Airtel launches fastest mobile internet via its 3.75G platform (Kenya)
By Editor on February 28, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Telecom major Airtel Kenya has introduced high-speed mobile internet in Kenya with the launch of its 3.75G platform. As per a company statement, Airtel has said the launch of the 3.75G platform promises profound changes to how subscribers in Kenya experience the web on internet-enabled devices.
Further, the statement claimed that the improved technology will enhance multimedia functionality, high speed mobile broadband and internet access; allowing users to make video calls, watch live TV, send and receive e-mails and download music from the devices.
The telecom operator said the new facility is the latest global HSPA plus technology with 21 Mbps speed, also being rolled out in Europe and the US. Also, it is the fastest 3G available and will be enormously beneficial for a variety of users, which include large Corporates, Small or Medium Businesses and the Youth.
Shivan Bhargava, chief operating officer, Airtel Kenya , has said that the technology on their 3.75G network will give their customers the opportunity to interact with data in a different way. He added that this is why Airtel doesn’t see 3G as a product but a platform that enables the community to expand its social and commercial horizons, alongside the rest of the world.
He added that this has the capability to enhance social, cultural and commercial participation amongst the people of Kenya and the global community. Further, their 3.75G platform will allow customers to combine the enormous potential of the internet with the convenience of cellular phones and other devices. It will liberate the potential of the youth, through enabling fast access to the internet for social networking, creating, accessing and sharing learning content like e-books and music.
For the small and medium business, it will enable the entrepreneur to embrace a highly mobile way of working with high speed access to email and internet and it will allow large companies to increase productivity through vastly enhanced mobile internet speeds and access to record and allow for communication via video calls on handsets.
The new 3.75G network will initially be available to Airtel customers in the key commercial centres of Kenya, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret and Naivasha.
Dimitri Diliani, Head of Africa Region, Nokia Siemens Networks, has said that Kenya is an emerging market and subscribers all over the country are increasingly demanding better network quality and superior services. We have partnered with Bharti Airtel to deliver the right infrastructure and solutions to help them meet these demands.
He added that with their strong products and services portfolio, they will partner and support Bharti Airtel to deliver HSPA technology, which will enable their customers in Kenya to enjoy high-speed mobile internet services. This technology will enable Bharti Airtel deliver a unique experience to their customers.
Filed under 3G, Africa, Mobile · Tagged with 3.75G platform, Airtel Kenya, Bharti Airtel, high speed mobile internet, high-speed mobile broadband, HSPA+ technology, Kenya, Shivan Bhargava, Small or Medium Businesses, Social Networking
Orange enables Facebook accessibility on all mobiles (Africa, France)
By Editor on February 20, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Telecommunications operator, Orange is launching an innovative service making Facebook accessible on any phone across all areas in Africa, where Orange has its presence. As per the company, Orange is the first operator in the region to use USSD technology, a low-bandwidth data service that is accessible from even the most basic phones, to create access to social networking.
With Facebook via USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data), Orange is providing mobile access service to millions of customers in Africa, many potentially for the first time. The company claims that even users with older or very basic handsets without an internet connection or data plan will be able to stay in touch with their family and friends on Facebook through a simple and affordable text-based service.
USSD is a technology used by all GSM mobile devices to send information across a 2G network, and is already used widely in Africa for services such account information and callback services. Orange expects over one million customers to avail this service within the first year.
Orange launched this service at the end of 2011 for Mobinil customers in Egypt, and over 350,000 customers have connected Facebook via USSD in the first month.
According to company reports, this new service forms part of Orange’s strategy to help customers get more from their digital lives and provide access to mobile services such as Facebook to the widest possible range of customers. This is the latest in a series of services designed to open up access to digital services in emerging markets such Google SMS chat and email via SMS, and the exclusive Alcatel One Touch range of phones with deep Facebook integration.
Xavier Perret, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, France Telecom-Orange has said that social networks such as Facebook have completely changed how people stay in contact with their family and friends, and it’s important that their customers, regardless of the phone they have, are able to access and participate in these services. They feel that it is their role to help their customers enjoy a digitally rich, connected life, and services such as Facebook via USSD this make that possible for even more of their customers.
In order to avail this service, customers only need to type a specific code into their phone to open Facebook via USSD session and enter a PIN code to access the service securely. Once connected to Facebook via USSD, customers can search for friends, invite friends, accept or deny friend requests, update their status and comment/like/unlike their friend’s status’. Customers will have the choice between four types of pricing: per session (10 to 20 minutes), daily, weekly and monthly. Exact bundles and tariffs will be confirmed by each country as the service comes to market.
Filed under Africa, Europe, France, Mobile, Social Media for Mobile Operators · Tagged with Africa, Bundle, Facebook, France, Google SMS chat, Orange, Social Networking, Tariffs, USSD technology, Xavier Perret
RCom launches 3G services in Kashmir (India)
By Editor on February 25, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Reliance Communications has launched its 3G services in the three districts of central Kashmir and promised to cover the whole Valley in the next two months.
With the launch of the service, RCom has become the first private company to launch the service in the Valley.
According to Vivek Kumar, the company’s executive for the state, the north Kashmir health resort of Gulmarg and south Kashmir tourist resort town Pahalgam would be provided the 3G services within the next one month. While providing the 3G service in the Valley, the company was strictly abiding by the directives of the central telecom ministry and also the security guidelines governing such services. Recently, the company launched 3G services in Chandigarh, Punjab, Jammu and Mumbai.
The company executives added that with the 3G services in place, subscribers in Kashmir would have access to an Internet speed of 7.2 megabytes per second, 110 television channels, video conferencing, social networking and mobile cinema.
He concluded with the statement that Reliance Communications will lead the creation of a wire-free India through the launch of an affordable 3G service for all.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with 110 television channels, 3G, 3G Services, 7.2 megabytes per second, Chandigarh, India, Jammu, Kashmir, Mobile, mobile cinema, Mumbai, Punjab, RCom, Reliance Communications, Social Networking, Video Conferencing, wire-free India
Advanced Info 2011 EBITDA margin to ease to 45% (Thailand)
By Editor on February 23, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Advanced Info Service PCL expects its EBITDA margin to edge lower this year to 45% from 46.8% in 2010 due to an expected rise in handset sales, which yield narrower margins than services revenue.
According to Nattiya Poapongsakorn, investor relations manager, the company expects service revenue growth, excluding interconnection fee, at 4% this year.
Advanced Info booked a 7.9% growth in service revenue to US$2.87 billion last year.
According to Nattiya, Thailand’s largest mobile phone company by subscribers expects to gain around US$9.80 billion to US$13.70 billion from interconnection fees, down from US$19.64 billion last year. Meanwhile, data revenue is expected to surge 25%-30% this year, due to cheaper smart phones and the growing popularity of social networking.
Data revenue jumped 30.5% last year to US$490.2 million.
Nattiya added that the company has budgeted marketing expenses for this year at 2.5%-3% of revenue, which is higher by 2.1% spent last year.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Advanced Info Service PCL, EBITDA margin, Interconnection Fee, investor relations manager, Mobile, Nattiya Poapongsakorn, Service revenue growth, Smart Phones, Social Networking, Thailand
New business models based on mobile data are needed to drive growth worldwide
By Editor on February 18, 2011 · Leave a Comment
A latest research report has revealed that the worldwide telecoms market will grow from US$1.8 trillion in 2009 to US$2.4 trillion in 2014, at a 6% CAGR.
Mobile data services will continue be the main engine of growth, offsetting the continued rapid decline of wireline voice revenues. Mobile voice revenue is forecast to grow at a 6% CAGR, but the revenue from non-messaging and messaging mobile data will grow at much higher growth rates: 21% and 12%, respectively.
Mobile broadband will have the greatest impact in both mature and growth markets, but finding the right business models and managing costs will be the keys to operator success.
Operators in mature markets have to contend with largely saturated mobile markets. To increase average revenue per user (ARPU), they must look for new types of service to offer consumers – for example, applications and content – in order to tap into a different source of spending. Consumers in mature, saturated markets are likely to be at, or approaching, the limit for their telecoms services spending. The creation of new business models will enable operators to capture a greater share of content and applications revenue.
Mobile messaging services are becoming commoditized in mature markets. Usage will decline as other forms of communication, such as social networking, become more popular.
Operators in emerging markets will need to shift their focus towards increasing revenue as the rapid growth in subscriber numbers they have enjoyed in recent years begins to slow. They must also exploit the growth in handset data and content services – demand for these services will grow as content and handset functionality improve and 3G services become more widely available. Increased usage will drive revenue growth, if operators can monetize these services.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with 3G Services, average revenue per user (ARPU), CAGR, messaging mobile data, Mobile, Mobile voice revenue, non-messaging, Social Networking, USA, worldwide telecoms market
HTC to release two Facebook Optimized phones
By Editor on February 16, 2011 · Leave a Comment
HTC is about to launch two new smartphones keeping social networking as the main focus- the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa. Both the phones feature a dedicated Facebook button for one-touch access to the key functions of the Facebook service that are integrated throughout the HTC Sense experience.
According to Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business for Facebook, they have worked closely with HTC for several years on bringing Facebook to their devices. HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are the next stage. HTC has brought Facebook to these two new devices in an innovative way enabling people to connect and share easily whenever they want, wherever they are.
The Facebook button on HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are context-aware, gently pulsing with light whenever there is an opportunity to share content or updates through Facebook. With a single press of the button, users can update their status, upload a photo etc.
The handsets feature Android Gingerbread 2.3.3, the latest version, and use the latest iteration of HTC Sense to integrate Facebook throughout the HTC Sense experience. When a user makes a phone call, the dialer screen displays their friend’s latest status and photos, and even tells them if their birthday is approaching. The same updates are also displayed when users receive a call from a Facebook friend.
The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa smartphones will be available to customers across major European and Asian markets during Q2 2011. In the United States, HTC has signed an exclusive sales deal with AT&T.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Android Gingerbread 2.3.3, AT&T, Facebook, Head of Mobile Business for Facebook, Henri Moissinac, HTC, HTC ChaCha, HTC Salsa, HTC Sense experience, Mobile, Social Networking, United States
European consumers still cautious of high roaming costs
By Editor on February 9, 2011 · Leave a Comment
EU roaming regulation is having little impact on consumers’ mobile usage habits while abroad, according to a survey. Although 56% of respondents with a mobile phone stated that they were aware of the rules regarding roaming, 77% of them claimed that it had made no difference to how they used their mobile phone when traveling abroad.
Although there is introduction of legislation specifically designed to lower the cost of using a mobile phone within the EU, roaming charges appear to continue to weigh heavily on consumers’ minds. More than one-third i.e. 38% of online respondents indicated that they did not use their mobile phone at all while they were abroad, with 54% of these identifying the cost of usage as a reason for this.
Inspite of this current reluctance,the mass-market uptake of sophisticated smartphone devices continues to grow and there is a growing consumer desire to use mobile phones for social networking and micro-social blogging while abroad. Half of all online respondents with a mobile between the age of 18 and 34 said they would like to access some form of data service when traveling abroad, while 62 percent of these highlighted cheaper roaming rates as the factor which would encourage them to do so.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Abroad, EU, Europe, Legislation, Mass Market, micro-social blogging, Mobile, roaming regulation, Social Networking, USA
Arab World relays on mobile Internet
By Editor on February 4, 2011 · Leave a Comment
A survey has revealed that a significant number of Internet users across the Middle East and North Africa are accessing the Internet using their mobile devices and using mobile applications. The survey of over 12,700 internet users across the Middle East and North Africa found that half of all Internet users in the UAE used mobiles to access the Internet, with over 71% of mobile internet users in the region ranking email as their biggest mobile internet activity.
People are increasingly using mobiles as Internet access devices in the Middle East and are starting to access social networks as well as news, sport and other information services using their mobiles. The primary application for mobiles is still email, but over 85% of users have downloaded mobile applications for their devices and the spread of services being accessed is very wide. Social networking, in particular, is a strong and growing trend, with 40% of women who use the mobile Internet doing so to access social networks.
The survey showed some interesting differences in the way men and women in the region use their mobiles. Women were more active on social networking sites using their mobiles (40% of women do, compared to 33% of men) and were more interested in photo & video sharing and information on hobbies, while men were more interested in news and weather information. Women were also more likely to use online games than men.
With a new generation of smart mobile devices coming to the market, more people are expanding the ways in which they access Internet based applications and services. The growing popularity of mobile applications that access internet services will create significant new market opportunities for not only hardware vendors, but also for Internet publishers, service providers and marketing organizations across the region.
47% of Internet users surveyed said they intended to buy a tablet device in the coming quarter, while more of those already using the mobile Internet, 57%, having the same plan. 22% of all Internet users surveyed planned to buy an Apple iPad.
One of the key factors that has been inhibiting uptake of mobile Internet in the MENA region is cost. While 26% of people who choose not to use mobile Internet cite cost as the primary factor, only 5% say that not knowing how to access the Internet is stopping them. With smart phones using high amounts of data, it’s hardly a surprise that something like 41% of users in the GCC have unlimited data packages.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Apple iPad, GCC, internet, MENA, Middle East, Mobile, North Africa, Social Networking, UAE
Mainstream Mobile Operators consider Social Networking to lead by 2015
By Editor on November 16, 2010 · Leave a Comment
As per the recent study conducted by Airwide solution reveals that the majority of mobile operators believe that by 2015, social networking will overtake both voice and SMS as the most popular way to communicate over mobile. The survey was in responses from 31 global mobile operators.
In the survey, conducted by wireless analyst firm mobileSQUARED, operators were asked to choose what they thought would be the top five most popular forms of communication in 2015.
94% of operators believe that social networking will be the most popular form of communication by 2015, while 87% and 81% of operators believe messaging and voice respectively will continue to play an important role in communications, predicting that they will remain in the top three most heavily used forms of communication in 2015.
The study also revealed that these forms of communication will be harmonized rather than replaced by rising mobile internet usage, particularly from mobile social networking. The results show that mobile social networking will not only be primarily responsible for the continuing rise in mobile internet usage in the future, but it will be elevated to one of the core forms of communication.
The survey also unveiled that operators are keen to ensure increases in traffic and do not negatively impact their networks. 74% of operators believe that network quality will be critical to fostering loyalty with subscribers.
65% of operators believe that entertainment apps and services would drive messaging growth, 48% believed healthcare and 36% claimed education and finance (especially for emerging markets).
In addition, operators consider that in developed markets alternative forms of messaging will primarily be driven by enterprise services and machine-to-machine (M2M) messaging. 76% of operators feel enterprise services will be either important or extremely important, while 64% think the same is true for M2M messaging.
According to Jay Seaton, Chief Marketing Officer at Airwide Solutions, the survey has shown that while the mobile subscriber of the future is changing, its core mode of communication (text and voice) is likely to remain the same. Traditional forms of messaging will not be replaced. In fact, services such as SMS are becoming an integral part of social networking, and they will also underpin future innovation, particularly in areas such as mobile entertainment, mobile financial services, mobile healthcare and mobile education.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Airwide solution, Chief Marketing Officer, Education, healthcare, Jay Seaton, M2M, Mobile, Mobile Operators, mobileSQUARED, SMS, Social Networking, USA, Voice
Qualcomm buys mobile web company iSkoot
By Editor on October 14, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Qualcomm has acquired mobile web company iSkoot Technologies as it continues to expand into software, focusing on social networking, push messaging and voice 2.0. iSkoot will be a subsidiary of the QuIC, which in turn is a subsidiary of Qualcomm. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Qualcomm is primarily known for building base-band radio chips and processors that power mobile phones – most of the newest Android phones today use the Qualcomm Snapdragon application processor.
iSkoot has partnered with the company to bring social and messaging services to handsets, and promises to do so in a way that is forgiving of the carrier’s network and the phone’s battery. iSkoot controls social applications on feature phones from Verizon and AT&T in the US.
The company’s Kalaida Platform aims to reduce bandwidth usage by using managed proxy servers which trans-code and aggregate traffic and cut back on frequent data transmissions.
Kalaida supports push email, RSS, social networking and instant messaging and can also deliver real time notifications to feature phones, extending smartphone capabilities to lower end handsets.
iSkoot is now a unit of the Qualcomm Innovation Center subsidiary, which focuses on open-source software efforts. Moving forward, the iSkoot team will emphasize continued support to its existing customers, integrating its offerings with the Qualcomm products portfolio and developing open-source data management initiatives.
Filed under Mobile · Tagged with Android, AT&T, iSkoot, Mobile, push messaging, Qualcomm, QuIC, radio chips, RSS, Snapdragon application processor, Social Networking, U.S, USA, Verizon, voice 2.0.
