iPhone’s rival smartphones to cost more in the UK

The cost of contract smartphones may rise in the UK if a price war erupts between operators over the iPhone. Orange announced on September 28 and Vodafone on September 29 that they have successfully forged an alliance with Apple to launch the iPhone on their respective networks in the UK. T-mobile and 3 may be announcing something shortly too.
In an attempt to lure customers to the data-happy iPhone, mobiel operators will have to increase subsidies on the iPhone. Meanwhile, the cost of other handsets will have to rise as a result. Operators could shift subsidies from other vendors, such as RIM, HTC and Samsung, thus increasing their handset prices.
Orange will be selling the iPhone before Christmas, while Vodafone will only be able to launch it early 2010.
O2 has been bit hard by Apple’s decision to remove its exclusive rights on the iPhone after two years. It is thought the network may now look at alternative devices, such as the Palm Pre or Motorola’s android based range of phones to boost revenues.

The cost of contract smartphones may rise in the UK if a price war erupts between operators over the iPhone.

Orange announced on September 28 and Vodafone on September 29 that they have successfully forged an alliance with Apple to launch the iPhone on their respective networks in the UK. T-mobile and 3 may be announcing something shortly too.

In an attempt to lure customers to the data-happy iPhone, mobile operators will have to increase subsidies on the iPhone. Meanwhile, the cost of other handsets will have to rise as a result. Operators could shift subsidies from other vendors, such as RIM, HTC and Samsung, thus increasing their handset prices.

Orange will be selling the iPhone before Christmas, while Vodafone will only be able to launch it early 2010.

O2 has been bit hard by Apple’s decision to remove its exclusivity after two years. It is thought the network may now look at alternative devices,  such as the Palm Pre or Motorola’s android based range of phones to boost revenues.

Vinaphone to launch Vietnam’s first 3G Network.

VinaPhone, the Vietnamese mobile operator has announced that its 3G network will be launched on October 12th. Vinaphone will be first to go live on 3G in Vietnam.
VinaPhone’s deputy director Ho Duc Thang told a media house that Vinaphone has finalised the installation of thousands of 3G transceiver base stations will announce 3G tarriffs on the day of launch.
Vinaphone officially launched in June 2006 and currently has over 13 million subscribers. Vinaphone is among the top three mobile operators in Vietnam now.
Motorola has earlier announced that it had won the 3G upgrade contract from Vinaphone.
Three more operators in Vietnam have a 3G license – Viettel, EVN Telecom-Hanoi Telecom and Mobifone are testing their networks and will be launching shortly.

VinaPhone, the Vietnamese mobile operator has announced that its 3G network will be launched on October 12th. Vinaphone will be first to go live on 3G in Vietnam.

VinaPhone’s deputy director Ho Duc Thang told a media house that Vinaphone has finalised the installation of thousands of 3G transceiver base stations will announce 3G tarriffs on the day of launch.

Vinaphone officially launched in June 2006 and currently has over 13 million subscribers. Vinaphone is among the top three mobile operators in Vietnam now.

Motorola has earlier announced that it had won the 3G upgrade contract from Vinaphone.

Three more operators in Vietnam have a 3G license – Viettel, EVN Telecom-Hanoi Telecom and Mobifone are testing their networks and will be launching shortly.

ZTE to market $20 mobiles in India

ZTE has entered the Indian retail market as a standalone player.

It is hoping to hike the contribution of the Indian market to its global handset sales would go up to 20 per cent from the existing 16 per cent.

ZTE India Chairman & Managing Director D K Ghosh said in a statement that India is a key focus market for ZTE.

The company has launched a range of low-cost GSM handsets — S315, A261, R220, R230 and R230BT at price points ranging from USD 20 to USD 80. ZTE has sold over 20 million handsets in India through operator partnerships . It is targeting a network of 100,000 retail outlets in India by this year-end.

The company has appointed “Overseas Mobiles” as its national distributor. Overseas Mobiles will be appointing 80 regional distributors across India and will manage relationships with distributors and corporate customers on behalf of ZTE.

With global sales of over 100 million handsets last year, ZTE is currently the sixth-largest handset manufacturer in the world. It has established partnerships with mobile operators like Vodafone, Hutchison Whampoa, Telefonica globally and BSNL, Reliance, Tata, Vodafone, Spice Telecom and Aircel in India.

GNCC says mobile operators generated 63.3% of the revenues (Georgia)

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: According to a report from Georgian National Communications Commission, the turnover in the country’s telecoms market amounted to GEL1.312 billion (USD781 million) in 2008, up from GEL1.114 billion a year ago. The country’s mobile operators have generated revenues of GEL830.8 million or 63.3%, while fixed line operators contributed GEL381 million, or 29% of the total, and TV and radio broadcasters 7.7%.

India’s Mobile Market Subscribers to Top 350 Million by 2010, Says The Diffusion Group

The number of mobile subscribers in India is expected to grow from just over 100 million today to more than 350 million by 2010, an addition of 250 million subscribers in just four years, according to The Diffusion Group. The analysts predict that the evolving mobile markets in China and India will reshape the global telecommunications and technology landscape and realign market share among today’s mobile market leaders.

According to The Diffusion Group, China market is widely heralded as the most immediate and largest market opportunity for mobile vendors. India’s growth rate will be equally explosive. When combined, China and India — what TDG calls “New Asia” — have a population of approximately 2.5 billion people and comprise the single largest opportunity for mobile vendors in the history of mobile telecom.”While India’s mobile market growth will in many ways follow China, the reasons for its growth are very different,” noted Michael Greeson, founder of The Diffusion Group. “India continues to experience a level of poverty far deeper than China and has little in the way of fixed-line infrastructure to support telecommunications. More than half of India’s 700 million rural inhabitants have no access to residential electricity and must rely on community pay phones. It is because of this unique confluence of factors that mobile technologies make so much sense to both India’s government and to operators.”

As Greeson notes, modern mobile telecommunications technology offers developing nations a way to cover expansive ‘greenfield’ territories — in this case, areas bereft of home or personal telecommunications — in a faster and less expensive way than traditional fixed telecom infrastructure. Combined with the world’s lowest per-minute charges, inexpensive handsets, and the social status of mobile phone ownership, India’s mobile operators are preparing to exploit this opportunity.

Other key findings from TDG’s study of India’s mobile markets include the following:

  • Despite 12 years of deregulation, the number of fixed-line telecom subscribers has increased less than 15% in the last three years: from 41.5 million to 47.5 million, most of which has been confined to urban areas.
  • In India, the cost of installing new fixed lines is roughly three times the price of installing a mobile line.
  • As of early 2006, about half of all the towns and villages in India could receive a mobile signal. The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has set a goal to reach 90% coverage by the end of 2006 – a very ambitious goal, but one that could be within reach given the steps that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Indian government have taken to enable competition and increase foreign investment.
  • Despite the fact that government taxes on mobile phone revenues are amongst the highest in the world, TDG expects that taxes, levies, and spectrum fees will be reduced to cover only the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund and administrative costs.
  • Given the rapid pace of growth, upgrading current infrastructure has taken a backseat to network expansion and quality of service in most areas is extremely poor.
  • Total mobile service revenue will increase over 170% from 2006 through 2010, which translates to a compound annual growth rate of 22.1%.

While India offers tremendous opportunity for mobile telecom vendors, exploiting these opportunities requires understanding India’s regulatory and business environment, as well as comprehending India’s unique social and demographic landscape.

About the market research report

TDG’s 65-page report, “India’s Mobile Markets – Analysis & Forecasts” (July 2006) by Thomas Wolf and Kambam Deepak with Michael Greeson, presents an in-depth analysis of the social, political, technological, and market forces that are shaping India’s telecom evolution and pushing mobile subscriptions to record levels. The report provides forecasts for total subscriber demand, an analysis of 3G subscriber growth, market share analysis among India’s mobile operators, and forecasts for mobile ARPU through 2010.

Source- http://www.tekrati.com

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