CANTV and ETB begin cross-border fibre link (Venezuela)
Venezuelan state-owned incumbent CANTV and Colombian municipal telco Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogota (ETB) have started installing a fibre-optic cable linking San Cristobal in Venezuela with Cucuta in Colombia,CANTV expects the approximately 100km cable to be completed by May 2008.
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IP IP hooray for Vip (Croatia)
Croatia’s second largest mobile operator by subscribers, VIPnet, has launched a mobile VoIP service under the brand ‘Vip Over IP’, free of charge for a six month trial period. VoIP calls can be connected to mobile handsets and computers via any ISP of the user’s choice. According to a press release, unlike some other VoIP services such as Skype, Vip Over IP users will keep their mobile identity when calling fixed or mobile networks using a computer, ie their full number will be visible to the call recipient. VIPnet is wholly owned by Telekom Austria’s wireless unit Mobilkom Austria.
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BT Wholesale signs Orange fixed line deal (UK)
The wholesale division of BT Group will provide landline services for Orange UK customers, as part of Orange’s push to offer mobile, fixed line, broadband and TV services. The agreement will allow Orange to offer a fixed line telephony service under its own brand but managed and maintained by BT Wholesale. Orange customers will need to subscribe to its Home Max broadband package.
Under the terms of the agreement, BT Wholesale will manage line rental, calls and end-to-end customer management, including the setup and management of Orange’s customer call centres. The two companies said the deal would allow Orange to enter the market for fixed line and bundled services faster and at a lower cost. ‘It is our goal to provide mobile, broadband, fixed line and TV to every house in Britain,’ Asif Aziz, director of home products at Orange, said in a statement, adding that ‘This is an important step in making that a reality by providing our customers with all of their communication needs from one supplier.’
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Ericsson in the frame for AKTEL (Bangladesh)
Telekom Malaysia International Bangladesh (TMIB, operating under the AKTEL brand) has awarded Swedish technology provider Ericsson a frame agreement to upgrade and expand its EDGE-enabled GSM/GPRS network. Under the contract, Ericsson will install new base stations and mobile softswitch equipment that will enable TMIB to minimise network costs while evolving towards an all-IP network. The vendor will also supply software upgrades to increase capacity and network performance. The upgrade project encompasses more than 1,000 sites in and between Dhaka and Chittagong. AKTEL launched a trial EDGE network in March 2007.
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Telecom network split to go ahead (New Zealand)
The New Zealand government has announced that it is going ahead with its plan to split national PTO Telecom New Zealand into three separate operational units to provide retail, wholesale and network services. Communications Minister David Cunliffe says the split is due to be carried out by end-March 2008 and will create a more level playing field in the telecoms market, with all operators having equal access rights to Telecom’s local infrastructure. The reorganisation, which was first announced in April, is expected to cost around NZD200 million (USD148 million) over four years and an independent oversight group is being created to monitor the process. Telecom has already begun setting up a wholesale division and is soon to begin the process of separating its network business. The firm says it will publish its proposals for the implementation of the split within the next four weeks. Both the government and Telecom have denied rumours that there are plans to sell off the access network once the split is complete.
Meanwhile, Telecom New Zealand has contracted Alcatel-Lucent to supply IP/MPLS switching and routing products to support the delivery of next generation residential services. The vendor will be supplying its 7750 service router. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
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More details of Virgin IPO (USA)
Virgin Mobile USA, the cellular services reseller co-owned by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and US telco Sprint Nextel, says it is hoping to raise more than USD400 million from its forthcoming share listing. The initial public offer (IPO) will see 27.5 million shares 43.8% of the business sold at between USD15 and USD17 each. Virgin Group will not be selling any of its own shares, with the flotation diluting its stake to 35.7%. Sprint Nextel will be selling shares, however, and will see its stake fall to 17.2%, raising USD160.8 million for the cellco. Virgin Mobile USA was set up in 2001, reselling capacity on the Sprint Nextel network.
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Frontline petitions for 700MHz changes (USA)
A wireless start-up has launched an appeal with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to try to alter the terms of the forthcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. Frontline Wireless wants the FCC to change the bidding rules to block incumbent operators from building up what it calls an ‘excessive concentration in spectrum holdings’. Frontline also wants smaller operators to be allowed to employ a wholesale business model on the 700MHz network, which will be used to offer both commercial and public safety services, and has called for the minimum bid level to be lowered. Verizon Wireless recently launched its own appeal against the FCC’s rules for the 700MHz auction; it wants open access provisions removed, barring the way for firms such as Google and Apple to use the frequencies to offer a wide range of applications and devices.
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AT&T to roll out HSUPA (USA)
AT&T says it plans to upgrade its 3.5G mobile network with high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA) technology in October and November. The upgrade will allow the largest US cellular operator to offer high speed data services with average data upload rates of between 500kbps and 800kbps, up from around 100kbps-150kbps currently. The operator says the growing popularity of social networking sites and personal blogs is creating greater demand for faster upload speeds. AT&T launched its first 3.5G networks in December 2005.
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FAA to get mobile WiMAX network (USA)
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is to get its own mobile WiMAX network to improve the safety and efficiency of its air-traffic control service. The FAA has awarded a contract to Nortel Government Solutions, part of Nortel Networks, and ITT Corporation, with WiMAX deployments expected to begin in 2009. The vendors say that the end products will feature secure and flexible radio frequency functionality from ITT’s Aerospace/Communications Division, WiMAX infrastructure from Nortel, and integration and deployment services from Nortel Government Solutions.
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Cosmote captain walks the plank (Greece)
Cosmote’s CEO Evangelos Martigopoulos has resigned. In a statement, the Greek wireless group’s parent OTE attributed the move to differences of opinion over Cosmote’s strategy, whilst local reports suggest that a change in management is expected to facilitate OTE launching a bid to up its 67% stake in Cosmote to 100%.
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