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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.

  • Huawei Marine sets unrepeatered distance record

    Huawei Marine sets unrepeatered distance record

    Huawei Marine Networks has announced it has achieved another distance record over unrepeatered systems, achieving a transmission distance of 648.5km during a laboratory trial.

    During the trial in Beijing, Huawei used its self-developed enhanced raman amplifier (ERPC) and remote optical pump amplifier (ROPA) technology on a 100G channel over an ultra-low loss optical fiber, to improve pump optical power and performance.

    Huawei Marine used the same technology to set an unrepeatered distance record of 627km in April, but has now pushed this further using coding gain optimizations.

    The operator’s 100G transmission technology combines new technologies including polarization mode dispersion combined with single-carrier binary phase shift keying (PDM-BPSK) and third-generation soft decision technology.

    “Huawei Marine has achieved another breakthrough in unrepeatered system design which demonstrates our continuous commitment to investing in high-performance technology,” Huawei Marine VP of technology Zhang Shigui said.

    “When used commercially, this technology will broaden the range of unrepeatered system applications and create value for our customers.”

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  • Telstra conducts Australia’s first live 5G trial

    Telstra conducts Australia’s first live 5G trial

    Australia’s largest operator by subscribers Telstra has teamed up with Ericsson to conduct the nation’s first live 5G trial.

    The trial in Melbourne used a combined 800MHz of spectrum, achieving aggregate speeds of more than 20Gbps in a real-world, outdoor environment.

    Telstra said the trial used 10 times more spectrum than the operator currently uses with its 4G service.

    Ericsson’s 5G radio prototype equipment was used for the demonstration, which also achieved an indicative latency of at least half of that seen in current 4G networks.

    In a blog post,Telstra group managing director for networks Mike Wright said the tests also served to demonstrate the accuracy and improved signal quality of beam steering technology.

    Beam steering involves antenna arrays tracking a user’s location and sending data directly to the device, instead of out in all directions.

    “But what made this trial really significant is we took the test bed out of the laboratory and into real world, outdoor conditions,” he said.

    “Australia’s environment, size, and population density is unique, and it means we need to consider different things to other countries. We’re even trying to understand how radio signals propagate in through gumtrees.”

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  • China’s H3C launches SDN suite

    China’s H3C launches SDN suite

    H3C has introduced a series of SDN software and hardware products to help enterprises in Hong Kong and China take full advantage of private or hybrid clouds.

    H3C Hong Kong product director Joseph Lee warned that many Hong Kong companies may not have fully advanced the potential of cloud services due to a lack of scalability, agility and flexibility in their networking resources.

    “SDN and NFV offer a solution to this cloud challenge. They contribute to a simplified network and make multi-platforms within an enterprise network easy to manage centrally,” Lee said.

    He said SDN and NFV are critical components for private clouds and implementing genuine cloud networking infrastructures.

    “H3C is helping businesses in Hong Kong – especially in the public sector, institutes of higher education, service providers and large enterprises – to establish efficient and effective private clouds with our comprehensive end-to-end SDN and NFV solutions.”

    H3C’s new SDN solutions include an SDN controller as well as physical and virtual switches. The technology supports on-demand provisioning of network services including bandwidth allocation, routing and security capabilities.

    The offerings support native integration with OpenStack cloud platforms and an API for programming integration with third party cloud and management platforms.

    Data from the Hong Kong Government Census and Statistics Department show that as of last year around 159,268 businesses were using cloud services – nearly half of Hong Kong’s total business sector.

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  • Globe deploys CEM suite from NICE

    Globe deploys CEM suite from NICE

    Globe Telecom has become the Philippines’ first operator to implement NICE’s Total Voice of the Customer (TVOC) suite to help improve the customer experience.

    The operator has deployed the suite across seven of its customer-facing touchpoints, including the contact center, retail centers, self-service points and outbound calls.

    NICE TVOC combines instant solicited feedback with interaction analytics for insight into the drivers of customer satisfaction.

    This improved visibility has given Globe the ability to take immediate action for recovery, when necessary, as well as to identify best practices to be shared with all service representatives. Insights from the TVOC solution are being used to bring company services in line with customer expectations.

    TVOC is the latest addition to the portfolio of NICE enterprise solutions Globe has implemented, which also include applications for workforce management, interaction analytics and quality optimization.

    “Seeing that telco is a very dynamic space to be in, it is important for us get as much insight as we can about our customers so we can engage them at their ‘moment of truth’ and deliver real impact,” said Rebecca Eclipse, chief customer experience officer at Globe Telecom. “Eventually, this will be our competitive edge, as we can quickly identify opportunities to better serve our customers and immediately take action.”

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  • PT Telkom launches pay TV content and ad platform

    PT Telkom launches pay TV content and ad platform

    Indonesia’s PT Telkom, through satellite business unit Metrasat, has launched a new content and advertising solution designed to support the pay TV industry in Indonesia.

    Metrasat, itself a subsidiary of Telkom’s PT Multimedia Nusantara division, has announced the launch of Mediahub.

    The Mediahub project was initiated due to the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission’s regulations restricting foreign commercial advertisement on the foreign channels aired on local pay TV channels in Indonesia.

    MediaHub is the first solution specifically designed to help content providers, advertising agencies, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics of Indonesia, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission and pay TV operators develop safe and convenient local content, as well as increasing revenue and optimizing cost efficiency.

    It aims to address practical solutions as a content aggregation and distribution service, helping the industry face ever-increasing distribution and monetization challenges. With its playout and ad-insertion system, MediaHub allows selected content to comply with national broadcasting regulations while distributing it in any format required by pay TV operators.

    MediaHub’s proprietary plug-and-play system means it is the only pay TV ad network to support local content developers.

    “Telkom is pleased to launch an integrated solution that not only caters to the telco industry, but is designed to create significant new value for the content and advertising industry in Indonesia,” said Telkom director of enterprise and business services Muhammad Awaluddin. He said the launch is in line with Telkom’s mission of transforming from a telco to a “digico” (digital telecommunications).

    “TelkomMetra focuses on adjacent business supporting the Telco Business and believes that the content industry will grow significantly in the years to come,” added TelkomMetra CEO Teguh Wahyono.

    “However, it will require support from efficient aggregation and distribution services. TelkomMetra will support the content industry by delivering contents effectively and efficiently while complying with Indonesian regulations. We expect local content to grow even more while global content will continue to honor and support Indonesian culture.”

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  • Huawei unveils newest security solution for SDN

    Huawei unveils newest security solution for SDN

    Huawei has unveiled its latest SDN security solution which promises to “guarantees the security of enterprise tenants’ applications hosted on the cloud”.

    Based on the core component Agile Controller, the solution virtualizes hardware security devices and offers a variety of services for online subscription.

    The automated security deployment capability also greatly improves cloud service protection efficiency.

    While more and more enterprises are using cloud services to reduce costs and improve flexibility, enterprises seldom consider security before this change. As storage, computing, and network resources all become virtualized, manual configuration and adjustment of security resources can no longer adapt to quick service development in a flexible and cost effective way.

    Moreover, cloud-based service deployment eliminates network security boundaries. Virtual networks, especially the virtual machine (VM) layer, urgently need effective security protection.

    As common threats have evolved to advanced persistent threats (APTs) that can hide for a longer period of time and are more difficult to detect, traditional APT defense methods also need to adapt to software-defined network (SDN)environments.

    “As more services are migrating to the cloud, the boundary of security threats becomes blurred,” said Liu Lizhu, GM of Huawei Enterprise Network Product Line’s Security Gateway Domain.

    “Data center services are facing more severe security risks after SDN technology is used, as such no companies, regions, or organizations are free from such risks. Huawei Software-defined Security Solution will guarantee innovative, scalable, and efficient cloud services for tenants and help enterprises accelerate business transformation and upgrade.”

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  • Huawei, ZTE launch pre-5G network components

    Huawei, ZTE launch pre-5G network components

    Huawei and ZTE have both announced the launch of pre-5G products to help operators prepare for the new technology.

    ZTE released its new Pre5G MIMO 2.0 product at the China International Information and Communication Exhibition in Beijing yesterday.

    The new product is aimed at the high-end market to help operators in developed countries meet the challenges of surging traffic demand and limited spectrum resources, by improving single-station spectral efficiency.

    ZTE announced it has started pre-5G network deployment for more than 20 operators in China and other counties.

    Huawei meanwhile unveiled what it said is the industry’s first 5G-oriented mobile edge computing (MEC) offering, MEC@CloudEdge.

    The vendor said the technology is designed to equip today’s mobile networks to meet the requirements of extremely low latency, content localization and ultra-high bandwidth that will need to be met in the 5G era.

    It relies on a cloud-based network architecture to optimize the user experience during activities such as augmented and virtual reality and ultra-HD video streaming

    “MEC@CloudEdge is the first 5G-oriented MEC solution emanating from our R&D labs. It uses new technologies that will enable operators to deploy 5G-oriented networks for sustainable development and to achieve best user experience and faster service innovation,” Huawei president of cloud packet product line Dai Jisheng said.

  • LeCloud, Cisco team up to secure OTT video services

    LeCloud, Cisco team up to secure OTT video services

    Cisco is teaming up with LeCloud Computing to drive the development of Digital Rights Management (DRM) through its leading VideoGuard Everywhere DRM solution.

    The two companies have built a DRM cloud platform that makes cloud services global. It is compatible with multiple DRM protocols and able to provide one-stop solutions.

    With this, the two companies are working together to promote the disruptive transformation of DRM business models and innovation in the global video cloud service ecosystem.

    Cisco VideoGuard Everywhere, an end-to-end video service protection and monetization solution, enabled LeCloud to comply with content protection requirements from English Premier League (EPL) and to meet its aggressive deadline for service launch following a short phase of only eight weeks from project inception to launch, as well as to secure EPL content distributed through its LeSports OTT service.

    VideoGuard Everywhere, which was deployed on LeCloud’s cloud infrastructure and integrated with its cloud-based video services, is also enabling LeCloud’s global efforts to roll out a Video-as-a-Service (VaaS) offering.

    The DRM cloud solution from Cisco and LeCloud helps to optimize the operating cost of business clients and simplify complex IT infrastructure and operation. During the broadcast of this year’s Premier League games in Hong Kong, the excellent performance of the DRM cloud platform was already highly recognized by the IP holders of the Premier League.

  • Amdocs enhances personalized mobile video experiences

    Amdocs enhances personalized mobile video experiences

    Amdocs has made available new capabilities within the Amdocs Omni-Channel Experience solution to allow mobile service providers to connect to content and application providers (CAPs) to deliver new and creative digital services to users.

    Via integration with Google’s publicly available mobile data plan application program interface (API), the Amdocs Omni-Channel Experience solution has been initially deployed to interoperate with Google’s YouTube app, and in the future may be able to be deployed to support other Google services and CAPs who are using the same API.

    The interoperability of the Amdocs solution with YouTube’s mobile app allows improved in-app data transparency and data transactions. YouTube will be able to offer customers the ability to view YouTube videos offline at reduced rates during off-peak hours, thereby allowing service providers to shift traffic from peak hours to times when their network is underused, providing dynamic pricing opportunities and ensuring better viewing quality.

    Data balance and rate information will be provided by the Amdocs Omni-Channel Experience solution, enabling service providers to present this information in a consistent way across different customer touch points, including YouTube’s mobile app.

    “Working together with Google, we are offering service providers innovative ways to cater to the digital lifestyle of today’s Generation C consumers and power their businesses with new, digitally-enabled capabilities, building customer trust through data transparency and increasing business value through network traffic optimization,” said Chris Williams, head of global marketing at Amdocs.

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  • Telstra expands professional media portfolio

    Telstra expands professional media portfolio

    Telstra has unveiled its new Global Media Network, a professional media contribution solution which enables broadcasters and content developers to take their content global.

    Custom-built for the media industry, the Telstra Global Media Network promises simple and efficient delivery of live and file-based video content by combining Telstra’s world class network of global submarine cables, satellite stations, and broadcast operations into one solution.

    Trevor Boal, head of Telstra Broadcast Services, said that by using the Telstra Global Media Network customers can quickly deliver content across the world – whether it’s a broadcaster wanting to source a time critical sports event or content producers that need to deliver a television program between production facilities.

    “The rapid growth of video on-demand consumption, particularly in Asia, has triggered a surge in demand for content with the number of unique channels estimated to reach nearly 30,000 globally by 2023, a more than 400% increase from 2013,” said Boal.

    “With the Telstra Global Media Network customers can easily book services online and choose the level of support they need from self-service to dedicated 24/7 monitoring provided by our dedicated Broadcast Operations Centers in Sydney and master control rooms in Hong Kong, London, New York and Los Angeles,” added Boal.

    The Global Media Network is built on Telstra’s global infrastructure, which combines its high capacity submarine fiber cable network, with access to four teleports and over 40 satellites covering strategic media hubs across Asia, Europe, the United States and Australia.

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  • Globe to deploy fiber in 20,000 villages

    Globe to deploy fiber in 20,000 villages

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom has committed to connect 2 million Filipino homes with high-speed internet access with a speed of at least 10Mbps and above by 2020.

    The operator plans to deploy fiber in 20,000 villages across the country to achieve this goal.

    “That will change a lot for families because families today are so dependent on the internet,” said Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu at an event on Friday night.

    “Industries and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) also cannot flourish without dependable connection to the United States, the UK, Australia and to the rest of the world.”

    “We are committed to spending $500 million to upgrade the network of Globe to enable continuous growth among enterprises in the Philippines,” he added.

    Since the joint purchase of the telco assets owned by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) by Globe Telecom and PLDT last May, both companies have been rolling out LTE 700-MHz cell sites across the country. In the Globe network, around 250 such cell ties will have been activated in Metro Manila by the end of this month, at least 188 of which will be active in the National Capital Region.

    Cu said the goal is to deploy at least 500 LTE 700-MHz cell sites nationwide by the end of 2016.

    The majority of these sites will cover major business districts and highly urbanized and populated areas in the country, including Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao.

    Globe’s chief executive emphasized that the company is maximizing the use of the previously idle 700-MHz band in fulfillment of its commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission to improve the overall internet experience of its customers following the sell-out of SMC’s telco assets.

    “One of our goals its to try to create an experience as close to first world internet as possible. You can now do this with mobile, given the amount of spectrum that we have,” he said.

    Parallel to this, Globe has also started rolling out a capacity expansion program for its corporate data network to address the bandwidth requirement of its enterprise clients. The company will be equipping 61 of its corporate sites with fiber technology.

  • Hidden chat room found in Facebook Messenger

    Hidden chat room found in Facebook Messenger

    The Facebook Messenger app has a hidden chat room feature that lets groups of users publicly converse on different topics.

    According to a report on the TechCrunch, the code for this feature was found buried in the iOS app’s source code.

    The tip comes from a tech evangelist who spotted the code that described the hidden ‘Rooms’ feature as: “Rooms are for public conversations about topics and interests. Each room has a link that can be shared so anyone on Messenger can join the conversation”. Screenshots of its user interface were later furnished by other developers.

    The Rooms feature is likely to be implemented in the app as part of an internal trial that is being scaled up to include more users. It is unlikely that the code was included on whim though, as including frivolous or redundant code is not considered a good practice by developers.

    Of course, the code itself offers no clue as to a possible release date, and it is also entirely possible for the feature to be pulled for any number of reasons before it is actually released.

    It is worth noting that Facebook had introduced a similar app called Rooms in 2014 which offered the ability to create and join interest-based public chats. The app was later pulled after it failed to gain traction; it is probably reasonable to assume that the lesson learned by Facebook will help its second attempt succeed.

    For now, new research shows that WeChat is winning the two-pronged race in China, where access to the likes Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram is blocked. Research figures from iResearch shows that 61.1% of Chinese Internet users use WeChat over Alibaba’s Weibo.

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  • Singtel launches triple mobile data add-on

    Singtel launches triple mobile data add-on

    Singtel has announced a new mobile data add-on allowing customers to triple their mobile data allocations for a flat fee.

    The new DataX3 addon will be available to Singtel’s Combo Plan customers for S$9.90 per month. Combo Plans offer base data allocations ranging from 2GB to 12GB.

    It joins the ComboX2 addon, which launched earlier this year and allows customers to double their allocations for S$5.90 per month.

    Singtel has also launched WiFi calling for all Singtel mobile postpaid customers. The service is available without the use of an app, and offers seamless WiFi to 4G handover.

    The service is being made available at no additional cost. At launch, the service is available on compatible iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Sony Xperia smartphone models.

    “WiFi Calling is a network innovation which offers added convenience and an enhanced mobile experience to customers. Our customers can now have mobile coverage even in difficult to reach places such as basements and windowless rooms, as long as there is a WiFi signal,” Singtel CEO consumer Singapore Yuen Kuan Moon said.

    “This service extends our extensive mobile network to cover a wider footprint and complements our ongoing efforts in delivering the fastest and widest 4G service in Singapore.”

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  • NBTC to sue TrueMove, AIS for profit owed

    NBTC to sue TrueMove, AIS for profit owed

    Thailand’s telecoms regulator is in a race against time to sue TrueMove and AIS for profit owed during the final days of the 2G concession.

    The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission telecoms sub-board has recommended the full board sue TrueMove and DPC (an AIS subsidiary) for $30.6 million (1069.98 million baht) and $17.9 million (627.64 million baht) for all profit during the so-called consumer protection phase of their 2G concessions.

    The non-extendable concessions expired in 2013 but were extended to protect consumers until March this year, under the condition that all profit be returned to the state, not just the 30% revenue share under concession terms.

    Previously the NBTC had decided only to sue TrueMove, but because of a fear that they may be viewed as biased, the board this week issued a new recommendation to the full board to sue both True and DPC (AIS).

    The lawsuit must be filed before September 18 as it is when the statute of limitations expires.

    Elsewhere the NBTC is to set up a committee to investigate a data breach by AIS which involved an AIS employee leaking customer information and call logs. The matter made a big splash on social media earlier this week and AIS responded by firing their staff responsible.

    However, NBTC Secretary-General Takorn Tantasit said that AIS might face a maximum penalty of cancellation of its license due to the breach, and executives may be jailed up to two years.

    The committee will convene for the first time on 19 September.

    Elsewhere as expected, Thailand has transformed its ICT Ministry into the new Digital Ministry for Society and Economy.

    The DMSE act also sets up what is colloquially called the Digital Economy Commission, though now formally it is, strictly translated, the Office of the Digital Commission for Society and the Economy which will be chaired by the Prime Minister.

    A number of bureaus that used report to the ICT Ministry’s Permanent Secretary are now to report to the DE Commission – Space Affairs Bureau, ICT Promotion Bureau, e-Government Promotion Bureau and ICT Industry Promotion Bureau.

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  • India’s RCom to merge with Aircel

    India’s RCom to merge with Aircel

    India’s Reliance Communications has arranged to merge its mobile business with rival Aircel to create one of India’s top four operators by customers and revenue.

    The deal is expected to be the largest ever consolidation in the Indian telecoms sector, RCom said in a stock exchange statement.

    Under the arrangement, RCom and Aircel’s parent company, Malaysia’s Maxis Communications, will combine their Indian mobile assets to form a 50:50 joint venture. Both RCom and Maxis will have equal board representation.

    The transaction is expected to take place in 2017. Through the deal RCom expects to reduce its overall debt by around $3 billion, or over 40% of its total, while Aircel expects to cut its debt by $600 million.

    The merged company will have the second largest spectrum holding among all Indian operators, with 448 MHz aggregated across the 850-MHz, 900-MHz, 1800-MHz and 2100-MHz bands. It will be a top three operator in 12 key cities.

    “We are delighted to have taken the lead in consolidation of the Indian telecom sector, first with RCom’s acquisition of the wireless business of SSTL, and now, with the combination of our business with Aircel in a 50:50 Joint Venture with [Maxis],” Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani said.

    Maxis commented that the company has invested over $5.2 billion in Aircel since acquiring the company in 2006, marking one of the largest foreign investments in India.

    RCom’s data center, fiber and related infrastructure operations will remain separate following the merger. The deal still requires shareholder and regulatory approvals.