Hutchison Whampoa’s $2.6 billion bid for Eircom rejected (Hong Kong, Ireland)
Telecommunications company Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.’s bid of $2.6 billion for Eircom Group, the Irish phone company in supervised credit protection, has been rejected, according to a report by BN.
As per the report, the cash offer by Hutchison’s Three Ireland unit was rejected by the country’s court-appointed examiner because there were too many conditions attached, and that Three Ireland is working on a revised bid.
Further, it is said that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is advising Hutchison, while, Morgan Stanley is Eircom’s adviser.
Huawei targets number one mobile vendor slot (China)
Huawei, which is currently the second largest mobile network vendor, has claimed that it plans to replace current leader Ericsson to be the world’s largest mobile infrastructure vendor. In an interview with Mobile World Live, David Wang, president of Huawei’s wireless networks business, said that they want to be the leading mobile infrastructure provider and there is no doubt about that.
As per the report, Wang pointed to the Chinese vendor’s product portfolio as proof that it has evolved beyond more than just a ‘cheaper’ version of its western rivals, outlining the company’s contribution to industry standard developments as well as its launch of SingleRAN and GigaSite equipment.
Wang said that step by step, following this kind of path, they could be the number one. He added that they want to really have the biggest contribution to the whole industry.
He added that with GSM, at the time they were still followers. But with UMTS they started to become one of the leading vendors. And now for LTE, he thinks that they are absolutely one of the world’s leading vendors. Further, LTE will be a big opportunity for Huawei to further enhance their leadership.
M-commerce to overtake e-commerce soon (India)
In an emerging market such as India, mobile broadband is expected to become the prime source of internet access, racing ahead even of e-commerce. Accprding to a report by ET, of the next 300 million Internet users to be added, more than 200 million are expected to be mobile Internet users. The variety of low end smartphones available in the market, beginning at $ 58 will aide in the growth of this phenomenon.
The report highlights other Asian markets where mobile commerce has been making its mark. In Japan, around 20 percent of online commerce is done via the mobile phone; whereas, China has an m-commerce level of 12 percent of the overall 30 percent.
As per the report, the number of mobile only Internet users is expected to be over 50 percent in India by 2015. Of the total e-commerce in 2015 in the country, about 15-20 percent is expected to be transacted via the mobile phone.
M-commerce offers consumers certain advantages such as convenience in placing orders over their mobile phone, enhanced interaction between retailer and purchaser, easy mobile payment options with advanced technolgy functions, amongst others.
China Mobile to launch 4G service on 25 April (Hong Kong)
Telecom operator China Mobile Ltd., is looking to roll out its 4G services in Hong Kong by the end of this month.
According to reports, Sean Lee, chief executive officer of China Mobile Hong Kong Co., said, a total of 10 4G phones will become available for customers this year. Moile operator Telstra (CSL) is already offering the advanced fourth- generation services since its launch in 2010.
China Mobile claims that the high-speed service, based on LTE technology, offers maximum download speeds of 100 megabits a second, or as much as 50 times quicker than 3G.
The 4G/LTE service lets users stream high defination videos and download games at much faster speeds, thereby catering to their needs of more mobile data and improving customer experience.
Bharti Airtel in talks with Chinese OEMs for ‘mifi’ services (Asia)
Bharti Airtel, India’s leading telecom operator, is said to be in talks with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) from China to bring ‘mifi’ devices that will help people in India to access fourth generation services from their 3G smartphones on the move, according to a report by ET.
The report reveals that mifi seems to be the best option to offer customers, considering that there is still time for the rollout of 4G services and smartphones. The mifi will be offered in a tiny, battery-operated, wireless device about half the size of a cellphone, making it easy to carry and access the 4G network on its 3G phone via wifi.
According to the report, since a mifi device can also provide 4G connectivity from a tablet, it is likely to be positioned as a mass-market tool by Bharti to prise open the relatively underpenetrated tablet market, which can complement its small-screen 3G offerings.
A company official told ET that they have tested some Chinese mifi devices at the last Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona and are talking to several OEMs to work out a bulk procurement deal. These portable devices can facilitate mobile access from either a 3G phone or a tablet while on the move.
India to become world’s second largest mobile broadband market (India)
The GSMA has announced that India will become the second largest Mobile Broadband market globally within the next four years with 367 million Mobile Broadband connections by 2016. In doing so, India will overtake the US, which will account for 337 million Mobile Broadband connections by 2016, but will still be second to China, which will have reached 639 million Mobile Broadband connections in the same period.
Since 3G licenses were first awarded to mobile operators in India in September 2010, Mobile Broadband connectivity has grown steadily. There are now more than 10 million HSPA connections across the country, and this is expected to grow exponentially, by 900 per cent, to more than 100 million connections in 2014. This will make India the largest HSPA market worldwide within the next two years, surpassing China, Japan and the US in the process.
According to a company report Anne Bouverot, director general of the GSMA, said that the mobile industry in India is set for immense growth as Mobile Broadband technologies such as HSPA and LTE start to proliferate, but there is scope for far greater development. Further, to take full advantage of this, the Indian government should facilitate the timely release of additional spectrum in a fair and transparent way for all stakeholders. The benefits are clear to see – a 10 per cent increase in Mobile Broadband penetration could contribute as much as US$80 billion of revenue across the country’s transport, healthcare and education sectors by 2015.
As per a GSMA study, despite a large rural population, mobile growth in India is being largely driven by more affluent communities in cities. Net additions in urban areas reached 85 million last year compared to 57 million in rural areas, with mobile penetration increasing by 20 percentage points in urban areas to 161 per cent, against a 6.5 percentage point rise in rural areas to 36.6 per cent.
The provision of Mobile Broadband in rural and remote areas will help India bridge the so-called ‘digital divide’. It will improve productivity, help overcome the constraints of transport infrastructure and provide much needed services such as banking, health and education. Given the significant social and economic benefits, expanding affordable access to Mobile Broadband should be a high priority of the Indian government.
The study reveals that with an average retail price of US$500, the cost of an LTE smartphone is four times the average monthly GDP per capita in India, and at an average of US$200, the retail price of an LTE USB dongle is twice an Indian’s monthly income on average. As LTE networks proliferate worldwide and more devices become available, costs will come down. Initiatives like the introduction of the low cost Aakash tablet in India are helping spur widespread access to the Internet in emerging markets, but more can be done.
Bouverot also said that it is important that all citizens in India have access to high-speed Internet connectivity and the transformative opportunities it provides. The current average cost of an LTE device is prohibitive for the uptake of Mobile Broadband for those on low incomes. The GSMA is committed to working with its mobile operator members to investigate innovative ways in which to make access to the mobile Internet more affordable for all.
4G/LTE trial by Batelco and Huawei is successful (Bahrain, China)
Batelco, the Kingdom`s leading integrated communications services provider and Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, have successfully showcased LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile technology at Batelco’s Hamala Headquarters on March 22nd. LTE, commonly referred to as 4G enables delivery of super fast data speeds. During the trial speeds of 150Mbps were achieved.
Batelco embarked on its US$ 38.4 million MNE (Mobile Network Expansion) project in June 2010, to develop a superior network performance for Batelco and ensure readiness for LTE. Such financial commitment ensures that Bahrain’s infrastructure for wireless is the best in class and measures up to the top 10 markets in the world. Delivery of LTE is a crucial enabler of the Business Friendly Bahrain strategy, established by the Economic Development Board, in line with the Kingdom’s 2030 vision.
Batelco Group Chief Executive Shaikh Mohamed Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Bahrain Rashid Abdulla, General Manager Consumer Division Muna Alhashimi, Chief Technical Officer John Ford and a number of Batelco officials were present at the LTE Trial along with Huawei Vice President of ME Gordon Wu and Huawei Deputy President of Batelco Key Account Elsa Tan plus a number of Huawei technical representatives.
Batelco Group Chief Executive Shaikh Mohamed Bin Isa Al Khalifa thanked Huawei for their invaluable contribution to Batelco in carrying out the successful LTE trial. He said that Huawei has been a key partner in providing Batelco with innovative telecommunications solutions over the past few years and they appreciate their invaluable contribution towards the successful delivery of key services for customers.
Batelco Bahrain Chief Executive Rashid Abdulla explained that Batelco`s major objective in investing in 4G/LTE was to enhance, upgrade and expand their mobile broadband network to tackle a number of needs such as providing or enhancing Data coverage and quality of service in newly developed or remote areas.
Huawei Vice President of Middle East Gordon Wu, said that collaborating with Batelco in structuring LTE services for the people of Bahrain has been a fantastic experience as well as an opportunity to further meet the demand for superior connectivity in the Kingdom. He added that high-speed broadband technologies like LTE are incredible platforms through which to foster national development, and they look forward to working with Batelco to build on this most recent achievement.
With the provision of 4G/LTE, Batelco mobile users will experience faster access to the internet. The networks will also be capable of handling the much greater throughput of data in real time that`s required to support such services as mobile HD video streaming and conferencing, web-based applications and services, and the rapid transfer of large files. 4G/LTE will have a download data transfer rate of up to 10 times faster than that of 3G.
4G/LTE will provide Batelco Mobile Users with significant benefits that extend beyond traditional day to day wireless communications. Consumers will benefit from access to a wide range of new and rich innovative multimedia applications. It also opens the doors for innovative applications, products, services and solutions targeted not only to today’s handheld mobile devices, but also to other non-traditional devices.
Mobily and Huawei announce first commercial Service Delivery Platform (Middle East, China)
Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), Saudi Arabia’s leading mobile operator, and Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, have revealed the implementation of the Middle East’s first commercial next generation Service Delivery Platform (SDP) involving landmark advances to nearly every segment of the operator’s nationwide mobile network.
Amidst fierce competition within the Saudi telecom sector, Mobily announced in early 2011 that it would undergo a strategic business transformation that would provide more innovative services to its customers while streamlining overall operations and management processes. The technology behind the resulting SDP platform has been engineered specifically for the operator by Huawei—a leading ICT solutions provider which has successfully deployed SDP solutions across the globe and ranks first in overall market share for SDP delivery.
With the next generation SDP, Mobily will be able to more rapidly implement new multimedia services collaborating with content publishers, service providers and all other players on the value chain. The platform also allows Mobily to do things like setting up their own app store, integrating with OTT content providers, and developing cloud-oriented services—all part of opening the door to more diverse revenue streams and a healthy business ecosystem.
Khalid Al Kaf, CEO, Mobily has said that they are very proud of this cooperation between Mobily and Huawei. The Middle East’s first commercial next generation Service Delivery Platform (SDP) is part of Mobily’s initiative to enrich the telecom sector and customers’ experience.
Mobily has partnered with Huawei on numerous occasions leading up to the SDP launch, including the initiation of Mobily 4G LTE services in September 2011 which will eventually cover more than 30 cities and towns representing 85 per cent of the populated areas in KSA.
Yi Xiang, President of Middle East, Huawei, has said that this project was a fantastic opportunity to work with Mobily to build a strong operation, assurance, and optimization system that could be integrated into the pre-existing network. As legacy services, operations and networks are replaced with these software-driven frameworks, the traditionally separate IT and telecom worlds are now converging. This particular Huawei SDP solution will enable Mobily to tap into new revenue streams across the telecom, media, and Internet industries by extracting value from mobile broadband and cross-industries business.
Currently, Huawei SDP solutions are being used by more than 100 operators around the world including the top five multinational telecom operators globally.
Huawei not permitted to submit tender for Australia’s national broadband network (China, Australia)
Chinese firm Huawei will not be permitted to participate in the tender to supply equipment to Australia’s national broadband network, as reported by AFR. The report reveals increasing cyber attacks originating from China as the prime reason for the move.
However, Huawei has hinted at the involvement of the Chinese Government in the event that the ban is not removed. According to reports, a spokeswoman has said that as a strategic and significant government investment, they have a responsibility to do their utmost to protect the national broadband network’s integrity and that of the information carried on it. Further, this is consistent with the government’s practice for ensuring the security and resilience of Australia’s critical infrastructure more broadly.
As per the report, Australia isn’t the only country worried handing over a contract to Huawei. Other markets such as the United States have also raised objections to providing sensitive information to the vendor.
