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Tag: telecoms

Samsung Galaxy S4: great start but does it have legs?

May 23, 2013 10:26am by Song Jung-a
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Samsung Electronics is on a roll thanks to the huge popularity of its latest smartphone. The Galaxy S4 has sold 10m units within a month of its release, making it Samsung’s fastest-selling smartphone ever – the Galaxy S4 reached the 10m mark in half the time taken by its predecessor. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , Posted in Asia, South Korea |

América Móvil eyes bigger role in US prepaid cellphone market

May 21, 2013 12:38am by Eduardo García
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Almost a year after America Movil, the largest telecom company in Latin America, made its first acquisition in the US prepaid cellphone market, when it bought Simple Mobile, the company has done it again.

On Monday, it announced the purchase of Start Wireless Group, another mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that will add 1.4m subscribers to TracFone Wireless, America Movil’s US subsidiary. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , , Posted in LatAm, Mexico |

Huawei’s Ren: into the media spotlight

May 9, 2013 8:38am by Kathrin Hille
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When the head of a $35bn company makes his first-ever media appearance, you would expect a big splash. But that couldn’t be further from the intentions of Ren Zhengfei, founder of Huawei, the world’s second-largest network equipment vendor.

After hiding from the media for more than 25 years, Ren tested the waters with a media appearance that would not have an immediate global impact. He therefore chose to meet with four local reporters in Wellington, New Zealand, on Thursday. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , Posted in Asia, China |

HTC puts all its eggs in One basket

May 2, 2013 12:39pm by Sarah Mishkin
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HTC, the bealguered Taiwanese phonemaker, expects sales to jump over 60 per cent between the first and second quarters. That’s quite an uplift, and certainly better than last quarter, when sales significantly missed expectations, driving down its first quarter profits to record lows.

What’s behind the change? Well, it helps to have a flagship phone to sell. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , , Posted in Asia, Taiwan |

Bharti Airtel ups presence in Uganda with Warid acquisition

Apr 24, 2013 11:26am by Avantika Chilkoti
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Bharti Airtel, the world’s fourth largest mobile services provider by subscribers, announced on Tuesday that it is set to buy Warid Telecom Uganda, the Ugandan business of Abu Dhabi-based Warid Telecom.

The Indian service provider is already Uganda’s second largest mobile phone operator with 4.6m customers. And by adding Warid’s 2.8m customers, it will be raise its market share to over 39 per cent. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , , Posted in Africa, Asia, India, Uganda |

China Mobile: Taiwan hangs up

Apr 18, 2013 2:12pm by Sarah Mishkin
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Since 2009, state-owned telecom China Mobile had been trying to get regulatory approval to buy 12 per cent of Taiwan’s Far EasTone operator, in what was the first agreement by a Chinese group to invest in a Taiwanese one.

The problem: In 2009, Taiwan didn’t let Chinese groups invest in its core telcos. The two had hoped that might change, but it hasn’t. So, as of Thursday, the deal is officially dead – at least until Taiwan liberalises more, says China Mobile. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , , Posted in Asia, China, Taiwan |

ZTE: a fight to spin off the handsets

Apr 18, 2013 11:13am by Kathrin Hille
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ZTE marked its 15th anniversary in the handset market on Thursday, but the man heading up that section of the business was not in a celebratory mood.

China’s second-largest telecom equipment maker should consider spinning off its devices arm lest it become a casualty of the state-controlled group’s staid ways and financial struggles, according to He Shiyou, head of the company’s handset unit (pictured). Continue reading »

Tags: , , , Posted in Asia, China |

Africa’s digital divide: still gaping

Apr 15, 2013 1:44pm by Peter Vanham
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“Don’t let success stories like M-Pesa in Kenya fool you: the worldwide digital divide is still increasing and Africa remains the biggest victim.”

So says Soumitra Dutta, Dean of Cornells’ Johnson School of Management, talking to beyondbrics at the launch of the World Economic Forum’s Global Information Technology Report 2013. Continue reading »

Tags: , Posted in Africa, Global |

Carlos Slim takes the triple jump

Apr 5, 2013 9:31pm by John Paul Rathbone
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Lots of long faces among Colombian media executives – and doubtless other Latin American media executives too – about Carlos Slim’s latest move.

Late last month, the Mexican telecoms tycoon snapped up exclusive Latin American broadcast rights for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. In doing so, his telecoms company, América Movíl, has effectively cornered the market for sports content in a sports-crazy continent (bar Brazil, where media empire Globo bought the Olympic rights). Continue reading »

Tags: , , , Posted in LatAm, Mexico |

Piramal to sell out of Vodafone India

Apr 5, 2013 12:04pm by Avantika Chilkoti
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Vodafone India can’t seem to catch a break. Licence rows, tax arguments – and now Piramal Group, the Indian conglomerate, has announced it is planning to sell its 11 per cent stake in the telecoms company.

The deal may not be a surprise to the company, but it hardly helps confidence. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , Posted in Asia, India |

Virgin looks to take on America Movil in Colombia

Apr 3, 2013 7:32pm by Andres Schipani
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Ding, ding, ding. Get ready to rumble.

Sir Richard Branson, the airline to mobile phone billionaire, has landed in Colombia with the launch on Wednesday of his Virgin Mobile services in the country.

The move will pit Sir Richard against Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man and who through his flagship company, América Móvil, dominates the telecoms sector in Latin America. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , , Posted in Colombia, LatAm |

America Movil: time to buy?

Mar 16, 2013 12:23am by Adam Thomson
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At what point do América Móvil shares start to look cheap? Investors have several ways of deciding the true value of the company controlled by Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man. But more than a few are doubtless mulling the question this week after shares in the pan-American telecoms company plunged 9.3 per cent since Monday morning. Continue reading »
Tags: , , , Posted in LatAm, Mexico |

RCom / Batelco: deal or no deal?

Mar 15, 2013 7:51am by Avantika Chilkoti
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Shares in Reliance Communications are swinging around a fair bit at the moment. The stock dropped 2.5 per cent on Friday to reach Rs66.50 by 12.30pm, partially correcting a 5.6 per cent gain in the previous session.

One big reason: reports that Batelco, the Bahrain telecoms group, is planning to buy a stake in Reliance Globalcom. The deal makes sense – but investors can’t seem to work out if it will happen or not. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , Posted in Asia, India |

Bangladesh: government mulls Grameenphone options

Mar 6, 2013 11:54am by Amy Kazmin
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Subscribers to Bangladeshi mobile operator, Grameenphone, can breathe easy: Dhaka has no plans to suspend the company’s license – or its services. But Grameenphone’s owner, Telenor, still has cause for concern: Bangladesh’s government has not ruled out trying to force the Norwegian company to cede control of the lucrative venture. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , Posted in Asia, Bangladesh |

América Móvil teams up with China-US security software maker

Mar 4, 2013 11:28pm by Pan Kwan Yuk
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Source: NQ Mobile

A US Congressional committee might have branded Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation, the Chinese telecom equipment makers, as a threat to US national security.

But such fears do not appear to be shared by Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man. On Monday, Slim’s América Móvil, which dominates the mobile phone business in Latin America, announced plans to team up with security software maker NQ Mobile, a Cayman Islands-registered company with Chinese roots. Continue reading »

Tags: , , , , Posted in Asia, China, LatAm, Mexico |
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