Airtel Ghana launches Airtel Frndz and Airtel Classified (Africa)
Telecom operator Airtel Ghana has introduced two new products called Airtel Frndz and Airtel Classified on to the market claiming that the two products were introduced in response to customer needs and demands.
As per a company statement, Airtel Frndz enables Airtel customers to subscribe and call up to ten special numbers at the lowest rate of $0.014 per minute. Customers also enjoy free night on-net calls to their subscribed Frndz from 11:00pm (instead of 12:00) if they use a minimum $0.008 within the day.
Further, the company added that Airtel Classifieds enabled customers to access information on various topics including job searches and where to buy what, on their mobile phones. Marketing Director of Airtel Ghana, Oare Ojeikere said the product will make relevant and important information available to customers right on their mobile phones
Ojeikere said that Airtel Frndz seeks to give Airtel customers the freedom to stay connected with their families and be able to talk longer without unnecessarily spending too much. He said customers on Frndz are also charged just a marginal amount per megabyte on PAYG internet and are allowed up to 100 free SMS daily.
He also said that they are always looking for opportunities to create innovative products that their customers will find beneficial and useful and they thought one key way is to re-horn their family and friends offer especially when there is so much happening around them and they want to share these things with people close to them.
He said through the service, customers could access information on a range of topics by texting the keyword, ‘Class’ to short code 108 or dialing the USSD *108#.
He added that among the services that could be accessed are job alerts (where users will get daily updates on job vacancies), automobiles (users will receive information on vehicles for sale and where to purchase them), rent alert (users will receive information on accommodation available for rent) and properties (users will receive information on properties available for lease or sale.
Head of Corporate Communications and External Affairs at Airtel Ghana, Donald Gwira said they are constantly reviewing their products and in line with the feedback received they adapt their products in line with the needs of their customers. He added that Airtel Ghana will focus on its goal of becoming the most loved brand in the daily lives of Ghanaians by offering useful data, voice and value added services to the network.
Orange to launch new roaming app next month (France)
Mobile operator Orange France is looking to launch the Orange Travel App that will allow owners of Android, iOS and BlackBerry devices to track their data usage and SMS details in real-time, as per a report by Mobile Magazine. They can then compare this within the app to their local tariff plans to ensure they have not exceeded their allowances. The app was launched in France last year and has already attracted more than 15,000 downloads.
The report reveals that the app was initially looking at a summer launch but with might be released as early as next month. The roaming bundle will offer daily, weekly or monthly tariffs incorporating voice, SMS and data. For example, customers travelling in France will be able to buy a bundle that includes 10 minutes of voice, 10 SMSes and 10MB of data for around $6.5 per day from June onwards
When the services were first launched outside of the UK, Orange said it was to counteract the risks of high roaming charges. Orange executive VP for consumer mobile services Vincent Brunet said that by putting in further safety nets, they are helping customers to manage their consumption while they continue to introduce competitive offers that respond to their customers growing needs.
As per the report, Orange also plans to roll out a ‘rest of world’ alert and cap for customers travelling outside of the European Union. As customers approach their data limit, they will receive an SMS alert and can then choose to purchase more data or be cut off when the limit is reached.
Batelco and Qtel sign MoU extending cooperation agreement (Middle East)
Following the successful partnership agreement signed between Batelco – the Kingdom’s leading integrated telecommunication services provider, and Qtel, Qatar’s leading telecommunications provider, in August last year, the two companies have recently signed an MoU.
This MoU complements the previous partnership agreement and is in line with Batelco’s ambitious strategy that aims to extend the company’s global reach through successful partnerships with key regional and international players.
The deal is meant to expand cooperation between Batelco and Qtel in areas that cover Products and Services including Voice, Internet, Data, Facility Management & Mobile; Application & Content Services; Business Solution Services; Sales and Marketing collaboration; Carrier Services such as Roaming, Voice & Capacity; and Facility Management Services.
Batelco General Manager Enterprise Division Adel Daylami said that such strategic bi-lateral understanding is vital for Batelco to achieve its prime goal of providing its customers in all segments with the best services wherever they are.
He added that this MoU will enable both parties to provide cutting-edge, end-to-end services to local and international business based in Bahrain and Qatar.
Daylami further said that business customers, in both Bahrain and Qatar, are now enjoying the numerous benefits resulting from the agreement signed last year between Batelco and Qtel and will enjoy more in the future thanks to this MoU.
The MoU is expected to make a difference for customers of both companies, in terms of quality and range of services to be delivered via the reliable, state-of-the-art networks of the two operators.
Ahmed Al-Derbesti Chief Wholesale & International Officer, Qtel, said that they have a partnership of long standing with Batelco, and this MoU opens the door to providing more quality products and services to our customers in Qatar. Qatar’s telecommunications needs are growing daily, in both the consumer and business markets, and agreements such as this keep them well ahead of demand and focusing on the changing needs of their customers.
Alcatel-Lucent to offer innovative measures for mobile operators to overcome data storm (USA)
Tony Wood, Country Senior Officer of Alcatel-Lucent in East Africa, explains how innovation can help operators rise above the data storm to overcome network, business-model and competitive challenges.
The globalisation of the economy and the growth of the Internet have enhanced worldwide communications. End-users wherever based in a remote village or in a big city should rely on stable telecommunications connections to enquire about the wider world and make their contribution to it. The convergence of services (broadband Internet + video on-demand + voice) has become a significant reality. Telecom operators, service providers, enterprises rely on their networks to run their voice, data and Internet communication.
Africa is a growing market and a focus market for Alcatel-Lucent; it remains among the company’s most promising markets. Indeed, broadband is one of the top priorities in Africa, good progress has been made to connect cities to national backbones, but connectivity of small towns still poor.
It is a vast continent with various needs for connectivity and is mainly characterised by basic infrastructure needs in some areas, and more developed areas where existing infrastructures must now deliver high-quality broadband connectivity to support services like high-speed Internet access.
Alcatel-Lucent is strongly involved in the telecom infrastructure development in Africa to support telecommunications actors to rise above the data storm to overcome network, business-model and competitive challenges. Meeting the need for mobile telecommunications and the adoption of next-generation technologies, including lightRadio – the revolutionary innovation of Alcatel-Lucent (a miniature device that offers a solution to network gridlock and universal broadband coverage) and 4G LTE networks, to foster digital inclusion and the development of applications to enhance education, youth employment, social engagement, health and transportation among local communities and across large geographies.
Wood said that breakthrough innovation and technologies, proven execution and experience – that is what mobile broadband operators count on from them, from their market leadership in wireless and IP, their research advances from Bell Labs, their company’s innovation engine, responsible for breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry and their global service experience in transforming networks to rise above the mobile data storm, to deliver cost-effective and high quality mobile broadband services to consumers and business users. He added that realising the potential of a connected world is an integral part of their vision and strategy.
He also said that Alcatel-Lucent unveiled lightRadio last year – the outcome of research by Bell Labs, the group’s world-leading R&D arm. It is a completely revolutionary approach for mobile networking. This brand new range will free the mobile sector around the world from its dependence on antenna masts and mobile base stations (cell towers), which are generally the most energy-consuming components of the network, and also the most expensive and difficult to maintain.
At a time of rapid traffic growth, the lightRadio system will radically simplify mobile networks, expand network capacity, lower operating costs, reduce energy consumption and bring connectivity to everyone around the world. With its flexible architecture, lightRadio is typically located at the base of each cell tower, is broken into its component elements and distributed through the network or ‘carrier cloud’.
Additionally the various cell tower antennas are combined and shrunk into a single, powerful, Bell Labs-pioneered multi-frequency, multi-standard (2G, 3G, LTE) device that can be mounted on poles, sides of buildings, WiFi networks or anywhere else there is power and a broadband connection.
In only a year, Alcatel-Lucent has not only moved from prototype to product, but has built an entire next-generation mobile platform, and it has a rich ecosystem of partners and co-creation customers it has been working with around the world: Telefónica, France Telecom/Orange, China Mobile, and Etisalat in the UAE.
The lightRadio architecture is fundamentally changing the structure of wireless networks to handle the video and Web surfing demands of consumers, increasing daily with the number of smartphones and tablets. Connecting becomes easy with lightRadio.
Orange Business Services inks 5 year deal with JTI (France, Japan)
Orange Business Services has signed a five-year outsourcing contract with JTI (Japan Tobacco International), the international business of Japan Tobacco Inc., worth over $100 million. Orange Business Services helps JTI with managed services such as LAN, data and voice traffic, security and call centers among others.
As per reports, Diego De Coen, JTI CIO, said that their 17-year relationship with Orange Business Services is built on trust and mutual success. Such a long-term relationship is nearly unheard of these days and this contract renewal was not a given. Instead, Orange Business Services proved again that its competitive strength, unmatched global reach and comprehensive portfolio made it the best choice for JTI as they continue to evolve their global telecom infrastructure and services.
Helmut Reisinger, Senior Vice President Europe, Orange Business Services, said that over the years, they have developed a very strong partnership with JTI. They are grateful and proud that they have been entrusted with this contract for another five years. This is certainly mainly due to the quality of services they have been providing to JTI, even during the days of 2011 turbulences in times of the Japan earthquake or the ‘Egyptian spring’ where their business continuity plans proved to be beneficial to a lot of multinationals such as JTI. Building on the success, they look forward to collaborating with JTI on innovative solutions over the next several years.
SingTel launches global cloud-based service (Singapore)
Mobile operator SingTel has launched a global cloud-based service that enables companies to secure, control and manage corporate data and mobile devices of their employees, regardless of their location. The SingTel Mobility Device Manager (MDM) service, enables companies to manage devices of different mobile OS and ensure information security for mobile devices used by their workforce. This includes company-issued devices, as well as those belonging to employees.
According to company reports, Bill Chang, Executive Vice President (Business Group), SingTel has said that they are seeing a surge in the number of companies that allow their employees to bring their own mobile devices for work. In fact, the use of smartphones for business activities worldwide is projected to grow by 116 per cent by 2014. This opens up new security issues, particularly for companies with regional operations. With SingTel MDM, companies can secure data through security policy settings and governance, control on devices, manage apps deployment and control cost through usage policy management. These can all be done via the simple-to-use web-based portal.
Further, in the event of the loss or theft of an employee’s mobile device, an administrator can remotely lock the device or selectively erase corporate data to prevent market sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. Administrators can determine the location of the missing devices and remotely deploy and track apps downloads within the enterprise. They are also able to configure and provision the devices over-the-air.
The report alsoreveals that SingTel MDM is compatible with all mobile OS platforms including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Symbian and Windows Mobile. In addition, it is independent of the location and mobile network, thus facilitating the seamless control of mobile devices globally.
Chang added that as SingTel MDM is offered on a monthly subscription basis, companies do not need to make upfront investments in equipment and can avoid the ongoing costs of managing and maintaining complex systems and hardware. This allows them to improve their productivity, increase business agility and reduce their operating costs significantly.
T-Mobile UK launches unlimited plan for voice, text and data (UK)
Mobile network provider T-Mobile UK has launched a new unlimited plan titled ‘The Full Monty’ offering users unlimited access to voice calls, text messaging and data services. The new plan will be offered for a period of two years at a charge of US$ 54 per month from 1 February 2012.
According to reports, the new plan is applicable on all T-Mobile phones and does not impose any restriction on the consumer in terms of usage of services. However, for voice calls, this plan offers unlimited calls to other T-Mobile customers whereas it includes a 2000 minute limit for calls made to other networks. In the event, that a customer wants unlimited calls for other networks as well, the plan is charged at US$ 64 per month.
Mobile internet usage sees tremendous growth in India
According to industry research reports, the mobile data usage in India has gone up by almost 35 percent between June 2011 and September 2011. Sources suggest that analysts have credited the rise in data usage to increased availability and affordable pricing, not just for people living in urban areas, but for people from different income segments.
As per reports, there were a total of 26 million mobile internet users in March 2011 which went up to 35 million in September 2011. Industry analysts predict tremendous growth in mobile data usage and expect this number to increase to 41 million users by the year end.
India saw the introduction of the 3G services towards the end of last year, which has increased the use of the internet on mobile handsets, due to increased speeds and better features. Further, easy accessibility and competitive pricing are significant in contributing towards the increased adoption of the mobile phone in the country.
Safaricom to launch fibre-optic network (Kenya)
Kenya’s dominant mobile network operator, Safaricom, has reportedly announced that it plans to roll out its own independent fibre-optic network, in an attempt to strengthen its position in the mobile data market, and reduce its dependence on the declining voice market.
According to reports, Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom has said that this move is a part of their strategic decision to be the regional leader in broadband provision. He added this new direction will offer them greater control of the quality of service offered to their customers. As per sources, the operator is on the lookout for a company to build and maintain the inland network expected to cost US$10.22 million.
As per sources, Safaricom activated a fibre-optic link between Nairobi and Mombasa in February last year, using infrastructure leased from the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) for $ 2.9 million.
