Questions Remain On Revenue From Malaysian Telecom Scandal
The Nation
Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij has sprung a surprise by saying that the government will not file civil compensation claims against telecom companies for possible losses to the state. The companies, Advanced Info Service, Total Access Communication, TT&T, ThaiCom and True Corp, benefited from amendments to concession contracts made during the government of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Topics: ThaiCom, telecom, government
Bharti Said to Plan Agreement on $8.5 Billion Loan This Week
BusinessWeek
Bharti Airtel Ltd. plans to agree to terms with banks this week for an $8.5 billion loan that would help it buy most of Zain’s African assets, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Topics: Bharti, security, wireless, telecom, Zain, Africa, India
Indian Government May Regulate Co-Location Pricing
Telecom Yatra
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a consultation paper on collocation charges between telecom companies. Collocation is closely connected to interconnection, which refers to the process of making it possible for subscribers of various operators to talk to one another. It is mandatory for all licensed operators to interconnect with other operators and with national and international long distance operators.
Topics: India, regulation, telecommunications, telecom, co-location
Steven Joyce: New Zealand Government Isn’t Anti-Telecom
Scoop NZ – New Zealand
New Zealand’s government isn’t trying to undermine Telecom Corp. in measures such as bolstering rural broadband services, said Communications Minister Steven Joyce. The phone company said the changes will slash earnings by $168 million over three years.Joyce said his relationship with Telecom is “on the whole good.
Topics: government, New Zealand, New Zealand Telecom, Steven Joyce, telecom, telecommunications
FCC Chief Pitches Broadband Plan Via YouTube
Washington, D.C.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski gives exclusive YouTube “interview” in order to pitch his agency’s latest plan to expand broadband services in America. It makes a lot more sense when you view it in the context of an infomercial.
Time Warner Offers 50 Mbps For $99.95 Per Month
Telecompetitor
Time Warner Cable residential customers can now propel themselves into the next generation of the Internet with speeds up to 50 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream for only $99.95 per month.
Topics: Texas, Time Warner, telecom, broadband
China Mobile 2009 Profit, Dividend Inch Higher
MarketWatch
China Mobile said its subscriber base grew by 14.2% during the year to 522 million users. Shares of the telecom were down 1% at the end of the Hong Kong morning trading session, ahead of the announcement.
Topics: wireless, Hong Kong, China Telecom, China, telecom, China Mobile
Qualcomm Unveils LTE Plans for India
Light Reading
Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) shook up the mobile broadband market today with plans to bid for 2.3GHz spectrum in the upcoming auction in India. If successful, the company plans to introduce TD-LTE technology into the Indian market with the help of local network operator partners.
Topics: China, Motorola, telecom, China Mobile, India, broadband, Shanghai, TD-LTE, China Telecom, wireless
CLECs Are Cable Industry’s Newest Target
The FCC approved Comcast’s acquisition of CIMCO, a Chicago based CLEC, paving the way for Comcast to continue its march towards significantly growing its SMB and Enterprise telecom market share. Comcast is also in the process of acquiring New Global Telecom. In fact M&A activity for CLECs, particularly among cable MSOs, may be heating up.
Topics: Chicago, CLEC, telecom, FCC, Comcast
The Battle for Nationwide Broadband Starts in Earnest
The sheer size of it all makes it tempting and perhaps appropriate to stand back and say insightful things such as, “Gee, that’s ambitious” and “Let’s just wait and see what happens.” How’s that for insight?
Topics: wireless, Federal Communications Commission, broadband
Sprint WiMax Phone Rumors Abound, Carrier Stays Mum
PC World
One thing’s for certain: Sprint will introduce a fourth-generation (4G) wireless phone at some point this year. When exactly? The wireless carrier isn’t saying, despite ongoing rumors that the official launch will happen next week at the CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas.
Topics: 2G, 3G, 4G, carrier, Google, launch, NextG, smartphone, Sprint, Supersonic, telecom, WiMax, wireless
Fast Broadband Quickly Becoming Essential for New Zealand Farmers
New Zealand Herald
So why exactly do farmers need fast broadband? It’s pretty simple, says Hamilton dairy farmer John Bluett – time and money.
Topics: broadband, New Zealand, New Zealand Telecom, telecom
AT&T Can’t Give Away Their Muni WiFi Net
Neither AT&T nor the City of Riverside want their WiFi network, notes Broadband Reports. Wireless Riverside which covers some 55 square miles, started with the best intentions, as did most of the 300-odd municipal WiFi networks launched in 2007-2008.
Topics: AT&T, T-Mobile, ISP, 3G, FCC, WiMax, spectrum, Motorola, HSPA, Wi-Fi
A Man. A Plan. A Problem. The Internet.
Huffington Post
Judging from the back-slapping and high fives over at the FCC, you’d think that America’s Internet was sailing smoothly into the future. Think again.
Telecom New Zealand Sees Nigeria as ‘Last Gateway Opportunity’
BusinessWeek
Telecom Corp., New Zealand’s biggest phone company, said the sale of state-owned Nigerian Telecommunications Corp. provides a “last gateway opportunity” into Nigeria’s fast-growing phone market.
Topics: telecom, Nigeria, China, Telecom New Zealand, China Unicom, wireless
Who Will Benefit From the FCC’s ‘National Broadband Plan’?
Seeking Alpha
The FCC has outlined its goals for the “National Broadband Plan” ((NBP)), which the agency will deliver to the Congress on March 16, 2010. The regulator has drafted ambitious proposals that will revolutionize the US broadband industry and provide the necessary infrastructure to connect all the corners of the nation.
Topics: spectrum, cellular, FCC, broadband, Verizon, carrier, AT&T, telecom, telecommunications, USA
Verizon Scaling Back On FiOS Deployment?
Broadband Reports has seemingly stirred up a little trouble in the “FiOS-verse” with its reporting – and a subsequent blog-post from the company itself that addresses the issue – that Verizon is slowing or even halting fiber-fed FiOS deployment in smaller areas.
Topics: Verizon, DSL, FiOS, broadband, FCC, carrier, government
Google’s Trademark Application for ‘Nexus One’ Is Denied; Launches On Sprint Next
Just as Google starts being more aggressive at rolling out the Nexus One to more carriers, it was socked in the gut with this bad news: its trademark application for the phone has been denied.
Topics: carrier, telecom, Rogers, unlocked, T-Mobile, AT&T, Google, Canada, Sprint, United States
Telstra Unveils Futuristic Video Phone
BigPond News
The phone runs on the telco’s IP telephony Next IP network, and is high-definition voice ready, allowing for clearer overall sound quality. It features a seven-inch touch screen display, six lines, a Gigabit Ethernet switch and an integrated camera in a sleek package.
Topics: Australia, BigPond, Polycom, telecom, Telstra, United States, video phone
Telstra Split Bill Put On Hold
The Australian
THE legislative axe to split Telstra in two will be put away today as the opposition succeeds in its attempt to filibuster the bill designed to level the playing field for the $43 billion national broadband network. A 10-strong column of opposition senators is due to speak today, erasing any hope there will be time to put the bill to a vote before week’s end.
Topics: Australia, broadband, telecom, telecommunications, Telstra
