Jordanian cellcos have warned that a planned increase in electricity prices would have a negative impact on the telecoms sector, the Jordan Times reports. Spokesmen from all three of the Kingdom’s cellcos – Jordan Telecom Group (Orange Jordan), Zain Jordan and Umniah – have protested against the planned pricing change, which would see costs for power increasing by between 8% and 40%. Due to the intensely competitive nature of Jordan’s wireless sector, operators are reluctant to raise tariffs to recoup the additional expenses, and the costs could instead eat into funds earmarked for future developments, to the detriment of the sector as a whole
Round the Bend? Oregon telco claims LTE launch
Regional US telco BendBroadband has announced that that its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network has gone live in Central Oregon, superseding its existing HSPA+ infrastructure, which is now set to be mothballed in June. Customers willing to take out a twelve-month LTE subscription before 31 May will be offered a free LTE router by Bend, which promises download speeds of at least 12Mbps
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
CAT puts 3G plans on hold; TOT told to do same
CAT Telecom has suspended its 3G mobile service expansion plan whilst state bodies including the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Ministry of Information & Communication Technology (MICT) continue investigations into the legality of the state-owned firm’s wholesale/resale partnership contracts with private sector operator True Corp. CAT’s CEO Kitisak Sriprasert, quoted in a report by local newspaper The Nation, has assured mobile users that the True Move H-branded 3G services provided under the partnership by True’s subsidiary Real Move will be unaffected. However, a story from TelecomAsia, citing Thai language daily Thairath, contradicts this statement by quoting an anonymous member of CAT’s board of directors as saying that, following the MICT’s declaration of the CAT-True contracts as ‘illegal’ in March, CAT will end its cooperation with True Move H, preventing the latter from receiving import permission for new HSPA network equipment, although the cellco would be able to continue operating with existing equipment
VTR launches mobile services, will use existing customer base to drive growth
Chilean cableco VTR has launched commercial voice and data services over its 3G W-CDMA network. The company’s chairman, Mauricio Ramos said that the telco would bring ‘more competition, more innovation and more convenience’ to Chilean mobile subscribers.
TRAI calls for DoT to reject industry protests and stand by recommendations
Despite mounting opposition from operators and diplomats, the Telecoms Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has stood by its controversial recommendations to raise the reserve price for spectrum. According to the Hindustan Times, the TRAI in a ‘strongly worded’ letter requested that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) support the TRAI’s proposals and reject demands from industry players. Defending the price hike, the TRAI said that the recommended cost levels would ensure that the government got the full value of the spectrum without compromising the industry’s profitability or adversely effecting costs to end users
BIPT chairman warns fourth 3G licence could be revoked if launch obligation not met
Tecteo Telenet Bidco (TTB), a partnership between cable operator Telenet and the Tecteo Group, which owns Wallonia-based cableco VOO, could have its 3G licence revoked should it fail to launch commercial services over its own network by the early part of next year, L’Echo claims. The local news source cites Luc Hindryckx, chairman of the Belgian Institute for Post and Telecommunications (BIPT), as saying that under the terms of the joint venture’s concession, which was formally awarded in August 2011, it is obliged to inaugurate its own network by mid-January 2013
Verizon launches LTE in 28 new markets, extends network in eleven areas
Verizon Wireless, the owner of the United States’ largest Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, has announced that it will extend 4G connectivity to 28 new markets today, while also expanding its existing network in eleven established areas. The deployments mean that Verizon’s LTE network is now available in 258 markets across the US, covering more than two-thirds of the population. Going forward, the next seven months will see Verizon Wireless deliver its LTE network to more than 140 new locations, spanning 49 states
Movitel confirms official launch in 105 districts
Movitel, Mozambique’s third mobile phone operator, announced the official launch of its network on Tuesday, at a press conference in Maputo.
AT&T, US Cellular move to acquire unused Cox Communications 700MHz licences
In separate transactions, AT&T Mobility and US Cellular are looking to purchase a number of 700MHz licences, chiefly from Cox Communications, Fierce Wireless reports.
- 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
Blogroll
Search
Recent Tweets
Follow @ovetel on Twitter
