ZTE Corp identifies revenue potential in offering computing services to carriers (China)
According to reports, Shi Lirong, President, ZTE Corp, has said that there is big potential in offering customer services to mobile-phone companies. He said that the company has tie-ups with telecom operators China Mobile Ltd and China Unicom Ltd for a virtual office, with as many as 8 million users for its unified communication systems.
As per sources, Shi added that selling computer services will give ZTE a new source of revenue from existing network-equipment customers who seek ways to generate more sales from the pipes that carry phone calls and data. Further, he believes that cloud computing could account for one-third of the Shenzhen- based company’s sales within three to five years.
Industry analysts claim that ZTE has its work cut out for itself in order for it to be considered globally competitive with other players such as Huawei Technologies Co. and Cisco Systems Inc.
Safaricom launches cloud computing services (Kenya)
Mobile network operator Safaricom has launched an indigenous public cloud solution in the region. According to reports, Safaricom invested US$ 24 million for setting up the infrastructure and is expected to invest an additional US$ 18 million over the next two years.
Cloud Computing is online-based computing in which shared resources (such as network printers), software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand. Companies essentially pay for one license for each user and receive a host of applications as opposed to paying for them individually and installing them on their machines.
According to reports, Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom has said that this launch means a great deal for them and shows that the partnerships they have built pack great strategic potential and value for their customers. With this move, they have solidly positioned themselvea as the go-to provider for cost-efficient and secure corporate data solutions of scale and impact in this market.
He added that they believe that the full potential of enterprise data services will not be tapped unless they deploy ‘world class’ solutions to match corporate and public sector requirements. Their partnership with SST, Cisco and EMC² on the SafaricomCLOUD is sharply focused on achieving this end through an unmatched cloud computing offering.
Orange Business Services highlights strategic focus on Middle East region at conference in Oman
Orange Business Services, the B2B arm of France Telecom-Orange and one of the largest ICT employers in the Middle East, has identified the Middle East as a strategic region for the next five years. The company is focusing on the opportunities presented by smart cities, cloud computing and the development of the enterprise services market.
This strategy was presented during the annual Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) regional meeting held in Muscat. Customers and partners joined more than 200 senior Orange Business Services staff representing 80 countries.
Philippe Koebel, Senior Vice President and Head of Emerging Markets for Orange Business Services, said: Orange Business Services has all of the necessary needed assets in the region to contribute to our strong business ambition in the emerging markets of generating 1 billion euros in revenue by 2015. We offer a full range of solutions from various local network access options through Business VPN up to telepresence, unified communications and fully connected smart cities. With 2,000 regional staff, five regional offices, a major service center, and two Orange labs, Orange Business Services is well equipped to meet the needs of our customers whether simple or complex.â€
Orange Business Services is a smart city pioneer, delivering telecommunications infrastructure solutions to cities that provide ubiquitous IP-based infrastructure and connectivity, backed by innovative related ICT services, including voice solutions, business and on-demand connectivity, public Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art security.
2010 proved to be a successful year for Orange Business Services in the region with 10 major new clients added and a range of high profile smart city project wins. Orange Business Services supports more than 500 multinational customers in EEMEA, including: BHP Billiton, Ecobank, Lafarge, MAF Carrefour, Omantel, South African Breweries, and United Arab Shipping Company (UASC).
To address the cloud computing demand, Orange Business Services appointed its first Middle East & Africa Regional Cloud Director in August 2010 and, along with Cisco, EMC and VMware, announced Flexible 4 Business to offer end-to-end cloud computing services for enterprises.
Macquarie Telecom increases half year guidance (Australia)
ASX -listed managed Macquarie Telecom has increased its earnings guidance to $20 million for the half year ending 31 December 2010.
The expected result would exceed the company’s previous EBITDA guidance of between $15 million and $17 million.
According to Chief Executive David Tudehope, the company experienced increased demand for its hosting services. The company also has a telco division which offers IP network, voice and mobile services. They believe the trend of outsourcing is accelerating due to the higher speed internet connectivity driving web technology and the associated demand for managed hosting.
He added that the emergence of cloud computing, which is a natural extension of hosting, will increase this trend and provide new market opportunities.
The full year financial results were now expected to be between $37 million and $39 million, a 30% increase. The half results would be released on February 24.
Lenovo unveils Mobile Internet Devices Division
Lenovo has established a new business group, the Mobile Internet and Digital Home Business Group (MIDH), responsible for creating mobile Internet-focused devices, including tablets and smartphones, as well as devices for new categories like cloud computing, smart TV and the digital home.
Liu Jun, formerly senior vice president and president of Lenovo’s Product Group, will lead the new group as president. He is based at the company’s China headquarters in Beijing. The company has promoted Peter Hortensius, formerly head of its Think Product Group, to president of its Product Group. He is based at Lenovo’s USA headquarters.
According to Yang Yuanqing, Chief Executive Officer, Lenovo recognizes the tremendous growth potential of the mobile internet, as well as that of new categories like cloud computing and smart TV, and so they are putting the focus and investments in place to fully capitalize on these opportunities to drive growth in their business today and for many years to come. The Mobile Internet and Digital Home Business Group will help us leverage their leadership in the PC arena to create a rich portfolio of Internet-centric devices. At the same time, they will use their creativity, innovation and technical prowess to help their customers navigate the future of personal technology worldwide.
Lenovo launched the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid (a combination of a slate and laptop) and the LePad slate at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Chunghwa Telecom inks a Cloud-Computing deal with Skycloud (China)
Chunghwa Telecom Co. has signed a deal with Beijing-based Skycloud Technology (China) Inc. to mutually develop infrastructure and solutions for cloud-computing services in China.
According to Chunghwa Telecom’s statement, the pact is aimed at providing solutions and services to customers in mainland China.
Cloud computing allows users to access and store data through the Internet instead of on their own hardware.
NSN to open Smart Lab in South Korea
Nokia Siemens Networks has announced its plans to set up a Smart Lab in Seoul, South Korea, which will be focused on developing smart device-optimized applications, services and networks.
The lab will explore the potential of wireless broadband technologies for delivering a superior end-user experience. The lab is expected to open in the first quarter of 2011.
The focus of the lab would include R&D and industry collaboration on advanced broadband wireless technologies that support industry mega trends such as cloud computing, M2M, smart devices and other new form factors.
SAP’s acquisition of Sybase to heat competition with Oracle
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Sybase competition with Oracle in the software world will be given a new lease of life after its acquisition by SAP in a $5.8 billion deal. New revenue streams and a larger technology portfolio will also help it to remain competitive in the longer run. The deal is very mutual in nature as even SAP could also capitalize on former strategic partner Sybase’s mobile technology. It will also enable SAP to consolidate and expand upon its mobile offerings.
According to analyst, Sybase’s strong presence in global mobile telephony offers intriguing opportunities for SAP to further leverage and extends its business solutions and given the exploding interest in smartphones, tablets and other handheld computing devices, this qualifies as a classic no-brainer. The deal also marks a major shift in the enterprise-software landscape as SAP develops and delivers a wide range of enterprise business software solutions, Sybase’s majorly contributes towards the global mobile market, where the database solutions of the company support SMS messaging chores for billion mobile phones.
Mobile computing, cloud computing and on-premises enterprise resource management applications have been seen as the primary underpinnings of SAP’s business in both the short and long term. SAP and Sybase deal is reflected as a merger agreement with Sybase selling at $65 per share, a 44 percent premium over the company’s average stock price last quarter.
According to Jim Hagemann Snabe, co-CEO of SAP and a member of the SAP executive board, Mobile devices are becoming the preferred interaction point with business applications, whether the user is a factory supervisor, a retail manager or an entrepreneur in a development nation.
However, even after enjoying a nice niche in the financial market, SAP is still not is a position to compete with Oracle in applications suites. To deal with this, Sap has expressed its willingness to examine other possible acquisitions but has not made clear whether it would engage in an Oracle-style spending spree.
TeliaSonera & Cisco ink cloud computing deal (Sweden)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: In order to offer cloud computing services for business customers in Sweden under the banner ‘Business Class Cloud Services’, Cisco and Scandinavian telco TeliaSonera have undergone a deal.
Virtual conferencing services allowing users to join online meetings on mobile handsets will be included in the new range along with the facility of sharing documents and replaying conferences on demand.
According to TeliaSonera, the financial downturn boosted demand for cost-efficient solutions amongst businesses, driving rapid take-up of cloud computing; this gives on-demand access to applications and services over the internet, with customers charged only for the capacity used.
IBM to provide cloud computing to SK Telecom
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Winning the battle against four of its largest rivals, International Business Machines Corp. will operate a cloud computing platform for SK Telecom Co., Ltd. As per the deal, IBM will provide the infrastructure to SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest telecoms operator with more than 50% of the market.
The networks will be used by SK Telecom and its business partners to test and publish telecoms applications in order for the applications to later to be rolled out on its networks for consumers.
IBM beat Hewlett-Packard Co., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp. and Sun Microsystems Inc. (JAVA) in order to win the contract but the value of the deal was not revealed. The technology giant has focused recently on building out infrastructure in Asia for cloud computing.
Cloud Computing has tightened its grip recently especially with smaller customers as it enables significant cost savings.
