CAT to finish cable construction this year; fibre service ‘On Net’ to launch in Q4 in ten provinces

Thai state-owned telco CAT Telecom has begun construction of additional submarine cables worth THB2.7 billion (USD85 million) in the Gulf of Thailand, and expects the project to be completed this year, reports Future Gov Asia. The previously announced cable building programme is aimed at adding data bandwidth capacity and connectivity between the southern and central parts of the country as well as meeting the international data transmission demands of Thailand and other countries in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

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OVETEL CAT to finish cable construction this year; fibre service ‘On Net’ to launch in Q4 in ten provinces

CityCell’s switch from CDMA to GSM pending licence renewal

Bangladeshi CDMA-based mobile operator CityCell plans to invest an initial USD200 million in switching to GSM technology, pending regulatory permission, reports local newspaper The Daily Star. CityCell, backed by Singapore’s SingTel, will have to pay USD90 million for 5MHz of wireless spectrum in the 1800MHz band for providing GSM services, as it currently operates with 10MHz in the 800MHz CDMA band.

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OVETEL CityCell’s switch from CDMA to GSM pending licence renewal

Telcos face USD280m fines for under-reporting revenues

Indian telcos Reliance Communications (RCOM), Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Tata Teleservices (TTSL) are expected to face penalties for under-reporting revenues, reports India Today. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will next week issue notices for the telcos to pay a combined total of INR15.94 billion (USD279.5 million) in fines, following an investigation into the companies’ earnings between 2006 and 2008. Earlier this year, the government had ordered an external audit of the telcos’ books to ensure that they had shared the correct revenue with the exchequer.

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OVETEL Telcos face USD280m fines for under-reporting revenues

USD18.4 billion class action against cellcos permitted by Supreme Court

A CAD19 billion (USD18.4 billion) class action suit alleging that mobile operators profited from unfair fees has been allowed to proceed by the Supreme Court of Canada. Reuters reports that the court declined to hear an appeal by the cellcos, including Rogers, Bell and Telus, against the lawsuit which claims that the operators engaged in ‘unjust enrichment’ in charging ‘system access fees’ or ‘licence administration fees’ on top of regular monthly fees. The extra fees have been largely phased out, but the suit seeks damages for around 20 years during which they were in place.

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OVETEL USD18.4 billion class action against cellcos permitted by Supreme Court

CBI reopens Tata Idea case

India’s Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) has launched an inquiry into the Tata Group to determine whether or not the group violated its licence conditions in 2005-2006. According to Telecom Lead, the CBI investigation follows similar probes conducted by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and sector regulator the Department of Telecommunications centring on earlier allegations that, during that period, Tata had held more than 10% equity in Idea Cellular. Under the terms of its licence, a company is not allowed to hold more than 10% of more than one cellco providing services in a single area

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OVETEL CBI reopens Tata Idea case

Vodafone splits European segment into two

UK-based telecoms giant Vodafone Group has announced the division of its European unit into two new operating regions, ‘Northern & Central Europe’ and ‘Southern Europe.’ Philipp Humm, who joins from Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA, has been appointed as chief executive of Northern & Central Europe, which comprises Vodafone’s operations in Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Turkey, Ireland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania, effective 1 October 2012. The Southern Europe division will from 1 August 2012 be headed by Paolo Bertoluzzo, who will also continue in his role as chief executive of Vodafone Italy. It houses the company’s units in some of Europe’s most economically challenging countries, including Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Albania and Malta.

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OVETEL Vodafone splits European segment into two

BWB slams brakes on A1, Yesss! deal; new phase review could take five months

A1 Telekom Austria's planned acquisition of mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Yesss! from counterpart Orange faces an extended review by Austria's federal competition authority, Bundeswettbewerbsbehorde (BWB), delaying Hutchison Whampoa’s previously agreed EUR1.4 billion (USD1.87 billion) takeover of the France Telecom-Orange owned unit. The BWB issued a statement this week indicating that the mooted combination of A1 Telekom Austria and Yesss! would have negative consequences for the domestic wireless market in general and consumers in specific, who would likely face higher prices

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OVETEL BWB slams brakes on A1, Yesss! deal; new phase review could take five months

Levy out as Vivendi mulls major corporate shake-up

Jean-Bernard Levy’s reign as chief executive of French telecoms and media conglomerate Vivendi ended following a disagreement on strategy with the group’s supervisory board yesterday, prompting speculation of pending disposals to reinvigorate Vivendi’s sagging share price. The group has seen its share price slump to a nine-year low and has been reviewing its portfolio and corporate structure to assess how best to reverse its fortunes. Adding to its woes, Vivendi’s French mobile division SFR has been particularly hard hit by the arrival of fresh competition – in the shape of Iliad’s Free Mobile – since January

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OVETEL Levy out as Vivendi mulls major corporate shake-up

E-Plus can use 1800MHz for mobile broadband

Germany’s telecoms regulator, the Federal Network Agency (FNA, also known as Bundesnetzagentur or BNetzA), has approved an application from E-Plus to allow the mobile network operator to use its 1800MHz spectrum for the provision of mobile broadband services, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE).

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OVETEL E-Plus can use 1800MHz for mobile broadband

El Corte Ingles gets the nod to implement MNP in Paraguay

Spanish firm El Corte Ingles has won a contract to administer Paraguay's mobile number portability (MNP) database, BNamericas reports. The contract was awarded to the company by the Comision Tecnica de Portabilidad Numerica (CTPN), which comprises representatives of the country’s four mobile operators – Tigo (formerly Telecel), Nucleo (Telecom Personal Paraguay), Hola Paraguay (Vox) and Claro Paraguay (formerly CTI Movil) – and telecoms regulator Consejo Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (Conatel)

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OVETEL El Corte Ingles gets the nod to implement MNP in Paraguay

Colt confirms launch of low latency Dublin-London network route

Corporate telecoms provider Colt has announced that its new network route linking Dublin and London is fully operational, allowing its enterprise customers to take advantage of ultra-high speed, low latency data transmission rates between Ireland and mainland Europe, via London. European information delivery platform provider Colt claims its new network route will offer ‘unrivalled’ high bandwidth data and backbone solutions, which will be of particular benefit to the Republic’s financial and ICT sectors.

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OVETEL Colt confirms launch of low latency Dublin-London network route

SEC charges LightSquared head honcho with fraud

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has confirmed that it has filed a lawsuit in federal court this week, charging hedge fund billionaire Philip A Falcone – owner of the ill-fated open access Long Term Evolution (LTE) start-up LightSquared – with market manipulation, giving preferential treatment to several big clients, and borrowing cash from his Harbinger Capital venture to pay personal expenses. Robert Khuzami, director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, commented: ‘Today’s charges read like the final exam in a graduate school course in how to operate a hedge fund unlawfully.

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OVETEL SEC charges LightSquared head honcho with fraud

DoCoMo reveals plans to ‘expand and improve’ Xi LTE network

NTT DoCoMo has used yesterday’s announcement that it has secured so-called ‘platinum band’ 700MHz spectrum from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) to announce a major programme to ‘expand and improve’ its Xi-branded Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

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OVETEL DoCoMo reveals plans to ‘expand and improve’ Xi LTE network

Belarusian operators announce ‘convergent cooperation’ plan

Tut.by reports that two Belarusian telcos, fixed line operator Beltelecom and mobile network service provider MTS Belarus, have announced details of a new ‘convergent cooperation’ initiative which is designed to help maximise each firm’s network capabilities. Under the plan, MTS Belarus will be able to offer its subscribers access to Beletelcom’s interactive IPTV service, branded ZALA, as well as ADSL internet connectivity, while in return, the fixed line telco’s customers will be able to subscribe to packages on MTS’ 3G network.

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OVETEL Belarusian operators announce ‘convergent cooperation’ plan

Vimpelcom finally achieves Far East coverage with GSM network

Vimpelcom, Russia’s third largest mobile operator by subscribers, has confirmed that it has finally achieved full coverage of all of the regions in the Far East Federal District with its GSM network. The news was confirmed by Vladimir Kopyl, director of the company’s Far Eastern branch, at a press conference on Wednesday

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OVETEL Vimpelcom finally achieves Far East coverage with GSM network

Nepal’s regulator to amend national numbering plan

The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) is considering an amendment to the way it sets up tariff charges under the proposed new national numbering plan. The Himalayan Times quotes NTA deputy director Min Prasad Aryal as saying that numbering is seen as a ‘critical resource’ for the regulator and one of the primary sources for it to collect revenues through the way it allocates frequency spectrum and operating rights.

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OVETEL Nepal’s regulator to amend national numbering plan

Domestic internet exchange operating licences going for 120 dollars

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) yesterday invited applications for National Internet Exchange (NIX) operating licences, for the purposes of routing domestic internet traffic, including domestic voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) traffic.

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OVETEL Domestic internet exchange operating licences going for 120 dollars

Orange unveils SIM-based NFC contactless payment plans

Orange France, the country’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, has unveiled plans for Europe’s first large-scale rollout of a SIM-based near-field communication (NFC) solution in partnership with Gemalto. The technology paves the way for the nationwide introduction of secure mobile contactless payment services, Orange says, with subscribers able to use their mobile handset for contactless payments at banks, retailers or on transport networks

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OVETEL Orange unveils SIM-based NFC contactless payment plans

Telconet uses Hughes satellite equipment for state broadband project

Ecuadorian corporate and wholesale telecoms provider Telconet has completed a deployment of broadband satellite equipment supplied by Hughes Network Systems to fulfill a rural connectivity project on behalf of the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Society (Mintel). Under the state-funded programme to provide isolated communities with internet access, data services, voice and video applications for the first time, Telconet purchased an HX system hub and HX50 and HX200 broadband satellite terminals from Hughes.

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OVETEL Telconet uses Hughes satellite equipment for state broadband project

NPT turns down Tele2/Network Norway request for higher MTRs

The Norwegian Post & Telecoms Regulatory Authority (NPT) has revealed that it has rejected a request made by Tele2 and Network Norway, the latter of which is now majority owned by Tele2, to maintain higher mobile termination rates (MTRs).

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OVETEL NPT turns down Tele2/Network Norway request for higher MTRs

Digicel launches HSPA+ network

Digicel Jamaica has announced the launch of its ‘4G’ HSPA+ network, which it claims is available to 80% of the population. To coincide with the launch, Digicel has introduced a new series of data oriented tariffs dubbed ‘Surf, Stream and Share’ and a discount of up to 50% on HSPA+ capable handsets. The cellco’s new post-paid offerings range from JMD1,500 (USD16.79) per month for 1GB of data usage to JMD5,000 per month for 7GB; additional downloads are charged at a rate of JMD10 per MB

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OVETEL Digicel launches HSPA+ network

Ciena wins Japan-US Cable Network upgrade deal

Japan-US Cable Network, a consortium which operates a 23,000km undersea cable link across the Pacific, has awarded Ciena a contract to supply 100G packet optical equipment, which will allow it to provide an additional 5Tbps of capacity from early next year. The Japan-US Cable Network is made up of 35 consortium members, including global service providers such as AT&T, Cable & Wireless Worldwide, CenturyLink, KDDI, NTT Communications, REACH, Softbank and Verizon Communications

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OVETEL Ciena wins Japan-US Cable Network upgrade deal

ZTE bags CNY4 billion China Telecom contract

Chinese vendor ZTE has announced that it has been awarded a contract worth approximately CNY4 billion (USD632.87 million) to supply China Telecom with broadband equipment for its current expansion programme. The contract includes the provision of more than 21 million units including optical line terminals (OLTs), fibre-to-the-building multiple dwelling units (FTTB MDUs) and broadband terminals

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OVETEL ZTE bags CNY4 billion China Telecom contract

MIIT looks to draw foreign investment

The Chinese government has said it will encourage private investment in the telecoms sector as part of an effort to arrest the country’s economic slowdown.

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OVETEL MIIT looks to draw foreign investment

Sprint to fire LTE starting pistol in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, San Antonio on 15 July

Sprint Nextel, the United States’ third largest mobile operator in terms of subscribers, has confirmed that its long-awaited Long Term Evolution (LTE) network will go live in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio on 15 July. Additional market launches are expected to be announced later this year, and by the end of 2013 Sprint aims to have largely completed its nationwide LTE rollout, covering around 250 million people. As part of its ongoing ‘Network Vision’ upgrade programme, Sprint initially plans to deploy LTE using its 1900MHz PCS spectrum, before refarming the 800MHz spectrum currently reserved for its iDEN services.*As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, in April 2012 Sprint’s LTE network was soft-launched in Kankakee, a small town situated 60 miles south of Chicago

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OVETEL Sprint to fire LTE starting pistol in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, San Antonio on 15 July

FreshTel widens WiMAX footprint around Donetsk and Kherson

Ukrainian WiMAX broadband wireless network operator Ukrainian High Technologies (FreshTel) has enlarged its coverage in the Kherson oblast (region), extending its mobile WiMAX internet services to Bilozerka, Komyshany and Chernobaevka, while it also revealed short-term plans to expand its network to Yasynuvata (Donetsk oblast). The FreshTel mobile WiMAX service is currently available in 29 cities across Ukraine, while UHT also provides fixed WiMAX broadband connections in seven oblast capitals and some surrounding areas.

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OVETEL FreshTel widens WiMAX footprint around Donetsk and Kherson

Nawras to enhance 3G, launch LTE, expand WiMAX with Huawei

Oman’s second national telecoms operator Nawras has signed an agreement with Huawei, under which the Chinese vendor will upgrade all Radio Access Network (RAN) sites to increase coverage, indoor penetration, capacity and the speed of the operator’s entire network. At the same time, Nawras will launch Long Term Evolution-Frequency Division Duplex (LTE-FDD) mobile broadband services, using 1800MHz spectrum

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OVETEL Nawras to enhance 3G, launch LTE, expand WiMAX with Huawei

700MHz LTE spectrum granted to three Japanese cellcos

Japanese cellular operators NTT DoCoMo, KDDI (au) and eMobile have all been granted so-called ‘platinum band’ 700MHz spectrum by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

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OVETEL 700MHz LTE spectrum granted to three Japanese cellcos

Telia/Telenor venture and TDC win 800MHz spectrum in Denmark

TT-Netvaerket, the Danish network sharing joint venture between Telia and Telenor, has won 800MHz spectrum which it says is a ‘major step’ in the build-out of its 4G mobile broadband network. The infrastructure sharing venture has paid DKK111.5 million (USD18.7 million) for 2x10MHz in the 800MHz band to complement its existing holdings at 2.6GHz

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OVETEL Telia/Telenor venture and TDC win 800MHz spectrum in Denmark

Nobody’s home: DoT threatens closed-down cellco with fines

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a show-cause notice to Etisalat DB for closing down its operations without giving the regulator and customers 60 days’ notice.

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OVETEL Nobody’s home: DoT threatens closed-down cellco with fines

Andorran telco completes FTTH rollout

Andorra Telecom has completed the rollout of its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network, utilising Aurora Networks’ Trident7 platform. The network is reportedly available to all of Andorra Telecom’s 52,000 broadband subscribers and will allow the telco to provide high speed broadband and IPTV – including high definition (HD) content – services. Further, the infrastructure is expected to meet the market’s current needs, as well as being ready for increasing service demand over the next seven to ten years.*Commenting on the deployment, director of Andorra Telecom Jaume Salvat said: ‘Aurora Networks’ Trident7 platform has provided us with the opportunity to deliver today’s advanced services with the quality of service and experience our subscribers have come to demand.’

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OVETEL Andorran telco completes FTTH rollout

FCC believed to view Verizon, T-Mobile spectrum swap favourably

Verizon Wireless’ spectrum swap deal with T-Mobile USA is reportedly being viewed favourably by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), increasing the former’s chances of getting a separate deal with the cable firms approved. The development has been leaked to the Washington Post, which cites ‘people familiar with the thinking of government officials’

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OVETEL FCC believed to view Verizon, T-Mobile spectrum swap favourably

MdSE taps Huawei to conduct 800MHz LTE study

According to local press reports, Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development (MdSE) has enlisted Chinese telecoms equipment vendor Huawei Technologies to perform a study into the impact of using spectrum in the 800MHz frequency band for the deployment of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology. The ministry has deemed the trial an important step towards the introduction of 4G in Italy, with a provisional January 2013 launch date mentioned. The selection of Huawei as the sole company in charge of the study has been credited to its status as the first vendor to trial LTE in Italy, when it tested the technology in association with Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) in December 2009, achieving maximum downlink transmission speeds of 140Mbps.

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OVETEL MdSE taps Huawei to conduct 800MHz LTE study

Everything Everywhere’s north England LTE pilot is now underway

Everything Everywhere, the joint venture between British mobile network operators Orange UK and T-Mobile UK, has revealed that consumer trials of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in Cumbria are now underway. Having claimed that the pilot represents the first testing of the 4G technology by customers in the north of England, the operator has said that employees at a number of local businesses in the Threlkeld area are testing LTE via both dongles and routers. With customers reportedly receiving download speeds of up to 20Mbps, Everything Everywhere said it had chosen the location to test the service as it currently has ‘insufficient or unreliable broadband’

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OVETEL Everything Everywhere’s north England LTE pilot is now underway

KCC decision to allow cellco’s to charge for access to mVoIP riles consumers

The South Korean telecoms regulator, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), is facing criticism after it revealed that it would allow the country’s three mobile network operators – SK Telecom (SKT), KT Corp and LG Uplus – to charge users to access mobile voice-over-internet protocol (mVoIP) services, such as the one recently launched by Kakao Talk.

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OVETEL KCC decision to allow cellco’s to charge for access to mVoIP riles consumers

Alca-Lu upgrades China Telecom’s network

French-US vendor Alcatel-Lucent has inked an agreement with China Telecom to boost the capacity and service capabilities of the telco’s infrastructure with the deployment of its Internet Protocol/MultiProtocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) solution. The project will utilise Alca-Lu’s IP/MPLS 7750 Service Router portfolio as the broadband network gateway to deliver high-performance service and subscriber management, as well as the vendor’s 7705 Service Aggregation Routers which will deliver mobile backhaul to address China Telecom’s 3G and future Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband needs.

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OVETEL Alca-Lu upgrades China Telecom’s network

Swisscom ramps up fibre rollout

Swisscom, Switzerland’s largest telecom provider by subscribers, has announced plans to expand the reach of its fibre network by rolling out fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC, dubbed fibre-to-the-street by the telco) to towns and cities where it is not currently deploying fibre-to-the-home.

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OVETEL Swisscom ramps up fibre rollout

Guyana fibre-optic cable 90% ready

The Guyanese government’s 560km fibre-optic cable, which runs from Lethem on the Brazilian border to the coastal capital Georgetown, is now 90% complete, reports Kaieteur News, citing project manager Alexei Ramotar. Whilst the project has encountered funding problems, the entire length of the cable is now in place, and all that remains is to connect each 10km section together

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OVETEL Guyana fibre-optic cable 90% ready

SBA confirms USD1.45bn deal with TowerCo covering US and Puerto Rico

US cell tower operator SBA Communications Corporation has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with certain affiliates of TowerCo owning 3,252 tower sites in 47 states across the United States and Puerto Rico. The total cash consideration to be paid by SBA will be USD1.2 billion, as well as 4.6 million shares of SBA Class A common stock, implying a total transaction value of USD1.45 billion.

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OVETEL SBA confirms USD1.45bn deal with TowerCo covering US and Puerto Rico

Vodacom roaming re-negotiation ‘going in right direction’ for Cell C

South African mobile operator Cell C has confirmed that it has entered into talks with Vodacom about renegotiating the 15-year roaming agreement the two companies signed in 2001.

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OVETEL Vodacom roaming re-negotiation ‘going in right direction’ for Cell C

TeliaSonera boosts TEO stake to 85.6%

Having earlier this month launched a voluntary takeover bid to acquire all the outstanding shares in TEO LT, TeliaSonera has announced that as of 25 June 2012 it now holds 85.6% of the Lithuanian fixed line operator. The acquisition price is EUR0.637 (USD0.79) per share in cash, equivalent to a total value of EUR76 million.

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OVETEL TeliaSonera boosts TEO stake to 85.6%

CMC to fine Asiacell, Korek for failing to list

Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) has confirmed that it plans to fine mobile operators Asiacell, which is owned by Qatar Telecom, and Korek Telecom (co-owned by France Telecom-Orange and local logistics company Agility) for their respective failures to list on the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX), as per the conditions of their operating licences. Reuters reports that the watchdog will fine Asiacell USD8,500 a day since 1 September 2011, whilst Korek will face a smaller penalty of USD2,500 per day

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OVETEL CMC to fine Asiacell, Korek for failing to list

Telkom SA taps Alca-Lu for GPON, VDSL2 deployment

Telkom South Africa has selected French-US telecoms equipment vendor Alcatel-Lucent to supply equipment for a broadband network upgrade that will form a key part of the company’s ‘Network Transformation Initiative’. The project will see Telkom upgrading its existing nationwide access network with VDSL2 technology, whilst gigabit passive optical network (GPON) technology will also be rolled out to support fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure ‘where commercially viable’. Daniel Jaeger, Alcatel-Lucent vice president for Africa, commented: ‘We are delighted to meet Telkom SA’s needs with a turn-key solution that will enable them to provide the new kinds of services their subscribers demand.

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OVETEL Telkom SA taps Alca-Lu for GPON, VDSL2 deployment

Etisalat to kick off SIM registration next month

Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), the United Arab Emirates’ incumbent telecoms operator, will launch a SIM registration campaign for its mobile subscribers next month, Emirates 24/7 reports. From 17 July, the operator’s customers will be required to process their mobile registration at one of over 100 points of sale across the UAE

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OVETEL Etisalat to kick off SIM registration next month

Botswana launches WACS link

Landlocked Botswana has inaugurated its link to the West African Cable System (WACS), which was launched last month and stretches 14,900km along the west coast of Africa, reports AFP. Botswana partnered with neighbouring Namibia in each raising USD37.5 million to invest in a 9.2% stake in the cable consortium. Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) will co-locate services within the Swakopmund landing station operated by Telecom Namibia, under the WACS open access policy.

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OVETEL Botswana launches WACS link

Aster sale process suspended by local judge

The sale of the assets of Dominican Republic cable TV operator Aster Comunicaciones has been suspended by the Civil and Commercial Chamber of Santo Domingo, Next TV Latam reports. A judge ruled that the bidding process held in March this year by the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, which has been acting as Aster’s administrator on behalf of the collapsed parent company Banco Intercontinental (Baninter), was flawed. A bid of USD27 million was accepted from local utility group Consorcio Energetico Punta Cana-Macao (CEPM) despite the fact that another firm – Servicios Ampliados de Telefonos (Satel) – stated that it had intended to offer a higher amount but had been excluded from the bidding.

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OVETEL Aster sale process suspended by local judge

Embratel wins BRL1.03bn contract to supply services in Pernambuco

Brazilian telecoms operator Embratel Participacoes, part of the America Movil (AM) group, has announced that it has won a BRL1.03 billion (USD499 million) contract to supply telecoms services in the state of Pernambuco. Under the terms of the contract, Embratel will assume responsibility for supplying network services to the state for a period of four years, using its unified infrastructure to deliver mobile and fixed services, Wi-Fi access, call centre services, CCTV monitoring and videoconferencing

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OVETEL Embratel wins BRL1.03bn contract to supply services in Pernambuco

Vodacom Tanzania to expand M-PESA services via network upgrade

The Guardian newspaper reports that Vodacom’s Tanzanian operating subsidiary intends to expand coverage of its popular money transfer service M-PESA to even the most remote parts of the country, by dint of the TZS130 billion (USD83.8 million) network upgrade it is currently undertaking. Rene Meza, managing director of Vodacom Tanzania, says that the M-PESA service – launched in 2008 – is now taken by almost three million subscribers, helping to drive overall customer growth

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OVETEL Vodacom Tanzania to expand M-PESA services via network upgrade

Wind Mobile expanding to five new markets next quarter

Canadian cellco Globalive Wireless (Wind Mobile) has announced details of its network expansion programme, revealing that it will launch in five additional markets in the next quarter, extending coverage to an additional 600,000 Canadians, and bringing total population coverage to over 13.1 million.

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OVETEL Wind Mobile expanding to five new markets next quarter

Court suspends MPVI Mobil’s network pending appeal outcome

An order issued by a Hungarian court on Monday has put the brakes on would-be fourth mobile operator MPVI Mobil’s plans to use the 900MHz frequencies it was awarded in January this year. Hungarian newspaper Nepszabadsag reports that the decision by the court on 25 June to suspend the opening of the state-run operator’s network until the resolution of an appeal by Magyar Telekom (MTel) and Telenor Hungary (formerly Pannon), means that the newcomer cannot engage in any ‘meaningful work’ on its network, delaying its launch plans for several more weeks

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OVETEL Court suspends MPVI Mobil’s network pending appeal outcome

Qtel to provide communications for Lusail mega-development

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) and Lusail Real Estate Development Company have signed an agreement which will see Qtel deliver advanced communications services to all the residents of ‘future city’ development, Lusail, including businesses and government entities located in the new-build zone. Lusail is envisaged to eventually provide accommodation for up to 200,000 people and in addition to residential areas will include marinas, island resorts, commercial districts and leisure facilities

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OVETEL Qtel to provide communications for Lusail mega-development

Telefonica files USD1 billion claim with ICSID over Mexican MTR reductions

Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica has reportedly lodged a complaint with the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in which it is seeking more than MXN14.737 billion (USD1.06 billion) from the Mexican government. According to Reuters, the complaint argues that Mexico's telecom regulator has increased the cost of investing in the country as a result of legislation that has reduced the fees which Telefonica’s local wireless subsidiary Movistar Mexico can charge rivals to connect to its network. Such rulings, the filing reportedly claims, violate an investment treaty between Mexico and Spain

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OVETEL Telefonica files USD1 billion claim with ICSID over Mexican MTR reductions

Telia/Telenor venture wins 800MHz spectrum in Denmark

TT-Netvaerket, the Danish network sharing joint venture between Telia and Telenor, has won 800MHz spectrum which it says is a ‘major step’ in the build-out of its 4G mobile broadband network.

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OVETEL Telia/Telenor venture wins 800MHz spectrum in Denmark

TeliaSonera finalising mobile VoIP charging model in August

Swedish telecoms group TeliaSonera says it will release final details of its planned charging structure for mobile voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) calls ‘sometime in August’. The group has piloted the model by introducing special charges for VoIP calls made over the mobile network of its Yoigo subsidiary in Spain, with subscribers charged EUR6 (USD7.5) per month for 100MB of VoIP traffic, or somewhere in the region of between five and ten hours of call time. A spokesperson announced that TeliaSonera subscribers on data tariffs which currently allow them to use third-party VoIP services such as Skype and Google Talk via their mobile devices without incurring additional costs will not be liable for any additional specific VoIP charges until their existing contracts run out

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OVETEL TeliaSonera finalising mobile VoIP charging model in August

Liberty swallows OneLink in one gulp

Puerto Rican cableco Liberty Cablevision has entered into an agreement to acquire another of the island’s triple-play cable network operators, OneLink Communications, in a deal which values the target company at approximately USD585 million.

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OVETEL Liberty swallows OneLink in one gulp

Qtel offers to take 100% of Wataniya in deal valued at USD1.9bn

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has made an offer to buy the remaining 47.5% stake it does not already own in its Kuwaiti unit National Mobile Telecommunications Company, or Wataniya Telecom, a division which has operations in six countries: Kuwait, Tunisia, Algeria, the Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives.

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OVETEL Qtel offers to take 100% of Wataniya in deal valued at USD1.9bn

Telikom PNG updates capacity deal with satellite operator SES

Satellite operator SES, which is headquartered in Luxembourg, has revealed that it has struck a new multi-year capacity deal with the fixed line incumbent in Papua New Guinea, Telikom PNG. At present Telikom contracts more than 100MHz capacity with SES, and the renewal, it is claimed, will allow the telco to continue expanding its mobile voice services into new regions, while also enabling it to provide telephone services over mountainous terrain ‘by providing cellular backhaul between a large number of sites around the country and the capital, Port Moresby’. Charles Litau, Telikom PNG’s chief executive officer, said of the updated agreement: ‘The new deal will allow us to provide our customers with connectivity to the remotest locations – the highlands, mining camps and islands of Papua New Guinea.’

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OVETEL Telikom PNG updates capacity deal with satellite operator SES

Jasco and Warid Congo sign data centre partnership deal

South Africa-based Jasco Networks is expanding its operations into Central Africa, with the company revealing that, having formed a new subsidiary, Jasco Congo, it has inked a partnership deal with Republic of Congo mobile operator Warid Congo. Under the terms of the deal between the two companies, Jasco will manage and maintain a carrier-neutral co-location data centre in the Republic of Congo, having entered into a service partnership with Warid to use the latter’s existing infrastructure and take over the operational costs and maintenance of the data centre. Jasco will also reportedly design and build an internet switch exchange and provide local internet hosting from the Warid Telecom data centre, in a move which it claims will help to drive down the cost of internet access in the country

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OVETEL Jasco and Warid Congo sign data centre partnership deal

Vivacom-BTC sale could go ahead this year

The sale of the Bulgarian fixed line and cellular operator Vivacom-BTC may go ahead before the end of this year according to local press reports. Vivacom’s owners attempted to sell the operator earlier this year, with Turkcell of Turkey emerging as the favoured bidder, but the deal collapsed when Turkcell demanded at least EUR100 million indemnity to insure against the outcome of ongoing legal action between the Bulgarian government and previous Vivacom shareholders.

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OVETEL Vivacom-BTC sale could go ahead this year

Wataniya and Ericsson complete billing system upgrade

Kuwaiti wireless operator Wataniya Telecom has announced that it has completed the second phase of a convergent charging and billing project with the Swedish vendor Ericsson. Under the project Ericsson has migrated 1.8 million Wataniya pre-paid customers onto a new charging platform which enables the operator to implement more flexible tariff structures while giving customers more insight into their mobile bills.

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OVETEL Wataniya and Ericsson complete billing system upgrade

BTA urges operators to share infrastructure

The Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA) has issued a notice to the country’s telecoms operators to develop infrastructure sharing plans, in order to help boost network coverage and service quality, writes Telecompaper, citing a report by IT Web. Thari Pheko, CEO of the BTA, said the development would promote fair competition by granting equal access to the installations and facilities of operators on mutually agreed terms. Pheko added that infrastructure sharing would improve rollout in underserved areas, as well as protect the environment by reducing the proliferation of infrastructure and facilities installations, and avoid duplication of network deployment to save costs and reducing customer tariffs

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OVETEL BTA urges operators to share infrastructure

Com Hem developing multiple platform TV services with TiVo

Sweden’s largest cable TV network operator Com Hem has signed a deal with US-based TiVo to develop a new range of ‘anytime, anywhere’ content and interactive services across multiple platforms, which it expects to launch in spring 2013. According to the cableco, the new offering will include access over IPTV set-top boxes, PCs and wireless devices such as tablets. Planned features include: a ‘one-stop shop’ where consumers will be able to navigate all available digital entertainment content across various devices; a ‘universal search’ enabling subscribers to search across all content including linear TV, video-on-demand (VoD), pay-per-view (PPV) and web-based over-the-top ‘OTT/play’ services; and ‘TiVo Everywhere’ features allowing users to access their content on mobile devices including tablets and smartphones or over the internet anywhere in Sweden regardless of whether the content is sourced from the cloud or their set-top box

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OVETEL Com Hem developing multiple platform TV services with TiVo

Ethiopia denies barring VoIP services, explains reasoning behind draft legislation

Hot on the heels of reports earlier this week that Ethiopia had banned Skype and other voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) services, the government has moved to refute such claims. AllAfrica.com cites Ethiopian government spokesperson Shimeles Kemal as clarifying that a draft proclamation presented to parliament does not, in fact, restrict users’ access to internet telephony, but instead is designed to control the growing number of telecom related offences

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OVETEL Ethiopia denies barring VoIP services, explains reasoning behind draft legislation

Airtel Ghana continues fight against SIM box fraud

Cellular operator Airtel Ghana has reported the discovery of the third SIM box fraud gang within a week as it looks to clamp down on the illegal routing of international calls. The firm says it has uncovered a syndicate operating two illegal SIM gateways in Accra.

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OVETEL Airtel Ghana continues fight against SIM box fraud

TelOne owed more than USD200m in unpaid bills

The Zimbabwean fixed line incumbent TelOne has revealed that the amount it is owed in unpaid bills had reached USD211.4 million by the end of March 2012. The state-owned firm says the rising cost of living and high unemployment are behind the debt problem, with both residential and business users among the debtors, Telecompaper reports.

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OVETEL TelOne owed more than USD200m in unpaid bills

Paraguayan VP accuses Brazil, Argentina of ‘cyber amputation’

Federico Franco, the vice president of the government of Paraguay has publicly denounced telecoms officials in neighbouring Argentina and Brazil, accusing them of obstructing broadband development in land-locked Paraguay by refusing to provide his country with competitive prices for international broadband connectivity. ‘Our neighbours, particularly the large ones, do not allow us to fully liberalise the internet’, Franco complained during the recent ICT summit in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion. Unless things change, the VP warned, he would be forced to take the case to the relevant international authorities

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OVETEL Paraguayan VP accuses Brazil, Argentina of ‘cyber amputation’

MTS rekindles interest in buying government’s MTS Belarus stake

Mikhail Shamolin, the president of Russian telco Sistema, owner of a 52.8% controlling stake in regional powerhouse Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), says MTS is still interested in acquiring the Belarus government’s 51% stake in their mobile joint venture MTS Belarus. Speaking at the International Economic Forum in St Petersburg, Shamolin told reporters that the company was still waiting for a response from the Belarusian side concerning its offer

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OVETEL MTS rekindles interest in buying government’s MTS Belarus stake

KeyTech reports 9% rise in full year profit to USD7.2m

KeyTech Holding Limited, the parent of Bermuda Telephone Company (BTC) and Logic Communications, has released its preliminary financial results for the year ended 31 March 2012, booking net profit of USD7.2 million compared to USD6.6 million in fiscal 2010/11. In a filing to the Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX), KeyTech said that its latest financial results included a USD10.5 million gain from the disposal of domestic mobile operator M3 Wireless and the acquisition of a 42% stake in Bermuda Digital Communications (CellularOne), the mobile arm of Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN), in May 2011

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OVETEL KeyTech reports 9% rise in full year profit to USD7.2m

NT inks USD80m deal with Huawei for 4.8m new GSM lines

State-owned incumbent fixed and mobile operator Nepal Doorsanchar Company Limited (Nepal Telecom, or NT) has signed a NPR6.75 billion (USD79.6 million) contract with Huawei Technologies of China for the supply of 4.8 million GSM lines. In what NT spokesperson Surendra Prasad Thike is calling ‘the largest project ever taken by the company,’ Huawei aims to help the telco improve its Quality of Service assurance for GSM users in the Kingdom. Under the agreement, the Chinese vender will install the new lines within the signing date of the contract

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OVETEL NT inks USD80m deal with Huawei for 4.8m new GSM lines

MTS under fire for quality of service, may have licence revoked

Uzbekistan’s communication watchdog has warned Russian-backed cellco MTS Uzbekistan that it may revoke its operating licence, reports the Moscow Times. The regulator, the Uzbekistan Agency for Communications and Information (UzACI), cited poor quality of service as the reason for the cancellation, though the operator is also currently under investigation for fraud – its director Bekhzod Akhmedov having reportedly fled the country – and does not have authorisation for its 48 base transceiver stations (BTS).

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OVETEL MTS under fire for quality of service, may have licence revoked

Investor Capital Research halves KPN stake

Reuters reports that Investor Capital Research and Management, a major shareholder in KPN Telecom (or Royal KPN) of the Netherlands, has cut its stake in the group to 6.79% from more than 15%, citing a filing to the Dutch market regulator AFM, Tuesday. The move comes hard on the heels of the 21 June announcement that America Movil (AM), the Mexican telecommunications group controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim, had upped its stake in KPN to 20.9%.

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OVETEL Investor Capital Research halves KPN stake

PTK sale back on

Kosovo’s government has relaunched the sale of state-owned telco Post and Telecommunications Kosovo (PTK) after the process was scrapped last year when two of the operator’s senior officials were charged with corruption. According to Reuters, Pristina has put a 75% stake up for grabs, with the pre-qualification stage expected to last until 30 July

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OVETEL PTK sale back on

3G licence floor price finalised: USD141m per 2x5MHz block

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has set the final reserve price for 2100MHz band spectrum in the upcoming 3G licence auction, with bids to begin at THB4.5 billion (USD141.2 million) for each of the nine 2x5MHz blocks on offer. The regulator also finalised an individual spectrum cap of 2x20MHz for bidders, having scrapped a previously proposed 2x15MHz limit, to ensure competition for frequencies by avoiding the possibility of the three incumbent private cellcos ‘colluding’ to each buy 2x15MHz 3G licences at minimum bid prices

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OVETEL 3G licence floor price finalised: USD141m per 2x5MHz block

Orange Romania expands 3G coverage from 55% to 98% in under a year

According to a report by Romanian business daily Finantistii, Orange Romania invested around EUR110 million (USD137.6 million) in the expansion of its 3G network during 2011, increasing coverage from 55% to 98% in the process. According to Madalina Suceveanu, technical manager for Orange Romania, in 1Q12 alone data traffic in rural areas increased 182% on an annualised basis, suggesting that Orange’s strategy is already starting to pay off

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OVETEL Orange Romania expands 3G coverage from 55% to 98% in under a year

T-Mobile confirms surprise spectrum swap deal with Verizon

T-Mobile USA, the United States’ fourth largest mobile operator by subscribers, has announced that it has signed an agreement with market leader Verizon Wireless for the purchase and exchange of certain Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum licences covering 218 markets across the US.

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OVETEL T-Mobile confirms surprise spectrum swap deal with Verizon

Cellcom Liberia launches ‘4G’ network

Liberian mobile operator Cellcom, part of the Cellcom Telecommunications group, has launched what it is calling a fourth-generation (4G) mobile network in the country, offering customers advanced videocalling and high speed mobile internet access as affordable rates. However, TeleGeography notes that it is unlikely that the new infrastructure is a true 4G platform, given that in May this year Cellcom revealed it was planning to deploy a high speed HSPA+ mobile network, claiming a first for the African country. At the time, Cellcom’s CEO Avishai Marziano was quoted as saying that the 3.5G network upgrade would give customers an improved experience where it comes to browsing the web via their mobiles/PCs

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OVETEL Cellcom Liberia launches ‘4G’ network

BTC issues BSD3m apology

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has announced that it will provide customers a compensation package valued at around BSD3 million (USD2.98 million), after a power outage caused a service blackout last week. A spokesperson for BTC, which is the fixed line incumbent and sole wireless provider, said: ‘Even as we continue to uncover the cause of Monday’s failure, the company moved very quickly to come up with this package, which contains something for everyone, because we understood the magnitude of what happened and how it affected everyone in the Bahamas.’*The compensation package includes USD5 free credit for pre-paid customers, and a temporary price reduction of around 75% for on-net calls, down to USD0.05 per minute. Customers on pre-paid data packages have had an additional two days of data usage, whilst post-paid customers received free calls all weekend.

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OVETEL BTC issues BSD3m apology

ACCC issues final access determination for regulated transmission services

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced the issuing of a final access determination (FAD) for the declared domestic transmission capacity service (DTCS). Under the latest ruling, while parties will still be able to negotiate their own commercial agreements, the FAD establishes benchmark prices for regulated transmission services and non-price terms and conditions for access seekers to fall back on in negotiations

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OVETEL ACCC issues final access determination for regulated transmission services

Israeli MoC and EU regulators complete twinning project

A European Union-funded twinning project aimed at harmonising Israeli communications regulations with those in Europe has been successfully completed. The project, which was funded to the tune of EUR600,000 (USD753,000) by the EU, saw Israel’s Ministry of Communications (MoC) and a consortium created by the telecommunications regulators from Germany’s Federal Network Agency (FNA), Spain’s Comision del Mercado de las Telecomunicacinoes (CMT) and Italy’s Autorita per le Garanzie Comunicazioni (Agcom) work towards fostering competition in the Israeli telecommunications markets and increasing the protection of the Israeli consumers. In the wake of the project’s closure, the head of the EU Delegation to Israel, Ambassador Andrew Standley, underlined the symbolic dimension of the project, including ‘the many tangible contributions and results of the twinning project, which contribute to the reinforcement of the regulator’s role in ensuring a smooth functioning of the communications market that achieves a high level of consumer protection’.

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OVETEL Israeli MoC and EU regulators complete twinning project

Delays hit operators’ wallets

Indian cellcos affected by the Supreme Court’ order to cancel 122 concessions are facing heavy losses as the government delays the upcoming auction of 2G spectrum. As previously noted by CommsUpdate, the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) was due to meet last Thursday to decide on a base price for spectrum, but the meeting was cancelled as the finance minister and presidential hopeful Pranab Mukherjee, who headed the EGoM, was due to step down from his position shortly in the run-up to the presidential election.

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OVETEL Delays hit operators’ wallets

OTE looking to exit Bulgaria

The Greek telecoms group OTE has indicated that it may offload its operations in Bulgaria as it looks to refinance EUR3.4 billion (USD4.3 billion) of debt. ‘OTE is considering the possible sale of its units in Bulgaria, GloBul and Germanos Telecom Bulgaria, and plans to start the necessary procedures,’ the Greek firm said in a statement. Reports suggests that Turkcell of Turkey, Orange of France and UK-based Vodafone Group may be among the bidders for GloBul, which claimed around 38% of the Bulgarian mobile market with 4.36 million subscribers at the end of March 2012 according to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database.

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OVETEL OTE looking to exit Bulgaria

Competition Commission upholds Ofcom’s ruling on BT’s wholesale access charges

British fixed line incumbent BT’s latest effort to force its rivals to help share the cost of lowering its pension scheme deficit has been blocked, the Financial Times reports. It is understood that the Competition Commission has upheld telecom regulator Ofcom’s decision to bar the telco from including deficit repair charges from the cost base that determines how it charges alternative operators for wholesale broadband access in those areas of the country where competition remains limited. BT had called on the Competition Commission to rule that Ofcom had, in fact, made an error with its original judgement, amid hopes that a ruling in its favour could have been worth in the ‘low tens of millions of pounds’ to its network arm Openreach, according to a source with a knowledge of the matter.

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OVETEL Competition Commission upholds Ofcom’s ruling on BT’s wholesale access charges

DoCoMo looking to grow smartphone business to JPY1 trillion by fiscal 2015

The new president of Japanese cellular operator NTT DoCoMo has said that the company is looking to increase sales from smartphone-related business by a factor of 2.5 by March 2016. Kaoru Kato said that DoCoMo expects to generate JPY1 trillion (USD12.4 billion) from smartphone-related business in its 2015 fiscal year, up from around JPY400 billion at present, Japan Times reports. The firm is thought to be looking at developing cloud-based services and will be targeting vertical markets including health care, ecology, food, finance and online shopping for smartphone users.

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OVETEL DoCoMo looking to grow smartphone business to JPY1 trillion by fiscal 2015

Jamii unveils MPLS overhaul

Kenyan broadband provider Jamii Telecommunications Ltd (JTL) has revealed that it has completed work on a comprehensive upgrade of its fibre-optic network, which saw its existing Ethernet network upgraded to the Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) standard. The KES261 million (USD3.1 million) project covers Nairobi, Mombasa, Naivasha, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu, Kitale, Bugoma, Busia, Kakamega, Thika, Kisii and Kericho. *The network overhaul, which was first announced by JTL in January this year, is expected to situate the company in pole position for future government tenders to bring internet connectivity to the country’s rural counties, whilst simultaneously allowing it to formulate improved working relationships with banks and other financial institutions that are perceived to be increasingly susceptible to cyber-crime.

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OVETEL Jamii unveils MPLS overhaul

Digicel strikes back at LIME

Digicel Jamaica has introduced a new tariff in response to price reductions by rival operator LIME Jamaia. The price cuts follow a decision by telecoms watchdog the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) in early June to lower mobile termination rates (MTRs) to a flat level of JMD5 (USD0.06) per minute. In the wake of the MTR change, LIME announced early last week the introduction of a lower tariff offering on-net calls at a rate of JMD2.99 per minute (JMD1.99 per minute for post-paid customers): in response, Digicel launched a new rate of JMD2.89 per minute for on-net calls.

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OVETEL Digicel strikes back at LIME

T-Mobile's tower sale attracts interest from American Tower, Crown Castle

T-Mobile USA has received a second round of bids for its cellular towers, attracting offers from companies such as American Tower (AMT) and Crown Castle International (CCI), Bloomberg reports, citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the talks. The cellco has also reportedly received bids from a number of as-yet-unnamed private equity firms it added. T-Mobile, which is owned by Germany’s Deutsche Telekom (DT), currently has around 7,000 cell towers in the US.*As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, in March T-Mobile hired New York bank TAP Advisors to help sell off wireless towers and raise cash for parent company DT

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OVETEL T-Mobile's tower sale attracts interest from American Tower, Crown Castle

OPIC provides Wananchi with USD72m loan for expansion

The board of directors of the US government’s development finance institution Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), has confirmed that it has approved USD72 million in financing to Kenya’s Wananchi Group Holdings (WGH) to help the company extend high speed broadband services in East Africa. The OPIC loan will allow Wananchi, which offers triple-play TV, telephony and broadband internet services over a hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) network under the ‘Zuku’ brand, to roll out infrastructure in countries such as Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, and Zambia

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OVETEL OPIC provides Wananchi with USD72m loan for expansion

Kyivstar and MTS end interconnection spat

Ukraine’s number one and two mobile operators, Kyivstar and MTS Ukraine, have signed terms on network interconnection following a protracted period of disagreement, both cellcos have confirmed, avoiding a court case which had looked likely after each company accused the other of obstructing a settlement. During the past year, all Ukraine’s main operators have been determined as having significant market power (SMP) in call interconnection, and uniform wholesale mobile termination rates (MTRs) were set at UAH0.36 (USD0.044) per minute

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OVETEL Kyivstar and MTS end interconnection spat

NTA’s district fibre-optic network plan falters

An ambitious plan by the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) to begin construction of its District Optical Fibre Network Programme has so far failed to get off the drawing board, due to problems in receiving the necessary go ahead from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC). The Himalayan News Service reports that the fibre programme, which is scheduled as a task in the NTA’s current financial year, had planned to use monies collected in the Kingdom’s Rural Telecom Development Fund (RTDF) to construct the new infrastructure. However, a spokesman at the NTA is quoted as saying that in light of the MoIC’s heel-dragging, ‘the plan to complete the District Optical Fibre Network Programme by 2014 is almost impossible’.

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OVETEL NTA’s district fibre-optic network plan falters

Vietnamobile seeks help amid rising competition

Vietnamese wireless operator Vietnamobile plans to ask the government for help as competition in the wireless market intensifies, reports Viet Nam News.

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OVETEL Vietnamobile seeks help amid rising competition

Fixed call tariff rebalancing continues

In Ukraine’s fixed call market, the National Commission on Communications and Information Regulation (NKRZI or NCCR) plans to enforce a 10% increase in the minimum call rate for residents in both urban and rural areas, as part of an ongoing tariff rebalancing programme.

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OVETEL Fixed call tariff rebalancing continues

Airtel to invest USD25m in 3G, mobile money

Indian telecoms operator Bharti Airtel plans to invest USD25 million in Airtel Malawi, the country’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, Business Today reports.

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OVETEL Airtel to invest USD25m in 3G, mobile money

Bharat Telecom unveils island-wide FTTH plan

Bharat Telecom Limited, a telecoms joint venture between Mauritian and Indian investors, reportedly plans to connect every home and business in Mauritius to fibre, according to BalancingAct quoting the firm’s Baljinder Sharmer as saying.

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OVETEL Bharat Telecom unveils island-wide FTTH plan

Cofeco drops Telcel fine as Cofetel revises interconnection regulations

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Mexico’s antitrust watchdog, Comision Federal de Competencia (Cofeco), has dropped the USD1 billion fine it imposed on America Movil’s domestic mobile arm Telcel.

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OVETEL Cofeco drops Telcel fine as Cofetel revises interconnection regulations

PTS conducts secondary consultation on fixed/mobile call termination, fixed access

Sweden’s National Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) has launched a secondary consultation on its third generation of competitive decisions for ex-ante regulation of four telecoms sub-markets applying to mobile and fixed call interconnection and fixed telephony access. The regulatory determinations on the sub-markets for fixed access, fixed call origination, fixed call termination and mobile call termination will be aimed at ensuring that end-users can ‘continue to select fixed line rental from multiple operators and be able to call each other no matter which operator you have subscribed to,’ the watchdog stated. Market participants have until 31 August 2012 to comment on the PTS’ proposed market determinations/remedies, and the regulator expects to enter into consultations with the European Commission and other European regulatory authorities by early November

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OVETEL PTS conducts secondary consultation on fixed/mobile call termination, fixed access

Dahabshiil denies acquisition of Telcom Somalia stake

Mobile money transfer company Dahabshiil Group has denied reports that it has acquired a majority stake in Somali telecoms operator Telcom Somalia, according to a report by Somalilandpress. 'Lately, the Somali media have been circulating various versions of Dahabshiil’s takeover of Telcom Somalia and that their staff have been laid off,' chief of media relations and public information at Dahabshiil, Hassan M.

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OVETEL Dahabshiil denies acquisition of Telcom Somalia stake

LIME’s IDD monopoly ends

Local online news journal Caribarena Antigua reports that Cable and Wireless’ (C&W, or LIME’s) 25-year monopoly on the provision of international direct dial (IDD) telephone calls has officially ended. The news journal quotes the Minister of Telecommunications, Dr Edmund Mansoor, as confirming that LIME’s monopoly, which applied to overseas calls originating from and terminating onto fixed lines and mobile phones, expired at midnight last Friday.

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OVETEL LIME’s IDD monopoly ends

Mobilicity expanding network to new areas

Canadian 3G mobile operator Mobilicity, which currently covers the cities of Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa with its HSPA-based network, has announced plans to widen its coverage. The firm said that it would begin expanding its footprint west of Toronto to Milton, Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton to meet growing demand for its on-net services based on unlimited talk, text and data packages

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OVETEL Mobilicity expanding network to new areas

Mobitel concludes large-scale network expansion, gets ready for 4G

Lalith de Silva, CEO of Sri Lankan cellco Mobitel, has announced the conclusion of a major nationwide phase of expansion for the 2G/3G operator. He stated in a press release: ‘We have just completed our biggest stage of expansion by increasing our total number of 2G and 3G base stations by over a mammoth 1,000 sites within a record breaking period. We have now become a dominant operator servicing North and East following the liberation of those areas which is a priority component of the government’s development strategy.’ Chandana Gunasekara, general manager of projects and network planning at Mobitel, further elaborated on the cellco’s plans: ‘All our new base stations will be LTE ready

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OVETEL Mobitel concludes large-scale network expansion, gets ready for 4G

MTS selects Ericsson for LTE rollout

Canada’s MTS Allstream has selected Ericsson as an exclusive partner to supply it with an LTE-based 4G mobile network that the Manitoban telco says will be launched commercially by the end of this year. Under the deal – of undisclosed value – Ericsson is providing an LTE radio network and Evolved Packet Core network, as well as policy control and subscriber management systems

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OVETEL MTS selects Ericsson for LTE rollout

Ericsson performs first live LTE FDD/TDD handover on China Mobile HK’s network

Ericsson has performed a bidirectional LTE FDD/TDD handover on China Mobile Hong Kong’s live network, using a commercial chipset from Altair Semiconductor, demonstrating seamless end-user service in a converged LTE FDD/TDD network, and claiming a world first.

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OVETEL Ericsson performs first live LTE FDD/TDD handover on China Mobile HK’s network

Wind blows whistle on rival’s ‘foreign’ shareholder addresses; Telus tells Wind to zip it

Canadian cellco Globalive Wireless (Wind Mobile) has filed a complaint to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) calling into question whether the concentration of ‘foreign’ funding at its larger rival, Telus, breaks the country’s overseas ownership restrictions on telecoms companies. Reuters reports that Orascom/Vimpelcom subsidiary Wind, which itself survived a high-profile foreign funding inquisition from the same regulator, has submitted a filing suggesting that almost half of Telus’ voting shareholders are ‘not Canadian’ as they have registered addresses outside Canada. Canadian law currently bars foreigners from owning more than one third of the voting shares in telcos – and while this restriction is set to be abolished for smaller operators such as Wind pending the enacting of new legislation, the limit will remain in place for the largest groups including Telus

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OVETEL Wind blows whistle on rival’s ‘foreign’ shareholder addresses; Telus tells Wind to zip it

Cellco’s brand image gets a Touch up

Following a decision by Lebanon’s Ministry of Telecommunications, state-owned cellco MTC Touch, managed by Kuwait’s Zain Group, has rebranded itself to simply ‘Touch’. The new moniker was officially launched on 19 June 2012. Zain (formerly MTC Group) entered into its original management contract for Mobile Interim Company 2 (MIC 2) in June 2004, and rebranded it as MTC Touch in November that year.

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OVETEL Cellco’s brand image gets a Touch up

Macau postpones 3G switchover to January 2013

Macau’s Bureau of Telecommunications Regulation (DSRT) has postponed the country’s planned switch-off of 2G services for Macanese subscribers to 1 January 2013, from the previous deadline of 9 July 2012. Cellcos in the Chinese Special Administrative Region (SAR) will provide exclusively 3G services to their subscribers from the start of next year, with their 2G networks to be restricted to offering roaming-only services for tourists from that date. TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database shows the penetration of 3G services in Macau reached 95% of all mobile subscribers in the territory at the end of March 2012, when there were 1.35 million 3G customers

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OVETEL Macau postpones 3G switchover to January 2013

BIPT confirms that BASE has reached 3G coverage requirement

Having previously warned mobile network operator BASE to ensure it achieved pre-determined coverage requirements for its 3G network rollout, the Belgian Institute for Post and Telecommunications (BIPT) has now confirmed that the cellco has done so. Confirming that BASE’s third-generation infrastructure was now available to at least 85% of the Belgian population, and with the operator having reached that coverage level within a deadline stipulated by the concession it won in 2001, the BIPT has revealed that it has halted administrative proceedings against BASE

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OVETEL BIPT confirms that BASE has reached 3G coverage requirement

DRC gets new mobile operator; Africell to launch two years after receiving frequencies

According to online news portal Agence Ecofin, regional mobile operator Africell is poised to launch commercial services in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), almost two years after receiving rights and spectrum to offer wireless services there. Africell, a subsidiary of Lebanese firm Lintel Holding, already operates mobile networks in Sierra Leone and the Gambia, and has now been authorised to launch in DRC by Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and New Information Technologies and Communication, Tryphon Kin-Kiey, on 18 June.

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OVETEL DRC gets new mobile operator; Africell to launch two years after receiving frequencies

Zain ploughs USD20m into stock exchange listing

Zain Iraq, the country's largest mobile operator by subscribers, has confirmed that it has invested around USD20 million in its proposed listing on the local stock exchange, its chief executive confirmed in an interview with Reuters. Zain is required to list on the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) as part of the terms of its USD1.25 billion operating licence, which it obtained in 2007.

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OVETEL Zain ploughs USD20m into stock exchange listing

Utande launches consumer/SME WiMAX service

Zimbabwean ISP Utande Internet Services, a subsidiary of Dandemutande Investments, has officially launched its WiMAX wireless broadband service for consumers and small businesses in the capital, Harare, under the uMAX brand.

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OVETEL Utande launches consumer/SME WiMAX service

MNP draft bill submitted for govt approval

Russia’s Communications and Mass Media Minister Nikolai Nikiforov has revealed that he has submitted a draft bill on the introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) to the government, the Prime Tass news agency reports. Using the microblogging service Twitter, the minister confirmed: ‘ signed and sent to the Russian government amendments to the law on communications for mobile number portability’, without elaborating further.*As noted by TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, in April this year then-president Dmitry Medvedev called for rules to be put in place to allow domestic mobile phone users to retain their existing numbers after changing service provider. The government has been attempting to implement MNP since 2005, when it initially floated the idea

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OVETEL MNP draft bill submitted for govt approval

AMC launches fixed offering

Albanian Mobile Communications (AMC), the nation’s second largest cellco by subscribers, has launched a new pre-paid fixed telephony package. The service utilises AMC’s wireless network and includes 500 minutes of calls to all AMC numbers, 40 minutes to other national fixed lines, plus ALL100 (USD0.9) of airtime and costs ALL2,600 per month.

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OVETEL AMC launches fixed offering

Mascom pilots LTE technology

Mascom Wireless, Botswana’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, last week launched the country’s first 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) pilot, reports The Tswana Times. At the same time, the company said it had launched an initiative to increase ICT penetration across Botswana by boosting coverage and capacity of its 2.5G EDGE and 3.5G HSPA networks.

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OVETEL Mascom pilots LTE technology

Cellcos left waiting for spectrum price decision

Yesterday’s meeting of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) due to make a decision on the controversial base prices for spectrum has been postponed, reports the Economic Times. The meeting of the EGoM, which is headed by finance minister and presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee, was reportedly cancelled by the finance minister’s office though it was not made clear whether the EGoM would reconvene before Pranab steps down from his office on June 24.

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OVETEL Cellcos left waiting for spectrum price decision

Legislators back LTA in MTN Liberia licence suspension row

The Liberian Observer reports that two members of the House of Representatives, Eugene A Kparkar and Gabriel Smith, are backing the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA’s) decision to suspend MTN Liberia’s operating licences. Earlier this month the LTA reportedly suspended the cellco’s two operating licences in relation to its ‘unilateral disconnection’ of rival operator Comium Liberia.

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OVETEL Legislators back LTA in MTN Liberia licence suspension row

EC calls on Estonian authorities to ensure separation between regulator and operator

The European Commission (EC) has confirmed that it has sent a formal request to the Estonian authorities, directing the country to ensure it is compliant with European Union (EU) rules that require a clear separation between bodies which regulate the telecoms sector and companies providing telecoms services. The EC noted in a press release on the matter that the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (MEAC), which manages radio frequencies, numbering resources and the provision of universal service, also controls local WiMAX provider Levira

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OVETEL EC calls on Estonian authorities to ensure separation between regulator and operator

Operators lament ‘punitive’ mobile tax hike

Malawian mobile operators have criticised an increase in corporate tax on the wireless sector to 33% from the standard rate of 30%, calling the move unfair and unjustified, The Business Times cites senior officials at Airtel Malawi and Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) as saying. The tax rise on the sector was announced by Finance Minister Ken Lipenga earlier this month in his 2012/13 budget statement to parliament. Describing the tax as ‘punitive’, Airtel Malawi's managing director Saulos Chilima said: ‘It is unfortunate that we have been singled out .

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OVETEL Operators lament ‘punitive’ mobile tax hike

FT-Orange lights Marseille 4G network

France Telecom-Orange yesterday launched its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in the city of Marseille, promising to deliver maximum download speeds of 150Mbps to users – up to ten times the speed of its current 3G network. In its press release the French giant opted not to focus on the LTE acronym, choosing instead to foreground the fact that its 4G coverage will be extended to Lyon and Nantes by the end of this year, with another dozen cities following by the summer of 2013

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OVETEL FT-Orange lights Marseille 4G network

MTS Turkmenistan to re-launch next month?

MTS Turkmenistan could be operational again as early as next month, Prime Business News Agency reports, citing Vladimir Yevtushenkov, a major shareholder in AFK Sistema, which holds a 50.8% stake in the Turkmen cellco’s parent company Russia-based Mobile TeleSystems (MTS). Following on from reports last month that a deal had been reached with the Turkmen authorities which would allow the former market leader to re-enter the sector, Mr Yevtushenkov was cited as saying this week: ‘I think that (operations will be resumed) in a month or a month and a half.’ As noted in TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, following the one-month suspension of MTS Turkmenistan’s licence the cellco was quick to claim that it concession was not due to expire until February 2012. Despite this, and contrary to its expectations of being back online by end-January 2011, that month the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) publicly stated that the operating agreement it signed with MTS in 2005 was only valid for five years

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OVETEL MTS Turkmenistan to re-launch next month?

Telebras starts process for implementation of international submarine cable

Brazilian state-controlled telecoms group Telecomunicacoes Brasileiras (Telebras) has opened the public consultation process for its forthcoming international submarine cable system project, putting the relevant documentation up on its website. The telco says it has made available the ‘Termo de Referencia do Sistema Atlantico de Cabos Submarinos’ (the terms of reference), with the goal of collecting investment from national and international companies for the implementation of the project linking Brazil, the US, Africa and South Cone. In total, there will be five submarine optical cables, totalling 24,000km, the estimated total cost of which BRL1.8 billion (USD885.9 million)

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OVETEL Telebras starts process for implementation of international submarine cable

KPN International, Huawei complete pan-European 400G field test

Telco and ICT provider KPN International and China’s Huawei Technologies have completed a successful pan-European field trial of 400G technology. In a joint press release the pair that the bidirectional optical transport network (OTN)-based 400G network spans 540km between Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Dusseldorf (Germany). The 400G transmission technology was tested on KPN’s pan-European WDM backbone network, which was deployed by Huawei from 2008 using NG-WDM products and which was subsequently upgraded to coherent 100G by Huawei in 2011.

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OVETEL KPN International, Huawei complete pan-European 400G field test

No Slim pickings here: AM boss ups KPN stake to 20.9%

America Movil (AM), the Mexican telecommunications group controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim, announced yesterday that it has upped its stake in KPN Telecom (or Royal KPN) and now owns 20.9% of the Dutch company. The move marks the latest in a series of share purchases that have occurred since AM launched a formal offer for 27.7% of KPN last month

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OVETEL No Slim pickings here: AM boss ups KPN stake to 20.9%

Proposal for common Australia/NZ telecoms market, regulator on the cards

According to Australasian telecoms trade journal CommsDay, proposals to create a single economic telecoms market between Australia and New Zealand will be considered as part of a number of reforms by the productivity commissions of both countries, with Australian telecoms giant Telstra urging the commissioners to consider a common trans-Tasman telecom regulatory regime. The development was confirmed by Australian Productivity Commission chairman Gary Banks, in his keynote speech to a Committee for Economic Development of Australia lunch in Canberra; the proposal will be considered as part of a discussion draft planned for release in mid-September.*In March this year the Productivity Commissions of both nations were tasked with conducting a ‘joint scoping study’ to identify reforms that would further enhance economic integration and improve economic outcomes

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OVETEL Proposal for common Australia/NZ telecoms market, regulator on the cards

Finance minister reviewing 2% extra mobile user tax

Bangladeshi finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith has promised the country’s cellular operators that a proposal to introduce an additional 2% tax on mobile services will be reviewed, BDnews24 reports. The proposed tax, which was included in the draft 2012/13 budget, would be applicable to post- and pre-paid mobile service users – added to monthly bills, or in the case of pay-as-you go users, applied to the cost of buying a top-up card or during credit recharge. The levy would be additional to the existing 15% VAT on mobile services and a mobile SIM card tax currently set at BDT606 (USD7.22)

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OVETEL Finance minister reviewing 2% extra mobile user tax

State proposes removing mobile tax next month

Croatia’s government yesterday put forward a parliamentary motion to abolish a special mobile services tax under which cellcos pay 6% of voice and messaging service revenues to the state. The country’s largest telecoms group T-Hrvatski Telekom (T-HT) reported that MPs will vote on the proposal to remove the levy with effect on 1 July 2012, bringing forward an original date set for 30 June 2013. The special excise tax was imposed in August 2009 to help plug holes in the national budget, and although it was cancelled under an October 2011 decision with effect from January 2012, later that month the incoming centre-left government reinstated it, originally with the aim of enforcing the fee until Croatia’s expected accession to the European Union in mid-2013

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OVETEL State proposes removing mobile tax next month

Ministers set to make a decision over future of Telem Group; UTS, Digicel wait with baited breath

Sint Maarten’s Council of Ministers is poised to make a decision on how it intends to move forward with the ownership of local telecoms operator Telem Group, SMNnews.com reports. Citing ‘reliable information’, the website suggests that pan-Caribbean telco United Telecommunication Services (UTS), which is based on nearby Curacao, has lodged a bid to take a controlling 51% stake in the Telem Group, which is currently wholly owned by the Sint Maarten government

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OVETEL Ministers set to make a decision over future of Telem Group; UTS, Digicel wait with baited breath

MTS remains focused on Russia, despite European opportunities

Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), Russia’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, has indicated to Bloomberg that it is maintaining its focus on the domestic market amid increasing opportunities across Europe. Citing the numbered of European assets that have suffered during in the ongoing economic downturn, Josh Tulgan, MTS’s investor relations officer, told the news agency: ‘Obviously, we look at opportunities, though the company doesn’t have an active goal to expand beyond its current market

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OVETEL MTS remains focused on Russia, despite European opportunities

Choice confirms rollout of five new BTS; five more to follow

Choice Wireless, a mobile operator based on the Virgin Islands (US), has announced the completion of five new 3G base transceiver stations (BTS), the Virgin Islands Daily News reports. On the island of St Croix, new cell sites have been constructed at Mary's Fancy, Grove Place and Hotel-on-the-Cay and in downtown Christiansted, whilst on St Thomas, a new tower has been deployed at Sugar Estate, alongside a number of other network upgrades. The website adds that Choice plans to install five more BTS before the end of the year, with the locations listed as Bugby Hole (St Croix) and Stalley/Hillcrest, Frenchtown, Caret Bay and Mahogany Run (all St Thomas).

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OVETEL Choice confirms rollout of five new BTS; five more to follow

PM and CWC discuss plans for renationalisation?

Bahamian PM Perry Christie has met with Tony Rice, the CEO of Cable and Wireless Communication (CWC), which owns 51% of fixed line incumbent and wireless monopoly holder the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), reports the Nassau Guardian. The talks were believed to have revolved around the prime minister’s intention of re-nationalising BTC.

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OVETEL PM and CWC discuss plans for renationalisation?

Ipko rolls out fibre backone

Slovenian-backed telco Ipko has deployed a fibre-optic backbone network in Kosovo, reports the Slovenian Press Agency.

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OVETEL Ipko rolls out fibre backone

Huawei signs device MoU with France Telecom-Orange

France Telecom-Orange has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chinese equipment vendor Huawei for the joint development, sales and marketing of smartphones, mobile broadband devices and tablets.

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OVETEL Huawei signs device MoU with France Telecom-Orange

Telenor ramps up speed in 6 cities

Telenor Serbia has announced that it has upgraded its HSPA+ networks to allow maximum theoretical download speeds of 42Mbps. The upgrade has so far been launched in six cities – Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis, Kragujevac, Subotica and Pancevo – though the cellco plans to extend the upgrade to all locations with 3G coverage.

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OVETEL Telenor ramps up speed in 6 cities

CAT given month to amend True contracts; CAT-True working on alternative buyback solution

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has given state-run telco CAT Telecom 30 days to amend its 3G network operating contracts with True Corp, on the basis that the 14-year partnership deal – agreed in January 2011 – violates Section 46 of the Frequency Allocation Act of 2010, which requires licensed operators including CAT to manage their own spectrum. The NBTC yesterday officially confirmed the decision of its sub-committee, which on 6 June found that CAT was illegally allowing private sector operator True to control spectrum management on its behalf, and ruled that the CAT-True wholesale/resale contracts must be amended in seven areas to comply with the law.*Additionally, the NBTC’s telecom committee has ordered an investigation into whether True’s wholly-owned subsidiary BFKT (Thailand), which leases network equipment to CAT under the CAT-True partnership, is effectively operating part of CAT’s business without a licence issued by the NBTC, in violation of Article 7 of the 2001 Telecom Business Act. Officials must report their findings to the panel within 30 days, reports Thai newspaper The Nation.*A report from the Bangkok Post adds that if CAT is unable to comply with the NBTC’s order and amend its contracts, it could ultimately face the revocation of its 800MHz-850MHz operating licence, which in turn would have serious consequences for True’s ‘True Move H’ HSPA-based 3G service, which is offered via a capacity resale deal between True’s Real Move unit and CAT.

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OVETEL CAT given month to amend True contracts; CAT-True working on alternative buyback solution

Brazil’s mobile base reaches 255m in May, but growth slowing

The total number of mobile phone subscriptions in Brazil reached 254.9 million by 31 May 2012, up 0.78% (or 1.97 million) from the previous month, according to data published by the telecoms regulator Anatel.

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OVETEL Brazil’s mobile base reaches 255m in May, but growth slowing

MTN bags second Afghan 3G licence

South African-backed cellco MTN Afghanistan has paid USD25 million for Afghanistan’s second 3G licence, following the award of a concession to Etisalat in March this year. At yesterday’s signing ceremony, presided over by the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT), telecoms minister Amirzai Sangin said: ‘3G technology is a key factor for growth of economic and rapid development of our country in different sectors like economics, education, health commerce and other sectors conductive to our life. We are introducing 3G services aimed at improving people’s lives by enhanced speed and connectivity.’*For its part, MTN said it expects to make 3G services available to its customers within 20 days, though it did not comment on the extent of the network’s planned coverage

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OVETEL MTN bags second Afghan 3G licence

Verizon launches LTE in 46 new markets; now covers 304 markets across the US

US mobile giant Verizon Wireless, which presides over the nation’s most expansive Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, has announced that 4G services will be available in 46 new markets from today, with existing coverage also expanding in 22 additional US markets. The new deployments mean that Verizon’s LTE services are now available in a total of 304 markets, covering two-thirds of the population. According to the cellco, the latest batch of rollouts means that Verizon can now boast a more comprehensive LTE footprint than that offered by all of its domestic cellular rivals’ combined

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OVETEL Verizon launches LTE in 46 new markets; now covers 304 markets across the US

KPN’s bid to finder buyer for E-Plus fails

Dutch telecoms operator KPN (or Royal KPN) has failed in its bid to find a buyer for its German unit E-Plus Mobilfunk – a move designed to stave off a hostile approach by Carlos Slim’s America Movil (AM) – just days before the Mexican’s tender offer for KPN shares closes. Talks between the Netherlands-based group and an unnamed interested party reportedly broke down on Wednesday, leaving KPN with precious few options when it comes to fighting off AM’s advances. The Dutch carrier is due to respond to Slim’s formal tender offer on Thursday, ahead of its closing date of 27 June.

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OVETEL KPN’s bid to finder buyer for E-Plus fails

CTU backtracking on plan to auction 800MHz frequencies, paper says

Czech online business daily iHNED.cz reports that the country’s national telecoms regulator the Czech Telecommunications Office (CTU) may be distancing itself from an earlier plan to auction off frequencies in the 800MHz band. The frequencies up on offer were considered the best option to support the build-out of fourth-generation (4G) mobile networks in the country, and had also been heralded as the best way to introduce a fourth player to the market.

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OVETEL CTU backtracking on plan to auction 800MHz frequencies, paper says

SKT plans launch of commercial VoLTE service in September 2012

South Korea’s largest mobile network operator by subscribers, SK Telecom, has revealed that it aims to offer a commercial voice-over-Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) service from September 2012, according to the Korea Times.

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OVETEL SKT plans launch of commercial VoLTE service in September 2012

Telefonica set to launch urban LTE on 3 July

Telefonica Germany (O2), the local subsidiary of Spanish telecoms group Telefonica, has unveiled its tariffs for its urban 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband service, ahead of a commercial launch of the network on 3 July 2012. Initial coverage will be focused in Nuremberg and Dresden, shortly followed by Munich and Leipzig. Prices for the company’s O2 Go Surf Flat data tariffs for laptop and tablet users start at EUR14.99 (USD19) per month, with the top-end 50Mbps download speed option costing EUR44.99, including 10GB of data per month

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OVETEL Telefonica set to launch urban LTE on 3 July