Wireless Federation

Airtel renews managed services contract with Nokia (Africa, India)

On 01.23.12, In Mobile, By Editor

Leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel, has extended its managed services contract with Nokia Siemens Networks for an additional five years. According to company reports, the contract covers Airtel’s network in eight circles consisting of Bihar and Jharkhand; Kolkata; Gujarat; Maharashtra and Goa; Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh; Mumbai; Orissa and West Bengal.

Under this five-year managed services contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will manage and maintain Bharti Airtel’s 3G and GSM networks as well as iWAN (internet Wireless Access Network), the operator’s enterprise broadband service. This next phase of managed services relationship will help Bharti Airtel achieve better network efficiency, simplify operations and deliver better quality services.

Sanjay Kapoor, CEO, India and South Asia, Bharti Airtel has said that India started its journey of transformation from voice to data with the deployment of 3G.The data story in the country has just begun and they will witness increasing complexity due to multiplicity of network layers specifically when serving data. It is imperative for any service provider to have a complete end-to-end view to manage voice and data services. This initiative is in line with their strategy to create ubiquitous networks for offering enriched customer experience. Nokia Siemens Networks has been their long standing managed services partner and they are happy to continue their association further.

Ashish Chowdhary, head of customer operations Asia and Middle East, Nokia Siemens Networks said this deal will allow Bharti to simplify processes and improve end-to-end network and service performance. More importantly, stringent key performance indicators ensure they’re helping Bharti Airtel deliver an enhanced subscriber experience.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 3G • Bharti Airtel • GSM • India • Managed Services • Network Quality • Nokia Siemens Networks • Sanjay Kapoor CEO

Telkomsel partners with On-Waves to provide low cost international roaming services to maritime workers (Indonesia)

On 11.01.11, In Mobile Operators, By Editor

Telkomsel, the largest cell phone operator in Indonesia, has partnered with Iceland-based maritime GSM service provider, On-Waves, to provide low-cost international roaming services to people working on ships. According to reports, Sarwoto Atmosutarno, Managing Director, Telkomsel has said they hope that over 30,000 Indonesians working in the maritime sector around the world can enjoy this international roaming service. He added that apart from providing expanded roaming access, they are also offering lower rates for voice, SMS and data services.

As per sources, Telkomsel distributed free premier SIM cards to 30 Indonesian crew members on the Louis Cristal cruise ship. Sarwoto reportedly added that customers using either Halo, AS or Simpati SIM cards would now be able to make calls to anywhere in the world for $1 (IDR 9,000) per minute and send text messages for $0.22 (IDR 2,000) per message.

Talking from a business point of view, Sarwoto has said that for the 30,000 Indonesian citizens working in cruise ships, commercial and oil drilling in the middle of the sea, cooperation with operators such as On-Waves GSM helps them to stay in touch with their family at an affordable cost. He added that such cooperation deals present an opportunity with a huge potential to be developed.

Filed under:Mobile Operators Tagged with: GSM • Iceland • Indonesia • International Roaming • maritime • On-waves • Sarwoto Atmosutarno • Telkomsel

MTS launches international roaming services for prepaid customers (India)

On 10.18.11, In Mobile Operators, By Editor

MTS telecom has introduced new international roaming services for its prepaid subscribers allowing them to roam across more than 400 GSM networks in 231 countries. The company offers these services along with a dual mode SIM card, which will work on CDMA networks while in India and on GSM while abroad. With this service, the company claims that it is the first telecom operator in the company to offer international roaming services for the CDMA prepaid customer base.

As per reports, Leonid Musatov, Chief marketing and Sales Officer, MTS India, has said that with a view to enhance connectivity and convenience, they have now introduced international roaming services for their customers. This would enable their customers to stay connected while travelling abroad without changing their phone numbers and also enjoy seamless data connectivity on the go internationally.

Further, the international roaming service also offers users access to the GPRS services in 206 nations across more than 300 telecom networks. Further, this will also provide users access to the High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) services in 114 countries across 145 networks.

Filed under:Mobile Operators Tagged with: CDMA • GSM • India • International Roaming • Leonid Musatov • MTS • USA

BSNL may scrap tender for 15 million GSM lines (India)

On 09.19.11, In Mobile, By Editor

BSNL, a leading public sector units providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India, may scrap its tender for 15 million GSM lines owing to the poor response from private vendors.

As per reports, a Department of Telecom official has said that the 15 million GSM tender floated by state-run BSNL is likely to be scrapped as only two or three private vendors have shown interest in the e-tender process.

Sources claim that the 15 million GSM line tender is estimated to be worth around $ 1.03– 1.23 billion. However, reports suggest that BSNL CMD R K Upadhyay has said that as of now, there is no such plan to scrap the tender and that the process is evolving.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: BSNL • DoT • GSM • India

Finntax partners with MCS on private GSM services (Netherlands)

On 03.29.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Finntax and MCS have tied knots on offering private GSM services, integrating both fixed and mobile services.

The service can be used as voice over WLAN or an IP Dect alternative. The service has already been implemented at the Dutch municipality Rhenen, allowing the 66 staff to switch their mobile phones to the internal GSM network.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Dutch municipality Rhenen • Finntax • GSM • GSM Services • IP Dect • MCS • Netherlands • operator • WLAN

Fujitsu selects Atmel maXTouch service for DoCoMo Regza phone (Japan)

On 03.29.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Fujitsu has chosen the Atmel maXTouch service to power the touchscreen for DoCoMo’s Regza phone T-01C touchscreen.

The new Regza phone T-01C is based on the Android platform and is developed by Fujitsu which is sold exclusively by Japan-based NTT DoCoMo.

Fujitsu’s DoCoMo REGZA phone T-01C features a 12.2-megapixel camera, 4-inch touchscreen, TV, infrared communications, 720p video recording, GSM, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

It also features the Mobile REGZA Engine 3.0, an engine based on the resolution technology employed in Toshiba REGZA LCD TVs, that is optimized for smartphones. This feature enables users to watch TV, YouTube and other videos on their mobile devices in high-quality resolution.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Atmel maXTouch service • Bluetooth • DoCoMo • Fujitsu • GSM • infrared communications • Japan • NTT DoCoMo • operator • Regza phone • T-01C touchscreen • TV • Wi-Fi

Vivo to shut CDMA network in September (Brazil)

On 03.28.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Vivo has announced that it will shut its CDMA network in September.

The company did not reveal how many customers are still using this technology, but noted that they are being warned in advance about the need to purchase a GSM handset.

Vivo’s CDMA coverage in the South, the interior of Sao Paulo and a part of the Midwest was provided by Motorola. The rest of Brazil was divided between Nortel and Alcatel-Lucent.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Alcatel-Lucent • Brazil • CDMA • GSM • Motorola • Nortel • operator • Sao Paulo • Vivo

Celcom to offer iPhone 4 in Malaysia

On 03.24.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Celcom is planning to launch Apple iPhone 4 in the coming months.

iPhone 4 is 24% thinner than the iPhone 3GS and is made from stainless steel and glass. The stainless steel band is also part of the antenna system (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, UMTS, GSM) of the phone. iPhone 4 has secondary mic for noise cancellation.

iPhone 4 has two built-in cameras: 5 megapixel back-camera with LED flash and backside illumination sensor; a front camera for video calling. The back-camera is also capable of taking HD videos (720p) up to 30fps with audio.

With the new technology called Retina Display, iPhone 4 screen is 960—640 pixel with 326 pixels per inch, the highest resolution phone screen ever. Graphic and text would be super sharp.

Like Apple iPad, iPhone 4 is powered by A4 chip handle complex jobs, such as multitasking, editing movie on iPhone using iMovie for iPhone and, at the same time, maximizing battery life. The iPhone 4 has up to 40% longer battery life than iPhone 3GS.

iPhone 4 is the first phone with built-in 3-axis gyroscope for more motion gestures and greater precision for better gaming experience.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Apple • Apple iPad • Apple iPhone 4 • Bluetooth • Celcom • GPS • GSM • iPhone 3GS • iPhone 4 • Malaysia • operator • UMTS • Wi-Fi

BTRC puts different spectrum utilization fee for operators (Bangladesh)

On 03.24.11, In Mobile, By Editor

If reports are to be believed, the new 2G spectrum licence proposal from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has baffled the operators.

According to the draft 2G licence renewal guideline, radio spectrum prices per Megahertz (MHz) are set at Tk 300 crore for the 900 MHz band, Tk 150 crore for the 1,800 MHz band of GSM technology, and Tk 150 crore for the 850 MHz band of CDMA technology.

However, the spectrum utilization charges differ per operator based on their subscriber bases. According to the draft, Grameenphone would have to pay BDT 55.04 in spectrum fees, followed by Robi which would pay BDT 30 billion, Banglalink which would pay BDT 29.94 billion, and Citycell would pay BDT 6.20 billion. The licence renewal fee for 15 years would be BDT 100 million.

Grameenphone chief corporate officer, Mahmud Hossain called the different spectrum utilization fees discriminatory and unfair. Furthermore, the government has failed to explain the exact method of calculation of the utilization fees.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: Bangladesh • Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission • BTRC • Chief corporate officer • CityCell • GrameenPhone • GSM • Mahmud Hossain • operator • Robi • spectrum • utilization fee

Ericsson launches HSPA mobile broadband modules

On 03.23.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Ericsson has introduced two HSPA mobile broadband modules, which will enable consumers to access connected handheld gaming devices, media players, personal navigation devices and tablets that utilize high speed mobile broadband. The Ericsson C5621gw and H5321gw modules enable a variety of connected devices on the market.

Ericsson is also welcoming developers to enable universal device connectivity and the company has been working with AT&T. The AT&T 3G Access Program is designed to offer enhanced consumer electronics and machine-to-machine device manufacturers high-performance 3G modules.

The C5621gw HSPA module will also be included in the programme. With embedded technologies, antennas and system performance are enhanced, providing high quality of service and low power consumption. In addition, the modules enable users to access data download speeds of up to 21Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5.76Mbps.

Designed to be embedded into any consumer electronic device, the H5321gw module will be available to customers within the global consumer electronics industry in September. The C5621gw will be available to customers in October. Both modules are based on ST-Ericsson’s Thor M5730 modem, which works both on WCDMA/HSPA+ and GSM/EDGE networks. Ericsson has approximately 100 design wins for notebooks and netbooks and 25 design wins for tablets, for modules based on the same chipset family from ST-Ericsson.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 3G • AT&T • C5621gw • EDGE • Ericsson • GSM • H5321gw • HSPA • Mobile • mobile broadband modules • WCDMA