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Category: Telecom

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Telecom & Telco news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Huawei details latest HK partner programs

    Huawei details latest HK partner programs

    Huawei has unveiled its latest partner programs and strategic digitalization plans at the Huawei Enterprise Partner Summit 2018 in Hong Kong.

    The Chinese ICT infrastructure provider’s partner programs in Hong Kong will be focused on business development in fintech, smart city, healthcare, and large enterprises.

    Huawei meanwhile plans to deploy 20 open labs worldwide to develop solutions catered to local needs, as the company seeks evolve its partner ecosystem to explore new opportunities for continued digital transformation.

    “Huawei embraces digital transformation with its ‘platform and ecosystem; strategy and we strive to integrate the cloud, pipe, and device, in order to build an open, flexible, secure and full-stack ICT platform,” Huawei Hong Kong managing director for enterprise Steven Pan said.

    “Huawei has established a public cloud node in Hong Kong to provide customers with hybrid cloud offerings under a unified architecture, API, and set of service, including more than 60 solutions for different vertical sectors and more than 100 IaaS and PaaS services.”

    At the summit, Huawei also a announced the winners of its Partner Summit awards for 2017.

    Best Distributor was awarded to Karin Electronic Supplies, Best Value Added Partner went to China Comservice (HK), Best Innovation Solution Partner went to PCCW Solutions and Best Industry Solution Partner was awarded to IT Channel (Asia).

    Meanwhile BoardWare Information System won Best Performance Excellence Partner, HKTwon Best Commercial Partner and Automated Systems Holdings was named Best Solution Partner and Best Certified Services Partner.

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  • Telkomsel can do a much better Customer Support Job!

    Telkomsel can do a much better Customer Support Job!

    Indonesia’s telecom companies must vastly improve their customer service, the regulator has warned, after revealing that some providers had deliberately made their service worse in 2017. The likes of Telkomsel, Indosat and XL “dominate the list of worst-rated companies for customer service — behind even banks”.

    13 per cent of mobile customers experience “poor service”, according to Which?, the consumer rights company. “The fact that the telecoms industry is so far behind should be a concern for us all” Previously. Indonesia’s mobile users have long complained they do not get the service they pay for, with speed failing to match advertised promises or patchy mobile connections. Ou survey shows that some telecom companies had deliberately downgraded their service levels during 2017.

    Telkomsel was the worst offender, taking seven minutes and 27 seconds to pick up the phone to customers, driving more than a fifth of people to give up before connecting. When connected, XL scored higher in terms of handling its complaints than Indosat and Telkomsel. It’s time for telecom operatios in Indonesia to wake up, craft new procedure and finally cope with their promises. Subscribers are tired of unwanted bulk advertising, long waiting queues and to speak with an operator who literally can do nothing for them.

    Telkomsel recently has a lot of issues with increased amounts of support calls due to the new law to register sim cards in Indonesia and how to execute this ; no one was available for a proper explanation. Telkomsel reported a loss in customers of 0,6-1% during the last month.

  • Telenor & QMobile collaborate to bring Pakistan’s most affordable 4G Smartphone

    Telenor & QMobile collaborate to bring Pakistan’s most affordable 4G Smartphone

    With an ambition to better connect Pakistan and empower the Pakistani society, Telenor Pakistan, country’s foremost telecom and digital services provider, and QMobile have entered into the next phase of their long-standing collaboration ushering in a new era of 4G ecosystem development through the introduction of LT-100, an LTE-enabled low-cost smartphone. Telenor Pakistan and QMobile had previously joined hands to enable all QMobile 4G phones with Telenor 850 MHz band, and launch new LT (LTE capable) mass market appeal series in 2017.

    The partnership entails both parties working together to develop and promote a robust digital ecosystem in Pakistan where industry’s best digital products and services are served to their mutual customer base. LT-100, a stylish and powerful smartphone delivers on customer expectations of up-to-date specifications, great design, and an attractive price of PKR 6,150. The smartphone comes with a great value combination with 3 Months Free Telenor Pakistan Bundle which includes 1GB/month data and PKR 100 balance/month.

    “We are delighted to enter the next phase of our partnership with QMobile as part of our unrelenting efforts to boost the country’s digital ecosystem which Telenor Pakistan continues to lead,” said Bilal Kazmi, Chief Marketing Officer, Telenor Pakistan. “Since the beginning, we have pursued a two-pronged strategy to develop and promote the digital ecosystem in Pakistan to enhance the mobile broadband outreach and experience while making supporting hardware affordable for the masses. We hope that this partnership will help us achieve our mutual digital inclusion goals faster and in a more effective manner,” he added.

    “The partnership seems natural as both QMobile and Telenor Pakistan share the ambition to empower the Pakistani society to equip our customers with the tools to keep up with today’s fast-paced digital world,” said Zeeshan Akhtar, Chairman and CEO, QMobile. “As we strive to build and promote a strong smartphone ecosystem in the country, together, QMobile and Telenor Pakistan will make technology and internet services more affordable and accessible for the masses.”

    LT-100 comes preloaded with My Telenor App, providing Telenor Pakistan customers unparalleled self-service experience and complete control over their mobile usage and bundle needs. The device will be available across Pakistan at all major mobile markets and retail shops, supported by an extensive communication campaign. Some of the key features of LT-100 include 4G-enabled all-band capability, dual SIM, Android 7.0, 4-inch screen, 8GB ROM with 1 GB RAM, and 5MP back and 2 MP front cameras.

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  • Nokia Q1 profit slumps 59%

    Nokia Q1 profit slumps 59%

    Nokia has reported a sharp 59% decline in net profit for the first quarter of 2018 to €86 million ($104.1 million) due to the ongoing weakness in the telecoms equipment market.

    Revenue for the quarter fell 9% year-on-year to €4.93 billion, with networks revenue down 12% to €4.32 billion.

    The vendor said sales and profitability for the quarter were primarily impacted by lower net sales in North America, but there were signs of improvement in terms of orders, suggesting that sales and profitability will improve over the rest of the year.

    Based on the orders received during the quarter, the company expects demand for 5G to accelerate further, particularly in North America where the first 5G fixed wireless access deployments are expected in the second half of the year.

    Licensing revenue for the quarter meanwhile grew 65% year-on-year, and the company expects further smartphone licensing opportunities in China, as well as brand licensing and in the automotive sector.

    “We see strong momentum building for the full year despite a slow start in networks. I have considerable confidence that Nokia is well-positioned to out-perform a strengthening networks market and meet our full-year 2018 guidance,” Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri said.

    These targets include an earnings per share of €0.23 to €0.27, with an operating margin of between 9% and 11%.

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  • HKBN to strengthen data protection measures

    HKBN to strengthen data protection measures

    Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) has promised to implement new data protection measures for its customer data in the next three months in response to a targeted cyberattack discovered last week.

    Under the new measures, all personal information of customers whose accounts have been closed will be kept for six months, instead of seven years, and will subsequently be deleted from the company’s database.

    Furthermore, HKBN would modify the way its stores the data of existing customers. Hong Kong ID card numbers would be randomly removed, as well as the digit in brackets. For credit card numbers, the company would delete the seventh to 12th digits.

    “Keeping only partial but not all of the most sensitive data like credit card number and Hong Kong ID card number gives peace of mind to our customers,” said William Yeung, co-owner and CEO, HKBN.

    For new customers, their full identity card number and credit card number would be collected only to support service activation, number porting and bank payment application. Once these procedures have been completed, part of the said two numbers would also be deleted from the HKBN system.

    Yeung said the new policy would make the information less attractive to hackers, adding that the company is taking decisive actions beyond the industry’s common practices.

    The new data protection measures would be implemented after they cleared with the relevant government departments.

    The targeted cyberattack, discovered on April 16, involved the hacking of an inactive customer database containing the information of some 380,000 customer and service applicant records of HKBN fixed and IDD services as of 2012, which represents about 11% of the company’s 3.6 million customer records.

    The information in the database includes names, home addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers and HKID card numbers. It also contains information of some 43,000 credit card information as of 2012.

    HKBN had reported the incident to the Hong Kong Police and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data. Investigation into the incident is on-going.

    “No conclusion of the incident investigation is available yet, but we’ve already identified the areas that we will definitely address to enhance data security protection such as introducing multi-factor authentication, stepping up encryption, putting up additional layers of cyber defenses on top of our existing protections, and burgeoning resources to expand the information security team,” Yeung said.

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  • Macau to include 5G in technology-neutral licenses

    Macau to include 5G in technology-neutral licenses

    The Macau SAR government does not plan to have a separate license for 5G services, and will instead include 5G in its planned new technology neutral licenses for mobile service providers.

    The director of Macau’s Post and Telecommunication Bureau Derby Lau Wai Meng told that its proposed new communications convergence legislation will include 5G.

    The new legislation would replace Macau’s current basic telecommunication law as well as by-laws governing the various telecoms licenses that have been allocated in the city.

    In addition, the regulator has prepared changes aimed to provide infrastructure support for operators pursuing 5G deployments and redefined some service standards, with the goal of providing more favorable conditions for 5G operators.

    According to the report, the new changes will give more powers for operators to deploy 5G as well as more powers to the government to supervise these deployments.

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  • Docomo, Nokia testing 5G NR in 90-GHz band

    Docomo, Nokia testing 5G NR in 90-GHz band

    Japan’s NTT Docomo and Nokia are performing joint 5G technology trials using extremely high frequency 90-GHz millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum.

    At the Brooklyn 5G Summit in New York this week, the companies are demonstrating the use of a Nokia Bell Labs-developed compact mmWave phased-array antenna system using an integrated circuit solution in the 90-GHz frequency band.

    The demonstration aims to show how using 5G new radio enhancements at higher mmWave bands can manage radio complexity while enabling greater bandwidth.

    Meanwhile using a larger number of antenna elements at higher frequency bands can minimize path loss to enable coverage similar to that found in lower mmWave bands, Nokia said.

    The companies also conducted a joint demonstration to show how dynamic offloading relocation in a 5G core will enable the low-latency networks required to support time critical mobile broadband applications such as automation and augmented reality.

    Nokia and Docomo have pledged to continue to test these technologies at Docomo’s research lab at the Yokosuka Research Park in Japan.

    “These demonstrations at the Brooklyn 5G Summit build on a long collaboration with Nokia,” Docomo CTO Hiroshi Nakamura said.

    “Working together, we want to accelerate the evolution of 5G technologies especially towards pioneering higher frequency bands such as 90 GHz.”

  • Philippines AirAsia adds capital connection

    Philippines AirAsia adds capital connection

    Philippines AirAsia launched a new link between Manila (MNL) and Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK) on 22 April. The 2,200-kilometre connection will link the capital cities of the Philippines and Thailand with daily flights operated by A320s. There is no direct competition, but schedules show that multiple carriers (including Philippine Airlines and Thai Airways) will operate a combined 46 weekly flights from Manila to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi during the week commencing 24 April. “AirAsia is a product of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and we are so proud to be part of this region we call home,” said Dexter Comendador, CEO Philippines AirAsia.

    “We are the only airline that carries “I love Asean” painted on our aircraft including the ASEAN logo. AirAsia loves Asean is a commitment to help bridge communities and economies as we move toward even greater integration and mutual understanding.” Kajorndet Apichartrakul, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, said: “We want to bring people across the Asean region closer together and further expand our Asean footprint to serve more and more communities. We have 100% load for this inaugural flight and we hope to do more inter-Asean routes to serve every Filipino traveller’s needs and enable them to connect, do business and build socio-economic ties with neighbouring economies.”

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  • Bharti Infratel to merge with Indus Towers

    Bharti Infratel to merge with Indus Towers

    India’s Bharti Airtel has approved a plan to merge its infrastructure unit Bharti Infratel with Indus Towers to create a listed pan-India tower company.

    The combined company will fully own the respective business of Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers, and will own over 163,000 towers across all 22 of India’s telecom circles, making it the largest tower company in the world outside of China. It will change its name to Indus Towers Limited.

    Bharti Airtel already owns a 42% stake in Indus Towers, with Vodafone Group owning another 42%, Idea Group owning 11.15% and Providence Equity Partners owning the remaining 4.85%.

    Post-merger, Vodafone will be issued 783.1 million new shares in the combined company, while Idea Group will be given the option of selling its shares in the company or taking shares based on the merger ratio, and Providence will be given the option of selling most of its holdings.

    Assuming Idea and Providence take up the option of selling their shares for cash, Airtel’s shareholding in the combined company will be diluted to 37.2% and Vodafone’s shareholding would be diluted to 29.4%.

    The combined company is expected to have an enterprise value of around $10.8 billion, Airtel said in a statement.

    Based on this expected valuation, Idea stands to gain around $1 billion from the sale of its shares. Vodafone’s holding in the combined company would meanwhile be worth around $4.3 billion.

    The merger is expected to be complete in the current financial year, which ends in March 2019.

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  • uCloudlink launches innovative mobile data service GlocalMe Inside

    uCloudlink launches innovative mobile data service GlocalMe Inside

    uCloudlink, the global innovative mobile data solution provider, has today launched GlocalMe® Inside, a powerful data service designed for frequent and business travelers. GlocalMe® Inside service provides network coverage in 100+ countries and regions, enabled by CloudSIM technology and delivered through extensive carrier partnerships that ensure fair local data charges for its customers. This move marks the introduction of a new era of positive disruption for cross-border business, bringing expense management, convenience, flexibility and robust global network coverage for reliability of service.

    Alongside this new service innovation, uCloudlink also introduces two models of the brand new GlocalMe® Inside World Phone, in which the service has been pre-installed.

    As of April 2018, the new GlocalMe® Inside service has been rolled out in Hong Kong in collaboration with Hong Kong Broadband. The company is also in active conversations with potential customers and partners across key markets in Asia and North America, discussing the launch of GlocalMe® Inside service’s forthcoming global footprint in the near future.

    Mr. Simon Tan, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, uCloudlink says, “uCloudlink is dedicated to continuous mobile data solution innovation. Our vision is to offer the utmost accessibility of mobile data for everyone in the world. The new service and our new phone products are a reflection of our commitment to improve global mobility by enhancing and sharing CloudSIM technologies with the world. This will achieve true global connectivity and sharing without limitations. We hope this service innovation can turn many silent roamers into active ones, addressing one of the most pressing challenges facing the entire industry.”

    Elitek is the first phone brand to be launched with the service embedded. uCloudlink is expecting to see increasingly rapid collaboration with more third-party phone brands in the future for which the GlocalMe Inside mobile data service will be available, making them the first true World Phone.

    Mr. Bill Zhang, General Manager of the Smart Devices Business, uCloudlink, explains, “We are very excited about this service innovation which represents a significant breakthrough for business users and other mobile data service users who travel extensively. GlocalMe® Inside overhauls the current mobile data package fee and contracting model, and therefore is a massively positive disruption to the telecommunications industry in this regard. For too long, service users have been subject to high rates, non-transparent pricing models and data roaming which often costs well beyond what was expected; the GlocalMe® Inside revolution changes all that. We have for a long time now been inspired by the truly disruptive players who have changed the way the world works, from social media and accommodation booking services to app-based technology and changes to the media industry by disruptive communication. This is what uCloudlink GlocalMe® Inside is all about”.

    Global roaming revenue was not significantly increased with the growth of international travelers and smartphone users as was expected by the carriers. The main reason is the user’s fear of high data roaming charges. “Our disruptive technology and innovations built on customer convenience and genuine cost management changes all of this”, he concludes.

  • Telenor Pakistan introduces 24/7 Self-Service Booths across Pakistan

    Telenor Pakistan introduces 24/7 Self-Service Booths across Pakistan

    Leading the developments in digital ecosystem in the country, Telenor Pakistan has introduced Self-Service Booths across the nation to provide easier, securer, and round-the-clock access to its products and services.

    These booths give customers the option of availing multiple Telenor and Easypaisa services at their convenience such as buying and replacing Telenor SIMs, buying Easyload top-ups & Easycards, and open new Easypaisa accounts at any time of the day without having to visit the Telenor franchise or retailer. These booths will also enable customers to pay their utility bills as well as send and receive money.

    Featuring biometric verification, these state-of-the-art machines warrant safety and security against unregistered individuals and unauthorized transactions. Telenor Pakistan plans to place these self-service booths across Pakistan to extend greater enablement to its customers in consistence with its vision of fostering customer-centricity across its business operations.

    “Self-service booths are going to redefine customer facilitation in today’s digital age,” said Bilal Kazmi, Chief Marketing Officer at Telenor Pakistan. “Through this initiative, we aim to empower the customers by transferring accessibility of Telenor & Easypaisa services into customers’ own hands while reducing dependency on physical outlets characterized with long queues and waiting time. Being a customer centric organization, we are evolving the processes and channels to serve our customer better and we shall continue to introduce innovative ways to bring the best to our customers.

    The introduction of this round the clock Self Service Booth, bringing access, ease and convenience, is set to redefine the concept of customer services. As part of its #TelenorHearsYou outreach campaign, Telenor Pakistanis actively listening to its customer feedback and concerns, and is taking a proactive approach to ensure delightful experiences for them.

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  • Riverbed upgrades SteelConnect platform

    Riverbed upgrades SteelConnect platform

    Riverbed Technology has announced major updates to its SteelConnect SD-WANand cloud networking solution.

    Riverbed claims that SteelConnect is currently the only SD-WAN solution that provides unified connectivity and policy-based orchestration spanning the entire distributed network fabric – hybrid WAN, branch LAN/WLAN, data centers, and the cloud.

    With the latest upgrades to SteelConnect, Riverbed aims to expand the power of one-click connectivity and optimization into AWS and Microsoft Azure with added support for AWS Direct Connect and Azure ExpressRoute.

    Riverbed is also introducing seamless integration between SteelConnect and Riverbed Xirrus Wi-Fi with zero-touch provisioning of Riverbed Xirrus access points, and is providing new deployment flexibility with the addition of LTE wireless options for SteelConnect SD-WAN gateways.

    Customers can manage SD-WAN and Wi-Fi together through a centralized cloud console, including zero-touch provisioning of Riverbed Xirrus Wi-Fi Access Points, creation of Wi-Fi networks, and Wi-Fi monitoring.

    The platform now also supports LTE uplinks for a variety of use cases including back-up network connectivity in retail stores, pop-up stores, rural sites, or mobile retail. By leveraging LTE, retailers can maximize reach and productivity while increasing resiliency and agility of the network.

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  • Airtel Q4 profit slumps 78% due to price war

    Airtel Q4 profit slumps 78% due to price war

    India’s Bharti Airtel has reported a steep 78% slump in net profit for the March quarter to 830 million rupees ($12.5 million), partly as a result of the industry’s ongoing price war.

    Revenue for the quarter fell 5.4% year-on-year to 196.3 billion rupees, with revenue from India falling 7.5% to 147.96 billion rupees on an underlying basis.

    India mobile revenues fell 13.5% due to the stiff competition, but Airtel increased its customer base by 4.9% from the previous quarter to 273.6 million.

    Revenue from Airtel’s African operations by contrast grew 10.7% year-on-year, with data traffic up 88%, voice minutes increasing by 37% and customer net additions increasing 11.5% to 84.13 million.

    During the quarter, Airtel expanded its operations to Rwanda with the purchase of Tigo Rwanda.

    For the full year, Airtel’s total revenue fell 9.8% to 836.8 billion rupees and its net income fell 71.1% to 10.99 billion rupees.

    “The [Indian] telecom industry continues to witness below cost, artificially suppressed pricing. Industry revenues were further adversely impacted this quarter due to the reduction in international termination rates,” Airtel CEO for India and South Asia Gopal Vittal said.

    “Airtel continued to consolidate its leadership position this quarter. Our strategic investments in data capacities, innovative digital content through Airtel TV, customer friendly bundles and upgrade programs led to the highest ever mobile data customer additions of 15 million during the quarter. Usage parameters remained robust–on a YOY basis, we saw data and voice traffic grow 584% and 55% respectively.”

  • Myanmar to impose 2% USF levy in June

    Myanmar to impose 2% USF levy in June

    The Myanmar government has revealed plans to impose a 2% tax on the income of mobile operators starting in June to fund expansion of telecoms services to unserved rural areas.

    The proceeds from the tax will be pooled into a universal service fund to fulfil the provision of basic telecoms services in rural areas.

    Myanmar’s four mobile operators, which include state-owned MPT, Telenor Myanmar, Ooredoo Myanmar and Mytel – the joint venture between Vietnam’s Viettel and a consortium of local ICT companies – will be required to pay into the scheme.

    Current mobile networks cover over 90% of Myanmar’s population, but the government believes the USF will be necessary to fund the development of network towers in unserved areas.

    Through the project the government is targeting 94% population coverage by the first quarter of next year and 99% coverage in the future.

    Once basic infrastructure is deployed to the rural areas, more advanced telecommunications services can be introduced in the future, the report states.

  • China Unicom, Huawei collaborate on 5G network slicing

    China Unicom, Huawei collaborate on 5G network slicing

    China Unicom and Huawei Technologies have signed an agreement to conduct joint research, demonstration, and deployment of 5G network slicing.

    Under the agreement, Unicom and Huawei will work together to develop key technologies and solution for the Chinese telco’s 5G network slicing services and applications.

    The pair will also jointly promote network slicing for various vertical markets, such as VR/AR games, industrial control, Internet of Vehicles (IoV), and the Internet of Things (IoT).

    “Network slicing is a key native capability of 5G, which can maximize the efficiency of communications networks and reduce network construction and O&M costs,” said Zhang Yong, president of China Unicom’s Network Technology Research Institute.

    “In the 5G era, the concepts of slice as a capability and slice as a product have become an industry consensus. China Unicom will demonstrate the multi-scenario slicing service in vertical industries and deepen the integration with the industry to facilitate digitalization in China.”

    Zhang said Unicom wants to focus efforts on terminals, chips, networks, and vertical industries.

    He Weijie, vice president of Huawei Cloud Core Network Product Line, said the company’s concepts of slice as a service and slice as a product have played a major role in shaping the 5G business model.

    With its agile deployment, security isolation, high reliability, and automatic management, network slicing helps operators like Unicom to expand the vertical industry market in the 5G era and fully exploit the potential of their networks, He said.

    As the fundamental feature of 5G, network slicing enables mobile operators to run multiple logical networks as virtually independent business operations on a common physical infrastructure. It brings new opportunities for operators to engage with the vertical market.

    In February, a handful of industry players, including China Mobile, Huawei, Tencent, Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, Digital Domain and Volkswagen, jointly founded the 5G Slicing Association.

    The association, inaugurated during Mobile World Congress 2018, will study key technical issues in 5G network slicing, cooperate with slicing-related standards development organizations and forge test beds and trials aimed at verifying the capabilities of the technology.

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