Citi to pilot m-payments in India, collaborates with Nokia, Vodafone, MasterCard & VIVOtech
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Citi will soon pilot the mobile payments to the Indian mobile market in collaboration with Nokia, Vodafone, MasterCard and VIVOtech. Some 5,000 people will participate in Citi’s Tap and Pay Bangalore trial. This is considered to be one of the largest NFC trials so far.
During the pilot Nokia will offer NFC-enabled 6212 classic phone, Vodafone will be the mobile operator for the pilot service while MasterCard will offer its MasterCard PayPass contactless payment and security infrastructure. ViVOtech will be offering the underlying technology including the NFC wallet.
India to have 100Mn new mobile numbers beginning with ’8′
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Looking at the pace with which the Indian mobile market is growing in terms of subscribers, DoT has run out of numbers that begin with ’9′ and soon enough will have numbers that begin with the digit ’8′. According to a local media report, nearly 100 million new numbers will be introduced in the market, half of which will be allotted to the operators.
According to TRAI, India’s mobile subscriber base stood at 415 million at May’09-end compared to 277 million, a year ago. Considering the substantial growth in the number of telecom service subscribers, DoT is planning making mobile phone numbers to 11 digits.
France Telecom plans to enter Vietnam mobile market, eyes stake in MobiFone
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: France Telecom is looking at the Vietnamese mobile market market as a promising one for new products, services and technologies. Our priority is to become the strategic partner of a [local] telecom operator,†Jacques Fulcrant, Country Manager of Orange France Telecom Vietnam said.
France Telecom intends to buy stake in MobiFone, Vietnam’s leading mobile operator, which will launch public offering this year.
Orange France Telecom said they would apply 3G or third generation technology in Vietnam.
Verizon Wireless expands 3G wireless network in Peabody, Massachusetts (USA)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Verizon Wireless has expanded its network with a new cell site in Peabody, Massachusetts. The new cell site provides increased 3G high-speed wireless broadband coverage along Route 128 and Lynnfield Street in the Needham Corner section of Peabody, as well as the surrounding areas.
Verizon Wireless, originally the first wireless provider to offer 3G speeds, today has the largest and most reliable 3G network coverage area in the United States, giving customers with notebook computers or smartphones the ability to:
* Browse the web faster with quicker page loading times
* Quickly download and play music
* Watch streaming video
* Send emails with attachments
* Download and play 3D games
* Video conference with your contacts
* Rapidly share files
“Verizon Wireless’ 3G network coverage across New England is unparalleled,” said director for Network System Performance for Verizon Wireless, Richard Enright. “We’ve invested billions of dollars into New England believing that even the most sophisticated cell phone is only as good as the network it runs on. Our continued aggressive network investments provide customers with a 3G network advantage at home and on vacation.”
TRAI issues draft norm for Mobile Number Portability (India)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued draft regulations for introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) in the country.
The draft regulations describe the rights, obligations and duties of both the telecom operators (donor and recipient) for the “porting” (changing) of mobile number, TRAI said. The draft suggests that a mobile subscriber shall be eligible to make a request for “porting” (changing) his mobile number upon expiry of a period of ninety days from the date of activation of his present mobile connection.
The recipient operator, within five days of receiving a written request, has to carry out subscriber verification according to the guidelines for acquiring a new user.
After the verification, the request is to be forwarded to the donor operator for seeking its clearance.
BSNL & MTNL ink roamig deal with Conexus Mobile Alliance (India)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The state owned telcos of India, BSNL and MTNL, have inked an agreement with Conexus Mobile Alliance to enable their subscribers to access roaming facility in 10 Asian countries.
Other partners of Conexus Mobile Alliance in Asia include Hong Kong’s Hutchinson Telecommunications, Japan’s NTT DoCoMo Inc. and Singapore’s StarHub Ltd.
France Telecom says in no talks with T-Mobile UK
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: France Telecom, the parent company of Orange UK, has ruled out of any talks with T-Mobile over forming a Joint Venture in UK.
“Orange has made no such offer to acquire T-Mobile UK and has no interest in making such an offer,” a France Telecom spokeswoman reportedly said.
RCom-Alcatel JV to ink 2-3 deals in next few months (India)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Alcatel-Lucent Managed Solutions India (ALMSI), a JV between French telecom solution provider and Reliance Communication, the Indian mobile operator are close to inking 2-3 deals in as many months.
“The JV was formed initially to cater to the network operations need of Reliance Communications (RCom) alone. Now, we also plan to focus on business development opportunities in India and abroad,” Alcatel-Lucent India Head Vivek Mohan said.
Mohan added that the company was close to strike two-three deals in the network operation space, which might be announced in the next two-three months.
Though the details of the deal remain undisclosed, the source close to the development revealed that an agreement with Telecom New Zealand is round the corner.
Alcatel holds a 67% share in the JV whereas RCom holds the rest of 33%.
Sandip Biswas, Head of Managed Services, RCom said that the joint venture, at the time of its inception exactly one-year ago, had targeted to clock $500 million revenue over a period of five years.
“Now, we have increased it to $750 million and hope to even go past that target during the remaining period of five years,” Biswas added.
In its first year of operation, Biswas revealed that the JV has registered just over $100 million revenue which is likely to rise in the current year given that Reliance Communication was expanding its operations. Revenue from other prospective clients were also expected.
“The JV had started with CDMA and GSM operations and maintenance of five circles. Subsequently, we expanded the base to all 23 circles where RCom has operations,” he said.
Citi launches Citi Mobile Banking in Manila
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Citibank Philippines’ more than one million clients now need only their mobile phones to check their account information, pay bills and transfer money.
Leading the way in mobile-based banking, Citi, the country’s largest foreign bank, today launched Citi Mobile Banking (CMB). A purely browser-based mobile banking solution, Citi Mobile Banking allows clients to access Citibank’s online banking site, www.citibank.com.ph from their mobile phones.
With CMB, Citi clients can securely manage their banking needs, including checking account balance and making payments, from their mobile handsets, at any time and from any location. There is no need to download any new application to their devices, or register to begin enjoying the service. It is automatically accessible to all current Citibank Online users. (more…)
OTE agrees to buy Zapp Romania for $292.5Mn
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: OTE, the Balkans mobile operator has sought to purchase Zapp, the Romanian mobile operator for a price of 207 million euros ($292.5 million) to gain a 3G service in the region’s largest mobile phone market.
“The price … is expected to reach 61 million euros (equity value) while Cosmote will assume debt and other obligations worth about 146 million euros,” OTE unit Cosmote said in a statement.
OTE anticipates that its Romanian mobile operations to boost revenues as business in its other markets slows down due to economic crisis.
“With the deal signed today, a new cycle of growth … begins for Cosmote Romania,” said Cosmote Romania’s chief executive Michael Tsamaz.
The deal is subjected to regulatory approval.
