Polish internet service provider (ISP) Multimedia Polska has announced the extension of its cable network to three more cities; Chojnow, Wolow and Nowa Ruda. The expansion adds a further 7,500 homes with access to Multimedia’s triple play offerings, including standard and high definition (HD) TV, video-on-demand (VoD) services, high speed internet access and telephony.
Antares to merge with mobile TV operator Dominanta?
According to an unconfirmed report by Kommersant, would-be Russian Long Term Evolution (LTE) operator Antares Telecom has disclosed plans to officially merge its operations with those of mobile TV operator Dominanta. In January this year the Russian media reported that local businessman Yevgeny Roitman had acquired a 75% stake in Dominanta, Vimpelcom’s ill-fated DVB-H mobile TV unit, which saw its progress derailed by regulatory red-tape
HAKOM extends broadband tender to August
Croatian telecoms regulator, the Postal & Electronic Communications Agency (HAKOM), has extended a bidding deadline in a public tender for the award of state aid to roll out broadband networks in underserved, remote areas, to 20 August from 15 June.
Eircom rescue plan thrown into doubt following court application
Eircom’s rescue plan, currently in the throes of being finalised by the court-appointed examiner Michael McAteer, has been thrown into doubt following an unprecedented application to the Commercial Court, which is expected to be heard today. Local press reports say that with McAteer poised to conclude a rehabilitation plan with Eircom’s creditors on Friday, New York-based DW Investment Management, which is representing 52.4% of creditors holding EUR350 million (USD448 million) in floating rate loan notes in troubled carrier Eircom, and Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, the parent company of Irish mobile phone operator 3, are seeking recourse through the courts following the examiner’s decision last week to reject a revised EUR2 billion cash offer from 3 Ireland and Hutch.
SFR loses 620,000 mobile subscribers in frantic first quarter
The French media and communications group Vivendi has confirmed that its domestic telco SFR lost 620,000 mobile customers in the first three months of the year, including 274,000 post-paid subscribers. SFR’s cellular customer base dropped to 20.84 million at end-March, down from 21.46 million three months earlier, as a result of increased competition following the launch of new low-cost network operator Free Mobile in mid-January. One bright spot for SFR, however, was that mobile subscriber growth returned in April
Tonga Cable picks Alca-Lu for Tonga-Fiji cable link
Tonga Cable has selected French-US equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent to roll out a submarine cable link between the Kingdom of Tonga and neighbouring Fiji. The proposed 837km link will provide the Tongan islands with improved broadband services for its 100,000 or so residents, including streaming video, as well as providing the nation with access to the Southern Cross Cable, the main trans-Pacific link between Australia and the US. Under the plan, Alca-Lu is deploying its submarine optical solution based on the OALC-5 cables, repeaters and the 1620 Light Manager (LM) submarine line terminal, which can accommodate 10G/40G/100G wavelengths in the same platform, it said.
Arcep reports strong increase in mobile subscribers in Q1
France’s telecoms industry regulator Arcep has published its findings on the mobile communications market in France and its overseas territories for the period ended 31 March 2012, showing strong growth since the arrival of Iliad’s Free Mobile start-up in January. The watchdog reported that the total number of mobile service customers in metropolitan France and the overseas territories stood at 69.5 million, thanks to net additions of close to 900,000 SIMs in the quarter, a cellular penetration of 106.5% of the national population. Net growth in Q1 2012 far outstripped the average for the preceding five years (of 300,000 SIMs) it said, as Free Mobile made an instant impact on the mainland
Telus posts data-driven 4% revenue rise
Western Canadian-based quadruple-play telco Telus Communications has posted revenues of CAD2.631 billion (USD2.626 billion) in the first quarter of 2012, a 4.0% improvement on the CAD2.531 billion it earned in the same period of last year. The consolidated sales increase was driven by nearly 6% wireless revenue growth and a 2% rise in turnover at Telus’ wireline division, both underpinned by strong data services earnings growth, and resulting in EBITDA improving by 2.3% to CAD1.009 billion (CAD986 million)
Startel divestment nearing conclusion?
A report by The Namibian newspaper says that a previously announced move by Telecom Namibia to divest its entire 44% stake in Angolan fixed network operator Mundo Startel is nearing completion, with an urgent meeting between local management and the Namibian telco expected soon to finalise the latter’s exit from the joint venture it regards as ‘no longer viable.’ A year after announcing the decision to quit the partnership in May 2011 to scrape back some of its investment in the non-profitable unit, Telecom has scheduled a ‘final’ meeting in Luanda. Corporate Communications spokesperson Oiva Angula told The Namibian: ‘This is a follow-up meeting of the one that was held in March this year during which certain proposals were made after the Angolan partners agreed to buy Telecom Namibia’s shares
AlaskaComm delays LTE launch to year-end; Verizon now breathing down its neck
According to DailyFinance.com, Alaska Communications (AlaskaComm) has delayed the prospective launch date of its in-deployment Long Term Evolution (LTE) network from this month until ‘the later part of the year’. The admission coincides with reports that the carrier started to sell Apple’s popular iPhone last month, a device which can only connect to 3G networks at present. Previously, in June 2011 AlaskaComm said that it would spend around USD20 million on the deployment of LTE services in the state, making it the first operator to offer 4G in Alaska
- TNL (Oi) sets aside USD3.25bn for 2012 CAPEX April 19, 2012
- Tata drops out of running for CWW April 19, 2012
- TeliaSonera’s EBITDA falls 0.7% on 3.5% revenue increase April 19, 2012
- Telia Denmark raises LTE upload speeds April 19, 2012
- STC reports 60% rise in Q1 net profit April 19, 2012
- CAT puts 3G plans on hold; TOT told to do same May 18, 2012
- Look before you Leap; cellco to expand LTE coverage to 65m people by 2014 May 18, 2012
- Videotron delivers on 200Mbps promise May 18, 2012
- T-Mobile has no plans to introduce LTE handsets May 18, 2012
- Antares to merge with mobile TV operator Dominanta? May 18, 2012
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