Wednesday Telecoms Digest

Fixed:
* Licenses: Kosovo plans second, 06Q1; Zimbabwe revokes TeleAccess’ for failing to start op’s
* DSL: Tele Greenland orders ADSL2+ from Siemens; Free trials F-ADSL (ADSL2+): 120 Mbps at 1.8 km (max 174/18 Mbps); Verizon trials upgrade to 7.1 Mbps
* FTTx: DT willing to share new FTTN network (no timing, pricing); House of Rep’s Netherlands questions funding of Nuenen muni FTTH; French regulator warns against monopoly on new FTTx network from FT
* BPL: Linz AG causes interference and has until Dec 10 to end this; ARRL asks FCC to shut down Manassas (no info to public BPL database by deadline Nov 19); PLC Network Solutions (= Trimax) receives order form Dancom Pakistan (74 offices)
* DOCSIS: Net Servicios intros naked broadband up to 8 Mbps

Wireless – cellular:
* Licenses: Slovakia plans third operator 06H1, Montenegro pkans third license (3G) 06H1
* 4G: Belarus plans trial by new entrant, with Siemens and Ericsson
* MVNO: Tommy Telecom launches in the Netherlands on Telfort (= KPN), 15 c/min and 5 c/SMS
* Budget: Vodafone prepares ‘Tango’ label for Germany
* 3G: 6 operators China (China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, China Netcom, China TieTong, China Satcom) cooperate on TD-SCDMA trial
* TV: Vivendi asks for regulatory clarity (frequency band); deal 3 UK with ITV to add content to MobiTV; 3 Italy acquires DTT-license holder Canale 7 for DVB-H launch mid 2006
* Push email: Vodafone intros in the UK (technology from Visto)
* P2T: trial 3 Scandinavia with Nokia in Sweden

Wireless – short range broadband:
* WiFi: Netgear settles false speed claims

Wireless – long range broadband:
* WiMAX:
-- Pipex trial progresses with Airspan (NLOS, 1 km; 8 Mbps by March 2006)
-- New Zealand Telecom cancels buy of license, Callplus has positive trial results (N-Zl)
-- Croatia awards 10 regional licenses, Switzerland plans 3 more licenses, Thailand plans intro 2006
-- Ikatel (Mali) orders from Alvarion
* WiBro: TI plans trial with PDA’s from Samsung at Winter Olympics
* BWA (BFW): deal First Avenue (bought ART and Teligent assets) with Comcast: access tot PoPs, fiber for backhaul

IP, convergence:
* NGN: Algeria Telecom orders from Huawei
* VoIP: Telfree (SA) launches; Net Servicios (Brazil) and Thailand plan intro 2006; Cisco acquires IP-PBX unit from Digital Software, $15m; Speakeasy expands home area for unlimited calls to 22 countries (80 $/mo including unlimited local and NLD)
* IPTV, triple play:
-- TI launches Dec 2; Tiscali starts trial in the Netherlands (to PC); plan Net Servicios + Embratel (Brazil)
-- PCCW orders HDTV, MPEG-4 for ‘now’ from Tandberg; China Telecom orders form ZTE for 100k homes in Jiangsu; SureWest selects Amino for HDTV STB
-- EC plans heavy regulation for pull (broadcast) and 3 basic rules for push (video clips) (ban on racial hatred, protection of minorities, advertsing disclosure)
* wVoIP, UMA, FMC: TeliaSonera Denmark completes lab trial UMA, intros field trial with Motorola; Motorola intros FMC handset for Oi (Brazil); Telus merges fixed and mobile units; BT plans flat-fee unlimited wVoIP over WiFi/WiMAX before Christmas (rumour); Aperto claims more buyers apply wVoIP

ICT:
* Belgacom’s offer for Telindus runs December 5-20, FT and Getronics rumoured to counterbid

DTT, DVB, DAB, DMB:
* 3 Italy acquires DTT license holder Canale 7 (for DVB-H)
* Digital TV subs Netherlands +21% yoy (cable + 64%, DTT + 21%, DSB +6%) to 1.04m (of which DSB 56%) as of Sep 30
* LG intros PM 80 for DMB-T

Munibroadband:
* FTTH: Nuenen funding questioned; BellSouth restates opposition to Lafayette plan
* WiFi: Westminster plans extension to residents; Abuja (Nigeria) plans launch Nov 30
* BPL: Manassas disputed by ARRL for not complying to FCC-rules (info filing in BPL database)

Corporate:
* IPO:
-- 20% Telecom Egypt Dec 14 (pricing Dec 7: EGP 14.80)
-- 30% Palestine Telecom planned in Abu Dhabi
-- UOL (Brazil) Dec 16
-- Sony Communication Network (SCN, ‘So-net’) Dec 20 (pricing Dec 8), raise up to $257m
-- Ukraine plans selling 92.86% of Ukrtelecom
-- 3 Italy delayed to 06Q1
-- Eutelsat plans 73.2m new shares (34%) at EUR 11.75-12.75, raise EUR 860m, closes Dec 1
* For sale: Alltel fixed unit, EDT (Colombia), Bitel (Kyrgyzstan)
* State holdings: put up for sale at DT and Swisscom; Spain cancels ‘Golden Share’; Switzerland opposes foreign acquisition by Swisscom (66%)