Wireless Federation

3 Group has reported an EBIT loss of HKD 3.18 billion in H1′08 which was HKD 11.32 billion a year earlier. The Hutchison Whampoa company has restated it’s target to move to positive EBIT for a positive full year result in 2009.
The H1 revenue  rose 14% HKD 32.09 billion, and EBITDA improved to HKD 10.50 billion from HKD 4.15 billion a year ago.
The subscriber base grew by 7% and reached 19.015 million, out of which 10.675 million were contract subscribers.
The total figure includes 3G subscribers in Hong Kong, Macau and Israel. Excluding these, 3 had a total 16.866 million subscribers in Europe and Australia.
Average revenue per active subscribers fell by 7% year-on-year to EUR 37.11, hurt by cuts in termination rates and a higher proportion of data subscribers, who generate lower ARPU but higher gross margins.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

An unprecedented gathering of leading operator CEOs(i) will debate the future of the mobile industry at the GSMA’s Mobile Asia Congress at the new Venetian Macau Resort on November 12-15.

The chief executives of China Mobile, the world’s largest operator, NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest operator, MTS, Russia’s largest operator, the Chairman and Group Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, India’s largest operator, and the CEO of Mobilink, Pakistan’s largest operator, the Chairman of Smart, the Philippines’ largest operator, Grameenphone, Bangladesh’s largest operator, and Telstra, Australia’s largest operator, will be among the keynote speakers.

They will be joined by many other industry leaders and visionaries, including the President of China Unicom, the CEOs of Softbank of Japan, Orascom Telecom, VimpelCom of Russia and the CEOs of equipment vendors Ericsson and ZTE and content companies Warner Music and EMI Music International.

Preceded by a board meeting of the GSMA, which represents more than 700 mobile operators from around the world, the Congress provides a unique opportunity for the leaders of Asia’s mobile operators to discuss the most strategic issues facing the mobile industry today. Among the themes for the keynote sessions: The shape of the mobile industry in three years time; the respective roles of operators, equipment vendors, Internet companies and content suppliers; future revenue models; reinventing cost structures; the potential of mobile broadband, low ARPU growth and the forms of entertainment that will work best on mobile.

“With mobile broadband services proliferating, handset technology evolving rapidly and the Internet fast going wireless, this industry is reaching a major inflexion point as many operators, vendors and entertainment companies review their strategies, their business models and their partnerships,” said Craig Ehrlich, Chairman. “A catalyst for the leaders of Asia’s mobile ecosystem to engage in face-to-face discussions, the Mobile Asia Congress will play a major role in shaping the strategic agenda of this industry, while setting trends in the world’s fastest-growing mobile markets.” Asia-Pacific is adding 20 million new mobile connections every month - more than four times the growth rate of any other region.

The Congress will also explore Asia’s role as a pioneer of new services, the imminent rollout of mobile broadband in China and India and how mobile technology will showcase the Olympics in Beijing next year. On the first evening of the event, there will be the presentation of the GSMA’s Asia Mobile Awards, recognizing the best commercial mobile products and services targeted at Asian consumers.

The most innovative ideas in the Asia-Pacific region will also be highlighted in Macau through the Mobile Innovation Awards, the culmination of the two-day Mobile Innovation Summit. A key part of the GSMA’s new Mobile Innovation Programme, the Summit will bring together the inventors of the region’s most innovative products, services and technologies with operators, the investor community, and vendors.

Ministers and Heads of Regulatory Authorities from approximately 20 countries in the Asia Pacific Region are also set to gather in Macau to attend the GSMA’s Government Symposium. At the Symposium, sponsored by Telenor, they will discuss the most pressing regulatory issues in the region with senior representatives from international institutions and CEOs from the mobile industry.

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Hutchison Whampoa has acquired 12 million shares in Hutchison Telecom International Group (HTIL), provider of mobile and fixed telecommunications services, in the open market through the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The shares were acquired through investment holding subsidiary HTHL between 06-14 June. The 12 million shares represent around 0.251 percent of the current issued share capital of HTIL. HTIL has fixed and mobile operations in Hong Kong, and mobile operations in Macau, Israel, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Indonesia and Vietnam. Hutchison Whampoa and its subsidiaries control just over 50 percent of HTIL shares in issue form as of 14 June, up from 49.75 percent previously. HTIL will now be accounted for as a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa. The purchase price of the shares was HKD 124.06 million.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

Telegeography writes…Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau (CTM) will launch 3G mobile services next week, its CEO, Philip Green, announced during a ceremony to inaugurate its W-CDMA network, supplied by Ericsson. CTM, majority-owned by the UK’s Cable & Wireless, has a monopoly on Macau’s fixed line market and competes in the GSM mobile sector with the local units of Hong Kong cellcos Hutchison Telephone and SmarTone. CTM and Hutchison were granted W-CDMA licences by the Macau government in October 2006, whilst China Unicom won a licence to provide services based on the alternative 3G standard CDMA2000 1xEV-DO.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

Comverse, a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. and the world’s leading supplier of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced communication and billing services, has recently announced that CTM, Macau’s only full telecom service provider, has deployed the Comverse Kenan® FX Business Solution to cover the customer care, fulfilment and billing functionality for its mobile network. The Comverse Kenan FX system will support CTM’s planned 3G services expected to be rolled out in Q2. In addition, CTM is currently in the process of overhauling its mobile BSS infrastructure with the assistance of Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS), Comverse and other vendors.

“Our aim in deploying Comverse’s Kenan Solution was multifold,” said Phil Green, CEO of CTM. “We wanted to begin evolving to a converged application that could support billing for all of our services, independent of the payment type. We believe we will improve our market competitiveness with this kind of comprehensive solution.”

Kenan FX is part of Comverse’s billing portfolio, which allows operators to increase market agility and improve operational efficiency. Optimized for the converging communications market, the modular Kenan FX framework provides an advanced set of customer lifecycle management software solutions — from ordering and activation to charging and payments — supporting a host of communication services, fixed, mobile and interactive.

“We are particularly proud of the launch of the Kenan FX system at CTM as it was deployed in a fast timeframe with our partner TCS,” said Eitan Achlow, President of Comverse Asia Pacific. “Clearly, a major factor in the success of our solutions lies in the architecture allowing for quick and easy deployment without customization or vendor dependence and that supports operators in the move to converged systems. We are proud to welcome CTM as an innovative incumbent operator and assist them as they serve the majority of residents and businesses in Macau with the full gamut of communications services.”

About CTM
Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau S.A.R.L (known as CTM) is a joint venture of the international telecommunications giants: Cable and Wireless, Portugal Telecom, CITIC Pacific and Macau Post. Formed in October 1981, CTM was charged with the task of improving telecommunications services in Macau. Being the only full telecom service provider of Macau, CTM has been maintaining its lead in the telecom arena throughout the past 25 years and continues to play a major role in the ongoing development of Macau’s infrastructure. With a solid financial base and an enviable track record for technical achievement, CTM offers a wide spectrum of telecommunication services, which include Fixed Telephony, Mobile, Internet and Enterprise Solutions. While keeping abreast of the pace of technology development, CTM operates one of the most modern and efficient telecommunications systems in the world and is committed to enhancing its already impressive technological capabilities, demonstrating their commitment to provide both personal and corporate customers with world-class and innovative telecom services.

About Tata Consultancy Services Limited
Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) is a leading information technology consulting, services, business process outsourcing and engineering services organization that envisioned and pioneered the adoption of the flexible global business practices that today enable companies to operate more efficiently and produce more value. TCS achieved this by creating and perfecting a unique method of global deployment and delivery of high quality, high value services and products in IT consulting, business process outsourcing and engineering solutions and services. Known as the “Global Delivery Model,” this strategic services delivery concept has reshaped the IT and engineering services industry. With over 70,000 of the world’s best trained IT consultants of 52 nationalities located in 35 countries, TCS is uniquely positioned to deliver its flexible world class services seamlessly to any location.

About Comverse
Comverse is the world’s leading provider of software and systems enabling network-based messaging and content value-added services, converged billing and IP communications. Comverse solutions generate revenues, strengthen customer loyalty and improve operational efficiency for over 500 communication service providers in more than 130 countries. The company’s Total CommunicationSM portfolio facilitates personalized lifestyles in an evolving connected world and is based on the holistic InSight™ Open Services Environment. Comverse’s solutions support flexible deployment models, including in-network, hosted and managed services, and can run on circuit-switched, VoIP, IMS and converged network environments. Comverse is a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc. (CMVT.PK).

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

NEC has received orders for its mobile internet platform (NEMIP) from Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong) (HTHK). HTHK will commence i-mode services in Hong Kong on 30 May. NEC’s NEMIP enables the provision of the i-mode service, a mobile internet service. This platform is an integrated solution composed of subsystems such as gateways, mail server systems and portal systems which incorporate multi-operator functions. The mail server system facilitates ease of use of i-mode mail services on the user’s mobile phone with video, audio and picture file attachments, filtering function, as well as full interoperability with other email or MMS enabled phones. The multi-operator function, an enhanced feature of NEMIP, will allow mobile operators to share a common i-mode platform and service with their affiliated companies, thus enabling Hutchison Telephone (Macau) Company, a subsidiary of HTHK, to introduce i-mode service in Macau in the near future.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

Telegeography writes….Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited (HTIL) has reported that it swung to a first-quarter net profit on rising subscriber numbers, particularly in India. The company has this week completed the sale of its Indian business, previously its biggest revenue contributor, but said it expects interest on the proceeds from the transaction to help maintain profitability. The Hong Kong listed firm said net profit for the three months ending 31 March was HKD220 million (USD28.1 million), compared with a net loss of HKD24 million a year earlier, as its total number of mobile subscribers rose 56% year-on-year to 33 million, up from 21.1 million at end-March 2006. HTIL, a 49.8%-owned unit of Hutchison Whampoa, operates mobile networks in Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Israel, Macau, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam and Ghana, including 3G services in Israel and Hong Kong. It also has fixed line operations in Hong Kong. Subscribers to Hutchison Essar in India rose 72% year-on-year to 26.4 million at the end of the first quarter. Excluding India, HTIL’s total customer base grew to 6.6 million during the period, up from approximately 6.3 million at the end of the previous quarter and 5.7 million at the same date the year before. The Group’s operations in Sri Lanka and Ghana more than doubled their respective customer base year-on-year, whilst both Hong Kong and Israeli operations reported continued growth in their 3G customer base to over 818,000 and 333,000 respectively at the end of March 2007. The company launched operations in Vietnam and Indonesia in the first quarter, and noted in a statement that developments in both countries are in accordance with its business plan and budget, and that it is satisfied with performance so far. HTIL claims it can break even in EBITDA terms in both markets in two years.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

Telegeography writes…Partner Communications Company, the Israeli wireless operator which offers services under the Orange brand, has announced that it has been granted a 20-year Domestic Fixed Telecommunication Services licence by the Ministry of Communications. David Avner, Partner’s CEO, said that the new concession will enable the company to offer subscribers an additional range of telecommunication services.

Partner is a subsidiary of Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited (HTIL), which offers mobile and fixed line telecoms services in Hong Kong, and operates, or is rolling out, wireless networks in India, Macau, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Wireless Mobile Telecom

Yahoo writes…Partner Communications Company Ltd. (”Partner”) (Nasdaq:PTNR - News; LSE:PCCD - News; TASE:PTNR), a leading Israeli mobile communications operator, today announced that its fully owned entity has been granted a Domestic Fixed Telecommunication Services license for a duration of 20 years by the Ministry of Communications.
Mr. David Avner, Partner’s CEO, said today that the Domestic Fixed Telecommunication Services license will enable Partner to offer subscribers an additional variety of telecommunication services.

About Partner Communications

Partner Communications Company Ltd. (Partner) is a leading Israeli mobile communications operator providing GSM/ GPRS/ UMTS services and wire free applications under the orange(TM) brand. The Company commenced full commercial operations in January 1999 and, through its network, provides quality service and a range of features to its subscribers in Israel. The Company launched its 3G service in 2004. Partner’s ADSs are quoted on The NASDAQ Global Select Market(TM) and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the symbol PTNR. The shares are also traded on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol PCCD.

Partner is a subsidiary of Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited (Hutchison Telecom). Hutchison Telecom is a leading listed telecommunications operator (SEHK: 2332 - News; NYSE: HTX - News) focusing on dynamic markets. It currently offers mobile and fixed-line telecommunication services in Hong Kong, and operates or is rolling out mobile telecommunication services in India, Israel, Macau, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Wireless Mobile Telecom

Comptel has announced that Macau’s CTM has selected Comptel to supply provisioning and mediation solutions to support 3G services. CTM, a joint venture of Cable &Wireless, Portugal Telecom and CITIC Pacific, has chosen the Comptel Provisioning Solution to support its 3G service. At the same time, CTM is extending its 2G deployment of the Comptel Event Mediation solution to handle next generation mobile services.

The Comptel Provisioning Solution automates the user provisioning and service activation processes. With a single interface, it covers the entire fulfilment workflow - from service order to start of billing. At CTM, the Comptel Provisioning Solution will have interfaces with the CRM system, Ericsson network, mobile banking and other provisioning gateways.

The Comptel Event Mediation Solution allow usages from multiple sources to be collected and forwarded to billing and other systems. At CTM, the existing the Comptel Event Mediation deployment will be extended to collect usage from GPRS, SMS, MMS gateways as well as content servers.

Mr. Mika Korpinen, Managing Director of Comptel Communications Sdn Bhd and Head of Sales APAC says: “CTM joins the growing list of operators across the world that are using both our mediation and provisioning solutions. This is proof of the quality of Comptel’s solutions as well as the trust operators have in Comptel’s ability to deliver.”

Wireless Mobile Telecom