Posts Tagged Europe
Vivendi revenues up 24%, driven by 31.5% rise in sales at SFR (France)
French communications and entertainment group Vivendi reported a 23.7% year-on-year rise in consolidated revenues (22.1% at constant currency) to EUR6.5 billion (USD8.83 billion), as a result of strong performance from the likes of telecoms arm SFR and expected synergies delivered following recent acquisitions. Group EBITDA reached EUR1.4 billion, an increase of 15.8% (13.8% at constant currency) compared to the first quarter of 2008. Vivendi said adjusted net income was EUR649 million, down EUR48 million compared to the first quarter of 2008, mainly due to the increasing interest and share of earnings attributable to minority interests. Nonetheless, the company confirmed its 2009 outlook for strong growth of EBITA.
SFR’s revenues increased to EUR3.028 billion in the three months ended 31 March 2009, up by 31.5% compared to the same period in 2008, due to the consolidation of neuf Cegetel since 15 April 2008. On a comparable basis, SFR’s revenues decreased by 0.8% y-o-y, although excluding the impact of the decrease in switched voice revenues and equipment sales, SFR revenues increased by 1.4%, it said. Mobile turnover generated EUR2.181 billion in sales which Vivendi said was ‘stable’ due to a EUR22 million decrease in equipment sales to EUR77 million. Mobile service revenues, however, rose 1.2% year-on-year to EUR2.104 billion, driven by growth of the customer base and a sharp (36%) rise in data revenues following the launch of unlimited SMS and MMS offers, and strong development of mobile internet services in the mass market and enterprise segments. SFR added 118,000 net new mobile customers in January-March, equivalent to 51% of net additions in the period. Furthermore, SFR reported an improvement in its customer mix (+3.5 percentage points year-on-year to 69.6%), adding 178,000 new post-paid customers in the period to achieve 13.76 million contract customers at the end of March 2009. SFR launched the iPhone on 8 April, and says it has already sold 120,000 handsets.
SFR (including neuf Cegetel) reported broadband internet and fixed revenues of EUR934 million in 1Q09, down 2.7% compared to the same period in 2008 on a comparable basis. Broadband internet and fixed revenues increased by 2.3%, excluding the impact of the decrease in switched voice revenues. Aided by the launch of the ‘neufbox by SFR’, SFR added 163,000 net new broadband internet active customers in the period (or >30% of all quarterly net additions). At the end of March 2009 SFR’s broadband subscriber base totalled 4.042 million, up 9.3% compared to the same period in 2008. In addition, SFR had 164,000 Enterprise data links connected to the SFR network, 10.1% higher than a year earlier. SFR’s broadband internet and fixed EBITDA, including neuf Cegetel’s operations since 15 April 2008, decreased by EUR19 million on a comparable basis to EUR133 million.
Add comment May 15, 2009
Blyk denies reports it plans to discontinue retail services (UK)
British ad-funded mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Blyk has refuted claims that it is planning to discontinue its commercial retail services, Mobile Marketing Magazine reports. Blyk was responding to reports by another UK-based media outlet that said the operator was preparing the closure of its direct-to-consumer business in order to focus on operator partnerships. It is understood, however, that rather than exiting the consumer space, the MVNO plans to add a partnership model. A Blyk spokesperson, Ann Sarimo, was quoted as saying: ‘We are not closing shop. We are actively expanding, and we are in negotiations with partners right now. Our members are our core asset. Our total proposition is partly based on the advertising side of things, but it’s also about the whole user experience and audience management. We are not just a technology solution, we are a total mobile marketing solution, based in part on the advertising and messaging component, but it’s very much about a total experience and an audience of happy, engaged users.’
While Blyk originally offered 16-24 year olds 217 free texts and 43 minutes of free talk time each month in return for accepting targeted advertising on their phone each day, the company did change its model in January 2009. It now offers its customers GBP15 (USD22.8) free credit per month which can be used for either text messaging or voice calls.
Add comment May 14, 2009
Vodafone, T-Mobile plan mobile VoIP tariffs (Germany)
Financial Times Deutschland reports that mobile operators Vodafone Germany and T-Mobile Deutschland may back down from their position that they would not sell Nokia handsets with the Voice-over-IP (VoIP) programme Skype included. The service currently allows users to make telephone calls for free, or more cheaply than traditional telephone providers. Both operators have said that they are looking into offering special tariffs for mobile VoIP use instead of blocking the services, which have been available for their mobile internet customers for six weeks.
T-Mobile announced in early April 2009 it would not allow its customers to use the new Skype application designed specifically for Apple’s iPhone. T-Mobile spokesperson, Alexander von Schmettow, said: ‘It is clearly stated in our customer contracts that such services may not be used. There are two reasons for this – because the high level of traffic would hinder our network performance, and because if the Skype programme didn’t work properly, customers would make us responsible for it.’
1 comment May 13, 2009
UK mobile advertising expenditure doubles in 2008
Expenditure on mobile advertising in the UK exceeded market expectation in 2008 and grew 99.2 percent year-on-year to reach a total of GBP 28.6 million, according to a study by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Investment in mobile advertising grew at a faster rate than predicted as more UK brands invested in the medium due to its exceptional targeting, immediacy and return on investment. Mobile display advertising, which includes banners, text links, tenancies pre/post roll and in-game, accounted for GBP 14.2 million in 2008, 49.8 percent of all mobile advertising spend. Paid-for search advertising on mobile internet was estimated to account for GBP 14.4 million, 50.2 percent of all mobile advertising spend. In 2008, online advertising rose to GBP 3.35 billion, accounting for 19.2 percent of all advertising spend. A bigger audience is a key driver for the growth, where mobile internet usage increased in 2008 from 8.6 million in December 2007 to over 11 million in December 2008, and people on unlimited data plans has grown by a massive 109 percent in 2008. Other key drivers include advertising on mobile phones, social networking driving growth of mobile internet usage, better and smarter handsets, growth in mobile departments and mobile advertising knowledge in the market. This survey represents solely mobile media spend, and therefore do not include mobile marketing expenditure such as SMS or MMS production and delivery costs.
Source- www.telecompaper.com
Add comment May 13, 2009
Cosmote to pay EUR 200 mln for Zapp Romania
Greek telecommunica group Cosmote has reportedly reached an agreement with Saudi Oger over the takeover of Romanian mobile operator Zapp, Business Standard Romania reports. Cosmote will pay a “little over” EUR 200 million for 100 percent of Telemobil shares, the company that owns Zapp Romania, and is expected to sign the deal next month. With this acquisition, Cosmote aims to obtain Zapp’s 3G licence for its Romanian subsidiary Cosmote Romania, which is the only Romanian mobile operator without a UMTS concession.
Source- www.telecompaper.com
Add comment May 13, 2009
Telenor acquires Danish mobile service provider Bibob
Telenor Denmark acquired mobile service provider BiBoB for DKK 93 million. The acquisition strengthens Telenor’s position via its subsdiary Sonofon on the Danish mobile market, adding 69,000 customers. The acquisition will not affect BiBoBs customers or employees, and BiBoB will remain a separate brand focussing on low-cost mobile services. The acqusition does not need approval from the Danish competition authority and has been completed. Sonofon had 1.833 million mobile customers on 31 March of this year.
Add comment May 11, 2009
MagtiCom launches mobile WiMAX service (Georgia)
Georgian cellco MagtiCom has launched a mobile WiMAX service for residential and business customers, according to a press release by Cisco. MagtiCom, which is 50.1% owned by US-based Metromedia International Group, is deploying an internet protocol next-generation network (IP NGN) supplied by Cisco, that integrates mobile voice and WiMAX services into a single network. MagtiCom currently offers broadband internet via WiMAX in ten cities across the country including the capital, Tbilisi. By the end of 2009 it plans to cover all major cities and regional areas of Georgia with WiMAX broadband services. Kaan Terzioglu, vice president of Cisco for Eastern Europe, said: ‘WiMAX is an ideal technology for providing vast territories with mobile internet access. Citizens and companies across Georgia can now enjoy the benefits of connectivity, be it for business, education, health care or new online services.’
Add comment February 10, 2009
Romania- WiMAX sale fails
Romania’s telecoms regulator ANC has revealed that it received no final bids for the two 3.6GHz licences that are on offer, despite receiving preliminary applications from six firms. ‘Signals from the market indicate that the main problem with these frequencies is their price, which the operators find too high. We will propose the Government a lower licence fee and then re-launch the granting process, as soon as possible’, ANC President Liviu Nistoran said in a statement. The licences will be used to provide WiMAX wireless broadband services; a third concession has already been handed to SNR in return for it agreeing to hand back the spectrum it already held in the 3.6GHz-3.8GHz band. The six companies that bought Terms of Reference for the tender were: Asesoft International, Comcore Management, Cosmote Romanian Mobile Telecommunications, Media Sat, RCS&RDS and Vodafone Romania.
Add comment February 10, 2009
France’s fourth mobile licence to cost EUR 206 million
French state secretary for industry Luc Chatel told the National Assembly that the first 5 MHz lot to be allocated to the fourth mobile network operator would cost EUR 206 million. This is one third of the EUR 619 million paid by the country’s existing mobile operators for their 15 MHz of spectrum. Free, the triple-play operator likely to become the country’s fourth mobile network operator, was prepared to pay EUR 210 million, CEO Xavier Niel told Le Figaro. Free may also bid for the remaining two lots of 5 MHz of spectrum alongside its competitors in a second tender. The first 5 MHz are due to be tendered at the end of February or early March, according to regulatory chairman Jean-Claude Mallet. Separately, France’s recently appointed secretary for the development of the digital economy, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, suggested to the National Assembly setting up a conference to respond to consumers’ increasing concerns about the possible dangers of exposure to radio waves. The round table would bring together legislators, operators and scientists, she said.
Add comment February 10, 2009
Vodafone strategy will put Yes Telecom at its core
Vodafone is developing a distribution strategy that will see Yes Telecom at its core, according to head of Vodafone UK distribution and new Yes Telecom chief, Tanny Price. Price informed distributors in a letter that the company had been working on an ‘exciting strategy’ for 2009/10 to ‘generate additional opportunities for our indirect channels in the converging areas of the market’.Price said: ‘Building on the expertise and skills in Manchester, we are looking to invigorate the channel and invest in value by working more closely together with our partners, maximizing the opportunities that lie ahead.
This drive to raise the bar is testament to Vodafone’s commitment to the indirect channel. It is a fundamental part of the Enterprise business and we have strong plans for its growth through selecting the best channels, of which Yes Telecom is key. The Vodafone business will transform in this rapidly evolving market, moving from pure voice and data to a unified communications environment.
Add comment February 10, 2009
Nokia threat to quit Finland ‘unless law changed’
Mobile phone giant Nokia threatened to leave its native Finland if a change to laws blocking companies from monitoring employee emails was not introduced, a respected Finnish newspaper said Sunday.Nokia spokeswoman Arja Suominen subsequently rejected the accusation, telling the STT news agency that Nokia has in no way threatened to move, claiming the Helsingin Sanomat article is quite polemic. It contains many mistakes and misunderstandings. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen also denied that politicians had been pressured by the company to change the law.
I have not heard about such an ultimatum. I have discussed (the law) with many companies including Nokia, and I have never heard that they have made such a threat, he told national broadcaster Yle.The daily quoted an unnamed civil servant as telling the paper that “Nokia lobbied very hard for the proposed law to be unanimously approved… (The message) was very clear: if the law was not approved, Nokia would leave Finland.
Add comment February 4, 2009
Vodafone Italy announces plans for HSDPA expansion
Vodafone Italy has launched a project under which it plans to expand the availability of mobile broadband services in underserved areas. The firm says it has deployed 7.2Mbps HSDPA technology around Olevano in the province of Salerno in southern Italy and it intends to add a new regional network each month this year. Vodafone Italy CEO Paolo Bertoluzzo says that it would be possible to reduce the percentage of the population without broadband internet access from 8% to 1% with an investment of EUR500 million (USD640 million) over three years, Telecompaper reports.
Add comment February 2, 2009
Bulgaria warned over EU directive violation
The European Commission has given a final warning to Bulgaria for violating three European Union (EU) directives in the electricity, energy services and wireless communications sector. The Commission called on the country’s telecoms regulator, the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC), to take action to further reduce mobile termination rates (MTR), noting that they are the highest in the EU at EUR0.1509 (USD0.197) per minute versus an average of EUR0.087. ‘CRC’s approach is a positive first step towards more price competition in the Bulgarian mobile phone market,’ said EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
Add comment January 30, 2009
Germany- Cellcos propose increase in MTA fees
According to German press agency DPA, three of the country’s main cellcos have put forward a suggestion to increase mobile termination (MTA) fees from 1 April 2009. O2 Germany proposed the highest fee increase from the current EUR0.088 per minute to EUR0.1643, while rival T-Mobile Germany has suggested an increase from EUR0.0792 to EUR0.0839 per minute. Vodafone Germany wants to raise its fee to EUR0.0792 from the current EUR0.0823 per minute. E-Plus is the only operator to propose a decrease in MTA fees from EUR0.088 to EUR0.084. The German telecoms regulator BNA will publish its decision on 12 February 2009.
Add comment January 30, 2009
New Blyk offering includes web
Ad-funded youth MVNO Blyk has announced it will change its ‘free’ allowance from February 16.
Blyk members, who must be aged from 16 to 24 when they join, previously received 217 minutes and 43 texts free in exchange for receiving advertising messages from brands based on their profile interests.
From February 16, members will now receive a £15 monthly allowance, which will include MMS, data, calls and texts. The respective costs are 20p per MMs, £1 per megabyte of data, 15p per minute to call and 10p to text.
Blyk UK chief executive Antti Ohrling (pictured) said the move towards a more flexible offering had been one of the biggest requests from its members.
He said: “We have seen about a 30 per cent jump in requests to join Blyk since we announced this change.”
Add comment January 30, 2009
Mobile Social Networking Driving Growth of the Mobile Internet in Europe
comScore reports that social networking is drawing new users into the mobile Web. In November, 34 percent of mobile phone owners in Western Europe who visited social networking sites accessed social media exclusive of all other mobile Web content.With 12.1 million users in Western Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K.), mobile social networking is a rapidly-expanding category that grew 152 percent from November 2007 to November 2008. The U.K. boasts the highest penetration of mobile social networking, at 9 percent, nearly triple that of Germany, where the activity is the least popular.
Add comment January 30, 2009
Deutsche Telekom Substantially Increased its Customer Numbers in 2008
Deutsche Telekom has issued a trading statement and says that it saw encouraging developments in its mobile communications markets during last year. The number of customers with the companies in Europe and the United States totaled 128.3 million. This means that the number of customers increased organically by 7.6 million. The contract customer segment accounts for 5 million of this growth with a current customer base of 65.9 million.
T-Mobile Deutschland also defended its leading position in Germany. With over 950,000 new contract customers, the high level of the previous year was reached once again. The successful introduction of the Apple iPhone 3G and the attractive range of calling plans were the main reasons for this development.
Add comment January 30, 2009
Deutsche Telekom wireless subscriber growth slows in Q4, fixed line losses
German telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom (DT) has revealed its wireless subscriber growth slowed during the fourth quarter of 2008. The company said it increased its wireless subscriber base worldwide by 1.68 million between September 2008 and the end of the year, compared to 3.76 million in the same period a year earlier. Furthermore, the company’s domestic fixed lines fell by 685,000 to 33.82 million during the fourth quarter, compared to 537,000 during the same period the previous year. Nevertheless, its broadband operations continue to grow; DT reported a rise in domestic broadband subscriptions of 238,000 during the fourth quarter, taking its subscriber base in Germany up to 13.34 million, a year-on-year increase of 6.3%.
Add comment January 29, 2009
Vodafone Expands Mobile Advertising in Greece and Netherlands
Mobile advertising agency, MADS says that it has won contracts from Vodafone Netherlands and Vodafone Greece to integrate mobile adverts within their Vodafone live! portals. We selected MADS because of their ability to power multi-channel and targeted ad delivery and their ability to provide innovative solutions and fast time to market, states Nils Rouwendal, Manager of Mobile Marketing at Vodafone Netherlands.
Johnson & Johnson, Nokia, EA games, Volkswagen, Nivea, Citroen, Motorola, Coca-Cola, LG and other premium brands have already launched successful advertising campaigns on Vodafone mobile channels. Research has proven that mobile advertising allows brands to target consumers in a very personal way, resulting in significantly higher response and click-through-rates compared to traditional online advertising.
Add comment January 29, 2009
Government may review GT sale (Ghana)
Ghana’s Minister designate for Communications, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu has intimated that his ministry could review the sale of a 70% stake in national PTO Ghana Telecom (GT) to the UK’s Vodafone Group. MyJoyOnline cites an interview between The Ghanaian Chronicle and Iddrisu in which the minister designate said he was hopeful the government would support the idea. Mr. Iddrisu would have to contact the Presidency for approval before his Ministry could implement such a scheme. Clarifying his intentions, Iddrisu said the purpose of the review was not to cancel the Sale and Purchase Agreement that Vodafone made, but rather to ascertain whether the contract was a genuine one. ‘I am not saying that we are going to take the deal from them but we are going to make sure that Ghanaians get value for their money,’ he stated. Whilst in opposition, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would not endorse the multi-million Vodafone deal in Parliament, on the grounds that though they were not strictly anti- the sale, the ‘secrecy’ under which government was undertaking the sale process raised suspicion that perhaps some procedures did not conform to the Public Procurement Act.
Add comment January 28, 2009
Nokia Hits 1 Million 5800 XpressMusic 3G Mobile Phones Sales
Nokia has shipped the millionth Nokia 5800 XpressMusic device, a milestone that coincides with the successful sales start of the device in the UK. The latest in Nokia’s XpressMusic range, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is the company’s first mass market touch screen device.
Following its introduction in October 2008, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has seen successful sales starts in a number of markets, including Hong Kong and Moscow where the device sold out within hours of the sales start. Earlier today at the official sales start of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in the UK, more than 150 customers queued outside the Nokia Flagship Store on London’s Regent Street to be among the first to own the device.
“The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has been received very positively and this milestone is just further proof that people all over the world want a device that is not only a great music experience, but also makes the most of touch screen technology,” said Jo Harlow, Vice President, Nokia.
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic offers a complete music experience and features a number of music and entertainment essentials, including a graphic equalizer, 8GB memory for up to 6000 tracks, support for all main digital music formats, and a 3.5mm jack. Built-in surround sound stereo speakers offer the industry’s most powerful sound.
For the best screen resolution available on a mobile phone, the 3.2″ widescreen display brings photos, video clips and web content to life in vibrant color and true clarity. With a 16 by 9 aspect ratio and 30 frames-per-second playback and recording, the device is ideal for VGA quality video recording and playback. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic also features a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and, with a single touch, images or videos can be shared via a favorite online community, such as Share on Ovi, Flickr, or Facebook.
Add comment January 28, 2009
KPN’s Q4 profits drop sharply; forecasts growth in 2009
The Netherlands’ dominant telecoms group Royal KPN has reported a sharp fall in net income for the three months to 31 December 2008, but said it was not being affected by the global economic recession and fully expects to record growth in the coming fiscal year. KPN reported fourth-quarter net profits of EUR295 million (USD383 million), down from EUR1.58 billion in the corresponding period of 2007 when the telco booked a one-off tax gain of EUR1.2 billion. Revenues in the October-December 2008 quarter amounted to EUR3.72 billion, a marginal 1.6% rise from EUR3.66 billion previously, bolstered in the main by growth at KPN’s German mobile telephony arm, E-Plus. For the full year, KPN said 2008 net profit slumped by 50% to EUR1.34 billion, although sales rose by 16% to EUR14.6 billion.
KPN reported that fewer customers are cancelling fixed line subscriptions in the Netherlands, adding that operating earnings at its domestic operation grew slightly for the first time in years. ‘KPN experienced only a limited impact on its operational performance from the economic downturn in the fourth quarter,’ the company said in a press release, before repeating its forecasts for 2010 of EUR15 billion (sales) and EUR5.5 billion (operating profit), equivalent to growth of around 3% and 9% on 2008 levels.
Add comment January 27, 2009
Nokia launches ‘premium’ mobile service (Japan)
Nokia of Finland has launched a ‘premium’ mobile service in Japan using its high-end Vertu handset brand as a platform and piggybacking on NTT DoCoMo’s network to provide MVNO services to customers. The world’s biggest handset maker says the new service will be run by Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) as a managed service, allowing the MVNO to introduce value added services (VAS) without the need to invest in its own software, equipment, human resources and skills.
In November 2008 Nokia announced it was withdrawing from the Japanese mobile handset market, blaming the decision on its inability to make inroads in a country that heavily favours locally-developed technologies. However, the vendor said at the time it would continue to market its high-end, niche mobile phone Vertu. The announcement came just days after CommsUpdate reported that Nokia had revealed plans to enter the mobile market in Japan this year through an MVNO partnership with DoCoMo.
Add comment January 27, 2009
3G deal offered to mobile operators (UK)
British broadsheet The Times is reporting that mobile operators including Vodafone and Orange may be allowed to retain their 3G licences indefinitely if they commit to follow spending plans put forward by the communications minister Lord Carter. It is believed that the offer has been made in a bid to quell concerns over the cost of introducing a universal obligation to provide every home in the UK with a 2Mbps broadband connection. The obligation is one of the key elements of Lord Carter’s Digital Britain report. Industry estimates have suggested that in order to provide such a service to 99.5% of the population it would cost up to GBP2 billion (USD2.75 billion), a cost that would have to be met by operators.
With the government also trying to encourage a further GBP5 billion investment from operators in new fibre-optic networks, the licence deal is seen as a means of offsetting costs. The five UK-based 3G operators – Orange, Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile and 3 – spent a collective GBP22.5billion on their 20-year 3G licences.
Add comment January 27, 2009
U:fon offers bundled internet, voice call tariffs (Czech Republic)
Czech mobile start-up U:fon, the operating arm of local concern MobilKom, is launching two new tariffs to residential customers, offering bundled voice telephony and internet access with connection speeds of between 256kbps and 700kbps, for either CZK400 or CZK600 (USD18.69 or USD28.04) per month. U:fon started out as a data services provider and added mobile voice calls to its existing portfolio of data transmission and fixed-wireless call services in June 2008. Its CDMA network now covers 80% of the population, a figure it hopes to increase to 85% by the end of the year.
Add comment January 22, 2009
Nokia Secures Pan-European Licensing for Music Download Platform
Nokia says that it has secured a pan European licensing deal to support its Comes With Music mobile music download platform. Nokia has entered into pan European licenses for its Comes With Music service with Universal Music Publishing Group, and the national collecting societies SACEM, SDRM, and SESAM (France), SGAE (Spain), and SIAE (Italy).In addition, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and the Nordic societies STIM (Sweden), TEOSTO (Finland) and TONO (Norway) have also confirmed their participation in the Comes With Music Service across Europe, and Nokia has concluded a pan European license with CELAS/EMI Music Publishing in respect of Nokia’s download service, Nokia Music Store.Customers who buy a Comes With Music device can explore and enjoy a diverse catalog of music of international and local artists with unlimited access to millions of tracks for 12 to 18 months, keeping the music when the “contract” ends. The United Kingdom was the first market to offer Comes With Music in October 2008 and Singapore and Australia are expected to launch later this quarter.
Add comment January 22, 2009
T-Mobile to launch G1 Android Mobile in Germany from 2 February
T-Mobile will launch the G1 Android mobile phone in Germany from 2 February. Already available in the US and UK, T-Mobile is also introducing the phone from the same date in Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Netherlands. The touch-screen phone with slide-out qwerty keyboard features HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS, direct access to a range of Google services and push e-mail. The phone was developed by HTC and is supported by the Android Market for applications. In Germany, the phone will sell from EUR 1 with 24-month service contracts for the Combi Flat M and L plans. Customers can also pick from the Combi XS, S, M and L plans with the G1, and business users can buy the G1 with Combi Flat Business service plans. In the Netherlands, the phone is available free with a two-year Relax 300 plan at EUR 29.95 per month. Customers can also choose other Relax, Flex and MyFaves plans. Czech customers can get the phone for CZK 1 with a two-year contract and minimum monthly payment of CZK 2,300.
Add comment January 21, 2009
KPN completes Debitel acquisition (Netherlands)
KPN has closed the acquisition of Debitel’s Dutch operations including 300,000 postpaid customers and around 230,000 prepaid customers. A part of the Debitel customer base uses the network of Vodafone Netherlands. These customers, which are estimated at around 300,000, will be transferred to Vodafone. KPN is allowed to continue to use the Debitel brand name for 2.5 years, but the operator already announced that all Debitel and Lowcall customers will be transferred to the KPN brand soon. The transaction was announced on 23 October 2008. The completion of the acquisition is approved by the Dutch competition authority, NMa. In 2007, Debitel Netherlands had net sales of approximately EUR 247 million. The company has approximately 130 FTE. The divestment is the last step of Debitel’s strategy to divest its foreign operations to concentrate on the German market.
Add comment January 5, 2009
Mobile Connections Reach 4 Billion Worldwide
3G Americas, a wireless industry trade association representing the GSM family of technologies including LTE, today announces that a historic milestone was achieved for the wireless industry in December 2008 with 4 billion connections to mobile devices worldwide. This estimate by Informa Telecoms & Media represents 60% of the entire global population today. In some countries, millions of people are now experiencing connectivity to the world for the first time through wireless and changing their economic, social and political fortunes forever.
The Latin America and Caribbean region continues to show steady consumer growth with 16% year-on-year growth as subscription numbers are expected to reach in excess of 440 million, equating to 76% penetration, noted Marisol Gomez, Americas regional analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media.
Add comment December 26, 2008
Spanish mobile subscribers pass 50 mln mark in Q3
Spanish mobile phone users rose to 50.74 million for a 109.9 percent penetration at the end of the third quarter from 47.61 million, or 105.3 percent, a year earlier, according to telecommunications regulator CMT. Postpaid lines rose to 29.46 million from 27.06 million, and prepaid lines fell to 20.22 million from 20.55 million. Notably, the number of datacards doubled to 1.06 million from 554,218 over the same period, with 574,201 UMTS cards and 482,131 HSDPA cards at the end of September. Mobile call minutes grew to 18.44 billion from 17.75 billion, with calls to fixed lines rising to 1.84 billion from 1.83 billion and calls to mobiles growing to 15.49 billion from 14.84 billion. Movistar had a 45.8 percent share of customers, followed by Vodafone with 30.6 percent, Orange with 20.7 percent, Yoigo with 1.5 percent, Euskaltel with 0.5 percent and other MVNOs 0.9 percent.
Add comment December 26, 2008
France Telecom Exclusive Deal To Sell iPhone In France Banned
In a move that France Telecom itself has called a “serious blow,” France’s Competition Council has temporarily suspended the agreement the firm has with Apple that lets its French operator Orange sell the iPhone 3G exclusively. The competition watchdog said the ban, which takes effect on Thursday, is aimed at letting consumers buy the gadget on contract from competing operators SFR and Bouygues Telecom, right in time for the holiday sales season. France Telecom said it would appeal the decision.
So, how angry are France Telecom execs with this decision? In a statement issued today, the global telecoms group had nothing but sharp criticism for the Competition Council whom it accused of making a decision without “in-depth examination,” that would not only “undermine Orange’s efforts to develop high-speed mobile services in France,” but would have a “major impact” on the market, with possible “serious consequences on manufacturers, as well as their subcontractors and software suppliers.” The best, however, was reserved for the number three operator Bouygues Telecom, which initiated the complaint in mid-September.
France Telecom basically accused its smaller rival, which it noted was “most behind” in rolling out its 3G network,” of crying to the Competition Council, rather than “offering genuine competition based on innovative offers.” It also noted that Orange has had the iPhone exclusive deal for a year now, but that it took Bouygues Telecom until now, just before the lucrative holiday sales season to request these “urgent conservative measures.”
The Council said in a statement that France Telecom’s five-year deal with Apple, which locks subscribers into a 12-24 month contract with Orange, adds another obstacle for consumers in a market already suffering from a lack of competition. Any future exclusivity deals would also be limited to three months at a time. As for an appeal, it’s going to take a long time for France Telecom to get the decision reversed, if at all. An “in-depth examination of the agreement” would likely take 12-15 months to complete, a Council spokesperson told Reuters.
Bouygues Telecom said in a statement it hoped to start selling the iPhone as soon as possible, while France’s second largest operator the Vivendi-Vodafone owned SFR, said it has “always been interested” in selling the iPhone, “but not at any price.”
L’iPhone, as its known in France, has been good to France Telecom, which said it has sold 450,000 of the 3G gadgets to date. As for other operators around the world, the iPhone has helped lure subscribers and boost data usage. The council estimated that Orange raked in 220 million euros ($308.2 million) from iPhone 3G sales from its July 18 launch to November 5. As for Apple, the ruling probably won’t be as much of a blow, especially as it has already dropped its exclusivity strategy in favor of selling through multiple operators in other European countries.
Add comment December 18, 2008
India emerging leader in mobile marketing
Lowe Lintas, the agency whose work is behind conspicuous campaigns for products like Sunsilk shampoo and Fair and amp; Lovely cream, is eyeing India as an emerging leader in mobile marketing, with significant potential for digital advertising, its new chief executive officer Charles Cadell says.
“The biggest initiative (for us) will be digital, which we’re driving across the agency,” Cadell told Hindustan Times in an interview. “Globally, Lowe has acquired two digital companies in mobile and Internet marketing. India is still a long way behind the West and a lot of Asian markets on digitisation but in two to three years, India will lead in mobile marketing in the world. It’s going to happen very fast and agencies will not have the luxury of time on this,” he said.
The boom in mobile phones, in which India already has more than 32 crore connections, is expected to acquire a new momentum as people go beyond voice calls and text messages to use it to draw content that can be accompanied by ads.
Lowe is one of the biggest ad agencies in India and part of the global Interpublic Group. Cadell said Lowe Lintas was also focusing on new approaches to advertising in which content, rather than follow set campaigns, could be tied to them after being created as original property.
“There’s a headline thought that is taking us from being an advertising agency to being a communications company – we will be all about content creation, be it Bollywood film scripts, or in opportunities whenever a brand intersects with the consumer,” Cadell said.
“We will also be involved in property creation – something like Sunsilk’s Gang-of-Girls (an interactive Internet initiative to bring together Sunsilk consumers in sharing their lives and hair concerns),” Cadell said, adding that the agency will hold intellectual property rights (IPRs) while taking the content to clients or media houses. “We are looking at different revenue models,” he said without elaborating.
Add comment December 17, 2008
Polish cellcos join hands for mobile TV bid
Poland’s four mobile operators have united to bid for a DVB-licence. According to Wirtualne Media, Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa (PTC), P4 (Play), Polkomtel and PTK Centertel (Orange) will each hold a 25% stake in the new joint venture. The move follows a ruling last week by Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) that said it would not be anti-competitive. The Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) is currently holding a tender for a spectrum licence to broadcast DVB-H services; applications are due on 15 January 2009.
Add comment December 16, 2008
Vodafone Turkey chooses Huawei for 3G
Vodafone Turkey has contracted Chinese vendor Huawei Technologies to provide equipment for its 3G network rollout. ‘We signed a five-year agreement with Huawei, which we believe will offer the best technical solution for 3G,’ Ian Gray, head of Vodafone Turkey, said in a statement which was quoted in a Reuters’ report. Vodafone, plus rivals Turkcell and Avea, won 3G licences in Turkey earlier this month.
Add comment December 16, 2008
