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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.

  • India passing China as top mobile growth market

    India passing China as top mobile growth market

    India is set to overtake China as the most significant mobile growth market worldwide, and Asia is becoming the growth engine of the entire mobile ecosystem, according to the GSMA.

    In a new report, the GSMA predicts that over one billion additional people worldwide will be connected to mobile networks by 2020.

    Around a third of these new users (337 million) will come from India, compared to more than 200 million from China.

    China and India, combined with Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, will meanwhile collectively account for around 60% of the world’s expected 1.1 billion new subscribers by the end of the decade.

    The report also shows that 46% of the global population is using mobile phones to access the internet, and that this is expected to increase to 60% by 2020. This will make mobile phone ownership the key factor driving global internet penetration.

    Smartphones may also have grown to become the most commonly owned consumer electronics device, with penetration above 80% in some Asian markets including Korea and Singapore. By contrast, smartphone adoption rates in India stand at only 25%, leaving plenty of room for growth.

    Revenue from mobile services worldwide is meanwhile projected to grow by around 2% annually through to 2020, with slowing revenue growth being compensated for with new revenue opportunities resulting from growing mobile internet adoption and the move to higher-speed networks.

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  • India’s mega spectrum auction raises just $9.8b

    India’s mega spectrum auction raises just $9.8b

    India’s major spectrum auction has ended after five days of bidding, raising 657.89 billion rupees ($9.86 billion), far less than the up to $83 billion the government had been anticipating.

    Just 40% of the airwaves placed on the auction block were sold, with no bids at all for the expensive 700-MHz and 900-MHz bands, the Economic Times reported.

    Vodafone emerged as the biggest spender in the auction, spending 202.8 billion rupees for 2 x 82.6MHz of FDD and 200MHz of TDD spectrum across the 1800-MHz, 2100-MHz and 2500-MHz bands in all its key telecoms circles. The operator now has 4G capability in 17 of India’s 22 circles.

    Newcomer Reliance Jio Infocomm paid 136.72 billion rupees to build a warchest of 269.2MHz of additional spectrum in the 800-MHz, 1800-MHz and 2300-MHz bands.

    The operator acquired spectrum across all 22 telecoms circles, but in no circle did the company acquire spectrum in all three bands. Jio said its total spectrum footprint has now grown to 1,108-MHz, further cementing its lead in terms of liberalized spectrum holdings.

    India’s largest operator Bharti Airtel paid 142.44 billion rupees for an additional 173.8MHz of spectrum in the 1800-MHz, 2100-MHz and 2300-MHz bands. The operator now has 4G spectrum in all circles. Idea Cellular spent around $1.92 billion.

    All seven participants in the auction acquired at least some spectrum

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  • Cambodia sets final deadline for SIM registration

    Cambodia sets final deadline for SIM registration

    The Telecom Regulator of Cambodia (TRC) has given operators until the start of next month to register all customers’ SIM cards or disconnect any remaining unregistered SIMs.

    Operators will need to alert customers at least seven times within seven days before deactivation, the Phnom Penh Post reported.

    The TRC gave the order after data submitted by Cambodia’s mobile operators showed that despite the yearlong campaign to crack down on unregistered SIMs, around 1.5 million of the nation’s 19.3 million active SIMs are not properly registered.

    The government also plans to take a more active role in monitoring operators’ databases to ensure they are not allowing unregistered SIMs to be sold, by using an online management system. The TRC has indicated there will be more enforcement activity in the future once this system is in place.

    According to the report, despite the crackdown, unregistered SIMs can still be found in most Phnom Penh markets selling for as little as $0.50. SIM card sales at legitimate outlets have also declined in rsponse to the anticipated crackdown, as customers prefer the convenience of unregistered cards.

    Cambodia has presented the crackdown on unregistered SIMs as an effort to protect national security and reduce crime.

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  • China plans 5G trials in over 100 cities

    China plans 5G trials in over 100 cities

    China reportedly plans to conduct 5G trials spanning more than 100 cities to help ensure the country plays a key role in 5G technology development.

    A spokesperson for ZTE told that China Mobile alone is planning pre-5G trials in more than 100 cities across more than 20 provinces. The operator plans to roll out 5G services in 2020 once the standard becomes finalized.

    It is unclear whether the two other state-owned operators are also involved in trials.

    According to the report, analysts believe “China Inc” has a strong interest in ensuring that a significant amount of Chinese technology is embedded into the 5G standard. This would free vendors of their need to pay royalties on foreign technologies.

    The telecoms sector is also trying to avoid a repeat of the fragmentation of the 4G standard into TDD and FDD LTE. A single standard would be hugely beneficial to the industry. China developed the TDD standard as an attempt to escape the royalty issue.

    Huawei and ZTE are closely involved in 5G technology development, and Japan’s SoftBank recently arranged to test 5G-ready equipment from the two vendors in Japan, which is expected to be one of the first markets to adopt 5G.

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  • Nepal Telecom’s 4G application approved

    Nepal Telecom’s 4G application approved

    State-owned operator Nepal Telecom has become the nation’s first operator to secure approval to deploy a 4G service.

    Regulator the Nepal Telecommunications Authority has asked the operator to submit a detailed 4G  rollout plan before the license is formally issued.

    The proposal will need to include a detailed work plan, including the location and date the operator plans to use to commence the service.

    Nepal Telecom has previously indicated that the operator plans to roll out services within two months of securing approval.

    But the regulator has deferred the decision whether to approve the allocation of a license to private operator Ncell due to undisclosed reasons.

    As expected, the application of a third 4G hopeful, Smart Telecom, has been rejected due to failing to meet certain required criteria.

  • Nokia teams with Optus on 5G development

    Nokia teams with Optus on 5G development

    Nokia has signed an agreement with Australia’s Optus to collaborate on 5G development, and revealed it is working with KT to deploy the world’s first 5G commercial trial network in 2017.

    Optus announced that the two companies plan to jointly conduct a 5G trial using Optus’ 3500-MHz spectrum. Optus andNokia will develop an early 5G prototype in the spectrum by 2017.

    The companies have already conducted initial closed tests at Optus’ Sydney headquarters over a new 5G radio test bed on Nokia’s Airscale product, highlighting the capability of 5G to deliver virtual reality video content at the required speeds.

    “There is a global race to explore and develop 5G technology, and in Australia, Optus is well positioned to lead in this space with our ownership of 3.5GHz, and close partnerships with our vendors including Nokia,” commented Tay Soo Meng, CTO of Optus’ parent company Singtel.

    In a blog post, Nokia project manager for 5G development research Jani Moilanen separately detailed the steps Nokia and KT are taking to deploy a 5G commercial trial network in the 28-GHz band next year.

    Nokia Bell Labs and the Nokia Korea Advanced Technology Center have developed initial network plans using 3D maps, accurate ray-tracing simulations and other technologies to address the potential for blockages of the 28-GHz band, including human bodies blocking line of sight between device and base station.

    The company is also working to address other key network planning challenges, including sufficient non-line-of-sight coverage in outdoor areas.

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  • Telstra to launch mobile broadband capability for ESOs

    Telstra to launch mobile broadband capability for ESOs

    Telstra plans to introduce a national public safety mobile broadband capability for emergency services organizations (ESOs) this summer.

    Alex Stefan, Telstra’s national general manager public safety and security, said the technology behind Telstra LANES Emergency allows ESOs to communicate with each other, and it could also provide governments with significant cost savings.

    “Preserving the safety, security, and prosperity of Australian communities is an essential role provided by our emergency services and Telstra is committed to providing innovative solutions and capabilities to support them,” he said in a statement.

    Telstra developed the LANES Emergency solution in collaboration with Ericsson primarily to help ESOs increase their network capability, coverage and reach, without building their own private network but by offering them priority access on Telstra’s LTE network.

    Telstra LANES Emergency will be available in two forms – Telstra LANES Emergency Priority, which will provide access to Telstra’s LTE spectrum; and Telstra LANES Emergency Tailored, which will consist of customer-owned dedicated spectrum and access to Telstra’s LTE spectrum or enhancements to Telstra’s LTE network.

    “Through LANES we can offer Emergency Services priority data access on our 4G network or on a dedicated and partitioned spectrum for their exclusive use. On the wireless highway it is like offering Emergency Services their very own express lane,” explained Stefan.

    A recent report from the Australian Productivity Commission indicated that a commercial public safety solution like LANES has the potential to save ESOs $4 billion over 20 years over the cost of running their own systems, and provides them with access to more easily updated technology and innovations.

    “Telstra will be initially providing access to up to 160MHz of Telstra LTE spectrum, including our 700-MHz band, for use by ESOs under this new offering,” Stefan said.

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  • BT, Microsoft “simplify” hybrid cloud

    BT, Microsoft “simplify” hybrid cloud

    BT has announced the availability of BT Compute for Microsoft Azure, a new service that allows BT customers to order Microsoft Azure alongside BT’s own cloud services.

    The service enables customers to build hybrid cloud infrastructure with a single service wrap, contract and on a single bill.

    BT customers already use private and public cloud services – also known as hybrid cloud – hosted in BT Compute’s 48 data center globally.

    With BT acting as their cloud services integrator, and by using CMS, customers can manage their cloud services end-to-end from data center to network, maximizing the benefits and minimizing the complexity, risk and costs of moving to the cloud. Using local delivery with global scale allows BT to meet the evolving needs of organizations for cloud services and at the same time address the complexity of regulatory requirements.

    Integration of Microsoft Azure into the CMS expands the choice for BT customers. They gain access to Microsoft’s rapidly growing collection of integrated cloud services, including Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) computing capabilities.

    Neil Lock, VP BT compute at global services, said “Hybrid cloud has become a major focus for many large enterprises as they choose a variety of cloud solutions to suit their complex business needs.”

    “In fact, BT research suggests that 90% of its largest customers expect to be using a combination of public and private cloud in the next few years. Through our relationship with Microsoft, customers can build their own hybrid cloud environment and enjoy the benefits of Azure whilst removing costly management concerns from the equation,” the executive said.

    The service will be available during the final quarter of the year.

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  • Nokia boosts True’s broadband network

    Nokia boosts True’s broadband network

    True Group in Thailand has deployed Nokia’s IP/MPLS routing technology to upgrade its broadband infrastructure in Bangkok.

    Surging demand for ultra-broadband fixed and mobile services, such as high-definition video and business services, have helped drive a dramatic increase in data traffic across True’s converged network, both in the city and its surrounding area.

    True is using Nokia’s IP routing technology to modernize its broadband infrastructure to improve the quality of experience and better support the growing high-bandwidth content demands of consumers and businesses.

    Nokia’s Service Router portfolio helps True to provide 4G LTE and 3G coverage to its 18 million mobile subscribers, high speed broadband to its 2.5 million broadband subscribers, and pay TV service to its 3.2 million TrueVision customers. The network upgrade was completed in May 2016.

    True can leverage Nokia’s infrastructure in the future to evolve to more dynamic agile services powered by Software Defined Networks and Network Functions Virtualization.

    True is using Nokia 7750 Service Routers (7750 SR) in Bangkok with the 7210 service access switch (SAS) being deployed in the northeast, east and central west regions of Thailand.

    “By leveraging Nokia’s expertise and leading routing technology,  we are able to provide seamless 4G LTE and 3G coverage along with quality, high-speed broadband data, voice and TV services to our mobile and fixed customers,” said Vichaow Rakphongphairoj, deputy CEO of operational development at True. “We can also deliver advanced high-speed residential, business and mobile services even more quickly and efficiently.”

  • NBTC to auction Dtac’s 1800-MHz spectrum early

    NBTC to auction Dtac’s 1800-MHz spectrum early

    Thai telecoms regulator NBTC plans to hold an auction for Dtac’s 1800-MHz spectrum in July 2018, three months before the operator’s concession expires.

    The auction of 45MHz of 1800-MHz bandwidth is expected to raise at least 135 billion baht ($3.89 billion) in revenue for the state, citing NBTC secretary general Takorn Tantasith.

    Dtac is using the spectrum under a concession arrangement with CAT Telecom. This concession is due to expire in September 2018 under the new licensing regime.

    The reserve price for the auction will be based on the winning prices of the previous 1800-MHz auctions in 2015, factoring in inflation. Takorn told the Postthat the winning prices must not be lower than the 2015 auction of two 15MHz 1800-MHz licenses.

    While Dtac CEO called it a good sign that the regulator plans an early auction, he said a lead time of three months is not enough time for a network installation. In other countries spectrum must be auctioned at least 1-2 years before a license expires.

    Dtac itself has the most invested in winning the 2018 license, the report notes. If the operator fails to reacquire the spectrum, it will be left with only 15MHz of 2100-MHz spectrum to serve over 25 million subscribers.

  • China Mobile joins OpenDaylight Project

    China Mobile joins OpenDaylight Project

    The OpenDaylight Project, an open source platform for programmable, software-defined networks, has announced that China Mobile has joined the project at the Silver Level.

    China Mobile joins Tencent and Alibaba, also members of OpenDaylight, as part of a growing number of Chinese internet players and telecoms operators that actively participate in open networking projects and leverage open source SDN to support their extreme scalability demands.

    The operator wants to standardize and also customize their environments to improve automation. OpenDaylight provides a means for China Mobile to build on well-tested, foundational capabilities, which would otherwise take far too long for them to develop entirely in-house, said Wang Jinzhu, project manager of China Mobile Research Institute.

    Recently, China Mobile released its commercial OpenDaylight-based data center SDN controller named “AERO,” currently in trial.

    Additionally, China Mobile has also initiated the “SPTN” project within OpenDaylight, which evolves the packet transport network (PTN) toward SDN.

    As early adopters of OpenDaylight, China Mobile is leveraging the platform with OpenStack to deploy enterprise service offerings under its NovoDC program, which offers both a telecom infrastructure as well as virtual public or private cloud services.

    NovoDC has helped China Mobile to gain significant data center opex savings and can now deliver new services in minutes rather than weeks.

    The OpenDaylight Project meanwhile also announced the launch of its “Powered by ODL” program, which signals high technical standards and quality expectations for commercial products or services based on the platform.

    With increasing numbers of solution providers incorporating OpenDaylight code into downstream commercial offerings, the program is created to help end users identify quality OpenDaylight-based solutions while supporting vendors with their go-to-market strategies.

    Any individual or organization offering an OpenDaylight-based product or service may apply for the trademark. Products that are “Powered by OpenDaylight” must include specific core components from a recent release of the OpenDaylight code base, as approved by the OpenDaylight’s board of directors.

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  • Huawei launches microwave solution for FTTx

    Huawei launches microwave solution for FTTx

    Huawei has announced the launch of the first Microwave solution for FTTx, to allow operators to deploy gigabit-capable broadband services over different access media.

    Operators will be able to use microwave links and existing fiber, copper and coaxial cables to expand Gigabit network coverage.

    The system combines a range of microwave technologies including large capacity E-band and super dual band (SDB) to offer a transmission capacity ranging from 1Gbps to 10Gpbs.

    Huawei said the system has already been commercially deployed in multiple markets including China and Greece.

    The technology is designed to address the problems of operators facing difficulty improving line speeds because of the poor quality of existing copper, as well as the difficulty of obtaining the required fiber resources.

    The product launch forms part of Huawei’s Gigaband strategy, which aims to achieve record levels of bandwidth and coverage.

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  • Vodafone Australia to switch off 2G network in a year

    Vodafone Australia to switch off 2G network in a year

    Vodafone Australia has revealed plans to switch off its 2G network in just under a year to free up spectrum for 4G.

    The operator will decommission its legacy 2G GSM network on September 30 2017, following a 12-month campaign to move its remaining 2G users off the network.

    Announcing the decision, Vodafone said its 2G network currently carries less than 1% of the operator’s data traffic and around 2% of its voice traffic. By contrast, Vodadone’s 4G network carries nearly 80% of the company’s total data traffic.

    Vodafone first launched 2G services in Australia in 1993. More than 600,000 customers have been migrated from 2G since January 2013, but the company did not state how many remain.

    “There has been a natural drop-off of 2G traffic as 4G smartphones have become more affordable. This has led to many customers upgrading their phones of their own accord,” Vodafone CTO Kevin Millroy said.

    “We are continuing to enhance our network with features including Voice over 4G which provides clearer voice calls, shorter call connection times and the ability to use 4G data while making or receiving a call. With the IoT on our doorstep, it is paramount we manage spectrum efficiently and reallocate capacity to our more advanced networks to help more of our customers have a better experience.”

    Vodafone will be the last Australian operator to shutter its 2G network – Telstra plans to switch off its own 2G network in December, and Optus plans to follow suit in April 2017.

  • Trifacta extends enterprise data wrangling

    Trifacta extends enterprise data wrangling

    Trifacta has released Trifacta v4, which has capabilities specifically designed to work for more users, more diverse data sources and within more cloud environments.

    Trifacta v4 features the general availability of Builder, a new menu-driven workflow to guide users through data wrangling steps. The latest release includes the general availability of the Photon Compute Engine, improving the scale of data that users are able to wrangle on-the-fly, directly within the Trifacta application.

    Photon provides an optimized engine for datasets that do not require parallel processing within Trifacta’s Intelligent Execution architecture. The v4 release also expands support for customers deploying Trifacta in cloud environments such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure, while extending the ability of users to directly connect to a variety of enterprise data sources, including Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL and Teradata.

    A core focus area of the v4 release is to enrich Trifacta’s unique data wrangling user experience by offering a new workflow for building data preparation steps. The addition of Builder to the Trifacta interface augments the ability of users to wrangle data without the need to utilize scripts.

    The v4 release also expands upon Trifacta’s blend of data visualization and machine learning to guide users through common data wrangling tasks. With pattern profiling, users visualize common and anomalous text patterns that are automatically detected within each column.

  • Unicom to deploy Nokia CR-B in more provinces

    Unicom to deploy Nokia CR-B in more provinces

    China Unicom has arranged to deploy high-capacity Nokia metro core routers in four additional provinces.

    Unicom is deploying Nokia’s high-end core router CR-B, powered by the extensible core routing system (XRS) platform, to help meet China’s future capacity demands.

    The expanded agreement now covers the provinces of Heilongjiang, Henan, Zhejiang and Hunan. Unicom has already deployed the technology in Beijing, Shandong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia and Qinghai

    The deployment also forms part of the $182 billion Broadband China project to improve the speed and quality of internet service nationwide. The project aims to reduce the digital divide and provide national broadband coverage by 2020.

    “We are honored to continue our work with China Unicom in the CR-B core router segment,” said Mike Wang, head of the joint management team of Nokia Networks China and ASB .”Leveraging the Nokia 7950 XRS platform, China Unicom gains the bandwidth, flexibility and programmability necessary to manage its growing networks and to better meet the needs of the country’s ambitious broadband strategy.”

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