MTC launches 4G LTE services in Namibia (Namibia)
Mobile operator MTC has rolled out the 4G LTE cellular telephony in Windhoek, a broadband network that is said to be 10 times faster than the previous connection, according to a report by AllAfrica.
Speaking at the launch of the new technology, Miguel Geraldes, Managing Director of MTC said customers will have a much better experience in 4G as the speed will be tremendously faster. 4G is the fourth generation of wireless communication standards, converging computers and cellphones wirelessly in an era of ultra-fast broadband internet access.
As per the report, Geraldes said that there will be no latency, when you click the button, you no longer have to wait to get a response from the network as this will now be instant which is significant for business.
After Angola, Namibia becomes the second country in Africa to be equipped with the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE). MTC’s latest move follow last weeks launch of the long awaited West African Cable System, a connection that, among others is set to enable high-speed internet access. The 4G LTE will for now only be accessed in certain areas in Windhoek.
Geraldes added that they further expect to cover the whole of Windhoek with 4G LTE at the end of July 2012, adding that 4G LTE will allow mobility with download speeds up to 100MB per second and 50 Megabits per second upload compared with the current 3G where the speed was up to 7.2/1.8 Megabits per second. Further, put simply the speed will be 10 times much faster than the current version of Netman 3G.
Geraldes said MTC has ambitions to cover 45 per cent of the Namibian population in the next 12 months, including part of the rural areas, which, according to him, compared with the current 3G that covered close to 32 per cent based in urban areas.
There are a full range of devices already available for the customers from the dongle to connect with a laptop, a desktop, a tablet, and even a smartphone.
Verizon to cancel unlimited data plans with discounted handsets (USA)
Verizon Wireless has been considering the launch of shared data price plans which will enable consumers to use one data plan across different devices such as their smartphone, iPad and tablet. However, according to a recent report by TechCrunch, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said that every one of their customers would be on one of the carrier’s new data share plans.
This announcement has got consumers on Verizon’s unlimited data plans concerned. Subscribers who have just upgraded from a 3G to a 4G device with that older data plan intact will be able to hang on to it until the time they upgrade their smartphone.
Furthermore, as per the report, customers who pay the full outright price for their handsets will be able to keep their unlimited plans as well. Verizon said that when they introduce their new shared data plans, unlimited data will no longer be available to customers when purchasing handsets at discounted pricing.
Airtel brings the 4G revolution to Bengaluru (India)
Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecom services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today launched its 4G services in India’s IT hub – Bengaluru. Following the recent inaugural launch of Airtel 4G services in Kolkata, customers in Bengaluru have now become the second in India to have access to cutting-edge 4G LTE technology that delivers the most advanced wireless broadband experience available across the globe. As a first for the telecom industry worldwide, Airtel has also introduced ‘Smartbytes’ for 4G – thus allowing customers to buy these add on packs and continue enjoying the 4G experience even after exhausting their monthly data limits.
At the launch, Sanjay Kapoor, CEO – India & South Asia, Bharti Airtel said that as seen the world over, the total data usage is exploding and is doubling each year to grow to nearly 3.6 hexabytes by 2014. With the launch of 4G, India will move from being a follower in technology to matching the world in this domain. Leading from the front, Airtel is now the only operator that gives citizens of the Information Technology capital of Bengaluru, access to entire spectrum of broadband services including 2G, 3G and now 4G – thereby giving the customers never seen before data experience. Besides offering rich content, Airtel 4G will allow superfast access to High Definition (HD) video streaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos and much more.
As part of an exciting introductory offer by Airtel, customers subscribing to 4G services will now be given a cashback for the CPE / dongle – thus bringing device cost to customers zero and paving way for mass adoption of 4G services. Airtel 4G is now also available in an all new 30GB pack priced at $57.
Customers on Airtel 4G can already choose from a catalogue of over 35 high quality Bollywood movie titles and leverage the power of 4G to enjoy an unmatched video streaming experience. While 10 movie titles will be available free of cost for customers during the first month, movie buffs can pay a monthly subscription of INR 149 and watch unlimited movies. Airtel will be further adding to this list of movies in the catalogue in weeks to come.
In 2010, Airtel had successfully bid for BWA license spectrum in Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra (excluding Mumbai) circles. The company has launched its 4G LTE services in Kolkata and Bengaluru and is currently working towards rolling out state-of-the-art networks in remaining licence circles.
Tele2 partners with Nokia Siemens for 4G network (Sweden)
Tele2 customers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will soon enjoy superior mobile broadband with faster data speeds and improved coverage. Nokia Siemens Networks has been selected as the sole supplier of the operator’s 4G, LTE (long term evolution) radio and core network. In addition, the company will modernize and expand Tele2’s GSM and 3G networks. The 4G deployment and network modernization will be enabled using Nokia Siemens Networks’ Single RAN (radio access network) and Liquid Core technology.
Niklas Sonkin, Central Europe and Eurasia market area director, Tele2, said that they wanted to further improve the coverage and quality of mobile services for their customers by expanding and upgrading their existing networks to the latest technology. In addition, with increased adoption of smart devices and demand for high speed data services, they want to build LTE networks in the Baltics. Nokia Siemens Networks’ advanced radio and core platforms will ensure reliable network connections and high speed mobile broadband services for customers. With the company’s Single RAN, they will soon be able to launch LTE services, efficiently utilizing different frequency bands.
Armando Almeida, head of Europe and Africa customers at Nokia Siemens Networks, said that it is critical for operators such as Tele2 to upgrade their existing networks with future proof technologies to save equipment and operational costs today and tomorrow. Further, their flexible, scalable, energy-efficient radio access network is capable of supporting the current and future network capacity needs of Tele2. Their Liquid Core platform will help Tele2 intelligently manage its network traffic in real time and provide the best user experience across the three countries.
Under the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks is providing Tele2 with its advanced radio and core network elements to modernize and expand its networks, and build high speed LTE network in the Baltics. As part of its radio network, the company is providing its compact, award-winning Flexi Multiradio Base Stations, multi controller radio network controllers (mcRNC) and multi controller base station controllers (mc BSC).
As part of its core network, the company is providing its voice core network elements including its Liquid Core based open Mobile Switching Centre Server (MSS) and open Media Gateway (MGW). In addition, the company is providing its Evolved Packet Core (EPC) platform, including Flexi NS (network server), Flexi NG (network gateway) and Liquid Core based SGSN (serving GPRS support node.
Nokia Siemens Networks is also providing its network management system, NetAct to efficiently monitor, optimize and configure the operator’s network. The company is also supplying its subscriber data management (SDM) solution, including One-NDS real-time subscriber data repository and data-less Home Location Register, to consolidate the operators’ subscriber data from across their networks. In addition, the company is providing its planning, optimization, implementation and care services for a smooth upgrade and expansion of Tele2’s networks.
Google to increase mobile internet speed, mobile commerce to go up by $600 million a year (USA)
Internet giant Google Inc. is working at ways to speed up mobile internet speeds for Web pages to load faster on mobile phones, according to a report by BN. Google Inc.’s engineering director Arvind Jain has been continually monitoring the internet access rates, across hotels, offices and airports around the world, in an attempt to identify ways to speeden things up.
As per the report, currently a page takes 9.2 seconds to load in the U.S., while Jain’s mission is to get websites to load over mobile- phone networks twice as quickly as they do now. The company aims to use faster mobile internet access to unlock billions of dollars in additional e-commerce and online advertising. The report reveals that when people are waiting for pages to load, they aren’t shopping or viewing ads. That’s hampering everyone from giant Internet companies to local businesses trying to reach customers.
Jain claims that there’s a clear correlation between speed and the success of one’s online business.
One of the reasons that makes a mobile web connection slow is the carriers’ network, especially if they are unable to get 3G or 4G service on their phones. Often, though, it’s because the Web page wasn’t designed to load quickly on a wireless device. The site may have high-resolution pictures or data-intensive effects. Beyond that, Internet protocols and software aren’t always optimized for mobile connections, which can lose some of the data they transmit.
The report says that in order to fix the problem, Google is tweaking its mobile browser and working with other companies on changing the way basic Internet technologies work. It’s also rolling out tools that help website owners see the connection between their sites’ performance and sales. That can prod businesses to spend the money needed to speed up their services.
Further, it has been highlighetd that faster mobile Web loads could increase mobile-commerce sales in the U.S. by 10 percent, or about $600 million a year.
Samsung to launch the Galaxy S3 on May 3 (South Korea)
South Korean manufacturer has confirmed that it will be releasing the Samsung Galaxy S3 on May 3. The smartphone was announced by the company at the Mobile World Congress 2012 held in Barcelona and is expected to be promoted as the official smartphone of the 2012 Olympic Games, as per reports.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 will be launched simultaneously in New York, Seoul and Dubai. As per rumours doing the rounds regarding the successor of the Galaxy S2, the S3 is expected to be powered by Google Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) and a quad-core 1.5 GHz Exynos processor.
Further the phone is said to have a 4.65” AMOLED SuperPlus HD display, with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The S3 would boast of a 1 GB RAM with 32 GB storage capacity. There are two cameras in the phone, a 2 megapixels camera in front and a 8 megapixel rear camera offering HD recording. Reports reveal that the phone will be compatible with the LTE network as well.
The launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S3 will be held at Earl’s Court in London, on May 3.
Globe looks to launch 4G network by year-end in Cebu (Philippines)
Globe Telecom vice president for consumer business Peter Bithos has said that the operator is looking to launch fourth-generation (4G) mobile services in Cebu before the end of the year, as told to Cebu Daily News.
Bithos said that they expect 4G in the next two quarters of this year. Ultimately, upgrading the entire national network to 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) is Globe’s main plan, and its president and CEO Ernest Cu is confident this can be achieved without passing on the investment costs to consumers.
As per the report, Cu went on to say that he is confident Globe can maintain its 2011 level of performance despite the recent tie-up of PLDT and Digitel’s Sun Cellular mobile unit which has created an enlarged entity with a roughly 70 percent share of the domestic market. Globe Telecom is setting aside a USD700 million loan from various lending agencies to improve its infrastructure this year – including the installation of 4G across the country.
StarHub selects Nokia Siemens Networks for 4G, GSM modernization (Singapore)
StarHub, the second largest mobile operator in Singapore, has selected Nokia Siemens Networks as its LTE (4G) mobile broadband infrastructure and services vendor. In order to meet the fast growing demand for smartphone data services, the operator will refarm its 1800MHz GSM band to carry LTE services.
The first phase of StarHub’s LTE network is expected to go live by the end of 2012, covering key business areas such as the Singapore Changi Airport, Marina Bay, Suntec, and Shenton Way. As part of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will also modernise StarHub’s GSM network, helping the operator reduce power consumption generated by network equipment by up to 50 percent. The efficient use of resources is in line with StarHub’s commitment to act in an environmentally responsible manner throughout its operations.
Neil Montefiore, chief executive officer at StarHub said that they are constantly looking at ways to provide their subscribers the greatest mobile broadband experience, and Nokia Siemens Networks has the best solutions for it. With the launch of LTE, they will be able to increase their data capacity and offer improved speeds. They have also been looking to modernize their GSM network for some time and with the Nokia Siemens Networks Single RAN platform, they’ll be able to do that efficiently while building the LTE network.
Paul Tyler, head of Asia Pacific region at Nokia Siemens Networks, with spectrum being a scarce resource, it needs to be optimally utilised. The increasing use of smartphones and data hungry applications is putting a huge pressure on existing spectrum making refarming a viable option for operators. By allocating existing GSM spectrum to LTE, StarHub can cost-efficiently offer 4G mobile broadband services to its customers.
Nokia Siemens Networks will provide StarHub its Single RAN platform, built around the compact, energy efficient Flexi Multiradio Base Station, which will enable StarHub to run GSM and LTE concurrently on the 1800 MHz band. The company will also provide its Evolved Packet Core platform including Flexi NS (Network Server) and Flexi NG (Network Gateway). In addition, Nokia Siemens Networks will provide software for personalized customer experience management, including Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) and One-NDS subscriber data management (SDM).
Nokia Siemens Networks will also upgrade its NetAct network management system to enable a consolidated and effective monitoring, management and optimisation of StarHub’s LTE and GSM networks. Support services from Nokia Siemens Networks include network implementation, consulting for PCRF, and full set of hardware and software care services including spare part management, emergency support, software maintenance and third-party software support.
Wireless carriers begin trials for RIM’s PlayBook (Canada)
Wireless carriers in US and around the world have begun testing the PlayBook 3G and 4G with OS 2.0.1 according to a report by Berry Review. The report reveals that the launch has been scheduled for May around the same time that RIM (Research In Motion) would be hosting BlackBerry world 2012.
As per the report carriers AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless have begun testing the PlayBook in the Unites States; while Rogers, Bell Mobility and Telus have begun trials in Canada. Further, Orange UK and StarHub Singapore are also rumoured to be involved in the trials.
