www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Slovak alternative operator Swan entered into partnership with Telefonica O2 Slovakia to start prepaid mobile services under its own brand. Any call made to the O2 network and all Slovak fixed networks will cost EUR 0.06 per minute and to any other network will cost EUR 0.12 per minute. Per second billing will be applicable only after first minute.

Fixed wireless, Wimax and an optical backbone network with IP MPLS will be used to provide existing data and voice services provided by Swan. SMS, MMS and data services are also included in the offer.

Free CLIP, CLIR, call holding and blockage, and information on missed calls by SMS or MMS free of charge along with access to internet or bulk SMS, MMS and international calls are also in the offer.

The service will be available by the end of year and more widely from January 2010 and the SIM will cost EUR 6, including credit of EUR 5. A Christmas offer has been given according to which, if the customers activate electronic invoicing they will get a SIM card for the new Swan Mobile service free of charge.

Nokia Money due to launch soon

Nokia is attempting to create a multi-bank, multi-operator and multi-device collaboration on mobile banking.
Nokia’s mobile banking and payment service is expected to be commercially available in its first market in Q1 2010, though no location details have been revealed yet.
According to Teppo Paavola, vice president, GM mobile financial services, Nokia cannot reveal any details until a banking partner is confirmed. It is learnt that the service requires a banking license before it can be launched.
Nokia said its target is to have 300 million active users of its services by the end of 2011; the number is expected to be 80 million by the end of 2009.
Paavola said the service will enable un-banked people in emerging markets to transfer money, top up prepaid mobile services, pay bills, carry out online transactions, and pay merchants.
Global mobile payments market is expected to be worth €18 billion by 2014 – €12 billion from emerging markets and €6 billion from developed markets.
Approaches to mobile banking so far have lacked scale and have not worked across operators and across banks.
Nokia therefore plans to drive the collaboration on an open financial ecosystem, with Nokia Money at its core. Paavola added that it has taken a long time to get all the players together, from banks through to mobile operators.
The Nokia Money application will not only be pre-loaded but could be sideloaded, or downloaded later.
Nokia will also be able to provide the physical distribution channel that is critical for the service to work. For example, Nokia handset sellers can be turned into Nokia Money agents, providing the devices, the application, and the ability to handle cash.

Nokia is attempting to create a multi-bank, multi-operator and multi-device collaboration on mobile banking, a service dubbed Nokia Money.

Nokia’s mobile banking and payment service is expected to be commercially available in its first market in Q1 2010, though no location details have been revealed yet.

According to Teppo Paavola, vice president, GM mobile financial services, Nokia cannot reveal any details until a banking partner is confirmed. It is learnt that the service requires a banking license before it can be launched.

Nokia said its target is to have 300 million active users of its services by the end of 2011.

Paavola said the service will enable un-banked people in emerging markets to transfer money, top up prepaid mobile services, pay bills, carry out online transactions, and pay merchants.

Global mobile payments market is expected to be worth €18 billion by 2014 – €12 billion from emerging markets and €6 billion from developed markets.

Approaches to mobile banking so far have lacked scale and have not worked across operators and across banks.  Nokia therefore plans to drive the collaboration on an open financial ecosystem, with Nokia Money at its core.

The Nokia Money application will not only be pre-loaded but could be sideloaded, or downloaded later.

Nokia will also be able to provide the physical distribution channel that is critical for the service to work. For example, Nokia handset sellers can be turned into Nokia Money agents, providing the devices, the application, and the ability to handle cash.

Alfa, the mobile operator, announced more than 60 per cent reduction in SMS prices for all postpaid and prepaid subscribers with effect from March 18, 2009.
With this measure, Alfa has cut down the local SMS price to 0.09 USD for both postpaid and prepaid (i.e. to 0.36 unit), instead of 0.20 USD for postpaid lines (Alfa Classic) and 0.272 USD, i.e. 1 unit for prepaid lines (Alfa Active).
As per the international SMS price, it was cut down to 0.18 USD for postpaid lines instead of 0.2 USD and to 0.2 USD (i.e to 0.81 unit) for prepaid lines instead of 0.272 USD (i.e. 1 unit). The MMS price for postpaid lines was also reduced to 0.15 USD. While the prepaid subscribers will enjoy the new reduced MMS price of 0.36 USD (1.46 units).

Mr. Samer Salameh, Chairman and CEO of Alfa commented on the new reduction: “The new reduction so introduced
aims at providing once more the best added value to our customers and it is meant to accelerate the growth of the Lebanese mobile sector. We believe that these offers will create a new trend in this sector, impact user behaviour and be the driving force behind its new revival.”

Alfa has recently launched an extensive upgrading process that will lead to the expansion of the network and more
reduced tariffs in the coming months.
Alfa is planning to increase its customer base by an additional 400,000 as part of a rapid and committed expansion
plan to reach 1 million subscribers by the end of 2009.

About Alfa
Alfa is the brand name of one of the two Lebanese mobile networks owned by the Republic of Lebanon. Alfa is managed by Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) starting February 1, 2009.
Alfa capitalizes on its expertise in the telecom field in order to deliver a global and professional solution for the GSM sector in Lebanon. Its main target is to reach one million subscribers by end of 2009.

For more information visit www.alfa.com.lb

About Orascom Telecom
Orascom Telecom is a leading international telecommunications company operating GSM networks in high growth markets in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, having a total population under license of approximately 453 million with an average mobile telephony penetration of approximately 46% as of September 30th, 2008. Orascom Telecom operates GSM networks in Algeria (“OTA”), Pakistan (“Mobilink”), Egypt (“Mobinil”), Tunisia (“Tunisiana”), Bangladesh (“banglalink”), Zimbabwe (“Telecel Zimbabwe”), and North Korea (“Koryolink”). Through its subsidiary Telecel Globe, OTH also operates in Burundi, the Central African Republic and Namibia. Orascom Telecom had over 79 million subscribers as of September 30th, 2008.
Orascom Telecom is traded on the Cairo & Alexandria Stock Exchange under the symbol, and on the London Stock Exchange its GDR is traded under the symbol. For more information visit: www.orascomtelecom.com