Strike over Telecom Italia plans
Unions at Telecom Italia have called a strike over proposals to split the firm’s fixed line and mobile businesses into two new companies.
The planned 3 October walkout and street protest comes amid fears the company’s new focus on broadband and media will result in job losses.
There are also reports that the strategy change will signal the sale of its mobile business, TIM.
About half of the 85,000-strong workforce are represented by unions.
Turnaround
Telecom Italia’s change in strategy has caused a political row, forcing an adviser to Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi to resign.
Mr Prodi, who opposes the move, said last week that he had no prior knowledge of the firm’s decision.
Yet a leaked note by his aide, Angelo Rovati, appeared to show Mr Prodi did know of the plan.
Telecom Italia’s net profits fell 15.7% to 1.5bn euros ($1.78bn; £953m) in the first half of 2006.
The company bought its TIM mobile business in 2005 after previously selling it off in the 1990s. Experts suggest it could be worth up to 35bn euros (£23.7bn).
Selling TIM, the last Italian-owned mobile network, would mark a major turnaround for Telecom Italia, which has recently been integrating its mobile and fixed-line phone operations.
Separate reports have suggested that rival European telecoms firms including France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, and Spain’s Telefonica – as well as US private equity firm The Carlyle Group – could be interested in buying TIM.
Telecom Italia is Italy’s largest phone company, holding almost 70% of the market, and is the leading mobile operator in Brazil as well as Italy.
It also has broadband interests in Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands and owns a number of media interests including Telecom Italia Media – which owns MTV Italia, a news agency and TV channel La7.
Source- http://news.bbc.co.uk
Technorati : Mobile, Telecom Italia
Ice Rocket : Mobile, Telecom Italia
Vodafone, Sweden’s HIG3 join Iran’s intl. roaming network
TEHRAN – Vodafone from the UK and Sweden’s HI3G have been added to Iran’s international roaming list.
Subscribers to these mobile phone operators can use the services offered by the Mobile Company of Iran as of Monday September 18. Since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21), 16 other foreign mobile phone operators, including companies from Bulgaria, Tunisia, China, Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Luxembourg, Cyprus, and the Netherlands, joined Iran’s intl. roaming network. The list now includes more than 160 operators from 65 countries.
Source- http://www.zawya.com
Technorati : Iran, Mobile, Sweden, UK, Vodafone
Ice Rocket : Iran, Mobile, Sweden, UK, Vodafone
Celtel to rebrand Nigeria’s Vmobile
Nigerian mobile operator Vmobile’s new 65 percent stakeholder, Celtel, is preparing to rebrand the company, reports This Day, citing Martens Pieters, group managing director of Netherlands-based Celtel. Pieters explained that the company is making a strong financial commitment to Nigeria with the backing of its shareholder, Kuwait’s MTC.
Source- http://www.telecompaper.com
Technorati : Celtel, Kuwait, MTC, Netherland, Nigeria
Ice Rocket : Celtel, Kuwait, MTC, Netherland, Nigeria
Palm Introduces Windows Mobile-Based Treo 750v Smartphone for Vodafone Customers
Palm has announced the Palm Treo 750v, the first Treo to take advantage of Vodafone’s 3G/UMTS network around the world. The new Treo 750v will be available first to Vodafone customers in the following countries:
Austria
,
France
,
Germany
,
Ireland
,
Italy
,
Netherlands
,
Spain
,
Switzerland
, the
UK
and other regions by the end of the calendar year.
The Treo 750v combines the Palm experience of a multifeatured mobile phone with email, messaging, web browsing and organization software all in a new compact design.
The new device comes with Microsoft’s Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) for Windows Mobile 5.0, which includes Direct Push Technology and enhanced security features free and out of the box, when combined with a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 for communications.
It is also fully compatible with Vodafone Business Email, giving remote access to enterprise and Internet-based email accounts.
Unique to the Treo smartphone on Windows Mobile 5.0 is a suite of software enhancements developed by Palm, including Today screen enhancements, which feature the ability to “dial by name” with a few keystrokes on the keyboard, perform a web search directly from the Today Screen and perform one-touch dialing with personalized photo speed dials.
Also featured is the ability to manage a call directly from the Today Screen and stay on top of voicemail with on-screen, VCR-like icons, such as rewind, delete and fast-forward controls for easy navigation.
For users who are constantly busy in meetings and appointments, the software supports the ability to ignore a call and quickly compose a text message, such as “In a meeting” or “Can’t talk”.
The Windows Mobile 5 platform comes with mobile versions of Microsoft Office applications (including Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel), a messaging application for e-mail, SMS and MMS and 1.3 megapixal digital camera.
Users can expand the built-in memory through miniSD cards, and connect to other devices via Bluetooth, which also supports Bluetooth enabled stereo headsets, so users can enjoy multimedia through the built-in Windows Media Player 10 mobile.
Source- http://www.geekzone.co.nz
Technorati : Mobile, New Zealand, Palm, Vodafone
Ice Rocket : Mobile, New Zealand, Palm, Vodafone
VSNL appeals against FLAG gateway ruling
MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 9: Indian telecoms service provider Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (VSNL) said on Friday it had appealed a ruling that Reliance Communication Ventures Ltd. could use its international communications gateway in Mumbai.VSNL, owned by the Tata group, on Thursday filed a writ petition in the Netherlands against a May 26 ruling of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Arbitration Tribunal in favour of Reliance Communication’s global bandwidth unit, FLAG Telecom.
“VSNL was, and remains, disappointed that the tribunal decided to reject what VSNL had understood to be the effect of the C&MA (construction and maintenance agreement),” a statement from VSNL said.
FLAG Telecom had petitioned the ICC in December 2004 seeking access to VSNL’s landing stations. VSNL said it would continue to comply with the terms of the award, until it may be set aside.
Shares in VSNL rose nearly 1 per cent to 424.70 rupees in a slightly firm Mumbai market, while shares in Reliance Communication were up 3.5 per cent at 312 rupees.
Reliance Communication,
India
‘s top CDMA-based mobile services provider, said on Friday it has sought the rival GSM spectrum from the government for future expansion
Source- http://www.financialexpress.com
Technorati : India, Mobile, VSNL
Ice Rocket : India, Mobile, VSNL
KPN hires Lucent for migration to IP network
KPN has awarded a contract to Lucent Technologies for IP network services. Lucent will take responsibility for the migration of KPN services and customers to the operator’s planned all-IP network. The IMS-based network is expected to be completed around 2010, after which legacy systems will be phased out. Lucent will set up a network transformation centre in the Netherlands to lead the migration. As part of the contract it will provide programme management, network design, integration and migration services, security and network and process redesign consultancy for the multivendor network and related IT systems. Financial details of the contract were not released.
Source- http://www.telecompaper.com
Technorati : KPN, Lucent Technologies, Mobile
Ice Rocket : KPN, Lucent Technologies, Mobile
Excessive handset subsidies in Netherlands come to an end
Following T-Mobile’s recent announcement, market leader KPN has also decided to cut the commissions it pays to retailers for selling mobile services in The Netherlands. From September, KPN will gradually reduce handset subsidies and sales commissions. The handset subsidies and excessive sales commissions have been a thorn in the side of operators in recent years amid an increasingly saturated Dutch mobile market. The handset subsidies and sales commission contribute to very high churn rates, reaching 30 percent, but do not add to service revenue growth, putting pressure on profit margins. A reduction was inevitable, but the question was which operator dared to take the first step and risk giving the competition an advantage? The first move by T-Mobile and the recent success of E-Plus in Germany may have helped KPN take the decision to pull the plug on handset subsidies in The Netherlands.
Source- http://www.telecompaper.com
