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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.

  • Inmarsat launches fleet security managed service

    Inmarsat launches fleet security managed service

    Inmarsat has announced a new managed service for ships designed to detect vulnerabilities, respond to threats and protect ships from widespread cyberattack.

    The new Fleet Secure service will be commercially launched as a standard option on Inmarsat’s award-winning Fleet Xpress service.

    Fleet Secure is a Unified Threat Management (UTM) and monitoring service that detects external attacks via high-speed satellite broadband connectivity, while also protecting vessel networks from intrusion via infected USB sticks and crew devices connected to the onboard LAN.

    Fleet Secure will integrate with Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress maritime satellite broadband service for no additional outlay on hardware and no impact on the customer’s contracted bandwidth.

    “Cybercrime is an inevitable downside of the digital economy, on land or at sea. Other maritime cybersecurity offerings we have seen address only part of the threat or some of the management issues,”  Inmarsat Maritime SVP of safety and security Peter Broadhurst said.

    “Inmarsat’s new Fleet Secure service provides an all-inclusive, real-time managed monitoring service, giving ship operators and managers the cybersecurity tools they need to protect their fleets continuously from malicious attack or malware, detect vulnerabilities, and respond to threats.”

    The UTM is powered by Singtel’s information security subsidiary Trustwave, and is available in a choice of three service levels – gold, silver and bronze.

  • Tata Teleservices may be wound down

    Tata Teleservices may be wound down

    Indian conglomerate Tata Group is reportedly considering winding down its struggling mobile operation Tata Teleservices after failing to find a potential buyer.

    Cciting unnamed sources, Tata Group chairman N Chandrasekaran is evaluating suspending its telecoms operations to tackle the operator’s mounting debt.

    If the operations are wound down, Tata Group may need to take financial losses due to Tata Teleservices’ total debt of around 340 billion rupees ($5.3 billion), and lenders may need to take a haircut on the value of their debt owed, according to the report.

    But according to the report, a closure can only happen once these lenders agree to a loan recast program

    Tata Teleservices still has around 45 million customers for a 4% share of the total market. But the operator has been seeking a sale or merger ever since joint venture partner NTT DoCoMo decided to pull out of its 26% shareholding, exercising its option to require Tata Group to buy back DoCoMo’s stake in the venture

    The company has held discussions with Airtel, Vodafone and even newcomer and Reliance Jio, but no deal has eventuated, leaving dissolving the company the most viable option.

    A nominee of Tata Sons’ largest shareholder has also recently suggested that Tata Teleservices file for bankruptcy.

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  • Globe Telecom taps Cloudera to harness machine learning

    Globe Telecom taps Cloudera to harness machine learning

    Globe Telecom in the Philippines has deployed the Cloudera platform to enhance customer experience and deliver real-time targeted marketing campaigns and offers to its 60 million customers.

    Globe Telecom is using machine learning with Cloudera to enrich customer experiences across channels and deliver targeted and optimized products and services, while maintaining compliance with the latest industry data regulations.

    The operator’s mobile data traffic grew 85% from 151 petabytes (PB) in 2016 to 280 PB this year. Mobile data is a growing and significant contributor to total mobile revenues for the first half of 2017 versus the similar period a year ago.

    “To sustain our growth, we are always looking for ways to improve customer experiences across our channels and touchpoints,” said Gil Genio, chief technology and information officer at Globe Telecom.  “Our ability to strategically manage and monetize information about our customers will enable us to deliver value-added products and further differentiate ourselves in today’s competitive business landscape.”

    With Cloudera Enterprise now at the core of Globe Telecom’s data management architecture, the increasing volumes of data are ingested from different sources and channels into a centralized data hub and made available to all employees across the organization with full fidelity and security.

    Mark Micallef, regional VP for Asia Pacific and Japan at Cloudera, said Globe Telecom can now use data to gain valuable insights, make accurate business decisions faster and deliver targeted marketing campaigns and offers to enhance their customer’s experience.

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  • Smart Transfer launches cross-border m-payment app

    Smart Transfer launches cross-border m-payment app

    Smart Transfer has introduced a person-to-person mobile payment platform that supports international social payments across multiple currencies at no charge to users.

    The Smart Transfer app allows international money transactions to be made to any bank account, phone number, email address, or social media platform.

    The Smart Transfer app allows users to send money to recipients via all social media platforms, mobile numbers, email addresses or conduct cashless payments through QR code at partner merchants. There is no need to know the receiver’s SWIFT codes, bank codes, branch codes or account numbers.

    While overseas money transfers typically take two to five working days, Smart Transfer’s cross-matching engine and integration with various banks across different countries, moves money to overseas bank accounts within seconds.

    Smart Transfer’s peer-to-peer model eliminates the numerous middlemen and excessive fees involved in conventional international money transfers, streamlining the traditionally lengthy process and saving users significant time and money. Smart Transfer’s proprietary currency cross-matching engine also touts favorable exchange rates, passing the savings on to the consumers.

    Smart Transfer features a multi-currency wallet, enabling users to send and receive money across seven currencies (HKD, CNY, SGD, USD, GBP, IDR, and AUD). User monies are held with trusted bank partners such as Hang Seng Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and Bank of China, providing a layer of assurance to users over safety of their funds.

    The app also features a built-in chatbot that is able to execute transactions according to a user’s instructions. It is integrated within Facebook Messenger and Telegram to break down language barriers, leveraging AI-based natural language processing technology to process four different languages (English, Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian).

    Smart Transfer is currently supported across the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, and Indonesia, with plans to expand its offerings to more than 212 countries and up to 30 currencies by end of 2017.

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  • Vietnamobile achieves nationwide 3G coverage

    Vietnamobile achieves nationwide 3G coverage

    Vietnam’s fourth largest mobile operator Vietnamobile has announced it has achieved 90% population coverage with its 3G network following a year of heavy infrastructure investments.

    The company’s 3G network now covers all 63 cities and provinces in the country.

    When the operator first announced plans to achieve nationwide 3G coverage a year ago, its 3G network only covered 12 of these cities and provinces.

    Vietnamobile has been differentiating itself from its larger rivals by focusing on the needs of Vietnamese youth across the nation.

    To celebrate the milestone, Vietnobile is introducing two new data packages for young customers, including a pay-as-you-go data pla starting at 1Gbps  for 15,000 dong ($0.66), upgradeable to 5GB.

    Meanwhile the second plan will offer 1GB of data per day for 50,000 dong per month, subject to a cap of 30GB per month.

    Vietnamobile is also introducing a dedicated iOS and Android app to help customers monitor and manage their accounts.

    Vietnamobile launched in 2009 as a joint venture between Hanoi Telecom Joint Stock Company and Hutchison Asia Telecommunications Group (formerly Hutchison Telecommunications International). The company has historically faced challenges competing with its more established rivals due to a spectrum shortfall.

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  • 5G subs to overtake 3G in Korea by 2020

    5G subs to overtake 3G in Korea by 2020

    South Korean operators’ plans to take an early lead in the deployment of 5G is expected to help them overcome stagnating traditional telecoms service revenues, research from GlobalData indicates.

    The market’s 5G subscriber base is expected to outnumber the 3G base by 2020, two years after the planned world’s first commercial 5G deployment during next year’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, GlobalData said.

    This will be a boon to operators at a time when mobile voice service revenues are expected to decline at an average rate of 7% per year through to 2021, GlobalData telecoms market analyst Malcolm Rogers commented.
    “Operators around the globe faced with the same challenge, evolve to something more than a pipe provider or offer services that come with more utility. However, the Korean operators have been among the most proactive in growing business outside the core of communication,” he said.

    “Whereas operators in some markets have been slow to react to the digital disruption caused by OTTs and internet giants like Google and Amazon, the players in South Korea have been investing in new digital business for years.”

    The market’s operators – SK Telecom, KT and LG U+ – are focusing on a range of non-core segments including industrial IoT, payment platforms, media and commerce, Rogers added.

    KT recently launched an AI-based home assistant service while both SK Teleom and LG U+ are offering cellular based wireless payment platforms. All three are meanwhile investing in business-to-consumer and business-to-business e-commerce offerings, an entirely new industry for the operators.

    Against this backdrop, 5G networks are expected to allow the operators to introduce new services targeting industry, government and consumer markets, according to GlobalData.

    KT is already exploring offering 5G-enabled entertainment services including 8k mobile video streaming, while SK Telecom and KT are developing driverless car solutions and security platforms based on 5G technologies.

  • Singtel to close copper-based ADSL networks

    Singtel to close copper-based ADSL networks

    Singtel has revealed plans to progressively shut down its copper-based ADSL networks as part of a push to accelerate fiber based service adoption to business and residential customers.

    The operator will shut down copper-based ADSL that supports broadband, TV, digital voice and private network services in stages during a process expected to be completed by early 2018.

    In addition, Singtel plans to cease copper deployment to commercial buildings that obtain temporary occupation permit (TOP) status from April 2018, and instead serve customers in the buildings using fiber-based networks. The company stopped deploying copper to new residential buildings in 2013.

    “We are pleased to make this technology adoption push in support of today’s digital economy and tomorrow’s connected Smart Nation. Fiber-based networks today [are] capable of offering far greater speeds and supporting a much wider range of services than the prevailing copper-based networks,” Singtel VP of consumer products for consumer Singapore Wong Soon Nam said.

    “Singtel will work closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure our customers will enjoy a smooth and fuss-free transition to the fiber network. We will also reach out to customers through various channels to make sure they are informed of the impending change and make available a range of affordable plans to cater to their varied communication needs.”

  • Supersnap International Opens the Most Advanced Data Center in Asia

    Supersnap International Opens the Most Advanced Data Center in Asia

    SUPERNAP International today announced the opening of one of the largest, most advanced data centers in the ASEAN region, SUPERNAP Thailand, The Bangkok Campus.

    The opening of the campus is a major catalyst for propelling the success of “Thailand 4.0” – the Thai government’s plan to transform the country into a high-value based economy through innovation and technology.

    This new multi-tenant carrier-neutral data center facility, located in the eastern province of Chonburi, plays an important role in the region as the critical infrastructure that powers the ability of businesses to succeed on the growing Internet of Things, Cloud and Artificial Intelligence markets. SUPERNAP Thailand is expected to be a catalyst for attracting more investment to the region and is poised to become the data center hub for Asia Pacific.

    SUPERNAP Thailand’s BANGKOK 1 data center is designed and built to the specifications of the industry-renowned, Tier IV Gold-rated Switch LAS VEGAS multi-tenant/colocation data centers in the United States. Its advanced design and diverse connectivity options are expected to enable clients to respond to rapid market growth and connect to global economies.

    “We welcome clients throughout ASEAN, APAC and the rest of the world to run their mission-critical IT infrastructure in what we expect will be one of the most secure, reliable and connected data centers in the world,” said Sunita Bottse, Managing Director of SUPERNAP Thailand. “Our high standards in uptime, security, efficiency and resiliency can be critical for corporations who operate 24 hours a day in every business line – including finance, e-commerce, oil and gas, transportation and health care.”

    The world-class SUPERNAP Thailand data center is one of the safest places to operate mission-critical IT infrastructure in the region. Its location 110 meters above sea level is outside of the flood zone and links to national and international telecommunications carriers enabling businesses to connect to key markets in Asia and around the world.

    SUPERNAP Thailand incorporates Switch’s patented designs that deliver highly efficient HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) technology enabling the facility to host high-density IT workloads. It is designed to achieve a target PUE range of 1.35-1.45 – a level more efficient than other data centers in ASEAN, which typically have PUE levels above 2. Its efficient design and plans for sourcing renewable energy helps SUPERNAP Thailand promote economic growth and technology development in a sustainable manner, directly in alignment with the sustainability goal of Thailand 4.0.

    The SUPERNAP Thailand data center in Chonburi is expected to include: 

    • 21,000 square meters of data center space with two data halls
    • 20 megawatts of power distributed through diverse 115 kilovolt transmission paths
    • Proprietary tri-redundant UPS power system
    • Up to 40 kilowatts of power per cabinet
    • Multi-carrier fiber couples with separate paths
    • Patented Switch SHIELD: dual independent roof decks rated to withstand 322 kph winds
    • 24/7 on-site network operations center (NOC), fire, safety and security
    • On-site, on-net member resources including conference spaces

    “Companies that have built their own data centers in the past are now realizing that they can mitigate risks and achieve better service level agreements (SLAs) by operating in SUPERNAP Thailand’s mission-critical colocation data center,” Sunita Bottse said. “Clients who tour the SUPERNAP Thailand data center experience first-hand the power and scale of the campus and what that means to their business growth.”

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  • SoftBank, Huawei demonstrate 5G use cases

    SoftBank, Huawei demonstrate 5G use cases

    Japan’s SoftBank teamed up with Huawei to demonstrate various real-world use cases for 5G.

    The companies demonstrated real-time ultra high definition (UHD) video transmission with a throughput of over 800Mbps, as well as remote rendering via a GPU server using edge computing.

    During the video tests, SoftBank and Huawei installed a UHD camera outside the demonstration room, then compressed the data from the camera in real-time using an encoder and transmitted it via 5G to a UHD monitor via a decoder.

    Scenery was also captured via a 180-degree camera equipped with four lenses pointed in different directions. Captured input was sent to smartphones and tablets over the 5G network to create a 180-degree panoramic video image. Huawei said this technology can be applied to virtual or augmented reality.

    In addition, the demonstration involved remote manipulation of a robotic arm with an ultra-low latency of less than 2ms for near real-time control.

    The technology was used to allow a robotic arm to play a game of air hockey, detecting the position and projected trajectory of the puck and returning the shot to the human player.a

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  • Nokia extends wireless portfolio

    Nokia extends wireless portfolio

    Nokia is extending its enterprise wireless networking portfolio with new small cells, Wi-Fi, multi-access edge computing and cloud packet core capabilities.

    The new components aim to allow businesses to manage and operate their own private wireless networks to support their digital transformation initiatives.

    The company’s new virtualized multi-access edge computing (MEC) solution will allow operators to deliver private LTE networks to enterprises over their 4G network, and to allow enterprises to run MEC over commercial-off-the-shelf servers.

    Nokia has also introduced a new compact outdoor AirScale Wi-Fi access point and added a hybrid access gateway capability to the Cloud Packet Core.

    “We want to support the evolution toward the fourth industrial revolution by giving companies the ability to leverage private wireless networks for their critical communications needs and rapidly ramp-up business applications that improve efficiency,” Nokia head of advanced mobile network solutions Thorsten Robrecht said.

    “We continue to evolve our end-to-end solutions and services to allow enterprises to transition towards digitalization in a smooth and cost-efficient way in preparation for 5G automation in the future.”

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  • Singtel adds HOOQ to OTT video portal app

    Singtel adds HOOQ to OTT video portal app

    Singtel has expanded its OTT video portal app CAST to incorporate the video on demand streaming service HOOQ.

    HOOQ, a joint venture between Singtel, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros, has a library of over 20,000 movies and TV series. It has launched across SEA and in India.

    Movies are available on the platform up to 90 days after cinema release, and TV series are telecast on the same day as the US.

    With its incorporation into CAST, the HOOQ content library can now be viewed on mobile devices, tablets or TV screens through Android TV or Chromecast.

    CAST users will be offered a three-month trial of HOOQ, after which they can subscribe on a 12-month contract for S$4.90 per month.  Access can also be purchased contract-free for S$7.90 per month.

    “Hollywood, Asian and kids’ content are extremely popular with our customers. We are pleased to offer HOOQ’s vast selection in the palm of their hands or comfort of their own homes,” Singtel managing director home consumer Goh Seow Eng said.

    “We will continue to expand CAST’s content library for our customers’ enjoyment.”

  • Telstra appoints new corporate affairs head

    Telstra appoints new corporate affairs head

    Telstra has promoted Carmel Mulhern to take on the added responsibility of the company’s corporate affairs group, in addition to her existing role as the company’s group general counsel.

    Mulhern will take over the role of group executive of corporate affairs from Tony Warren, who will leave Telstra on September 22 after serving the Australian incumbent for 15 years. Warren will take a newly created position as group general manager for communications and public affairs at ANZ Banking Group.

    In a statement, Telstra CEO Andy Penn said Mulhern is “a natural fit” for the expanded role.

    “Carmel has been at Telstra for 17 years and in that time has shown tremendous leadership protecting Telstra’s reputation and managing risk across our business,” Penn said. “Carmel is well suited to this new role, having a strong knowledge of government, a central role in Telstra’s most sensitive communications for many years, and a keen sense of corporate responsibility.”

    Megaport appoints Tim Hoffman CTO

    Megaport has tapped former Twitter global network head Tim Hoffman as its new chief technology officer.

    Hoffman will join the Australian interconnection services provider on October 1 and report directly to Megaport CEO Vincent English.

    “Tim was integral in leading the development of some of the most critical networks in New Zealand’s telecommunications infrastructure over the previous decade,” English said in a statement.

    “His tenure with Twitter enabled him to design a network that could deliver exponential growth. In the last year, Megaport has experienced record revenue growth of 298%, strong product and service uptake, and has expanded its global footprint.”

    Hoffman joined Twitter in late 2014, leading the global network team and was responsible for worldwide infrastructure, including all interconnection, backbone and content distribution infrastructure, and global data centers.

    Prior to that, Hoffman was a network engineer at CloudFare.

    Christopher Slaughter to step down as CASBAA CEO

    CASBAA said its chief executive Christopher Slaughter will step down from his role, effective December 31, after serving the industry association for five years.

    Slaughter will continue as CEO through the remainder of the year while the company searches for his successor.

    During his tenure as CEO, Slaughter has spearheaded structural reform of the organization, created new events, and delivered on CASBAA’s aim to represent, inform, and connect its membership, said CASBAA chairman Joe Welch.

    Slaughter was appointed CEO of CASBAA in October 2012, and had previously served as convention director in 2004.

    Before joining CASBAA, Slaughter held leadership roles in global and regional production, research, and news organizations, including  APV, The Yankee Group, CNBC, and Asia Business News.

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  • IoT to be a $1.8tr revenue opportunity for cellcos

    IoT to be a $1.8tr revenue opportunity for cellcos

    The Internet of Things will represent a $1.8 trillion revenue opportunity for mobile operators by 2026, thanks in part by the early deployment of commercial low power wide area (LPWA) networks in licensed spectrum, according to the GSMA.

    Research conducted for the industry association by Machina Research found that new mobile IoT applications and services represent huge growth opportunities for mobile operators.

    To date 12 operators have launched 15 commercial mobile IoT services. These include China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, South Korea’s KT and LG Uplus as well as Singapore’s M1.

    Operators are enhancing their  their licensed cellular networks with narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and LTE machine-to-machine (LTE-M) technologies utilising global 3GPP standards.

    Mobile IoT networks are expected to have 862 million active connections by 2022, representing 56% of all LPWA connections.

    The largest revenue opportunities for the IoT include consumer demand for connected home ($441 billion), consumer electronics ($376 billion) and connected car ($273 billion) technologies.

    The connected energy market is meanwhile expected to reach $128 billion by 2026 as local governments and consumers seek smarter ways to manage utilities, and revenues from connected cities are on track to reach $78 billion by this time.

    “There is a real sense of momentum behind Mobile IoT networks in licensed spectrum, with multiple commercial launches around the world, as well as the availability of hundreds of different applications and solutions, but there is still much to be done,” GSMA CTO Alex Sinclair said.

    “Many operators are already reaping the benefits of deploying Mobile IoT and we encourage others to act now to capitalise on this clear market opportunity and further accelerate the development of the Internet of Things.”

  • ZTE debuts AI platform for intelligent networks

    ZTE debuts AI platform for intelligent networks

    ZTE has introduced a new AI solution to help operators build intelligent and automated AI networks.

    ZTE’s AI solution uses a unified AI platform that can provide diversified applications for cloud service and intelligent networks combined with chip and terminal hardware.

    The AI-based service application can provide voice and video services which are based on face recognition, human and vehicle identification, speech recognition and natural language processing technologies.

    Meanwhile the AI-based intelligent network application uses precision algorithms to provide intelligent network operations and maintenance and network optimization capabilities.

    The portfolio can also provide self-researching AI chip, robot modules and intelligent terminals such as smartphones and smart home controllers.

    “Complemented with high computing power, precision algorithm and data analytics capability, AI technology will lead to the evolution of highly intelligent autonomous, automatic, self-optimizing and self-healing networks,” ZTE said.

    “At this stage, operators and vendors are still proactively exploring and seeking more efficient, stable and accurate AI algorithms and solutions to reduce the operation labor cost and effectively improve operating income. [The platform can help] operators introduce new technologies and build next generation intelligent network more conveniently amidst the ongoing advancement of AI technologies.”

  • CSL launches inflight roaming day pass

    CSL launches inflight roaming day pass

    Hong Kong’s CSL has launched a new inflight day pass service offering a daily fixed charge for data roaming while on board a plane.

    CSL is offering the service for a promotional rate of HK$98, to be increased to HK$178 from October 1.

    The service will be available on supported aircraft of a number of major international airlines including Cathay Pacific, Air France, British Airways, Emirates and Singapore Airlines, and CSL plans to add support for additional airlines in the future.

    “Hong Kong people are frequent travelers and they want to stay connected wherever they go. To best serve our customers, we are proud to add aircraft as a new day pass destination,” commented Richard Midgett, managing director of CSL parent HKT’s wireless business.

    “Customers can even set their own preference of when to start using data and when to be reminded of their usage via the CSL app. Data roaming is made easy, worry free and economical, even in the air.”

    In-flight Wi-Fi is becoming a hot commodity internationally, with two in three APAC travelers responding to a recent Inmarat commissioned survey indicating that they feel that the service is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The survey found that 79% are willing to pay for inflight connectivity even on short leisure flights.

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