Telcoflash: Telecom Market News

Microsoft is planning investing some $900m in China over the next five years. IBM is launching small low-cost mainframes, z9 Business Class, for SMEs, with prices starting from about $100,000. The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) and Network Processing...

Ericsson is likely to develop its own WiMAX products ready six months from deciding to develop such products. It currently resells products from Airspan Networks. Cisco strengthens its presence in Nigeria and English West Africa.

Nokia and VISA International are launching the world's first credit card payment pilot system in Malaysia. Nokia will pay $250m to settle a dispute on TDMA-based products royalties with InterDigital Technology.

Optibase (for headend platform), Infogate (for middleware), Verimatrix (for content protection), Amino and Softier (for set-top boxes) are providing MNTL IPTV network.

Ericsson has been selected by Caribbean mobile operator Digicel to build a GS% network across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Ericsson has been the company’s preferred infrastructure vendor throughout Caribbean regions.

Tellabs posted 1Q06 net income of $52m, up from almost zero, on revenues of $515m, up 18%. The Transport segment reported sales of $214m (+24%), the Broadband unit had sales of $260m (+14%) Siemens reports net income of €887m, up 14%, on sales growing...

The European Commission approves T-Mobile Austria's acquisition of tele.ring, but demands that tele.ring divest its two 3G/UMTS frequency blocks to ease competition. Telenor discusses the sale of of Kyivstar (Ukraine) to VimpelCom (Russia). BlackStone...

Vonage is partnering with UK WiFi operator The Cloud to offer Internet-based mobile-phone calls. MTNL (India) is close to launch IPTV services in team with content aggregator Time Broadband Services. China Satcom and Shin Satellite have signed an agreement...

Argotex (Georgia) has been granted a mobile license. Disney Mobil is expanding in the UK, as an MVNO hosted by O2 Telecom Italia will launch DVB-H based mobile TV services in June. Smart (Philippines) will commercially offer 3G services in May 2006, at...

US Cellular had 5.3m subscribers at the end of March (+10%). Sprint Nextel announced a mobile subscriber base of about 51m (including affiliates) at the end of March, adding 1.3m users in the quarter. Centertel (Poland) reported 10.4m mobile subscribers...