Indian Post Office launches mobile money service with BSNL (India)

On 02.03.12, In Mobile, By Editor

The Indian Post Office has launched its own mobile money service in collaboration with BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) . According to reports, subscribers across all networks would be able to avail this service for a charge of 5 per cent.

As per sources, a user would give the post office the mobile number, address and amount of the receiver. Once the cash is deposited, the Post Office will send a unique code to both the sender and the receiver via a text message. The receiver simply needs to show the unique code to the Post Office to receive the money.

The highlight of such a scheme is that it does not require any additional expenditure from the user. Further, users with regular mobile phones can also avail this service as it is carried out through text messages.

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MTN to investigate Turkcell’s bribery claim (South Africa, Iran)

On 02.03.12, In Mobile, By Editor

TurkcellMTNLeading mobile operator in South Africa, MTN, has said that it is investigating accusations by rival Turkcell regarding a bribery claim for its Iran business. According to company reports, Turkcell has claimed that MTN transferred improper payments to a government official in Iran in order to secure a licence.

The company has said that they have set up a special committee to investigate these claims. In a statement, the company has said that Turkcell was planning to initiate legal action in the US claiming that the operator violated the laws while applying for the licence.

Further, the company has said that MTN has zero tolerance for corruption and unethical business practices.  Accordingly, the Board of Directors has established a special committee consisting of non-executive directors to consider the allegations made in support of the Turkcell US Claim.  The Board has appointed Lord Leonard Hoffmann, an internationally renowned jurist, to chair the committee, to oversee and validate its investigation, and to ensure the integrity and independence of the investigation.

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SK Telecom reports 61 percent decline in Q4 (South Korea)

On 02.03.12, In Mobile, By Editor

SK TelecomSouth Korean mobile operator SK Telecom has reported a 61 per cent decline in its Q4 net profit for 2011-12, as compared to the previous year. As per the company, the net profit fell from US$ 450 million in the past year to US$ 175 million this year.

The company has cited increased expenditure on upgradation of network technology and declining price plans as the major reasons for the decrease in revenue. As per sources, SK Telecom was required to reduce its mobile charges, by the government, in a bid to fight the rising inflation.

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Hutchison to buy Orange Austria for US$ 1.7 billion (Hong Kong, Austria)

On 02.03.12, In Mobile, By Editor

Hutchison WhampoaOrangeHutchison Whampoa has finalized plans to purchase Orange Austria in a bid to enhance its presence in the country. According to reports, the deal valued at US$ 1.7 billion, is an attempt by the operator to increase its market share in the European telecom sector.

As per a statement made by the company, Hutchison Whampoa will divest its assets to Telekom Austria for US$ 514 million. Further, the assets currently owned by Orange Austria include some frequencies, base station sites, intellectual property rights and Orange Austria’s local discount operator Yesss! Telekommunikation GmbH. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2012, and will be financed out of Telekom Austria’s existing cash flow.

According to sources, the deal is beneficial for France Telecom as it enables the operator to concentrate its activities on emerging markets such as Middle East and Africa.

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SmarTone to discontinue unlimited data plans (Hong Kong)

On 02.03.12, In Mobile, By Editor

SmarToneMobile operator SmarTone will be ending its unlimited data plans from 13 February 2012, and will be replacing them with ‘User pays’ plans. As per the telecommunications authority OFTA’s guidelines concerning the regulation of operators’ network control management and Fair Usage Policy (FUP), any unlimited usage plan shall not be subject to any limitation in the name of FUP.

Further, SmarTone considers traffic control management and FUP are indispensable to safeguard stable network operations and quality for all. Thus, in effect, unlimited usage plans can no longer be offered. According to company reports, the operator has said that cost will eventually increase with ever increasing usage.

The user pays principle is fair to all customers and charges a consumer based on their usage level. Data allowance for previously unlimited usage plans has been set at 2GB per month. However, customers can top up on an ‘Advise & Consent’ basis for occasional higher usage – ensuring customer control and no bill shock.

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Indian Supreme Court revokes 122 2G licences (India)

On 02.03.12, In Mobile, By Editor

The Supreme Court in India has decided to revoke all the 122 2G licences awarded in 2008 in an unprecedented stance against corruption. According to reports, the ruling applies telecom operators inclusive of Uninor, Loop, Etisalat DB, Idea and Swan Telecom among others, over questions arising on the credibility of the auction.

Sources claim that the licences will be kept till June, post which new licences for the 2G spectrum will need to be issued. Telenor, which controls 22 licences under Uninor, has reportedly hinted at exiting the country if the Government or the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) does not intervene.

Industry analysts believe that while this move is aims to remove corruption in the telecom industry, it may also impact foreign investment in the same.

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SingTel launches global cloud-based service (Singapore)

On 02.03.12, In Mobile, By Editor

SingTelMobile operator SingTel has launched a global cloud-based service that enables companies to secure, control and manage corporate data and mobile devices of their employees, regardless of their location. The SingTel Mobility Device Manager (MDM) service, enables companies to manage devices of different mobile OS and ensure information security for mobile devices used by their workforce. This includes company-issued devices, as well as those belonging to employees.

According to company reports, Bill Chang, Executive Vice President (Business Group), SingTel has said that they are seeing a surge in the number of companies that allow their employees to bring their own mobile devices for work.  In fact, the use of smartphones for business activities worldwide is projected to grow by 116 per cent by 2014.  This opens up new security issues, particularly for companies with regional operations. With SingTel MDM, companies can secure data through security policy settings and governance, control on devices, manage apps deployment and control cost through usage policy management. These can all be done via the simple-to-use web-based portal.

Further, in the event of the loss or theft of an employee’s mobile device, an administrator can remotely lock the device or selectively erase corporate data to prevent market sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.  Administrators can determine the location of the missing devices and remotely deploy and track apps downloads within the enterprise. They are also able to configure and provision the devices over-the-air.

The report alsoreveals that SingTel MDM is compatible with all mobile OS platforms including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Symbian and Windows Mobile. In addition, it is independent of the location and mobile network, thus facilitating the seamless control of mobile devices globally.

Chang added that as SingTel MDM is offered on a monthly subscription basis, companies do not need to make upfront investments in equipment and can avoid the ongoing costs of managing and maintaining complex systems and hardware. This allows them to improve their productivity, increase business agility and reduce their operating costs significantly.

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Telecom operators ordered to comply with per-pulse billing (Philippines)

On 02.03.12, In Mobile, By Editor

The Court of Appeals in Philippines has ordered all telecom operators to charge their customers on a six-second per pulse billing system as opposed to billing them by the minute. The decision will help provide subscribers a chance at saving on calls that do not complete an entire minute. This ruling supports the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) plan to charge based on a consumer’s actual usage.

According to reports, the Court has said that asking subscribers to prefix a number before dialing, to avail the six-second-per pulse billing option, destroys the mandatory nature of such a billing regime. Telecom operators have been fighting the change claiming that implementation of the per-pulse billing system would require significant technical changes for the companies. To this, the Court said that business and operations must ultimately give way to public interest.

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MTN extends managed services contract with Ericsson (Africa, Sweden)

On 01.30.12, In Mobile, By Editor

MTNEricssonSouth-Africa based mobile telecommunications company MTN has extended its managed services contract with Sweden’s Ericsson for its Ghana operations. According to company reports, the contract was originally signed between the two companies in 2009 for the roll-out of MTN’s 3G network in Ghana. As per the agreement, MTN will retain full ownership of the network and responsibility for its strategic direction, while Ericsson will manage the network operations, optimization and field maintenance for MTN’s 3G sites.

Jon Hoffmann, Chief Technical officer, MTN Ghana said that their first two years together achieved the results they were hoping for: they could focus on subscriber growth, and Ericsson delivered network reliability and efficiencies.

Valter D Avino, Head of Managed Services, Ericsson, has said that MTN and Ericsson collaborate in many areas across this and other regions for several years now and in Ghana they are especially pleased to have been part of the journey towards 10 million subscribers. With Ericsson continuing to run the operations of the network, MTN will be able to dedicate even more time and focus on delivering innovative products and services relevant to the needs of their customers.

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T-Mobile UK launches unlimited plan for voice, text and data (UK)

On 01.30.12, In Mobile, By Editor

T-MobileMobile network provider T-Mobile UK has launched a new unlimited plan titled ‘The Full Monty’ offering users unlimited access to voice calls, text messaging and data services. The new plan will be offered for a period of two years at a charge of US$ 54 per month from 1 February 2012.

According to reports, the new plan is applicable on all T-Mobile phones and does not impose any restriction on the consumer in terms of usage of services. However, for voice calls, this plan offers unlimited calls to other T-Mobile customers whereas it includes a 2000 minute limit for calls made to other networks. In the event, that a customer wants unlimited calls for other networks as well, the plan is charged at US$ 64 per month.

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