China Mobile entering new fields

One of the world’s largest telecommunications company by market capitalization, state-owned China Mobile is looking to expand its services by launching its own Internet firm and a series of branded mobile phones. The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Li Yue, said that there will be changes in the current operational mold of the company allowing it to enter new fields, and diversify its products and services.

According to Li, starting a separate business for the Internet company will allow it to better respond to changing market trends and customer demands, something that may be limited following the mold of a state-owned company. China Mobile has been expanding over the last few years, setting up 9 new businesses since 2006, across different cities and provinces in the country, offering varying products and services.

Sources say China Mobile plans to set up the mobile Internet company in Guangzhou. It’s also been revealed the company plans to launch its own self-branded mobile phones, after having successfully developed its own TD-SCDMA 3G mobile phone.

African government stifling continent’s telecom growth

The telecommunications industry in Africa faces roadblocks towards progress especially as many governments in the continent are failing to sell more bandwidth and spectrum to mobile operators. Countries like Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria are showing a tremendous increase in consumer activity and usage of mobile phones for calls, but their governments are unable to auction more bandwidth capacity to meet these demands because of financial constraints and a lack of technical know-how.

Based on a study by the World Bank, economic growth in Africa is related to an increase in broadband penetration rates. Unfortunately, in many Sub-Saharan nations, governments do not know how to optimize the spectrum release, and fail to see how crucial mobile network improvement is. This is alarming in a region where half of the population connects to the Internet via handheld devices althought many governments are also seeing the crucial role satellite internet will play for nationwide broadband projects.

Data traffic in Africa is rising but the necessary tools to allocate spectrums in order to support the growth is still not in place. Many governments cannot afford to hire foreign advisors, and there has been a lack of experts with sufficient telecom experience to wrestle the challenges brought about by telecom constraints. Analysts say that Africa’s mobile subscribers may hit 761 million by the end of 2012. The pressure is now on the government to resolve the stifled bandwidth scenario if their citizens are to continue to enjoy the continent’s robust economic growth.

Iran proposes member-states of ECO a joint telecom satellite

Iran recently proposed to member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) the manufacturing of a satellite that would be used for joint telecommunications services. Speaking the ECO’s first Ministerial Meeting on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) held in Tehran, Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Reza Taqipour suggested the standardization of telecommunications systems among member states.

The ministerial meeting started last Sunday and will continue until Tuesday. The event aims to bring together member states of the ECO and discuss the growing ICT industry in the region, developments for the ICT infrastructure, partnerships between the telecom private sectors and the private-public sectors, and emerging technologies in the industry. Members of the intergovernmental regional organization included Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

 

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Sun Pharma may indirectly fund Telenor’s spectrum auction bids

Sun Pharma - India’s 5th largest pharmaceutical company - may indirectly fund Norwegian telecom company Telenor’s plans to bid in an upcoming spectrum auction. The telecom operator recently signed a joint venture agreement with Sudhir Valia, executive director of Sun Pharma. Valia owns Lakshdeep Investments which signed the JV with Telenor’s subsidiary Telewings Communication.

 

InGovern Research Service made this report and explained that the pharmaceutical company may help Telenor through indirect means like collateral to banks or through guarantees. The JV have Sudhira Valia a 26% share in Telewings Communications. Just this month, Sun Pharma’s board approved a fund-raising plan although it has not disclosed reasons for the raising Rs 8,000 crore. Other experts say that in order for Sun to fund Valia’s private investment, it will still need the approval of shareholders.

 

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Afghan telecom industry slowly recovering

After over three decades of conflict, the telecommunication sector of war-torn Afghanistan is slowly getting back on its feet. Now that the country is free from the days of the Taliban governance, the industry has seen a remarkable and robust growth. Ten years ago, fixed and mobile subscribers numbered only at 57,000. According to the World Bank, the numbers have risen at an exponential rate with over 18 million subscribers to the five telecom operations in the country.

 

Mobile networks provide coverage to over 85% of the Afghan population, and many citizens are finally enjoying communications services once deemed impossible in the war-torn nation. The last three years have seen tremendous growth in the telecommunications sector with operators diversifying services beyond voice. Facebook and Skype are now available in the country, allowing families residing in Afghanistan to connect with relatives abroad - a scenario once impossible to think during the reign of the Taliban forces.

 

Still, Internet penetration rates are behind those of telecom services. There are only over a million internet users in the country, and the situation has only been made more difficult with the unreliable energy infrastructure and the lack of computer equipment in the country. The Afghan government, however, is looking to improving the Internet access across the country by issuing 3G license that will allow operators to provide phone subscribers Internet connection with their handheld devices.

 

At present, the telecom industry in Afghanistan has generated over 200,000 jobs. Foreign investments to the sector have also reached a staggering $1.8 billion. The Afghan government hopes to increase revenues with the implementation of 3G services, and find solutions to growing threats to the telecom sector, which includes Taliban groups destroying infrastructure, and militants compromising national security.

 

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Demand for telecom equipment surging in the Middle East

While telecom operators in Europe struggle with the global financial crisis and increased price competition from smaller companies, the Middle East is seeing a surge of industry growth, in particular the rise of demand for telecom equipment in the region.

 

The growing demand comes on the heels of infrastructure developments while analysts also attribute the surging need for communications equipment to recent sporting events including the Olympics in London, and the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

 

Experts see the Middle East as a great market for both big and small appliances. With increase infrastructure development in the Arab region, and an ongoing construction boom, demand for fibre and communications technology has also steadily increased.

 

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Vox Telecom to launch portable satellite internet next year

The terminal mounted on an SUV

The company which rolled out the satellite Internet service in Saudi Arabia is planning to deliver a portable version of the service next year. Vox Telecom, which delivered the YahClick service in partnership with YahSat, announced plans for the YahClick Go, a portable satellite internet system that uses the new frequency Ka band to deliver connectivity anywhere.

 

According to Vox, the product is aimed at organizations and enterprises looking for Internet on the go - media outlets, disaster recovery teams, as well as mobile businesses with temporary sites across Saudi Arabia - sectors which require communications on the move.

 

The commercial opportunities from the Ka band spectrum has opened up with the current C and Ku band frequencies approaching saturation. According to YahClick project manager Jacques Visser, the portable terminal will take advantage of the powerful, overlapping spot beams transmitted by the Ka band satellite. Visser said that YahClick Go can offer speeds of up to 5 Mbit/s allowing high-speed uploads and downloads, including video content - making it an ideal solution for reporters on the field, as well as enterprises focused on exploration (oil and gas).

 

The portable terminal can be mounted in any vehicle, and can also be utilized as a wi-fi hotspot for outdoor events requiring Internet connectivity. Vox Telecom said they expect the product to be commercially available by January.

 

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