Huawei announces managed services agreement with Telefonica UK (UK, China)
Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, announced the signing of a five-year managed services agreement with Telefónica UK. Under the agreement, Huawei will be responsible for planning and managing Telefónica UK’s core transmission, mobile access and network construction in the multivendor core network.
Victor Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei UK, said that they are very pleased to announce their first major managed services agreement with Telefónica UK. Having collaborated with Telefónica in a number of markets around the world, this agreement, which focuses on building world-class managed services capabilities in the UK, is no doubt an important step in extending our relationship with Telefónica UK.
As part of the agreement, 56 Telefónica UK employees will transfer to Huawei and work for Huawei’s managed services business in order to implement the planning and building of the core network. In addition, 62 contractors will also be transferred. These transfers will comply with the terms and conditions outlined in the Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (TUPE) regulations.
Mr. Zhang added that he is also glad to welcome 56 new employees to Huawei from Telefónica UK. Their skills and experience will be invaluable to Huawei as we seek to develop their managed services capabilities in the UK, as well as managing Telefónica UK’s core network. This agreement, indeed, further underlines their long-term commitment and investment in the UK market.
As the fastest growing managed services provider in the world, Huawei currently collaborates with operators on over 240 agreements in more than 60 countries, providing first-class network products and support to operators.
Windows phones overtake Apple iPhone in China (China)
The Chinese market has been showing great acceptance for Windows phones over other operating systems. According to a report by mobile and apps, just two months after the first set of Windows Phones entered the Chinese market, the platform made giant strides to take 7 percent of the market. In doing this, Windows has overtaken Apple and is now second only to Google’s Android based smartphones.
Microsoft’s ultimate target is to overtake Android to be the dominant player in the smartphone arena. As per the report, another 7 percent growth in similar time frame would propel Windows Phone to be viewed as a viable alternative to Android, which would boost growth more significantly.
Michel van der Bel, COO Greater China Region at Microsoft said that their smartphone and tablet-pc are hybrid, making them suitable for the consumer, but also easy to insert within an existing company infrastructure. This will allow them to better anticipate the consumerization of IT than many competitors.
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.
M-commerce to overtake e-commerce soon (India)
In an emerging market such as India, mobile broadband is expected to become the prime source of internet access, racing ahead even of e-commerce. Accprding to a report by ET, of the next 300 million Internet users to be added, more than 200 million are expected to be mobile Internet users. The variety of low end smartphones available in the market, beginning at $ 58 will aide in the growth of this phenomenon.
The report highlights other Asian markets where mobile commerce has been making its mark. In Japan, around 20 percent of online commerce is done via the mobile phone; whereas, China has an m-commerce level of 12 percent of the overall 30 percent.
As per the report, the number of mobile only Internet users is expected to be over 50 percent in India by 2015. Of the total e-commerce in 2015 in the country, about 15-20 percent is expected to be transacted via the mobile phone.
M-commerce offers consumers certain advantages such as convenience in placing orders over their mobile phone, enhanced interaction between retailer and purchaser, easy mobile payment options with advanced technolgy functions, amongst others.
4G/LTE trial by Batelco and Huawei is successful (Bahrain, China)
Batelco, the Kingdom`s leading integrated communications services provider and Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, have successfully showcased LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile technology at Batelco’s Hamala Headquarters on March 22nd. LTE, commonly referred to as 4G enables delivery of super fast data speeds. During the trial speeds of 150Mbps were achieved.
Batelco embarked on its US$ 38.4 million MNE (Mobile Network Expansion) project in June 2010, to develop a superior network performance for Batelco and ensure readiness for LTE. Such financial commitment ensures that Bahrain’s infrastructure for wireless is the best in class and measures up to the top 10 markets in the world. Delivery of LTE is a crucial enabler of the Business Friendly Bahrain strategy, established by the Economic Development Board, in line with the Kingdom’s 2030 vision.
Batelco Group Chief Executive Shaikh Mohamed Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Bahrain Rashid Abdulla, General Manager Consumer Division Muna Alhashimi, Chief Technical Officer John Ford and a number of Batelco officials were present at the LTE Trial along with Huawei Vice President of ME Gordon Wu and Huawei Deputy President of Batelco Key Account Elsa Tan plus a number of Huawei technical representatives.
Batelco Group Chief Executive Shaikh Mohamed Bin Isa Al Khalifa thanked Huawei for their invaluable contribution to Batelco in carrying out the successful LTE trial. He said that Huawei has been a key partner in providing Batelco with innovative telecommunications solutions over the past few years and they appreciate their invaluable contribution towards the successful delivery of key services for customers.
Batelco Bahrain Chief Executive Rashid Abdulla explained that Batelco`s major objective in investing in 4G/LTE was to enhance, upgrade and expand their mobile broadband network to tackle a number of needs such as providing or enhancing Data coverage and quality of service in newly developed or remote areas.
Huawei Vice President of Middle East Gordon Wu, said that collaborating with Batelco in structuring LTE services for the people of Bahrain has been a fantastic experience as well as an opportunity to further meet the demand for superior connectivity in the Kingdom. He added that high-speed broadband technologies like LTE are incredible platforms through which to foster national development, and they look forward to working with Batelco to build on this most recent achievement.
With the provision of 4G/LTE, Batelco mobile users will experience faster access to the internet. The networks will also be capable of handling the much greater throughput of data in real time that`s required to support such services as mobile HD video streaming and conferencing, web-based applications and services, and the rapid transfer of large files. 4G/LTE will have a download data transfer rate of up to 10 times faster than that of 3G.
4G/LTE will provide Batelco Mobile Users with significant benefits that extend beyond traditional day to day wireless communications. Consumers will benefit from access to a wide range of new and rich innovative multimedia applications. It also opens the doors for innovative applications, products, services and solutions targeted not only to today’s handheld mobile devices, but also to other non-traditional devices.
Mobily and Huawei announce first commercial Service Delivery Platform (Middle East, China)
Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), Saudi Arabia’s leading mobile operator, and Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, have revealed the implementation of the Middle East’s first commercial next generation Service Delivery Platform (SDP) involving landmark advances to nearly every segment of the operator’s nationwide mobile network.
Amidst fierce competition within the Saudi telecom sector, Mobily announced in early 2011 that it would undergo a strategic business transformation that would provide more innovative services to its customers while streamlining overall operations and management processes. The technology behind the resulting SDP platform has been engineered specifically for the operator by Huawei—a leading ICT solutions provider which has successfully deployed SDP solutions across the globe and ranks first in overall market share for SDP delivery.
With the next generation SDP, Mobily will be able to more rapidly implement new multimedia services collaborating with content publishers, service providers and all other players on the value chain. The platform also allows Mobily to do things like setting up their own app store, integrating with OTT content providers, and developing cloud-oriented services—all part of opening the door to more diverse revenue streams and a healthy business ecosystem.
Khalid Al Kaf, CEO, Mobily has said that they are very proud of this cooperation between Mobily and Huawei. The Middle East’s first commercial next generation Service Delivery Platform (SDP) is part of Mobily’s initiative to enrich the telecom sector and customers’ experience.
Mobily has partnered with Huawei on numerous occasions leading up to the SDP launch, including the initiation of Mobily 4G LTE services in September 2011 which will eventually cover more than 30 cities and towns representing 85 per cent of the populated areas in KSA.
Yi Xiang, President of Middle East, Huawei, has said that this project was a fantastic opportunity to work with Mobily to build a strong operation, assurance, and optimization system that could be integrated into the pre-existing network. As legacy services, operations and networks are replaced with these software-driven frameworks, the traditionally separate IT and telecom worlds are now converging. This particular Huawei SDP solution will enable Mobily to tap into new revenue streams across the telecom, media, and Internet industries by extracting value from mobile broadband and cross-industries business.
Currently, Huawei SDP solutions are being used by more than 100 operators around the world including the top five multinational telecom operators globally.
Huawei not permitted to submit tender for Australia’s national broadband network (China, Australia)
Chinese firm Huawei will not be permitted to participate in the tender to supply equipment to Australia’s national broadband network, as reported by AFR. The report reveals increasing cyber attacks originating from China as the prime reason for the move.
However, Huawei has hinted at the involvement of the Chinese Government in the event that the ban is not removed. According to reports, a spokeswoman has said that as a strategic and significant government investment, they have a responsibility to do their utmost to protect the national broadband network’s integrity and that of the information carried on it. Further, this is consistent with the government’s practice for ensuring the security and resilience of Australia’s critical infrastructure more broadly.
As per the report, Australia isn’t the only country worried handing over a contract to Huawei. Other markets such as the United States have also raised objections to providing sensitive information to the vendor.
Samsung maintains lead in China over Apple’s iPhone (China)
South Korea’s Samsung Electronics has maintained its stronghold over the Chinese market, making it tougher for rival Apple Inc. to increase its presence there. According to a report by BN, Samsung currently boasts of a market share three times as much as Apple.
Currently, Apple controls 7.5 per cent share of the Chinese smartphone market while Samsung accounts for 24.3 per cent. Apple has tied up with China Telecom Corp. to sell the iPhone. The report reveals that Apple is shifting its focus towards China as shipments of smartphones in the country are projected to jump 52 per cent this year to 137 million units, overtaking the U.S. for the first time as the world’s biggest market. However, a concern for Apple is that the iPhone is not compatible with the nation’s largest operator, China Mobile.
Thus, while Apple might be maintaining the lead in the worldwide smartphone market, it still has a long way to go to become the leader in China. Samsung has tied up with all carriers thereby expanding its presence; whereas Apple has taken a big risk and eliminated a large portion of the market by focusing on the smaller carriers.
