Operators should already be thinking beyond the next 1 billion subscribers and looking towards a time when GSM coverage reaches out over 90 per cent of the world’s population. That was the message delivered to delegates by a panel of leading CEOs at the 3GSM World Congress keynote address this week in Singapore. It took […]
In terms of net adds per month, India is the world’s fastest growing mobile market, but cut throat competition in the voice telephony space has left operators seeking new ways to drive revenues. In a country with a large youth population, India’s leading operators see mobile content of all kinds as a strong channel for […]
It is no secret that 3G uptake has been pretty disappointing for operators and bemoaning the slow uptake of mobile broadband and content has become a theme for 2006. But industry analyst Jupiter Research thinks that the trend might change in 2007, thanks to a renewed drive by the operator community. Ealier this week Vodafone […]
The world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer, Motorola, saw its share price plummet by 9 percent Wednesday after the company reported a 45 percent drop in Q3 profit and missed its sales forecast. The sharp drop is the biggest for Motorola in almost four years. The earnings met Wall Street’s estimates however sales of the company’s […]
The GSM Association’s personal Instant Messaging (IM) campaign has scored further success in Asia, with mobile operators in Malaysia and Singapore planning the development and launch of interoperable IM services. Launched at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona last February, the initiative aims to make instant messaging on mobile networks as ubiquitous and popular as […]
French operator SFR launched “Happy Zone”, a home zone cellular service on Thursday, allowing users to benefit from flat rate unlimited calls to domestic fixed lines. The service works much like T-Mobile’s @Home offering, which allows subscribers to make cheaper calls from the network cell their home resides in. The Happy Zone for SFR customers […]
Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) ESPN Mobile has called it a day, after failing to get a strong enough foothold in the US market. The service provider, which some analysts said was one of the most promising MVNO launches of the last year, targeted a specific market with unique sporting content. But the operator appears […]
Taiwanese operator Chunghwa Telecom raised $985m (£527m) through a sale of American Depository Receipts (ADRs), the company said Thursday. The company sold 56.43 million ADRs, mostly on behalf of Taiwan’s Ministry of transportation and Communications (MoTC) and Taiwan Mobile. The move will reduce the MoTC’s stake in Chunghwa Telecom to 36.12 per cent from 42.21 […]
German incumbent Deutsche Telekom has rejected the offer from Vivendi to buy DT’s 49 per cent stake in Polish mobile operator Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa (PTC). As reported by telecoms.com Tuesday, Vivendi put Eur2.5bn on the table to take control of PTC, but reports in the German press state that DT is not prepared to sell […]
France Telecom’s Spanish unit Amena, announced plans to join the FreeMove Alliance on Monday. The Alliance already includes founding members Telecom Italia Mobile, T-Mobile and Orange, with Nordic operator TeliaSonera joining earlier this year. With a policy of only allowing one operator per country to join the Alliance, Amena seized an opportunity which opened up […]
The first competition in the convergence space is likely to kick off in November, with both BT and France Telecom’s mobile unit Orange introducing similar products at the same time. Mobile operator Orange gave details on its forthcoming fixed mobile convergence service Monday, which will allow its customers to use a mobile handset to make […]
Global satellite operator Intelsat said late Thursday that one of its satellites, IS-802, has “experienced a sudden and unexpected anomaly”. The operator said that its control center is communicating with the satellite and the satellite is under control and accepting commands, but the company has had to go through the process of making alternative capacity […]
Luxembourg-based Millicom International Cellular (MIC) has emerged as the winner of a controlling stake in third placed Columbian operator, Columbia Movil, which operates under the Ola brand. Millicom has acquired a 50 per cent plus 1 share controlling stake in the Columbian operator for a consideration of $125m. Including this initial equity contribution, Millicom expects […]
Plans to make parts of the 3G spectrum available to other technologies have been criticised by the GSM Association (GSMA). The lobby group’s ire has been directed at proposals by the European Commission to free up so-called ‘extension bands’ which have, thus far, been reserved for 3G technologies. The group believes the plans will damage […]
The GSM Association (GSMA), unhappy at yesterday’s formalised proposals to cut roaming charges, said Thursday that it will begin lobbying the European Parliament in the autumn, following the summer recess. The Association’s stated position is that it doesn’t want regulation, arguing that its members are able to regulate themselves. To that end, it intends to […]
Leading Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo today unveiled a new strategic initiative geared at driving uptake of its FOMA WCDMA services and cutting the dead weight of its loss making PHS division. The operator also announced a deal with Philippines operator PLDT, which will further the expansion of its i-mode service on a global basis. From […]
