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Tag: coverage

  • Standard Chartered Welcomes Doris Wong as New Head of Coverage for Greater China and North Asia

    Standard Chartered Welcomes Doris Wong as New Head of Coverage for Greater China and North Asia

    Standard Chartered has welcomed Doris Wong to the company in the role of Head of Coverage for Greater China and North Asia (GCNA). Wong’s employment will be effective beginning on June 1.

    Working from Hong Kong, Wong will be a member of the Client Coverage Management Team. She will be answering directly to Roberto Hoornweg, the CEO of Corporate & Investment Bank, in his temporary position as Global Head of Client Coverage. From July, Wong will report to Jan Metzger, the incoming Global Head of Coverage Banking. Furthermore, Wong will also have a dual reporting line to Mary Huen, the CEO of Hong Kong and GCNA.

    Wong is a seasoned banker who brings a plethora of experience alongside profound client relationships. She joins Standard Chartered after a tenure of almost 18 years with HSBC. In her most recent position with HSBC, Wong was the Head of Corporate Coverage, Global Banking, Hong Kong, where she served as the senior coverage banker for recognised Hong Kong-listed companies from a variety of key sectors. These sectors included real estate, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications and consumer.

    Wong also excelled in leading a variety of critical financing mandates which covered capital markets transactions, project financing, structured financing, and syndicated loans. Among her earlier roles with HSBC, Wong was the Regional Head of Wholesale Portfolio Management for Asia Pacific, where she was entrusted with monitoring risk-weighted assets across the Credit, Lending and Trade books.

    Questions & Answers

    What is Doris Wong’s new role at Standard Chartered?
    Doris Wong has been appointed as the Head of Coverage for Greater China and North Asia (GCNA) at Standard Chartered, effective June 1.

    What experience does Wong bring to her new position at Standard Chartered?
    Wong brings with her almost 18 years of experience with HSBC, where she was recently the Head of Corporate Coverage, Global Banking, Hong Kong. She has worked with well-established Hong Kong-listed companies across key sectors and has led a variety of core financing mandates.

    To whom will Wong report in her new role at Standard Chartered?
    Wong will initially report to Roberto Hoornweg, the CEO of Corporate & Investment Bank, in his interim role as Global Head of Client Coverage. From July, she will report to Jan Metzger, the incoming Global Head of Coverage Banking. She will also have a dual reporting line to Mary Huen, the CEO of Hong Kong and GCNA.

  • Australia Paves the Way: Unprecedented Legislation for Nationwide Mobile Coverage

    Australia Paves the Way: Unprecedented Legislation for Nationwide Mobile Coverage

    The Australian government has put forth a draft bill that would mandate leading mobile carriers, including Telstra, Optus, and TPG, to ensure baseline outdoor mobile coverage countrywide. The bill, known as the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligations (UOMO), is meant to extend voice and SMS services to regions currently devoid of such amenities.

    An Innovative Method for Broadening Mobile Coverage

    The proposed legislation, hailed as a pioneering endeavor by the government and interested parties, suggests blending present terrestrial networks with direct-to-device (D2D) services transmitted via low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The desired outcome is to stretch mobile services to remote and regional zones where commercial mobile services have previously been nonviable.

    It is projected that UOMO would extend to an area of up to 5 million square kilometers of Australian territory. Baseline services under this legislation would commence with voice calls and SMS. The possibility of integrating data services in the future has not been ruled out, contingent on technological advancements and market dynamics.

    Benefits to Remote and Regional Australians

    The draft bill outlines a proposed commencement date of December 1, 2027. The introduction of UOMO promises to enhance access to vital services and emergency assistance for Australians in regional and remote districts. It also aims to foster competition in the satellite-aided mobile services industry.

    Anika Wells, the Minister for Communications, stated, “The Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, in ensuring Australians receive a mobile signal almost anywhere they can see the sky, proves that no Australian should be left behind. It will offer regional and remote communities better connectivity, access to essential services, and ensure safety for Australians by providing emergency aid when necessary.”

    Kristy McBain, the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government, and Territories, also voiced her support, stating, “This significant reform will enhance connectivity for individuals in regional and remote Australia. Mobile connectivity dead zones can not only be annoying but also obstruct basic tasks. Improved connectivity not just keeps people connected, but it also ensures safer roads, stronger businesses, and easier access to services.”

    Stakeholders, such as the National Farmers’ Federation, have applauded the initiative, recognizing its potential to enhance connectivity, safety, and productivity in rural communities. Hamish McIntyre, the National Farmers’ Federation President, emphasized that “Mobile connectivity is not a luxury for farmers and regional Australians; it’s a necessity for safety, businesses, connecting families, and staying safe in emergencies. Improved outdoor mobile coverage will help bring regional Australians in line with their urban counterparts. If we get this right, Australia could become the gold standard for regional communications.”

    However, the bill remains in draft form, and successful execution will hinge on the successful deployment and functioning of satellite-based technologies.

    Questions & Answers

    What is the primary goal of the UOMO bill?
    The primary goal of the UOMO bill is to extend mobile coverage to remote and regional parts of Australia that lack access to such services, using a blend of terrestrial networks and satellite technology.

    What services will the UOMO cover initially?
    The UOMO will initially cover voice calls and SMS services. The inclusion of data services may be considered in the future, depending on technological and market developments.

    What is the proposed start date for the UOMO?
    The proposed start date for the UOMO is December 1, 2027.

  • Google shuts down service that helped carriers provide better coverage

    Google shuts down service that helped carriers provide better coverage

    Google has shut down a service that was aimed at helping carriers around the world improve their coverage, by providing them with aggregated data from Android devices. The closure comes at a time of heightened concerns about data privacy across the industry.

    Google’s Mobile Network Insights service was launched in 2017 as a free tool for wireless providers around the world that allowed them to see weak spots in their network coverage. The service was “essentially a map showing carriers signal strengths and connection speeds they were delivering in each area.”

    Thee data shared by Google were aggregated and anonymized, meaning that carriers didn’t get information about individual users, but it was still a valuable tool for providers, as they could see stats about the performance of their network in different regions. The platform also displayed stats relating to competitor services, which were not identified by name.

    The data for Google’s Mobile Network Insights was sourced from devices running Android, which totals to about 75% of the world’s smartphones, but was limited only to users who had “Location History Sharing” and usage and diagnostics enabled on their Google accounts. Despite this, Google opted to discontinue the service in April, without citing any formal reasoning behind the decision. Carriers around the world were simply notified of the closure.

    A Google spokeswoman has confirmed for Reuters that the service is now, indeed, discontinued and that changing “product priorities” was the main driving factor behind the decision. However, people with knowledge of the decision claim that Google’s move was motivated by “concerns about data privacy,” and possibly to avoid further scrutiny from lawmakers.

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  • 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.

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  • Globe targets 95% mobile coverage by end-2018

    Globe targets 95% mobile coverage by end-2018

    The Philippines’ Globe Telecom has laid out a plan to extend mobile coverage to 95% of the nation’s municipalities and cities by end-2018.

    The operator has submitted a proposal with regulator NTC to use the spectrum due to be acquired through the co-purchase of conglomerate San Miguel Corporation’s telecoms assets, including its valuable 700-MHz spectrum, to help achieve its coverage target.

    Under the plan, Globe will deploy around 4,500 SDN-enabled base stations and upgrade the capacity of its existing equipment to improve the customer experience.

    By the end of the year, Globe plans to upgrade around 30% of its network nationwide, or around 2,200 existing cell sites, to support the new spectrum.

    With the submission the operator is implicitly making the case for being allowed to proceed with the purchase of the SMC telco assets.

    Antitrust body PCC plans to conduct a full investigation into the buyout, and the chief of the new Department of Information and Communications Technology recently ordered a spectrum audit as a result of the deal.

    Globe has also committed to providing ultrafast broadband in 2 million households by 2020, and plans to invest $2 billion for its fixed broadband expansion program.

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