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Wireless Federation » archive for 'Deutsche Telekom'

T-Mobile posted 2Q (’08) results (USA)

  • August 7th, 2008
  • 11:38 am

T-Mobile posted its second quarter result of 2008. During the second quarter it adds 668,000 new customers. Comparing the result of second quarter of 2007 OIBDA of $1.58 billion, up 14% and blended churn of 2.7% consistent with the second quarter of 2007. “T-Mobile continues to pursue new innovations to meet the pressing needs of our customers,” said Robert Dotson, President and CEO, T-Mobile USA. “In the quarter we went national with T-Mobile @Home, an affordable alternative to traditional landline service made available at a time when customers are eager for new ways to stretch their dollars. We also introduced our new Unlimited Family Plan for customers craving to stay connected to people in ways that don’t put additional stress on the family budget,” he further added.
“With continued double-digit dollar growth in revenues and OIBDA, T-Mobile USA continues to be one of the leading growth drivers for Deutsche Telekom,” said Rene Obermann, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Telekom. “We remain excited about the future growth opportunities in the U.S., especially in mobile data as we look toward a national introduction of our new 3G network later this year,” he further said.

Deutsche Telekom posts low Q2′08 profits (Germany)

  • August 7th, 2008
  • 7:45 am

Deutsche Telekom has reported low Q2′08 profits and sales, reason being the exchange rates and decline in domestic sales.

According to the company statement, EBITDA were down by 1.1% at 4.8 billion euros ($7.44 billion) on sales of 15.1 billion euros, down 2.9 percent.

Deutsche Telekom forecasts of a core profit of 19.3 billion euros this year and a free cash flow of 6.6 billion euros.

   

Deutsche Telekom and Devicescape Software sign deal

  • August 6th, 2008
  • 12:00 pm

Deutsche Telekom and Devicescape Software have sign deal to enable access for users and more types of devices onto T-Mobile HotSpot networks. For the convenience of Devicescape members there are more than 10,000 plus T-Mobile HotSpot locations across Germany and Europe, Devicescape and it now sells service subscriptions and vouchers directly on members’ account pages. Dave Fraser, CEO, Devicescape, “We have a growing member base of WiFi device owners who enjoy easy and seamless connections from all their devices across Europe”.

Deutsche Telekom rolls out international IP connection (Germany)

  • July 3rd, 2008
  • 2:22 pm

VocalTec Communications, the wholesale arm of Deutsche Telekom launched an innovative solution for global VoIP Interconnection.

In a statement, Deutsche Telekom said after successfully completing test and evaluation procedures in a live network environment, the Essentra EX solution is now commercially available to enable IP interconnection of Deutsche Telekom’s international VoIP network to other VoIP networks/affiliates.

With this innovation, Deutsche Telekom can market reliable international VoIP interconnection services to its customers, the company said.

Wholesale providers and ISPs can now utilize the Deutsche Telekom international network to carry their VoIP traffic and benefit from assured QoS, security and optimal routing plan management.

This solution is part of the global network for voice minutes termination, it said.

   
 

EU pitches 70% cut in mobile call handling charges

  • June 27th, 2008
  • 2:25 pm

European mobile operators face a 70% cut in the fees they charge each other for passing on calls from competing networks under draft guidelines published by the European Commission, a Dow Jones report said.

The report said the development led to sharp criticism from the industry.

European Union telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding argues that so-called termination fees, which account for around 20% of operators’ revenue, don’t reflect the cost of providing the service and are nine times higher than equivalent fixed-line charges, the Dow Jones report said.

Mobile call termination rates are currently around €.08 to €.09 euros a minute.

But the commission’s latest proposals faced strong opposition from the industry and some national telecommunications regulators, who may seek to block it, the report said.

The commission’s plans are “too drastic,” said Hamid Akhavan, chief executive officer of Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile wireless unit, quoted by Dow Jones. “That is a level that is significantly below what we expected,” he said.

Richard Feasey, director of public policy at Vodafone Group, said the commission’s proposal fundamentally changes whe way mobile operators cover the cost of operating a network in Europe.

Operators’ revenue is already under pressure from previous cuts to roaming call prices and increased competition, just as they face possible further regulation on text and data charges.

Industry body GSM Association, joining the chorus of criticism, said there’s little need to regulate an industry in which prices are already falling year on year, the Dow Jones report further said.

   

Deutsche Telekom signs IPTV content deal with MTV Networks (Germany)

  • June 12th, 2008
  • 2:46 pm

Deutsche Telekom has announced that it has signed a deal with MTV Networks Germany to offer the latter’s content in the video-on-demand library of the telco’s IPTV service ‘T-Home Entertain’. The agreement, effective immediately, allows the German giant to continually expand its selection of content from MTV Networks. Programmes cost EUR0.99 for a 24-hour rental. T-Home Entertain customers will have unlimited access to all available content from Nickelodeon – the children’s television channel – with a subscription to the ‘Kids Selection’ package, costing EUR4.99 per month.

   

 

 

Deutsche Telekom CEO stands by 2008 forecast

  • June 10th, 2008
  • 2:30 pm

Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann is standing by the company’s outlook for 2008, saying that so far it has weathered the strength of the euro, economic weakness in the US and soaring oil prices, reports Dow Jones. ‘There are currently no developments which can put the company’s 2008 forecast at risk,’ Obermann said on the sidelines of a media conference in Cologne. DT is targeting EBITDA of EUR19.3 billion (USD30.4 billion) in 2008, unchanged year-on-year. The executive added that T-Mobile USA had been unaffected by the US economic downturn during the second quarter, and that DT’s domestic customer base had not been impacted by a recent subscriber data abuse scandal.

   

 

 

Deutsche Telekom sold over 100,000 iPhones

  • May 19th, 2008
  • 2:38 pm

Deutsche Telekom sold more than 100,000 of the devices since its November debut, an Associated Press report said.

The Associated Press report also quoted CEO Rene Obermann saying that the company is satisfied with sales and usage of Apple’s iPhone.

At Telekom’s annual general meeting in Cologne, Obermann said the devices were the most popular multimedia device sold by its T-Mobile cell phone division.

He said that iPhone customers used the Internet 30 times more on average than other mobile telephone customers, and that a third of iPhone customers had bought the most expensive user plans.

Telekom spokesman Alexander von Schmettow declined to say what the actual sales figure of the phone was beyond 100,000 or offer any forecast on future sales, but said it was “meeting expectations” and that customers had a high data usage rate.

Deutsche Telekom advertises 8-gigabyte iPhones for €99 euros (US$153.45) and offers monthly service plans between €99 (US$153.45) and €249 (US$385.95), according to the company’s Web site. Deutsche Telekom is the exclusive service provider for the iPhone in Germany.

   

Greece, Deutsche Telekom agree on OTE

  • May 16th, 2008
  • 1:38 pm

The Greek government and representatives of Deutsche Telekom have struck a deal on sharing ownership and management control of Greece’s largest telecom company, OTE, an Associated Press report said.

The report quoted Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis saying that under the deal, the Greek government and Deutsche Telekom would each control 25% plus one share of OTE, while the German operator could also raise its holdings of the Greek company in the future.

Deutsche Telekom would pay €29.75 (US$45.93) a share for a 3% stake in OTE, which will allow the German company to extend its footprint in Central and Eastern Europe and win access to long-coveted markets such as Romania and Bulgaria.

“The Greek government will receive €442.3 million (US$682.9 million),” Alogoskoufis said.

Deutsche Telekom announced in March the acquisition of a 20% stake in OTE, Greece’s former monopoly telecoms operator, for about €2.5 billion (US$3.87 billion), from Marfin Investment Group Holdings.

Since then, Deutsche Telekom has been in talks with the Greek government to discuss raising its stake in OTE further, as well as the delicate issue of management control at the company and the final acquisition price.

   
 

Deutsche Telekom eyeing Sprint takeover-report

  • May 5th, 2008
  • 2:24 pm

German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom is examining a possible bid for loss-making US mobile provider Sprint Nextel, a report said.

German weekly magazine Der Spiegel, quoted by an AFP report, said the Sprint project is top priority while specifying that there is “for the moment” no formal offer for shares or a takeover attempt and no active negotiations.

Number three in the US mobile market, Sprint, if allied to Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA affiliate, could rival America’s number one provider, AT&T Wireless, the report said.

Sprint is seen as a “soft target” for Europeans because of a weak dollar against the euro and a fall in share value, Der Spiegel said, ahead of publication of the weekly magazine on Monday.

The company has posted steep 2007 losses with €19.4 billion (US$30 billion) in exceptional costs relating to its acquisition of Nextel.

Sprint also announced in mid-January that it was cutting 4,000 jobs and closing 125 company-owned retail stores in anticipation of “downward pressure” on its profits in the coming year.