HOT TOPICS 02/12/2013

Free adds 4G to mobile plan without raising price

Regulamento da Anatel atende 80% das small cells

Telefonica shuts down Jajah services

France adds a million broadband subs in a year

Telecom Italia not selling Brazil unit Brazilian consumers’ frustration costing operators Free adds 4G to mobile plan without raising price Tuesday 03 Dec 2013 | 13:00 CET | News French broadband and mobile operator Free has added 4G service to its no handset, no commitment plan costing EUR 15.99 a month for Freebox subscribers and 19.99 a month for others. Free, which claims theoretical a peak download speed of 150 Mbps, is one of two operators with 20 MHz dedicated for 4G services in the 2.6 GHz band. It now provides subscribers with 20 GB of fair-use LTE data allowance ...

Regulamento da Anatel atende 80% das small cells

Convergência Digital - Carreira
:: Ana Paula Lobo - 02/12/2013

Para o diretor de Relações Governamentais da Qualcomm Brasil, Francisco Giacomini, ao definir a potência de 1 Watts para o uso das pequenas antenas sem a cobrança do Fistel,  a Anatel 'contemplou' a maior parte do mercado. "Nós mesmos queríamos 2 Watts, mas com 1 Watts, não há restrição do uso apenas em Femtocells. Há small cells com essa capacidade. Lembro que as femtocells já viraram small cells. Hoje há um único forum para tratar da evolução da tecnologia", disse.

Giacomini, que nesta segunda-feira, 02/12, participou de entrevista com a imprensa na capital paulista, sustentou que os projetos das operadoras não devem ser alterados pelo regulamento recém-aprovado. "Os fornecedores de small cells estão se movimentando e vão se adequar à legislação brasileira, que atende a maior parte deles", frisou.

Para o executivo da Qualcomm Brasil, o regulamento define que a limitação de 1 Watts é para a saída do equipamento, mas que ela pode ser ampliada na saída da antena. "Isso é o que queríamos porque ela pode ser usada como cobertura externa ou interna", complementa. As small cells também podem ser usadas por provedores Internet e por provedores SCM, de acordo com a regra aprovada pela Anatel. A agência também decidiu que as small cells não poderão ser cobradas dos usuários.

Em julho, a Qualcomm e a Alcatel-Lucent anunciaram um plano para colaborar no desenvolvimento de estações-base de small cells que aumentem a capacidade das redes 3G, 4G e Wi-Fi, melhorando a conectividade sem fio em ambientes residenciais e corporativos. O presidente da Qualcomm para a América Latina, Rafael Steinhauser, deixou claro que a empresa não vai produzir ou investir na manufatura das pequenas antenas, mesmo entendendo que elas são cruciais para melhorar a cobertura dos serviços.  "Não vamos entrar nesse mercado. Nossa ideia é fomentar o ecossistema", frisou o executivo.

Telefonica shuts down Jajah services

December 3, 2013 Written by Dawinderpal Sahota

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Telefonica has announced it will be retiring VoIP service Jajah in January

European operator Telefonica will retire VoIP service Jajah in January next year. Users will no longer be able to make calls using either the Jajah.com website or the Jajah Direct service as of January 31, 2014.

Telefonica acquired Jajah for €145m in late 2009 but question marks were already being raised over the future of the service by March 2011, when the operator launched another cloud based telephony service called Second Line. The service gave users access to a second number, visual voicemail, call registers and advanced call screening.

Then, in August this year, Telefonica Digital, the innovation arm of the operator, announced it would be retiring its rich communication prototype Tu Me, which was developed as a result of the acquisition of Jajah. It was rolled out on O2, Movistar and Vivo branded networks in a bid to curb the popularity of third party messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber that had contributed to the erosion of operators’ voice and messaging revenues.

Tu Me was officially retired in September and users were instead being pushed onto Tu Go, which extends the same functionality to non-smartphone devices including iOS and Android tablets and Windows-based PCs.

Telefonica said in a statement to telecoms.com that despite retiring the services, Jajah’s technology and expertise “continues to represent the core of Telefonica’s communications capabilities”.

“Fully integrated into Telefonica Digital, Jajah is the key VoIP network platform for the group and its engineering teams are behind innovative products such as Tu Go, International Favourites, International Extras and Global Friends,” the statement read.

It added that since the acquisition of VoIP provider, Telefonica has invested to grow and reinforce the Jajah team in Israel by over 70 per cent and earlier this year it was re-named Telefonica Digital Israel.

At the time of the acquisition, Matthew Key, who was then chairman and CEO of Telefónica Europe, said: “The acquisition of Jajah broadens the scope of our communications offering and opens up new capabilities in the voice communication space.  People using social networking sites such as Twitter now have an even wider range of communications channels available – and have the option of speaking directly to each other as well as communicating by text or keyboard.”

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France adds a million broadband subs in a year

By Mary Lennighan, By Mary Lennighan, Total Telecom Monday 02 December 2013

Superfast broadband connections up by 24%; 2.74 million homes covered by FTTH networks.

The number of fixed broadband connections in France increased by 1 million in the year to the end of September, with superfast services growing in popularity, according to new statistics published by Arcep. France was home to 24.6 million broadband subscriptions on 30 September, of which 1.8 million were superfast connections - that is, offering download speeds of 30 Mbps or higher – the regulator announced. Superfast connections increased by 355,000 or 24% compared with the same date a year earlier. Standard broadband connections, 98% of which are xDSL, grew by 2.9% to 22.8 million over the same period. On the wholesale side, Arcep was keen to point out that fibre-to-the-home coverage is growing steadily in France. "Operators have stepped up the pace of their FTTH rollouts," the regulator said. "As of 30 September 2013, 2.74 million homes were eligible to subscribe to an FTTH service, which marks a 40% increase on the year before." 1.4 million of the homes covered are able to choose between at least two providers, Arcep added, as a result of network-sharing schemes, while 455,000 are being served by public initiative networks. In total 9.1 million homes are covered by superfast broadband services, including FTTH and high-speed cable options. By way of comparison, copper accounts for 30.9 million lines.

Telecom Italia not selling Brazil unit

By Mary Lennighan, Total Telecom Monday 02 December 2013

Italian telco insists it is not in talks on disposal of TIM Brasil, neither has it received offers for the business.

Telecom Italia on Monday issued a formal statement dismissing speculation that it is working on the sale of its operations in Brazil. The Italian incumbent insisted that it continues to see strategic importance in its 67% stake in TIM Brasil and the Brazilian market in general and categorically denied that it is in talks with potential buyers or partners. It also confirmed that it has not received any solicited or unsolicited offers for the unit. "Telecom Italia wishes to make clear that the rumours of presumed plans for the deconsolidation and/or total or partial valuation of the Brazilian asset, described and repeated by journalists, pundits and analysts are inferences wholly without foundation," the telco said. It also highlighted the fact that it remains a competitor to indirect shareholder Telefonica in Brazil, in compliance with local regulations. Speculation has been rife recently that Telecom Italia will look to sell off its Brazilian operations as part of a wider move to shore up its balance sheet. Various sources claim that Telefonica – which recently agreed to increase its stake in Telecom Italia's holding company Telco, hence the above comment regarding competition in Brazil – favours a break-up of TIM Brasil. Telefonica owns Brazilian mobile market leader Vivo, which served 28.67% of the country's 270 million subscribers at the end of October, according to the latest numbers from regulator Anatel. TIM runs a close second with 27.11% of the market, followed by Claro with 25.16% and Oi with 18.56%. Telecom Italia said it issued Monday's statement in response to a request from Italian securities market regulator Consob.

Brazilian consumers’ frustration costing operators

December 2, 2013 Written by Dawinderpal Sahota

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The majority of Brazilian consumers are willing to pay for better service from their mobile operator, according to research published today.

The majority of Brazilian consumers are willing to pay more for an improved mobile service and operators could be missing out on up to R$40bn (US$17.13bn) per year, according to research published today.

More than 56 per cent of Brazilian mobile users reported losing signal at least three times a month, according to the research which was published by Commprove. The news comes as Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel continues its clampdown on poor network performance which it began last year. It has warned operators that they risk having their spectrum licences revoked due to poor coverage levels.

The research revealed that 40 per cent of consumers said they would be willing to pay an additional R$5 per month for better coverage, ten per cent would pay R$10 and a further 10 per cent would pay R$15 per month. Surprisingly, 6.3 per cent said they would be willing to up to R$50 per month for better basic radio coverage.

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According to the research, Brazilian subscribers are less attracted to offerings that have proven popular in developed markets, such as text message bundles, and are instead more focused on receiving a high quality of service. While 46 per cent of respondents said that they would switch operator for better service reliability, and 33 per cent for a better phone, only nine per cent would move for a bigger text messaging package.

The 18-24 year old demographic placed the greatest value on their mobile access with 56 per cent claiming unreliable signal was the main reason for looking for new contracts. Overall, however, and despite complaints about the lack of coverage, more than half (53 per cent) of respondents said they would churn to save money.

“Brazil is a complex market with different demographics, it’s not a homogenous market,” Commprove CEO Dr Lars Pederson told telecoms.com. He added that the research proves the majority of the Brazilian subscribers clearly value service and are willing to pay a premium for it.

“With premium pricing models, Brazilian operators have an opportunity to both increase subscriber satisfaction and generate new, long-term revenue opportunities. They should seize that opportunity immediately.”

HOT TOPICS 26/11/2013

• Global LTE connections to hit 1bn in three years
• ·         Chunghwa to roll out small cells to support LTE coverage
• ·         Rádios comunitárias têm até este sábado (30) para regularizar outorgas vencidas
• ·        Intel wants $500 million for Internet TV service: Bloomberg
• ·         Indra signs US$3.5mn deal with Brazil's Anatel
• ·         Global triple-play revenues to hit $144bn by 2018
• ·         Claro extrapola meta de queixas da Anatel
• ·         China to probe monopolistic telco pricing
• ·         LTE to Cover Half the Globe by 2017 – GSMA

Intel wants $500 million for Internet TV service: Bloomberg

10 hrs ago | Posted by: roboblogger | Full story: Reuters

Intel Corp is trying to sell its yet-to-launch Internet television service for $500 million and wants to complete a deal by year-end, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

Rádios comunitárias têm até este sábado (30) para regularizar outorgas vencidas

 

 

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As emissoras que não cumprirem o prazo terão a autorização extinta pelo Ministério das Comunicações

Brasília, 26/11/2013 - As rádios comunitárias com outorgas vencidas têm até o dia 30 de novembro de 2013 para regularizar sua situação. A autorização para executar o serviço de radiodifusão comunitária tem validade de dez anos e pode ser renovada por igual período. As emissoras beneficiadas por essa medida são as que receberam as primeiras outorgas, entre 1999 e 2001. Essas autorizações venceram dez anos depois, quando ainda não havia uma norma regulamentando o processo de renovação. Assim, essas emissoras – cerca de 600, de acordo com estimativa do Ministério das Comunicações – puderam continuar funcionando de forma provisória.

(Foto: Herivelto Batista)

A data-limite para pedir a renovação das outorgas foi definida pela portaria nº 197, de 1º de julho de 2013. A portaria também traz alterações na Norma n° 01/2011, que trata do serviço de radiodifusão comunitária.

Segundo o coordenador-geral de radiodifusão comunitária do MiniCom, Samir Nobre, uma das mudanças dessa Norma simplifica o processo de renovação das outorgas de emissoras comunitárias, que fica compatível com o das emissoras comerciais. "O Ministério das Comunicações vai dispensar a apresentação do projeto técnico e exigir das rádios comunitárias apenas a análise documental", explica.

O diretor de Acompanhamento e Avaliação de Serviços de Comunicação Eletrônica do MiniCom, Octavio Pieranti, chama a atenção para os radiodifusores ficarem atentos ao prazo. "A emissora que estiver com a outorga vencida e deixar de pedir a renovação dentro da data-limite terá a autorização extinta", adverte.

Os pedidos de renovação de outorga de serviços de radcom podem ser apresentados por protocolo ou postados pelos Correios, para o endereço da Coordenação de Radiodifusão Comunitária ou do Departamento de Outorgas (Bloco R, Anexo B, Via N2 – Esplanada dos Ministérios, Brasília, DF. CEP: 70044-900)

Chunghwa to roll out small cells to support LTE coverage Tuesday 26 Nov 2013 | 22:03 CET | News Taiwanese telecommunications carrier Chunghwa Telecom will deploy more small-cell base stations to improve 4G coverage in the early roll out stages. The small cells will be installed in outdoor locations, such as on street lights, in the initial stage of the operator's LTE deployment, CNA writes. "Coverage is absolutely the most important thing at the beginning, and we have seen a trend of ...

Indra signs US$3.5mn deal with Brazil's Anatel

By Business News Americas staff reporter - Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Spanish technology firm Indra has won an 8.06mn-real (US$3.5mn) contract to expand IT services for Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel, according to local press reports.Under the five-year contract, Indra will be...

This news article is one of hundreds published daily by Business News Americas about the commodities, markets, movements, companies, projects, economics and politics integral to the development of Latin America. Including news and insight from South America, Central America and the Caribbean, BNamericas includes Info. Technologyinsight and forecasts for business opportunities in Brazil. The business development service focuses on major projects, active companies, such as Indra, Anatel (Brazil); and business and sales contacts, providing networking opportunities with leading executives throughout Latin America.

 

Tablets to account for half of 2014 PC shipments

By Nick Wood, Total Telecom Tuesday 26 November 2013

Canalys predicts 396 million tablets to ship in 2017.

Tablets will comprise around 50% of the overall PC market in 2014, driven by growth in low-cost Android devices, predicted Canalys on Tuesday. The research firm expects 285 million tablets will ship next year, compared to combined notebook and desktop PC shipments of around 290 million. Looking further ahead to 2017, Canalys sees global tablet shipments reaching 396 million units. Apple and Samsung will maintain their market-leading positions in the medium-term, but the company warned they face significant challenges from a raft of small-scale device makers churning out low-cost Android tablets for local markets. "Vendors such as Nextbook in the United States, and Onda and Teclast in the People's Republic of China ship more units than some of the major international top tier vendors in their home countries," noted Canalys analyst James Wang, in a research note. He highlighted that some big names like Acer, Asus, H-P and Lenovo are trying to compete by offering entry-level tablets in the sub-$150 price range. "With vastly different cost structures these vendors will continue to find it extremely challenging to keep pace with local competitors," Wang predicted. The rise of low-cost tablets will help to drive Android's share of the overall PC operating system (OS) market to 65% in next year. One vendor that staunchly refuses to engage in price wars, Apple, will see its tablet market share decline as a result. "However, Apple is one of the few companies making money from the tablet boom," said Tim Coulling, senior analyst at Canalys. "Premium products attract high value consumers; for Apple, remaining highly profitable and driving revenue from its entire ecosystem is of greater importance than market share statistics." Meanwhile, Canalys expects Microsoft's share of the tablet market to grow to 5% in 2014, up from 2% in 2012. Microsoft's recent Nokia acquisition is expected to improve its prospects as a vertically-integrated smart device vendor, the research firm said, but it will have to tread a fine line between competing with and supporting its OS channel partners. "Balancing the co-opetition with its vendor partners and embracing a 'challenger' rather than an 'incumbent' mentality is essential," said Pin Chen Tang, a research analyst at Canalys. It also faces a problem by having three operating systems: Windows 8, Windows Phone, and Windows RT. "Having three different operating systems to address the smart device landscape is confusing to both developers and consumers alike," he said.

Smartphone prices to drop 13% in 2013 - IDC

By Everdeen Mason, Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday 26 November 2013

Analyst firm puts average smartphone selling price at $337 this year, down by $50 on 2012.

International Data Corp. said it expects average smartphone costs to decline nearly 13% this year, driving market growth. IDC affirmed that smartphone shipments are on track to grow 40% to more than one billion amid growing demand in emerging markets as lower-priced phones expand the market. IDC expects average smartphone selling prices ...<continues, see below>

Global triple-play revenues to hit $144bn by 2018

By Nick Wood, Total Telecom Tuesday 26 November 2013

Research firm predicts number of subscribers to more than double over next five years.

Global triple-play subscription revenues will grow to $144 billion by 2018, up from $64 billion in 2012, predicted Digital TV Research on Tuesday. That total will represent 70% of overall pay-TV subscription revenues, which will grow to $205 billion by 2018, the research firm said. "Triple-play revenues overtook standalone TV revenues in 2009," said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, in a statement. "Standalone TV revenues will start falling from 2013 as subscribers defect to bundles." The number of triple-play subscribers is also set to grow significantly over the coming years. By 2018, Digital TV Research expects subscriptions to reach 333 million worldwide, up from 123 million in 2013 (see chart). China alone will account for more than a third of triple-play subscriptions, with 115 million, up from 9 million at end-2012. "About 21% of the world's TV households will subscribe to triple-play services by 2018. This is up from just 7% penetration at end-2012 and only 2% at end-2008," said Digital TV Research.

 

Global LTE connections to hit 1bn in three years

By Mary Lennighan, Total Telecom Tuesday 26 November 2013

Developed market operators could see ARPU rise by as much as 40% thanks to LTE, while in developing markets average revenues could be 20 times higher, GSMA claims.

The number of LTE connections in the world will pass the 1 billion mark by 2017, by which date there will be 465 commercial LTE networks in service, according to new research published on Tuesday. At the end of this year there will be 176 million LTE connections, GSMA Intelligence predicts, noting that at present around 20% of the world's population is covered by an LTE network. As operators build out their networks, coverage will grow to 50% of people by 2017, the GSMA's research arm claims. Various factors are driving LTE growth, including spectrum allocations, availability of affordable devices and innovative tariff plans designed to encourage adoption, said GSMA chief strategy officer Hyunmi Yang. "Mobile operators in both developed and developing markets are seeing LTE services contributing to a significant increase in ARPU," Yang added. Indeed, according to the GSMA's calculations, in developed markets LTE can generate a 10%-40% increase in average revenues per user, while developing market operators can expect to see LTE ARPUs seven to 20 times greater than those generated by non-LTE users. The U.S. is home to 46% of global LTE connections today, with more than 90% of its population already having LTE network coverage. However, the balance of power is shifting. At present just 10% of people in Asia have LTE network coverage, but by 2017 the continent will claim 47% of global LTE connections, driven by rollouts in large markets like China and India. Today, South Korea is the world's most advanced LTE market, with half of all mobile connections already on LTE, compared with 20% in Japan and the U.S., for example. In Europe, meanwhile, 47% of the population has LTE coverage. "In 'digital pioneer' markets such as the United States, South Korea and Japan, the migration to LTE networks is well advanced and operators are seeing increases in subscriber engagement and ARPU as a result," said Yang. "We are now seeing other markets make the move to LTE in greater numbers and the double-digit annual growth in global LTE connections forecast between 2013 [and] 2017 will see many more consumers around the world engage with high-speed mobile networks."

Claro extrapola meta de queixas da Anatel

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A empresa de telefonia Claro, ajuizada pela América Móvil, foi a única a exceder o limite de reivindicações de consumidores instituído pela Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) no período compreendido entre os meses de maio a julho, conforme a derradeira pesquisa da agência anunciada na última semana.

A Claro apresentou 31 queixas a cada 1.000 clientes em seu núcleo de atendimento em julho, último mês avaliado, superando o alcance constituído de 10 exigências a cada mil clientes, avisou o superintendente de Controle de Operações da Anatel, Roberto Pinto Martins.

A companhia ainda foi a única a ficar adiante da estimativa da Anatel em maio e junho, com 28 queixas escritas em cada um deste período.
De acordo com Martins, a empresa vem superando as metas desde o ano passado, mais especificamente, a partir de agosto. O superintendente ressaltou que a Claro certamente sofrerá sanções pela reincidência.

Na idêntica base de checagem, a Vivo esteve no limiar permitido com 10 protestos por mil usuários em julho. A Oi anotou nove reivindicações por mil clientes e a TIM apresentou seis com mesmo discernimento.

Avaliando as queixas que chegam à central de atendimento da Anatel, a companhia mais criticada foi a Oi, com 0,83 lamentações cada mil usuários em julho, 0,67 em junho e 0,68 em maio.

As corporações que extrapolam estimativas de protestos dos consumidores podem ser penalizadas em até 50 milhões de reais, conforme princípio da Anatel, avisou Martins. Ele sobrepôs que a Anatel habitua esperar até o final do ano, assim como cria um mapeamento da execução dos apontadores, para apenas posteriormente justapor as penalizações.

A pesquisa da agência fiscalizadora agrega o plano de progressos da telefonia móvel efetivadoem 2012

LTE to Cover Half the Globe by 2017 – GSMA

NEWS ANALYSIS
SARAH REEDY, Senior Editor

11/26/2013

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LTE will cover half of the world, reaching one billion connections, by 2017, according to new research from the GSMA, but the balance of 4G power is shifting.

The GSM Association (GSMA) 's research arm, GSMA Intelligence, put out its latest 4G projections Tuesday, predicting that LTE will account for one in eight, or 1 billion out of 8 billion, global mobile connections in the next three years. That's up from the 176 million LTE connections reached to date.

The GSMA says nearly 500 LTE networks will be in service across 128 countries in 2017, roughly doubling the number that are live today. The biggest difference will be where the networks are. Today, about 20% of the global population is within an LTE network coverage range, but that number climbs to 90% in the US alone compared to 47% in Europe and 10% in Asia.

The US currently makes up 46% of global LTE connections, but by 2017, the GSMA expects Asia to account for 47% of the global connections as more networks are rolled out in markets such as China and India. Right now, South Korea is the world leader with half of its connections on LTE, compared to 20% in Japan and the US.

In other 4G tidbits, the GSMA also found that LTE users consume an average of 1.5GB of data per month, almost twice the amount consumed by non-LTE users. And, in developing countries, LTE users can generate ARPU that's seven to 20 times greater than non-LTE users. In developed markets, ARPU is around 10% to 40% higher.

LTE networks have been deployed in 12 different frequency bands to date, but four out of five live LTE networks are in one of four bands: 700MHz, 800MHz, 1800MHz, or 2600MHz. (See LTE Inches Closer to Roaming the Globe and LTE RF: Complicated by Design.)

China to probe monopolistic telco pricing

From Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday 26 November 2013

Telecoms one of six industries under investigation.

China's National Development and Reform Commission will investigate monopolistic pricing practices in six industries, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing an inspector from the commission. The six industries are aviation, consumer chemical products, vehicles, telecom, pharmaceuticals and home electric appliances, said Lu Yanchun, a deputy inspector at the NDRC's Price