Telecoms

FCC’s $1.9 billion program to slay Chinese clout on U.S. turf

In a move to fortify national security, the U.S. Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) finalized Monday its latest draft of a $1.9 billion program to endorse domestic and modest telecom carriers at the expense of extracting Huawei and ZTE’s Chinese influence in the American market. As the East and the West indulge in their personal vendettas, […]

Improving customer retention in telecoms: A digital-first mindset

A survey conducted by Accenture revealed that 77 per cent of telecoms customers are willing to retract their loyalty towards a specific network operator. Lock-in contracts are no longer sufficient to retain a customer base long term. To keep customers satisfied, telecoms companies should do more with what’s already at their fingertips — data.   […]

Subscription rates reshuffles power among India’s telcos, report finds

India’s telecom sector witnessed a striking fluctuation in its telcos’ subscribers, with Reliance Jio gaining 6.5 million and Airtel adding 1.9 million to its userbase during July, whereas Vodafone Idea’s consumer base went down by over 1.4 million, according to a data report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). With the emergence of […]

One to charge them all: EU demands single plug for phones

The European Union announced plans Thursday to require the smartphone industry to adopt a uniform charging cord for mobile devices, a push that could eliminate the all-too-familiar experience of rummaging through a drawer full of tangled cables to find the right one. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, proposed legislation that would mandate USB-C […]

Considerations for starting a mobile virtual network operator company

In a previous article, we discussed what a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, is and what their role is in the wider telecommunications ecosystem. We also discussed what sets them apart in the industry and their importance to the consumer. What we did not discuss is what an enterprising telecoms entrepreneur ought to consider […]

Saudi Arabia’s STC seals $966 million in IPO

Saudi Telecoms Company (STC) raised on Wednesday $966 million from its Initial Public Offering (IPO) following completion of the institutional subscription of its subsidiary Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co. Last week, the Kingdom’s state-owned telco set a price for its IPO at the highest rank of an analytical price range for Solutions by STC, […]

India alters KYC process flow to support telecom sector

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) disclosed on Tuesday the administration of a set of directives aimed to simplify Know Your Customer (KYC) processes for the sector’s latest mobile connections and prepaid to postpaid transfers to supplement telecom upgrades. Following the Cabinet’s issuance of its latest relief package directed at the telecom sector, the DoT, Minister […]

Orange MEA chooses Ericsson to boost African financial presence

In a bid to heighten Orange Money’s offering, Orange Middle East and Africa (MEA) joins forces with Swedish telecom vendor Ericsson to deploy mobile financial service solutions over phases spread across 14 countries in the region by mining into Ericsson Wallet Platform. Under the deal’s terms, Orange will tap into Ericsson’s Wallet Platform to enhance […]

The evolution of unified communications in 2021

Digital transformation has accelerated in recent times, as millions of organizations have had to support remote operations, now joined by the need to develop hybrid working models. Unified communications (UC) is a vital part of digital transformation’s foundations and is the glue that brings together all the various elements into one interconnected environment. In today’s […]

Ooredoo, CK Hutchison merge Indonesia’s telco units for $6 billion

Qatar’s Ooredoo and Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison announced on Thursday a $6 billion merger deal that will look to combine Indosat Ooredoo and Hutchison 3 Indonesia (H3I) under a unified telecoms entity labelled “Ooredoo Hutchison Asia.” Both companies highlighted that the deal would set the stage to accelerate fierce competition in the telecoms and internet […]