Retail News CRM

Tag: China Telecom

  • China Telecom, Huawei hold NB-IoT symposium

    China Telecom, Huawei hold NB-IoT symposium

    China Telecom and Huawei co-hosted a symposium in Shenzhen yesterday aimed at exploring the potential of narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) technology in smart city applications.

    The symposium attracted participants from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) as well as representatives from industries including water, gas, smart meters and other fields.

    Attendees were told that the wide coverage and massive simultaneous connection capabilities of NB-IoT meke it ideally suited for deployment in smart city areas including water and gas management, street lighting and car parking.

    “NB-IoT-based Smart Water and Smart Gas are the main components in Smart City, fully exhibiting the informatization level in the public service provisioning sector of a city,” China Telecom GM of government and enterprise Sun Jian commented.

    “China Telecom and Huawei have initiated together pilot NB-IoT applications on Smart Water and Smart Gas with industry partners, including Shenzhen Water and Shenzhen Gas. Through comprehensive cooperation on standards formulation, technological research, network construction, service development, business model exploration, and associated aspects, all parties wish to jointly promote informatization construction for water and gas industries.”

    Huawei president of marketing and solutions Zhang Shunmao added that Huawei is currently shipping 200,000 NB-IoT capable chips per month, and expects to increase this to 1 million per month in the future.

    This year the company is also scheduled to deploy more than 30 NB-IoT networks for Smart City applications – particularly for public service provisioning – in over 20 countries this year.

    Separately, IoT provider Thinxtra has announced a partnership with Hong Kong wireless technology company Victory Concept to develop IoT devices for Asia-Pacific enterprises to implement using the low-power-wide area (LPWA) Sigfox network.

    Thinxtra recently announced plans to deploy a Sigfox network throughout Hong Kong by June. The devices will also be compatible with Sigfox networks in 32 countries worldwide.

    “The Thinxtra network will offer companies and researchers in Hong Kong the chance to create new products and services based on IoT. We believe that Hong Kong has the potential to be a world-leading IoT design and manufacturing hub,” Thinxtra Asia MD Murray Hankinson said.

    “With the skills and facilities to provide a reliable supply of high-quality, low-cost devices in Hong Kong, Victory Concept is helping us create the right conditions for IoT innovation to flourish here and spread around Asia Pacific and to the world.”

  • China Telecom Global teams with HKT on m-payment

    China Telecom Global teams with HKT on m-payment

    China Telecom Global (CTG) has entered an agreement with HKT Payment, the mobile payment subsidiary of Hong Kong operator HKT, to issue a co-branded mobile payment solution.

    The companies will collaborate to issue a co-branded virtual Tap & Go card for subscribers to CTG’s CTExcel multinational mobile brand.

    Tap and Go is the contactless mobile payment technology used by HKT Payment for its stored value facilities (SVF) mobile payment service.

    Through the collaboration CTExcel customers will be able to take advantage of the payment option at a wide range of merchants, China Telecom Global CEO Deng Xiaofeng said.

    “We think mobile payment is an area that will help CTG to differentiate its mobile solution with extra benefits. This partnership is the first step into this space in Hong Kong and aims at empowering CTExcel users to enjoy smart and convenient mobile payment at over 6 million merchant outlets worldwide as well as online,” he said.

    HKT Payment head Monita Leung added that in addition to the extensive global payment network, “the unique Tap & Go peer-to-peer payment services PayBuddy and PayMaster enable our partner to reach and engage wider markets including children and young adults.”

    CTG has separately agreed to provide the network in China and Hong Kong for for global roaming and IoT solutions provider UROS Uni-fi Roaming Solutions.

    Under the agreement, CTG will provide 4G mobile services in both markets, delivered via both traditional SIM cards and eSIM technology.

    ““CTG is excited to support UROS for its connectivity requirements across HK and mainland China. With its CTExcel brand, CTG is committed to providing high quality mobile service across the regions for both consumers and enterprises without compromising quality and reliability,” Deng said.

    Lees ook:

  • China Telecom revenue grows 6.4% in 2016

    China Telecom revenue grows 6.4% in 2016

    China Telecom has reported a 6.4% increase in operating revenue for 2016 to 352.28 billion yuan, as the company doubled its 4G subscriber base.

    Net profit for the year fell 10.2% to 18 billion yuan, due to the positive impact in the prior year associated with the sale of its tower assets to telecommunications infrastructure joint venture China Tower. Excluding this impact, profit would have grown 11.7%.

    Service revenue increased 5.6% to 309.64 billion yuan, with mobile service revenues up 10.5% to 137.61 billion yuan.

    Total mobile customers grew by 17.1 million to 215 million, giving China Telecom a mobile market share of 16.2%. Total 4G users doubled to 122 million, representing a penetration rate of 57% and giving China Telecom a total 4G market share of 16% – up 1.9 percentage points from end-2015.

    As a result of this growth, total 4G data traffic meanwhile increased by 130% during the year and mobile data revenues grew by 43%.

    Fixed service revenues meanwhile increased 1.9% to 172.03 billion yuan, with wireline broadband revenues up 3.3% over the prior year.

    China Telecom added 10.06 million fixed broadband subscribers during the year, taking its total to 123 million. FTTH subscribers accounted for 106 million of these customers, with total subscribers up 35%.

    Lees ook:

  • China Telecom Shanghai, Huawei test network slicing

    China Telecom Shanghai, Huawei test network slicing

    China Telecom Shanghai and Huawei have successfully jointly implemented access network slicing at a trial site.

    The trial solution involves slicing the access network into home, enterprise and campus connections, which will potentially allow the operator to use a single network to deliver all types of services.

    OLT hardware is shared by services, and all segments are isolated from each other in order to improve service reliability and network security.

    China Telecom Shanghai engaged Huawei to develop an access network slicing solution to address issues including insufficient equipment room space and runaway power consumption associated with rapid user base growth.

    “Traditional OLTs do not support the access of full services. Network slicing enables service isolation and optimizes resource utilization,” China Telecom Shanghai vice chief engineer Zhang Jun said.

    “Network slicing is our first step toward cloud. It is now being including in the related technical standards of China Telecom. In the future, we will cooperate with Huawei to further optimize network slicing.”

    The companies expect that network slicing will propel the development of gigabit networks. This will be essential to helping operators meet the enormous capacity demands of the cloud era.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • China Telecom taps Nokia to expand 4G coverage

    China Telecom taps Nokia to expand 4G coverage

    China Telecom has contracted Nokia to enhance the operator’s 4G coverage and capacity to meet growing subscriber demand.

    The companies have signed an agreement to expand the deployment of 4G in 19 provinces nationwide, which will include preparing China Telecom’s network for the planned launch of VoLTE services next year.

    Nokia will provide equipment including its Flexi MultiRadio base stations for the deployment, as well as project management, network design and installation and hardware and software maintenance services.

    The agreement covers the provinces of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Henan, Sichuan, Anhui, Liaoning, Guizhou, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.

    China Telecom added 31 million 4G users during the first six months of 2016 alone, taking its total to 90 million from an overall mobile subscriber base of nearly 207 million.

    Last year 4G traffic meanwhile grew more than sixfold, and is expected to account for more than 90% of the operator’s total mobile data traffic by 2017.

    “This agreement with China Telecom builds on our long history of collaboration. Our deep-rooted knowledge of the Chinese market will enable China Telecom to meet the demands of an ever-growing and dynamic 4G subscriber base,” Nokia Networks China head Mike Wang said.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • China Telecom to turn Shenzhen into a Gigaband City

    China Telecom to turn Shenzhen into a Gigaband City

    China Telecom Shenzhen and Huawei have signed an agreement to deliver gigabit broadband connectivity to 900,000 homes in Shenzhen.

    The companies have entered a five-year deal that aims to transform Shenzhen into a “Gigaband City”, using next-generation optical line terminals and PONs to deliver 100% Gigabit coverage for communities in the city.

    Services will be available for residential users, governments and enterprises, and will be capable of enabling advanced services including 4K video and VR film streaming, Gigaband hotels and passive optical LANs.

    Based on the experience with the rollout, China Telecom and Huawei plan to jointly define the standards for a gigaband city, paving the way for future deployments.

    “China Telecom (Shenzhen) is dedicated to accelerating Shenzhen’s broadband network capabilities and together with Huawei we aim to rapidly transform into an ultrafast landscape,” the China Telecom subsidiary’s general manager commented.

    “This will enable Shenzhen to keep pace with consumer demand for new internet applications such as ultra-broadband (UBB) video, VR and AR, Gigaband campus, and smart homes. We believe a Gigaband city will also foster digital economy innovation in Shenzhen and establish Shenzhen as an oasis for inventors.”

    Announcing the agreement, the companies said this will mark the first time 1,000Mbps all-optical networks will be deployed on such a large scale.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • China Telecom said to be interested in Egypt 4G license

    China Telecom said to be interested in Egypt 4G license

    China Telecom has reportedly expressed an interest in expanding into Egypt through the acquisition of a 4G license in the market.

    The operator, along with Saudi Telecom Company, have been in contact with the communications ministry regarding potentially securing licenses in Egypt, a ministry official told.

    But neither operator has yet submitted a formal request, and 4G licenses will only be offered to new entrants if existing players reject the terms of the licenses, the report states.

    Incumbent operators have reportedly been slow to accept the terms offered by the government for 4G licenses. In an example of these terms, Orange’s Egyptian affiliate has been asked to pay 3.54 billion Egyptian pounds ($398.6 million) for a license, and to decide whether to agree by August.

    The fact that international operators are interested in acquiring licenses could increase pressure on the existing entrants to agree to the terms.

    At least some analysts believe that all of Egypt’s existing players will ultimately apply for 4G licenses, which would mean the government would not have sufficient reason to approve the entry of a newcomer. It is therefore uncertain whether China Telecom will be entering the Egyptian market.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • China Telecom FY15 profit grows 13.4%

    China Telecom FY15 profit grows 13.4%

    China Telecom has reported a sharp increase in its net profit for 2015 thanks to one-off gains from the sale of telecom towers and related assets last year.

    Profit surged 13.4% year-on-year to 20.05 billion yuan ($3.07 billion) on the back of a one-time gain of 3.94 billion yuan from the transfer of towers and other infrastructure to China Tower, the JV formed by the three telcos last year.

    Revenues rose 2.1% to 331.20 billion yuan, while EBITDA fell 0.8% to 94.11 billion yuan, impacted by a number of regulatory changes and higher costs.

    In its 2015 annual results, China Telecom said revenue growth was mainly driven by its mobile businesses, with revenue rising 3.5% to 124.50 billion yuan.  Fixed service revenue increased 1% to 168.76 billion yuan.

    China Telecom finished the year with 58.46 million 4G customers, or more than a quarter of its total mobile subscriber base of nearly 200 million customers. The operator’s 4G ARPU stood at 78 yuan, against the 58.46 yuan of blended ARPU.

    The operator added more than 51 million 4G customers last year after it received government approval to provide a nationwide 4G service in February.

    Mobile data traffic doubled last year, with 4G contributing 51%.  Monthly average data traffic per 4G user increased by 25% year-on-year to 751 MB. By January-February this year, 4G customers averaged 850 MB per month.

    By comparison, biggest rival China Mobile had 312 million TD-LTE customers, while China Unicom, the country’s second largest mobile carrier, had 44 million 4G customers.

    China Mobile last week reported a 0.6% dip in its full-year net profit for 2015, while Unicom posted its first decline in net profit since 2010 for last year.

    Looking ahead, China Telecom said “2016 is a crucial year for the Company in building up a more favorable market position for the future,” adding that the company will strengthen the core competence in network and operation and grasp the opportunities from the scale-up and value enhancement of its 4G and fiber broadband businesses.

    China Telecom president and COO Yang Jie said China Telecom aims to add 60 million 4G subscribers this year. The operator plans to add 290,000 more 4G base stations by the year-end, bringing the total to around 800,000, as it expands coverage in towns and rural areas.

    China Telecom also plans to deploy 4G+ in all cities, start testing 800-MHz band spectrum and prepare for the launch of VoLTE in 2017.

    The company expects capex to fall to around 97 billion this year from 109 billion in 2015, with nearly half of spending going towards 4G.

    In addition, the operator will expand its FTTH network by another 50 million homes passed, to a total 270 million.

    China Telecom saw a strong growth in its FTTH business last year, with net additions of 28.38 million customers for a total 70.99 million of wireline broadband subscribers.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook: