Press Clippings: May 2010

Major Industry items you might have missed

Monday, May 31, 2010

Genband completes acquisition of Nortel CVAS assets.

Source: Telecompaper.

IP infrastructure equipment manufacturer Genband has completed the acquisition of all assets of the Nortel Carrier VoIP and Application Solutions Business. The acquisition combines Genband’s media, session and security gateways with Nortel’s softswitches, media gateways and application platforms. With the addition of Nortel CVAS, Genband has resources in R&D, sales and support spanning 46 countries.

Posted by Judith — 6:54 AM


Svyazinvest suspends proposal to merge regional cellcos with MegaFon.

Source: TeleGeography.

Russian state telecoms holding group Svazyzinvest is reported to have suspended negotiations on a proposal to combine the mobile businesses of its regional telecoms divisions with the country’s third largest cellular operator MegaFon.

Posted by Judith — 5:41 AM

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Public Mobile launches commercial services.

Source: TeleGeography.

Canadian cellular newcomer Public Mobile has switched on commercial services over its network in Toronto. Public Mobile is aiming its services squarely at low-income users, including first-time handset buyers, as well as new immigrants.

Posted by Judith — 4:19 AM


BT enhances Onevoice with its Ribbit Softswitching platform.

Source: Converge.

BT is enhancing its Onevoice unified communications service by opening up its network and integrating capabilities of its Ribbit platform.
Ribbit, a Silicon Valley-based start-up that BT acquired in 2008, operates a softswitching infrastructure that ties advanced voice services into web applications.

Posted by Judith — 2:44 AM


Franco-Dutch initiative seeks internet freedom code.

Source: Telecompaper.

The Netherlands and France are taking the initiative to set up an international code of conduct on internet freedom. An international code of conduct could for instance provide guidelines on the export of internet filters. Countries and companies that endorsed the code could be sure that technology was not being used to censor the internet.

Posted by Judith — 1:30 AM

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

AT&T offers free Wi-Fi in New York City.

Source: CNN.

AT&T is offering a free public Wi-Fi hot spot in Times Square, New York, to help it deal with increasing congestion on its wireless network.
The pilot program will offer free Wi-Fi access to AT&T wireless and broadband customers using smartphones, laptops, and other Wi-Fi enabled devices.
Customers with Wi-Fi-enabled devices will connect to the Wi-Fi network instead of AT&T’s 3G network to access the Internet or Web-based applications.

Posted by Judith — 3:10 AM


Vodafone Qatar sues to block Virgin Mobile MVNO.

Source: cellular-news.

Vodafone Qatar has confirmed that it is taking legal action against the country’s telecommunications regulator for its allowance of Virgin Mobile’s entry, without being licensed, into the Qatari market.
Vodafone Qatar says that it believes Virgin Mobile’s MVNO deal with QTEL should be classed as the entry of a third service provider.

Posted by Judith — 2:28 AM


Indian joint venture created to develop mobile banking services.

Source: cellular-news.

UK based mobile banking service provider, Monitise says that it is forming a joint venture with Visa to provide a technology platform for financial institutions and mobile network operators in India. The joint venture will give providers of financial services in India a platform to offer mobile financial services such as banking, bill payments, ticketing services, mobile top-up and others to consumers.

Posted by Judith — 1:50 AM

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Nokia and Yahoo forge maps and e-mail deal.

Source: Reuters.

Yahoo and Nokia have announced that they will team up to boost their mobile Internet offerings, seeking to regain market share lost to rivals like Apple and Google.
Starting in the second half of this year, Yahoo will host Nokia’s Ovi email on phones exclusively and Nokia in turn will provide maps and navigation for Yahoo.

Posted by Judith — 4:39 AM


Yahoo buys Koprol.

Source: BWCS.

Just after announcing a global partnership with mobile phone maker Nokia, Yahoo has purchased Koprol, an Indonesian based online service provider that enables mobile phone users to instantly connect with nearby people and places. The purchase is, like the Nokia tie-up, designed to strengthen Yahoo’s place in the mobile sector.

Posted by Judith — 4:09 AM


MetroPCS on track for LTE launch later this year.

Source: TeleGeography.

MetroPCS is on track to launch its LTE network later this year, with plans to deploy a commercial 4G network in various metropolitan markets including Las Vegas. MetroPCS has contracted Ericsson as the infrastructure vendor for its new network.

Posted by Judith — 3:50 AM


BSNL launches tender for 5.5m. GSM lines.

Source: TeleGeograaphy.

State-owned Indian telco BSNL has launched a tender for 5.5m. GSM lines, inviting three foreign vendors to submit bids. BSNL has called on Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) and Alcatel-Lucent, all three of which took part in the cellco’s failed 93-million GSM line ‘mega-tender’, to make offers for the tender. It is notable however that Huawei, which also took part in the mega-tender, has not been invited to submit an offer; such a decision is believed to stem from the Indian government’s alleged block on the acquisition of telecoms equipment from Chinese vendors and BSNL’s belief that obtaining security clearance for such a deal would be difficult.

Posted by Judith — 3:11 AM


IBM acquires Sterling Commerce from AT&T for US$1.4bn.

Source: Telecompaper.

IBM agreed with AT&T to acquire B2B e-commerce software company Sterling Commerce from AT&T for approximately US$1.4bn. in cash. Sterling has more than 18,000 customers worldwide and enables over 1 billion business interactions a year for clients in the financial services, retail, manufacturing, communications and distribution industries. Sterling’s offerings complement IBM’s middleware portfolio.

Posted by Judith — 2:00 AM

Monday, May 24, 2010

Allied Fiber begins building major nationwide dark fibre cable system.

Source: TeleGeography.

US wholesale carrier Allied Fiber has finalised agreements with financial partners and right-of-way owners to build a new nationwide, network-neutral, high-count dark fibre cable system integrated with colocation facilities and wireless tower sites.

Posted by Judith — 4:34 AM


BT launches IP Exchange platform worldwide.

Source: Telecompaper.

BT has announced the worldwide availability of its IP Exchange platform, the wholesale service that enables communications providers to seamlessly connect VoIP to VoIP and VoIP to traditional voice calls. This is the first BT Wholesale service designed specifically for the global communications market.

Posted by Judith — 3:25 AM


FT wins appeal in US$11.3bn. state aid case.

Source: TeleGeography.

France Telecom has won a legal appeal against an EU ruling that it had been illegally offered EUR9bn. (US$11.3bn.) in state aid by the government. The EU’s second-highest court, the General Court, ruled that statements made by the national government to reassure FT of its support when the telco was reportedly close to bankruptcy did not in fact constitute state aid.

Posted by Judith — 2:37 AM


Telecom NZ considers structural separation.

Source: Telecompaper.

Telecom New Zealand has confirmed that it is fully investigating structural separation in order to participate in the government’s Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB) initiative. Telecom has asked the telecommunications minister to consider a variation on three components of Telecom’s undertakings that will no longer be relevant in a fibre future.

Posted by Judith — 1:28 AM


Cable & Wireless to boost submarine cable links between Caribbean networks.

Source: cellular-news.

C&W has outlined plan to build a new major submarine cable in the Caribbean, more than doubling its carrier capacity in the region. The “East-West” cable will link Jamaica and the Cayman Islands in the west of the Caribbean, to the British Virgin Islands in the east. It will also land in the Dominican Republic, one of the key markets in the region.

Posted by Judith — 1:22 AM


FCC opens 25 MHz of spectrum for mobile broadband.

Source: Converge.

The FCC has adopted rules that will make available 25 megahertz of spectrum for mobile broadband service in much of the United States.
Specifically, the newly adopted Order amends the Wireless Communications Service (WCS) rules to immediately make 25 megahertz of spectrum available for mobile broadband services. The existing WCS rules constrain operations to fixed services, but the Commission found today that those rules can be revised to allow mobile broadband services without risking harmful interference to neighboring operations.

Posted by Judith — 1:00 AM

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Verizon Wireless loses appeal on cellphone charges.

Source: Reuters.

A federal appeals court has thrown out a ruling requiring Verizon Wireless customers to resolve disputes over alleged fraudulent cell phone charges individually through arbitration rather than as a class.
The ruling, by the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, is a defeat for the U.S. mobile service provider, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Britain’s Vodafone Group.

Posted by Judith — 5:25 AM


Google gets U.S. antitrust OK on AdMob buy.

Source: Reuters.

Google has won U.S. approval to buy mobile advertising rival AdMob, after months of delay and rumor that the No. 1 Internet search engine was headed for a court fight with government officials over the US$750m. transaction.
The FTC said in a statement that it was concerned that two top mobile advertising networks were combining, but said Apple’s entry into the market would mitigate the effects of the Google/AdMob powerhouse.

Posted by Judith — 4:10 AM

Friday, May 21, 2010

CenturyTel officially renamed CenturyLink.

Source: TeleGeography.

US telco CenturyLink’s shareholders have approved changing the company’s legal name from CenturyTel to CenturyLink. The name was already established as the firm’s main brand. CenturyLink tripled in size last year when it acquired rival Embarq, and in April this year it agreed to buy another telco, Qwest Communications International.

Posted by Judith — 4:49 AM


FCC report points to growing concentration in mobile sector.

Source: Telecompaper.

The US FCC has laid the groundwork for possible further regulation of the mobile industry, suggesting in its latest sector report that the industry has grown more concentrated and less competitive in some areas.

Posted by Judith — 2:54 AM


German spectrum auction yields EUR4.39bn.

Source: Telecompaper.

The German frequency auction has ended with total bids of EUR4.385bn., of which the majority, EUR3.576bn., went to spectrum in the 800 MHz range. Only three operators acquired the so-called digital dividend frequencies. O2 Germany paid EUR1.212bn. for two blocks, each consisting of 2x5 MHz, followed by Vodafone Germany paying EUR1.21bn. for two blocks and T-Mobile Germany spending EUR1.154bn. on two blocks.

Posted by Judith — 2:00 AM


Rostelecom acquires Comstar’s stake in Svyazinvest.

Source: Telecompaper.

Rostelecom has acquired Comstar’s stake of 25% plus one share in Svyazinvest for RUB26bn. Comstar will use the proceeds of the sale to pay down its outstanding debt to Sberbank, which amounts to RUB26bn.

Posted by Judith — 1:45 AM

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Spain to invest US$2.77bn. in Telefonica Brazil.

Source: TeleGeography.

Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica plans to invest BRL5bn. (US$2.77bn.) in Brazil in 2010 to improve both its fixed line and mobile telecoms services. Telefonica has invested a total of US$110bn. in the region since it entered the LatAm market in the 1990s.

Posted by Judith — 4:05 AM


Polycom, HP, Juniper, Microsoft establish forum for UC.

Source: Telecompaper.

Video and voice communications systems providers Polycom, HP, Juniper Networks, Microsoft and Logitech/LifeSize have co-founded the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum. The forum is a non-profit alliance of worldwide technology companies working together to deliver open unified communications products.

Posted by Judith — 3:07 AM


O2 UK to trial LTE in 800MHz band.

Source: TeleGeography.

The UK’s largest mobile network operator by subscribers, O2 UK, has been awarded a trial licence by the country’s telecoms regulator Ofcom for LTE services in the 800MHz band. The cellco is already trialing the technology in the 2.6GHz band using radio access and core equipment from Chinese vendor Huawei as part of a wider LTE trial being conducted by parent company Telefonica.

Posted by Judith — 3:03 AM


Bharti plan for all-India 3G network thwarted by bids.

Source: BusinessWeek.

Bharti Airtel, India’s largest carrier, has scrapped plans to offer nationwide high-speed mobile- phone services after bidding in a government auction drove prices “beyond reasonable levels.”
India’s 34-day auction of third-generation licenses for airwaves in its 22 telecommunications zones has ended with none of the nine approved bidders buying all the permits for national coverage. The auction raised US$14.6bn. for the government.

Posted by Judith — 2:11 AM

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

EC unveils Digital Agenda.

Source: Telecompaper.

The EC has unveiled its ‘Digital Agenda’ for the EU, aimed at using ICT to boost economic growth and social benefits. The agenda outlines seven priority areas for action: creating a digital Single Market, greater interoperability, boosting internet trust and security, much faster internet access, more investment in research and development, enhancing digital literacy skills and inclusion, and applying information and communications technologies to address challenges such as climate change and the ageing population.

Posted by Judith — 4:39 AM


Orange, SFR pay EUR600m. for additional 3G spectrum.

Source: Telecompaper.

Orange France and SFR have won 4.8 MHz and 5 MHz blocks of 3G mobile frequencies, respectively, in an auction that generated EUR600m. in revenues for the state and commitments to improve hosting conditions for MVNOs.

Posted by Judith — 3:09 AM


Facebook launches mobile version with no data charges.

Source: Telecompaper.

Facebook has launched 0.facebook.com, a new mobile site that includes all of the key features of Facebook but is optimised for speed. Initially, it is available through more than 50 mobile operators in 45 countries and territories with no data charges.

Posted by Judith — 3:06 AM


Cable Bahamas plans voice services by year end.

Source: TeleGeography.

Bahamian cableco Cable Bahamas has announced it plans to launch ‘new converged voice services’ by the end of this year. The launch of voice telephony services by the island’s only cable company would finally end the long-running monopoly of the Bahamas Telephone Company.

Posted by Judith — 2:41 AM


Smartphones take world by storm.

Source: BBC.

Global sales of smartphones have continued their stellar rise, increasing by 49% in the first quarter of 2010.
Research has indicated that smartphone sales hit 54m., with sales of all mobile phones rising 17%.

Posted by Judith — 2:00 AM


Turk Telecom takes Invitel.

Source: Light Reading.

Turk Telekomunikasyon has confirmed that it will buy 100% of Central and South European wholesale and data services provider Invitel Zrt. for around EUR197m. in cash in a bid to capitalize on its position as a gateway between Europe and Asia.

Posted by Judith — 1:14 AM

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

BSkyB signs major voice and data deal with Magnet Networks.

Source: TeleGeography.

Easynet, the international operating arm of BSkyB, has signed a fully managed voice and data services partnership deal with Irish xDSL and fibre-optic provider Magnet networks. Under the deal, the Irish altnet will provide businesses in the Republic with fully managed services to help them reduce cost inefficiencies, improve network coverage and trim their supply chain.

Posted by Judith — 4:47 AM


Google buys Norwegian audio-video tech provider.

Source: Reuters.

Google is buying Oslo-listed Global IP Solutions (GIPS.OL) for US$68m. to build its real-time audio and video Internet capabilities.
GIPS enables service providers, developers and hardware manufacturers to reduce network impairments such as delay, jitter and echo in real-time audio and video applications.

Posted by Judith — 3:55 AM


China Telecom launches BlackBerry service.

Source: Telecompaper.

China Telecom and RIM have launched the BlackBerry service for enterprise customers in China. The BlackBerry will be marketed with China Telecom’s “E Surfing” 3G service and will initially be launched in sixteen provinces.

Posted by Judith — 2:23 AM


Pannon to rebrand as Telenor.

Source: TeleGeography.

Hungarian mobile network operator Pannon is changing its name to that of parent company Telenor of Norway, effective today. The revamped operation intends to introduce a range of new products and cheaper services, as well as expanding the company’s mobile broadband product suite, along with the name change.

Posted by Judith — 2:00 AM


KPN takes stake in Jasper Wireless.

Source: Telecompaper.

Dutch operator KPN has invested in Japser Wireless as part of efforts to step up its M2M services. KPN said it has deepened its partnership with M2M service platform provider Jasper Wireless, becoming its preferred network operator for Europe and exclusive network operator in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

Posted by Judith — 1:55 AM

Monday, May 17, 2010

Rural operator associations welcome Verizon’s LTE discussions.

Source: FierceBroadbandWireless.

Those associations representing rural wireless operators are cautiously optimistic about Verizon Wireless’ revelation that the operator is in discussions with a number of rural operators to license its 700 MHz LTE spectrum in a bid to build out its next-generation network.

Posted by Judith — 8:05 AM


India’s MTNL cancels 3G outsourcing deal.

Source: cellular-news.

India’s state-owned MTNL has dropped plans to hand over the management of its 3G network in Mumbai and Delhi to Virgin Mobile and Spice Group. Local media reported mixed reasons for cancelling the outsourcing deal - ranging from government pressure to internal politics at the company.

Posted by Judith — 3:25 AM


Moblicity launches mobile service in Toronto.

Source: Telecompaper.

Canada’s newest mobile operator Moblicity has launched services in the greater Toronto area. The company acquired 10MHz of spectrum two years ago, covering 16.1m. people in 10 of the largest cities in Canada. Its 3.5G network built by Ericsson will cover also Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa later this year.

Posted by Judith — 2:09 AM


Europe to offer 5-year plan for telecom industry.

Source: NYT.

On Wednesday, Neelie Kroes, the European commissioner for the digital agenda, plans to introduce a five-year plan for the telecommunications industry in Europe, encompassing issues like digital copyright, data protection, net neutrality and e-commerce.
Her goal, she has said, is to create a functioning single European Union market for telecommunications, one that will let people speak, send text messages and use the Internet from anywhere in the bloc’s 27 nations without paying exorbitant fees to mobile operators.

Posted by Judith — 1:47 AM


Telstra doubles capacity on Sydney-Melbourne fibre link.

Source: TeleGeography.

Australian fixed line incumbent Telstra has boosted its fibre-optic link between Sydney and Melbourne, doubling the capacity to 40Gbps, while revealing it plans to perform similar upgrades on other major inter-city routes this year.

Posted by Judith — 1:03 AM

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Google abandons smart phone Web store.

Source: Globe and Mail

The Web search firm has announced that it will shut down the Internet store it used to sell its Nexus One smart phone, the flagship device for Google’s Android operating system.
The company stated that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and that they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from.

Posted by Judith — 3:08 AM


BT invests across Asia Pacific to seize growth opportunities.

Source: BT.com.

BT has announced it will further increase its capabilities across Asia Pacific, to capture the dynamic business opportunities available in the fast-growing region.

Posted by Judith — 2:14 AM

Friday, May 14, 2010

Verizon Wireless in talks with country cousins to expand its 4G network.

Source: TeleGeography.

Verizon Wireless is reported to be in talks with rural wireless operators to expand its 4G network to consumers in non-urban areas. Verizon is currently building an LTE wireless network using US$4.7bn. worth of spectrum it acquired in the FCC’s 700MHz auction in 2008. The firm hopes to have 4G networks in operation in 25 to 30 markets by the end of this year. Verizon is now also believed to be considering licensing spectrum to local carriers for a small fee, who would then resell the 4G service to their customers.

Posted by Judith — 4:00 AM


Nearly 25% of U.S. households no longer have landline phones.

Source: Forbes.com.

A new study suggests nearly a quarter of U.S. households are without landline phones, having abandoning them in favour of cellphones and the rest. Another 15% do have old-fashioned phones but still do most of their calling on mobile products.

Posted by Judith — 2:54 AM


Cellphones now used more for data than for calls.

Source: NYT.

Although almost 90% of households in the United States now have a cellphone, the growth in voice minutes used by consumers has stagnated, according to government and industry data.
Instead of talking on their cellphones, people are making use of all the extras that smartphones were also designed to do — browse the Web, listen to music, watch television, play games and send e-mail and text messages.

Posted by Judith — 2:40 AM


Qtel, Virgin Group launch Virgin Mobile Qatar.

Source: Telecompaper.

Qtel has teamed up with the Virgin Group to launch Virgin Mobile in Qatar. Virgin Mobile Qatar will be Qatar’s first youth-focused mobile offering, delivered by Virgin Mobile in a brand partnership with Qtel.

Posted by Judith — 1:49 AM


Cincinnati Bell acquisition spurs global data center expansion.

Source: Connected Planet.

Cincinnati Bell hopes its impending purchase of data center operator CyrusOne will help launch the company into a global data center business serving Fortune 1000 customers.
CyrusOne operates data centers in Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas and combined with Cincinnati Bell’s existing data centers in Chicago and Cincinnati the merged operations will serve many “nameplate” enterprise customers.

Posted by Judith — 1:08 AM

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Ad campaign seeks to derail US net plan.

Source: BBC.

A US$1.4m. TV advertising blitz has been launched across the US in an attempt to derail efforts to increase regulation of broadband services.
The ads claim “Washington wants to spend billions to take over the internet” and urges the public to help stop the “Washington takeover”.
The campaign is a response to new “net-neutrality” rules that require cable firms to treat all net traffic equally.

Posted by Judith — 3:59 AM


BT expands super-fast broadband network.

Source: BBC.

BT has announced that it will expand its roll-out of next-generation broadband to bring super-fast services to two-thirds of the UK.
Originally its fibre services, offering speeds of up to 40 megabits per second (Mbps), were due to reach around 40% of the population by 2012.
A GBP1bn. investment will see the project roll out to a further 20% of the population by 2015.

Posted by Judith — 3:15 AM


HTC sues to block iPhone, iPad, iPod sales.

Source: Reuters.

In a complaint filed with the ITC, HTC has accused Apple of infringing five of its patents related to cellphone directory hardware and software and power-management technology in portable devices.
HTC’s action was widely expected after Apple filed a patent infringement suit against the company in March.

Posted by Judith — 2:01 AM


SAP buys Sybase for US$5.8bn.

Source: InformationWeek

Business software giant SAP has announced that it has signed a deal to buy database software maker Sybase for US$5.8bn.
The acquisition will diversify SAP’s product line, expanding its business intelligence and customer relationship management offerings into data management and analytics, particularly as related to mobile devices.

Posted by Judith — 1:38 AM

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Orange and T-Mobile to join as Everything Everywhere, but will keep separate brands.

Source: TeleGeography.

Orange UK and T-Mobile UK have revealed that their joint venture will be called Everything Everywhere (EE). EE will operate the network but the separate Orange and T-Mobile brands will be retained, and each brand will have its own shops, marketing campaigns, promotions and service centres.

Posted by Judith — 5:28 AM


Verizon works with Google on tablet computer.

Source: Telecompaper.

Verizon Wireless is working with Google on a tablet computer, the mobile operator’s CEO said. He told the Wall Street Journal that tablets are among the next big opportunities for the sector.

Posted by Judith — 4:25 AM


FCC launches ‘bill shock’ initiative for mobile users.

Source: Telecompaper.

The FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau has launched an initiative on “bill shock” for mobile consumers. The bureau is seeking input on ways to alert consumers about potential high charges before they add up.

Posted by Judith — 2:03 AM


New Zealand regulator recommends MTA regulation.

Source: Telecompaper.

The NZ Commerce Commission has changed its recommendation on mobile termination access services regulation. The Commission is now recommending to the communications minister that he regulate mobile termination access services, and not accept undertakings from Telecom and Vodafone.

Posted by Judith — 1:39 AM

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Posted by Judith — 4:51 AM


Vodafone, Wind, Fastweb launch FTTH project.

Source: Telecompaper.

Windi, Fastweb and Vodafone Italia have presented a project for deployment of a new fibre-based broadband network across the country. The operators have also asked the government to back the broadband project by summoning all market players to participate in the initiative and help create a ‘fibre company’.

Posted by Judith — 4:11 AM


TalkTalk aims for 180,000 new customers after cutting Carphone connection.

Source: TimesOnline.

TalkTalk hopes to add as many as 180,000 new customers this year after its demerger from Carphone Warehouse.
The internet provider’s customer additions gained momentum last year after its acquisition of struggling rival Tiscali. It ended the year with 4.2m. customers, adding 42,000 net new users in the final three months of the year, an increase of on the previous quarter.

Posted by Judith — 3:36 AM


Telefonica submits US$7.3bn. unsolicited bid to control Vivo.

Source: TeleGeography.

European telecoms giant Telefonica of Spain has made an unsolicited US$7.3bn. bid to buy out Portugal Telecom (PT), its equal partner in Brazil’s leading cellco by subscribers, Vivo Participacoes. PT has however rejected the approach which values the Brazilian operation at 140% more than its current market capitalisation.

Posted by Judith — 2:39 AM

Monday, May 10, 2010

Vodafone and Axia form alliance for ultra-fast broadband.

Source: TeleGeography

Vodafone New Zealand and Axia NetMedia Corporation, a Canadian fibre-optic network operator, have formed an alliance to deliver a solution to the New Zealand government’s Ultra-Fast Broadband Initiative (UFB). The government has committed to spending NZ$1.5bn (US$1.07 n) to help the country establish a world class ultra-fast broadband network.

Posted by Judith — 7:01 AM


In Iceland, making lemonade out of ash.

Source: Light Reading.

Iceland’s reputation in the business community has taken its lumps in recent years, from the collapse of the country’s economy in 2008 and nationalization of its three main banks to the recent massive global travel disruption caused by the ash cloud released by its Eyjafjallajallajökulashaker volcano.
One US firm with major operations in Iceland, Verne Global, is using the latest incident to bring new visibility to the country’s unique capability for hosting remote data center operations that capitalize on Iceland’s geo-thermal activity to provide a constant, renewable, and low-cost source of power.
As more service providers look to offer cloud-based services, they also are looking for places to host applications that can provide high availability and security, but also low latency, Cantrell says. Verne Global believes the recent addition of transoceanic cables connecting Iceland to both the US and Europe helps meet bandwidth and latency goals.

Posted by Judith — 6:34 AM


Wireless Gigabit set to become next-gen Wi-Fi?

Source: The Register.

The Wireless Gigabit Alliance, developer of a wireless data technology that operates in the 60GHz band, has signed up the Wi-Fi Alliance to manage its hardware interoperability programme. The move positions WiGig as a key candidate for the next version of Wi-Fi.
Wireless Gigabit - aka WiGig - delivers data transfer speeds of up to 7Gb/s. The use of the 60GHz frequency means WiGig’s range is limited - up to 10m, the Alliance says - though as the gap between basestation and client increases, the data rate steps down.
The technology already has a connection with Wi-Fi: it’s designed to smoothly switch over to 802.11n in the 5GHz or 2.4GHz bands when the 60GHz link fails. That requires closely connected hardware, or course, but paves the way for what the WiGig Alliance calls “tri-band devices” - kit that will connect using any of the three available bands as necessary.

Posted by Judith — 6:30 AM


Orange to switch on to television after BT deal.

Source: Times Online

Orange has revived its long-held ambition to offer TV services over the broadband network.
The mobile operator, which has access to almost 30 million customers after a merger with T-Mobile’s UK arm in March, outsourced its fixed-line network to BT last month.
It will now piggyback on BT’s more advanced network that extends its coverage to the entire country.
The BT deal means that a plan to offer TV services over the broadband network, originally slated for late 2007, is firmly back on the agenda, although a launch is not imminent.

Posted by Judith — 6:27 AM

Friday, May 7, 2010

France welcomes new MVNO in Lebara Mobile.

Source: TeleGeography.

The Lebara Group, which was founded in 2001 to offer tailored MVNO telecoms solutions across Europe, has announced the launch of commercial operations in France. Lebara Mobile says that it has launched its pre-paid services in the country through a network hosting agreement with Bouygues Telecom.

Posted by Judith — 8:04 AM


US regulators maps ‘third way’ for net access for all.

Source: BBC.

US regulators unveiled plans to change the way broadband services are oversee so they can fulfil commitments to bring high speed net access to every citizen.
This so-called “third way” will insist on principles that require cable firms to treat all net traffic equally.
The FCC was forced to act after a court found it had no mandate to dictate on how ISPs run their networks.

Posted by Judith — 3:13 AM


Brazil govt to inject BRL13bn. into broadband plan.

Source: Telecompaper.

The Brazilian government will invest around BRL13bn. (approximately US$7.3bn.) to reduce the costs and boost access to broadband internet services among low-income households across the country. The National Broadband Plan also includes an injection of nearly BRL3.2bn. into former state telecom monopoly Telebras, which will also manage the broadband expansion project.

Posted by Judith — 2:29 AM


Megacable to launch mobile service with Telefonica.

Source: Telecompaper.

Mexican cable operator Megacable plans to launch mobile phone services using Telefonica’s network. The mobile service launch is scheduled for the end of the third quarter.

Posted by Judith — 2:08 AM

Thursday, May 6, 2010

O2 UK adds fixed line voice services to portfolio.

Source: TeleGeography.

The UK’s largest mobile network operator by subscribers, O2 UK, is looking to enhance its presence in the fixed line market, to which end it has announced the launch of a fixed line voice service, including line rental.

Posted by Judith — 5:08 AM


3 makes headway in Danish LTE sale.

Source: BWCS.

The Danish sale of LTE spectrum is almost complete. The main winner so far in the auction for licences to operate in the 2.5GHz range appears to 3 Denmark. The Hutchison-backed mobile operator has reportedly won 2x10 MHz blocks of paired spectrum and 25 MHz of unpaired spectrum in the sale organized by the Danish regulator.
Rival Danish mobile operator TDC was also awarded two blocks of 20MHz paired spectrum in the same sale.

Posted by Judith — 3:39 AM


Blyk launches in the Netherlands.

Source: Telecompaper.

The advertising-based mobile service Blyx has launched in the Netherlands, after over a year’s delay. Targeting 16-29 year-olds, Blyk offers 1,000 SMS and 1,000 Blyk-to-Blyk minutes free each month in exchange for viewing targeted ads.

Posted by Judith — 2:51 AM


Vodafone, Wind, Fastweb ally against Telecom Italia.

Source: Telecompaper.

Wind, Fastweb and Vodafone Italia CEO’s want to create a new fibre-based broadband network operation to rival Telecom Italia. The CEOs have met with government official Gianni Letta to explain the EUR 2.5bn. project. They said they were prepared to offer their existing network infrastructure and additional investments in new networks, with the aim of covering the major Italian cities within five years.

Posted by Judith — 2:08 AM

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Nokia, Microsoft launch new mobile software.

Source: Reuters.

Nokia and Microsoft have unveiled the first result of their new software collaboration aimed at breaking the dominance of RIM’s BlackBerry in wireless services for corporations.

Posted by Judith — 3:03 AM


Chorus ntl rebrands as UPC.

Source: Telecompaper.

Irish cable operator Chorus ntl has officially rebranded as UPC from 04 May and announced the launch of its new 100 Mbps Fibre Power Broadband service in late-summer 2010.

Posted by Judith — 2:55 AM


Intel revamps Atom platform for smartphone push.

Source: Reuters.

Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor company, unveiled a new version of its Atom platform, promising lower power consumption, cheaper cost and smaller size to better target smartphones.

Posted by Judith — 2:29 AM


HK SmarTone upgrading entire network to 42Mbps by end-year.

Source: TeleGeography.

Hong Kong mobile operator SmarTone has awarded Ericsson a new three-year contract under which the Swedish technology provider will upgrade the cellco’s entire network to 42Mbps HSPA+ standard by the end of this year.

Posted by Judith — 2:24 AM

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

BT inks five-year deal with Alca-Lu for bandwidth improvements.

Source: TeleGeography.

Alcatel-Lucent has inked a five-year deal with British fixed line incumbent BT that will see it boost the telecom operator’s bandwidth capacity. Under the terms of the deal Alca-Lu said that it had agreed to evolve BT’s 21CN by leveraging its High Leverage Network (HLN) architecture and transformational services, which would enable the telco to expedite network convergence, increase capacity and deliver content cost effectively as it prepares to introduce new video-rich services to an expanded base of wholesale and retail subscribers.

Posted by Judith — 5:08 AM


IBM acquires Cast Iron Systems .

Source: InformationWeek.

IBM has announced the acquisition of Cast Iron Systems, a privately held company that has specialized in the fast-growing arena of connecting on-premise data and systems to software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings and cloud-based computing platforms.

Posted by Judith — 4:33 AM


Telefonica starts Movistar rebranding process in Spain.

Source: Telecompaper.

All Telefonica’s fixed and mobile services and products in Spain will now be marketed under the Movistar brand name. To this end, the company has rolled out an advertising campaign in three phases.

Posted by Judith — 3:48 AM


Orange Launches 3G Network in Tunisia.

Source: cellular-news.

France Telecom’s Orange has launched a mobile network in the North African country of Tunisia, in cooperation with Investec, a Tunisian subsidiary of the Mabrouk group. Orange holds 49% of the joint venture.

Posted by Judith — 2:44 AM

Monday, May 3, 2010

Google buys Canadian tech startup.

Source: The Globe and Mail.

Google has acquired BumpTop, a Toronto-based firm specializing in software that turns a computer desktop into a 3D environment.
The BumpTop purchase highlights Google’s effort to update many of its services for the mobile market. Products such as Apple’s iPhone and iPad have made touch screens, rather than keyboards, the norm for operating many handheld devices.

Posted by Judith — 5:05 AM


Qwest sued over US$10bn. CenturyTel takeover.

Source: BusinessWeek.

Qwest Communications International has been sued by shareholders seeking more money in a planned US$10bn. stock-swap acquisition by CenturyTel.

Posted by Judith — 4:08 AM


China Telecom’s mobile base continues fast growth as wireline declines.

Source: Converge.

China Telecom continues to ramp-up its mobile subscriber base, ending Q1 2010 with 65.45m. mobile subscribers up by 9.36m. for the quarter.

Posted by Judith — 3:13 AM


FCC Chairman expected to leave broadband services deregulated.

Source: The Washington Post.

The chairman of the FCC has indicated he wants to keep broadband services deregulated, according to sources, even as a federal court decision has exposed weaknesses in the agency’s ability to be a strong watchdog over the companies that provide access to the Web.
The FCC currently has “ancillary” authority over broadband providers such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon and must adequately justify actions over those providers. Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the agency had exceeded its authority in 2008 when it applied sanctions against Comcast.
The ruling cast doubt over the FCC’s ability to create a “net neutrality” rule that would force Internet service providers to treat all services and applications on the Web equally.

Posted by Judith — 2:24 AM

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Opera buys webmail firm for mobile messaging.

Source: Reuters.

Opera Software, the world’s largest mobile browser firm, has bought Australian web-based email provider FastMail.FM, aiming to expand its own messaging offering to wireless devices.

Posted by Judith — 3:20 AM


Worldwide cellphone shipments up 21%.

Source: LightReading.

Worldwide shipments of mobile phones grew 21.7% in the first quarter, turbo-charged by the booming demand for smartphones.
RIM, which has always been strong in the smartphone category, rode the category to break into IDC’s top-five market share finishers for the first time. RIM knocked Motorola from the top five list.

Posted by Judith — 2:11 AM

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