Retail News CRM

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.

  • Ooyala launches applications for collaborative asset management

    Ooyala launches applications for collaborative asset management

    Ooyala has launched new versions of its MAM (media asset management) application and Reviewer application for its media logistics platform, Ooyala Flex.

    The new solutions make it easier for broadcasters, publishers and media companies to manage, review and approve video assets while automating steps in the workflow and capturing the associated data in the management phase of video production.

    Both applications are highly configurable, taking advantage of the workflow capabilities of Ooyala Flex. With a modular approach, the applications can be used separately or together.

    When deployed together, customers benefit from enhanced collaboration and efficiencies not found in traditional offerings on the market, allowing creative teams to focus only on the tasks that add value and creativity to productions.

    The HTML-5 based MAM application can be tailored to match each customer’s unique production workflow. Non-technical users are able to easily upload and organize video and image assets, search for and update metadata, perform rough-cut edits and review assets with internal teammates.

    The Reviewer application for Ooyala Flex lets individuals that are either inside or outside of the organization securely review, approve and submit time-coded comments on selected content from anywhere in the world, anytime－including real-time collaboration and annotation for images.

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  • Vodafone Australia builds cyber security center for enterprise customers

    Vodafone Australia builds cyber security center for enterprise customers

    Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) has contracted Dimension Data and FireEye to build its first Cyber Defence and Response Centre (CDRC) to offer services to enterprise customers.

    The CDRC will provide around-the-clock advanced event monitoring, threat protection and intelligence, and incident response to help protect Vodafone Enterprise and its customers against online security threats, as well as assist with the aftermath of an attack.

    Vodafone signed a five-year contract with FireEye and a three-year contract (with a two-year option for extension) with Dimension Data to help deliver a range of services through the CDRC, including proactive threat hunting, global threat intelligence correlation, vulnerability management, penetration testing, digital forensics and crisis management.

    “Cybercrime is a topic that we take very seriously at Vodafone. We have partnered with the industry’s best providers to help us protect our critical information and infrastructure, as well as intellectual property,” said Vodafone chief technology officer Kevin Millroy.

    “The capabilities, maturity, flexibility, and scalability of Dimension Data and FireEye enables us to be ready and open to exchange threat information and knowledge with the federal government’s Australian Cyber Security Centre, and ultimately contribute to protecting Australia’s national security and economic prosperity from online threats.”

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  • OneWeb secures $1.2b from Softbank-led investment

    OneWeb secures $1.2b from Softbank-led investment

    OneWeb has raised $1.2 billion in a new funding round led by Japan’s Softbank, bringing in fresh capital for the US satellite startup to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

    Softbank is investing $1 billion of the total $1.2 billion and has become a strategic partner, with one of its directors, Ronald Fisher, joining OneWeb’s board of directors.

    The remaining $200 million will be funded by its current investors, which include Airbus Group, Bharti Enterprises, Intelsat-owned Hughes Network Systems, Qualcomm, and Virgin Group. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.

    OneWeb said the money will be used to build a high-volume satellite production plant in Florida, which is expected to create almost 3,000 new engineering, manufacturing and supporting jobs in US over the next four years.

    “With this new round of funding and based on our rapid technical progress over the past year, we also announce a much larger goal: to fully bridge the digital divide by 2027, making internet access available and affordable for everyone,” said OneWeb founder Greg Wyler.

    The new facility, which will begin production in 2018, aims to produce 15 satellites each week “at a fraction of the cost of what any satellite manufacturing facility in the world can produce today,” the company said.

    For Softbank, the $1 billion investment in OneWeb is the first tranche of a $50 billion US investment the Japanese conglomerate’s founder and CEO Masayoshi Son pledged to President-elect Donald Trump.

    “Earlier this month I met with President-Elect Trump and shared my commitment to investing and creating jobs in US,” Son said in a media release. “This is the first step in that commitment.”

    It is also Softbank’s latest attempts to strengthen the company’s foothold in the burgeoning IoT sector. In July, Softbank, which also owns US mobile carrier Sprint, acquired UK chipmaker Arm for a whopping $31 billion to pursue business opportunities in the emerging IoT sector.

    “SoftBank has a long history of investing in disruptive, foundational technologies that promise to help us realize the future sooner. OneWeb is a tremendously exciting company poised to transform internet access around the world from their manufacturing facility in Florida,” Son noted.

    Founded in 2012, OneWeb aims to build a communication network with a constellation starting with 720 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites to deliver affordable, high-speed, low latency internet access to rural areas across the United States and emerging markets.

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  • India to start screening of imported telecoms gear in April

    India to start screening of imported telecoms gear in April

    The Indian government is reportedly planning to start screening imported telecoms equipment used in mobile networks and handsets from April 1, 2017, following several implementation delays over the last three and a half years.

    The government has assigned labs under a state-owned quality control agency, Standardisation Testing & Quality Certification (STQC), to undertake the screening of imported mobile network gears, feature phones and smartphones in the interest of national security, the Economic Times reported.

    Initially, local screening will be conducted in phases by identifying network gear deemed most vulnerable, the Economic Times cited a senior official at Department of Telecom (DoT) as saying.

    The government’s immediate objective is to also ensure that local screening does not create supply-chain bottlenecks or disrupt mobile network rollouts or expansions, according to another source familiar with the matter.

    Accordingly, the DoT plans to invite companies from the private sector to set up more accredited labs to screen imported network gear, and develop a full-blown local testing ecosystem.

    However, the government has received a lukewarm response from the private sector due to the lack of a viable funding mechanism.

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  • Qualcomm to support Google’s Android Thing IoT platform

    Qualcomm to support Google’s Android Thing IoT platform

    Qualcomm announced that it plans to work with Google to add support for the search giant’s new IoT operating system, Android Things, in its Snapdragon processors.

    In a statement released Wednesday, Qualcomm said the collaboration with Google will focus on developing both “consumer and industrial applications” and the initiative would help a vast number of developers participate in the IoT opportunity.

    “We anticipate Android Things running on Snapdragon processors will offer developers familiar connectivity environments, including cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth; support for a wide array of sensors; camera, graphics, multimedia, and rich UI capabilities; hardware-based security; Google services and cloud integration; test and optimization tools, and more – allowing for rapid development of scalable, cost-effective and security-focused IoT solutions,” Qualcomm said.

    Although Android Things is currently in a developer preview stage, Qualcomm noted the platform is expected to be released more broadly on Snapdragon processors next year.

    Qualcomm’s announcement came a day after Google launched a preview of the new IoT platform which it said would enable developers to quickly build smart devices using Android APIs and Google services.

    In a blog post on the Android Developers’ Blog, Google said Android Things incorporates feedback received on its Project Brillo IoT OS and will include tools such as Android Studio, the Android Software Development Kit, Google Play Services, and Google Cloud Platform.

    Google will also offer Developer Preview updates in the coming months to provide the infrastructure necessary to securely push OS patches, security fixes, a developer’s own updates, built-in Weave connectivity and more, the search giant added.

    Google is also updating its IoT communication platform Weave to help facilitate cloud connectivity for all types of devices so they can interact with services like Google’s Assistant.

    “This is just the beginning of the IoT ecosystem we want to build with you,” Google developer advocate Wayne Piekarski wrote in the blog post.

  • Smart, Nokia conduct Philippines’ first 5G demo

    Smart, Nokia conduct Philippines’ first 5G demo

    The Philippines’ PLDT, through mobile subsidiary Smart, has completed the first showcase of 5G speeds in the nation.

    During the trial the companies achieved a peak speed of 2.5Gbps using 100 MHz of spectrum, as well as a latency of just 1ms.

    The demo was conducted at the Nokia Manila Technology Center in Quezon City, and demonstrated use cases for 5G including 3D 360-degree VR streaming and the Nokia AirFrame data center platform for distributed cloud architectures capable of supporting real-time IoT operation.

    “We are excited to work with Nokia in conducting cutting-edge research and development for 5G,” PLDT and Smart CEO Manuel Pangilinan said.

    “This is a key part of our efforts to transform the PLDT and Smart network into the country’s most future-ready data infrastructure delivering a wide range of gigabit digital solutions.”

    He said 5G will be critical to realizing Smart’s full vision for the IoT. The operator has a track record of investing in and helping drive the development of the IoT, including the founding the Philippines’ first Internet of Everything consortium in 2014.

    Nokia’s Bell Labs predicts that there will be up to 5 billion IoT devices connected through mobile networks by the year 2020.

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  • SoftBank launches cloud videoconferencing service

    SoftBank launches cloud videoconferencing service

    Japan’s SoftBank  has launched a new cloud-based videoconferencing service using PolyCom’s RealPresence Clariti infrastructure software.

    SoftBank’s new PrimeMeeting service will strengthen the company’s offerings to customers looking for a flexible video collaboration solution that is simple to purchase and implement.

    The service is built on RealPresence Clarity as well as SoftBank’s White Cloud ASPIRE Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platform.

    As well as enabling collaboration from anywhere on any device, the service will support integration with Microsoft’s Skype for Business and traditional video conferencing systems.

    “We are happy to announce the launch of our cloud videoconferencing service, PrimeMeeting, provided in collaboration with Polycom. Customers who previously could not use a video conferencing service due to cost, location, or device issues will now be able to easily adopt this service,” SoftBank ICT innovation division director Sadahiro Sato said.

    “By combining Polycom’s strong market share and brand value in the video conferencing market together with our new cloud service, we can enable more flexible and richer communication options to more of our customers.”

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  • HKT urges reforms to spectrum policy

    HKT urges reforms to spectrum policy

    HKT has publicly criticized the Hong Kong government over its handling of spectrum-related matters, asserting that the region risks becoming “a third-class citizen in mobile service development.”

    In an open letter to the government, HKT expressed concern over a range of issues, including a belief that the government is not doing enough to release more spectrum to the market, the failure to follow up on a pledge to introduce spectrum trading and insufficient public engagement over a planned spectrum reassignment exercise.

    HKT also expressed concern over the fact that spectrum prices have “increased astronomically over the years [to the extent that] Hong Kong spectrum prices are now the most expensive in the world.”

    Such high prices aren’t necessary when the government already has a huge budget surplus, HKT said. The charges are also inevitably passed on to consumers, who could see prices go up by more than HK$12 per month if the government sticks to its current pricing proposals.

    “What Hong Kong needs is a forward-looking, accommodating and holistic approach to spectrum policy, not a simplistic spectrum auction that is purely designed to maximize government revenues at the expense of the spectrum policy objectives,” HKT concluded.

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  • Australia’s Thinxtra to launch IoT network in HK

    Australia’s Thinxtra to launch IoT network in HK

    Australia-based pure-play IoT infrastructure provider Thinxtra has expanded into Hong Kong, with plans to launch Sigfox low-power wide area (LPWA) network in the market early next year.

    The company is deploying a territory-wide open IoT LPWA network that connects to other networks based on Sigfox’s network technology in 28 countries.

    Ahead of the launch, Thinxtra has been working with Hong Kong’s Science Park on IoT R&D efforts as well as the design of devices, sensors and services for the network.

    Thinxtra is the exclusive Sigfox network operator for Australia, New Zealand and now Hong Kong, and also has LPWA networks covering 62% of the population in Australia and 73% in New Zealand.  Now the company is pursuing expansion into the APAC region.

    “We’re bringing our expertise and experience to Hong Kong to support its ongoing transformation into a smart city and a leader in IoT adoption and development,” Thinxtra Asia managing director Murray Hankinson said.

    “We also see great potential for Hong Kong to be a world-leading design and manufacturing hub for IoT innovation, and we’re investing here to support this growth.”

    Sigfox is working with partners to roll out a global LPWA network dedicated to the IoT, designed to meet the low energy consumption and long range requirements for IoT devices.

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  • DoCoMo joins CAICT’s 5G Promotion Group

    DoCoMo joins CAICT’s 5G Promotion Group

    Japan’s NTT DoCoMo has teamed up with the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology (CAICT) on research and development into potential 5G standards.

    As part of the collaboration, DoCoMo will join the CAICT-initiated IMT-2020 Promotion Group 5G trial. DoCoMo and CAICT will also evaluate possible frequency bands for future 5G networks.

    DoCoMo joined the IMT-2020 promotion group in August to co-operate with major mobile operators and vendors on 5G R&D and standardization.

    The operator has also been conducting joint 5G R&D with vendors including Ericsson, Huawei and others.

    The IMT-2020 Promotion Group was jointly established by three Chinese ministries in early 2013, based on the original IMT-Advanced Promotion Group. It is the major platform to promote research into 5G in China.

    The group is divided into dedicated units covering areas including technology, spectrum, intellectual property and network asrchitectures.

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  • TPG wins auction to be Singapore’s fourth cellco

    TPG wins auction to be Singapore’s fourth cellco

    Australian fixed line operator TPG Telecom has won the new entrant spectrum auction to become Singapore’s fourth mobile network operator.

    TPG submitted the winning bid of S$105 million ($72.8 million) for a provisional allocation of 60 MHz of spectrum in the 900-MHz and 2.3-GHz spectrum bands.

    TPG outbid MyRepublic to secure the new license and spectrum.

    Final allocation of the spectrum will require payment of the relevant spectrum fees, and the commencement date of spectrum rights will be scheduled after the planned general spectrum auction to be held in the first quarter.

    Regulator IMDA said the new spectrum rights are expected to commence on April 1 at the earliest. TPG will also be eligible to compete in the general spectrum auction if the operator so chooses.

    As a condition of its bid, TPG will need to provide nationwide street level 4G coverage within 18 months of the new spectrum rights commencing, road tunnels and in-building coverage within 30 months and coverage of MRT underground stations and lines within 54 months.

    Singapore MVNO Circles.Life, which launched earlier this year as the market’s fourth postpaid mobile service provider, has welcomed the move.

    “Circles.Life welcomes IMDA’s on-going efforts to support competition and look forward to TPG Telecom’s entry into the telco space in Singapore… We hope TPG Telecom will continue to support our ambition to bring more innovation and choice to the market,” the company’s co-founder and director Rameez Ansar said.

    “In the short-term, the impact may be limited until TPG Telecom enters the market in about two years from now after building the required infrastructure. Meanwhile, we are focusing on targeting the data savvy segment.”

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  • Telstra excluded from Australian 700-MHz auction

    Telstra excluded from Australian 700-MHz auction

    The Australian government will exclude the market’s largest operator Telstra from taking part in a digital dividend auction of 700-MHz spectrum, on the advice of telecoms regulator ACMA.

    ACMA held that because Telstra already owns more than 50% of available low-band spectrum, a victory in the auction would only increase its dominance.

    Communications minister Mitch Fifield has instructed ACMA to set a reserve price for the auction of $1.25 ($0.93) per MHz per head of population covered.

    The terms of the auction will stipulate that no operator can own more than two 20 MHz blocks of spectrum in the 700 MHz band.

    Setting such a cap could allow both Telstra rivals Optus and Vodafone Australia to secure more spectrum to compete against the incumbent. If major fixed line operator TPG chooses to participate the operator would also be better positioned to roll out a fourth 4G network in Australia.

    TPG spent A$13.5 million ($10 million) for 2×10 MHz of 2.5-GHz spectrum in 2013. The operator also recently won the auction to become Singapore’s fourth mobile network operator after securing 60 MHz of 4G spectrum.

    The digital dividend auction will involve 2×15 MHz of the 700-MHz spectrum freed up from the migration from analog to digital broadcasting, but left unsold during the initial digital dividend auction in 2013.

  • AIS to invest $1.1b in 4G expansion

    AIS to invest $1.1b in 4G expansion

    Thai mobile market leader AIS plans to invest at least 40 billion baht ($1.12 billion) to expand its 4G network to improve take-up and performance.

    AIS has been spending heavily to deploy its 4G network and now expects to achieve 98% population coverage by the end of the year.

    But only around 25% of AIS’ 39.9 million strong subscriber base are 4G users, compared to 25.2 million for 3G.

    AIS aims to increase the percentage of 4G subscribers to 40% by the end of 2017. Take-up has been faster than initially expected, prompting the operator to raise its target.

    AIS launched 4G two years later than key rival TrueMove, but due to it 4G investment strategy has exceeded True’s 4G subscriptions and coverage, the report states.

    The operator is shoring up its network to be able to cope with heavy data usage and the ongoing erosion of voice and SMS usage. Roughly 22% of the company’s 60,000 base stations have been upgraded to 4G.

    This move forms part of a wider strategy aimed at transforming AIS into a fully integrated digital services provider by 2019.

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  • Datacloud Asia 2017 Conference & Exhibition Launches Feb 23 in Singapore

    Datacloud Asia 2017 Conference & Exhibition Launches Feb 23 in Singapore

    Having established Datacloud as Europe’s foremost networking and deal-making forum for data center and cloud players, the widely acclaimed event is now scheduled to take place in the growth markets of Asia on February 23, 2017. BroadGroup, the consulting, publishing and professional events firm has announced the early programme for Datacloud Asia 2017, which includes experts from Asia, the US and Europe.

    Set to be the first deal-making forum in the region, the event offers a valuable return on investment for attendees, uniquely bringing together data center operators with IT infrastructure leaders looking to deploy assets across the Asian region; colocation, hosting, cloud services, data center and vendor solution sales are all transacted at the event. Datacloud provides powerful content with an impressive line-up of guest speakers – and is the only event in Asia that attracts top leadership from operating companies.

    The forum concludes with a celebration of the nominees for Asia’s inaugural Data Center & Cloud Awards. Seeking genuine innovation as well as on-going evolution and transformation already underway in Asia, the Datacloud Asia 2017 Awards* will be presented in a refreshing format with all-new award categories at a combined reception hosted by Digital Realty and awards dinner at the prestigious Capella Hotel & Conference Center on Sentosa Island, minutes from Singapore’s business district.

    “Datacloud is unique,” commented Philip Low, chairman of BroadGroup. “You will not find a trade show, but you will find a highly structured networking forum for senior executives complemented by a far reaching programme covering hot topics such as China, blockchain, enterprise cloud strategies, agile infrastructure, finance and investment, location for data centers and more. With the addition of the Awards it makes for an exceptional event.”

    “Asia hubs will be a central theme of this new event with a strong focus on investors, enterprises and doing deals. It also aims to offer inspiring insights for companies seeking a better way of hosting and colocating in the new reality of a data-driven and cloud-connected world,” says Low. “The forum promises to highlight the value of outsourcing data centre, cloud and IT infrastructure across the fast growing Asia region, and is designed to appeal to both users and outsourcers.”

    Sponsors for the event include Schneider Electric, Digital Realty, Telin Singapore, Kingsland Data Center, Datwyler, Lamda Hellix Data Centers, and has a range of industry and media partners including Globeron, Asia Cloud Computing Association, iMiller Public Relations, techUK, European Data Centre Association (EUDCA), BICSI and WiredRE. Lead Media Partner is Data Economy (www.data-economy.com) and Intelligence Partner is Colocation Markets Quarterly (CMQ).

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  • Accuris, iPass to offer Wi-Fi solution for cellcos

    Accuris, iPass to offer Wi-Fi solution for cellcos

    Wi-Fi roaming, interworking and service policy enablement provider Accuris Networks has entered a partnership with global Wi-Fi operator iPass to offer mobile operators and MVNOs the ability to integrate carrier Wi-Fi into their service offerings.

    The companies will offer a combined solution enabling mobile operators to access the global iPass Wi-Fi footprint for service delivery and traffic offloading.

    The solution will integrate iPass’ SmartConnect technology into the Accuris Networks Wi-Fi e-client to enable client connection analytics. The solution will support integration with pre-paid service plans and existing billing systems.

    “Not only will this partnership offer our connectivity services to a billion potential end users, but it will also enable MNOs and MVNOs to dramatically accelerate the introduction of cutting-edge Wi-Fi solutions to the market,” iPass CEO Gary Griffiths said.

    “In particular, we see this partnership as integral in delivering on our strategy to connect users seamlessly and intelligently on Wi-Fi and cellular networks.”

    “Mobile operators increasingly see the value in Wi-Fi as a central pillar to their connectivity and mobile broadband strategy, “ Accuris Networks CEO Jeff Brown added.

    “Accuris Networks has proven capability in combining controlled Wi-Fi service to their core service portfolio. Now, by teaming with iPass, which boasts an unparalleled global Wi-Fi footprint and Wi-Fi analytics technology, we can offer our customers a complete mobile-centric Wi-Fi solution.”