Mobilicity to introduce 3.5G network in Calgary (Canada)
Mobilicity will launch its 3.5G mobile network in Calgary on 28 April. Calgary consumers will be able to purchase popular name-brand Mobilicity phones (such as BlackBerry and Android smartphones) and plans at over 70 points of distribution, including corporate stores, exclusive Mobilicity dealers, national retailers and other non-exclusive dealers in every neighborhood across the Greater Calgary Area as well as online.
Mobilicity applies the simple unlimited local usage principles of landline calling to mobile communications. Mobilicity will also introduce Calgary to international long-distance offerings that make calling overseas friends and family affordable on the go.
Its Unlimited Asia add-on provides direct-dial, unlimited long distance to India, China, Hong Kong and Singapore for US$21.10 a month with any Mobilicity talk plan. To make calling to countries, like the Philippines, Jamaica, Iraq, Pakistan and the United Kingdom more affordable, the company also offers Multi-Minute bundles and pay-per-use international long-distance rates that rival calling cards.
HTC releases Desire S smartphone in Hong Kong
HTC has revealed the Desire S smartphone in Hong Kong, with CSL as the exclusive mobile operator partner and SiS International as the exclusive distributor of the phone.
The HTC Desire S is sculpted out of a single block of aluminum and features Android 2.3 OS, Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8255 processor, internal storage of 1.1GB and 768 MB RAM, 5-megapixel camera, HD video recording, VGA colour fixed focus front camera, 3.7-inch screen, Super LCD technology and the latest version of HTC Sense.
Users can access an array of CSL services that include Musicholic, and Studio on Demand mobile TV. HTC and CSL will launch exclusive benefits for HTC customers who sign up for a network service plan with one2free brand.
SinoHub adds 3 new mobile phone design houses (China)
SinoHub has added three new mobile phone design houses as supply chain management customers. The three new supply chain management customers are: Tianlong Shenzhen, Gaophone Shanghai, and Henzong Hong Kong.
These new customers are expected to generate additional profits for the electronic sales and services business segment.
Furthermore, SinoHub will have the opportunity to seek to engage these new customers as suppliers of new reference designs for mobile phones in the integrated contract manufacturing segment.
In light of the strong growth opportunities in the integrated contract manufacturing segment and as the company has so far not seen any significant impact on its business as a result of the recent earthquake in Japan, SinoHub is re-affirming its 2011 full year revenue guidance of 30 percent growth to US$255 million as well as its target of producing and selling 3 million mobile phones during the year, up by 160% year-on-year.
Neo slashes international call rates (Kazakhstan)
Neo has slashed rates of international calls. Calls to Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, Hong Kong, Turkey and Azerbaijan will get cheaper.
Call rates have been reduced to US$0.17 per minute. Activation of the service will cost US$1.37.
Gameloft to develop ‘Fast Five’ movie based game (US)
Gameloft, mobile game publisher has signed a licensing contract with Universal Partnerships & Licensing to develop and publish the game for the franchise ‘Fast Five.’
‘Fast Five The Movie: Official Game’ will be available for mobile phones, smartphones and tablets on April 28th. The players will control Brian O’Conner and the wheel of the main character’s cars, including the 2011 Dodge Challenger. Players will be able to drive through the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong and the Dominican Republic while avoiding obstacles that turn up from explosions, structure collapses and vehicle crashes in real time.
United expands mobile check-in to international flights (US)
United Airlines has expanded its mobile check-in and mobile boarding passes to customers travelling with international itineraries.
Customers can now check in at the United website using an internet-enabled mobile device 24 hours before departure.
Additionally, United Airlines’ mobile boarding pass option is now available to customers departing from airports in London, Munich, Amsterdam, Brussels, Geneva, Zurich, Moscow and Osaka.
The company plans to introduce the mobile boarding pass option at additional international airports, including Frankfurt, Tokyo Narita and Hong Kong, in the coming months. United currently offers paperless boarding at 62 US airports, including its hubs in Chicago, Denver, Washington Dulles, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
United mobile boarding passes display a two-dimensional bar code along with customer and flight information, which scanners at the security checkpoint and boarding gate validate.
A refresh of the mobile boarding pass will reflect any changes to seat assignments, gate changes and upgrade confirmations. Customers can also use their mobile devices to check flight status, flight availability, itineraries and Mileage Plus accounts, as well as sign up for notification via email, phone or SMS of any changes to flight status.
Sony Ericsson introduces Xperia PLAY smartphone
Sony Ericsson has introduced Xperia PLAY, the PlayStation certified smartphone.
The device is now on sale in shops in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, with further availability in additional six markets over the next two weeks.
The Xperia PLAY launches with more than 60 games from content providers, including Sony Computer Entertainment, Gameloft, Electronic Arts and Glu Mobile.
The range of games available to download at launch is a combination of original PlayStation titles, 3D titles and controls of Xperia PLAY as well as casual games. Sony Ericsson has formed partnerships with over twenty developers from publishers, independents, middleware providers Havok and Unity, Android developers, to enable a steady flow of new titles for Xperia PLAY.
The phone features games such as Assassins Creed Altair’s Chronicles HD, Need for Speed, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Dungeon Defenders Second Wave, Gun Bros, Galaxy on Fire 2, Guns ‘n’ Glory, Worms, Zenonia 2, Backstab and N.O.V.A.2. In addition, Asphalt 6 racing game will be available for free exclusively on Xperia PLAY. The games are downloadable via the ‘Xperia PLAY launcher’, an application that is activated by sliding open the gamepad.
The ‘Xperia PLAY launcher’ recommends games and enables consumers to search for top titles optimised for Xperia PLAY on Android market. There is also a range of PlayStation original games available at launch in select markets initially.
These are comprised of a pre-install of the PS One classic Crash Bandicoot and a further five PlayStation original games available to download via the PlayStation Pocket application in Xperia PLAY.
These games include Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby, Jumping Jack Flash, MediEvil and Syphon Filter. More games from Sony Computer Entertainment will be added to Xperia PLAY on a regular basis. Xperia PLAY will be available within the next two weeks in Spain, France, Finland, Singapore, India and Portugal.
Xperia PLAY will be in stores in the US market with Verizon Wireless this spring.
Vodafone acquires $5 bn stake in Essar (India)
Vodafone Group PLC has announced that it paid $5 billion to buy out Essar Group’s stake in Vodafone Essar. Essar group promoted by Ruia brothers have decided to exit from its joint venture with Vodafone in India. Essar has 33% stake in the joint venture.
According to Indian laws, a foreign entity can have 74% stake in a telecom company, so it is not clear which company will partner Vodafone in India.
According to Vodafone, Vodafone Group announces that the Essar Group has exercised its underwritten put option over 22% of Vodafone Essar Limited (VEL).
A put option gives an investor the right to sell stocks at a specified price within a specified time. Essar has used the put option to sell its 22% (out of the 33% stake to Vodafone). In turn, Vodafone exercised its call option on the remaining 11% stake. A call option is an agreement through which an investor can buy a stock at a specified price. The entire transaction would be worth $5 billion.
As per Vodafone, following the exercise by the Essar Group of its put option, Vodafone has exercised its call option over the remaining 11% of VEL owned by the Essar Group resulting in a total cash payment of $5 billion. Final settlement is anticipated to be no later than November 2011.Vodafone Group’s published net debt figure already includes this $5 billion.
Vodafone had bought 67% stake in Hutchison Essar for over $11 billion in 2007 replacing the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa group.
ZTE to provide LTE Networks in Sweden and Denmark
ZTE has stated that it has won a contract to deploy the world’s first LTE TDD/FDD dual-mode networks in Sweden and Denmark on behalf of 3G network operator, Hi3G. As part of the deal, ZTE will also deliver 3G infrastructure equipment to upgrade the operator’s 3G network.
Hi3G Access is a 60:40 joint venture between Hong Kong’s Hutchison-Whampoa and Sweden’s Investor AB.
According to Peder Ramel, CEO at Hi3G, they have chosen ZTE for additional 3G 900/2100 rollout and for LTE mobile broadband networks in Sweden and Denmark because of the possibility to house three different mobile standards in the same physical infrastructure and the low cost of ownership. Furthermore, ZTE advanced LTE dual-mode solutions and quick consignment responses really meet our requirements.
Hi3G will exploit its spectrum resources by rolling out two versions of LTE. The two versions are usually referred to as Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD). The main benefit of the TDD version is that it can make full use of TDD spectrums to maximize data throughout and enhance user experience. Hi3G has acquired 50MHz of TDD spectrum in Sweden and 25 MHz of TDD spectrum in Denmark.
The TDD version of LTE is also used in other parts of the world, for example China. The use of TDD LTE by China will facilitate the world-wide availability of TDD LTE terminals.
