Vol. 10 No.

12 December 2006

In This Issue...
Asia-Pacific VoIP service revenue PowerTel launches
($ billions) wholesale ASDL2+ services
in Australia..................... 2

14 ShinSat to bid to acquire

license for mobile-phone
12 service in Bhutan ........... 3

10 China Netcom to switch

from H.264 to AVS for
8 IPTV .............................. 4

6 Huawei unveils commercial

IMS VCC solution .......... 5
4
Indonesia’s Telkom to take
2 part in fiber-optic tender
valued at $1.5 billion ..... 6
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Five years after its launch,
W-CDMA becomes leading
Source: Infonetics Research
technology in Japan ...... 7
ACROSS THE REGION NEC, Juniper to extend their
NGN partnership ........... 8
Redknee to expand partnership with Digicel Pacific
Redknee plans to expand its partnership with Digicel Hanaro agrees to acquire
Pacific in the South Pacific, and with a sister firm to Digicel Onse broadband subs ... 9

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Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
Group in Central America and the Caribbean.
Digicel Samoa will use Redknee solutions to
offer wireless services in Samoa.
Digicel uses the Redknee Turnkey
Converged Billing Solutions, IP Charging
Solution, Enhanced Messaging Gateway, and
USSD Gateway to offer prepaid and postpaid
services to mobile users in over 20 markets in
Central America and the Caribbean.
Lucas Skoszkowski, CEO of Redknee,
said that the Pacific Region presented good
opportunities to Digicel and the company would
look forward to replicating the success achieved
buy its sister company in the Caribbean.
AUSTRALIA
PowerTel launches wholesale ASDL2+
services in Australia
Australian operator PowerTel has
unveiled wholesale ASDL2+ services and
finalized the deal to offer connections to
Westnet, an ISP based in Perth.
PowerTel’s ASDL2+ network uses the
extensive ASDL2+ network created by its ISP
partner iiNet. PowerTel had taken a 14.9 percent
stake in iiNet earlier this year. Fixed-line
company Telstra is also likely to launch ASDL2+
services very soon.
Telstra CE announces expectations of
growth in earnings in H2 of 2006-07
Sol Trujillo, chief executive of Telstra, said
at the company’s Melbourne AGM that the
company expected to increase earnings in the
second half of 2006-07.
EBIT were expected to fall by 17-20
percent in the first half and rise by 37-40 percent
in the second half. The company is in the second
year of its five-year revamp exercise. Last week,
the company started high-speed broadband
services but complained that regulatory
restraints from the Australian Competition and
Consumer commission restricted it to existing
competitive services.
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December 2006
In October, the company had predicted
a 2 percent to 2.5 percent growth in EBITDA for
the period up to 2009-10. The annual EBITDA
is now expected at 46 percent to 48 percent,
compared to the previous estimate of 50 percent
to 52 percent.
Hutchison introduces cheap mobile data
modem in Australia
Hutchison has unveiled the first ever
express-card format mobile data modem in
Australia. Though Hutchison is offering its data
plans with 2 Gigabytes at an attractive rate of
$69 per month, a full-quota usage outside its
3G network could force users to pay above
$3,000. Hutchison is offering three plans for its
3G services: $29 a month for 200 Megabytes,
$49 a month for 1 Gigabyte, and $69 a month
for 2 Gigabytes. However, excess data and data
for uploading and downloading would cost $1.65
per Megabyte. Hutchison offers 3G in big
centers on the network shared by Telstra. It has
roaming access to Telstra’s GSM/GPRS
network outside those areas. Thus, if the modem
is not able to connect with a 3G base station in
the coverage area, the rate of $1.65 per
Megabyte will apply. But a Hutchison
spokesman clarified that the card would have
LEDs to indicate its communication mode and
could be configured to operate on the 3G
network only.
BigAir to offer broadband speeds almost 50
times faster than ADSL2+
BigAir Limited intends to increase its
broadband presence in Australia, amid the
differences between telecom giant Telstra and
the Australian regulator. Over the next year,
BigAir would offer its next-generation wireless
broadband services with symmetric speeds of
around 1Gbps, which is 50 times speedier than
the highest download speed, and around 1,000
times speedier than the standard upload speed
on ADSL2+. The firm also intends to build
another 10 wireless base stations over the next
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
year to meet the increasing needs of its
business-grade broadband services. BigAir’s
annualized revenue reached $9.5 million,
compared to the previous full year’s result of
$6.9 million.
Internode launches ASDL2+ Annex-M
services in Australia
Australia-based ISP Internode has
launched ADSL2+ Annex-M services. It offers
broadband upload speeds of around 2.5Mbps.
Internode started the trial of Annex-M through
Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer
(DSLAM) technology in July. It is now offering
the service without extra cost to its SOHO and
Business clients on supported exchanges.
Internode does not intend to provide this service
to residential users.
Telstra International launches Asia’s first
enterprise VoIP solution with distinctive
classes of service
Telstra International (Telstra) announced
the launch of “Global Voice over IP” (Global
VoIP), marking its strategic move to provide IP
telephony (IPT) and voice services to
enterprises beyond the Australian market.
Telstra’s Global VoIP is based on an award-
winning next-generation network (NGN) and
customer premises equipment (CPE), while its
three voice Classes of Service (CoS) and
imbedded IP monitoring systems sets a new
industry standard for terminating IP-originated
voice traffic, maintaining quality and network
security.
Telstra’s Global VoIP can lower
termination costs by over 50 percent compared
to traditional telephone services, while saving
ongoing maintenance and operational costs
associated with traditional PBX systems. While
cost-savings is one key driver for IPT adoption,
companies are also now using IPT and VoIP as
key communication tools to improve business
resiliencies, increase team collaboration, and
enhance communication needs.
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December 2006
BANGLADESH
Ericsson signs four-year deal with Warid
Telecom
Ericsson has signed a four-year contract
with Bangladesh-based Warid Telecom for
managed services like rolling out the operator’s
GSM/GPRS in Dhaka and a network expansion.
Earlier this year, Ericsson signed two deals to
supply Mobile Softswitch, backbone
transmission equipment, and packet core for
Warid Telecom’s GSM/GPRS network in various
parts of the country. Ericsson will be responsible
for the designing, operations, rollout,
management, and maintenance of the
Bangladeshi operator’s network.
BHUTAN
ShinSat to bid to acquire license for mobile-
phone service in Bhutan
Thailand-based ShinSat is one of the four
companies that will bid for a license for a private
mobile-phone service in Bhutan. The officials
of the Bhutan Infocom and Media Authority
(BIMA) seem to suggest that the auction will take
place in December. Bhutan had reportedly
invited AIS, Thailand’s biggest cell-phone
operator, to take part in the bid, but Shin
assigned the deal to ShinSat. Shin is the parent
company of AIS. Three of the four short-listed
firms are joint ventures. BIMA has categorically
stated that the Bhutanese partner of any such
joint venture must hold a share of at least 51
percent. The winner of the 15-year license will
need to pay 25 percent of it straightaway; the
remainder can be paid throughout the operating
tenure.
CAMBODIA
Samart looking to acquire major stakes in
two or three companies by this year’s end
Samart Corporation is planning to
acquire major stakes in two or three telecom
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
firms by the end of this year. Samart will also
bid for its second power plant in Cambodia. If
approved by the Cambodian government, the
project would warrant an investment of $273
million. Samart announced its new subsidiary,
Vision and Security System Co., to address the
requirement for Internet Protocol-based security
systems. Samart is likely to earn consolidated
revenue of $820 million this year, compared to
the forecast $684 million. For the first nine
months, the company earned $656 million
consolidated revenue. The company aims to
earn $13.7 million in 2007, $21.9 million in 2008,
and $32 million in 2009. Its consolidated nine-
month net profit was $49 million on revenue of
$667 million.
CHINA
Nokia signs contract with Chinese
Guangdong MCC on GPRS packet core
network expansion
Nokia has announced the signing of a
GPRS packet core network expansion contract
with Guangdong MCC Ltd., which will make
Nokia the leading GPRS provider for the
company. As per the terms of the contract, Nokia
will provide its intelligent GPRS packet core
solution for the eighth GPRS expansion of
Guangdong MCC.
The core solution consists of SGSN,
Nokia Flexi Intelligent Service Node, and Nokia
Charging Gateway. The solution also supports
the high-tech content charging functionality and
provides an easy migration path to Nokia Combi
SGSN, as the 3G access support capability can
be obtained with simple memory and interface
upgrades.
The multivendor, multitechnology Nokia
NetAct network and service management
system, including Nokia NetAct Traffica, will
support the network; Nokia will also provide
network planning, implementation, and
integration services. The network will be serving
more than 11 million data subscribers in the
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December 2006
Eastern Guangdong province ranging from
Shenzhen to include DongGuan and Huizhou
by December 2006.
Nokia and Guangdong Provincial
Government signed a MoU in October 2006 in
Finland, which names Nokia as an important
player in the information industry development
of Guangdong province.
Number of fixed-line users in China reaches
370 million
China’s Ministry of Information Industry
stated that the number of landline users in China
had reached 370 million. The nation’s mobile-
phone base reached 440 million, taking the
overall telephone volume to over 800 million.
The MII also said that the Chinese telecom
industry grew from July to September.
Revenues from the postal and telecom business
reached $67 billion in the period, an increase of
11 percent compared to the same period a year
ago. Total subscribers reached 280 million in
September and are likely to go past 300 million
by this year’s end.
China Netcom to switch from H.264 to AVS
for IPTV
China is conducting trials for IPTV in five
cities, of which one trial uses AVS, whereas the
others use H.264. Netcom said that it would
change over to AVS from H.264 after the codec
trials finish.
This month, the Chinese government will
begin another round of tests for AVS, which
should finish in January 2007. Netcom said that
it would favor equipment suppliers who agree
to upgrade its system with AVS free of cost in
return for potential long-term contracts. In
addition, Netcom plans to use AVS-based IPTV
in 20 cities in 2007, and expects 6 million IPTV
users in five to seven years, or 40 percent of its
present broadband users.
The technical performances of H.264 and
AVS are believed to be almost the same.
However, some chipmakers are skeptical.
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
Unlike MPEG-4/H.254, AVS might not charge
participation fees for using codec in subscription-
based services, title-by-title duplication of
content, or free over-the-air broadcasts.
China Mobile, China Netcom, and China
Telecom sign deals to purchase TD-SCDMA
handsets
China Mobile, China Telecom, and China
Netcom have reportedly signed deals with 15
mobile-phone manufacturers to purchase
around 9,000 TD-SCDMA mobile phones. It
forms a part of a trial for the homegrown 3G
technology.
The sale price for the mobile phones is
$315 per handset. Twelve of the 15
manufacturers happen to be domestic firms,
which include Levono, ZTE, Datang, LG,
Samsung, and Motorola.
These three companies are intending to
give orders for an additional 10,000 TD-SCDMA
mobile phones next month.
Uganda to receive a grant of $120 million
from Huawei
Uganda will receive from China a grant
of around $120 million for developing the
national information communication technology
(ICT) backbone infrastructure.
On Chinese Prime Minister Jiabao’s visit
to Uganda, an e-Government project MoU
(Memorandum of Understanding) was signed
with Huawei Technologies, the biggest telecom
equipment manufacturer in China. State Minister
for ICT Mr. Allintuma Nsambu said that this grant
would help in providing fast telecom services at
less costly rates.
The government intends to create a new
ICT backbone to trigger new economic growth,
improve trade, and offer better communication
choices to the Ugandans.
Huawei will do the job of installing,
supplying, and putting the technologies in place
to set up an e-government system and extend
the communications network.
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December 2006
Hutchison Whampoa plans to launch X-
series fixed-line broadband service
Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa is
planning to launch fixed-line broadband
services, called X-series in Britain, next month.
The service will include features like
home TV on mobiles, Web calling, instant
messaging, and more for a flat monthly fee.
Pricing of the X-series will be similar to that of
fixed-line broadband.
It will be launched in eight other 3G
markets in early 2007.
Initially, it will be available on two
handsets: the Nokia N93 and the Sony Ericsson
W950.
The X-series will allow customers to
make unlimited calls over the Web using Skype
software through their mobiles.
The telecom conglomerate has signed
deals with various companies like Sling Media,
Skype, Yahoo!, Google, Nokia, eBay, Orb,
Microsoft’s MSN, and Sony Ericsson for the
service.
Huawei unveils commercial IMS VCC
solution
Huawei has launched a commercial IMS
(IP Multimedia Subsystem) VCC (Voice Call
Continuity) solution along with multinode smart
device solution provider E28 to help operators
enjoy the vast benefits of fixed-mobile
convergence.
This solution permits the users to switch
between different types of networks and is 3GPP
compliant. Its intricate features allow dual-mode
users to roam between cellular GSM/CDMA/
UTMS and Wi-Fi/WiMAX.
The director of Huawei’s IMS product
line, Mr. Zha Jun, said that IMS was a significant
infrastructure for next-generation fixed and
mobile convergent networks.
Huawei will provide all the network
equipment, including DTF and DSF of IMS
domain, IMS core, and related CAMEL
application logics (in CS domain).
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
New World Mobile Holdings to sell its 23.6
percent stake in mobile joint venture in
Telstra
New World Mobile Holdings would be
selling its 23.6 percent stake in a Hong Kong-
based mobile-phone joint venture with
Australian-based Telstra to New World
Development, its parent firm. The Dow Jones
report stated that New World Holdings plans to
sell the stake for $321 million.
After selling its stake in CSL New World
Mobility Group, New World Mobile plans to pay
a dividend of $0.16 per share to its shareholders.
The report also said that Simon Lo, a non-
executive director of New World Mobile, has
consented to buy New World Development’s
58.04 percent stake in its mobile unit.
Hong Kong’s telecoms regulator OFTA
grants EFTNS license to Tricom Asia
Hong Kong-based telecom regulator
OFTA has granted an External Fixed
Telecommunications Network Services
(EFTNS) license to Tricom Asia, enabling it to
operate telecom services through VN-HK, its
1,050km undersea fiber-optic network, which
links Hong Kong and Vietnam. Since China
Telecom won a license in 2005, this is the lone
EFTNS license in Hong Kong. Tricom Asia is
planning to invest in telecom solutions in the
emerging markets in Asia-Pacific. It had formed
its Hong Kong-based division in May 2003.
Beijing Quan Tong Chang to launch
‘Intragroup Call’
Beijing Quan Tong Chang Information
Services (Beijing QTC) will soon be introducing
a broadband phone service called the
“Intragroup Call” in the Beijing Tianzhu Airport
Industrial Zone. The company expects to make
a profit of $1.5 million every year. Tianzhu Zone
and Beijing QTC will work in partnership to
launch this “Intragroup Call” promotion. The
company intends to install the broadband phone
platform using the Internet, replacing regular
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December 2006
phone networks for transmitting calls. The first
installation will be done at the management
office building in Tianzhu Zone, Blue Sky
Mansion. Eventually it will be applied to big and
midsized enterprises.
Beijing QTC is also planning to build
broadband phone networks with the largest
covering area in a period of eight months. The
company expects to increase its annual sales
by about $1.5 million.
Intelsat renews China Central Television
contract for global programming distribution
Intelsat announced that China Central
Television (CCTV), the national broadcaster of
the People’s Republic of China, renewed a
multiyear contract for the global distribution of
its programming. CCTV is also utilizing Intelsat
for its international backhaul transmission of the
Asian Games from Doha, Qatar, back to Beijing.
A long-standing customer since the
launch of PAS-2 in 1994, CCTV became the
world’s first global Mandarin Chinese television
service when it expanded its services
internationally via the PAS-3 satellite in 1995.
Intelsat currently provides full-time
program distribution services for CCTV via its
PAS-1R Atlantic Ocean Region satellite, PAS-9
Atlantic Ocean Region satellite, and PAS-10
Indian Ocean Region satellite. Intelsat also
provides CCTV with capacity on its Galaxy 3C
satellite for direct-to-home (DTH) services in the
United States. This renewal contract also
expands CCTV’s C- and Ku-band capacity
agreement.
INDONESIA
Indonesia’s Telkom to take part in fiber-optic
tender valued at $1.5 billion
PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom)
will participate in the nation’s fiber-optic network
construction tender, which is being valued at
$1.5 billion. It is likely to be launched in October
2007. Telkom managing director Arwin Rasyid
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
said that he was still looking out for the best
possible options for Telkom to participate. He
said that one of the aims of the company would
be to enhance the capacity of its network and
also lend support to increasing demand for its
subsidiaries like Telkomsel and PT Telkom
Vision. Telkomsel would play a huge role in the
building the fiber-optic network.
Nokia and Indosat sign WCDMA 3G/HSPA
managed services deal
Nokia and top Indonesia-based operator
Indosat have signed a WCDMA 3G/HSPA
managed services contract to allow Indosat to
enable wireless broadband services and 3G
services.
Nokia would undertake the task of
operating the network. Nokia will deliver Indosat
turnkey services that include network planning,
implementation, and integration of this WCDMA
3G/HSPA network.
It will also build, operate, and transfer the
Inodsat 3G network. As part of the deal, Nokia’s
3G device will also be provided. The network
would be ready for launch by November 2006.
Nokia, which currently has 65 WCDMA 3G
customers, would support the operators to
improve their services and reduce expenses. It
is also an important managed services player,
with around 60 managed services contracts
across the world.
Bakrie chooses Redknee’s messaging and
prepaid solution to power its TalkTime
service
Bakrie Telecom has chosen Redknee
Inc.’s messaging and prepaid voice solution for
powering its TalkTime service branded by Esia,
SMS, and related marketing campaigns.
Redknee said that Bakrie could offer advanced
services and attract new users, reduce churn,
and increase revenues after engaging its
solution. Redknee’s solution claims to converge
all charging, billing, transaction, rating, and
provisioning for supported services like m-
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December 2006
commerce, data, voice, and messaging in one
system in real time, thus decreasing CapEx and
OpEx. Bakrie’s monthly rate of customer churn
averages 4 percent, as opposed to the industry
average of 8 percent to 11 percent.
JAPAN
Softbank and News Corp. to bring MySpace
to Asia
Japanese firm Softbank and News Corp.
plan to bring MySpace, the Internet social
networking site, to Asia. MySpace KK will be a
50-50 joint venture. Each firm would invest $5.0
million in the new firm. MySpace’s international
operations include Britain, France, Germany,
Australia, and Ireland. Japan’s social networking
sites are believed to have over 10 million users.
Softbank’s subsidiary Yahoo! Japan Corp.
provides social networking sites, though
Softbank does not involve itself in the
operations. News Corp. acquired MySpace
when it purchased Intermix Media Inc. for $580
million in 2005.
Five years after its launch, W-CDMA
becomes leading technology in Japan
NTT DoCoMo launched W-CDMA in
Japan in October 2001, and it was joined by
Softbank Mobile after 14 months. Now, five
years after W-CDMA was launched in the
country, the standard has gone on to become
Japan’s topmost technology, with subscribers
reaching 34.75 million by the end of October
2006. PDC, the technology that remained at the
top spot for 11 years (launched in September
1995), claimed the second spot, with 34.49
million users by the end of October. The CDMA
standard claimed the third spot, with 24.89
million.
The mobile number portability (MNP)
system was introduced in Japan by October, and
the monthly additions showed great success for
KDDI, while DoCoMo was the greatest loser,
losing 110 points of market share.
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
DoCoMo selects Motorola and NEC for super
3G network
Leading Japanese cell-phone operator
NTT DoCoMo has selected Motorola and NEC
for supplying handsets for its “super 3G
network.”
The network will be an upgrade to the
operators; current 3G infrastructure and would
allow faster uploading and downloading of data
like videos and music clips.
Earlier this week, DoCoMo Technology
President Kouta Kinoshita had said in a news
conference that the operator had chosen
equipment vendors, without giving away the
names.
DoCoMo normally buys handsets from
domestic suppliers like NEC and Matsushita
Electric Industrial, though it has included other
vendors for the existing network, including
Finland-based Nokia. DoCoMo has spent
around $23.8 billion on its 3G network in the
last six years.
NEC reports higher loss in fiscal first half
NEC suffered higher losses during H1
2006 compared to H1 2005, due to a fall in
mobile handset and PC sales and the
restructuring costs for its chip operations. NEC
reported a group net loss of $62.7 million during
the half-year ending September 30, compared
to the $12.7 million loss a year ago. Sales for
the fiscal half-year fell 2.5 percent to $18.6 billion
from $19.5 billion. NEC expects a group net
profit of $152.5 million on $39.8 billion sales for
the fiscal year through March. NEC estimates
an operating loss of $424 million concerning its
cell-phone business in the fiscal year till March.
NEC, Juniper to extend their NGN
partnership
Japan-based telecom equipment
manufacturer NEC and US-based Juniper
Networks have expanded their current next-
generation network (NGN) partnership to focus
on developing IP multimedia subsystems (IMS)-
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December 2006
based fixed-mobile convergence (FMC)
solutions. The pair will target the fixed, cellular,
and wireless Internet access providers with their
IMS-FMC products.
The two firms have been cooperating
since 2001; they recently worked on a project
to develop secure VoIP solutions aimed at the
Japanese market based on NEC’s VoIP
solutions and the network-security platforms of
Jupiter Networks. They launched two plans to
develop NGN solutions jointly this March.
Oki launches Iris Recognition Technology
for Mobile Terminals in Japan
Oki Electric has developed Iris
Recognition Technology for Mobile Terminals.
Iris Recognition is an authentication technology
that uses the iris pattern in the eyes. It is based
on OKI’s original iris recognition algorithm that
uses standard optical cameras equipped in
mobile terminals.
The new Iris Recognition Technology
uses a standard camera embedded in a mobile
terminal. As new services like payments by cell-
phone are becoming more common, users and
manufacturers have been emphasizing the need
of personal authentication in such devices to
disallow misuse when the terminals get stolen.
OKI intends to make this product commercially
available by March 2007.
Excite Japan and Media Lead sign content
distribution agreement, will work with Smart
SMS Corp. for fulfillment and distribution
Smart SMS Corp.; Excite Japan, one of
Japan’s largest portals with over 17 million
subscribers in Japan alone; and Media Lead
LLC, a mobile content publisher, have signed
agreements to distribute content throughout the
Asia-Pacific region.
For North America, Media Lead will work
with Smart SMS Corporation of Los Angeles for
distribution and fulfillment of its content, which
provides the mobile fulfillment and marketing for
this market.
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
KOREA
Pantech signs deal with Orange to supply
UTMS phones
South Korean handset vendor Pantech
has signed a key deal with France Telecom’s
Orange to offer UTMS phones in France.
Orange is the largest mobile service carrier in
the country and has a user base of 23 million.
The U400 has a video telephony function with
a 1.3-megapixel camera and a VGA camera; it
also has a 1.9-inch 260,000-color TFT and 72
polyphonic ringtones. Dennis Cheong, president
of Pantech, Europe, said that this partnership
with Orange proved the credibility of Pantech in
providing advanced mobile technologies.
Pantech hopes to achieve its goal of becoming
a leading handset manufacturer in Europe.
Celine Thomas, head of product marketing at
Orange, echoed the sentiment. Pantech aims
to be among the top five cell-phone brands in
France.
Hanaro agrees to acquire Onse broadband
subs
South Korea-based broadband service
provider Hanaro Telecom (Hanaro) has signed
a deal to acquire Internet customers from its rival
Onse Telecom.
Hanaro agrees to pay $265 to Onse for
each user who moves. Hanaro hopes to add
almost 140,000 broadband subscribers through
this deal. Onse had 296,894 cable modem
broadband users at the end of June 2006
(market share of 2.3 percent); Hanaro had 3.6
million broadband customers (28.2 percent
market share) by the end of June 2006.
Incorporated in July 1996, Onse entered the
country’s ILD telephony market in October 1997.
In August 2000, it launched its broadband ISP
“Shinbiro sshark,” via its fiber-to-the-curb
(FTTC) infrastructure. It applied for bankruptcy
in April 2003. Onse was under control of the
Suwon District Court till late September 2006,
when Ubistar acquired it for $73 million.
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December 2006
Samsung unveils its latest mobile phone,
SPH-900 Deluxe MITs
Samsung Electronics has exhibited its
latest cell-phone, the SPH-P9000 Deluxe MITs.
The SPH-P9000 is a convergence tool that can
provide voice and multimedia data
communications via Mobile WiMAX technology.
The SPH-P9000 is a PDA-based device that
utilizes Mobile WiMAX and CDMA EV-DO
connectivity. Users can have wireless access
to the Internet through Mobile WiMAX
connectivity. This handset also supports
Microsoft Windows XP OS. The 5-inch WVGA
screen is suitable for movie viewing, and the
30GB hard drive can store music, movies, and
documents. Kitae Lee, president of the
Telecommunication Network Business at
Samsung Electronics, said that the SPH-900 is
just one of the few Mobile WiMAX convergence
devices to be introduced globally. It will be
launched in Korea in H1 2007.
Samsung to launch new 1GB S-SIM
Samsung will unveil a SIM card with a
1GB memory, called the S-SIM. The 1GB S-
SIM uses a system-in-package (SiP) technology
that offers high-Gigabit-density NAND flash
memory, while the size of the SIM card remains
the same. It supports MultiMediaCard and USB
interfaces to allow fast transfer of large data
volumes. Dr. Chil Hee Chung, senior vice
president of the chip card and microcontroller
development team at Samsung Electronics, said
that this high-performance S-SIM proved
Samsung’s technological leadership to offer the
best technology for the IT and mobile
environment. Samsung introduced the industry’s
first Giga-level density card, 1GB S-SIM, last
June after developing the 128-Megabyte S-SIM
in 2004.
LG Telecom penalized with $5.5 million fine
for illegal handset subsidies
The Korea Communications Commission
(KCC) and Ministry of Information and
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
Communications (MIC) has asked LG Telecom
(LGT) to pay a fine of $5.5 million for issuing
illegal handset subsidies.
Offering financial incentives to customers
pursuing particular services along with a new
mobile was considered illegal between June
2000 and March 2006. MIC has booked three
national cellular operators for evading these
regulations on several occasions.
However, MIC eased these regulations
from March 27, 2006. LGT, KTF Corp., and SK
Telecom could offer financial incentives up to
$208 to users, confining them to an operator
for over 18 months.
But carriers have to seek approval for the
rates. MIC fined these three operators for a total
of $11.5 million within a month of relaxing the
previous regulations, for issuing subsidies
before the new scheme was approved. Three
other operators, including Korea Telecom, were
also fined for a total of $76.3 million in June 2006
for exceeding the subsidy rates.
Samsung claims to have developed thinnest
LCD
Samsung Electronics apparently has
developed the world’s thinnest LCD panel. A
credit card, at 0.82mm, is 0.07mm slimmer than
the panel which was previously claimed as the
world’s slimmest panel.
The firm has also developed a new
mobile technology, named “i-Lens,” that
integrates the entire panel assembly into one
module that is more shock-resistant and easier
to read.
Samsung’s Mobile Display Team
reworked on the glass substrate and light guide
plate subassembly to achieve a thinner module.
In rolling out the firm’s i-Lens technology,
manufacturers are able to trim 1.4mm to 2.4mm
from the thickness of a cell-phone. It also
protects the cell-phone’s main display better and
makes it resistant to shock. This new LCD
screen would be available in 2.1-inch-diagonal
and 2.2-inch-diagonal screen sizes.
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December 2006
Samsung to launch a new mobile TV phone
in Italy
Samsung intends to launch a new mobile
TV phone (SGH-P930) in the Italian market in
December via Telecom Italia. This phone
combines the latest mobile TV technology with
HSDPA technology for high-speed data
transmission. Samsung has provided a mobile
TV phone (SGH-P920) to Telecom Italia since
May 2006. The P930 phone has a horizontal
LCD screen for optimal mobile TV viewing and
supports stereo speakers. It also features a
megapixel camera and a VGA camera for video
telephony. Samsung leads in all three standards
of the mobile TV market by providing the world’s
first S-DMB and T-DMB phones in Korea,
Europe’s first T-DBM in Germany and DVB-H
phone in Italy, and by demonstrating the
MediaFlo mobile TV technology at CTIA
Wireless 2006 in the US.
Korea’s leading search engine and Internet
portal increases network performance and
reliability with Force10 TeraScale E-Series
Force10 Networks announced that NHN,
Korea’s largest Internet company and the
leading gaming site in Asia, is increasing the
performance and scalability of its network with
the TeraScale E-Series family of switch/routers.
The high density and resiliency of the Force10
TeraScale E-Series delivers the flexibility NHN
requires to build its high-performance network
and ensure seamless scalability for future
growth.
MALAYSIA
Malaysian firm to invest $100 million for
fiber-optic cable
Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) plans to
invest $100 million in installing a 4,100km fiber-
optic cable. The project will be completed by
next year. The company will spend around $100
million on “Project Ittehad,” a project that will
connect 107 cities in Pakistan. The investment
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
will be made via TM’s Pakistan-based
subsidiary, Multinet Pvt Ltd.
TM Malaysia has various other
subsidiaries like Dialog Telekom Ltd. of Sri
Lanka (89.8 percent), TM International
Bangladesh (70 percent), Telekom Malaysia
International Cambodia (100 percent),
Indonesian PT Excelcomindo (59.6 percent),
and an important 49 percent stake in India’s
Spice Telecom. TM has invested $1.3 billion in
communications business in Asia through its
investment unit, TMI. It has a regional user base
of 24 million.
Maxis to expand HSDPA services in Malaysia
Malaysia’s Maxis has expanded its
HSDPA footprint to serve above 20,000
households in Penang.
The company has invested $1.4 million
to deploy HSDPA across Penang. Maxis is
expected to invest about $192 million to create
its broadband services in the next three years.
Maxis’s chief executive officer, Dato’ Jamaludin
Ibrahim, said that the rollout of the services was
ensuing upon the positive feedback received
from the customers about the reliable and
affordable Maxis Broadband service, and
expressed confidence in the company’s product.
Telekom Malaysia’s net profit in third quarter
reduces
Telekom Malaysia’s net profit fell 38
percent year-on-year to $133 million in the third
quarter of this year.
Third-quarter revenue increased 22.5
percent year-on-year to $1.17 billion, mainly due
to robust performance by its Internet, mobile,
and multimedia sectors.
For the first nine months to September,
Telekom’s net profit fell to $397 million year-on-
year from $440 million. Revenue increased 18
percent year-on-year to $3.31 billion during this
period. The company’s cellular mobile
subscribers fell to 7.39 million in Q3, from 7.6
million in Q2.
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December 2006
Maxis Telecommunications reports 28
percent increase in third-quarter net profit
Malaysia’s top mobile-phone company in
terms of subscribers, Maxis Communications,
has posted a 28 percent rise in net profit for the
third quarter. The firm’s net profit for the period
ending September 30 rose year-on-year from
$107.6 million to $140 million. The revenue
increased 25 percent to $547.2 million, as its
Indian Aircel unit contributed $68.6 million (12.5
percent) to the group revenue. Domestic
business contributed 87 percent of the revenue
for Maxis. It added 388,000 local users in the
period, reaching a total of 8.86 million
subscribers, increasing from 8.47 million in Q2.
MALDIVES
Dhiraagu to connect Maldives to the world
via an 837km submarine fiber-optic network
Dhiraagu is on its way to connect the
Maldives with the whole world through an 837km
fiber-optic submarine cable. This submarine
cable network project was given to Japan-based
NEC. This project is worth around $27 million.
The connection between the Maldives and Sri
Lanka forms the international link. The company
hopes that creating links via the submarine cable
would help Dhiraagu to improve the quality of
service and reduce costs concerning satellite
bandwidth. This submarine cable project was
initiated through a partnership with Sri Lanka
Telecom (15 percent) and Dhiraagu (85
percent). Dhiraagu laid its submarine cable on
May 1, 2006, after signing an MoU with Sri
Lanka Telecom. Dhiraagu will be prepared to
offer services via this cable by early February
2007.
MYANMAR
Private sector will also be able to provide
high-speed Internet services in Myanmar
Private firms in Myanmar are ready to
offer high-speed communication lines as per a
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
cooperation program by Myanmar Post and
Telecommunications (MPT), which will now be
extended to include the private sector. MPT is
presently the only means of providing Internet
services in the country since Myanmar Teleport
stopped delivering service lines in 2004. The
private firms that would provide ADSL services
to the users include a consortium of ICT firms,
Myanmar Info-tech and Global Technology, and
Myanmar World Distribution. The latter two
would utilize the Thaicom-3 satellite to provide
Internet services to remote parts of the country.
The numbers of Internet subscribers have
increased to 300,000 from only 12, four years
ago. Due to congestion of Internet lines,
arrangements are being made to upgrade the
capacity to 45Mbps in the future.
NEW ZEALAND
Orcon to shift to super-fast DSL
ISP Orcon intends to migrate directly to
VDSL2, the high-data rate Digital Subscriber
Line service, instead of going with ADSL2+.
VDSL2 is “standardized” by the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) and is an
enhancement to the original VDSL. By using
30MHz of bandwidth over twisted copper pairs,
VDSL2 can offer around 100Mbps capacity in
both directions up to 500 meters from the
DSLAM. At 1,000 meters, the speed reduces to
50Mbps. VDSL2 offers the high bit rates needed
for multiple Internet television (IPTV) channels
per user. Outside of New Zealand, Deutsche
Telekom and France Telecom plan to offer
VDSL2 in 2007.
PHILIPPINES
Globe Telecom chooses OceanLake’s
mobile gateway platform
Philippines-based wireless-operator
Globe Telecom has chosen OceanLake’s mobile
gateway platform to provide mobile Internet
access to its subscriber base of 14.5 million.
Copyright 2006 Information Gatekeepers Inc. 320 Washington St. Brighton, MA 02135 Tel: (617) 782-5033 Web: www.igigroup.com
12
December 2006
Toronto-based OceanLake and its partner,
Datapax of the Philippines, have signed a deal
with Globe for using OceanLake’s Mobile
Gateway dynamic reformatting engine. As per
the terms of this deal, Globe will share some
portion of the earned revenues with OceanLake
and Datapax.
SINGAPORE
SingTel’s regional mobile subscriber base
exceeds 100 million
SingTel has said that due to its strong
growth in India and Indonesia, its user base has
been pushed up to the 100 million mark. With
the strongest growth rate coming from Bharti
and Telkomsel, SingTel saw its user base
reaching 100.8 million by the end of September,
a 36 percent increase year-on-year. SingTel
claims a 30.49 percent interest in Bharti and a
35 percent stake in Telkomsel.
By the end of September, Bharti had 27.1
million customers, a record 91 percent rise year-
on-year, while Telkomsel reached 32.5 million
in the same period, an increase of 38 percent.
SingTel had 1.7 million users at home by the
end of September, a net gain of 81,000 in the
quarter.
SingTel posts earnings of $612 million in
second quarter
SingTel’s second-quarter net profit
increased 18.6 percent year on year, mainly due
to good performance by its regional mobile
associates, according to a Dow Jones report.
SingTel’s net profit for the period ending on
September 30 was $612 million, up from $516
million a year ago. Analysts had forecast net
profit of $550 million and operating revenue of
$2.1 billion. Its earnings from Asian mobile units
like Telkomsel in Indonesia and Bharti in India
increased by 37.4 percent to $326 million. Its
Australian unit, Optus, which provides above
two-thirds of SingTel’s revenue, reported a 1.4
percent increase in operating earnings before
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization from
Q1.
PacNet suffers 43 percent reduction in third-
quarter net profit
Singaporean firm Pacific Internet
(PacNet) has suffered a 43 percent decline in
year-on-year net profit for Q3 ending on
September 30, 2006, down to $752,000, in spite
of a 17 percent jump in revenues to a record
$49 million.
For the nine months ending on
September 30, PacNet’s net income dropped
by 31 percent to $2.8 million. PacNet has had a
pretty rough year so far, including receiving a
notice of requisition from MediaRing in
September. The PacNet board confirmed that it
received requisition notices from Vantage Corp.
and MediaRing. PacNet boasts of presence in
India, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong
Kong, the Philippines, and Malaysia. PacNet
was incorporated on March 28, 1995, as
Sembawang Media; it changed to its present
name in 1998.
Etisalat, SingTel to provide IP-VPN services
Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel)
and Etisalat will provide Internet Protocol Virtual
Private Network (IP-VPN) to users in the Middle
East and the UAE. SingTel will now be able to
provide seamless network connectivity and IP
services in the Middle East through Etisalat’s
IP-VPN solutions. The Emirates
Telecommunications Corporation will have a
wider reach in Asia Pacific via the network
coverage and ConnectPlus IP-VPN services of
SingTel. The firm’s ConnectPlus suite serves
important business cities in Asia-Pacific and
other areas. The global data services of
SingTel’s partners like Etisalat (in the UAE) will
help in extended coverage. Etisalat provides
service to 5.3 million mobile users in the UAE,
with penetration rate of 125 percent. SingTel has
37 offices in 19 nations and territories in Europe,
Asia-Pacific, and the US.
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December 2006
SingTel Mobile and M1 to compete in high-
speed wireless broadband market
Singapore-based mobile operators
MobileOne Asia (M1) and SingTel Mobile are
competing fiercely in the mobile broadband
access market, as both have simultaneously
launched 3.5G high-speed downlink packet
access (HSDPA) services. M1 is unveiling its
services in early December. It aims to provide a
countrywide wireless broadband service, and
provide new devices like the Wi-Fi-enabled
Vodafone 3G Router and the Vodafone Mobile
Connect USB Modem. Users in the Central
Business District area would get downlink
transmissions of around 3.6Mbps for $44.049
per month, while the rest of the country will get
1.8Mbps access.
SRI LANKA
Celltel to double number of base stations
Sri Lanka’s second-biggest mobile
operator by subscribers, Celltel, will invest $70
million to double the number of base stations in
key towns to 400 in the next six months. Celltel
introduced mobile services to the country in
1989. It was the only cellco in Sri Lanka until
some competition in 1993. The introduction of
GSM services by MTN Networks (Dialog
Telekom) in 1995 further challenged Celltel.
Despite unveiling its own GSM network in 2000,
Celltel’s market share fell to 17 percent by March
2006. Celltel plans to increase its user base by
50 percent to 1.5 million users by the end of
2006.
Suntel to invest $33 million to expand
network
Fixed-line operator Suntel intends to
invest $33 million in 2007 to expand its network.
Suntel has already spent around $20 million this
year to provide CDMA-based services to remote
areas of Sri Lanka. The firm signed up for a
syndicated loan worth $20 million to offset this
year’s expansion-related costs. The firm also
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter
plans to provide advanced data services with
greater bandwidth to its corporate users.
Suntel’s net profit for the half-year to June 30
fell by $0.85 million year-on-year to $2.6 million,
though revenues almost doubled to $30 million,
compared to $18 million a year ago. Suntel is
the biggest fixed-line competitor to SLT, and had
a total user base of 188,000 in March 2006,
overtaking its CDMA rival Lanka Bell, which had
around 100,000 subscribers.
THAILAND
Ericsson gets $110 million AIS contract
Ericsson signed a contract worth $110
million with AIS to expand its current GSM/
EDGE network in Bangkok. With this expansion,
AIS will increase its network coverage as well
as its capacity. According to the contract,
Ericsson will be responsible for building the
network; providing network design, deployment
and integration services; and radio and core
network. Ericsson will also supply its spare-part
management service, thus reducing AIS’s
operational costs. The Mobile World subscriber
database reported that at the end of its Q3 2006,
AIS had about 17.7 million customers, which
gave them nearly 50 percent market share.
NTC gives green light to phone-to-phone
Internet calling services
Thailand-based National
Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has
finally decided to allow ISP licensees to offer
phone-to-phone VoIP call services by opening
the market to phone-to-phone Internet calling
services. Those ISPs without an Internet license
will have to apply for one before providing the
services. NTC earlier allowed its Internet service
licensees to provide VoIP calls only from PC to
PC and from PC to mobile or fixed-line
telephone. The NTC, as per its interim
numbering plan, allocated a “06” prefix for
providing VoIP services from phone to phone.
Current VoIP service providers of PC-to-PC and
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14
December 2006
PC-to-phone include True Internet, TT&T, and
CAT Telecom. NTC is likely to unveil the official
numbering plan next month.
CAT Telecom reduces proposed
interconnection rates due to competition
Thailand’s CAT Telecom has approved
increased cuts in its proposed interconnection
rate by 35 percent to 85 percent to encourage
more telecom operators to make use of its
international networks. The new interconnection
rates would be submitted to the National
Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in
December. CAT Telecom had earlier proposed
an interconnection rate of $0.029 per minute.
The new interconnection rates are $0.019 per
minute for origination and termination, a
reduction of 35 percent, and $0.004 for the
transit rate, a reduction of 85 percent. CAT’s
president, Phisal Jorpoocha-udom, said that
increased competition forced the lower rates.
VIETNAM
Moscow’s Altimo to invest in Vietnam
Moscow’s Altimo plans to invest in
Vietnam and further expand to Southeast Asia
in the future. According to Altimo’s senior vice
president, Roger de Bazelaire, the company has
already invested around $30 billion in emerging
telecom markets across the globe. Further, it
plans to acquire minor stakes in local mobile-
phone operators and provide technological
expertise to them. Altimo will be setting up an
office in Vietnam in November.
AT&T signs deal with Vietnam-based carrier
Viettel
AT&T has signed a deal with Vietnam-
based Viettel, a military-owned carrier, to
connect the country to the global AT&T network.
It will allow multinational business in Vietnam
to utilize the advanced network services via
Viettel. The services would include Virtual
Private Network (VPN) and frame relay; plans
Asia Pacific Telecom Newsletter December 2006

are being made to launch more services in the
near future.
Hanoi Telecom and China Unicom sign MoU
Hanoi Telecommunications has signed
an MoU with China Unicom. As per the MoU,
China Unicom would provide Hanoi Telecom
with wireless data cards, equipment, exchange
technologies, and value-added products. The
two firms will also launch roaming and other
services. This deal is likely to result in increased
sales of CDMA mobile services in Vietnam.
Previously, Hanoi Telecom and Hutchison had
received government approval to deploy CDMA
services. Hanoi’s HT Mobile (092) service will
be available soon.

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