Telecoms

XL Axiata readies to launch 5G network in Indonesia

Indonesian operator XL Axiata announced on Thursday their receival of a 5G network operating license from the country’s Ministry of Communication and Information, the company said in a statement.   The announcement came after the local telco passed the required Operational Appropriate Test (ULO) that was carried out earlier this month to obtain its Operational Appropriate Certificate (SKLO).   “Today, we together welcome XL Axiata which has just received Operation Eligibility Certificate (SKLO) for […]

A1 acquires 5G spectrum for $16.59 million in Croatia

A1 Telekom Austria Group announced the purchase of a new 5G spectrum worth $16.59 million for its Croatian subsidiary A1 Croatia, after winning a public auction on Thursday.  Earlier last week, Croatia’s telecommunications regulator approved the bids placed by local mobile operators, Hrvatski Telekom (HT), A1, and Telemach in a public auction for allocation of national frequency licenses for 5G mobile networks.  A1, Hrvatski Telekom, and Telemach were awarded national licenses in […]

T-Mobile’s misleading statements help in Sprint merger

California regulators released on Friday a ruling addressing T-Mobile’s misrepresented declarations to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regarding the telecommunication operator’s grand vision for Sprint’s legacy CMDA network. It seems that U.S. operator, T-Mobile, has fabricated misleading information to government regulators concerning its 3G shutdown plans to gain approval of its merger with Sprint, […]

Vodafone Idea cites COVID behind 4.7% drop in revenue

Indian telecom operator Vodafone Idea (Vi) announced on Saturday a 4.7 percent dip in revenues QoQ, attributing its weak performance to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the operator edges ever closer to bankruptcy.   The loss in revenue – which amounts to $1.2 billion – is considered as another blow to the company, which is resorting to outside factors as the main reason behind its […]

Bharti Airtel concludes spectrum trading agreement with Jio

Indian telecoms provider Bharti Airtel announced on Friday the closure of its spectrum trading agreement with its local rival Reliance Jio to transfer the “Right to Use” of Airtel’s 800 MHz spectrum in three circles to Jio.  Airtel had announced earlier in April the trading agreement without disclosing its financial details.   However, Indian media reports revealed on Friday that Airtel received $135.5 million net of tax from Jio for the proposed transfer. Additionally, Jio […]

China Mobile net profit soars by 6% driven by new 5G users

China Mobile announced on Thursday a 6 percent year-on-year (YoY) increase in net profit for the first half of 2021, driven by new 5G users.  In its recent report, the state-owned telecom revealed that its net profit for H1 of 2021 hiked to $9.12 billion from $8.61 billion for the same period last year.  The telco highlighted that its new 5G users enhanced average revenue per user.  As for operating revenues, China Mobile amounted $68.5 billion for the first six months of […]

What is bandwidth throttling and how to stop it

If you are someone who enjoys “unlimited” data plans for your home internet, then you may be familiar with the phenomena of bandwidth throttling. Yes, it has a name, and that’s because it is deliberate and perfectly legal. You may not have known that, but what you also might not have known is that it […]

Vodafone Idea bankruptcy to hit 2G users hard

Indian telecom operator Vodafone Idea (Vi) 2G subscribers would be the most affected if the company’s financial state remains unsolved, a source close to the matter told ET Telecom.   In this case, Vi’s local rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel will have to facilitate alternative options for Vi’s 2G customers.  Experts highlighted that these solutions include providing low-end 4G smartphones or 4G feature phones to Vodafone Idea’s low-end 2G customers.  […]

MTN officially bows out of Ethiopia & Syria

South Africa’s MTN announced on Thursday that it will not re-bid for an operating license in Ethiopia, and is arranging to exist the Syrian market, CEO Ralph Mupita was quoted as saying during a media briefing on the financial half year results.   This official statement follows Ethiopia’s announcement earlier this month to re-open bidding for its second telecoms operator license in August, including the right to operate mobile financial services.  However, […]

Russian ER Telecom acquires Avantel for undisclosed sum

Russian provider ER Telecom, acquired on Tuesday 100 percent of the united group of companies, Avantel, a telecom operator in the Russian B2B market.  ER Telecom failed to reveal the financial details of the agreement, but announced in a statement that the deal will enhance its positions in the segment of services for business and government customers.   Additionally, ER will be able to benefit from Avantel’s various markets in Moscow, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Barnaul, Nizhnevartovsk, Nefteyugansk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Samara and St. Petersburg.  […]