2G, 3G & 4G Subscriptions, Deployments and Infrastructure Contracts Database Q4'2013

With over 250 commercial network launches and over a thousand LTE-enabled devices available in the market as of December 2013, LTE adoption has considerably gained momentum throughout the globe. Unique market and operator requirements have driven several early LTE launches. Driven by these early launches global LTE subscriptions reached nearly 130 Million in Q4'2013. From an operator viewpoint U.S. operators dominate the market with a 37% market share thanks to the tremendous coverage footprint of tier 1 operators Verizon Wireless & AT&T. The market share of U.S. operators is followed by Japanese and Korean operators NTT DoCoMo, KDDI, SoftBank, LG Uplus, SK Telecom and KT which represent 38% of all LTE subscriptions worldwide. Going forward, the LTE market is set to grow at a CAGR of 56% over the next 7 years and will eventually represent more than 20% of all mobile connections by 2020. From an infrastructure manufacturer perspective Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia Siemens Networks and Alcatel-Lucent are leading the market and account for a combined market share of 85% of all LTE contracts. Ericsson is also leading the market from a technology neutral perspective with a 24% stake in all global 2G/3G/4G contracts.
Covering over 810 operators, 53 infrastructure vendors and 222 countries worldwide the "2G/3G/4G Subscriptions, Deployments and Infrastructure Contracts Database Q4'2013" tracks global cellular network deployments, infrastructure vendor contracts, and subscriptions by technology, data protocol, category (pre-paid, post paid), region, country, and operator.
The report includes: • Infrastructure contracts by technology, data protocol, region, country, vendor and operator • Infrastructure market share by equipment type, region, country and vendor • Network deployments by technology, data protocol, region, country and operator. • Number of cellular network subscriptions (as of Q4'2013) by air interface technology, data protocol, region, country and operator • Five-year subscriptions forecasts by air interface technology, data protocol, region, country and operator • Subscriptions market share data by air interface technology, data protocol, region, country and operator. • Penetration data by region and country • Population data by region and country
Companies Mentioned AirNet Alcatel Alcatel Shanghai Bell Alcatel-Lucent Alvarion Andrew Corporation Apertio Argent Networks USA BSNL COMSAT RSI Plexsys Systems Datacraft DMC Stratex Networks Ericsson Ericsson Nikola Tesla Fujitsu Harris Hitachi Huawei Huawei; Huawei Hyundai Syscomm interWAVE ip.access Kyocera LG LogicStar Lucent Motorola NEC Nera Nokia Nokia Siemens Nortel Panasonic Plexsys Samsung Siemens Siemens/NEC SK Teletech Starent Networks Stratex Networks Tecnomen Tecore Tellus Radio Timor Telecom UTStarcom WiderThan.com ZTE "3 Australia 3 Indonesia 3G Telecommunications Access Communications limited Aero 2 Afghan Wireless Africell Burundi Africell Gambia Africell Sierra Leone Aircel AIS AkTel Albanian Mobile Communications Alfa Telecom Algérie Télécom Almadar Aljadeed Altel AM Wireless Uruguay Ambitel America Movil Costa Rica America Movil Dominican Republic America Movil Jamaica America Movil Peru America Movil Puerto Rico A-Mobile AMX Argentina AMX Paraguay ANCEL Applifone APUA Aquafon Armentel Asia Pacific Broadband Wireless Communications Asiacell ASTCA Astelit AT&T Mobility Puerto Rico AT&T Mobility US Virgin Islands AT&T Mobility USA Atlantic Wireless Liberia Atlantique Cellulaire RCA Atlantique Telecom Cote d'Ivoire AVEA Azercell Azerfon Babilon Mobile Bakcell BakrieTel Batelco Bahamas Batelco Bahrain BayanTel Belau Cellular Belcel Belgacom Mobile Bell Benin Communications Bell Wireless Affiliates BellTell Benin Telecom Benson Informatics Bermuda Digital Communications BeST Bharti Bharti Airtel Burkina Faso B.V. Bharti Airtel Chad Bharti Airtel Congo B.V. Bharti Airtel Gabon B.V. Bharti Airtel Ghana Bharti Airtel Kenya B.V. Bharti Airtel Madagascar B.V Bharti Airtel Malawi Bharti Airtel Niger Bharti Airtel Nigeria Bharti Airtel RDC Bharti Airtel Sri Lanka Bharti Airtel Tanzania B.V Bharti Airtel Uganda B.V. Bharti Airtel Zambia Bhutan Telecom Bité Latvia Bité Lithuania Blue Sky Communications Samoa (American) B-Mobile Brunei B-Mobile Papua New Guinea Botswana Telecom Bouygues Telecom BSNL BTL Cable & Wireless Cable & Wireless (St Lucia) Cable & Wireless Anguilla Cable & Wireless Antigua & Barbuda Cable & Wireless British Virgin Islands Cable & Wireless Cayman Islands Cable & Wireless Dominica Cable & Wireless Grenada Cable & Wireless Guernsey Cable & Wireless Isle of Man Cable & Wireless Jamaica Cable & Wireless Jersey Cable & Wireless Montserrat Cable & Wireless Panama Cable & Wireless Seychelles Cable & Wireless St Kitts & Nevis Cable & Wireless St Vincent & The Grenadines Cable & Wireless Turks & Caicos Islands Cabo Verde Telecom Cadcomms CamGSM CAMTEL Canartel Caribbean Cellular Telephone CariGlobe CAT Catel CCT CDMA Ukraine Celcom Côte d'Ivoire Celcom Malaysia Cell C Cell One Cellcom Guinée Cellcom Israel Cellcom Liberia Celtel Centernet CHEO China Mobile China Mobile Pakistan China Telecom China Telecom (Macau) China Unicom Chinguitel Chunghwa Telecom CI Telecom Claro Brazil Claro Chile Claro Panama CMHK Coastal Communications Colombia Movil Comcel Haiti Comium Côte d'Ivoire Comium Gambia Comium Liberia Comium Sierra Leone Comores Telecom Comunicaciones Celulares Colombia Comunicaciones Celulares Guatemala Conecel Corporacion Digitel Venezuela Cosmo Bulgaria Mobile Cosmofon Cosmote Cosmote Romania CSL New World CST Mobicel CTBC Telecom CTE Telecom Personal CTM CYTA Dauphin Telecom Dawamiba Dhiraagu Dialog Axiata DiGi Digicel (Bonaire) Digicel (Curaçao) Digicel Anguilla Digicel Antigua Digicel Aruba Digicel Barbados Digicel Bermuda Digicel British Virgin Islands Digicel Cayman Islands Digicel Dominica Digicel El Salvador Digicel Fiji Digicel French Guiana Digicel French West Indies Digicel Guatemala Digicel Haiti Digicel Honduras Digicel Pacific Vanuatu Digicel Panama Digicel Papua New Guinea Digicel Samoa Digicel St Kitts & Nevis Digicel St Vincent & The Grenadines Digicel St. Lucia Digicel Suriname Digicel Tonga Digicel Trinidad & Tobago Digicel Turks & Caicos Islands Digitel Mobile Digitel Philippines Djibouti Telecom DNA Comms DNA Finland DoCoMo Pacific Guam DoCoMo Pacific Northern Marianas Dovetel DSTCom DTAC eAccess Eagle Mobile East Caribbean Cellular ECMS Econet Burundi Econet Telecom Lesotho Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Elisa Estonia Elisa Finland Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company EMT Estonia Emtel Mauritius EMTS eNIC enitel movil Entel PCS Telecomunicaciones E-Plus Equateur Telecom Congo Eritrea Telecom Essar Telecom Kenya Ethiopian Telecom Etihad Etisalat Etisalat Afghanistan Etisalat DB Telecom Etisalat Misr Etisalat Sri Lanka Etisalat UAE ETL Everything Everywhere EVN Telecom ExcellentCom Extelcom AirNet Alcatel Alcatel Shanghai Bell Alcatel-Lucent Alvarion Andrew Corporation Apertio Argent Networks USA BSNL COMSAT RSI Plexsys Systems Datacraft DMC Stratex Networks Ericsson Ericsson Nikola Tesla Fujitsu Harris Hitachi Huawei Huawei; Huawei Hyundai Syscomm interWAVE ip.access Kyocera LG LogicStar Lucent Motorola NEC Nera Nokia Nokia Siemens Nortel Panasonic Plexsys Samsung Siemens Siemens/NEC SK Teletech Starent Networks Stratex Networks Tecnomen Tecore Tellus Radio Timor Telecom UTStarcom WiderThan.com ZTE FarEasTone Faroese Telecom FITEL Free Mobile FSM Telecommunications Corporation Gabon Telecom GAIN Gamcel Gamtel Gemtel Geocell GETESA Gibraltar Telecom Globacom Benin Globacom Nigeria Globe Telecom G-Mobile Golis GrameenPhone GSM BiH GSM Kazakhstan GTA GTEL Mobile GT-TELL Guernsey Airtel Guinetel Guyana Telephone & Telegraph H3G Haitel Hello Axiata Cambodia HFCL Infotel HI3G Hi3G Access Norway HI3G Denmark HiTs Telecom Burundi HiTs Telecom Equatorial Guinea Hola Paraguay Hondutel Hormuud Telecom HPT Mostar Hutchison 3G Austria Hutchison 3G Ireland Hutchison 3G UK Hutchison Hong Kong Hutchison Sri Lanka Hutchison Telecom Hutchison Vietnam Hutchison-CAT ICE Ice.Net Denmark Ice.net Norway Ice.net Sweden IceCell Iceland Telecom iConnect Guam iConnect Northern Marianas Idea Cellular IMC Indigo-Somoncom Indosat Infotel Broadband Innovative Wireless Intelfon El Salvador Intelfon Guatemala Intelsur Intercel Holdings Guinea Republic InterDnestrCom Intergroup Telecom Investcom Guinée Ipko Net Islandcom Wireless ITE Guam i-Tel Itisaluna Ittissalat Al-Maghrib Iusacell Celular Jersey Telecoms Jersey Telenet Kalimat Kar-Tel Kasapa Katel KDDI Kibris Telsim KKTCell Korek Telecom KPN Group Belgium KPN Mobile KT Corp KT Powertel K-Telecom Kuwait Telecom Company Kyivstar Lacell Lao Telecom Latelz LG U+ Libyana LMT Lonestar Communications Corporation Loop Mobile M.Teko Magticom Mahanagar Telephone Mauritius Manx Telecom Mara Telecom Mascom Wireless Mattel Mauritel Maxis Communications Médi Télécom Megacom MegaFon Meteor Communications Metro PCS Mfone Millicom Millicom Ghana Milmex MIRS Communications Israel Mobicom Mobiel 4 MobiFone Mobile Norway Mobile Telecom Service Mobile TeleSystems Mobile TeleSystems Belarus Mobile-8 MobileOne Mobilicity mobilkom Austria Mobilkom Czech Republic mobilkom Liechtenstein Mobilna Srpska MobilTel MobIsle Communications Mobistar Mobitel Georgia Mobitel Slovenia Mobitel Sri Lanka Mobyland Mocambique Celular Moldcell MoldTelecom Monaco Telecom Moov Gabon Mossel Grenada Mossel Jamaica Movicel Movil de Entel Movilnet Movistar (Venezuela) MTC Namibia MTC Touch MTCE MTEL MTL MTN MTN Afghanistan MTN Cameroon MTN Congo MTN Cote d'Ivoire MTN Cyprus MTN Ghana MTN Irancell MTN Nigeria MTN Rwanda MTN Sudan MTN Swaziland MTN Syria MTN Uganda MTN Yemen MTN Zambia MTNL MTS Mobility MTS-Turkmenistan MTS-Ukraine MTS-Uzbekistan Multi-Links MundoStartel Myanmar P&T Natcom National Telecommunications Authority Nationlink Nationlink Somalia Natrindo Telepon Seluler Nawras Ncell NEAT&T Neotel South Africa Nepal Telecom Net* One Netcom Network Norway Nexi Next Mobile Nextel Argentina Nextel Chile Nextel Mexico Nextel Peru Nextel Telecomunicacoes Nizhegorodskaya Cellular Communications Nova NTT DoCoMo Núcleo NuevaTel Nur Telecom O2 (UK) O2 Germany O2 Ireland Oasis Telecom Omantel Omnitel Onatel Burkina Faso Onatel Burundi Open Mobile OPT New Caledonia Optus Orange (Poland) Orange Armenia Orange Austria Orange Bissau Orange Botswana Orange Cameroon Orange Caraibe French Guiana Orange Caraibe French West Indies Orange Central African Republic Orange Côte d'Ivoire Orange Dominicana Orange France Orange Guinee Orange Jordan Orange Kenya Orange Liechtenstein Orange Luxembourg Orange Madagascar Orange Mali Orange Mauritius Orange Mayotte Orange Moldova Orange Niger Orange Réunion Orange Romania Orange Senegal Orange Slovak Republic Orange Spain Orange Switzerland Orange Tunisie Orange Uganda Orascom Bangladesh Orascom Telecom Algeria Orascom Telecom Tunisia Oricel Otecel Other Others Outremer Telecom French Guiana Outremer Telecom French West Indies Outremer Telecom Mauritius Outremer Telecom Mayotte Outremer Telecom Reunion P&T Luxembourg P4 Pacific Telecom Northern Marianas Palestine Cellular Communications Partner Communications PBTL PCCW Mobile Pelephone PMCL PNCC Polkomtel Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa ProGroup Holding Estonia Proxtel Wireless PTC Saudi Arabia PTML Public Mobile Q-TEL QuantumNet Radiomóvil Dipsa RCS&RDS Reliance Communications Reliance Communications Uganda Reliance Telecom Nigeria Robi Axiata Rogers Wireless Communications Romtelecom Roshan Rubicon Wireless Communications RwandaTel S Tel Safaricom Sahelcom SamoaTel Sampoerna (STI) Sanatel SaskTel Mobility Saudi Telecom Company SCO Sentel Sercom de Honduras Sercom Guatemala Sercomtel Celular SETAR Setel Netherlands Antilles Sferia S-Fone SFR SFR Mayotte SFR Reunion Shaw Inc Shyam Si.mobil Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company SingTel Mobile SK Telecom Sky Mobile Skytel Smart Communications Smart Telecom Indonesia Smart Telecom Nepal SmarTone SmarTone-Vodafone SMARTS Smile Telecom SMTC Saudi Arabia Softbank Mobile Solomon Telekom Somafone Sonaecom Servicos Comunicacoes Sonatel SONITEL Sotel Sotelco Sotelgui SOTELMA Spacetel Spacetel Benin Speednet Sprint Nextel Puerto Rico Sprint Nextel US Virgin Islands Sprint Nextel USA SPTC STA Standard Telecom Democratic Rep of Congo Star Telecom Starcomms StarHub Sudatel Senegal Sudatel Sudan Sunbeach Communications Sunrise Supercell Swisscom Mobile Swisscom Mobile Liechtenstein Syriatel T-2 Tacom Taiwan Mobile Company Taliya Tamin Telecom Tango Liechtenstein Tango Luxembourg Tashi Infocomm Tata Teleservices TCI TDC Mobil TelCell Telcom Tele2 Tele2 Croatia Tele2 Estonia Tele2 Latvia Tele2 Lithuania Tele2 Sweden Telecel Benin Telecel Bolivia Telecel Burkina Faso Telecel Burundi Telecel CAR Telecel Niger Telecel Paraguay Telecel Togo Telecel Zimbabwe Telecom Cook Islands Telecom Italia Telecom Malagasy Telecom Namibia Telecom New Zealand Telecom Niue Telecom Personal Telecom Seychelles Telecom Vanuatu Telecommunicacoes de Mocambique Telecomunicaciones Celulares del Caribe Telecsa Telefonía Celular de Nicaragua Telefonica Móviles Telefónica Móviles Telefónica Móviles Argentina Telefónica Móviles Chile Telefonica Moviles Colombia Telefónica Móviles Costa Rica Telefónica Móviles del Uruguay Telefonica Moviles El Salvador Telefónica Móviles Guatemala Telefónica Móviles Mexico Telefónica Móviles Panamá Telefonica O2 Czech Republic Telefonica O2 Slovak Republic Teléfonos Celulares de Cuba TeleGreenland Telekom Baltija Telekom Networks Malawi Telekom Srbija Telemar PCS (Oi) Telemobil Telemóvil Telenet NV Telenor Denmark Telenor Hungary Telenor Mobil Telenor Montenegro Telenor Pakistan Telenor Serbia Telenor Sweden Telesur Telesystems Ukraine Teletalk Televorgu TeleYemen Telia Denmark TeliaSonera Finland TeliaSonera Sweden Telkom Indonesia Telkom South Africa Telkomsel TelOne Telsom Mobile Telstra Telus Mobility The Bermuda Telephone Company Tibet Telecom Tigo Laos Tigo Rwanda Tigo Tanzania Tikiphone TIM Brasil Timor Telecom TK Mobile TM Cell T-Mais TMN T-Mobile Austria T-Mobile Croatia T-Mobile Czech Republic T-Mobile Germany T-Mobile Hungary T-Mobile Macedonia T-Mobile Montenegro T-Mobile Netherlands T-Mobile Puerto Rico T-Mobile Slovak Republic T-Mobile USA TMP Uganda TogoCel Tonga Communications TOT TRICOM Dominican Republic Trilogy Dominicana True Corp True Move TSKL TSTT Trinidad & Tobago TT Mobile TTCL Tunisie Télécom Turkcell Tus Mobil Two Degrees Mobile TWT Guyana U Mobile Malaysia UCell Uganda Telecom Ukrtelecom Umniah UNE EPM Telecomunicaciones Unicel Unitech Wireless Unitel Angola Unitel Mongolia Unitel Uzbekistan Unitel Yemen Uralsvyazinform USAN-Gabon UTL Nepal UzMobile Vala Velcom Verizon Wireless VIBO Videocon Videotron Viettel Cambodia Viettel Vietnam VimpelCom VinaPhone VIP Vip Mobile VIPnet Visafone Communications Viva Bahrain Vivacell Sudan Vivacom Vivo Vodacom Congo Vodacom Lesotho Vodacom Mozambique Vodacom South Africa Vodacom Tanzania Vodafone Albania Vodafone Australia Vodafone Czech Republic Vodafone D2 Vodafone Egypt Vodafone Espana Vodafone Essar Vodafone Faroe Islands Vodafone Fiji Vodafone Ghana Vodafone Greece Vodafone Hungary Vodafone Iceland Vodafone Ireland Vodafone Italia Vodafone Libertel Vodafone Malta Vodafone New Zealand Vodafone Portugal Vodafone Qatar Vodafone Romania Vodafone Turkey Vodafone UK VTR Cellular Wana Warid Bangladesh Warid Congo Warid Pakistan Warid Telecom Uganda Wasel Telecom Wataniya Maldives Wataniya Palestine Mobile Telecommunications Company Wataniya Telecom Wataniya Telecom Algerie Wave Telecom Willcom Wind WIND Hellas Wind Mobile XL Axiata XPress XPress Palestine Yemen Mobile Phone Company Yoigo Zain Bahrain Zain Iraq Zain Jordan Zain Kuwait Zain Sierra Leone Zain Sudan Zamtel Zanzibar Telecom Source: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/19/6014379/2g-3g-4g-subscriptions-deployments.html  

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/19/6014379/2g-3g-4g-subscriptions-deployments.html#storylink=cpy

Belgacom still dominant on the business market - study

Belgacom remains dominant in the fixed and mobile business market, DataNews wrote, based on its 17th telecom survey. Belgacom holds a 62.5 percent share of the fixed business market, a 55.7 percent share of the mobile communication market and 43.8 percent share of the data network market. Around 60-70 percent of Belgacom said they have no plans to change provider in the coming year. Datanews interviewed 872 people, including CEOs , CIOs and IT managers, programmers and developers. Around half said they take mobile and fixed telephony from the same provider. Over a quarter (28%) said they were not satisfied with their 3G subscription. Belgacom unit Proximus has the least number of dissatisfied mobile customers (12 %) , followed by KPN unit Base (17 %), MVNO Telenet (36%) which uses the network of Mobistar, and finally Orange unit Mobistar (58%). Around 21 percent of respondents expect to switch to a 4G subscription, either partially or completely.

source: http://www.telecompaper.com/news/belgacom-still-dominant-on-the-business-market-study--984465

Vodafone Report: How are Kiwis using 4G…?

Vodafone has released the first 4G Network Report, Leading the 4G Revolution, providing a snapshot of how Kiwis are using New Zealand’s 4G network.

Offering an insight into how faster mobile internet speeds are changing our lives, the research combines a survey of Vodafone’s 4G customers and detailed network analysis to offer a glimpse into the way Kiwis are using the world’s best commercially available mobile technology.

Vodafone Consumer Director, Matt Williams says the way Kiwis are using their mobile and tablets has evolved since Vodafone brought 4G to New Zealand more than eight months ago.

“Vodafone’s introduction of 4G gives Kiwis more flexibility and independence – allowing them to stream more, share more and spend more while they’re on the move,” Williams says.

“Access to 4G brings with it the potential to work and play in ways that make our lives even more enjoyable, more productive and more convenient.

“A large proportion of activity on our 3G network is web browsing. But on 4G, customers enjoy traditionally fixed line activities – like shopping and streaming music and video.

“Users are intuitively taking advantage of the increased speeds – and enjoying it.”

According to the report, 24% of Kiwis use their 4G device to check social media apps at least 20 times a day, while New Zealanders on 4G shop online nearly twice as much as those on 3G.

Unsurprisingly Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are the most popular social media apps over 4G, with people keen to share photos at major events – with uploads exceeding downloads.

Other key findings from Vodafone’s Leading the 4G Revolution report:

· 62% of Kiwis use video streaming websites more since upgrading from 3G

· Kiwis are more than twice as likely to stream music from free services (like Spotify) on 4G

· 44% of 4G users use their mobiles as portable hotspots so they can access the internet on their tablets or laptops

· 4G use peaks at lunchtime, with smaller spikes as kids finish school and commuters make their way home on public transport

Vodafone’s 4G network is now well-established, with national coverage available to over 1.3 million New Zealanders across twelve towns and cities: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wanaka, Lake Brunner, Taupo, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Arrowtown and the Coromandel.

Vodafone: Leading the 4G Revolution is the first report to examine the impact of the country’s only 4G network on social trends and behaviour.

source: http://techday.com/telco-review/news/vodafone-report-how-are-kiwis-using-4g/173205/

Consumer Survey: Sprint = Biggest Loser

Sprint is scraping the bottom of the barrel among US carriers in terms of overall satisfaction. The results come from Consumer Reports, which polled more than 58,000 subscribers about their opinions. Sprint received poor marks all around, with consumers dinging its value, voice and text quality, and 4G reliability. Sprint ranked second last year.

Sprint has certainly struggled throughout much of 2013. It fought a contentious battle to acquire Clearwire earlier this year. It wrestled with its own shareholders as well as the shareholders of Clearwire over the value of the company. It also had to stave off an aggressive offer from Dish Networks -- all while being acquired by Japan's SoftBank. Sprint also shut down its iDEN network in June and has been re-farming its spectrum to improve its LTE network. The company had a full plate. That didn't stop consumers from rating it poorly.

Verizon Wireless earned consumers' highest ratings as far as the top four are concerned. Its customers were generally pleased with Verizon's LTE 4G network and some aspects of its customer support organization. Consumer Reports said that AT&T ranked second and T-Mobile ranked third, with "ho-hum" marks. AT&T managed to beat Verizon Wireless in at least one category, though: reliability of its 4G service.

[ Sprint is building its LTE coverage, but it still badly lags AT&T and Verizon. See Sprint LTE Network Slowly Expands. ]

Verizon Wireless recently admitted that it is struggling to handle all the traffic on its LTE network in major markets across the country, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. Its network has reached capacity in many markets, and it is forcing some data connections back down to its CDMA 3G network. Verizon is preparing to offer LTE on the 1700 MHz spectrum in some markets to supplement its 700 MHz spectrum, but is a long way from making the additional spectrum widely available.

AT&T's LTE network has fared better in large cities, and that is likely why consumers rated it above Verizon's.

Consumer Reports said Consumer Cellular, a prepaid provider, was the overall leader among wireless networks in the US.

"Our latest cell service satisfaction survey revealed a somewhat precipitous decline by Sprint that shuffled the rankings of the major standard service providers," said Glenn Derene, electronics content development team leader for Consumer Reports, in the press release. "And smaller, no-frills, no-contract, and prepaid service providers continue to do a better job of satisfying customers, and provide an increasingly viable alternative to some of the expensive, long-term contracts that many consumers find themselves locked into."

Many of the prepaid networks run on those of their larger rivals. For example, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA both use Sprint's network, while Consumer Cellular runs on AT&T's network. Cricket, MetroPCS, and U.S. Cellular run their own networks, but offer no-contract service plans that often dramatically undercut those of the country's biggest wireless providers.

source: http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/mobile-business/consumer-survey-sprint---biggest-loser/d/d-id/1112728

80% service providers plan to leverage NFV in 2014: Survey

According to a study by Dialogic, the Network Fuel company, an overwhelming majority of 80% of service providers plan to leverage NFV in 2014.
The survey says that 81 percent of respondents foresee a diminishing role for the Central Office; but more than half expect purpose built hardware to have longevity. The top benefits of NFV were seen as relating to CAPEX and OPEX, with 70 percent of respondents believing they could be more operationally efficient with NFV and 67 percent indicating it is a better way to invest capital.
Dialogic  announced the results of its first Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) Survey, to cut through market speculation and deliver relevant information on NFV and virtualization and how it will alter the way service providers deploy the networks of tomorrow.

“It all comes down to the fact that virtualization of Network Functions is just a matter of when, not if,” according to Thomas Schroer, director of service provider marketing for Dialogic. “Because the timing is right now for virtualizing UC and VoIP applications and 70 percent of survey respondents expect to see gains in operational efficiency right away.”

The survey results reveal that an overwhelming majority of respondents see service providers benefitting the most from NFV with Unified Communications the likely starting place for NFV deployments followed by 4G and 3G a distant consideration.

It was no surprise that security and scalability are leading challenges for those implementing a virtualization strategy, so the take away here is for companies to look for solutions and partners who can be trusted to address those concerns.

source: http://www.telecomtiger.com/Technology_fullstory.aspxpassfrom=topstory&storyid=19267&section=S210

China Mobile To Release 4G Service With Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones; Sprint Customers Declining

Mizuho Securities Analyst Marvin Lo in Hong Kong said that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s deal with China Mobile Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:CHL) would give it a big increase in the China market as the largest local carrier has the largest number of users. He added that at least 10% or 70 million wealthier ones would be potential customers for iPhones among China Mobile’s more than 700 million mobile subscribers.

By using the nation’s home grown flavor of LTE called TD-LTE, China Mobile will unveil its 4G network. With existing 4G LTE, the carrier technology is unsuited, an attempt by China to avoid paying patent royalities to Qualcomm, much as it former did with its version of 3G service “TD-SCDMA”.

For TD-LTE, Apple (AAPL)’s iPhone 5s and 5c specifically include support and in early September, China’s Telecom Equipment Certification Center approved the two models. Addition of the two new iPhones is a small minority of devices competent of working on China Mobile’s 4G network and licensed by the state.

According to Consumer Reports’ survey released on Thursday, Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) attained “dreary marks” in voice, text messaging, 4G reliability and value. However, last year, Sprint ranked No. 2 behind Verizon Wireless. The company is in the middle of upgrading its network to offer improved and faster service to customers, but the transformation has been bumpy for users. That’s why in the last few years, many have left the carrier.

A Sprint representative commented on the Consumer Reports’ survey by saying that they’re not necessarily surprising but disappointing. The company is hopeful that declining rate of customers will get better with improvement in the network. Last month, the company demonstrated Sprint Spark, its enhanced LTE network, to stimulate interest for its next-generation network.

Once again, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is on top of the list, although Verizon recently admitted that it was facing pressures in big cities like San Francisco and New York. Consumer Reports said that T-Mobile US Inc (NYSE:TMUS) and AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) attained “ho-hum” results but for 4G reliability, AT&T was the lone carrier to get a top rating. About offering both the fastest and most reliable network in the nation, AT&T has been advertising a lot while to pair with HSPA+ network, T-Mobile has built out its 4G LTE network.

According to survey, many customers are overpaying for their data, with 38 percent of users surveyed using half or less than half of their monthly data plans.

source: http://www.consensuspress.com/china-mobile-to-release-4g-service-with-apple-inc-nasdaqaapls-iphones-sprint-customers-declining/252602/

4G network still limited in Sao Paulo - survey

Tests conducted by Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo of the 4G connection in 21 districts of the city of Sao Paulo have rated the network "frustrating" due to gaps in coverage and varying speeds. The upload and download rates in some places of the city were almost equal to those of 3G. However, when the signal worked properly, the connection proved to be very fast. All the operators admit that there is room for improvement in coverage. Vivo blames the restrictive legislation of the municipality and says it hinders the installation of new antennas. TIM said it is offering complementary solutions, such as 3G and Wi-Fi, while Claro claims it covers 80 percent of Sao Paulo, but there are still spaces to be filled. Oi still does not provide a 4G signal in the city.

source: http://www.telecompaper.com/news/4g-network-still-limited-in-sao-paulo-survey--979168

RIL poised for big bang cellphone debut

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-run RIL's telecom arm, Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJI) has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to release four crore new series of phone numbers for all 22 telecom circles as it plans for an aggressive pan-India launch of mobile phone services on 4G (Fourth-Generation) spectrum sometime soon.

The ambitious move is expected to generate fierce competition in the telecom sector and comes at a time when the debt- ridden telcos had started firming up call rates to shore up their bottomlines.

RJI has submitted an application to the telecommunication ministry stating that the company immediately needs 40 lakh phone numbers for each metro city, 20 lakh for A and B telecom circles and 10 lakh for category C circles, which comprises small towns and rural areas of the country.

DoT secretary M. F. Farooqui told Mail Today on Friday that the department has received a letter from RJI for the new series of phone numbers as they plan to launch their telecom services. "I don't recall the quantum of phone numbers they have asked for but we have received their application in this regard," said Farooqui.

"RJI has asked for the same series of numbers for its nationwide operations like the ones given to BSNL. We have to work it out if it is feasible or not. As the quantum of numbers to be released is very high, it could take about 2- 3 weeks for us to clear it. Our team will soon start working on it," said another DoT official.

RJI has already completed trial runs for Voice over LTE (Long Term Evolution also called VoLTE) technology that would enable it to provide voice call services on its wireless broadband network. RIL plans to offer 4G broadband data services with voice.

It is the only telecom operator to have a pan-India license for 4G broadband services and has ambitious plans that could erode the market share of large players like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone.

Cash-rich RIL also plans to sell tablets at a much cheaper price of less than Rs  3,000 with much- much cheaper voice rates which could spell trouble for its competitors.

Although Bharti Airtel is already providing 4G data services in Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata and Chandigarh, it has not been able to attract many subscribers ow- ing to the high tariffs.

Some other 4G operators like Tikona are also planning to launch highspeed Internet services at much lower rates which would make the data market much more competitive.

Videocon Mobile Services has also expressed its interest to launch 4G services at rates that are less than the present 2G and 3G data tariffs, indicating that the 4G race will heat up in the coming months.

RJI has aggressively been pursuing its pre-launch strategy. It has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to fix the reserve price of the 4G spectrum at 7 to 8 times higher than that for 3G radio waves, which has rattled its rivals. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone want the reserve price at a much lower level. While Bharti Airtel has 4G spectrum in 8 circles, Vodafone does not have 4G airwaves. A senior official with a leading telecom company said RJI has excess of 4G airwaves, which offers data transmission almost four times the speed of 3G and 16 times the speed of 2G.

source: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/ril-mukesh-ambani-poised-for-big-bang-cellphone-debut/1/200437.html

Intex plans to launch 4G smartphone in first half of next year

Intex Technologies is planning to launch its 4G smartphone in the first half of next year.

Currently, 80 percent of Intex smartphones are 3G phones.

Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, business head – Mobile, Intex Technologies, said: “Both 3G and 4G phones will get more prominence next year.”

Intex, which is looking at 80 percent growth in revenue in 2014 from the Rs 1800 crore revenue this year, is planning to expand in India to tap new geographies.

The devices vendor will also be adding more distributors. At present, it has around 650 service centers to look after mobile phone users’ concerns.

The phone vendor is competing with MNC phone majors such as Apple, Samsung, Nokia, LG, Sony, etc.

Meanwhile, Intex in an alliance with chip vendor MediaTek announced its Octa-Core smartphone that will be available in India at a price of around Rs 20,000 early next year.

“MT6592 chip combines an advanced eight-core application processor with multimedia capabilities and mobile connectivity for a perfect balance of performance and power consumption. Each of the eight CPU cores is capable of clock speeds up to 2GHz, designed to offer superior multi-tasking and excellent performance-per-watt for higher-end smartphones and tablets,” said Finbarr Moynihan, general manager, International Sales and Marketing, MediaTek.

source: http://www.telecomlead.com/smart-phone/intex-plans-launch-4g-smartphone-first-half-next-year-56370/

Four kicking the tyres at Bitbuzz wi-fi

Bitbuzz, the fast growing wi-fi company headed by Shane Deasy, is understood to have been approached by four separate investors about a potential sale. It is understood that two UK, one Irish and one US group have all contacted the firm recently.

Bitbuzz, which is advised by Grant Thornton and Mason Hayes & Curran, is thought to prefer remaining privately owned at present. The company did not comment. Valuations of the company are likely to be well below €10m.

The company is on a major expansion drive. A key part of its business is in supplying wi-fi to the hotel sector in Ireland and the UK. Wi-fi has become a "must-have" service for hotels, with higher speeds and access now sought by clients. The Dublin-headquartered firm has signed up 75 hotels and is targeting a further 100.

While the hotel wi-fi business is generating about €2m per year, a new strategy which may provide wi-fi to mobile operators may be highly attractive for potential acquirors.

Bitbuzz is developing technology that may enable mobile phone customers to switch seamlessly between 3G or 4G services and its wi-fi broadband product.

This will see far, far cheaper data charges for customers, while the mobile operators will also be able to save money by investing less in infrastructure and carrying less data on their networks.

Telecoms observers believe that wi-fi will play a key role in the consumer product offerings of the big operators in coming years.

source: http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/four-kicking-the-tyres-at-bitbuzz-wifi-29798367.html

MCMC moving in right direction

KUDOS to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission or MCMC for checking on what the operators have been doing on 3G deployment.

The commission seems to be moving in the right direction in checking on the quality of services, which is a concern, and said to be lagging behind Hong Kong, Seoul and even China.

Over two months ago, the regulator did an audit check and came up with some interesting news. It found out that most of the 3G operators have not been using the 2,100 megahertz (MHz) spectrum fully to roll out 3G services. Instead, some have been using the lower bands, 900MHz and 1,800MHz, to roll out the services. It’s more economical to do so. They have been providing 3G coverage but not real 3G speed and capacity.

3G is meant to give you higher speeds just like 4G can give you super-fast data speed.

3G has been in the country for nearly a decade. The first two blocks of 2,100MHz spectrum were awarded to Celcom Axiata Bhd (then part of Telekom Malaysia Bhd) and Maxis Bhd in 2002.

Four years later, in 2006, Time dotCom Bhd (TDC) and MiTV Corporation Sdn Bhdgot two more blocks of the same spectrum. MiTV’s spectrum is used by sister company U Mobile, while TDC, as soon as it secured the spectrum, sold it toDiGi.Com Bhd for a handsome profit.

To be fair, 3G has never taken off despite the hype. In Europe, operators paid hefty sums for the spectrum, while here, it was for a small fee.

But a decade later, finding out that the operators are still on a bandwidth that is lower than 3G and claiming to be offering 3G services makes us wonder if we have been overcharged.

This, perhaps, explains why there have been complaints about the 3G service; the speed and capacity have not been there, and it has been patchy and unreliable for most users.

There is no denying that the operators have been investing. It is not easy for them, as they have to deal with all kinds of challenges and authorities to get the service to the customer. However, when they claim it to be 3G service, it should be 3G service.

Two weeks ago, the operators were issued a stern warning to make the change or face hefty fines. One operator is rushing to do so, while the others are still waiting. They have till the year-end to face the regulator.

It is also unfortunate that it has taken the regulator so long to find out, as now the march is towards 4G and consumers will never find out how much extra they would have paid for the 3G service if it is not 3G speed and capacity they are getting.

But then, had the regulator not found out, consumers would not have found out, too. This tells us a lot about the state and quality of services, the promises and marketing pledges made, the pricing, the spectrum usage and all the money paid by consumers for what they had thought were 3G services.

However, as consumers, what do we benchmark our 3G services against? The onus is on the regulator to both set the benchmark and make sure it is adhered to. When we pay 10 sen for a product, we do not expect a five-sen product.

This is unfortunate, especially since our operators make among the highest earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation margins in the world. When they make so much, they should not compromise on service in the pursuit of profits.

Consumers should get a fair deal for what they are paying for. If indeed there has been any inconsistency, then the parties involved should be gracious enough to admit it and compensate the consumer.

source: http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2013/11/29/MCMC-moving-in-right-direction.aspx

Aircel likely to elevate COO Kaizad Heerjee to CEO’s position

NEW DELHI: Aircel, a debt-ridden mobile phone operator, is likely to shortly elevate chief operating officer Kaizad Heerjee to the chief executive officer's position, two people aware of the development told ET.

The company's former CEO, Sandip Das, left the company about eight months ago to join Reliance Jio Infocomm, the mobile broadband venture of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and Aircel hasn't had a top officer since.

Heerjee joined the mobile phone company in August of 2012 from U Mobile, a Malaysian telecom services provider where he was the CEO. Chennai-based Aircel is 74% owned by Malaysia's Maxis while Apollo Group owns the rest.

According to one of the people, Aircel has already sought security clearance from the telecom department, as per rules, for Heerjee's appointment since he holds a Singapore citizenship.

Aircel declined to comment while Heerjee couldn't be reached for comment.

The mobile phone operator, with licences to offer services in all of India's 22 circles, was once gunning for top three status by number of users. But, caught in a vicious circle of cash and credibility for the past nearly three years, it has been languishing for several months now at number seven with some 64 million users, a far cry from leader Bharti Airtel which has around 200 million subscribers.

Heerjee's move to the top comes amid the company's struggle to service its Rs 24,000-crore debt, due in January 2014. According to people aware of the company's financial details, the telecom operator was losing aroundRs 1,680 crore annually at the operating level till last fiscal year ended March 31.

ET had earlier reported that the company had tied-up loans for Rs 8,000 crore from a clutch of Indian and foreign banks to refinance the debt that it accumulated while purchasing third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) airwaves in auctions held three years ago.

Aircel paid Rs 9,937 crore for 3G airwaves — in 13 service areas — and broadband wireless, in eight circles. While it has launched 3G in different circles, its plans to launch high speed broadband 4G services have not taken off for the want of investments of around $1.5 billion and development of the handset ecosystem.

The company though recently conducted 4G LTE trials in Andhra Pradesh, but said it doesn't have immediate plans of launching services.

The company also faces major regulatory challenges in India on account of a CBI investigation into the circumstances under which Maxis acquired the shareholding of serial entrepreneur C Sivasankaran in the company in 2005.

Aircel's struggles have given rise to talk that the company is up for sale. Maxis had segregated the Indian operations back in 2011, indicating the group's intention to put the company on the block. At various points, there has been speculation about Aircel dialing Tata Telesevices and Sistema Shyam TeleServices for a merger. All three companies haven't previously confirmed any discussions.

India's rules on mergers and acquisitions are expected to be announced before the end of the month, which may trigger much wanted consolidation in the fragmented sector with more than 10 players in some circles.

source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-11-28/news/44547056_1_maxis-aircel-phone-operator

Pakistan might remain the only country in South Asia without 3G for a while longer

India has 4G wireless service in a handful of cities, Afghanistan has 3G nationwide, Bangladesh is rolling out a nationwide 3G network, and even Nepal has 3G in major cities. That leaves Pakistan as the only country in South Asia without a high-speed mobile network. The country’s notoriously activist supreme court is trying to force the government into holding the spectrum auction needed to launch 3G services in early 2014—but the country’s equally notorious bureaucracy looks likely to delay things.

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Pakistan, with a population of 180 million and 125 million mobile subscriptions, has come close to holding the spectrum auction several times over the last five years. Each time proceedings have been delayed on a technicality.

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Warn-torn Afghanistan managed to avoid such a quagmire by simply not holding an auction—it simply distributed spectrum licenses to the providers. The government argued that the economic boost from acquiring 3G was more valuable than the one-off windfall from an auction that could become marred in controversy.

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Bangladesh gave a 3G license to the state-owned mobile provider, Teletalk, in 2012, and held an auction for the other mobile operators in September 2013. BTRC, Bangladesh’s telecom regulator, has been applauded for not allowing the government’s fiscal concerns to hijack the agenda and set the reserve price for the auction too high—the mistake made in India.

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But the Pakistan Telecoms Authority (PTA), the regulator, has been without a chief since the last time a spectrum auction was scheduled, in 2012. Plans came to a halt when the PTA said the telecoms operators and other interested bidders had failed to submit an expression of interest in time. The mobile operators, who have been long dogged by fickle government policies and strong competition, said they were never invited to bid.

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The then-chairman of the PTA lost his job over the incident. His nominated successor was challenged by the opposition parties last October, and the two other members of PTA’s committee retired at the start of this year, effectively leaving the telecoms industry in a state of anarchy. Now a public-interest case currently in the supreme court has pushed the government into some semblance of action. It finally appointed an acting chairman and new PTA members early last month to oversee the auction, and set a February 2014 deadline for holding it.

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However, more delays are possible. The government has now put out an advertisement for an international consultant to help with the auction. Case lawyer Ali Raza says that’s an unnecessary delaying tactic; he argues that everything is ready to go, and that the auction needs to happen quickly to avoid special interests marring the process. The next likely stumbling block is where the money from the auction will actually go. The finance ministry wants it to flow directly into the exchequer—a windfall that was somewhat prematurely written into the 2013-14 budget, announced in June. However, by law the money is meant to go to a universal service fund, set up as part of the 1996 telecoms policy (pdf) to make sure remote areas of Pakistan get telecoms service. The wrangle over that could occupy the courts for a good while.

source: http://qz.com/142923/pakistan-might-remain-the-only-country-in-south-asia-without-3g-for-a-while-longer/

The best public broadband network: BT, O2 or The Cloud

We took to the streets to find out just how useful is public Wi-Fi. We paired up with our friends at Broadband Genie and signed up to the three major public Wi-Fi networks: BT Wi-fi, O2 and The Cloud. Armed only with a laptop, we sent five testers on to the streets of London, setting them a series of timed web-based challenges, each to be completed at the same time in the same place. For the full story read: How good is public Wi-Fi? We test The Cloud, BT and O2 to find out if you really need 3G or 4G connectivity.

The five contenders included three testers who were allowed only to use their chosen public Wi-Fi network, BT Wi-fi, O2 or The Cloud. We also had a wildcard tester who was signed up to no accounts, but able to use any public Wi-Fi network that didn’t require direct payment. As a control we had one tester using 3G, with a dongle from Three.

This was not a scientific test. To an extent it required ingenuity and flexibility on the part of the individual tester. Consider this more of an anecdotal piece: in part we wanted to test just how much thought was required to find a usable connection. The user experience is an important part of all consumer tech, after all.

Our nine tests took us all over London, and involved tasks as varied as streaming video, finding turn-by-turn navigation and download image files. So how did we get on?

How good is BT public Wi-Fi

In general our BT tester thought connectivity was okay, but the user experience wasn't great.

We weren’t impressed with the apps – the hotspot map wasn’t very good, for instance. And, on a laptop, it seemed as though you couldn’t go back to BT page if you’d already been there but failed to login. It would open the first time you opened the browser, but if you didn’t sign in and restarted the browser it disappeared.

Our BT tester found he had to log in too many times, and there were too many different networks to choose from. He thought it should be much simpler. But crucially he could get online almost every time.

How good it O2 public Wi-Fi

O2 Wi-Fi was generally good. Setup online was easy, but adding a laptop as a second device proved a pain. From then on, when in range both our tester's smartphone and laptop connected to networks and the performance was great, just like being at home.

Coverage was consistently good in London, although when you’re not near a hotspot the smartphone app and mobile data is required to find one.

How good  is The Cloud public Wi-Fi

Since The Cloud boasts of thousands of hotspots around the country. Frequently, though, it seemed that major areas were bereft of connectivity, even when other networks were available.

The Cloud generally was nearby, but this almost always involved walking to a café or restaurant. That’s fine if it’s not raining and you can stand outside, or get away with sitting in there while checking your email, but not many restaurants will let you take up a seat without paying for something.

The Cloud smartphone app proved useful for quickly locating hotspots and seemed generally accurate. One oddity of The Cloud network highlighted by the app is the clustering of the connections – you can walk for ages and not find anything, then there will be three or four in a very small area, often in adjoining coffee shops. It would be more useful if they were spread out, although it does mean that if the place you’re in is very busy you can try next door’s connection.

All devices should be registered with The Cloud ahead of time as this part of the process can be painful on a busy connection. The device-management screen can take a little while to load up and behaved strangely when the link was slow. Once that was done, though, both smartphone and laptop instantly latched on to the hotspots instantly without any further fuss. See also: The UK's best mobile networks revealed: mobile broadband group test.

source: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/videos/3490222/whats-the-best-public-broadband-network-bt-o2-or-the-cloud/

Telstra tests Voice over LTE

Telstra has confirmed it is conducting lab tests of technology that would allow voice calls to be carried over its 4G LTE network.

Australia's largest mobile telecommunications provider Telstra is testing out technology that would allow voice calls to be delivered over its 4G long-term evolution (LTE) network, instead of falling back to the 2G or 3G networks as currently happens today.

When LTE was first launched in Australia by Telstra in 2011, it was solely a data network that was backed up by Telstra's existing 2G and 3G networks to deliver voice calls. Given Telstra has not yet indicated that it is planning on decommissioning its 3G network any time soon, there has been no rush to get Voice over LTE (VoLTE) working in Australia.

The company is already planning ahead, however, and confirmed to ZDNet that it was testing out the technology to deliver voice calls over its 4G network.

"Telstra is currently trailing VoLTE (Voice over LTE) in our lab environment but have no immediate rollout plans," a spokesperson told ZDNet. "However our customers already experience the benefits of a High Definition voice service on compatible devices across our entire network."

ZDNet understands that the company is looking to deploy VoLTE in 2014.

The company deployed HD voice services on its network in 2011.

Telstra was the first to market with 4G in Australia, and currently dominates the mobile market, with more than 15.1 million active services on its network, and 2.8 million 4G devices. The 4G network reached out to 66 percent of the Australian population at the end of June, and the company is currently aiming to reach 85 percent of the population by Christmas.

The first commercial deployments of Voice over LTE came through SK Telecom and LG U+ in South Korea, and MetroPCS in the US in August 2012. Other international telcos such as Softbank in Japan and Verizon in the US are looking to deploy VoLTE in the near future.

A Vodafone spokesperson said the company had not yet commenced any trials of VoLTE.

source: http://www.zdnet.com/au/telstra-tests-voice-over-lte-7000023464/

The world’s largest mobile carrier, China Mobile, may finally be preparing to sell Apple’s iPhone

China Mobile, the world’s largest wireless carrier, plans to introduce a new brand for mobile services on 18 December, the Wall Street Journal reported on 21 November. The brand is widely expected to be Apple.

The two companies have been in talks about an iPhone for China Mobile for years, but China Mobile has been well behind US carriers in offering 4G, and its 3G network is incompatible with the iPhone’s technology. (Millions of consumers have still attached iPhones to the network, but they can only run at 2G speeds.)

4G licences

“China Mobile executives have said iPhone subscriptions likely would come only after the company introduces its 4G platform. Chinese media, including Nanfang Daily, recently reported that China may issue 4G licences next week,” said the report.

Ericsson announced on 19 November that it has been selected by China Mobile to deploy LTE TDD technology in “15 key provinces in China [that are] home to 63 percent of China’s population and include the top three provinces in terms of [gross domestic product].”

Ericsson said it will be the world’s largest LTE TDD network deployment, and that the deployment has already begun.In September, rumours of an imminent iPhone for China Mobile were furthered when China’s Telecom Equipment Certification Centre gave Apple the final licence it needed for the iPhone to operate on the China Mobile network, the Journal reported on 11 September.

The ability to sell the iPhone to China Mobile’s 759 million subscribers (as of October) would position Apple for significant growth. In smartphone sales, Apple has fallen well behind competitor Samsung, which is the top-selling smartphone maker globally as well as in China – now the largest smartphone market in the world.

China is currently Apple’s second-largest market, but it’s expected to become its first. “I strongly believe that,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook told reporters in January during a trip to China, during which Cook is said to have met with executives at China Mobile.

Market share battle

Apple’s market share during the third quarter dropped to 13 percent from 14 percent a year earlier, but the company’s newest iPhones, the 5S and 5C, weren’t available for the whole of the quarter, and all the major carriers reported receiving limited shipments of the more-popular iPhone 5S.

Supply constraints, and concerns over how quickly China Mobile’s 4G network will be iPhone-ready, have caused Forbes contributor Chuck Jones to caution that reports of an 18 December China Mobile iPhone introduction may be premature.

“One of the key questions is, if China Mobile and Apple were to announce their partnership, would the 200,000 TD-LTE base stations that it plans to have in place by the end of the year, which could handle 4 million active users, be enough for the initial iPhone demand,” Jones wrote in a 22 November post.

source: http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/report-china-mobile-announce-iphone-next-month-132579