http://www.telecomsinsight.com Telecoms Insight RSS Feed from Business Monitor International en Copyright 2012, Business Monitor International Ltd Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:30 GMT Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:30 GMT AFP RSS Generator Sprint Nextel, the third largest operator in the US, has secured a roaming agreement with France Télécom's Orange Business Services for the provision of machine-to-machine (M2M) services. The agreement will enable Sprint to provide M2M connectivity in 180 countries. BMI considers the agreement to be of benefit to Sprint as it counters its previous competitive disadvantage in the M2M market against rivals with global reach able to offer seamless international connectivity. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108824/Sprint-M2M-Goes-Global-With-Orange-Business-Services.html Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00 GMT Virgin Mobile Latin America is making strong progress in its Latin American expansion plans. Chile will be the first country in which Virgin will launch, in March 2012, and BMI expects to see similarities across the region in terms of product and target market. However, it has opted for a slightly different strategy in its Colombian and Brazilian launches, selecting local partners to assist with rollouts. BMI believes Virgin is set for strong growth in the market, and believes it will have a significant positive effect on market dynamics in Latin America. However, the rapid international rollout schedule heightens the risk of costly errors. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108823/Virgin-Mobile-Prepares-To-Take-On-Latin-America.html Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00 GMT Microsoft is reportedly optimising its upcoming Windows Phone 8 (WP8) operating system (OS) for at least four different display resolutions and six different form factors. A presentation delivered to the Nokia World conference by the general manager of the Windows Phone Design Studio included a slide that appeared to show six different permutations of WP8-powered devices, including what appears to be a tablet PC and, most intriguingly, a small, square-shaped touch-screen device reminiscent of Apple's popular iPod nano media players. Increased diversity in terms of display and form factor will certainly help WP8 gain traction among connected device owners and could well prove to be Nokia's salvation, BMI believes. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108822/Windows-Phone-8-Echoes-Apples-Path-To-Success.html Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00 GMT Consolidation in the Polish cable market looks set to continue as local press reports state that Multimedia Polska has selected JP Morgan as advisors for a potential sale. The sale would closely follow the recent acquisition of Aster by cable market leader UPC Polska, completed in January 2012. BMI considers the opportunities and risks for potential bidders for Multimedia Polska, and the wider impact on the market. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108792/Multimedia-Polska-Acquisition-Of-Strategic-Value-To-Several-Operators.html Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 GMT Digitel revealed in February 2012 that it is to invest US$150mn to expand the capacity of its 3G network. This is a positive sign for the Venezuelan market, which is suffering a dearth of investment as economic circumstances deteriorate. However, BMI believes Digitel faces tough challenges in 2012, with limits on imports likely to severely hamper the company's growth potential. However, rivals Telefónica and Movilnet face problems of their own. Here, we examine the outlook for the mobile market's two privately owned operators. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108791/Investment-Expected-But-Uncertainties-Abound.html Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 GMT Scailex Corporation is reviewing its options with regards to its controlling investment in Israeli mobile network operator Partner Communications. The 44.5% stake is considered to be worth approximately US$590mn, based on Partner's current share price. The investors in Scailex also have direct minority stakes in Partner. These too could be sold, potentially giving the new investor nearly 51% ownership of the company. This may be more than enough to pique the interest of Egyptian telecoms tycoon Naguib Sawiris, who has announced plans to return to the merger and acquisition field after selling key parts of his business in 2011. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108790/Scailex-To-Exit-Partner-As-Sawiris-Eyes-Market.html Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00 GMT BMI View: The Indian telecoms industry is experiencing another major shakeup after the Supreme Court cancelled in early February all 122 2G licences that were issued under the purview of former telecoms minister A Raja in 2008. While the decision is a clear sign that the government is trying to eradicate the problem of corruption and improve policy transparency, it also has wide ranging implications on foreign investor confidence in the telecoms sector and related industries in the near term. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108768/2G-Licence-Cancellations:-Thoughts-And-Implications.html Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00 GMT BMI View: Telecoms operators in emerging markets rely heavily on diesel generators to power their base transceiver stations (BTS) in both urban and rural regions (more so in the latter) due to inadequate power grid infrastructure coverage and unreliable energy supply. While diesel-powered BTS are relatively cheap to set up, the legacy technology carries downsides such as an exposure to oil price fluctuations and environmental pollution, which is a growing global concern as seen by the increasing number of carbon taxes being introduced (most recent notable example is Australia's carbon tax law, which will be imposed on the country's top 500 polluters beginning July). We believe that there should be a greater push for green technologies (renewable and energy-efficient) in the telecoms industry to reduce long-term operating costs, which are expected to surge as operators expand network coverage via wireless means. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108731/Time-For-Green-Technologies-To-Blossom.html Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00 GMT German IT giant SAP has revealed that Latin American software revenue growth outpaced global growth in 2011. The company recorded software sales growth of 22%, compared with 17% globally. In software related services, growth totalled 19%, higher than the global average of 13%. BMI believes this pattern should continue as enterprises seek efficiency gains and improved productivity in the face of growing competition. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108704/SAP-Strengthened-By-Strong-Software-Sales-In-Latin-America.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00 GMT A new report by the OECD has found that Mexico needs to quickly reform its telecoms sector in order to boost competition and investment. The report identified a number of key areas where the Mexican market requires improvements, including decreasing barriers to entry, increasing transparency of regulatory processes and reform regulations to promote competition and efficiency. The Communications and Transport minister reacted by proposing 10 measures to improve the regulatory agenda. While BMI welcomes the renewed attention to the problems in the market, we hold doubts about how much change we will see in the competitive environment in the short and medium term. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108675/Mexican-Market-Reform-Unlikely-To-Yield-Major-Changes.html Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00 GMT On February 1 2012, two reforms to lower the cost of mobile telephony will be put into practice. Firstly, the cost of sending SMS messages is to fall by 46%, and secondly, charges for receiving telephone calls on mobile telephones will be eliminated. BMI is optimistic that these reforms will encourage more Cubans to use mobile telephones. Additionally, we believe other economic and political reforms are currently being passed in the country and this will help increase incomes for the average Cuban. This will, indirectly, have positive effects on mobile penetration rates. However, we note that the country continues to lag behind its regional peers in terms of technological and economic development by a significant margin and will continue to do so throughout our forecast period to 2016. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108619/Mobile-Telephony-To-Become-More-Affordable-For-Cubans.html Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00 GMT Nintendo has reported a net loss of JPY48.351bn (US$631mn) for the nine months ended December 31 2011 as the Japanese gaming console maker continue to struggle to cope with weak consumer demand for its home console and new handheld gaming system. The short-term outlook remains bleak as the firm has also revised down its full-year earnings forecasts for the year ending March 2012, and it envisages its net loss to widen by three-fold. While Nintendo's troubles could be attributed to the ascendency of smartphones and tablet computers, which has eroded the firm's dominance in the casual gaming industry, another factor is Nintendo's slow reaction to the rapidly changing environment. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108618/Nintendo-Struggling-In-Changing-Gaming-Market.html Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00 GMT BMI View: Growth in the number of mobile phone users and wireless subscribers and advances in the innovative application of communication technology have the potential to transform the delivery of healthcare across the world, providing significant opportunities to companies looking to invest in the telecare sector. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108617/Russian-Telecare-Creates-Opportunities.html Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00 GMT Although BMI has long called for the much-needed consolidation of the Cambodian mobile market, the overcrowded competitive landscape looks set to deteriorate after local media reported in January that Xinwei Telecom Enterprise Group had started testing some of its telecoms infrastructure with a view to launching telecoms services in the country. The government's liberal approach in allowing more entrants into the market in return for licence fees remains a concern, and we believe that it will be to the detriment of the industry's long-term sustainability. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108523/Another-Firm-To-Enter-The-Fray.html Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00 GMT Approximately 37mn iPhones were sold by US consumer electronics vendor Apple in q411, more than double the volume sold in q311, and also doubling sales year-on-year (y-o-y). With 93.105mn iPhones sold in 2011, Apple has consolidated its hold on the global market for smartphones and, indirectly, the market for associated products such as applications and cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings. BMI recently estimated that total smartphone shipments would reach 458mn in 2011. This would give Apple an enviable 20.3% market share, which competitors will be hard pressed to beat. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/108486/Apple-Posts-Record-iPhone-Sales.html Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00 GMT