WCA September 2013

Steve Costello of Mobile World Live, in Shanghai for GSMA Mobile Asia Expo 2013, reported that Li Yue, China Mobile’s president, said the company is set to begin testing the technology towards the end of this year. It will move into pilot projects in the first half of 2014, then on to a full commercial launch. With reference to a VoLTE white paper delivered the day before and detailing China Mobile’s 4G voice plans, Mr Li cited what he said were the advantages of moving to VoLTE. Among these is an all-IP architecture that is expected to cut costs and significantly increase capacity as well as to support the launch of HD voice services. So far, wrote Mr Costello, “Only a handful of VoLTE launches have taken place on FDD-LTE networks, with SK Telecom of South Korea being perhaps its most vocal proponent in the Asia region.” ✆ ✆ The World Bank has approved the award of $30 million each in International Development Association (IDA) credits to Mauritania and Togo to support their efforts to strengthen telecommunications connectivity through expansion of fibre optic broadband networks. In a press release issued 30 th May, the Bank declared its presumption that legal and regulatory reforms to promote robust private-sector competition would be introduced by both governments. As noted by Dorcas Appiah on ghanabusinessnews.com (2 nd June), the investments are expected to serve as the back- bone for greater private investment in ICT services and to drive down costs dramatically, as has been the experience in other African countries. The project is part of the second phase of the $300 million West Africa Regional Communications Infrastructure Programme that seeks to bridge connectivity gaps among 16 West African countries, and between them and the world at large.

The research firm was now reporting acceleration in that trend, with over 2.77 million copper-based broadband connections dropped in the first three months of 2013. Rapid declines for copper-based broadband in Asia were cited as playing a major role in the trend. Mr Arnason noted that the US is “somewhat unique in the world,” given the strong position of cable MSOs with respect to broadband connections. The rapid growth of 4G LTE services is also having some impact on copper-based broadband in the US, Mr Arnason suggested. To be clear, he wrote on telecompetitor.com , copper-based services of DSL still hold a commanding global lead for broadband connections. But, he acknowledged, “the days of growth for this broadband workhorse may be over. FTTx based services are the new broadband darling, with impressive growth curves” across the globe. (“Copper-Based Broadband Decline Is Accelerating – Sort of,” 28 th June). Even so, Mr Arnason wonders whether copper-based broadband is quite receiving its due. He noted that FTTN services, such as AT&T’s U-verse, are included in the FTTx numbers and in fact account for the major part of the discerned growth pattern. In his view, that confuses the issue. Most FTTN service is a hybrid combination of fibre connectivity to a node or cabinet, with copper-based connections (usually VDSL) to the premises. Why those copper-based connections contribute to the FTTN growth numbers are a mystery to Mr Arnason, who thinks they belong in copper-based broadband counts. “They are, after all,” he wrote, “a copper-based broadband connection ✆ ✆ The cost of using mobile phones in Portugal is among the lowest in the European Union, according to a study by the European Body of Electronic Communication Regulators and released by the Portuguese regulator Anacom. As reported on theportugalnews. com (27 th June), the study found to the home. Are they not?” Elsewhere in telecom . . .

that the average Portuguese charge for mobile phones – 1.27 euros per minute – is half that in effect for the 34 European states in the analysis. That places Portugal in fifth position behind France (with the lowest calling costs), Denmark, Belgium, and Greece. The study also looked at call termination charges in 26 of the same countries. Portugal’s “average charge of 1.78 euros was deemed “well below the European average of 2.87 euros.” Anacom stated in a press release accompanying the report that, while the regulatory entity does not itself intervene in retail telecommunications pricing, it does “monitor the prices in effect in the wholesale market.” ✆ ✆ On telecomasia.net (1 st July), Michael Carroll reported on a Strategy Analytics finding that India overtook Japan to become the world’s third-largest smartphone market in the first quarter, with shipments nearly tripling year-on-year. The research firm estimates that Indian smartphone shipments reached 10 million in 1Q13 compared to 3.8 million units in 1Q12. The country’s share of global shipments nearly doubled – from 2.5 per cent to 4.7 per cent – over the period, placing it behind market leader China and the United States. Big brands including Apple and Samsung are driving growth in India. However, according to Neil Mawston, the executive director of Strategy Analytics, domestic manufacturers including Micromax, Karbonn and Spice are enjoying the fastest growth. He told Mr Carroll, “India is the new China – a low-penetration, high-growth market that no smartphone vendor, component maker, or app developer can afford to ignore.” ✆ ✆ China Mobile on 28 th June described the availability of a mature voice solution as “critical” to the continued development of its TD-LTE 4G network, and said it would look to launch voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) technology next year.

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Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2013