WCA May 2013

Elsewhere in telecom . . . ✆ ✆ The Lebanese of Telecommunications (LMoT) and the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta) have announced their agreement to cooperate in sharing capacity on Cyta’s Alexandros cable subsystem. Its Cyprus–Egypt–France linkage is expected to open up reciprocal Eurasian and Eastern Mediterranean business opportunities. As reported in the Cyprus-based Famagusta Gazette (9 th March), under the agreement LMoT will acquire multiple-capacity connectivity to France and Egypt, thus enhancing Lebanon’s international access through physical diversity and a significant increase in bandwidth. At a signing ceremony in Beirut the two parties also ratified a memorandum of understanding for construction of the Europa system, a high-capacity undersea cable between Cyprus and Lebanon slated to enter service by 2015. ✆ ✆ Citing as its source Malaysian news site thestar.com.my (8 th March), TeleGeography reported that Malaysia’s Telecommunications is understood to be modernising its entire mobile network, comprising close to 6,000 sites across the country. The operator also expects to expand 3G coverage to 75 per cent of populated areas by the end of 2013. DiGi’s chief technology officer, Ole Martin Gunhildsbu, was quoted as saying, “We have seen significant quality improvements over the last six months in all areas where we have completed network upgrades.” ✆ ✆ For the second consecutive year, and the third time in four years, Verizon Communications Inc (New York) has received top ranking in the telecommunications sector of the Fortune list of the world’s most admired companies, published in March. The magazine’s selections are based on surveys of executives, directors and analysts who were asked to rate companies in their particular industries. Ministry

Ofcom CEO Ed Richards observed that – on completion of the assignment stage of the sale, to determine where in the 800mHz and 2.6gHz bands each firm’s new frequencies will be located – 4G coverage in the UK will extend far beyond that of existing 3G services. This, he said, “is good news for parts of the country currently underserved by mobile broadband.” BT extends 20Mbps 21CN broadband ISP services to cover 92 per cent of the United Kingdom The BTWholesale unit of UK telecom operator BT has told ISPreview that the range of its up-to-20Mbps (ADSL2+) capable 21CN-based wholesale broad- band connect (WBC) platform will be extended beyond current targets into more rural areas, to reach over 92 per cent of the country. BT’s WBC 21 st Century Network, now gradually replacing its older 20CN platform that supports slower copper line ADSLMAX speeds only up to 8Mbps, is already available to over 85 per cent of UK premises. At the end of last year, 2,549 sites/ exchanges were live, and the company expects to bring that total to 22.5 million premises, or 90 per cent of the United Kingdom, this spring. In fact, as reported by Mark Jackson on ISPreview.co.uk (18 th February), recent information from BT indicates that WBC will reach 91 per cent of UK homes and businesses by spring. BT will then enable an additional 195 sites (locations yet to be decided), bringing total coverage to above 92 per cent over the summer. At this stage, Mr Jackson observed, even a few percentage points can translate into a stronger geographic reach: ie, fewer customers over a bigger area. Additionally, BT is investigating “further WBC expansion plans” for later in 2013 and into early 2014. A BT spokeswoman told ISPreview.co.uk : “We are constantly reviewing our plans to see if we can further extend our advanced copper broadband network. [But] there are no immediate plans to upgrade new exchanges beyond the 195 new sites.”

An early decision not to deploy 3G cellular infrastructure left it struggling to catch up to its rivals in terms of data usage by its mobile subscribers, thus sacrificing revenue-generating potential from 3G. telecomasia.net noted that the Chinese government had not yet announced a date for the allocation of 4G licenses, but was rumoured to be considering awarding a pre-commercial operating licence to China Mobile ahead of its rivals. Vodafone in the lead, five successful bidders emerge from Britain’s per cent-round auction of 4G spectrum The UK telecom regulator Ofcom has announced the names of successful bidders in the auction of two per cent mHz of fourth-generation (4G) spectrum across the two bands 800MHz and 2.6GHz. The five companies that survived more than per cent rounds of bidding with new frequencies include all four of the country’s existing mobile network operators: Vodafone, EE, Hutchison 3G UK, and O2 UK. The other winning bidder is BT subsidiary Niche Spectrum Ventures. Vodafone will pay the most ($1.22 billion) for its new frequencies; EE, the largest British telecom by subscribers, $901 million; the market’s smallest operator, Hutchison 3G UK (which operates as “Three”), $344.2 million; O2 UK, $841.2 million for 2X10mHz of 800mHz spectrum. As noted by TeleGeography (20 th February), “uniquely” Ofcom confirmed that it attached a coverage obligation to the O2 UK frequencies, requiring the company to provide indoor mobile broadband service to at least 98 per cent of the UK population by the end of 2017. Finally, winning bidder Niche Spectrum Ventures will pay $285.1 million for its new spectrum. On payment of licence fees the concessions will formally be awarded, with a view to allowing winners to use their spectrum to launch commercial service by summer.

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Wire & Cable ASIA – May/June 2013