Hong Kong’s regulatory authority, The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) announced that two existing mobile network operators and one new entrant have successfully bid for a total of 90 MHz of radio spectrum in the 2.3 GHz Band, raising over US$ 60 million.

As per a press release by OFTA, a spokesperson has said that over the past two years, mobile data service has continued to grow at a spectacular rate.  As a result, the industry finds it necessary to continually provide for additional network capacities in order to meet the market demand.  With the assignment of the radio spectrum through the spectrum auction, the successful bidders will be able to deploy state of the art mobile broadband technologies and provide the necessary network capacities to maintain the momentum of growth of the booming service.

The report reveals that 21 ViaNet Group Limited and Hutchison Telephone Company Limited bid an amount of US$ 19.34 million for the spectrum while China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited bid a little higher at US$ 21.93 million.

Further, the acquired spectrum will be assigned under a 15-year unified carrier licence.  The licensees will be required to provide a minimum coverage of 50 per cent of population of Hong Kong as regards its mobile services, or a minimum coverage of 200 commercial and/or residential buildings as to its fixed services within five years from the grant of the licences.

SmarToneMobile operator SmarTone will be ending its unlimited data plans from 13 February 2012, and will be replacing them with ‘User pays’ plans. As per the telecommunications authority OFTA’s guidelines concerning the regulation of operators’ network control management and Fair Usage Policy (FUP), any unlimited usage plan shall not be subject to any limitation in the name of FUP.

Further, SmarTone considers traffic control management and FUP are indispensable to safeguard stable network operations and quality for all. Thus, in effect, unlimited usage plans can no longer be offered. According to company reports, the operator has said that cost will eventually increase with ever increasing usage.

The user pays principle is fair to all customers and charges a consumer based on their usage level. Data allowance for previously unlimited usage plans has been set at 2GB per month. However, customers can top up on an ‘Advise & Consent’ basis for occasional higher usage – ensuring customer control and no bill shock.

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Hutchison Telecom Hong KongVodafoneTelecom operator Hutchison Telecom Hong Kong (HTHK) has entered into a strategic partnership with Vodafone in an attempt to increase its customer base as well as offer improved services to its business clients. According to company reports, under the agreement, HTHK will be able to sell to its multinational customers, a range of managed communications services provided by Vodafone Global Enterprise, the business within Vodafone that manages the communications needs of multinational companies.

Amy Lung, COO (Mobile), HTHKH has said that their collaboration with Vodafone will provide them with a hefty boost in terms of broadening their customer base and growing their share of the corporate market, and will help further strengthen their leading position in the sector.

Further, the report also reveals that as per the partnership, several new destinations have been added to HTHK’s flat-rate data roaming daily pass offer. HTHK now covers 52 destinations and 65 networks. Both individual and corporate customers will benefit from attractive data roaming offers, as well as a better roaming experience across more countries.

Spanish telecom operator Telefonica has reportedly entered into a strategic partnership with China Unicom, wherein both operators will use each other’s networks to expand their coverage. According to reports, the deal will provide Telefonica access to China Unicom’s network in the regions of Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Australia, France and Sweden.

In return, China Unicom can reportedly increase its presence through Telefonica’s network in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, USA, Puerto Rico, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria Denmark, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland.

Reports suggest that Telefonica believes this agreement will help both operators expand their capabilities to provide telecom services to various customers in different geographic areas.

 

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Europe’s largest telecom operator, Telefonica, may reportedly sell off its underperforming assets in an attempt to reduce its debt and regain investors confidence after the revenue loss in Spain. According to reports, the operator has no intention of selling its operations in Germany, Mexico and the Czech Republic, or its 9.7 percent stake in China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.

However, sources claim that the operator has been assessing its business to identify the underperforming assets which can be sold off to reduce their debt amount. As per reports, Cesar Alierta, CEO, Telefonica has been actively cutting down on the size of the workforce along with putting a stop to any merger or amalgamation activity to make up for the losses faced in the year. Further, it has been reported that the operator has been relying heavily on the Latin American economy which accounts for 47 percent of its sales.

 

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The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) has reportedly published an Information Memorandum inviting interested parties to participate in the auction of radio spectrum in the 2.3 GHz band for the provision of broadband wireless access (BWA) services in Hong Kong.

According to sources, a representative of OFTA has said that over the past two years, mobile data service continues to flourish, spurring the growth of the telecommunications market in Hong Kong.  Further, the available radio spectrum is divided into three frequency bands, each with a bandwidth of 30 MHz.  Both new entrants and incumbent operators may participate in the auction and bid for any one of the three frequency bands.  The maximum amount of spectrum that may be assigned to each bidder or a group of connected bidders in the auction is 30 MHz.

 

China Mobile, the world’s leading mobile phone operator, has reportedly launched a new daily data roaming tariff package for its users. The company had earlier introduced a package offering reduced international roaming tariffs for voice, text messages and mobile data across 23 countries and regions.

According to reports, currently, the new tariff plan has been launched in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea and Thailand, and is largely aimed at international travelers using their mobile handset to surf the internet. As per sources, customers subscribing to the daily data tariff package can access unlimited roaming data in specific operator networks for a daily fixed charge while roaming in any of the aforesaid places. Further, reports suggest that the per day charge for the service will be around $14 in Hong Kong as compared to $15.3 payable at the other places.

 

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Hutchison Whampoa, Hong Kong based conglomerate may reportedly be in talks to acquire Austrian mobile operator, Orange Austria, owned by France Telecom and private equity firm Mid Europa Partners. As per reports, Hutchison, which operates in Austria through its subsidiary 3, aims to acquire Orange by this year.

Sources claim that a deal between these two operators, would compbine the third and fourth largest telecom players in the country, after Telekom Austria AG and T-Mobile Austria (Deutsche Telekom AG). As per company reports, France Telecom has a stake of 35 percent in Orange Austria with the remaining 65percent being controlled by Mid Europa Partners.

 

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Motorola XT531

Motorola XT531, the new Android based smartphone unveiled by Motorola Mobility will be available at the start of this autumn; specifically in Hong Kong, Taiwan and select countries in Europe and Latin America.

The smartphone runs on the Android 2.3 also, known as Gingerbread, the latest version of this mobile platform; boasts of a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with built in flash.

The Moto Switch user interface built into the Motorola XT531, facilitates personalization options, and enables users to seamlessly switch between friend and work-centric modes.

According to Fei Liu, senior vice president, mass market consumer products, Motorola Mobility, smartphones have become integral, personal parts of users’ lives; the reason why Motorola believes smartphones should be fun, fashionable and feature-packed. In addition, Motorola XT531 is being put across as an affordable device that gives young, fast-moving users everything they want from a top-quality smartphone.

The marketing name for the Motorola XT531 will be Motorola FIRE XT and Motorola SPICE XT in Europe and Latin America respectively. Across select Asian regions, the Motorola XT531 will be available as single-SIM and dual-SIM models whilst the dual-SIM model will be available starting this autumn.

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Comba Telecom Systems Holdings Limited(“Comba” or “the Group”), a leading wireless enhancement solutions provider, announced that it had been selected by a major operator in the Middle East to supply wireless equipment for its LTE network build out in the region.

Under the terms of the agreement, Comba provided a number of LTE equipment including indoor and base station antennas for deployment in both indoor and outdoor environments for the network. In addition, Comba also supplied 3G antennas to enable a ubiquitous wireless coverage experience for the mobile operator’s customers.

At the initial phase of the project, Comba’s LTE equipment was subjected to rigorous tests and trials by the operator. Convinced by the product features and performance in addition to Comba’s service and support facilities, the operator expanded the order to include hundreds of LTE antennas and thousands of 3G antennas.

Based in Dubai, Ms. Charlene Chong, General Manager for Comba’s Middle East operations, said, “We are delighted to be part of such an important project. Besides the performance and value proposition of our products, we believe that Comba’s superior support, delivery and customer-focused service orientation were key factors in our win.” She further added, “Comba is involved in a number of LTE trials in the region and the fact that market analysts are forecasting LTE adoption in the Middle East to be one of the fastest in the world with a higher penetration rate adds further luster to this project and the other regional LTE trials. It is an honor for Comba to help the region move onto the next generation of wireless communications.”

Ms. Carol Ye, Deputy General Manager for Comba’s Antenna and Sub-Systems division, said, “One of the key components in the suite of LTE equipment is our base station antennas. Comba’s LTE antenna supports multiple protocols including 3G and LTE 2.7GHz for mobile broadband connectivity in a single integrated design for efficiencies in footprint and performance. In this case, we delivered these antennas and other LTE equipment under very tight time-lines and fully met the operator’s deployment schedules without compromising on quality expectations. We are delighted with the trust that the operator has placed in Comba and will continue to improve and upgrade the current LTE offerings for Middle East and beyond.”

About Comba Telecom Systems Holdings Limited

As one of the leading wireless solution providers in the world, Comba is primarily engaged in the R&D and manufacturing of wireless enhancement products including RRU, base station subsystems & antennas, and wireless transmission & access systems. The Group also provides complete turnkey solutions and services to its global customers. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Comba’s global operations include manufacturing platforms in China, R&D centers in China and the USA, and over 40 offices worldwide. In September 2009, Comba was named “Asia’s 200 Best Under A Billion” by Forbes. In March 2010, it was included into the Hang Seng Composite Index Series (under the Information Technology category). In May 2011, Comba secured winning places in five categories in FinanceAsia’s Top Companies Poll, namely, “Best Mid-Cap” (first place), “Most Committed to a Strong Dividend Policy”, “Best Corporate Social Responsibility”, “Best Corporate Governance”, and “Best Managed Company”. For further information, please visit: www.comba-telecom.com

 

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