Telco Daily 20-Sept-2007

KDDI and Intel to bid for WiMax licence in Japan

KDDI and Intel are leading a joint venture to bid for a WiMax licence in Japan. The joint venture, that is called Wireless Broadband Planning, will bid for the 2.5 gigahertz frequency band and, if successful, will launch a mobile wireless broadband business. The new company said it intended to become a global leader in WiMax and would offer services globally through roaming agreements. NTT DoCoMo has partnered ACCA Networks to seek a WiMax licence. The Japanese government is expected to hand out two licences by the end of the year. (Financial Times)


Wireless Spectrum Is on Hold

US carriers, which spent billions of dollars in last year's government auction of airwaves, have been unable to use a major portion of this spectrum because of the surveillance activities of several federal agencies. For T-Mobile, the issue is impeding its US expansion. The company was the largest bidder, having spent nearly USD4.2 billion to acquire the spectrum. The government agencies were given USD1.1 billion raised in the auction to relocate to other radio spectrum, but most of them have yet to move. T-Mobile has also offered to pay up to USD50 million to buy new equipment or modify existing equipment for the agencies to use temporarily. However, a Commerce Department spokesperson said the government likely wouldn't view this proposal favorably. (The Wall Street Journal)


NOKIA AGREES TO BUY CELLPHONE-AD FIRM

Nokia has agreed to acquire a Boston company that displays ads on cell phones. The 120-person Enpocket works directly with cell phone operators such as Sprint Nextel, Vodafone and Bharti Airtel. It has powered mobile ads for brands such as Hyundai and Pepsi. (The Wall Street Journal)


BRUSSELS IN FRESH THREAT TO MOBILE GROUPS

Viviane Reding, the EU media commissioner, is threatening to draw up new rules that could harmonise how much mobile operators can charge for connecting calls to their networks. She is concerned the charges vary widely across the 27 EU member states, and wants national regulators to adopt a common approach. The rates are known as wholesale charges because they are paid by operators rather than consumers. In the UK, the charges represent about 15 percent of mobile operators' revenues. (Financial Times)


T-MOBILE IN IPHONE DEAL

Deutsche Telekom´s T-Mobile subsidiary has secured the rights to sell Apple´s iPhone exclusively in Austria, the Netherlands, Hungary and Croatia, in addition to Germany. (Financial Times)