LTC International: Press Clippings

More iPhone carriers revealed.

2008-05-12T13:23:49Z

Apple has revealed the names of yet more operator partners who will be carrying the iPhone.
Optus, SingTel, Bharti Airtel and Globe have all signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Australia, Singapore, India and the Philippines respectively later this year.

German telecoms watchdog abandons case against DT.

2008-05-12T12:14:31Z

German telecoms watchdog Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) has dropped its case against DT regarding market abuse with respect to unbundling of the local loop. Increased demand for last mile connections from competitors had led to a large backlog of lines needed to be switched over by DT, which in turn led to long delays in rival operators being able to provide telephony and DSL access to their customers. Arcor and Telefonica filed separate complaints with the regulator in December 2007, and a detailed investigation was launched into unbundling by DT.
DT has given the regulator a commitment to improving its procedures and contracts on local loop unbundling, and for the next 18 months will regularly update BNetzA on the current demand for last mile switching.

US$6.5bn. contract up for grabs in India.

2008-05-12T10:47:04Z

The race is on to win a huge order for mobile network equipment from BSNL, the Indian state-run telecoms company. This week, BSNL will invite bids for a new GSM supply deal said to be worth US$6.5bn. The contract will require the winning bidder to supply capacity for 93m. new GSM connections.

Microsoft contests US$1.4bn. EU fine.

2008-05-10T10:37:46Z

Microsoft has appealed against a EUR899m. (US$1.4bn; GBP680.9m.) fine given for defying sanctions imposed on it for anti-competitive behaviour.
The penalty - the largest ever from the EC - came after it failed to comply with a 2004 ruling that it abused its market position.

Vonage turns a double play.

2008-05-09T11:31:21Z

Vonage has announced that it is teaming with Covad Communications Inc. to sell DSL services to its customers. The service will be branded Vonage Broadband and will offer maximum downstream speeds between 3 Mbit/s and 6 Mbit/s by the end of this year.
It was an obvious move for Vonage, which faced a tough competitive landscape against incumbents and cable MSOs offering triple play services.

Cablevision plans wireless broadband network.

2008-05-09T08:42:36Z

Cable TV provider Cablevision Systems Corp. has disclosed plans to offer high-speed wireless Internet service across its coverage area in the New York region.
The service will be built out over the next two years or so and offer Cablevision's existing Internet customers online access through mobile devices such as the iPhone, BlackBerry handsets or laptop computers.

CopperGate acquires Conexant's HomePlug AV powerline technology.

2008-05-09T08:22:17Z

CopperGate Communications has acquired Conexant Systems' HomePlug AV business.
CopperGate is already the leading provider of HomePNA compliant chipsets, the dominant coax and phone wire standard for IPTV installations. The company said the acquisition makes it the first semiconductor company with home networking technologies supporting all three wire types -- coax, phone and power lines.
G.hn is the working group name for the next generation global home networking standard being created within the ITU-T. With G.hn, coax, phone wires and power lines will all be supported by a single standard. Today, there are twenty-five active global members of G.hn including AT&T, Verizon, France Telecom, Intel and TI.

Best Buy plans new investment in U.K. retailer

2008-05-08T10:13:42Z

Best Buy Co. will form a joint venture with Carphone Warehouse PLC, Europe's largest cellphone retailer, involving a GBP1.1bn. (US$2.15bn.) investment by the U.S. retail giant.
Carphone Warehouse will put its European and U.S. retail businesses, or more than 2400 stores, into the joint venture, in return for the cash payment from the electronics retailer.

Google forces Verizon's hand on open access.

2008-05-08T09:26:49Z

Google has forced a guarantee from Verizon Wireless that the US carrier will abide by the open access requirements on its recently won 700MHz spectrum.

Sweden sells service-neutral spectrum.

2008-05-08T09:26:00Z

Sweden has followed Norway's example and auctioned off a series of technology neutral blocks of wireless spectrum. The Swedish telecoms regulator completed the auction of spectrum in the 2.6GHz band this week. In total the sale raised SKr2.1bn. (EUR225.4m.) for the government. In the end, five companies were successful -mobile operator 3, Intel, Tele2, Telenor and TeliaSonera.

Tiscali expecting eight bids.

2008-05-08T09:20:33Z

Tiscali is expecting to receive eight non-binding offers for its assets. The bidders are named as BSkyB, BT Group, Carphone Warehouse, the Virgin Group, Fastweb, Vodafone, Telecom Italia and Wind. Only Vodafone is believed to be interested in the whole of the group, while the others are only interested in either the UK or Italian businesses.

Comcast reaches for a cap as it feels the heat.

2008-05-08T08:24:14Z

Comcast, the US's second-largest internet service provider, has confirmed the company is considering introducing a monthly download cap. It has been reported that the limit will be set at 250GB with excess usage fees for those that excede the limit.

European Commission considers SMS roaming price cap.

2008-05-08T08:14:11Z

Caps on the price of sending an SMS from a mobile phone while abroad came a step closer when the EC launched a two-month public consultation into its rules on mobile phone roaming charges.
As well as seeking general feedback on the impact of the European Union law on roaming charges for voice calls that came into force last year, the Commission also asked stakeholders whether regulation is necessary for data roaming services and SMS in light of current retail prices and market developments.

Sprint and Clearwire to Combine WiMAX Businesses, Creating a New Mobile Broadband Company

2008-05-07T22:42:40Z

Clearwire Corporation and Sprint Nextel Corporation today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine their next-generation wireless broadband businesses to form a new wireless communications company.

Verizon joins another undersea cable network.

2008-05-07T10:13:44Z

Verizon's business unit has announced that it will help to build an undersea cable connecting Europe, the Middle East and India.
Verizon Business, the phone company's unit in charge of corporate clients, said it joined a consortium of 16 companies to build a 9,000 mile optical cable system linking the three continents.
The network, named the Europe India Gateway, is due to be completed in 2010 and cost more than US$700m.

A technology consortium plans a wireless network.

2008-05-07T09:21:11Z

A consortium including Sprint Nextel, Google, Intel, Comcast, Time Warner and Clearwire is reported to be intending to build the first of a new generation of nationwide wireless data networks.
The partners have put the value of the deal at US$12bn., a figure that includes radio spectrum and equipment provided by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, and US$3.2bn. from the others involved.
They expect the network, which will provide the next generation of high-speed Internet access for cellphone users, to be built in as little as two years. The partners are seeking to beat Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless to the market.

Bournemouth homes get fast fibre.

2008-05-07T08:26:20Z

Bournemouth has been announced as the first UK town to get super-fast fibre via the sewers.
It is part of a plan from fibre firm H20 to extend its underground sewer networks from businesses to consumers.
It will bring broadband of up to 100Mbps (megabits per second) to 88,000 homes in the Dorset town and is the largest scheme of its kind in the UK.

BT to resell Siemens' converged communications solution .

2008-05-07T08:05:39Z

BT and Siemens Enterprise Communications have entered into a global sales agreement to offer a converged communications solution for large multinational enterprises. The solution combines Siemens OpenScape suite of communications software applications and OpenScale services with BT's MPLS network.

Qwest hangs up on Sprint Nextel.

2008-05-06T10:29:54Z

Qwest Communications has announced that it has decided to start reselling mobile phone service provided by Verizon Wireless. That means it will stop selling the mobile phone service that it currently provides over the Sprint Nextel network.

Google seeks open-access pledge from Verizon.

2008-05-06T09:34:34Z

Google has asked the FCC to obtain a pledge from Verizon Wireless that it will honor the open-access conditions on a band of 700MHz spectrum before selling the spectrum to the carrier.
The FCC's open-access rules required the winner of the C block to allow customers to connect wireless devices of their choosing and run any applications on the network using the C block.