Saudi Telecom increases stake in Indonesian subsidiary ‘Axis’
Saudi Arabia based Saudi Telecom has announced that it has increased its stake in the Indonesian mobile network, Axis to 80.1% from 51% percent. The company brought the stake from fellow shareholder, Malaysia’s Maxis Communications, who have reduced their holding to 14.9%.
STC will manage and operate Axis and appoint all the members of the board of directors.
STC will also offer a US$81 million loan and is committed to offer another US$290 million when necessary as part of the mobile network’s five-year plan. Maxis will cancel its loans to Axis totaling US$412 million.
Aircel rolls out 3G in Kashmir (India)
Aircel has launched its much awaited 3G services in Kashmir. Aircel is a joint venture of Malaysia based Maxis communications and Apollo hospital group.
According to Gurdeep Singh, COO Aircel, they have been working very hard in getting this right and have taken every step with deliberation. This is reflected in their success in the years leading up to 2010. The company is every excited about 3G as they see it as something that will begin to transform their lives in many ways.
He claimed that the launch of the 3G services will address the high speed digital needs of the consumers.
Gurdeep stated the Aircel service was speedy and could be availed by youth, housewives, professionals, children and even elderly as well on cheap rates.
The rates of the services have been fixed as US$2.94, $5.62, $11.20 and $17.89 for 75Mb, 150Mb, 350Mb and 1024Mb with one month validity respectively to its customers.
Bharti, Aircel eager to buy Qualcomm business (India)
If sources are to be believed, Bharti Airtel and Aircel Cellular are interested in buying the yet-to-be-launched Indian wireless broadband business of Qualcomm, an indication that the scales are tilting in favor of the wireless technology being championed by the US-based cell phone chip maker.
As per the industry executives, India’s largest mobile phone company, Bharti Airtel, is primarily interested in Qualcomm’s airwaves and permits for Delhi, complementing the 3G frequencies it won in the circle earlier this year. Aircel, a unit of Malaysia’s Maxis Communications and the country’s seventh-biggest operator, has shown interest in the Mumbai and Kerala circles.
According to BK Syngal, senior principal at Dua Consulting and former chairman of VSNL, a long-distance operator now owned by the Tata Group, Airtel has 3G spectrum in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, UP (East) and Rajasthan. They have broadband wireless spectrum in Punjab. Haryana is the only missing link for them in North India, and if Bharti were to buy Qualcomm’s Haryana permit, it will provide them with a corridor of continuity across the entire Northern region. They have only 5 MHz of 3G spectrum in Delhi, its key circle, which is insufficient. Since LTE is a natural progression for 3G, it makes strategic sense for Bharti if they are pitching for Qualcomm’s licences in Delhi.
Bharti’s top two executives Akhil Gupta and Sanjay Kapoor met Paul Fiskness, Qualcomm’s senior vice-president for strategic investment and South Asia head Kanwalinder Singh to understand the terms and conditions under which the California-based chip maker wants to exit. Sandip Das, CEO of Maxis Communications, was the interlocutor on behalf of Aircel. Malaysia-based Maxis owns majority stake in Aircel.
As per An Airtel executive, company officials regularly meet with top Qualcomm personnel as the chip maker is a major player in the 3G and LTE space, adding that such meetings could not be considered as being related to buying the latter’s operations in India.
Aircel keenly interested in Indian 3G auction
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The stiffening of the competition in the fast growing Indian telecom market has made the telecom operator Aircel highly interested in the upcoming 3G auction. This will help the company to offer premium-priced multimedia capabilities such as email and video on their mobile phones and the high-speed services that the bandwidth allows is expected to attract users willing to pay a premium.
74% of the company is owned by Malaysia’s Maxis Communications Bhd and the balance 26% stake in Aircel is owned by India’s Apollo Hospitals group. The company operates in 18 of India’s 22 telecom service areas.
Aircel’s talks are on with three companies to sell its tower operations; however, the names of the companies are not disclosed. The deal may be finalized in six to eight weeks. Bharti Infratel, which is the tower arm of Bharti Airtel Ltd., American Tower Corp., and Wireless TT Infoservices Ltd are some of the companies reported by the media to be interested in buying Aircel’s towers.
Maxis group revenues grow on Aircel acquisition
Malaysia’s Maxis Communications group saw its revenues and net income grow in the first half of the year. Group revenues totalled MYR 3.62 billion, up from MYR 3.1 billion in the first half of 2005. Net income rose 16 percent to MYR 960 million, from MYR 831 million in H1 2005. EBITDA rose 6 percent to MYR 1.84 billion but the EBITDA margin dropped 5.1 percent to 50.9 percent due to start-up costs of Natrindo Telepon Seluler in Indonesia, lower mobile termination fees as well as higher sales and marketing costs. Growth was driven by performance in the Malaysian market, as well as the contribution from newly acquired Aircel, a mobile operator in India. Aircel contributed MYR 234 million to revenues and added 3.2 million subscribers to the group’s total of 11.7 million mobile customers. Maxis Communications set a gross dividend of MYR 0.1042 per share.
Source- http://www.telecompaper.com
Technorati : Maxis Communications, Mobile
Ice Rocket : Maxis Communications, Mobile
