T-Mobile NL installs Voxeo technology for self-service portal
T-Mobile Netherlands has installed Voxeo’s technology to deliver personalized self-service to its customers.Voxeo is a voice application platforms and hosted services provider.
Based on the experience T-Mobile made with deployments of this technology in countries such as Austria, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Poland and Slovakia, the company selected Voxeo’s application lifecycle management suite VoiceObjects to provide customer self-service including customers receiving information about their number portability status, the handset repair status if they submitted a handset for repair, and they can set service barrings for international calls and premium numbers.
Additional services include the ability to activate or deactivate the mailbox service and a contract end date information service. If a customer’s contract is getting to the end date, the customer will be automatically transferred to an agent to extend the contract which increases sales revenue.
T-Mobile will further expand the self-service portal with additional new applications to increase the customer service automation rate. No financial details were disclosed.
ITU boosts universal charging service to more devices
The International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) has expanded its universal charging service by extending its use to a variety of devices and making it more energy efficient.
It will no longer be necessary to provide a charger with ICT devices. A detachable cable with standardised end connectors will allow connection to devices including all mobile phones and other hand-held devices.
This also means that it can be used for data transfer. ITU Membership also agreed to specify a no-load power consumption of the power adapter below 0.03W. The standard will enable global energy reduction.
Chargers built according to the standard will use eco-friendly materials, and the user guide will remind people to unplug their chargers when not in use, to reduce the environmental impact of charging.
In addition, the recommended charging current has been increased, in the range 750 to 1500 mA to reduce charging time. The standard meets the requirements of the Basel Convention on e-waste.
Companies including Telecom Italia, France Telecom-Orange, China Academy of Telecommunication Research (CATR), RIM, Swisscom, Belgacom, AT&T, Telefonica, TDC, Huawei, Telia Sonera and A1 Telekom Austria have already committed to the standard.
Silver Server provides internet connections for Freewave (Austria)
Freewave is using internet connections from Austrian business ISP Silver Server to provide services for its customers.
Freewave deploys WLAN hotspots for cafes and hotels, with Silver Server providing the internet connections.
A1 to offer HTC Sensation smartphone at end-May (Austria)
A1 Telekom Austria wil be launching the HTC Sensation smartphone at end-May.
The Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) device has a 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor, 4.3-in display, 8-megapixel camera and HTC Sense interface.
T-Mobile Austria ends Q1 with 3.83 million customers
T-Mobile Austria has reported that its has posted a revenue of US$333.35 million for Q1 2011, down 7.7 percent , with EBITDA down by 27.7 percent year-on-year to US$87.34 million, from US$120.82 million.
The fall in revenue, which primarily related to service revenue,was the result of intense competition and lower termination rates. Service revenue was down 7.2 percent to US$317.34 million.
T-Mobile Austria ended Q1 with a total of 3.83 million mobile customers, up 5.6 percent from 3.63 million a year earlier, divided into 2.40 million contract customers, up 3 percent from 2.33 million, and 1.44 million pre-paid customers, up 10.6 percent year-on-year from 1.30 million.
Total net additions were 54,000 in Q1, with 15,000 contract and 39,000 pre-paid net additions.
Austrian mobile users intensively use cost control apps
Austrian mobile lobby organisation FMK has announced that the country’s mobile phone customers are intensively using cost control features offered by their service providers.
The group claims that cost control apps offered are accessed around 70,000 times a day by customers. Customers can view their data usage on the websites of operators, or via phone or text.
Orange Austria introduces Mother’s Day promotion
Orange Austria has introduced a promotion offering cheap top-end handsets and free activation for Mother’s Day.
From 06-09 May, it is offering free connection for all new customers, saving them US$74.32.
It is also offering heavily discounted handsets, such as the iPhone 4 16 GB in black or white from US$1.44 in combination with the ‘Hallo iPhone’ tariff.
Other handsets are being offered at half price. The promotion applies to handsets purchased with selected tariffs on 24-month contracts, subject to stock.
T-Mobile Austria appoints Radszuweit Vice President Regional Business Sales
T-Mobile Austria has named Jens Radszuweit as Vice President Regional Business Sales with effect from April.
In this role, he has responsibility for the operator’s regional business customer sales and reports to Ewald Zadrazil, Head of Business Sales.
He replaces Manfred Dodes, who took over the Indirect Sales division on 01 February.
Orange says no plans to sell Romania operations
Orange Romania has dismissed reports published by the local media that the France Telecom-Orange Group plans to sell its operations in Romania.
Speculation appeared in the Romanian press after France Telecom CEO Stephane Richard announced a review of the operator’s European activities.
In the worst case scenario, the group may decide to sell operations following this assessment. At the same time, it could be the basis for consolidating projects (such as the Orange and T-Mobile joint venture in the UK and infrastructure-sharing agreements in Poland and Austria).
According to the company, the group has not taken any decision to sell or to strengthen its operations in any European market and it does not have such projects in progress.
The strategic evaluation of the portfolio is not a new operation and was also mentioned by Stephane Richard in February, when presenting financial results in 2010.
Emporia inks distribution deal with Coriolis Telecom (Austria)
Emporia Telecom has awarded its first distribution licence for the French market to phone wholesaler Coriolis Telecom.
The latter will sell Emporia’s easy-to-use phones for seniors. Coriolis, which owns a phone store chain and is also a telecom service provider to businesses and consumers, will distribute Emporia’s new Elegance phone to retailers across France and its overseas counties and territories.
It will sell the EmporiaElegance to consumers from its Telephone Store outlets and will propose the product to all of its distribution partners, including consumer electronics chains, supermarkets, specialised phone stores and e-commerce sites.
Emporia specialises in designing mobile handsets for consumers who do not want complicated menus and see little value in multimedia applications. Its latest phone features a vibrating alarm, flash light and direct access to text message mode via lateral buttons.
