2.35 YTL'lik hata Turkcell'e 32 milyon YTL'ye patladı

2.35 YTL’lik hata Turkcell’e 32 milyon YTL’ye patladı

Cep telefonu faturasındaki 2.35 YTL’lik kesintiyi fark eden emekli binbaşının mücadelesi Turkcell’e pahalıya patladı.

Binbaşının yaptığı başvuruyu inceleyen Telekomünikasyon Kurulu, ücretsiz kampanyalarında abonelerini mağdur ettiği belirlediği Turkcell’e 32 milyon YTL ceza kesti. Emekli Binbaşı Fikret Köse’nin bir tüketici olarak verdiği mücadele, geçen yıl ocak ayında başladı. Turkcell abonesi olan Köse, Kamucell tarifesi gereği eşiyle yaptığı ücretsiz görüşmelerinin Shell kampanyasında kazandığı kontörlerden düştüğünü fark etti.

İki faturadan kesinti

Faturayı inceleyen Köse, 2.35 YTL’lik kesintiyi tespit etti. Bunun üzerine Köse, Shell ve Turkcell’e başvurdu. Bu kuruluşlardan olumlu cevap alamayan Köse, 15 tanıdığının faturasını inceledi ve bu faturalarda da aynı kesintinin yapıldığını tespit etti. Turkcell’in "teknik hata" gerekçesiyle 2.35 YTL’lik kesintiyi iade etmesine rağmen Köse, Telekomünikasyon Kurumu’na başvurdu.

TK 1.5 yıl inceledi

Telekomünikasyon Kurulu, Köse’nin 9 Nisan 2007’de yaptığı başvuruyu önceki gün sonuçlandırdı. TK, verdiği kararda "Turkcell’in abonelerini mağdur ettiğini" belirterek şunları kaydetti: "Turkcell, hakkında abonelerin ücretsiz kampanyalar kapsamındaki uygulamaları nedeniyle maddi zarara uğratarak mağdur etmesi nedeniyle Tarifeler Dairesi Başkanlığı tarafından hazırlanan soruşturma raporuna göre, kayıtlı idari para cezası değerlendirme tablosunda yer alan hesaplamayla belirlenen ve 2006 yılı net satış tutarının binde 5 oranına tekabül eden 32 milyon 088 YTL tutarında idari para cezasının uygulanması hususunda karar verilmiştir." TK yetkilileri Hürriyet’e, Turkcell’in yanlış faturalandırılma nedeniyle abonelerinin uğradığı zararın tamamını ödediğini, ancak bu durumun ceza verilmesini engellemediğini bildirdiler.

Başka belgeler de var

Fikret Köse, TK’nın verdiği cezayı yetersiz buldu. "Böyle bir hata olamaz" diyen Köse, "Ben Turkcell’in lisansının iptalini bekliyordum. Ancak böyle bir ceza çıktı. Benim elimde daha fazla bilgi ve belgeler var. Bu kararın ardından Maliye Bakanlığı, Ulaştırma Bakanlığı daha detaylı incelemeler yapmazsa yargı yoluna da gideceğim" diye konuştu.

Ceza yüzde 3 olabilirdi

Köse, kendisine gönderilen karara ilişkin tebligatta yönetmeliğin hangi hükmüne göre ceza verildiğinin belirtilmediğini söyleyerek şunları kaydetti: "2006 yılı Ocak ayından Ekim ayına kadar bu usulsüz tahsilat tüm abonelerde devam ediyordu. TK 2006 yılı net satışının binde 5’i oranında ceza verildiğini belirtiyor. Oysaki bu oran yüzde 3’e kadar çıkartılabilirdi. Ceza yönetmeliğindeki 6 kıstas cezanın büyüklüğünün tespitine yarıyor. Ve Turkcell’in yapmış olduğu bu usulsüz tahsilat bütün kıstasları da içerirken en düşük para cezasına çarptırıldı. Bundan sonra benim muhatabım TK’dır."

Shell de hatalı

Shell’in de hatalı olduğunu iddia eden Köse, "Shell bu kampanyada kendi ürünün satışı için promosyon olarak Turkcell’in hizmetlerini kullanmıştır ve bu ürünün ayıplı olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Tüketici Kanunu gereği Shell de suçludur" dedi.

The pros and cons of LTE, according to ZTE

The pros and cons of LTE

by Martyn Warwick

Despite the fact that Long Term Evolution (LTE) has basically won the propaganda war against WiMAX and its proponents say it is now set to become the next generation mobile platform, deploying it in a real world setting and then ensuring that its theoretical performance benefits are translated into practical reality will be a tough task and take a considerable time. At least, so says a senior ZTE executive.

Zhen Donglin, the vice president of wireless technology at ZTE USA, says that while increasing numbers of operators have announced their intention to migrate to LTE, what they are migrating to isn’t necessarily the same platform. Operators in different markets have differing spectrum allocations, forcing them to deploy LTE networks with different carrier sizes and this, naturally enough, results in different performance capabilities.

“In Europe, operators are looking to go to market with 20MHz, because they have 2.6GHz spectrum. After talking to some of the European operators, I think that is what is in their mind. At the world LTE summit in Berlin last month, a lot of operators were talking about initial 20MHz deployments, but that's Europe,” Mr. Zhen told our sister publication Commsday Asia.

He continued, “In the US, things will be different. For the mainstream operators such as Verizon and AT&T, they will have 5MHz-10MHz deployments in the beginning – that is basically because of spectrum limitations: they don’t have any more spectrum. For some second tier and third tier CDMA operators, they are talking about starting with 1.4MHz deployments. Different operators have different things in mind.”

Mr. Zhen believes that this situation seems likely to result in different handsets being provided for different deployment scenarios, with the industry association, NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Network) now proposing separate LTE terminal classes.

He says, “For the handsets, the NGMN has defined four classes. Each class will have different data speeds for bandwidth due to the initial spectrum they can support. I think it will be mandatory for the handset to have the capability to work with 20MHz carriers although data throughput might not be that high. They have to be capable of working with 20MHz, otherwise if you only have a 10MHz handset and you go to a 20MHz base station, they can’t talk to each other – and that’s not good.”

He added: “Eventually, the handset has to support 20MHz, but the throughput doesn’t have to have such high data rate.

The same handset has to work with 1.4MHz spectrum as well as 20MHz spectrum, I think that must be mandatory.”

Zhen Dunglin also says that whilst LTE is expected to be ready for commercial launch before 2009 or 2010, it is highly unlikely that GSM operators will go directly to LTE without first transiting through WCDMA.

“There is some discussion about GSM going directly to LTE and bypassing WCDMA. People can think about it, but in reality it doesn't provide any benefit to the operator because you have GSM, EDGE with data capacity and pretty good coverage, but it’s still narrowband, and these standards cannot provide broadband wireless capabilities. WCDMA though is broadband and it’s apretty good technology. What's more, operators deploying WCDMA have better capex and opex and WCDMA migrates to HSPA, and that’s a major high speed data platform for the mobile industry. LTE, it’s broadband, but initially, it will be deployed in hotspots in urban areas, but even then how can you provide continuous data communications capability? You
still need WCDMA to fill out the gaps for LTE for a while.”

Zhen believes GSM will eventually be replaced by WCDMA for reasons of cost if not because is a superior technology.

He says,“GSM is good and cheap and it’s everywhere, but will GSM last forever? It's hard to say. I think it will n be here for another 10 to 15 years, but for an operator running operating a GSM network from an opex point of view, it is more expensive than operating a WCDMA network. "If you take 5MHz of spectrum and divide that by 200khz (for GSM), you get 25 channels, so you need 25 transceivers. With WCDMA, its one channel. That means capex and opex is lower. Wideband will always give you better economy of scale than narrowband.”

WiMAX sales jump 59pc to 363 mln USD in 1Q08

Motorola leads as WiMAX sales jump 59pc

The worldwide WiMAX equipment market, including fixed and mobile WiMAX equipment, increased 59 percent sequentially to $363 million in 1Q08, according to Infonetics Research.

Infonetics' report, WiMAX and WiFi Mesh Network Equipment and Devices, indicates that the surge in the market was led by especially strong mobile WiMAX (802.16e) equipment sales, which jumped 141 percent this quarter to overtake revenue from fixed WiMAX (802.16d) equipment for the first time.

Richard Webb, wireless analyst for Infonetics Research, said: "A significant number of new mobile WiMAX networks began rollout in the first quarter, and existing networks continued to scale up, driving sales in 1Q08. We expect healthy growth for the evolving mobile WiMAX market, which is seeing strong adoption not only from Tier 2 and 3 carriers, but from Tier 1 nationwide operators as well, like Sprint-Clearwire in the US, SK Telecom and KT in South Korea, Wateen in Pakistan, BSNL in India, and Vodafone and Orange in new territories."

Other report highlights:

* Motorola takes the lead in overall WiMAX revenue in 1Q08 after increasing its worldwide mobile revenue share by 10 points, and is the first vendor to exceed $50 million in mobile WiMAX revenue in a single quarter, according to Infonetics' estimates.

* Alvarion continues to lead in worldwide fixed WiMAX equipment revenue share, but is getting a run for its money by Telsima, which increased its revenue in 1Q08.

* The nascent mobile WiMAX phone and Ultra Mobile PC segments showed early traction, together increasing 171 percent sequentially in 1Q08; these devices have appealing, non-traditional form factors and capabilities and will play a major role in attracting new subscribers to mobile WiMAX networks.

* The number of fixed and mobile WiMAX subscribers topped 2 million worldwide in 2007 and is expected to triple by the end of 2008.

T-Mobile USA launches nationwide unlimited VoIP service

T-Mobile launches nationwide VoIP service

T-Mobile USA is launching a nationwide VoIP service that will enable customers to make unlimited voice calls with their landline phone over a broadband connection. The new service, T-Mobile AtHome, will launch on 2 July 2008 costing USD10 per month. However, in order to participate, T-Mobile customers will need to be on a wireless plan of a minimum USD40 per month, and will also need to buy a router costing USD50. T-Mobile USA had 28.7 million subscribers at 31 March, making it the fourth largest wireless carrier in the country.

Doany: Turkcell haksız rekabete neden oluyor dava açacağız

Doany: Turkcell haksız rekabete neden oluyor dava açacağız

Türk Telekom İcra Kurulu Başkanı ve Genel Müdürü Paul Doany, "Turkcell’in mobil sonlandırma tarifesi Telekomünikasyon Kurumu’nca çözülmezse, Rekabet Kurumu’na götüreceğiz. Orada da çözülmezse Yargıya taşırız" dedi.

Doany, Reuters’e yaptığı açıklamada, mobil pazarda etkin piyasa gücü olan Turkcell’in müşterilerine maliyetlerinin altında paket ve hizmetler sunarak ve kendi şebekesinden diğer operatörlerin şebekesine yapılan çağrıları, diğer operatörlerden kendi şebekesine yapılan çağrılar için aldığı sonlandırma ücretlerinin "çok üzerinde fiyatlandırarak haksız rekabete" neden olduğunu belirtti.

Süre ay sonu doluyor

Sonlandırma tarifelerindeki en son ayarlama tarihi olan 1 Nisan’dan başlayan 90 günlük sürenin haziran sonunda dolmasından sonra Türk Telekom ve Avea olarak Telekomünikasyon Kurumu’na başvuracaklarını belirtti. Doany şunları söyledi: "Biz burada Turkcell’in pazar pozisyonu ve düzenleyici kurul yönetmelikleri ve Rekabet Kanunu’na uygun tüm yasal adımları atacağız. Bu adımlar Turkcell’in sonlandırma ücretleriyle servislerini fiyatlama uygulamalarına yönelik olacak. Turkcell, öngörülen maliyetlerinin üzerinde sonlandırma ücretlerine ek olarak kendi şebekesi içindeki aramalarda ücreti çok düşük, şebeke dışı aramalarda ise o kadar yüksek tutuyor ki diğer operatörlerin rekabeti öldürüyor. Şebeke içi ve şebeke dışı ücretler arasındaki fark, sonlandırma ücretlerinden fazla olmamalı" dedi.

Hükümetin Türk Telekom’un geçen mayısta yaptığı 2.4 milyar YTL gelir getiren halka arzından sonraki 6 aylık dönem içinde gerek Oger Telecom’un gerekse hükümetin herhangi bir hisse satışı yapamayacakları "lock-up" döneminde olduklarını hatırlatan Paul Doany, "Ancak gelecekte hükümet hisse satmaya karar verirse Oger Telecom’un mevcut yüzde 55 blok hissesini artırmakla ilgilenmesi kuvvetle muhtemel" dedi. Doany, halka arz sonrasında piyasadan bir miktar hisse satın aldıklarını da vurguladı. Doany ayrıca daha önce satın aldıkları IT firmaları İnnova ve Argela’yı desteklemek amacıyla yurtiçinden başka IT şirketleri almak üzere görüşmeler yaptıklarını ve bu işlemlerin de bu yıl tamamlanmasının beklendiğini belirtti.

Intel takes Wimax R&D to Saudi Arabia

Intel takes Wimax R&D to Saudi Arabia

Intel is teaming up with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) to build a wireless mobile services R&D lab in the country. Based in Riyadh, the labs purpose will be to provide the Arab parts of the Middle East, Turkey and Africa with Wimax broadband networks as well as services for wireless broadband service providers, telecom equipment manufacturers, and system integrators. The facility's main function will be to plug Wimax, through client testing, getting interoperability validation on infrastructure equipment as well as pre-certification and experimentation with new Wimax services and apps. Intel’s chairman, Craig Barrett, gushed, "We are confident that this lab will provide an excellent platform for Arab scientists and scholars to be innovative in the field of telecommunications and in particular in the WiMAX and networking arena."

GSM 900 Ek Frekans İhalesi Sonuçları Açıklandı

GSM 900 Ek Frekans İhalesi Sonuçları Açıklandı

Telekomünikasyon Kurumunca, mevcut GSM 900 (890–915/935–960 MHz) frekans bandının yeniden organize edilmesi sonucu boşalan frekans kanalları ile hâlihazırda herhangi bir GSM İşletmecisi tarafından kullanılmayan frekans kanallarının ardışık 5’er kanal halinde üç ayrı “Frekans Bandı” (A, B, C) olarak GSM işletmecilerine “GSM İmtiyaz Sözleşmesi” süresince “İhale” yoluyla ilave olarak tahsis edilmesi amacıyla 2886 sayılı Devlet İhale Kanununa göre ihaleye çıkılmıştır.

“GSM 900 İlave Frekans Bandı İhalesi” 20.06.2008 tarihinde yapılmıştır. Söz konusu ihalelere ayrı ayrı olmak üzere Turkcell İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş., Vodafone Telekomünikasyon A.Ş. ve Avea İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş. tarafından teklif verilmiştir.

• A Frekans Bandı ihalesini -- Turkcell İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş. (281.000 YTL)
• B Frekans Bandı ihalesini -- Vodafone Telekomünikasyon A.Ş. (130.000 YTL)
• C Frekans Bandı ihalesini ise -- Avea İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş (128.000 YTL)

kazanmıştır. Kamuoyunun bilgisine saygıyla sunulur.

Mobile WiMAX on the Way Out?

Mobile WiMAX on the Way Out?

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company observes that if spectrum auctions and commercial Mobile WiMAX rollouts (compliant to Wave 2 Phase 2 certification) do not take place by 2008, the market scope for Mobile WiMAX on a global basis will be insignificant., also the technology is facing a range of challenges that are likely to make it unfeasible as a mobile "access" technology.

However, this does not mean that all the investment that has gone into Mobile WiMAX will have been for nought. Frost & Sullivan believes that the work carried out on Mobile WiMAX has the potential to spur new ventures, which could potentially lead Mobile WiMAX to merge with 3G LTE.

"Recent events have been unfavourable toward Mobile WiMAX," notes Frost & Sullivan Programme Manager Luke Thomas. "For example, Sprint-Nextel recently announced a delay to the commercial roll-out of its Mobile WiMAX service, Xohm, and has now stated that the first commercial service of Xohm will be in Baltimore in September 2008 followed by Washington DC and Chicago by Q4 2008 (provided the new WiMAX venture 'ClearWire' deal closes by Q4 2008)."

Luke also points out that any operator looking at Mobile WiMAX has to consider the current environment in which 97% of laptops are shipped with Wi-Fi technology. 3G LTE is expected to be a fully ratified standard by the end of 2008 or beginning of 2009 with deployments slated to occur in late 2009 or first months of 2010 offering peak data rates of up to 170Mbps.

The number of dual-mode Wi-Fi/Cellular mobile phones is also on the rise, with newer models emerging at lower costs, with better battery life. In addition, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NEC, NextWave Wireless, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks and Sony Ericsson recently invited all interested parties to join an initiative to keep royalty levels for essential LTE patents in mobile devices below 10 percent of the retail price. It is still unclear if members of the WiMAX Forum have reached an agreement pertaining to the intellectual property rights they possess for Mobile WiMAX. Hence, prominent members of the WiMAX Forum have formed the Open Patent Alliance (OPA) to address this very issue.

Luke believes that 2009 will be the year when operators begin to realize that Mobile WiMAX can no more be considered as a feasible mobile broadband "access" technology. He comments: "In terms of indoor wireless broadband, Wi-Fi fits well in this space and with the emergence of 802.11n, which includes MIMO, throughputs would be far better than what Mobile WiMAX can deliver. With respect to outdoor mobile broadband environments, users would expect Mobile WiMAX to seamlessly hand off to cellular networks in the absence of WiMAX reception. In reality this is not possible as Mobile WiMAX is not backward compatible with existing cellular technologies."

At a recent WiMAX Forum workshop in Dubai, participants accepted that Mobile WiMAX is not optimised to simultaneously handle both data and voice applications as efficiently as HSPA, or 3G LTE. It is therefore unclear whether the initial client devices for Mobile WiMAX (Ultramobile PCs or tablet devices) will meet with any degree of consumer receptiveness. "While the Nokia N810 tablet will retail at USD 440 for Xohm users later this year, it is still ambiguous if consumers will want one mobile device for voice, based on cellular technology and another for 'personal broadband' based on Mobile WiMAX," says Luke. This is especially relevant, considering that HSPA coupled with Wi-Fi can do both in a single mobile device.

VoIP conversations vulnerable to evesdropping

VoIP conversations vulnerable to evesdropping

Compression techniques used in Voice over IP (VoIP) may leave phone conversations open to interception. According to researchers at John Hopkins University in the US, variable bitrate compression, which is already in use in some VoIP applications, compresses different sounds in different ways. This uses different sized packets for different sounds made during conversations. The researchers identified that by analysing the size of the packets, they could decipher the words and phrases used during a conversation. in this way criminals could evesdrop without having to decrypt the data packets first. Rather than decrypting entire conversations, the team searched conversations for words and phrases and then encoded with variable bitrate compression to highlight how it appears in a packet.

Chances are Not Good for WiBro based VoIP in Korea

Chances are Not Good for WiBro based VoIP in Korea

An investment report predicted that VoIP service which is spotlighted as one of killer applications of WiBro service is not much likely to bloom at least in Korea. The report said that there are too many conflicts of interest for the service to take a root in the local market. KT, the nation’s WiBro provider, might adopt VoIP in an effort to revitalize sagging business but it could erode voice service sales of KTF, KT’s wireless carrier affiliate.

In the report, NH Investment and Securities, a local stock brokerage firm, said that WiBro based voice service might be cheaper than mobile service, but problems such as fairness in frequency use, concerns over possible reduction in mobile service sales, and difficulties in device distribution would make it difficult to commercialize the service in Korea. “Some mobile operators in the U.S. or Southeast Asia could adopt mobile WiMax based voice service as a substitute for HSDPA service. But in Korea, if it would happen, it would be after 2011 when 4G service is expected to begin,” said NH.

If WiBro service is facilitated, KT would prevail in the market thanks to its experiences. It can also be an option for LG Telecom, which has yet developed a roadmap after cdma2000 1x EV-DO Rev.A service, said the report. LG Telecom, Korea’s smallest wireless carrier gave up on 3G business license and launched EV-DO Rev.A service recently to compete with HSPDA service of its bigger rivals.

US Senate Passes VoIP E911 Bill

US Senate Passes VoIP E911 Bill

By Susan J. Campbell

The ability to connect to emergency services via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has been a critical point of negotiation between providers and 911 networks. Now, the U.S. Senate has passed legislation that requires the operators of 911 networks to allow VoIP providers to connect.

The New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act was passed on Monday by unanimous consent. While the legislation had passed the House of Representatives in November, the Senate had made a few changes. Now, the bill will have to go back to the House for final approval.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted in May of 2005 to require VoIP providers to offer enhanced 911 or E911 to their customers as early as 2006. Unfortunately, many VoIP providers have run into several problems and the FCC extended its deadline.

These problems have come in the form of run-ins with 911 networks, controlled by traditional telecom carriers that have blocked access for VoIP providers. In addition, some emergency dispatch centers have worried about legal liability if VoIP 911 calls fail.

Gaining bipartisan support in the House and Senate, the legislation would give dispatch centers liability protection when handling VoIP calls. It will also require that 911 networks connect VoIP providers using the same rates and conditions they use when connecting mobile phone carriers.

Ensuring that this area of contention is not left open for erroneous interpretation, the Act also requires that the U.S. government create a plan for migrating to IP-based 911 networks.

The Senate received significant praise from the VON Coalition, a trade group for VoIP providers. Jim Kohlenberger, executive director of the VON Coalition said that this action is a big win for public safety, broadband consumers and innovators alike. Dialing 911 may be the most important call a person ever makes, making it critical that 911 emergency service is provided in an Internet world.

Kohlenberger also highlighted that VoIP providers in the U.S. offer E911 service to more than 97 percent of their customers. E911 provides dispatch centers with location information of the 911 caller.

One proponent of the bill is Senator Ted Stevens, an Alaskan Republican. Stevens pointed out that many rural areas do not yet have access the newer E911 services.

"Congress has been working on this important legislation for several years and I am pleased to see that it is finally moving forward," Stevens shared in a statement. "This measure will ensure that our nation's 911 laws are up-to-date with new technologies and will continue to save lives."

Cisco: Get Ready for the Big One

Cisco: Get Ready for the Big One

According to Cisco's Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast for 2007-2012, a perfect storm of technology trends (i.e., social networking applications and triple-play entertainment services) will help drive a sharp uptick in IP traffic.

Cisco called this perfect storm "visual networking" and warns that it could place unprecedented demands on global networking infrastructure.

In fact, the VNI Forecast projected, IP traffic will increase at a 46 percent compound annual growth rate between 2007 and 2012. The upshot, Cisco predicted, is worldwide annual bandwidth in the 522 exabyte range.

Just in case you're wondering what comes after an exabyte, it's a zettabyte. And if Cisco officials are right, you'd better start boning up on your zettabytes.

"The broad and increasing adoption of visual networking is having a significant impact on IP traffic growth for both consumer and business services markets worldwide," said Suraj Shetty, vice president of service provider marketing for Cisco, in a statement.

It's a whole new ballgame, Shetty said. "Until just a few years ago, 'exabyte' was an unheard-of term. However, because of the massive growth we're seeing, by 2012 we will have to reorient our vocabulary once again, as the metric that we need then will be the zettabyte."

Last year, for example, Internet video traffic jumped from 12 percent (in 2006) to 22 percent of global consumer Internet traffic, according to the Cisco study. That's just the beginning: By 2012, video-on-demand, IPTV, peer-to-peer (P2P) video and Internet video will account for nine-tenths of all consumer IP traffic.

The impact of visual networking will be less pronounced on the business side. Business IP traffic will grow at a 35 percent CAGR over the forecast period, Cisco projected.

By 2012, global IP traffic could reach 44 exabytes per month; in 2007, Cisco said, global IP traffic amounted to 7 exabytes per month

Vodafone and Avea Pick Number Portability Solutions from Telcordia and Gantek in Turkey

Vodafone and Avea Pick Number Portability Solutions from Telcordia and Gantek in Turkey

Telcordia’s Number Portability Clearinghouse and Number Management System products, developed in partnership with Gantek Technologies, have been selected by Vodafone to alleviate number porting challenges in Turkey.

These solutions, the companies said, enable service providers to comply with regulatory requirements in a competitive marketplace.

After Turkey’s declaration in early 2007 to utilize number portability for service providers in the country, a request for proposal was issued by Vodafone and its partner Avea for a suitable solution. Telcordia’s Number Portability Clearinghouse and Number Management System products, supplemented with technology from Gantek, were selected.

Based on Gantek's in-depth experience in the telecommunications sector and Telcordia's proficiency in number portability implementations, customer base and willingness to give database solutions in complete number portability, the Gantek-Telcordia team was the winner.

It was important to ensure that the team was capable of adapting to Turkey's telecom needs and market conditions. One such condition was to finish the system implementation and testing in just 120 days, which the team successfully accomplished.

"We understand the local culture and unique operating environment in Turkey. Matching our expertise with Telcordia, which has the deepest and broadest knowledge base in communications, is a winning combination that will ensure a smooth number portability implementation within the pre-defined timeframe," said Selda Bagdat Bahadir, General Manager of Gantek.

The selection made by Avea and Vodafone put the spotlight on Telcordia and Gantek’s relationship which works in favor of Turkey’s regulator and service providers by giving them easy local access to Telcordia's number portability solutions.

"Service providers worldwide recognize Telcordia's ability to help them use numbering and interconnection to evolve their businesses in an increasingly competitive market," said Richard Jacowleff, president of the interconnection solutions division at Telcordia.

"Having the right partner is one of the most critical factors to success," Jacowleff said. "Gantek understands service providers' business, anticipates and addresses their needs and, like Telcordia, has the technical expertise necessary to execute complicated deployments quickly and correctly. With the addition of this selection in Turkey, Telcordia number portability solutions have now been selected by 12 countries, serving more than 600 million subscribers, reinforcing our position as the worldwide leader in number portability."

Amsterdam gets mobile Wimax network

Amsterdam gets mobile Wimax network

A commercial network launched in Amsterdam on Tuesday is the first in Europe to use a mobile version of the Wimax standard to allow users to surf the Web at high speeds while on the move, operator Worldmax said.

The broadband wireless network is aimed at competing with telecoms operators KPN , Vodafone and T-Mobile , the privately held Dutch firm said.

It is similar to using a mobile phone network and differs from networks using earlier Wimax technology which required users to be stationary.

The network initially covers just the city centre of Amsterdam, but Worldmax said it plans to extend it across the country in coming years.

The company is a potential threat to mobile operators that are increasingly looking to data usage to drive growth as revenue from voice calls levels off or falls.

Chief Executive Jeanine van der Vlist said a nationwide rollout was a task similar to building a new mobile phone network, adding the company would need about 3,000 sites to cover the Netherlands.

The total cost of building the nationwide network will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Worldmax, whose investors include Intel and Greenfield Capital, would not reveal financial or subscriber targets.

But the CEO said it would have to become one of the bigger Dutch players with its mass-market offer to be profitable.

The company will charge about 20 euros (16 pounds) per month for a wireless broadband connection for laptop computers with unlimited amount of data.

With comparable speeds to broadband, a lower price and no long-term contract, Van der Vlist said Worldmax expects to gain customers from mobile operators, but eventually also attract new customer groups such as teenagers which at the moment cannot afford mobile broadband.

Alcatel signs $1 billion deal with China Mobile

Alcatel signs $1 billion deal with China Mobile

French telecoms equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent said it had signed a $1 billion agreement with China Mobile to provide mobile communication equipment and services.

"The strategic frame agreement with China Mobile reinforces Alcatel-Lucent's position as a trusted partner, as China Mobile relies upon our network solutions and services to meet their growing demand for mobile and now fixed services and in advancing China's telecommunication industry," Alcatel Shanghai Bell president Olivia Qiu said in a statement.

Alcatel-Lucent shares were up 1.97 percent at 4.41 euros in early morning trade, making the stock the top gainer on France's benchmark CAC-40 index. Alcatel-Lucent shares have had a rough ride since the creation of the company in 2006 when French group Alcatel bought U.S. company Lucent. Alcatel-Lucent was forced to write down 2.94 billion euros ($4.52 billion) against the carrying value of assets acquired in the merger. The stock fell 55 percent last year and has fallen around 10 percent since the start of 2008.

THY and Turkcell aim to raise service quality

THY and Turkcell aim to raise service quality

Turkey's biggest mobile phone company and the country's leading air transport company announced yesterday they will collaborate on a new campaign aimed at increasing the quality of service they offer.

“Travel and communication are key factors of life. We believe that the customers will benefit considerably from the cooperation of the two companies,” said Temel Kotil, CEO of Turkish Airlines, or THY, during a press conference held in Istanbul. “We aim to please the ones who choose THY in their travels and who choose Turkcell in communication,” Kotil added.

Within the framework of the new agreement, Turkcell's İştcell campaign subscribers with invoiced phone lines will be able to earn free flight miles. The miles earned each month will be threefold of customers' monthly cell phone bills. On the other hand, İştcell subscribers with prepaid phone plans will collect half of the minutes they have purchased as free miles. Miles&Smiles members will also be able to benefit from the new campaign. THY's frequent flyer program members will be able to convert their flight miles into phone minutes.

“As the leading mobile phone company of the country, we aim to provide great opportunities to our customers not only in communications sector, but in many different areas,” Turkcell CEO Süreyya Ciliv told journalists. “This campaign will bring the customers of both companies closer,” he added. Responding a question on the estimated growth rate of Turkcell for this year, he said, “We expect to grow 10 percent or over in terms of lira this year.”

NOMOTECH Selects Redline for WiMAX Network in France and Africa

NOMOTECH Selects Redline's Products for WiMAX Network in France and Africa

Company to Deploy WiMAX Forum Certified RedMAX Products in 1000 Rural & Urban Areas to Meet the Demand for Broadband Services

Redline Communications Group Inc. ("Redline"), a leading provider of WiMAX and broadband wireless infrastructure products, today announced that NOMOTECH, the largest alternative telecommunications network provider in France, has selected its WiMAX Forum Certified RedMAX products for its US$5 million broadband wireless network expansion.

NOMOTECH will deploy Redline's RedMAX products to establish a WiMAX network that will cover more than 1000 regions and municipalities in Brittany and Pyrenees, and will deliver broadband wireless services to businesses and residents throughout the area. NOMOTECH plans to expand its network to reach capacity to serve millions of users with broadband access capabilities. NOMOTECH's West Telecom & Idyle Telecom business units will manage subscriptions and deliver services to the end-users. NOMOTECH began the initial phase of its WiMAX network in May 2008 in North Brittany and Pyrenees regions, and will expand to cover Brittany in 2009 and 2010.

"NOMOTECH has been a leader in introducing new technologies that have expanded the reach, performance and service offerings of telecommunications networks throughout Europe and parts of Africa," said Bruno Weinreich, CEO, NOMOTECH. "Our customers have come to expect the highest quality broadband services from NOMOTECH. With the addition of Redline's RedMAX products to our offerings, we are confident we can bring true broadband services to more areas than ever before and surpass our customers' expectations for high quality, reliable service."

NOMOTECH is actively involved in France's nationwide efforts to bring digital services to more regions across the country, and has helped carriers across Europe and Africa to expand their networks with wireless technologies. The easy-to-install RedMAX technology will enable NOMOTECH to accelerate its network deployment plans and provide higher levels of services compared to what other wireless technologies can offer. "NOMOTECH is recognized as a pioneer in wireless networking, with proven success in planning, deploying and operating advanced communications networks," said Kevin Suitor, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, Redline Communications Inc. "Redline's proven RedMAX family, with its reliable high-speed connections and ability to support thousands of users per base station, ensures that NOMOTECH can quickly deliver the most advanced broadband services to in these key French territories."

Binali YILDIRIM: 3G tender in November

Turkey says may launch hold 3G tender in Nov

Turkey may launch a tender for third generation mobile phone licences in November, Transport and Communications Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters on Tuesday. Turkey held a 3G tender last year, but only Turkcell TCELL.IS bid and so the licence was cancelled. Turkcell competes in Turkey with Avea, owned by Turk Telekom TTKOM.IS, and Vodafone

Microsoft stops Windows Live VOIP services from July

Microsoft stops Windows Live VOIP services from July

by Chris @ liveside.net

Last year Microsoft announced that the existing VOIP partnership with Verizon would be terminating in 2008. Currently this service allows Windows Live Messenger users to call friends and family using regular landlines and mobile phones, but this functionality is set to expire over the next few months.

According to a Microsoft spokesperson, this service will terminate on the following dates:

• EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) - July 15th 2008,
• USA - August 31st 2008.

They confirmed that so far, no replacement service has been identified.

“Microsoft is actively investigating a successor to Verizon Web Calling in Windows Live Messenger in EMEA and the U.S. and hopes to offer the service again in the coming months. We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers.”

So what does this mean for Microsoft’s VOIP strategy? Its been disjointed, lacked development and made no visible progress over the past 2 years, and now we have the prospect of the service being discontinued indefinitely. However there is some hope on the horizon.

At the end of last month, Mary Jo Foley talked about a service codenamed Echoes. She explains how the different aspects of this project are expected to function with the help of network operators, in particular regarding the synchronizing of contacts to and from all mobile devices, and enabling text message (SMS) to IM conversations. In addition parts of Echoes throw light on Microsoft’s own VOIP platform plans:

Step 1: “Echoes will assign a local mobile number to each Windows Live contact”
…
Step 5: “Voice calls can be connected through Echoes directly from the mobile to the Windows Live Messenger user’s PC”

Mary Jo mentioned this new functionality shipping with Windows Live Messenger v9 betas, following on from the TAP trials being undertaken in Europe and Asia over this summer. Swisscom and TeleNor are allegedly some of the EMEA partners, with trials in Asia rumoured to be using Starhub (#2) and M1 (#3).

Given the expected v9 ship date of Q4 2008 however, it seems like a somewhat tall order for Microsoft to ship a working VOIP platform and cross-partner systems integration in just a few months. Echoes seems to be perhaps a more realistic aim for Windows Live Wave 4, which would mean Microsoft needs a stop-gap VOIP provider for the next 18 months. With only 1 month left to run in EMEA, anybody care to guess when the service comes back online?

How one CEO Facebooked his company

How one CEO Facebooked his company

By David Kirkpatrick

When Jeremy Burton arrived as CEO at private-equity-owned Serena Software last year, he found a respectable but boring 25-year-old firm still profitably churning out mainframe-oriented products. But he also discovered some underplayed non-mainframe products as well as new technologies in R&D that could be killer in a mashup Web 2.0 world. Of course the company's owners at Silver Lake, wanted him to find ways to make the place grow. So he turned R&D loose to develop the new products, and then turned to Facebook to change Serena.

"The challenge was taking a mainframe culture into the 21st century," says the 40-year-old Burton, a veteran of Oracle and Veritas who speaks with the lilting tones of his Newcastle, England hometown. "We've got to be relevant to the future. So we instituted Facebook Friday."

"I told all the employees it's OK on a Friday for everybody to goof off and spend an hour or two on Facebook," he explains to me at lunch in New York. "I said 'Go nuts! I dare you to participate, and I bet you'll find out something new about somebody in the company that you never knew before." He learned that the R&D chief who'd showed him the mashup ideas - ways to combine small pieces of software to get a new, powerful combination - was especially fond of War and Peace.

But of course that wasn't the main thing he was aiming to accomplish. "The subversive message was 'Guys - the world is a different place and if we're going to stay relevant we're going to have to wake up,'" Burton says.

The updated products - mostly little software tools to automate elementary but essential internal corporate processes - started to emerge last year and do well with customers. Among them are products for bringing in new employees, for helping a company's general counsel document that employees have read a code-of-conduct statement, and for tracking defects in software code in a data center.

The company's revenues are about $250 million and only about one third of that is mainframe-related. But Burton is eager to take the company another step away from its roots. "I stood up nine months ago and said 'Folks, we're going to build a software-as-a-service business.' But many of them kind of just grinned and didn't really believe it." In the software-as-a-service model, now burgeoning across the software industry, customers don't acquire software and host it on their own servers but rather rent it, generally on a per-employee-per-month basis, from a service provider that hosts the software on its own remote servers.

For Burton, the shift is an even more urgent reason to get his employees exposed to Facebook, which while basically intended as consumer rather than enterprise software is a classic example of software delivered as a service. Explains Burton: "In Facebook, they can see what the people who are in the next generation of workers are already using. Every single software company has to go through this software-as-a-service transition. But it's not only how you build your software. It's how your people think. The people issue is much harder. Facebook gets people thinking along a new axis."

Now 800 of the company's 900 employees have Facebook accounts, and many use it actively. "It's been a game-changer for us," Burton says, "to go from an insular culture that doesn't communicate much to a more collaborative culture." Some employees still resist, like a few in France, for example, who worry about risks to their personal privacy.

Burton says Facebook offers concrete benefits for him as a CEO. For one thing, it has allowed employees to get to know him personally more quickly than they would have otherwise - something that younger employees in particular, he says, expect to do.

In addition, he says, "the status updates for people in Facebook give me a window into the company." He takes out his Blackberry, calls up the Facebook application there, and starts reading status updates for various employees. "Winding down and heading to the weekend," writes the Germany country boss. Comments Burton: "It's 10 p.m. there so I know he's working hard." The guy who won the award for top telesales rep in the first quarter "is listening to the Roots." The head of all company sales writes that he "is heading home from Europe." His profile photo shows him holding up a beer stein.

Another way Serena uses Facebook is for its quarterly "Serena Gives Back" days, when all employees are expected to take a day for some sort of philanthropic or public service activity. Last quarter the theme was "green," and the event was announced and promoted on Facebook. Employees were encouraged to discuss there how they would participate, and to post photos . "I think we gain rather than lose productivity this way," says CEO Burton. "We have a theme, but I leave it up to them to choose what to do."

After detailing all the ways he is convinced that Facebook is helping him change Serena's culture and make the company more modern and efficient, Burton contentedly ends our conversation by saying "...and it's free!"

For me, Serena's tale is just another example of what I call The Facebook Effect, which is the title of a book I'm starting to work on for Simon & Schuster. This once-modest tool for helping college kids hook up is starting to be used for more and more interesting things.

Avea sees 2008 sales up 25-30 percent, TT targets 6 mln DSL subs.

Avea sees 2008 sales up 25-30 percent

Turkish mobile phone operator Avea expects its sales to increase by 25-30 percent this year and sees its market share at 18 percent, Chief Executive Cuneyt Turktan told a news conference on Monday.

Avea -- owned by Turk Telekom-- also expects to increase its subscribers by 25 percent by the end of this year, Turktan said.

Earlier he told the same meeting Avea raised its Turkey market share to 17 percent by the end of the first quarter from 15 percent at the same time last year.

Avea also aimed to raise profitability this year, he said. Its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose to 306 million lira in 2007 from 172 million a year earlier.

Avea competes in Turkey with market leader Turkcell and second-largest operator, Vodafone.

Paul Doany, the chief executive of Turk Telekom, told the same conference Turk Telekom targeted six million ADSL subscribers by the end of this year, depending on competition conditions.

Apple yeni iPhone'u duyurdu

Apple yeni iPhone'u duyurdu

Apple, dedikodu rekoru kıran ikinci nesil iPhone'unu tanıttı. Yeni iPhone 3G ve GPS desteği sunuyor.

Yeni nesil iPhone 3G, 11 Temmuz'da satışa çıkacak.Apple, uzun süredir beklenen ve hakkında dedikodu rekorları kırılan ikinci nesil iPhone'unu bugün resmi olarak açıkladı. Parlak siyah rengi ve sade tasarımıyla dikkat çeken yeni nesil iPhone'un, ya da açıklanan adıyla iPhone3G'nin en önemli özelliği, hiç kuşkusuz ilk iPhone'a göre çok daha hızlı internet erişimine imkan tanıması.

Apple'ın patronu Steve Jobs, San Fransisco'da gerçekleştirilen resmi tanıtım sırasında yeni iPhone'u "yerinde duramayan" bir cihaz olarak tanımladı. iPhone 3G, adından da anlaşılabileceği gibi 3G kablosuz ağları destekliyor ve uydu navigasyon sistemine (GPS) sahip. İlk iPhone'un piyasaya çıkışından yaklaşık 1 yıl sonra resmi olarak tanıtılan ikinci nesil, cep telefonu, iPod ve web tarayıcısını başarıyla bir araya getiriyor.

Steve Jobs, konuşması sırasında sadece yeni iPhone'un teknik özelliklerinden değil, muhtemel satış fiyatından da bahsetti. Kesin bir rakam vermeyen Jobs, yeni iPhone'un daha ulaşılabilir olacağını söylemekle yetindi. Ancak tam da bu sıralarda, Apple'ın resmi sitesinde yeni nesil iPhone için belirlenen fiyatların 199 Dolardan başlayacağı duyuruluyordu. Tabi bu fiyat ABD için geçerli ve operatörle yapılacak anlaşma dahilinde...

Yine de, iPhone 3G'nin ilk nesil iPhone'a göre daha ulaşılabilir olacağı kesin gibi görünüyor. Apple, Dünyadaki cep telefonu pastasının sadece yüzde 5'lik bir dilimine sahip ve bu oranı yukarıya çekmek istiyor. Amacına ulaşması için yapması gereken ilk iş ise, tabii ki yeni iPhone'u daha geniş bir kullanıcı kitlesine kabul ettirmek.

Türk Telekom 2008 1.Çeyrekte 666 Milyon YTL Faaliyet Kar'ı Raporladı

Türk Telekom 2008 1.Çeyrekte 666 Milyon YTL Faaliyet Kar'ı Raporladı

Türk Telekom, (IMKB:TTKOM) 2008 yılı ilk çeyrek sonuçlarını açıkladı. Şirketin 2008 yılı ilk çeyreğinde gelirleri, 2007 yılının aynı dönemine kıyasla yüzde 13 artarak 2,4 milyar YTL’ye ulaştı. 2008 yılı ilk çeyreğinde Türk Telekom Faaliyet Karı, 2007’nin ilk çeyreğine göre yüzde 24’lük bir artış göstererek 666 milyon YTL olarak gerçekleşti.

2008 ilk çeyreğiyle ilgili önemli gelişmeler;

• Satış geliri %13 artarken (2.423 milyon YTL’ye yükseldi), faaliyet kârı 2007 yılının aynı dönemine oranla %24’lük bir artış göstererek 666 milyon YTL’ye yükseldi.
• GSM faaliyetlerinde FAVÖK, 2007 yılının aynı dönemine kıyasla iki kattan daha fazla artarak 96 milyon YTL’ye ulaştı ve FAVÖK’ün satış gelirlerine olan oranı %20 olarak gerçekleşti.
• GSM müşteri sayısı ilk çeyrekte 0.6 milyon adet arttı ve müşteri sayısı 10.5 milyona ulaştı. Bununla birlikte, bu çeyrekte ortalama ARPU 15.7 YTL olarak gerçekleşti (2007’nin ilk çeyreğine kıyasla %8 daha yüksek).
• Sabit hat faaliyetlerinde, satış geliri 2007 yılının ilk çeyreğinde 1.845 milyon YTL iken %9 oranında bir artışla 2008 ilk çeyreğinde 2.005 milyon YTL’ye yükseldi ve 985 milyon YTL’lik FAVÖK rakamı ile %49’luk FAVÖK/Satış Gelirleri marjı sürdürüldü.
• ADSL hattı sayısı 2008 yılının ilk çeyreğinde 0,4 milyon artış göstererek 2008 ilk çeyrek sonu itibariyle 4,95 milyona ulaştı.

* FAVÖK, genel kabul görmüş muhasebe ilkeleri dışındaki bir finansal performans göstergesidir.

Türk Telekom’un 2008 ilk çeyrek sonuçları ile ilgili bir değerlendirme yapan İcra Kurulu Başkanı ve Genel Müdürü Dr. Paul Doany şunları söyledi:

Halka açık bir şirket olarak ilk defa birinci çeyrek sonuçlarımızı açıklamaktan büyük memnuniyet duyuyoruz. 2008’in ilk çeyreğinde gelirlerimiz, geçen yıl aynı döneme kıyasla yüzde 13 artarak 2,4 milyar YTL’ye ulaştı. Faaliyet karımız ise 2008 yılı birinci çeyrekte, 2007’nin ilk çeyreğine göre yüzde 24’lük bir artış göstererek 666 milyon YTL oldu.

2008 yılı ilk çeyrek sonuçları, şirketin halka arz edilmesinden hemen önceki dönemi kapsaması açısından Türk Telekom Ailesi için ayrı bir önem taşıyor. Hisseleri halka açılmış bir şirket olmanın getirdiği ilave sorumluluk duygusuyla, şirketimizi daha da geliştirmek için çabalarımız sürüyor.

Türk Telekom’u entegre iletişim hizmetleri sunan, lider bir telekom ve teknoloji şirketine dönüştürme kararlılığıyla, genel müdürlük ve il müdürlüklerimizde görev alan tüm çalışma arkadaşlarımızın, iştiraklerimiz Avea, TTnet, Argela, İnnova, IES/Sebit ve AssisTT’teki çalışanlarımızın bugüne kadar gerçekleştirdikleri başarılı çalışmalardan gurur duyuyoruz.

Bugün Türk Telekom sabit hat, geniş bant ve GSM erişim hizmetlerinin yanı sıra, yazılım ürünleri, bilişim hizmetleri ve içerik geliştirme alanlarında da müşterileri ve iş ortakları için bir değer zinciri yaratmaktadır. Tüm bunların yanı sıra Türk Telekom, dağıtım kanallarına ve müşteri hizmetleri sistemlerine de yatırım yapmayı sürdürmektedir.

Geçtiğimiz iki buçuk yıl içinde, GSM operatörümüz Avea’nın şebeke kalitesindeki önemli iyileştirmeler ve sunduğu yenilikçi hizmetler sayesinde, müşteri sayısında düzenli bir artış kaydettiğini gördük.

Geniş bant alanında ise 2005 yılı sonunda 1,5 milyon olan ADSL hattı, 31 Mart 2008 tarihi itibariyle üç kattan fazla artışla 4,95 milyona ulaştı. ADSL hat sayısında yaşanan bu artış, Avrupa’daki en hızlı büyüme oranlarından birisi oldu. Türk Telekom olarak daha hızlı internet erişimini mümkün kılmak için yatırım yapmaya devam ediyoruz.

Sabit hat alanında ise devre anahtarlamalı ses şebekesinin yerini alacak olan MPLS transmisyon omurga şebekesine yatırım yaptık.

2007 yılında 700’den fazla yeni mezun mühendis aramıza katıldı ve 2008 yılında da benzer işe alımlara devam edeceğiz.
Sorumluluk sahibi bir şirket olarak Türk Telekom eğitim, inovasyon, kültür- sanat, spor ve çevre konularında sosyal sorumluluk projeleri geliştirmeye devam ediyor. Türk Telekom olarak eğitimin, Türkiye’nin uzun dönemde başarılı bir gelişim sürecinden geçmesi için çok büyük önem taşıdığına inanıyoruz. Bu nedenle eğitim yatırımları, sosyal sorumluluk yatırımlarımız içerisinde en büyük paya sahip. Yaklaşık 40.000 öğrencinin faydalanacağı okul ve eğitim tesisi inşaa yatırımlarımız devam ederken, diğer yandan da tüm Türkiye’de internet evleri kurmayı sürdürüyoruz. Diğer taraftan, Intel işbirliğiyle 600.000 öğretmeni bilgisayar okuryazarı yapmayı hedefleyen E21 projesi kapsamında bugüne kadar 100.000 öğretmene eğitim verilmesi sağlanmış durumda. Eğitimle ilgili çalışmalarımızın en önemlisi ise iştiraklerimizden IES aracılığıyla, Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı işbirliğiyle gerçekleştirdiğimiz projedir. Çocukların öğrenme deneyimlerini geliştirecek ve Eylül 2008’de hazır olması planlanan Bu proje kapsamında eğitim yazılımı ve içerik geliştirmeye odaklanıyoruz.

Türk Telekom olarak, iletişim ihtiyaçlarına yeni çözümler geliştirmek için çalışmaya devam edeceğiz.

Bulgaria to Auction 4th Wireless Licence, Turkcell among bidders

Bulgaria to Auction 4th Wireless Licence in July

Bulgaria is about to auction a mobile phone licence by the end of July that will allow the launch of a 4^th wireless operator in the European Union newcomer, the telecoms regulator said on Tuesday, quoted by Reuters. 12 companies showed interest in acquiring the 20-year GSM licence, including Turkish mobile operator Turkcell. The starting price of the tender will be 38 million BGN (19 million EUR), told from Reuters. The interested suitors should express their interest by July 11. The three current mobile phone operators in Bulgaria (MTel, Globul and Vivatel) have so far not expressed interest in the tender.

Çin depremi ve Aferin Turkcell

http://www.stargazete.com/index.asp?haberID=159817

Aziz Üstel
ÇiN DEPREMi VE AFERiN TURKCELL!

Ethem Bey (Üster) yazmış ve anlatmış:

‘Çin’de deprem olduğu gün Şangay’a dokuz kilometre uzaktaydım. Yanımda iki cep telefonum vardı. Fransa’da oturduğum için biri Orange diğeriyse Turkcell.

‘Bilmem bilir misiniz, Orange dünyanın en büyük mobil telefon şirketlerinden biri. Deprem olduktan iki dakika sonra Turkcell’den aldığım telefon çaldı.Tatlı bir hanım sesi bana iyi olup olmadığımı sordu.Yardıma ihtiyacım varsa ellerinden geleni yapacaklarını bildirdi. Şaşkınlıktan ne diyeceğimi bilemedim. Ancak teşekkür edebildim. Hemen ardından bi SMS geldi ve Türk Büyükelçiliği’nin, en yakın THY bürosunun, kimi hastanelerin telefon numaralarını bildirdi bana. Aradan beş dakika geçmemişti ki, bi SMS daha geldi. Bana yarım saatlik bedava konuşma hakkım olduğunu bildiriyordu Turkcell ve tekrar geçmiş olsun diyordu... Fransız cep telefonuma gelince, yani Orange’a, tık yok! Eşim Ferda’nın da bir başka Türk cep telefonu var Turkcell olmayan; ondan da ne arayan oldu ne soran! Bugün Türkiye’ye geldim ve ilk iş eşimin cep telefonunu iptal ettirip onu da Turkcell’e abone yaptım.... Bunu lütfen yazın. Sizin aracılığınızla Turkcell’e teşekkür etmiş olayım..’

Ben de aynen yazdım işte. Gerçekten de aferin Turkcell’e!

Mobile Capex Finally Shifts to 3G Technologies

Mobile Capex Finally Shifts to 3G Technologies

Mobile network operators are finally moving their infrastructure spending away from GSM/EDGE and toward 3G W-CDMA/HSPA technologies, according to Heavy Reading

Mobile network operators are finally shifting their infrastructure capital spending away from GSM/EDGE technologies and toward 3G Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), with carriers in Western Europe leading the 3G charge, according to a major new report from Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com), the research unit of TechWeb's Light Reading (www.lightreading.com).

3G Squeeze: GSM, LTE & the Future of Wideband CDMA delivers a complete analysis of the technology shifts now underway in mobile networks worldwide. Drawing on inputs from major GSM and W-CDMA/HSPA operators as well as interviews with major vendors, the report weighs the underlying technology, business, consumer, and regulatory dynamics that are shaping infrastructure decisions by mobile network operators around the world. The report includes a detailed forecast of mobile operator capex on GSM/EDGE, W-CDMA/HSPA, and emerging LTE technologies through 2012.

The 53-page report assesses the positioning of mobile infrastructure vendors in each of the major technologies and across the 3rd Generation Partnership Program (3GPP) family as a whole. It examines the positioning of relatively new entrants such as ZTE, along with incumbent vendors in a market sector that is becoming more dynamic despite consolidation. The report analyzes suppliers' market positions and strategies for success in this newly volatile environment.

For a list of companies profiled and analyzed in this report, go to:

http://img.lightreading.com/heavyreading/pdf/hr20080604_companies.pdf

"Over the last 18 months, HSPA has finally started to deliver on the mobile broadband performance promise of 3G," says Patrick Donegan, Senior Analyst with Heavy Reading and author of 3G Squeeze: GSM, LTE & the Future of Wideband CDMA. "There is genuine excitement on the part of users at being able to get out their laptops across extensive urban and suburban areas and consistently get at least 1 Mbit/s throughput over the air."

However, the slower-than-expected adoption of 3G by network operators could result in a squeeze on the technology's lifespan if so-called 4G technologies are developed and rolled out as currently planned, Donegan adds. "Just as W-CDMA is finally starting to establish itself as the preferred global platform for mobile broadband services, it faces the prospect of being made redundant by an acceleration in the time to market of the 4G mobile WiMax and LTE standards," he says. "These technologies are designed to be deployed in much larger spectrum channel widths and offer better spectral efficiency, higher throughput, and lower latency than anything W-CDMA/HSPA can support."

Still, Donegan predicts that capital spending on 3G infrastructure products will continue to grow through 2011, while capex on GSM/EDGE gear will begin to decline this year, after remaining stagnant since 2005.

Key findings of 3G Squeeze: GSM, LTE & the Future of Wideband CDMA include the following:

Global annual capex on W-CDMA/HSPA infrastructure will peak at about $19 billion in the 2010-2012 timeframe. For most GSM/EDGE or W-CDMA/HSPA operators, HSPA will be their primary, if not exclusive, platform for delivering mobile broadband services over the next three years.

The era of GSM/EDGE dominance is coming to a close, and the first shutdowns of GSM networks are likely to occur as early as 2012. The main indicator for this decline is that growth in emerging markets is starting to flatten out. While strong-growth markets such as India may well see higher GSM/EDGE capex in 2008 than in 2007, other operators in emerging markets are starting to either reduce total capex or shift capex into W-CDMA/HSPA.

The total 3GPP infrastructure market will decline slightly over the next five years, from $42.5 billion in 2008 to $38.5 billion in 2012. Increases in capex on W-CDMA/HSPA infrastructure will come at the expense of GSM/EDGE spending. Price cuts also will contribute to the revenue decline, as operators move to exploit opportunities to leverage still-greater economies of scale in their procurement, and as suppliers from China pursue aggressive pricing strategies to gain market share.

Ericsson and Huawei appear to be in the best position to capitalize on changes in the 3GPP infrastructure market. Huawei is clearly the vendor with the most market-share momentum in GSM and W-CDMA, and is likely to breach the 15 percent global share barrier in 2009. Ericsson has held its market share, and may even have gained. Motorola and Nortel are losing the most ground in the 3GPP infrastructure sector, but both have ambitions to regain their position with LTE.

3G Squeeze: GSM, LTE & the Future of Wideband CDMA is essential reading for a wide range of industry participants, including the following:

-- Mobile infrastructure technology suppliers: How will the shift in carrier capex spending on GSM, W-CDMA/HSPA, and LTE equipment affect your business? Where are the new opportunities for market growth? Are your products and marketing messages in line with customer plans and expectations? Are there significant gaps in your product lines that need to be addressed to meet future demand?--

-- Other equipment suppliers: How and when will demand for mobile infrastructure technologies change? Which technologies are emerging as the most likely winners for tomorrow's mobile networks? Is your company in position to take advantage of those anticipated trends?

-- Mobile network operators: How do your plans for infrastructure deployment compare with those of your competitors? Do your technology choices give you a clear competitive advantage in terms of cost and performance, or are there better alternatives? Which technology suppliers are in the best position to deliver the solutions you need for your mobile infrastructure plans?

-- Investors: Which technologies are emerging as the winning solutions for next-gen mobile infrastructure, and which companies are the leading providers of those solutions? How will shifts in capex for mobile infrastructure affect the telecom supply chain in the coming months and years?

3G Squeeze: GSM, LTE & the Future of Wideband CDMA costs $3,995 and is published in PDF format. The price includes an enterprise license covering all of the employees at the purchaser's company

France Telecom Offers $41.9 Billion for TeliaSonera

France Telecom Offers $41.9 Billion for TeliaSonera

France Telecom SA offered 252.5 billion kronor ($41.9 billion) to buy Sweden's TeliaSonera AB and create the world's fourth-biggest telephone company.

The cash and stock offer values TeliaSonera at 56.23 kronor a share, France Telecom said in a statement today. The price is 26 percent higher than TeliaSonera's price on April 15, the day before France Telecom's interest became public. TeliaSonera's board won't back the bid because it's ``far below'' the company's value, Chairman Tom von Weymarn said in an interview.

Buying TeliaSonera would be Paris-based France Telecom's biggest deal since it bought Orange Plc for 27.8 billion pounds ($55.1 billion) in 2000. France Telecom's shares have fallen 13 percent since its interest in TeliaSonera became known, on concern it would issue new stock to pay for the purchase.

``The bid is a little on the low side,'' said Per Colleen, head of Swedish equities at DnB Nor Asset Management in Stockholm, which manages the equivalent of $5.8 billion.

France Telecom Chief Executive Officer Didier Lombard previously said the company was seeking growth in emerging markets including Vietnam and Ghana, where mobile-phone use is growing faster than in the operator's main markets of France and the U.K. The company has said it would stick to debt-ratio targets and its cash dividend policy.

Cash-Stock Mix

France Telecom will pay in cash for 52 percent of TeliaSonera's shares, and 48 percent in stock. It will offer three new France Telecom shares for 11 TeliaSonera shares, with a cash guarantee option for the first 500 shares.

``That's a pretty steep premium and to be honest I don't see the logic behind it,'' said Chris-Oliver Schickentanz, head of company research at Dresdner Bank AG in Frankfurt. ``There will be some minor synergies in Spain but other than that nothing significant.''

The combined company would have 237 million subscribers, of which 168 million would be mobile-phone users and 69 million would be fixed-line customers.

The acquisition would add to France Telecom's earnings per share beginning next year, and would become accretive in 2011 to free cash flow per share. France Telecom will only pursue a friendly takeover, according to the statement. France Telecom said it will list its shares in Stockholm and Helsinki after the purchase.