China Mobile Makes Quick 4G Inroads

China Mobile on Tuesday signed agreements with 10 mobile phone manufacturers and retailers, the latest foray into the fledgling 4G market.

Tuesday's agreements saw China Mobile join with manufacturers -- Lenovo, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Gionee-- as well as retailers and online platforms including Jing Dong, TMall, Suning, Gome and Dixintong. 

The deals will speed up sales of 4G mobiles, a China Mobile official said. 

On Dec. 4, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued 4G licenses to three operators, China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, marking a new era in China's mobile network. 

The three operators received permits for fourth generation (4G) services using homegrown Time-Division Long-Term Evolution (TD-LTE), one of two international standards. The technology will lower bandwidth and promises faster mobile broadband.

China Mobile will hold a worldwide partner conference on Wednesday, when a variety of 4G phones will be launched by domestic and international players.

source: http://english.cri.cn/6909/2013/12/17/2561s803888.htm

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/

Telrad Networks Introduces CPE7000 Family of WiMAX/TD-LTE, Dual-Mode CPEs

Unique Customer Premises Equipment Solution Designed to Help WiMAX Operators Make Smooth Transition to TD-LTE

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA--(Marketwired - November 11, 2013) - AfricaCom 2013 and WiMAX Forum Africa Operators Summit --  Telrad Networks, a global provider of innovative 4G wireless and telecom solutions, today announced the launch of its new Dual Mode CPE7000 Series, Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) that is designed to support operators and Internet Service Providers in the deployment of future-proof, 4G wireless broadband networks.

Telrad's new dual-mode CPEs continue a long-standing tradition of bringing high-quality, multi-platform CPEs to market. The CPE7000 family provides extended coverage to support a wide range of connectivity needs, for virtually any deployment scenario.  The high throughput and transmit power of the devices, combined with the small tower footprint and high capacity of Telrad's flagship BreezeCOMPACT base stations, present an effective and optimized solution for operators targeting LTE as a next step for their deployments.

The new family addresses service providers' need to manage an ever-increasing demand for broadband data, while facilitating a network evolution path across multiple 4G technologies. The new Dual Mode CPE, in conjunction with Telrad's BreezeCOMPACT and TelCORE solution, is aligned with the latest WiMAX Advanced roadmap, which defines the coexistence of WiMAX and LTE in a broad ecosystem of devices and radio access technologies.

By deploying Telrad's LTE Advanced ready infrastructure, operators have the convenience of evolving to a fully mature LTE network, at their own pace, ensuring an affordable and practical path. Offering Quality of Service (QoS) management, flexible voice, data and WiFi configurations, and high-power transmission, the CPE7000 family is ideal for achieving the best investment protection for the operator, avoiding extra expenses and ensuring service continuity when moving to LTE technology.

"As the wireless industry evolves, operators are seeking ways to become relevant players in future converged LTE mobile and fixed markets," said Mark Altshuller, Telrad's Chief Technology Officer.  "Leveraging Telrad's dual-mode devices, operators can upgrade their whole WiMAX network to TD-LTE, with a simple software installation -- eliminating service interruption required with hardware swapping."

source: http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/telrad-networks-introduces-cpe7000-family-of-wimax-td-lte-dual-mode-cpes-1850451.htm

Ollo buys LTE/mobile WiMAX licence for USD31m

The Bangladeshi government has decided to award Russian-backed Ollo the country’s third Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) licence – which under recent regulatory amendments allows 4G TD-LTE mobile broadband service as well as mobile WiMAX. No auction was held for the 2500MHz band licence, which had gone unsold in the BWA auction of 2008. According to the report, Ollo – which currently operates fixed-wireless WiMAX services in the capital – will have to pay BDT2.46 billion (USD31.1 million) for the 2500MHz BWA licence, after telecoms minister Shahara Khatun approved the award on Monday evening. The approval is likely to be sent to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) by today (Tuesday 5 November), a ministry official confirmed to the Tribune. An official of the BTRC said the regulator had sent a letter signed by its Senior Assistant Director Shazeda Parvin to Bangladesh Internet Exchange Limited (BIEL, a joint venture partner in Ollo) on 15 September, informing it about the licence award.

The Tribune quotes legal experts as saying that the government might face a legal challenge to the decision, as there had been no reappraisal of the price for BWA spectrum leftover from the 2008 auction, while the telecoms minister told the paper simply: ‘Journalists need not know what we are going to do. The government will decide what is best for the people.’ The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) previously said it disagreed with the licence award to Ollo and requested the government assign spectrum through ‘proper valuation.’

TeleGeography notes that Ollo is a joint venture between two Bangladeshi ISPs – New Generation Graphics Limited (NGGL) and BIEL – and the latter’s Russian-based parent company Multinet, which bought BIEL in 2011 and injected investment into the newly formed Ollo joint brand, with additional investment from the Russian ICT Group. Ollo applied for a vacant mobile WiMAX (BWA) 2.5GHz licence left over from the 2008 auction, and in July 2013 the regulator sent a recommendation for licence approval to the telecoms ministry. Ollo currently operates fixed-wireless 3.5GHz WiMAX services in Dhaka, where its USB (dongle) modems can be used ‘within 200 metres from an Ollo base station’, whereas the two current BWA operators Banglalion and Qubee operate 2.5GHz mobile WiMAX and are both in the process of upgrading to LTE technology, with tests expected to be launched shortly.

source: http://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2013/11/05/ollo-buys-ltemobile-wimax-licence-for-usd31m/

Taiwan market: Vee TIME, Vmax enlarging WiMAX coverage

Vee TIME and Vmax Telecom, two WiMAX mobile Internet-access operators in southern and northern Taiwan, respectively, are expanding their WiMAX networks to a target covering 70% of the population in service areas, according to Vee TIME which holds a 72.43% stake in Vmax.

In addition to Vmax, Vee TIME has acquired a 100% stake in Tatung InfoComm, a WiMAX operator in southern Taiwan, to operate WiMAX around the whole island of Taiwan, Vee TIME indicated. Tatung InfoComm has attained 70% coverage, a minimum ratio required by the National Communications Commission (NCC), Vee TIME noted.

Tatung InfoComm, Vee TIME and Vmax together have set up more than 2,000 WiMAX base stations around Taiwan, with about 50% that can be upgraded to WiMAX 2.1 through a software upgrade, Vee TIME pointed out. In order to reach a coverage of 70%, Vee TIME and Vmax have to add about 500 base stations in total by the end of 2013.

Vee TIME, Tatung InfoComm and Vmax as well as Global Mobile, another WiMAX operator in northern Taiwan, plan to apply to the NCC for an upgrade to WiMAX 2.1 after attaining 70% coverage, paving the way for a shift to TD-LTE (Time Division-Long Term Evolution) in view of China Mobile's active promotion of the standard, according to industry sources.

source: http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20131125PD219.html

China Mobile demonstrates world’s first international TDD/FDD VoLTE Call

Chinese operator China Mobile has teamed up with infrastructure vendor Huawei to demonstrate the world’s first international VoLTE HD voice and video calls between a TDD LTE network and a FDD LTE network, the vendor said.

The demonstration was conducted over China Mobile’s VoLTE trial networks in Chengdu and Hangzhou, and a VoLTE network in South Korea.

Li Zhengmao, China Mobile’s vice president, held a meeting to demonstrate the call, as China Mobile steps up its efforts to accelerate VoLTE commercialisation and TD-LTE internationalisation.

The video call demonstration between China Mobile’s trial network in Hangzhou and a network in South Korea was made by Li Zhengmao through the Huawei’s multimedia conference system in Chengdu.

“China Mobile attaches great importance to VoLTE development,” said Li over the video call. “In June of this year, China Mobile’s president, Li Yue, released a VoLTE white paper stating that China Mobile will achieve VoLTE commercialisation by the end of 2014. This VoLTE voice and video interaction has great strategic significance and will help further promote support of the VoLTE solution in the global LTE industry.”

Although China Mobile’s TD-LTE deployment is gaining momentum in China, issues relating to global interoperability of TD-LTE services, such as the international roaming capability of LTE voice and data, as well as VoLTE interworking across different countries, must be resolved before TD-LTE services can achieve full internationalisation.

The VoLTE demonstration shows that China Mobile’s TDD VoLTE network has the capability to cross international boundaries and interwork with networks that use different communication systems, said Huawei.

In July this year, Huawei and China Mobile jointly conducted what they claim was the world’s first TD-LTE based eSRVCC handover test. Then in September, China Mobile made what it claims to be the world’s first national VoLTE voice call in a TD-LTE network environment by partnering with Huawei.

source: http://www.telecoms.com/201081/china-mobile-demonstrates-worlds-first-international-tddfdd-volte-call/