Retail News CRM

Category: Telecom

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Telecom & Telco news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Singapore’s MyRepublic denies reports of funding woes

    Singapore’s MyRepublic denies reports of funding woes

    MyRepublic’s CEO has rejected reports that the company is having difficulty raising funds required to make a bid to become Singapore’s fourth mobile operator, calling the claim “a bold-faced lie.”

    Malcolm Rodrigues told us that the company has already lined up $130 million worth of the $250 million in funding needed to roll out a network.

    Rodrigues was responding to a report stating that the company’s latest financial statement casts doubts onto whether the operator can afford to become a mobile operator.

    The report alleged that it had received a copy of the unlisted operator’s balance sheet that shows that MyRepublic lost S$9.36 million ($6.96 million) in Singapore last year, and has so far raised no funds required for the rollout.

    But Rodrigues denied this claim, asserting that the company has a loan facility for half the required amount, and expects DBS Group and Goldman Sachs to help the operator finish its fundraising for the mobile bid by the end of July.

    MyRepublic will be competing against Consistel, through subsidiary OMGTel, which has reportedly lined up at least S400 million worth of the S$1 billion in funding it plans to commit if it wins the mobile license.

    Lees ook:

  • Google, RingCentral partner to take on Microsoft

    Google, RingCentral partner to take on Microsoft

    The search giant Google and the cloud communications specialist RingCentral are joining forces to serve apps and UC to the enterprise.

    They’ve got a new offering called RingCentral Office Google Edition in the form of a plug-in in the Google Apps marketplace. It is intended to bring together RingCentral’s communications platform with Google Apps and related technologies like Google Hangouts.

    The idea is to be able to take on the likes of Microsoft, which itself moving to better integrate Office 365 and Skype.

    While the big tech companies have been very good at the cloud lately, they haven’t done that much in the cloud communications segment of the space, at least organically. Hence, despite the many infrastructure projects that Google for Google to seek out partners to better address the enterprise opportunity seems like a natural move.

    For Google it’s just another small piece of what has become a very big jigsaw puzzle. But it could be a big deal for RingCentral, whose quarterly revenues of $86 million would be more sensitive to the success of this new application package.

    RingCentral is one of the new generation of UC specialists that are finally shaking up the industry the way we all thought VoIP would do 10 years ago.

     

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Thailand will tighten call drop regulations

    Thailand will tighten call drop regulations

    Thai regulator NBTC will introduce stricter standards governing the quality of mobile signals in an effort to address a growing number of complaints related to dropped calls.

    The NBTC will amend current regulations, which require operators not to exceed a dropped call rate of 15% across all calls, to instead require operators to maintain this rate in each of Thailand’s service areas.

    The new regulations, which are expected to come into effect in September, have been implemented in response to the fact that in more busy service areas with congested traffic dropped call rates are much higher than the average.

    In addition to the new regulation, the NBTC has given five mobile operators – AIS, Dtac, True Move, CAT Telecom and TOT – 15 days to resolve their dropped call problems.

    According to the report as of May there were 994 complaints involving dropped calls from AIS, 497 from Dtac, 386 from True Move, 32 from CAT and seven from TOT. Complaints are picking up now operators are focusing on customer acquisition strategies to maximize their 4G investments.

    Indian regulator Trai is also focusing heavily on the issue of call drops.

    Lees ook:

  • 3 Hong Kong launches prepaid plans for Apple SIM

    3 Hong Kong launches prepaid plans for Apple SIM

    Hong Kong mobile operator 3 has announced its support for Apple SIM, introducing a line of short-term LTE data plans that can be chosen and activated from compatible iPads.

    The operator has introduced day pass plans offering two days of connectivity for HK$38 ($4.90), seven days for HK$88 and 14 days for HK$168. These plans have fair use limits of 2.5GB, 3.5GB and 5GB respectively.

    Customers will also be able to choose monthly data pass plans for HK$168 for 1GB, HK$248 for 2GB or HK$298 for 3GB.

    Customers on Apple SIM LTE data plans will be charged a HK$2 administration fee every 30 days.

    Global  Apple SIM partner GigSky has meanwhile announced it had expanded its cellular data plans for Apple SIM to cover over 149 countries, up from just over 90. The prepaid packages are now available in all the top travel destinations, the company said.

    GigSky data plans are available in APAC markets including Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand, Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Japan. The plans typically range from US$15 for 100MB of data over three days to $50 for 1GB of data over 30 days.

    Apple SIM is supported by the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 4.

  • CenturyLink acquires cloud startup ElasticBox

    CenturyLink acquires cloud startup ElasticBox

    CenturyLink has announced the acquisition of ElasticBox, a multi-cloud application management service for an undisclosed amount.

    The acquisition combines the ElasticBox platform with the global network, hosting and delivery capabilities of CenturyLink.

    ElasticBox, a startup with offices in San Francisco and Madrid, enables enterprise IT organizations to orchestrate the deployment of applications and create a self-service catalog of applications and infrastructure.

    Aamir Hussain, CenturyLink CTO said the acquisition of ElasticBox strengthens and enhances CenturyLink’s development and deployment of multi-cloud services management capabilities, as well as the company’s ability to deliver end-to-end network and hybrid IT services to business customers globally.

    “The ElasticBox multi-cloud management platform frees businesses to focus on issues that are central to their organization rather than spending time and resources managing multiple clouds,” Hussain noted.

    ElasticBox enables application orchestration for more than 12 different cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services, IBM’s SoftLayer, Microsoft Azure and VMware. ElasticBox recently added support for CenturyLink Cloud and more feature support for Google Compute Engine and OpenStack. ElasticBox also supports Docker and Amazon ECS containers, and recently added Kubernetes as another destination for applications. These deployment options enable customers to package a range of applications into a container and manage it via ElasticBox.

    CenturyLink and Nxtra Data Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, meanwhile announced an exclusive business partnership to provide advanced hosting and managed IT services to enterprises in India.

    This exclusive partnership brings Nxtra Data’s Indiadata center management expertise together with CenturyLink’s cost-effective hosting, managed services and cloud capabilities to serve businesses and government organizations in India.

    Lees ook:

  • SingTel to launch VoWiFi in August

    SingTel to launch VoWiFi in August

    SingTel has revealed plans to launch Singapore’s first commercial Voice over Wi-Fi service in August following the success of its recent HetNet trials.

    The trials, conducted in collaboration with IDA Singapore, confirmed that voice calls and texts can be sent over Wi-Fi in areas which are challenging for mobile signals.

    Service continuity can be maintained as smartphones transition between cellular and Wi-Fi networks, without the need of an installed mobile app. SingTel said this will allow its customers to make uninterrupted calls over Wi-Fi in locations including basements and the upper floors of skyscrapers.

    The trials also demonstrated the readiness of SingTel’s HetNet to support the IoT by providing reliable connections to sensors and other connected devices, the operator said.

    “In the near future, with millions of connected devices fuelling data demand, ensuring a consistent experience for multiple mobile customers across different locations is paramount,” SingTel CEO consumer Singapore Yuen Kuan Moon said.

    “With pervasive connectivity and higher data capacity set to become the norm, it was important for us to conduct a HetNet trial to gain further insights.  Given our positive trial results, we are ready to support the Internet of Things with our networks and provide SingTel mobile users with high-quality voice calls and SMS island-wide.”

    IDA co-managing director Gabriel Lim said 90% of HetNet trial users had an improved mobile experience, including superior connectivity, download and upload speeds and transitions between wireless and cellular networks.

    “We will use the lessons from the trial to work with our industry partners to further enhance the experience of Singapore mobile users,” he said.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Globe taps Fortumo for enhanced direct carrier billing service

    Globe taps Fortumo for enhanced direct carrier billing service

    Globe Telecom in the Philippines and the mobile payments company Fortumo have sealed a partnership to launch enhanced direct carrier billing in the country.

    With this collaboration, over 52 million Globe customers will be able to use their mobile phones to make payments in various app stores, as well as for digital services and games.

    Direct carrier billing, significantly increases the amount of users who are able to make online payments. In the Philippines, only 3% of Filipinos have access to a credit card while smartphone penetration has reached 40% and is forecasted to grow to 70% during the next two years.

    With Fortumo and Globe, more people will be able to make payments online through carrier billing compared to bank-based payments.

    Dan Horan, Globe senior advisor for consumer business said the continuous rise in smartphone penetration alongside the drastic adoption of the digital lifestyle has made more and more Filipinos dependent on their mobile devices. Customers continue to be on the lookout for a better mobile experience including conveniences such as making payments.

    “With Fortumo, we will be able to provide our customers an improved experience by providing the convenience of making payments on any app store, including the in-app purchases,” said Horan.

    In addition to digital content, Fortumo’s direct carrier billing platform also supports payment processing for financial services, such as topping up virtual credit cards or wallets. This is achieved through token-based, two step charging.

  • Telstra to address rural 4G black spots

    Telstra to address rural 4G black spots

    Australia’s Telstra has revealed plans to roll out 135 small cell 4G base stations in remote communities across the nation as part of the government’s Mobile Black Spot program.

    The operator is also making the investment as part its efforts to expand its 4G footprint to 99% of the Australian population by June next year.

    Telstra has made an A$165 million ($123.1 million) commitment to improve coverage in regional Australia, and will already expand 3G and 4G coverage to 429 other remote communities as part of round one of the black spot program. But the latest small cell roll out will be solely funded by Telstra.

    “When we made our bid under Round One, our core objective was to maximise new coverage to regional communities, which is why we made this additional pledge to further expand mobile data services at our own expense,” Telstra group managing director for networks Mike Wright said.

    “We worked closely with the Federal Government to identify the communities who were eligible for this small cell technology and we are proud to be part of this important initiative which will connect so many more regional communities.”

    While the small cell technology can currently only provide data services, Telstra said it is working on implementing VoLTE technology over the base stations.

    Lees ook:

  • Mobitel, Dialog Axiata trial 1Gbps+ 4.5G

    Mobitel, Dialog Axiata trial 1Gbps+ 4.5G

    In a South Asia first, Sri Lanka’s Mobitel and Dialog Axiata have each completed successful trials of 4.5G technology capable of speeds of over 1Gbps.

    Mobitel announced it has tested a technology it calls LTE-A Pro at the operator’s test lab.

    The operator partnered with Huawei and ZTE to test LTE-A technology capable of using a combination of up to five-carrier aggregation, 4×4 MIMO and 256 QAM. The company plans a commercial deployment in the near future.

    Dialog meanwhile revealed it has completed capability testing on Huawei’s LTE equipment, demonstrating the ability to deliver throughputs exceeding 1Gbps over the LTE radio interface.

    Mobitel asserts it was the first operator in South Asia to trial LTE technology in 2011, while Dialog Axiata said it was the first in the region to launch commercial LTE services in 2014. Dialog’s LTE network now covers more than 50% of the population.

    Dialog and Mobitel are Sri Lanka’s first and second largest mobile operators by subscribers respectively.

    The ITU has named Sri Lanka as having the lowest broadband tariffs among operators in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • SmarTone debuts Flexi-switch for mobile plans

    SmarTone debuts Flexi-switch for mobile plans

    Hong Kong’s SmarTone has unveiled a new brand campaign which includes introducing the ability for customers to change mobile plans during an initial trial period.

    SmarTone’s new Flexi-switch service will allow customers to trial their mobile plan for a three month period, and change their plans in line with their data usage needs once during this trial period.

    Customers will be able to either upgrade or downgrade their plans based on their experiences during those first months.

    Flexi-switch has been introduced as part of SmarTone’s new “We’re for Smiles” campaign, as a component of the TrueCare series of services designed to address customer needs.

    Other newly-introduced TrueCare services are a free service that allows customers to rent powerbanks from SmarTone stores if their smartphones run out of batteries while on the go, a free screen replace service and the anti-cyberattack software service ST Protect.

    “At SmarTone, we have always focused on understanding our customers’ needs in order to provide them with the most relevant services,”  SmarTone head of marketing and sales Josephine Lim commented.

    “From our recent consumer research, we observed that a lot of Hong Kong consumers prefer quality customer service and flexible service plans.”

  • Taiwan Mobile eyes investments in India, Indonesia

    Taiwan Mobile eyes investments in India, Indonesia

    Taiwan Mobile is considering investing in the telecoms markets of India and Indonesia due to their strong growth potential.

    At the operator’s annual general meeting, chairman Richard Tsai said the company is evaluating opportunities to enter the markets.

    While Tsai acknowledged that India’s overcrowded market has resulted in heavy price competition, he said that the large population is creating opportunities in segments including data transmission.

    The operator is evaluating the possibility of teaming up with operators in India to carve out a slice of the nascent 4G market in the nation.

    According to Tsai, the company has also been eyeing an entry into the e-commerce sector in Southeast Asia, with subsidiary momo.com preparing to explore the markets of the Philippines and Vietnam.

    Domestically Taiwan Mobile is focused on developing its third party payment business while kicking off an OTT content business. Taiwan Mobile has meanwhile set a target of lifting its 4G subscriber base to 5 million in 2017 from 3 million at the end of 2015.

  • Singtel, Airtel to combine IP VPNs

    Singtel, Airtel to combine IP VPNs

    Singtel and India’s Bharti Airtel have announced a strategic alliance to provide high-speed connectivity to global enterprises through a single IP VPN.

    The operators have combined their infrastructure into one network providing coverage to 325 cities through 370 points of presence in APAC, MEA, Europe and the US. This will form one of the largest IP VPNs worldwide.

    The network will support MPLS and high-bandwidth business applications including unified communications, video conferencing and SDN.

    A single helpdesk and a single integrated operations and maintenance system have been jointly developed to support the combined networking operations.

    “We believe joining forces this way makes total sense. By tapping on one another’s infrastructure assets we enhance each other’s capabilities,” Singtel Group Enterprise managing director of global enterprise business Lim Seng Kong said.

    “With its wide coverage of cities in India, this network paves the way for our international customers to enter into one of the world’s most vibrant economies. Conversely, this partnership also opens the door for Indian companies to expand abroad, supported by Singtel’s high quality IP VPN network in major business cities in Asia, Europe and the US.”

    He said the agreement will allow Singtel to strengthen its lead as the largest IP VPN provider in APAC with domestic data networks in Australia, India and Singapore.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Telenor wins 4G license in Pakistan for $395m

    Telenor wins 4G license in Pakistan for $395m

    Norway’s Telenor has secured a 4G license in Pakistan for $395 million as the sole bidder for an 850-MHz spectrum block.

    Telenor Pakistan will join China Mobile subsidiary Zong in holding a 4G license following the auction. The operator is seeking to capitalize on burgeoning demand for mobile broadband in a market where smartphone shipments soared 123% in the first quarter of last year.

    As of the end of April, the number of broadband users in Pakistan grew to nearly 29 million, the report states, marking a higher population penetration than India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

    Telenor Pakistan was the lone bidder for the 10 MHz block of 850-MHz spectrum, even though the auction was open to both domestic and international participants. The government had been hoping to use the auction to attract a new entrant into the market.

    The operator will be allocated the spectrum within 30 days of making its payment.

    Lees ook:

  • Ericsson launches 5G plug-ins

    Ericsson launches 5G plug-ins

    Ericsson has launched a line of “5G plug-ins” designed to prepare today’s networks for the next generation of mobile technology.

    The vendor has introduced a range of software-driven plug-ins focused on capabilities operators can leverage within current networks to facilitate the evolution to 5G.

    Plug-ins include massive MIMO, multi-user MIMO, RAN virtualiztion, intelligent connectivity and latency reduction.

    The plug-ins cover use cases including mobile HD video, driverless buses, haptic feedback-enabled drones and residential wireless broadband services offering fiber-equivalent speeds.

    They are currently only available for operator trials but will be made available for commercial networks starting from next year.

    Ericsson SVP and head of radio Arun Bansal said the plug-ins are designed to “enable the evolutionary steps that operators need to take as they develop networks to secure their 5G future.”

    Current Analysis VP of consumer and infrastructure services noted that while 5G has gained considerable momentum over the past year, “without spectrum allocations or ratified standards, operators need a migration tactic allowing them to leverage current network investments in synch with their 5G evolution strategies.

    “Ericsson’s 5G plug-Ins deliver this flexibility, supporting the deployment of advanced access technologies in the near-term, and in preparation for 5G.”

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Philippine competition watchdog to probe SMC deal

    Philippine competition watchdog to probe SMC deal

    The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has announced it will conduct a “comprehensive review” of the 69 billion peso ($1.49 billion) acquisition of San Miguel Corporation’s telecoms assets by PLDT and Globe Telecom.

    The regulator has sent letters to the operators informing them that a thorough review will be undertaken.

    Such a review includes an investigation into whether there will be substantial changes to the market structure and the potential impact of the transaction on public welfare.

    In a statement, the newly-formed PCC said it had decided to conduct the investigation “based on the totality of information available to us, including public statements made by the parties,” which led the authority to “believe there is a basis to conduct this review by virtue of the powers granted to the PCC by the Philippine Competition Act.”

    The PCC recently decided not to accept PLDT and Globe’s initial application for the merger, claiming it was “deficient and defective in form and substance.”

    The operators had recently resubmitted parts of their application to address the regulator’s concerns, while maintaining that their initial application was sufficient.

    PLDT and Globe announced in late May that they have arranged to acquire SMC’s telecoms assets, including its coveted 700-MHz spectrum holdings, in a deal worth a combined 69.1 billion pesos.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook: