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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.

  • Airtel-Tata Teleservices merger good for the industry

    Airtel-Tata Teleservices merger good for the industry

    The planned merger between Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices’ consumer mobile business is a positive for both the deal participants and the industry as a whole, according to Fitch Ratings.

    Airtel announced last week that it plans to absorb Tata Teleservices’ consumer mobile business as well as its spectrum assets in the 850-MHz, 1800-MHz and 2100-MHz bands.

    Because the merger is being conducted on a cash and debt free basis, with Airtel only required to take on certain additional spectrum expenses, the deal is expected to slightly improve Airtel’s credit profile, Fitch Ratings said.

    It is also expected to help arrest the decline in Airtel’s ebitda and bolster its 4G network position.

    “Bharti will gain about 178.5 MHz of spectrum in the 850-MHz, 1800-MHz and 2100-MHz bands in 17 Indian telecom coverage areas, the right to use Tata Telecom’s extensive fiber network and 42 million subscribers that will add to its existing Indian subscriber base of 281 million,” Fitch Ratings said in a research note.

    “We estimate the consumer mobile business of Tata Telecom generated revenue of around $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion and a small [positive] ebitda in FY17, compared with Bharti’s revenue of $14.7 billion and ebitda of $5.4 billion. Bharti’s revenue market share will increase by 4-5 percentage points to around 37%-38%.”

    Tata Group will meanwhile be able to exit the consumer mobile segment, avoiding potential future losses. The group’s consumer mobile business been a drain on the company’s profit for some time. The company plans to retain Tata Teleservices’ enterprise fixed line and broadband business.

    Finally, the deal marks another move towards industry consolidation in India’s formerly overcrowded mobile market, Fitch noted.

    “[This consolidation] has been accelerated by the entry of aggressive new operator Reliance Jio. Since Jio’s launch in September 2016, the industry has consolidated into three large operators from over 10 participants,” the company said.

    “Weaker telcos have had to exit the market by selling their operations to the stronger telcos, which have had to rethink their long-term plans.”

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  • China Telecom, Huawei complete 400GE tests

    China Telecom, Huawei complete 400GE tests

    China Telecom Guangzhou’s Research Institute and Huawei have completed the first 400 Gigabit Ethernet (400GE) test, confirming that the technology possesses the qualities required for commercial deployment.

    The tests over China Telecom Guangzhou’s network and terminal key laboratory verified 400GE port functions including line-speed forwarding, multi-service stacking, and fault reporting.

    China Telecom Guangzhou Research Institute was responsible for determining network requirements and test case design and overseeing the test. Huawei supplied backbone routers supporting 400GE port forwarding.

    Huawei said that under real-world network traffic conditions at full bandwidth 400GE ports experienced zero packet loss in line-speed forwarding.

    Multi-service stack tests also indicated that bundled 400GE and 100GE ports could implement precise load balancing, that the transmission distance was as far as 10 km and that protocol-based forwarding, loopback and fault reporting functions were all normal.

    The trial was conducted as part of the two companies’ 400GE R&D partnership, which they announced in 2016. This partnership is aimed at developing live-network service requirements, application scenarios, standards formulation, and technology R&D.

    “In the final release of the 400GE technology standard, China Telecom Guangzhou Research Institute and Huawei performed the world’s first 400GE port tests based on requirements of the live network, realizing a combination of network requirements and technical R&D,” China Telecom Guangzhou Research Institute IP technology research owner Zhu Yongqing said.

    “The test results reached expectations. In the future, we will cooperate with Huawei and other partners to promote development of the 400GE industry and maturation of the supply chain, ultimately driving the development of China Telecom’s network and the national broadband infrastructure.”

    The standardization process for 400GE is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

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  • Cambodia aims to launch its first satellite in 3 years

    Cambodia aims to launch its first satellite in 3 years

    The Cambodian government plans to launch its first communications satellite by as early as 2021, and will conduct a feasibility study within a year.

    The satellite project is projected to cost around $150 million and the satellite will have a lifespan of seven years, the Bangkok Post reported, citing comments from an official at the Telecom Regulator of Cambodia (TRC).

    TRC and the Ministry of Post and Telecom have partnered with Royal Blue Skies and Beijing-based China Great Wall Industry Corporation, and these partnerships are expected to allow Cambodia to launch a satellite within three years, compared to the standard of seven, the official said.

    China Great Wall Industry Corporation already has experience launching a satellite in Laos and will be able to take this experience to the Cambodian project.

    The feasibility study will be used to gauge the potential demand for satellite services and determine how much the government should invest in the project.

    In March, a new subsea cable was launched connecting Cambodia with Malaysia and Thailand. The 1,300km Malaysia-Cambodia-Thailand (MCT) cable system was built by a joint venture between Cambodia’s EZECOM, Telekom Malaysia and Symphony Communication of Thailand.

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  • HP develops POS solution for retailers

    HP develops POS solution for retailers

    HP has developed a point of sales solution aiming to reimagine how technology can transform the in-store experience for customers.

    HP ElitePOS supports several use cases including interactive signage, employee attendance, and self-service applications like a customer check-in and access to additional product offerings in the “endless aisle”.

    For retailers who want a clean and clutter-free counter space, or who need greater versatility in the placement of their point-of-sale terminal, the display can be separated from the input/output (I/O) base for maximum placement versatility.

    With point-of-sale devices increasingly targeted by hackers, security continues to be top of mind for the retail industry. According to Verizon’s 2016 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 64% of breaches in the retail industry that contained data loss were caused by point-of-sale intrusions.

    “As the retail and hospitality industries undergo a revolutionary shift, the point-of-service device will be a critical hub in delivering the in-store experience for customers,” IDC VP of retail insights Leslie Hand said.

    “But with this rapid transformation in digital business also comes increased threats, in the form of targeted attacks and malware. Retail POS systems, including the new HP ElitePOS, must be able to balance the growing needs of the customer and the brand while also acting as a guardian of the  sensitive information that passes through the device on a daily basis.”

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  • Huawei unveils APAC enterprise cloud strategy

    Huawei unveils APAC enterprise cloud strategy

    Huawei has announced its newest enterprise service strategy designed to support companies undergoing cloud transformation in Asia Pacific.

    The enterprise cloud strategy will focus on four key areas including cloud innovation, creating a digital platform, supporting smart operations and enabling businesses.

    As enterprises embrace digital transformation, they will face a new set of challenges across strategy, planning, requirement analysis, business integration, application system evaluation, technology selection, roadmap design, deployment, operations & maintenance (O&M) management, and information security.

    Cementing the company’s commitment to becoming an industry cloud enabler and strategic partner to enterprises in Asia Pacific, Huawei is investing $500 million globally in the development of cloud-based professional services, a cloud platform and cloud ecosystem. This will provide customers with end-to-end cloud transformation service solutions enabling them to build, use, and manage their cloud platforms effectively.

    To drive this strategy forward, Huawei will continue to increase its investment in the development of service solutions and Global Service Centers (GSC), as well as tools, platforms and verification labs for professional services. In the next five years, Huawei will also focus on research and development of industry clouds, increasing their annual investment by more than 50%.

    Additionally, to meet enterprise demand for ICT talent in the cloud era, Huawei will provide a new certification scheme to train ICT architects, ICT developers and industry-specific ICT experts. By 2021, it is estimated that more than 150,000 cloud and industry-specific ICT professionals will have been certified by Huawei.

    Huawei has made strategic investments and works with partners to build a cloud network that has global coverage, providing complete solutions that help Chinese companies go global, as well as help companies outside China enter the Chinese market.

    One of these partners is Orange Business Services (OBS), who has launched a global public cloud offering together with Huawei, that includes consulting, auditing and managed services for cloud infrastructure and applications.

    Named Flexible Engine, the new IaaS/PaaS platform is offered in combination with specialist support (‘Cloud Expert Services’) to assist enterprises in their migration to the cloud, featuring optional managed services to run applications. The suite of services will equip enterprises with the technology to digitally transform their business operations and support businesses in their expansion plans across China, Southeast Asia and Europe.

    The services run on the strength of OpenStack technology, an open-source software platform for cloud computing. Open standards and interoperability are key to meeting the demands for large, scalable public cloud solutions by delivering economies of scale and avoiding the danger of propriety lock-in.

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  • Optus Satellite to provide NBN satellite services

    Optus Satellite to provide NBN satellite services

    Optus satellite, a subsidiary of major Australian operator Optus, has announced its first foray into providing satellite services over the National Broadband Network (NBN), via a partnership with Southern Phone.

    The partners are now providing Sky Muster satellite broadband services to customers in regional and rural areas.

    NBN plans to use satellite broadband services for the roughly 3% of the of the population – mostly in rural and remote areas – that won’t be covered by fixed line or fixed wireless NBN services.

    Southern Phone is a regional telecommunications service provider based in New South Wales. The company’s managing director David Joss noted that only 80,000 of the expected 240,000 Sky Muster satellite broadband services have been connected to date, leaving a significant potential market.

    “We see this service as a viable and effective alternative to a traditional NBN connection. For some consumers, this will be the first time they’ve been able to connect to a broadband service,” Optus Satellite VP Paul Sheridan added.

    “This new partnership will help us connect with even more regional customers and importantly, make sure that those customers are able to have the same level of support that a customer in a metro area would.”

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  • M1 launches data-centric mobile plans

    M1 launches data-centric mobile plans

    Singapore’s M1 has expanded its data-heavy mySIM mobile plans to bundle the offers with handset subsidies.

    M1 launched a range of SIM-only plans in 2015 that offered large data allocations for customers who do not need a new handset.

    Building on the popularity of this plan, M1 has unveiled the new mySIMe bundled mobile plans, which start at S$40 for 5GB of local data, 100 minutes of voice calls and 100 SMS. M1 has also introduced a S$70 plan with 15GB of data and a S$90 plan with 30GB.

    The high-end S$118 plan meanwhile offers unlimited local data, SMS and voice, while a S$15 add-on can provide unlimited voice calls for the three other plans in the range.

    In addition, a S$10 Data Passport add-on will allow customers to use their local data bundles across 56 destinations worldwide, and a S$12 per month add-on will allow customers to share their plan bundles across up to three lines – this is not available for the unlimited plan.

    Our SIM-only mySIM plans have proven to be popular with our customers. We are now giving them the option to get their favorite smartphone or tablet at a more affordable price with the mySIMe plans,” M1 CMO P Subramaniam said.

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  • Velox launches cloud PBX in Singapore

    Velox launches cloud PBX in Singapore

    Singapore startup Velox Networks has launched a new VoIP and cloud based private branch exchange (PBX) communications platform.

    Velox said the deployment will allow it to offer end-to-end communications services at a fraction of the costs charged by the incumbents – the company is promising business customers prices up to 95% lower than prevailing rates.

    The company has developed a customizable business communications platform               with functionalities including voicemail to email, groups, IVR and real-time updates on telecoms expenditure.

    The Velox mobile application will route landline calls to data connected mobile phones and customers will be able to port their current DID numbers to the Velox network.

    “Velox Networks aims to remove impediments to free-flowing communications with technological solutions so our customers can focus on relationships, ideas and growth, not on getting technology to work,” Velox founder and CEO Martin Nygate said.

    “With the internet as our network, no physical infrastructure and lean manpower requirements, Velox Networks is raising the bar for quality, inexpensive telecommunication services in Singapore.”

    He said Singapore and the wider region are lagging behind the US and Europe in the adoption of cloud-based PBXs, and are still relying on physical PBXs for their business communications needs.

  • Operators stepping up preparations for 5G

    Operators stepping up preparations for 5G

    Many operators have accelerated preparations for the arrival of 5G, and are increasingly looking to the enterprise as well as the consumer market as potential customers, research from Ericsson indicates.

    A survey of operators that have publicly announced intentions to deploy 5G shows that 78% are conducting 5G trials, up from just 32% during a similar survey last year.

    In addition, 28% of the respondents plan to deploy 5G next year. Operators have meanwhile further evolved their business strategies for 5G services to extend beyond the consumer market.

    “In the 2016 survey, 90% of the respondents pointed to consumers as the main segment in their 5G business planning,” Ericsson head of 5G commercialization Thomas Noren explained.

    “This year, it is an even split between three segments and operators have identified business opportunities not only in the consumer segment but also with enterprise users and specialized industries.”

    With operators considering the consumer market to be becoming saturated, 5G planning has been more evenly distributed across specialized industry segments (58%), business users (56%), and consumers (52%).

    The industry segments considered to have the most potential include media and entertainment, automotive and public transport, with energy and utilities as well as healthcare being considered other attractive potential markets.

    The survey also found that a clear majority of operators believe that the IoT will play an important role in the 5G ecosystem.

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  • Singtel, Ericsson to establish 5G CoE

    Singtel, Ericsson to establish 5G CoE

    Singtel and Ericsson have announced plans to jointly establish Singapore’s first 5G Center of Excellence to spearhead Singapore’s evolution to 5G.

    The center will receive co-funding from both Singtel and Ericsson, with the companies committing an initial $2 million investment for the next three years.

    It will seek to train 100 Singtel engineers in the critical competencies involved in designing and operating a 5G network, with Ericsson conducting workshops, field testing and providing hands-on experience.

    The center will also be open to Singapore’s wholly-owned Australian subsidiary Optus as well as its network of minority-owned regional mobile associates in Asia and Africa.

    “This is a critical next step in our journey to 5G. We’re pleased to partner Ericsson to enhance our 5G core competencies and create a robust 5G ecosystem that will allow Singtel and our enterprise customers to benefit from the anticipated growth opportunities 5G will bring,” Singtel group CTO Mark Chong said.

    “We invite customers in various verticals, such as transportation, port operations and next-generation manufacturing, to start shaping their new digital business models with us.”

    Singtel also plans to conduct 5G demos from its Comcentre headquarters to showcase potential future 5G applications such as immersive augmented reality experiences, haptic feedback for surgical operations and remote medical training.

    Next year Singtel also plans to deploy a 5G test bed to allow it to conduct live 5G field trials with enterprise customers, and engage research and tertiary institutions on potential collaborations to test 5G radios and use cases.

  • Airtel to buy Tata Group’s consumer mobile business

    Airtel to buy Tata Group’s consumer mobile business

    India’s Bharti Airtel has agreed to acquire Tata Teleservices’ consumer mobile businesses as part of the wave of consolidation sweeping the sector.

    Under the agreement, Airtel will absorb Tata Teleservices’ consumer mobile businesses across 19 of India’s 22 telecoms circles, the Economic Times reported.

    The acquisition has been approved by the boards of Airtel, Tata Sons, Tata Telervices and Tata Teleservices Maharashtra.

    It will cover all customers and assets of Tata’s consumer mobile business, including 178.5 MHz of spectrum across the 850-MHz, 1800-MHz and 2100-MHz bands. It will also provide Airtel with a right to use part of Tata’s fiber network.

    According to the report, the merger is being conducted on a debt and cash free basis, but Airtel will assume part of Tata’s unpaid spectrum acquisition debt.

    The deal is a lifeline for Tata Group, which had been considering shutting down Tata Teleservices altogether due to ongoing losses. The company will split off and retain ownership of Tata Teleservices’ enterprise fixed line and broadband business.

    The company is in initial stages of exploring combining this enterprise business with Tata Communications and its retail fixed line and broadband business with Tata Sky. Tata also plans to retain its stake in tower company Viom Networks.

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  • Orange Business, Microsoft sign IoT partnership

    Orange Business, Microsoft sign IoT partnership

    Orange Business Services and Microsoft have teamed up to deliver large-scale, end-to-end Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for the manufacturing sector.

    The Orange modular IoT solution, Datavenue, accompanied by Microsoft Azure IoT Suite, aims to help enterprises transition to Industry 4.0 and optimize the entire manufacturing value chain.

    Through this collaboration, companies can take advantage of the combined expertise of Orange and Microsoft regarding data protection, as well as device and data management.

    This includes the opportunity to leverage Orange Business Services’ many IoT connectivity options, in particular LoRa. Use cases range from supply chain and smart inventory management to digital operations, such as predictive maintenance, employee safety and facility and equipment management.

    For its long-term customer e.l.m. leblanc, Orange delivered a customized IoT platform on Microsoft Azure, which provides a tailored solution for remote monitoring, along with curative and predictive maintenance.

    A subsidiary of the Bosch Group, e.l.m. leblanc manufactures gas boilers and water-heaters since 1932. The company is a major player in the French housing and industrial markets for heating and cooling systems and hot water for sanitary use.

    “Using the Azure Cloud allows for high-level scalability and efficient machine learning solutions with reasonable costs,” of e.l.m. leblanc CEO Philippe Laforge said.

    The remote monitoring solution collects the boiler’s data and alerts technicians of any malfunction. This allows for more efficient maintenance intervention, with fine-tuned predictions on the probable causes of failure based on real-time data analytics.

    Preemptive alerts can also be raised by the platform through predictive maintenance algorithms. Benefits include optimization of intervention processes, and increased end-customer satisfaction, thanks to innovative and responsive customer support.

    In order to accelerate the roll out of industrial projects, Azure IoT Suite provides pre-packaged solutions and allows companies to swiftly get familiar with the set-up and explore the most common IoT project scenarios, including remote monitoring, predictive maintenance and connected factories.

    The software environment provided by Microsoft will allow for the use of advanced solutions such as Cortana Intelligence Suite (advanced analytics and AI), Power BI (data visualization) and Mobile Apps (Xamarin) to ensure a flawless mobile user experience.

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  • ZTE, Huawei sign circular design commitment with KPN

    ZTE, Huawei sign circular design commitment with KPN

    ZTE and Huawei have both committed to producing telecoms equipment for Dutch operator KPN that is circular by design by 2025, to reduce waste and emissions and improve energy efficiency.

    A circular design involves minimizing waste, emissions and energy leakage by recycling, repairing and reusing components and employing a long-lasting design.

    Huawei, ZTE and five other KPN suppliers have now signed the KPN Circular Manifesto, agreeing to implement a circular design for products manufactured for the operator by 2025.

    “Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges in our society and it’s time for action, not words.  As the Netherland’s largest ICT provider, we recognize that we have a leading role to play to enable the necessary transition towards a sustainable and increasingly circular economy. That’s why we’re implementing our own circular economy target with a demanding timeline,” KPN CEO Eelco Blok said.

    Huawei said that to achieve its commitment, the vendor plans to incorporate design principles of easy take-bake, maintenance, recycling reuse and maximizing product lifespan.

    “For years Huawei and KPN have been working together successfully to improve KPN’s energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Now we need to transition from a linear to a circular way of working,” Huawei Netherlands CEO Steven Cai said.

    “It is very commendable that KPN is taking a lead and involving partners in the process. Together with KPN, we’ll take joint responsibility to proactively drive an energy-saving, environmentally friendly, and low-carbon society.”

    KPN was recently recognized by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index as the world’s most sustainable operator, after having lowered its annual energy consumption over the past six years. The operator is on track to reduce its energy consumption by 50% by 2030 compared to 2010, despite the anticipated continued exponential growth in data traffic.

  • Myanmar’s Global Technology to deploy LTE

    Myanmar’s Global Technology to deploy LTE

    Myanmar broadband service provider Global Technology Group has revealed plans to roll out LTE-based wireless broadband services in 30 cities starting in April.

    The operator plans offer high-end wireless broadband services to both residential and business customers.

    The rollout will cover cities in the Nay Pyi Taw, Magway, Bagon, Mon, Kayin and Tanintharyi regions, to cater to an anticipated spike in demand for data traffic as a result of the growing popularity of streaming based services.

    Global Technology Group secured a network facilities service license in 2015 and a fiber network license in March. So far the operator has deployed FTTx based broadband services to the Yangon, Mandalay and Bago regions.

    The company competes with state-owned operator Myanmar Post and Telecom (MPT), which commenced an FTTH deployment in August and currently serves over 80% of the nation’s FTTH customers.

    MPT has announced a target of expanding the reach of its FTTH network to cover the entire country in 2018.

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  • Smart to double LTE capacity in two cities

    Smart to double LTE capacity in two cities

    The Philippines’ Smart Communications plans to upgrade its cell sites in Marikina and Quezon City in the latest phase of its network expansion and modernization program.

    The PLDT subsidiary plans to double its LTE cell sites in the two areas, and aims to boost the coverage of its 700-MHz and 1800-MHz based network to both improve indoor coverage and enhance each cell site’s capacity.

    Smart has to date finished its LTE rollout in major urban hubs Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, in the island resort of Boracay, and in Rizal province. Deployment is underway in Metro Manila, and the operator plans to speed up its LTE network deployment to cater to growing demand.

    Smart is conducting the upgrade in stages to minimize disruption, according to PLDT and Smart SVP for network planning and engineering Mario Tamoyo.

    “By continuously upgrading our networks, we are leading the way toward improving internet and digital services for Filipinos,” he said.

    “From the work that we’ve already completed, our customers are already reporting much improved LTE and 3G experience. They will enjoy progressively better mobile data services in the next few months, particularly for those using LTE devices.”

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