TELECOMMUNICATION & BROADBAND News

[baqthier]

http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/040319/15/3iw5z.html
From Yahoo!

Friday March 19, 6:07 PM

Malaysia's Maxis: Digi.Com Buy Plan Report "Speculative"

KUALA LUMPUR (Dow Jones)--Maxis Communications Bhd. (5051.KU) described Friday as "speculative" a local newspaper report that said the cellular operator is looking to buy its smaller rival Digi.Com Bhd. (6947.KU).

"The company is not aware of the basis for the references made to Maxis," Maxis said in a statement to stock exchange.

ADVERTISEMENT
The Edge newspaper had said Thursday Maxis may buy 61% of Digi.Com from Norway's Telenor ASA (TEL.OS).

Digi.Com is the smallest of Malaysia's three cellular network operators. The other player is Telekom Malaysia Bhd.'s (4863.KU) Celcom.

[baqthier]

From 3G newsroom
http://www.3gnewsroom.com/3g_news/ma...ews_4335.shtml

Ericsson chosen for EDGE network upgrade in Malaysia

March 19, 2004

Ericsson has been selected by DiGi Telecommunications (DiGi) as a network infrastructure provider for its network upgrade to EDGE in the Klang Valley which includes the capital city of Kuala Lumpur.

Ericsson will supply the necessary EDGE network infrastructure and equipment, including the upgrade of associated core network and supply of radio access equipment for the activation of EDGE.

DiGi's Chief Technical Officer, Jon Eddy, said that the alliance was in line with DiGi's commitment to give its customers a seamless migration to next generation-wireless services.

"We are now working with two partners to implement our aggressive expansion plan to upgrade the network, enabling our more than 2.2 million customers to enhance their mobile multimedia experience with high speed data access," added Mr. Eddy.

"Ericsson has been a key partner in the deployment of DiGi's GSM network and we are honoured to be part of this significant milestone in the evolution its network in Klang Valley," said Mats H Olsson, Ericsson Malaysia's President & Country Manager.

"We hope that we can bring to the partnership some key learnings from our EDGE implementation experience that will enable DiGi to offer rich consumer experiences through new and exciting services, as well as support its needs for changing business models and high quality standards in end-to-end solutions," he added.

DiGi, a subsidiary of the Telenor Group of Norway, is one of Malaysia's leading mobile communications providers.

[drwho]

Telekom Malaysia may buy into Idea Cellular

REUTERS[ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2004 07:53:42 PM ]

KUALA LUMPUR: State-controlled phone company Telekom Malaysia on Wednesday said that it might take a stake in India's fifth-largest mobile operator, giving it access to one of the world's fastest growing mobile phone markets.



Idea Cellular Ltd is a three-way venture between the Tatas, the Birlas, and US-based AT&T Wireless Services Inc.



"Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is continuously reviewing available investment opportunities overseas in line with its current international strategy and Idea Cellular is a potential opportunity that TM is looking at," the firm said in a statement.



Malaysian telecom firms are looking for opportunities abroad with the domestic fixed line market largely stagnant and the 11-million strong mobile market fast reaching saturation point.



Pune-based Idea Cellular has 2.74 million mobile customers out of India's total wireless user base of more than 33 million users.



A stake in the company would give the buyer a toehold in the world's fastest growing major wireless market in which only about three in a 100 Indians own a mobile phone compared with more than 20 in China.



Telekom made a bid for Indonesia's third-largest mobile phone firm Excelcomindo last year but the results are not yet known.



An industry source said in New Delhi that several telecom companies were in the race for buying AT&T Wireless' 33.3 per cent stake in unlisted Idea Cellular.



"But there is the first right of refusal that every shareholder in Idea has if any partner is selling out," the source said. The official did not say whether the Tatas or the Birlas had bid for AT&T's holding in the company.



Idea Cellular CEO Vikram Mehmi declined to comment on Telekom Malaysia's statement and AT&T Wireless officials could not be reached.



Media reports and analysts said that AT&T Wireless wanted to exit the Indian telecom sector after US-based Cingular Wireless agreed to buy it for $41 billion.



Idea Cellular competes with larger rivals such as Bharti Tele-Ventures, 28 per cent owned by Singapore Telecommunications, state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Reliance Infocomm in the fast growing Indian market.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...how/630914.cms

[baqthier]

http://star-techcentral.com/tech/sto...849&sec=corpit

From The Star

Long article

Telekom: We?ll launch 3G when market is ready
BY CHARLES F. MOREIRA

TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd will launch its commercial third-generation (3G) cellular services only when the market is ready, and that could be anytime next year.

Its chief of group business restructuring and coordination, Datuk Dr Mohamed Khir Harun, said that Telekom aims to have its 3G network ready for commercial launch by the end of this year nonetheless.

However, it must first solve some technical problems, he told In.Tech recently.

Telekom?s current network is compliant with the Third Generation Partnership Project or 3GPP?s (www.3gpp.org) Release 99 (R99) specifications, but it will have to upgrade it to be compliant with the newer Release 4 (R4) before it can launch commercially.

?The problem with R99 is that its signalling specifications are not complete, leaving manufacturers to develop their own signalling where no specifications exist.

?This results in some network equipment not working with certain suppliers? handsets, or one supplier?s network equipment not working with another?s, which leads to interoperability and other problems,? said Khir.

New specifications were added to R4 which solve these problems.

Formalised in December 1998, 3GPP is a collaborative agreement between several telecommunications standards bodies to produce globally applicable technical specifications and reports for a 3G system based on an evolved GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) core.

Telekom expects R4-compliant equipment to be available in the third quarter, and is currently calling for tenders for such equipment. It expects its 3G network to be R4-compliant and commercially ready by the end of the year.

?However, we won?t commercially launch our 3G services until the market is ready and there?s a strong business case to justify the launch,? said Khir, adding that the telco would probably launch 3G services around the middle of next year.

As a 3G licensee, network owner and operator, Telekom won?t sell its 3G services directly to subscribers but rather through mobile virtual network operators such as its subsidiary Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd.

Phones, apps, content
In Telekom?s view, for the market to be ready, there must be a sufficient choice of handsets available to consumers at not more than 30% above the prices of current top-end GSM/ GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) phones.

There must also be enough applications and content which take advantage of 3G?s 384Kbps to 2Mbps data transfer rates to be worthwhile.

?For starters, most existing GPRS content and applications like multimedia messaging service (MMS), games, e-mail, logos, ringtones, applications, content, etc., can be ported to 3G phones,? said Khir.

3G-specific applications like videotelephony requires at least 384Kbps to run smoothly.

Other such apps include interactive games, location-based services (like downloadable maps, for example), streaming video, and downloadable MP3 music and video files.

Still, how many people are going to regularly watch videos, news and TV programmes on their mobile phones?

?They don?t have to watch it on their mobile phones,? said Khir. ?Instead they can watch the videos on their PC using the phone as a wireless modem over a wired, infrared or Bluetooth link.

?As Bluetooth becomes more prevalent, they might also be able to watch video on Bluetooth-enabled TVs. In Spain for instance, 3G operators are already providing subscribers with 3G PC Card modems to access these data applications and services on their notebook PCs,? he added.

Seeing stars on phones
To show the promise of 3G, Telekom gave In.Tech a demo at Menara Telekom, Kuala Lumpur, where a file was downloaded from an overseas site via a 3G phone to a Windows PC.

Windows indicated the download rate was 23.5Kbps to 235Kbps. However, Alcatel Network Systems (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd mobile network division manager for 3G support, Neeraj, claimed downloads from local sites achieved transfer rates of 384Kbps.

Alcatel installed the 3G network serving Menara Telekom and the surrounding areas.

Neeraj also demonstrated streaming videos of artistes like Siti Nurhaliza, Anita Sarawak and KRU, on a Motorola A835 3G phone, a Bluetooth-enabled Compaq iPAQ personal digital assistant (PDA) and a notebook PC via a USB cable to the phone.

The motion and sound were smooth, without any jerkiness, although in one instance there was some jerkiness during a videotelephony session.

Other 3G applications included watching TV news on the phone, sending and receiving e-mail, and so on.

Telekom?s Khir expects 3G phones to be used in machine-to-machine communications, like linking with intelligent home systems so the user can remotely view and monitor key areas of his home with a cellphone.

He also expects them to be used in fleet management to determine the location of operators? lorries and to perform file and document transfers across corporate intranets.

The charge issue
Local telcos charge as high as 2sen per kilobyte of GPRS data, so browsing the Web through a GPRS phone is a pricey option.

How affordable are local charges for 3G data going to be?

?GPRS networks are derived from GSM networks, which were designed for voice but not data communications,? said Khir.

GPRS data rates are a best-effort achieved by using multiple idle timeslots designed to carry the voicecalls of an equal number of phones.

However, GPRS dynamically uses these multiple timeslots to carry the packet data of even one GPRS phone, and despite whatever clever compression or encoding algorithms it may use to optimise timeslot usage, achieving satisfactory data rates of around 30Kbps over GPRS inevitably requires operators to increase their network capacity, even to accommodate an equal number of GPRS subscribers.

So they end up passing the costs to users.

?However, 3G systems are designed from the ground-up for mobile data, and they have the capacity to support data at more affordable rates.

?So based on the value of the service to endusers, we could for example charge them less than the price of a video CD for a streaming video of the same title,? said Khir.

Pioneer project
In January, Telekom launched its 3G Rollout Programme among approximately 300 selected pioneer subscribers who were required to provide the company with regular feedback on the network?s performance and their experiences of 3G applications, content and services.

Telekom?s current 3G network is divided into five clusters, each under the coverage of different suppliers? network equipment and covering different parts of the Klang Valley and Cyberjaya.

Menara Telekom is located in Cluster A, which uses Alcatel equipment. The cluster also includes parts of Petaling Jaya, and the Mid-Valley, Bangsar and KL Sentral areas of Kuala Lumpur.

Cluster B, using Ericsson equipment, covers the outdoor areas of Cyberjaya and parts of Putrajaya. Cluster C, using Huawei equipment, covers the outdoor areas of Bukit Bintang, Berjaya Times Square, Shangri-La Hotel, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Central Market and Menara Maybank ? all in Kuala Lumpur.

Cluster D, using Siemens and NEC equipment, includes the outdoor areas of KL City Centre, the Celcom headquarters, Keramat and Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur; while Cluster E, using Nokia equipment, covers Sri Kembangan, Technology Park Malaysia, most of Sri Petaling, Serdang and Bukit Jalil ? again, all in Kuala Lumpur.

These subscribers pay a flat fee of RM30 per month for unlimited access, are assigned a home cluster covering where they work or live, and are loaned a 3G phone with a ?018? prefix 3G number. Due to the compatibility problems mentioned above, the phone make or model may be unique to their home cluster.

These terms are valid till the end of the year when the programme ends.

Currently, they can make 3G voice and videotelephony calls to fellow subscribers within their same home cluster or to subscribers in other home clusters at no extra charge.

Subscribers can also call any Telekom fixed-line nationwide or any Celcom 013 number from within their home cluster at no extra charge, and can also access 3G data services within their home cluster.

However, they can?t call Celcom 019, Maxis or DiGi mobile numbers, any international, short code, toll-free, or 1-300 number, nor even emergency services. Furthermore, for the time being, their phones won?t work when they are outside the coverage of their home cluster.

?However, the phones will be able to work on existing GSM networks when our 3G networks are upgraded to Release 4 towards the end of the year,? said Khir.

For further details on the rollout programme, call Telekom 3G at (03) 2020-9494 or its service centre at 1050.

[drwho]

cool!! Ericsson EDGE technology in Malaysia!!

[Centrilium]

I'm not very impressed with the EDGE technology.Looking forward to WCDMA or CDMA2000 though.You'll be happy if you're getting ISDN-like speeds with EDGE.Slightly faster than GPRS(similar to 56k dialup speed in real time) but still not much advantages.
I really hope that some celcos will go the CDMA2000EV-X route instead.

[szehoong]

Originally Posted by Centrilium

I'm not very impressed with the EDGE technology.Looking forward to WCDMA or CDMA2000 though.You'll be happy if you're getting ISDN-like speeds with EDGE.Slightly faster than GPRS(similar to 56k dialup speed in real time) but still not much advantages.
I really hope that some celcos will go the CDMA2000EV-X route instead.

EDGE is not in direct competition with UMTS/3G networks (WCDMA & CDMA2000). EDGE is merely an upgrade on our existing GSM infrastructure while 3G - given its higher bandwidth network, req a totally new infrastructure. Furthermore Edge handsets are widely available here so I guess it would catch on faster than 3G would as Maxis and Celcom are still testing their networks while Digi already readey to launched its commercial services.

In fact it is not slightly faster than GPRS (which usually hovers around 20-40kb only)......it is about 3 times faster . Faster connection only enables smoother video/audio streaming at the moment....forget about downloading stuffs inbto your handphones as current phones do not have large capacity memory (or harddrive in this case). Furthermore what's the use of super high-speed lines when the phones out in the market are kinda limited in technology?

The fact is that we actually do not need such high speed at the moment.....so in my opinion EDGE would be sufficient

[baqthier]

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/11246.shtml

All you can eat data tariff for Malaysia

Unveiling a new phase in the roll out of its EDGE enabled services, Malysia's DiGi has now announced affordable and unlimited data usage under its mobile data package for DiGi postpaid customers. DiGi is targeting its high end data users - professional, young executives, the Small and Medium Industry (SMI) and youth segments with this High Speed Data package for GPRS/EDGE customers allowing them to access the Internet anywhere, anytime nationwide.

"Wireless capabilities have made a quantum leap for businesses and consumers alike. With our new EDGE network that has commercially been launched in Klang Valley, we are committed on providing services to our targeted customers to meet their expectations in terms of usability, packaged at reasonable costs," said DiGi's Head of Mobile, Mr. Erik Aas.

Under this package, DiGi customers will enjoy unlimited data usage at a flat rate of US$26 per month and will not be charged any registration fees. Customers also have the option of having the existing pay as you use model. This is applicable to both postpaid and prepaid customers.

In the recent financial results released by DiGi for the first quarter of financial year 2004, DiGi's mobile data contributed 13.8% of its total revenue.

To date, DiGi's EDGE network in Klang Valley is fully integrated with the current GSM/GPRS network nationwide. EDGE phones which are now readily available at affordable prices can be used on DiGi's GSM/GPRS/EDGE network.

[szehoong]

Special bonus for TM Net customers



PETALING JAYA: TM Net Sdn Bhd broadband customers are in for a bonus.

Come Nov 1, the Internet service provider will upgrade all Streamyx broadband users on its 512Kbps (kilobits per second) package to faster 1Mbps (megabit per second) connections, at no extra cost.

Streamyx 384Kbps users are also being upgraded to 512Kbps connections.

Upgrading works are currently in progress in high traffic areas, with the rollout to all areas scheduled for completion by the end of the month, according to TM Net chief executive officer Datuk Baharum Salleh.

“We’re committed to enhancing the affordability of our services so that more Malaysians would be able to enjoy high speed Internet access,” he said.

Subscribers of TM Net’s Streamyx 512Kbps package currently pay RM88 a month for the service, while the 384Kbps package costs RM66 a month.

Existing TM Net customers who subscribe to faster, more expensive enterprise and corporate packages will also enjoy similar upgrades in the coming months, Baharum said at the launch of TM Net’s special edition prepaid ONE CD featuring a tribute to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The CD contains multimedia content and applications on Dr Mahathir’s achievements, life and times.

TM Net is the country’s largest ISP, with nearly 1.8 million dial-up subscribers and over 170,000 broadband customers.

[szehoong]

^ It is no wonder why I've been enjoying 768Kbps for the last 2 months! Although my area still under the 'slower' 768kbps......my fren's place had been upgraded to 1Mbps for the past one week already!

Too bad my office area is still 512kbps

[Ijud]

Yuppz... we have been discussing that in another tech forum... got my 1mbps 2 weeks++ oredi!! Great man!!

[baqthier]

Sigh...rm1000 installation and rm200 permonth for 128k in brunei..when can I actually get the real thing

[szehoong]

Originally Posted by Ijud

Yuppz... we have been discussing that in another tech forum... got my 1mbps 2 weeks++ oredi!! Great man!!

yea....Time's Webbit, Time Broadband, Mango Net and Maxis Wireless Broadband still has got lots to catch-up on

[szehoong]

WOO HOO!!! I din realised also.....I am on 1Mbps for 24hrs already!!!

[drwho]

Originally Posted by szehoong

WOO HOO!!! I din realised also.....I am on 1Mbps for 24hrs already!!!

great! now you can send me Malaysian tv-series and stuff to me!

[liping_t]

Originally Posted by Ijud

Yuppz... we have been discussing that in another tech forum... got my 1mbps 2 weeks++ oredi!! Great man!!

Wow! That's Cable speed!! impressive! Way to go consumerism!

[hypermount]

I'm still stuck at 512kbps... sigh

[mams]

Maxis to raise RM2.37b in loans
By Faizal Zakariah


Mobile operator Maxis Communications Bhd plans to raise a total of RM2.37 billion for business expansion and loan refinancing, its chief executive Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim says.

He said the company would raise RM1 billion for business expansion and US$360 million (RM1.37 billion) for refinancing existing loans.

The company had appointed HSBC Holdings plc and ABN Amro as lead managers for the ringgit and dollar loans respectively, he told reporters after the launch of Maxis' 'push to talk over cellular' or POC service in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 2.

“We hope to finalise the loan agreements by the end of the year," he said.

Jamaludin said the loan refinancing would save Maxis “a few million ringgit”. He did not discount the possibility of Maxis acquiring other telcos in its regional expansion.

Meanwhile, he said Maxis was targeting 500 customers by mid-2005 for its GPRS-run POC phones, which combine the full features of a cellular handset and the advantages of a walkie-talkie.

The technology, described as a voice instant messaging service, allows the user to talk to one person or a group of up to 20 people at the same time.

About 200 select customers of Maxis are currently using the POC. The service would be made available to all Maxis customers next year, Jamaludin said.

He said Maxis was also considering investing in compression technology for POC to improve voice quality from its current “walkie-talkie” sound.

POC is accessible via Motorola’s V303p phone, which is priced at RM1,499 apiece. Another Motorola POC phone will be available later on.

Maxis controls 41% of the local mobile telecommunications market. Its rivals Celcom Malaysia and Digi.Com hold 38% and 21% respectively.

[mams]

Maxis offers lower IDD and international SMS rates

KUALA LUMPUR Oct 31 - Maxis Communications Bhd Saturday offers its Maxis Postpaid and Hotlink customers lower charges on international direct dial (IDD) to a country of their choice while international SMS is at 20 sen per SMS.

Effective Nov 1, they can enjoy lower IDD call rates starting from 50 sen per minute to call China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States and Australia.

Customers would be charged 99 sen per minute for calls to Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and RM1.20 per minute for calls to Bangladesh and India, the telco said in a statement here Saturday.

The Maxis Special IDD rates and lower international SMS rates are valid till Feb 28, 2005.

Senior general manager of consumer marketing, Kiang Chew Peng, said that over 5.12 million customers are expected to benefit from the list of countries, which cover frequently called countries in both Europe and Asia.

"The current perception is that making international calls from mobile phones are expensive. However, with Maxis' Special IDD call rates, it is very affordable and certainly very much more convenient to call overseas from your Maxis Postpaid mobile or Hotlink," Kiang said.

With these great rates, she said that customers would not have to compromise on call quality when keeping in touch with their loved ones during this upcoming Deepavali, Hari Raya, Christmas and Year-End festive holiday seasons.

(To select your favourite country for new IDD rates, call 1 800 828 989 from your Maxis mobile. For Hotlink Prepaid customers, call 1312. For more information on Maxis, please visit www.maxis.com.my.).

[mams]

Maxis Signs Agreement With Six Asia Pacific Telcos


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Maxis Communication Bhd Wednesday signed a joint venture agreement with six other leading operators in the Asia-Pacific to form regional alliance, Bridge Mobile Alliance.

The alliance, part of the company's growth strategy amidst globalisation, will give Maxis access to a combined base of over 56 million mobile subscribers.

Through this joint venture, Maxis's customers are expected to enjoy better seamless cross-border services and access to more advanced products.

In a statement today, Maxis said the regional grouping will operate through Bridge Mobile Pte Ltd (Bridge), a Singapore-incorporated company.

Maxis will be a founding member of the alliance together with Bharti (India), Globe Telecom (Philippines), Optus (Australia), Singtel (Singapore), Taiwan Cellular Corporation (Taiwan) and Telkomsel (Indonesia).
The seven operators will subscribe for an equal number of shares in Bridge Mobile for cash at par. As founding shareholders, they will each have permanent seat on its board of directors.

Bridge plans to invest US$30 million (RM3.80=US$1) to US$40 million over three years and is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2005.

Maxis' chief executive officer, Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim, said some of the seamless services that customers would be able to enjoy immediately through the pact would be better voice and data roaming services in participating countries, Virtual Home Environment (VHE) experience when roaming and topping up prepaid accounts at the alliance partners' service counters.

He said more seamless services were expected to be rolled out in the coming months.

Jamaludin said Maxis would also be able to leverage on the alliance for joint product development.

"We will bring to market a dozen or so new products and services over the course of 2005," he said.

-- BERNAMA