Vodafone Eying €2.8 Billion Take-Over of German Cable TV Operator

Vodafone is reported to be in talks which could lead to a €2.8 billion take-over of the German cable TV operator, Kabel Deutschland (KDG). The company is currently owned by the private equity group, Providence - which brought the company three years ago.

KDG has around 11 million customers in Germany and would be a good fit with Vodafone's local landline subsidiary, Arcor which controls about 14% of the broadband market.

KDG announced increased second quarter revenues last week, by 15.4% to €339.3 million while EBITDA increased 30% to €142.9 million. The higher numbers are partly attributable to the networks acquired earlier this year from the Orion Cable Group.

The firm recently confirmed that it was taking another look at trying to acquire some smaller regional operators. In 2004 KDG tried to buy two cable operators serving regional areas, which would have given the company nationwide coverage, but the deal was blocked by the cartel office amid fears of the company gaining a dominant market position. Changes in the market place with the emergence of telcos providing TV services should make cartel fears easier to overcome.

“A nationwide cable operator would enhance competition vis-à-vis the large telephone incumbents which would also be in the best consumer interest. We want to play a leading role in any such market consolidation,” KDG's CEO, Adrian v. Hammerstein said when the company announced its financial results last week.

Kabel Deutschland was founded in January 1999 by Deutsche Telekom, after it was ordered to spin off its entire cable TV business as required by regulatory terms.

For historic reasons, Kabel Deutschland cannot offer its products directly to all are connected via Kabel Deutschland's network, since only one third of all viewers are direct customers. In the early 1980s, when the cable network was originally established, Kabel Deutschland's predecessor Deutsche Bundespost had to leave in-house cables to other companies or the house owners. This turned out to be a significant obstacle since Kabel Deutschland now has to make single contracts with hundreds of small cable operators.

Resource - cellular-news

Vietnam Plans to Award 3G Licenses in Q2 2009

Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications has published the details of its planned 3G license tender - and announced that four licenses will be awarded in Q2 2009. The country currently has seven active mobile networks however, so three companies face a future without the ability to offer 3G services.

The seven firms have until January 2009 to submit their tenders for the licenses - which are not being offered to any new entrants - and the government will announce the results within a couple of months.

The tender will be based largely on a beauty contest model where coverage plans will be a key factor in being short-listed prior to the auction.

Estimates from the Mobile World subscriber tracker says that the country ended the first half of this year with a shade under 50 million mobile phone users - representing a population penetration level of 58%.

The Vietnamese government is also preparing to sell a 30% stake in MobiFone via an initial public offering by the end of this year. A stake of 15% will be listed on the stock market while the government will also sell 15% to a "strategic investor", which is generally presumed to be a major international operator.
Resource - cellular-news

Kuwait's Hits Telecom enters China market

Hits Telecom announced in a conference that it has bought 30 percent of Cinotel, china's giant telecom, for $60 million to become the first Arab company entering China's market, Kuwait Times reported.

Dr Ali Al-Shamali, Director of the Board Madina for Finance Investment Co. said that Hits will continue its expansion in China by increasing its stake in Cinotel up to 55 percent within a year.

Cinotel operates the fiber optic network which is the main network operator for the telecommunication companies in China, and covers about 32,000 kilometers long, said Khalid Al-Mutawa'a, Chairman of Madina for Finance Investment Co, and Deputy Chairman of Hits Telecom. The owners of Cinotel have an investment bank in Switzerland, a fund in Australia from the telecommunication field, the Chinese partner in addition to Hits Telecom

China is a strategically important destination attracting investors from across the world. It has a strong economy, and it is expected to play an active role in leading the Asian economies due to its geographic nature in addition to its huge population.

Resource - cn-c114.net

Malaysia Airlines to allow cell phones

Malaysia Airlines on Tuesday unveiled a new service allowing passengers to make and receive calls on their mobile phones while in air on some routes.

Passengers can also send and receive text messages, and use their Blackberry-type devices to send and receive e-mails, Malaysia Airlines, or MAS, said in a statement.

It said the airline teamed up with AeroMobile, a British company, to become the first Asian carrier to offer in-flight mobile phone and data services via satellite with passengers using their own equipment.

Customers can now safely use their mobile phone or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) during the flight without affecting the aircraft systems and ground telecommunication networks, the statement said.

The service is currently available on a single Boeing 777-200 aircraft, which flies on different days to selected European, Australian and Asian destinations including China and Japan, said the statement.

The system will be installed on all wide-bodied aircraft in the MAS fleet by next year if it proves to be successful, said MAS chief executive Idris Jala.

"This is one of the in-flight service comforts that we are introducing on a trial basis for our customers," he said. "With this facility, we definitely have a competitive edge and firmly believe that both our business and leisure passengers will very much welcome this new service," he added.

Users will be billed on their regular phone bills by their own service providers as with any other international roaming call.

Passengers will be encouraged to switch their phones to silent or vibrate mode when using them in the aircraft, said the statement.

Resource - cellular-news

WiMAX goalposts move in Taiwan

Taiwan's WiMAX landscape is in flux. Chunghwa Telecom, the island's incumbent (which failed to get its hands on of the six WIMAX licences up for grabs in 2007) appears to have been given the green light to invest in Global Mobile, a WiMAX licensee.

The NCC (National Communications Commission) had previously barred Chunghwa from investing in Global Mobile on the grounds that the island's incumbent had not been mentioned when Global Mobile had first applied for its WiMAX licence. The NCC's appeals committee has now overturned that ruling.

Moreover, HwaCom, a systems integrator that also failed in its bid for a WIMAX licence last year, could now be in line for a WiMAX licence after all. The Petitions and Appeals Committee of Taiwan's Executive Yuan has revoked a previous NCC decision that disqualified HwaCom Systems from applying for a WiMAX licence in Taiwan. The appeals committee has now asked the NCC "to review and properly deal with the case" within a period of two months.

HwaCom was one of five applicants out of ten that received a score below the 75-point bottom limit for proposals, which meant it couldn't take part in the bidding process for one of the three WiMAX licenses available in the southern region of the island.

The systems integrator subsequently submitted an appeal, as its initial bid was higher than some of the applicants who qualified to take part in the WiMAX bidding process.

With regard the potential participation of Chunghwa in Taiwan's WiMAX market, some industry observers believe it could have both advantages and disadvantages. Jason Lin, a professor at National Chiao Tung University, quoted in a local newspaper report, says: "If the ruling actually motivates Chunghwa to speed up the development of WiMAX services, then it will help the industry. The bad news is that the move will likely put tremendous pressure on other telecom operators and could limit their growth."

Chunghwa's investment in Global Mobile is not allowed to exceed 15 percent of the firm's capital. Global Mobile has yet to launch commercial WiMAX services.

Resource - WiMAX Vision

Malaysian regulator fires WiMAX warning shot

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is threatening the country's WiMAX licence holders with penalties if they fail to meet their 25 percent population coverage targets by the end of this year,

It is not yet clear what those penalties might be - fines or even revoking the licences - but the regulator is clearly keen to make sure there are no further delays in WiMAX rollout.

It was in March 2007 when MCMC awarded four WiMAX licences in the 2.3GHz frequency band: Packet one (P1), Y-Max and Asiaspace to serve peninsular Malaysia, and Redtone for East Malaysia.

The original deadline for commercial service launch was end 2007, but it wasn't until August 2008 that P1 and Redtone started commercial WiMAX service; Asiaspace followed shortly afterwards. Y-MAX has yet to offer a commercial WiMAX service.

P1 has already announced it will meet its 25 percent population coverage target for peninsular Malaysia by the end of 2008, and, to meet MCMC requirements, will extend population coverage to 35 percent and 46 percent of its licence area by 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Redtone CEO, Zainal Amanshah, told WiMAX Vision that he was on course to meet the 25 percent coverage deadline, although WiMAX Vision could not ascertain what the latest WiMAX rollout plans were for Asiaspace and Y-Max.

Zainal does, however, have a gripe of his own. "Redtone was given only a 25MHz spectrum block whereas the other players were given 30MHz," he says. "We have appealed to the MCMC to give us 30MHz for East Malaysia, which is critical for an efficient rollout."

Resource - WiMAX Vision

Hop-on questions Sprint; spills beans about future Android-powered handsets

Hop-on has reason to believe that the reason Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse is dismissing Google’s Android Platform, despite being on of the founders of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), is not because it is not good enough for the Sprint name, but because Sprint will lose market share.

According to Hop-on, Sprint has invested billions of dollars into their own network that they don’t want to loose their customer base to an open platform. Sprint should be one of the first service providers offering an Android-powered handset because they helped create the OHA. Peter Michaels President and CEO of Hop-on stated, “This is their Mission Statement and although Sprint is one of the founding members it has not cooperated in bringing their vision to fruition.”

Michaels asks, “Why doesn’t Sprint find a way to embrace the Android platform and find another revenue stream from it? Sprint has made it difficult to bring CDMA technologies from smaller vendors onto their network. CDMA is the best technology in the world, hands down. Hop-on could have brought in a low-end $10 CDMA, minimum, subsidized phone for Sprint, but they didn’t allow it. Hop-on is embracing advancing technology, Sprint is not!”

Hop-on will be releasing two versions of the Android phone, one will be multimedia based ad have GPS tracking, the other will be a standard Android OS phone. Bother phones will utilize the technology developed by Motorola to place free calls from the modem located in your home. “We want to sell our phones to the Cable TV companies, such as Cox and Time-Warner, and even the Satellite TV guys!” said Michaels.

Resource - android community

Motorola demos Long-Term Evolution technology over 700MHz spectrum

Motorola has completed its first over-the-air data transmission using Long-Term Evolutiontechnology over 700MHz spectrum.
Darren McQueen, Motorola's vice president for wireless broadband access technologies, says that the company's LTE field test is laying the groundwork for an eventual commercial LTE deployment next year. Motorola conducted the field test by using its LTE Radio Access Test Network and its LTE eNode-B platform to send data to an LTE prototype device.

Motorola's LTE field test comes just days after the company announced that it will beconsolidating its mobile phone platforms to Windows Mobile and Google Android in an effort both to save money and to focus on what the company believes will be the two most successful platforms for high-speed data services such as LTE.

LTE, considered by many analysts to be the next big wave in 4G wireless technology, is due to be launched commercially in 2010 by Verizon andAT&T, roughly two years after the Clearwire coalition's big commercial WiMAX launch kicked off in September.

LTE is a modulation technique that is the latest variation of Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology. Its developers at the 3rd Generation Partnership Project dubbed it "Long Term Evolution" because they view it as the natural progression of High-Speed Packet Access, the GSM technology that is used by carriers such as AT&T to deliver 3G mobile broadband.

Resource -Network World

China launches telecom satellite for Venezuela

 XICHANG, Sichuan Province, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- China successfully sent a Venezuelan telecommunication satellite into space on the early morning of Thursday.

    It is China's first contract of manufacture and launching service for a Latin American country.

A Long March 3II rocket carrying a Venezuelan telecommunication satellite blasts off from the launch pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 30, 2008. China successfully sent a Venezuelan telecommunication satellite into space on the early morning of Thursday. It is China's first contract of manufacture and launching service for a Latin American country. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Carried by a Long March 3II rocket, the satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center located in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

    The satellite was produced by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation with an all-up weight of 5,100 kg and an designed longevity of 15 years.

People of China and Venezuela celebrate at the control center of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 30, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The orbiter, named as Venezuela 1 Telecom Satellite, is the first telecom satellite of Venezuela which will be used in broadcasting, tele-education and medical service by coving the most regions of South America and the Caribbean region.

    It will of great importance to improve living standards of the people living in the country's remote areas.

Delegates of Venezuela celebrate at the control center of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 30, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    It has been also named as "Simon Bolivar Satellite" in the South American country to commemorate the independence leader of the Latin America in 1800s.

    According to the website of the Great Wall Industry Corporation, China's sole contractor for such space business, the country began its commercial space launch business on August 5, 1987, when a Long March 2C rocket carrier launched a micro-gravity test instrument for the French company Martra Maconi.

    In 1990, a Long March 3 sent the AsiaSat-1 Communications Satellite for the AsiaSat HK company into space.

    The Venezuelan satellite is the 111th space flight of the Long March family.

Resource - Xinhua

GSMA Announces Asia Mobile Awards Nominees

Winners of the Asia Mobile Awards 2008 and Mobile Innovation APAC Tournament to be announced at the Mobile Asia Congress in Macau

30^th October 2008, London: The GSMA, the global trade association for mobile operators, today announced a shortlist of 40 nominees for the Asia Mobile Awards 2008, plus the 15 'Top Innovators' for the Asia-Pacific round of the Mobile Innovation Global Competition that will be contested and presented at the forthcoming Mobile Asia Congress, Asia's leading mobile communications event that is set to take place in Macau, SAR People's Republic of China (18-20 November 2008).

Judged by independent analysts, journalists and industry experts, the winners of the GSMA's Asia Mobile Awards will be presented on the evening of Tuesday 18 November during the GSMA's Mobile Asia Congress gala opening party (sponsored by China Mobile, Ericsson, Sony Ericsson and the Macau Government Tourist Office) at the Cotai Strip® CotaiExpo™ at the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel in Macau. The Asia Mobile Awards attracted more than 120 entries this year from companies across Asia and across the mobile value chain, with a wealth of commercially available products, services, content and applications.

The nominees for the Asia Mobile Awards 2008 are:

Best Mobile Game

• Electronic Arts Asia Pacific, Singapore for 'Spore: Origins'
• ZIO Interactive, Inc, Republic of Korea for 'Sketcher 2'
• CAPCOM, Japan for 'Biohazard 4 Mobile edition'
• Gameloft, Republic of Korea for 'Asphalt4: Elite Racing HD'
• Simlife Science & Technology, China for 'Lament Island'

Best Mobile Music, TV or Video Service

• Artificial Life, Inc, Hong Kong for 'MoPA-TV'
• Bharti Airtel, India for 'On-Demand Service on Airtel Live'
• Gracenote, USA for 'Gracenotefi Mobile Music Platform'
• Telstra Corporation, Australia for 'Mobile Foxtel from Telstra and Big Pond TV on Mobile'
• Geodesic Inc, USA for 'Mundu Radio'

Best Mobile Advertising Service

• Madhouse Inc. China for 'Nike Zoom Campaign'
• China Mobile, China for 'Wireless Interactive Marketing: CRM System in Shanghai Volkswagen LAVIDA'
• Telstra Corporation, Australia for Telstra Mobile Codes
• OnMobile Global Ltd, India for 'Ad Ringback Tone'
• Wolfpac Mobile Inc., Philippines for 'Nescafe 3in1 Decode Promo'

Best Mobile Enterprise Product or Service

• Innopath Software Inc., USA for 'Integrated Mobile Device Management'
• Celltick, UK for 'Live Screen Media'
• Soprano Design, Australia for Soprano Mobile Enterprise Messaging Suite
• Spinvox, Australia for 'Spinvox'
• KTF, Republic of Korea for 'Show Care'

Best Mobile Internet Service

• Bharti Airtel, India for 'Airtel Job Search'
• GYPSii, The Netherlands for GYPSii
• SKT, Republic of Korea for 'Gifticon'
• MobileOne, Singapore for 'M1 Mobile Surf'
• CSL Ltd, Hong Kong & Changing Worlds, Ireland for One2Free and '101 Mobile data Services'

Best Mobile Money Service

• Watchdata System, Singapore for SIMPass'
• Bharti Airtel, India 'mCheck on Airtel'
• Total Access Communications, Thailand for 'ATMSIM'
• Bharti Telesoft, India for 'mobiquity mBanking'
• True Move Company, Thailand for 'TouchSIM by Truemove'

Best Mobile Broadband Handset/ Device

• Samsung Electronics, Republic of Korea for ' Samsung Innov8 (i8510)'
• Telstra Corporation, Australia for 'Telstra Turbo 7 Series Wireless Gateway/ BigPond 7.2 Wireless Broadband Home Network Gateway'
• Huawei, China for Huawei E180 HSPA Rotable USB Stick'
• LG Electronics, Republic of Korea for 'LG Secret'
• Samsung Electronics, Republic of Korea for 'Samsung Omnia (SGH-i900/i908)

The 'Green Mobile Award'

• Powercity Corporation, Philippines for Windpower Application for Telecommunication Technology
• AXIS, Indonesia for 'Green Power & Energy Saving Initiative'
• MIC 2, Lebanon for 'Scratch Card Recycling & Replacement Program'
• Nokia, Singapore for 'Integrated Nokia Kiosk (INK)'
• Vodafone & Enable Community, New Zealand for 'Mobile Reuse & Recycling Programme'

More information about the GSMA's Asia Mobile Award nominees can be found at: www.asiamobileawards.com

The Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition was created by the GSMA as part of the Mobile Innovation Market, which encourages breakthrough technology, applications and services in the mobile industry by bringing together smaller companies developing innovative mobile products, with industry investors from leading venture capital firms and senior figures from mobile operators and leading global brands.

The Mobile Innovation Marketplace event at the Mobile World Congress is a unique platform for top innovators competing for the Mobile Innovation Global Award Championship title. During this event in Macau, 18-20 of November, 15 emerging growth companies from around the world will compete in five categories, reviewed by senior executives from mobile operators, industry suppliers and venture capital organisations. The distinguished judging panel includes representatives from Vodafone Ventures, Belgacom, Orange, SK Telecom, Telecom Italia, Microsoft, Intel Capital, and ICT 168 Capital.

The Top 15 Innovators for the Asia-Pacific leg of the 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition are:

Most Innovative 'True Mobile Start Up'

• Movirtu, UK
• Sentry Wireless, Ireland
• uSoftation, Korea

Most Innovative 'Carrier Infrastructure or Platform'

• PixSense, US
• Sunbay, Switzerland
• Xtract, Finland

Most Innovative 'Consumer Application or Service'

• MNC Wireless Berhad, Malaysia
• ngpay, India
• TuneWiki, US

Most Innovative 'Mobile Application in a Vertical Market'

• Broca Communications, UK
• Impetus Technologies, India
• V3 Teletech, Singapore

Most Innovative 'Wireless Device-centric Technology'

• CooTek, China
• WiSpry, US
• Zeemote, US

One winner will be named from each category and awarded the title of 'GSMA Global Semi-Finalist'. From these five cutting-edge ideas, two 'Mobile Innovation Global Finalists' will arise and win a trip to Barcelona to compete against the other Global Finalists for the prestigious title of the "2009 GSMA Mobile Innovation Global Award Champion", to be named during the GSMA's Mobile World Congress next February. The Platinum sponsor of the Mobile Innovation Marketplace is the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia).

For more information on the GSMA's Mobile Innovation Market and the Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition, please visit: www.mobileinnovation.org and www.mobileinnovation.org/awards.

- ENDS -

About the GSMA:
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade group representing more than 750 GSM mobile operators across 218 countries and territories of the world. The Association's members represent more than 3 billion GSM and 3GSM connections - over 86% of the world's mobile phone connections. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association's initiatives.

The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers.

The GSMA's Mobile Asia Congress

The GSMA is co-organising the Mobile Asia Congress 2008 at the Cotai Strip®CotaiExpo™, the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel with China Mobile and China Unicom From 18-20 November 2008. Telenor, one of the largest pan-Asia operators, is a platinum sponsor of the event, Nokia China is gold sponsor.
Resource - GSM World

The Mobile Content Services Market

With the introduction of 3G and mobile broadband technology, the range of mobile services available to consumers has expanded to include a wide variety of interactive, multimedia services, often referred to as content services. These services range from SMS and ringtone downloads to, amongst others, Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS), instant messaging, music, games, access to information services (e.g. news, sport, weather), social networking sites and the Mobile Internet.

Whilst the mobile content services market is still in a period of relative infancy the expectations for growth are significant with analysts forecasting a global mobile entertainment market worth of up to $76 billion by 2011 (Juniper Research, February 2007).

Industry Convergence

The rapid increase in mobile content services has brought about the convergence of the mobile communications, media and entertainment industries. In addition to mobile operators, the converged mobile content market today consists of players from a range of sectors including media, software and content developers, device manufacturers, marketers and advertisers.

Challenges

Whilst the development of these new services brings great benefits, opportunities and empowerment to users, convergence also brings challenges. These can range from regulatory issues (e.g. where subtle changes in regulation of one industry can potentially result in large impacts on other converging industries) through to the potential misuse of phones, or services, such as the sending of mobile spam or access to inappropriate content by children and young people.

GSMA

As the global trade association representing over 700 mobile operators in more than 210 countries and territories, the GSMA seeks to promote the positive, creative and responsible use of new technology and content services whilst working to facilitate international co-operation between its members, governments and regulatory stakeholders

No single sector, whether it is government, industry, or consumers, can be solely responsible for solving the issues that convergence raises or for ensuring that all users have a positive experience from using mobile content services. The GSMA believes that a constructive approach to issues should be adopted with all sectors, including consumers, working together to find and implement workable and effective solutions. Through its Content Group, the GSMA is already working with its member operators to address many of the current issues and continues to examine the ways in which it can facilitate best practice in these areas on an international and cross industry level.

Resource - GSM World

MTS and Vodafone Sign Strategic Partnership

Moscow, Russian Federation, and London, UK – Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (“MTS” – NYSE: MBT), the largest mobile phone operator in Russia and the CIS, and Vodafone today announce a strategic, non-equity partnership to provide customers with high quality communications services and to collaborate jointly on future technological developments.

Under the agreement, MTS will be able to draw on Vodafone’s expertise in building and developing third generation (3G) networks and mobile broadband products, working with leading global equipment providers and deploying innovative CRM practices to enhance quality and further improve the efficiency of its operations. In addition, MTS will have an exclusive access to a range of products, services and devices from Vodafone for its markets of operation in Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Armenia.

The partnership with MTS will give Vodafone valuable insight into the opportunities of the important telecommunications markets of Russia and the CIS, which are among the fastest growing in the world. Vodafone’s products will be made available to MTS’ 87 million subscribers, including more than 60 million customers in Russia.

Vodafone's products and services will be marketed in Russia and the CIS under a co-branded approach. Vodafone will also open a representative office in Moscow to co-operate more closely with MTS on future offerings and customer services.

“A partnership with Vodafone will allow MTS to bring tangible benefits to both its customers and shareholders,” said Mr. Mikhail Shamolin, President and CEO of MTS. “This groundbreaking agreement will give our customers the most innovative products and services from around the world. At the same time, Vodafone’s commercial insights and technical expertise will translate into significant operational efficiencies for MTS over the long-term as we transition our networks to 3G and beyond.”

Mr. Vittorio Colao, CEO of Vodafone, commented: “Our agreement with MTS is an opportunity for Vodafone to build its presence and work with the leading operator in these important markets. By combining the geographical reach of the company’s respective networks, we can give customers greater roaming capabilities and extended coverage. We are delighted that MTS has joined our successful Partner Markets community, which will be much stronger with the addition of Russia and the CIS.”

Resource - UMTS Forum

Brazil should reserve 2.6GHz band for IMT-2000

Allocation of globally harmonised frequencies for IMT-2000 evolution will realise Brazil’s mobile broadband vision

São Paulo, 30 October 2008: Brazil’s administration should act now to allocate spectrum at 2.6GHz for IMT-2000 technologies including LTE (Long Term Evolution), says mobile broadband industry association the UMTS Forum.

Speaking at the Futurecom industry event in São Paulo this week, UMTS Forum Chairman Jean-Pierre Bienaimé urged Brazil to reserve spectrum at 2.6GHz that can be used for next-generation mobile broadband technologies.

“By allocating adequate frequencies at 2.6GHz for IMT-2000 – as already recommended by the ITU – Brazil can gain full benefit from the continuing global success story of GSM that now continues with UMTS evolution through HSPA and HSPA+.”

The 2.6GHz band was identified almost a decade ago at WRC2000 for advanced mobile technologies under the IMT-2000 banner. It remains the only band that has been widely allocated by national administrations for IMT-2000 services and their evolution, notably via LTE.

In addition, Bienaimé also urged that Brazil’s administration should reserve 2 x 20MHz spectrum per IMT-2000 operator. This will allow operators to take full commercial opportunity of LTE by providing affordable mass market mobile broadband services at competitive cost.

“While other frequency bands are highly fragmented in Brazil, 2.6GHz offers prime real estate for Brazilian operators who could be allocated up to 2 x 20GHz of paired spectrum each.”

Several major CDMA operators have already signalled their intention to deploy enhanced IMT-2000 technologies such as LTE. This will further expand the footprint of operators globally that have committed to the GSM/UMTS/HSPA/LTE evolutionary track as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). By choosing the world’s most popular cellular technology family, operators enjoy unrivalled economies of scale and access to the widest range of affordable user terminals.

Resource - UMTS Forum

India delays 3G, WiMAX licensing until next year

India's much anticipated auctions for 3G and WiMAX licences look to have been delayed further and may now not take place until next year.

The hold up appears to be a result of the government failing to clear the relevant radio spectrum in nine circles, or operating regions, out of India's total of 22.

In the circles in question - Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, East Uttar Pradesh and West Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, North East and West Bengal - it appears that it is the defence forces which are yet to vacate the spectrum.

People familiar with the matter told telecoms.com that there are issues of getting the spectrum cleared from defence services using the 1920-1980MHz band, and since the government has committed to holding the 3G and BWA (Broadband Wireless Access, to be used for WiMAX) auctions simultaneously, the BWA auctions would also be similarly delayed.

The best case scenario for the auctions to take place now appears to be early in 2009, possibly even January.

Both the 3G and BWA licenses are expected to win major interest from India's wireless players given the explosive subscriber growth potential of the country.

By the end of September 2010, there will be 500 million mobile subscriptions in India, according to figures released this week by analyst house and telecoms.com parent Informa Telecoms & Media.

Whilst it took 13 years for India to gain its first 250 million mobile subscriptions, the analyst predicts that the country's second 250 million subscribers will be added over the next 30 months.

India is the world's second largest mobile market, as well as the second fastest growing market after China. During the first six months of 2008, Indian mobile operators added over 50 million net additions, with China just keeping ahead with 53.6 million. By comparison, saturated markets such as the UK and France, chalked up net additions of 410,000 and 535,000 respectively.

Principal analyst with Informa, Nick Jotischky, said that the engine for this rapid growth has been increased competition, driven by tremendous consumer demand, with the result of heavy investment from the country's largest operators.

"The bottom line is with a penetration rate of 26 per cent, India is a hugely attractive investment destination, and will continue to be so for many years. Indeed, our forecasts suggest that the active subscription rate will remain well below 50 per cent until 2010," said Jotischky.

A second phase of growth is also anticipated to be sparked by the allocation of 3G licences, with Informa forecasting a rapid take up on the back of growing demand for data services. The analyst predicts there will be 7.5 million WCDMA connections by the end of 2010, a figure that will leap to over 120 million by the end of 2013.

The award of 3G licences will also be important to India's leading operators as they will allow them to differentiate their offerings from those of their competitors as well as provide them with much needed additional spectrum.

Resource - Wimax Vision

China reports 77.83 million broadband users

From January to July 2008, China reported a total of 11.4 million new broadband Internet access subscribers, and the total number of broadband users reached 77.8 million. At the same time, China's telecommunications industry revenue continued to grow and achieved revenue of 467.8 billion yuan, up 9.1 percent year-on-year, according to the latest figures released by National Development and Reform Commission.

From January to July 2008, China reported a total of 50.49 million new telephone subscribers; the total number of phone users reached 963 million. There are approx 355 million fixed telephone users and 608 million mobile phone users in China.

Resource - c114.net

LTE 4G to gain 32 million subscribers by 2013

Even before its launch in 2010 or later, the fourth-generation (4G) technology Long Term Evolution (LTE) is forecast to become the choice of many network operators. LTE may have more than 32 million subscribers by 2013, according to a study from ABI Research.

ABI senior analyst Nadine Manjaro attributes about 37.5 percent or 12 million of the subscribers to Asia-Pacific countries, while the remaining percentage will be split between Western Europe and North America. Telecom companies that have announced their plans of adopting 4G LTE include China Mobile, Japan’s NTT Docomo and KDDI, Vodafone and Verizon Wireless.

In China, operators are predicted to adopt LTE directly. Manjaro said that although China’s TD-SCDMA 3G technology will be deployed on a small scale during the Beijing Olympics, operators are unlikely to spend billions to implement that or any other 3G technology if they will have to upgrade within a year or two. Moreover, the China government is reluctant to grant 3G spectrum licenses.

The study says that the adoption of LTE will benefit various sectors, among which are test equipment vendors and vendors of the required network infrastructure itself.

Resource - c114.net

NTT DOCOMO, Renesas, Fujitsu, and Sharp to Jointly Develop Platform for HSUPA Mobile Phone

TOKYO, October 16, 2008 - NTT DOCOMO, INC., Renesas Technology Corp., Fujitsu Limited, and Sharp Corporation today announced that they plan to jointly develop the SH-Mobile G4 single-chip LSI device, and a platform incorporating it, to support the HSUPA¹/HSDPA²/W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE (2G) mobile telephony standards. Development of the platform is targeted for completion by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 (January-March 2010).

The new SH-Mobile G4 will be fabricated with 45-nm process technology to enable highly integrated functions and extra-fast processing. It will provide enhanced functionality and improved performance for applications handling HD³ video and 3-D graphics. In addition to HSDPA cat.8 for extra-fast downlink speeds (max. 7.2 Mbps), the SH-Mobile G4 will support HSUPA to boost uplink speeds to a maximum of 5.7 Mbps, almost 15 times faster than the conventional 384kbps speeds, thereby enabling much faster bidirectional data transfers.

In 2004 NTT DOCOMO and Renesas began joint development work on the SH-Mobile G series of single-chip LSI devices, which integrate a baseband processor that supports dual-mode communication and an application processor. The SH-Mobile G4 will be the fourth product to emerge from this collaboration.

The joint development work by NTT DOCOMO and Renesas on single-chip LSI devices has since progressed to include handset manufacturers such as Fujitsu and Sharp as partners in the development of mobile phone platforms⁴. Each platform has a SH-Mobile G series product as the core component and includes a basic software suite (OS, middleware, and drivers) and a reference chipset in a single package. By using the new platforms, mobile phone manufacturers can eliminate the need to develop basic functions independently, significantly reducing development time and costs. This allows them to invest more time and resources in developing distinctive handset features and expanding their product portfolios.

Renesas plans to provide the platform to the worldwide mobile phone market, in addition to customers in Japan.

Footnotes:

1. HSUPA: High-Speed Uplink Packet Access. An enhanced and higher-speed version of the 3G W-CDMA uplink (terminal to base station) data communication standard.
2. HSDPA: High-Speed Downlink Packet Access. An enhanced and higher-speed version of the 3G W-CDMA downlink (base station to terminal) data communication standard.
3. HD: High Definition. This term is applied to devices and media that support high-definition imaging.
4. Mobile phone platform: A mobile phone base system that includes hardware, such as a baseband processor for required communication functions, and software.

Note: The names of products, companies, and brands mentioned in this document are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Block diagram of proposed mobile phone platform:

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO is the world's leading mobile communications company. DOCOMO serves over 53 million customers, including 45 million people subscribing to FOMA™, launched as the world's first 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA in 2001. DOCOMO also offers a wide variety of leading-edge mobile multimedia services, including i-mode™, the world's most popular mobile e-mail/Internet service, used by 48 million people. With the addition of credit-card and other e-wallet functions, DOCOMO mobile phones have become highly versatile tools for daily life. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.nttdocomo.com.

i-mode, FOMA and mova are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT DOCOMO, INC. in Japan and other countries.
NTT DOCOMO's FOMA service is only available to subscribers in Japan.

About Renesas Technology

Renesas Technology Corp. is one of the world's leading semiconductor system solutions providers for mobile, automotive and PC/AV (Audio Visual) markets and the world's No.1 supplier of microcontrollers. It is also a leading provider of LCD Driver ICs, Smart Card microcontrollers, RF-ICs, High Power Amplifiers, Mixed Signal ICs, System-on-Chip (SoC) devices, System-in-Package (SiP) products and more. Established in 2003 as a joint venture between Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, NYSE:HIT) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TSE:6503), Renesas Technology achieved consolidated revenue of 951 billion JPY in FY2007 (end of March 2008). Renesas Technology is based in Tokyo, Japan and has a global network of manufacturing, design and sales operations in around 20 countries with about 26,800 employees worldwide. For further information, please visit http://www.renesas.com

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 160,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 5.3 trillion yen (US$53 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008. For more information, please see: www.fujitsu.com.

About Sharp

Sharp Corporation is a worldwide developer of innovative products and core technologies that play a key role in shaping the future of electronics. As a leader in liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and digital technologies , Sharp offers one of the broadest and most advanced lines of consumer electronics, information products and electronic components, while also creating new network businesses. Sharp Corporation employs about 60,600 people in the world (as of August 31st, 2008) and recorded consolidated annual sales of 3,417,736 million yen for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008. For more information, please visit Sharp's Web site at http://sharp-world.com/index.html.

Resource - NTT DoCoMo

Network Infrastructure Spending Positions Carriers for 4G Services

Singapore : 2008 is delivering mixed results for mobile infrastructure vendors such as Nokia Siemens Networks, Ericsson, and Alcatel-Lucent. “Spending on radio access network infrastructure equipment is expected to grow just 3.4% in 2008 to $53.9 billion by the end of the year,” says ABI Research Asia-Pacific vice president Jake Saunders.

“But while a number of mobile operators such as Vodafone and Orange have reported reductions in end-user mobile services spending, the need to upgrade key elements of the network is starting to build and is expected to become even more pressing in 2009.”

ABI Research forecasts the number of base stations to grow from 3.6 million in 2007 to 5.2 million in 2013. In developed markets, mobile operators are looking to cut their underlying operating costs and secure competitive edge through the deployment of 3.5G technologies such as HSDPA and CDMA2000 Rev A. Furthermore the introduction of Mobile Internet Devices such as RIM’s Bold, Nokia’s E71, Samsung’s Omnia, and Apple’s iPhone is boosting web-based traffic and email access. Mid-tier devices are also contributing to congestion as they stimulate the adoption of messaging bundles, games and music downloads. “Music, games and messaging are boosting the amount of network traffic,” notes senior analyst Nadine Manjaro. “Hence the need for network upgrades.”

Carriers are looking further afield too. While such 3.5G technologies are helping carriers to roll out new applications and services, they are well aware that 4G technologies such as LTE and WiMAX will be needed to deliver any fundamental shift in the underlying cost of delivering Mbps.

In its latest survey of the radio access network marketplace, ABI Research pinpoints clear shifts towards LTE among the CDMA carrier community, complementing commitments from the W-CDMA carrier community. However spending on GSM-related infrastructure still remains strong. Carriers are investing in 3G and positioning for 4G but “good ol’ GSM” is not going away any time soon.

Resource - 4g.co.uk

3G Network Launched in Burma

However, only 50 handsets have been issued - usually to the military junta according to an unnamed official from the Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) Department. Previous reports had suggested that a 3G network was being built covering Yangon but was expected to have a capacity for 30,000 subscribers.

About 200,000 mobile phones will be distributed across the country once the infrastructure is in place, the official told the Mizzima news agency.

The 3G phones are selling for 2.8 million Kyat (US$ 2150), while a GSM costs about 2.3 million Kyat (US$ 1800). A CDMA costs about 2.1 million Kyat (US$ 1615). The prices put the phones out of reach of ordinary citizens and limits them to the government or favoured business contacts.

Government and military contacts tend to find it easier to get the paperwork to own a mobile phone - but often then rent out those phones to business users.

The state owned operator doubled its network capacity during the year - although it was not clear who provided the equipment. The original GSM network was provided by Siemens and ZTE.

The number of mobile phones in Burma reached 265,912 at the end of 2007. – Cellular News

Resource - Burmait.net

EV-DO MOBILE BROADBAND TOPS 100 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS WORLDWIDE Rapid Growth in Emerging Markets Pushes CDMA2000 Over 450 Million Users

COSTA MESA, CALIF. — September 8, 2008 — The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today announced that CDMA2000® and 1xEV-DO technologies have surpassed 450 million and 100 million users, respectively, worldwide. The total cumulative cdmaOne™ and CDMA2000 subscriber base has reached 463 million, growing by 12 million net subscribers during the second quarter of 2008.

CDMA2000 subscriptions grew at pace of 19 percent between June 2007 and June 2008, with the strongest growth coming from the Asia Pacific region, followed by North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific accounts for 52 percent of the global CDMA market, adding more than 51 million new CDMA2000 subscribers during the same period. North America (including the U.S. and Canada) saw an addition of over 18 million new CDMA2000 users over the year and, with 144 million subscribers, CDMA now accounts for more than 51 percent of the wireless market in the region. Europe, the Middle East and Africa added more than 13 million CDMA2000 subscribers in the past year, more than doubling its subscribers at a 142 percent growth rate. This is a strong testimonial to the growth of CDMA2000 in markets historically dominated by competing technologies.

“The CDG is pleased to see the continued expansion of CDMA2000, particularly as EV-DO reaches yet another significant milestone,” said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. “EV-DO is now providing mobile broadband to over 100 million people, bringing new services to market and driving wireless data revenue streams that are living up to the promise of 3G. This growth will continue at a greater pace as China and India begin offering EV-DO services, driving the 3G CDMA ecosystem and enabling more affordable mobile broadband services in other emerging markets.”

Operators added almost 25 million EV-DO users from June 2007 to June 2008, representing a 33 percent annual increase. The 100 million user milestone makes CDMA2000 1xEV-DO the leading mobile broadband solution worldwide, with 123 operators in 62 countries offering high-speed CDMA services. Up to 44 of these operators have deployed CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev. A networks to offer advanced mobile broadband services, and another 36 operators are in the process of deploying the industry-leading solution. EV-DO is growing the fastest among North American operators, gaining more than 17 million subscribers at a 46 percent growth rate. Europe, the Middle East and Africa saw the number of EV-DO subscribers triple over the past year, while Latin America and Asia Pacific users increased by 29 percent and 16 percent, respectively.
More information on CDMA is available at www.cdg.org.

About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 276 operators in 102 countries and territories serving more than 450 million subscribers. Counting 2G cdmaOne™ subscribers, there are more than 463 million CDMA users worldwide. CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice for developed and emerging market operators, and is deployable in the 450, 700, 800, 1700, 1900, AWS and 2100 MHz bands. More than 2,000 CDMA2000 devices from over 110 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 521 Rel. 0 and 68 Rev. A devices on 104 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rel. 0 and 44 Rev. A systems. More information on CDMA2000 is available on the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.

Resource - CDG