http://www.telecomsinsight.com Telecoms Insight RSS Feed from Business Monitor International en Copyright 2010, Business Monitor International Ltd Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:30 GMT Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:30 GMT AFP RSS Generator Having held on to the top spot in BMI's Business Environment Rankings for over two years, Chile was finally toppled by Brazil in our latest rankings. The two countries swapped places, with Chile's strong decrease allowing Brazil to overtake it. That is not to say that Brazil's move to the top of our rankings is based on Chile's misfortune. Latin America's largest country saw improvements to its Telecoms Market and Country Risk ratings, helping it clinch the top spot. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86718/Latin-America-Business-Environment-Rankings.html Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00 GMT Taiwan-based fabless semiconductor vendor MediaTek is turning to new markets to boost its growth prospects in 2010, according to Digitimes. The online technology news provider believes that the company is looking to capture as much as 50% of the market in these regions, building on its existing 30% share in India and Asia and 15% in Latin America and the Middle East. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86717/MediaTek-Targets-Emerging-Markets-For-Chipset-Growth.html Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00 GMT In an effort to bridge the digital divide, the Ministry of Economic Development (MdSE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Union of Italian Provinces (UPI) on the development of a national broadband plan. BMI welcomes the government's interest in expanding the reach of broadband services, but suggests that faster deployment of WiMAX networks across the country may be more cost-effective. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86716/Italy-To-Push-For-Broadband-Services-In-Rural-Areas.html Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00 GMT Rumours that February 28 2010 would be the cut-off date for SIM registration in Cameroon have proved so far unfounded, as no unregistered subscribers appear to have been disconnected. However, the renewed interest in this administrative process, designed primarily to fight crime, has flagged up an important issue. What will happen to Cameroon's many call box operators, who offer cut price mobile calls in public places, if their phone is used for nefarious purposes. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86714/SIM-Registration-Causing-Concerns.html Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00 GMT Bulgarian telecoms operator MobilTel (M-Tel) has launched a special offer of BGN2.45 (US$1.70) per month for customers on its fixed-line service. This is a 50% discount on the regular price. Even at the regular price of BGN4.90 (US$3.4), the operator's price is a lot lower than that of a similar service from fixed-line incumbent operator Vivacom, at BGN13.8 (US$9.6) a month. M-Tel is new to the fixed-line sector, and is keen to challenge the dominance of the incumbent using value-led services. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86715/M-Tel-Pushes-Value-led-Fixed-Line-Services.html Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00 GMT Results from Mexico's four mobile operators have shown that the market expanded by 6.7% in 2009, to reach 83.2mn mobile subscribers. This takes the mobile penetration rate to 77.4%, and indicates that mobile growth has rallied despite economic conditions in the country. Although BMI was expecting this sort of growth, the figures have slightly outstripped our expectations. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86663/Mobile-Market-Expanded-6-7-In-2009.html Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00 GMT The UAE is set for more competition in the telecoms sector, as the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has issued a third operator licence. This is good news, but, as the operator in question is Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), which has been licensed to offer a range of satellite communications services, the effect on competition levels may not be all that great, in BMI 's opinion. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86607/Telecoms-Service-Licence-Granted-To-Yahsat.html Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00 GMT UAE-based Etisalat has launched its brand in the Sri Lankan mobile market, after completing the purchase of Tigo Sri Lanka from Millicom International Cellular for US$207mn in October 2009. The company says that it aims to add 1mn new customers to its existing 2.5mn subscriber base this year; this will be achieved on the back of the modernisation of the mobile network and expansion into new areas of the country. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86608/Etisalat-Launches-In-Sri-Lanka-Aims-For-1mn-New-Users.html Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00 GMT The addition of a third operator, plus the general expansion in 3G services, will lead to a mobile internet growth boom in 2010. This is the opinion of Moroccan mobile commerce firm Maroc Telecommerce, which says it is anticipating a 250% increase in e-commerce turnover, according to Magharebia. BMI does not forecast for e-commerce, but we do agree that increased competition and a greater focus on 3G as a growth driver should boost the mobile market in general and mobile broadband in particular in 2010. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86609/Morocco-Set-For-More-3G-Growth.html Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00 GMT In markets dominated by global brands and high-end products, local manufacturers often struggle to get noticed. This is particularly true of India's mobile handset market, where the vast majority of the country's 525mn wireless (GSM and CDMA) subscribers use phones supplied by international heavyweights such as Nokia, Motorola and LG Electronics. However, there has been a growing trend for small high-technology companies to enter the handset market with low-cost, locally made products. Among these are new players such as Micromax and Karbonn Mobile, both of which have announced ambitious growth plans for the next few years. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86605/Local-Handset-Vendors-Pick-Up-The-Pace.html Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00 GMT Swedish incumbent TeliaSonera plans to upgrade its fixed broadband and access network to offer business and individual customers faster broadband connections. CBR Telecom reports that Ericsson has been selected for the project and will offer its EDA 1200 solution, based on VDSL2 technology. The contract will cover fixed broadband operations in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86606/TeliaSonera-To-Deploy-VDSL2-In-Key-Markets.html Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00 GMT From April 1 2010, the Indian government will introduce a new annual spectrum charging regime that is likely to eat further into independent operators' profit margins and, in particular, squeeze hardest those operators exclusively focused on wireless services. Spectrum owners will be required to pay between 3% and 8% of their gross annual revenues, depending on the amount of spectrum they hold, up from the 2% to 6% payable at present. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86602/Mobile-Only-Operators-Affected-Most-By-New-Fees.html Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00 GMT Venezuela's telecoms regulator, Conatel, has released market figures for the end of 2009. They show continued, although slower, growth in the fixed-line market, as CANTV's efforts to cut prices and increase penetration continue to pay off. Mobile growth has slowed right down, thanks to the duel effects of economic problems and the approach to market saturation. However, broadband grew strongly throughout the year. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86603/Regulators-Market-Report-Confirms-Expectations.html Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00 GMT WiMAX licensee YTL Communications has contracted Samsung Electronics to supply further base stations for its yet-to-be-launched nationwide wireless broadband network. Samsung has also been tapped to supply the operator with 2,000 picocells for enhancing its in-building coverage. The Korean vendor is to provide 500 2.5GHz WiMAX base stations for deployment on the east coast of Malaysia, on top of the 1,900 units already being set up across the country. The value of the contract was not disclosed. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86518/YTL-Accelerates-WiMAX-Deployment-As-P1-Surges-Ahead.html Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00 GMT The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced a proposal to make a significant chunk of spectrum available for mobile broadband. The proposal is part of the FCC's National Broadband Plan to bring universal broadband to the US, the full details of which are yet to be released. The FCC is aiming to free up 500MHz of spectrum over the next 10 years, effectively doubling the amount of spectrum available to mobile operators, to allow them to offer advanced data services. http://www.telecomsinsight.com/file/86519/Proposal-To-Increase-Spectrum-Available-For-Mobile-Broadband.html Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00 GMT