26 Şub 2009

3G Americas Recommends IPv6 Transition Considerations for LTE and Evolved Packet Core

3G Americas Recommends IPv6 Transition Considerations for LTE and Evolved Packet Core

'The Time Is Now' for Planning and Implementation Throughout the Wireless Ecosystem

3G Americas, a wireless industry trade association representing the GSM family of technologies including LTE, today announced that it has published a research report titled, "IPv6 Transition Considerations for LTE and Evolved Packet Core." The educational white paper outlines recommendations needed in the Americas region to further build and expand upon a March 2008 white paper titled, "Transitioning to IPv6," which 3G Americas published to assist wireless service providers in planning a smooth and successful IPv6 transition.

The explosive growth in the wireless industry has created a requirement for always-available IP addresses. IPv4 addresses are rapidly diminishing and are likely to exhaust by 2012. As IPv4 addresses are being depleted, always-on services (SIP-based applications) are being deployed at an increasing rate and, therefore, the urgency to move to IPv6 continues to be a major issue for vendors and particularly operators in the wireless industry. The report strongly recommends that rather than wait for the inevitable difficulties to arise, service providers should begin planning their transition to IPv6 as soon as possible.

"The time is now for the entire converged wireless ecosystem of operators, vendors and regulators to fully plan and implement IPv6 transition strategies to ensure our great industry continues to prosper," stated Chris Pearson, President of 3G Americas. "As today's four billion wireless subscribers transition to Internet-capable mobile devices, the need for IPv6 addresses becomes more apparent to ensure wireless data growth for the robust mobile broadband industry."

"IPv6 Transition Considerations for LTE and Evolved Packet Core" highlights specific LTE and Evolved Packet Core element recommendations that operators and their vendor partners can begin implementing to ensure a smooth transition. The white paper notes that carriers evolving their networks to Long Term Evolution (LTE) should consider making IPv6 a requirement from day one. Since LTE Evolved Packet Core (EPC) does not support a Circuit Switched Core as part of the 3GPP standard, native support for voice will be supported by the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core. Because the transition to IMS-based Voice-over-IP (VoIP) will likely take several years, it is critical for operators to understand the impact of IPv6 on the existing Voice Core and Signaling infrastructure.

The white paper recognizes that the transition to IPv6 is a significant effort and will carry expense for operators, but at this point in time, can no longer be delayed. Failure to transition to IPv6 in a timely manner will also cost operators money due to reasons such as the inability to scale services. IPv6 has several additional benefits and will likely enable new services that would otherwise be impossible in an IPv4-only world.
The 3G Americas white paper, "IPv6 Transition Considerations for LTE and Evolved Packet Core," and the previous March 2008 report, "Transition to IPv6," both were written collaboratively by members of 3G Americas and are available for free download at:
www.3gamericas.org.

Steve Ballmer: Even Google Wins Android Business ...

Microsoft to Launch Windows Mobile 7 Next Year

by Mark Hachman

Microsoft will launch the next major iteration of Windows Mobile, or Windows Mobile 7, in 2010, according to Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer. Ballmer made his comments in a strategic update session on Tuesday, where he also disclosed that Microsoft would not ship the next version of Office until 2010, and disclosed a "netbook"-like version of Windows Server, called Foundation Edition.

Ballmer also disclosed that the company would be releasing Windows Mobile 7 next year, somewhat of a surprise given that Microsoft released Windows Mobile 6.5 on Feb. 13 at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona.
"We've made a nice release announcement last week of Windows Mobile 6.5," Ballmer said, acording to a transcript of Ballmer's remarks prepared by Microsoft. "We've got Windows Mobile 7 coming next year. We're getting more and more synergy with Windows, so the browser improvements, et cetera, should be quite rapid."

Microsoft also won't be building its own phones, Ballmer said, taking a shot at rival Google as he did so.
"People ask me, will you build your own phone? [It's] not our strategy to build our own phone," Ballmer said. "It's our strategy to sell software that we can use and support across a wide range of device manufacturers to encourage choice, choice in devices, choice in the operators. We have a positive price on our software. Google does not. I don't know how it is a sustainable thing to not have a positive price. And don't tell me you think it's search, because even when they win the Android business, they have to pay to have their search installed on that phone, just as we do, that's a competitive bid that the operators mandate. So we're going with a real price, with real investment, with a professional approach, and a positive price on software-based model."

Ballmer also said that he was proud of the fact that Windows Mobile was the foundation for low-cost phones. Furthermore, he said, while the phone market may contract, the market for smart phones is a healthy 100 million to 200 million units per year.

"So smart phones will grow, in my opinion, even as the phone market as a whole decreases," Ballmer said. "I do think the guys who are in the best position to benefit are the guys who actually have phones at low price points. I think that's a distinct advantage that we have. We have manufacturers who have low price point phones compared to the iPhone, particularly, which is a very high priced phone. You may get subsidized down to lower prices, but the operators care a lot about what they get charged for the phone, and I think you'll see very low cost, low price form factors with Windows Mobile, possibly also with Android as well."

Turkcell Q4 net profit below forecast

Turkcell Q4 net profit below forecast
By Daren Butler

* Q4 net profit falls 20.7 percent to $319.8 million
* Q4 sales fall 12.3 percent to $1.585 billion
* Economic slowdown may affect 2009 performance

Turkey's top mobile phone operator Turkcell said on Wednesday net profit fell 20.7 percent in the fourth quarter and warned its 2009 performance may be affected by the economic slowdown. It said fourth-quarter net profit fell to $319.8 million, below a Reuters poll forecast of $404.7 million. The company's fourth-quarter sales dropped 12.3 percent to $1.585 billion, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell 29.6 percent to $524.5 million.

CEO Sureyya Ciliv said Turkcell's 2009 operations and financial performance may be adversely affected by the macroeconomic environment, consumer confidence and competitive dynamics in Turkey. "In 2009, the GDP growth rate in Turkey is expected to weaken further in line with the global economy, which may have some impact on our operational performance," he said. Annual Turkish economic growth slowed to just 0.5 percent in the third quarter of last year. "In determining our business plans we will continue to closely monitor developments in these areas and take into consideration the potential impact of global volatility on the Turkish economy," he added.

CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT
Last year as a whole, the company posted a net profit up 36 percent at $1.8 billion. According to the average forecast given in a Reuters poll of 11 analysts, Turkcell was expected to report a net profit for the year of $1.92 billion.
"We are pleased with our 2008 performance in one of the most challenging environments in business history," Ciliv said. "The global crisis had an impact on our key markets where GDP growth has slowed down significantly, consumer confidence declined and the currencies were sharply devalued," he said.

EBITDA in 2008 stood at $2.6 billion, down 1.8 percent, and sales in 2008 rose 10.1 percent to $7.0 billion.
Average revenue per user (ARPU) remained flat at $14.5, while the subscriber base grew 4.5 percent on an annual basis to 37.0 million as of end-2008. Last November's introduction of mobile number portability in Turkey, allowing customers to switch operators while keeping their numbers, heightened competition in the market, which has some of the highest penetration rates in Europe.

This, analysts say, forced Turkcell to boost customer incentives and its marketing expenditure to gain new customers and retain existing ones -- hitting margins. The EBITDA margin fell to 37 percent from 41.5 percent a year earlier.
Turkcell, Turkey's largest company by market value, saw its shares drop some 30 percent during 2008, but it outperformed Istanbul's index of leading shares which halved in value over the same period. (Writing by Daren Butler, editing by Leslie Gevirtz, Richard Chang)

23 Şub 2009

Ad-Supported VoIP Calling Network Draws 10,000 Users per Day

Ad-Supported VoIP Calling Network Draws 10,000 Users per Day

By Michael Dinan

The telecommunications industry took a few more hits this week, as the nation’s third-largest wireless carrier, Sprint Nextel Corp., posted a $1.62 billion loss for the fourth quarter and $2.8 billion loss for all of 2008, and North America’s largest telecom equipment vendor, Nortel Networks Corp., announced that it will sell parts of its application delivery portfolio to Radware Ltd.

As in other industries, much of the activity in telecom – including mergers, acquisitions, layoffs and bankruptcy filings – is tied to cost-cutting in this economic recession.

Clearly, products and services that save money for consumers and businesses have a chance to pick up market share and emerge as winners.

Just as the recession began to take hold in earnest, before the holidays, John Biggs of the New York Times wrote
here about CallingAmerica.com, a new ad-supported Web service that lets people make phone calls to any number in the United States from any computer with a Web browser and a broadband connection.

Under the service, unregistered users can make calls of up to two minutes, while registered users (registration is free) get unlimited calls of up to 15 minutes.

It’s been about two months since the service – whose technology is developed by Goober.com, with U.S. offices in Dover, Delaware and a development center is based in Mainz, Germany – came online.

Today, TMCnet spoke to Goober’s quality assurance manager, Zoubeir Ben-Salah, and discovered that already, the service is seeing about 10,000 users per day. We also found out that Goober may be eyeing a service that allows for calls greater than 15 minutes.

Our exchange follows.

TMCnet: It’s been two months since CallingAmerica.com launched. How much activity have you seen? Can you give us specific numbers of users?

Zoubeir Ben-Salah: We are seeing around 10,000 users per day and so far around 20,000 have signed up with our service. But we also had days with as many as 30,000 users.

TMCnet: What kind of interest, if any, are you garnering from new advertisers?

Z B-S: Advertisers are very interested because we can assure that the video-ads are watched in full length. User sits in front of the screen during the phone call so we can fully brand the Web site for the advertiser.

TMCnet: At the moment, it looks like unregistered users can make calls of up to two minutes, while registered users can make unlimited 15-minute calls. What are your future plans for this service? Are there any plans in the works, for example, to charge users a nominal fee for calls of more than 15 minutes?

Z B-S: Callingamerica.com is an ad-sponsored service, and we are not planning to offer a pay service. The 15-minute duration might be lifted in the future, combined with specific promotions.

TMCnet: We reported this week about the United States’ third-largest wireless carrier, Sprint Nextel Corp., posting a $1.62 billion loss for the fourth quarter. As the company’s chief executive officer acknowledged in his remarks, much of Sprint Nextel’s downturn (the company recently laid off 8,000 workers) is driven by the recession. How is the recession affecting consumers’ views of VoIP-based offerings such as yours?

Z B-S: People love our service because it’s easy and free, with no strings attached. In difficult economics such as now any savings is welcome. From what we see here, we have the right offer at the right time.

Nokia E75, E55 Now Officially Launched

Nokia E75, E55 Now Officially Launched


So, its finally official now. After months of leaked images and confusion regarding the model number, we now know that the Nokia E75 was indeed the E75.
Nokia has finally unveiled the E75 at the Mobile World Congress and along with it, also showed the E55, which is set to make its debut very soon. Both the devices are the first to ship with the company's new email user interface. Both devices also come standard with Nokia Messaging for facilitating corporate email communication.

The E75 looks quite like the E71 but flip it over and you will see the expansive, slide-out QWERTY keyboard that will make typing in all those emails easier. The addition of the keyboard does make it thicker. But Nokia has kept the dimensions quite compact considering what the phone packs in.

The display is a 2.4-inch QVGA one, similar to the E71. The phone also sports a 3.5mm headphone jack, 3.2 megapixel camera, built-in VPN, HSDA, 802.11 b/g, EGPRS, Bluetooth, and support for up to 16GB microSD card. The E75 will be available for 375 Euros (Rs. 23,000).

The other phone to be announced was the E55, which looks like a slightly grown-up version of Nokia E51. This one, like the E71 sports a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, a 3.2 megapixel camera, 3.5 mm headphone jack, 802.11 b/g, EGPRS, and Bluetooth 2.0. Nokia Maps and assisted GPS with integration also finds its way in. The phone is expected to be priced at 265 Euros (Rs. 16,000).

Both the devices are expected to make their debut this summer.

Turkey Telecommunications Report Q1 2009

Turkey Telecommunications Report Q1 2009

by Mike King

After disappointing growth of 1.7% in Q108, the mobile market has been expanding at an accelerating rate, with 2.1% growth in Q208 and 2.4% growth in Q308. With the introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) taking place in Q4, we expect to see an even greater boost to growth in the final quarter, and as such we have maintained our previous forecasts, even though on the face of it they seem slightly optimistic. Due to slightly revised population figures, we estimate that penetration reached 98% at the end of 2008, and forecast it to break the 100% barrier early in 2009. We have also extended our forecast period to 2013 as we move into 2009. We have projected that the mobile market will continue to show strong but slowing growth, and will reach 96.6mn subscribers and 127.7% penetration at the end of 2013.

While second and third ranked operators Vodafone and Avea had been leading the way in terms of net additions, market leader Turkcell is now stealing the show, with close to 60% of all net additions in the third quarter of 2008. As well as hanging on to its 55.5% share of the market, Turkcell has also succeeded in growing its average revenues per user (ARPUs) in two successive quarters. In fact, ARPUs have gone up slightly for all operators in both Q208 and Q308, but Turkcell has seen the biggest gains. All three are trying to migrate customers from prepaid to higher earning postpaid subscriptions, as is the pattern when the potential for new growth starts to tail off as penetration creeps up. Turkcell, however, has also been running campaigns focused on increasing minutes of use (MOU), as well as slightly increasing prices, and this has seen its prepaid ARPU go up significantly, thus having a big effect on the blended total.

However, with the introduction of MNP, and its slightly higher prices than its competitors, BMI suspects that tougher times may be ahead for Turkcell.Meanwhile, we have had to push back our 3G forecasts. The auction of 3G licences took place at the end of November 2008, and each of the three operators is now in possession of 3G spectrum. We expect 3G services to be launched during 2009, and would not be surprised to see Turkcell first off the mark, although Vodafone’s experience of 3G rollout and launches in numerous other markets will no doubt stand it in good stead.

In other news, the Turkish government cut the rate of private communications tax (PCT) in November 2008 as it applies to internet services, both fixed-line and mobile. Apparently, the Ministry of Finance bowed to pressure from mobile operators to cut the levies charged on internet subscriptions from 15% to 5% for fixed-line internet, and from 25% to 5% for mobile internet. This will mean an immediate cut in costs for consumers, and should help to boost internet usage and subscriptions.

22 Şub 2009

Nortel to leverage position in carrier VoIP space

CaaS / SaaS Featured Article

by Erik Linask

It was a mere month ago that the communications community was wondering about the future of the telecom equipment giant Nortel, though the company was quick to highlight the potential in the communications market going forward and its continuing role as a market leader. Now, though some questions remain unanswered, the company is making a move to solidify its position again, leveraging not only its position in the carrier VoIP space, but also the growing trend towards software-based communications, launching its Communications as a Service (CaaS) Solution.

The idea behind CaaS is to enable the integration of communications capabilities into network-based services and applications. It originated from service like “click to call” or “click for assistance,” which have become commonplace on static Web pages. CaaS takes this a step further, delivering communications capabilities from directly within internal or public services to create an increasingly effective and inherently more effective communications and collaboration environment.

Communications capabilities have become increasingly more widespread with the move towards mobility and the proliferation of mobile networks, services, and devices. But, as Rob Scheible, senior marketing manager, Carrier IP Voice and Multimedia Networks at Nortel points out, they invariably go through a deskphone, mobile phone, or some other multimedia interface that requires a communications session to be initiated through that separate medium. The idea behind CaaS is to eliminate that extra step and integrate the communications process directly into whatever applications or services people use in their daily activities.

“Today, the communication business is no longer about selling a phone line to a home or business,” said Samih Elhage, president, Carrier VoIP and Application Solutions, Nortel. “It’s about being able to easily add communication services, like conferencing, IM and video, into any online network service.”

Through its CaaS Transaction Broker, Nortel will enable any number of communications services — including conferencing, click-to-call, IM, video, and other media services — to be easily integrated into popular Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings. According to Scheible, this includes social networking sites, online gaming, IPTV, CRM and HR applications, medical recordkeeping systems, job sites, and any other network-based service in which a user might suddenly need to communicate directly with a colleague, client, or potential customer.
Importantly, unlike its click-to-call predecessors, which often rely on best-effort VoIP, Scheible says that, with Nortel’s solution, carriers are able to provide carrier-grade communications across their private networks, including any of the back-end operations they may choose to apply, like ACD to ensure call routing to a bank of operators.


He notes that a key element to the Transaction Broker is its ability to also perform accounting functions — user verification and authentication, checking account credit, usage calculations, and any other means of tracking transactions service providers might use. This allows service providers to deliver this new wave of communications services and manage their accounting and billing aspects through a single solution.

The CaaS Transaction Broker leverages industry standard APIs, allowing for rapid deployment, even in today’s multivendor networks, whether wireline, wireless, cable, or VoIP.
In rolling out its CaaS solution, Nortel also delivers a working model of the CaaS solution, having worked closely with IBM to integrate the capability into LotusLive, IBM’s suite of online collaboration, conferencing, and email services. This is the first example of how the Nortel CaaS solution allows carriers to effectively create subscribers out of any individual or business in the world.


In addition to seeing an opportunity to leverage the continued growth of the SaaS industry, Nortel, after launching its Unified Communications solution with IBM last year, “Started to see how much value there was for the user in an integrated communications environment,” according to Scheible. “As IBM was moving to this online, network-based environment with LotusLive, we realized there was an opportunity to create the same kind of advantage.”
From the carrier perspective, he also notes that being able to deliver voice and other communications capabilities from within their existing Web applications and services offers a new recurring revenue stream —as much as an additional $10-20 per user for the addition of these voice services. In this environment, in particular, that potential is likely to create rapid demand for the solution.


But, the fact is that the combination of online services and mobility have been enabling innovative communications capabilities for many years, because of their ability to facilitate collaboration, file and document sharing, and simply access to resources and information. With Gartner estimating the CaaS opportunity to double over the next five years, this is a logical step, especially since many of these online interactions and transactions create an immediate need for further interpersonal communication, and since Nortel already has relationships with many of the worlds leading carriers, having shipped more than 100 million carrier IP ports worldwide.

“That’s what it’s all about,” says Scheible. “It saves users from having to leave their communications environments to go to a separate device, and it doesn’t involve contact look-ups or a multi-step process to initiate contact. It’s generally a single click and communications starts.”

Truphone promises super-roaming mobile SIM

Truphone promises super-roaming mobile SIM

by John E. Dunn


VoIP provider Truphone has revealed plans to offer international travellers a single mobile phone SIM chip allowing local-rate calls when travelling in a range of countries. Called Truphone Local Anywhere, subscribers with the company's software loaded on supported handsets will be able to roam without having to worry about expensive and widely varying tariffs as they move from country to country and between network providers. Call rates were not detailed by the company in its GSMA Mobile World Congress release, but are likely to be in line with the company's current price structure, which would vary according to the domestic local rate for that mobile. Typically, this means a flat-rate local mobile call using GSM in the location being called from, with as much of the call then being routed across the Internet using Truphone's servers. In addition, the company claims that Truphone Local Anywhere will chop mobile roaming charges - a major complaint for users of conventional mobile networks - by up to 80 percent.

Separately, the company has a service that depends on using Wi-Fi for the first leg of the call, completing it without using GSM at all. Call rates for this Internet-only VoIP service currently range from 5 US cents per minute (3.5 pence) to phone landlines while in France, or 25 US cents (17.5 pence) to a mobile. "Until now, the only way to avoid the massive cost of mobile roaming is to carry multiple phones and multiple SIM cards, one for each country you frequent," said Truphone CEO Geraldine Wilson. "This means juggling multiple devices and phone numbers to avoid paying the high roaming rates traditionally associated with travel. "Now these internationalists can enjoy all the benefits of home wherever they may be," she said. Other benefits of the service include low-cost dialing between countries while roaming, the use of virtual numbers so that users can appear to be 'in' the country in which they are roaming, and cheap calls to other Truphone users using the same service.

Truphone is available as a free download for an expanding of platforms, including Nokia/Symbian, Apple's iPhone, the BlackBerry and, more recently, Google's G1 Android. A small catch with the new Local Anywhere service is that it isn't scheduled to start until "later this year", so interested users will have to hang on for while yet.

Proxim's WiMAX Provides Wireless Backhaul for Turkey's Largest Video Surveillance Network

Proxim's WiMAX Provides Wireless Backhaul for Turkey's Largest Video Surveillance Network

Turkey's Second Largest Tourist City Protects Tourists, Locals and Port With Ubiquitous Video Surveillance
Proxim Wireless Corporation, a leading provider of end-to-end broadband wireless systems that deliver the quadruple play, today announced that it has provided the wireless backhaul for Turkey's largest video surveillance network in the port city of Bodrum. Bodrum is Turkey's second largest tourist town, with a peak tourist population of over 1.5 million people during the summer months. To ensure the protection of both tourists and locals alike, as well as the port itself, the Bodrum Police Department commissioned the construction of a city-wide wireless video surveillance network, utilizing Proxim's Tsunami(TM) MP.16 3500 licensed band WiMAX radios as the wireless backhaul to connect over 70 video cameras.


This deployment is a direct result of an initiative by Turkey's Department of the Interior to roll out video surveillance across the entire country. Prior to deploying Proxim's WiMAX radios as backhaul, the city of Bodrum had attempted to utilize traditional wired telecom infrastructure for the video surveillance network. But as an old, historical city, it was impossible to trench the number of lines that would have been necessary to provide enough throughput for the large number of cameras.

"Not only would digging up the streets of Bodrum compromise the historical integrity of the city, but it would have been completely cost prohibitive," said Faruk Meltem, IT Director of the Bodrum Police Department. "Given the extremely high number of tourists that visit Bodrum and the amount of activity in the port, we needed a solution that could help our Police force more efficiently protect our people and our assets, without breaking the bank. And since today's wireless networks are highly secure, we could safely deploy wireless at a fraction of the cost, but with all the performance and security features we required."

As a result, the Bodrum Police Department turned to STM, a wireless systems integrator, and Corvus, a Proxim distributor, for the overall design and implementation of the deployment. Corvus, which has worked with Proxim on numerous video surveillance networks throughout Turkey, knew from experience that Proxim's WiMAX radios are optimized to allow the high throughput uplink connections mandatory for video backhaul, and could provide more than enough throughput for the 70 video cameras. And by utilizing Proxim's proven wireless technology, the city of Bodrum saved an estimated $60,000 per month on leased line costs, while also avoiding the high cost (and damage to the historical city) that would have been incurred by trenching for fiber. Proxim's WiMAX radios also enabled the network to be deployed in a matter of months, as opposed to the years it would have taken to deploy the necessary wired telecom infrastructure.

"This is the 9th wireless video deployment we have executed with Proxim's broadband wireless technology, and each and every time we have been able to save our customers millions on deployment costs over wired infrastructure," said Atilgan Yilmaz, General Manager of Corvus. "Proxim's WiMAX technology provides as much bandwidth as -- and in some cases more than -- wired telecom infrastructure, so when you combine the cost and performance benefits, Proxim is the easy choice for wireless video surveillance networks."

Overall, STM and Corvus deployed 67 of Proxim's Tsunami MP.16 3500 subscriber stations, connected to 37 Tsunami MP.16 3500 base stations. They deployed over 70 Pelco digital surveillance cameras, each of which required at least 3.5 Mbps at any given time to provide 25 frame-per-second performance and 4CIF video quality. To avoid interference, STM and Corvus utilized Proxim's GPS-enabled configuration capabilities, which not only ensures optimal wireless links in congested areas but also reduces deployment times from days to hours. ProximVision ES, Proxim's end-to-end wireless network management suite, is used to manage the entire network.

"Now that wireless broadband networks have proven themselves time and time again to provide at least the same performance of wired telecom infrastructure at a fraction of the cost, we are seeing the demand for wireless to enable video surveillance networks skyrocket," said Humberto Malave, Vice President at Proxim Wireless. "As a result, critical video surveillance networks like this one in Bodrum are able to be deployed much quicker, and put in locations where you need them independent of any wired backhaul limitations. This enables police departments and public safety organizations to put the cameras where the crime is."

Turkcell's "Tone&Win" receives Oscar of GSM

Turkcell's "Tone&Win" receives Oscar of GSM

Turkcell’s “Tone & Win” mobile advertising platform has won the top award in the “Best Mobile Advertising Service” category at the 14th GSMA Global Mobile Awards, regarded as the Oscars of the GSM world, in Barcelona.
Turkcell’s CEO, Sureyya Ciliv, received the award on 17 February at the Barcelona Palau Nacional and commented: “We are very proud to have won this award. Through Tone & Win, Turkcell has introduced a new notion to the world of advertising and we are delighted that the GSMA has recognized its success.”


GSMA CEO Rob Conway congratulated Turkcell, stating that the awards, which were made by a group of global experts, recognized outstanding achievement in an industry renowned for innovation.

Tone & Win, the world’s first RingBack Tone mobile advertising platform, is a unique and innovative solution for the advertising industry. Turkcell customers win airtime or credits depending on the amount of time that their callers listen to a branded RingBack Tone selected by the customer.

It is possible to become a member of Tone & Win through Web, WAP, and SMS. Customers can simply select the branded music of their choice as the RingBack Tone that they want their callers to hear.
Tone & Win has been developed in collaboration with 4play Digital Workshop, a partner which provides innovative products and ideas to Turkcell.

Alcatel Chief Tries to Paint a Rosy Picture

Alcatel Chief Tries to Paint a Rosy Picture
by Kevin J. O’brien

Alcatel-Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen has been forceful in his insistence that despite his company's struggles, the equipment maker was going to stay in the wireless world and would remain a force. That impression was certainly borne out when Alcatel was chosen by Verizon Wireless as one of its vendors to roll out its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network

Just four months into the job, Ben Verwaayen, the chief executive of the struggling telephone equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent, said he had had enough of the naysayers. And they have been plentiful. Rivals have questioned Mr. Verwaayen’s decision to remain in the wireless equipment business, the fastest-growing part of the industry, where Alcatel-Lucent, the fixed-line leader, trails Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks. Investors have been skeptical about a reorganization announced in December that will eliminate 1,000 management jobs and 5,000 contract workers from a 77,000-member work force. And former employees say that a clash between French and American workstyles — Alcatel was based in Paris, Lucent in New Jersey — has cost Alcatel-Lucent business. During an interview at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the wireless industry convention, Mr. Verwaayen insisted that he was “confident that you will find a company that is alive and kicking, a company that is a force.”

He said Alcatel-Lucent was poised to regain market share after stumbling for two years following its $13 billion merger in November 2006. Since then, the company has posted 9.4 billion euros, or $11.8 billion, in losses and 7.9 billion euros in write-downs. Although the company expected global demand for telecommunications equipment to fall by 10 percent this year, Mr. Verwaayen said Alcatel-Lucent’s comeback would begin in lucrative markets like China, where the company is bidding to supply the three largest operators with their first high-speed wireless networks. “We are among the top four wireless equipment vendors in China, and we are in the process now of entering the top three,” said Mr. Verwaayen, who was credited with turning around the British telecommunications operator BT. “We are going to stay in wireless and we are going to be a factor to reckon with.”

Some analysts welcomed the decision to take a 3.9 billion euro write-down in January as a sign of a sober recognition of Alcatel-Lucent’s shrunken status, but investors reacted negatively to the first round of job cuts. Mr. Verwaayen, while declining to say whether further cuts were in the offing, said the reductions were just the beginning of a series of hard decisions needed to remake the company.

He said Alcatel-Lucent was on track to cut its operating expenses by 750 million euros this year. He was not focused on eliminating jobs as much as eliminating duplicate product lines and refocusing the equipment maker to refine its pallet of so-called fourth-generation wireless equipment. On Tuesday, the company was awarded a contract to help build such a network in the United States for Verizon Wireless. Alcatel-Lucent has a competitive line of equipment for the new networks, he said, which will use a technology standard called Long Term Evolution. The technology is supposed to handle the explosion of wireless data from video on mobile TV, Facebook and YouTube.
In Barcelona, Alcatel-Lucent announced a successful trial of a new software it installed for China Mobile, the largest Chinese wireless operator, which saved the carrier 35 percent in energy costs by switching off the power supply to base stations during the minute intervals when they were not handling traffic. Cultivating longstanding customers like China Mobile, which began buying Alcatel-Lucent wireless equipment in the late 1980s, is a priority for Alcatel-Lucent, Mr. Verwaayen said, which will help increase revenue and profit and preserve jobs.

One analyst said that any turnaround at Alcatel-Lucent would be a long-term project. “I am not expecting the company to be profitable for a couple years,” said Richard Windsor, an analyst in London for Nomura Securities. “This is a big job.” An former Alcatel manager, Johann Günther, said a drastic reduction in the work force — with 20,000 in the United States and 11,000 in France — was unavoidable. Much of Lucent’s strength, in fixed-line networks using the North American standard CDMA, for code division multiple access, would have to be adapted to the current market, which is dominated by wireless networks based on the European GSM, or global system for mobile, standard.

“The company still has way too many employees,” said Mr. Günther, a former managing director at Alcatel Austria who left the company in 1996. “The longer the painful decisions are put off, the harder they will be to make.” A senior executive at one of Alcatel-Lucent’s rivals, who declined to be identified, said Verwaayen’s initial moves had been “confusing and avoiding the fundamental issues.” Mr. Verwaayen said competitors have a self-interest in trying to paint Alcatel-Lucent as weak. “I hear everybody,” Mr. Verwaayen said. “But I say let the customers decide. I am not asking for advice from my competitors. I’m asking my customers. And here in Barcelona, customers are telling me they have confidence in us.”

21 Şub 2009

Turk Telekom 2008 Results

Turk Telekom 2008 Results

Türk Telekomünikasyon, Turkey’s biggest fixed-line phone operator, said 2008 profit declined 31 percent on a foreign-exchange loss after the Turkish Lira lost value against the U.S. dollar. Net income fell to 1.75 billion liras ($1.04 billion) from 2.55 billion liras a year earlier, the Ankara-based company said in a statement Thursday. Sales rose 8.2 percent to 10.2 billion liras, it said. Türk Telekom recorded a financial loss of 574 million liras in 2008 compared with a gain of 435 million liras a year earlier. The lira fell 24 percent against the dollar last year, raising the costs of servicing the company’s $1.6 billion debt. Operating profit rose 5.6 percent to 2.7 billion liras in the period, according to the statement."The growth was not at the expense of operating profit, which remained stable at 27 percent of revenue," Chief Executive Officer Paul Doany said. Türk Telekom had 5.8 million customers for fixed-line broadband Internet access at the end of the year, up from 5.5 million at the end of September and 4.2 million at the end of 2007. Avea, Turkey’s third-biggest mobile-phone operator, controlled by Türk Telekom, added 500,000 customers for a total of 12.2 million.

EU looks into VoIP tapping

EU looks into VoIP tapping
by Shaun Nichols

The EU's criminal justice branch is set to investigate ways for law enforcement to listen in on voice over IP (VoIP) phone calls. The Eurojust unit announced on Friday that it would begin an investigation into methods which law enforcement organizations could employ to tap calls on VoIP systems such as Skype. The move is part of an effort to stem what law enforcement groups see as a growing reliance on VoIP as a more secure means of communication than conventional phone systems.


Italy's Direzione Nazionale Antimafia first requested the investigation after police in Milan claim that local crime syndicates were using Skype for communications and that enforcement officials had been unable thus far to decrypt the company's secure communications system. While the investigation will be focused in Italy, Eurojust said that it would assist any enforcement group from a member state in similar efforts. "The possibility of intercepting internet telephony will be an essential tool in the fight against international organised crime within Europe and beyond," said EU acting Italian national member Carmen Manfredda. Our aim is not to stop users from taking advantage of internet telephony, but to prevent criminals from using Skype and other systems to plan and organise their unlawful actions.
This is not the first instance of government agencies looking to tap VoIP services. Last fall a report suggested that the Chinese government was also looking for ways to listen in on Skype calls.

T-Mobile USA Tests unlimited $50 Calling Plan

T-Mobile USA Tests unlimited $50 Calling Plan
By Roger Cheng

T-Mobile USA is offering existing customers in San Francisco a unlimited $50 flat-rate calling plan in the latest illustration of tightening prices in the industry.

The No. 4 U.S. wireless carrier, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG (DT), began offering the plan Wednesday to customers who have been with T-Mobile USA for 22 months or more. It's the first return salvo aimed at Sprint Nextel Corp.'s (S) Boost Unlimited, which last month unveiled its own $50 flat-rate plan. The two may ultimately drive down prices for carriers seeking low-end users.

"That's one heck of a competitive price," said Roger Entner, head of telecom research at Nielsen Co. "At least with the weaker ones, that might be what they have to do."

Still, because of the restriction on the offering, the plan isn't expected to undermine the $100 price point which has become the standard for unlimited plans among the major carriers.

"Basically, this is a retention tool," Entner said. "No one's going to pick a carrier for something they can get in 22 months."

T-Mobile USA won't comment on test market activities, according to spokeswoman Cara Walker.

But T-Mobile USA stores in San Francisco are actively pushing the plan, including calling up and alerting customers.
Customers won't have to extend their contract when they switch, although they'll have to honor the terms of the existing contract. The plan is for individuals and only includes unlimited calling.

Boost Mobile shook up the industry by offering a flat-rate $50 plan, which includes unlimited calling, text messages, Web surfing and walkie-talkie service. Boost's main targets are Leap Wireless International Inc. (LEAP) and
MetroPCS Inc. (PCS), which offer similar unlimited plans but with regional restrictions. Sprint also saw T-Mobile USA as vulnerable to cherry-picking.

In the fourth quarter, T-Mobile USA added 621,000 net new subscribers, down both sequentially and from a year ago. The turnover rate of 2.4% was also up from a year ago.

T-Mobile is being squeezed by the low end with Virgin Mobile USA Inc. (VM), Leap and Metro, while high-end players such as AT&T Inc. (T) and Verizon Wireless continue to nab the best customers. Verizon Wireless is jointly owned by Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD).

Sprint Chief Executive Dan Hesse, in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires Thursday, said he expected rival carriers to respond competitively, although he didn't think a price war would erupt.

But Sanford Bernstein & Co. LLC analyst Craig Moffett said any signs that Sprint was making progress with its cheaper plans could spark an aggressive response by competitors.

"As the market opportunity contracts, any real sign of a turnaround at Sprint would decisively undermine targets at Sprint's competitors," he said.

Sprint's battered shares are up 28% to $3.47. Deustsche Telekom shares are flat at $12.04.

19 Şub 2009

Vodafone intros Magic Android Phone

Vodafone intros Magic Android Phone
By Marin Perez


The second major smartphone with the Android operating system relies on a touch-heavy interface, has Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, and has deep integration with Google's Web services.

With Microsoft and Symbian garnering much of the attention at Mobile World Congress, some were worried that Android would be a no-show. But HTC and Vodafone introduced Tuesday the second major handset to use Google's open source mobile operating system.



The HTC Magic shares many of the characteristics and design elements of the T-Mobile G1, but it ditches a physical keyboard for a touch-heavy interface on its 3.2-inch screen. The Magic will also take advantage of the "Cupcake" branch of Android development, which will add a virtual QWERTY keyboard for text input.



Like any Android device, the Magic will have deep integration with Google's Web services like Gmail, Google Calendar, YouTube, and Google Maps. Users won't be locked into the search giant's services though, as the Magic will be able to receive e-mails from POP3 and IMAP accounts. The smartphone will be able to browse, download, buy, and install applications over the air from the Android Market.



To stay connected on the go, the Magic has integrated Wi-Fi, EDGE, and HSDPA 3G that is capable of up to 7.2 Mbps downlink. There's also a GPS chipset, Bluetooth, document viewing, and a 3.2-megapixel camera that can record video.



"Following our joining of the Open Handset Alliance, we have worked very closely with HTC to bring this cool new phone to the market," said Patrick Chomet, Vodafone's global director of terminals, in a statement. "Our customers want to access a wide range of the most attractive mobile devices to help them make the most of their time -- the HTC Magic helps meet that need."



Vodafone will be bringing the handset out in Europe this spring, and there are no immediate plans to bring the Magic to the U.S. market. The carrier said the smartphone would be available at various pricing points with different plans

Verizon Wireless Picks Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson For LTE and to launch commercially in 2010


Verizon Wireless Picks Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson For LTE and to launch commercially in 2010

Verizon Wireless on Wednesday said it has chosen Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson AB as the prime contractors for the initial rollout of a faster wireless network technology called LTE.


LTE, or Long Term Evolution, has been touted in industry circles as the next big thing in wireless technology for a few years now. It is many times faster than the existing third-generation networks, but also than fixed-line broadband. It will allow users to download a song in three seconds for instance.


Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications (VZ) of the U.S. and Britain's Vodafone Group (VOD), is the largest operator to date to commit to the technology.


In Japan, it was adopted last year by NTT DoCoMo .


But in other parts of the world operators have been reluctant to invest massively in the technology, especially as the financial crisis has put pressure on them to reduce capital spending. Analysts expect the telecoms infrastructure market to contract by at least 5% in 2009.


So winning the Verizon Wireless contract is a huge step forward for the companies selected.
"Alcatel-Lucent must be breathing a huge sigh of relief this morning...This puts the company, which has had a torrid time since the merger of Alcatel and Lucent, on a strong footing for future deals," said Julien Grivolas, principal analyst in the networks and technologies practice of telecoms consultancy Ovum.

Grivolas said that Ericsson's (ERICY) involvement is also excellent news for the Swedish company, which has not worked with Verizon Wireless in the past.

U.S.-listed shares of Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) and Ericsson were mixed, with Alcatel falling and Ericsson advancing on Wednesday.

In the meantime the big loser is Canada's Nortel Networks , which Grivolas said seems to have suffered from "poor timing." Verizon Wireless was looking for a long-term partner, he said, and Nortel could hardly tick that box after filing for bankruptcy late last year.

Starent Networks, a hardware and software provider for mobile telephony, will also provide some of LTE infrastructure, and so will Nokia Siemens Networks, the telecoms equipment joint venture of Nokia Corp. (NOK) and Siemens AG (SI).


Verizon Wireless said LTE services are expected to launch commercially in 2010.

Verızon May Offer $5 Landlıne Phone Plan

Verızon May Offer $5 Landlıne Phone Plan

In a sign that the recession is forcing phone companies to take bold measures to hold onto landline customers, Verizon Communications Inc. is considering a $5 monthly voice plan that would let customers receive calls but dial only 911 and Verizon customer service. Verizon believes the plan could help slow the rate of landline customers cutting the cord, so to speak.

The company lost 3.7 million access lines, or 9.3 percent of its base, in 2008. Phone companies are concerned that consumers who are already tempted to switch to cable phone service or drop their landlines altogether and rely only on their cell phones will be pushed over the edge as the recession crimps household budgets.

The telecom provider could begin offering the new $5 plan by summer, along with a second, $10 monthly plan that would allow some limited local calling.

Only customers with high-speed Web access from Verizon would qualify for the new plans, according to a person close to the company.

Verizon confirmed it is considering the plan but says it hasn't decided whether to move forward with it.

Nokia to Integrate Skype VoIP Services into Nokia Phones

Nokia to Integrate Skype VoIP Services into Nokia Phones

Skype and Nokia have announced a partnership that will bring Skype's VoIP platform to the Nokia range of mobile phones. Under the terms of the cooperation, Skype will be integrated into Nokia devices, starting with the Nokia Nseries. The Nokia N97 device will be the first to incorporate the Skype experience in the 3rd quarter of 2009.

The Skype software will be part of the address book of the Nokia N97, enabling presence – seeing when Skype contacts are online – as well as instant messaging. Nokia N97 owners around the world will also be able to use 3G and Wi-Fi to make and receive free Skype-to-Skype voice calls, in addition to low-cost Skype calls to landlines and mobile devices.

“Making Skype available everywhere through mobile devices is essential to fulfilling our vision of ‘enabling the world’s conversations’,” said Scott Durchslag, Skype’s Chief Operating Officer. “Collaborating closely with Nokia to preload and integrate our software onto their devices will benefit the many Nokia customers who already use Skype, as it makes Skype easily accessible and simple to use on the go. It will also bring Skype new users who love Nokia’s Symbian S60 experience.”

“With more than 400 million Skype users worldwide, the integration of Skype on Nokia Nseries mobile computers is a significant step in bringing converged Internet experiences from the desktop to the world’s most advanced mobile computer,” said Jose-Luis Martinez, Vice President, Nokia Nseries.

15 Şub 2009

Merged Vodafone and 3 become one in Australia

Merged Vodafone and 3 become one in Australia

by Dan Oakes

The volatile Australian telecommunications industry has been shaken again with news that the third and fourth-largest mobile operators are to merge. Vodafone Australia and Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) will each own 50 per cent of the joint venture, which will be called VHA Pty Ltd. Services will be marketed under the existing Vodafone brand, but the new entity will retain the rights to Hutchison's 3 brand. The announcement came after the ASX demanded answers from Hutchison on Friday about why its shares rocketed 30 per cent on what, for the company, was very high turnover.

VHA will hold an estimated 27 per cent of the mobile subscriber market, which has now been pared down to three players, the other being Optus (about 33 per cent) and Telstra (40 per cent). The merger has been endorsed unanimously by Hutchison's board, but will need the go-ahead from Hutchison's shareholders, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Foreign Investment Review Board, the latter because Hutchison's parent company, Hutchison Whampoa, is based in Hong Kong.

Members of VHA's proposed board said yesterday the merger should be completed by the middle of the year. Vodafone will receive a deferred payment of $500 million from VHA to equalise the value difference between the merging companies. Hutchison will remain listed on the stock exchange, but its chief executive, Nigel Dews, will become CEO of the new entity. Vodafone Asia-Pacific and Middle East region chief executive Nick Read will fill the chairman's role. Russell Hewitt, chief executive of Vodafone Australia, will be a non-executive director of VHA.

"Bringing Vodafone Australia and 3 together will create a stronger mobile operator with approximately 6 million customers and combined total revenue of approximately $4 billion," Mr Hewitt said during a teleconference with journalists. Mr Dews said the board believed VHA could save $2 billion through economies of scale in procurement, product development, IT, networks, commercial operations and administrative expenses, but he refused to go into detail.

The new entity would control 400 retail outlets and employ 3700 people. But Mr Dews said redundancies would result from the merger and resulting "synergies", and that they would mainly be in back office areas rather than retail. Mr Dews also said all existing customer contracts would be honoured. Analysts said Hutchison and Vodafone would complement each other, with 3 being strong in postpaid and non-voice accounts, and Vodafone's strength lying in prepaid accounts. They also said Optus might suffer more than Telstra from the new competitor.

"Over the past three to five years, Optus Mobile has suffered at the combined hands of Vodafone and 3 (mobile revenue share falling every year since FY04)," said Goldman Sachs JBWere in a note to clients. "In other words, Optus has been the natural 'prey' of the No. 3 and No. 4 players over the past three to five years. It will be interesting to see whether VHA continues to aggressively attack Optus Mobile post this merger." Both major telcos have existing joint ventures with VHA's parent companies, Telstra with Hutchison and Optus with Vodafone.

An Optus source said yesterday the company was studying the detail of the VHA deal but said Optus welcomed "market consolidation where it is likely to result in a more efficient and competitive industry structure". In Perth, Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo said: "It doesn't really affect Telstra. Because we are the market leader, we are setting the pace and we know what we're doing."

802.11n to lead the WLAN chip market in 2009

802.11n to lead the WLAN chip market in 2009

by Cage Chao, Taipei

Single chip 1X1T 802.11n solutions are expected to largely replace 802.11g chips this year because the price difference between the two has narrowed, according to industry sources.

Despite the weak economy, demand in the global Wi-Fi chip market, including PC, notebook, networking, consumer electronics and handset segments, is expected to keep growing. Global market demand for Wi-Fi chips this year will increase from 2008, although the growth in production value may be relatively low since chip ASPs will continue to fall, according to Taiwan WLAN chip suppliers.

As 1X1T 802.11n single chips continue to expand in market share, new WLAN applications have also largely adopted 2X2T 802.11n chips offering faster transmitting speeds. 1X1T 802.11n single chips have begun to penetrate into entry-level segments, and 2X2T 802.11n single chips have been adopted in mid-range and high-end products, the sources noted.

Realtek Semiconductor and Ralink Technology, the only two WLAN chip suppliers in Taiwan, have already cut into netbook and desktop PC markets with entry-level and mid-range products, while overseas companies Broadcom, Atheros and Marvell concentrate on 2X2T 802.11n chips for consumer electronics and handset applications.

UK proposes better wireless broadband services

UK proposes better wireless broadband services

Reporting by Dan Lalor, Reuters

Britain's communications watchdog said it wanted to give consumers faster, more reliable wireless broadband by making more efficient use of spectrum bands used to deliver services. The Office of Communications said on Friday it was proposing that existing 900 MHz licensees be required to release 10 MHz of spectrum in total, in two blocks of 5 MHz, which would be sold through an auction. "This would create fresh opportunities for the launch of new services, including improved mobile broadband services, and allow for effective competition as these services are rolled out," Ofcom said in a statement. Subject to consultation, Ofcom said it would aim to auction the released spectrum in summer 2010. The licences would be tradable to ensure the most efficient use.

Nortel Completes World's First LTE TDD 4G Wireless Demonstration in China

Nortel Completes World's First LTE TDD 4G Wireless Demonstration in China

Nortel has successfully completed the first end-to-end video streaming session using a Time Division Duplex (TDD)-based Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, working with commercial grade LTE Base Station and device prototypes in China. This is an important milestone in the development of next generation wireless services for TD-SCDMA mobile network deployments in China, as well as advancing the deployment of LTE for service providers using TDD spectrum.
Demonstrating the power of 4G to deliver bandwidth-intensive applications to mobile users, engineers in Nortel's China R&D Center of Excellence completed the streaming video session using Nortel's LTE eNodeB (Base Station) with a prototype device for LTE TDD. Nortel has clearly demonstrated its ability to advance high-speed mobile Internet with LTE as the next step in evolving the TD-SCDMA based networks in China that use TDD spectrum.


China's government confirmed earlier this year the award of 3G licenses to the three major telecom operators in the country. China Mobile will operate a network based on the TD-SCDMA standard, China Telecom will operate a CDMA2000-based network, and China Unicom will operate the country's W-CDMA network. China Mobile, making the announcement of this collaboration and successful test call a vital step towards delivering true mobile broadband service to China's increasingly hyperconnected population. LTE TDD is a standard that will be used to evolve China Mobile's TD-SCDMA network. Nortel is also driving LTE trials with GSM, CDMA and WCDMA/HSPA operators around the world with a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD)-based LTE solution to evolve current 2G/3G networks to LTE.

"Nortel has a history of innovation in the wireless space spanning the last three decades, and this milestone is another example of how our engineers are accelerating the delivery of tomorrow's technology," said Richard Lowe, president, Carrier Networks, Nortel. "As operators globally are looking at their next generation technology choices, Nortel is able to help operators migrate to LTE from all major wireless standards. This milestone brings true mobile broadband closer for the hundreds of millions of mobile users in China who want ubiquitous high-speed Internet."

Nortel has now successfully demonstrated LTE solution capability across both FDD and TDD as defined in the 3GPP Release 8 standard. Nortel's LTE eNB is capable of supporting both FDD and TDD deployments with software defined radios providing industry leading performance and gracefully integrating with existing 2G/3G Networks.

The demos, completed on January 23, 2009, were undertaken by engineers at Nortel's joint venture GDNT (Guangdong Nortel Telecommunications Ltd) R&D facility in Guangzhou, in southern China. The GDNT facility and Nortel's R&D center in Beijing together make up Nortel's China Labs, one of two full service R&D facilities the company maintains globally.

Sprint to launch trimode (CDMA-WiMax-WiFi) phone in 2010

Sprint to launch trimode (CDMA-WiMax-WiFi) phone in 2010

Sprint is set to launch a WiMax phone in 2010. The phone would be embedded with CDMA cellular and possibly Wi-Fi. According to the reports, the WiMax handset also “could be based on Android.” Sprint has a “close relationship with Google.” Scott Lane, director of marketing and sales for Sprint’s 4G unit has confirmed the report. Lane called the coming device a “trimode handset,” meaning it would function in three wireless modes. While Sprint spun off its WiMax initiative called Xohm in the joint venture with Clearwire, it has continued to run a 20-person unit devoted to WiMax product development and marketing strategy

11 Şub 2009

Telcos Losing Money on Mobile Broadband

Telcos Losing Money on Mobile Broadband

By Natasha Lomas

The success of mobile broadband is putting European operators in a sticky situation as retail prices are often well below the cost of providing the service.

According to analyst Strand Consults, many operators are selling mobile broadband for around 50 per cent less than it costs to produce such volumes of data. Tough competition has driven prices down faster than booming subscriber growth can compensate for, the analyst said, and operators are having to rely on voice revenue to cover the capex and opex costs of their mobile broadband services.

To make the most of mobile broadband revenue opportunities—and limit potential cash drains—the analyst suggests operators reduce subscriber acquisition costs by, for instance, cutting subsidies or limiting dealer commissions.

Strand estimates around a quarter to a third of operators' costs go on sales acquisition and just 10 to 15 per cent on building and maintaining their networks.

Operators should also put caps on basic mobile broadband services—and block the likes of P2P traffic and VoIP—to ensure the minority of customers who can rack up a quarter of network traffic with their bandwidth-draining ways are made to behave. Or to pay: access to these services can then be offered as a premium rate add-on to generate new revenue streams.

Operators should also look to launch a combination of micro payments and premium value added services to enable third-party content producers to develop, market and sell services to users.
The analyst observed that mobile broadband does not take off until all operators in a market have launched HSDPA (aka 3.5G) networks—meaning all the players have a chance to grab a large slice of market share.

To stand out in this levelled playing field, the analyst suggests operators should launch bundled data services—such as hosted Exchange—to boost service functionality and create disincentives for customers to switch to other operators.

There are now close to 100 million mobile broadband connections worldwide, according to mobile operator industry body the GSMA—out of a total of four billion mobile connections. The industry is predicted to reach six billion mobile connections by 2013.

T-Mobile Group Experiments Gemalto’s New SIM-Based Technology to Massively Deploy Mobile Applications

T-Mobile Group Experiments Gemalto’s New SIM-Based Technology to Massively Deploy Mobile Applications

Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, today announced that T-Mobile has selected Gemalto to develop prototypes of rich media applications based on Smart Card Web Server Technology (SCWS) in the SIM card. Gemalto provided the operator with its MultimediaReady SIM card incorporating SCWS technology, which enables applications to run directly from the SIM. This approach allows T-Mobile to develop applications on any SCWS-compatible handset and consequently, to broaden access to high-end services, while offering a multimedia look and feel. Gemalto will be demonstrating this innovation applied to preferred contacts management at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week (Hall 8, 8A102).

"SIM technology has evolved over time, and the use of SCWS enables us to offer the rich media applications and interfaces that are integral to current mobile services," added Philippe Vallée, Executive Vice President of the Telecommunications Business Unit at Gemalto. "This evolution meets T-Mobile's need to make high-end mobile applications more and more widespread and Gemalto is proud to support their strategy."

T-Mobile is one of the world's leading operators serving over 123 million subscribers in Europe and the US. "We selected Gemalto because the company is a partner in SIM development," commented Arnd Gallmann, Senior Vice President, Terminal Technology at T-Mobile International. "Our goal is to enhance the user experience of our customers by providing a broad range of terminal applications and handset customization. Gemalto provided a very innovative solution: using Smart Card Web Server technology to implement mobile applications in the SIM card."

ATT All-In-One U-Verse Femtocell Box

ATT All-In-One U-Verse Femtocell Box

AT&T is reportedly working on a U-Verse IPTV box with Femtocell capabilities, claims an employee. This unit will cover TV, telephone, internet and improve your cellular reception. Being the owner of a iPhone with fairly weak AT&T reception in portions of my apartment, I'm excited to hear any news on Femtocell's to help improve my cell phone coverage.

The all-in-one box is supposed to come in 2010, while U-Verse continues to expand throughout the U.S. However, in addition to this news comes the 3G Microcell, AT&T's stand alone Femtocell pictured (right), is confirmed to be out in Q2 of 2009.

Alcatel to cut 1,000 manager jobs

Alcatel to cut 1,000 manager jobs

Reuters: reporter Matt Gil, editor Leslie Gevirtz

Franco-American telecoms gear maker Alcatel-Lucent said it plans to cut 1,000 managerial posts from its global workforce will see 198 positions in France eliminated.

Alcatel-Lucent managers in France told a works council meeting on Wednesday that 450 managerial posts would go in North America and 450 in Europe, of which 198 in France, the CFDT union said in a statement.

The company announced the decision to trim its executive ranks on Dec. 12 as part of a strategic plan aimed at cutting cut costs by 750 million euros by the fourth quarter of 2009, but did not say where the cuts would fall.
An Alcatel-Lucent spokeswoman said: "I can confirm the figures for France, but we are not making a statement on the other numbers."

According to the CFDT, 1,602 posts are classed as managerial in France, and while France makes up 10 percent of Alcatel-Lucent's workforce, it will bear 20 percent of the job cuts.

Alcatel-Lucent, the No. 3 player worldwide in terms of market share, behind Sweden's Ericsson and Finnish-German joint venture Nokia Siemens Networks [NSN.UL], employs 77,000 worldwide and 11,000 in France.

The company, formed by the merger of Alcatel and Lucent in 2006, saw its share price fall 70 percent in 2008 after a string of profit warnings and last week posted a 5.2 billion euro loss for the year amid a record 4.7 billion euros in depreciations.

Since June, its share price has dropped more than 70 percent.

Cisco: Mobile data traffic to grow 66-fold, video will account for 64% of traffic by 2013

Cisco: Mobile data traffic to grow 66-fold, video will account for 64% of traffic by 2013

By Brad Reed

A report published by Cisco says that mobile Web traffic volume will double every year between now and 2013, when traffic will total roughly 2.2 million terabytes per month.

Cisco predicts that the biggest driver for the traffic increase will come from video traffic, which will account for roughly 64% of all mobile data traffic in 2013. In 2008, video traffic averaged around 13,000 TB per month, or roughly 39% of all mobile traffic. By 2013, video traffic will increase by more than 100 times and will average around 1.3 million TB per month, Cisco projects.

From a device perspective, Cisco says handsets and laptops with speeds of higher than current 3G speeds will account for 80% of all mobile traffic by 2013. Cisco says the advent of smartphones and laptops with 3G aircards will lead to an explosion of mobile data traffic over the next five years, as an iPhone typically generates 30 times the mobile data traffic of a basic-feature phone, while a laptop generates 450 times the mobile data traffic as a basic-feature phone.

Cisco says the most interesting applications for current mobile 3G capabilities include mobile TV, a "light version" of video conferencing, basic video games and basic e-mail, SMS and Web browsing. More complex mobile applications, such as telemedicine, interactive gaming and mobile education systems, won't be realistically available until carriers begin launching more of their 4G network offerings next decade. By 2015, Cisco says a wide array of devices will be hooked up to mobile broadband networks, including mobile game tablets, video cameras and television sets.

A recent study by mobile browser developer Opera Software showed that data traffic sent to mobile phones jumped 463% in November 2008 as compared with November 2007, and that page views on mobile devices were up by 303% over the same period.

Forecast: 23% of all new phones in 2013 will be smart

Forecast: 23% of all new phones in 2013 will be smart
RCR Wireless News

Smartphone sales are expected to increase 95% to more than 300 million by 2013 and could help key brands like Nokia during the current economic downturn, according to a new report from Juniper Research.


The firm noted there is a rising demand for complex Web 2.0-centric applications, which is expanding the overall market for smart devices. As a result, said Juniper, handset makers are increasingly relying on sales of high-end devices to mass market users.

“The process of evolving mobile phones into Internet-centric, highly personalized mobile computers is well under way,” said Andrew Kitson, author of the report. “Changes in the design and form of mobile devices, such as the inclusion of large touch-based displays, have been taken to their limits.

“Looking ahead, the shape and form of next-generation devices will most likely be led by software and content, rather than hardware, as vendors such as Nokia strive to make their devices highly personalized and rooted firmly in the online environment,” continued Kitson.Juniper’s research also predicts about 23% of all new mobile phones sold in 2013 will be smartphones, up from 13% in 2008.

Alcatel to launch a Lego phone (for kids)

Alcatel to launch a Lego phone (for kids)

Alcatel is not exactly the biggest handset maker around, but that doesn’t mean it can’t come up with some unusual mobile phones, right?

Right, so let’s see what the French company (now known as Alcatel-Lucent, after merging with Lucent Technologies) has in the making.

It’s a Lego-themed phone, which will be targeted for kids.Details about the handset are scarce at the moment, but, according to BGR, the Lego phone has a small display and it should come with colored detachable parts - some sort of Nokia Xpress-On covers for kids?

It’s not clear yet when Alcatel plans to launch its Lego phone.

Cüneyt Türktan: Taşlar yerinden oynayacak

Taşlar yerinden oynayacak Avea iki yılda ikinciliğe yükselecek

Global krizin Türkiye'de hemen hemen hiç etkilemediği nadir sektörlerden birisi, telekomünikasyon...Bunun en önemli nedeni ise sektörün geçtiğimiz yıl ihalesi yapılan 3G, numara taşınabilirliği ve uygulamaya geçmesi beklenen 4G, Wi-Max ile yeni bir boyut kazanması. Ekonomik krizden etkilenmeseler bile en büyük krizleri rekabet olan GSM operatörleri de bu yeni hizmet servislerinde öne çıkabilmek için kıran kırana bir mücadeleye girmiş durumda. 2012'de 10.5 milyar dolarlık büyüklüğe ulaşacak mobil telefon pazarını oluşturan üç operatör, pastadaki paylarını artırabilmek için kesenin ağzını açarken, her firma sahip olduğu avantajları ile de dikkat çekiyor.
İçine girilen yeni süreçte; Turkcell sektörün lideri olma avantajını kullanırken, ikinci büyük operatör Vodafone da uluslararası deneyiminden faydalanmayı planlıyor. Üçüncü operatör Avea ise rekabette arkasındaki büyük güç Türk Telekom ile yaratacağı sinerjiye güveniyor. 

Yeni argümanların rekabeti bu kadar yoğunlaştırdığı pazarda taşların yeri her an oynayabilir. Bunun ilk sinyallerini veren ise üç yılda grafiğini hızla yükselten Avea. 2005 yılında Cüneyt Türktan'ın yönetime gelmesi ile birlikte önemli kararlar alan Avea, iki yılda ikinciliğe yerleşme planları yapıyor. Avea'nın 2008'in ilk dokuz ayı mali sonuçları da bu yönde ne kadar kararlı olduklarını gösteriyor. Toplam ciro bakımından, 2008'in üçüncü çeyrek sonuçları 2007 yılının aynı dönemi ile karşılaştırıldığında GSM pazarı yüzde 10 büyürken, Avea yüzde 30'luk bir büyümeye ulaşıyor. Pazardaki abone sayısına göre yine aynı dönemler karşılaştırıldığında toplam pazar yüzde 6 büyürken, Avea'nın büyüme oranı ise yüzde 18 olarak gerçekleşiyor. 2008'in ilk dokuz ayında 4 milyon 734 bin yeni abone kazanımı ile 2007'nin aynı dönemine göre yüzde 23'lük bir artış sağlayan Avea'nın toplam abone sayısı ise 11.7 milyon.

Avea CEO'su Cüneyt Türktan, "Son üç yıldır her sene yüzde 30'luk büyüme rakamları ile Türkiye'nin en hızlı büyüyen operatörüyüz" diyerek, sektördeki iddalarının altını çiziyor. 2008'in ilk dokuz ayında 1.598 milyar YTL ciro yaptıklarını bildiren Türktan, 2009 ciro hedeflerini ise 2. 200 milyar YTL olarak açıklıyor. Bu hedeflere ulaşmak için yatırımlarının krize rağmen süreceğini ifade eden Türktan, üç yılda 1 milyar dolarlık bir yatırım yaptıklarını kaydediyor. Bunun 400 milyon dolarlık kısmının 2008'de gerçekleştirildiğini belirten Türktan, 2009 yatırım bütçelerinin de geçen yıl ile benzer seviyede olduğunu söylüyor.

İşte Türktan'dan; 3G, numara taşınabilirliği, krizin etkileri, pazardaki rekabetin boyutları, sektördeki yeni trendler ve Avea'nın hedefleri üzerine önemli açıklamalar:

3G'DE C LİSANSINA 214 MİLYON EURO

28 Kasım 2008 tarihinde ihalesi yapılan 3G'de C tipi lisansı 214 milyon Euro'ya aldık. 3G konusunda Danıştay'ın ihaleyi şubat sonu gibi onaylamasından sonra düğmeye basılmış olacak. Öncelikle lisans ücretleri ödenecek. Ödemeler peşin yapılacak. Haziran sonu temmuz başı gibi de 3G servisleri müşterilere sunulmaya başlayacak. Öncelikle üç yıl içinde üç büyük şehir İstanbul, Ankara ve İzmir'in 3G ile kapsanması gerekiyor. Çalışmalar bu yönde devam ediyor. İhalede A, B ve C lisanları alıcı buldu, D lisansı ile ise ilgilenen olmadı.

Aslında burda benim heyecanla beklediğim birşey var; o da mobil internet vergilerinin düşmesi. Vergiler düşürülürse 3G daha çok kullanılır, çünkü büyük bir genç nüfus var. İşte o zaman lisans ile ilgili ilave bir kapasiteye ihtiyaç olur ki bu durumda da Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu'dan yeni ihale ile veya bugünün ihale fiyatlarıyla frekans alabilmek mümkün.

AVEA, 3G REKABETİNDE TÜRK TELEKOM İLE YARATACAĞI SİNERJİYE GÜVENİYOR

3G süreci ile sektörde rekabetin şekli değişecek. Burdaki en önemli nokta video, mobil vizyon gibi girilebilecek servislerin farklılığı. Bizim güvendiğimiz en önemli noktalardan biri de spor kulüplerinin sponsoru olmamız. Bu avantajımız sayesinde, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş ve Trabzonspor futbol kulüpleri ile ilgili bir marka yaratarak altyapı hizmetlerini vermek istiyoruz. Bu hizmetlerin spor, eğlence ve müzik gibi içerikleri var. Kendimizin yetmediği yerde, güçlü ADSL altyapısına sahip ve internet protokülü televizyonu (IP TV) yatırımı yapan Türk Telekom ile grup sinerjisi yaratmayı planlıyoruz. Yani bizim 3G yatırımımız ile Türk Telekom'un IP TV yatırımında ikisi içinde geçerli olan video, sinema, naklen yayın gibi içerikte paralellik yaratarak, sektörün lider operatörüne karşı rekabet savaşı verebileceğimizi biliyoruz. Özellikle 2009-2010 Avea ve Türk Telekom'un birlikte birçok işi yaparak, yakınsama yaratacakları yıllar olacak.

Bu arada bu futbol takımlarına rekabetin yoğun olarak yaşanacağı yeni bir alan olan sanal operatörlük de yapacağız. Bu da bir aya kadar yapılacak bir çalışma. Sanal operatörlükte altyapıyı tamamen GSM operatörleri veriyor. Sanal operatör olacak kuruluş, GSM operatöründen toptan dakika alarak piyasada istediği tarifede satıyor. Tarifelerarası çok büyük farklılıklar olmayacak, takımını tutan çok rahatlıkla o markaya geçecek. Sanal operatörlük konusunda rahatsız eden bir durum var ki o da çifte vergilendirme. Yani sanal operatörlere normal vergilerin dışında bir de yüzde 15 Hazine payı kondu. Bunun düzeltilmesi yönünde Bakanlığın çalışması var.

ÇİNLİLER SAYESİNDE 3G'NİN ALTYAPI MALİYETLERİ DÜŞTÜ

Bugün Türkiye'de 65 milyon mobil telefon kullanıcısı var. Bu da büyük bir potansiyele işaret ediyor. Vergilerin de düşmesi ile birlikte 3G sayesinde herkes internet kullanıcısı olabilir.

3G'nin kullanıcıya sağlayacağı en büyük fayda; cep telefonları ve dizüstü bilgisayar üzerinden mobil ortamdaki internet erişiminin yüksek hızlara taşınması. Ayrıca katma değerli servislerdeki içerik zenginleşmesi ve uygulamaların artması da müşterilerin hayatını kolaylaştıracak. 3G'nin hizmete sunulmasının ardından data üzerinden verilen servislerin çeşitlenmesi ve hızın artması kullanımı da artıracak. Bu da operatörler arasında data hizmetlerinin sunumuna ilişkin rekabeti yoğunlaştıracak. Abone de bu durumdan olumlu yönde faydalanacak. Biz en düşük fiyatlı lisansı almamızın avantajını tüketiciye de yansıtmayı planlıyoruz. Mevcut data kullanımından daha fazla bir maliyet çıkarmayı düşünmüyoz. Yani 3G pahalı bir servis olmayacak.

Üç operatör de 3G konusunda altyapı çalışmalarını tamamlamak üzere. Sektörde altpyapı tedarikçileri olarak ise Ericson, Nokia, Siemens ve Motorola gibi büyük oyuncular var. Yeni oyuncu olarak ise Çin firmaları bulunuyor. Çinliler'in burada olması avantaj sağlıyor. Çünkü onlar da artık kaliteyi ucuza üretebiliyorlar. '3G biraz geç yapıldı' tartışmaları var. Oysa Çinliler sayesinde 3G'nin altyapı maliyetleri yarı yarıya düştü. 3G ihalesi üç-dört önce yıl yapılmış olsaydı maliyeti milyar dolarlarla ifade edilecekken, şimdi milyon dolarlarla altyapıyı tamamlamak mümkün.

TEKNOLOJİ MERKEZİ MARTTA AÇILIYOR 2009'DA İSTİHDAMA 300 KİŞİ EKLENEBİLİR

3G'nin istihdama da katkısı olacak. Firmalar, yeni AR-GE departmanları kuruyor. Tedarikçi firmalar AR-GE yatırımları yapıyor ve Türk mühendisi çalıştırıyor. Avea olarak biz de bir teknoloji merkezi kuruyoruz. Bu merkezi kurmamızın iki nedeni var. Biri; İstanbul'da bizim ağırlıklı operasyon merkezimiz Güneşli tarafında yani Avrupa yakasındaydı. Bütün teknik ekibimiz ordaydı. İkinci merkezimizi de Ümraniye'de yani Asya yakasında kurarak teknolojik riski dağıtıyoruz ve kaliteli hizmet için trafik dağıtımını daha rahat yapmayı amaçlıyoruz. İkinci neden ise bilgi işlem teknolojileri, katma değerli servislerin üretilmesi ve takibi için bir AR-GE merkezi kurmak istememiz. Yani burayı 2G rekabeti ve 3G hizmeti verebilecek hale getirmek için kuruyoruz. Teknoloji merkezimizi mart sonu gibi açıyoruz. Ümraniye'de açılacak. Üzerinde bir yıldır çalıştığımız bu merkez, teknopark olacak. 16 bin metrekarelik kapalı alana sahip merkezin maliyeti 40 milyon Euro. Firma olarak 2005"te hızlı bir istihdam artışı ile 2 bin 500 kişiye ulaştık. 2009'da dünyada toparlanma çabuk olur rahat bir yıl geçirirsek istihdama 200-300 kişi daha ekleyebiliriz.

4 MİLYON NUMARA TAŞINACAK 2 MİLYONU BİZE GELECEK

Rekabet açısından, tüketici açısından numara taşınabilirliği 3G kadar önemli. Bizim açımızdan 3G'den de önemli. Numara taşınabilirliği ile tüketiciye özgürlük geldi. Rekabet açısından operatörlere de bir kapı açıldı. Yani ben iyi bir hizmet veriyorsam iyi fiyata servis veriyorsam müşteriyi alabilme avantajı yakaladım. Aslında tüketicinin burdaki bağımlılığı operatöre değil, numaraya. Numara taşınabilirliği uygulaması 9 Kasım 2008'de başladı. Kasım ve aralık ayı toplamında 700 binin üzerinde numara taşındı. Yani ayda 350 bin kişi operatör değiştiriyor. Bu da yılda ortalama 4 milyon abonenin hareket edeceği anlamına gelir. Avea olarak biz de yılda numarasını taşıyan 2 milyon aboneyi almayı planlıyoruz. Abone kaybımız ise 'iki alıyorsak bir veriyoruz' şeklinde olur. Yine gelen-giden farkına baktığımızda en kazançlı operatörüz. İki ayda taşınan 700 bin abonenin 130 binini biz çektik. Numara taşınabilirliği Türkiye'de çok sağlıklı yapıldı. Yani ilk günlerde her ne kadar tamamen spekülatif olarak diğer operatörler birinciye abone kaptırsa da bu çok kısa sürdü. Şimdilerde dünyadaki normal seyri gibi birinciden diğer operatörlere geçiş yaşanıyor. Bu dönemde kendimizi cazip kılacak, kolay anlaşılabilir, ihtiyaca yönelik kampanyalar düzenliyoruz. Bunlardan en çok tutan ikisi ise "Şirketlere yönelik aylık 57 YTL'ye 600 dakika yurtiçi tüm yönlere konuş-Paket 600" ve "Ayda 55 kontöre saban 5'ten akşam 5'e kadar ücretsiz konuş" tarifeleri.

12 milyonun üzerindeki abone sayımızın yüzde 35'i faturalı. Pazardaki denge ise faturasız yüzde 80, faturalı abone yüzde 20 şeklinde. Dolayısıyla bizim durumumuz biraz istisnayi, kamudan dolayı faturalı abonemiz fazla.

NUMARA TAŞINABİLİRLİĞİNİN SEKTÖRE MALİYETİ 17 MİLYON DOLARI BULDU

Aslında bana göre numara taşınabilirliğinin sektöre maliyeti çok oldu. Özellikle reklam harcaması bu kadar gerekli miydi? diye düşünüyorum. Çünkü en fazla harcayan çok abone almadı. Aksine biz en az harcayan en çok numara alan operatör olduk. Sektör reklam ve iletişime 5 milyon dolar harcadı. Numara taşınabilirliğinin altyapı maliyeti ise daha yüksek oldu. Telekomünikasyon Kurumu'na devrettiğimiz merkezi data sistemini Vodafone ile birlikte yaptık, 6 milyon dolar harcadık. Ayrı ayrı da yaklaşık ikişer milyon dolarlık daha harcamalarımız oldu. Turkcell'in de yine tahmini 2 milyon dolarlık harcaması varsa altyapıya 12 milyon dolar gitti. Reklamla birlikte toplamda ise numara taşınabilirliğinin sektöre maliyeti 'tahmini 17 milyon dolar oldu' diyebiliriz.

ÜÇ YILDA 1 MİLYAR DOLAR YATIRIM YAPTIK, KRİZDE DE SÜRECEK

2008'de ekonomik krizden sektör ve firma olarak etkilendiğimizi söyleyemeyiz. Rekabet bizim krizimizdi. Özellikle krizin aşağı yukarı Türkiye'ye yansıma dönemlerine denk gelen numara taşınabilirliğinin yarattığı aşırı rekabet sektöre yol aldırdı. O dönemlerde en fazla reklam veren sektör GSM operatörleriydi diyebiliriz. Biz bu rekabet ortamında beklediğimiz ciro ve büyüme hedeflerimize ulaştık. Bizim krizi soyutlayarak, normal büyüme hedefi içinde yaptığımız bir iş planımız var. Dolayısıyla üç yıldaki yüzde 30'lara varan büyümenin devamını bu yıl da hedefliyoruz. Sektöre son üç yılda 1 milyar dolar yatırım yaptık. Bunun 400 milyon dolarlık kısmı geçen yıl oldu. Krize rağmen yatırımlarımızı durdurmayacağız. 2009'da geçen yıl ki kadar yatırım yapma planımız var. 2G konusunda kapsama ve kalite odaklı yatırımlarımız ile 3G de altyapı yatırımlarımız sürüyor. Ayrıca katma değerli servis yatırımları ve bilişim teknolojilerine yönelik teknoloji merkezi yatırımlarımız bulunuyor. Ayrıca Türk Telekom ile birlikte grup olarak global krizde zora giren komşu ve civardaki ülkelerin şirketlerini de yakından takip ediyoruz. Uygun bir şirket olduğunda onunla ilgilenebiliriz. Çevre ülkelerde de başarılı olma ihtimalimiz var.

İNSANLAR KRİZDE BAŞKA İHTİYAÇLARINI KISIYOR, KONUŞMAYI AZALTMIYOR

2009'da da sektör krizden çok etkilenmez. İstihdam oranında bir değişiklik olmaz. Ancak genel anlamda kriz ortamında tedbir olarak yapılacak en önemli şey 2009'da nakit akışını yönetebilmek. Şirketlerin bu yıl karlılıkları ikinci planda olmalı. Sektörün krizden etkilenmeyeceğini söyleyebilmemizde en önemli gösterge ise konuşma oranlarında bir düşmenin olmaması. Bu gelişmede ise iki etken var. Biri pazardaki rekabetle konuşma fiyatları indirildiği için kişilerin bütçelerine ekstra bir yüklenme söz konusu değil. İkincisi ise telefon da ihtiyaç haline gelmiş durumda. Bireyler birçok şeyden tasarruf yapsalar da konuşmayı azaltmıyorlar. Ayrıca sektörde bir devamlılık var, geçen yıla numara taşınabilirliğinin rekabeti hız verirken, bu yıla da ikinci yarıda devreye girecek 3G bir ivme sağlayacak. Konuşmada fiyatlar bu yıl daha aşağı düşmez ancak 3G ile birlikte data kullanımı artacak. Yani 2009'da fiyat rekabeti durulma noktasına gelirken kalite ve yatırım savaşları yaşanacak. Sektördeki bu hızlı gelişimle tek kişinin birkaç sim kart kullanması nedeniyle halen 65 milyon olan abone sayısı 2010'da nüfusun üzerinde bir sayıya ulaşacak.

İKİ YIL İÇİNDE İKİNCİ OLABİLİRİZ YOLUMUZ LİDERLİĞE ÇIKACAK

Avea yüzde 19'luk pazar payı ile üçüncü konumda. Özellikle son iki yılda yeni abone alımlarında çok hızlı ilerliyoruz. 2008'in üçüncü çeyrek itibariyle 1 milyon 835 bin yeni abone kazanımı gerçekleştirdik. 2008'in ikinci çeyreği ile karşılaştırıldığında yüzde 33'lük bir artış sağlanmış durumda. 2007'nin aynı dönemine göre yeni abone kazanımındaki artış oranımız ise yüzde 52 olarak gerçekleşti. 2008'in dokuz ayında toplam 4 milyon 734 bin yeni abone kazanımı ile 2007'nin aynı dönemine göre yüzde 23'lük bir artış sağlayarak, 873 bin daha fazla yeni abone kazandık. Bu tempoda gittiğimiz zaman iki yıl içinde pazarda ikinciliğe yerleşebiliriz. Türk Telekom'un gücü belli. Yüzde 81'ine Türk Telekom'un sahip olduğu Avea'nın son üç yılda gösterdiği performans yüksek. Bütün bunlar birleşince belli alanlarda liderliğe gitmemiz lazım aslında. Biz bunun için yola çıktık.

MOBİL SEKTÖRDE DÜNYADA EN ÇOK VERGİ ÖDEYEN ÜLKE TÜRKİYE

Sektörün sorunlarına baktığımızda en önemli nokta 3G'deki yüksek vergiler. Yüzde 15 Hazine payı, yüzde 25 özel iletişim vergisi var. Mobil internetteki özel iletişim vergisi düşürülürse sektör de kazanır biz de. Çünkü interneti hiç kullanmayan kesim de ucuz internete yönelir böylece onlar da vergiye dahil edilir. Dünyada mobil sektörde en yüksek vergiyi ödeyen ülke Türkiye.

Önemli başka bir problem de tarifelerdeki ara bağlantı ücretleri. Lider operatör 2-3 kuruşa konuşup bana 50 kuruşa arattırıyorsa bu bir problemdir. Ayrıca 50 kuruşa arattırsa bile bana 11.2 kuruş ödüyor ve her arama için 9 kuruş da zarar etmeyi göze alıyorsa burası düşündürür. Yani şebeke içi-şebeke dışı fiyat farkı çok fazla. Biz 11.2 kuruş olan ara bağlantı ücretinin sıfıra indirilmesini istiyoruz. Böylece tüketiciye daha iyi servis verilir, operatörler arasında haksız rekabetin de önüne geçmek mümkün olur.

Bir diğer konu ise baz istasyonlarının şehir dışına taşınmasına yönelik talepler. Oysa baz istasyonsuz cep telefonu düşünülemez. Sağlığa zararlı olsa dünyada bu kadar yaygın kullanılmaz. Kurallarına göre oluşturulan yeni baz istasyonlarına ihtiyaç var. Özellikle sit alanlarında da baz istasyonu kurulmasına izin verilmeli. Biz çevre kirliliğine önleyebilmek için 500'dan fazla istasyonu Vodafone ile ortak kullanıyoruz.

2008'in üçüncü çeyrek sonuçlarına göre Avea

- Abone sayısı 11.7 milyon

- Toplam gelir 1.598 milyar YTL

- Toplam abone başına ortalama gelir (ARPU) 16.4 YTL

- Toplam abone başına ortalama kullanım (MoU) 170 dakika