Svein Aaser elected new Chairman of the Board of Telenor (Norway)
Svein Aaser has been elected as the new Chairman of the board for mobile operator Telenor. Svein Aaser was CEO of Den norske Bank and DnB NOR from 1998 to 2007. He was previously CEO of Nycomed from 1987 to 1996. He has also been the CEO of Storebrand Skade, Nora Matprodukter and Stabburet Nora. He has served as president of The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) and as Chairman of Finance Norway (FNO). Today, Aaser is the Chairman of the Board of Statkraft and Det Norske Oljeselskap.
In a comment Svein Aaser said he is looking forward to working with the Board and management team at Telenor ASA. He said Telenor is among the largest mobile operators in the world and they have achieved a strong market position in a short period of time, both in Europe and in Asia. He looks forward to learning more about the organisation and its markets.
The Corporate Assembly also elected Anders Skjævestad to succeed Jan Erik Korssjøen as Chairman of the Corporate Assembly and thus Chairman of the Nomination Committee. Skjævestad has been member of the Corporate Assembly and the Nomination Committee since 2009.
SingTel plans acquisition in China and US (Singapore)
Leading telecom operator in Singapore, SingTel has hinted towards acquiring businesses in China or US, to make up or slow growth in its domestic market.
As per a statement made by the company, SingTel may raise its stakes in associates in Asia and Africa and make other strategic investments. The company reported a 30 percent jump in fourth-quarter profit. Net income climbed to $1 billion in the three months ended March 31.
Chief Executive Officer Chua Sock Koong, said that when they look at acquiring the technology know how in the start up space, they could be looking at quite a few different places. She added that it could be startups in Silicon Valley, California or in countries such as India and China.
The company added that group revenue at the Singapore and Australia operations are forecast to grow at low single-digit rates this year while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization may be stable. Further, dividends from associates in Asia and Africa are expected to grow.
Batelco appoints Marco Regnier as CFO (Bahrain)
Bahrain’s leading telecom operator, Batelco Group, has appointed Marco Regnier as group chief financial officer (CFO) with immediate effect. According to reports, group chief executive Shaikh Mohamed bin Isa Al Khalifa said that they are are pleased to welcome Marco to the Group. His experience internationally and with other regional telecommunications companies in our markets of operation will further strengthen Batelco Group’s management team.
He added that it also supports efforts, at this important time, for continued market leadership in Bahrain and the group’s drive for growth across the Middle East and North Africa markets and Asia. Further, he would also like to take this opportunity to express our collective gratitude to Kataryna Stapleton for her continued dedication and professionalism over the last five years with Batelco. He said that she has added considerable value to the group and its subsidiaries and they wish her the best in her future endeavours.
Prior to this Regnier was employed with Tunisie Telecom as CFO for three years.
Bharti Airtel in talks with Chinese OEMs for ‘mifi’ services (Asia)
Bharti Airtel, India’s leading telecom operator, is said to be in talks with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) from China to bring ‘mifi’ devices that will help people in India to access fourth generation services from their 3G smartphones on the move, according to a report by ET.
The report reveals that mifi seems to be the best option to offer customers, considering that there is still time for the rollout of 4G services and smartphones. The mifi will be offered in a tiny, battery-operated, wireless device about half the size of a cellphone, making it easy to carry and access the 4G network on its 3G phone via wifi.
According to the report, since a mifi device can also provide 4G connectivity from a tablet, it is likely to be positioned as a mass-market tool by Bharti to prise open the relatively underpenetrated tablet market, which can complement its small-screen 3G offerings.
A company official told ET that they have tested some Chinese mifi devices at the last Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona and are talking to several OEMs to work out a bulk procurement deal. These portable devices can facilitate mobile access from either a 3G phone or a tablet while on the move.
Airtel to launch 4G/LTE services in India (Asia)
India’s leading mobile operator Bharti Airtel is set to launch 4G services in Kolkata this month, as reported by ET. As per the report, Sanjay Kapoor, CEO, Bharti Airtel said that the 4G service will be launched this month in the city of Kolkata.
The operator will be the first to launch 4G services in India, which is expected to offer users download speeds of around 100 MB per second on the move and it can go up to 1 Gigabits per second at a fixed location.
As reported earlier, Airtel had entered into a partnership with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) for building and operating its 4G network in Maharashtra.
Etisalat launches 3G service in Afghanistan (Asia)
UAE’s leading mobile operator Etisalat has launched third-generation (3G) network services in Aghanistan, as per a statement made by the company. The operator claims that it is the first operator in the nation to provide 3G services.
However, the operator is yet to provide details regarding which areas of Afghanistan will receive 3G services, Currently, the operator’s network covers 30 provinces in the country.
As per reports, Etisalat has invested over $300 million in Afghanistan since 2007 and accounts for 3.5 million customers in the country.
Vodafone Australia may be up for sale (Australia)
Telecom operator Vodafone Australia may be up for sale, with an information memorandum sent out to potential purchasers in Europe and Asia, as reported by The Australian. The report reveals that an information memorandum has been sent to telecom operators and sovereign wealth funds in Asia and the Middle East, amongst others, in an attempt to gauge the market reaction to the sale.
The telecom operator has reportedly been facing increasing churn levels owing to recent network outages in the past two years. However, in an attempt to resolve the issues, Vodafone has initiated an extensive upgrade of its network infrastructure, so as to offer better customer experience.
Vodafone Australia’s two major shareholders are the Hutchison Whampoa group based in Hong Kong, and the master Vodafone Company, which is based in the UK.
Tele2 looks for acquisition opportunities in Central Asia to compete with TeliaSonera (Europe)
Sweden based telecom firm, Tele2 is reportedly looking for acquisition opportunities in Central Asia, in an attempt to better compete with rival operator TeliaSonera. According to reports, Tele2 had acquired a majority stake in Kazakhstan’s wireless operator NEO, in March 2010.
As per sources, Lars Nilsson, CFO, Tele2 has said that countries in the vicinity of Kazakhstan can always be of interest as long as the market is not too small. He added that the target markets need at least 1 million potential customers for Tele2 to make an investment worthwhile. Further, reports suggest that Tele2 has more than 1 million Kazakh customers and expects to reach as many as 2.5 million by the end of 2012.
TeliaSonera currently operates in the regions of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. As per reports, it is looking to increase its stake in partially owned companies and is currently investing more in Kcell.
Sources claim that Telenor has been focusing on India and regions in Southeast Asia for opportunities in the emerging markets. According to reports, Richard Olav Aa, CFO, Telenor said that he expects Indian authorities to create more transparent rules for mergers and acquisitions within the next three years, and the company would be able to engage in mergers if it meets its 2013 breakeven goal.
