Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Rais: Fair and Transparent Bidding for 700Mhz Spectrum
Wednesday March 16, 2011
By LEONG HUNG YEE
hungyee@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: A fair and transparent bidding process will be the way to award the 700Mhz spectrum in the future, and with that all parties will have a fair chance to bid for it.
However, Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim (pic) said the process for bidding was not ready yet as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) still had a lot of more work to do. “I have briefed the economic council chaired by the Prime Minister. The decision of the council is that the bidding has to be via a fair system which enables any contender to bid for the 700Mhz spectrum. This gives all contenders the opportunity to make a bid,” Rais Yatim said after witnessing a signing ceremony between U Mobile Sdn Bhd and China-based ZTE Corp yesterday.
The agreement will see U Mobile extending its 42Mbps mobile network in the Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and the northern region by the second half of 2011 and the installation of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) platforms which has the potential to achieve 100Mbps.
According to MCMC, under Malaysia's National Spectrum Plan, the 700MHz spectrum band was allocated for broadcasting service and not for LTE. The 700MHz spectrum band is vital to the operation of the 4G high-speed wireless network.
Rais said many parties had expressed interest to bid for the 700Mhz spectrum, hence the Government needed to adopt a fair and transparent method in assigning the spectrum.
“In this respect, the MCMC has already been directed to award all broadband spectrum in a fair and more transparent manner,” he said, adding that the requirements had not been set at the moment.
Rais said an announcement would be made later as to when the spectrum would be open for bidding.
He did not disclose the number of companies which had submitted their applications for the spectrum, when asked.
Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was reported to have called for a meeting with key executives of telecommunications operators in a move to defuse a spat over the 700Mhz spectrum issue.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/16/business/8276687&sec=business
By LEONG HUNG YEE
hungyee@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: A fair and transparent bidding process will be the way to award the 700Mhz spectrum in the future, and with that all parties will have a fair chance to bid for it.
However, Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim (pic) said the process for bidding was not ready yet as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) still had a lot of more work to do. “I have briefed the economic council chaired by the Prime Minister. The decision of the council is that the bidding has to be via a fair system which enables any contender to bid for the 700Mhz spectrum. This gives all contenders the opportunity to make a bid,” Rais Yatim said after witnessing a signing ceremony between U Mobile Sdn Bhd and China-based ZTE Corp yesterday.
The agreement will see U Mobile extending its 42Mbps mobile network in the Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and the northern region by the second half of 2011 and the installation of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) platforms which has the potential to achieve 100Mbps.
According to MCMC, under Malaysia's National Spectrum Plan, the 700MHz spectrum band was allocated for broadcasting service and not for LTE. The 700MHz spectrum band is vital to the operation of the 4G high-speed wireless network.
Rais said many parties had expressed interest to bid for the 700Mhz spectrum, hence the Government needed to adopt a fair and transparent method in assigning the spectrum.
“In this respect, the MCMC has already been directed to award all broadband spectrum in a fair and more transparent manner,” he said, adding that the requirements had not been set at the moment.
Rais said an announcement would be made later as to when the spectrum would be open for bidding.
He did not disclose the number of companies which had submitted their applications for the spectrum, when asked.
Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was reported to have called for a meeting with key executives of telecommunications operators in a move to defuse a spat over the 700Mhz spectrum issue.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/16/business/8276687&sec=business
U Mobile to Expand Base Stations
Wednesday March 16, 2011
By LEONG HUNG YEE
hungyee@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: U Mobile Sdn Bhd will be expanding its base stations to cover 85% to 90% of the population nationwide in the next 12 to 18 months.
Chief executive officer Dr Kaizad Heerjee said it currently had some 1,000 base stations and would roll out 2,000 to 3,000 more base stations. He did not disclose the amount of investment needed for the roll-out.
“Based on our assumptions, 4,000 stations should cover 85% to 90% of the population. Since we have a domestic roaming arrangement with Celcom Axiata Bhd, we would basically cover 100%,” Heerjee said after an agreement signing ceremony between U Mobile and China-based ZTE Corp to build a 100Mbps wireless network in Malaysia.
Also present at the signing ceremony were Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim, China Ambassador to Malaysia Chai Xi, ZTE Corp Asia-Pacific region president Zheng Bang and U Mobile chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan.
From left: Datuk Seri Utama Rais Yatim, Zheng Bang, Dr Kaizad Heerjee, Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Chai Xi at the agreement signing.
Heerjee said U Mobile might swap some of its current base stations and upgrade its network from the current 3G to HSPA+ and beyond.
To a question, he said it currently had less than 1% market share and was looking at increasing it to 3% to 5% this year with more new products and better service.
On the agreement, ZTE will provide end-to-end solution including hardware and equipment to support latest technology to U Mobile including long-term evolution (LTE).
The agreement will see U Mobile extending its 42Mbps mobile network in the Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and the northern region by the second half of 2011 and the installation of LTE platforms which have the potential of achieving 100Mbps.
“U Mobile and ZTE have successfully conducted a LTE pilot run in our lab. It is ready to be rolled out,” Heerjee said.
However, the LTE or 4G roll-out will depend on the spectrum award by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
“We have submitted our application for the spectrum in January. We are hopeful to get something,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zheng said Malaysia was an important market for ZTE in the Asia-Pacific region, “ZTE is committed to working with U Mobile to offer the fastest speed mobile broadband service in Malaysia and make U Mobile a showcase through our state of the art technology and solutions.”
He said the cooperation would also enhance bilateral trade between the two countries.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/16/business/8276201&sec=business
By LEONG HUNG YEE
hungyee@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: U Mobile Sdn Bhd will be expanding its base stations to cover 85% to 90% of the population nationwide in the next 12 to 18 months.
Chief executive officer Dr Kaizad Heerjee said it currently had some 1,000 base stations and would roll out 2,000 to 3,000 more base stations. He did not disclose the amount of investment needed for the roll-out.
“Based on our assumptions, 4,000 stations should cover 85% to 90% of the population. Since we have a domestic roaming arrangement with Celcom Axiata Bhd, we would basically cover 100%,” Heerjee said after an agreement signing ceremony between U Mobile and China-based ZTE Corp to build a 100Mbps wireless network in Malaysia.
Also present at the signing ceremony were Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim, China Ambassador to Malaysia Chai Xi, ZTE Corp Asia-Pacific region president Zheng Bang and U Mobile chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan.
From left: Datuk Seri Utama Rais Yatim, Zheng Bang, Dr Kaizad Heerjee, Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Chai Xi at the agreement signing.
Heerjee said U Mobile might swap some of its current base stations and upgrade its network from the current 3G to HSPA+ and beyond.
To a question, he said it currently had less than 1% market share and was looking at increasing it to 3% to 5% this year with more new products and better service.
On the agreement, ZTE will provide end-to-end solution including hardware and equipment to support latest technology to U Mobile including long-term evolution (LTE).
The agreement will see U Mobile extending its 42Mbps mobile network in the Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and the northern region by the second half of 2011 and the installation of LTE platforms which have the potential of achieving 100Mbps.
“U Mobile and ZTE have successfully conducted a LTE pilot run in our lab. It is ready to be rolled out,” Heerjee said.
However, the LTE or 4G roll-out will depend on the spectrum award by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
“We have submitted our application for the spectrum in January. We are hopeful to get something,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zheng said Malaysia was an important market for ZTE in the Asia-Pacific region, “ZTE is committed to working with U Mobile to offer the fastest speed mobile broadband service in Malaysia and make U Mobile a showcase through our state of the art technology and solutions.”
He said the cooperation would also enhance bilateral trade between the two countries.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/16/business/8276201&sec=business
No Impact on Axiata From Licence Revocation by Punjab
Wednesday March 16, 2011
By B.K. SIDHU
bksidhu@thestar.com.my
PETALING JAYA: The issue over India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) cancelling the 2G licence for the Punjab circle will not have an impact on Axiata Group.
This was because the licence was never operational, said Axiata group in response to queries from StarBiz.
India's Idea Cellular, in which Axiata Group has a 19.3% equity stake, has 60 days to explain to the DoT as to why the 2G licence for Punjab circle should not be cancelled.
Even Etisalat DB has been asked to defend its licences in Delhi and Mumbai service areas, while Idea will have to defend its licence in the Punjab service area. The reason for the cancellation is over the failure to meet network rollout requirements, media reports from India said.
That also explains why OSK Research, in its report, said that Idea's existing licence for the Punjab circle was not at risk; rather it is the inherited licence belonging to Spice Telecom.
After the demerger of Spice and Idea, the overlap in licences did occur, Axiata said.
This is in addition to the five other overlapping licences it has for Maharashtra, Delhi, Andra Pradesh, Kartanaka and Haryana. It inherited all the licences following the demerger but Idea is required to surrender them as part of the conditions imposed by DoT.
Last November the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had proposed the cancellation of 69 of the 127 licences issued since 2006 for failure to meet rollout obligations.
The OSK report said implicit in TRAI's proposal was DoT's guidelines, which stipulated that a telco holding more than a 10% stake in another telco operating in the same circle must surrender their common licences.
“We note that Punjab's circle accounts for some 5% of Idea's subscribers base and 18%-20% of the company's revenue,'' OSK said, adding that it was maintaining its forecasts for Axiata. It still has a “buy” call on the stock.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/16/business/8276988&sec=business
By B.K. SIDHU
bksidhu@thestar.com.my
PETALING JAYA: The issue over India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) cancelling the 2G licence for the Punjab circle will not have an impact on Axiata Group.
This was because the licence was never operational, said Axiata group in response to queries from StarBiz.
India's Idea Cellular, in which Axiata Group has a 19.3% equity stake, has 60 days to explain to the DoT as to why the 2G licence for Punjab circle should not be cancelled.
Even Etisalat DB has been asked to defend its licences in Delhi and Mumbai service areas, while Idea will have to defend its licence in the Punjab service area. The reason for the cancellation is over the failure to meet network rollout requirements, media reports from India said.
That also explains why OSK Research, in its report, said that Idea's existing licence for the Punjab circle was not at risk; rather it is the inherited licence belonging to Spice Telecom.
After the demerger of Spice and Idea, the overlap in licences did occur, Axiata said.
This is in addition to the five other overlapping licences it has for Maharashtra, Delhi, Andra Pradesh, Kartanaka and Haryana. It inherited all the licences following the demerger but Idea is required to surrender them as part of the conditions imposed by DoT.
Last November the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had proposed the cancellation of 69 of the 127 licences issued since 2006 for failure to meet rollout obligations.
The OSK report said implicit in TRAI's proposal was DoT's guidelines, which stipulated that a telco holding more than a 10% stake in another telco operating in the same circle must surrender their common licences.
“We note that Punjab's circle accounts for some 5% of Idea's subscribers base and 18%-20% of the company's revenue,'' OSK said, adding that it was maintaining its forecasts for Axiata. It still has a “buy” call on the stock.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/16/business/8276988&sec=business
TM Unit to Maintain Menara KL
Monday March 14, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR: Telekom Malaysia Bhd's subsidiary Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd (MKLSB) will be signing a 10-year concession agreement with the Government.
MKLSB will sign an agreement with the Government for the operation, management, and maintenance of Menara Kuala Lumpur (MKL) and MKL land which comprises five lots of Federal lands held by the Federal Land Commissioner.
Under the concession agreement, MKLSB will be responsible to amongst others, operate, manage and maintain the MKL and MKL land and to ensure that MKL and the land is kept in good condition in accordance with acceptable prevailing building maintenance practices.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/14/business/20110314120814&sec=business
KUALA LUMPUR: Telekom Malaysia Bhd's subsidiary Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd (MKLSB) will be signing a 10-year concession agreement with the Government.
MKLSB will sign an agreement with the Government for the operation, management, and maintenance of Menara Kuala Lumpur (MKL) and MKL land which comprises five lots of Federal lands held by the Federal Land Commissioner.
Under the concession agreement, MKLSB will be responsible to amongst others, operate, manage and maintain the MKL and MKL land and to ensure that MKL and the land is kept in good condition in accordance with acceptable prevailing building maintenance practices.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/14/business/20110314120814&sec=business
Saturday, March 12, 2011
It Doesn’t Have to Cost A Bomb to Use Mobile Internet
Saturday March 12, 2011
By LEONG HUNG YEE
hungyee@thestar.com.my
PAYING your mobile phone bill can sometimes put a dent on your wallet. Worst still, if you have recently travelled abroad and fell victim to the exorbitantly high roaming charges.
“I learnt it the hard way. Once I forgot to switch off my data roaming while travelling. I ended up forking more than a thousand (ringgit) and the telco wouldn’t give me any discount,” says a young executive who uses a smartphone.
A simple postpaid voice package coupled with an unlimited data plan can easily cost about RM100 a month. Of course, there are more affordable packages in the market for other smartphones.
The flood of smartphones entering the market which offer features such as access to social networking sites or built-in GPS for map usage have led users to opt for unlimited data package as accessing Internet on the phone can cost a bomb.
The vast availability of WiFi enables easy access to the Internet.
Anne Cordelia Tan, a BlackBerry user pays an average RM195 a month for a voice and data package. She does not mind paying the amount so long she gets the Internet access at all time and need not have to look for an Internet hotspot.
In contrast, iPhone user Jenny Teo says the vast availability of WiFi enables her to access Internet for free. “Why do you want to pay so much for data package? There are lots of cafe that provide free WiFi access. I pay for the basic package and monitor my usage so I do not go over the allowed quota,” she says.
However, given the wide diversity of packages offered by telcos these days, it is easy for consumers to get overwhelmed when making the best choice.
“If you don’t want to pay for a higher rate plan, simply monitor your minute or data usage. If your usage is trending higher than what you get every month, then stop using your phone. It’s that simple,” she says.
With that, the big question is – how can one save on mobile or Internet bills?
Some suggest that bills can be lowered by opting for prepaid packages but others swear by post-paid. Different strokes for different folks, they say. But the key determinant really depends on extent of usage and budget.
Theoretically, the best way to control your bill is to opt for prepaid but the charges are generally a little higher as the network operator would rather tie you in for the long term.
The best way to save on your mobile bill is to choose a plan that is suitable for you and not what’s being promoted by the telco. Be it a higher minute plan or unlimited data access, choose one that caters to your needs most.
Many of us do not call as much as we chat on WhatsApp or BlackBerry Messenger which require users to have a data plan.
There is an assumption that adding data to the plan will bring bills up, but keep in mind that your per-kilobytes usage is probably a lot higher than what it costs to get unlimited data access.
Users must also be careful with what they are subscribing to,especially third party applications such as ringtones, music, games or horoscope as the charges could be quite high. It could be as little as 20 sen a day for horoscope but the bill will come up to RM6 a month.
Mobile phone and Internet users should take advantage of the waiver given by telcos for those who subscribe for email delivery of their itemised paper bill.
The waiver may not be a lot but it will save you some RM5 a month and that’s RM60 a year. Remember, a dollar saved is a dollar earned.
Users can also save some money by making calls to friends during off-peak hours.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/12/business/8186195&sec=business
By LEONG HUNG YEE
hungyee@thestar.com.my
PAYING your mobile phone bill can sometimes put a dent on your wallet. Worst still, if you have recently travelled abroad and fell victim to the exorbitantly high roaming charges.
“I learnt it the hard way. Once I forgot to switch off my data roaming while travelling. I ended up forking more than a thousand (ringgit) and the telco wouldn’t give me any discount,” says a young executive who uses a smartphone.
A simple postpaid voice package coupled with an unlimited data plan can easily cost about RM100 a month. Of course, there are more affordable packages in the market for other smartphones.
The flood of smartphones entering the market which offer features such as access to social networking sites or built-in GPS for map usage have led users to opt for unlimited data package as accessing Internet on the phone can cost a bomb.
The vast availability of WiFi enables easy access to the Internet.
Anne Cordelia Tan, a BlackBerry user pays an average RM195 a month for a voice and data package. She does not mind paying the amount so long she gets the Internet access at all time and need not have to look for an Internet hotspot.
In contrast, iPhone user Jenny Teo says the vast availability of WiFi enables her to access Internet for free. “Why do you want to pay so much for data package? There are lots of cafe that provide free WiFi access. I pay for the basic package and monitor my usage so I do not go over the allowed quota,” she says.
However, given the wide diversity of packages offered by telcos these days, it is easy for consumers to get overwhelmed when making the best choice.
“If you don’t want to pay for a higher rate plan, simply monitor your minute or data usage. If your usage is trending higher than what you get every month, then stop using your phone. It’s that simple,” she says.
With that, the big question is – how can one save on mobile or Internet bills?
Some suggest that bills can be lowered by opting for prepaid packages but others swear by post-paid. Different strokes for different folks, they say. But the key determinant really depends on extent of usage and budget.
Theoretically, the best way to control your bill is to opt for prepaid but the charges are generally a little higher as the network operator would rather tie you in for the long term.
The best way to save on your mobile bill is to choose a plan that is suitable for you and not what’s being promoted by the telco. Be it a higher minute plan or unlimited data access, choose one that caters to your needs most.
Many of us do not call as much as we chat on WhatsApp or BlackBerry Messenger which require users to have a data plan.
There is an assumption that adding data to the plan will bring bills up, but keep in mind that your per-kilobytes usage is probably a lot higher than what it costs to get unlimited data access.
Users must also be careful with what they are subscribing to,especially third party applications such as ringtones, music, games or horoscope as the charges could be quite high. It could be as little as 20 sen a day for horoscope but the bill will come up to RM6 a month.
Mobile phone and Internet users should take advantage of the waiver given by telcos for those who subscribe for email delivery of their itemised paper bill.
The waiver may not be a lot but it will save you some RM5 a month and that’s RM60 a year. Remember, a dollar saved is a dollar earned.
Users can also save some money by making calls to friends during off-peak hours.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/3/12/business/8186195&sec=business
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)