http://www.telecompaper.com/ Business information about the telecom industry, an extensive overview of telecom-related articles http://www.telecompaper.com/images/Logos/logotph40w225.gif http://www.telecompaper.com/ http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=629062 (Telecompaper) Qualcomm has improved its full-year results outlook. The mobile chipmaker now expects annual sales of USD 10.3-10.5 billion, up from an earlier estimate of USD 10.0-10.4 billion and a reported USD 8.8 billion last year. The chipmaker estimates annual EPS at USD 1.77-1.79, with the effect of the new licensing agreement with Nokia put at USD 0.07-0.13 per share. That compares to an earlier estimate of USD 1.71-1.76 and reported USD 1.95 last year. For the current quarter, the company estimates sales up 8-17 percent from a year ago to USD 2.5-2.7 billion and EPS down 39-42 percent to USD 0.39-0.41. Market shipments of CDMA/WCDMA devices are put at 114-118 million units in the three months to September, versus 89 million a year ago, with the average selling price dropping to USD 215 from USD 218 a year ago. Qualcomm said global demand for 3G devices remains strong and it still sees around 30 percent annual growth for CDMA-based devices this year. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=629062 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:19:00 +0200 http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628999 (Telecompaper) Ericsson has won a prime integrator revenue assurance contract with Telefonica across Latin America. Ericsson will provide business consulting and systems integration services for Telefonica´s fixed and mobile operations in the region, including financial-risk evaluation and revenue assurance life-cycle management, supported by technical analysis. Additionally, Ericsson will offer systems integration services including design, adaptation and integration of customized revenue assurance services for Telefonica's Latin American operations. The operator plans to use Ericsson's technology to enhance control of its operations and prevent the recurrence of inconsistencies that negatively impact its revenue. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628999 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:56:00 +0200 http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628964 (Telecompaper) UK ISPs have settled their long-running dispute with the music industry over illegal file-sharing in a new protocol agreement back by the government. The government had threatened to impose legislation on the industry if it did not reach an agreement on self-regulation. The agreement includes the ISPs Orange, BT, Virgin, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse. The deal will see the ISPs send letters to customers when their account has been identified as having been used to unlawfully share copyrighted material. The letters will point consumers to other sources of material available legally and in a variety of formats. ISPs and rights holders will also together produce a Code of Practice on how they will deal with alleged repeat infringers, and the government will consider ways to give the code legislative underpinning. Communications regulator Ofcom will facilitate discussions between the parties and approve the final Code of Practice. Ofcom will also ensure that the self-regulatory mechanism is effective, proportionate and fair to consumers. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628964 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:45:00 +0200 http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628930 (Telecompaper) Microsoft announced a major reorganisation of its Windows software and online services business, following its failed attempt to grow the business with a takeover of Yahoo!. The company's Platforms & Services Division will be split into two groups, Windows/Windows Live and Online Services, with both groups reporting directly to CEO Steve Ballmer. PSD president Kevin Johnson will be leaving the company, Microsoft said, while the Wall Street Journal reports that he will be moving to Juniper Networks as the equipment maker's new CEO. Effective immediately, Microsoft senior VPs Steven Sinofsky, Jon DeVaan and Bill Veghte will lead the Windows/Windows Live unit, which includes the Windows software platform as well as the Live services such as Hotmail and instant messenger. In the Online Services unit, Microsoft has started a search for a new leader. Senior VP Satya Nadella will continue to lead Microsoft's search, MSN and ad platform activities, and senior VP Brian McAndrews will remain head of the Advertiser & Publisher Solutions Group (APS), both part of Online Services. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628930 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:38:00 +0200 http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628923 (Telecompaper) TeliaSonera reported second-quarter sales of SEK 25.27 billion, up 5.7 percent from a year earlier. EBITDA, excluding one-time items, improved to SEK 7.98 billion from SEK 7.52 billion a year ago, and net profit was up at SEK 4.13 billion from SEK 3.83 billion. The operator added 1.4 million new customers at its majority-owned operations during the quarter and another 2.2 million at associate companies, taking its total customer base to 122.9 million at the end of June. TeliaSonera said it saw little change in market conditions during the quarter, while the company succeeded for the first time in over a year in improving its margins. Growth came mainly from its mobile operations, while results at its fixed-line activities in Sweden and Finland remain under pressure, as growth in mobile broadband slowed the fixed broadband market. The company left its annual outlook unchanged, for stable growth in net sales, a stable EBITDA margin, excluding one-time items, and "somewhat" higher net profit. Capital expenditure will be driven by continued investments in broadband and mobile capacity and is expected to be around SEK 15 billion in 2008. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628923 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:26:00 +0200 http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628915 (Telecompaper) SK Telecom saw its net income drop by 26 percent in the second quarter on high marketing expenses. Revenues went up by 3 percent to KRW 2.93 trillion, from KRW 2.84 trillion in Q2 2007, boosted by continued subscriber growth. Net income fell by 26 percent to KRW 298 billion from KRW 403 billion. EBITDA fell 12 percent to KRW 969 billion versus KRW 1.10 trillion in the second quarter last year. Capex in the quarter was lower by 23 percent at KRW 327 billion. SK Telecom ended the quarter with a total of 22.74 million subscribers, up 6 percent year-on-year. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628915 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:25:00 +0200 http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628906 (Telecompaper) Siemens is in talks with a new possible buyer for its business telecom network equipment developer Siemens Enterprise Communications (SEN). The new bidder is US investor The Gores Group, according to sources from the German financial industry cited by the Financial Times Deutschland. Siemens has been trying for two years to find a buyer for SEN. To make the business more interesting to acquire, the company decided to reorganise the division by cutting 6,800 of the total 17,500 jobs at SEN. At the same time, Siemens plans to hold on to a 20 percent stake to prevent that the new owner from pulling all assets from SEN and leaving its employees without a job, as happened with the former Siemens mobile division, which was sold to Taiwan-based BenQ. SEN is the last large business from the Siemens Com division. SEN reported a net loss of EUR 180 million during the first half of the financial year ending on 31 March 2008. Siemens has talked with several potential buyers, the latest being US investor Cerberus. The Gores Group is active as an investor in the telecom and technology branches and owns US-based developer of business security networks Enterasys Networks and French telecom equipment maker Sagem Communications. A combination of SEN and Enterasys could be interesting according to industry sources cited by FTD. Siemens did not want to comment on this report, saying that negotiations with multiple potential buyers are ongoing and both Cerberus and Gores were not available for comment. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628906 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:15:00 +0200 http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628898 (Telecompaper) Alcatel-Lucent has been selected by UAE-based telecommunications company VTel Holding to design, deploy and maintain a commercial WiMAX 802.16e-2005 (Rev-e) network in Georgia. VTel Georgia, a greenfield operator established by VTel Holding, plans to launch the new WiMAX services under the brand Maximali in major cities by September. Under the terms of the turnkey contract, Alcatel-Lucent will supply an infrastructure system, including WiMAX Rev-e radio access base stations, wireless access controllers and operations and maintenance centre. The core IP network will be based on the Alcatel-Lucent Service Router family. Alcatel-Lucent will also provide the 9500 Microwave Cross Connect system to support backhaul requirements for the network, as well as network-planning and engineering, integration optimisation and commissioning services. Alcatel's WiMAX network will enable VTel to provide its subscribers with broadband services including high-speed internet access, voice over IP and consumer and business services. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628898 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:01:00 +0200 http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628890 (Telecompaper) Cisco has agreed to buy privately held Pure Networks, a US-based specialist in home networking management software and tools. Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will pay approximately USD 120 million in exchange for all shares in Pure Networks. The acquisition of Pure Networks is expected to be completed in Cisco's first quarter of fiscal year 2009. Upon the close of the acquisition, Pure Networks' employees will remain in Seattle and will be integrated into Linksys, led by Mike Pocock, Linksys senior vice president and general manager. The acquisition of Pure Networks provides Cisco with an integrated home networking-management service that will also serve as the foundation for the development of new applications, tools and capabilities for consumers. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628890 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:54:00 +0200 http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628879 (Telecompaper) US mobile operator Sprint Nextel has raised USD 670 million in a sale of 3,300 of its mobile towers to infrastructure operator TowerCo. Sprint will lease back the towers for use in its CDMA, iDEN and WiMAX networks. The deal is expected to close within 90 days. Sprint said the sale will help it focus more on its core communications services business while also increasing its liquidity. The towers involved are concentrated in large metropolitan markets throughout the US. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=628879 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:40:00 +0200