Verizon Wireless extends 3G services in Ohio (USA)
Verizon Wireless, a leading telecommunications operator in the United States, has reportedly expanded its local network in portions of Lorain County in Ohio, so as to meet the increasing demand for wireless voice, 3G multimedia and internet access. According to reports, the new network provides increased wireless voice and 3G services between Dover, Kentucky and Russellville, Ohio. As per sources, the extended 3G data capacity in the area will enable notebook computer and smartphone users to download and use apps, rapidly browse through the web, work remotely with file sharing as well as download and play 3D games among others.
Mark Frazier, President, Ohio/Pennsylvania/West Virginia Region, Verizon Wireless has reportedly said that the people across Ohio are increasingly relying on smartphones and 3G applications to manage their busy lives and stay connected at home or on-the-go. He added that the nearly $2 billion they’ve invested into their Ohio network has kept them ahead of consumer trends, provided their customers a 3G advantage and underscored their belief that any mobile device is only as good as the network it runs on. He also said that proactive and sustained investment has made Verizon Wireless the 3G leader in Ohio and nationwide.
Apart from expanding its 3G network, Verizon Wireless has also launched its 4G LTE network across 165 metropolitan areas across the country. Sources claim that the 4G LTE network offered by Verizon is the fastest and most advanced 4G network in America and offers speeds up to 10 times faster than the current 3G network.
Telkomsel partners with On-Waves to provide low cost international roaming services to maritime workers (Indonesia)
Telkomsel, the largest cell phone operator in Indonesia, has partnered with Iceland-based maritime GSM service provider, On-Waves, to provide low-cost international roaming services to people working on ships. According to reports, Sarwoto Atmosutarno, Managing Director, Telkomsel has said they hope that over 30,000 Indonesians working in the maritime sector around the world can enjoy this international roaming service. He added that apart from providing expanded roaming access, they are also offering lower rates for voice, SMS and data services.
As per sources, Telkomsel distributed free premier SIM cards to 30 Indonesian crew members on the Louis Cristal cruise ship. Sarwoto reportedly added that customers using either Halo, AS or Simpati SIM cards would now be able to make calls to anywhere in the world for $1 (IDR 9,000) per minute and send text messages for $0.22 (IDR 2,000) per message.
Talking from a business point of view, Sarwoto has said that for the 30,000 Indonesian citizens working in cruise ships, commercial and oil drilling in the middle of the sea, cooperation with operators such as On-Waves GSM helps them to stay in touch with their family at an affordable cost. He added that such cooperation deals present an opportunity with a huge potential to be developed.
MetroPCS may acquire assets in AT&T and T-Mobile (USA)
MetroPCS Communications Inc., an American mobile phone service provider, may reportedly enter into an agreement to buy assets from AT&T and T-Mobile, as the two companies hope to finalize their $39 billion merger, currently being blocked by the U.S. Justice Department. As per industry sources, the deal is likely to include subscribers and wireless spectrum and may be valued at less than $4 billion. AT&T has reportedly approached other smaller operators as well, however, MetroPCS with over $2 billion in cash and short-term investments, is emerging as the strongest candidate for the deal. Sources also suggest that Deutsche Telekom may help MetroPCS with the financing.
Industry analysts say that simply palming off some of T-Mobile’s subscribers or network is not enough for the government to allow the deal to go through, as the amount of assets being transferred are unlikely to transform any regional player into a national network. According to reports, in order to be a national competitor, MetroPCS needs as many as 25 million subscribers which is almost half the subscriber base of T-Mobile.
As per sources, MetroPCS reported a subscriber base of 9.1 million subscribers in June 2011 while T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint had a subscriber base of about 33.6 million, 100.7 million, 107.7 million and 53.3 million respectively in September 2011. Reports suggest that AT&T and MetroPCS may meet with the Justice Department in the next two weeks to see if this deal would persuade the regulator.
Vodafone UK partners with Velti to drive its loyalty programs (UK)
Vodafone UK, has entered into an agreement with Velti, a leading global provider of mobile marketing and advertising solutions, to drive the next generation of loyalty programs for the operator in the UK. According to reports, Velti aims to target as many as 6 million Vodafone pay-as-you-go customers through this opportunity.
As per sources, Srini Gopalan, Consumer Director, Vodafone UK has said that the Vodafone Freebee Rewardz is yet another reason why customers are choosing Vodafone on pay-as-you-go. It’s a unique scheme offering Vodafone customers something more than just discounts, while enabling customers to take part with whatever pay-as-you-go phone they have. Reports suggest that each time the pay-as-you-go customers refill their account balance; they receive a voucher code through a text message. Customers can either redeem this voucher by claiming an instant reward or bank the points to save up for something bigger. Vodafone UK and Velti have reportedly teamed up with brands such as Thorntons, Blockbuster, Fitness First among others to provide top prizes.
Reports suggest that Menelaos Scouloudis, Chief Commercial Officer, Velti has said that customer retention and ARPU stimulation is vital for operators especially in the pre-paid market where competition is increasingly fierce. He added that by understanding who the customers are and the nature of their relationship with Vodafone UK, the operator is able to provide a more personalized and therefore rewarding experience.
Sprint Nextel may extend network-sharing contract with Clearwire (USA)
Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. reportedly plan to extend their network-sharing agreement for the next three to five years. According to reports, the deal would enable Sprint to continue using Clearwire’s network to provide its customers services even after the existing contract expires in 2012.
Industry sources claim that a new agreement like this could help bring some stability for Clearwire, which has been suffering financial losses. The company reportedly needs as much as $1 billion to shift its network to Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless technology and finance its operations. However, it is suspected that Sprint may reduce the price that was earlier paid to Clearwire for handling the traffic.
As per reports, analysts believe that Sprint may drop its price from the current $10 per gigabyte of data to somewhere around $6 per gigabyte of data. Further, sources claim that an extended deal with Sprint would be highly beneficial for Clearwire as it would greatly enhance the utilization of its wireless network and would provide it enhanced visibility for revenue generating opportunities.
Orascom Telecom seeks partners for Orange Switzerland bid (Europe, Egypt)
According to reports, Naguib Sawiris, founder of Orascom Telecom is looking for partners in order to bid for Orange Switzerland valued at around $2.8 billion. Other people who have shown their interest in acquiring the France Telecom SA mobile-phone unit, include Xavier Niel, founder of Iliad, and private equity firms Apax Partners LLP and EQT Partners. As per sources, when questioned about Mobinil, Sawiris said that he has no plans to sell his stake in Mobinil which belongs to Orascom and other shareholders.
As reported by Wireless Federation earlier, France Telecom is hopeful of finalizing a deal for its Switzerland unit by the end of this year and plans to target the emerging markets in the Middle East and Africa. Further, the group may also be looking to sell its units in Austria and Portugal.
Alcatel-Lucent signs agreement with Etisalat to provide mobile broadband services (France, UAE)
Paris based global telecommunications corporation, Alcatel-Lucent has reportedly entered into an agreement with mobile operator Etisalat, to develop and deliver mobile broadband services to customers. According to reports, Etisalat will help in the development of Alcatel’s lightRadio technology by participating in joint working groups and easy trials.
As per sources, Nicolas Bouverot, Vice President Middle East, Alcatel-Lucent has said that their work with Etisalat and other major operators on the development of lightRadio will provide them with a greater insight into how operators plan to implement this groundbreaking new technology in their networks. He further said that through its collaboration around lightRadio, Etisalat would help define the commercial introduction of this new product family in the Middle East and in other markets, meeting its own subscribers’ demands for innovative new mobile services while providing operators with a flexible path for business growth into the next decade.
Nasser bin Obood, Acting CEO, Etisalat has reportedly said that this agreement will allow them to shape the future of mobile networks and define how lightRadio can be best implemented to satisfy their customers growing demands. He added that Etisalat is proud to be the only operator in the Middle East and Africa to join this pioneering program.
Open Mobile may be the first to launch 4G LTE services in Latin America
Puerto Rican network operator, Open Mobile, is reportedly planning to launch 4G LTE mobile broadband services in Latin America along with Sweden based Ericsson, a world-leading provider of telecommunications equipment and related services to mobile and fixed network operators globally. As per reports, Neville Cruz, CTO, Open Mobile said that the companies have worked closely to rapidly build a high-quality 4G LTE network and that the LTE rollout would continue in metropolitan areas during the remainder of 2011 and early 2012.
Sources claim that Frank Bell, President, Open Mobile has said that being at the forefront of broadband evolution means that the customers in Puerto Rico will be the first in Latin America to benefit from this groundbreaking technology. He added that having an experienced partner in LTE deployment like Ericsson is a key step towards bringing their customers the fastest mobile broadband network. Industry sources reveal that of the many networks aiming to launch LTE services in Latin America, US-based AT&T and Mexican-based Claro have been targeting Puerto Rico for the launch of their services by early 2012.
Mobile operators to offer 3G services in Lebanon
Telecom Minister, Nicolas Sehnaoui has reportedly announced that Lebanon’s two state-run operators, Alfa and MTC, will offer 3G services from next month starting at $19 per month for 500 megabytes. According to reports, he said that the act of increasing the Internet speed and decreasing the prices can put Lebanon on the map as being one of the fastest connections in the region. He added that Lebanon could become a regional hub, with the building of the ‘Media and Smart City.’
While industry analysts believe that 3G is a step in the right direction and can be beneficial for the country, they are also concerned that Lebanon may lack the necessary infrastructure required for the upgrade. Further, too many subscribers and heavy traffic flow could lead to a congested network.
Ghana’s mobile subscriptions cross 20 million users
According to industry reports, Tigo the second largest operator in the country, reported a subscriber base of 3,998,489 users at the end of September, accounting for 19.6 percent of the market share. Tigo has witnessed a downfall of 3.8 percent (157,574 subscribers) from 4,156,063 subscribers as at August 2011.
On the other hand, telecommunications giant, Vodafone reportedly has 3,890,083 subscribers, representing almost 19.1 percent market share. The company added almost 312,520 subscribers in the past couple of months and may soon replace Tigo as the second largest operator in the country in terms of subscribers.
The country’s total number of mobile subscriptions is at 20,419,635 accounting for almost 80.5 percent of Ghana’s population, with MTN Ghana emerging as the strongest player having 9,894,074 subscribers and representing 48.4 percent of the market share. Further, while Airtel crossed the two million subscriber mark, representing almost 11.9 percent of the market, Expresso’s subscriber base fell from 219,290 in July to 204,153 by September end, accounting for less than 1 percent of the market share.
