telecoms.com.
HTIL is understood to have obtained a ‘caveat’ from the Bombay High Court, allowing it to better fight any attempt by the Essar Group to derail the sale of a controlling stake in Hutchison Essar to Vodafone.
The caveat essentially ensures HTIL is made party to any attempt by the Essar Group to exercise its claimed first right of refusal over the sale of HTIL’s 67% stake in the Indian operator.
Posted by Judith — 5:17 AM
Icahn to invest US$2bn. in Motorola.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Motorola has announced that the billionaire investor, Carl Icahn, will buy $2bn (GBP1.02bn) of Motorola stock.
Icahn has been associated with Motorola since his comments in January about the company’s stock being undervalued.
Icahn is Motorola’s 11th-biggest shareholder.
Posted by Judith — 5:09 AM
Friday, March 2, 2007
F.C.C. rules that rural carriers must connect Internet calls.
Source: NYT.
Rural telephone carriers must connect calls made by voice-over-Internet Protocol customers, the Federal Communications Commission ruled on Thursday, in a decision that marks the breaking down of one of the last barriers to allowing VoIP to fully compete with traditional phone carriers.
Posted by Judith — 5:12 AM
China Mobile asks suppliers to submit informal bids for 3G roll out.
Source: TeleGeography.
China Mobile has reportedly asked equipment providers to submit informal bids for the supply of TD-SCDMA equipment. The bidding, which involves dozens of equipment suppliers, will identify providers for the Chinese company’s TD-SCDMA commercial network. China’s TD-SCDMA Industry Alliance disclosed that a number of foreign companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel, Ericsson and Siemens had joined the bidding through their China-based joint ventures.
Posted by Judith — 5:01 AM
Verizon kicks off cell phone TV.
Source: Reuters.
Verizon Wireless, the second-biggest U.S. cell phone provider, has announced the launch of the country’s first commercial mobile television service in 20 states with full-length programs and picture quality similar to regular TV.
Posted by Judith — 4:57 AM
Chinese operators call truce.
Source: Telecoms.com.
As perhaps another precursor to China’s licensing of 3G, the country’s two fixed line operators have reportedly signed a ‘no competition’ agreement.
The agreement, signed by China Telecom and China Netcom, will reduce the duplication of infrastructure and overlapping state resources.
China Telecom, the larger of the two companies, operates a fixed line network in the central and southern provinces, while Netcom operates in the north.
Posted by Judith — 4:42 AM
Suitors gather around Airwave.
Source: Telecoms.com.
O2 Europe, the UK-based arm of Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, has announced that there is strong interest from buyers in its Airwave business.
O2 hinted that it is increasingly inclined to sell the unit which builds secure networks for the emergency services in Britain. The unit is thought to be worth around GBP2bn.
Posted by Judith — 4:04 AM
Alcatel-Lucent to roll out urban Wi-Fi network in Paris.
Source: TeleGeography.
The city of Paris has jointly awarded Alcatel-Lucent and mobile operator SFR a contract to supply and integrate the first urban Wi-Fi network in France. Under the deal, the vendor will integrate and deploy the turnkey network and SFR will be responsible for its operation, monitoring and maintenance.
Posted by Judith — 4:01 AM
Europeans threaten more fines for Microsoft.
Source: NYT.
The European Commission has threatened Microsoft with millions of euros in new fines in a long-running antitrust dispute, saying the company was demanding unreasonable royalties from rivals seeking to link their software to the Windows operating system.
The commission issued a ‘statement of objections’, asking Microsoft to respond to a complaint that it was still not complying with a decision made three years ago that the company had abused its dominant market position.
Posted by Judith — 3:19 AM
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Hokkaido-Sakhalin Undersea Cable — shortest fibre route from Tokyo to Europe.
Source: Converge.
Japan’s NTT Communications and TransTeleCom, Russia’s leading backbone telecom operator, have signed an MoU to build a 500 km high-capacity undersea fibre-optic cable linking the two countries.
The undersea fibre cable will link with TTC’s transcontinental optical backbone, which follows the route of the Siberian railway. This will enable the shortest uninterrupted fibre link from Tokyo and other parts of Asia to Russia and Europe.
Posted by Judith — 4:49 AM
MobiTV passes the 2 m. subscriber mark.
Source: Converge.
MobiTV has exceeded two million paying subscribers worldwide, more than doubling its user base in less than one year.
MobiTV currently features a content line-up with more than 100 television channels worldwide, and nearly 40 channels in its US offering.
Posted by Judith — 4:45 AM
IBM to pipe Google gadgets into company sites.
Source: InformationWeek.
IBM has reached a deal with Google Inc. to bring the consumer Internet into the office by piping YouTube and thousands of other Web programs into IBM software used by millions of office workers.
The services include practical business applications such as maps, language translators, package delivery trackers or instantly updating weather and news services, audio search or Wikipedia.
Posted by Judith — 4:17 AM
Vodafone Netherlands signs Wi-Fi roaming agreement with Trustive.
Source: TeleGeography.
Vodafone’s Dutch subsidiary has signed a roaming agreement with leading European wireless hotspot access provider Trustive giving its customers branded access to Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide. Under the deal, customers signed up to the cellco’s Vodafone Hotspot service will be able to access 10,000 hotspots across the globe, including all the major EU airports.
Posted by Judith — 3:36 AM
Court rules against Telefonica O2 CR in battle with CTU over network access.
Source: TeleGeography.
The European Court of Justice has reportedly ruled in favour of the telecoms regulator, the Czech Telecoms Office, saying it was right to order dominant phone operator Telefonica O2 CR (formerly Cesky Telecom) to open its lines to its rival Czech On Line (Volny), enabllng the latter to provide fast ADSL internet connections.
Posted by Judith — 3:29 AM
Eircom accepts 3G licence.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Irish incumbent Eircom has announced that it will accept the 3G licence offered to it by ComReg following the regulator’s decision to revoke the licence from Smart Telecom.
Posted by Judith — 2:54 AM
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