Cellular-News for Monday 17th April 2006

Cellular-News -

======================================================================

[[3G News]]

78 Million 3G Customers for China by 2008 - report

China's Analysys International says that 440,000 users will be using

3G mobile terminals by the end of 2006 and by the year 2008, over 78 million users will be using 3G mobile terminals in China. According to a report recently released by Analysys In...

Romanian 3G Coverage Expanded

Connex Vodafone has expanded its 3G services to 7 new cities - Baia Mare, Satu Mare, Alba Iulia, Bistrita, Turda, Bacau and Buzau, for a total of 22 cities. This brings the penetration rate of 3G services to approximately 30% from Romania's populatio...

3G Video Interconnection for Malaysia Malaysia's Celcom and Maxis have launched 3G interconnection, enabling interconnect video telephony. By opening access between the two major 3G networks, the 3G user community in Malaysia immediately increased twofold, allowing Celcom's and Maxis' us...

EDGE for Trinidad and Tobago

Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) has launched EDGE services on its network. With the activation of EDGE, TSTT says that it has become the first mobile service provider in the Region to offer customers service on two independe...

[[Financial News]]

Qtel Updates its Egyptian GSM License Bid

Qatar's Qtel has announced its second partner in the bid for the 3rd Mobile License in Egypt. Qtel says that it has partnered with Naeem Holding, an Egyptian company; one of the fastest growing Investment Banking houses in the region. Qtel has alread...

[[Handsets News]]

Samsung unit aims for 25% share of handset market

Korean hardware manufacturer Samsung expects its share in Chile's mobile handset market to reach 25% this year compared to 17% in 2005, Samsung Chile's commercial director Rodrigo Herrera told BNamericas. ...

Vivo to outsource 142 stores in Sao Paulo

Brazil's largest mobile operator Vivo is outsourcing 142 stores in Sao Paulo, reported local financial newspaper Valor Economico. ...

Sony Ericsson 1Q Net Pft Up Sharply

Mobile phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson Thursday said first-quarter net profit more than tripled, thanks largely to the continued popularity of its Walkman-branded music phones and delivery of new advanced phones in Japan. ...

[[Legal News]]

Russian prosecutors open criminal case on Euroset's cellphone imports

Moscow regional prosecutors' office has opened a criminal case in connection with an illegally imported batch of mobile handsets that belonged to Euroset, the largest Russian mobile handset retailer said in a statement Friday. ...

Lawsuit Over Adult Mobile Content Contracts

Giant Mobile, a Santa Monica-based producer of wireless content for mobile phones, says that it has filed multiple claims against LFP, publisher of such adult magazines as Hustler, Barely Legal, Taboo and Asian Fever, for breach of contract and inter...

Qualcomm Resolves Legal Complaint

Qualcomm says that it has reached an agreement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) resolving gun-jumping allegations arising from Qualcomm's acquisition of Flarion Technologies earlier this year. The acquisition was cleared by the DOJ's Antitru...

[[Network Operators News]]

BPL Mobile Rebrands as Hutch

Hutchison Essar is taking its next step in the continuing integration process of the recently acquired Tamil Nadu circle of BPL Mobile Cellular. Hutchison Essar has announced that BPL Mobile brand in this circle will now be re-branded to Hutch....

PrePay Registration Required in Vietnam

Vietnam's Ministry of Posts and Telematics (MPT) is to step up measures to tighten control of pre-paid mobile phones. Under the new measures, new pre-paid subscribers will have to register their handsets, in a manner similar to post-paid users. Accor...

[[Offbeat News]]

Crazy Frog and Michael Jackson Share Music Promoter

The company which brought the awful Crazy Frog ringtone to the UK music charts has reportedly been signed up by fallen pop star, Michael Jackson to assist his comeback. Gut Records boss Guy Holmes is understood to have flown to the Middle East, where...

Nokia Dumps the Landline

The town of Nokia, former home to the more famous handset manufacturer is to abandon the landline in favour of the mobile phone. Nokia's government workers will all be given mobile phones to replace their office landlines. The plan will affect some 1...

[[Personnel News]]

Softbank Head:Will Also Be Vodafone Japan Unit President

Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son said Friday he will double as president of Vodafone Group's Japan unit when Softbank's purchase of the mobile phone company is completed, Kyodo News reported. ...

[[Regulatory News]]

ERSP looks to 400MHz band as rural telephony alternative

Panamanian telecoms regulator ERSP is looking for alternatives for providing telephony to rural and remote areas as the debate on a proposed law to promote universal telecoms access drags on and on, local daily La Prensa reported. ...

Govt prepares to renegotiate mobile concessions

The Ecuadorian government is preparing to renegotiate the country's mobile telephony concession contracts, local daily El Universo reported. ...

Mexico: Cell Phone Cos Can't Charge For All Incoming Calls

MEXICO CITY (AP)--Mexico's telecommunications regulatory commission ruled on Thursday that companies will not be able to charge cell phone users to receive long distance national or international calls if they are in their home zone. ...

[[Technology News]]

France Telecom Testing Grid Computing Methods

Fujitsu says that, in collaboration with France Telecom, they have developed a system based on grid computing that enables telecommunications carriers to optimize use of their IT resources, and have successfully completed testing of the system. In th...

London Underground Pushing Ahead with Phones on Trains Plan

The UK's subterranean railway network, London Underground says that it intended to push ahead with a feasibility study into plans to permit the use of mobile phones on the networks underground stations and possibly trains. A feasibility study, beginn...