Cellular-News for Friday 31st March 2006

Cellular-News -

[[ 3G ]]

Ofcom Targets 3G Termination Rate Regulation

UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom Thursday proposed imposing new controls on prices cellphone companies charge each other for connecting calls between third-generation networks. ...

VimpelCom: Incomplete Russia Cover May Hit 3G Bid

Russia's second-largest mobile phone operator Vimpel Communications, Thursday said its lack of coverage in Russia's Far East territories and Chechnya may spoil its chances of qualifying for a third generation license later this year. ...

HSDPA Tests in the Philippines

Philippines' wireless service provider Smart Communications and Nokia have completed the first High Speed Data Packet Access (HSDPA) call in the country. Smart is conducting HSDPA tests just a month after launching its 3G service. Nokia is supplying ...

Faster Wireless Data Speeds Grow the Laptop Modem Market

The spread of high speed mobile data services is driving the increasing adoption of wireless modems in laptop computers, according to a new study from ABI Research. In the early days of mobile computing, only the most hardcore road-warriors in niche ...

Sprint Accelerating its EV-DO Rollout

The USA based CDMA operator, Sprint has announced aggressive plans for the expansion and evolution of the Sprint Power Vision network which now covers over half of the US population with mobile broadband data services. By year end 2006 the high-speed...

[[ Financial ]]

Telenor says may still stay with Alfa Group in VimpelCom

Norwegian telecommunication operator Telenor may remain one of the shareholders of Russia's second largest mobile operator VimpelCom together with Russia's Alfa Group, Telenor Executive Vice President and Head of Eastern/Central Europe Jan Edvard Thy...

Russia's MTS may get $250 mln 8-year loan from EBRD

Russia's largest mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) may take out a US$250 million 8-year loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the EBRD said in a statement Thursday. ...

Govovernmemt expects US$200mn telecoms investment in 2006

Peru's communications ministry expects telecommunications investment in the country to increase 27% in 2006 to some US$200mn, deputy communications minister Juan Antonio Pacheco was quoted as saying by Agencia Peruana de Noticias. ...

Entel aims for double-digit growth

Chile's second largest telco Entel expects double-digit growth in profits this year, building on the 71bn-peso (US$132mn) net earnings posted in 2005, news service Reuters quoted Entel corporate financial manager Felipe Ureta as saying. ...

[[ Handsets ]]

Nokia Increases 2006 Handset Sales Expectations

Speaking yesterday at Nokia's AGM, company Chairman and CEO Jorma Ollila traced the rapid rise of mobile communications and described the nature of the industry now. Ollila described how the size, growth and dynamics of emerging markets are increasin...

[[ Mobile Content ]]

Russia's Sky Link starts testing BREW services in two cities

Russian CDMA mobile operator Sky Link has started testing BREW services in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the company said in a press release Thursday. ...

[[ Network Contracts ]]

Thai Advanced Info Inks $120 Million Deal To Expand Network

Thailand's Advanced Info Service PCL (ADVANC.TH) said Thursday it has signed a $120 million contract with five telecom suppliers to expand and upgrade its network in the first half of 2006. ...

AlanDick Gets Tunnel Vision in Malaysia

AlanDick says that it has developed and installed a unique cellular, emergency service and maintenance radio solution for a motorway tunnel system in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that duals as a massive storm drain during flash floods. The company has dev...

[[ Network Operators ]]

EU OKs Carphone Warehouse, Virgin Mobile JV In France

The European Commission Thursday approved an agreement by Carphone Warehouse Group to sell products of Virgin Mobile (UK) at its 185 French stores. ...

France Telecom's Orange To Revise Tariffs By Summer

France Telecom's mobile unit Orange plans to revise its service tariffs for all French customers by the summer, Orange France Chairman and Chief Executive Didier Quillot said Thursday. ...

[[ Regulatory ]]

UK Mobile Call Charge Controls Remain Necessary

Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, Thursday published outline proposals to continue controls on wholesale mobile call termination charges where there is evidence of market dominance when the current regulation expires in March 2007. ...

Vivo expects license for national coverage by July 2006

Brazil's largest mobile operator Vivo expects to be able to start completing its footprint across the country in the third quarter, when it will have received the necessary spectrum license, financial newspaper Valor Econômico quoted company pr...

Voting On Lower Cellphone Taxes in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania wireless consumers, fed up with paying double taxes on their monthly cell phone bills, are urging their state Senators and Governor Rendell to support legislation (SB 691) that would repeal the state's 5% Gross Receipts Tax (GRT). Thousa...

[[ Reports ]]

Family Plan Tariffs Provoke Strong Consumer Loyalty - report

Just over forty percent of US adult mobile phone users say they currently have a family plan, and 97% of these consumers say they never had a family member leave their plan, according to a recent survey by Harris Interactive. Looking to the future, e...

[[ Technology ]]

Laird Technologies to set up Reynosa plant in April

US cell phone antenna manufacturer Laird Technologies will open a plant in Reynosa, Mexico in April or May, its first plant in Latin America, the company said in a statement. ...

Nortel Distributing Indoor CDMA Products

LGC Wireless has announced an agreement with Nortel which will enable Nortel to distribute its in-building wireless products as part of Nortel's CDMA portfolio of mobile wireless infrastructure solutions. Under the agreement, Nortel will sell and dis...

Nokia Spurs Growth in New Growth Markets

Nokia is strengthening its offering for new growth markets by announcing a new business model for profitable market expansion, the Nokia Connect Market Expansion Toolkit, and the start of licencing of its Prepaid Tracker to GSM and WCDMA device manuf...