Wireless Federation

Belgium’s 4G spectrum auction valued at US$ 103.7 million (Belgium)

On 11.29.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Belgian regulatory body BIPT (Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications) has reportedly said that it has sold 4G licences to four bidders at a value of US$ 103.7 million. According to reports, the 2,575-2,620 MHz frequency block (TDD spectrum) along with 6 frequency blocks in the 2,500-2,570 MHz and 2,620-2,690 MHz frequency bands (FDD spectrum) were put up for the auction.

As per sources, the operators who were successful in the 4G spectrum auction include Belgacom at US$ 26.9 million, BUCD BVBA at US$ 29.9 million, KPN Group Belgium at US$ 20.04 million and Mobistar at US$ 26.7 million. Mobile operator Craig Wireless Belgium also bid for the 4G licence spectrum but was not successful.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 4G • Belgacom • Belgium • BIPT (Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications) • BUCD BVBA • Craig Wireless • KPN Group Belgium • Mobistar

Telefonica signs network sharing agreement with China Unicom (Spain, China)

On 11.22.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Spanish telecom operator Telefonica has reportedly entered into a strategic partnership with China Unicom, wherein both operators will use each other’s networks to expand their coverage. According to reports, the deal will provide Telefonica access to China Unicom’s network in the regions of Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Australia, France and Sweden.

In return, China Unicom can reportedly increase its presence through Telefonica’s network in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, USA, Puerto Rico, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria Denmark, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland.

Reports suggest that Telefonica believes this agreement will help both operators expand their capabilities to provide telecom services to various customers in different geographic areas.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Denmark • Argentina • Australia • Austria • Belgium • Brazil • Bulgaria • Chile • China • China Unicom • Colombia • Czech Republic • Ecuador • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Guatemala • Hong Kong • Hungary • Ireland • Italy • Japan • Latvia • Lithuania • Mexico • Morocco • Netherlands • Network Sharing • Norway • Oman • Panama • Peru • Poland • Portugal • Puerto Rico • Romania • Singapore • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland • Telefonica • USA • Venezuela

Vodafone may be in talks to acquire KPN’s Spanish unit (Europe)

On 11.17.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Telecom giant Vodafone may reportedly be in talks to buy the Simyo mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Spanish business from Dutch telecom company, KPN. According to reports, KPN has been looking for prospective buyers, including Vodafone, for the sale of its Spanish operations.

As per sources, Elco Blok, CEO, KPN had said earlier in the year that they were looking to refocus KPN’s international mobile division, including expanding Ortel, its mobile phone business which targets immigrants, and would cut inefficient operations outside the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.

Simyo is a low-budget, pre-paid mobile phone service, offered by KPN which is only obtainable online in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Spain, while Ortel is available in all the countries where KPN operates. Reports suggest that there are around 800,000 mobile customers using pre-paid services offered by KPN’s Spain and France units.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Belgium • Elco Blok • France • Germany • KPN • Netherlands • Ortel • Simyo • Spain • Vodafone

Nokia, RIM lead mobile market, Apple lags behind (India)

On 10.14.11, In Mobile, By Editor

While Apple iPhone’s have become quite the rage across the world, India, the world’s second largest mobile phone market, receives fewer handsets than most of the smaller markets, as per recent reports. Nokia and Research In Motion have been the most successful in India’s mobile market with 602 million subscribers.

Analysts suggest that one of the reasons for Apple’s lower market share in India is the inability of Indian wireless carriers to offer fast services that use the iPhone features to the fullest. As per reports, the 3G network in India isn’t at par with the services offered in regions like Western Europe and Northern America. Further, as Apple only sells its products through licensed resellers, accessibility to the product can also become an issue.

As per the World Bank estimates, about 900 million people live on less than $2 a day in India. With the cheapest iPhone 4 selling for $705 and the cheapest iPad 2 costing about $603, affordability is also a cause for concern for users in the nation. In contrast, Apple’s U.S. online store offers its users the iPhone 4 at $199 with an AT&T Inc. contract and the iPad at $499. Sources claim that while only 62,043 iPhones were shipped to India during the last quarter, lesser than those send to Norway, Belgium or Israel, the number of iPads shipped was as low as 21,150 accounting for only 0.2 percent of its global total.

As per sources, Nokia accounted for 46 percent of India’s smartphone shipments in the quarter ended June 30, followed by Samsung Electronics at 21 percent, RIM at 15 percent while Apple accounted for only 2.6 percent. Further, reports suggest that Nokia and Research In Motion Ltd. sell more devices in India, where smartphone shipments are forecast to grow almost 70 percent a year until 2015.

Analysts claim that RIM got the right product, the right timing and the right app. RIM’s BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) instant-messaging service gained popularity because it was one of the first, and it functions well on 2G speeds as well. As per reports, Krishnadeep Baruah, Director of Marketing for Waterloo, Canada-based RIM in India said that RIM, which entered India in 2004, plans to extend its lead over Apple after expanding distribution to 80 cities from 15 starting last year.

As per industry estimates, smartphone shipments in India are expected to grow at an average of 68 percent a year, to 81.5 million units by 2015.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Apple • Belgium • Blackberry • Canada • India • iPhone • Israel • Nokia • Norway • RIM

Mobistar to upgrade its network with LTE equipment from Huawei (Belgium)

On 09.12.11, In Mobile Operators, Mobile Technology, By Editor

Mobistar, Belgium’s second largest mobile network provider has reportedly said that it plans to replace its entire 2G Nortel equipment with the new Long Term Evolution ready (LTE ready) equipment from Huawei.

The company plans to upgrade its entire network by 2013 citing that the new Huawei base stations would cut the company’s carbon-dioxide by around 50 per cent. As per the contract, nearly 500 cellular antennas will be replaced this year, with the remaining network upgrade spread across the next year, following project completion by 2013.

The new 3G equipment obtained through the $49 million project is expected to increase the firm’s transmission capacity and in-building penetration capabilities.

Filed under:Mobile Operators,Mobile Technology Tagged with: 2G • 3G • Belgium • Huawei • LTE • Mobistar • Nortel

Telenet Tecteo Bidco joins the group of 3G licensees (Belgium)

On 08.03.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Telenet

Earlier, a 3G license for Telenet Tecteo Bidco was announced by BIPT, the telecom regulator in Belgium. The company has finally, been awarded the 3G license in the wake of the conditions to have been accepted by the licensee on 29 July.

To start with, the telco had offered BIPT $874,296 per month for the total spectrum available which was 1950.1-1964.9 MHz /2140.1-2154.9 MHz. In addition, Telenet Tecteo Bidco had chosen to pay the amount bid in annual installments over a total period from July 2011 to March 2021.

At this point, the conditions of the licence have been accepted by Telenet Tecteo Bidco, in addition to the payment to have been paid by the telco for 2011.

Eventually, Telenet Tecteo Bidco has joined the group of 3G licensees, the other constituents being Belgacom, Mobistar and KPN Group Belgium. The new entrant into the 3G space is bound to roll out related services in no later than 18 months from the date of when the licence was granted, i.e. 15 July 2011.

Paradoxically, Telenet Tecteo Bidco is yet to formally confirm its first step into the 3G space but the telco has expressed its ambitions with regard to the prospective acquisition of the reserved spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands, and wanting to deploy services on the back of these spectrums for the first time on 27 November 2015.

4G licenses in the 2.6 GHz band are expected to be auctioned in the autumn. As on 1 June, 2011, the announcement has already been published while 14 October, 2011 has been set as the deadline for candidates to apply.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Belgium • operator

BBC unveils iPad app in Europe for its TV shows

On 07.28.11, In Mobile, By Editor

bbc_ipad_app

BBC, the UK based broadcaster has announced the unveiling of an app for Apple’s iPad. The app makes it possible for reviewing the BBC television shows by way of the iPad’s inbuilt iPlayer app.

It is going to be an on-demand subscription service. Western Europe will witness the app’s launch in 11 markets, ahead of subsequent launches elsewhere. Services will be offered at $10.04 per month or $71.86 annually in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Republic of Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, in the app’s initial launch.

Subscribers will be able to both stream and download shows for offline viewing – the major highlight of the BBC app.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Austria • Belgium • France • Germany • Ireland • Italy • Luxembourg • Mobile • Netherlands • Portugal • Spain • Switzerland

EU member states served notice to expedite implementation of new telecom regulations

On 07.20.11, In Mobile, By Editor

25^th May 2011 was the deadline set by the European Parliament and the EU’s Council of Ministers for the member states of the European Commission for full implementation of the new EU telecoms rules as part of their national law. Twenty of the EU member states have been sent information requests as to why they have not yet reverted with regard to the stipulated implementation of the telecoms rules.

Under the EU infringement procedures, the information requests are equivalent to letters of formal notice.

Under the ambit of the new EU telecoms rules, phones, mobile services and internet are taken into account with regard to rights of the consumers and businesses. The highlights of these rights comprise of customers being empowered to switch telecoms operators in just one day without changing their phone number, more transparency regarding the services customers are offered, in addition to securing their personal data online.

So far only seven Member States namely Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Malta, Sweden and the UK have confirmed the Commission of full implementation of the rules; a majority of the EU member states having notified the Commission of implementation to certain extents while the legislative processes are continuing.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain constitute the twenty other Member States that are yet to respond to the letters of formal notice within two months, failing which or even not being convincing, the Commission stands to issue the concerned Member States, a formal request to implement the legislation. The second request will be the form of a ‘reasoned opinion’ under EU infringement procedures. Eventually, the matter will be referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Denmark • Austria • Belgium • Bulgaria • Cyprus • Czech Republic • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Hungary • Ireland • Italy • Latvia • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Malta • Netherlands • Oman • operator • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden

Vodafone looks to improve customer experience while roaming with latest roaming offers (Malta)

On 07.12.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Vodafone announces new call and internet usage rates while roaming. The new offerings lets consumers pay at local rates outside of the local zone.

At the cost of $1.39, customers will now be able to take advantage of a 10 minute call while roaming as well as use 30 MB of data per day for $4.17. Vodafone is looking to bring to customers an enhanced experience at competitive rates.

Vodafone’s latest offerings are applicable in Vodafone networks across Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and United Kingdom, in addition to roaming in Austria on Mobilkom, Belgium on Belgacom, France on SFR and Switzerland on Swisscom.

According to Daniel Grech, Business Marketing Manager at Vodafone Malta, Vodafone’s initiatives with regard to roaming are part of the bigger effort to provide customers the most competitive roaming rates as well as roaming service.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Austria • Belgium • Czech Republic • France • Germany • Greece • Hungary • Ireland • Italy • Malta • Netherlands • Oman • operator • Portugal • Romania • Spain • Switzerland • United Kingdom • USA

TeliaSonera comes on board the M2M cooperation agreement to join France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom

On 07.07.11, In Mobile, By Editor

With TeliaSonera’s joining the initial alliance inked by France Telecom-Orange and Deutsche Telekom with regard to Machine to Machine (M2M) services, it represents the expansion of the growing cooperation among operators.

France, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg were brought under their coverage when the seed agreement was ratified, the first time by France Telecom-Orange and Deutsche Telekom in February 2011. Ever since, the Netherlands and the UK were also covered under the purview of this alliance as result of more operators joining in.

Presently, the footprint of the M2M cooperation agreement will include TeliaSonera’s geographical reach as well, represented by Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania.

Apparently, this multi-lateral alliance stands to enhance roaming services across countries where the stake holders operate, characterized by improved service quality as opposed to the initial services offered based on bi-lateral roaming agreements, concentrated within single markets.

The troubleshooting capability that the joined forces of France Telecom-Orange, Deutsche Telekom and TeliaSonera stand to muster is being seen as a key attribute of the agreement; expected to ensure quality roaming services to customers.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Denmark • Belgium • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Netherlands • Norway • operator • Sweden