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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.

  • Aruba rethinks network procurement with NaaS

    Aruba rethinks network procurement with NaaS

    At the Aruba APAC Atmosphere 2016 conference held late last month in Singapore, Aruba Networks President Dominic Orr announced the launch of network-as-a-service, which supports the delivery of the company’s new Mobile First Platform.

    Core applications for Gen-Mobile era

    The core applications on Aruba Networks’ new Mobile First Platform are supported by its existing network infrastructure, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), wired and WAN. The platform comprises network controls, network management, policy management, cloud networking, network analytics and location services. These applications supports the delivery of third-party IT services and business applications that form a mobile apps ecosystem.

    Examples of the IT services that are available on Aruba’s Mobile First Platform include Citrix, MobileIron (MDM and enterprise mobility services), splunk (operational intelligence), ArcSight (an HP company that provides cyber security), Okta (identity management and single sign-on), Check Point, Intel Security, Juniper, and Palo Alto Networks.

    As for business applications, the Platform also supports Skype for Business, AT&T, Aislelabs (enterprise mobile wallet marketing platform), kasada (cryptographic data firewall and our password-less authentication), RetailNext (in-store analytics), Envoy (visitor registration) and eventboard (visitor and room management).

    “The Gen-mobile has given rise to rapid IT forces like the internet of things (IoT) and mobility. This is not just about the use of next-generation devices, like the Wi-Fi-connected TV boxes like the Apple TV, but the applications on top,” said Anthony Wai, sales engineering director of Asia Pacific, Aruba Networks (a HPE company), in an exclusive interview.

    In a typical workplace environment, an organization needs to refresh the network infrastructure once every three to seven years. For example, they would need new routers and new switches to conform to new standards of the wireless network. In the past, when IT procurement was largely driven by IT, addressing user experience tended to be an afterthought. The situation today is reversed, however. “Many of the IT procurement decisions today are now user-driven. For example, the line of businesses (LoB) would first provide to their banking customers a banking application. They would then instruct IT to handle the infrastructure matters,” Wai said.

    Utility-like network procurement models

    To catch up with the fast pace of new mobile apps development and delivery, and the increasingly shortened cycle of network infrastructure upgrades, IT and the other LoBs would benefit from a flexible network services procurement model, such as network-as-a-service (NaaS), said Wai.

    “NaaS enables the subscription of network infrastructure services using an opex model instead of a capex model. By subscribing instead of acquiring these network services, customers can benefit from the latest technologies, and need not budget a sum of capex to invest in the next round of network technology upgrades,” Wai said.

  • Orange Business launches IoT and analytics suite globally

    Orange Business launches IoT and analytics suite globally

    Orange Business Services has announced the worldwide launch of Datavenue, its IoT and data analytics modular suite.

    Datavenue will help multinational and large national corporations seize the endless opportunities offered by the IoT revolution, the operator said.

    Already 56% of decision makers consider IoT as strategic. Use cases include improving safety and user experience within smart cities by connecting street lights or parking meters, as well as improving quality of life by connecting medical devices to monitor a person’s health remotely.

    Datavenue is supported by Orange Business Services’ 700 IoT and analytics experts worldwide, as well as data scientists, developers, consultants, statisticians and IoT security experts.

    Datavenue includes four modules:

    1. Select relevant objects and sources of data. Orange offers a range of certified and tested connected objects, such as sensors, cameras or modules to connect existing assets. Datavenue has a catalog of data that includes population movement analytics using anonymized data from mobile networks.
    2. Connect objects reliably with the most suitable and secured networks. A truck travelling cross borders or an agricultural sensor in a field would require different networks. To address the wide diversity of needs, Orange provides a range of connectivity options. These include future-proof global cellular networks and innovative capabilities, such as eUiCC, worldwide fixed and satellite networks, as well as low-power solutions, such as LoRa.
    3. Manage data to improve efficiencies and create enhanced services. For example, a construction company can monitor cranes worldwide to prevent problems and reduce maintenance costs. Managing data in real-time enables technicians to solve issues remotely or to arrive on site with the right material, reducing service interruptions. Orange offers both cloud-based and on-premises software solutions, encompassing remote device management, processing and visualization.
    4. Control key elements of enterprise transformation projects. Orange experts aim to provide end-to-end security and data protection, integration with information systems and service scalability. Throughout the entire project and beyond, customers can rely on Orange to ensure the solutions are future-proof and adapted to market evolutions.

    “We have developed extensive vertical expertise around IoT and data analytics in several sectors, including automotive, industry, smart cities, healthcare and smart homes,” Orange Business Services VP of IoT and analytics Olivier Ondet said.

    “Our solutions have already improved performance and employee safety through industrial machinery monitoring, enhanced patient care with remote assistance, and enriched citizen well-being with smart city services. This is now all being brought together to support the international launch of Orange Datavenue.”

    Datavenue was first launched in France in 2015. Orange today operates more than 10 million active B2B objects and processes 65 million items of technical data per minute – all fully compliant with data protection regulations.

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  • Nokia to transform Globe’s fixed, wireless networks

    Nokia to transform Globe’s fixed, wireless networks

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom has contracted Nokia to transform the operator’s fixed and mobile networks into a flexible cloud-based infrastructure ready for 5G and the IoT.

    Globe has signed two frame agreements  with the vendor – one covering wireless networks and the other for IP, optical and SDN technologies – to set the stage for the upgrade.

    Under the collaboration, Nokia will deploy its 4.5G Pro technology including 5G-ready base stations and small cells, in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. Some of the areas in these regions will be receiving broadband for the first time as a result of the deployment.

    Nokia will also set Globe up to support mobile edge computing and advanced carrier aggregation technologies on its network.

    The fixed agreement will involve the deployment of IP, optical and carrier SDN technologies across the Philippines, allowing the operator to deliver coverage to more regions, and to provide flexible data services over Nokia’s SDN platform to enterprise customers nationwide.

    “As the Philippines’ leading fixed and mobile service provider, we are devoted to improving people’s connected lives day-by-day. With Nokia’s innovative technologies, we are confident to lead the 5G and cloud network evolution,” Globe CEO Ernest Cu said.

    Last week, Globe’s rival PLDT announced that its wireless division Smart achieved data speeds of 1.4Gbps over LTE-A during a trial conducted with Huawei. The trial used five-carrier aggregation technology to achieve the blazing fast speeds.

    “It will take time for carrier aggregation on five frequencies to be deployed, largely because capable handsets are not yet commercially available. But the excellent results of these tests have encouraged us to roll out LTE-A using two or three component carriers which can already be utilized by several handset models in the market,” PLDT and Smart CTO Joachim Horn said.

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  • Dtac, True slam new computer crime bill

    Dtac, True slam new computer crime bill

    Legal representatives from both TrueMove and Dtac have slammed the new computer misuse act for moving the burden of proof to ISPs to prove their innocence while True said that the Single Gateway government mass surveillance program was still alive and well.

    Speaking at a recent seminar entitled Online life: which way shall we go, Akarawit Jongsawasdiworakul from Dtac’s legal division said that unlike the US’ common carrier law, Thailand’s computer misuse act article 15 puts telcos at risk of criminal prosecution for the actions of their subscribers as service providers face the same criminal liability as their users for, say, an illegal posting.

    Dtac has to invest significant resources into monitoring its users to stay safe legally, resources that could have better been invested in 5G, he said.

    Unlike most aiding and abetting clauses in Thai law in which the aider gets two-thirds of the punishment, the computer misuse act doles out the same punishment to the service provider as it does to the criminal using it.

    However, the latest draft amendment is much worse. In trying to fix that glaring problem, the new version lays out a system where authorities can issue orders to service providers to block the offending post. The law then goes on to say that if the service provider can prove they complied with the order, then they are exempted from any punishment.

    Akarawit said that the computer misuse act shifts the burden of proof. Instead of the prosecution proving guilt, the service providers will now have to prove their innocence to a court.

    He also noted that under the current law, censorship orders must be only via a court order. The new version only needs an order from a “the official in charge” without any judicial oversight.

    Suporn Hornchaiya from True’s legal division, added that the definition of service provider is so vague that anyone with an unsecured WiFi hotspot would be subjected to the full force of the law.

    Suporn said that today authorities use article 20 to block websites, not just those which are a threat to national security or good morals which are allowed under the law, but also use it to block gambling websites and copyright infringement sites which is not allowed under the law. He noted that courts regularly grant blocking orders for the latter.

    Suporn said True has in the past appealed a court order, but the appeal was not accepted as the courts said that True was not an affected party to the blocking order.

  • ITU pushes G.fast speeds to 2Gbps

    ITU pushes G.fast speeds to 2Gbps

    ITU standards experts have doubled the access speeds achievable with the G.fast standard, achieving the capability of enabling data rates of up to 2Gbps over traditional copper telephone last mile connections.

    The new standard has achieved first-stage approval, and is expected to see final approval by the end of the year, the ITU said.

    The third amendment of the G.fast standard doubles the aggregate net data rate achievable to 2Gbps using spectrum up to 212 MHz.

    According to the ITU, the update tot he standard maintains spectral compatibility with VDSL2, offering operators the ability to switch customers between the connection technologies as their demand fluctuates.

    “The amendment extends G.fast’s application to coaxial cable, enabling the coexistence of G.fast and satellite signals in coaxial cable infrastructure,” the ITU said in its announcement.

    “The amendment also specifies a mechanism for dynamic time assessment, functionality that enables upstream or downstream transmission to exploit G.fast’s full aggregate net data rate.”

    In addition, the ITU has completed and achieved first-stage approval for standards detailing commonalties in SDN and automatically switched optical networks, tools to meet the expected synchronization demands of 5G systems, and the characteristics of next-generation optical fiber.

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  • Bangladesh’s oldest cellco set to lose license

    Bangladesh’s oldest cellco set to lose license

    Bangladesh’s oldest mobile operator Citycell is on track to losing its license after failing to pay its required license and related fees.

    The CDMA-based Citycell had its spectrum revoked last week, and now the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is seeking permission from the government to revoke the operator’s license.

    Citycell owes dues of 4.77 billion taka ($60.8 million), which include unpaid spectrum renewal fees, license fees, late fees and value-added tax.

    The Supreme Court had ordered Citycell to pay two thirds of the amount owed by October 19, but the operator only managed to pay 1.3 billion taka, and its spectrum was accordingly revoked the next day.

    The BTRC has been advising Citycell customers since the end of July to switch to another operator in preparation for the shutdown.

    Citycell commenced operations in 1993, but found itself relegated to a niche player as GSM outmatched CDMA by popularity. At its peak in 2011 the operator had around 1.9 million customers.

    Singtel is the largest shareholder in Citycell with a 44.54% share, while Far East Telecom has 17.51% of the company. These shareholders have been attempting to sell Citycell’s license for several years but have not found any buyers.

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  • SmarTone deploying 4G at two new HK rail lines

    SmarTone deploying 4G at two new HK rail lines

    Hong Kong mobile operator SmarTone is extending its 4G coverage to two new MTR rail network extensions.

    The operator announced it has provided full turnkey multi-operator integrated radio systems to the new Kwun Tong Line Extension, covering the Whampoa and Ho Man Tin stations, under contract from MTR Corporation (MTRC).

    By the end of the year SmarTone also plans to extend 4G coverage on all South Island Line (East) stations.

    The mobile systems will incorporate the latest LTE-Advanced technologies including tri-band carrier aggregation.

    “With the extension of our 4G coverage, SmarTone customers enjoy an outstanding mobile experience on the new MTR Kwun Tong Line Extension. We have also been working closely with MTRC to upgrade and expand the capacity of the existing MTR urban lines, which include the high-traffic stations on the Island Line, Kwun Tong Line and Tsuen Wan Line,” SmarTone CEO Stephen Chau said.

    “SmarTone will continue to invest in spectrum and LTE-Advanced Pro / pre-5G technologies within the next few years to provide a superior customer experience and to evolve SmarTone’s network into an advanced, dynamic and cloud-based network architecture.”

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  • 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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