Motorola to launch Milestone 2 in Australia
Motorola has unveiled that it will likely be launching Milestone 2 in Australia. The handset features Texas Instrument’s 1GHz OMAP3630 processor and is powered with Motorola’s Droid X phone. The phone also includes new Android 2.2 operating system, Froyo which allows 720p (1280—720-pixel) video recording.
The phone is bundled with 3G hotspot for up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices; it has an 8GB of internal memory and supports MicroSD cards up to 32GB in capacity.
The phone is DLNA capable and also includes Adobe Flash 10.1 ready to go. Users can also access full suite of Google apps, including Android Market for over 100,000 applications. The phone is expected to be released in December through Vodafone and Optus networks. The price of the handset is not yet revealed.
Optus market share increases in Australia
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: With Optus racing ahead by 10.9 per cent in the last quarter, Telstra and Vodafone emerge as the apparent losers in a competitive market that has grown by some 8 per cent. Telstra has been simply left behind in the market with Optus becoming faster with new products and plans and using its gains to boost network performance which in turn paves way for more market share gains. The mobile earnings reported an increase of 5% and the revenues were boosted by 12.9%.
Optus last year’s earnings from its mobile division increased from 59 per cent to 63 percent. Exploitation of new devices like the iPhone is a major reason behind the profit of Optus as in the process it not only got better customers but higher-quality customers. It is also offering bundled offers on longer contracts in an attempt to lock in customers.
The tough competition posed by Optus is the reason why Telstra is cutting prices and ditching its past policy to protect its profit margin at all costs. It is also the reason why Optus is so keen to get the NBN project under way in order to increase the pressure on Telstra.
National Broadband Network Implementation Study has been released by the Australian government which outlines the plans to finance and build the new network. 84 recommendations on the technology, financing, ownership, policy framework and market structure of the NBN has been offered by the report to the government. Australian government and Telstra have been in talk with each other for several months on selling part of its fixed network assets to the NBN, but the two have been unable to reach an agreement on the price.
With its foot on Telstra’s throat, Optus now has an ideal time to float but at the same time the official line on that issue has not changed: no present plans. While OPTUS boss Paul O’Sullivan has taken a lead now, he also feels that Telstra will fight back to revive its diminishing market share with more and more lucrative offers.
Singtel’s profit rises due to regional businesses, Bharti, Optus (Singapore)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Due to the increase in the revenue at the regional businesses and the Optus unit in Australia, the fourth quarter profit of Southeast Asia’s largest phone company, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd rose 12 percent. Revenues from mobile division units of SingTel including Bharti Airtel Ltd. and PT Telekomunikasi Selular also contributed to the fourth straight quarter of profit growth of the company.
Singtel’s earnings increased by 12 percent to S$546 million, courtesy the performance of its regional mobile units. Indonesia’s largest mobile-phone company, Telkomsel’s earning surged 26 percent to S$205 million on revenue growth from an increased customer base and currency movements. 8.6 percent rise in earnings to S$245 million has also been posted by Bharti Airtel. Globe Telecom Inc., SingTel’s Philippine unit, posted a 23 percent decline in profit to S$61 million. Earnings from Advanced Info Service Pcl, Thailand’s biggest mobile-phone rose 4.6 percent to S$53 million.
According to Chief Executive Officer Chua Sock Koong, it’s too early to determine the impact on earnings of a proposal by India’s telecommunications regulator to impose a fee on operators such as Bharti.
Net income of the company gained to S$1.02 billion ($740 million), full-year profit rose 13 percent to S$3.91 billion, revenue rose 25 percent to S$4.46 billion and it had 293 million mobile-phone customers at the end of the quarter, or 17 percent more than a year earlier. The fourth-quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were little changed at S$579 million in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, the company is targeting new Australian subscribers through its mio TV service, with broadcasts of World Cup soccer matches starting next month. As SingTel spent more to attract mobile-phone customers and add new content to mio TV, the division’s profit margin dropped 4.5 percentage points to 35.3 percent. Witnessing a strongest mobile-phone customer growth in five years, Sydney-based Optus income rose 5 percent to A$610 million ($545 million).
Telecom New Zealand to sell off AAPT, receives for bids
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: AAPT, the Australian unit of Telecom New Zealand (Telecom) will be sold off by the company. Four bidders have already understood to be in contention for acquiring the operator. TPG Telecom, Pacnet, Quadrangle Group and Optus are the four contenders who have submitted offers before the April 15 deadline.
Drop in revenue has been cited as the reason behind Telecom decision to sell the unit with AAPT generating AUD760 million (USD700 million) in 2009, down from AUD1 billion a year earlier. Even the EBITDA were down by around AUD27 million over the same twelve-month period, at AUD73 million.
Earlier it was reported that USD420 million for AAPT has been announced by Pacnet, and according to the company, it was considering a number of possible acquisitions in Australia.
Vodafone tops chart of 3G broadband speed
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vodafone has emerged as the best performer in the 3G broadband speed in the current market. 1724 mobile broadband speed tests were conducted by users in the last six months of 2009 and the Broadband Expert concluded that the average speed for users was 1.88Mbps.
Vodafone topped the chart by providing a data speed of 2.2MBps, followed by Optus with 2.1, Telstra with 1.8 and 3 with 1.2.
The locations being compared in the test could not be known as the users were self selecting. Since the different network types were also not separated, it is also impossible to know if every Vodafone user happened to be in an HSDPA area.
Apart from this, data from almost 1,800 people is better in most respects than data from one and it is still doubtful, if Vodafone could really claim speed superiority over Telstra’s Next G network, though in value terms it’s definitely a contender.
Optus, Telstra join hands against govt deal (Australia)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Telstra and Optus have joined hands to balk at the deal with the government over the national broadband network. The No. 2 carrier in Australia has claimed that significant changes are required to draft legislation before it will sign up to the $43 billion project.
Optus has warned in the submission to the senate select committee on the national broadband network that the project could be sunk unless clauses that allowed the government-owned network to compete in retail markets are removed. Besides, clauses specifically in supply of telco services to government agencies are also required to be removed from the draft legislation.
Subscriber base of mobile operators in Asia grew rapidly in 2009
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: With an increase of 23%, a combined regional mobile customer base of 285 million has been reported by Singapore’s SingTel by December 31, 2009 which is 52 million more than a year ago. 8.4 million mobile customers has been added by Bharti India which is again 8.1 million a more than a quarter ago.
Indonesia’s Telkomsel’s mobile customer base grew by 25 per cent, or 16.3 million from a year ago, to 81.6 million. Philippines based Globe added 117,000 customers in the quarter and AIS’ mobile customer base grew 4.7 per cent, or 1.3 million, to 28.8 million.
Even Bangladesh based Warid’s total mobile customer base rose to 18.8 million as at December 31, 2009. Optus’ postpaid customer base grew a record 164,000 during the quarter, resulting in the postpaid customer base exceeding 4 million as at 31 December 2009.
Optus to acquire Qualcomm’s 3G spectrum (Australia)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: In order to have more capacity to meet strong demand for data services, further third generation mobile spectrum will be bought by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. unit Optus from Qualcomm Inc.
Licenses of 10 MHz of paired spectrum will be acquired by Optus under the deals which in turn will double its 2100 MHz paired spectrum holdings in Australian capital cities to 20 MHz from 10 MHz.
The new 3G spectrum will be used to support retail and wholesale customer demand for Optus’ increasing range of data services. The deal is subject to approval from Australia’s Foreign Investments Review Board and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
According to Andrew Buay, managing director of Optus Products and Delivery, it is very important that Government finalize three major spectrum policy decisions which will shape the future of the mobile industry in Australia, that is the allocation of the digital dividend for mobile broadband services; the allocation of 2.5 GHz spectrum for mobile broadband services; and greater certainty regarding the cost and timing of the renewal of expiring 3G spectrum licenses
Optus & Dodo sign $160 million deal
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: $160 million wholesale deal has been signed between Optus and Dodo wherein OPTUS will provide Dodo with its mobile, voice and mobile broadband needs, for four years. The deal is a renewal of an
existing wholesale mobile services contract Optus held with Dodo.
According to Optus wholesale and satellite managing director Vicki Brady, the deal is targeted at ensuring latest mobile products and services along with real choice and value to Australian consumers. While Larry Kestelman, Dodo’s managing director feels that the deal would help the company sustain the roll out of new products to the market.
FIFA World Cup to come live on Optus 3G phones
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Optus 3G phone subscribers will now get to see live 2010 FIFA World Cup for free. The company has entered into a deal with FIFA (F©d©ration Internationale de Football Association) for the streaming of the live matches. Though the entire 3G mobile device already have the application, the iPhones will receive the solution for the broadcast before the World Cup kick starts in June 2010.
Footage captured by the cameras recording the game for the mobile phone form factor will be supplied by FIFA to mobile broadcasters. Unless there are two simultaneous games, all the operators will receive the same feed.
Optus said that it will give priority to the games played by Australian teams. Besides, it has also entered into another agreement with SBS, a television broadcaster for additional footage available from its “The World Game” program.
