http://www.telecomsinsight.com Telecoms Insight RSS Feed from Business Monitor International en Copyright 2008, Business Monitor International Ltd Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:30 GMT Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:30 GMT AFP RSS Generator Morocco's second-ranked mobile operator Meditel plans to invest MAD4.2bn (US$577mn) over the next two years to drive growth of its market share. At the end of 2007, Meditel had a subscriber base of 6.7mn, significantly behind Maroc Telecom, with a 13.3mn customer base and market share of 66.5%. Mobile penetration rates stood at 62% in 2007, indicating a mature market, despite the presence of just two operators. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66687/Meditel-To-Invest-US$577mn-In-Operations.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT Colombia's second-largest mobile operator, Movistar, owned by Spain's Telefónica, has announced plans to launch 3G services in the country by the end of 2008. The services will use UMTS-based technology and the initial roll out will be to seven major cities, including the capital, Bogotá. The launch will bring the company in line with its larger rival América Móvil's Comcel, which launched services in January 2008. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66688/Movistar-To-Launch-3G-By-End-Of-2008.html Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT Tata Communications has entered into an agreement with South African state-owned companies Eskom and Transnet to acquire their 30% shareholding for an undisclosed amount. The purchase would take Tata Communications together with its African investment arm Tata Africa Holdings' overall stake in Neotel to 56% on completion. The remaining shareholders in Neotel are Nexus, Communitel and Two Telecom Consortium. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66686/Tata-Expands-On-Its-Agreement-With-Neotel.html Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00 GMT Celtel Zambia, the country's largest mobile operator by subscribers, has listed on the Lusaka bourse. It was Zambia's biggest IPO, with shares closing a 13% premium over the IPO price. The operator, valued at US$1.17bn, managed to raise US$205mn after selling 1.04bn ordinary shares and attracting 5,814 new investors. This is the second large scale IPO this month, with Kenya's Safaricom also making its debut on the Nairobi stock exchange. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66685/Celtel-Lists-In-Zambias-Largest-IPO.html Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00 GMT Iraq's second-ranked mobile operator Asicell Communications is to invest US$1bn over a two-year period to fund greater network expansion across the country. The operator was able to purchase its licence at a cost of US$1.25bn last August as one of three licences sold and following a period of uncertainty with regard to its future. The possibility of having its network shutdown loomed in April 2007, after reports suggested that a Cayman Island court had made the decision in the wake of rumours of a disagreement between Wataniya (owned by Qatar Telecommunications) and Asiacell's Kurdish shareholders. With the issue now resolved http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66684/Asiacell-Commits-US$1bn-On-Network-Expansion.html Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00 GMT China's telecommunications equipment vendor Huawei Technologies has shortlisted five private equity companies for its mobile devices unit, reported to be worth in excess of US$2bn. Bain Capital, Goldman Sachs's private equity arm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, and Silver Lake have all made it through to the second round of bidding, according to several press reports. Huawei Technologies hopes that by divesting a stake in its mobile unit to a private equity firm, it will help develop the group's sales in the US. The deal is closely being monitored, as it offers a private equity company the chance to acquire a sizeable stake in a single deal, and could mark one of the largest private equity investments to date in China. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66628/Huaweis-Mobile-Auction-Attracts-Private-Equity-Firms.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT Mobilink, Pakistan's mobile market leader, has awarded a contract to Chinese telecommunications equipment vendor Huawei Technologies for the deployment of a commercial WiMAX 16e network. Under the terms of the agreement, Huawei Technologies will supply a complete WiMAX solution including distributed base stations, an access service network - Gateway - and a network management system. The network will initially be deployed across central business districts and hotspots in the country's six major cities Islamabad, Karachi, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi. Financial details have not been disclosed. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66629/Mobilink-Awards-WiMAX-Contract-To-Huawei.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT Pan-Caribbean mobile operator Digicel has contracted Ericsson to deploy its solar-powered site system for remote areas of the South American country. The deal sees Ericsson's first deployment of solar-powered cell sites, which are designed to reduce energy consumption, in Latin America. The benefits to Digicel include lower operating costs and reduced environmental impact when deploying cell sites that have limited access to the country's electricity network. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66630/Ericssons-Solar-powered-Sites-Enter-South-America.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT High Tech Computer Corp (HTC), a leading Taiwanese smartphone handset provider, has agreed to supply South Korea's mobile market leader SK Telecom with its Touch Dual handset model. The agreement makes this HTC's first foray into the ultra competitive handset market, which is dominated by local vendors Samsung and LG Electronics. However, as a smartphone, HTC's Touch Dual handset is a direct rival to Apple 's iPhone and RIM's BlackBerry. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66627/HTC-Smartphone-To-Enter-South-Korean-Market.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT Mobicom, Mongolia's leading mobile operator, has signed an exclusive deal to acquire Celltick's LiveScreen Media platform, enabling the operator to broadcast content to subscribers' mobile handsets idle screens using cost-effective cell broadcast technology. Celltick's platform allows operators to utilise the potential of handsets idle screens as a marketing communication channel. Operators can supply content messages and advertising suited to the preferences of the customer based on monitored past activity, ensuring that only information relevant to the subscriber is passed on. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66570/Mobicom-To-Launch-Mobile-Advertising-Service.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT Hungarian Telephone and Cable Corporation (HTCC), one of Hungary's largest alternative telecoms operators, has retained the services of the investment bank BNP Paribas Corporate Finance to assist it in evaluating strategic alternatives for the business. In a statement released to the stock market, the company said that it would not be publicly disclosing additional information regarding the status of its review of strategic alternatives until the review is completed. The company said it could make no assurances that any particular course of action will be pursued or provide any timeframe or terms of any such strategic alternatives. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66569/HTCC-Reviews-Strategic-Alternatives.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT Advertising-funded mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Blyk has announced it will launch services in Belgium using Mobistar's network. The second largest operator will allow Blyk to launch its services, aimed at 16-24 year olds, as the MVNO expands its presence across Europe. The operator launched in the UK in September 2007 and reported it had reached its one-year target of 100,000 subscribers in its first seven months of operations. Blyk announced it would be expanding into Belgium, Germany and Spain at the end of June, having made its first expansion into the Dutch mobile market in January 2008. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66568/Blyk-To-Use-Mobistars-Network-For-Belgium-Launch.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT Reports are suggesting that Kazakhstan's state-owned incumbent, Kazakhtelecom is considering selling its stake in one of the three cellular network operators that it owns jointly with other investors. This news has revived speculation that Russian cellular powerhouse MTS will make a bid for the operator's 51% stake in Mobile Telecom Service. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/55397/Kazakhtelecom-May-Sell-GSM-Operator-Stake.html Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00 GMT Claro Chile has launched mobile broadband for laptops for prepaid users. The operator, the smallest in the mobile market, was the first to launch prepay mobile broadband in May 2008, only to be followed quickly by its rival Movistar in mid-June. Claro's UMTS/HSDPA network was upgraded in time for its mobile broadband launch, allowing access via a PCMCIA card or USB dongle from Chinese equipment manufacturer ZTE. Services will be available across Claro's network, which was expanded in June to reach Punta Arenas in the south of Chile. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66526/Mobile-Broadband-For-Chilean-Prepay-Customers.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT A meeting in Villahermosa, Mexico, has seen Central American heads of state and their Mexican and Dominican counterparts discuss implementation of the Plan Puebla-Panama (PPP), which includes a project to build a fibre-optic cable network across Central America, Dominican Republic and the south of Mexico. The PPP is designed to strengthen political dialogue and economic co-operation in the region, with a focus on improving physical infrastructure and launching social projects. Other projects included in the PPP are for the health, highway and power sectors. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/66527/Fibre-optic-Network-To-Be-Built-In-Central-America.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00 GMT