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.