Thailand ends 2006 with 39 million mobile users
Thai mobile operators signed up a combined 8 million new customers last year, bringing the mobile penetration rate in the country to 60 percent, the Bangkok Post reports. The country ended 2006 with about 39 million mobile users, up from 30.5 million in 2005. DTAC CEO Sigve Brekke believes the penetration rate will hit 70 percent this year, driven by new consumers from rural areas. AIS president Wichien Mektrakarn said that consumers hunting for bargains and opting for two SIM cards would drive further growth. Both executives said competition would shift from the current price war to interconnection tariff marketing tactics. Recently, the regulator has implemented an interconnection fee scheme with the three major operators, AIS, DTAC and True Move, agreeing on a termination rate of THB 1 per minute. Brekke said that operators were likely to try and boost on-net traffic with their marketing efforts.
SK Telecom launches mobile VoD service with HBO content
US pay-TV channel HBO has signed a deal with South Korean communications provider SK Telecom for a mobile VoD service in Korea. The video-on-demand service was launched on 22 December. The service features full episodes of several HBO series. SK Telecom’s launch promotion offers a one-month free trial, making four episodes of both “Sex and the City” and “Six Feet Under” available during that time.
Telefonica Moviles Panama chooses Nokia for GPRS network
Telefonica Moviles Panama, which operates under the Movistar brand, has chosen Nokia to build its GSM radio and GPRS network. The network will cover the whole of Panama, and enable the operator to offer mobile data and voice services to Movistar customers. Under the agreement, Nokia will deliver a GSM radio network with Nokia base stations and base station controllers, as well as a GPRS network. Nokia will also implement the Adaptive Multi Rate (AMR) service. To support the GSM network, Nokia will provide management services, project implementation, maintenance services and training to optimise the network performance. Financial details of the contract were not released.
