tn mobile rolls out 4G LTE prepaid

tn mobile, the mobile division of Telecom Namibia, reports that it is the first operator in Namibia to offer 4G LTE prepaid broadband service to consumers.

This follows the launch of tn mobile’s superfast 4G LTE network and services by the minister of ICT Joel Kaapanda last week. With the tn mobile Prepaid 4G LTE, users can now enjoy faster data access on their laptops and PCs on tn mobile’s 4G LTE network, with theoretical download speeds of up to 100Mbps.

tn mobile Prepaid 4G LTE is available at N$298 and comes with a Dongle bundled with free 500 MB data. The out of bundle rate is 95 cents per MB.

The service is currently available in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Henties Bay, Ondangwa, Oshakati, Ongwediva, Ohangwena and Oshikango.

Telecom Namibia reports that outside the 4G LTE coverage area, users will be served by tn mobile’s 3G HSPA+ network with theoretical download speeds of up to 21Mbps and upload of 5.76Mbps, which makes it the fastest 3G service in the country.

“Where the 3G/HSPA+ network is not available our 2G network will do the job. So we always have you covered,” explains Chris Keeping, Chief Mobile Officer at Telecom Namibia.

“We will continue to enhance and expand our 4G LTE network coverage to key towns around the country,” Keeping added.

"Leveraging on our new 4G LTE network, we are glad to offer the country's first 4G LTE prepaid broadband service. Our prepaid users are now able to enjoy ultra-fast 4G LTE data access and an enhanced mobile experience," says Oiva Angula, senior manager for corporate communications and public relations at Telecom Namibia.

source: www.biztech-africa.com

high-speed internet hits Arusha

Smile Communications (Tanzania), a company that specialiases in providing high speed Internet services, has opened for business in Arusha. Smile deals in the new 4G LTE.

Arusha, located to the northern part of Tanzania with booming developments and the headquarters of the East African Community, becomes the second place after the initial launch in Dar es Salaam during May this year.

These developments make Tanzania the first country in Africa to gain access to this revolutionary technology of its ultra-high speed broadband Internet access, the Fourth Generation Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) billed as the cutting-edge fourth -generation mobile technology.

Speaking in Arusha recently, Fiona McGloin, the Country Manager for Smile Communications in Tanzania and Uganda, said Smile was confident that providing reliable, high speed Internet will significantly contribute to the success of Arusha. Smile hopes to give Arusha a faster , more reliable and cost effective service.

Arusha is famed for its cosmopolitan city with regional and International Institutions and Organizations such as the EAC, Africa's Human Right Court, Commonwealth Regional Health Secretariat, WWF and more, including institutions of higher learning, corporate businesses, tour and travel agents as well as SMEs, NGOs and residents.

"Smile Communications Tanzania rolls out the high speed Internet to Arusha that is comparable to the speed and quality enjoyed in Europe, said Ms McGloin adding that Tanzania was the first country to be connected with the fastest, most reliable Internet service at a transparent competitive price and high-level customer satisfaction and service".

The Arusha launch came in on the sidelines of the 10 year celebration of the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), cited by Smile Communications Tanzania as a regulatory authority which factors in conducive investment policies.

McGloin said that the laying of the fiber optic cables has to a greater extent boosted Internet uptake by people for development - all being the motivating factors for Smile to invest in Tanzania.

source: www.allafrica.com

Africa well positioned for leap to 4G LTE

With its capacity for innovation, Africa’s mobile network sector is well positioned to drive the explosion in service offerings on the back of 4G LTE implementations.  This is the view of Sherry Zameer, Africa and Middle East Head of telecommunication solutions for Gemalto, world leader in digital security.   Zameer’s comments follow the AfricaCom conference held in Cape Town last week, which was attended by some 8000 delegates from over 100 different countries.

“Africa is largely unrestricted by legacy platforms and onerous regulations, and so has the capacity to leapfrog standard 3G migrations, to embrace LTE and all the benefits of better quality service and content possibilities that the next generation platform provides,” Zameer continued.

While LTE penetration stands at less than 0.003 percent of the market in Africa, Rwanda, for example, is poised to implement LTE from the get go.

“Successful LTE implementations in Africa will depend on how well the issue of spectrum is addressed and how well wireless services (radio) work with LTE to deliver the quality of service required,” Zameer added.

“Africa has a track record of innovation and being first to market in many instances (e.g. M-Pesa and dynamic tariffing) and I expect that the implementation of 4G LTE will be no different,” he said.

While the continent is poised to take telecoms growth to a whole new level, questions among attendees at the conference remain as to how generate profits on new service options, once LTE is deployed

source: www.biztechafrica.com

tn mobile rolls out 4G LTE prepaid

the mobile division of Telecom Namibia, reports that it is the first operator in Namibia to offer 4G LTE prepaid broadband service to consumers.

This follows the launch of tn mobile’s superfast 4G LTE network and services by the minister of ICT Joel Kaapanda last week. With the tn mobile Prepaid 4G LTE, users can now enjoy faster data access on their laptops and PCs on tn mobile’s 4G LTE network, with theoretical download speeds of up to 100Mbps.

tn mobile Prepaid 4G LTE is available at N$298 and comes with a Dongle bundled with free 500 MB data. The out of bundle rate is 95 cents per MB.

The service is currently available in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Henties Bay, Ondangwa, Oshakati, Ongwediva, Ohangwena and Oshikango.

Telecom Namibia reports that outside the 4G LTE coverage area, users will be served by tn mobile’s 3G HSPA+ network with theoretical download speeds of up to 21Mbps and upload of 5.76Mbps, which makes it the fastest 3G service in the country.

“Where the 3G/HSPA+ network is not available our 2G network will do the job. So we always have you covered,” explains Chris Keeping, Chief Mobile Officer at Telecom Namibia.

“We will continue to enhance and expand our 4G LTE network coverage to key towns around the country,” Keeping added.

"Leveraging on our new 4G LTE network, we are glad to offer the country's first 4G LTE prepaid broadband service. Our prepaid users are now able to enjoy ultra-fast 4G LTE data access and an enhanced mobile experience," says Oiva Angula, senior manager for corporate communications and public relations at Telecom Namibia.

source: www.biztechafrica.com

Tanzania : why internet users in Arusha are smiling

LTE (Long Term Evolution) also known as 4G LTE enables ultra-high-speed internet access because it is the cutting-edge fourth-generation (4G) mobile technology standard and represents a step change in evolution from existing wireless technologies such as GSM-2G/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS-3G/3.75G.

4G LTE is the future platform of all online as well as voice and data communication, and its inherently flexible and constantly evolving nature guarantees that it will remain the superior standard in mobile data and voice services for years to come.

“Smile launched in Dar es Salaam on May 16 2013, making Tanzania the first country in Africa to access this revolutionary technology. We are very excited about bringing this technology to Arusha. As a notable international hub that has vast, thriving and dynamic service and tourism sectors and a range of learning institutions, Arusha has so many businesses, organisations and people that will benefit from high speed internet,” said Fiona McGloin, Smile Country Manager for Tanzania and Uganda.

“We at Smile are confident that providing reliable, high speed internet will significantly contribute to the success of Arusha based businesses and also give the people in Arusha a faster, more reliable and cost effective service,” McGloin said.

In Tanzania’s vibrant communications sector, 4G LTE internet now leads the race being six-times faster than 3G and four-times faster than 3.75G. Smile provides an average speed of 6Mbps download and 3Mbps upload.

source: www.itnewsafrica.com

Qualcomm to make smartphone chips with 64 bit technology

Chipmaker Qualcomm technologies has said it will introduce snapdragon 410 chipset with 4G LTE capability as the company seeks to deliver faster connections to drive growth and adoption of smartphones in emerging regions especially China.

The new snapdragon 410 chipsets use the 28nm process technology that are 64 bit capable along with superior graphics performance with the Adreno 306 GPu, 1080p video playback and up to 13 megapixel camera.

The Snapdragon 410 chipsets will also combine 4G AND 3G cellular connectivity for all major modes and frequency bands worldwide and will support both dual and triple SIM.

Qualcomm further says the chipsets will also have the multiband and multimode support on top of the Qualcomm RF360 front end solution.

Other features to be available on the snapdragon 410 chipsets WiFi, Bluetooth, Fm, NFC functionality as well as support all major navigation constellations: GPS, GLONASS and China's new BeiDou which helps deliver enhanced accuracy and speed of Location data to Snapdragon-enabled handsets.

The chipset that is expected to be available for sampling in the first half of 2014 and is expected to be in commercial devices in the second half of 2014 also supports all the major operating systems including Android, Windows phone and Firefox.

Also available for the first time is the intention by Qualcomm technologies to make 4G LTE available across all of the snapdragon product tiers a move that will ensure that emerging regions are equipped for this transition as they continue to enjoy 2G and 3G technology.

"We are excited to bring 4G LTE to highly affordable smartphones at a sub $150 ( ̴ 1,000 RMB) price point with the introduction of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor," said Jeff Lorbeck, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Qualcomm Technologies, China. "The Snapdragon 410 chipset will also be the first of many 64-bit capable processors as Qualcomm Technologies helps lead the transition of the mobile ecosystem to 64-bit processing.

source: www.allafrica.com

Etisalat wins performance award at commsMEA

Etisalat, a leading telecom operator in the Middle East and Africa, has won the industry award as the ‘Overall Operator of the Year’ at the recent CommsMEA Awards 2013 in Dubai.

The annual award was presented to the operator that has managed to stand out from all the rest, either in a specific field or across a number of disciplines. The judging criteria focused on numerous aspects of businesses, including growth, financials, innovation and quality of service.

The eighth edition of the annual CommsMEA awards and acknowledges operators and individuals who have taken a leadership role in the region’s fast growing and rapidly changing telecoms sector.

This achievement was possible mainly due to the huge investment in setting up the network made by Etisalat UAE which exceeded Dh19 billion ($5.17 billion). Etisalat has also pioneered mobile services in the UAE including the first 3G, 3.5G, 3.75G and 4G services in the region. The operator is credited with building the UAE’s first and the region’s widest 4G LTE network. Etisalat successfully tested the world’s fastest speed of 300Mbps over its 4G LTE network.

Saleh Al Abdooli, Etisalat CEO, said: "Etisalat has always been at the forefront of providing customers with the latest services and technologies. There is always an effort to provide a number of unique benefits to customers and businesses alike through the provision of an advanced and scalable network, reliability, and best customer service along with faster response time.”

“The award recognises these efforts and is well deserved for the successes achieved this year. This was all possible due to our dedicated team and partners helping us to deliver highest quality, innovative services and technologies, making UAE one of the most connected countries in the world,” he added.

Roger Field, editor, CommsMEA said: “Etisalat continued to achieve growth in its home market in the face of tough competition by launching a raft of offers to increase uptake of services, from IPTV packages to mobile broadband and business packages. It also invested in its network and successfully completed testing voice over LTE earlier in the year, allowing it to launch HD-quality voice services.


source:www.tradearabia.com

mobile M2M module market jumps 10% in first half

The mobile machine-to-machine (M2M) module market jumped 10 percent sequentially in the first half of 2013, reaching $849 million, according to the latest stats from Infonetics Research.

Infonetics predicts that the mobile M2M module market will almost double in revenue by 2017, reaching $3 billion in that year or a compound annual growth rate of 14 percent.

North America remains the leading region for mobile M2M modules, followed by Europe, the Middle East and Africa; Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Despite this healthy growth, the market is forecast to consolidate, as vendors face a "dynamic, and at times challenging, environment," observes Godfrey Chua, directing analyst for M2M and connected world at Infonetics.

"We expect the next 12 to 36 months to bring further industry consolidation and continued vetting of M2M business models. These factors, when coupled with macroeconomic issues including a tepid U.S. recovery and uncertainty in Europe and the ongoing transitions between technology platforms (2G to 3G to 4G), temper the near-term growth prospects of mobile M2M modules. Overcoming these challenges will be key to laying the foundation for the accelerated growth we anticipate in a few years," Chua adds.

Sierra Wireless' purchase of AnyData and Telit's acquisition of ILS Technology for $8.5 million demonstrate the consolidation trend. ILS was recently selected by ABI Research as the top M2M security vendor, followed by Axeda and Sierra Wireless.

GSM/GPRS/EDGE made up 59 percent of mobile M2M module units shipped the first half of 2013, although this share will decline as the transition to 3G proceeds and eventually 4G, with 4G LTE accounting for as much as 12 percent of mobile M2M module revenue by 2017, according to Infonetics.

source: www.fiercemobileit.com

U.S smartphone buyers moving upscale while others goes cheap

Smartphone prices are falling in every region of the world except North America, as U.S. consumers buy ever more sophisticated handsets.

Market research firm IDC forecast Tuesday that smartphone prices worldwide will fall at a compound annual rate of 7.3% over the next five years. But in North America, it sees average selling prices for smartphones increasing 2.1%. It's the only region where prices are expected to rise, IDC says.

Smartphone prices in the U.S. and Canada are already the most expensive in the world, with an average selling price of $531 this year. But IDC sees that creeping up to $567 by 2017 as consumers upgrade to phones with bigger displays and 4G LTE wireless capabilities. Premium phones from Apple, Samsung and others are seen driving this trend.

We're a market that's moving away from entry-level smartphones and toward higher-end smartphones," IDC analyst Ramon Llamas told IBD. "We're moving more toward LTE, and LTE smartphones usually command a higher price tag than 3G phones. On top of that, you're seeing phones getting bigger and bigger (displays)."

Apple's latest flagship handset, the iPhone 5S, without a wireless service contract, costs $649, $749 and $849 for models with 16, 32 and 64 gigabytes of flash memory.

In the rest of the world, smartphone average selling prices are seen falling rapidly as handset makers produce lower-cost devices for poorer customers. These devices typically use Google 's  free-to-use Android operating system.

Average selling prices for smartphones worldwide, including North America, are seen falling to $265 in 2017 from $337 this year.

In the Asia-Pacific region, prices are forecast to drop 8.9% to $215 over the next five years. In Europe, smartphone prices are seen falling 9% to $259 during that period. In Latin America, smartphone prices are expected to dip 5.7% to $246. And in the Middle East and Africa, smartphone prices are forecast to decline 7.3% to $230 by 2017, IDC says.

Meanwhile, worldwide smartphone unit shipments are seen rising at a compound annual growth rate of 18.4% from this year to 2017, IDC says. The research firm expects smartphone shipments to surpass 1 billion units in 2013, up 39.3% over last year, and approach 1.7 billion units in 2013.

source: news.investors.com

KT launches into Kenyan telecom market

SEOUL, KOREA- KT announced on November 1 that it will launch into the Kenyan telecommunications market following its earlier launch into Rwanda in Africa.

KT revealed that its chairman Lee Seok-Chae held a string of meetings with the summits and IT ministers of major African countries during his participation at the Transform Africa Summit 2013 held in Rwanda from October 29.

Lee, in particular, was invited by Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, to have an individual meeting at Nairobi, the Kenyan capital where they reached an agreement to apply the Rwanda-KT business model into Kenya.

KT plans to cooperate with the Kenyan government for establishment of 4G LTE-based mobile broadband networks there. To provide related services in Kenya, KT and the Kenyan government will set up a joint venture specialized in the provision of IT services.

source: koreaittimes.com