Mobile operator strategies - 25/03/06

Cingular will close its analog and TDMA mobile networks by 2008.

DoCoMo expands overseas and acquires Guam Cellular and Guam Wireless Telephone, both for $72m.

Telenor has offered to sell for $5bn its stake in main Ukrainian mobile phone Kyivstar to Vimpelcom (Russia) to end a legal dispute with Alfa Group. It has also proposed that the company that puts the highest value on VimpelCom would buy out the other to end their dispute. Alfa has said it won't accept the deal.

3UK has launched a new SeeMeTV service, allowing subscribers to see videos shot by others and stored at Microsoft MSN spaces.

Russian mobile operators may soon enter the Chinese market. Both governments have promised to resolve the issue in the near future.

MTS (Russia) plans to invest $7- $10bn in foreign acquisitions by 2010.

Orange (France) is launching a location-based service, ootay, for children. Parents should be able to locate where their child is, everywhere in France. The service is priced according to the number of searches.

SFR (France) expands its 'Business Mail' offerings with two options: moderate usage and heavy usage.

3 Italy has now over 70.000 users for its MyVideoBlog service. The service is very successful and has enormous potential.

BSNL (India) is inviting bids for 45.5m cellular lines, worth around $5bn. In addition, ITI will capture a 18m cellular lines order from BSNL.

Portugal Telecom gained a 34% stake in Namibia's only wireless carrier.

Turkcell (Turkey) will bid for the tender of Egypt's third mobile phone license.

HK New World Mobile and HK Telstra' s unit CSL will merge.