Oberthur Technologies the world’s second largest provider of Smart Card based solutions today announced the commercialization of its OMHTM (Open Market Handsets) SIM cards for CDMA (Code Development Multiple Access) networks. OMH SIM cards contain subscriber, network and service configuration data that allow subscribers the freedom to easily change and upgrade their handset, but maintain their network configuration.

Oberthur Technologies collaborated with Tata Teleservices Limited, one of India’s fastest growing private telecom service providers, and Qualcomm Incorporated, a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies, to introduce OMHTM SIM cards into the India market.

Olivier Leroux, Head of the Mobile Product Line for the Card Systems Division at Oberthur Technologies said, “Oberthur Technologies is the first to commercially launch OMHTM SIM cards. We are pleased to partner with industry leaders such as Tata Teleservices and Qualcomm who are enhancing the subscriber experience for Indian consumers.”

The OMHTM SIM card, referred to as a removable user identity module (R-UIM), is a state of the art smartcard that stores operator and subscriber specific configuration parameters, separate from the handset memory. By having this configuration parameters located on the OMHTM SIM card rather than the device, subscribers can more easily switch or upgrade their handsets. These cards allow CDMA network operators to increase the selection of devices and services while lowering distribution and inventory costs.

“These are exciting times in the Indian telecom space where innovation, research and development are the key to success and remain competitive in the business. In our constant effort to redefine the telecom space keeping customers at the central point, Tata Teleservices decided to partner with Qualcomm and Oberthur Technologies to further develop the Open Market Handset initiative and offer more choice to customers”, said Lloyd Mathias, Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Teleservices Limited.

“Qualcomm is pleased to work with Oberthur Technologies for its leadership as one of the first companies to develop OMH SIM cards,” said Nakul Duggal, Senior Director and OMH Project Lead, Qualcomm Corporate Engineering Services. “The OMH initiative is focused on increasing device variety by offering new channels and distribution options within the CDMA ecosystem to provide greater subscriber flexibility.”

About Oberthur Technologies

With sales of 882 million Euros in 2008, Oberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies. Innovation and high quality services ensure Oberthur Technologies’ strong positioning in its main target markets:

– Card Systems: The world’s second largest provider of security and identification based on smart card technology and associated services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence markets. – Identity: Leading international supplier for the manufacture and personalization of secure identity documents such as passport, identity card, driving license or health care card – traditional and electronic – and associated services for both governmental and corporate markets. – Security printing: World’s third largest private security printer specialized in high security for the production of banknotes, checks and other fiduciary documents in more than fifty countries. – Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of intelligent systems to secure cash-in-transit and ATM.

Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents.

Oberthur Technologies S.A. is a limited liability company (societe anonyme) registered in France with its registered office at 50 quai Michelet 92 532 Levallois Perret, France. Oberthur Technologies S.A.’s corporate registration number is 340 709 534 R.C.S. Paris.

Website: http://www.oberthur.com

About Tata Teleservices Limited

Tata Teleservices Limited is one of India’s leading private telecom service providers, having a pan-India presence across all of India’s 22 telecom Circles. The company offers integrated telecom solutions to its customers under the Tata Indicom, Tata DOCOMO, Photon and Walky brands, and uses both the CDMA and GSM technology platform(s) for its wireless networks. Tata Teleservices Limited, along with Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited, operates in more than 325,000 towns and villages across the country. In November 2008, Tata Teleservices entered into an agreement with Japanese telecom major NTT DOCOMO, and this transaction marks a key step in the strategic evolution of Tata Teleservices Limited. Tata DOCOMO has so far launched GSM services in eight telecom Circles, and the remaining part of the country is also expected to be covered shortly. In December 2008, Tata Teleservices announced a unique reverse equity swap strategic agreement between its fully-owned telecom tower subsidiary-Wireless TT Info-Services Limited-and Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Limited, thereby becoming the largest independent entity in this space. Tata Teleservices’ bouquet of telephony services includes mobile services, wireless desktop phones, public booth telephony and Wireline services.

For details, visit http://www.tatateleservices.com, http://www.tatadocomo.com or http://www.tataindicom.com.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: AT&T, the USA based mobile operator, has reportedly approached the Indian state run telco BSNL for making an investment in the telco in order to re-enter the world’s fastest growing mobile market.
The possibilities of the roping in of government are not clear yet, though the sources unveil that an announcement will be a pre-IPO placement. “AT&T has expressed interest in BSNL. But BSNL top brass has conveyed to AT&T that only the government can decide on the matter,” a source reveals.
“The government is unlikely to sell a majority stake in BSNL, which is already undergoing restructuring. If at all there is a sale to a foreign operator, it will not be more than 26%, considering the sensitivity of the sector,” said this person.

The PSU is fully owned by the government, which is planning to take the company public. BSNL’s net worth is nearly Rs 81,000 crore, based on the balance sheet for FY08.
Looking at the net worth of the Indian telco, AT&T will have to invest more than Rs 16,000 crore for buying a one-fourth stake in the company. According to a media report, AT&T spokesperson McCall Butler said: “We do not comment on rumours or speculations.”
BSNL chairman and MD Kuldeep Goyal also denied the development. “BSNL is not even listed and any such move will require a lot of regulatory approvals,”.

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www.WirelessFederation.com/news: MTN, the South African mobile operator, has reportedly announced a hike of 30.6% year-on-year in its H1′09 net profits to ZAR9.09 billion (USD1.16 billion). Revenues for the six months ended 30 June totalled ZAR57.27 billion, up 24% from ZAR46.13 billion a year earlier. EBITDA for the operator was up 25% year-on-year, to reach ZAR24.5 billion at June 2009 – end. Operating expenses for the period grew to ZAR8.06 billion, up from ZAR5.89 billion a year earlier. The operator added 29.2 million new subscribers in last twelve months ending June with 103.2 million mobile subscribers.

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Orascom Telecom, the Egyptian mobile operator has reportedly posted a 38% rise in quaterly net profits to $111.8 million. The operator ended the quarter with more than 84 million mobile subscribers, up from 80 million at March end.
Blended ARPU stood at $6.0 in Q2′09 compared to $5.8 in Q1′09.

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The Mongolian mobile operator have reportedly reached a deal to restore its interconnection between networks after a dispute over G-Mobile’s introduction of zero tariff rates. It was on 19 August that Mongolian-Japanese joint venture MobiCom, and Mongolian-South Korean cellcos Skytel and BSB Telecom (Unitel) blocked all incoming calls to their networks from the 200,000 CDMA subscribers of local mobile operator G-Mobile. ‘Foreign invested companies MobiCom, Skytel and Unitel have made a joint step against locally-owned youngest operator G-Mobile by cutting off G-Mobile subscribers’ access to their own, which we regard as a rude attempt that is harsh to independence and security of Mongolian national communication,’ stated G-Mobile.
The step was taken in reaction to G-Mobile’s introduction of zero tariff package, enabling subscribers to dial other G-Mobile wireless or fixed line subscribers and the network of Mongolia Telecom without charge. The rates were not applicable to MobiCom, Skytel and Unitel, which all reportedly refused to be part of the package saying that it will cause devaluation to the connection rates between telcos.

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: According to a media report, Telenor Pakistan, the mobile operator, has begun the process of network upgradation to include 3G technology. The report claims that the cellco has started to deploy 3G base stations in the Punjab region, adding that the project has been outsourced to a third-party operator. The project will be completed in next two years.

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: SFR, the French mobile operator, is reportedly offering the Samsung Galaxy smartphone, the manufacturer’s first Android handset only available through Bouygues Telecom in France since mid-July. SFR has priced the handset at EUR 99 with an Illimythics plan, including rebate, compared to Bouygues’s starting price of EUR 89. The handset will be available  at EUR 409 as a standalone product. The Samsung Galaxy features a 3.5-inch AMOLED touch screen, 5 Megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, Google applications, media player, and 8 GB of memory, expandable to 40 GB. It uses the Android version 1.5 (Cupcake).

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Mobily’s 3.75G High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) coverage now always more and more people in the Western region to connect to the Internet, make video calls, or benefit from the world of iphone content, according to a statement issued by the company Sunday.

Close to the coast, expansion of 3.75G coverage included Rabegh, Turban, Al Khormah, Al Muwaih, Haddad Bani Malek, Al Sudairah, Asfan, Thahban, Thuwal, Bahra, more towards the hills, customers in Al Hada, Bani Saeed, AL Kamel, Al Sail Al Kabeer now have speeds that rival those of customers in major cities. All in all, 3.75G HSPA service reaches 326 cities, regions and areas in the Kingdom, covering 75% of the population. (more…)

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Qtel, the Qatari mobile operator, has posted Q2′09 net profits of 1.044 billion riyals, up 58.6% from Q2′08. The total revenue for the operator for Q2′09 rose to 4.230 billion riyals compared to 1.644 billion in Q2′08, the firm reportedly revealed.

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Synchronica, a mobile email and  data synchronization provider has bagged a $ 248,000 70,000 user licence order from North African operator to deploy its mobile gateway solution. The company has received the order from the same network equipment provider which had granted it a 20,000 user licence in July for another North African operator.
The mobile gateway will be used to offer push mail and mobile synchronization services to subscribers of the operators.

Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO of Synchronica, said, “This deal once again validates our strategy of using major network equipment providers to scale our business on a global basis and reach as many countries and operators as possible. Our award-winning Mobile Gateway product is increasingly recognised by operators as an invaluable tool to attract new customers, drive additional revenues and reduce customer churn.  Because our product works across the entire range of handsets, operators can introduce data services to the mass-market and is particularly attractive in fast-growing emerging markets like Africa.”

The name of the concerned players are not disclosed yet.