Belgium

Belgium to hold auction for 4th 3G license in Sep

On 03.08.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The auction for the fourth 3G license will be conducted by the Belgian government along with the auction of five spectrum blocks for LTE, in the month of September. The first auction will be for the UMTS license in which, 15 MHz block has to yield at least EUR 80 million, or EUR 40 million for 5 MHz blocks. The license had no buyers in the auction which took place in 2001.

Telenet and Voo, the two cable operators in the country have expressed their interest in the auctions. EUR 150 million has already been paid by the Belgacom, Mobistar and KPN Belgian in 2001 for the blocks.

The licenses for five 2.6 GHz spectrum have been divided into four blocks of 15 MHz for LTE, expected to be sold for at least. 50 MHz Wimax license will also be auctioned for at least EUR 25 million.

Tagged with: 3G • Auction • Belgium • Europe • KPN • LG • Mobistar • MTS • operator • spectrum • Telenet • UMTS • WiMAX

MWC2010: Mobile tech to reshape society in economic crisis, says Vodafone CEO

On 02.17.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The role the technology to overcome the global financial crisis became the topic of discussion at the Mobile World Congress for Vodafone Group chief executive Vittorio Colao expressed that mobile technology has the ability to reshape society in the wake of the economic crisis.

According to Colao, machine-to-machine technology which is the ability for devices, in healthcare for example, to connect over the mobile network deployed in a “massive way” in Europe could save 40 billion Euros and 110 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to the emissions from the country of Belgium.

In Barcelona, along with 15 other mobile operators Vodafone too supported a wholesale platform for mobile applications that allows developers a single point of access to more than $3 billion mobile customers. The move is a challenge to Apple’s dominance in the application space which has seen mobile operators lose control of the content pumped across their networks.

According to Alcatel Lucent chief executive Ben Verwaayen, consumers will need retraining from the expectations of the all-you-can-eat model to different prices for quality of service.

Tagged with: Alcatel-Lucent • Apple • Barcelona • Belgium • Economic Crisis • Europe • Mobile Application • Mobile World Congress • MWC2010 • Vodafone

Orange to charge for handset customer care services

On 02.16.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Orange customers seeking support for handset specific issues will now be charged. Remote assistance service will also be included in the dedicated hotline assistance allowing Orange agents to remotely connect to a customer’s device and offer real-time, technical set-up and support.

Specialist customer service representatives will give expert assistance offering telephone guidance and answer queries, such as how to set up web and email access, how to synchronize and back-up a device and how to connect accessories.

Smart phone customers will receive the service as an Orange Care package. Launching in Q2 2010, the service will be available in France, Switzerland, UK, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Romania, Moldova and Belgium.

Tagged with: Belgium • Europe • France • Launch • Oman • Orange • Poland • Romania • Slovakia • Spain • Switzerland • UK

France Telecom’s Orange expands its travel data daily roaming tariff

On 02.15.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The expansion of a EUR2 for 2MB mobile internet tariff for roaming customers has been announced by France Telecom’s Orange. The 2MB Travel Data Daily roaming bundle has already been launched in Spain and Romania in 2009 and it will now be rolled out to the UK, Poland, France, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium and Moldova.

Orange is also offering a EU5 for 10MB daily data roaming limited to Apple iPhone users.

According to Olaf Swantee, senior executive vice president for the Orange’s global mobile business, for roughly the price of a cup of coffee, Orange is helping customers keep doing what they’re doing; not only designed for heavier users who use the mobile internet to download music or games but for everyday customers who want to be able to check their emails, tweet or upload their pictures to social networking sites, anywhere they may be within the EU.

Tagged with: Apple • Austria • Belgium • Europe • France • France Telecom • iPhone • LG • Luxembourg • Moldova • Orange • Poland • Romania • Slovakia • Social Networking • Spain • Switzerland • UK

Belgium’s Mobistar revenue to fall in FY2009-10

On 02.12.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Due to increased regulation and higher levels of investment, Belgium’s second largest mobile network operator by subscribers, Mobistar is expecting lower earnings in its current financial year, ending March 2010. The company also expects EUR100 million (USD137.6 million) in savings over the next three years on operating costs and investments.

In this regard, Mobistar signed a deal with KPN Belgium in October 2009, to work together on the construction and operation of new sites for future deployments of their respective networks.

In Q4 last year, Mobistar recorded a drop of 1.2 % in the service revenue from EUR1.06 billion a year earlier to EUR1.048 billion. Mobistar has claimed that it expects the negative impact of the regulation for MTR and roaming for 2009 on total revenues to be approximately EUR35 million.

Tagged with: Belgium • Europe • KPN • LG • Mobistar • MTR • operator

Telenet & KDG to implement DOSCIS 3.0

On 02.10.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: With the aim to raise maximum broadband internet download speeds to 100Mbps, Cable operators Telenet of Belgium and Germany’s Kabel Deutschland (KDG) have both announced the implementation of the DOSCIS 3.0 standard.

‘Telenet FiberNet’ 100Mbps high speed internet from mid-March at EUR99 (USD135) a month will be launched by the Belgian company across its entire network.

Initially, KDG will offer new service in Hamburg, but plans to expand the offering to the cities of Munich, Berlin and Hanover within six months. Two packages bundling internet and telephony services with unlimited calling to domestic fixed line customers are the two options provided to the subscribers.

Tagged with: Belgium • Europe • Fibernet • Germany • KDG • LG • Munich • Telenet

Belgacom to launch revamped internet packages (Belgium)

On 02.08.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Belgian operator Belgacom will launch its revamped internet offerings on March 1, 2010. Internet Start with 2 GB is the entry-level package; Internet Comfort with 8 GB is the standard package and Internet Favorite with 75 GB will be the heavier usage package.

EUR 18.90 per month will be charged for Internet Start with speeds at 2 Mbps, EUR 32.50 for Internet Comfort with 12 Mbps speed. Internet Favorite and Internet Intense will provide 20 Mbps for EUR 42.90 and EUR 56 respectively. Larger mailbox volumes of 1 GB will benefit all packages.

Additional volume could be bought by customers exceeding their data limits. with Start and Comfort customers paying EUR 1 per extra 1 GB and Favorite clients EUR 5 per extra 20 GB. Both new and existing customers can avail the new offering.

Tagged with: Belgacom • Belgium • Europe • Internet Offering • Internet Package • LG • operator • USA

50% reduction in MTRs proposed by Belgian regulator

On 02.05.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: To increase competition in the wireless sector and reduce the cost of calls to consumers, the mobile network operators of Belgium has been asked by the country’s telecoms regulator, the Belgian Institute for Post and Telecommunications (BIPT) to halve mobile termination rates (MTRs). The operators have six weeks to respond to the regulator’s proposals.

50% cut in MTRs, far steeper than the 20% reduction has been recommended by the regulator. It is now widely expected that all three operators, Proximus (Belgacom Mobile), Mobistar and BASE, will appeal the decision.

Regulation of mobile interconnection rates had been proposed by BIPT in March 2006, and while the charges have been cut by around 50% since that date, the levels remain different for each of the three operators.

Tagged with: Belgacom • Belgium • BIPT • Europe • Interconnection Rate • LG • Mobile Termination Rates • Mobistar • MTRs • operator

Telecom Italia’s shares might be acquired by Telefonica

On 01.28.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Shares of Telecom Italia may be acquired by Telefonica at a premium of up to 30%. According to a local newspaper of Italy, Telefonica may be preparing an all-share bid for Telecom Italia, and setting up a holding company to conduct the takeover.

Meanwhile, the remaining shares in subsidiary Ortel Mobile have been acquired by Dutch operator KPN for an undisclosed sum. 65% of Ortel, which operates prepaid services in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, in March 2008, has been taken over and the remaining shares will be acquired by Ortel’s founders.

Tagged with: Belgium • Europe • Germany • KPN • LG • Netherland • operator • Ortel Mobile • Telecom Italia • Telefonica

ZTE wins KPN’s 3G upgrade contracts

On 01.21.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Two contracts to build HSPA networks for European telecoms operator KPN of the Netherlands has been won by ZTE, a Chinese telecoms equipment manufacturer.

Under the agreement, HSPA platforms will be supplied by ZTE for the upgradation of Dutch telco’s German and Belgian subsidiaries, E-Plus Mobilfunk’s and KPN Belgium’s (Mobistar) 3G networks.

A wireless data services with a maximum download speed of 21.6Mbps will be offered after the completion of the two high speed networks

Tagged with: 3G • Belgium • E-Plus • Europe • HSPA • KPN • Netherland • operator • ZTE