Fixed-line operator strategy N54

Telecom Italia (Italy) will launch residential IPTV service in June, covering about 30% of the population or 20 cities by year-end.

Telstra has launched a SMS service on fixed lines.

Facing strong competition from Free, Neuf Telecom, Tiscali, and many others, Wanadoo (FT) dropped its ADSL tariffs to €20 for 512k with volume capped and no time commitment, to €26 for 512k without limitation but with one year commitment, € 30 for 1Mo with one year commitment, € 40 for 8Mo with one year commitment. These tariffs, however, remain higher than competitive ones.

Enertel (NL) opens (pre)- WiMAX services in five Dutch major cities: Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Eindhoven.

KPN (NL) targets to invest in VoIP and broadband access. It will also build 112 additional hotspots to existing 330.

Indonesia’s PT Telkom is planning to build a new undersea fiber optic festoon link to connect three main country islands (Java, Sumatra, and Kalimantan).

NTT: the two regional units will rollout  $7.4bn worth fiber-optic networks on a 2-year timeframe.

Orascom and Telecom Egypt won $65m-fixed-line license in Algeria.

FT announced it will bid for Cesky Telecom IPO.

Swisscom will launch in April its triple play Bluewin TV 300 portfolio.

Telenor is introducing a 24Mbps broadband service in Sweden, covering about 35% population.

BT will manage its data network from Amsterdam after the opening of new network control centre (NCC).

SBC added some 3300 new FreedomLink hotspots nationwide, and expects to make available more than 20,000 Wi-Fi hot-spot locations to its customers by the end of next year, directly or through roaming.

Interoute (pan-European backbone network) is expanding in NA.