QtelTelecommunications service provider Qtel Group has announced a new strategic plan in an attempt to keep up with the changing needs of the telecom industry. According to reports, Dr Nasser Marafih, CEO, Qtel Group said that they have had significant success to date and their aspiration to join the top twenty global operators by the end of the decade remains important for them. However, they recognize that the market is changing quickly and that they need to change with it.

He added that their new vision and Group strategy builds on their previous strategy and refines it by increasing their focus on differentiated customer experience, on transforming the way they manage their operations and embracing emerging and parallel business opportunities. At the same time, they will continue to set themselves challenging financial targets.

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European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, ­Neelie Kroes, has issued an urgent call to twenty one EU countries to introduce all the legislative measures necessary to allow the pan-EU deployment of mobile satellite services . These services could be for high-speed internet, mobile television and radio or emergency communications to EU consumers and businesses.

According to the timetable agreed by a Decision of the European Parliament and the EU’s Council of Ministers in 2008, Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) should be deployed in all EU Member States by May 2011 at the latest. But, more than twenty months after the Commission selected two operators to provide such pan-European services, 21 Member States have not yet adopted all the national rules needed to facilitate MSS deployment.

Vice-President Kroes recently requested two operators to step up their efforts. The key role that wireless broadband (both satellite and terrestrial) can play to ensure broadband coverage, including in remote and rural areas, is underlined in the Digital Agenda for Europe.

­TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) has announced that it will be supplying its location based services platforms to Huawei.

TCS will provide its end-to-end Xypoint LBS solutions to harmonize Huawei’s products and solutions. TCS will also deploy a dedicated team to support Huawei with business, marketing, and technical resources.

According to George Huang, the Vice President of Huawei Software, they look forward to working with TCS to provide their customers with a fully integrated set of location-based products and services.

As per forecasts the global LBS carrier revenue will grow from $2.6 billion in 2009 to $13 billion in 2013. The location capabilities that TCS is providing will allow Huawei to offer best-in-class location solutions to their carrier customers, enabling those carriers to tap into the emerging LBS market.

According to a survey conducted by Thomas/Ferrous, American consumers prefer using text messaging to complete their tasks instead of simply communicating with other individuals. More than 55% of a national sample of adults have either sent or received text messages regarding a product, business or organization. That percentage increases to 68% for those under the age of 45.

38% of respondents have chosen to opt-in to receive periodic text messages regarding a product, business or organization. Significantly more of those under the age of 45 have opted-in as opposed to that age 45+.

Opt-in respondents are not equally distributed throughout the country, with 48% living in the western USA and only 25% living in the eastern USA.

According to Jay Thomas, president of Thomas/Ferrous, millions of consumers are prepared to integrate text messaging into a broad range of their daily activities. Those marketers who can effectively engage consumers via text messaging will see substantial benefits.

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The results of the election for its inaugural LATAM Board have been announced by The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF).

In order to accelerate the growth of mobile media and entertainment across the region by creating dialogue between the industry and regulators, MEF’s LATAM Chapter was launched in November 2009.

Ron Czerny, CEO of Playphone, who has been elected Chairman of MEF LATAM, expressed his heart felt gratitude and welcomed their very experienced board of directors, a group which represent the interests of the entire mobile entertainment value chain.

According to him, the company will be building upon MEF’s expertise in fostering collaboration between the industry and regulators to promote sustainable business models and ensure that regulation is proportional to protect and grow members’ revenues and safeguard consumers.

A few more important dignitaries included in the MEF LATAM Board are Jorge Partidas, Co-Founder & CEO, WAU M³vil (Vice-Chairman), Rafaela Furtado (Mobile Business Manager, Abril Digital) and Ana Paula Lima (Sales Director VAS, Spring Wireless).

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Buongiorno, the world’s biggest mobile entertainment company, has announced its entry into the online and mobile ‘skill games’ market in Italy. The company seeks opportunities in business with the launch of WINGA, which includes a set of skill games, including slot machines, roulette, black jack and baccarat, plus casino, poker and bingo.

The company expects to launch WINGA by the end of Q2 2010 as it has secured a license to operate in the gaming business from the State Monopoly. In order to launch its commercial activities, as soon as the regulatory framework in those countries allows it, the company is also monitoring the evolution of regulatory procedures in other markets where it is already successfully operating in the B2C segment.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Andrea Casalini, the company sees a major opportunity opening up at the international level. After Italy, their target is the developments in gaming regulations in Europe.

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Nokia Executive Vice President Anssi Vanjoki: We may sell our handset manufacturing business
Nokia’s EVP, Anssi Vanjoki in an interview to a German publication (Wirtschaftswoche) admitted that Nokia may look to sell it’s hardware manufacturing unit.
After all, RIM (blackberry), Apple and Google don’t make their own handsets, they have all outsourced the hardware bit of it. Then, Why should Nokia?
Interestingly, the smartphone segment is different from the mass market phone segment, but then there is pretty stiff competition there too.
As we all know, in Q3 2009, Apple did knock Nokia off to become the Most profitable handset vendor.
After the “sweet” comments from Vanjoki, Nokia is in damage control mode now and Nokia spokesman Thomas Jonsson has issued a statement claiming that the “Logistics and Manufacturing network” are a very important “competitive advantage” for them (Nokia) and a core part of their business, and that they have no plans to change their business.  model”.

Nokia‘s EVP, Anssi Vanjoki in an interview to a German publication (Wirtschaftswoche) admitted that Nokia may look to sell it’s hardware manufacturing unit.

After all, RIM (blackberry), Apple and Google don’t make their own handsets, they have all outsourced the hardware bit of it. Then, Why shouldn’t Nokia?

Interestingly, the smartphone segment is different from the mass market phone segment, but then there is pretty stiff competition there too.

As we all know, in Q3 2009, Apple did knock Nokia off to become the Most profitable handset vendor.

(Update) After the comments from Vanjoki, Nokia is in damage control mode now and Nokia spokesman Thomas Jonsson has issued a statement claiming that the “Logistics and Manufacturing network” are a very important “competitive advantage” for them (Nokia) and a core part of their business, and that they have no plans to change their business model.

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MVNO deal signed by Tele2 in Germany

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement has been signed between Tele2 Telecommunications Services GmbH and VIAG Interkom in Germany as per which Tele2 will use Interkom’s wireless network to provide the air interface for Tele2′s fixed line customers.

With over 1 million residential and business fixed telephony customers, Tele2 is one of Germany’s largest Indirect Access Operators.

According to Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, President and CEO of Tele2 AB, Germany is the largest telecoms market in Europe and this MVNO will enable Tele2 to offer an attractively priced offering of both fixed and mobile services on one bill to its customers.

The MVNO is expected to be operational in Q2 2002.