The Kuwaiti telecoms group Zain says it is interested in acquiring a 3G mobile licence in Turkey when they are reoffered by the government. Three UMTS concessions were put up for sale last year but they attracted just one bid, from the country’s largest mobile operator, Turkcell. The government cancelled the sale, saying there was insufficient competition for the process to be legal. Zain’s chief executive Saad Al Barrak recently met with Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the opportunity.

The operational separation of Telecom New Zealand comes into effect today (31 March), with the telco implementing a government-backed plan which has seen it split into three divisions covering retail, wholesale and network operations. Telecom submitted a revised separation proposal just last week and the government approved the plan in time for the reorganisation to go ahead on the scheduled date. The split is intended to give New Zealand’s phone users access to cheaper and better quality services, with alternative providers able to compete more effectively with the incumbent. Telecom New Zealand chief executive Paul Reynolds says today marks a milestone for the company and for the domestic industry as a whole. He added that he considers the requirements of the separation undertaking to be ‘challenging but achievable’. The firm has already begun work on infrastructure projects required as part of the split, including the installation of 3,600 roadside cabinets to improve access to its broadband internet networks.

Telkom South Africa has decided not to go ahead with a deal which would have seen it sell a stake to Dubai-based telecoms investment group Oger Telecom. South Africa’s largest telco says the deal was not in the interest of its shareholders: ‘The disposal of Telkom or any of its subsidiaries, joint ventures or any parts thereof will not be considered by Telkom without a compelling strategic rationale,’ it said in a statement. Oger Telecom made an offer in January to swap its 60% stake in South Africa’s third largest cellular operator, Cell C, in return for Telkom shares. Meanwhile, Telkom says it will be investing in a new fixed wireless and mobile data network.

Portugal’s telecoms regulator Anacom has begun the process which could lead to the award of the country’s fourth mobile licence. A 30-day public consultation period has been opened for a 15-year concession offering spectrum in the 450MHz band, and this will be then followed by a 25-day period during which interested bidders will be able to submit their proposals, Thomson Financial reports. Portugal’s three existing cellular licensees – TMN, Vodafone and Optimus – are barred from the new auction.

Portugal’s telecoms regulator Anacom has begun the process which could lead to the award of the country’s fourth mobile licence. A 30-day public consultation period has been opened for a 15-year concession offering spectrum in the 450MHz band, and this will be then followed by a 25-day period during which interested bidders will be able to submit their proposals, Thomson Financial reports. Portugal’s three existing cellular licensees – TMN, Vodafone and Optimus – are barred from the new auction.

Telkom South Africa has decided not to go ahead with a deal which would have seen it sell a stake to Dubai-based telecoms investment group Oger Telecom. South Africa’s largest telco says the deal was not in the interest of its shareholders: ‘The disposal of Telkom or any of its subsidiaries, joint ventures or any parts thereof will not be considered by Telkom without a compelling strategic rationale,’ it said in a statement. Oger Telecom made an offer in January to swap its 60% stake in South Africa’s third largest cellular operator, Cell C, in return for Telkom shares. Meanwhile, Telkom says it will be investing in a new fixed wireless and mobile data network.

Sweden’s Tele2 Group has completed the sale of its Austrian mobile resale business to Telekom Austria. The EUR7 million (USD11 million) cash deal was recently given approval by the country’s telecoms regulator. Tele2 is selling its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in Austria to concentrate on its core fixed line and broadband internet offerings.

Sweden’s Tele2 Group has completed the sale of its Austrian mobile resale business to Telekom Austria. The EUR7 million (USD11 million) cash deal was recently given approval by the country’s telecoms regulator. Tele2 is selling its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in Austria to concentrate on its core fixed line and broadband internet offerings.

New Zealand internet service provider (ISP) Orcon has postponed its planned launch as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), saying it has been unable to reach an agreement over number porting with its network partner, Vodafone. Orcon, which is part of the state-owned telecoms group Kordia, had originally planned to launch its mobile resale services last October, but then put the date back to February. The ISP’s chief executive Scott Bartlett has told The Dominion Post that a move into the country’s cellular market ‘is completely impossible right now’. Vodafone says its number portability system is industry standard and has been accepted by its other MVNO partners.

New Zealand internet service provider (ISP) Orcon has postponed its planned launch as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), saying it has been unable to reach an agreement over number porting with its network partner, Vodafone. Orcon, which is part of the state-owned telecoms group Kordia, had originally planned to launch its mobile resale services last October, but then put the date back to February. The ISP’s chief executive Scott Bartlett has told The Dominion Post that a move into the country’s cellular market ‘is completely impossible right now’. Vodafone says its number portability system is industry standard and has been accepted by its other MVNO partners.

The operational separation of Telecom New Zealand comes into effect today (31 March), with the telco implementing a government-backed plan which has seen it split into three divisions covering retail, wholesale and network operations. Telecom submitted a revised separation proposal just last week and the government approved the plan in time for the reorganisation to go ahead on the scheduled date. The split is intended to give New Zealand’s phone users access to cheaper and better quality services, with alternative providers able to compete more effectively with the incumbent. Telecom New Zealand chief executive Paul Reynolds says today marks a milestone for the company and for the domestic industry as a whole. He added that he considers the requirements of the separation undertaking to be ‘challenging but achievable’. The firm has already begun work on infrastructure projects required as part of the split, including the installation of 3,600 roadside cabinets to improve access to its broadband internet networks.

US and Caribbean mobile and broadband operator Centennial Communications has released results of its third fiscal quarter ended 29 February 2008, which show a consolidated net profit of USD5.4 million, reports BNamericas. Turnover from broadband operations in Puerto Rico rose 10% year-on-year to USD33.9 million, whilst wireless services on the island generated USD82.7 million, also up 10%. Puerto Rican wireless monthly ARPU was USD65, down from USD66 a year earlier largely due to a fall in airtime revenue, partially offset by rising data ARPU. Total subscribers in Puerto Rico increased by 6% in twelve months to 423,000 at the end of February 2008. Broadband CAPEX came to USD3.8 million in the quarter, and wireless investments reached USD10.3 million. Last year Centennial sold its Dominican Republic operations to Trilogy International.

US and Caribbean mobile and broadband operator Centennial Communications has released results of its third fiscal quarter ended 29 February 2008, which show a consolidated net profit of USD5.4 million, reports BNamericas. Turnover from broadband operations in Puerto Rico rose 10% year-on-year to USD33.9 million, whilst wireless services on the island generated USD82.7 million, also up 10%. Puerto Rican wireless monthly ARPU was USD65, down from USD66 a year earlier largely due to a fall in airtime revenue, partially offset by rising data ARPU. Total subscribers in Puerto Rico increased by 6% in twelve months to 423,000 at the end of February 2008. Broadband CAPEX came to USD3.8 million in the quarter, and wireless investments reached USD10.3 million. Last year Centennial sold its Dominican Republic operations to Trilogy International.

Celcom claims to have become the first operator in Malaysia to establish a single core network platform for its GSM and W-CDMA networks, using a Mobile Softswitch solution from Ericsson. The deployment also marks the first step for Celcom in migrating its core network to an all-IP architecture. Upon completion, Celcom will benefit from having a single, common infrastructure that will handle both 2G and 3G network services, including the current available voice, data and TV services such as MMS, mobile broadband and mobile TV. The common infrastructure will also enable Celcom to introduce innovative new services such as dual numbers in one SIM card or same number in multiple devices, 3G services on 2G SIM card and mobile number portability, to name a few.

China’s largest fixed line operator China Telecom has reported that operating revenues rose by just 1.7% in 2007 to RMB178.6 billion (USD25.5 billion), while EBITDA was virtually unchanged at RMB89.2 billion. Net profit for the year ended 31 December 2007 fell to RMB23.7 billion, from the previous year’s figure of RMB27.2 billion. Voice revenues for the year were down 7.9% to RMB111.3 billion, while voice ARPU fell 10.1% to RMB41.8. Non-voice revenues were up by 28.8%, however, to RMB64.05 billion. Access lines in service fell by around three million during the course of the year to 220.3 million, of which 121.8 million were connected to residential customers, 24.8 million to government and enterprise users, 15.7 million were public telephones and 58 million were PAS connections. In terms of broadband subscribers, the company added 7.33 million new customers to take its total to 35.65 million.