www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has reportedly ruled that individuals must only subscribe to a maximum of three pre-paid SIM cards from each mobile network provider. The new regulation also barred subscribers from using other people’s names, dates of birth and ID cards or passport numbers to buy pre-paid SIMs with exception of parents or guardians registering for users below the age of 14. According to the report, a government decree released in May states that from 15 July, anyone caught using another person’s ID card number to register a SIM card will be fined from VND2 million-VND5 million (USD117-USD292) and from 1 January 2010, anyone caught falsifying information on their registration forms will have the service cut off. The service providers and retailers are also expelled from activating SIM cards when the subscribers have not registered their information, and from disclosing or using the information for illegal purposes.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Spice Mobile has launched GSM-CDMA dual SIM mobile handset in the Indian mobile market. Spice’s latest offer supports live GSM and CDMA connections simultaneously and comes preloaded with host of VAS applications including from Nimbuzz, Reuters, Mitr, Opera Mini to name a few. The handset is price tagged a Rs 18,499/- and is based on the Windows Mobile 6.0 platform. Spice official said, “Spice Mobiles has always endeavoured to drive innovation in
the mobile handset industry and set new benchmarks through user-friendly and smart product offerings. With the launch of Spice D-1111, we have introduced dual-SIM Windows mobile in India”.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: TeliaSonera Finland and Nokia Siemens Networks have signed a contract on the deployment of a 3G radio network on the 900 MHz frequency. The new network will extend TeliaSonera Finland’s 3G coverage in a cost efficient way. It will enable mobile broadband services in the remote areas of the country and help further increase service quality in bigger cities.
Nokia Siemens Networks delivers a full WCDMA/HSPA 900 radio network system to TeliaSonera Finland, including its award-winning, energy-efficient Flexi base stations and high capacity RNC 2600 radio network controllers. The new network will support fixed-mobile migration in the rural areas and save operational costs for the operator. (more…)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Etisalat today unveiled a special summer promotion in which new and existing pre-paid ‘Wasel’ subscribers get 100 per cent money back on new Wasel connections, Wasel renewals and reactivations to be used on international calls. The AED165 credit for new subscribers and AED100 credit for renewals and reactivations will be granted over a three-month period and are valid for 30 days each. The offer starts tomorrow July 1, 2009 and is valid till September 30, 2009.
For new Wasel customers, Etisalat will return the AED 165 connection fee with AED 165 worth of international calls and an additional AED 10 usable for any call or message service. Subscribers will receive AED 60 of the credit at activation (50+10), and AED 50 and AED 65 respectively at the beginning of the second and third months. Customers can dial *121*5# to check their free international credit balance on activation. (more…)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Egypt has ended April with a subscriber base of 45.587 million, gained 1 million in comparison with end-March, the government said.
The country had 41.272 million subscribers at the start of the year, the government-run
Egyptian Cabinet Information and Decision Support Centre reportedly said.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: China Unicom has reportedly launched commercial 3G trials in 44 more cities on 28 June, raising its coverage to 100 cities. The most recent cities to be covered by Unicom’s W-CDMA-based network are: Datong and Yangquan in Shanxi Province, Huzhou, Lishui, Jiaxing, Shaoxing and Quzhou in Zhejiang Province, Ma’anshan, Chaohu, Tongling and Chizhou in Anhui Province, Shangrao, Yichun, Ganzhou and Jiujiang in Jiangxi Pronvince, Weihai, Liaocheng, Rizhao, Laiwu, Heze, Zaozhuang and Linyi in Shandong Province, Xiangfan, Jingmen, Yichang, Jingzhou, Shiyan and Huanggang in Hubei Province, Mianyang, Leshan, Zigong and Meishan in Sichuan Province, Xianyang, Yulin, Baoji, Weinan, Yan’an, Ankang, Tongchuan, Hanzhong and Shangluo in Shaanxi Province, and Changji in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: India’s Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. is reportedly deeming a proposal to bring in an international telecom operator as a strategic partner. The government will get more money by bringing in a strategic partner than by selling a stake or listing the state-run telecom operator, the report said.
“A strategic partner will be a better option…provided the government is favorable to that idea,” the source said. “…when they (international partners) come, they can have a say in the management and change the face and culture of the company,” the report further said.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Azercell Telecom LLC has begun the operation of GPRS/MMS roaming service with UK’s Orange operator, the company said. This is the gfourth agreement with UK. The subscribers of Azercell Telecom working in the “Orange” by means of a mobile phone can access the Internet and share files. It does not require any additional settings, as well as GPRS / MMS-roaming is automatically enabled. The procedure for GPRS / MMS-roaming is similar to GSM-roaming, ie, GPRS-query is processed in the “home” network, through which a user gains access to the Internet.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: After the reports, of Vodafone eyeing the T-Mobile acquisitions, doing the rounds yesterday, today the new buzz in town says it’s Orange which is in talks with T-Mobile on sealing a deal.
According to an industry source, the owners of both the mobile operators are in talks of forming a joint venture in UK mobile market and Vodafone is just trying to gatecrash the talks.
A combination between Orange and T-Mobile would create a Britain’s biggest mobile phone player — with a 37% market share.