www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The Argentine anti-trust authorities have reportedly ruled that Telecom Italia should sell Telecom Argentina to avoid a telecommunications monopoly.
Argentina’s CNDC anti-trust commission has been investigating the possible dominant position of Spain’s Telefonica SA in Argentina’s telecommunications market because it controls telephone company Telefonica Argentina, which competes with Telecom Argentina.
CNDC Vice-President Humberto Guardia Mendoza was quoted as saying the commission “will force Telecom Italia to sell all its assets in Argentina.”
While Telecom Italia has, according to a media report, will appeal against the ruling at the World Bank’s arbitration body.
Telecom Italia is likely to sell its stake in its Argentine company due to the anti-trust probe. Telecom Italia owns half of Sofora Telecomunicaciones SA, the holding company that controls Telecom Argentina.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Telecom Italia, the Italian mobile operator, is likely to issue bond of nearly around 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) for retail investors, a media source unveiled. Small investors’ appetite for corporate bonds has grown over the last couple of months as returns on bonds are more attractive than the low rates on offer for cash.
The company’s Chief Financial Officer Marco Patuano said this month Telecom Italia had no need to tap the market until the end of 2009 but could consider the issuance of bonds to several categories of investors, though not necessarily this year.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: L’Autorita Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), the Italian antitrust has reportedly imposed a two fines on the mobile operator, Telecom Italia, totalling EUR600,000 (USD847,000) for anticompetitive behaviour. The regulator firstly fined the incumbent for TI EUR320,000 for obstructing customers efforts to switch operator, and a further EUR280,000 for adopting a commercial practice which was ‘aimed at keeping customers who showed their intention of changing operator by starting off procedures for transferring their mobile user number to a competitor’.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: 3 Italia and Telecom Italia, the Italian mobile operators have inked a co-siting deal for sharing radio mobile network access sites. The deal is applicable to both existing and future sites. The deal includes sharing passive infrastructures such as poles, cables, electricity supply and air conditioning systems as well as other civil infrastructure. While maintaining the ownership of its own infrastructure, each operator will host the radio mobile stations of the partner with the goal of optimizing network coverage on a national level.
The agreement does not include the electronic devices that permit the supply to their own clients of mobile telephony services or related management services. The agreement is valid for 3 years and is renewable. It will cover at least 2,000 sites, providing savings of 30% on costs.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: According to Gabriele Galateri, Chairman of Telecom Italia, the Italian telco intends to make an investment of $4.2 billion in its Brazilian unit through 2011, said Gabriele Galateri, chairman of the Italian company.
Tim Brazil will expand its broadband Internet services in the South American country, Galateri reportedly. The chairman said he sees business opportunities in mobile broadband because of weaknesses in the country’s fixed-network infrastructure.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The UMTS frequencies being auctioned off by the Italian mobile operator Ipse have been awarded to Vodafone Italia, Telecom Italia and Wind Telecomunicazioni. The auction was conducted by the Ministry of Economic Development. The bids were opened on 9 June for the 2×5 MHz blocks in the 2100 MHz band. The three operators received a block each. Vodafone Italia paid EUR 90.2 million, TIM paid EUR 88.8 million and Wind paid EUR 88.8 million. The operators are expected to make payment within 30 days and the spectrum will be made available within 90 days.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Telecom Italia will bring iPhone 3G S on 19th June. The device is accessible to the subscribers at Telecom Italia’s over 2,600 retail shops across the country. The operator will unveil the pricing details soon.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Entel, the Bolivian telco, has reported net profits of BOB400 million (USD58 million) in its 2008 fiscal year, a steep fall of 40.7% from the BOB674 million reported in 2007.
According to the local media, the revenues for the operator dropped in 2008, a fall of 4.3% to BOB2.42 billion. A fall in revenues from telecoms services and interconnection was driven by ‘hidden liabilities’ inherited from the operator’s previous owner Euro Telecom International (ETI), owned by Telecom Italia (TI).