Fear of Huawei

For the past few years, Cisco Systems and other telecom hardware manufacturers have been successful at convincing American businesses, telecoms, and government agencies to stay away from Huawei and ZTE products for fear of industrial and communications espionage by Chinese organizations and authorities. So far the market share of Huawei products in the United States has dropped to a record low of 5%.

Huawei has been workin hard to fight the allegations, claiming that security concerns are unfounded and that the company has been caught in a "trade conflict" between the US and China. Earlier this month, during UBM’s Interop conference in Las Vegas, Patrick Zhang, president of the marketing and solutions department at Huawei, claimed that the company is now trying to regain its rightful place in the US market, fighting the "fear of Huawei." Zhang said, "It's a challenge, but we will prove ourselves with our good solutions. We will bring our differentiated technology and solutions and prove ourselves with some good references."

In addition, Huawei has offered the US, Australian, and several European governments complete and unrestricted access to its software source code and equipment. But there is still long-term damage to the relationship to overcome.

The irony, however, is that documents leaked by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden and published last month suggest that the US government was actually involved in hacking Huawei network equipment in order to spy on China and other countries, including US allies, using Huawei hardware. While it is widely believed that US intelligence agencies have for years been seeking the collaboration of technology companies, including Cisco, to spy on foreign targets, this is the first time that the hacking activities of the NSA involving a foreign manufacturer have been exposed.

Huawei has extensive experience managing wireless networks, and many US telecoms executives are privately concerned that not being able to use Huawei equipment and software will be extremely costly, because they need to upgrade their networks for the increased demand in data traffic.

What the US is losing in competitiveness, Europe is gaining.

"Our core business principle in Europe is to achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes," said Ken Hu, Huawei's deputy chairman and rotating CEO, at World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2014 in Davos. There is no doubt within the intelligence community that the Chinese government is involved in extensive cyber-espionage operations, and China does more of it than all the other countries combined. But Huawei cannot be held responsible for the hacking activities of the Chinese and US government on Huawei products. The company is the second largest manufacturer of telecom equipment and the fifth most innovative company in the world, and they can’t afford to lose more business because of security allegations.

© http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1321871

Saudi telco regulator, CITC, to re-tender piggyback mobile licence

Saudi Arabia's telecom regulator will re-tender a licence for piggyback services on mobile operator Zain Saudi's network, nearly a year after naming Dubai-based retailer Axiom Telecom as the provisional winner. The regulator announced the new tender on its website on Tuesday, 8th April 2014.

The regulator had ordered the kingdom's three mobile operators - Zain Saudi, Saudi Telecom Co (STC) and Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) - to each host an MVNO, announcing the preliminary winners last June. The bid deadline for Zain Saudi's MVNO is June 2, with the regulator due to announce a winner within 12 weeks of that date.

MVNOs lease capacity from their host operator, usually paying them a percentage of revenues as well as fees.

In March, the regulator confirmed the award of MVNO licences to Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa (VMMEA), which has teamed up with STC, and London's Lebara Group, which Mobily will host.

Virgin and Lebara expect to launch services by the end of June.

The regulator didn't say why it was re-tendering the licence, but Axiom chief executive Faisal al-Bannai told Reuters his firm had been unable to submit a document the regulator required.

"We have resolved that issue and will be submitting our tender in the next 48 hours," Bannai said.

"All three MVNOs should start at the same time when all will be ready," Hassan Kabbani, chief executive of Zain Saudi said. However the regulator told Reuters that the launch of Virgin and Lebara's services was independent of whatever happened with Zain Saudi's MVNO.

© http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/04/09/saudi-telecomunications-tender-idINL6N0N12X620140409

Interest of Saudi Telecom and Turk Cell in the auction of 3G and LTE licence in Pakistan

The chances of new international telecom operators in the auction for 3G/4G spectrum are going high after Turk Cell, Saudi Telecom Company (STC) have also arrived to study its business case and to assess market condition, it is learnt. Well-placed sources told Business Recorder that a two-member delegation of STC has reached the country and met Chairman Pakistan Telecomm-unication Authority (PTA) Syed Ismail Shah where queries about market, broadband services and opportunities for new entrants were made.

Chairman PTA briefed the delegation about the revised Information Memorandum (IM) for 3G/4G auction. Sources said the delegation is currently in the country and would meet State Minister for Information Technology (IT) Anusha Rehman and other high-ups next week and would file a report to their Board of Directors. A delegation of Turkish mobile phone operator Turk Cell also visited the country last week to study its business case regarding the spectrum auction.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has approved the final policy directive on Monday last and the PTA has published revised IM according to which interested operators can submit their application and sealed bid for participation along with pre-bid deposits by April 14, 2014. The auction would be held on April 23, 2014 to mobilise over $1.5 billion non-tax revenue. There are three 3G (in 2100 MHz) and two 4G (in 1800 MHz) licenses to be auctioned through two-stage bidding. One 15 MHz spectrum from 850 MHz band will be allotted if any new operator gets the license.

According to the policy directives, the base prices are set as (i) $295 million for 10MHz paired spectrum in 1.9/2.1GHz frequency band (ii) $210 million for 10MHz paired spectrum in 1800 MHz frequency band (iii) $291 million for 7.38MHz paired spectrum in 850MHz frequency band. The inclusion of 1800MHz band was exclusively done to catalyse the deployment of 4G in Pakistan. Spectrum in 850MHz will give incentive for new entrants in Pakistan and will certainly foster competition.

Nokia may give charge to Indian-origin Rajeev Suri as CEO

Finnish telecom equipment maker Nokia Corp. is planning to appoint Rajeev Suri as its next chief executive, Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported on its website citing unnamed Finnish and foreign sources.

Nokia's board will announce Mr. Suri's appointment in the coming weeks after it has closed the sale of its mobile device business to Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Helsingin Sanomat reported.

Suri was the strongest candidate to succeed Stephen Elop who is due to move to Microsoft once the 5.4 billion euro ($7.5 billion) handset deal is closed.

Mr. Suri, who joined Nokia in 1995, currently heads the firm's network arm Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN). He is credited for playing a pivotal role in the successful restructuring of NSN, which was mired in losses for several years.

Nokia declined to comment on the matter to the newspaper.

Huawei is targeting USD 2 billion revenues from India operations by 2017

Chinese equipment maker Huawei is targeting USD 2 billion revenues from India operations by 2017-end saying that the sentiment is improving for the telecom sector and the coming years will be good for business.

"The sentiment is improving. We have confidence that following years will be better. Our business plan for three to five years is that we must reach up to USD 2 billion in India," Huawei Telecommunications (India) CEO Cai Liqun told PTI during the Mobile World Congress here.

The company had revenue of around USD 800 million from India last year. Globally, its revenues were USD 39 billion.

He added however that the target will be achieved if everything goes well on the policy front.

Asked about the 4G ecosystem, Liqun said it will improve this year as there will be availability of more LTE handsets as all the three operators in China have got a TDD-LTE licence.

Moreover, there will be around 900 million 4G users in China by the end of this year, which will in turn improve the 4G ecosystem in India as well, he said.

"This activity will help the industry and the ecosystem of 4G will grow very fast, and by the end of this year, there will be a USD 100 LTE smartphone available in the market," he added.

Huawei has provided 4G equipment to Bharti Airtel for Bangalore and Delhi circles.

Globally, the company has also started work on developing 5G technology, which is likely to be available for use by 2020 and it will be spending USD 600 million on research and development of 5G.

A 5G network can provide speed of 10 Gbps, which is 100 times faster than the mobile technology used currently.

© http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/huawei-looking-at-2-bn-revenue-from-india-by-2017-114030200418_1.html

Vacancies for Business Consultants & Technical Manager || Egypt

Searching for a number of experienced Business Consultants as well as a Technical Manager to work on a high level Telco project in Cairo.

Working onsite at the customer you will be responsible for leading the project workstreams, framework development, developing business plans and goto market strategies whilst always maintaining close client contact to deliver high quality advice.

Monthly rates are flexible dependant on experience so if interested send me a resume for an immediate interview.

Start Date ASAP.

Please send your CVs to Kristian P Martin @ kristian.martin@tanint.com

Job Vacancy for Packet Core Optimisation Engineer || Ericsson || Bahrain

Tangent are urgently searching for a Packet Core Optimisation Engineer for a position based in Bahrain for a global managed service provider, 
The role is for a 12 month rolling contract and is paying very good monthly rates in USD, 

Please see the below information, 
1. Ericsson Expierence 2. Ericsson Packet Core3. GGSN/SGSN4. Optimisation background 

Please send your CV to Will Pike @ will.pike@tanint.com

ZTE taken over the responsibility for the roll-out and the network operation of Germany's E-Plus

ZTE Services Deutschland GmbH, a ZTE Group company, has taken over the responsibility for the roll-out and the network operation of the E-Plus mobile communications network as part of a comprehensive managed services contract signed last year. 

ZTE signed a five-year managed services contract with E-Plus a year ago and on Wednesday announced that it has taken control of the German mobile operator's network.

The Chinese equipment maker took over E-Plus's network operations last month, replacing the previous provider, Alcatel-Lucent. It has also acquired 750 employees from Alcatel-Lucent, taking its German workforce to more than 900 and making its operations there its largest in Europe, ZTE EVP Zhao Xianming revealed at a press conference at Mobile World Congress.

Meanwhile, Andreas Pfisterer, chief technology officer at E-Plus, naturally faced questions about the impact its potential change of ownership will have on the ZTE deal. Telefonica in July last year agreed to buy E-Plus from its current parent KPN for €5 billion plus a 20.5% stake in the combined company. The European Commission is currently examining the deal due to concerns about its impact on competition in the German mobile market.

WhatsApp: a threat for telecom operators

WhatsApp services in voice could be a major threat to mobile phone operators, but it is too early to come to any conclusion on the impact of such services of messaging service providers, said Jon Fredrik Baksaas, CEO at Norwegian telecom firm Telenor.

"This is an enormous threat, and an enormous possibility," he told reporters at a news conference on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress event. "Voice over IP in the mobile space is a more complex online service that needs to be online. I wish them good luck in that," added Baksaas, who is also the chairman of GSMA, the global industry body for GSM mobile operators.

His comments come a day after popular instant messaging app, WhatsApp, was acquired by Facebook for about $19 billion. He said it will add voice services to its messaging platform in the second quarter of 2014.

Mobile operators fear that the success of any such voice services over the internet can severely dent voice revenue, which still account for majority of the overall revenue pie for a telecom service provider.

But Baksaas pointed out that voice-over-internet services will face enormous challenges in connectivity. "If their (WhatsApp's) overall revenue stream shifts to that layer (internet), the connectivity part of that equation is at risk, and without connectivity, you can just forget realising everything on the IP (internet protocol) space," Baksaas said. "This arena is only just started to be debated. So, how it will play out remains to be seen," he said.

Huawei launches smartwatch to rival Galaxy Gear 2

Rising Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has launched a smartwatch to rival Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, both unveiled on the eve of the world's biggest mobile fair Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Dubbed TalkBand B1, the device is a smart band that features a 1.4-inch flexible OLED panel fitted in a plastic case. It pairs with your smartphone through NFC and Bluetooth 4.1, and supports wireless calling through a removable Bluetooth earpiece.

The device doubles as a fitness tracker that records things like steps taken, distance, and calories burned during the day. The water resistant smart band is also capable of monitoring the quality and duration of your sleep, while a smart alarm function can figure out the optimal time to go off during a period of light sleep.

The TalkBand B1 is fitted with a rechargeable 90mAh battery and boasts a 6 day battery life, according to the company. You can charge the device through a USB connection. However, it'll take 2 hours to get fully charged.

The new device will be available in China by March, whereas it will launch in Japan, the Middle East, Russia, and Western Europe in Q2. It weighs only 26g and is compatible with devices running Android 2.3+ and iOS 5.0+. As for the price, Huawei's Richard Yu announced that the TalkBand will be available for €99, or about $136.

ZTE launches touchscreen phone so sensitive it can be used wearing GLOVES

Chinese firm ZTE has unveiled its latest range of devices in Barcelona.

The first phone, named the Grand Memo II LTE, has a 6-inch display with split-screen functions, meaning people can watch films and tweet, or look at emails while reading news on a browser at the same time.

The Grand Memo II LTE has a 6-inch display with spilt-screen functions

The higher-spec Grand Memo II LTE has a 3200mAh battery which ZTE claims can last 16 hours on standby, combined with software designed to save and extend this battery life.

It also has a 13MP rear-facing camera and a 5MP lens on the front.

ZTE has added Smile Recognition as well as many of the advanced features, including ISO and White Balance, seen on Nokia's Lumia 1020 device.

The phone also doubles up as a remote control for all smart devices in a home, including TVs and radios.

Additionally, the screen of the Grand Memo II LTE also beams content to smart TVs so people can watch on a big screen what is being played on the phone's smaller screen.

Elsewhere it has smart finger gestures that take screenshots, and a highly-sensitive screen that can be used while wearing gloves.

The second announcement was the lower-budget ZTE Open C, the first phone in its range to run the Firefox operating system – developed by the same company that makes the Firefox web browser.

The Open C is a low-entry device with a 4-inch screen with a 3MP front-facing camera.

Prices have not been officially announced for either device but they are due to go on sale in China from April, followed by North America and Europe.

ZTE Wins Two Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI) Awards

ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) has won the Innovative Solution and the Fastest Market Development awards from the Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI) in Barcelona, Spain.

The GTI awards recognise the successful deployment of ZTE’s Cloud Radio Solution in Chinese TD-LTE commercial networks and ZTE’s leading position in the global TD-LTE market. The two awards highlight ZTE's capabilities in sustainable innovation and its contributions to the booming global TD-LTE market.

Commercial 4G networks are being formally launched in China, and ZTE has successfully deployed its Cloud Radio Solution in China Mobile’s existing 4G networks. Cloud Radio is a generic term for IP-based cross-station collaboration solutions, which effectively improve the average capacity of existing 4G networks and offer the best user experience.

The results show that the ZTE Cloud Radio Solution not only offers a higher transmission rate in edge areas but also greatly improves the transmission rate in central areas. This thoroughly eliminates the industry's concern on the Coordination of Multi Point (CoMP) aspect of Cloud Radio.

ZTE has already deployed its Cloud Radio Solution over existing 4G networks in cities including Guangzhou, Tianjin, Quanzhou, Dalian and Hong Kong. The solution will help operators effectively improve their network capacity and user experience without making any additional hardware investments.

ZTE has constructed TD-LTE pilot and commercial networks for 66 operators in 44 countries across Europe, CIS, Asia-Pacific and America, including 35 TD-LTE commercial contracts. ZTE has become the fastest growing provider of 4G networks, with contracts in 70 percent of the countries that have launched TD-LTE networks, with operators including Bharti, China Mobile, China Telecom, Hutchison, Telenor, TeliaSonera and VimpelCom.

NSN's plan to buy U.S.-based network gear maker Juniper Networks

Finland's Nokia is considering buying U.S.-based network gear maker Juniper Networks to merge it with its unit Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN), German online publication Manager Magazin Online reported, citing unnamed sources.

NSN Chief Executive Rajeev Suri travelled to the United States late last year to discuss with Juniper's management closer cooperation and a possible merger that would strengthen NSN's weak U.S. business, the online magazine said on Thursday.

http://www.thedailystar.net/business/nokia-mulls-buying-juniper-12286

China Telecom ready to take on the world in integrated information services by 2016

China Telecom Corp Ltd, the largest fixed-line service and the third-biggest mobile network operator in China, aims to become a world leader in integrated information services by 2016.

As an increasing number of Chinese enterprises expand overseas, China Telecom hopes to play an active role in supporting them with seamless global information services, Deng Xiaofeng, chief executive officer of China Telecom Global Ltd, told a news conference in Beijing on Thursday.

Hong Kong-based China Telecom Global Ltd was established in 2012 and is solely responsible for China Telecom's global business operations. It has about 700 staff around the world,

Deng said his company's sales have grown 20 percent annually in recent years, about double the industry average.

"We will launch cloud-based services across the globe, covering major world cities, including London, Frankfurt and Sydney, this year," Deng said.

The cloud service will mainly focus on Chinese companies that plan to go global. For example, when Chinese Internet companies such as Tencent Holdings Ltd and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd expand overseas, they will require robust IT and telecom support, he pointed out.

China Telecom will provide Chinese enterprises with comprehensive communications information solution packages, including international voice services, local Internet access and long-distance, high-quality videoconferences.

To provide those services, China Telecom will cooperate with global telecom operators. The company has formed alliances with more than 200 major telecom carriers in different countries, including AT&T Inc in the United States and Orange SA in France.

"Only if we keep stretching our capabilities and accumulating resources can we truly cooperate and compete with world-class telecom carriers on a level playing field," said Deng.

China Telecom first tested the waters of the global market in 2002, when it set up a subsidiary in the US.

The company integrated its businesses in the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas and Europe by forming China Telecom Global Ltd two years ago.

China Telecom has seen its overseas business develop rapidly. The company now owns the world's largest optical fiber network consisting of more than 30 underwater and land-based cables.

It has established more than 40 network points of presence in 28 countries to achieve a seamless global connection.

Compared with some leading global telecom carriers, such as BT Group Plc and Orange, Deng admitted that China Telecom still lags in terms of resources, global operating experience and service quality.

"But we are catching up", he said.

Wang Xiaochu, China Telecom's chairman, said in an earlier interview with China Daily that China Telecom will also aggressively pursue overseas mergers and acquisitions.

"It's definite that China Telecom will conduct M&As globally, and we're grooming our talent to be better-prepared," Wang said.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2014/02-21/101829.shtml

Pakistan gears up for 3G, 4G auctions in April 2014

Pakistan will hold long-awaited auctions for 3G and 4G telecoms licences this April, the finance minister said on Friday, a step that could help boost the cash-strapped country’s foreign reserves.

A 3G licence will cost $295 million and a 4G licence will cost $210 million, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will auction 50 MHz of spectrum (30 MHz in 3G band and 20 MHz in 4G band). The base price will be $295 million per 10 MHz for 3G and $210 million per 10 MHz for 4G.

Dar confirmed the figures and added that the reserved price for new entrants would be $291 million with three licences for 3G spectrum and two licenses for 4G spectrum will be auctioned.

The government has approved the draft information memorandum prepared by the consultants, and that the license will be offered for 15 years.

As per policy‚ the successful bidder will have to pay 50 per cent price forthwith while the rest would be payable in five years with interest rate three per cent above LIBOR.

He said the government would be looking for full payment, or a 50 per cent payment with the rest to be paid in five equal installments over five years, with an interest rate of three per cent.

There are about 132 million mobile phones in use in Pakistan, a country of 180 million people, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

The telecommunications market was deregulated in 2004 and foreign firms such as Etisalat have invested heavily in recent years.