Millicom International Cellular (Millicom) has reported its third quarter results along with the analysts’ forcast. But the cellco has admitted that the revenue growth is sluggished due to global economic crisis. It has wireless subsidiaries in 16 emerging markets around the world, said EBITDA for the third quarter rose 25% year-on-year to USD369 million while net profit for the period rose 17% to USD161 milion. Further the firm added that it would reduce investment in the coming year, forecasting a CAPEX figure of ‘less that USD1.5 billion’ in 2008 and a substantially lower figure again for 2009. According to CEO Marc Beuls, the company had decided to put off an early redemption of the USD460 million 10% 2013 Notes, strengthening its balance sheet by reducing short term debt and increasing long-term debt.
Millicom has ended this period with 30.59 million subscribers to its subsidiaries with the addition of 2.1 million new customers in the third quarter of 2008 alone.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
TELE2TANGO, Luxembourg, together with RIM announces the BlackBerry Bold smartphone for it’s subscribers.
The BlackBerry Bold, a powerful and elegant smartphone carries an amazing combination of functionality, performance, usability and design that is perfect for both business professionals and power users.
Together the two will provide, an unparalleled mobile experience with support for phone, email, messaging, organiser, web browser and multimedia applications delivered in a user friendly and stylish design.
From Sept 9 this year, the smartphone will be available to TELE2TANGO for it’s subscribers priced at 390€ without subscription and from 109€ with data plan subscription. The basic data plan, which includes 6MB of national data traffic and 1 MB of international data traffic is available for 17€ per month. All prices exclude taxes.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
Luxembourg city government will launch phase II of its Hotcity wireless internet project during the first weekend of Advent, 8-9 December. Coverage will be extended and diversified services will be launched with technical partner and incumbent operator EPT. Since July, the city of Luxembourg offers people on the go internet access on their PDAs and smartphones in the Ville-haute area. From 1 December the railway station and its square will also be covered, and by the first quarter of 2008, the whole station neighbourhood will have access. Services include a store and restaurant localised search function, to be put into practice during the Christmas shopping period. Users must register with Hotcity.
EPT is providing its Wi-Fi experience to the project, which it gives it a chance to boost its innovation. The mayor is convinced that the entry of other partners, such as SES Astra and its mobile digital TV service, will make it possible to attract loyal users. Several European cities will soon join the Hotcity project to assess the possibility of repeating the model. The whole city of Luxembourg will be covered with Wi-Fi next year. Future services will feature an electronic guide and an emergency service for the elderly.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
The board of directors of Tiscali has resolved upon a share capital increase of up to EUR 150 million to be offered with pre-emption rights for Tiscali’s shareholders. The capital increase proceeds will be utilised to partially refinance the debt related to the acquisition of the broadband and voice division of Pipex in the UK. It is expected that the capital increase will be executed in the first months of 2008, depending on market conditions. Tiscali has also signed an agreement whereby Management and Capitali will underwrite EUR 60 million of subordinated bonds convertible into Tiscali new shares. The bonds will be issued by a Luxembourg company controlled by Tiscali which will also guarantee the bonds.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
Telegeography writes…Telecel Paraguay says it has expanded its networks to 22 new towns so far this year, bringing its total coverage to 180 towns and cities, reports BNamericas quoting local newspaper ABC Color. Telecel, which is owned by Millicom of Luxembourg, had more than 1.42 million subscribers and a 37% market share at the end of March, according to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database. It offers services under the brand name Tigo.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
Global mobile internet service provider EQO Communications has launched EQO Mobile, a service that lets users make international long distance calls and exchange IM and SMSs on their mobile phones at local calling and messaging rates. EQO Mobile is powered by a software application that makes calling as easy as using as a standard phone address book. The application is free to download and installs itself automatically. EQO Mobile allows users to leverage their existing contact lists to build a network of EQO contacts and to easily invite these contacts to also use EQO. Currently EQO supports hundreds of mainstream mobile handsets and will initially be available in the following 20 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
Telegeography writes…Belgacom has launched a binding offer for mobile network operator Vox Mobile, financial daily De Tijd reports, citing an unnamed source. According to the newspaper, two other companies have also expressed an interest in acquiring the cellco. Vox Mobile, the smallest of the Duchy’s three operators, is currently owned by private equity groups Audiolux and BIP Investment, which each have a 37.5% stake.
Wireless Mobile Telecom
As the dominant local company, China Mobile Communications Corp is seriously seeking opportunities to tap emerging markets worldwide, said the boss of the world’s top cellular carrier.
“If we finally make our mind up to go abroad, we will concentrate on emerging and developing markets, such as in
Asia
,
Africa
or
Latin America
,” said Wang Jianzhou, president of China Mobile.
He ruled out the possibility of squeezing into the packed European and North American markets, where the penetration rate of cellular phones is already high.
Wang refused to disclose more details of the plan, such as a timetable, which countries may be involved and who were potential partners.
In July China Mobile reportedly entered a failed bid for Luxembourg-based Millicom, which has networks in 16 emerging markets including
Latin America
and
Africa
. The company has never confirmed the bid.
According to Wang, however, China Mobile has never stopped weighing up the pros and cons of the international market. There have always been different views within the company on whether to expand overseas.
Those who oppose the potential expansion argue that it is risky and besides, vast rural areas of
China
remain untapped and offer great potential for further growth. Why bother to take risks abroad?
“The reason China Mobile should start forming such plans is to secure both present and future profitability opportunities,” said Wang.
Moreover, if China Mobile can enlarge its size and business scale, the firm can further cut operation costs, he added.
Wang said that as the world’s largest cellular operator by value, China Mobile is experienced in setting up infrastructures and providing wireless communication services for areas and regions with harsh natural conditions, another reason why the company would be comfortable tapping less developed markets and regions.
China Mobile Hong Kong acquired
Hong Kong
’s fourth-largest mobile operator China Resources Peoples Telephone early this year, and has given mobile service access to some unmanned countryside parks and areas in the special administrative region, to meet demands from tourists.
Yang Yuanqing, chairman of the Lenovo Group, advised that Chinese companies’ international business expansion should be firmly backed by solid business growth in the domestic market. As
China
’s top personal computer (PC) maker, Lenovo bought out IBM’s PC division two years ago.
China Mobile’s mobile subscribers totalled 274 million by the first half this year, with net profit reaching 30.17 billion yuan (US$3.78 billion).
The cellular carrier will further expand the capacity of its second-generation (2G) networks to cater for surging local demand. “Although the 3G era is coming, we are still attracting 4 million new 2G users per month. Therefore, we will continue expanding our 2G mobile capacity to develop the local market,” said Wang.
Source- http://english.people.com.cn
Technorati : Africa, China, China Mobile, Latin America, Luxembourg, Milicom
Ice Rocket : Africa, China, China Mobile, Latin America, Luxembourg, Milicom
Global credit crunch affects Millicom revenue growth (Luxembourg)
