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.

  • China Unicom brings 9 investors to IoV subsidiary

    China Unicom brings 9 investors to IoV subsidiary

    China Unicom said a group of automobile OEMs have invested in its Internet of Vehicle (IoV) unit China Unicom Smart Connection Technology.

    Nine strategic investors, including major automobile companies FAW, Guangzhou Automobile Group and Dongfeng Motor Group, among others have picked up a combined 31.2% in Smart Connection Technology.

    The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

    Following the introduction of strategic investors, Unicom now directly owns 68.8% of shares in the IoV unit, the Chinese telco said in a company statement.

    The divestment of stakes is part of the 5G business strategy of Unicom, which aims to launch commercial 5G services in 2020.

    Unicom said the new investors have strong strategic synergy with Smart Connection Technology in fields such as automobile manufacturing, industrial internet, technology and resources, and capital investment.

    The tie-up will enable Smart Connection Technology to secure better industry resources and competitive advantages to provide connected vehicle and service operation solutions and tap the business opportunities brought by 5G, the company added.

    Smart Connection Technology, established in 2015, provides services to major automobile OEMs in both domestic and international markets. According to Unicom, Smart Connection Technology has an over 70% share of the IoV market in China.

  • SKT to help broadcasters create 5G livestream system

    SKT to help broadcasters create 5G livestream system

    SK Telecom has signed agreements with South Korea’s top three terrestrial broadcasters to develop new media solutions and business models based on 5G technology.

    The operator has signed memoranda of understanding with Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) to jointly develop a 5G-based 4K ultra high definition live broadcasting system and test the system at sports games and other events.

    SK Telecom also plans to work with each broadcaster to develop 5G-based content and explore joint opportunities in digital advertising, augmented reality and hologram technology.

    In January, SK Telecom entered an agreement with US broadcaster Sinclair Broadcast Group to establish a joint venture to lead development of next-generation broadcasting solutions in the US.

    The operator has also just revealed plans to merge its broadband subsidiary and South Korea’s largest pay TV provider SK Broadband with the market’s second largest player t-broad to create a media company with around 8 million subscribers.

    Separately, SK Telecom announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Yonsei University Health System to introduce the first 5G powered digital hospital.

    The companies have agreed to develop a 5G network and specialized 5G-based solutions for the Yongin Severance Hospital, which is scheduled to open in February next year and so will be built from the ground up to support 5G solutions.

    SK Telecom will provide its AI speaker NUGU to allow patients with physical difficulties to control their beds, lighting and TVs with their voice, or call for assistance in case of emergencies. The hospital will also offer 5G-powered augmented reality indoor navigation and a hologram solution for remote visits to patients in isolation wards.

    Other solutions being planned or considered include quantum cryptography for advanced cybersecurity, as well as facial recognition for contact-free biometric access control for buildings and other rooms.

  • China Telecom formally signs Philippines JV agreement

    China Telecom formally signs Philippines JV agreement

    China Telecom has formally signed the agreement to create Mislatel, the joint venture that will become the Philippines’ third mobile operator, committing to invest $5.4 billion in the venture.

    The agreement with local conglomerate Udenna Corporation was signed last week in Beijing.

    China Telecom teamed up with Udenna Corporation, consisting of businesses owned by local tycoon Dennis Uy, to jointly submit an application in the Philippines’ new major player selection process in 2018.

    A company owned by Uy, also known as Mislatel, was granted a congressional telecommunications franchise in 1998, and the joint venture plans to use this franchise to operate.

    The joint venture’s entry in the market had the support of president Rodrigo Dutertre, but doubts were raised over the validity of this franchise due to Mislatel’s failure to launch services within the required window. But in February, the Philippines’ senate approved the transfer of the franchise to the joint venture.

    But due to delays receiving the required approvals to operate, Mislatel last week revealed plans to postpone its planned launch date from late 2020 to early 2021.

    Lees ook:

  • Telenor Myanmar expanding reach of LTE network

    Telenor Myanmar expanding reach of LTE network

    Telenor Myanmar has announced it has nearly reached 100% of the nation’s townships with its LTE network, having rolled out over 6,100 LTE sites nationwide.

    The company’s LTE network now covers 307 townships, with the company having expanded to seven more townships during the first quarter.

    “Since the first quarter, the company has deployed 856 additional sites and aims to increase this to more than 1,100 by the end of the month,” according to Telenor Myanmar CTO Jai Prakash.

    “As per our commitment to bring the best possible things for Myanmar citizens, we have achieved our ambitious goal of establishing a network with 6100+ LTE sites in 2019,” he said.

    “We will keep upgrading our network for our customers with our best data network and also educating the population on how to use our service effectively and efficiently.”

    Meanwhile the operator has been working with Ericsson to prepare its network for 5G, having conducted a joint trial last year achieving 1Gbps downlink rates over its LTE network.

    In late November, the companies also commenced a pilot study involving the provision of IoT connectivity in Mandalay City.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • ZTE, China Telecom launch 5G industrial service platform

    ZTE, China Telecom launch 5G industrial service platform

    ZTE, China Telecom and industrial equipment company Zhejiang Supcon have jointly developed a 5G-enabled industrial service platform designed to allow specialists to remotely assist on-site maintenance personnel.

    The Plantmate service platform allows on-site maintenance personnel to use augmented reality glasses equipped with high definition cameras to send real-time high definition images back to specialists over 5G.

    These specialists can then diagnose and troubleshoot problems remotely, communicating with on-site personnel over voice and video as well as a shared digital whiteboard.

    Users will also be able to access the maintenance specialist team at Zhejiang Supcon’s Hangzhou headquarters to obtain remote consultation and technical guidance for the company’s equipment and instruments.

    The three companies have announced plans to deepen their 5G cooperation in the industrial feed in the future to help jointly promote the implementation of a 5G industrial internet.

    Lees ook:

  • Verizon expands 5G to 20 more cities

    Verizon expands 5G to 20 more cities

    Following the launch of 5G services in Chicago and Minneapolis, US operator Verizon announced 20 new cities where it will turn on its 5G Ultra Wideband network this year. Verizon previously said it will launch 5G services in parts of at least 30 cities in 2019.

    The new cities include Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; Kansas City, Missouri; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; Providence, Rhode Island; San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Washington, DC.

    Verizon also said it will roll out its fixed wireless 5G Home broadband service to some of those markets, but didn’t specify which ones would see the service. The 5G Home service delivers 300 Mbps to subscribers for $50 per month for customers with Verizon wireless service or $70 per month for those without.

    Verizon said it’s now taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, the first 5G-capable phone to launch in the US. Verizon has a limited period of exclusivity for the phone before carriers T-Mobile and AT&T can begin offering the device.

    “The Galaxy S10 5G on Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network will give our customers access to incredible speeds and the latest and greatest streaming, augmented-reality, gaming, and consumer and business applications that bring us into a future powered by 5G,” said Brian Higgins, Verizon’s vice president, device and consumer product, in a statement.

    Verizon is offering new and existing customers the opportunity to trade in an eligible smartphone and save up to $450 off the S10 5G, which retails for $1,300. Verizon is offering the 256GB version of the device for $54.26 per month for 24 months with its device payment plan; while the 512GB version is available for $58.33 per month for 24 months.

    Access to Verizon’s 5G network is available only to customers who have an “Above” and “Beyond Unlimited” plans and a 5G phone. Both plans include unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband data, hotspot and 4K HD video streaming in areas where the 5G network is available. During the company’s first 5G network launches in Chicago and Minneapolis, Verizon was charging customers an extra $10 per month, but the carrier will waive that fee for a limited as a promotion.

  • SoftBank JV to invest $125m in Project Loon

    SoftBank JV to invest $125m in Project Loon

    Japan’s SoftBank has announced that its joint venture HAPSMobile will invest $125 million in Google’s Project Loon to advance the use of high-altitude vehicles to carry mobile base stations.

    HAPSMobile, the joint venture between SoftBank and US-based unmanned aerial vehicle systems company AeroVironment, was established in 2017 to conduct network equipment research and development for the high-altitude platform station (HAPS) business.

    Under the agreement with Google, Loon has been given the right to invest the same sum in HAPSMobile at a later date.

    The two companies have also agreed to actively explore commercial collaborations to accelerate the development of high altitude network connectivity solutions, such as the network of stratospheric balloons that Loon is trialling to deliver internet access to unserved areas of the world.

    Potential areas of collaboration being negotiated include enabling flight vehicles from each party to connect and share the same network connectivity in the air, as well as the establishment of a wholesale business that would allow HAPSMobile to utilize Loon’s vehicle and technology, and allow Loon to utilize HAPSMobile’s in-development unmanned aircraft.

    Other possibilities include a jointly developed communications payload that is adaptable to multiple flight vehicles, a common gateway or ground station that could be deployed globally and used by both companies to provide connectivity over their platforms, and adapting Loon’s fleet management system and temporospatial SDN for use by HAPSMobile.

    “Building a telecommunications network in the stratosphere, which has not been utilized by humankind so far, is uncharted territory and a major challenge for SoftBank,” SoftBank CTO Junichi Miyakawa said.

    “Working with Alphabet’s subsidiary Loon, I’m confident we can accelerate the path toward the realization of utilizing the stratosphere for global networks by pooling our technologies, insights and experience. Even in this current era of coming 5G services, we cannot ignore the reality that roughly half of the world’s population is without Internet access. Through HAPS, we aim to eliminate the digital divide and provide people around the world with the innovative network services that they need.”

    “We see joining forces as an opportunity to develop an entire industry, one which holds the promise to bring connectivity to parts of the world no one thought possible,” Loon CEO Alastair Westgarth added.

    “This is the beginning of a long-term relationship based on a shared vision for expanding connectivity to those who need it. We look forward to what the future holds.”

  • Indonesia’s Teleglobal acquires capacity on SES-12

    Indonesia’s Teleglobal acquires capacity on SES-12

    Indonesia’s PT Indo Pratama Teleglobal has arranged to provide broadband access to underserved rural areas of the country via an agreement with satellite operator SES Networks.

    Under the five-year agreement, Teleglobal will use the SES-12 satellite and SES Networks’ managed data services to provide internet access and mobile backhaul services to 150,000 remote sites.

    Teleglobal has contracted 1.3GHz of capacity on the SES-12, which has six regional beams and 72 high throughput user spot beams.

    Teleglobal was selected by Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology to deliver rural capacity to complement the ongoing Palapa Ring project, which aims to connect the major islands in Indonesia with 11,000km of undersea fibre-optic cables to provide broadband internet infrastructure.

    The Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) estimates that internet penetration in rural Indonesia is just 48%, compared to 72% in urban areas. It is even lower outside the most populous island of Java, falling to only 2.5% in some outlying provinces.

    “At Teleglobal, we believe in the power of connectivity, in opening new doors of opportunity to communities in Indonesia and around the world,” Teleglobal director Candra Indianto said.

    “With the new service offering, Teleglobal is bridging the digital divide and bringing much-needed e-Government and other essential services to the underserved rural communities of Indonesia. SES Networks’ unparalleled global reach and operational expertise make them the ideal partner to provide reliable, high-speed broadband connectivity to all corners of Indonesia.”

  • Verizon to waive $10 5G fee for three months

    Verizon to waive $10 5G fee for three months

    Verizon will waive for three months the $10 fee it planned to charge subscribers for accessing its 5G network. After launching in Chicago and Minneapolis earlier this month, the carrier announced an additional 20 cities across the US where it will turn on 5G services this year.

    Verizon said it’ll waive the charge for subscribers in Chicago and Minneapolis. A few of the reviewers reported disappointing results using the network, and some recommended consumers don’t pay for the service until the network is expanded and the kinks are worked out.

    While most people who tested the network reported achieving speeds of 300-600 Mbps, there were plenty of problems with finding the 5G network signal, or keeping the Motorola Z3 phone connected to it.

    During Verizon’s quarterly earnings call April 23, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said the network in those initial two cities was “performing as expected on a brand new technology being deployed for the first time in the world.”

    “As more features within the network become available for deployment through ongoing software innovation, we will provide increased coverage, improved capacity and greater throughput,” Vestberg said, according to a transcript of the call provided by Motley Fool.

    Verizon’s deployments in Chicago and Minneapolis used the carrier’s millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum technologies to deliver high speeds in dense urban areas. But as Wave7 Research’s Jeffrey Moore told FierceWireless this week, mmWave technologies tend to have weak signal propagation, pointing to concerns about the urban use case for the technology when there are large buildings and other obstacles that can block the signal.

    Vestberg seemed to concede that there are challenges with mmWave during the earnings call. “We all need to remind ourselves, this is not a coverage spectrum,” he said. It’s unclear if those considerations factored into Verizon’s decision to wave the $10 fee for its 5G network.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Globe extends GoWiFi service to over 2,000 sites

    Globe extends GoWiFi service to over 2,000 sites

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom has announced it has expanded its GoWiFi public WiFi service to more than 2,000 sites across the country.

    The operator is now providing over 20,000 access points nationwide, up from 15,000 in 2018, and the network is hosting 18 million sessions per month, Globe said.

    During the year, Globe plans to further expand the network to cover more health clinics and hospitals, colleges and universities, and retail establishments.

    The service is also currently available at major transit points including the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), as well as Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations.

    Globe provides a free GoWiFi service with a maximum allocation, as well as a paid service than can be used to extend usage beyond the free allocation.

    Both services are available to all users with WiFi-enabled devices and select international numbers, and provide speeds of up to 100Mbps depending on location.

  • Vietnam gets its first MVNO Provider

    Vietnam gets its first MVNO Provider

    Indochina Telecom has become the first MVNO in Vietnam, operating on the VinaPhone network. The operator is initially introducing services for workers in industrial parks in nine provinces and cities.

    Indochina Telecom has been attempting for over a decade to launch MVNO services in Vietnam, the report states. The company had initially failed to negotiate an MVNE deal with Viettel, but has secured one with VinaPhone, the mobile subsidiary of VNPT.

    The company plans to introduce a variety of packages tailored to different groups and user segments, and will cooperate with Vietnam’s mobile network operators to negotiate the best deals.

    Indochina Telecom’s introductory package provides unlimited under 20 minute within network and 30 minute out of network calls for 77,000 dong ($3.31) per month.

  • SK Broadband agrees to merge with t-broad

    SK Broadband agrees to merge with t-broad

    South Korea’s SK Telecom has arranged to merge its fixed broadband subsidiary SK Broadband with the nation’s second largest cable TV operator t-broad to help both companies weather rapid changes in the pay TV market.

    Under the proposed merger, which still requires government approval, SK Telecom would take a 74.4% stake in the combined company.

    Meanwhile t-broad’s parent company Taekwang Industrial would take a 16.8% stake in the company, with the remaining held by financial investors, treasury stock and others.

    The merger ratio has been set at 75:25 based on corporate valuation analysis, the companies said. The two companies have also attracted additional investment of 400 billion won from financial investor MiraeAssetDaewoo.

    As of June 2018, t-broad had around 3.14 million subscribers. Adding SK Broadband’s IPTV subscriber base of 4.54 million recorded at the same period, the combined entity would become a media company with around 8 million subscribers.

    But the two companies could face difficulty securing competition regulatory approval for the merger due to this figure.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • SenRa, myDevices launch IoT in a Box in India

    SenRa, myDevices launch IoT in a Box in India

    Pan-India LoRaWAN network service provider SenRa is teaming with IoT firm myDevices to launch an IoT solution for industrial use in India.

    The solution, called IoT in a Box, will initially be rolled out to provide end-to-end commercial refrigeration monitoring solutions for the Indian market.

    “We are excited to bring myDevices’ IoT in a Box solution offerings to the Indian market,” said Ali Hosseini, CEO of SenRa. “This collaboration will allow us to increase adoption of LoRaWAN in India and in its mainstream market. IoT in a Box is an off-the-shelf solution which will rapidly enable digitalization PAN India.”

    According to SenRa, there are over 90 million commercial refrigeration units in operation around the world and the global demand for commercial refrigeration equipment is expected to increase 4.5% each year through 2020.

    The company believes the partnership with myDevices will help drive India’s digital movement into industries yet to be penetrated in the Indian market.

    With India’s IoT market poised to touch $15 billion by 2020, new and cost-effective solutions are an integral part of driving the market growth and IoT adoption in India.

    The IoT in a Box’s commercial refrigeration temperature monitoring offering will now drive IoT adoption into industries such as retail, supply-chain management, logistics, healthcare, and even hospitality.

    The company believes the myDevices’ IoT in a Box solution and SenRa’s LoRaWAN network services will allow businesses like pharmaceutical labs, supermarkets, corporate cafeterias, restaurants, hospitals, and food manufacturing units to better monitor and manage their refrigerators and deep-freezing units remotely and in real-time.

    Lees ook:

  • Alibaba Cloud Ranked First in Asia Pacific by Gartner

    Alibaba Cloud Ranked First in Asia Pacific by Gartner

    Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing and data intelligence arm of Alibaba Group, has been named first in Asia Pacific(*) market share for IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and IUS (Infrastructure Utility Services) in two consecutive years as per Gartner’s latest report revealed earlier this month named Market Share: IT Services, 2018. It has also retained its top three global provider position in the same space.

    According to this Market Share conducted by global analyst firm Gartner, Alibaba Cloud led the Asia Pacific market for IaaS and IUS with 19.6% market share (+4.7% market share gain from 2017). The technology innovator is followed by 11.0% and 8.0% market shares of the second (AWS) and third player (Microsoft) respectively in Asia Pacific in 2018.

    Alibaba Cloud boasts a strong network in Asia Pacific, with 15 availability zones in the region outside mainland China, covering Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Japan markets. It is the only global cloud provider that has set up local data centers in Indonesia and Malaysia, offering a wide range of cloud and data analytics products.

    “It is very encouraging that our continued dedication to enabling cloud development across industries in both Asia Pacific and globally(**) has been recognized by world’s leading research and advisory company. As the only global cloud provider originated from Asia, we will continue to champion millions of businesses through our world-class infrastructure, advanced analytics tools and thriving ecosystem.” said Lancelot Guo, Vice President of Alibaba Group and Head of Strategy and Marketing at Alibaba Cloud.

    Lees ook:

  • SATO Launches Cloud-based Labeling Data Management Service

    SATO Launches Cloud-based Labeling Data Management Service

    Restaurant chains, supermarkets and retailers spread across wide geographic areas face serious challenges with data management for product labeling. As labeling data updates are often supported by system administrators but carried out by local teams, the process has traditionally been time-consuming, entailing a process fraught with possibility of error. Research shows two top priorities among organizations in terms of data management are increasing efficiency and protecting their reputation and brand. Over half (52%) of organizations maintain high-quality data for the purpose of increasing efficiency, while 39% do so to protect their brand1.

    With SATO App Storage, users can streamline processes and ensure the highest level of accuracy in their labeling operations. By centralizing management of labeling data, food and retail chains can ensure product information is always up to date and accurate. Administrators can arrange for updates of label data and label designs to be automated in real time or scheduled for specified locations. The SATO system reduces the time required for data management operations by over half2 when performing label data updates. It automates updates of apps and printer settings when replacing printers and streamlines management of seasonal label data for holidays and price markdowns.

    Also the service features a cloud network of proven security, safety and high availability with best-in-class SLA performance, an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) to prevent exploits and SSL/HTTPS encryption for secure communication.

    “Our secure and maintenance-free cloud printing service ensures up-to-date data anytime, anywhere for peace of mind and cost savings,” said Hayato Shindo, President of SATO International Co., Ltd. “Paired with our native value-added services that enable management of label data, design templates and the devices themselves, SATO now offers a comprehensive labeling management solution.”