INDONESIA: Telkomsel off mark first in offering 3G service
Jakarta — PT Telkomsel on Thursday officially began offering Indonesia’s first high-speed wireless service for mobile phones, following a successful trial operation in August.
The third-generation, or 3G, service allows users to download video clips and surf the Internet on their mobile phones at high speed. Currently, the service is only available in Jakarta.
Bambang Riadhy Oemar, Telkomsel’s director for planning and development, said 3G service was now available in several main areas of the capital: Cawang, Jl. Gatot Subroto, Kuningan, Senayan, Tomang, Taman Anggrek mall, Jl. Sudirman, Casablanca, Jl. Thamrin, Menteng, the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, Monas, Gambir, Harmoni and around the Presidential Palace on Jl. Merdeka Utara.
“We have built 300 base transceiver stations in Jakarta to provide 3G service,” he said following the launch of the service. He said Telkomsel would soon expand coverage to other cities, including Bandung in West Java, Surabaya in East Java and Medan in North Sumatra.
Bambang said Telkomsel would increase the number of base transceiver stations to 600 by the end of this year to enable it to provide high-speed wireless service in these cities.
Telkomsel, he said, will invest about Rp 3 trillion (about US$326 million) to increase the number of base transceiver stations to 3,000 within three years as it expands its 3G coverage.
As many as 60,000 customers have registered for the service since Telkomsel launched the trial operation last month, he said.
The company was expecting only about 10,000 people to sign up for 3G during the one-month trial, he said. “We are seeing stronger demand.”
Telkomsel is one of five companies that won licenses to operate third-generation mobile telecommunications services in Indonesia.
In addition to Telkomsel, the government also awarded 3G service operating rights to PT Indosat, PT Excelcomindo Pratama, PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler and PT Hutchison CP Telecommunications.
All of the companies are required eventually to provide 3G service to at least 10 percent of their coverage capacity in at least two provinces. To be able to begin commercial operations, they must conduct trial operations supervised by the government.
PT Excelcomindo Pratama said Thursday it had passed the trial operation and received clearance to offer 3G in Greater Jakarta, Bandung, Batam, Denpasar, Surabaya and Medan.
Excelcomindo hopes to begin providing the service by the end of the year. “By the end of October there will be about 1,000 transceiver stations to support the new service in Greater Jakarta,” said the company’s head of corporate communications, Ventura Elisawati.
Indosat, Nutrindo and Hutchison are still preparing their trial operations and plan to start offering 3G service sometime next year.
Source- http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu
Technorati : 3G, Indonesia, Mobile, Telkomsel
Ice Rocket : 3G, Indonesia, Mobile, Telkomsel
NOKIA 8800 SIROCCO
The Nokia 8800, the first Nokia mobile phone to use stainless steel and mineral glass, won the Red Dot “Best of the Best” award for 2006 in the communication technology category.
It is the only mobile phone to receive the coveted international award this year, where 36 winners in 12 main categories were selected from over 2,000 products submitted to the Red Dot Museum in Essen, Germany.
Due to its success, the Nokia 8800 evolved in to Nokia 8800 Sirocco edition with its new soundtrack composed by Brian Eno, and screensavers photographed by Van Hai.
The Nokia 8800 Sirocco edition got its name from the desert-born wind named “Sirocco” that originates in the Sahara and turns moist when it passes over the Mediterranean.
The shape refers to the strength of the human form, a concept implied by stainless steel, polished surfaces and a scratch-resistant glass display window.
The Nokia 8800 Sirocco edition consists of two variants – light and dark. The light inspired by the hot, dry air mass, while the dark, by the cooler, humid one.
The sapphire coating of the 262,000 color display has a distinctive slide mechanism which reveals its 2 mega-pixel cameras.
Composer Brian Eno, the “father of ambient music”, was inspired by nature. He has created a “sonic texture” that is organic and calm. The sound comes from nature caused by two air masses colliding.
“The stainless steel case of the Sirocco edition give the device a sensual feel which humanizes this masterpiece. It’s ergonomic keypad undulates like the glimmering dunes of the night desert, while the jewel-like navigation key shines like the brightest star in the darkest night. It is truly unique, created out of the inherent beauty and difference of nature and distilled into a modern form that is graceful, sympathetic and spare,” Eno said.
Van Hai, a photographer native to Saigon, made the screensavers which he photographed all over the world.
“The photos I’ve shot from different countries can now be seen in the screensaver of the Nokia 8800 Sirocco edition. It was all about the beautiful places, the people, and their lifestyle that I personally chose,” Hai said.
Van Hai moved to Canada and graduated from the Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, in photography. He set up his own studio in Vancouver after focusing in fashion and portrait photography.
“Portraits and fashion in particular are where my passion lies as I allow the creative space that always involves great people and the opportunity to see the world,” Hai said.
Alex Lambeek, Nokia VP of sales and market operations for mobile phone, Asia Pacific, said that Nokia’s traditional strength is the “ease of use” as well as the trust that consumers have in the brand.
“Premium users want hassle-free devices and they appreciate Nokia for that. We are, therefore, in a perfect spot to invest in the premium devices with that trusted interface. Just as how there’s a legacy and common thread in our design, it’s the same in how the phone should operate as well,” Lambeek said.
The Nokia 8800 Sirocco edition has exclusive sounds in AAC quality (made by Brian Eno), premier user in interface, two- megapixel camera and high quality stainless steel metal covers for durability.
Upon the success of last year’s L’Amour collection, Nokia has also unveiled three new mobile phones such as the Nokia 7390, 7373, and 7360.
Each model from the latest L’Amour collection draws its design inspiration from tribal art and ethnic decoration. These are elements that reflect their preference for blending the retro, present, and future in their quest for individuality.
There are also aspects of embroidery, 3D appliqu©, ceramic tiling, and other traditional decoration and embossed leather finishes and graphics.
The Nokia 7390 is Nokia’s first 3G fashion phone, combined with materials and design innovation. The 3-megapixel camera and WCDMA high-speed connectivity is hidden within ceramic-inspired shell and leather panels. It also has music player with one-button access.
The Nokia 7373 boasts of a metropolitan style, and fluid form. It has an ethnic pattern and a compact swivel design.
It has two- megapixel camera, music, video player, twin stereo speakers, and headset, pouch and phone-jewellery.
The Nokia 7360 is a compact mobile phone, with accents inspired by metal, leather, and transparent surfaces.
It has an FM radio, integrated camera, MMS, MP3 ring tones, and Nokia “Xpress Audio Messaging”
The renewed L’Amour collection is a universal journey of romance, a fusion of technology with traditional craft and union of ancient art with modern communication.
“The L’Amour collection has helped in our brand perception in terms of coming up with innovative designs in different forms that appeal to different consumers. The screensaver also match the color and imagery of the L’Amour collection. At Nokia, our phones deliver an integral fashion experience to our consumers for a ‘flaunt it coz you’ve got it’ strut,” Lambeek added.
Peter Ollikainen, Nokia director, business line management, mobile phones, Asia- Pacific, said that the new Nokia mobile phones follow and create the 2006 color trends.
“Color is a very cultural thing. Pink is the theme of the L’Amour Collection because for us, pink is not only feminine, but also universal. The designs are also something that you can play with and feel comfortable with in your hand,” Ollikainen said.
Joakim Karshe, Nokia design director, said that Nokia is differentiating itself from the competition by combining the latest design trends with a comprehensive understanding of what consumers want to use.
“We work with world-class design agencies in the world which have a deep knowledge of trends. Our team of experts spends valuable time in fashion capitals like Milan and Paris, studying and forecasting major trends, creating relevant and hip designs for our fashion phones. We believe that premium wedge in timeless fashion is an evolution,” Karshe said.
Nokia is a market leader in the cellular industry in Asia Pacific, which provides innovative, industry leading and market-relevant technology and products in over 20 diverse markets in the region.
Source- http://www.mb.com.ph
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
BSNL slashes ISD rates to Sri Lanka, West Asia
New Delhi
: The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) 5.8-crore telecom service subscribers stand to benefit as the PSU announced a 40 per cent reduction in ISD rates to
Sri Lanka
and a 20 per cent cut to West Asian countries from next month.
From October 1, a BSNL subscriber would have to pay Rs. 7.20 a minute for a 10-second pulse rate from Rs. 12 a minute, a statement from the company said. The revised rates would apply to all calls from fixed line, mobile, WLL (M) as well as PCOs and trunk calls.
For West Asian countries such as
Kuwait
,
Bahrain
, the U.A.E.,
Oman
and
Qatar
, the rates have been reduced from Rs. 12 a minute to Rs. 9.6 a minute and the pulse rate has been increased from six seconds to 7.5 seconds.
Maximum call traffic
The sector comprising
Sri Lanka
and West Asian countries has the maximum call traffic from
India
. The tariffs have been reduced to offer customers a good choice and to be ahead of competition, the company said.
Current rates
Private cellular operators currently offer ISD rates of Rs. 9.99 a minute to
West Asia
with some operators offering Rs. 8 a minute to the same destination under certain plans. But, none them offer a unified package of same rate for calls from fixed lines, mobile and WLL phones.
Price war likely
BSNL’s latest rate-cut is likely to start another round of price war in the ISD segment on this busy traffic route of
West Asia
where a sizable Indian population stays.
BSNL has about 3.8 crore fixed line subscribers and a little over two crore mobile subscribers.
Source- http://www.hindu.com
Cosmote applies for Romanian 3G licence
Mobile operator Cosmote has submitted an offer for a 3G licence to the Romanian general inspectorate for ICT (IGCTI). The company expects to hear by 15 October whether its application was successful. The licence costs around USD 35 million, while Cosmote has already budgeted for the associated network capital expenditure. Cosmote launched services in Romania in December 2005 and has around 535,000 customers and network coverage of 90 percent of the population. Rivals Orange and Vodafone already launched 3G services earlier this year in Romania.
Source- http://www.telecompaper.com
Technorati : 3G, Cosmote, Mobile, Operator, Romania
Ice Rocket : 3G, Cosmote, Mobile, Operator, Romania
Germanos revenues up 25% in H1
Greece-based telecoms retailer Germanos reported first-half sales up 25.4 percent from a year ago to EUR 538.8 million. Retail sales improved 12.9 percent to EUR 284.2 million, while product distribution sales rose 42 percent to EUR 214.9 million. Operations outside Greece accounted for 30 percent of sales, up from 25.8 percent a year ago, with especially stores in Romania and Bulgaria growing strongly. EBITDA amounted to EUR 43.5 million, up 5.2 percent, while net profit jumped to EUR 143 million from EUR 27.7 million a year earlier on the back of divestment gains. Germanos is in the process of selling its retail activities to Greek mobile operator Cosmote.
Source- http://www.telecompaper.com
Technorati : EBITDA, Germanos, Greece, Mobile
Ice Rocket : EBITDA, Germanos, Greece, Mobile
Nawras launches Mobile Number Portability service
MUSCAT – Rashid bin Mohammed Said Al Saidi ‘ported’ (term used for the transferring process) his Oman Mobile number to Nawras yesterday morning from a Nawras outlet in Ruwi.The significance of that should not be lost because Rashid Al Saidi became not only the first Nawras customer to do so, but, more importantly, he is the first person in Oman to sort of “have his number and keep it too”.
In the sense, he is the first-ever mobile user in Oman to be able to not only choose his mobile operator, change it to his preferred one, but also keep his number, something, which became a reality as per the nearly RO1 million Mobile Number Portability (MNP) project, as envisaged by the Royal Decree No. 30/2002, which became a reality yesterday morning.
And for Nawras, known as the Sultanate’s customer-friendly communications provider with around 440,000 customers, this is a first, not only in Oman, but also a first in the Middle East, Ross Cormack, Nawras CEO, told a packed news conference held at its main office in Al Athaiba/Azaiba yesterday, which was held an hour or so after the MNP transfer came into effect.
Also present were top Nawras officials, including Khalid Mahmood, COO, Nawras and Haitham bin Abdullah Al Kharusi, head of offer management and corporate affairs, Nawras and other key members who made the project a reality.
Nawras, officially launched its MNP campaign yesterday, entitled ‘transfer to Nawras today and keep your mobile number’. Scribes were taken down to the Nawras store where a demonstration, right from the customer making the enquiry to the exact transfer process, was made.
MNP is a new service introduced by Nawras to make it possible for mobile customers to keep their existing number when transferring to Nawras.
Renowned Omani national and international football goalkeeper, Ali Al Habsi, was chosen as the Nawras ambassador for the MNP campaign. Ali was pleased that Nawras has launched the campaign on August 26, as Ali is known for his jersey number 26!
Nawras officials listened to customers, who told their mobile numbers were important to them as part of their identity. “We took the lead and lobbied the TRA and fought hard for customers’ rights to enjoy the extra freedom of choice, which MNP brings to all mobile users in Oman. We are now launching this incredible service that allows customers to choose their operator and keep their existing number. Customers can choose right now…they can keep their number and transfer to Nawras today,” Cormack said.
The MNP is a very important pre-requisite in a free mobile telecommunications market focused on fair competition, and the TRA in Oman has been a pioneer in overseeing the regulatory and operator developments necessary to allow this service to be introduced. Till yesterday customers were locked up with their existing mobile provider and could only change operators with considerable disruption and cost, Cormack added.
Cormack explained the steps required for customers to transfer to Nawras and keep their mobile number. The first step is for customers to contact (this is not applicable for prepaid customers) their existing operator to pay their outstanding bill. Then the customers may visit any Nawras store or selected Nawras dealer located all over the Sultanate, within 24 hours, to complete a form, which opens the process of transferring their mobile number to Nawras.
The Nawras store or the Nawras dealer representatives will help customers to fill out the customer porting-authorisation form. Customers can choose whether to transfer to Nawras Ajel (postpaid) or Nawras Mousbak (prepaid), by purchasing the corresponding welcome pack and signing the Nawras registration form.
The customers can use their new Nawras SIM card with a temporary Nawras number as soon as it is activated. Nawras takes care of the rest of the process, and within two to three days the temporary number on the customer’s new Nawras SIM card will be replaced with the customer’s original mobile number.
During the two to three-day transferring period, the customer can either continue to use their existing SIM card, if they wish their family or friends to contact them on the same number, or they can use their newly purchased Nawras SIM card with a temporary number. Customers who use their existing SIM cards during the transferring period will be charged by their original mobile provider, in the same way they are used to. For example, for prepaid it will be immediately deducted from their balance, and for postpaid they will be billed by their original provider within the normal time frame. All calls made during the transferring period by the customer from their temporary Nawras number will either be deducted from their account, for Nawras Mousbak, or billed on their first Nawras bill statement, for Nawras Ajel.
Nawras will notify the customer by calling them once the transferring process is about to be completed. Once the transfer of the number is completed, the customer’s old SIM card will be disconnected and can be discarded. The customer is required to pay a RO3 transferring fee to Nawras, as determined by the TRA. This fee is passed on to the customer’s original mobile provider for transferring the number.
A live demonstration was carried out in presence of the media at the Nawras store at the main office simulating the process customers will go through in order to transfer their number to Nawras. Cormack outlined certain points that customers should remember when transferring their number to Nawras. He emphasised that customers should not cancel their existing contract before transferring, since once a mobile number is disconnected it cannot be transferred to Nawras. Also, the customers must be the registered users of the mobile number in order for them to transfer the number. “Nawras continues to listen to customer feedback through market surveys specially designed to improve its service. For example, customers told us that they found the original process of obtaining a Nawras Ajel subscription slightly cumbersome. Nawras listened and has changed the process accordingly. From today customers transferring to Nawras through Mobile Number Portability do not have to bring a salary certificate or make a deposit to purchase a new Nawras Ajel subscription. All they require is a valid Omani ID card, Resident Card or passport. Those transferring to a prepaid service need to bring one of the same documents. However, in order to offer customers more choice, prepaid customers wanting to transfer to Nawras also have the choice to migrate to postpaid and take advantage of Nawras Ajel’s best value prices,” Cormack said.To a query, Khalid Mahmood, COO, added that Nawras was ready to meet the flow of customers opting for the change.
Benefit of transferring your mobile number: Mobile Number Portability provides mobile customers in Oman with the freedom to choose between mobile providers by removing one of the most important barriers to transfer now allowing customers to keep their mobile number. Market research conducted by Nawras shows that a lot of customers would like to join Nawras, but they were hesitant because they would like to keep their mobile number.
Responding to queries, Cormack added: “The MNP clearly provides a lot of benefit to customers, as they will not have to inform their family, friends and colleagues about a new number. For business customers there are great cost savings too, since there is no need to reprint business cards, stationery, print advertising, web page, signage, and invoices.”
Why transfer to Nawras?
Since Nawras launched its commercial service and drove change in all aspects of mobile service, the people of Oman have experienced ever higher standards for mobile communications. Nawras has redefined the customer experience. Nawras Stores have become destinations of choice, with one-stop shopping for SIM-cards, handsets and bill payments, coupled with professional and friendly sales service and advice. In addition, customers can purchase Nawras welcome packs at over 500 points of sale as well as avail recharge cards at over 10,000 locations all over the Sultanate. Nawras offers Nawras Mousbak customers other forms of recharge such as electronic recharge, credit transfer and bank recharge; whilst Nawras Ajel customers have convenient bill payments at over 300 locations with Bank Muscat and Oman Arab Bank. This, reinforced by caring support from Nawras customer service champions, puts Nawras in a clear leading position in providing the best service to the people of Oman.
Nawras offers pleasingly different voice and data services through its next generation mobile broadband network with a superior voice quality (low congestion and number of dropped calls) and a fast and reliable mobile data access using EDGE technology, which is another Nawras “first” in Oman. Nawras was recently benchmarked to be amongst the top 10 per cent in most of the key performance indicators (KPIs) between 110 Ericsson mobile-operated networks worldwide.
Nawras was number one in three parameters including the least dropped calls. Nawras also provides the widest network coverage in the Sultanate, through its own broadband network as well as its coverage extension by using Oman Mobile’s network as back-up. In addition, Nawras offers customers wireless high-speed internet access with Nawras Internet at attractive rates, which can be purchased and set up within minutes. Nawras is the only mobile operator in Oman offering its customers an international data-roaming service in 13 countries including all the AGCC destinations, keeping its customers in touch with their e-mails and business appointments whilst on the move abroad.
Haitham Al Kharusi added: “We are extremely pleased to have achieved this milestone. I take this opportunity to thank the cross-functional team within Nawras who have worked extremely hard for over a year with one goal in mind to serve the people of Oman with the MNP service from today.
In addition, we extend our thanks to the TRA for their continual support and guidance and to Oman Mobile and Omantel for their cooperation in ensuring that service is delivered for the benefit of all mobile consumers in Oman.”
Source- http://www.timesofoman.com
Technorati : Mobile, Navras, Oman
Ice Rocket : Mobile, Navras, Oman
