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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.

  • Sri Lanka Telecom to build government fiber network

    Sri Lanka Telecom has secured a contract to build a fiber network connecting government offices in the nation.

    The operator has been selected to build the LGN2.0 (Lanka government network 2.0).

    As well as connecting government agencies and public institutions, the network will be used to provide free public Wi-Fi to citizens.

    The LGN2.0 project is being overseen by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA). It has a total budget of 12.7 billion rupees ($86.1 million) over the next two years.

    Sri Lanka’s Minister of Mass Media Gayantha Karunathilaka has stated that the project aims to address concerns that the existing LGN is not fast enough to support Sri Lanka’s ambitions to digitize the national economy.

    The original LGN was deployed between 2007 and 2012. It is managed by the government-owned entity Lanka Government Information Infrastructure (LGII).

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  • Ericsson swings to $22.4m Q3 loss

    Ericsson swings to $22.4m Q3 loss

    Ericsson swung to a loss of 200 million kronor ($22.4 million) in the third quarter as a result of weaker sales, particularly in the networks segment.

    The net loss – which marked a reversal from a 3.1 billion kronor net income in the third quarter – can be attributed to a number of negative industry trends impacting demand, according to Ericsson.

    Reported sales declined 14% year-on-year to 51.1 billion kronor, with network segment revenues down 19% due to weaker demand for mobile broadband.

    Gross margins also shrank significantly – from 33.9% to 28.3% – as a result of the decline in demand for network equipment in comparison to the lower-margin services segment.

    “The negative industry trends from the first half of 2016 have further accelerated, impacting Q3 sales, primarily relating to mobile broadband…The current industry trends indicate a somewhat weaker than normal seasonal sales growth between the third and fourth quarters,” Ericsson president and CEO Jan Frykhammar said.

    “In addition a renewed managed services contract in North America, with reduced scope, will impact sales negatively. The current business mix of coverage and capacity sales in mobile broadband is anticipated to prevail in the short term.”

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  • Ooredoo Maldives signs deal with Thuraya

    Ooredoo Maldives signs deal with Thuraya

    Ooredoo Maldives has contracted mobile satellite services provider Thuraya to supply fisheries and resorts in the tropical nation with satellite-based voice and broadband connectivity.

    The operator yesterday launched Thuraya SatSleeve+ and SatSleeve Hotspot devices and accompanying data packages at its retail outlets.

    In the first phase of the partnership, Ooredoo is offering the devices and services to fisheries under a two-year contract.

    The agreement addresses a mandate from the Maldives government requiring commercial fishing operators to outfit their vessels with satellite equipment and supply anglers with satellite phones, to address requirements including worker safety.

    Ooredoo’s Hussain Niyaz commented that “traditionally, fishery is the main occupation and major source of livelihood in the Maldives. It is also the second largest industry in the country. Safety is an important driver in this sector, where there are many accidents.”

    In the second phase of the agreement, which will come into effect later this year, the operator will market the services to the Maldives’ 105 plus resorts.

    This too will fulfil a mandate by the government requiring all resorts and tourist facilities to install satellite communications equipment as an additional safety measure.

  • Vodafone plans to launch world’s first NB-IoT networks

    Vodafone plans to launch world’s first NB-IoT networks

    Vodafone has revealed plans to launch what it expects will be the world’s first live commercial narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) networks in early 2017.

    The operator will launch LPWA NB-IoT networks in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain during the first three months of the year.

    Vodafone said it will be able to implement the NB-IoT rollout by way of a software upgrade to its existing 4G base stations, allowing the company to deliver nationwide coverage almost immediately in the four markets.

    The operator plans to roll out the technology to additional markets later in the year, and provide full coverage of the operator’s global network by 2020.

    In preparation for the launch Vodafone has been conducting testing of the technology. Last week Vodafone Spain completed the first test of an NB-IoT connected product on a commercial network, by burying a parking sensor in a space within Madrid’s Vodafone Plaza. A smartphone app was able to display that the space was occupied when a car was parked in it.

    “The questions of battery life and deep in-building penetration have now been answered by NB-IoT,” Vodafone’s director of IoT Ivo Rook said.

    “The low cost of the modules means we can expect a new wave of connected devices and soaring market demand. Vodafone’s world leading expertise and experience in IoT will prove invaluable in shaping this exciting market.”

    Singapore’s M1 has also announced plans to deploy a commercial NB-IoT network in 2017, but did not specify the time during the year that the company plans to launch.

  • Vodafone Australia to offer fixed broadband services

    Vodafone Australia to offer fixed broadband services

    Vodafone Australia has revealed plans to branch out into offering fixed broadband services over the national broadband network (NBN).

    The operator plans to extend into fixed-line broadband to give its mobile customers more access to data both at home and on-the-go.

    While the NBN rollout is not scheduled for completion until 2020, around three million premises have access to the network and more than 1.1 million have signed up.

    At a press briefing, Vodafone Australia CEO Inaki Berroeta said the move into fixed broadband is a “natural progression” for the company, and it’s the right time to make the move because the NBN project is reaching the scale required to deliver an NBN service that complements its mobile network. It is expected that 4 million premises will be NBN-ready by the end of the year.

    Vodafone plans to make its first commercial NBN services available next year.

    Market research from Roy Morgan indicates that 550,000 of Vodafone’s mobile customers already intend to switch fixed broadband provider over the next 12 months, giving the operator a large potential market at the ready.

    Vodafone’s customers are also over 50% more likely than average to be dissatisfied with their current fixed broadband provider, and are statistically 10 percentage points less likely than the national average to have market leader Telstra as a fixed broadband provider.

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  • Telkom picks HAUD for A2P SMS monetization

    Telkom picks HAUD for A2P SMS monetization

    Telkom Indonesia has adopted HAUD’s A2P SMS monetization and SS7 security managed services to create new sources of revenue and improve subscriber experience for the operator.

    The managed service agreement with HAUD will help Telkom Indonesia mitigate any lost A2P revenue, and its subscribers are protected from spam and fraudulent SMS traffic.

    Through its Revenue-as-a-Service approach, HAUD will manage the entire A2P monetization process, from traffic identification and blocking, to redirection of traffic to monetizable channels, without requiring any initial investment from the MNO.

    HAUD’s mobile network firewall provides modular protection against SS7 security vulnerabilities, fraud and spam SMS, while preventing grey route traffic that bypasses network termination fees. Its range of packages effectively ring-fence networks from malicious messages, while improving customer experience and revenue assurances.

    Mårten Björkman, SVP for Asia Pacific at HAUD, said Revenue-as-a-Service is a new approach to helping operators to make the most of all possible income streams available to them.

    Björkman said the global A2P SMS market is worth billions, but many operators are not equipped to claim their fair share, and routinely lose out on large amounts of revenue due to the ongoing use of grey routes.

    “HAUD’s knowledge and experience of the global A2P and fraud landscape can help MNOs like Telkom Indonesia stay in control of their networks with a minimal outlay of resources,” he said.

    Michael Adiguna, AVP of sales strategy at Telkom Indonesia, said the agreement with HAUD was particularly attractive, and the ability to deliver results almost instantly “was impressive.”

    “With our revenues maximized and network utilization improved, we can focus on delivering the quality of service that modern mobile users demand,” said Adiguna. “HAUD’s solution makes sure that the messages our subscribers receive are from genuine, trustworthy sources.”

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  • GTel Mobile has become Vietnam’s fourth 4G licensee

    GTel Mobile has become Vietnam’s fourth 4G licensee

    GTel Mobile has become Vietnam’s fourth 4G licensee, joining MobiFone, Viettel and VNPT in securing a license.

    As with the major operators, GTel Mobile has secured permission to deploy 4G services on the 1800-MHz band.

    GTel Mobile is owned by Vietnam’s Global Telecommunications Corporation (GTC).

    The operator was originally established as a joint venture between Russia’s Vimpelcom and GTC, providing services under the Beeline brand, but Vimpelcom sold its indirect 49% stake in April 2012. The company now provides services under the Gmobile brand.

    The news comes days after the government revealed it had allocated 4G licenses to MobiFone, Viettel and VNPT. The telecoms ministry has set a target of ensuring at least 95% of Vietnam’s population is covered with 3G or 4G infrastructure by 2020.

    GTel’s license acquisition leaves Vietnamobile as the market’s only operator yet to secure a 4G license, the report adds.

  • M1 nine-month profit falls 12.6%

    M1 nine-month profit falls 12.6%

    Singapore’s M1 has reported a 12.6% decline in net profit for the first nine months of the year, due to slowing service revenue and depreciation and amortization costs associated with the operator’s 4G network.

    Net profit fell to S$117.9 million ($84.7 million), while service revenue decreased 1.4% to S$604.5 million as a result of the ongoing impact of OTT substitution on traditional telecoms services revenue.

    Mobile data revenue grew by 6.2 percentage points year on year to account for 54.2% of service revenue, with average postpaid smartphone data usage growing to 3.4GB per month in the third quarter from 3.3GB a month a year earlier.

    Fixed service revenue for the nine-month period meanwhile increased 26.1% year-on-year to S$77.1 million, or 12.8% of service revenue. M1’s fiber customer base increased by 7,000 to 152,000.

    Looking ahead, M1 said barring unforeseen circumstances, the operator expects a similar percentage decline in net profit for the full year as reported for the first nine months.

    Announcing its results, M1 said its planned of Singapore’s first nationwide commercial NB-IoT network, announced n August, will help open up a new growth market for the operator.

    “The needs and behavior of our consumers and corporates are changing rapidly. We will continue to make network investments to provide our customers with a superior and all-encompassing experience while also tapping into new growth areas in data analytics, IoT and other solutions,” M1 CEO Karen Kooi said.

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  • Australia may refarm 1.5-GHz, 3.6-GHz for MBB

    Australia may refarm 1.5-GHz, 3.6-GHz for MBB

    Australian telecoms regulator ACMA has proposed refarming spectrum in the 1.5-GHz and 3.6-GHz bands for mobile broadband, including potentially in future 5G networks.

    In a discussion paper, the regulator has proposed re-planning the spectrum bands in light of the international interest in utilizing them for mobile broadband by the ITU-R and APT, as well as individual countries. The regulator is seeking feedback from the industry and other stakeholders.

    ACMA said the bands are currently used for a range of other services – including satellite and fixed broadband services in the 3.6-GHz band, and defence use and fixed services in the 1.5-GHz band.

    “There are international standards that support 4G technologies in both the 1.5-GHz and 3.6-GHz bands. Importantly, the 3.6-GHz band is also being looked at internationally as an early band for 5G and the ACMA has decided to bring forward discussion of its future use,” ACMA chairman Richard Bean said.

    “This paper gives current users of the bands as well as potential new entrants an opportunity to help us better understand the issues relevant to each band. Their views will help us to determine what, if any, frequencies and geographical areas should be considered in a possible future re-farming of the bands for mobile broadband.”

  • Telstra close to launching Gigabit-class LTE

    Telstra close to launching Gigabit-class LTE

    Telstra has worked with Qualcomm, Ericsson and NETGEAR to develop the world’s first Gigabit-class LTE mobile device and Gigabit-class commercially ready LTE network.

    A new NETGEAR mobile router based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X16 LTE modem and Wi-Fi equipment will enable download speeds of up to 1Gbps over Telstra’s upgraded LTE network, which uses equipment supplied by Ericsson.

    Telstra now plans to conduct device, network and user testing ahead of a commercial launch, which is expected within the next few months.

    Combined, the equipment is capable of delivering Gigabit-level LTE speeds through a combination of 3x carrier aggregation, 4×4 MIMO on two aggregated carriers and 2×2 MIMO on the third, as well as 256-QAM.

    “We pride ourselves on our connectivity expertise and we continue that tradition today by completing the first commercialization of a Gigabit Class LTE network and device,” Telstra group managing director of networks Mike Wright said.

    “With the world’s first Gigabit Class LTE network, we have substantially improved our network capacity and increased real-world LTE download speeds, while also gaining a distinct advantage over competitors as we can now offer an entirely new class of LTE service.”

    Ericsson head of RAN products Per Narvinger added that “Telstra’s commercial ready Gigabit Class LTE network and device is an important milestone as it paves the path to 5G.”

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  • Vietnam grants 4G licenses to three cellcos

    Vietnam grants 4G licenses to three cellcos

    Vietnam has granted 4G licenses to three of the market’s major mobile operators – MobiFone, military-run Viettel and state-owned VNPT.

    The operators have been granted permission to roll out LTE services over the 1800-MHz band.

    Each of the three operators have been piloting LTE and LTE-Advanced services in multiple cities, with Viettel launching a trial in late 2015, VNPT testing services since January this year and MobiFone commencing a pilot in July.

    The licenses will be allocated as part of Vietnam’s government-approved telecommunications development plan, which includes a target of covering 95% of the population with 3G and 4G services by 2020 as part of efforts to ensure nationwide coverage of broadband infrastructure.

    According to the report, major operators have indicated they will be ready to launch LTE soon after receiving the licenses. They will be valid until 2024.

  • China Mobile Hong Kong to upgrade network to 4.5G

    China Mobile Hong Kong to upgrade network to 4.5G

    China Mobile Hong Kong has contracted Huawei to fully upgrade the operator’s FDD/TDD converged LTE network to a 4.5G LTE-Advanced Pro network.

    The upgrade is aimed at offering customers a superior user experience and laying the groundwork towards a future 5G network evolution.

    In October last year, the 3GPP formally named LTE-Advanced Pro as the new LTE standard with the designation of 4.5G. China Mobile Hong Kong has commenced its network upgrade following a series of network optimization projects this year.

    “After stringent selection processes, we firmly believe that Huawei’s world leading network technology and equipment have made it the ideal partner for CMHK’s 4.5G network upgrade,” China Mobile Hong Kong director and CEO Sean Lee said.

    “We are very pleased to work with Huawei to upgrade our 4G mobile network to 4.5G for significant network capacity optimization and speed improvement, as well as achieving superior user experience for consumers and commercial customers.”

    Huawei president of carrier business Zou Zhilei added that the upgrade is aimed at reinforcing the operator’s market leading position.

    “Our advanced 4.5G technology will enable CMHK to capitalize on the emerging new devices, new businesses and new experiences, offering an excellent mobile video experience for customers in Hong Kong, as well as enhancing its capability in expanding enterprise and industry (B2X) segment,” he said.

  • Ericsson signs raft of content deals for Nuvu

    Ericsson signs raft of content deals for Nuvu

    Ericsson has signed a slate of deals with leading content distributors for its subscription video on demand (SVOD) service Nuvu, acquiring more than 2,500 hours of content from international distributors including Viacom (MTV, BET, Nickelodeon), MGM, CBS, Al Jazeera, DHX Media and Mattel.

    Titles include globally recognized hit TV franchises such as Hawaii Five-O, Next Top Model, CSI: Miami, Being Mary Jane, SpongeBob SquarePants, Bob the Builder, Vikings and many others along with a raft of premium Hollywood movies.

    Ericsson has also licensed dozens of pan-regional and local African TV series and movie content from distributors such as iRoko, Trace and Agwhyte International along with hundreds of music videos from the 960 Music Group, which is home to some of West Africa’s most influential music artists including P-Square, 2Baba and Yemi Alade.

    “We created Nuvu to help mobile operators in emerging markets to address a significant untapped market for video content,” said Thorsten Sauer, head of broadcast and media services at Ericsson. “Africa has some of the highest mobile adoption rates globally and there is a high demand for quality content from consumers.”

    Nuvu is a complete end-to-end SVOD service developed by Ericsson for mobile operators in emerging markets, which spans both the technology platform and the content licensing. The service leverages the company’s extensive over-the top capabilities based on Ericsson Managed Player and components of Ericsson MediaFirst TV Platform.

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  • Hangzhou to harness Alibaba Cloud’s AI, analytics tools

    Hangzhou to harness Alibaba Cloud’s AI, analytics tools

    Alibaba Cloud announced at its recent Computing Conference that it will provide its AI, deep learning and data analytics capabilities for two new cutting-edge developments in China.

    Initiated by the Hangzhou government, the “Hangzhou City Brain” is set to address the city’s urban living challenges. As the hub to consolidate data and provide real-time analysis, the “Hangzhou City Brain” will rely on Alibaba Cloud’s AI program ET and big data analytics capabilities to perform real-time traffic prediction with its video and image recognition technologies.

    The project will support transportation departments’ efforts to ease traffic congestion and provide users with real-time traffic recommendations and travel routes.

    “By establishing the Hangzhou City Brain, Hangzhou is taking the lead in harnessing artificial intelligence and deep learning technologies to promote greater sustainability and improve the quality of urban living for Chinese citizens. Alibaba Cloud is proud to support and be part of this important development, “said Dr Jian Wang, chairman of Alibaba Group’s technology steering committee.

    With automated traffic system capabilities, intelligent adjustments of traffic lights will be performed on the spot; when a vehicle changes direction, the green light will automatically be extended. The pilot of world’s most advanced smart traffic management system in the Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan District, which started in September this year, has since seen an increase in traffic speed by 11%.

    The project is being led by the Hangzhou government in coordination with 13 firms including Alibaba Cloud. As part of the project, a research and development team of scientists from various companies has been formed.

    Forming the backbone of the “Hangzhou City Brain” data processing and analysis capabilities is Apsara, Alibaba Cloud’s large scale computing operating system, which is able to cluster millions of servers into a super computer and to support a multitude of cloud-based services by analyzing terabytes of data points. This computational engine is one of the largest of its kind in the world and uses propriety algorithms.

    Paving the way for astronomical data storage and analytics

    Aiming to leverage its technologies for astronomical data collection and analysis, Alibaba Cloud also announced at the Computing Conference its research collaboration with the National Astronomical Observatory of China (NAOC) on deep space exploration.

    The plans are to set up a data and research centre for astronomy, as well as a virtual solar observatory which will be supported by Apsara’s massive scalability and advanced capabilities to process astronomical data.

  • Alibaba Cloud picks Datapipe as global MSP partner

    Alibaba Cloud picks Datapipe as global MSP partner

    Alibaba Cloud has selected Datapipe as a global managed service provider partner, to help organizations entering China or Chinese companies venturing abroad adopt cloud environments.

    Under the partnership, Alibaba Cloud customers can look to Datapipe to plan, build and run their cloud environments. Datapipe will provide migration, management, and security of Alibaba Cloud solutions for computing, storage, database, CDN and big data.

    China-based Joyful Journey Travel is Datapipe’s first managed Alibaba Cloud client and is the first company to provide financial services to travelers in China.

    Datapipe’s team worked with Joyful Journey Travel to develop a solution based on Alibaba Cloud services including Elastic Computer Service instances, AsparaDB for Relationship Database Systems and Alibaba’s Cloud based CDN.

    “As a pioneer in managed cloud services the addition of Alibaba Cloud to Datapipe’s supported platforms and service capabilities was a natural step,” Datapipe VP of Asia Colin Chan said.

    “We look forward to working closely with Alibaba Cloud to help drive the global adoption of best practice enterprise cloud solutions.”

    “We’re pleased to welcome Datapipe as our global managed service provider partner,” Alibaba Cloud director of global marketplace alliances Unique Song added.

    “Datapipe’s experience in managing cloud environments for customers around the globe makes them well-positioned to help drive Alibaba Cloud deployments for customers in both China and overseas.”

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