MTel signs US$199 million EIB loan
Hungary’s dominant telecoms operator Magyar Telekom (MTel) has signed a US$199 million loan deal with the European Investment Bank.
In a statement released, MTel stated that the six-year, forint-denominated loan would be used primarily to finance fixed line and mobile broadband investment projects.
Israel sees growth with 4G and Multiplay Services
As the Israeli telecom market is more mature than other AME countries, growth will rely heavily on a combination of new services and new networks rather than on increasing penetration as growth slightly increases from $6.9 billion in 2010 to $7.1 billion in 2015, according to a new report from Pyramid Research.
According to Kerem Arsal, Analyst at Pyramid Research, over the next five years, the majority of growth in the Israeli telecom market will arise from fixed and mobile broadband, VoIP, and pay-TV. As the ability to offer multiplay services becomes more important in the Israeli market, operators look for mergers or partnerships that will allow them to expand their product ranges. Differentiation through discounted bundles and value-added services becomes vital.
Arsal indicates that with 85% of households having fixed broadband access and the proliferation of 3G networks by all mobile players, the market is ripe with opportunities for convergence and multiplay offers. As data usage gains increased importance and the IP-based networks roll out, the opportunities for convergence will be rich.
He added that recent announcements for upcoming 4G and LTE networks will provide numerous opportunities (expecting LTE subscriptions to reach around 12% in 2015). In Israel’s highly competitive market, vendors will also find lucrative opportunities to help operators who are currently considering and/or delivering attractive content, particularly multiplay offerings. New and soon-to-be-licensed MVNOs provide further opportunities to virtual network enablers. Finally, when the MoC issues mobile WiMax licenses, vendors can look forward to new WiMax rollouts.
Ericsson win contract for 3G launch in six circles (India)
Ericsson, a telecom equipment maker has won a contract for launching 3G network infrastructure across six circles.
According to Ericsson, Aircel has selected Ericsson for the launch of 3G/HSPA network across six out of its 13 circles, which currently provide over 100 million subscribers. Ericsson will be Aircel’s largest partner for 3G implementation.
According to Aircel COO Gurdeep Singh, the company is confident that with this partnership, Aircel will be benefited from Ericsson’s global expertise of 3G deployments, and will be able to offer customers a world-class 3G experience.
With the roll out of 3G services, Aircel customers would have the access to the services like video telephony, mobile broadband, mobile TV and faster downloads on their handsets.
As per the agreement, Ericsson will provide core, radio and transmission network equipment along with network rollout, network technology and consulting and other support services.
The six Aircel circles cover — Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Orissa, Jammu and Kashmir, North East and Assam. The framework contract will be implemented from 2010 to 2012.
The company did not disclose financial details of the contract.
Nokia Siemens Networks Launches MQA for Mobile Broadband
Nokia Siemens Networks has launched a Mobile Quality Analyzer (MQA) for Mobile Broadband that uses a mobile device client to report on the quality of 3G connections. It can combine this data with subjective feedback from subscribers, as they download data or surf the Internet, to get a clearer picture of their mobile broadband experience, effectively ‘crowd-sourcing’ mobile network optimization. The application is part of the company’s Insight & Experience Framework.
According to Jari Eskola, Insight & Experience Solution Expertise, Nokia Siemens Networks, the mobile broadband market is growing rapidly and improved broadband service quality is fast becoming a differentiator for operators globally. MQA for Mobile Broadband provides operators with information to plan and efficiently adjust their network capacity as well as speed up resolution of customer complaints.
Nokia Siemens Networks advises that operators clearly outline to subscribers the client application’s use, exactly what sort of data it collects and how their privacy is protected. Take-up rate could be improved by offering bonuses such as additional SMS and voice minutes or data allowances to those who accept its use. MQA for Mobile Broadband can also provide real-time insight into device and network operation to customer service agents helping them accurately troubleshoot and resolve user issues.
MQA for Mobile Broadband consists of a client-server architecture based on technology from Ciqual. The measurement client can be downloaded by subscribers to their laptops, netbooks or notebooks with external or embedded 3G Modems. The client app evaluates signal strength in the cell and measures if broadband throughput rates are sufficient for the online services being accessed. The results are then sent to a measurement server for real-time display and analysis.
To complete the active tests that measure connectivity quality, MQA for Mobile Broadband can also periodically present an optional, brief questionnaire to assess the user’s personal experience. The client-software can be used without affecting price plans or causing tangible effects on speed of the broadband connection or even battery life.
3G Services Promise Growth for Mobile Operators in Bolivia
As per the reports from Pyramid Research, the arrival of 3G services in Bolivia will be a catalyst for data services growth, a promising development for operators as voice revenue comes under pressure. Bolivia is one of the least penetrated mobile markets in Latin America, with a penetration rate of 60% at year-end 2009, below the regional average of 90%. However, Bolivia’s mobile revenue will grow from $632 million in 2010 to $916 million in 2015 when it will represent 74 percent of the communications market.
According to Juliana Gomez, Analyst for Pyramid, the expansion of the mobile subscriber base will be the main driver for growth, fueling increased competition that will put downward pressure on prices. Bolivian operators have reduced investments and network expansion as a consequence of uncertainty and regulatory pressure to reduce prices. Mobile ARPS will continue to lower gradually as service penetrates low and middle income segments. The expected rise of data ARPS as a percentage of total ARPS from 10% in 2010 to 23% in 2015 will mitigate the overall downward trend of total ARPS. The increase in data ARPS will be driven by the commercial offer of 3G services such as mobile broadband and mobile TV.
She further noted that there is still some TDMA in Bolivia, but they expect it to phase out completely by year-end 2011 and believe that 3G subscriptions will grow gradually from 0.237 million at year-end 2009 to almost 4 million at year-end 2015, representing 36% of the total market. 3G services adoption will drive data services going forward in Bolivia.
Telecom Italia plans to upgrade Mobile Broadband in Italy
Italy’s biggest phone company, Telecom Italia SpA, is planning to radically upgrade its mobile broadband network to handle increased data, according to Chief Executive Officer Franco Bernabe.
As per Franco Bernabe, the network will be overhauled to adapt to the rise in data traffic. The company plans to start offering 21-mb mobile broadband service in Milan and Rome in December, and initial rollout of 42-mb service is scheduled for the end of 2011.
According to the company, the service, to be rolled out nationwide gradually, is part of the company’s plans to develop its mobile network to keep up with the growing amount of traffic generated by mobile phones, USB modems, and smartphones and tablet computers.
The use of mobile broadband has surged in Cellphone-loving Italy, prompting the country’s telecom regulator to warn earlier this year that soaring data traffic levels risk triggering a collapse of the mobile network.
Telecom operators have also begun focusing on the mobile broadband segment as one of the key drivers of growth in coming years. Vodafone, one of Telecom Italia’s key competitors in the mobile market, earlier this month alleged it would invest about US$1.3 billion to boost mobile broadband coverage in Italy over the next three to four years.
Mobile Broadband Capacity woes: iPhone OS 4.0 with multi-tasking is coming.
Oh Great! Apple’s new iPhone OS update is adding multitasking to the iPhone now which is already causing enough nightmares to Telcos already with iPhones guzzling data like there’s no tomorrow!
Great news for users though. iPhone users have always yearned for multi-tasking and with the iPhone OS 4.0 they will get it this summer. Now, with multiple applications constantly pinging away at the Radio Network Controller (RNC) with their mouths wide open, the Telco nightmare is almost about to come true! The bandwidth and session count per user will go through the roof.
On top of the multi-tasking issue there is the matter of the battery! Apple with every successive release will continue to make the battery usage more efficient. To conserve battery the iPhone drops the data connection as soon as it is done with what it needs, emails, tweets etc in short bursts. This is great for the battery but the network suffers as a result of this. When the iPhone needs more data, it has to set up a new data connection. The need to initiate a new data connection everytime creates some trouble at the signalling end.
While the iPhone started this, Android and webOS use the same technique, and with wider penetration of these devices, Telcos need to gear up for this as of yesterday! Some highly clued-in folks at our operator clients tell us that the bigger problem is not the data capacity flowing through the towers, it is this frequent connecting-and-disconnecting which is posing to be more of a problem.
So we all know there is a problem! Where’s the answer? The answer partly lies in the Mobile Broadband 2010 report published by one of Wireless Federation’s group companies. Please write to Christina (at) WirelessFederation.com to pre-order your copy.
Idea Cellular Offers unlimited GPRS for USD 2.2 in Mumbai
MTS India unveils MBlaze
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: MBlaze, high speed mobile broadband internet service has been launched by MTS India, and it is now available across 48 cities in India. Mblaze Standard and Mblaze Premium are the two schemes offered under the scheme.
The cost of the data card for Mblaze Premium is Rs 1,999 while Mblaze Standard is available for Rs 2,299. As an inaugural offer, MTS users in Jharkand can now download 15 GB data for one month for Rs 1500.
3.1 Mbps is the download speed offered by the service. Free web browsing for sports, news and travel are also offered under the MBlaze service. Customers can also access websites such as Wikipedia, Yahoo India and cricinfo.com for free.
Usage-based pricing for LTE network eyed by Verizon
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: According to Verizon wireless, the flat-rate plans may soon become a matter of past at least for its coming LTE mobile broadband network. The new network will be capable of running all kinds of devices, as well as multiple devices in one household.
A base rate will be charged by the company instead of flat rate, for its users allowing multiple authenticated devices to be attached to its network. The company will then charge as per the business model known as usage-based pricing in which the user will pay on the basis of the amount of bandwidth used.
According to the CTO of the company, Dick Lynch, it’s an open development initiative encouraging third-party developers to deploy devices on Verizon’s network.
Verizon’s LTE markets have already been launched in Boston and Seattle but they are still not ready for the customers.
