Vivendi SA, owner of France’s mobile operator SFR, will offer 2 billion EUR (about $2.9 billion) to acquire Brazilian Internet and telecommunications company GVT SA. According to the French media and entertainment company, GVT’s controlling shareholders, Swarth Group and Global Village Telecom, have agreed to sell at least 20% of GVT to Vivendi for 42…
India considering ban on Chinese network infrastructure products
The Indian government is considering a ban on telecoms equipment from Chinese suppliers, including Huawei and ZTE. The Department of Telecom (DoT) has proposed to impose the ban in 20 of the country’s 22 circles, which are apparently sensitive due to their proximity to international borders — although this may be later reduced to 14…
TeliaSonera to keep Spanish Yoigo for now
I had no clue TeliaSonera is a majority owner of Yoigo, my favorite Spanish operator which I (and the rest of the IntoMobile crew) use when attending the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona… You learn something every day. 🙂 Anyway, the Swedish carrier said it would keep its stake in Yoigo for now, and will…
India’s Essar Group effectively acquires Kenya’s yu
India’s Essar Group has reportedly taken control of the Kenyan mobile network – yu. The news comes after India’s company has bought out Econet Wireless’s holding in the company, and as a result it now owns 80% of yu. Commenting on the move, Essar Telecom Kenya’s CEO Srinivasa Iyengar told the Daily Nation: “Previously, we…
iPhone craze exends into fridge magnets
We dig the idea – iPhone is a popular device. However, at some point you we all must admit the craze gotta end. In that sense iPhone magnets are kinda too much. This is not to say they won’t sell quite a few units, it’s just that this is getting kinda ridiculous, to say the…
Arrival of the first mobile phone makes Nauru’s president declare a public haliday
After just two months from obtaining the license, Digicel Group announced its launch in the Republic of Nauru on September 1st. To celebrate the arrival of the first mobile operator, the country’s President, Marcus Stephen, has declared the day a national holiday. Talk about the free PR. 😉 The President said that they are thrilled…
Zimbabwe’s Econet launches 3G network
Zimbabwean operator Econet Wireless has launched its 3G network. Initially, the 3G service is available in Harare, and is planed to be extended to other major cities by the end of the year. The operator recently started receiving shipments of equipment from Ericsson and ZTE worth $200 million which, once installed, will be able to…
Azerbaijan to award 3G licenses by the end of this month
The Azerbaijani Communications and Information Technologies Ministry expects to be able to award 3G radio spectrum to the country’s three mobile operators by the end of this month. Each operator will be charged 11,000 manat (about $13,681) for their licenses, which is kinda cheap. Originally, the licenses were expected to have been released late last…
North Korean mobile operator offers free SMS
In an effort to get more users to its network, Orascom Telecom-partly owned North Korean operator – koryolink is offering free SMS to the subscribers. Moreover, the mix of free minutes was revised to satisfy customer requirements. However, it’s only one side of the problem. It’s also the retail network koryolink lacks to entice more…
Dilbert: You’re as good as apps on your phone!
We dig the idea – mobile apps are very important, but are they really *that* important? Dilbert’s date thinks so. It’s hilarious! 🙂 [Via: Gizmodo]