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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.

  • China Mobile to cooperate with Ericsson on IoT

    China Mobile to cooperate with Ericsson on IoT

    China Mobile and Ericsson have signed an agreement to cooperate on the Internet of Things as part of China Mobile’s Big Connectivity strategy.

    The companies signed a strategic collaboration agreement at the China Mobile Global Partner Conference in Guangzhou, China last month, and announced the development last week.

    As part of the agreement, China Mobile will use the Ericsson Device Connectivity Platform to streamline the provisioning process for IoT services and deploy services to capitalize on potential new business opportunities.

    The operator plans to use the platform to integrate resources from roaming partners and offer enterprise customers worldwide reliable connectivity based on service level agreements.

    “China Mobile expects to have 200 million IoT connections by 2017. We stick to the strategy of open cooperation with our partners for win-win results,” China Mobile EVP Yuejia Sha commented.

    “China Mobile strengthens the collaboration with global leading enterprises of advanced platform, application and intelligent hardware to drive the rapid development of our industry, and provides superior applications and services to our customers.”

    Ericsson said the Device Connectivity Platform has been adopted by more than two dozen operators since it launched in 2008, supporting 1,700 industry customers.

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  • M1, StarHub may share more mobile infrastructure

    M1, StarHub may share more mobile infrastructure

    Singapore’s M1 and StarHub are considering expanding their mobile infrastructure sharing arrangements to gain a greater competitive edge against new market entrant TPG Telecom.

    The companies announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding covering the evaluation of potential further collaboration in network infrastructure sharing.

    M1 and StarHub have been sharing infrastructure including combined antenna systems, in-building fiber and tunnel cables for many years.

    Now the operators are exploring a deeper collaboration focused on sharing radio access network, backhaul and access assets.

    The collaboration is aimed at enabling both operators to optimize the use of a number of network elements while improving coverage and capacity for customers. The companies plan to continue to manage network traffic independently.

    StarHub CEO Tan Tong Hai said pooling network resources will allow both operators to roll out more cost effective next-generation networks to manage the exponential growth in demand for mobile data.

    “We are cooperating to bring the Singapore infocomm industry to the next level, to compete not on pure infrastructure ownership, but at a higher level of customer service and innovative value creation,” he said.

    “Sharing mobile network radio elements with M1, but keeping our individual mobile core networks, will allow StarHub to provide better mobile service (in particular, mobile coverage) and still be able to differentiate ourselves.”

    M1 CEO Karen Kooi added that the agreement could lower both operators’ operational and capital expenditures, allowing them to invest in the future technologies needed to keep Singapore at the forefront of the ICT industry.

    Singapore recently granted a fourth mobile license to TPG Telecom, after the Australian fixed line operator won a new entrant spectrum auction with a bid of S$105 million ($72.8 million).

    The terms of the allocation call for TPG to provide nationwide street level 4G coverage within 18 months of the license coming into effect, meaning the company will soon be a competitive threat for StarHub, M1 and incumbent Singtel.

  • Viettel-led consortium gets Myanmar telecoms license

    Viettel-led consortium gets Myanmar telecoms license

    Myanmar has formally awarded its fourth and final nationwide telecoms license to a joint venture consisting of Vietnamese military-run operator Viettel and local ICT companies.

    The consortium has been awarded a 15-year license to offer nationwide services in a move sure to heat up competition in the burgeoning market.

    The joint venture will be named Myanmar National Tele & Communications, and will compete against existing operators Telenor Myanmar, Ooredoo Myanmar and the joint venture between Myanmar Post and Telecom and Japan’s KDDI.

    Viettel was selected as the foreign partner for the new telecoms consortium in March last year, but the license has only now been allocated.

    Under the terms of the consortium agreement, Viettel will hold a 49% stake, while local companies Myanmar National Telecom Holding Public and Star High Public Company will own 23% and 28% respectively. Viettel has committing to investing around $1.5 billion in Myanmar’s telecoms sector.

    The report cites Myanmar’s Minister for Transport and Communications Thant Sin Maung as stating that the new operator “will help advance telecommunication in townships, rural mountain towns and will contribute to improving transportation, healthcare and education necessary for the people living in rural areas.”

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  • LG U+ deploys Korea’s first NFV routing system

    LG U+ deploys Korea’s first NFV routing system

    South Korea’s LG U+ has deployed the nation’s first carrier-grade virtual routing system using technology from Juniper Networks, as part of efforts to prepare its network for the 5G evolution.

    LG U+ is deploying Juniper Networks’ Ethernet switches and its vMX virtual router for the upgrade project.

    The operator selected Juniper due to its prior experience with the vendor’s routing equipment, as well as the vendor’s support for OpenStack-based NFV orchestration and expertise in the NFV segment.

    Juniper was also able to meet the operator’s resiliency requirements with its virtual routing solution’s  auto recovery and auto healing functions.

    Juniper worked closely with LG U+ on the integration of the system with existing infrastructure and devices. The operator also enabled IPv6 routing, anti-hacking and anti-DDoS attack services in LG U+’s NFV infrastructure, and additional features may be aadded in the future.

    “We are very excited about Korea’s first commercial launch of a carrier-grade NFV-based router,” LG U+ GM for transport platform development Jae-ho Choi said.

    “I believe this will enable us to not only drastically improve our routing performance, but provide greater stability and a more diverse range of services for our customers. As a leader of the 5G era, LG U+ plans to expand the adoption of NFV equipment in close, continued cooperation alongside Juniper Networks.”

  • Thai NBTC to relax per-second 4G billing condition

    Thai NBTC to relax per-second 4G billing condition

    Thailand’s telecoms regulator has relaxed an earlier directive requiring per-second billing for 4G services to only require operators to bill half of a service on a per-second basis.

    The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission’s (NBTC) telecoms committee has decided to change the directive to no longer require operators to charge entirely on a per-second basis.

    Although the initial per-second requirement was introduced May last year, the NBTC has yet to enforce it because it has proven unpopular with affected operators.

    Operators have been resisting the move to per-second billing on the grounds that it would unfairly penalize customers that have signed up to fixed allocation or unlimited call or data plans, stating that charging per second would cost heavy usage customers more than the bucket plans.

    The NBTC requirements would cap 4G tariff rates at 1.13 satang ($0.0003) per second. The requirements were a condition of the 4G mobile broadband licenses issued to AIS and TrueMove last year. Second-ranked Dtac is not required to comply.

    AIS has reportedly warned that the company would have to abolish their existing tariff plans if the directive is enforced, while True Move is appealing the directive in court.

  • Internet in Việt Nam expected to be slow until Tết

    Internet in Việt Nam expected to be slow until Tết

    Internet connectivity in Việt Nam will remain slow for the next two weeks. The Asia-America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable broke once again on Sunday, causing bandwidth loss from Việt Nam to Hong Kong, Singapore and the US.

    The line that snapped on Sunday was 98 kilometres off the coast of southern Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province.

    The repair ship will not be able to access the waters where the damaged cable is located till January 23, VietnamPlus reports.

    Welding is expected to start on January 25 and last until January 28.

    The cable will be buried and the connection will recover by January 29. However, the repairs may last longer if the weather is bad.

    In 2016, the 20,000km-long AAG cable was disrupted four times and maintenance work had to be undertaken in March, June, August and September.

    The AAG, one of the four intercontinental internet cable systems of Việt Nam and the largest, is used by major local providers, namely, FPT Telecom, VNPT, Viettel and SPT.

    The AAG cable came into use in November 2009, directly connecting Southeast Asia and the United States. It also links Southeast Asia with Europe, Australia and Africa.

    Previously, the Intra Asia cable system snapped and the damage was spotted near Hong Kong on Tuesday. However, the issue was resolved the same day.

    However, the system faced trouble again on Wednesday causing discontinuation in connection from Việt Nam to Hong Kong, Singapore and the US, affecting Internet speed in Việt Nam.

    Network providers will expand transmission channels to ensure connectivity this year. The Asia-Pacific Gateway undersea cable system is expected to help double the country’s internet traffic to other countries.

    The Asia Africa Euro 1, connecting Asian countries to Europe and Africa, is also under construction and is expected to become operational this year.

     

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  • 1-Net, Burst plan Singapore-Myanmar DC corridor

    1-Net, Burst plan Singapore-Myanmar DC corridor

    1-Net and Burst Networks are collaborating to develop network connectivity between 1-Net’s data center in Singapore and Burst’s data center in Myanmar.

    The two data centers will be connected by a network operated by Campana Group consisting of two subsea and terrestrial routes.

    “This high-speed data center corridor is unprecedented and will support many value-added services on this platform. With this seamless connection and one network model both Burst and 1-Net are able to achieve the lowest latency and highest quality link for their customers,” Campana Group CEO Dr Myo Ohn said.

    Burst will also serve as Myanmar’s first Internet Exchange, connecting international networks to local operators and ISPs.  This exchange known as “Burst Connectivity Hub” will also support a Transmission Facility designed to host satellite and cable termination facilities and fully redundant systems as well as C-Band and Ka-Band satellite facilities.

    The projects form part of a wider agreement for 1-Net to provide operational support for Burst Networks’ Uptime Institute certified Tier IV data center at Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on the outskirts of Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar.

    The aim is to support Burst Networks by providing the highest level of data center security, network best practices and reliability when they deliver their services to their clients’ mission-critical operations.

    “We are glad to work with Burst Networks to support their data center operations in Myanmar. It is 1-Net’s inaugural collaboration in Myanmar and we see the immense potential for data center business in this emerging market,” 1-Net Singapore managing director Wong Ka Vin said.

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  • SmarTone enters IoT alliance with Cisco Jasper

    SmarTone enters IoT alliance with Cisco Jasper

    Hong Kong’s SmarTone has teamed up with Cisco Jasper, Cisco’s IoT division, to launch IoT services in the market.

    The companies will offer Hong Kong businesses the opportunity to leverage SmarTone’s mobile network and Cisco Jasper’s Control Center managed connectivity platform for their IoT-based services.

    Announcing the deal, Cisco Jasper managing director for China and APJ Hong Lu said the company sees SmarTone as an ideal partner for the Hong Kong market due to its status as a total service provider, including cloud, mobile, fixed line, ICT and IoT services.

    “For more than 10 years we have been helping businesses across every industry automate the delivery of IoT services that have a direct impact on their bottom line,” Lu said.

    “Today, more than 6,500 companies in over 100 countries use Cisco Jasper Control Center to automate the connectivity management of their IoT devices around the world.”

    Customers include 23 of the world’s major auto makers leveraging the platform for their connected car initiatives. Cisco Jasper is also particularly targeting smart cities, as well as the industrial manufacturing, retail, security and smart home sectors.

  • Airtel launches India’s first payments bank

    Airtel launches India’s first payments bank

    India’s largest mobile operator Bharti Airtel has launched the nation’s first payments bank in all 29 states, using its extensive network of retail stores as banking points.

    The operator will invest an initial 30 billion rupees ($440.3 million) to develop a pan-India banking network and payments ecosystem for its mobile customers. Customers’ mobile number will serve as their banking numbers.

    At launch, the Airtel Payments Bank will use Airtel’s retail network of around 250,000 stores in all 29 states of India as banking points. This is more than the total number of ATMs currently operating in the country.

    Airtel plans to develop a nationwide digital payments ecosystem consisting of over 5 million merchants. The operator said 1 million are already on board.

    The bank offers an interest rate of 7.25% per annum on deposits in saving accounts, and Airtel mobile customers will receive equivalent talk time for every rupee they deposit at the time of opening a savings account.

    Airtel also rolled out its payments bank app for Android and iOS, accessible via the MyAirtel app.

    “Just like mobile telephony leapfrogged traditional telecom networks to take affordable telecom services deep into the country, Airtel Payments Bank aims to take digital banking services to the unbanked over their mobile phones in a quick and efficient manner. Millions of Indians in rural areas will get their first formal banking experience with Airtel Payments Bank,” Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said.

    “We are fully committed to… Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call to build a Digital India and lay a strong foundation for India’s transition to a cashless economy. Airtel Payments Bank will invest towards building a vast digital payments ecosystem with millions of merchants, and allow customers to make convenient cashless payments for good and services with their mobile phones.”

  • Singtel launches 450Mbps LTE-A nationwide

    Singtel launches 450Mbps LTE-A nationwide

    Singtel has announced the nationwide deployment of its 450Mbps LTE-Advanced service as part of the operator’s journey to 5G.

    The company has upgraded its LTE network in Singapore to support the pre-5G technology 256 quadrature amplitude modulation (256 QAM).

    The technology is designed to increase the number of unique waveform shapes to allow the carriage of up to a third more data, as well as increased spectral efficiency.

    Singtel will make the 450Mbps service available to all its 4G customers with compatible devices at no extra cost.

    Customers with Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones can take advantage of the faster speeds already, and Samsung plans to release a software update to also support the LG V20. More compatible smartphone models are expected to reach the market early this year.

    “Singtel is investing ahead to deliver faster speeds and wider connections with the steady deployment of innovative technologies on our live network,” Singtel CEO consumer Singapore Yuen Kuan Moon said.

    “With more customers consuming and sharing mobile videos, 450Mbps speeds will enable them to download movies in a flash and give them a better entertainment experience while on the go.”

    Singtel also announced it teamed up with Ericsson to demonstrate download speeds of 1Gbps in a live 4G network pilot at two sites. The speed was achieved by combining 256 QAM with 4×4 MIMO and tri-carrier aggregation technologies.

    The operator plans to roll out 4×4 MIMO technology on its network from next year. The first compatible devices are expected to be ready for launch by the end of 2017.

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  • International MVNE to launch on ASX tomorrow

    International MVNE to launch on ASX tomorrow

    Australia-based international MVNE United Networks will list on the Australian securities exchange (ASX) tomorrow after completing an A$7.1 million IPO.

    United’s main product is a white label global roaming service operating over cellular, Wi-Fi and GPS networks worldwide, targeted at corporate customers including insurers, airlines, banks and travel agents. The company also offers data and value added services.

    This month, United launched a white label Wi-Fi application connecting users to unlimited data in over 57 million hotspots across 120 countries.

    The company also offers a location based services platform that has recently been used to provide location and alert services for major events such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

    United plans to use the proceeds from its IPO to expand the strength and coverage of the United network to help broaden its customer base and product range.

    “The success of United’s white labelling has come from it being an attractive low cost customer acquisition program for corporates, as well as offering them a chance to convert this cost into a revenue earner,” United CEO Nicholas Ghattas said.

    “With the launch of the Wi-Fi app we have streamlined the use of the global roaming product and we expect it to be the basis for its growing appeal among new and existing corporate customers.”

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  • OTT substitution to cost operators $104b this year

    OTT substitution to cost operators $104b this year

    Operator voice and text revenues will continue to be eroded by competition from OTT messaging services and social media, with the consumer migration to these services costing network operators nearly $104 billion this year, according to Juniper Research.

    The impact of OTT substitution will be the equivalent to 12% of operators’ service revenues, the research firm said.

    In a new report, Juniper Research said the major success of several platforms have substantially impacted operator margins, noting that WhatsApp alone now generates nearly three times as much daily traffic as SMS.

    While the threat to operator revenues posed by OTT substitution is nothing new, the report also notes that OTT messaging platforms are now trialing or incorporating multiple new communications options, such as group voice and video chat. This is likely to ensure continued erosion of traditional telecoms traffic levels in the future.

    But Juniper Research said there are a number of measures operators can introduce to stem the decline in core revenues and develop new sources of income.

    These include implementing big data and analytics packages for consumer and IoT devices, introducing carrier billing payment options or mobile money services, and developing mobile identity services for consumers.

    With operators increasingly deploying mobile as part of a quad-play offering for subscribers, report author Dr Windsor Holden added that it is essential for operators to provide consumers with attractive, original content to differentiate themselves from the competition.

    “With mobile devices now regularly used for primary consumption of video content as well as snacking, operators providing popular film, drama and exclusive sports events over multiple channels are at a distinct advantage,” he said.

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  • AI to fuel smartphone sales rebound in 2017

    AI to fuel smartphone sales rebound in 2017

    Consumer purchases of smartphones dropped to a three-year low in 2016, but Accenture believes sales will rebound this year, fueled by demand for new capabilities including AI-driven digital assistants.

    A new global Accenture survey finds that the expected resurgence will be also fueled by the introduction of better security, new functions, improved performance and device refresh schedules.

    Accenture polled 26,000 consumers in 26 countries. Results show that more than half (54%) of consumers surveyed said they plan to buy a smartphone in the next year, up from 48% in last year’s survey.

    Chinese consumers are the main drivers of this upturn, with three-quarters (74%) of respondents in China saying they intend to purchase a smartphone in the coming 12 months, up from less than two-thirds (61%) in last year’s survey.

    The number of respondents in India and the United States who said they plan to buy a smartphone in the coming 12 months also increased by double digits over last year, to 79% in India (from 68% last year) and 52% in the United States (from 38% last year).

    Among all consumers surveyed, the leading driver of purchase intent is the ability to access the newest and most innovative features and functions, cited by 51% of respondents in this year’s survey, compared with only 41% last year.

    Another reason consumers are opting to buy new smartphones is the inadequate performance of their existing devices, cited by 45% of customers this year – up from 33% last year.

    “Improved features and falling prices are key reasons consumers around the world are signaling a desire to buy new smartphones,” said David Sovie, global managing director for Accenture’s Electronics and High-Tech business.

    “Growing acceptance of services powered by artificial intelligence, such as voice assistants, is also fueling this market upswing. 2017 will be the year when artificial intelligence goes mainstream in consumer devices.”

    For the first time, the annual survey polled consumers about their intentions to buy digital voice-enabled assistants such as Amazon Echo and Google Home. Powered by artificial intelligence, the products recognize a human’s voice commands, such as ‘Turn on the light’ and ‘Play music’ and answer questions such as ‘What time is it?’ and ‘What is the temperature outside?’

    While only 4% of the respondents said they own such a device today, two-thirds (65%) of these said they use their device on a regular basis, showing strong acceptance of this new technology.

    Voice assistants on smartphones are also becoming increasingly popular as the AI technology powering these services has improved dramatically. Younger consumers are leading the adoption, with more than four in five (84%) of 14-to-17-year-olds saying they either use this technology today or are interested in doing so.

    Consumers are also willing to embrace a wide array of potential AI-powered, personalized services, with a majority of respondents saying they are interested in personal health assistants (cited by 60%), smart trip assistants (59%) and entertainment advisors (51%).

  • Tata Sky offers 600 channels and services

    Tata Sky offers 600 channels and services

    Tata Sky in India has unveiled its offerings #MaxJingalala of 600 channels and services, which is said to be the highest ever in the DTH sector.

    Tata Sky today is a market leader in HD channels along with maximum number of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Punjabi and Assamese channels on offer.

    As of December 2016, Tata Sky is offering an unprecedented 76 HD (highest in the industry) and 483 SD channels. The bouquet of 31 value added services, 15 SD & HD movie platforms specials, 9 exclusive +1 channel feeds, have been a clear differentiator and a key focus area for the brand.

    “Consumers in India consider the number of channels provided by an entertainment platform to be among the second-biggest reason to make their purchase decisions,” said Malay Dikshit, Chief Communications Officer of Tata Sky. “Tata Sky is leaving no stone unturned to offer the maximum number of channels and services to its subscribers. Hence offering Sabse Zyada Manoranjan catering to every member of the family is key to the Tata Sky offering.”

    Throughout 2016, Tata Sky has pioneered in the Pay TV sector with offerings ranging from enabling internet browser application on the Set Top Box, introducing Kids Showcase, Bengali & Punjabi movies MAMI films, m-Visa payment option to first of its kind interactive services such as Comedy, Devotion, Music + and Gurus.

    The year also saw popular campaigns from Tata Sky such as Pyaar Jingalala (13 series ad films), Das Saal Jingalala and Family Jingalala (starring Amitabh Bachchan).

    Some of the other first-ever in the sector that Tata Sky has under its hat are the launch of 4k Set Top Box in India, Karaoke service on STB, unique interactive services Classroom and Smart manager and the world’s first Daily Recharge option.

  • Vietnam telecom giant to scrap roaming fees with Laos, Cambodia from 2017

    Vietnam telecom giant to scrap roaming fees with Laos, Cambodia from 2017

    The company expects to lose $1 million a month but hopes to boost connections in Indochina. Vietnam’s biggest telecom firm Viettel has announced it will abolish roaming charges between Vietnam and neighboring Cambodia and Laos, where it has also developed strong networks.

    Nguyen Manh Hung, general director of the company, said that starting from next year its subscribers in the three countries will be able to phone each other at domestic call rates, local media reported. Viettel has developed the Metfone network in Cambodia and Unitel in Laos.

    Hung said the initiative is to facilitate cultural and trade connections in Indochina, but the company will lose around $1 million a month.

    In October last year, members of the European parliament also voted to scrap mobile roaming charges from mid-2017 to save holidaymakers among member countries from racking up massive phone bills.

    ASEAN ministers of communications raised the idea of abolishing roaming fees thoughout the bloc back in 2013, but no agreement was finalized.

    Besides Vietnam, Viettel operates mobile networks in ten countries in Southeast Asia, South America and Africa.

    Its brand value has been estimated at $973 million by UK-based intangible asset valuation consultancy organization Brand Finance. It is ranked seventh in Southeast Asia and 93rd globally.

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