India seeks to atone for Spectrumgate
Spectrum auctions tend to be prosaic affairs. Not many warrant their own Wikipedia page [1]. But then not many have had the seismic impact of the Indian 2G spectrum auctions of 2008. This scandalous...
View ArticleSprint-Softbank: The big bet
I saw Softbank’s Masayoshi Son speak at Mobile World Congress 2011. CEO presentations are often pedestrian affairs delivered by identical-looking middle-aged men in suits – but Mr Son’s 15 minutes or...
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Too soon for talk of an Indian recovery
NEW BLOG: India’s mobile sector got a share-price bounce recently. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India, the country’s two biggest operators, reported encouraging top-line numbers for the quarter ended...
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Convergence key to TD-LTE growth
NEW BLOG: So far, TD-LTE has been something of a 'niche' technology, as its sibling FDD LTE has been more widely deployed by operators moving to 4G. But the list of backers of TD-LTE – China Mobile,...
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China to continue to drive iPhone sales – despite subsidy cuts
NEW BLOG: Neither cuts in handset subsidies, nor rumours of government bans, will dent sales of iPhones in China anytime soon.Reports earlier in the month that certain Apple products were blacklisted...
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Thailand’s regulators fight back
NEW BLOG: Now that the four individual Thai regulators accused of corruption in the awarding of the country’s 3G spectrum have been cleared by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), they have...
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Why was China overlooked in iPhone 6 launch?
Apple tamed the thriving grey market for iPhones between Hong Kong and the mainland last year with the simultaneous launch of the iPhone 5 in 11 ‘tier one’ markets around the world.The fact that this...
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iPhone 6 delay in China: blame NFC capability
NEW BLOG: The omission of China in the first wave [1] of iPhone 6 launches has nothing to do with a crackdown on successful foreign companies, a willful delay in the certification process or a rethink...
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China – rewriting the rules on mobile stat success
NEW BLOG: Only in China does a net gain of 635,000 connections in a single month by the country's second-largest operator constitute a 'subscriber growth crisis' [1].China Unicom reported its lowest...
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What is really behind Facebook’s zero-rating access deals?
NEW BLOG: New Zealand’s Spark and Thailand’s dtac are the latest mobile operators to offer customers discounted access to social media apps.Spark is giving selected prepaid and postpaid customers 1GB...
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The real winner in Hong Kong’s 3G auction: China Mobile
NEW BLOG: As expected, just three operators participated in Hong Kong’s auction on Monday for five 9.8-10MHz lots of 1.9-2.2GHz spectrum. Also not unexpected was that the final price per megahertz was...
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Thai junta’s dangerous steps to neuter telecoms regulator
NEW BLOG: Thailand’s cabinet last week approved eight draft bills that are intended to transform the country’s economy – which has spluttered since the coup last May – into a “digital” economy.The new...
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South Korean operators battle LTE-A tri-band marketing claims in court –...
NEW BLOG: The battle in South Korea over the title of first commercialisation of tri-band LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) services has escalated, with LG Uplus joining KT to file a joint injunction against rival...
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Samsung: a hardware company caught up in a software revolution
[1]NEW BLOG: Reports last week that Samsung attempted to buy BlackBerry [2] for $7.5 billion [3] highlight the dilemma Samsung management faces.During its reign as the world’s largest producer of...
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Standoff in Dhaka: Will auctions move ahead in May?
NEW BLOG: Bangladesh’s spectrum auctions, scheduled for 20 May, look like they will be delayed [1]after the operators made it clear they won’t participate in the sale until a settlement is reached on a...
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Does Singapore really need a 4th operator?
NEW BLOG: Last week’s news that an SMRT-funding venture is interesting in biding [1] for a fourth mobile licence next year has raised an important question for would-be mobile service providers in the...
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How long can China help fuel Apple’s record profits?
NEW BLOG: Apple reported another staggering profit of $13.6 billion [1] for its fiscal second quarter (January-March 2015), with iPhone sales surging 55 per cent to $40.3 billion as shipments increased...
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Why Japan Post is the poster child for struggling postal services
NEW BLOG: Japan Post Group is breaking new ground far beyond mail delivery by tapping into its key asset – its ability to cover the “last mile” to virtually every citizen.It recently announced it is...
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4G hopefuls already look ahead to Thailand’s next auction
NEW BLOG: Thailand’s long-delayed 4G spectrum auctions finally look like they are set to move ahead at the end of the year [1] despite calls from various agencies to push the sale back to give the...
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CES Asia: Cars, drones and real-time consumer insight
NEW BLOG: The inaugural Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Asia in Shanghai last week could have easily been mistaken for an auto show, with foreign automakers attracting the largest crowds and premium...
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