Press Clippings: January 2008
Major Industry items you might have missed
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sprint commits to PTT.
Source: TeleGeography.
Sprint Nextel has confirmed that it remains committed to its Nextel Direct Connect push-to-talk (PTT) service which it runs over its iDEN network. The company says more than 90bn. PTT connections were completed in 2007, with businesses accounting for the bulk of usage.
Posted by Judith — 5:43 AM
Vimpelcom secures US$3.5bn. loan
Source: TeleGeography.
The Russian cellular operator Vimpelcom has said it has received approval from banks for a massive loan to help fund its proposed US$4.3bn. acquisition of wireline sister company Golden Telecom. It is reported that the loan is being arranged through eight banks: ABN AMRO, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Calyon, Citigroup, HSBC, ING and UBS.
Posted by Judith — 5:24 AM
AKTEL identified as Vodafone target.
Source: TeleGeography.
Vodafone Group is looking to buy a 30% stake in AKTEL, the 70%-owned Bangladeshi GSM unit of Telecom Malaysia International (TMI), which is currently number three in the local market in terms of subscribers.
The CEOP of TMI has previously said his company was keen to partner Vodafone in Bangladesh, and valued AKTEL at over US$1bn.
Posted by Judith — 5:03 AM
Damage to sea cables disrupts internet.
Source: Ft.com.
Repair ships were on Wednesday night rushing to the Egyptian coast after damage to two undersea cables disrupted internet traffic across large parts of the Middle East and south Asia.
Posted by Judith — 4:52 AM
Blyk goes Dutch.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Advertising funded virtual mobile network Blyk has announced its first expansion with a move into the Netherlands.
Blyk will use Vodafone Netherlands as its host operator. The company launched services in the UK in September, targeting an audience of 4.5m. young consumers. At the time the MVNO said it is concentrating on a strategy that it “90 % familiar and 10% different”. Subscribers receive 40 minutes and 270 SMS message free of charge per month - no contract, no bill.
Posted by Judith — 4:08 AM
Nokia back in court facing EUR12bn. suit.
Source: BWCS.
Nokia is the recipient of a EUR12bn lawsuit, courtesy of German intellectual property rights holder IP-Com.
It is reported that IP-Com had been negotiating for some time with Nokia over an agreement which would allow the Finns to use eight mobile patent families currently owned by IP-Com. However, the German outfit’s asking price of EUR12bn. was deemed too steep by Nokia.
Posted by Judith — 3:33 AM
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
AT&T and Yahoo! refocus alliance on wireless and PC screens.
Source: Converge.
AT&T and Yahoo! announced a new multi-year strategic alliance that revises the previous revenue sharing arrangement under which AT&T paid Yahoo! a fee for each broadband user it served. The new agreement focuses instead on advertising-based revenue opportunities for both companies from search and display capabilities from either a mobile handset or a PC.
Posted by Judith — 5:28 AM
Juniper storms into ethernet switching.
Source: Light Reading.
Four years after the acquisition of NetScreen, Juniper Networks is making a full-blown assault on enterprise business, finally striking at the heart of Cisco territory.
In a press and analyst gathering here this morning, Juniper trotted out a new line of Ethernet switches and a cluster of powerhouse partnerships. In the latter camp, it was announced that IBM Corp., Microsoft and Oracle will all be building applications and services based on Juniper’s network infrastucture.
Posted by Judith — 4:22 AM
EU court says file sharers don’t have to be named.
Source: Reuters.
European Union countries can refuse to disclose names of file sharers on the Internet in civil cases, the EU’s top court ruled in a blow to copyright holders trying to fight digital piracy.
The European Court of Justice ruled on a dispute between Spanish music rights holders association Promusicae and Spain’s top telecoms operator Telefonica.
Posted by Judith — 4:08 AM
Wireless auction concerns rise as some airwaves languish.
Source: Reuters.
Bidding has stalled on a key piece of spectrum in the U.S. government’s wireless airwaves auction, prompting concern regulators will have to modify rules requiring some of it be shared with public safety agencies.
After 12 rounds of bidding over four days, the FCC still has received only one bid for a portion of the 700MHz airwaves known as the “D” block, that could also be used by police, firefighters and other public safety officials.
Posted by Judith — 3:24 AM
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A quarter of Apple iPhones “unlocked”.
Source: Reuters.
More than a quarter of people who bought Apple Inc’s iPhone are using them on wireless networks other than AT&T’s, the exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S., a “stunning” number that will pressure the company’s business model.
Analysis of sales numbers from Apple and AT&T Inc revealed about 1.45m. phones were “missing in action” at the end of 2007.
About 480,000 of those were believed to be held by AT&T as inventory, leaving another 27% of the total, that were “unlocked” so they could work on non-AT&T networks.
Posted by Judith — 4:14 AM
BSkyB ordered to cut ITV stake to below 7.5%.
Source: TimesOnline.
The British Government has ordered BSkyB to sell more than half of its stake in ITV to increase competition among Britain’s broadcasters.
BSkyB will have to reduce its 17.9% shareholding to below 7.5 %. BSkyB, which is 39.1% owned by News Corporation spent £940m. buying the stake at 135p per share in November 2006.
Posted by Judith — 4:00 AM
Spectrum auctions: billion dollar leapfrog.
Source: NYT.
The FCC has stepped up the pace of its auction for the 700 Mhz wireless spectrum, holding four rounds of bidding on Monday. This added US$2.4bn. to the combined bids, which now total US$6.1bn.
Posted by Judith — 3:36 AM
Japan’s Kyocera to exit China mobile handset market.
Source: Reuters.
Japanese electronics maker Kyocera Corp plans to withdraw from China’s booming mobile phone handset market due to mounting losses amid competition from cheaper producers.
The withdrawal underlines the failure of Japanese firms’ strategy to sell high-end models with cameras and music-playing capabilities in a market dominated by lower-priced phones by giants like Nokia and Motorola Inc.
Posted by Judith — 2:26 AM
Monday, January 28, 2008
Verizon acquires Sacramento wireless operator.
Source: TeleGeography.
Verizon Wireless has agreed to acquire the operating assets of Californian cellco SureWest Wireless for US$69m. in cash. The firm’s network incorporates more than 50 communications towers. The SureWest group also offers triple-play TV, telephony and internet services over fixed line networks but this business is not part of the Verizon purchase.
Posted by Judith — 6:06 AM
Another U-verse expansion.
Source: TeleGeography.
AT&T Inc has announced its largest U-verse fibre rollout to date, launching services to households in 175 communities in northeastern Illinois. The service, which offers high speed internet access and TV services, is being marketed in direct competition to local cable networks.
Posted by Judith — 5:30 AM
From today, feel free to download another 25million songs - legally.
Source: TimesOnline.
After a decade fighting to stop illegal file-sharing, the music industry will give fans today what they have always wanted: an unlimited supply of free and legal songs.
Qtrax promises a catalogue of more than 25m. songs that users can download to keep, free and with no limit on the number of tracks.
The service has been endorsed by the very same record companies that have chased file-sharers through the courts in a doomed attempt to prevent piracy. The gamble is that fans will put up with a limited amount of advertising around the Qtrax website’s jukebox in return for authorised use of almost every song available.
Posted by Judith — 5:24 AM
Nokia boosts web services plan with Trolltech buy.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Finnish company Nokia has moved to acquire Scandinavian mobile Linux developer Trolltech, further boosting its internet services business.
At the heart of the deal is Trolltech’s Qt cross platform application framework, which will allow the Finnish firm to further develop its online services strategy.
Nokia will offer around $153m. for all the shares in the Norwegian company.
Posted by Judith — 5:14 AM
BT wants to know who’s in the phone box.
Source: TimesOnline.
BT is to launch a detailed study of its 66,000 payphones as it seeks to put pressure on the telephones regulator to rethink rules that force it to fund and maintain the boxes.
The telecoms group is seeking to provide proof to Ofcom that, in an age of mobile phones and other new technologies, payphones no longer play the vital social role that they once did.
Posted by Judith — 4:32 AM
Saturday, January 26, 2008
India takes Soma to realise WiMAX dream.
Source: Telecoms.com.
State-owned Indian operator BSNL has announced that it has tapped US WiMAX kit vendor Soma Networks to deploy what it claims is the largest WiMAX network in India.
The 802.16e-2005 mobile WiMAX network will be rolled out across three circles, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, and Andhra Pradesh and will provide broadband data and voice services to an area reaching more than 200m. people over the next three years.
Posted by Judith — 5:20 AM
The web weans itself off the US.
Source: TimesOnline.
The body which oversees the internet may become independent from the US Government for the first time, paving the way for one of the world’s most important resources to be run by the private sector.
ICANN has written to the US Government asking to be released from an agreement under which it it answerable to the US Department of Commerce, which began delegating the responsibility for running the internet ten years ago.
Posted by Judith — 5:13 AM
BT chooses new SLA standards.
Source: Light Reading.
Digital Fuel Technologies Inc., a startup that sells service-level agreement management software, has announced that BT Group plc has decided to globally standardize its SLA offerings based on its technology.
Posted by Judith — 5:03 AM
Friday, January 25, 2008
Bids total US$2.78bn. in opening day of auction for airwaves.
Source: NYT.
Bidders put up a total of almost US$2.78bn. in the opening rounds of the Federal Communications Commission’s auction of federally owned airwaves.
The figure represents the highest bids received for five separate blocks of spectrum at the beginning of the auction, which is eventually expected to bring the federal government at least $10 billion.
Posted by Judith — 3:40 AM
Cisco invests in femto firm.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Networking giant Cisco said Wednesday that it has made an investment in femtocell shop ip.access, giving it a stronger foothold in the mobile space.
Cisco will join existing ip.access investors including Scottish Equity Partners, Rothschild Gestion, Intel Capital, Amadeus Capital Partners, ADC and Motorola Ventures.
Posted by Judith — 3:30 AM
Vyke acquires Callserve.
Source: Digital Media Europe.
Vyke Communications has acquired Callserve Communications, a UK-based telecommunications service provider.
By acquiring Callserve, Vyke expects to increase its penetration into the UK market. Vyke also hopes to use Callserve’s existing African and Middle Eastern distribution networks to expand its global footprint.
Vyke Communications is a UK telecoms service provider specializing in mobile VoIP, with subsidiaries and offices in Norway, US, Iceland and Malaysia.
Posted by Judith — 3:20 AM
Hitched to Apple.
Source: Forbes.com.
If the iPhone has been good for Apple, it has been sensational for Stephen Waldis. Each time a buyer of the iPhone activates service online with AT&T, Waldis gets an estimated $8. His small company, Synchronoss, sells the software that AT&T uses to allow customers to register and switch on their phone. Better yet for Waldis, Jobs has mandated that the only way to activate the iPhone is through the Web.
Posted by Judith — 2:49 AM
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Google ties up with Japan’s DoCoMo.
Source: Reuters.
Google’s search engine will feature on NTT DoCoMo handsets, giving it access to 48 million new mobile Internet users in Japan in its push for overseas growth.
Posted by Judith — 4:41 AM
NCTA takes MDU row to court.
Source: Light Reading.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) has filed an “emergency” motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals in the D.C. Circuit that seeks a stay on an FCC order concerning current contracts with multiple-dwelling units.
The motion has to do with a new rule that would ban cable operators from striking exclusive video deals with apartment buildings and other MDUs. The goal was to create more competitive opportunities for telcos and other service providers that wanted to crack the market.
Posted by Judith — 4:32 AM
Southwest and American test in-flight Wi-Fi.
Source: NYT.
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines separately announced this week that their planes will be tested for in-flight passenger Wi-Fi data access using different access technologies.
Posted by Judith — 4:17 AM
Motorola cosies up to Qualcomm again.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Kit vendor Motorola has made an about face on last year’s decision to drop Qualcomm from its suppliers list.
The US handset and equipment vendor has announced that it is once again broadening its relationship with Qualcomm, with the aim of designing the big Q’s chipsets into certain UMTS 3G handsets from the end of this year.
Posted by Judith — 3:51 AM
TelstraClear completes South Island ring.
Source: TeleGeography.
TelstraClear has announced the completion of its new NZ$29m. (US$22m.) fibre ring in New Zealand’s South Island. The new 950km cable loop connects lower South Island’s main towns and cities and links with TelstraClear’s existing backbone fibre network on the island. TelstraClear says it now has around 6,000km of fibre network laid across New Zealand.
Posted by Judith — 3:30 AM
Vodafone NZ drops ihug.
Source: TeleGeography.
Vodafone New Zealand is reported to have plans to drop the ihug brand for its internet services and offer all services under the Vodafone banner. The ihug brand was retained for Vodafone’s internet services, but the company says it now wants to offer all services under the Vodafone banner to support its goal of becoming the number one communications operator in New Zealand.
Posted by Judith — 3:16 AM
Mobily expands international link.
Source: TeleGeography.
Saudi cellular operator Mobily has announced an expansion to its e-cable international fibre-optic cable project. The US$150m. cable will connect the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to international links in Europe. Mobily is working with its parent, Etisalat of the UAE, and sister company Etisalat Misr of Egypt on the deployment of the part-terrestrial and part-undersea network.
Posted by Judith — 3:12 AM
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
NextPhase wins WIMAX spectrum.
Source: TeleGeography.
The US ISP NextPhase Wireless has been awarded a nationwide licence which will allow it to offer WiMAX services in the 3.7GHz band. California-based NextPhase says it now has all the elements in place to enable it to deliver a business-grade broadband service with speeds ranging from 3Mbps to 622Mbps.
Posted by Judith — 7:45 AM
Verizon Wireless purchases Californian carrier.
Source: RCR.
Verizon Wireless has signed an agreement to purchase SureWest Communications’ wireless assets in Northern California for US$69m.
Under terms of the deal, Verizon Wireless will acquire the company’s spectrum licenses and more than 50 communication towers.
Posted by Judith — 4:56 AM
Ciena buys World Wide Packets.
Source: Light Reading.
Ciena Corp. has announced a deal to buy privately held World Wide Packets Inc., signifying the importance Ciena is placing on the carrier Ethernet market.
On top of that, Ciena announced it has won a multiyear deal to supply WWP’s equipment to AT&T Inc.
Ciena is offering up US$200m. in cash and 3.4m. shares of stock, worth roughly US$90m., for World Wide Packets. Ciena will also assume US$15m. worth of WWP’s debt.
Posted by Judith — 4:44 AM
UK homes to get super-fast fibre.
Source: BBC.
The UK’s first “fibre town” could go online in the autumn, delivering speeds of about 100Mbps (megabits per second) to consumers’ homes.
Fibre firm H20 provides super-fast broadband via the sewers and either Bournemouth, Northampton or Dundee will be offered the service first.
Posted by Judith — 4:40 AM
Over 15,000 protest against Nokia’s German exit.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Over 15,000 people took to the streets in protest against the closure of Nokia’s German handset plant on Tuesday, according to police estimates.
The march took place at the plant’s location in Bochum, in the industrial district of the Ruhr region of Germany.
Nokia’s decision to close the handset manufacturing plant and make up to 2,300 workers redundant sparked a political backlash earlier this week.
Posted by Judith — 3:21 AM
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Sanyo to sell mobile business to Kyocera.
Source: TeleGeography.
Sanyo is selling its mobile phone manufacturing business to Kyocera for as much as JPY50bn. (US$469m.), creating the world’s sixth largest handset maker in the process.
Posted by Judith — 5:00 AM
DoCoMo disbands WiMAX partnership.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Following its failure to secure a chunk of WiMAX spectrum in December, leading Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has dissolved its wireless broadband partnership with ACCA Wireless.
KDDI and WIllcom are set to launch WiMAX services in 2009 and may also lease out spectrum to other parties interested in offering WiMAX services.
Posted by Judith — 4:52 AM
Intelig sold to Docas Investimentos.
Source: TeleGeography.
Brazilian investment firm Docas Investimentos is reported to have acquired Intelig Comunicacoes, a Brazilian long-distance telecoms operator. Docas has agreed a deal to acquire Intelig, which possesses more than 500,000km of fibre-optic cables in Brazil, from a consortium comprising the UK’s National Grid, Sprint Nextel of the US and France Telecom.
Posted by Judith — 4:47 AM
Clearwire breaks into VOIP market.
Source: Light Reading.
Using Nortel Networks Ltd. servers, Clearwire hopes to deliver VOIP services for the first time over its own network infrastructure. The company currently leases this capability through carrier partnerships. Now Clearwire feels it’s ready to do it on its own.
Posted by Judith — 4:11 AM
Vodafone to invest US$6bn. in India.
Source: BWCS.
Vodafone has outlined ambitious plans to make its mark in India. The company took over Hutchison Essar, India’s fourth largest mobile operator in a US$10.9bn. buy-out in May 2007. Vodafone said it is targeting 100 million customers within three years and plans to invest US$6bn. in its Indian operations.
Posted by Judith — 4:04 AM
Bharti Airtel awards US$150m. services deal to IBM.
Source: Converge.
India’s Bharti Airtel awarded a six-year services deal valued at US$150 million to IBM to help bring a unified customer experience across its services, including beaming television content over the Internet. Working with IBM, Bharti plans to launch IPTV and DTH (direct to home) broadcasting offerings and penetrate into prepaid rural market segments.
Posted by Judith — 3:45 AM
Italian WiMax - battle heats up.
Source: BWCS.
The Ministry of Communications in Italy says it has received 29 bids for licences to offer WiMax services in the country. Those bidding are known to include most of the major telecoms operators currently active in Italy, including broadband ISP service provider FastWeb, fixed and mobile player Wind and Telecom Italia.
Posted by Judith — 3:40 AM
Monday, January 21, 2008
STC agrees to buy Oger stake.
Source: TeleGeography.
Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has agreed a US$2.6bn. deal to acquire a 35% stake in Oger Telecom, the Lebanese-controlled firm which has interests in telcos in South Africa (Cell C), Turkey (Turk Telecom) and Romania (Zapp), plus internet operations in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan.
Posted by Judith — 5:46 AM
AIS to offer iPhone.
Source: TeleGeography.
Thailand’s largest cellco by subscribers, Advanced Info Services (AIS), is collaborating with its shareholder Singapore Telecom (SingTel) and Australia’s Optus to bring Apple’s iPhone to Thailand and the southeast Asia-Pacific region.
Posted by Judith — 5:33 AM
Saturday, January 19, 2008
JiWire offers ad-supported Wi-Fi for iPhone and iPod Touch.
Source: NYT.
Wireless advertising network JiWire has announced that it will offer iPhone and iPod touch free Wi-Fi Internet access in select locations in exchange for viewing a JiWire-supplied ad.
The first clients to serve up Wi-Fi advertising to iPhone and iPod touch owners under the program will include financial services firm Charles Schwab and premium cable network HBO.
Posted by Judith — 5:05 AM
Alcatel-Lucent bags Brazil deal.
Source: Forbes.com.
Franco-American network supplier Alcatel-Lucent may be struggling with restructuring woes, mounting losses and a difficult time for the industry in general, but it is fighting back with news of a deal that could be worth over US$1bn.
According to press reports, Alcatel-Lucent trumped rivals like Nokia and Siemens’ network-supply venture, to be the sole company responsible for maintaining Brasil Telecom’s network. The contract is reportedly worth nearly 2bn.Brazilian reals, or US$1.1bn.
Posted by Judith — 3:26 AM
Friday, January 18, 2008
Sprint Nextel to cut ‘thousands of jobs’.
Source: TeleGeography.
Sprint Nextel, the third largest mobile operator in the US by subscribers, is aiming to cut thousands of jobs in a bid to convince investors it is committed to streamlining its business. Sprint has around 60,000 employees, having laid off 5,000 staff last year.
2007 has been a difficult year for Sprint Nextel. It has lost customers to rivals such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T, which the market perceives to be offering better handsets, higher service quality and a superior customer service.
Posted by Judith — 4:38 AM
Arbor Networks buys Ellacoya.
Source: NYT.
Network security vendor Arbor Networks has reached an agreement to acquire Ellacoya Networks, a provider of broadband optimization products.
The acquisition will allow Arbor to take advantage of an increased focus on traffic and service management by broadband providers.
Posted by Judith — 4:37 AM
Yahoo to support OpenID single sign-on.
Source: NYT.
People with a Yahoo user name and password will be able to use that ID information to access non-Yahoo Web sites that support the OpenID 2.0 digital identity framework, reducing the amount of different log-in information people need to create, remember and enter online.
Yahoo’s move will triple the number of OpenID accounts to 368m. by adding its 248m.n active registered users to the rolls.
Posted by Judith — 3:59 AM
Telefonica to raise China Netcom stake to 7.2%.
Source: TeleGeography.
Telefonica has agreed to buy an additional 2.22% of China Netcom for about EUR309m. (US$453m.) to take its stake in the company to 7.22%. Telefonica, which bought its original 5% of Netcom in 2005 for EUR418m., is expected to raise its stake to 10% in the short-term.
Posted by Judith — 3:39 AM
FT Orange and Yoigo to share networks.
Source: TeleGeography.
France Telecom’s Orange and TeliaSonera’s Xfera Moviles (which operates under the Yoigo banner) have announced a five year agreement to share their network infrastructure in Spain. The companies hope the arrangement will allow them to optimise the use of their networks.
Posted by Judith — 3:12 AM
The Cloud acquires Germany’s GlobalAirNet .
Source: Converge.
The Cloud has acquired GlobalAirNet AG which provides Wi-Fi services to four and five star hotels in Germany.
The Cloud is Europe’s leading independent mobile wireless broadband service provider with over 12,000 network locations and over 20,000 access points in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and The Netherlands.
Posted by Judith — 3:02 AM
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sun to buy Swedish software firm for US$1bn.
Source: NYT.
Sun Microsystems, the large American seller of open-source software, has annnounced that it is to spend US$1bn. to buy MySQL, a Swedish company that is the world leader in open-source database software used by Internet powers like Google, Yahoo, MySpace and YouTube.
Posted by Judith — 4:43 AM
Yahoo signs ad deal with T-Mobile.
Source: BWCS.
Yahoo has signed a deal to provide targeted display adverts on T-Mobile’s Internet service Web ‘n’ walk in the UK. Yahoo has been aggressively targeting deals to sell and manage mobile adverts after enduring some tough competition in its main web business where it has lost out to major competitors such as Google. Yahoo has a parallel deal with T-Mobile’s rival Vodafone.
Posted by Judith — 4:23 AM
Clearwire looks to Google for applications.
Source: Telecoms.com.
US wireless broadband player Clearwire is teaming up with Google to deliver a bundle of the web giant’s applications to its customers.
Clearwire said it will begin migrating its existing customers to Gmail and Google Calendar in the first half of this year and will also give users access to Google Talk.
Posted by Judith — 4:19 AM
Oracle to acquire BEA Systems.
Source: Converge.
Oracle and BEA Systems have reached an agreement under which Oracle will acquire all outstanding shares of BEA for US$19.375 per share in cash. The offer is valued at approximately US$8.5bn., or US$7.2bn. net of BEA’s cash on hand of US$1.3bn.
Posted by Judith — 4:15 AM
Voiceserve acquires Voipswitch.
Source: Digital Media Europe.
Voiceserve, a UK-based company targeting phone customers with VoIP and Pay As You Go services, has completed the acquisition of Voipswitch, a VoIP platform company offering an all-in-one services management platform.
The acquisition consisted of US$1.2m. cash with 3,750,000 VSRV shares valued at US$1.8m. for a total of $3m.
Posted by Judith — 4:08 AM
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Nokia to cut up to 2,300 staff.
Source: Reuters.
Nokia has announced that it plans to close its plant in Bochum, Germany, by mid-2008 and may cut up to 2,300 staff as it moves production to lower-cost regions.
Posted by Judith — 4:54 AM
Ocean rocket returns to business.
Source: BBC.
The Sea Launch company has returned to flight with a mission to loft a telecoms satellite to serve the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
The flight was the first for Sea Launch since the catastrophic explosion in January 2007 which destroyed a Zenit and its payload on the pad.
Sea Launch is based in Long Beach, California, but is operated by an international consortium, including the Boeing aerospace company and the Russian spacecraft manufacturer Energia.
Posted by Judith — 4:51 AM
Centillium unloads DSL business to Ikanos.
Source: Light Reading.
Centillium Communications Inc. has announced today that it would be selling its DSL business to Ikanos Communications Inc. for US$12m. in cash. Ikanos will acquire assets, technology, and employees as part of the deal and will maintain Centillium’s existing DSL customer relationships.
Ikanos’s interest in Centillium was more to obtain its intellectual property, engineering team, and customer relationships rather than its ADSL business itself.
Posted by Judith — 4:41 AM
WiMAX operator raises funds.
Source: TeleGeography.
The US WiMAX operator DigitalBridge Communications has raised US$20m. in venture capital from a number of investment firms. The telco has already raised US$11m. in an earlier round of financing. The new funding will help finance an expansion to over 15 new markets covering around 2.5m. people in the US West and Mid-West.
Posted by Judith — 4:09 AM
Swisscom to offer Eutelsat’s Tooway Satellite service.
Source: Converge.
Swisscom will offer Eutelsat’s Tooway service as the satellite component of a its universal broadband programme for all Swiss homes.
Tooway is delivered through a partnership between Eutelsat and ViaSat. Using Ka-band capacity on Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD(TM) 6 satellite for both forward and return links, Tooway is based on the SurfBeam DOCSIS broadband satellite system developed by ViaSat and already widely deployed in North America.
Posted by Judith — 3:39 AM
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Google can bid In U.S. wireless auction, FCC says.
Source: InformationWeek.
U.S. communications regulators have cleared Google to bid in an upcoming U.S. auction of coveted wireless airwaves, according to auction documents released by the FCC.
The auction is scheduled to begin Jan. 24 and expected to raise at least $10bn. for the U.S. government from airwaves being returned by television broadcasters as they move to digital from analog signals in early 2009.
As expected, the list of qualified bidders also included U.S. wireless providers AT&T and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, as well as ventures involving EchoStar Communications, Cablevision Systems, Qualcomm and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Posted by Judith — 5:00 AM
EU launches new Microsoft probes.
Source: BBC.
The EC is launching two new anti-competition investigations against US computer giant Microsoft.
The first will look at whether Microsoft unfairly ties its Explorer internet browser to its Windows operating system.
In a parallel probe, the Commission will look at the interoperability of Microsoft software with rival products.
The latest investigation by the Commission comes after two complaints, one by Norwegian company Opera, the other by pan-European software-makers group European Committee for Interoperable Systems.
Posted by Judith — 4:48 AM
MetroPCS moves into Jacksonville.
Source: TeleGeography.
The US cellular operator MetroPCS has acquired rights to 10MHz of wireless spectrum covering the city of Jacksonville in Florida and has also bought the local subscriber base and network assets of NTCH/Cleartalk PCS. The 10MHz of PCS spectrum was bought from PTA Communications.
Posted by Judith — 4:07 AM
TDC outsources international voice services to iBasis.
Source: TeleGeography.
International voice traffic carrier iBasis revealed yesterday that it has won a five-year contract to become TDC’s exclusive provider of international voice services. iBasis will pay the Danish telco US$10m. in cash and expects to generate around US$80m. in revenue per year from the deal. The outsourcing arrangement follows iBasis’s recent acquisition of KPN Global Carrier Services which resulted in the outsourcing of KPN’s international voice business to iBasis.
Posted by Judith — 4:05 AM
Francisco Partners and Sequoia Capital make significant investment in Data Connection and MetaSwitch.
Source: Converge.
Francisco Partners has led a significant investment round into Data Connection Limited (DCL), including its MetaSwitch division. The funding round included Francisco Partners’ strategic partner, Sequoia Capital. T
DCL is an independent developer and supplier of IMS, SBC, SIP, Megaco/H.248, Diameter, MGCP, Unicast and Multicast IP Routing, Packet and Optical MPLS, ATM, and SNA portable products. It also supplies complete telecom solutions via its MetaSwitch division. Data Connection customers include leading software and hardware vendors, such as Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, IBM, and Microsoft.
Posted by Judith — 3:22 AM
Trans-Pacific express cable on schedule for August debut.
Source: Converge.
Verizon Business has obtained final FCC approval including a landing license to activate and operate the Trans-Pacific Express submarine cable system in the U.S. The 17,000-kilometer TPE cable — being built by a consortium comprised of Verizon Business, China Telecom, China Netcom, China Unicom, Korea Telecom and Chunghwa Telecom (Taiwan) — will initially provide capacity of up to 1.28 Tbps, with a design capacity of up to 5.12 Tbps to support future Internet growth and advanced applications.
Posted by Judith — 3:18 AM
ViaSat plans 100 Gbps satellite system for broadband services.
Source: Converge.
ViaSat has selected Space Systems/Loral to provide what is described as the highest capacity broadband satellite to date. The new spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2011 and will be based on SS/L’s 1300 platform and high-capacity Ka-band spot beam technology. Total throughput is designed to be over 100 Gbps which is more capacity than today’s entire fleet of two-way Ka-, C- and Ku-band capacity over North America combined.
Posted by Judith — 3:13 AM
Monday, January 14, 2008
Google sees surge in iPhone traffic.
Source: NYT.
At Christmas, traffic to Google from iPhones surged, surpassing incoming traffic from any other type of mobile device. A few days later, iPhone traffic to Google fell below that of devices powered by the Nokia-backed Symbian operating system but remained higher than traffic from any other type of cellphone.
The data is striking because the iPhone, an Apple product, accounts for just 2% of smartphones worldwide. Phones powered by Symbian make up 63% of the worldwide smartphone market, while those powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile have 11% and those running the BlackBerry system have 10%.
Posted by Judith — 4:17 AM
BT to delay GBP10bn. national network upgrade.
Source: TimesOnline.
BT will fail to complete a GBP10bn. project to upgrade its national phone network on time, with only a handful of a planned 350,000 lines already transferred in the pilot area.
The telecoms giant had hoped to complete the ambitious project by 2010, but it has been forced to push the deadline back by a year.
Posted by Judith — 4:08 AM
Apple, China Mobile call off iPhone launch talks.
Source: Reuters.
Apple and China Mobile have called off talks to launch the U.S. firm’s popular iPhones in China, dashing speculation the device will hit the country’s store shelves soon.
Posted by Judith — 4:06 AM
DT job restructuring continues apace.
Source: TeleGeography.
Europe’s largest telco by revenue Deutsche Telekom is ramping up its restructuring with plans to transfer more than 9,000 employees to a new unit by 2010. The company wants to cut costs by EUR5bn. (US$7.4bn.) by the end of the decade, partly via slashing worker costs. Since privatisation in the mid-1990s, DT has cut its workforce by about 120,000 to around 240,000 at the end of 2007.
Posted by Judith — 3:05 AM
Alcatel-Lucent readies Taiwan WiMAX test centre.
Source: TeleGeography.
Alcatel-Lucent has announced that it is preparing to open its WiMAX Application and Interoperability Testing centre in Taiwan. The centre will promote the development of WiMAX products and establish a ‘robust and mature WiMAX ecosystem’, the vendor says. Local manufacturers will use the centre to test their WiMAX customer premises equipment.
Posted by Judith — 3:01 AM
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Cisco Invests in mobile services start-up.
Source: NYT.
SoonR, a provider of mobile computer file access and management services, this week received US$9.5m. in Series B funding led by Cisco.
The investment is intended to help the company expand its mobile platform and advance its partner-driven distribution strategy. Previous investors Intel Capital and Clearstone Venture Partners also participated in the round. Total investment in the 2-year-old company now stands at US$15.5m.
Posted by Judith — 5:43 AM
Friday, January 11, 2008
T-Mobile USA to spend US$10.3bnn on 2G, 3G rollout.
Source: TeleGeography.
T-Mobile USA plans to spend EUR7bn. (US$10.3bn.) between 2007 and 2008 to expand its 2G service and deploy 3G. The CEO said the investment would adversely impact profit margins in the next two years, but was generally positive about reaching the mid-30% range.
Posted by Judith — 5:24 AM
New York launches antitrust probe into Intel.
Source: Reuters.
New York state has launched a formal investigation of Intel Corp to determine if the world’s No. 1 chipmaker broke state and U.S. antitrust laws to squeeze out its main rival, Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
Intel is facing similar investigations in Europe and Asia, although federal antitrust enforcers in Washington have so far declined to take up the matter.
Posted by Judith — 4:29 AM
BT puts first 100Mbps fibre down.
Source: Telecoms.com.
UK incumbent carrier BT has started its first deployment of fibre-optic cable, in the Ebbsfleet Valley in Kent.
In the future BT said it plans to make greater use of fibre in suitable new build sites, and a significant opportunity is presented by the government’s plan to build 3m. new houses by 2020.
Posted by Judith — 3:41 AM
Licences for all.
Source: TeleGeography.
In a move designed to end the controversy surrounding the entry of new players to the wireless market, the Indian government has opted to issue licences to all new aspiring companies. ‘The government has accepted the recommendations of [the] Telecom Regulatory Authority of India,’ an official statement said, referring to the watchdog’s proposal that no cap be placed on the number of mobile service providers.
Posted by Judith — 3:22 AM
DT to speed up unbundling for competitors.
Source: TeleGeography.
Deutsche Telekom is to speed up efforts to reduce a backlog on DSL line access for competitors who rent connections into private homes and businesses from it. Rivals such as Telefonica and Vodafone had filed complaints at the end of 2007 with the Federal Network Agency (FNA) about DT’s delaying tactics.
Posted by Judith — 3:19 AM
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Stake in China HP for sale to the highest bidder.
Source: NYT.
A 30% stake in Hewlett-Packard’s Chinese operations is up for sale to the highest bidder as the company’s Chinese partner looks to sell its shares.
In a filing with the China Beijing Equity Exchange, state-owned China Electronics Import & Export Co. invited bids for its stake in China HP and set a minimum price of 967m. yuan (US$133m.) .
Posted by Judith — 5:05 AM
Verizon receives India licenses.
Source: Light Reading.
Verizon Business is the latest major international carrier to receive long distance licenses in India, enabling it to tap into the country’s growing community of multinational companies.
The carrier has formed a joint venture, Verizon Business India, with Mumbai-based Videocon Group — a conglomerate whose interests span from consumer electronics and home appliances to oil and gas — to satisfy requirements that Indian telecom companies must have a maximum foreign ownership of 74%.
Posted by Judith — 4:51 AM
Aruba Networks to acquire Airwave for US$37m.
Source: RCR.
Aruba Networks Inc. reported plans to buy Airwave Wireless Inc., purveyor of management tools for multi-vendor wireless networks, for US$37m. in stock and cash.
Airwave will operate as a business unit of Aruba, which said the acquisition supports its strategy of fostering partnerships for network sales and management.
Posted by Judith — 4:18 AM
Sony wheels out own wireless transfer technology.
Source: Telecoms.com.
Japanese electronics giant Sony has lifted the curtain on its TransferJet close proximity wireless connectivity technology, going up against existing standards such as Bluetooth and even Wireless USB.
Posted by Judith — 4:16 AM
Orange-Synterra WiMAX project to cover Moscow Region.
Source: TeleGeography.
Russian wireless broadband operator Synterra and France Telecom subsidiary Orange Business Services have agreed to jointly implement a WiMAX project in 22 towns across the Moscow Region. According to the project terms, the WiMAX networks will be handed over to Orange Business Services enabling the operator to provide communication services under its own brand. In turn Orange Business Services will allow Synterra to use 10% of the networks’ capacity.
Posted by Judith — 4:13 AM
BT appoints Publicis Groupe as media partner.
Source: BTplc.
BT has appointed Publicis Groupe as its media partner. The single contract with the Publicis Groupe in the UK will cover business and communication planning through to negotiations and implementation across all media channels. BT and Publicis also unveiled a new structural relationship aimed at leveraging substantial commercial advantages and being able to work more quickly to exploit media opportunities.
Posted by Judith — 4:08 AM
3 signs first MVNO Partner.
Source: BWCS.
Gamma Telecom is set to become Hutchison 3G’s first MVNO partner in the UK. The deal will reportedly see Gamma offer its own brand mobile services to business customers in the UK using the 3 network. Gamma will target the new mobile voice and data services at its core market of small and medium sized businesses.
Posted by Judith — 3:35 AM
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Microsoft bids US$1.2bn. for search firm Fast.
Source: Reuters.
Microsoft Corp has bid US$1.2bn. to buy Norwegian business search software company Fast Search & Transfer in a deal focused on helping corporations manage and sift through their own files, a growing market also targeted by Google Inc.
Posted by Judith — 4:51 AM
Wireless start-up fails to get financing
Source: NYT.
Frontline Wireless, which wanted to build an innovative cellular network for both private use and local public safety agencies, has collapsed because it could not raise enough money to bid in the government auctions of wireless spectrum that start later this month.
The company’s failure raises questions about the ability of the auctions to raise the US$14bn. or more that the federal government wants in exchange for the broadcast spectrum that will be freed next year by the shift from analog to digital television.
Posted by Judith — 4:47 AM
Verizon Prepares GPON Push.
Source: Light Reading.
Verizon has announced that it will drastically increase its GPON rollouts in 2008. Verizon announced its GPON intentions back in March, but its deployment so far has been on a trial basis.
Now, Verizon is listing California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Texas as states where it’s going all-GPON for its FiOS buildouts.
Posted by Judith — 4:38 AM
Comcast denies blocking file sharing traffic.
Source: TeleGeography.
The FCC is launching an investigation into allegations that the country’s largest cable operator, Comcast, has restricted large file transfers. Customers are complaining that the firm is throttling peer-to-peer file sharing traffic. Comcast has denied the allegations.
Posted by Judith — 3:34 AM
Sprint announces Xohm WiMAX partners .
Source: Converge.
At CES in Las Vegas, Sprint announced new Xohm mobile Internet business agreements involving web portal services and WiMAX network access devices.
Partners include: Amdocs, SwapDrive, eTelecare Global Solutions, McAfee, OQO, ASUSTek of Taiwan, Zyxel and chip supplier Sequans.
Soho Square has been named advertising agency of record to help launch the Xohm brand in North America.
Posted by Judith — 3:23 AM
TV to go.
Source: NYT.
One of the benefits to broadcasters in sending out their signals digitally is that as the TV data stream is compressed, they can fit several channels in the space of one analog feed.
Several companies have come up with a way to use that additional capacity, by repurposing it as mobile services.
LG has shown a version of the technology that they call M.P.H., for Mobile, Pedestrian, and Handheld. For a $125,000 investment, broadcasters will be able to send programs that can be picked up by cell phones, laptops, G.P.S. units and other mobile devices. Unlike traditional digital transmissions that can quickly disappear if your antenna is misaligned, M.P.H. feeds will stay rock steady even as you walk down the street or drive in a car.
Posted by Judith — 3:18 AM
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Ericsson and Datang to work together on 4G.
Source: BWCS.
Chinese mobile equipment maker Datang Telecom Technology & Industry Group has set up a fourth-generation mobile technology research centre in Beijing with Ericsson AB. The two parties will co-develop LTE/TDD technology, a type of 4G wireless platform. Ericsson is not the first European mobile company to get into bed with Datang. The Shanghai-listed company already has a long term relationship with Alcatel Bell, now part of the Alcatel Lucent Group.
Posted by Judith — 5:12 AM
PacNet merges with Asia Netcom, launches new corporate identity.
Source: TeleGeography.
Pacific Internet (PacNet) and Asia Netcom today announced the start of their operational merger and unveiled plans for the enlarged company to operate under the unified brand name PacNet. The amalgamation of the two companies’ businesses will result in the creation of Asia’s leading independent telecoms service provider with the largest regional footprint and the region’s most extensive submarine cable network.
Posted by Judith — 4:47 AM
BT adds to its IPTV options.
Source: Light Reading.
BT has added to its telco TV options by announcing a partnership with Microsoft Corp. that will see its BT Vision services delivered via the Xbox games console, and a new set-top box deal with Motorola Inc.
Posted by Judith — 4:23 AM
E.P.A. seeks new life for old cellphones.
Source: NYT.
The Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with many retailers, manufacturers and service providers, plans to introduce a public education campaign aimed at getting consumers to recycle their phones.
The US$175,000 campaign — “Recycle Your Cellphone. It’s an Easy Call” — will rely heavily on public service announcements, particularly in lifestyle and technology magazines read by the 18- to 34-year-olds who trade up to new cellphones most often. The ads will stress environmental and social reasons for recycling.
Posted by Judith — 3:30 AM
Austar sells WiMAX spectrum to OPEL.
Source: TeleGeography.
Austar has announced that it has decided to sell its entire WiMAX regional wireless broadband spectrum to the Optus-led OPEL consortium for AU$65m. (US$57.1m.), allowing it to focus its attention on its core regional pay-TV operations.
Posted by Judith — 3:29 AM
U-Verse reaches Illinois.
Source: TeleGeography.
AT&T has announced that it is launching its U-Verse FTTH service in parts of Illinois, with an expansion into the Chicago metropolitan area planned for the end of the first quarter. U-Verse offers high speed internet and video services alongside traditional fixed line telephony, allowing AT&T to compete with the triple-play offers of cable operators.
Posted by Judith — 2:46 AM
Monday, January 7, 2008
Motorola to buy Soundbuzz.
Source: BWCS.
US mobile handset maker Motorola is to buy Asian music provider Soundbuzz. The American company, which is playing catch-up in the global market for mobile phones, said the purchase will allow it to expand its MotoMusic service beyond China, into India, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Posted by Judith — 5:33 AM
Sony and Skype agree deal for free PSP calls.
Source: FT.com.
Sony Computer Entertainment has struck a deal with Skype, the internet telephony group, which will turn the PlayStation Portable into a handheld device capable of making and receiving telephone calls.
Posted by Judith — 4:26 AM
Yahoo moves to counter Google mobiles push.
Source: FT.com.
Yahoo moved to counter Google’s push onto mobile handsets, unveiling a development platform of its own for creators of mobile internet applications.
News of the plan comes two months after Google took the wraps off its Android mobile software, along with an alliance of handset makers who planned to use the technology.
While that plan amounts to a full software “stack” to power mobile handsets, Yahoo’s technology addresses a narrower need, and is aimed at developers and publishers who want their applications to run on many different handsets.
Posted by Judith — 4:19 AM
Investor group raises Leap stake.
Source: TeleGeography.
An investor group which includes Harbinger Capital Partners Master Fund and Harbert Management Corp has increased its stake in the US cellular operator Leap Wireless International to 15%. The group had previously held an 11.4% stake in San Diego-based Leap, which provides low-cost flat-rate unlimited calling plans.
Posted by Judith — 3:35 AM
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA weigh in on white spaces.
Source: RCR.
Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. have urged the FCC to embrace a plan to allocate vacant TV channels — known as white spaces — on a fixed-licensed basis for wireless backhaul services. The move injects a new element into an already fiery debate between high-tech groups that want the propagation-rich spectrum for Wi-Fi and a broadcasting industry fearful of interference to digital transmissions.
Posted by Judith — 5:08 AM
Free Wi-Fi for San Francisco back on the menu.
Source: RCR.
San Francisco’s long-delayed plan to bring free, citywide Wi-Fi coverage to its more than 800,000 residents seems to have been revived. Meraki Networks Inc. has announced that it will deploy such a network throughout the city by the end of the year thanks to a new cash infusion of US$20m. from venture capitalists and existing investors.
Posted by Judith — 4:53 AM
Friday, January 4, 2008
AT&T Mobility buys W. Va. carrier.
Source: RCR.
AT&T Mobility has announced that it has completed its acquisition of Easterbrooke Cellular Corp., a rural wireless carrier with services in West Virginia operating under the Cellular One brand.
The transaction included licenses, network assets and more than 19,000 subscribers.
Posted by Judith — 5:37 AM
Motorola unveils mobile live TV device.
Source: Reuters.
Motorola Inc, which has recently lost cell phone market share, is introducing a mobile device for playing live television to expand its reach in portable consumer electronics.
It is the first foray by the world’s No. 3 maker of cell phones into devices solely devoted to mobile TV, an emerging service that wireless carriers hope will boost revenue as phone call prices fall.
Posted by Judith — 5:20 AM
Orascom closes HTIL stake sale.
Source: TeleGeography.
Orascom Telecom (OTH) has announced that it has completed and satisfied all the closing obligations pertaining to the sale of its entire stake in Hutchison Telecommunications International to Hutchison Whampoa Limited and Yuda Limited. OTH has received the sale proceeds amounting to HKD7.5bn. (US$956m.).
Posted by Judith — 4:43 AM
Intel drops out of One Laptop Per Child program.
Source: Reuters.
Intel Corp has announced that it will drop out of the One Laptop Per Child project and resign from the board after the project’s board demanded the chipmaker stop supporting other efforts in emerging markets.
One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), a nonprofit project run by MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte, aimed to sell $100 laptops to the world’s poor children.
Posted by Judith — 4:18 AM
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Investment firm acquires EarthLink stake.
Source: TeleGeography.
New York-based investment firm Steel Partners has purchased a 9.9% stake in US telco EarthLink. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Steel Partners said it now owns 9.9% of EarthLink’s shares, having paid USD97.3m. for the stake. Steel Partners may now be EarthLink’s largest shareholder having upped its stake in the Atlanta internet and telecoms services provider significantly during the past year.
Posted by Judith — 5:38 AM
Sprint sees no delay to QChat.
Source: Reuters.
Sprint Nextel Corp has stated that it does not expect any delay to its plan to launch QChat, a walkie-talkie cell phone service, despite a court ruling against QChat developer Qualcomm.
Posted by Judith — 5:09 AM
Cellcos prepare for analogue switch-off.
Source: TeleGeography.
Starting 19 February 2008, a number of US cell phone operators including AT&T, Alltel and Verizon Wireless will begin switching off their old analogue networks in a move that could potentially affect one million US customers. The shutdown follows a 2002 decision by the FCC, designed to free up the radio spectrum and allow digital technology to be used more efficiently.
Posted by Judith — 4:45 AM
MetroPCS selects ZTE, Huawei for handsets.
Source: TeleGeography.
US wireless services provider MetroPCS, which specialises in offering flat-rate, no contract packages, has signed up a second Chinese handset supplier in the shape of Huawei Technologies. Having successfully concluded a supply deal with ZTE of China in December last year, MetroPCS has now signed a deal with Huawei. The new deal will give Huawei a foothold in the US market and also enable Metro to expand its handset range in a busy cellular market.
Posted by Judith — 4:18 AM
Vimpelcom’s takeover of Golden Telecom confirmed.
Source: TeleGeography.
Russian cellco Vimpelcom has confirmed an agreement to acquire compatriot telco Golden Telecom via two wholly owned subsidiaries, Vimpelcom Finance and Lillian Acquisition.
Posted by Judith — 4:02 AM
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Qualcomm barred from using Broadcom 3G patents.
Source: Reuters.
A federal judge has ruled that wireless chip maker Qualcomm must immediately stop selling third-generation, or 3G, WCDMA cellular chips that infringe on the Broadcom Corp’
Posted by Judith — 9:07 AM
Nokia Siemens to buy Apertio.
Source: Reuters.
Nokia Siemens Networkshas announced that it has agreed to buy Britain’s Apertio Ltd for about EUR140m. (US$205m.) and expects to close the deal in the first quarter of 2008.
Closely held Apertio, a provider of real-time subscriber data applications for telecom operators, employs 237 staff and had 2007 sales of around EUR28m.(US41m.)
Posted by Judith — 9:02 AM
Vonage settles more patent disputes.
Source: Light Reading.
Vonage and Nortel Networks have announced that the two companies have settled a patent dispute that had been brought to court only a couple of weeks ago. In the settlement, Vonage is not required to make any payments towards Nortel.
The settlement also calls for a cross license of three Nortel and three Vonage patents and claims over all past damages will be dismissed without prejudice according to Vonage.
Posted by Judith — 8:59 AM
Tata sells 10% of Sri Lankan unit.
Source: TeleGeography.
Indian telco VSNL, currently rebranding under the name of owner Tata, has announced that it has sold 10% of shares in its wholly-owned Sri Lankan subsidiary VSNL Lanka to Sunshine Holdings, a Sri Lankan conglomerate. Sunshine Holdings has the option to acquire an additional 5% of VSNL Lanka’s share capital in the next twelve months.
Posted by Judith — 8:10 AM
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