Huawei targets number one mobile vendor slot (China)
Huawei, which is currently the second largest mobile network vendor, has claimed that it plans to replace current leader Ericsson to be the world’s largest mobile infrastructure vendor. In an interview with Mobile World Live, David Wang, president of Huawei’s wireless networks business, said that they want to be the leading mobile infrastructure provider and there is no doubt about that.
As per the report, Wang pointed to the Chinese vendor’s product portfolio as proof that it has evolved beyond more than just a ‘cheaper’ version of its western rivals, outlining the company’s contribution to industry standard developments as well as its launch of SingleRAN and GigaSite equipment.
Wang said that step by step, following this kind of path, they could be the number one. He added that they want to really have the biggest contribution to the whole industry.
He added that with GSM, at the time they were still followers. But with UMTS they started to become one of the leading vendors. And now for LTE, he thinks that they are absolutely one of the world’s leading vendors. Further, LTE will be a big opportunity for Huawei to further enhance their leadership.
TOT selects NSN to upgrade to HSPA+ for faster speed, better service (Thailand)
TOT, Thailand’s state-owned telecom operator, has selected Nokia Siemens Networks to upgrade its 3G network to HSPA+. This upgrade will improve mobile broadband services for the 7.2 million TOT customers and increase download speeds to even 42 megabits per second (Mbps) compared to the current 7.2 Mbps. The upgrade will be ready by April 2012.
Monchai Noosong, acting president at TOT, said that the Thai mobile market is extremely competitive, so they always need to ensure they are well ahead of the curve. With demand for data skyrocketing and operators looking to venture into the 3G space, they knew this was the right time to upgrade their 3G network. Nokia Siemens Networks has helped them scale up quickly enabling them to ride the mobile broadband wave sweeping the country. In addition, the company’s solution ensures an easy migration to LTE once that becomes topical for them.
Krittika Mahattanakul, head of Asia North, Asia Pacific region at Nokia Siemens Networks, said that as smartphones become more common also in Thailand and people start using data heavy applications on them, it is important that the mobile broadband networks can manage the capacity needs and provide enjoyable customer experience. Also, TOT is ensuring this by upgrading its network to HSPA+ early on.
Nokia Siemens Networks’ all-IP ready HSPA+ solution is based on the Dual Carrier HSDPA technology, Flexi Multiradio Base Station and the 3G Radio Network Multicontroller (RNC).The company will also deploy its Liquid Core’s COTS ATCA-based Open Mobile Switching Server (MSS), which together with the Flexi Multiradio Base Station enables a smooth transition to LTE.
The TOT network, including GSM and 3G, will be monitored and optimized by the Nokia Siemens Networks NetAct network management system. Nokia Siemens Networks will also provide its Location Based Services solution enabling TOT to offer Value Added Services (VAS), such as localized advertising.
Nokia Siemens Networks will provide TOT network planning, implementation and optimization services, as well as services for operations support and training.
Airtel renews managed services contract with Nokia (Africa, India)
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.
Telkomsel partners with On-Waves to provide low cost international roaming services to maritime workers (Indonesia)
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.
MTS launches international roaming services for prepaid customers (India)
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.
BSNL may scrap tender for 15 million GSM lines (India)
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.
Finntax partners with MCS on private GSM services (Netherlands)
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.
Fujitsu selects Atmel maXTouch service for DoCoMo Regza phone (Japan)
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.
Vivo to shut CDMA network in September (Brazil)
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.
Celcom to offer iPhone 4 in Malaysia
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.
