Press Clippings: December 2007
Major Industry items you might have missed
Monday, December 31, 2007
Americans more wired.
Source: Reuters.
About 38% of U.S. consumers are watching TV shows online, 36% use their cell phones as entertainment devices and 45% are creating online content like Web sites, music, videos and blogs for others, according to a new-media survey.
Posted by Judith — 5:10 AM
Saturday, December 29, 2007
AOL to end support of Netscape Navigator.
Source: NYT.
Netscape Navigator, the world’s first commercial Web browser and the starting point of the Internet boom, will be pulled off life support Feb. 1 after a 13-year run.
Its current caretakers, Time Warner’s AOL, decided to end further development and technical support to focus on developing the company as an advertising business. Netscape’s use dwindled with Microsoft’s entry into the browser business in the 1990s, and Netscape all but faded away after the birth of its open-source cousin, Firefox.
Posted by Judith — 6:13 AM
Friday, December 28, 2007
Cisco to network whole cities.
Source: FT.com.
Cisco Systems, the world’s biggest maker of data networking equipment, plans to launch a business group, based in Bangalore, India, that will wire new buildings and even entirely new cities with state-of-the-art networking technology.
The group would be Cisco’s first business unit to have its headquarters based outside the US.
Posted by Judith — 8:36 AM
NTT DoCoMo reported in tie up with Google.
Source: InformationWeek
Japan’s NTT DoCoMo is reported to be considering a tie-up with Google adopting the Web giant’s search and e-mail features in its mobile phone Internet service.
The move marks a strategic shift for Japan’s largest wireless operator by seeking a partner, as the firm has been lagging behind much smaller rivals in luring new subscribers in recent months.
For Google, the alliance will provide access to DoCoMo’s 48 million users of “i-mode” mobile phone Internet service as it tries to expand its presence in Japan, where Yahoo Japan leads the Web search market.
Posted by Judith — 8:09 AM
Reliance completes acquisition of Yipes.
Source: Converge.
India’s Reliance Communications Ltd. received FCC approval for its US$300m. acquisition of U.S.-based Yipes Holdings, and subsequently closed the deal. The transaction is a key milestone in Reliance Communications’ plan to become a global data communications leader.
Reliance said the combination of Yipes’ enterprise Ethernet services with the private undersea cable system of FLAG Telecom (another Reliance subsidiary) will enable the creation of a global service-delivery platform with unmatched coverage and capability.
Posted by Judith — 7:50 AM
FLAG Telecom to invest US$1.5bn. in new undersea cables.
Source: Converge.
India’s Reliance Communications unveiled plans to invest US$1.5bn.n (nearly Rs. 7000 crore) to expand FLAG Telecom’s global optic fiber network.
FLAG NGN will comprise of the following 4 systems:
* FLAG NGN System 1: Asia — India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Honk Kong
* FLAG NGN System 2: Africa — Kenya, Mozambique, Republic of South Africa, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritius
* FLAG NGN System 3: Mediterranean — Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Malta, Libya, Lebanon
* FLAG NGN System 4: Trans-Pacific - US West Coast, Japan, China and Hong Kong
Posted by Judith — 7:33 AM
Monday, December 24, 2007
SkyTerra, MSV, Inmarsat ink pact for hybrid mobile satellite services.
Source: RCR.
SkyTerra Communications Inc., Mobile Satellite Ventures L.P. and Inmarsat plc have stated that they have reached a major pact to resolve complex technical, regulatory and business issues, a move they believe will better enable each to offer L-band hybrid mobile satellite services in North America.
Posted by Judith — 4:47 AM
I.B.M. buys in-memory database company.
Source: NYT.
IBM is buying Solid Information Technology, a maker of high-performance databases and a close partner of IBM rival MySQL.
Solid makes an embedded database with in-memory database engine, which means it can store and retrieve data from main memory, giving faster performance than traditional disk-based systems.
Posted by Judith — 4:27 AM
Vonage and AT&T settle patent dispute.
Source: Reuters.
Digital phone service Vonagehas announced that it has settled a patent dispute with AT&T.
Vonage was hit by a string of patent suits since going public in May 2006. It settled a suit with Sprint Nextel and another one with Verizon Communications in October.
Posted by Judith — 4:03 AM
Ariane rocket launches African, N.American satellites.
Source: Reuters.
An Ariane-5 rocket has blasted off from French Guiana putting into orbit telecommunications satellites for Africa and North America.
The satellite for the Regional African Satellite Communication Organization (RASCOM), is to serve the rural African market overlooked by major commercial operators.
Posted by Judith — 4:00 AM
Friday, December 21, 2007
US clears Google-DoubleClick deal.
Source: FT.com.
The fate of Google’s controversial acquisition of online advertising group DoubleClick is set to be decided early next year by regulators in Europe, following the decision by US antitrust regulators to clear the deal without conditions.
Posted by Judith — 4:43 AM
Air France tests in-flight mobile phone use.
Source: FT.com.
Air France-KLM has started the first trial in Europe of the in-flight use of mobile phones. The service has been introduced this week on short-haul routes in Europe.
Posted by Judith — 4:36 AM
DoCoMo’s interTouch unit to purchase MagiNet.
Source: TeleGeography.
Japan’s leading mobile operator by subscribers NTT DoCoMo says its wholly owned subsidiary interTouch has agreed a deal with the owners of MagiNet of Singapore, to acquire full control of the company for approximately US$150m.
Posted by Judith — 3:49 AM
Vivendi broadband deal puts France Telecom and Vodafone on high alert.
Source: TimesOnline.
Vivendi upped the pressure on its rival France Télécom yesterday by unveiling a EUR4.5bn. (GBP3.3bn.) deal to buy Neuf Cegetel, France’s second-biggest broadband provider.
The media conglomerate also reiterated its desire to seize control of Vodafone’s 44% stake in SFR, France’s second-biggest mobile operator. Vivendi owns the remaining 56% of the group.
Posted by Judith — 3:46 AM
Carphone sells TalkTalk France to Budget Telecom.
Source: TeleGeography.
Carphone Warehouse’s French arm has sold its residential fixed line service TalkTalk to another France-based telecoms service provider, Budget Telecom. It is reported that the consumer service will be sold for cash by the end of the year. Budget Telecom offers competitive telecoms rates from any fixed land line, public phone or cellular mobile phone in France.
Posted by Judith — 3:31 AM
Thursday, December 20, 2007
FCC releases full list of applicants for 700 MHz auction.
Source: RCR.
The FCC has announced that it has received 266 applications for the 700 MHz auction, with small and rural telephone companies dominating a field that also includes leading mobile-phone operators, Google and EchoStar Satellite.
Posted by Judith — 4:22 AM
Internet giants settle gambling ad claims.
Source: FT.com.
Google, Microsoft and Yahoo have paid US$31.5m to settle with the US government over claims that they promoted illegal online gambling by allowing advertising on their sites.
The world’s three biggest internet companies were accused of receiving money from online gambling businesses to advertise illegal betting between 1997 and June 2007. In addition to the cash settlement, the companies will spend millions on advertising campaigns warning young people of the dangers of gambling.
Posted by Judith — 4:08 AM
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
DoCoMo, Apple discuss Japan iPhone launch.
Source: TeleGeography.
Apple Inc is holding talks with NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s leading mobile operator by subscribers, about a possible deal to launch the iPhone in Japan. Apple CEO Steve Jobs met recently with NTT DoCoMo President Masao Nakamura to discuss launching the iPhone in Japan. The US-based firm is keen to launch the device in Asia next year, but has not yet provided any details.
Posted by Judith — 5:39 AM
VSNL to be renamed Tata Communications; plans new US$250m. link with Europe.
Source: TeleGeography.
VSNL will be called Tata Communications, following approval by shareholders for the change in name. VSNL will pay a fee of 0.25% of turnover or 5% of profit before tax, whichever is less, for using the Tata name.
In a separate announcement VSNL announced it would build a US$250m. cable connecting India with Europe, in partnership with private equity venture SEACOM and Telecom Egypt. The new link, known as the Eurasia Cable System, will directly link Mumbai to Paris, London and Madrid via Egypt and will give VSNL 1.28Tb of new capacity by 2009.
Posted by Judith — 5:36 AM
Cellphone spending surpasses land lines.
Source: NYT.
With Americans cutting the cord to their land lines, 2007 is likely to be the first calendar year in which U.S. households spend more on cell phone services, industry and government officials say.
As recently as 2001, U.S. households spent three times as much on residential phone services as they did on cell phones.
Posted by Judith — 4:25 AM
Paul Allen applies to bid in U.S. wireless auction.
Source: Reuters.
A venture led by Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen has applied to bid in the upcoming U.S. auction of wireless airwaves, according to auction documents.
Allen was listed with an entity called Vulcan Spectrum LLC among the applicants who filed to bid in the FCC auction of 700-megahertz spectrum.
The auction applicants also included Google, AT&T and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group. Qualcomm was also listed.
Posted by Judith — 4:17 AM
Intel spins out telecom portion of optical-networking group.
Source: C|NET.
Intel has agreed to sell the telecommunications portion of its Optical Platform Division to Emcore, a chipmaker for the telecom industry, for US$85m.
At one point, Intel thought communications chips would be the answer to the company’s search for growth outside the PC and server industries. Intel has been steadily selling communications portions of its business since the middle of last year.
Posted by Judith — 4:09 AM
Alca-Lu sells stake in Draka Comteq.
Source: Digital Media Europe.
Alcatel-Lucent has reached an agreement with Draka Holding (Draka) to sell its 49.9% share in Draka Comteq against payment of an aggregate cash purchase price of EUR209m.
Under the terms of the deal, Draka will acquire full ownership of Draka Comteq.
Draka Comteq is a player in the field of optical fibre and optical fibre cable. It was formed in 2004 by combining the worldwide optical fibre and communication cable activities of Draka and Alcatel-Lucent.
Posted by Judith — 4:03 AM
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Tech giants form chip group.
Source: BBC.
Seven of the world’s leading chip makers are collaborating on chips which contain transistors with features just 32 billionths of a metre wide.
IBM, Toshiba, AMD, Samsung, Chartered, Infineon and Freescale have formed the alliance to cut development costs.
Posted by Judith — 5:24 AM
NZ WiMAX spectrum auction ends.
Source: TeleGeography.
The New Zealand government’s auction of 2.3GHz and 2.5GHz WiMAX-capable spectrum has ended after 30 rounds of bidding, having raised a total of NZ$4.37m. (US$3.56m.). Six firms emerged with frequencies: Telecom New Zealand, Vodafone New Zealand, Craig Wireless, Kordia, CallPlus and Woosh Wireless.
Posted by Judith — 5:04 AM
Qualcomm buys noise-reduction company.
Source: NYT.
Qualcomm has made a clear statement about its vision for future mobile devices by buying SoftMax, a provider of noise-reduction algorithms.
SoftMax’s technology works with multiple microphones to suppress background noise, separate the speaker’s voice from that noise and cancel echoes, all to make voice calls more intelligible.
Posted by Judith — 4:17 AM
T-Mobile and 3 reveal cost-cutting plan to share networks.
Source: TimesOnline.
T-Mobile and 3, Britain’s fourth and fifth-biggest mobile phone operators, will today unveil a plan to cut costs by pooling their networks.
The alliance between the two previously bitter rivals will fuel speculation that the companies might eventually merge.
The UK, with five network operators, but none with more than a 30% share of subscribers, is one of Europe’s most fiercely competitive mobile phone markets.
Posted by Judith — 4:10 AM
BlackBerry maker picks U.S. headquarters.
Source: NYT.
RIM maker of the BlackBerry smart phone, will put its U.S. headquarters in the Texas suburb of Irving, where it plans to employ more than 1,000 people within next several years.
Posted by Judith — 4:05 AM
Monday, December 17, 2007
IIJ to launch corporate data MVNO venture with DoCoMo.
Source: TeleGeography.
Japanese internet access and network solutions provider, Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ), has signed a preliminary deal with the country’s leading mobile network operator NTT DoCoMo to use the latter’s 3G FOMA network to deliver corporate data communications services. IIJ will be the first company to sign a MVNO deal to use DoCoMo’s 3G network which is supported by HSDPA technology.
Posted by Judith — 5:52 AM
TelstraClear exits NZ WIMAX auction.
Source: TeleGeography.
TelstraClear has pulled out of the New Zealand government’s auction of WiMAX wireless broadband spectrum, leaving eight firms chasing a similar number of available licences. TelstraClear says it does not believe that WiMAX broadband services will be competitive with fixed line broadband access.
Posted by Judith — 4:50 AM
Ribbit unveils Web telephone development platform.
Source: Reuters.
Silicon Valley start-up Ribbit Corp has unveiled a technology platform that will let developers put Web telephony in everything from business software to popular social network sites such as Facebook.
Ribbit software serves as an interface between anything from Web sites, e-mail and instant messaging to mobile or regular phones.
Posted by Judith — 4:27 AM
Telefonica and DT in battle.
Source: TeleGeography.
It is reported that two of Europe’s biggest telephone groups are set to go head-to-head when Telefonica of Spain files a complaint with the German regulators Bundesnetzagentur (FNA) against DT, because of the latter’s apparent reluctance to open up the so-called ‘last mile’ connection to rivals.
This is the second time in recent weeks that such charges have been levelled at the German incumbent. In late November rival wireline and broadband operator Arcor put in a complaint with the FNA regarding delays in opening the last mile. On that occasion the complaint was dismissed.
Posted by Judith — 4:14 AM
Mobile gaming to soar as new players join in.
Source: BWCS.
A new report on the future of mobile gaming has put the total global value of this market at US$6bn. by 2011. The findings indicate that spending on mobile gaming will grow faster than spending on handheld and console games over the next four years.
Posted by Judith — 3:47 AM
Saturday, December 15, 2007
One in five IBM employees in India.
Source: The Globe and Mail
IBM Corp.’s expansion in developing countries shows no sign of relenting. The technology company has revealed that it now has 73,000 employees in India, almost a 40% leap from last year.
Posted by Judith — 4:38 AM
Zayo buys Citynet wholesale unit.
Source: Telephony.
Zayo Group has announced that it has acquired the wholesale unit of Citynet, the Tulsa, Okla.-based service provider. Citynet Fiber Services has 8500 route miles of fiber covering 57 Tier 1, 2 and 3 markets in 10 states.
This is the sixth acquisition for Zayo, which earlier this year announced a strategy of building itself into a broadband force in underserved markets by acquiring underused or distressed fiber properties.
Posted by Judith — 4:13 AM
Friday, December 14, 2007
Tech groups’ Microsoft challenge threatens to reignite browser wars.
Source: Times.
A coalition of technology giants has mounted a legal challenge to Microsoft’s dominance of the software market in Europe in a move that could reignite the brutal “browser wars” of the 1990s.
The action comes three months after the world’s largest software developer was forced to pay a fine of EUR497m. (GBP356m.) when it suffered a comprehensive defeat at the hands of the EU’s competition authorities in a similar case.
Opera, a small Norwegian company that makes a web browser competing with Microsoft’s IE, has filed a complaint with the EC. It alleges that Microsoft’s practice of building IE into its Windows operating system, used on 90% of computers, illegally handicaps rival browsers.
The attack on Microsoft is being backed by the European Committee for Interoperable Systems (ECIS), of which IBM, Oracle, Nokia and Sun Microsystems are members.
Posted by Judith — 7:34 AM
Verizon expands FiOS TV.
Source: TeleGeography.
Verizon has launched its FiOS TV service in Portland, Oregon, increasing to 13 the number of states where the telco offers television services over its fibre networks. Verizon had 717,000 FiOS TV customers at the end of September, plus 1.3m. internet subscribers on its high speed networks. Its FTTH networks are now deployed in 1,700 cities in 16 states, though not all properties have access to Verizon’s television services.
Posted by Judith — 7:21 AM
Telus may try discount wireless market.
Source: The Globe and Mail.
Telus Corp. has registered the name Koodo Mobile with various provincial governments, and analysts speculate it could be considering launching a new discount cellphone brand.
Along with their main cellphone services, rivals Rogers Communications Inc. and Bell Canada also have more youth-oriented cellphone brands called Fido and Solo, respectively. Some analysts believe Telus also needs one in order to appeal to a wider range of customers.
Posted by Judith — 7:17 AM
Sprint Nextel to link to MySpace Mobile.
Source: RCR.
Sprint Nextel Corp. has announced a deal with Fox Interactive Media that will give the carrier’s subscribers free access to MySpace Mobile from the carrier’s portal.
Beginning early next year, Sprint Nextel will become the first carrier to allow users to link directly to the popular social-networking site. Sprint Nextel first partnered with Fox in 2002 to deliver news and scores from FOXSports.com.
Posted by Judith — 7:05 AM
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Trade judge rules for Nokia over Qualcomm.
Source: Reuters.
Nokia won a round in one of its many patent battles with chip maker Qualcomm when a judge with the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled for the mobile telephone maker.
The complaint, which was filed in June 2006, accused Nokia of infringing on three patents that controlled power to mobile telephones. Qualcomm had asked the ITC to bar the importation of the infringing technology.
Posted by Judith — 4:33 AM
Microsoft buys map service.
Source: NYT.
Microsoft said it had agreed to acquire MultiMap, an online map service based in London, in an attempt to compete more effectively with the search services of Google and to collect more revenue from online and mobile advertising.
Posted by Judith — 4:26 AM
UK auction for ‘digital dividend’.
Source: BBC.
A multi-billion pound auction of airwaves for a new wave of digital services has been launched by Ofcom.
More digital TV channels and ultra-fast wireless broadband could be rolled out over the next decade as radio spectrum is freed up from digital switchover.
The regulator has said that the market will decide how the spectrum is used with an open auction.
The BBC, Channel 4 and ITV had pressed for ring-fenced space for high definition TV over Freeview.
Posted by Judith — 4:01 AM
Optus Mobile ups HSDPA ante.
Source: TeleGeography.
Optus has announced that it has accelerated plans to offer national HSDPA across Australia. By the end of 2008 Optus plans coverage of 96% of the population, a year earlier than originally announced. The new schedule matches rival Vodafone’s plans to complete its 3G network, giving it 95% coverage, by the end of 2008. Both Vodafone and Optus are lagging behind Telstra in the race to offer mobile voice and broadband services nationally.
Posted by Judith — 3:22 AM
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Leap expands in Southeast through $30M acquisition
Source: RCR Wireless News
Leap Wireless International Inc. said that it plans to acquire Hargray Communications Group Inc.’s wireless operations for $30 million, expanding Leap’s Cricket service into Savannah, Ga. and Hilton Head, S.C.
Posted by Penny — 3:51 PM
AT&T in US$16bn. share buy-back.
Source: FT.com.
AT&T, the world’s largest telecommunications group, has announced an aggressive share buy-back programme worth nearly US$16bn. and its biggest dividend increase so far, underscoring a bullish outlook presented by the company.
Posted by Judith — 4:39 AM
India adds more mobile users than whole UK market.
Source: BWCS.
India added more mobile users in 2006 than there were in the whole of the UK at that time, according to a report released by Ofcom. The figures, which compare the British telecoms markets to those in developed and developing markets around the world, points out that China dominated the world of texting with Chinese users sending a staggering 429bn. text messages during 2006.
Posted by Judith — 4:03 AM
Sprint will launch WiMAX by year-end, but only for employees.
Source: TeleGeography.
Sprint Nextel has confirmed that it will soft-launch its mobile WiMAX services in Chicago and the Washington DC-Baltimore metro area before Christmas. Although the firm had been expected to introduce services on a full commercial basis by year-end, this initial switch-on will see Sprint employees testing mobile WiMAX, ahead of a wider customer trial in the first quarter of next year. The commercial launch has been put back to 2Q 2008.
Posted by Judith — 4:00 AM
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
SunCom shareholders agree T-Mobile deal.
Source: TeleGeography.
The shareholders of US cellular operator SunCom Wireless Holdings have approved the company’s buyout by T-Mobile USA. The deal, which was first announced in September, will see German-owned T-Mobile pay US$2.4bn. in cash and assumed debt to acquire all of SunCom’s assets, including 1.1m. subscribers in the southeastern United States, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Posted by Judith — 5:47 AM
Openreach rapped by Ofcom.
Source: TeleGeography.
Ofcom looks set to impose a stricter compensation regime on BT, under which it would have to automatically pay out to rivals that struggle to gain access to the telco’s network. The telecoms regulator has expressed concern at the performance of Openreach, the BT subsidiary that rents out capacity on the group’s fixed-line network to rivals; it has laid down proposals aimed at improving Openreach’s performance, by requiring it to pay compensation to BT’s rivals when they encounter problems because of the subsidiary’s shortcomings.
Posted by Judith — 5:19 AM
Indian operators agree network share.
Source: BWCS.
UK-based mobile operator Vodafone has reached a network sharing agreement with two of its largest rivals in India. According to local press reports, the deal will enable the company to speed up its planned coverage of the subcontinent while saving it a significant amount in costs.
Vodafone and Bharti Airtel will team up with their smaller competitor Idea to form a joint venture, called Indus Towers Ltd., which will pool network resources. The three mobile operators will be sharing about 70,000 mobile mast sites that have been put into the joint venture company, although they will retain separate wireless transmission equipment on these towers.
Posted by Judith — 5:04 AM
AT&T lights up coast-to-coast 40 Gbps network.
Source: InformationWeek.
AT&T has announced that it has lit its coast-to-coast IP/MPLS network, which delivers speeds of up to 40-Gigabit on the backbone network.
The company said the network is the first of its kind and doesn’t need multiplexing capability on its 50,000 wavelength miles. The network connects major U.S. cities and includes 18,000 miles of optical ultra-long- haul routes that eventually will be able to carry customer voice and data traffic at speeds of up to 100 Gbps.
Posted by Judith — 4:55 AM
Monday, December 10, 2007
I.B.M. wins order from Vodafone’s India arm.
Source: NYT.
Vodafone’s Indian joint venture is transferring all of its information technology-related work to IBM Corp. under a 5-year contract that will reduce costs and improve services.
The company did not disclose the deal’s value, but IBM said a similar contract earlier this year from Idea Cellular, whose network and subscriber base is half that of Vodafone Essar Ltd., is expected to be worth between US$600 and US$800m. over 10 years.
Posted by Judith — 4:49 AM
Cisco confirms AT&T core win.
Source: Light Reading.
Cisco Systems Inc. has announced that AT&T Inc. has chosen the CRS-1 router for its core network.
AT&T’s previous core IP equipment supplier, Avici Systems Inc.exited the router business back in April.
News of Cisco’s contract win comes as AT&T continues to expand the capacity of its global IP network.
Posted by Judith — 4:39 AM
Friday, December 7, 2007
Cablevision to bid in 700MHz auction.
Source: TeleGeography.
Cablevision Systems is to bid in the FCC’s auction of spectrum in the 700MHz band in January. Cablevision is the second CATV provider seeking to acquire wireless spectrum; Cox Communications has already submitted an application to take part. Cox will bid on its own without partners. AT&T and Verizon Wireless also plan to participate, with EchoStar Communications also rumoured to be ready to throw its hat in the ring. Other bidders already confirmed include Leap Wireless, MetroPCS and Google.
Posted by Judith — 4:33 AM
Virgin Media selects BT Wholesale as supplier of fixed-line telephone switch operations and support.
Source: BTplc.
Virgin Media Inc. and BT Wholesale have announced the signing of a major new five year managed network telephony agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, BT Wholesale will manage the operation and maintenance of Virgin Media’s UK fixed-line voice switching network, as well as a number of Virgin Media’s existing support contracts with specialist third-party hardware and software suppliers for transmission equipment on its behalf.
The total value of the contract is worth an estimated GBP98m.
Posted by Judith — 3:57 AM
Emergency rules for UK net telephony.
Source: BBC.
Watchdog Ofcom has ruled that firms which route phone calls across the net must connect to 999 and 112.
Before now net phone firms have not been required to connect to emergency numbers. This ruling applies to those firms which let customers call normal national phone numbers.
Posted by Judith — 3:10 AM
Thursday, December 6, 2007
500m. mobiles to be made in China.
Source: BWCS.
Following Nokia’s bold prediction that 1.2bn. mobile handsets will be shipped next year, it appears that nearly half of them will be made in China. According to figures from the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry, the country is likely to produce nearly 500m. mobile phones this year alone, or more than 40% of the global total.
Posted by Judith — 5:32 AM
FCC denies Verizon’s rate request.
Source: Light Reading.
The FCC has decided that Verizon is still required to give smaller carriers access to its network at discounted rates, so as to increase competition in certain markets. The decision affects six U.S. cities: New York; Boston; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Providence, R.I.; and Virginia Beach, Va.
Posted by Judith — 4:03 AM
Telefonica adds to technology investments.
Source: BWCS.
Spanish company Telefonica has added a stake in another new technology company as it builds up its roster of interests in innovative application developers. The latest acquisition, GestureTek, is described as a developer of “gesture-recognition” technology. The US-based outfit said that its system can be used in camera phones for navigation and gaming applications.
Posted by Judith — 3:35 AM
NexTone and Reefpoint merge into NextPoint.
Source: Converge.
NexTone Communications, a leading provider of session border controller and session management solutions, and Reef Point Systems, which offers mobile access universal convergence gateways, agreed to merge into a new company — NextPoint Networks — serving mobile and fixed-network operators worldwide.
The new company has completed a $20m. round of funding led by One Equity Partners, joined by American Capital , Core Capital Partners, Jerusalem Venture Partners, Safeguard Scientifics, and Summerhill Venture Partners.
Posted by Judith — 3:18 AM
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
AT&T and Verizon agree asset swap.
Source: TeleGeography.
AT&T has agreed to swap some of its assets with Verizon to comply with regulatory requirements following its acquisition of Dobson Communications Corporation. Verizon will receive a number of former Dobson properties, including networks in Kentucky and 10MHz of PCS licences. In return, AT&T will take over some of the assets in Vermont, New York and Washington Verizon acquired when it bought Rural Cellular Corporation earlier this year. AT&T will also buy a cellular licence in Kentucky from Verizon and will pay Verizon an additional cash consideration.
Posted by Judith — 5:53 AM
German Court upholds iPhone exclusivity.
Source: NYT.
T-Mobile can sell Apple’s sought-after iPhone exclusively locked to its own service, a German court ruled Tuesday, reversing an injunction last month requiring the company to sell an unlocked version in Europe’s biggest economy.
The arrangement is similar to those Apple Inc. has with other carriers around the world. In the United States, AT&T Inc. is Apple’s exclusive partner.
Posted by Judith — 5:35 AM
Rise in broadband use in Europe.
Source: BBC.
A total of 42% of households in the EU now have a broadband connection, according to an official survey.
That represents a 12% point rise on the figure for 2006.
Posted by Judith — 5:01 AM
Proposed acquisition of Frontline Technologies Corporation by BT.
Source: BTplc.
BT and Frontline Technologies Corporation Limited (Frontline), a provider of end-to-end IT services within the Asia Pacific region, announced today that they have entered into an agreement for BT to acquire the entire issued share capital of Frontline for approximately S$202m.(GBP68m.) Frontline provides IT consulting, infrastructure services, systems integration and IT outsourcing to local, regional and multinational customers. The company, which is listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange, has operations in China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.
Posted by Judith — 3:47 AM
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
AT&T purchases Edge Wireless.
Source: BWCS.
US operator AT&T has swallowed up Edge Wireless in the NW of the country. The regional wireless company has 172,000 customers spread across several markets around the Pacific North West coast of the US. AT&T, which is currently only a minority shareholder in Edge will purchase the remaining 63.4% of the shares in the company.
Posted by Judith — 5:12 AM
The spectrum auction secrecy begins.
Source: NYT.
A veil of mystery is about to descend over the auction of the 700-megahertz band, a useful swath of the electromagnetic spectrum that is being freed up by the move to digital television.
Today was the deadline for potential bidders to file with the FCC. Once they do so they become subject to strict “anticollusion” rules that in effect prohibit participants from discussing any aspect of their bidding until the auction is over. The commission is trying to prevent bidders from getting into various forms of mischief, such as maliciously bidding up prices to hurt competitors or colluding with rivals to keep prices low.
Posted by Judith — 4:56 AM
Vodafone completes Tele2 takeovers.
Source: TeleGeography.
The UK-based Vodafone Group has announced the completion of its US$1.1bn. deal to take over Tele2’s operations in Italy and Spain. Both the former Tele2 subsidiaries offer fixed line and broadband services, operating in markets where Vodafone is the number two cellular operator.
Posted by Judith — 4:29 AM
Nokia acquires Avvenu.
Source: BWCS.
Nokia is to acquire secure internet access service provider Avvenu. The US company provides an online service allows consumers and business customers to use their mobile devices to securely access and share personal computer files, even if their host computer is turned off.
Founded in 2004, Avvenu is a privately-owned start up headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
Posted by Judith — 4:15 AM
Klausner sues Apple iPhone over voicemail.
Source: Reuters.
Klausner Technologies said on Monday the company had filed a $360 million suit against Apple and AT&T Inc over voicemail patents that Klausner claims the Apple iPhone infringes.
New York-based Klausner said the lawsuit also names Comcast Corp, Cablevision Systems Corp and eBay Inc’s Skype as infringing its patent for “visual voicemail.” The plaintiff seeks an additional $300 million from the three.
Posted by Judith — 4:05 AM
Monday, December 3, 2007
Google to bid for U.S. mobile airwaves.
Source: Reuters.
Google has announced that the company would bid on coveted airwaves to launch a U.S. wireless network, pitting it against established telecommunications players AT&T and Verizon.
The Internet leader said that it was ready to go it alone rather than rely on partners in bidding in the FCC-run auction of 700MHz wireless spectrum due to begin on January 24.
Posted by Judith — 4:35 AM
U Mobile gets two big partners.
Source: BWCS.
Japanese mobile giant NTT DoCoMo, and South Korea’s second biggest mobile operator, KTF, have agreed to take 33% stakes in independent Malaysian 3G operator U Mobile. Between them the two new investors will pay US$200m. for a combined 33% stake in the privately held mobile company.
Posted by Judith — 4:18 AM
Zain raises capital to fund expansion.
Source: TeleGeography.
The Kuwaiti mobile group Zain says it plans to raise around US$4.4bn. by selling stock to existing investors. The group will raise its capital by 75% by selling shares at KW$0.85 (US$3.10) per share. The cash raised will fund international expansion.
Posted by Judith — 4:05 AM
Push for faster net ‘premature’.
Source: BBC.
The push for next-generation broadband could be premature, according to some senior industry figures.
Both regulator Ofcom and BT have expressed doubts about whether the time is ripe for rolling out what would be expensive fibre optic networks.
“We need significant evidence that such a network is required and I don’t think it exists yet,” said Peter Philips, Ofcom’s head of strategy.
Network firms have also questioned if a faster net would make economic sense.
Posted by Judith — 4:04 AM
Arcor files complaint against Deutsche Telekom.
Source: TeleGeography.
German telco Arcor, which is majority-owned by the UK’s Vodafone Group, says it has filed a complaint with the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) against alleged abuse of market power by incumbent DT. Arcor has apparently requested BNetzA to launch an investigation into DT, which it says is delaying rivals’ requests to install last mile connections with customers.
Posted by Judith — 3:56 AM
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