Brazil adds 2.2 million subscribers in April (Brazil)
Brazil added 2.2 million new subscribers in the month of April, representing an increase of 0.86 percent compared to March 2012. 3G terminals (mobile broadband) totaled 54.3 million hits, as reported by telecommunications regulator Anatel.
As per a report by DJN, TIM Participacoes SA added the most subscribers in the month, with 37 percent of net additions, far above second-placed Oi SA with 23 percent. Telefonica Brasil SA was third, with 22 percent of total additions, and Claro, the local unit of Mexico’s America Movil SA (was fourth with 16 percent.
Further, Telefonica, part of Spain’s Telefonica SA, was still the largest operator overall, with nearly 30 percent market share. TIM, a unit of Telecom Italia SpA was second with 27 percent, Claro was third with 24 percent and Oi had 19 percent.
M-commerce to overtake e-commerce soon (India)
In an emerging market such as India, mobile broadband is expected to become the prime source of internet access, racing ahead even of e-commerce. Accprding to a report by ET, of the next 300 million Internet users to be added, more than 200 million are expected to be mobile Internet users. The variety of low end smartphones available in the market, beginning at $ 58 will aide in the growth of this phenomenon.
The report highlights other Asian markets where mobile commerce has been making its mark. In Japan, around 20 percent of online commerce is done via the mobile phone; whereas, China has an m-commerce level of 12 percent of the overall 30 percent.
As per the report, the number of mobile only Internet users is expected to be over 50 percent in India by 2015. Of the total e-commerce in 2015 in the country, about 15-20 percent is expected to be transacted via the mobile phone.
M-commerce offers consumers certain advantages such as convenience in placing orders over their mobile phone, enhanced interaction between retailer and purchaser, easy mobile payment options with advanced technolgy functions, amongst others.
Verizon spectrum sale announcement impacts Clearwire share price (USA)
The share price of wireless broadband carrier Clearwire Corp., fell the most in the past five months, following Verizon’s announcement claiming that it plans to sell some of its spectrum, according to a report by BN.
As per the report, Clearwire fell 14 percent to $1.63 at 1:24 p.m., after retreating 20 percent for the biggest decline since Nov. 18. The Bellevue, Washington-based company’s shares have dropped 67 percent in the 12 months before today.
As per a company statement, Verizon plans to conduct an open-sale process for all of its 700 megahertz A and B spectrum licenses, covering dozens of major U.S. cities and some smaller markets.
Airtel to roll-out 4G services today (India)
Leading mobile operator in India, Bharti Airtel, will launch its 4G service in Kolkata today. As reported by Wireless Federation earlier, the operator will be the first to launch 4G services in India, which is expected to offer users download speeds of around 100 MB per second on the move and can go up to 1 Gigabits per second at a fixed location.
The operator has partnered with ZTE Corporation to plan, design, supply and deploy its 4G network in Kolkata, which will allow its subscribers to experience high-speed wireless internet access.
Sanjay Kapoor, Bharti Airtel CEO (India and South Asia), said that acccording to industry estimates, by 2016, six percent of all mobile connections will have 4G connection, which would create 36 percent of the total mobile data traffic, thus paving way for the ensuing data revolution. Further, the impending launch of 4G in the country will provide ultra high speed data access, driving fundamental changes in society at large.
As per sources, the operator has requested union telecom minister Kapil Sibal to inaugurate the 4G network.
Airtel inks deal with ZTE to manage first 4G network (India)
In continuing with its plans of being the first Indian operator to launch 4G/LTE services, telecom operator Bharti Airtel has reportedly entered into a partnership with ZTE to manage its fourth generation (4G) technology based network in Kolkata. As per reports, the operator is targeting next month for the official launch.
As per a statement by the company, Bharti Airtel has selected ZTE Corporation to plan, design, supply and deploy its 4G network in Kolkata, which will allow its subscribers to experience high-speed wireless internet access.
Sanjay Kapoor, Bharti Airtel CEO (India and South Asia), said that acccording to industry estimates, by 2016, six percent of all mobile connections will have 4G connection, which would create 36 percent of the total mobile data traffic, thus paving way for the ensuing data revolution. Further, The impending launch of 4G in the country will provide ultra high speed data access, driving fundamental changes in society at large.
As reported earlier, Airtel had awarded the contract for managing its 4G network in Maharashtra to Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN).
India to become world’s second largest mobile broadband market (India)
The GSMA has announced that India will become the second largest Mobile Broadband market globally within the next four years with 367 million Mobile Broadband connections by 2016. In doing so, India will overtake the US, which will account for 337 million Mobile Broadband connections by 2016, but will still be second to China, which will have reached 639 million Mobile Broadband connections in the same period.
Since 3G licenses were first awarded to mobile operators in India in September 2010, Mobile Broadband connectivity has grown steadily. There are now more than 10 million HSPA connections across the country, and this is expected to grow exponentially, by 900 per cent, to more than 100 million connections in 2014. This will make India the largest HSPA market worldwide within the next two years, surpassing China, Japan and the US in the process.
According to a company report Anne Bouverot, director general of the GSMA, said that the mobile industry in India is set for immense growth as Mobile Broadband technologies such as HSPA and LTE start to proliferate, but there is scope for far greater development. Further, to take full advantage of this, the Indian government should facilitate the timely release of additional spectrum in a fair and transparent way for all stakeholders. The benefits are clear to see – a 10 per cent increase in Mobile Broadband penetration could contribute as much as US$80 billion of revenue across the country’s transport, healthcare and education sectors by 2015.
As per a GSMA study, despite a large rural population, mobile growth in India is being largely driven by more affluent communities in cities. Net additions in urban areas reached 85 million last year compared to 57 million in rural areas, with mobile penetration increasing by 20 percentage points in urban areas to 161 per cent, against a 6.5 percentage point rise in rural areas to 36.6 per cent.
The provision of Mobile Broadband in rural and remote areas will help India bridge the so-called ‘digital divide’. It will improve productivity, help overcome the constraints of transport infrastructure and provide much needed services such as banking, health and education. Given the significant social and economic benefits, expanding affordable access to Mobile Broadband should be a high priority of the Indian government.
The study reveals that with an average retail price of US$500, the cost of an LTE smartphone is four times the average monthly GDP per capita in India, and at an average of US$200, the retail price of an LTE USB dongle is twice an Indian’s monthly income on average. As LTE networks proliferate worldwide and more devices become available, costs will come down. Initiatives like the introduction of the low cost Aakash tablet in India are helping spur widespread access to the Internet in emerging markets, but more can be done.
Bouverot also said that it is important that all citizens in India have access to high-speed Internet connectivity and the transformative opportunities it provides. The current average cost of an LTE device is prohibitive for the uptake of Mobile Broadband for those on low incomes. The GSMA is committed to working with its mobile operator members to investigate innovative ways in which to make access to the mobile Internet more affordable for all.
Nawras introduces first-of-its-kind off peak mobile broadband bundle (Oman)
Nawras, Oman’s customer friendly communications provider, has launched another exciting first with an off peak monthly mobile broadband bundle of 100GB of data for both Nawras Ajel and Nawras Mousbak customers. This innovative offer allows customers to enjoy music, movies and other heavy downloads from 2am until 9am with its generous monthly data bundle. This offer comes with a monthly subscription of only US$ 18.2.
Customers choosing to opt in to this new service can use the off peak plan on any day, alongside their existing bundle. Nawras is the only operator in Oman to offer an off peak bundle plan for mobile broadband and this is the latest carefully designed data plan introduced to meet the varying usage styles of different customers.
As per the company, Mohamed Dilshard Anzary, Senior Manager Broadband and BlackBerry, said that they always adopt an innovative approach to their products and services. For the first time in the Sultanate, Nawras mobile broadband customers can now enjoy off peak data with fantastic value to handle heavy downloads overnight and not affect their regular data bundle.
He added that they are continuing to invest in their network to support broadband growth and at the same time, improving customer experiences by developing pleasingly different services.
TIM Brasil partners with Amdocs for Customer Experience Systems (Brazil)
Amdocs, the leading provider of customer experience systems, has announced that TIM Brasil, the second largest mobile service provider in Brazil, has selected the Amdocs CES (Customer Experience Systems) product portfolio and a range of Amdocs consulting, integration and implementation services for its new TIM Fiber residential broadband service.
Amdocs will speed time-to-market for TIM Fiber broadband services by providing the business support systems (BSS) and operational support systems (OSS) required to deliver these services. TIM’s new broadband offering follows its 2011 acquisition of AES Atimus, which operated a 5,000-kilometer fiber-optic network in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other major Brazilian cities. Amdocs is also providing the strategic business-process consulting that will allow TIM Brasil to rapidly integrate the Atimus network and begin delivering broadband services less than 12 months after the acquisition.
Luigi Longarini, chief information officer of TIM Brasil, said that following their acquisition of Atimus’ fiber-optic network last year, they knew that they needed to move quickly to consolidate their network into TIM and rapidly offer the broadband services customers are demanding. He added that they selected Amdocs for TIM Fiber based on the results the two companies have already achieved working together on the B/OSS transformation project announced last year. In addition, they are using Amdocs’ consulting and implementation services in order to ensure a seamless rollout of this new broadband service.
Rebecca Prudhomme, Amdocs vice president for product and solutions marketing, has said that Amdocs solutions will enable dynamic pricing bundles, rapid service creation and activation, and responsive customer service, while also helping TIM achieve greater operational efficiencies.
As prime contractor, Amdocs will serve as systems integrator for its own solutions and those of up to 30 other vendors, performing a wide range of services including end-to-end program management, SI (systems integration) testing and user training to ensure the entire system works seamlessly. The TIM Fiber initiative extends Amdocs’ relationship with TIM Brasil as announced in February and September 2011.
Nokia Siemens Networks expands Saudi 4G network (Saudi Arabia)
Subscribers of Saudi Telecom Company (STC) can expect a new generation of mobile broadband services with super-fast speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps). The operator has selected Nokia Siemens Networks to upgrade its nationwide GSM and 3G networks and expand its commercial 4G (TD-LTE: time division duplex long term evolution) network. Nokia Siemens Networks is now responsible for building one-third of STC’s nationwide 4G network. STC announced the launch of its commercial 4G network using TD-LTE equipment from Nokia Siemens Networks in September 2011.
Zeyad Thamer Al-Otaibi, STC Group chief executive officer for Technical Operations, has said that STC and Nokia Siemens Networks have enjoyed a long-standing, strategic relationship that has gone from strength to strength over the years. The latest round of network expansion and modernization provides a further boost to the partnership and will help deliver a differentiated experience to customers.
Bandar Mohammed Al Qafari, vice president Network Sector at STC KSA, says that user experience with 4G is much more enhanced and satisfactory as compared to traditional mobile broadband technologies. For instance, not only is there a noticeable increase in speed, but end users also get to enjoy new, multimedia applications and services. With more and more subscribers using bandwidth-intensive applications for smart phones and USB dongles, they needed to modernize their existing GSM and 3G networks, while rapidly launching 4G services. This is exactly what Nokia Siemens Networks offered- excellent technology coupled with a smooth services roll-out.
As part of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks is modernizing STC’s GSM and 3G networks to its award winning Single RAN (radio access network) platform based on the compact, energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio Base Station. The company is deploying its 4G radio network infrastructure across 2,500 STC sites over the next two years. Nokia Siemens Networks is also providing its FlexiPacket Microwave transport platform, which is a common transport medium for STC’s GSM, 3G and 4G networks with on-air speed of up to 400 Mbps.
Nokia Siemens Networks’ Self-Organizing Networks (SON) suite, part of the company’s Liquid Radio, enables straightforward plug-and-play 4G base station rollout. This results in operational and capital cost savings, while also improving customer experience by ensuring 4G base stations always deliver their peak performance.
Bernard Najm, country head for KSA at Nokia Siemens Networks, has said that this contract reiterates their commitment to further the adoption of 4G technology globally. STC is their long-standing partner and they are delighted to bring 4G services to its subscribers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Their expertise in 4G technology and strong services support helped STC deliver on its plans to modernize its nationwide network and roll out 4G services faster.
As part of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks is also upgrading its NetAct network management system to enable effective monitoring, management and operation of STC’s GSM, 3G and 4G networks. In addition, the company is providing services such as network implementation with project management capabilities for rapid and efficient network roll-out. It is also providing care services that include hardware, software maintenance and competence development. Nokia Siemens Networks already operates and optimizes STC’s GSM and 3G radio networks as part of a separate managed services contract.
Orange to offer new iPad on March 16 (France)
Orange today announced that it will offer the new iPad in France on Friday, March 16.
The third generation iPad is a category defining mobile device that features a stunning new Retina display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video. It also still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life while remaining amazingly thin and light.
Delphine Ernotte Cunci, executive director, Orange France, said that Orange offers iPad customers the largest mobile network in mainland France. With the most extensive and best mobile broadband coverage in France, Orange customers will be able to make full use of the amazing capabilities of the new iPad on the move.
Customers can buy the new iPad at orange.fr and in selected Orange retail stores beginning Friday, March 16.
