After successfully closing 3G auctions at almost $15 billion (677.2 billion INR), India is opening bid for broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum. 11 applicants have been approved to take part in the auctions — including Aircel, Augere (Mauritius), Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Infotel Broadband Services, Qualcomm, Reliance WiMax, Spice Internet Service Provider, Tata Communications Internet…
Germany’s radio spectrum earns 4.38 billion EUR
Germany’s auction of radio spectrum made an additional 4.38 billion EUR for the government, which is significantly lower than the 8 billion EUR analysts have predicted. The Bundesnetzagentur, Germany’s telecom regulator, announced that the winners in the highly desired 800MHz band, which will be used for launching LTE services, are Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile, Vodafone and…
India 3G winners announced
India closed its 3G auction after 34 days and 183 rounds. The biggest winners are Aircel, Reliance and Bharti, with each gaining spectrum in 13 circles. Idea has won spectrum in 11 circles, whereas Tata and Vodafone have won spectrum in nine circles, each. The provisional winning price for one slot of bandwidth to offer…
Want to sneak an iPad in Israel? Can’t do it, even if you’re a supermodel!
Everyone wants an iPad these days, supermodels included. One such person is Bar Refaeli, who was caught at Tel Aviv’s international airport trying to bring in the newly purchased device without declaring it at customs. Declaring goods is required in Israel for every product worth more than around $200, and iPad definitely costs more. We…
Samsung Electronics Chairman and Sony CEO to meet May 24th
Again this isn’t what we would consider really a mobile news, but it’s important nevertheless. The Samsung Electronics Chairman, Lee Kun-hee, and Sony CEO, Howard Stringer, are to meet on May 24th. It won’t be the clash of the titans, however, but more of a partner talk. From what we’re hearing, mobile phones won’t be…
Did Mexico’s cell phone registration plans backfire?
In an attempt to combat the cartel-related violence, Mexico enacted a law requiring cell phone users to register their identity with the carrier. Nearly 30 million subscribers didn’t do this because of a lack of knowledge or a distrust of what could happen to that information if it fell into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, the…
Portugal Telecom to Telefonica: Forget about the deal in Brazil
We’ve already talked about Telefonica’s plan to combine its Brazilian assets. The move involved tough negotiations with Portugal Telecom over Vivo, the country’s leading mobile operator that is co-owned by the two European operator groups. Portugal Telecom (PT) doesn’t like the idea, hence they’ve rejected an unsolicited 5.7 billion EUR ($7.65 billion) bid from Spain’s…
Lebara Mobile launches MVNO in France
European prepaid MVNO, Lebara Mobile, has launched its services in France, powered by Bouygues Telecom’s network. The company plans to use a combination of shops and independent retailers, telecom outlets and tobacconists to reach customers all over the country. Top-ups will be available from e-terminals and as scratchcards. As they arrive late at the ever-competitive…
FCC wants to tackle ‘bill shock’
The Federal Communications Commission is trying to do consumers a solid by tackling the issue of “bill shock” – opening up your cell phone bill and being hit with extra fees because you went over your monthly allotment of voice, text or data. In a public note (PDF), the governmental agency is seeking comment on…
China Wireless Technologies to open R&D centre, handset factory in India
It’s not like every day that we have a Chinese company opening a new factory outside of China. This is especially true if we’re talking about electronics — I’m not aware of a single company from the “world’s fastest growing economy” that has set up an electronics manufacturing plant outside of China. Enter China Wireless…