Press Clippings: January 2010

Major Industry items you might have missed

Friday, January 29, 2010

3G VoIP allowed on Apple phones.

Source: BWCS.

Apple has announced that it has removed restrictions on making VoIP calls across 3G networks.
The move marks a sea-change in attitude at Apple and its US partner-carrier AT&T. The previous agreement between the two had only allowed VoIP communications via WiFi connections. In October, 2009 AT&T announced its intention to open its 3G network to VoIP applications on the iPhone, however, it appears that it has taken Apple itself this long to take action on the statement.

Posted by Judith — 5:17 AM


EC takes action against France over telecoms tax.

Source: Telecompaper.

The EC has opened an infringement procedure against France related to the “telecoms tax” of March 2009 on operators, aimed to offset the end of advertising on the TV channels of public broadcaster France Televisions. The commission takes the view that the tax constitutes an administrative charge incompatible with EU law.

Posted by Judith — 3:06 AM


Telefonica completes acquisition of outstanding 1.8% of TdA.

Source: TeleGeography.

Spanish telecoms group Telefonica has completed the acquisition of the remaining 1.8% of its Argentine subsidiary, Telefonica Argentina (TdA), that it did not already own.

Posted by Judith — 2:54 AM

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Apple pitches US$499 iPad, takes on Amazon.

Source: Reuters.

Apple has taken the wraps off a sleek tablet that it called the iPad, pitching the new gadget at a surprisingly low price to bridge the gap between smartphones and laptops.
The 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet, which looks like a large iPhone, has a new iBook electronic reader service that will compete with Amazon’s Kindle.

Posted by Judith — 5:14 AM


LG-Nortel, Accton set up joint venture in North America.

Source: Telecompaper.

LG-Nortel, a joint venture between Nortel and LG Electronics, and Taiwanese network equipment maker Accton Technology have set up a joint venture that will offer voice and data products for North American SMBs and large enterprises. LG-Nortel will own a 60% share in the joint venture and Accton Group will own the remaining 40%. Dubbed Edgecore Networks, the joint venture will be established by mid-February from headquarters in Irvine, California.

Posted by Judith — 4:58 AM


Good Technology acquires CloudSync.

Source: Telecompaper.

Push mobility products provider Good Technology has acquired US mobile device management provider CloudSync. The acquisition furthers Good’s mission of enabling device choice in the enterprise by providing device management for devices such as laptops, tablets, ruggedised handhelds, and smartphone platforms.

Posted by Judith — 4:02 AM

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

USDA awards US$313.5m. for middle mile and last mile projects.

Source: Converge.

The USDA has awarded US$313.5m. to 14 recipients for middle mile and last mile projects aimed at extending broadband services to rural customers.
Funding of individual recipients is contingent upon their meeting the terms of the loan, grant or loan/grant agreement.

Posted by Judith — 6:03 AM


FCC questions mobile operators over termination fees.

Source: Telecompaper.

The US FCC has sent letters to the top mobile operators asking for more information on termination fees charged customers for ending their service contracts early. The letters were sent to Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Google, T-Mobile USA and Sprint.

Posted by Judith — 3:47 AM


Sky wins breach of contract suit against EDS.

Source: Telecompaper.

BSkyB has won its five-year legal action against EDS, accused of breach of contract. In summer 2000, Sky appointed EDS to design, build and implement an advanced customer service system at its customer contact centres in Scotland. The relationship was terminated in early 2002 after EDS pulled out of its contractual obligations. The final amount of costs and damages will be determined by the court in due course but Sky anticipates EDS will have to pay Sky at least GB200m.

Posted by Judith — 3:00 AM

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Orange UK launches interactive mobile ad service with Blyk.

Source: Telecompaper.

Orange UK has introduced ‘Orange Shots’, a mobile advertising service that enables brands to engage and interact directly with targeted segments of Orange’s customer base. Ad-funded MVNO Blyk Media will power the new advertising service.

Posted by Judith — 3:33 AM


Alca-Lu settles corruption case with US$10m. payment.

Source: TeleGeography.

French telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent will pay US$10m. to settle a corruption case that involved former Costa Rican government officials. The payment is related to a scandal in which Alcatel-Lucent was accused of bribing officials including former Costa Rican President Miguel Angel Rodriguez to win a US$149m. contract to install 400,000 GSM lines.

Posted by Judith — 2:53 AM


Eircom acquiesces to ComReg call for cut in broadband access charges.

Source: Telegeography.

Eircom has finally agreed to ComReg’s call to slash the price it charges competitors to access broadband services over its PSTN. The settlement ends a dispute that has rumbled on since mid-2009.

Posted by Judith — 2:36 AM

Monday, January 25, 2010

Ericsson cutting an extra 1,500 jobs.

Source: BBC.

Swedish telecoms equipment group Ericsson has said it is cutting an extra 1,500 jobs, as it reported a 92% fall in quarterly profits.
The latest 1,500 job cuts come on top of the 5,000 positions that the company shed last year.

Posted by Judith — 4:07 AM


KDDI buys 38% stake in J:Com from Liberty Global.

Source: Telecompaper.

Liberty Global has agreed to sell its 38% stake in Japanese cable operator J:Com to KDDI. Liberty will receive around JPY140,000 per share, or US$4bn. in total, equal to a 65% premium on J:Com’s last traded share price before the announcement.

Posted by Judith — 3:49 AM


Vodafone revives Otelo brand to enter German low-cost market.

Source: BusinessWeek.

Vodafone plans to revive its Otelo brand in Germany to win new clients in the low-cost market.
Vodafone is the last of the four big network operators in Germany to enter the country’s low-frills market as an increasing number of consumers opt for discount mobile-phone products to save money. Otelo will increase competition for Deutsche Telekom AG’s Congstar offering, Royal KPN NV’s Simyo brand and Telefonica SA’s Fonic product.

Posted by Judith — 3:31 AM


Telecom and Unicom forge network sharing agreement.

Source: TeleGeography.

China Telecom and China Unicom are reported to have agreed to build 500 3G base stations together in Shanghai this year. The deal will save an estimated RMB300m. (US$43.9m.).

Posted by Judith — 2:55 AM

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Motorola files case against Blackberry owners, RIM.

Source: BBC.

Motorola has asked US regulators to ban RIM from importing its products into the US.
The phone company claims that the Blackberry maker has been illegally using its wi-fi related technology.
A court case is already pending in the US but Motorola has accused RIM of “delaying tactics”.
Motorola has lodged its complaint with the US International Trade Commission in the hope of a quicker result.

Posted by Judith — 4:44 AM

Friday, January 22, 2010

Opera acquiring AdMarvel.

Source: InformationWeek.

Looking to boost its offerings for advertisers on mobile devices, Opera has announced the acquisition of AdMarvel.
The company, based in San Mateo, Calif., and founded in 2006, helps publishers and operators track advertising distributed over a mobile network. Opera, based in Norway, claims nearly 50m. people worldwide use its namesake browser on mobile phones every month.

Posted by Judith — 7:14 AM


Six express interest in spectrum auction.

Source: TeleGeography.

Germany’s telecoms regulator has received six requests to take part in the country’s digital frequency auction scheduled for early in the second quarter of 2010. Gremany’s DT, UK-based Vodafone, Spain’s Telefonica O2 Germany and E-Plus, the local unit of Netherlands-based group KPN, are all expected to be among those asking to be admitted as bidders.

Posted by Judith — 6:54 AM


UPC Ireland reveals mobile ambition.

Source: TeleGeography.

UPC Ireland (ntl & Chorus), which is owned by US cable giant Liberty Global, has revealed plans to enter the Republic’s mobile phone market. UPC Ireland considers mobile to be an important sector for the company to have a presence in. The chief executive went on to add that any launch would be as an MVNO and not through the acquisition of an existing network operator.

Posted by Judith — 5:40 AM


Serbia accepts Telenor’s bid for landline licence.

Source: TeleGeography.

As expected, Serbia has accepted Norwegian telecoms group Telenor’s EUR1.05m.n (US$1.52m.) bid for the nation’s second landline phone licence, ending the long standing monopoly of incumbent Telekom Srbija. Telenor was the sole bidder in a tender called in November for a ten-year renewable licence.

Posted by Judith — 5:01 AM

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Oracle wins unconditional EU approval for Sun buy.

Source: Reuters.

U.S. software company Oracle has won unconditional European Union regulatory approval for its US$7bn. acquisition of computer maker Sun Microsystems.
Oracle had received the green light from the U.S. Department of Justice for its takeover of Sun in August last year.

Posted by Judith — 4:05 AM


Truphone launches MVNO service over Vodafone UK’s network.

Source: TeleGeography.

UK and US VoIP provider Truphone has announced that it has inked an MVNO deal with British cellco Vodafone UK. Under the terms of the agreement between the two companies Truphone will gain access to Vodafone’s UK mobile network, allowing it to deliver voice and data services to its Truphone Local Anywhere subscribers.

Posted by Judith — 3:42 AM


Nokia takes on Google with free navigation app.

Source: cnet.

Nokia is making its navigation service free to all GPS-enabled Nokia devices in a move that will help the company better compete in the smartphone market against the likes of Apple and Google.

Posted by Judith — 3:17 AM

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

UK govt. will not warn against Internet Explorer.

Source: Telecompaper.

The UK government said it will not issue a warning against using Microsoft Internet Exploer, breaking ranks with both the French and German government, who have advised users to download an alternative web browser, following the discovery of a security flaw.

Posted by Judith — 4:17 AM


Nokia files patent application for flexible mobile phone.

Source: Telecompaper.

Nokia has filed a patent application with the US Patent Office for a flexible mobile phone with motion recognition technology. A patent application entitled user interface, device and method for a physically flexible device talks about the possibility of bending a handset into various shapes for triggering shortcuts.

Posted by Judith — 3:49 AM


Users spurn traditional calls for Skype.

Source: Reuters.

Users wanting to call home form abroad are increasingly turning to Skype’s Internet telephony service to the detriment of international carriers.
Skype is mostly used on desktops but it has made the move into mobile and now comes pre-installed on some cellphones.
Over the past 25 years, international call volume from telephones have grown at a compounded annual rate of 15%.
However, in the past two years this growth has slowed to only 8%.
By comparison, Skype’s on-net international traffic between two Skype users grew by 51% in 2008

Posted by Judith — 3:26 AM


Transatel signs MVNE deal with Orange Switzerland.

Source: TeleGeography.

It is reported that Orange Switzerland has chosen mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE) Transatel as a partner to launch new MNVOs on its mobile network. Transatel is already active in France, Belgium and the UK, supporting more than 50 MVNOs for their launch.

Posted by Judith — 2:51 AM


CPC gives green light to Orbitel acquisition.

Source: TeleGeography.

Bulgaria’s Commission on Protection of Competition has approved SpectrumNet’s proposed acquisition of rival Orbitel in a deal worth EUR5m. (US$7.17m.). Both companies compete in the fixed line, internet, data transfer and voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) markets. The two telecoms were set up in 1997 to challenge the incumbent Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTC, now operating under the Vivacom brand).

Posted by Judith — 2:14 AM

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Google postpones China mobiles after censorship row.

Source: BBC.

Google says it has postponed the launch of two Android based mobile phones in China following a dispute with the government over censorship. The formal launch was due to take place on Wednesday.

Posted by Judith — 5:41 AM


SingTel joins SJC cable consortium.

Source: TeleGeography.

SingTel is reported to have signed up to join the consortium of telcos looking to build and operate the new Southeast Asia Japan Cable (SJC) system. The SJC cable is expected to be operational by Q2 2012 and will initially link Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan. Other consortium members are: Globe Telecom, Google, KDDI Corp, Network i2i, Reliance Globalcom, Telemedia Pacific and PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia International.

Posted by Judith — 4:51 AM


Govt threatens nationalisation of Telecom Argentina.

Source: TeleGeography.

The government of Argentina has piled pressure on Telecom Italia to sell its indirect stake in local fixed line incumbent Telecom Argentina, by threatening to nationalise the company and vowing to appeal a court decision that ruled in favour of the Italian company.

Posted by Judith — 3:53 AM

Monday, January 18, 2010

Apple and Nokia in tit for tat patent squabble.

Source: BWCS.

The legal scrap over patents between Nokia and Apple has intensified, with Apple trying to have imports of Nokia handsets banned from America. The company has made a formal request to the US International Trade Commission to block imports from the Finnish phone maker, until the dispute between the two manufacturers is resolved.

Posted by Judith — 4:07 AM


O2 UK to enter home phone services market in March.

Source: Telecompaper.

O2 UK has announced plans to enter the home phone market. From March, the operator will offer home phone services to new and existing home broadband customers.

Posted by Judith — 3:23 AM

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Verizon, AT&T cut fees, expand price war.

Source: Reuters.

Verizon Wireless, the biggest U.S. mobile service, said it would cut prices 30 percent for voice customers. It was followed by similar price cuts from its main rival, AT&T.
The news comes a year after smaller carriers like Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel unit Boost Mobile introduced lower-cost plans, sparking concerns of a price war.

Posted by Judith — 4:13 AM

Friday, January 15, 2010

China to fund US$211m. Teletalk upgrade with soft loan.

Source: TeleGeography.

China’s government has agreed to provide US$211m. in loans to Bangladeshi state-run mobile operator Teletalk to develop its future 3G network. A visiting Chinese delegation comprised of representatives from China Exim Bank and China National Machinery & Equipment Import & Export Corporation met with Teletalk and regulatory officials yesterday. China will provide the ‘soft loan’ through China Exim Bank, at a 2% interest rate, sometime in the next two years.

Posted by Judith — 6:18 AM


BM strikes major cloud deal with Panasonic.

Source: InformationWeek.

One day after HP and Microsoft said they would spend US$250m. to co-develop cloud computing systems, IBM hit back with the announcement of what it says is the biggest cloud deal to date.
IBM said consumer electronics giant Panasonic has agreed to use its cloud-based LotusLive e-mail system for its worldwide operations. The deal initially covers 100,000 Panasonic employees, and will eventually expand to include more than 300,000 workers, partners and suppliers.

Posted by Judith — 4:41 AM


LG takes a shine to Android, despite Windows pledge.

Source: BWCS.

Korean mobile phone maker and electronics giant, LG, has said it will use the Android operating system on a swathe of new smart phones planned for launch this year. The announcement comes as a blow to Microsoft which is also pushing hard to make its mark in the mobile software market. Adding to the ill-feeling at thecompany must be the recent pledge made by LG that it would primarily use Microsoft’s mobile operating system in its new handsets.

Posted by Judith — 3:58 AM


Motorola puts auction of biggest division on hold.

Source: Telecompaper.

Motorola is reported to have put the auction of its home and networks mobility unit on hold as the company reconsiders its latest breakup plan. The move comes amid lower-than-expected bids for the company’s biggest division, which had 2008 sales of US$10.1bn.

Posted by Judith — 3:45 AM

Thursday, January 14, 2010

FCC will not forcibly redistribute broadcast spectrum.

Source: TeleGeography.

US regulator the FCC has announced that it will not force broadcasters to give up spectrum holdings for wireless broadband use, noting the action was never seriously considered.
The FCC is currently in the process of developing a national broadband plan, which is due to be delivered to congress on 17 March 2010 and will address key issues such as the distribution of wireless spectrum.

Posted by Judith — 5:29 AM


GTL to buy Aircel phone towers for 84bn. rupees.

Source: BusinessWeek.

GTL, India’s largest independent operator of mobile-phone towers, has agreed to buy 17,500 transmission sites from Aircel Ltd. for 84bn. rupees (US$1.8bn.) to help it double its network in India.

Posted by Judith — 3:58 AM


Batelco sells stake in S Tel to GBCorp.

Source: Telecompaper.

Bahrain-based operator Batelco Group has agreed to sell an 11% stake in its Indian mobile venture S Tel to Global Banking Corporation. S Tel was set up by Batelco and India’s Siva Group and recently started services in India.

Posted by Judith — 3:13 AM


HP, Microsoft team up to tackle the cloud.

Source: BusinessWeek.

Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft have announced that they will spend US$250m. over three years to combine some research and development efforts and deliver prepackaged servers, storage, software, and networking gear.

Posted by Judith — 2:42 AM

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

FT and DT file for UK mobile operations merger approval with EU.

Source: TeleGeography.

France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom have called on the EU to approve the proposed merger between their two respective UK mobile network operators, Orange UK and T-Mobile UK. While the two parent companies could have requested that the UK’s OFT study the deal, it is believed that the decision to press for an EU investigation stems from the fact that both FT and DT believe the European executive will be more lenient in its handling of the matter.

Posted by Judith — 5:02 AM


TeliaSonera selects Ericsson and NSN as national LTE suppliers for Sweden, Norway.

Source: TeleGeography.

Swedish-based TeliaSonera has chosen Ericsson and NSN to provide radio networks for its ‘4G’ LTE infrastructure rollouts across Sweden and Norway, whilst it has picked Ericsson as sole supplier for 4G common core networks in Sweden, Norway and, at a later date, the Baltic countries.
Ericsson has already signed commercial LTE contracts with three other operators to date, namely Japan’s NTT DoCoMo and two US cellcos, Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS.

Posted by Judith — 4:14 AM


VMware buys Zimbra from Yahoo!

Source: Telecompaper.

Virtualization software specialist VMware agreed to buy Zimbra, Yahoo!’s e-mail and collaboration service. Zimbra is an open source e-mail and collaboration platform with over 55 million mailboxes. As an independent Yahoo! product division, Zimbra achieved 2009 mailbox growth of 86% overall and 165% among small and medium business customers.

Posted by Judith — 3:09 AM


Ericsson acquires Consulting and Systems Integration Company in Italy.

Source: Converge.

Ericsson agreed to acquire Pride Spa, an Italian consulting and systems integration company with about 1,000 experts in the field. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Ericsson now has 40,000 services professionals around the world.

Posted by Judith — 2:43 AM


Orascom Telecom wins case to block FT Mobinil bid.

Source: BusinessWeek.

France Telecom SA’s regulatory approval to bid for the outstanding shares of the Egyptian Co. for Mobile Services has been overturned by an Egyptian court.
Orascom Telecom Holding SAE had filed a lawsuit to block the deal.
Egyptian Co. operates under the brand Mobinil.

Posted by Judith — 2:19 AM

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Bharti confirms purchase of Warid Bangladesh.

Source: TeleGeography.

India’s Bharti Airtel has confirmed that it has agreed to buy a 70% stake in Bangladeshi cellco Warid Telecom and take over management and board control from the current sole owner, the UAE’s Dhabi Group. Under the agreement, Bharti will invest a total of US$300m. to expand the operations of Warid.

Posted by Judith — 4:46 AM


India settles for only three 3G licences,

Source: BWCS.

India’s Department of Telecommunications has said it will sell off only three lots of spectrum for 3G mobile phone services across all of the country’s 22 telecom circles. Originally the government had planned to sell four national licences at the coming auction.
The 3G auction, which has been repeatedly postponed, was recently put back yet again from January 14th until February 12th. The final date for submission of applications is now set at January 25th.

Posted by Judith — 4:22 AM


Alcatel, partners form Green Touch energy efficiency group.

Source: Telecompaper.

Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs has organised a global consortium called Green Touch whose goal is to create technologies to make communications networks 1,000 times more energy efficient than they are today. The consortium open to all members of the ICT community brings together industry, academia and government labs. Founding members include AT&T, China Mobile, Portugal Telecom, Swisscom, Telefonica, MIT Research Laboratory for Electronics and Stanford University Wireless Systems Lab.

Posted by Judith — 4:07 AM


Public Mobile asks govt. to overturn Globalive decision.

Source: Telecompaper.

Canadian mobile startup Public Mobile has asked the Federal Court to overturn a cabinet decision that allowed Globalive Wireless Management to launch Wind Mobile with foreign financial backing in December. Public Mobile said it is not seeking to shut down Wind Mobile but get legal clarity on telecom foreign ownership rules. Canadian telecommunications law normally prevents foreign companies from operating mobile carriers in Canada.

Posted by Judith — 3:34 AM

Monday, January 11, 2010

Huawei to invest US$500m. in Indian R&D operations.

Source: TeleGeography.

Chinese vendor Huawei has announced it will invest approximately US$500m. in its research and development operations in Bangalore as it looks to improve relations with the Indian government. The investment is to be made over a five-year period, and the vendor has also revealed it will open a manufacturing unit in India that would help it avoid steep anti-dumping duties on Chinese goods; the manufacturing operation could be up and running by the end of 2010.

Posted by Judith — 5:35 AM


TI given until 25 February to exit Argentina.

Source: TeleGeography.

Italian telecoms operator Telecom Italia has been given until 25 February 2010 to sell its 50% stake in the holding company that controls Argentine fixed line incumbent Telecom Argentina or face government intervention in the process.

Posted by Judith — 5:03 AM


Mexican sell-off.

Source: BWCS.

Following the Mexican government’s announcement last week that it is to finally push ahead with its auction of radio frequencies, more than 90 companies have reportedly acquired the bidding documents. The sheer number of applicants is a good indicator of the pent up demand in Mexico for the right to compete with America Movil’s Telcel and the Telefonica-backed Movistar.

Posted by Judith — 4:04 AM

Saturday, January 9, 2010

BT brings in Kelly to run Global Services.

Source: TimesOnline.

BT has moved to turn around its problematic Global Services division after a tumultuous 18 months by appointing Jeff Kelly, formerly US head of EDS, the IT services group, as the subsidiary’s new chief executive.

Posted by Judith — 4:35 AM

Friday, January 8, 2010

FCC delays national broadband plan by one month.

Source: Telecompaper.

Completion of the US FCC’s national broadband plan has been delayed to March. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski confirmed in a letter to Congress that the regulator will take a month longer than expected to complete the assigned task. The extra time is expected to allow it to gather more comments from stakeholders as well as brief members of Congress on elements of the proposal.

Posted by Judith — 4:40 AM


Motorola acquires SecureMedia.

Source: Telecompaper.

Motorola has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of SecureM and its wholly owned subsidiaries, together operating as SecureMedia, a developer of software-based DRM and security systems for IP video distribution and management. SecureMedia will be integrated into Motorola’s Home & Networks Mobility business.

Posted by Judith — 4:04 AM


Clearwire launches Wimax network in Spain.

Source: Telecompaper.

Wireless ISP Clearwire has launched its Wimax network in the Spanish city of Malaga. Dubbed Instanet, Clearwire’s internet service will cover the entire metropolitan area of Malaga and nearly 600,000 users. The Malaga network is Clearwire’s first metropolitan deployment in Spain and the company’s first Wimax network in Europe.

Posted by Judith — 3:41 AM


Foreign telcos face combined INR1.1bn. penalty for ‘illegally’ offering services.

Source: TeleGeography.

Foreign operators including AT&T, BT, Equant and Verizon may face combined penalties of up to INR1.1bn. (US$22.34m.) after claims that they had operated ‘illegally’ by offering services in the country before receiving necessary licences.

Posted by Judith — 3:07 AM


GENBAND bids for Nortel’s carrier VoIP and Application business.

Source: Converge.

GENBAND reached an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Nortel’s Carrier VoIP and Application Solutions (CVAS) business for a purchase price of US$282m., subject to balance sheet and other adjustments currently estimated at approximately US$100m. The deal is a “stalking horse” arrangement subject to additional bids and requires U.S. and Canadian court approvals for bidding procedures, including a bid deadline and tentative auction date.

Posted by Judith — 2:52 AM

Thursday, January 7, 2010

AT&T to sell smartphones using the Android system.

Source: NYT.

AT&T has announced that it plans to sell smartphones running the Android mobile operating system by the second half of the year, including Dell’s first smartphone.
The company said it expected to sell five new devices created by handset manufacturers that also included Motorola and HTC.
AT&T is the last major wireless carrier in the United States to add an Android-powered smartphone to its lineup.

Posted by Judith — 4:41 AM


Lenovo enters smartphone fracas with “LePhone”.

Source: Reuters.

Lenovo is wading into the smartphone market with a thin, touchscreen device based on Google Inc’s Android operating system, following the footsteps of PC rivals like Dell and Acer.
The world’s No. 4 personal computer maker on Wednesday announced LePhone, which will be launched this year in China, Lenovo’s home base, where it is the PC market leader.

Posted by Judith — 4:07 AM


Vivendi acquires an additional 5% in GVT.

Source: TeleGeography.

French entertainment and telecoms group Vivendi has increased its equity stake in Brazilian telco and ISP Global Village Telecom (GVT) by almost 5%, lifting its ownership to 85.7%. Following the transaction Viviendo owns close to 118 million of GVT’s total of 137 million shares. Brazil’s securities regulator is currently reviewing Vivendi’s purchase of GVT amid accusations that the deal was unfair to minority shareholders.

Posted by Judith — 3:29 AM


U.S. to review Comcast-NBC deal.

Source: NYT.

The Justice Department has announced that it will review Comcast’s proposed acquisition of NBC Universal’s broadcast network, cable channels and movie studios.
The deal, announced late last year, will also be reviewed by the FCC.
Even though federal regulators are expected to approve the combination, many analysts and watchdogs expect them to attach significant conditions to ensure that rivals in the subscription TV market can have access to popular programming owned by the merged company.

Posted by Judith — 3:19 AM

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

AT&T looking to upgrade networks.

Source: TeleGeography.

John Stankey, AT&T head of operations, has stated that the company needs to improve the quality of its wireless services in areas such as New York City and San Francisco if it wishes to remain competitive. He said that the company had made some improvements to its cellular networks in 2009 but planned for more upgrades this year to accommodate faster mobile data services.

Posted by Judith — 5:43 AM


Google revamps its mobile strategy with new phone.

Source: Reuters.

Google has taken the wraps off a new smartphone that it will sell directly to consumers, aiming to boost its position in the emerging mobile Internet market by exerting greater control over the new generation of Web-surfing devices.
The touchscreen phone, Nexus One, is Google’s boldest foray outside its traditional Internet home turf and represents the first time the 11-year-old company will sell a consumer electronics device bearing its well-known brand.

Posted by Judith — 4:09 AM


Apple buys mobile ad group Quattro Wireless.

Source: FT.com.

Apple has opened another front in its growing war with Google by purchasing Quattro Wireless, a mobile advertising company, for a reported US$275m.
The acquisition highlights the degree to which both Apple and Google are focusing their attention on smartphones and mobile internet.

Posted by Judith — 4:05 AM

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

MTS acquires Eurotel.

Source: TeleGeography.

Following its mid-October acquisition of fixed line operator Comstar, Russian cellco Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has purchased fibre-optic network operator Eurotel in a US$110m. deal. Eurotel’s network, which currently connects most of the major cities in the country, extends to 19,500km, increasing MTS’ backbone to around 35,000km in total.

Posted by Judith — 6:14 AM


Bharti’s proposed purchase of Warid Bangladesh okayed by regulator.

Source: TeleGeography.

Bangladesh’s telecoms regulator has approved Indian mobile giant Bharti Airtel’s US$300m. proposal to buy a 70% stake in Warid Telecom (Bangladesh) and invest in developing the country’s fourth largest cellular network operator, which is currently wholly owned by the UAE’s Abu Dhabi Group.

Posted by Judith — 5:12 AM


Justice Department urges FCC to free spectrum.

Source: Internetnews.

The U.S. Justice Department has said that the government agency that supervises the communications industry should free up unused airwaves to make the high-speed Internet access market more competitive.
The FCC should make it harder for big wireless phone companies to win spectrum auctions, the Justice Department said in comments it submitted to the commission.

Posted by Judith — 3:05 AM

Monday, January 4, 2010

BSNL mega-tender temporarily halted.

Source: TeleGeography.

State-owned Indian telco BSNL has opted to put its 93m. GSM line ‘mega-tender’ on hold pending the investigation into allegations of irregularities in the tender process. BSNL executives have claimed that ‘vested interests’ are conspiring to ensure that the operator’s prominence in the country’s mobile sector is reduced. This latest delay is the third for the mega-tender, and indeed as a result of a number of previous controversies regarding BSNL’s tenders the telco has failed to place any significant orders for equipment over the last three years.

Posted by Judith — 4:59 AM


Creditors acquire Tele Columbus for EUR2.5m.

Source: Telecompaper.

German cable network operator Tele Columbus has been sold to a consortium of creditors for EUR2.5m. The consortium including hedge fund York Capital, GoldenTree and the Bank of Ireland is buying the operator from Luxembourg-based investor fund Escaline, owned by Scott Lanphere and Robert Fowler.

Posted by Judith — 3:58 AM

Saturday, January 2, 2010

BT protest over mobile 3G licences falls on deaf ears.

Source: TimesOnline.

Lord Mandelson is to forge ahead with a consultation to extend indefinitely mobile phone companies’ 3G licences, despite the threat of a judicial review from BT.

Posted by Judith — 3:12 AM

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