Top articles
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Skype changes its business case
Unexpectedly, Skype has changed its business case to follow rivals and fit with customer demand. First Skype has raised its SkypeOut charges for all calls to land-lines and mobiles by €0.039 (new connection fee). For an average Skype user, the increase...
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MVNO future
According to Juniper Research, the total MVNO subscriber number would reach 352m by 2012, from current 93m in 2006. Revenues would jump to $67bn by 2012, from current $15bn. What Juniper also anticipates is a change in the MVNO business model. The voice-only...
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VDSL out, ADSL2+ in
There are “strategic” moves that can be easily reversed, but are they strategic? For months, DT voiced it would deploy a VSDL high-speed, strategic network across Germany in main 50 cities at a cost of about €3.3bn. The boss changed in November and the...
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EITO unveils EU ICT market survey
According to EITO, the ICT market in Europe should be worth €644bn (+3.1%) in 2006, of which 48%n for IT markets (+3.8%) and 52% for IC markets (+2.5%). The gap in dynamics between IT and IC markets would broaden in 2007 with growth of 4.2% and 1.7% respectively....
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Top five European mobile markets
According to Mobile World, the top 5 European mobile markets accounted for 315.5m customers at the end of the third quarter 2006. Countries Mobile users (in million) Penetration Germany 79.4 96.4% Italy 76.5 131.7% UK 66.4 109.4 France 47.5 78% Spain...
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India mobile bid continues ....
After Reliance, Vodafone, TPG, Essar, Maxis, Orascom, Blackstone, Hinduja (India) says it is interested in Hutchison Essar majority stake. It seems that Maxis is already out. Reliance has received support of Blackstone, Apax Partners, Carlyle and KKR,...
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E-commerce in France
According to Fevad, E-commerce in France is growing and prosperous. More than €2bn were spent in two last months (+17%), with a 43% growth for high-tech products. The four main online payment platforms (Atos Origin, Caisses d'Epargne, Experian, Ogone...
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Ma Bell is back!
Ma Bell is back! The FCC unanimously approved AT&T' s $86bn buyout of BellSouth, in a 4-0 score (no it is not a soccer result, it is more serious). Now ATT has successfully put several of its old pieces back together in what is the largest US telecom...
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Past and Future
I do not have a crystal ball and will not made predictions, despite current ambiance. I just would like to highlight what seems to me areas that would expand in 2007 and further, after a launch or trials in 2006. 2006 : 2006 is at the end and it is quite...
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European W-CDMA
Europe had 39m WCDMA subscribers (+140%) at Sept.-end, and added 5.9m 3G users in 3Q06. Penetration was still low at about 1% of the population, but WCDMA accounted for more than 28% of the added customers in 3Q06. WCDMA represented about 6.5% of total...
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EU- German Government conflict
The German Upper House of Parliament (Bundesrat) has approved a new bill that allows DT to close its new ultra-high-speed fiber-optic network to rivals, violating EU laws. If signed by Germany's President, the bill will come into effect in January 07....
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FCC approves new video rules
The FCC approved new rules allowing incumbent telcos (with local rights-of-way for their wires) to gain local video franchise rights no later than three months after they file an application. For other new service provider, the order sets a 6-month cap....
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Telecom Italy confirms reorganization
TI has confirmed it will go forward with its announced restructuring into four business units: fixed, mobile, network and Top Client/ICT. At the heart of this reorganization is the convergence convergence between fixed-line telephony, mobile telephony,...
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How UK children use their mobile phone?
A new study, from Halifax, gives some interesting statistics about mobile phone usage by children. More than 75% of 7 to 16 year-old children have their own mobile phone. Penetration increases from 57% in 7-11 segment to 94% for the 12-16 segment. The...
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NA 3Q06 mobile roundup
NA is the only world region where CDMA is the technology market leader. It is quite normal as the technology is born there. Today, CDMA technology accounts for 50% of the overall NA cellular market by customers, with GSM following with about 38% and AMPS/TDMA...
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Radio' s dangers
Radio' s dangers Typical exposure to low level electromagnetic radiation from WiFi is well below recommended levels , so a year sitting in a classroom near a wireless network is roughly equivalent to 20 minutes calling on a mobile phone. It is worth noting...
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UWB Gets European Approval
UWB Gets European Approval The European Commission approves ultrawideband. The Commission is recommending, in line with the Radio Spectrum Committee, 3.4 to 5 GHz and 6.0 to 8.5 GHz bands for initial deployment, with possible extension to 9GHz later....
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EU: national regulators in question
EU: national regulators in question It is an evidence in Europe, the telecom sector is far from harmonized and competition is uneven across the Union. The European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) has released a new report to score 17...
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AT&T-Bellsouth merger in sight
ATT and Bellsouth are trying to get approval to their merger from March 06. Up to now, the five members of the FCC general counsel were split 2 pros and 2 cons, with the fifth, McDowell, refusing to vote for ethical reasons (employment by CLEC CompTel...
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Mobile wrapup
According to The Mobile World, there are now over 2.6bn mobile users in the world, and the number should grow to 2.7bn by the end of the year. Mobile density should currently be just below 40%. Annual net additions should exceed 500m this year. Out of...
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FMC survey
BBDO Consulting unveiled the results of an FMC-market survey. The dual-mode handset is the most recognizable type of FMC service for 75% of respondents, one phone bill ranks second with 34% identification, a home zone rate plan with 27%, etc. 26% of respondents...
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European e-society
EU released a new study showing that in Europe, there are more cell phones than fixed lines. 80% of European households have a mobile phone while only 78% have a fixed line. 18% rely only on their cell phones, having no fixed line. 52% of European households...
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Both GSM and WCDMA
From the beginning, WCDMA was synonym of new frequencies and related new licenses, new infrastructure to be deployed. During the week, a series of announcement has shadowed what was believed as the truth. Siemens has unveiled one base station that can...
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China may license 3G soon
After a period of intense activity, in early 2006, to predict when China can grant 3G licenses, it was very quiet for several months. Rumors are again surfacing, with the announcement made by Wang Xudong, the head of China's telecoms regulator (MII):...
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Alert: customized mobile TV advertising
Ericsson and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) have launched a trial of personalized mobile TV advertising. Customizedg marketing will be used with mobile TV viewers; advertisements will be interactive, customized to ensure their relevance...