It is being reported that Telenor is mulling acquisition of Pakistan’s Warid Telecom for around $1.3 billion. If this proves true and Norway-based company succeeds, it will leave the Dhabi Group with 7% of Warid, while other 30% will stay with Singtel.

According to Pro Pakistani, the talks went through in a smooth way, with Telenor agreeing to paying the value that was pretty acceptable for Dhabi Group.

Pakistan telecom market includes 5 big players: Moblink with just over 28 million customers, Telenor and Ufone with just under 20 million customers, Warid Telecom with around 17 million, and China Mobile (NYSE: CHL)-owned Zong with with just under 6 million customers.

And for the record, China Mobile had previously tried to buy out Warid Telecom but reportedly failed to reach an agreement on the price…

[Via: CellularNews]

Helix Wind, the company which we’ve already mentioned in the past, will trial its cell tower-powering wind turbines in Southern California. Installation will occur in early 2010, and the test will run for three months.

In addition to providing power to the cell phone towers, Helix will also test whether it’s feasible to sell excess power to the power grid under a power purchase agreement.

The company is working on the project in association with Core Communications Group-owned Vertical Green.

Finally, Helix points out that due the fact that the number of cell phone towers is expected to grow in the next five years, they will be carefully watching the market and look for the opportunity to sell as many wind turbines as demanded…

[Via: renewbl]

Warner Bros has launched its first Harry Potter app in the AppStore – Harry Potter Spells, which lets players cast spells at their opponents using hand gestures. There is a total of 14 different spells available, and you can either play for yourself, or against a friend — all from a single device.

Right from the start, you’re invited to join the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and visit Ollivanders’ shop to pick up your wand. Afterwards, you attend the classes to learn how to cast spells, end eventually you’re ready for duels.

Finally, it’s worth adding there’s the Facebook integration, allowing you to post your scores on Facebook. The price is $4.99 and the AppStore link is here…

[Via: VentureBeat]

We already talked about India’s ban on prepaid mobile phones in Kashmir, which authorities put in force in belief rebels use fake documents to obtain the phone cards to evade detection and detonate bombs. Well, the move is far from popular and has led to angry protests, putting as many as 20,000 jobs at risk and jeopardizing peace efforts in the disputed territory between the Indian government and Muslim separatists.

Last week, hundreds of activists from the pro-India People’s Democratic Party demonstrated against the decision, accusing the government for discrimination. The party’s president, Mehbooba Mufti, said: “Our party will launch a movement against the retrograde steps like the banning of mobile phones, which have added to the feeling of siege among the people.”

There are 3 million prepaid card subscriptions in the region, according to the Home Ministry. Each such prepaid card costs about 100 Indian rupees, which is about $2. Not surprisingly, these cards are popular among the youth and those who can not afford ongoing postpaid plans.

The government has said it will review the ban once security concerns are addressed…

[Via: CellularNews]

Again we bring you the story involving a smaller carrier – Cricket Wireless. They have launched a re-designed website to “better serve both customers shopping online and those looking to learn more about Cricket.”

In addition to improved look and feel, the new website features:

• A streamlined shopping process that makes online purchases easier and faster.
• A new “Learn” section with information on products, plans and services.
• A new “Community” section that highlights Cricket’s involvement in communities across the country, as well as a special search function to find out where Cricket will be showing up at various local events.

If you’re looking to switch carriers, make sure to check out Cricket. Their website is located at mycricket.com…

After MetroPCS, we have another carrier offering the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Quantico. The rugged clamshell doesn’t impress with its specs sheet, but that’s usually the case with such devices that are primarily made to work under all conditions. In that sense, the military specs-certified Quantico is made from the combination of chrome, glass and rubber – to survive extreme temperatures, dust, shock, and tough weather conditions.

Back to the specs – the Moto-made phone comes with a Bluetooth connectivity support, 2.2-inch 176×220 pixels screen, 1.3-megapixel camera, GPS, music player, 3G radio, large battery (1140 mAh), and a microSD memory card slot. As for the size, it measures 56×94x25 mm (2.2×3.7×1.0 inches) and weighs 119 grams (4.2oz).

U.S. Cellular is asking $99.95 for the Motorola Quantico after a two-year contract and mail-in rebate.

[Via: MobileBurn]

Sony Ericsson has a new plan to whip itself back into shape to compete with leaner and meaner mobile phone makers. The Japanese-Swedish joint venture is planning to close four facilities and cut some 2.000 jobs in an effort to streamline the company. Following a recent round of job cuts that left 450 employees at its Research Triangle Park R&D facility without work, Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) has announced that it will be closing the RTP facility and cutting additional jobs around the world.

Sony Ericsson will close the doors to its RTP headquarters by the third quarter of 2010. The SE North American headquarters will move from RTP to Atlanta, with the R&D operations relocating to Redwood Shores, California. A facility in Miami, Florida will also be permanently close, alongside facilities in Kista, Sweden and Chennai, India. Sony Ericsson says that severance packages will be included, with some lucky employees getting a chance to apply for jobs in California or Atlanta.

The cellphone maker boasts 4.9% of the global mobile phone market, making it the No. 4 handset maker in the world. When it comes to smartphone market share, which we care about more than overall market share, Sony Ericsson isn’t really a big player. But, with leaned-out operations and attractive new handsets, like the Android-powered XPERIA X10, coming down the pipe, Sony Ericsson looks poised to make a big splash in the smartphone space in 2010.

[Via: BusinessJournal]

Cash-strapped webOS hopefuls and deal seekers alike, take note: Amazon is offering Sprint (NYSE: S)’s Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pixi for just $25. The entry-level webOS smartphone hasn’t been on market for more than a week and we’re already seeing the handset hovering dangerously close to “free with contract” territory. As it stands, Amazon will sell you the Palm Pixi for $24.99 when you purchase it with a new 2-year wireless contract through Sprint.

Remember, though, the Palm Pixi’s entry-level price comes with compromises. The 2.6-inch capacitive touchscreen is smaller than the Palm Pre’s display. The 2-megapixel camera falls short of the Palm Pre’s 3-megapixel shooter. And, WiFi isn’t an option. Still, you get GPS, 3G data, 3.5mm headphone jack, and 8GB of onboard storage.

If that’s enough to get you to make the jump, here’s a link to Amazon’s $25 Palm Pixi.

Amazon’s $25 Palm Pixi

[Via: Engadget]

The iPhone just recently made its debut in China. Thanks to a three-year deal with China Unicom, Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has finally managed to bring the iPhone to the world’s largest pool of mobile phone users. With hundreds of millions of wireless subscribers in China, Apple’s got to be raking in iPhone sales, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, the introduction of the iPhone is bringing in some serious revenue, but that money isn’t necessarily coming from iPhone sales. Turns out, the iPhone AppStore is a huge hit in China.

China Unicom reportedly sold just 5,000 iPhones during its first week of sales. China Unicom Chairman Chang Xiobing says he’s satisfied with that number, but in a country that boasts more wireless users than there are people in the US, 5,000 units is a really small number. The silver lining, though, is that the introduction of the Chinese iPhone opened the doors to the AppStore. iPhone users in China have so far generated $1 million in legit iPhone app revenue from the AppStore.

It all makes sense. China Unicom’s iPhone is currently crippled. Apple disabled the WiFi radio on Chinese iPhones to comply with China’s Golden Shield Project. Considering that gray-market iPhones with fully functional WiFi radios are readily available in China, it’s not surprising to hear that China Unicom’s iPhones aren’t blockbuster hits. The flip-side is that there are an estimated 2 million iPhones roaming across China, most of them coming through unofficial channels. All those iPhones are likely driving users to embrace the AppStore. China Unicom also hopes to have a WiFi-capable iPhone available by the end of the year, which could boost AppStore revenue even further.

Still, things may not be all rainbows and happy faces for Apple’s Chinese AppStore revenue. iPhone app piracy is a significant threat to Apple’s bottom line, and could come back to bite Apple. It’s unclear just how much of the $1 million in iPhone app sales came from users looking to download an app with the intention of pirating the software, but it would be interesting to see how China’s pirated app ecosystem compares to the legit AppStore market.

[Via: WSJ]

GoPayforit has announced that it has launched its new mobile small payments service to enable bloggers and content owners to more easily sell content online.

“When making small donations of £5 online, or buying one-off pieces of content from websites for say £1 or £2, entering your credit card details can be a long and tedious process,” said Chris Newell, CEO, GoPayforit. “Many potential customers may not even have a credit card, while those that do often just don’t want the hassle of entering all that information, meaning there is a huge drop-off at the payment stage.”

Newell continued, “Not only that, but for many smaller sites there are a lot of hoops to jump through to use credit card payment on the site. GoPayforit is both easier to set up for the website and easier to use for the consumer, making it a better experience for everyone.”