Tata Communications Q2 Consolidated EBITDA up 60%

Mumbai, India - 10 November 2011 - Tata Communications has reported its consolidated financial results according to Indian GAAP for the quarter ended 30 September 2011. Gross revenue was at Rs. 3,374 crore (US$ 738 million) for the quarter ended 30 September, 2011 against Rs. 2,961 crore (US$ 637 million) reported in the corresponding quarter last year. Operating profit (earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation) grew 60% to Rs. 478 crore (US$ 105 million) for the quarter ended 30 September, 2011 against Rs. 299 crore (US$ 64 million) in the corresponding quarter last year.

The Global Data and Global Voice segments of Tata Communications’ Core Business also showed strong improvements in revenues and profit margins. The Data segment’s gross revenue grew 12% and the Voice segment’s net revenue grew 4% YoY across their global operations. The Core Business’ EBITDA margin improved by 370 bps YoY to 16.1% in Q2. On the back of revenue growth and improved operating efficiencies, the Core Business turned profitable with a PAT of Rs. 18 crore during the quarter ended 30 September 2011.

Neotel, Tata Communications’ subsidiary in South Africa, continued its growth momentum. It posted a 30% YoY growth in revenue and for the first time reported an operating profit this quarter.

Starhub Third Quarter And Nine Months Ended 30 September 2011

Starhub: Third Quarter And Nine Months Ended 30 September 2011

Operating revenue rose 4% to S$572.2 million compared to S$552.3 million year-on-year (YoY). For the YTD, it increased 1%. In both instances, the increases were contributed by higher revenue from sales of equipment and increased service revenue. Although the Group’s EBITDA decreased 3% to S$167.2 million for the quarter, it increased 14% YTD to S$490.7 million. EBITDA margin as a percentage of service revenue was 30.8% for the quarter and 30.4% for YTD.

In 3Q2011, profit from operations came in at S$97.1 million, net profit after tax at S$75.8 million and free cash flow at S$148.3 million. Compared to a year ago, profit from operations decreased 9% but increased 17% YTD. Net profit after tax decreased 8% YoY but increased 22% YTD. Free cash flow rose 89% YoY and 36% YTD. Cash capital expenditure was at S$46.1 million for the quarter, 36% lower YoY and S$35.5 million lower YTD.

Business Highlights

Service revenue for both the quarter and YTD periods recorded growth. YoY, Mobile revenue grew 3% to S$307.4 million and S$905.4 million for the respective periods. Post-paid mobile services revenue was 6% higher at S$245.7 million or 5% higher YTD. Conversely, pre-paid mobile services revenue decreased 9% to S$61.7 million YoY, a 5% decrease YTD. Compared to a year ago, post-paid ARPU increased S$2 to S$74. YTD, it increased S$1. This increase was mainly due to the higher take-up of SmartSurf plans as more smartphones become commercially available. Pre-paid ARPU decreased by S$2 YoY and S$3 YTD to S$19. The lower ARPU was caused primarily by lower voice usage.

While Pay TV revenue increased 1% to S$93.4 million YoY, it decreased 9% YTD. For the quarter, Pay TV ARPU increased to S$50. This was the result of a higher subscriber base as well as the S$2 monthly subscription price increase. YTD, Pay TV ARPU was S$49. The YTD revenue decrease was due to the absence of the 2010 FIFA World Cup event and the reduction in the Sports package pricing in June 2010. The customer base was up 1% to 542,000 YoY and the average monthly churn was similar at 1.2%.

Broadband revenue increased 3% to S$60.2 million compared to a year ago. YTD, revenue came in at S$4.0 million higher to S$181.0 million. We saw a S$1 ARPU decrease to S$45 this quarter. For the nine months, ARPU was also at S$45. The lower ARPUs were mainly due to a higher mix of customers on lower speed price plans and hubbing promotional and discounts offers. The residential broadband customer base grew 6% YoY, ending the quarter with 438,000 customers. The average monthly churn was 1.1% for the quarter as compared to 1.2% in the corresponding period last year.

Fixed Network revenue decreased 4% to S$81.7 million. Data & Internet services revenue, which makes up 84% of the Fixed Network revenue, decreased 4% from a year ago. The decrease was a result of pricing pressure in the local and international leased circuit services despite higher number of circuits sold. Voice services revenue decreased 7% to S$12.9 million YoY, primarily due to lower IDD revenue as a result of lower customer usage. YTD, Voice services revenue at S$41.0 million was S$2.0 million or 5% higher from higher subscription of local voice services and increased interconnect revenue, offset by lower IDD revenue.

The number of households subscribing to all three services increased by 5% or 9,000 to 206,000 households YoY. The total number of hubbing households with at least one StarHub service totalled 793,000 after the quarter’s net add of 2,000 households. The number of households taking more than one StarHub service was up two percentage point to 57% from 55% last year.

“Despite stiff market competition and a slowing economy, we are happy to see resilient growth in all our consumer lines of business,” said Mr Neil Montefiore, CEO, StarHub.

"Moving forward, we are extremely excited about our strategic and exclusive partnership with Vodafone in Singapore, as this will enable us to provide an even more comprehensive range of products and services for our enterprise customers locally and globally,” he continued. “Riding on the global mobile alliances of Conexus and Vodafone, StarHub will be able to leverage on the rapid growth of smartphone and mobile broadband data roaming by offering higher quality and more cost-effective roaming services for all our customers,” concluded Mr Montefiore.

Telstra announces successful €750 million benchmark bond issue

10 November 2011 - Telstra today announced the completion overnight of a 10.5 year benchmark €750 million Eurobond issue, with a 3.75 per cent annual coupon and a maturity of 16 May 2022.

Telstra Chief Financial Officer Mr John Stanhope said the borrowing, conducted under Telstra’s Global Debt Program, confirmed the strength of Telstra’s credit story and reflected the positive progress being made to complete the National Broadband Network (NBN) transaction.

The transaction also demonstrated the depth of Telstra’s investor base in Europe, which allowed the company to quickly access the market at a time of significant uncertainty and achieve efficient pricing for a long term borrowing.

“This bond issue is Telstra’s second major long term borrowing this year and follows a successful $US 1 billion issue earlier in April. The issue was closed within two hours of launch. The strong demand reflects the high levels of appetite at present in the bond markets for corporate paper which offers risk diversification and relative stability. “The order book for the bond closed early with the issue being more than 5 times oversubscribed. Demand came from a wide range of over 250 high quality fixed income investors, including fund managers, insurance companies and banks.

“The bond priced at the tight end of market guidance at a margin of Euro mid-swaps + 145 bps following a 3 day roadshow and results from the excellent work by the joint lead managers,” Mr Stanhope said.

Proceeds will be fully swapped into A$ at drawdown through to maturity and provide Telstra with around A$1 billion of cost effective long-term funding. The bond will help lengthen the average maturity of Telstra's debt portfolio.

Issue proceeds will be mainly used for refinancing maturing debt and general working capital purposes.

The bond issue was jointly led by BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and HSBC with CBA as CoLead manager Telstra has a long-term rating of A (negative outlook) by S&P, A2 (review for possible downgrade) by Moody’s and A (negative outlook) by Fitch.

Telstra to offer iPad 2 in Australia on November 15

Telstra to offer iPad 2 in Australia on November 15 - Media Announcement

Telstra today announced it will offer iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G in Australia on November 15. Telstra will offer all models of iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G at an affordable monthly price on two-year plans or on a range of attractive Pre-Paid data plans.

iPad 2 is the second generation of Apple's revolutionary new device, featuring an entirely new design that is 33 per cent thinner and up to 15 per cent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime and Photo Booth, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers the up to 10 hours of battery life* users have come to expect.

“Telstra is delighted to make iPad 2 available to purchase from select Telstra Stores around Australia," said Anthea Roberts, Director, Telstra Mobile Broadband. “Our customers will be able to buy iPad 2 on a plan that includes no upfront fee, a generous monthly data allowance and which allows them to pay the device off over 24 months. Customers will also be able to purchase iPad 2 outright and team it with one of our popular iPad Pre-Paid options that allows them to top up data as they need.”

Customers can buy iPad 2 at select Telstra Shops and all Telstra Business Centres, over the phone on 132200, or from Telstra’s Shop Online beginning Tuesday, November 15.

Huawei successfully demonstrated RCS-e on GSMA Rich Communications Ecosystem Euro Summit

[SHENZHEN, China, November 8th, 2011]: Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, successfully demonstrated its RCS-e（Rich Communication Suite-Enhanced）service in the GSMA（GSM Association） Rich Communications Ecosystem Euro Summit. Huawei showcased the RCS-e used on 3G and WiFi connections, the RCS-e Application Service and the IMS（IP multimedia subsystem） call technology.

The event attracted operators from 14 countries, including not only the nearby Baltic operators, but also operators from as far as France and Azerbaijan. In total about 100 operators and suppliers representatives gathered in Stockholm for a full-day agenda.

Huawei demonstrated its RCS-e client on a U8800 device in a Huawei IMS-based RCS service - the Wo Friends service, which is already deployed by China Unicom. While the Huawei RCS-e demonstration appealed to the present operators, the Wo Friends service gave them an even more dazzling experience as the unique and commercialized RCS-e-based service has never been exhibited by any other companies.

Most operators, as well as senior GSMA representatives joined Huawei for an open discussion on how to deploy RCS-e. During the discussion Huawei shared its experience in developing and testing IMS and RCS-e systems, which was valuable to the operators who are preparing their own RCS-e launches. Huawei also demonstrated support for the RCS-e slogan "It just works!" by committing to deliveries of a terminal with native, out of the box, built-in RCS-e service, another aspect of Huawei's product that operators found favorable.

Mr. Duan Chengen, President of Huawei Core Network Western Europe, said: "RCS is the natural evolution of voice and short messages. It's a very important solution from the Huawei portfolio. Huawei is glad to be the first provider to demo this end-to-end solution, and Huawei will continue to propel the progress in commercial RCS services".

Huawei Introduces Its Next-Generation Green Modular Data Centers

[Shenzhen, China, November 8, 2011]: Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today announced its next-generation green modular data center solutions for cloud computing.

Hou Jinlong, president of Huawei's energy and infrastructure product line, said: "The modular IDS series has developed as a new trend in the construction of data centers around the world. Together with our partners, Huawei is working on building a new generation of data center infrastructures, featuring unified planning, on-demand deployment, and low energy consumption. This new generation will help customers reduce the cost of operation by more than 30 percent, ushering in a new era in cloud computing."

To meet the increased service requirements that will result from the predicted increases in data usage globally, medium and large enterprises and operators will need to fully realize the importance of rapid deployment of broadband services and cloud-based data centers. The challenge lies in how to successfully combine high-performance computing and information processing with data center infrastructure to provide broadband information services for enterprises, while also reducing their energy consumption and costs.

Traditional data centers often fail to improve energy efficiency, expand flexibly as a business grows, and implement intelligent system management processes. In response to this, Huawei has introduced the next-generation intelligent data-center solution (IDS) series to help customers realize on-demand access to IT resources and conduct business operations efficiently. The series allows customers to avoid high capital expenditure and operating expenses caused by increased power consumption.

At the conference, Li Sanqi, CTO, IT product line, Huawei, explained that Huawei's core concept in the cloud-based data center infrastructure field was focused on intelligent management, high-density deployment, green energy saving, and flexible expansion. Huawei's modular IDS series includes the container-type (IDS1000) and building-type (IDS2000) modular data centers, which feature simplified designs to effectively reduce the need for large equipment rooms and environments.

The IDS1000 was designed for the outdoors and does not require equipment rooms, helping customers to reduce the construction phase from six months to two months. In addition, the power consumption of the IDS1000 is 50 percent less than that of traditional equipment rooms. It is suitable for locations that experience temperature extremes. As a result, the IDS1000 can support disaster relief, large events, and military operations.

The IDS2000 uses advanced cooling technology, including the separation of cold and hot air pipes, precise air supply, and outdoor cooling sources, to ensure a power usage effectiveness (PUE) value of less than 1.2. It features Huawei's iFOS intelligent management system, constructed based on a visible expert system, which dynamically adjusts the power supply and cooling capacity based on the workload of the cloud platform, realizing intelligent and interlocked management and refined operations of IT equipment and equipment room infrastructure. It is suitable for the modularized construction and expansion of medium and large data centers.

Huawei and Beltelecom Successfully Test 100G Coherent Transmission on Beltelecom's Live Network

[Shenzhen, China, November 09, 2011]: Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today announced that it successfully tested the first 100G coherent transmission on the live network of Beltelecom, a national telecommunications operator of the Republic of Belarus.

The trial was performed on a link in the Beltelecom backbone WDM (wavelength-division multiplexing) network that connects Russia and Poland and travels across Belarus. During the trial, 100G services were transmitted together with existing 10G and 40G services over the same fiber, while achieving non-regeneration transmission over a distance of 900 kilometers.

Beltelecom had been facing several challenges in meeting the increasing demands for FTTx (Fiber to the x) bandwidth access services and international bandwidth leasing services. Although ample 10G and 40G services had been deployed on the network using Huawei's OTN (Optical Transport Network) devices, the heavy demand on Beltelecom's network necessitated 100G ultra-high speed transmissions in order to quickly and effectively expand the network's capacity. To meet this need, Huawei and Beltelecom deployed this 100G coherent transmission test on Beltelecom's WDM network.

During the testing process, Huawei used the ePDM-QPSK (enhanced Polarization Division Multiplexing Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying) modulation technique, which is recognized as the single best modulation technique for 100G long-haul transmission. Without making any changes to the live Beltelecom network, Huawei successfully achieved transmissions of 10G, 40G, and 100G services over the same fiber, enabling every wavelength in the network to carry 100G services without adversely affecting existing 10G and 40G services. This achievement will help Beltelcom further leverage the investment it has already made in its current network.

Sergey Sivodedov, chief technical officer of Beltelecom, said, "Collaborating with Huawei in testing 100G coherent transmission has successfully demonstrated that the 100G transmission system is mature and ready for commercial applications. This solution will help us accelerate the building of ultra-broadband networks so that we can provide users with a wider range of services."

Xu Zhidong, CEO of Huawei Belarus, said, "Huawei is committed to the continuous improvement of its technical innovations and its customer-oriented solutions and services. Last year, Huawei successfully upgraded the service rate of Beltelecom's live network from 10G to 40G, and this most recent 100G coherent transmission test further demonstrates Huawei's ongoing commitment to providing the most advanced technologies so that operators can expand their networks and create value. This accomplishment again shows that Huawei is a trusted partner for operators."

As an industry-leading transport provider, Huawei is committed to providing operators worldwide with premium end-to-end WDM and OTN transport solutions. In 2007, Huawei's OTN-based large capacity, full service solution was awarded an InfoVision Award from the International Engineering Consortium (IEC) in recognition of its contribution to the evolution of the WDM industry.

According to the most recent information available from Ovum, a leading market research firm, Huawei currently leads the global optical network market, the WDM/OTN market, and the 40G market.

New era of competition as Optus reveals NBN pricing

New era of competition as Optus reveals NBN pricing

The competition to connect communities throughout Australia is heating up with Optus today unveiling details of seven consumer NBN packages, available from November 21 in the mainland first release sites. All plans will be available on a month-to-month basis under the existing NBN Co trial agreement.

To offer customers choice, flexibility and great value, Optus Broadband powered by the NBN will be offered standalone and as bundled packages with Optus home phone and mobile plans. Plans will include enriched digital offerings such as the new Optus MeTV with fetch internet TV service by the end of the year.

Anthony Shiner, Director, Optus Consumer Fixed said, “Optus has been a champion for competition for nearly 20 years, and the NBN opens up the opportunity for Australians to finally receive real choice for their fixed services. Our focus has always been on putting the customer first and delivering great value, so we’ve decided to offer NBN plans on a monthly basis so consumer and ‘home office’ customers can start benefiting from true competition right away, with a much richer online experience. This includes the new $39.99 broadband plan which is available to current Optus postpaid mobile customers on contract.”

Flexibility and great value for customers

From November 21, customers will be able to choose from a great range of Optus NBN plans for their fixed broadband needs. Monthly plans will start from $39.99 for 40GB of data (including up to 20GB peak and 20GB off-peak*) when bundled with any contracted Optus postpaid mobile plan from $19, plus the entry level “Stay Connected” speed pack.

Customers that wish to enjoy a greater data allowance and faster speeds can opt for the $59.99, $69.99 or $79.99 standalone broadband plans. Optus mobile customers can also save a further $10 as part of a bundled offer. The $59.99 standalone broadband plan features 120GB of data (including up to 50GB peak and 70GB off-peak*), while the $79.99 plan offers 500GB (up to 250GB peak and 250GB off-peak*). All three plans include the basic “Social” speed pack , with the option to upgrade to the “Multimedia” and “Multimedia eXtream” speed packs depending on the customer’s usage needs.

For customers that want the convenience of combining their broadband and home phone with one dedicated provider, Optus will initially offer three NBN home phone bundled packages, starting with the $64.94 120GB* Home Phone bundle.

On the $109 and $129 ‘yes’ Fusion plans, customers will receive a 500GB and 1000GB data allowance plus unlimited standard calls to fixed lines and mobiles all within Australia. All Optus month-to-month plans come with a free NBN Wi-Fi gateway and no service installation and set-up fees . To ensure a smooth transition to the NBN, Optus will also have specialist installation teams on the ground to connect customers and help make their experience as seamless as possible.

Small businesses will be able to take advantage of Optus SMB NBN plans from early next year, with pricing to be announced soon.

“As the NBN roll-out progresses, we’ll release a greater range of plans as well as more exciting broadband bundles that combine the latest Optus digital products such as Optus MeTV to help customers stay better connected and entertained,” said Mr Shiner.

Optus Wholesale spurs competition with NBN aggregation trial

In addition, Optus Wholesale has commenced offering NBN aggregation services on an initial trial basis.

As an NBN aggregator, Optus Wholesale will provide ISPs with access to the NBN, enabling them to compete in the market and offer broadband services. iseek Communications is the first Optus Wholesale customer to trial the service, and has also worked in partnership with Optus to develop the technical product capabilities.

Vicki Brady, Managing Director, Optus Wholesale and Satellite said, “As a proud wholesaler of telecommunications services and one of Australia’s leading wholesale providers, we’re looking forward to enabling more choice and competition in the fixed broadband market via our NBN aggregation services. Optus Wholesale will also be offering customers a range of value-add services in addition to NBN aggregation as part of a bundled offering starting early next year.”

Optus Wholesale’s NBN aggregation service allows a service provider to reduce the number of points of interconnect (POI) to the NBN. This improves the economics of connecting users to the NBN and enables partners using the service to stay competitive with larger service providers.

Australia, get ready to Access All ARIAs with Optus

Australia, get ready to Access All ARIAs with Optus

Optus today announced an innovative digital partnership with the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) to give Australians unrestricted backstage access to the ARIA Awards through their mobile devices.

For the first time ever, fans of the ARIAs will be able to watch the drama unfolding backstage with Optus providing a dedicated mobile video stream direct from the awards night ceremony. As well as exclusive interviews and footage, the Optus mobile video stream will complement the free-to-air GO! broadcast of the event which will also be available to watch on any 3G mobile.

Austin R. Bryan, Director, Optus Digital Media said, “The ARIA Awards recognise the best in local music and talent. With ‘Access All ARIAs’ Optus is ensuring Australians can be part of the celebration by streaming both the onstage and offstage action direct to your 3G-compatible mobile.”

As mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, continue to grow in popularity, the way content is consumed is shifting dramatically. Families with mobile lives are no longer fixated on the TV set; they’re browsing the internet with a mobile device at the same time as watching the TV. The ARIA Awards represent a unique opportunity to combine both a broadcast with behind the scenes footage, into one great music and video experience.

“Optus is excited to provide a ‘two-screen’ experience where music-lovers can view the ARIA Awards on TV and also experience the behind the scenes drama that they’ve previously missed out on through their mobile,” Mr Bryan said.

The ARIA Awards mobile site will be available on handheld devices in Australia connected to the internet through 3G or WiFi. There is no fee to access the live streaming and it will be free to browse for Optus mobile customers. 3G mobile customers of other mobile providers may be required to pay data charges when viewing the Optus ‘Access All ARIAs’ mobile video stream, in accordance with the terms of their contract with their provider.

Dan Rosen, ARIA CEO said, “ARIA is excited to partner with Optus to offer Australian music fans a truly unique and innovative multi-screen experience of our 25th Anniversary celebrations. ‘Access All ARIAs’ will give all Australians a backstage pass to the biggest night on the music calendar, a view that up until now has been only available to artists and music industry insiders.”

The 25th Anniversary ARIA Awards is set be a massive celebration of excellence and innovation in Australian music with performances by some of Australia’s best and brightest stars as well as Kylie Minogue and The Wiggles being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. The Awards will be held on Sunday 27 November at Allphones Arena in Sydney and the behind-the-scenes stream will commence simultaneously with the GO! broadcast at 7.30pm (ESDT).

Optus to expand mobile coverage across the Lockyer Valley

Optus to expand mobile coverage across the Lockyer Valley

Optus announced today that it will expand its mobile coverage across the Lockyer Valley and provide the first dedicated mobile coverage to the community of Mt Sylvia by early 2012.

Today’s announcement also includes new and dedicated mobile coverage for Murphy’s Creek, the expansion to existing coverage at Gatton and Gatton South, and upgraded mobile services to Helidon.

This initiative is in response to approaches made to Optus by the local community of Mt Sylvia and the Lockyer Valley Regional Council to provide permanent mobile coverage solutions for the Lockyer Valley and the Mt Sylvia area.

The request for better coverage came after Mt Sylvia and Murphy’s Creek were isolated by the January floods which left residents without reliable mobile communications. During the floods, Optus provided Mt Sylvia residents with mobile satellite phones and a temporary mobile facility was installed at the Murphy’s Creek site which will now be expanded and made permanent.

Careful planning has been taken for the Murphy’s Creek location to maximise coverage to the surrounding region. The tower is currently under construction and services are expected to be operational by January 2012.

Due to challenging terrain in the region Optus is working closely with the Lockyer Valley Council and the Mt Sylvia community to select a suitable location that will maximise the benefits to the communities in and around Mt Sylvia.

Optus Chief Executive, Paul O’Sullivan said, “As Optus has expanded its regional mobile coverage we have seen how critical reliable mobile coverage is for many local communities around Australia. After working closely with the Lockyer Valley Council and the Mt Sylvia community, Optus is pleased to expand its commitment to the Lockyer Valley region and provide dedicated mobile coverage to the Mt Sylvia community for the first time.”

Julia Crust, Communication Committee of Mt Sylvia Co-ordinator said, “With thanks to Optus the Lockyer Valley community can, for the first time, feel safe in knowing that they have dedicated and enhanced mobile coverage for the Mt Sylvia area.”

Council’s Mayor Steve Jones welcomed the announcement. “Many of our Lockyer Valley communities were disadvantaged during January’s floods as a result of the lack of mobile coverage in the region.

“Today’s announcement by Optus is a huge step forward and the Council applauds Optus for their commitment to the Lockyer Valley region and its people,” Cr Jones said.

In addition to the above expansion announcements Optus will work with the local community to address further communication needs in the area.

FIC rolls out more channels, HD options on StarHub TV

FIC rolls out more channels, HD options on StarHub TV

FOX International Channels (FIC) and StarHub announced today that the two entertainment and lifestyle channels will now be re-tiered to their respective Basic Groups. To further enhance the audience’s viewing experience, FIC will also launch two more channels in HD format—FOX Family Movies HD (StarHub TV Channel 663) and tvN HD (StarHub TV Channel 874)—from 28 November 2011.

FX, synonymous for its cutting-edge programming, brings about bolder and edgier content that pushes the boundaries of television. In the month of November,viewers can look forward to the exclusive premiere of dark comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, when the American television sitcom returns for its fifth season. Emmy-winning drama series Mad Men will also debut its third season on FX.

tvN,the number one Korean entertainment channel in Asia, is set to wow Korean enthusiasts in the region, especially Singapore, when the channel broadcasts Asia’s biggest music awards show—2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA)LIVE—on 29 November 2011 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.Singapore will be the second overseas country outside of South Korea to present the major music awards show.

StarHub subscribers can also catch 2011 MAMA’s fantastic showcase of talented and popular artistes from South Korea and its visually spectacular pyrotechnics in full HD glory on the tvN HD channel. tvN HD, which is a simulcast channel to tvN in high definition format, is available for free preview to Chinese Entertainment Basic Group customers with the HubStation HD or HD Interactive set-top box from 28 November 2011 till 30 June 2012.

FOX Family Movies will follow suit with the introduction of its HD format in Fox Family Movies HD, under the STAR Movies Pack. Available across Asia in dual-language English and Mandarin, FOX Family Movies is home to the greatestand most beloved family films, such as Aladdin, Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert and Alice in Wonderland, from major Hollywood studios.

“FX and tvN’s being re-tiered to their respective basic groups is a testament to the high quality entertainment content offered by FOX International Channels and expanding availability to an even larger group of viewers in Singapore. As Asia’s leading pay TV network, FIC aims to entertain audiences across all demographics and on all platforms. In addition, with the launching of new high definition channels such as tvN HD and FOX Family Movies HD, FIC remains the leading provider of HD services to audiences across the region and in Singapore,” said Mr. Avinash Himatsinghani, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Southeast Asia of FOX International Channels.

“StarHub is pleased to offer greater value to our basic Lifestyle and Chinese Entertainment package subscribers through the addition of the FX and tvN channels at no extra cost,” said Ms. Iris Wee, StarHub’s Vice President of Home Solutions & Content. “Introducing the tvN HD and FOX Family Movies HD channels will also provide our customers with an enhanced HD viewing experience. This strengthens StarHub’s HD proposition in offering the most comprehensive content choices in standard definition as well as high definition,” she added. “StarHub is always exploring ways to bring more benefits to our customers, and we will continue working with our longstanding partner FIC to do just that.”

FX, tvN and FOX Family Movies are part of FIC’s portfolio of channels with multiple genres such as Channel [V] China, Channel [V] International, Channel [V]Taiwan, FOX, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic Channel, Phoenix Chinese Channel, Sky News, STAR Movies, STAR Plus, STAR Vijay and STAR World.

Bharti Airtel implements Customer Experience Management platform (CEM)

Bharti Airtel implements Customer Experience Management platform (CEM)

Bharti Airtel today announced that it has implemented a Customer Experience Management (CEM) platform into its network to optimize and enrich user experience of its customers. The operator has chosen Nokia Siemens Networks to provide and deploy its CEM platform and services across India. The CEM platform will maintain and store real-time experience metrics for every subscriber in the network enabling Bharti Airtel to proactively cater to customer needs.

“The implementation of CEM is an added impetus to our constant endeavor of offering best in class service experience to our customers across GSM, EDGE and 3G networks,” said Jagbir Singh, director network group at Bharti Airtel. “It will enable us to identify the root cause of a problem and rectify the same before the subscriber experiences any impairment in service delivery. This will clearly help us maintain an edge in the mobile broadband arena.”

“Our CEM solution will enable Bharti Airtel to enhance its service experience. For instance, it can proactively correct device settings without any intervention from the customer care,” added Sandeep Girotra, head of India region at Nokia Siemens Networks. “In addition, it can assist the marketing teams by providing new insights about subscribers’ usage and preferences, and hence enhance Bharti Airtel’s capabilities to create customer delight.”

Telecom New Zealand today announced it will offer iPhone 4S

In the News : Telecom NZ Limited

Telecom New Zealand today announced it will offer iPhone 4S beginning Friday, November 11. iPhone 4S will be available starting at $0 for the 16GB model, $49 for the 32GB model and $249 for the 64GB model with a new two-year contract and data plan. Telecom will also offer iPhone 4 8GB and iPhone 3GS starting at $0 with a new two-year contract and data plan.

iPhone will be available at Telecom retail stores and online at telecom.co.nz/iPhone. Customers can pre-order iPhone 4S at telecom.co.nz/iPhone, and Gen-i clients can pre-order iPhone through their client manager.

iPhone 4S is the most amazing iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including Apple’s dual-core A5 chip for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics; an all new camera with advanced optics and full 1080p HD resolution video recording. With the launch of iPhone 4S also comes the launch of iOS 5, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features; and iCloud, a breakthrough set of free cloud services that work with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and push it to all your devices.

“We are delighted to bring the innovative iPhone 4S to Telecom New Zealand customers," said Telecom retail CEO, Alan Gourdie. "With the capability and performance of Telecom's mobile services, customers will enjoy using the many new features of iPhone 4S on our network."

From 12:01 AM on Friday, November 11, customers will be able to purchase iPhone 4S from Telecom’s concept stores in central Auckland (167 Victoria St West) and central Wellington (42 Willis St). Customers will also be able to purchase from Christchurch (Moorhouse Ave) and Dunedin (101 George Street). iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS will also be available from all other Telecom stores nationwide from November 11 from 9:00 AM.

World of Apps for Vodafone Fiji Blackberry Users

World of Apps for Vodafone Fiji Blackberry Users

This week Vodafone Fiji officially announced the launch of App World for its BlackBerry customers. Vodafone Fiji's BlackBerry users now have access to BlackBerry's latest offering; App World, which as the name suggests, is a constellation of applications for Blackberry devices. App World is free to access and many of the 300,000 applications, 40,000 games and 14,000 themes are free to download, with such offerings as Facebook, Twitter, BBM and even an application which turns your BlackBerry into two torches, free.

Boasting Apps that include Music & Audio; Finance; Business; Health and Wellness; Photo & Video; Education; Entertainment; Sports & Recreation, as well as ten games categories comprising of such titles as Action; Board Games; Cards; Movies & TV Themes and Sports, Blackberry App World gives the BlackBerry user myriad ways to play, enjoy entertainment, find out about the world around them and manage their lives.

The App World application can be downloaded via the Blackberry browser at http://mobile.blackberry.com and by navigating through to the App World link. However most Vodafone Blackberry users will get the application pushed to their devices automatically.

Vodafone's Manager VAS, Chaminda Senewiratne said that they have been working with their partner Research In Motion for a few months now to launch App World for their Fiji customers. Customers are excited and we have received positive feedback about App World. Another first for Fiji from Vodafone.

Vodafone Fiji : Interconnect Price Determination

Vodafone Fiji : Interconnect Price Determination (8 Nov 2011)

The price determination by Commerce Commission on interconnect call termination rates for calls generated and terminating locally is in line with the glide path reduction in the interconnect rates agreed earlier between the Commission and the operators. Accordingly, there is no real surprise in the local interconnect price determination. The new rates come into effect from the 17th of November. Vodafone is technically ready to make appropriate changes in its interconnect billing meters to reflect the new charges from the effective date.

The changes in the interconnect rates are applicable at the wholesale level and will definitely have a negative impact on Vodafone revenues. Vodafone will conduct its own analysis on the level of this impact before it finalizes any new tariffs and plans going forward.

For inbound international calls, there has been an increase in the termination rate from US16.5 cents to US22.00 cents. These changes really do not impact Vodafone in any way because Vodafone Fiji as an operator does not bring in international call traffic into the country. However, the 9 cents call handling charges payable to network operators in the country on whose network the international traffic is terminated is welcomed by Vodafone. The decision by the Commerce Commission to levy such charges on those bringing in international traffic but not owning any network in the country is welcome given the huge investment required to maintain network infrastructure. Benefitting from market arbitrage due to pricing disparity between different markets without real investment in the network, if not corrected could have debilitating effect on network infrastructure owners.

We also note that the Commission has changed the proposed interconnect rate on local calls agreed to earlier from 11.5 cents to 10 cents for the period 17th November 2012 to 16th November 2013. Whilst, we would have preferred this to remain at 11.5 cents for more measured price adjustments, we nonetheless have to start gearing for a steeper decline next year.