Huawei announces managed services agreement with Telefonica UK (UK, China)
Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, announced the signing of a five-year managed services agreement with Telefónica UK. Under the agreement, Huawei will be responsible for planning and managing Telefónica UK’s core transmission, mobile access and network construction in the multivendor core network.
Victor Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei UK, said that they are very pleased to announce their first major managed services agreement with Telefónica UK. Having collaborated with Telefónica in a number of markets around the world, this agreement, which focuses on building world-class managed services capabilities in the UK, is no doubt an important step in extending our relationship with Telefónica UK.
As part of the agreement, 56 Telefónica UK employees will transfer to Huawei and work for Huawei’s managed services business in order to implement the planning and building of the core network. In addition, 62 contractors will also be transferred. These transfers will comply with the terms and conditions outlined in the Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (TUPE) regulations.
Mr. Zhang added that he is also glad to welcome 56 new employees to Huawei from Telefónica UK. Their skills and experience will be invaluable to Huawei as we seek to develop their managed services capabilities in the UK, as well as managing Telefónica UK’s core network. This agreement, indeed, further underlines their long-term commitment and investment in the UK market.
As the fastest growing managed services provider in the world, Huawei currently collaborates with operators on over 240 agreements in more than 60 countries, providing first-class network products and support to operators.
Vodafone relies on Verizon as profit from Europe declines (USA, UK)
Telecom operator Vodafone Group Plc will have to rely on its U.S. wireless venture to meet profit estimates and cover up declining sales in the European markets, largely Spain and Italy, according to a report by BN.
Vodafone said that operating profit excluding some items may rise as much as 3.2 percent in the 12 months ending March 2013. Profit on that basis slipped 2.4 percent last year to $18 billion after the sale of a stake in its SFR French unit. Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. mobile carrier, accounted for 42 percent of the total, an increase of 9.3 percent.
As per the report, Vodafone, which relies on western Europe for most of its revenue, is no longer the world’s biggest mobile-phone company as China Mobile Ltd. boosted sales last year to $81.7 billion. While profits and sales at Verizon Wireless are rising, Newbury, England-based Vodafone still needs to negotiate dividends every year with U.S. partner Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), which controls 55 percent of the venture.
Orange to launch TV Check app in iPhone in UK (UK)
Telecom operator Orange is planning to launch its TV Check iPhone application in the UK this month, and will launch the app on the Android platform in both France and the UK at the same time, according to a report by DTVE. The app offers additional content and games such as quizzes around TV shows, and the ability to chat and comment on shows via Twitter and Facebook.
Patrice Slupowski, vice-presdent, digital innovation and communities at Orange, said that they are happy to open a second country. They will see how the UK audience does with it.
Slupowski told DTVE that Orange would add social recommendation features to the app and said that Orange would discuss with channels in the UK about building partnerships with them. He said the Android version of the app would launch both in France and the UK at the end of May. Slupowski said that the app had been downloaded about 100,000 times in France.
Everything Everywhere launches first live 4G customer trial (UK)
Everything Everywhere, the UK’s biggest communications company that runs the Orange and T-Mobile brands, launched the UK’s first live 4G trial in the North of England on airwaves that, subject to licensing changes, could be used to bring 4G mobile services to the UK later this year.
The trial was switched on by the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, and local MP, Rory Stewart, who said that 4G has the potential to provide an important stimulus for the UK. It centres on the area of Threlkeld in Cumbria, home to Blencathra, one of the Lake District’s most visited peaks.
Rolling out over the next few weeks, the trial for up to 50 local residents will run until the end of July and is being conducted to test the network performance ahead of potential further roll out by the end of the year, subject to regulatory approval.
The trial service will run over existing 1800 MHz spectrum used by the Orange and T-Mobile mobile networks and will provide learnings on the performance of 4G LTE in rural areas.
Commenting on the trial, the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove said that he is really delighted to be switching on the first ever deployment of this cutting-edge technology in the North of England. Cumbria has – thanks to the work of local MP Rory Stewart – been at the vanguard of this work. Cumbria has unique needs due to its sparse population and long distances, which 4G LTE will help overcome. Cumbria’s schools and educational opportunities will be revolutionised by this technology. Cumbria’s record number of small businesses will be transformed by this next generation technology. 4G will bring jobs to rural areas and all the benefits of superfast broadband in education and health to its remote communities.
Olaf Swantee, CEO of Everything Everywhere, said that new independent research shows that one in five households in Britain could depend on 4G for superfast broadband in the coming years. Britain deserves a 21st century digital infrastructure, and they are committed to making that a reality for the nation as soon as possible.
Telefonica Solutions selected by Serco to manage its European Mobile Services (Europe)
Serco, the FTSE 100 international services company has selected Telefónica Multinational Solutions as its provider of European mobile telecommunications services. The $19.87 million five year contract will deliver both savings and technology innovations enabling Serco to deliver improved services to its customers.
The contract covers over 27,000 mobile voice and data connections for Serco across the UK and Ireland, and will roll out across Serco’s other European territories later in 2012. It will reduce Serco’s expenditure by approximately $ 3.05 million over the duration of the contract and support the delivery of innovations such as VoIP and Global Wi-Fi solutions.
Garry Fingland, Serco Group CIO, commented that they are delighted to extend their relationship with Telefónica Multinational Solutions for their mobile platform across Europe. They are driving hard to embrace new ways of communicating with their customers, colleagues and suppliers, exploiting technology to enable new ways of working. Telefónica Multinational Solutions has demonstrated real passion and energy to help them achieve these goals through innovation and a focus on exceptional customer service, underpinned by strong commercial capability.
The agreement will see Telefónica Multinational Solutions providing devices, connectivity and managed mobile services, underpinned by a global account and service support model. Telefónica will provide Serco with much greater visibility and control over their mobility expenditure as well as significantly improving the service experience to its end users through its Managed Services capabilities.
Michael Hayes, Director Telefónica Multinational Solutions Europe, said of the deal that this is an exciting opportunity for Telefónica and demonstrates how they work closely with strategic global customers in leveraging the opportunities presented by delivering regional mobility solutions. They look forward to working with Serco to deliver exceptional service and great value through their range of mobile services.
Samsung launches Android 4.0 ICS update for Vodafone’s Galaxy SII users (UK)
South Korean manufacturer Samsung has finally released the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update for Samsung Galaxy S II Vodafone customers in UK. As per reports, the update was available for download via Samsung Kies whereas those waiting for an upgrade over the air will be able to do the same from tomorrow.
Mobile operators Three and O2 had already begun offering the update earlier this month, while, T-Mobile and Orange users are still to receive the same. Mobile operator Vodafone claimed that the delay occurred as Samsung was testing the software to ensure that it released the final version.
LIME launches 4G in select areas (UK)
Telecom operator LIME has rolled out its 4G service for users in certain regions. According to reports, the operator has dubbed this next generation service as the ‘4G Experience Zones’, which will initially focus on certain commercial and residential areas. Users in these areas will be able to access faster data transfer speeds on their 4G enabled handsets.
Reports reveal that Grace Silvera, Regional Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communications, has said that LIME is proud to be the first to bring to Jamaica the experience of 4G technology which builds on their track record of having the best mobile data experience, full stop. This has catapulted Jamaica into the realm of a handful of countries around the world with this technology standard.
Silvera also claims that LIME will be the first to offer an opportunity for customers to experience the capability of the most advanced network technology in the world within the selected zones covering the large business district of Knutsford Boulevard and sections of New Kingston, Carlton Crescent, Half Way Tree Road, Portmore Mall and immediate surrounding areas plus Fairview Mall in Montego Bay, St. James.
Everything Everywhere may launch 4G services in 2012 (UK)
Mobile operator Everything Everywhere has reportedly applied to the regulator Ofcom, seeking permission to provide the new generation 4G LTE service on its existing spectrum. The regulator claims that the operator may be able to launch the new service by this year itself, enabling users to stream and download high definition videos without interruption.
In a statement, the regulator has said that allowing Everything Everywhere to re-use its spectrum in this way is likely to bring material benefits to consumers, including faster mobile broadband speeds and — depending on how Everything Everywhere uses the spectrum — potentially wider mobile broadband coverage in rural areas.
Further, Ofcom has considered whether allowing Everything Everywhere to use this spectrum in this way would distort competition, and provisionally concluded that it would not. The statement also said that given the benefits this would bring to consumers, Ofcom is minded to allow this change of use.
The regulator had initially said that 4G services would be launched in 2013-14.
A spokeswoman for Everything Everywhere said that it’s very important that the UK does not get left behind in the building of a new infrastructure for the digital economy. She added that they welcome the notice of 1800MHz licence variation from Ofcom, as it suggests Ofcom’s willingness to encourage the early deployment of 4G LTE.
However, reports reveal that Vodafone may not be in agreement with the regulator’s move. The company has said that it comes as a surprise that the regulator is now considering giving the largest player in the market permission to use its existing spectrum for 4G services before the rules for the auction have even been concluded or it has divested spectrum as required by the European Commission. The company also claims they seriously doubt that consumers’ best interests will be served by giving one company a significant head start before any of its competitors have a clear path to 4G.
