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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.

  • BT, Dell EMC explore new way to manage traffic

    BT, Dell EMC explore new way to manage traffic

    BT and Dell EMC have entered a research collaboration  dedicated to exploring a new way of managing network traffic using agile, programmable telecoms networks.

    The proof-of-concept trial, which is taking place at the BT Labs in Adastral Park, Suffolk, will explore how disaggregated switching can create flexible networks which are more responsive to customer needs by using standard open network switches commonly found in data centers, coupled with specialist switching software.

    In contrast to the traditional integrated network switches currently used by operators and enterprises around the world, disaggregated switching uses merchant silicon based switching systems combined with either commercially available or open source system software.

    This represents a significant shift architecturally, based on server-like principles to the delivery of dynamic network services over fixed-line and wireless networks.

    BT is evaluating the performance of Dell EMC disaggregated switches against traditional integrated switching hardware to test the performance, economics and programmability of this new, virtualized approach, which is important as customers increasingly require more flexible, agile networks.

    Disaggregated switches have several potential advantages over traditional network switches, as they can be managed flexibly using Netconf protocol and YANG models. This makes the entire system inherently programmable and allows the switches to be operated in tandem to provide new network services or make configuration changes rapidly.

    BT will work with Dell EMC to look at a number of potential use cases as part of the trial as the company evolves its network strategy to maximize the benefits of SDN (software-defined networks), NFV (network functions virtualization) and programmable silicon. These include the instant activation of Ethernet circuits from a third party (such as an enterprise), and the ability of the system to deliver real-time network operational data.

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  • AIS launches 1Gbps Next G mobile service

    AIS launches 1Gbps Next G mobile service

    Thailand’s AIS has launched a new mobile service offering connection speeds of up to 1Gbps by combining 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity.

    AIS’ Next G branded service is now available on supported handsets via a firmware upgrade.

    The service has been developed in collaboration with Samsung and Korea Telecom. It uses Multipath CTP technology to integrate AIS LTE-Advanced and Super Wi-Fi frequencies, providing speeds of up to 1Gbps in areas where both networks are available.

    Next G is currently compatible with Samsung Galaxy S series handsets of S7 and newer, with more handsets supporting the technology expected to be rolled out in the future.

    The upgrade forms part of AIS’ evolution to 5G, and is now available in major provinces nationwide.

    AIS currently has around 49,000 4G base stations and 80,000 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Thailand. The operator’s 4G customer base meanwhile reached 15.8 million by the end of the second quarter.

    Concurrently with the launch, AIS is aiming to improve the customer experience, and has recently upgraded one of its major customer service shops with a new Digital Gallery concept displaying innovations from major smartphone makers and other device brands.

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  • Spark profit grows 13% in FY17

    Spark profit grows 13% in FY17

    New Zealand’s Spark has reported a 13% increase in net profit for the financial year ended in June as a result of one-off gains and improved mobile performance.

    Net profit grew to NZ$418 million ($305.7 million), with revenue increasing 3.3% to NZ$3.61 billion. Mobile revenue grew 5.6% due to a 4.1% increase in high margin service revenue and a 4.3% growth in total connections.

    Spark also increased its wireless broadband subscriber base by nearly 17% to 84,000, while the company increased its fiber broadband subscriber base by nearly 74% to 172,000.

    The company has to date migrated more than a third of its customers off its legacy copper network and on to wireless broadband as well as fiber services via the state-led Ultrafast Broadband national fiber network project.

    Fixed voice and managed data revenues meanwhile fell 12% to NZ$104 million due to ongoing substitution. Part of this substitution involves the migration of 11,000 voice only connections on Spark’s VoLTE service.

    For the current year, Spark is anticipating a 0-2% increase in both revenue and ebitda, and a slightly lower capex spend of NZ$410 million.

    The operator said it plans to increase its emphasis on wireless services and investment, and to develop its multi-brand strategy to better serve the low end of the market.

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  • Sydney Trains taps Ciena for OTN upgrade

    Sydney Trains taps Ciena for OTN upgrade

    Sydney Trains has contracted Ciena to help upgrade its network to a packet optical platform to improve public services across its transportation system with a faster, low latency and reliable data network.

    The deployment will support critical passenger safety measures that ensure trains in the Australian city operate at safe distances.

    By investing in both 100G transport and OTN switching solutions, Sydney Trains aims to build a network that enhances support of customer safety and critical train operations.

    The network upgrade will also help the transportation provider transition from an SDH legacy network, and lays the foundation required to support future high capacity service requirements.

    Sydney Trains has various sites along its network that have different traffic requirements. The flexibility of the platform supports these end-to-end services and various system configurations, including deployments over long distances and fiber types such as aerial.

    “For transportation providers, migrating their communication networks by deploying Packet-optical technologies is key to continually improving safety measures and optimizing passenger services,” Ciena VP and GM for APAC Anthony McLachlan said.

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  • Vinaphone debuts carrier billing on Google Play

    Vinaphone debuts carrier billing on Google Play

    Vietnam’s Vinaphone has become the fourth and last of the nation’s four major mobile operators to launch carrier billing over Google Play using the Fortumo payments platform.

    The operator’s 20 million subscribers will be able to use the Fortumo platform to pay for apps and in-app content using their airtime balance.

    With the launch, 95% of the population of Vietnam can now make payments on Google Play through Fortumo – significant for a country with smartphone penetration of 40% but credit card ownership of below 2%.

    Fortumo will also provide Vinaphone with access to its Fortumo Insight statistics and data analytics platform, which helps operators analyze the performance of Google Play and use the data to make improvements to their payment infrastructure and marketing campaigns using the platform.

    “Vietnam is one of Asia’s fastest growing markets for mobile services. Vinaphone has been able to successfully capitalize on this expansion and enabling Google Play for carrier billing is the logical step for Vinaphone to accelerate the growth further,” Forumo chief business officer Gerri Kodres said.

    “Fortumo has established itself as the provider of choice for carriers in Asia and we are proud to help Vinaphone make Google Play payments available to millions of their users.”

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  • Telstra expects $2.36b ebitda hit from NBN

    Telstra expects $2.36b ebitda hit from NBN

    Shares in Australia’s Telstra slumped 10.6% to a five-year low of A$3.87 yesterday after the company warned it expects to take an A$3 billion ($2.36 billion) hit to its ebtida as a result of the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN).

    Telstra cut its planned dividend for the current financial year by 29% to A$0.22 per share after revealing that it expects the impact of the NBN rollout to be at the top end of its projected $2 billion to $3 billion ebitda decline.

    The incumbent operator announced the plan along with its financial results for the 12 months ending in June. Revenue for the year grew 4.3% to A$28.2 billion.

    Net profit fell 33.8% to A$3.9 billion, but excluding the impact of the sale of its Autohome Chinese classifieds business for A$2.1 billion to Ping An Insurance Group in the prior year, profit from continuing operations grew 1.1%.

    Telstra reported mobile net additions of 218,000 and domestic retail fixed broadband net additions of 132,000 during the year. Customers served by Telstra over the NBN meanwhile more than doubled to 1.18 million, representing a total market share of 52% of the non-satellite services over the national wholesale network.

    But Telstra CEO Andrew Penn said the company is facing competitive pressures in both the mobile and fixed segments, including the introduction of new rivals in both.

    “Digital disruption is continuing to accelerate, not just for us but also for our customers, and we are entering a significant point in the transformation of the telecommunications market with the nbn rollout reaching scale,” Telstra CEO Andrew Penn said.
    “It is against the backdrop of these market dynamics that we announced during the year our intention to invest up to A$3 billion over the next three years to achieve a further step change in our strategic positioning to deliver economic benefits of more than A$500 million of ebitda by 2021.”

    Telstra also plans to bring forward its target of achieving A$1 billion in efficiencies by FY21 and seek to deliver more than A$1.5 billion in net productivity gains by FY22.

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  • NEC launches 5G SDN/NFV platform in Malaysia

    NEC launches 5G SDN/NFV platform in Malaysia

    NEC Corporation of Malaysia and Netcracker have teamed up with red Hat, Juniper Networks and Dell EMC to launch a multi-vendor 5G-ready virtualization platform for operators and enterprises in Malaysia.

    The companies will launch a full SD/NFV solution capable of using IT virtualization technologies to virtualize entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that can be chained together to create communication services.

    The platform combined Netcracker’s hybrid operations management offering and business enablement applications with NEC and Netcracker’s virtualization deployment operations center and multilayer SDN controller.

    It also comprises Red Hat’s OpenStack platform, Juniper’s NFV networking services platform and Dell EMC’s PowerEdge NFV solution.

    Research from Netcracker indicates that the virtualization platform can reduce the time to market for new enterprise services by up to 70%.

    “To stay competitive in a global economy, service providers and enterprises in Malaysia will eventually have the need to adapt to 5G technologies,” NEC Malaysia Chong Kai Wooi said.

    “With our SDN/NFV 5G-ready solution, companies will be able to speed up the time-to-market for their potential communications services and/or any applications that run on 5G technology, improve cost efficiency and have the ability to offer new, revenue generating-services.”

    “As the industry moves quickly towards 5G technology, getting the management and orchestration environment right is critical to enable new IoT use cases requiring dynamic network slicing,” added  Netcracker CTO of SDN/NFV Aloke Tusnial.

    “This is a key focus for us at Netcracker and we are delighted to be part of this strong collaboration to bring 5G virtualization to market faster.”

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  • Wi-Fi.HK extends service venues

    Wi-Fi.HK extends service venues

    The Office of the Government CIO (OGCIO) yesterday announced extending the number of government venues to provide free public Wi-Fi services through the Wi-Fi.HK Public-Private Collaboration (PPC) project.

    Initial venues equipped with free Wi-Fi include the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, Shatin Town Hall, Man Kam To Control Point, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and the Hong Kong Coliseum.

    HKBN, csl, HGC and SmarTone will provide services to the public, and plan to extend the service to other government venues in the coming months, including public parks, public transport interchanges and markets.

    “We shall open up more suitable government venues through public-private collaboration for private service providers to install equipment and provide Wi-Fi service with free usage time at their own cost,” undersecretary for innovation and technology David Chung said.

    “Private service providers are allowed to offer value-added services at these venues without any financing from the government while the public and tourists can enjoy free Wi-Fi service. This arrangement is favorable to all.”

    Chung said transforming Hong Kong into a Wi-Fi connected city will also help stimulate the development of more innovative, efficient and convenient digital services, and will help transform Hong Kong into a smart city.

    Wi-Fi.HK has been available since 2014 at various locations, with over 19,800 Wi-Fi hotspots being provided by around 50 participating organizations, including university campuses, tourist attractions, shopping centers and restaurants. The government is also providing free Wi-Fi services to students at youth service centers and study rooms under a subsidy scheme launched in March.

    The Wi-Fi.HK project has been co-organized by the Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA).

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  • Unicom to get $11.65b funding injection

    Unicom to get $11.65b funding injection

    Chinese state-owned operator China Unicom will raise around 78 billion yuan ($11.65 billion) through investments from private companies including Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent.

    The operator announced it has secured approval from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) for its plan to open up to private investment under the government’s mixed ownership reform pilot program.

    The company will bring in 14 new strategic investors including large internet companies, industrial groups and industry vertical companies and financial enterprises.

    Unicom has already signed framework agreements with internet and e-commerce giants Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent and Jingdong (owner of the JD.com brand).

    Other investors include retailer Suning Holdings, technology conglomerate Kuang-Chi Group, Didi Chuxing (China’s Uber) and data center services provider Wangsu Science and Technology.

    As part of the ownership reform, Unicom also intends to issue around 850 million shares to employees as incentive bonuses, representing around 2.7% of the company.

    Under the new structure, Unicom Group’s stake in the operator would be reduced to 36.7% from the current 62.7%. The new investors will pick up a combined 35.2% stake. Public shareholders in Unicom’s Hong Kong listed investment vehicle would meanwhile see their ownership reduced to 25.4% from the current 37.3%.

    Unicom plans to use the funds raised from the investment to enhance its 4G capacity and coverage, conduct 5G trials and build pre-commercial trial networks and invest in innovative new businesses.

    The development came as China Unicom reported a strong 68.9% growth in net profit for the first half of 2017 as the operator made progress with its turnaround efforts.

    Net profit reached 2.41 billion yuan, despite a 1.5% decrease in operating revenue to 138.16 billion yuan. But service revenue improved 3.2% to 124.11 billion yuan.

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  • MobiFone to be privatized next year

    MobiFone to be privatized next year

    Vietnamese state-owned operator MobiFone has been instructed to complete a privatization and restructuring process known as equitization in 2018, while former parent VNPT has been instructed to equitize in 2019.

    The Ministry of Information and Communications plans to assess and approve the restructuring plans of MobiFone as well as Vietnam Television Corporation and VNPost by the end of the month.

    VNPT will meanwhile submit its own restructuring plan during the same period in advance of an equitization in 2019.

    The government has revealed plans to concentrate on improving the strength of the companies rather than maximizing revenue from the privatization processes, and will decide whether to sell stakes to a few strategic investors or to many individual shareholders on a case-by-case basis.

    MobiFone was separated from VNPT is 2014 as part of the latter’s restructuring plan, which also involved dividing VNPT’s operations into three subsidiaries concentrating on infrastructure, services and sales respectively.

    After its separation, MobiFone commenced its equitization plan and appointed appraisers for an IPO. The company has drawn interest from a number of potential international investors, including Singtel, Telenor, Australia’s Telstra and Sweden’s Comvik.

    To complete the process MobiFone will need to be reappraised – its last valuation in 2015 has expired. Previous valuations have suggested that the company could be worth over $4 billion.

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  • Google adds voice search for 8 Indian languages

    Google adds voice search for 8 Indian languages

    Google has added voice search functionality for eight additional Indian languages including Bengali, Malayalam and Tamil.

    At the moment, the voice search feature is available in English and Hindi in India. The other languages being added are Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Telugu and Urdu.

    “Speakers of these languages will be able to use their voice to dictate queries — both in Gboard on Android as well as in Search through the Google App,” Google Technical Program Manager Daan van Esch explained through a video conference.

    Esch explained that in order to perform a voice-based search, users will need to set their language in the voice settings menu in the Google app.

    “Globally, we now support voice search for 119 languages. We are introducing support for 30 new languages today, of which eight are Indian languages,” he said.

    The update will require the user to just tap the microphone icon (usually on the home screen of Android smartphones) to start voice search.

    Google has been increasing support for Indian languages across its various products like Maps and Search as a large number of the new users coming online are Indic language users.

    Esch explained that Google has worked with native speakers to collect speech samples. Machine learning models were trained to understand the various sounds and words, thus translating words from sound to text in the process.

    “Voice input for each of these languages is expected to get better over time, as more and more native speakers use the product,” he added.

    According to an earlier report by Google-KPMG, an estimated 536 million Indians are expected to use regional languages while online by 2021 as compared to about 199 million users who are expected to access the web in English. This growth is driven by increasing affordability of devices and data charges as well as availability of more local content, the report had said.

    The report had also pointed out that apart from Hindi, Marathi and Bengali users are expected to drive volume growth, while Tamil, Kannada and Telugu users are expected to be among the most digitally engaged through 2016 to 2021.

    Voice search in these new languages will be available in Google Search on iOS as well. These will soon be extended to other Google apps and products, including the Translate app.

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  • SK Telecom develops 5G repeater

    SK Telecom develops 5G repeater

    SK Telecom has developed and trialed a new 5G repeater as part of its preparations towards launching a commercial 5G network.

    The repeater has been applied to the operator’s 5G trial network near Gangnam Station in Seoul to provide denser coverage.

    It has been built with SK Telecom’s independently developed 5G relay technology to solve the issue of 5G coverage limitations caused by the narrow propagation characteristics of high-frequency radio signals in the above 6-GHz range.

    Park Jin-hyo, head of SK Telecom’s network technology R&D center, said the populous Gangnam area is one of the most difficult places to plan and build a network due to the presence of a large number of radio wave obstacles and high-density data traffic.

    “SK Telecom is moving closer to launching a commercial 5G network by applying key 5G technologies to our 5G trial network in Gangnam, an area with the highest data traffic,” he said.

    Using the 5G repeater, SK Telecom will now be able to more easily build 5G networks in other high-density areas, he added.

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  • Singtel profit falls 6% in June quarter

    Singtel profit falls 6% in June quarter

    Singtel has reported a 6% decline in net profit for the June quarter as a result of lower contributions from the company’s minority-owned regional associates and workforce restructuring charges at wholly-owned Australian subsidiary Optus.

    Profit for Singtel’s fiscal first quarter fell 6% to S$892 million ($654 million), despite an 8% increase in operating revenue to S$4.23 billion.

    Singapore consumer revenue increased 2% due to growth in data usage, home services and equipment sales offsetting declines in voice and roaming services. Consumer revenue from Australia meanwhile increased 6% across mobile and fixed services.

    Group enterprise revenue meanwhile increased a slim 1% as growth in ICT services partially offset a decline in traditional carriage services. Digital services unit Group Digital Life’s revenue surged 91%, driven by digital advertising subsidiary Amobee’s strong performance across both social and media advertising.

    But Singtel’s share of pre-tax earnings from regional associates fell 3.8% – or 6.6% in constant currency – to S$673 million, as a result of the shrinking profit at India’s Bharti Airtel, which is facing intense competition due to the entry into the market of disruptive new entrant Reliance Jio Infocomm.

    Excluding the impact of Airtel’s 42% lower pre-tax profit contribution, Singtel’s underlying net profit would have increased 3%.

    By contrast, Indonesia’s Telkomsel increased its pre-tax profit contribution by 18% due to strong growth in data and digital services.

    “We’ve had a good start to the year with a more challenging business environment. This speaks to the resilience of our core consumer business and the investments we’ve made in the digital space in our efforts to grow new businesses,” Singtel group CEO Chua Sock Koong said.

    “We are encouraged by their performance as they scale up to capture the opportunities in the new economy.”

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  • Unicom expects 69% profit growth for 1H17

    Unicom expects 69% profit growth for 1H17

    China Unicom has announced it expects to report a 68.9% increase in profit for the first six months of the year, partly as a result of improved cost efficiencies.

    The company estimates it earned a profit of 2.4 billion yuan ($359.9 million) for the six month period, despite a 1.5% decrease in overall revenue to 138.2 billion.

    Service revenue is expected to be up 3.2% year-on-year to 124.1 billion yuan, with mobile service revenue up 5.2% year on year.

    But due to intense competition in the fixed broadband market, China Unicom expects flat fixed line service revenue of 46.6 billion yuan. Combined with a decline in revenue from sales of telecoms products, total revenue is expected to have declined.

    But sales and marketing expenses, handset subsidies and other expenses were both lower year-on-year, leading to a projected 5.5% increase in ebitda to 43.6 billion yuan, representing around 35.1% of service revenue.

    Looking ahead to the second half of the year, Unicom cautioned that the mandated abolition of domestic long distance and roaming fees on September 1 and cyclical increases in competition will place increasing pressure on the company’s financial performance.

    Unicom will meanwhile act as the test subject for China’s planned mixed ownership model pilot program for the nation’s state-owned operators, bringing in private investors.

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  • Singtel deploying Massive MIMO

    Singtel deploying Massive MIMO

    Singtel is deploying Massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) technology commercially on its LTE-Advanced mobile network to improve the mobile data experience during special events.

    A precursor to 5G technology, Massive MIMO is an advanced solution used to boost network capacity in highly dense environments. The company plans to use the technology to improve mobile data speeds by up to 200% during busy periods.

    Singtel teamed up with Ericsson, Huawei and ZTE for the deployment of Massive MIMO technology at the Marina Bay area. Singtel rolled out the network boost at yesterday’s National Day celebrations, with other deployments planned for the Singapore F1 Night Race and the New Year countdown event.

    “On the joyous occasion of our National Day celebrations, Singtel is pleased to be pairing our newly-acquired 2.5-GHz spectrum with Massive MIMO technology to expand our network capacity and offer our customers an enhanced mobile experience at this and other special events,” Singtel group CTO Mark Chong said.

    Globally, large crowds gathered at events, such as concerts and festivals, use high volumes of data to share their experiences via real-time videos on social media.

    This extraordinary behaviour generates a dramatic spike in network traffic, presenting a challenge for operators to provide fast and consistent data speeds.

    Singtel has identified Massive MIMO as one of the solutions to the problem. Singtel will use Massive MIMO base stations featuring a large array of 64 antennas that improve spectral efficiency and cell capacity using innovations in radio technologies.

    The innovative antenna system channels signals to users’ specific locations instead of broadcasting across a geographical area. This multiplies the number of data paths from the cellular base stations, thus increasing network capacity and improving user experience.

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