DiGi Telecommunications, Malaysia’s mobile network operator has reportedly submitted its business plan to the country’s telecoms regulator related to its proposed use of spectrum in the 2600MHz band.

The operator made the submission following the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC’s) award of frequencies in the 2600MHz band last year; in October 2010 the regulator had assigned spectrum to nine companies, including DiGi.

It is understood that the regulator required each company to put forward a business plan regarding how the frequencies would be used.

According to DiGi, the board believes that the spectrum will enable the company to provide enhanced mobile broadband services to customers.

Those other companies that have been told they will be allocated frequencies are: mobile operators Celcom, Maxis, DiGi and U-Mobile; WiMAX players Asiaspace, Packet One Networks (P1), REDtone and YTL Communications; and a new company, Puncak Semangat.

The MCMC has confirmed that all nine will be required to pay for the allocated spectrum, although it has yet to disclose how much the additional spectrum will cost each operator. Access to the frequencies in question is not expected until the beginning of 2013.

A recent study by Morgan Stanley has brought to light the  important online trends flowing in the global market currently along with predictions of the future of internet. The report has forecasted more online shopping by showing the geographical distribution of Internet users across the globe.

According to the study, web usage has witnessed a dramatic shift across the globe in the past few months. If Morgan Stanley’s analysts are to be believed, devices such as web-enabled tablets, iPhone, Kindle, GPS system, wireless home appliances have showed that the growth of the mobile web has been exponential.

The report has clearly stated that if the current rate of change adoption continues then mobile web will become bigger than desktop internet ever by 2015. The two trends which have been driving the growth of mobile web are the proliferation of better devices and the availability of better data coverage.

When it comes to coverage, global 3G penetration is expected to hit 21% this year. In Japan, 96% of mobile subscribers already have 3G coverage. Western Europe is witnessing a penetration of 54% followed by the US which is just slightly above 46%. However in the developing or economically depressed areas like Middle East, Africa, parts of Asia, Eastern Europe and South America, the growth is still in the single digit. According to the report, 3G is the key point in the success of the mobile web.

If talking of social networking, then it is highly apparent that the former’s use has already eclipsed email use across the globe. People started spending more time on sites like Facebook and Orkut and Twitter in 2007 itself, however it was only in 2009 that an increase in the number of users of social networks than the users of email was recorded. Today while Facebook scores the highest point with the most attention gained throughout the world, YouTube holds the second position.

Some of the interesting findings of the study are:

  • Just five countries including Brazil, China, India, Russia and the US account for over 48% of all Internet users across the globe.
  • Video accounts for 69% of mobile data traffic.
  • With the rise in the demand of Apple and Android platforms in the mobile OS market, Windows Mobile, RIM and Palm are loosing their shine.
  • Facebook is the single largest repository for user-generated content such as pics, video, links and comments.
  • Mobile retail is expected to be driven by real-time technology and location-based services.
  • On an average an iPhone user appends only 45% of his on-device time making voice calls.
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Autograph for iPhone has been launched by Ten One Design. It is an iPhone app aimed to enable users to create digital signatures directly on the iPhone’s touchscreen and automatically insert them into electronic documents on their Mac or PC via wi-fi.

The function of the app takes place in conjunction with Ten One Design’s free Autograph Helper program that, once downloaded, runs on the user’s computer to quickly and conveniently receives signatures from iPhone or iPod touch devices.

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Oberthur Technologies the world’s second largest provider of Smart Card based solutions today announced the commercialization of its OMHTM (Open Market Handsets) SIM cards for CDMA (Code Development Multiple Access) networks. OMH SIM cards contain subscriber, network and service configuration data that allow subscribers the freedom to easily change and upgrade their handset, but maintain their network configuration.

Oberthur Technologies collaborated with Tata Teleservices Limited, one of India’s fastest growing private telecom service providers, and Qualcomm Incorporated, a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies, to introduce OMHTM SIM cards into the India market.

Olivier Leroux, Head of the Mobile Product Line for the Card Systems Division at Oberthur Technologies said, “Oberthur Technologies is the first to commercially launch OMHTM SIM cards. We are pleased to partner with industry leaders such as Tata Teleservices and Qualcomm who are enhancing the subscriber experience for Indian consumers.”

The OMHTM SIM card, referred to as a removable user identity module (R-UIM), is a state of the art smartcard that stores operator and subscriber specific configuration parameters, separate from the handset memory. By having this configuration parameters located on the OMHTM SIM card rather than the device, subscribers can more easily switch or upgrade their handsets. These cards allow CDMA network operators to increase the selection of devices and services while lowering distribution and inventory costs.

“These are exciting times in the Indian telecom space where innovation, research and development are the key to success and remain competitive in the business. In our constant effort to redefine the telecom space keeping customers at the central point, Tata Teleservices decided to partner with Qualcomm and Oberthur Technologies to further develop the Open Market Handset initiative and offer more choice to customers”, said Lloyd Mathias, Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Teleservices Limited.

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“Qualcomm is pleased to work with Oberthur Technologies for its leadership as one of the first companies to develop OMH SIM cards,” said Nakul Duggal, Senior Director and OMH Project Lead, Qualcomm Corporate Engineering Services. “The OMH initiative is focused on increasing device variety by offering new channels and distribution options within the CDMA ecosystem to provide greater subscriber flexibility.”

About Oberthur Technologies

With sales of 882 million Euros in 2008, Oberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies. Innovation and high quality services ensure Oberthur Technologies’ strong positioning in its main target markets:

– Card Systems: The world’s second largest provider of security and identification based on smart card technology and associated services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence markets. – Identity: Leading international supplier for the manufacture and personalization of secure identity documents such as passport, identity card, driving license or health care card – traditional and electronic – and associated services for both governmental and corporate markets. – Security printing: World’s third largest private security printer specialized in high security for the production of banknotes, checks and other fiduciary documents in more than fifty countries. – Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of intelligent systems to secure cash-in-transit and ATM.

Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents.

Oberthur Technologies S.A. is a limited liability company (societe anonyme) registered in France with its registered office at 50 quai Michelet 92 532 Levallois Perret, France. Oberthur Technologies S.A.’s corporate registration number is 340 709 534 R.C.S. Paris.

Website: http://www.oberthur.com

About Tata Teleservices Limited

Tata Teleservices Limited is one of India’s leading private telecom service providers, having a pan-India presence across all of India’s 22 telecom Circles. The company offers integrated telecom solutions to its customers under the Tata Indicom, Tata DOCOMO, Photon and Walky brands, and uses both the CDMA and GSM technology platform(s) for its wireless networks. Tata Teleservices Limited, along with Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited, operates in more than 325,000 towns and villages across the country. In November 2008, Tata Teleservices entered into an agreement with Japanese telecom major NTT DOCOMO, and this transaction marks a key step in the strategic evolution of Tata Teleservices Limited. Tata DOCOMO has so far launched GSM services in eight telecom Circles, and the remaining part of the country is also expected to be covered shortly. In December 2008, Tata Teleservices announced a unique reverse equity swap strategic agreement between its fully-owned telecom tower subsidiary-Wireless TT Info-Services Limited-and Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Limited, thereby becoming the largest independent entity in this space. Tata Teleservices’ bouquet of telephony services includes mobile services, wireless desktop phones, public booth telephony and Wireline services.

For details, visit http://www.tatateleservices.com, http://www.tatadocomo.com or http://www.tataindicom.com.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Hutchison 3G Austria is modernizing its radio access network to be ready for HSPA+ and the next generation of mobile broadband, or LTE. At the same time this step will allow the operator to halve the energy consumption of its base stations. Nokia Siemens Networks will undertake this upgrade starting in autumn 2009.

The demand for increased mobile broadband capacity and throughput in Austria is reflected in the increasing usage of data cards and mobile services like Mobile TV, video download or video sharing,” said Berthold Thoma, CEO of Hutchison 3G Austria. Mobile broadband is also one of the most pragmatic solutions to bridging the digital gap between cities and rural areas. For rural areas, mobile broadband coverage is simply less expensive and faster to deploy than fiber to the home” solutions. We hope that with our nationwide coverage we will contribute significantly to this end.” (more…)