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Friday, July 22, 2011

Based on current roadmaps, the Taiwan government will not release its 4G licenses until mid-2015, which means that Taiwan will lag most neighboring countries in the deployment of commercial LTE networks by over four years, according to industry sources.

A total of six telecom service operators in five countries in Asia, including NTT DoCoMo of Japan, SK Telecom and LG U+ of Korea, CSL of Hong Kong, M1 of Singapore and Smart of the Philippines, have launched LTE commercial services, according to data from GSA and Ovum.

In addition, telecom operators in China are expected to kick off TD-LTE services in 2012, leaving Taiwan the only market without LTE services in Southeast Asia for the next few years, the sources added. (sumber: telecomasia.net 21 Juli 2011)

China Telecom, the smallest of China’s three mobile carriers, saw strong uptake of its 3G service in the second quarter due to the increased availability of entry-level smartphones.
During the three-month period from April to June, China Telecom registered 5.17 million new 3G subscribers, up 27% from the 4.08 million 3G users the operator added during the first quarter ended March.
The number of new 3G new users stood at 1.4 million in April, climbed to over 1.83 million in May and hit 1.87 million in June – a record high for the operator for the first half of the year. These figures outpaced rival China Unicom, which registered 1.85 million and 1.74 million respectively in the last two months.
Ivan Wong, manager of investor relations at China Telecom, said the subscriber growth was mainly boosted by the introduction of new smartphone models priced below 1,000 yuan ($155), which started hitting the market at the start of Q2.
Wong said China Telecom will introduce 400 new handset models in 2011, of which 300 will be 3G handsets.
The company is still in talks with Apple on bringing the EVDO-based iPhone to China and has yet to decide on a release date, Wong added.
“We [Apple and China Telecom] have agreed on the technical issues but are still working out the commercial terms,” Wong told TelecomAsia.
TABLE: China 3G subscribers growth January - June, 2011 
China Telecom
China Unicom
China Mobile
2011
Net 3G (million)
Net 3G (million)
Net 3G (million)
June
1.87
1.855
3.029
May
1.83
1.738
2.616
April
1.47
1.817
2.39
TOTAL [Q2]
5.17
5.41
8.035
March
1.61
1.855
2.445
February
1.12
1.213
1.914
Jan
1.35
1.407
1.931
TOTAL [Q1]
4.08
4.475
6.29
TOTAL [1H2011]
9.25
16.177
23.005


(Source: Fiona Chau - telecomasia.net July 22, 2011)

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

In business school, where I teach, students are often predisposed to see legal concepts as impenetrable and foreign. I watch the lightbulbs go on as they see that Microsoft's antitrust woes, RIM's $600 million patent infringement settlement, and Galleon's downfall due to insider trading say as much about strategic judgment and application of analytical tools as the cases that they study in marketing, management or accounting. The most successful businesses understand the non-market environment in which they operate.
Network neutrality is another good example. Business executives should recognize that the contours of broadband Internet access will affect them, both as customers and as providers. And for all the apparent complexity, the major issues are straightforward. Those reading recent headlines might be surprised to learn just how much agreement there is today on two fundamental points: the Internet fosters innovation and investment in new business opportunities because it's an open platform, and the network operators who build onramps to the Internet thrive when they maximize the returns on their invested capital.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), when proposing network neutrality rules last year, emphasized both dimensions. It offered a pragmatic framework that would put the United States in line with Great Britain, Canada, Japan, and other countries that have considered the issue. It proposed a set of basic principles — no blocking or degradation of traffic or devices, no discriminatory favoritism of affiliated services, and transparency — enforced through a case-by-case process that took into account the need for reasonable network management and the legitimacy of private "managed services" alongside the public Internet.
It's not hard to see why business should favor such a regime. Venture capitalists seeking the next YouTube or Twitter want assurance that a broadband access provider won't throttle the new application to advantage its own affiliates, and those broadband providers want certainty that they can use good engineering practices to manage their networks. The FCC's proposals were designed to foster clarity on both sides.
So, where is the controversy? The problem lies with those who see a religious conflict about whether the Internet will be "discriminatory" or "regulated." The simple truth is that it will be a little of both. We regulate the financial system, health care, electricity, and every other essential infrastructure for a modern economy. Pharmaceutical companies don't put drugs into the marketplace without FDA review of clinical trials, and startups don't launch IPOs without SEC registration. The success of those regimes is a big reason for America's global economic strength.
The FCC and other regulators can do a better or a worse job. It's certainly fair to talk about how to optimize the regulatory process. And it's appropriate to call for regulators like FCC Chairman Genachowski, a former venture capitalist and e-commerce executive, who appreciate the dangers of government over-reach.
It's not appropriate to disregard what the FCC actually said. Robert Litan and Hal Singer, for example, should feel reassured by the FCC's language on the concern they raise about "enhanced services" with special traffic handling: "We recognize that these managed or specialized services may differ from broadband Internet access services in ways that recommend a different policy approach, and it may be inappropriate to apply the rules proposed here to managed or specialized services." (Open Internet NPRM, paragraph 149).
This leaves plenty of important details to address. Can Sony's packets be prioritized without degrading the Internet experience for everyone else? Would Zynga have pioneered a multi-billion dollar social gaming market if it had to pay for priority delivery from day 1 to compete with Sony? What if Sony's agreement blocks Microsoft from receiving priority delivery for its competing online gaming portal? Should AT&T's prioritization of its own online gaming portal be viewed differently? Should the same rules apply to wireless broadband? How would enforcement work?
These are not new issues. There has been continuous debate at the FCC about network neutrality for six years. The absence of a comprehensive legal framework exerts a drag on the market. And with no enforceable rules, companies from Facebook to Foursquare have no confidence that discriminatory practices won't undermine their investments. Fortunately, over time, even as the rhetoric has ratcheted up, advocates on both sides have narrowed their differences substantially.
Verizon and Google have now issued a proposal that offers compromise solutions to the major disputed elements of a network neutrality regime. It's a flawed proposal, but it's a step in the right direction if it helps to break the logjam in Washington. Businesses can help achieve that result by supporting a solution that is workable in practice for the long run. For example, if the current wireless broadband market is too immature and different for the same rules to apply, what are the triggers for that to change?
The most valuable area where business can contribute is to support giving the FCC and other agencies the flexibility they need. A recent appeals court ruling called into question the FCC's legal authority over broadband access, opening the door to more years of lawsuits and Congressional lobbying. Such prolonged uncertainty benefits no one.
The FCC was established in 1934 because in complex, fast-changing industries, a body with expertise and open, transparent decision-making processes is the best forum to resolve contentious issues. That's still true. Chairman Genachowski has already proposed to "forbear" preemptively from FCC regulation of Internet content or business practices, outside the limited open Internet rules needed to promote competition and innovation.
The FCC should have the tools to do its job, now and as the marketplace evolves. Network neutrality is just one aspect of a vibrant environment of open, interconnected networks. One would hope that the 2008 financial crisis put to rest the spurious notion that business functions best when regulation functions least.
An open Internet is one in which investment is rewarded and the best innovations win. What could be more pro-business than that?
Kevin Werbach is an Associate Professor of Legal Studies at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and organizer of the Supernova technology conference. He served until recently as a consultant to both the Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (source: http://blogs.hbr.org )

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The GSM Association is pressing Taiwan to abandon its emphasis on Wimax manufacturing in favor of LTE and HSPA.
 
The industry body published a report prepared under commission by Analysys Mason, which claims that revenues generated by Taiwan's LTE technology sector will soon exceed those earned from the Wimax sector.
 
By 2015, global adoption of LTE will generate TW$27.3 billion ($934 million) for Taiwan's economy, compared to just TW$3 billion ($100 million) for Wimax.
 
“Given the smaller market size in terms of lower demand,” the report states, “it is in Taiwan’s best interest to focus on the manufacturing of HSPA and LTE equipment rather than Wimax equipment.”
 
Low levels of worldwide Wimax demand have hindered the government's plan to stimulate the economy by becoming the largest exporter of Wimax products, the report states.
 
GSMA Asia Pacific senior director Jaikishan Rajaraman said the government should instead be offering the aid to LTE equipment producers.
 
“It is essential that the Taiwanese government acts quickly to support manufacturers and allocate spectrum for LTE,” he said.
 
Taiwanese operators themselves are eager to deploy LTE, and adoption is forecast to exceed 2.5 million by 2015, the report adds.
(source: Dyland Bushell-Embling telecomasia.net 14 July 2011)

July 19 2011


BELLEVUE, Wash. – 4G Americas, a wireless industry trade association representing the 3GPP family of technologies, today announced that it has published a new white paper, titled, Self-Optimizing Networks - The Benefits of SON in LTE, which describes the motivation behind SON and the potential benefits it brings to network operations.
 
“Recent deployments of HSPA+ and LTE have highlighted the need and opportunity for self-organizing capabilities within the network that enhance network performance and permit potential reductions in operational expenses,” said Chris Pearson, President of 4G Americas. “Self-optimizing features in the network are part of the network solutions toolkit for operators to continue to attempt to meet the extraordinary demands on the network. Yet, SON is just part of the answer and the industry continues to need much more spectrum.”
 
Self-Optimizing and Self-Organizing Networks (SON) can significantly improve network performance and user experience. SON is a key component of LTE and is being standardized by 3GPP with key SON features contained in 3GPP LTE Release 8, Release 9 and Release 10.
 
The white paper describes key features from the 3GPP standardization and how these capabilities will positively impact network operations in HSPA+ and LTE networks. In addition, the paper explains the newer features of LTE SON in Release 10 and how they will address self-optimization and self-healing that will allow the networks to operate more efficiently while providing overall improved user performance.  The application of SON techniques to address deployment and operational challenges with Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), and picocells, femtocells and relays also are described to address the impact of SON on a variety of radio systems. 
 
Some conclusions of the white paper are:
  • LTE SON leverages network intelligence, automation and network management features in order to automate the configuration and optimization of wireless networks, thereby lowering costs and improving network performance and flexibility 
  • A key goal of LTE SON standardization is the support for multi-vendor network environments, which has resulted in the definition of standard messaging formats to convey information between entities that can be used to implement a given SON algorithm
  • Strong operator interest in LTE SON is evident from the significant SON contributions coming from organizations such as the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN), and examples of the deployment of various SON use cases by LTE operators in their respective networks
  • Results from SON trials in a live HSPA network demonstrate the benefits for operators and provide further validation of the potential benefits of SON in LTE networks 
Pearson added, “The scope of LTE SON functionality will clearly continue to expand and evolve with upcoming releases of the LTE standard, thereby ensuring LTE’s continued success in tomorrow’s wireless marketplace.”
 
Self-Optimizing Networks - The Benefits of SON in LTE was written collaboratively by members of 4G Americas and is available for free download at: www.4gamericas.org.
(source 4gamericas.org)

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