Orange Armenia offers unique roaming discount in USA (Armenia, USA)
Telecom operator Orange has reshuffled the list of Orange Zone countries which will from now on include the USA. Now, while roaming on AT&T USA network, Orange customers can enjoy a unique $0.64 rate for all outgoing and incoming calls, SMS and GPRS. This is great news for those who travel to the USA.
The same tariff is available for other Orange Zone countries where customers can join the following networks: Orange France, Orange Spain, Orange United Kingdom, Orange Slovakia, Orange Austria, Orange Poland, Orange Romania, Orange Moldova, Orange Luxembourg, Orange Liechtenstein, Orange Switzerland as well as Mobistar Belgium.
To activate roaming customers just need to dial *121# before leaving the country.
Android gets Mashreq’s mobile banking app (USA, Middle East)
Leading financial institution Mashreq has announced the launch of its Mobile Banking for Google Android devices. Mashreq’s mobile app is also accessible through smartphones and devices such as iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Java OS Mobile phones.
The mobile banking application is a fully integrated transactional service offering customers to check their accounts’, make payments to Mashreq Credit Cards and transfer funds anywhere in the world through their mobile phones at anytime, from anywhere.
Furthermore, recharge Etisalat, du, Salik and make other bill payments such as DEWA, SEWA, ADDC through its safe, secure and customer friendly interface. Customers using this service enjoy easy access to their bank accounts through their mobile phones 24/7, from any GPRS / 3G / wireless (Wi-Fi) network, anywhere in the world, as per a press release.
Aref Al Ramli, Head of Alternate Channels at Mashreq commented that they are continuously working towards offering various distinctive platforms for customers to carry out their banking transactions. As technology evolves, so does their online banking services. They are proud of their multi-faced Mobile banking system, which is now available across all systems to reach out to further customers extending a hassle free banking service and help them save time.
For iPhone and Android, the app is to be downloaded from AppStore and Google Play (Android Market). Once installed, Mobile Banking app is ready for use completely free of charges from the bank.
Play launches sales of Nokia C1-01 (Poland)
Play has started the sales of Nokia C1-01. The handset features a web browsing, FM radio, music player, Bluetooth, GPRS, e-mail as well as chat.
The Nokia C1-01 offers microSD compatibility, enabling users to store up to 32 GB of music, photos or other media. In addition, owners of the Nokia C1-01 will also be able to take video and photographs using the built-in VGA camera.
Mobitel launches Nokia C5-03 in Slovenia
Mobitel has launched Nokia C5-03 on its network. The smartphone is available in two colors, white aluminum and black aluminum, along with various two-year packages at prices ranging between US$1.40 and US$139.39 or without any contractual obligation at US$308.35.
The handset is based on the latest Symbian OS. It features a 3.2″ screen with a resolution of 360 x 640 pixels. The touchscreen is resistive and supports handwriting recognition. It is powered with a 600MHz ARM processor and also has 128MB of RAM. Email and Instant messaging services are also available and can be used via a 3G, GPRS or Wi-Fi network. The flash is also supported with Flash Lite 3.0.
Ucell inks bilateral agreement with Smart Mobile and Telecom New Zealand (Uzbekistan)
Uzbekistan-based mobile services provider Ucell has added new roaming partners. Ucell has signed a bilateral agreement with Latelz in Cambodia (Smart Mobile) and Telecom New Zealand.
The company will now allow prepaid users to roam on the Viva network in Kuwait, on Qtel’s network in Qatar and on Telekom Deutschland’s network in Germany.
Moreover, Ucell added Telecel in Bolivia as a GPRS and 3G roaming partner.
BroadHop and Saudi Telecom Present on Unique Policy 2.0 Service Deployment at Management World Middle East
BroadHop, Inc., the leader in next generation policy control platforms for telecom operators and Saudi Telecom Company (STC), the leading Middle East telecommunications operator, will present a real world success story on how implementing a Policy 2.0-based value added service improves customer experience, reduces churn and increases loyalty, at this year’s TM Forum Management World Middle East held March 22-23, 2011 at the Hilton Jumeirah, Dubai.
Ahmed Alshaia, Section Head, Data and Broadband VAS, STC and Kishen Mangat, Vice President of Solutions and Co-founder, BroadHop, Inc., will present on Wednesday, March 23 at 9:25 a.m. as part of the Customer Experience track. Session attendees will hear about STC’s unique and highly personalized ‘Prayer Time’ service and how BroadHop’s Quantum Network Suite – enables the delivery of more innovative services and capabilities, including real time parental control, granular content filtering, and flexible pricing.
As a key operator in the region, STC offers a diversified set of network access capabilities to its customers via xDSL, FTTx, WiMAX and GPRS/3G and upcoming LTE services. By using Policy 2.0, STC has been able to monetize subscriber traffic streams, enhance the subscriber user experience, offer personalized services as well as control the explosion of bandwidth growth within its network. Mr. Kishen Mangat and Mr. Ahmed Alshaia will cover the key areas of how Policy 2.0 addresses today’s operator needs including:
- Service velocity
- Complexity in delivering innovative services
- Back end monetization gap
- Integration challenges
- Scalability & Performance — enabling service complexity, while protecting the control plane
Telekom Deutschland to launch 2 new mobile data tariffs (Germany)
Telekom Deutschland is all set to expand its mobile broadband tariffs from 5 April this year with two new data tariffs for heavy users.
The tariffs are called Web’n'Walk Connect XL and XXL. The tariffs will offer 10 GB at 21.6 Mbps and 20 GB at 42.2 Mbps for US$75.94 and US$103.58 per month respectively.
After using the included data volumes, the speeds are downgraded to GPRS level until a new month begins. Both tariffs include a USB modem for mobile broadband access and are available as SIM-only tariffs for US$6.91 per month.
CAT grants permission to DTAC for commercial 3G service (Thailand)
CAT Telecom has given approval to DTAC to commercially launch 3G wireless broadband services in mid-March.
Telenor subsidiary DTAC, which offers services via a build-transfer-operate (BTO) concession with CAT, currently provides trial 3G W-CDMA/HSPA-based services in the 850MHz band.
Following two years of complaining that CAT had favored fellow BTO licensee True Move by permitting the latter to expand 3G trial coverage in December 2010 CAT’s board announced that DTAC could upgrade up to 1,220 base stations for pre-commercial 850MHz HSPA, up from an existing 36 sites.
Both this decision and the latest announcement are viewed from some quarters as an attempt to defuse criticism of CAT for January’s hastily arranged 14-year agreement with True Move to jointly market 3G HSPA-based services as part of True’s takeover of the ‘Hutch’ CDMA business (formed as a joint venture of CAT and Hong Kong’s Hutchison Telecom).
T-Mobile Czech now operates 6,711 BTS
T-Mobile Czech Republic has reportedly revealed its networks now comprise 6,711 base transceiver stations (BTS), thanks to the deployment of a BTS in its 5,000th location.
According to reports, T-Mobile’s base stations include a range of network technologies including GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS TDD and UMTS FDD.
As per the company’s director of technology, Frank Meywerk, a significant number of BTS on its network are UMTS FDD-enabled with support for HSPA+, and in future will allow an easy implementation of LTE.
TD-SCDMA, China and GSM Lead RF Power Amplifier and Device Markets
Rapid Chinese TD-SCDMA rollouts and the often-maligned GSM/GPRS/EDGE equipment markets have benefited the base station RF power amplifier and RF power device markets. GSM/GPRS/EDGE RFPAs and devices are still shipping in the millions.
The Asia-Pacific region is presently accounting for more than 50% of the RF power semiconductor devices sold into the mobile wireless infrastructure segment. According to research director Lance Wilson, recent Chinese TD-SCDMA base station deployments have been massive, and have buoyed RF power vendors to a tremendous degree. The demand is expected to strengthen the market until at least sometime in 2011, and the Chinese deployments will probably only start to slow in 2012.
Wilson added that although LTE has not significantly impacted RF power amplifier and device sales in the near term, it is going to bolster RF power sales in the wireless infrastructure space from about 2011 on.
Wilson also notes that since the previous edition of ABI Research’s report on this market, there have been some modest changes in the breakdown of market share held by the leading RF power device vendors.
