China owns the world's largest telecommunications networks and its telecom industry has experienced double-digit growth in the past decade. The government recently restructured the domestic telecom industry, ending with three players - China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom. These companies plan to invest billions in infrastructure including the deployment of 3G networks, which will create opportunities for domestic and foreign players.

1. Restructuring and 3G are the new dimensions for
China’s Telecom sector which owns the World’s
Largest Telecommunication Networks
• January 19th, 2009
• 7:02 am
China owns the world’s largest telecommunication networks in terms of both network
capacity and number of subscribers. One of the core industries of the country, the telecom
industry has experienced double-digit growth in the past decade. And the recent move by
the government aimed at restructuring the domestic telecom industry has brought around
a wave of rapid development and deployment of telecom infrastructure throughout the
country, according to “Restructuring and 3G - New Dimensions for China Telecom
Sector,” a recent market research report.
The move has ended with three players on the domestic telecom industry, China
Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom. These operators have been planning to invest
billions of dollars into the development of world-class telecom infrastructure in the
country. This has led to the growing demand for convergence, allowing operators to
optimally utilize their existing networks while offering new set of telecom services, such
as fixed-line, voice, TV and broadband.
The government’s move to finalize issuance of 3G licenses in the first week of January
2009 is further anticipated to boost investment into the Chinese telecom market. The
convergence of telecom networks, digital TV networks, and the Internet, combined with
deployment of 3G networks in the country, will create tremendous opportunities for both
domestic and foreign players in the telecom service industry.
http://wirelessfederation.com/news/restructuring-and-3g-are-the-new-dimensions-for-
chinas-telecom-sector-which-owns-the-worlds-largest-telecommunication-networks/

2. Vietnam to launch 3G in 2009
• January 19th, 2009
• 7:06 am
Vietnam, according to the industry sources, is likely to launch 3G in 2009. With the
coming of 3G, will enable the operators in the country to provide more Value Added
Services to their susbcribers. “Vietnam ’s telecom market expects to reach a turnover of
between US$ 6 to US$7 billion in 2010, which promises a huge market for mobile
service providers,” said a member of the management board of VNPT Group - which
operates mobile service providers Mobifone and Vinaphone.
http://wirelessfederation.com/news/vietnam-to-launch-3g-in-2009/

3. MTS selects Huawei for 3G Armenia network
• January 19th, 2009
• 7:16 am
MTS (Russia’s mobile phone service provider) has selected China’s Huawei
Technologies to supply gear for its third-generation (3G) network in Armenia, the
Russian company said. According to MTS, China’s largest telecoms equipment maker,
will supply base stations and controllers but gave no size of the contract. The carrier, part
of services conglomerate Sistema, is planning to launch network this spring.
http://wirelessfederation.com/news/mts-selects-huawei-for-3g-armenia-network/

4. India Monday, 19 January 2009
BSNL to begin WiMAX services in Ahmedabad
Online news portal DNA Money is reporting that state-owned telco Bharat Sanchar
Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is planning to roll out WiMAX services in the city of Ahmedabad by
the end of January. BSNL ran trial WiMAX networks in eight cities during 2007, but the
operator has indicated it will focus initial deployment of the technology in rural regions.
BSNL has said it will spend INR16 billion (USD329.9 million) on the new infrastructure
and aims to cover 25,000 villages within a year. Despite the auction process for WiMAX
spectrum having not been completed, BSNL has already received spectrum in three
circles; Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=26854&email=text

5. India Monday, 19 January 2009
Etisalat and RCOM in tower-share talks
According to the Times of India, Reliance Communications (RCOM) and Etisalat are in
discussions that could see the latter gain access to RCOM’s wireless tower infrastructure.
Etisalat holds a 45% stake in new mobile licencee Swan Telecom, and it is believed that,
subject to an agreement, the new player would use RCOM’s infrastructure, which is
managed by RCOM subsidiary Reliance Infratel, to launch operations. It is believed that
a revenue sharing model has been mooted as part of the agreement, with revenues from
the deal expected to be around INR16 billion (USD329.9 million) annually. According to
TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Etisalat paid USD900 million for its stake in
the cellco in September 2008. Swan is expected to launch commercial services in the first
quarter of 2009.
http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=26859&email=text

6. Indonesia Monday, 19 January 2009
Indosat targets twelve million new subs. in 2009
Indonesia's second largest telecoms company by revenues and subscribers, PT Indosat, is
looking to sign up at least twelve million new subscribers this year, Antara News reports
citing comments by the group’s marketing director Guntur Siboro. Guntur is confident
that the company, which is 40.81% owned by Qatar Telecom (Qtel), will grow by at least
the same rate as in 2008, despite the country facing an economic contraction in the global
downturn. Last year Indosat grew by between 11%-14% and by 30 September had a
customer base of 35.5 million, of which eleven million were new users.
In a related story, Qtel says it will begin a tender offer for shares of Indosat tomorrow, as
it looks to increase its ownership of the company to the maximum limit of 65% allowed
under local law. The Qatari firm will launch two offers in the US and Indonesia
respectively, on 24.19% of Indosat’s shares valued at IDR9.71 trillion (USD883 million).
The offer is due to expire on 18 February, the Bisnis Indonesia daily said.
http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=26842&email=text

7. DTAC picks Nokia Siemens Networks for 3G Sunday 18 January 2009 | 03:15 PM CET
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Nokia Siemens Networks has been selected by Thai telecommunications service provider
Total Access Communication (DTAC) as one of two vendors to supply gear for its 3G
network. In the frame contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will deliver radio access
network with both 2G and 3G technologies to DTAC. In the core network, DTAC's
circuit switch will be enhanced to accommodate 2G/3G, and a packet switch will be
introduced for high speed packet access (HSPA).
http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=653808

8. Batelco acquires 49% in India's S Tel Monday 19 January 2009 | 08:32 AM CET
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Batelco has announced its entry in the Indian mobile communications market by
acquiring 49 percent in S Tel, a recently established Indian mobile operator for USD 225
million. Batelco, which has operations in six markets across the Middle East, said it has
partnered with Millennium Private Equity to form Batelco Millennium India Company
Limited (BMICL) to purchase the shares in S Tel. Batelco chairman Shaikh Hamad bin
Abdulla Al-Khalifa said that Batelco plans to continue its regional expansion drive
through targeted acquisitions of other operators and licences while maintaining its market
leadership in Bahrain. S Tel has licences to operate in six Indian states – Bihar, Orissa,
Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, North East and Assam. The population in these
areas is approximately 230 million and mobile penetration rate is less than 20 percent.
http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=653791