Mobile Penetration

Africa has great potential among all emerging markets: Bharti CEO

On 02.26.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: While explaining the rationale for buying Zain, Africa was described as a potential emerging market by Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder Chairman and Group CEO, Bharti Enterprises.

The need of globalisation for Bharti has also been explained by him as Indian operations were generating free cash flows. While defending his decision to enter into talks with the Kuwait telecom major, he made it clear that competitive intensity is low for Zain in most countries and the valuations offered are fair and reasonable.

According to Bharti officials, Africa had good growth opportunities among emerging markets, given its high population, lower mobile penetration and relatively less competition and the tariffs too, in Africa are more than 10 times India.

Vimpelcom building a solid South East Asian Cluster – Boris Nemsic, CEO Vimpelcom.

On 09.23.09, In Mobile, By Editor

VimpelCom will pay about $66 million for Millicom’s 78 percent stake in Millicom Lao Co. Ltd. The remaining 22% of Millicom Lao Co., Ltd. is owned by the Government of the Lao PDR.

VimpelCom’s CEO Boris Nemsic describes the deal as, “the next logical step in our international expansion strategy” and one that “fits perfectly into our strategy of building a solid Southeast Asian cluster.”

VimpelCom already has mobile operations in Vietnam and Cambodia, having launched services in both markets in July 2008. It holds a 40 percent stake in a JV established with state-owned GTEL in Vietnam. In Cambodia, it owns 90 percent of Sotelco.

Laos has a population of 6.5 million people and low mobile penetration estimated at around 23%, thus making it attractive for Vimpelcom and an obvious choice for acquisition.

Tagged with: ASIA • boris nemsic • Cambodia • CEO • CEO Boris Nemsic • CEO Vimpelcom • GTel • International • Laos • Millicom • Mobile Operations • Mobile Penetration • Sotelco • South East • South East Asia • Southeast Asia • Southeast Asian • Vietnam • VimpelCom

Vivatel launches mobile internet add-ons & new tariff plan (Bulgaria)

On 05.13.09, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vivatel, the Bulgarian mobile operator, has introduced three new mobile internet add-ons and a mobile internet subscription plan. The monthly tariffs for the add-ons are set at BGN 5 for the Data 30 MB pack, BGN 10 for the Data 150 MB and BGN 20 for Data 750 MB, while over the limit usage is charged BGN 0.30 per MB.
Vivatel has also launched the Traffic 750 MB subscription plan which offers 750 MB for BGN 20 per month. Traffic 750 MB joins Vivatel’s other two mobile internet tariff plans, namely Traffic 5 GB (36 BGN per month) and Traffic 15 GB (59.90 BGN per month). Vivatel’s Traffic plans are aimed at both residential and business subscribers.

Tagged with: 4D • ARTC • Foreign Firms • Mobile Penetration • Mobily • optic broadband • Ring Back Tune Service • Skiza • Veraz Networks • You&Me Parole

CRC to adopt lowered fees schedule by July’10 (Bulgaria)

On 12.22.08, In Mobile, By Editor

The Bulgarian Communications Regulation Commission (CRC), takes up a new schedule to lower the fees levied by the mobile operators by 45% by July’10. Bulgarian mobile phone users pay an average of 0.19-0.25 leva a minute when calling from mobile to mobile and 0.29-0.32 leva a minute when calling from landlines to mobile, the highest charged in European Union.
The mobile operators will have to lower their prices five times, on January 1 2009, July 1 2009, September 1 2009, January 1 2010 and July 1 2010, everytime by 7-9% and by the last cut the prices will fall down to 0.13-0.15 leva a minute regarding whether they call from a landline or a mobile.
CRC will also reportedly ask fixed-line telecoms to cut down the bulk mobile call termination rates, the fees paid by consumers when calling landlines from mobile numbers.
Bulgaria’s three telecom firms, Austria Telekom’s Mobiltel, Cosmote unit Globul and BTC, the dominant fixed-line operator that recently integrated its mobile subsidiary Vivatel, will be required by law to obey the ruling, but can appeal the decision in court.
The ruling will allow Mobiltel and Globul to maintain their dominant position in the Bulgarian mobile market, though they still are against the ruling. BTC, however, according to a localmedia report, was not happy with the decision, because it “did not change the current market situation,” .

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

Tagged with: Big Brother • China Postel • mCheck • Mobile Penetration • MobileYouth • Mobily • Namibia Telecom

Mobitel recieves a new dialling code and two million phone numbers (Bulgaria)

On 10.08.08, In Mobile, By Editor

Bulgaria’s Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) grants Mobitel, after ten months of it’s request, new dialling code and two million new phone numbers. Now Mobitel, which operates on 88 dialling code will also be using 98 code. The all new 2 million mobile numbers will have the 988 and 989 prefixes.
Mobitel had requested the regulator for a vancant code in 2007, but was rejected as the operator then was using only 60% of the allocated numbers.
The operator argued that with five million subscribers, one million SIM cards on sale, another million for internal systems synchronisation and yet more used to provide data services, it was running low on resources.
M-Tel had taken the regulator to court for the rejection of the requst for additional numbers, which were needed as it was looking forward to launch new services with the new code.
According to telco, the resource will not be used for new SIM cards because the old capacity has not been depleted. The CRC will allocate two million numbers for Mobiltel’s rivals, Globul and Vivatel, although neither has requested additional numbers.

Tagged with: China Postel • Mobile Penetration • Mobily • Namibia Telecom • Northern Ireland

M-tel, Vivatel and Globul align their roaming call tariffs to the Eurotariff (Bulgaria)

On 08.29.08, In Mobile, By Editor

Three Bulgarian mobile operators have revealed that they’ll align their roaming call tariffs to the Eurotariff, which came into being last year.
The directive states that the price ceiling for calls made will shall decrease to 0.46 euro and 0.43 euro, and for calls received to 0.22 euro and 0.19 euro, on 30 August 2008 and on 30 August 2009, respectively.

M-tel and Vivatel, will adjust their roaming tariffs at the last moment while Globul did the same in 2007.

The calling tariffs will now be become 1.08 lev a minute, for calls made and 0.56 leva a minute for the recieved.

Mobiltel and Vivatel said the tariff reduction will have no adverse effect on their financial performance.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News

Tagged with: Iceland Telecom • Mobile Penetration • Mobily • Namibia Telecom

Mobile Number Portability Dispute

On 01.15.07, In Mobile, By Editor

Bulgaria’s Globul and Vivatel have signed the procedure for Mobile Number Portabily, which was adopted by the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) on December 22, 2006. The Procedure, though adopted by CRC and signed by Globul and Vivatel cannot come into force without the consent of all mobile operators.

“We believe that very soon people in the country will enjoy the advantages which the European citizens have who consume mobile services – the right to chose a mobile operator”, said vivatel CEO Richard Shearer. “Today, the youngest operator signed officially the rules of the procedure for the implementation of number portability in mobile networks and proved once more it’s determination to be a driving force in the development of the mobile services market.

M-Tel for its part, says that it will only sign the mobile number portability procedure only after the revision of some parts that will cause problems to the customers.

Wireless Mobile Telecom

Tagged with: Mobile Penetration • Mobily

LEADING MOBILE PHONE OPERATOR IN BULGARIA OPPOSES NUMBER PORTABILITY

On 01.10.07, In Mobile, By Editor

Sofiaecho writes…Bulgaria’s leading mobile phone operator MobilTel refused to sign a mobile number portability agreement, drafted by GloBul and Vivatel operators.

Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) obliged the there Bulgarian operators to agree on number portability by January 10 2007 as it featured among the requirements for Bulgaria’s EU accession.

Portability enables customers switch between operators without changing their mobile phone number.

GloBul and Vivatel agreed on number portability on January 8 2007 and CRC accepted the agreement, Darik Radio said.

MobilTel boycotted the discussion. The company said that current Bulgarian legislation failed to determine the conditions under which the number portability should be introduced.

The company said that the other operators could introduce the new service for their clients but MobilTel preferred to wait for the new communications law.

According to CRC the service could not be introduced before the three mobile phone operators came to an agreement.

Number portability introduction took an average of 29 months in other EU countries, Darik said.

MobilTel said that it could introduce the service by the end of 2007 if the new communications law became effective in January or February 2007. Only one to five per cent of MobilTel’s clients would use the new service, the company said.

Wireless Mobile Telecom

Tagged with: Mobile Penetration • MobileYouth • Mobily