India says RIM assures final Messenger solution by end-January.

Source: Reuters.

India has stated that RIM has set up an interim arrangement for lawful interception of BlackBerry Messenger services and has assured to provide a final solution by end-January. A government source said talks are still on over access to corporate emails.

Posted by Judith — 3:33 AM

Verizon to pay US$25m. settlement for overcharging.

Source: Reuters.

The U.S. mobile service, Verizon Wireless, has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury US$25m. on top of more than US$52m. in refunds to consumers for overcharging them.
The venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone said earlier this month it would pay refunds to 15 million cellphone customers erroneously charged for mobile Internet use.

Posted by Judith — 2:54 AM

CVC Capital wraps up Sunrise acquisition.

Source: TeleGeography.

UK private equity firm CVC Capital Partners has confirmed that it has finalised its CHF3.3bn. (US$3.36bn.) takeover of Swiss telecom operator Sunrise Communications from Danish telco TDC, having received all necessary approvals.

Posted by Judith — 2:28 AM

New EU member states lead increase in FTTx penetration.

Source: TeleGeography.

The FTTH Council Europe has issued a press release claiming the total number of FTTH or FTTB subscribers across Europe has increased by 22% over the last six months. 74% of FTTH/B subscribers are concentrated in eight countries with Sweden in first place in terms of actual subscriber numbers, followed by France, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, The Netherlands, Denmark and Slovakia.

Posted by Judith — 2:11 AM

Carlyle Group to buy Syniverse for US$2.6bn.

Source: Telecompaper.

Carlyle Group has agreed another takeover in the telecom sector, to buy Syniverse Technologies for US$2.6bn. Syniverse provides a full portfolio of mobile roaming, messaging and network equipment to more than 800 mobile, cable and internet providers, and enterprises in over 160 countries.

Posted by Judith — 1:57 AM

Kabel BW adds mobile telephony to product portfolio.

Source: TeleGeography.

German cable operator Kabel BW has announced it will offer a mobile telephony and data service for its ‘Clever Kabel’ internet and phone subscribers from 2 November. The cableco has signed an agreement with Telefonica O2 Germany to secure wholesale capacity over the company’s mobile network.

Posted by Judith — 1:09 AM

FTC ends Google ‘Street View’ investigation without fines.

Source: CNN.

The U.S. FTC has called off its investigation of Google’s “Street View” mapping program without issuing fines to the company.
The federal agency had been investigating the fact that Google collected communications, including passwords and e-mails, from people who used open Wi-Fi networks in their homes.
The FTC said Google has sufficiently addressed the problem.

Posted by Judith — 3:11 AM

Intel advises big tech buyers on cloud computing.

Source: Reuters.

Chipmaker Intel is advising a group of more than 70 companies, including Deutsche Bank, Lockheed Martin and BMW, as they encourage industry standards for cloud computing.
Tech industry companies like Oracle and Amazon are pushing cloud computing, but industry standards have not been agreed.

Posted by Judith — 2:34 AM

CommScope confirms US$3.9bn. takeover by Carlyle.

Source: Telecompaper.

The Carlyle Group has agreed to buy CommScope for US$3.9bn., taking the network equipment maker private. CommScope’s management is expected to remain in place after the deal closes early next year.

Posted by Judith — 1:57 AM

Broadcom to buy femto chip startup.

Source: Light Reading.

Broadcom has announced plans to buy up femtocell chip-maker Percello for “approximately US$86m.” in cash or stock.
The planned buyout comes after the chip-maker announced earlier this month that it will buy Beceem Communications for US$316m.
Buying the Israeli femto startup will continue to enhance Broadcom’s LTE strategy while adding small-cell technology to its portfolio.

Posted by Judith — 4:08 AM

Country cousins SFR, Orange, Bouygues sharing rural UMTS-900 network.

Source: TeleGeography.

NSN has announced that it is working with French mobile operator SFR to build and share a 3G/3.5G mobile network covering rural France, under a plan to give access to subscribers of SFR’s domestic rivals Orange France and Bouygues Telecom.

Posted by Judith — 3:38 AM

Juniper extends security to mobile devices.

Source: Converge.

Juniper Networks is extending its security expertise from the network edge directly to mobile devices — including all flavors of smartphones and tablets — both for enterprise users and consumers.

Posted by Judith — 2:00 AM

MTN, Huawei ink US$40m. rural telephony project.

Source: TeleGeography.

MTN Nigeria has signed a deal worth over US$40m. with Chinese equipment supplier Huawei Technologies for the deployment of rural telephony infrastructure in roughly 350 villages across the country.

Posted by Judith — 1:28 AM

19% of all mobile phones shipped in 2Q were smartphones.

Source: cellular-news.

According to research, smartphones made up 19% of all handsets shipped in the second quarter; that represents a 12% increase over the first quarter, and a 50% jump compared to the same quarter in 2009.

Posted by Judith — 10:36 AM

ZTE purchases US$3bn. from five U.S. technology vendors.

Source: cellular-news.

China’s ZTE says that it has signed purchase agreements with five USA technology vendors at total value of US$3bn. Under these framework agreements, ZTE will purchase semiconductor components from Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Freescale Semiconductor, Altera and Broadcom over the next 3 years.

Posted by Judith — 5:34 AM

Intel opens first chip plant in China.

Source: Reuters.

Intel Corp has opened its first chip plant in China in a move that said could help boost China’s economy, several years after the U.S. firm first announced the US$2.5bn. project.

Posted by Judith — 1:52 AM

Key unions agree to back Qwest-CenturyLink merger

Source: Two unions have agreed to support the Qwest-CenturyLink merger in exchange for pledges to preserve union membership levels and address other employment issues raised by the deal. Denver-based Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) and Monroe, La.-based CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL),…

Two unions have agreed to support the Qwest-CenturyLink merger in exchange for pledges to preserve union membership levels and address other employment issues raised by the deal.

Denver-based Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) and Monroe, La.-based CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL), which is acquiring Qwest, agreed to several points with the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers unions.

Read more: Key unions agree to back Qwest-CenturyLink merger | Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Posted by Penny — 1:12 PM

Bharti Airtel confirms 3G launch before year-end.

Source: cellular-news.

India’s Bharti Airtel has announced that it will launch its first 3G services before the end of this year. Airtel also confirmed that it is in advanced discussions with other mobile networks to offer 3G services to its customers across the country. This will not only ensure seamless roaming, but also offer 3G broadband to its entire customer base in India.

Posted by Judith — 2:26 AM

Telstra to boost wireless broadband capacity in regional Australia.

Source: cellular-news.

Australian mobile network operator, Telstra says that it is to be granted additional licenses in the 2.1GHz band for more than 1,400 base stations. The new 2.1GHz licenses will be used to provide additional capacity at both existing and future Telstra 3G network sites throughout regional and rural Australia.

Posted by Judith — 1:48 AM

Asustek to end cellphone cooperation with Garmin.

Source: Reuters.

Taiwan’s Asustek Computer has announced that it will end its mobile phone cooperation agreement with Garmin, which has said it is ready to exit the smartphone business.

Posted by Judith — 1:44 AM

India mulls potential for national licenses.

Source: cellular-news.

India’s telecoms regulator, the TRAI is to examine a recent DoT proposal to merge all 22 telecom circles potentially into a single nationwide license. Few of the mobile networks hold licenses in all 22 circles, so stand to benefit in reach, but at the cost of losing roaming revenues charged for users moving between circles.

Posted by Judith — 1:26 AM

Vodafone given US$2.5bn. Indian tax bill deadline.

Source: BBC.

Indian tax authorities have given Vodafone 30 days to pay a US$2.5bn. tax bill, as part of an ongoing tax dispute.
The formal demand relates to the mobile phone company’s 2007 purchase of the Indian telephone assets of Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa.
Vodafone will appeal against the tax at the Indian supreme court on Monday.

Posted by Judith — 4:19 AM

Nokia planning to cut 1,800 jobs.

Source: BBC.

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has said it is to cut 1,800 jobs.
Nokia, the biggest handset maker in the world, said it had sold 110 million handsets - 2% up from last year.

Posted by Judith — 2:37 AM

Metro PCS unveils new 4G network in Detroit.

Source: TeleGeography.

US cellco MetroPCS has announced that it has launched its 4G wireless network in Detroit, Michigan, the third city in its planned nationwide rollout. MetroPCS switched on its inaugural LTE wireless network in Las Vegas in September, cementing its place as the first mobile operator to launch commercial LTE services in the United States. Shortly afterwards the company initiated a second 4G network, in Dallas, Texas.

Posted by Judith — 1:12 AM

NTT Data in talks to buy Keane for JPY100bn.

Source: Telecompaper.

NTT Data, the network-services unit of Japanese operator NTT, is reported to be in advanced talks to buy Keane for more than JPY100bn.(US$1.2bn.) to expand in the US,

Posted by Judith — 1:03 AM

Australian govt. re-introduces Telstra split bill.

Source: Telecompaper.

The Australian government has re-introduced the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Competition and Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2009 into Parliament. The legislation will allow for the structural separation of Telstra’s retail wing from the rest of the company and strengthen the powers of the regulator.

Posted by Judith — 3:53 AM

Telecom Italia to offer high-speed mobile service.

Source: Reuters.

Telecom Italia has unveiled a new service as part of plans to upgrade its mobile network, amid calls by Italy’s telecom regulator for more investment and rival plans to boost mobile broadband coverage.
The service, to be rolled out nationwide gradually, is part of the company’s plans to develop its mobile network to keep up with the growing amount of traffic generated by mobile phones, USB modems, smartphones and tablet computers.

Posted by Judith — 2:01 AM

China Mobile adds 48m. users in 2010 YTD.

Source: Converge.

China Mobile is now serving 570m. users, up by nearly 48m. since the beginning of the year. Average Revenue per User per Month has remained steady at RMB72 (approx. US$10.83).

Posted by Judith — 1:37 AM

Telstra to end network sharing deal with Vodafone-Hutchison.

Source: cellular-news.

Australian networks, Telstra and the Vodafone-Hutchison combo have announced that they will terminate their 3G network joint venture from 2012.
Telstra said that it does not anticipate any asset impairment as a result of this agreement as the assets will continue to be utilised.

Posted by Judith — 1:06 AM

Intel to invest in U.S. manufacturing.

Source: The Globe and Mail.

Intel has announced that it will spend $6 to $8bn. on new chip manufacturing technology in its U.S. factories and will build a new development plant in Oregon.
The investment will create between 6,000 and 8,000 construction jobs and 800 to 1,000 permanent high-tech jobs across its U.S. operations in Oregon and Arizona.

Posted by Judith — 2:26 AM

Ofcom will not investigate Project Canvas.

Source: Telecompaper.

UK communications regulator Ofcom has announced that it will not open an investigation into ‘Project Canvas’ under the Competition Act following complaints made by Virgin Media and IPVision. Project Canvas is a partnership between the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, BT, TalkTalk and Arqiva which will offer digital terrestrial channels and internet-delivered TV services via a set-top box connected to viewers’ TV sets.

Posted by Judith — 1:46 AM

Mobile ticket payment launches in China.

Source: BWCS.

Chinese commuters will be able to use their mobile phones for payment on the bus or subway from next month. The new scheme, backed by China Unicom, will go into formal commercial use in four major urban areas: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing but will only be available to Unicom customers.

Posted by Judith — 1:40 AM

Essar Telecom to take Yu from Kenya to Tanzania, Zambia and Cameroon.

Source: TeleGeography.

The Essar Group has announced its intention to extend the ‘Yu’ brand, currently used for mobile services in Kenya, to other African countries including Uganda, the Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Cameroon.

Posted by Judith — 1:02 AM

NCR acquires Mobiqa to expand global mobile self-service platform.

Source: cellular-news.

NCR has acquired mobile ticketing service provider, Mobiqa. The acquisition will enable NCR to establish a global mobile centre, which will initially focus on the travel industry, where NCR and Mobiqa expect to realize synergies from their existing solutions.

Posted by Judith — 1:01 AM

Televisa and Nextel call time on joint venture.

Source: TeleGeography.

US-based NII Holdings and Mexican broadcast giant Grupo Televisa have called off their previously announced joint venture. In February 2010 it was revealed that Televisa had agreed to pay USD1.44 billion for a 30% holding in NII’s Mexican subsidiary, digital trunking operator Nextel de Mexico, while the option to purchase an additional 7.5% stake was also included as part of the deal. Both parties have been reported to have been discouraged by recent legal challenges by rivals related to the government’s auction of spectrum in the 1700MHz band.

Posted by Judith — 2:09 AM

Clearwire and Sprint set big city high-speed launches.

Source: Reuters.

Sprint Nextel and its Clearwire Corp venture will begin offering their high-speed wireless services from November across some of the busiest U.S. cities: New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Posted by Judith — 3:22 AM

Skype and KDDI partner in Japan.

Source: Reuters.

Japanese cellphone operator KDDI Corp and internet telephone company Skype have announced that they will partner to bring Skype’s services to KDDI’s customers, starting with its mobile offerings.

Posted by Judith — 2:23 AM

Vodafone confirms readiness to sell Polkomtel stake.

Source: TeleGeography.

Vodafone Group has assured its fellow shareholders in Polkomtel that it is ready to begin the sale of its 24.39% stake in the Polish mobile operator. Last month it was revealed that some of the world’s biggest private equity groups are lining up leveraged buy-out bids worth approximately EUR4bn. (US$5.2bn.) for Polkomtel, including Apax Partners, Blackstone, TPG and CVC Capital Partners.

Posted by Judith — 1:36 AM

Motorola and Nokia announce 4G licensing agreement.

Source: cellular-news.

Motorola and Nokia have jointly announced that the companies have entered into a 4G license agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Motorola and Nokia have extended the companies’ existing intellectual property licensing agreement to include 4G cellular technologies, such as LTE, WiMAX and LTE-Advanced.

Posted by Judith — 5:08 AM

Verizon to sell Apple’s iPad.

Source: Reuters.

Apple is turning to Verizon Wireless to help sell the iPad in time for the holidays, loosening its ties with AT&T.
The surprise move disrupts the relationship between Apple and AT&T, which carries the iPhone exclusively and was initially tapped to provide the iPad’s mobile data plan when the tablet computer launched last spring.

Posted by Judith — 3:44 AM

H3G UK completes phase one of 3G network expansion/upgrade project.

Source: TeleGeography.

British mobile network operator Hutchison 3G UK, which offers services under the ‘3’ banner, has announced that the first phase of its GBP400m. (US$640m.) 3G network upgrade plan has been completed. The cellco said that it has connected its 12,400th 3G base station, bringing its network coverage to around 97% following the addition of around 50,000 square kilometres of coverage under the project.

Posted by Judith — 3:40 AM

Vodafone inks MVNA deal with Cognatel.

Source: TeleGeography.

Vodafone UK has inked a deal with Cognatel to set up a new mobile virtual network aggregator (MVNA) with a view to targeting new mobile brands focused at the UK ethnic markets and other niche sectors.

Posted by Judith — 3:28 AM

Nokia Siemens Networks to acquire Iris Telecom.

Source: Telecompaper.

NSN is tol acquire Turkey-based telecommunication and engineering services provider Iris Telecom. The acquisition will combine Iris’ multi-vendor Network Planning and Optimisation business with Nokia Siemens’ global footprint. Iris Telecom has more than 630 employees and its existing customers include Turkcell, Avea and Ucell.

Posted by Judith — 2:55 AM

O2 UK launches location-based mobile marketing.

Source: cellular-news.

Telefonica O2 has launched location-based mobile marketing services in the UK, enabling brands to deliver SMS and MMS to consumers in a more targeted manner than ever before.
The service uses location-based technology known as “geo-fencing” to power the trial and is the result of O2 Media, O2’s mobile marketing arm, partnering with USA based Placecast.

Posted by Judith — 2:54 AM

Softbank to buy 100% of PHS operator Willcom.

Source: TeleGeography.

Japan’s Softbank has revealed it has agreed to buy all of Japanese personal handy-phone systems (PHS) provider Willcom. If ratified, the new owner will benefit from the addition of roughly 3.9m. Willcom subscribers, boosting its overall base to around 27m. users.

Posted by Judith — 2:11 AM

Vodafone Essar inks 3G rollout deals with NSN and Ericsson.

Source: TeleGeography.

India’s third largest mobile operator by subscribers, Vodafone Essar, has announced that it has selected Swedish vendor Ericsson and Finland’s NSN for the rollout of its third generation network. Both vendors have signed three-year contracts with the cellco, with the combined value of both deals estimated at US$500m.

Posted by Judith — 4:01 AM

Qualcomm gets social with iSkoot buy.

Source: Light Reading.

A Qualcomm subsidiary, the Qualcomm Innovation Center has announced that it has acquired mobile Internet vendor iSkoot . The purchase should boost its push data services play into the feature phone market and make Qualcomm tech more attractive to wireless operators.
iSkoot already counts a number of device makers and US wireless operators as its customers, including AT&T and Verizon Wireless . It got its start in 2005 as a mobile VoIP provider and was the first to introduce a carrier-sanctioned VoIP service over the wide area wireless network with 3 in the UK.

Posted by Judith — 3:27 AM

Broadcom to acquire Beceem Communications.

Source: Telecompaper.

Chipmaker Broadcom has signed an agreement to acquire mobile Wimax chip provider Beceem Communications. Broadcom expects to pay approximately US$316m. to acquire all of the outstanding shares and other equity rights of Beceem.

Posted by Judith — 2:32 AM

Mobile internet swells in China.

Source: BWCS.

The number of mobile Internet users in China has reached 292m. At the end of September around 35.1% of the country’s 833m. mobile users had accessed the Internet via their mobile phones. China currently has a mobile penetration rate of 63%.

Posted by Judith — 1:59 AM

Telecom New Zealand offers CFH new bid.

Source: TeleGeography.

Telecom New Zealand has re-priced its bid for involvement in the national Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) initiative. The national telecoms operator was controversially omitted from ‘priority negotiations’, after its plan to offer a nationwide rollout across all 33 regions was dismissed in favour of a region-by-region approach in September. The telco hopes to hear whether its revised bid to participate in the government’s NZ$1.35bn. (US$972.4m.) scheme has been successful within a matter of weeks.

Posted by Judith — 3:24 AM

Clearwire spectrum draws telecom/cable suitors.

Source: Reuters.

Clearwire has reportedly drawn interest from big telecom operators and cable companies in an auction of wireless airwaves aimed at raising as much as $5 bn.
The company, which is majority owned by Sprint Nextel, has said it is looking to raise new funding from a combination of a debt offering with either a spectrum sale or an equity investment by the end of this year in order to continue expansion of a high-speed wireless network it is building.

Posted by Judith — 2:31 AM

Nigerian President approves sale of NITEL to New Generation.

Source: TeleGeography.

The Nigerian government has approved the sale of ailing state-run incumbent telco Nigeria Telecommunications (NITEL) to New Generation Telecommunications. New Generation - consisting of China Unicom, Minerva Group of Dubai and Nigeria’s GiCell Wireless - was revealed as the preferred buyer for the 75% stake in NITEL and its wireless unit M-Tel in February 2010, after beating four other hopefuls with a bid of US$2.5bn.

Posted by Judith — 1:20 AM

Orange, T-Mobile switch on ‘joint’ network access.

Source: Telecompaper.

Everything Everywhere has announced that mobile customers of its two brands, Orange and T-Mobile, can now access its two mobile networks as the first customer benefit of the merged company. The combined company has 27m. UK customers.

Posted by Judith — 3:51 AM

TTSL announces date for 3G service launch.

Source: TeleGeography.

India’s TTSL has become the first private mobile network operator to announce a specific deadline for the introduction of its 3G services. The cellco has said that it aims to launch commercial 3G services by the time of the Diwali festival, 5 November 2010. TTSL bagged third generation concessions for nine circles - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (West), Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh - paying INR58.64bn. (US$1.32bn.) for the licences.

Posted by Judith — 2:20 AM

Ofcom gives go-ahead for KCom to offer bundled services.

Source: TeleGeography.

The UK’s telecoms regulator Ofcom has announced that alternative operator KCom, which has long been designated with significant market power status in the Hull area, will be allowed to offer bundled services, despite opposition from rivals.

Posted by Judith — 2:00 AM

DeNA to buy ngmoco for US$400m.

Source: Telecompaper.

Japanese game developer DeNA has agreed to buy US-based Ngmoco, a developer of games and applications for smartphones. DenA will pay around USD 400 million in cash and shares for the company. Ngmoco develops games for the Apple iPhone and plans to expand into Android games later this year.

Posted by Judith — 1:03 AM

O2 Germany confirms 1,100 job cuts from HanseNet merger.

Source: Telecompaper.

Telefonica O2 Germany has confirmed plans for O2 and HanseNet to become an integrated telecommunications company. This will create the third largest telecoms provider in Germany in terms of revenue, with the company continuing to operate under the name of Telefonica O2 Germany with its head office in Munich. To ensure sustained growth, all departments will be reorganised, resulting in the loss of around 1,100 jobs.

Posted by Judith — 4:04 AM

MegaFon acquires fibre-optic operator Metrocom for RUB2bn.

Source: TeleGeography.

Russian mobile operator MegaFon has announced an agreement to acquire 100% of St Petersburg-based regional operator Metrocom, in a deal worth RUB2bn. (US$67m.). MegaFon will acquire a 55% stake from the government of St Petersburg, and a 45% stake from Russian company MCT.

Posted by Judith — 3:18 AM

Turkcell to launch in Germany with DeTe in Q1 2011.

Source: Telecompaper.

Turkcell’s subsidiary Turkcell Europe will start offering services in Germany in Q1 2011 using the infrastructure of Deutsche Telekom. The operator’s subsidiary also plans to launch new operations in other European countries.

Posted by Judith — 2:54 AM

Apple plans to offer iPhone on Verizon.

Source: NYT.

Facing intense competition from phone makers wedded to Google’s Android software Apple finally plans to make the iPhone available on Verizon Wireless, the largest wireless carrier in the United States.

Posted by Judith — 4:20 AM

Vodafone Italy plans EUR1bn. HSPA+ investment.

Source: TeleGeography.

Vodafone Italy has announced plans to invest EUR1bn. (US$1.39bn.) in its wireless broadband services in an effort to reach the estimated 12% of the population that still do not have adequate internet access.

Posted by Judith — 3:57 AM

UAE says BlackBerry dispute resolved before deadline.

Source: Reuters.

The United Arab Emirates will not suspend BlackBerry services on October 11 after resolving a dispute with its Canadian maker Research in Motion over access to email and other data.

Posted by Judith — 1:58 AM

Vodafone buys TEM companies Quickcomm, TnT Expense Mgmt.

Source: Telecompaper.

Vodafone Global Enterprise has acquired telecom expense management companies Quickcomm and TnT Expense Management. Vodafone expects the acquisition to help propel its managed communications services provider for multinational customers unit into being a leading TEM company for multinational organisations.

Posted by Judith — 1:02 AM

BT forced to open fibre network by Ofcom.

Source: BBC.

Ofcom has ordered BT to allow competitors control of its fibre cables in a move designed to promote the take-up of superfast broadband services.
The regulator has also told BT that it must give rival ISPs access to its underground ducts and telegraph poles to build their own fibre networks.
BT, the UK’s largest ISP, will be able to set its own prices for access.

Posted by Judith — 4:34 AM

TalkTalk set to launch fibre-optic broadband via BT’s new network.

Source: TeleGeography.

The UK’s second largest broadband ISP by users, TalkTalk, is set to become the first major wholesale customer on BT’s ‘super-fast’ fibre broadband network. The news comes as a boost to BT following speculation that it could struggle to secure a return on its GBP2.5bn. (US$4bn.) optical network without wholesale customers.

Posted by Judith — 3:50 AM

Verizon to roll out 4G internet in 38 cities.

Source: CNN.

Verizon Wireless has announced more concrete plans for this year’s launch of its speedier, next-generation internet service for mobile devices.
The carrier has been retooling its cellular infrastructure to cover 38 U.S. cities with its 4G data network before the end of the year. Major cities will include New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; San Francisco, California; and Atlanta, Georgia.

Posted by Judith — 3:13 AM

Rogers launches Canada’s first LTE technical trial.

Source: TeleGeography.

Canadian quadruple-play operator Rogers Communications has announced the launch of the country’s first LTE broadband wireless network technical trial in partnership with Ericsson.

Posted by Judith — 2:48 AM

India asks BSNL, MTNL to give 30% orders to ITI.

Source: Telecompaper.

India has asked state-run operators to continue giving 30% of their orders to equipment maker ITI for two more years. ITI is sustained mainly by contracts from BSNL and MTNL as companies including Huawei Technologies and Alcatel-Lucent have captured the Indian market.

Posted by Judith — 2:24 AM

Motorola to challenge BlackBerry with Droid Pro.

Source: internetnews.

Motorola is stepping up its bid to compete in the enterprise mobile market with its latest smartphone, the Droid Pro, an Android-powered device that comes as a direct competitor to the popular BlackBerry line of handsets.

Posted by Judith — 1:36 AM

Rogers buys fibre operator Atria for CA$425m.

Source: Telecompaper.

Canadian operator Rogers Communications has agreed to buy Atria Networks, owner and operator of one of Ontario’s largest fibre-optic networks, for CA$425m. Atria Networks is privately owned by Birch Hill Equity Partners. Rogers expects the acquisition will boost the position of its business unit, allowing delivery of on-net data services within and adjacent to the company’s cable footprint.

Posted by Judith — 2:05 AM

HP to launch new webOS phones in early 2011.

Source: Reuters.

Hewlett-Packard Co will introduce smartphones in early 2011 using the webOS software it acquired through its US$1.2bn. Palm buy earlier this year.
HP, the world’s largest technology company by revenue, is already a dominant force in PCs, servers, services and printers. But without a credible smartphone offering, it risked being left behind in a rising and highly profitable market.

Posted by Judith — 1:56 AM

Rostelecom inks deal with IQ Network to provide broadband access in Iraq.

Source: TeleGeography.

Russian national operator Rostelecom has announced that it will extend its internet infrastructure to Iraq, after signing an agreement with Iraqi company IQ Network, and will partner Iran’s Telecommunication Infrastructure Company and Azerbaijan’s Delta Telecom in the project. The deal is reportedly the first of its kind signed by a Russian telecoms company in Iraq.

Posted by Judith — 1:33 AM

Lack of interest scuppers 3G auction plan in Singapore.

Source: TeleGeography.

Singapore watchdog the Infocomm Development Authority has issued a statement saying it will award 3G spectrum to the country’s three main cellcos - SingTel, MobileOne and StarHub - after failing to find a fourth bidder to take part in a planned auction. Each of the three cellcos will pay the reserve price of SG$20m. (US$15.2m.) for the spectrum.

Posted by Judith — 1:06 AM

Vimpelcom buys Orascom Telecom, Wind Italy.

Source: Telecompaper.

Russian operator Vimpelcom has agreed to take over much of Orascom Telecom and Italian operator Wind. The agreement with Weather Investments will see Vimpelcom acquire 51.7% of Orascom Telecom and 100% of Wind Telecomunicazioni in exchange for 326m. Vimpelcom shares and US$1.8bn. cash. The Orascom activities in Egypt and North Korea are excluded from the transaction, as is Wind Hellas in Greece.

Posted by Judith — 2:55 AM

Tata has another go at buying Suntel.

Source: TeleGeography.

Indian telco Tata Communications has entered formal talks to purchase 100% of Sri Lankan wireless in the local loop telephony provider Suntel, via its wholly owned unit Tata Communications Lanka, with a view to providing local data and telephony services and augmenting its existing range of international voice and data services offered to mainly corporate Sri Lankan customers.

Posted by Judith — 2:30 AM

Harbinger sells half its holding in Inmarsat.

Source: cellular-news.

Harbinger Capital Partners has sold a 14.1% stake in the satellite operator, Inmarsat for GBP410m. (US$650m.). Harbinger Capital Partners is also the main investor in the USA based LTE network, Lightsquared - which in turn has a agreement to access radio spectrum controlled by Inmarsat.

Posted by Judith — 2:20 AM

France Telecom’s quad-play packages under scrutiny.

Source: TeleGeography.

It is reported that French regulators are investigating France Telecom’s new all-inclusive quad-play (mobile, fixed voice telephony, broadband and TV) bundles over concerns they distort competition and restrict consumer choice by requiring contracts lasting two years.

Posted by Judith — 1:59 AM

India sees surge in mobile apps startups.

Source: Light Reading.

The increasing appetite for mobile data services, and the growing willingness of mobile operators to offer them, has seen a rise in the number of applications development startups in India.
A number of Indian mobile operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar and Aircel, have launched applications stores in the recent months.

Posted by Judith — 1:16 AM

Verizon Wireless to pay refunds for billing errors.

Source: Reuters.

Verizon Wireless has stated that it will pay millions of dollars in refunds to 15m. cell phone customers who were erroneously charged for data sessions or Internet use.
Verizon did not disclose how much exactly it would have to pay but said 15 million customers would receive credits or refund checks that in most cases would range from $2 to $6 but would go beyond this in some cases, on their October or November bills.

Posted by Judith — 3:58 AM

EarthLink to acquire ITC Deltacom for US$516m.

Source: Telecompaper.

US ISP EarthLink has agreed to acquire ITC DeltaCom for a total US$516m. including USD 325 million in debt. The acquisition will enable EarthLink to create an IP infrastructure and services company by combining its existing ISP businesses, including New Edge Networks and its nationwide MPLS network, with Deltacom’s integrated communications business.

Posted by Judith — 1:49 AM

Four bidders for BSNL’s GSM line tender.

Source: TeleGeography.

Chinese hardware vendors ZTE Corp and Huawei Technologies are competing against Finland’s NSN and French-US vendor Alcatel-Lucent, with all four having submitted bids to supply equipment to state-owned Indian operator BSNL.

Posted by Judith — 1:38 AM

AT&T, T-Mobile to offer service in NY subway stations.

Source: BusinessWeeek

AT&T and T-Mobile USA customers will have mobile-phone service on New York City subway stations after the carriers signed 10-year agreements to access an underground network being built by Transit Wireless.

Posted by Judith — 4:07 AM

Microsoft sues Motorola over Android phones.

Source: Reuters.

Microsoft has sued Motorola, alleging patent infringement on the handset maker’s line of Android phones, in the latest development in a web of legal actions in the evolving smartphone business.
Microsoft, the world’s largest software company, charged that former ally Motorola infringed nine of its patents in the Android-based smartphones, which run on software built by Google.

Posted by Judith — 2:07 AM

Everything Everywhere to cut 1,200 jobs by Christmas.

Source: Telecompaper.

Everything Everywhere, the UK mobile JV between Orange and T-Mobile, plans to cut 1,200 jobs as it looks to generate minimum cost savings of at least GBP3.5bn. a year by 2014. The job losses would account for around 7.5% of its 16,000 workers and come on top of around 2,500 job losses since the merger plans were unveiled in September 2009.

Posted by Judith — 3:09 AM

Three Sprint execs resign from Clearwire board.

Source: Reuters.

Three top executives of Sprint Nextel have resigned from the board of its Clearwire Corp venture, stoking speculation it would pave the way for a wholesale deal or equity stake sale to T-Mobile USA.
Sprint said the resignations were only to comply with new developments in antitrust laws on director independence.
But the news sent shares of Clearwire up 3% as investors thought the resignations would make it easier for Clearwire to do a deal with a company such as Sprint’s rival T-Mobile USA.

Posted by Judith — 2:47 AM

India rejects RIM corporate email solution.

Source: Reuters.

India’s telecommunications ministry has rejected a solution offered by RIM for its BlackBerry corporate email services, and it has not been able to access chats on the messenger service.

Posted by Judith — 1:42 AM