South Korean operator KT Corporation is launching a cloud computing offering in Japan this week, in conjunction with Softbank.The new offering, which will operate on a datacentre in Korea, exploits a growing market for overseas storage in Japan, where an increasing number of enterprises have, since the devastating earthquake in 2011, looked to neighbouring South Korea for the opportunity to minimise their data storage risk.
Takehiro Nakamura, director of radio access network development for NTT Docomo, Japan is speaking in ‘The Future of LTE’ track on Day Two of the LTE World Summit, the premier 4G event for the telecoms industry, taking place on the 24th-26th June 2013, at the Amsterdam RAI, Netherlands. Ahead of the show we learn about how NTT Docomo is taking a lead in the development of LTE, with many of its home-grown technologies forming part of the latest 3GPP LTE standards.
Japanese operator NTT Docomo has selected vendors Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) and Panasonic to develop its next generation LTE-A network architecture. In one of the earliest roll out of the technology, the two vendors will provide the operator with base stations that are optimised for LTE Advanced.
Japanese operator Softbank is selling a portion of its recently acquired subsidiary eAccess to 11 third party firms including infrastructure vendors Ericsson, NSN, Alcatel-Lucent and Samsung. Softbank said that the move would allow the subsidiary to maintain a degree of independence, which it believes will allow eAccess’ continued expansion.
Japanese carrier Softbank’s bid to acquire a 70 per cent stake in US operator Sprint is an audacious deal that could transform or hobble the companies depending on how it plays out. For Softbank it is a huge bet that it’s better to invest $20bn in the third-largest US mobile operator rather than its home market of Japan where it is the third-largest mobile operator behind NTT DoCoMo and KDDI.
Japanese carrier Softbank has announced its intention to acquire a 70 per cent stake in US operator Sprint. Softbank will invest $20.1bn into Sprint; $12.1bn of which will be paid to its shareholders and $8bn will be used as new capital.
Yukio Ito, senior vice president, service infrastructure, NTT Communications is giving a keynote speech on Day Two of the Broadband World Forum 2012, taking place on the 16-18 October 2012 at the RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Ahead of the show we catch up with him to speak about the major hot topics and future plans for NTT Communications.
Asia’s fastest submarine cable link opened for business this week, carrying traffic at a blistering 40Gbps between Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines with an additional link to Hong Kong to be added in December.
Japanese handset makers NEC and Fujitsu have joined forces with the country’s market leading operator NTT Docomo to set up a joint venture to develop smartphone chips. The firms have collaborated closely in the past and had even attempted to launch a similar JV, with the participation of Samsung and Panasonic.
Japanese operator KDDI has deployed what it claims to be the “world’s first self operating 3G and 4G mobile network”. The operator chose Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) to deliver the system. The operator has deployed an intelligent Self Organising Network (iSON) solution which uses NSN’s advanced NetAct Operations Support System (OSS).
While many markets around the world have seen lower than expected growth over the past three years in terms of broadband adoption, Russia has bucked the trend by posting big growth figures, according to UK research firm Point Topic.
Japanese operator Softbank Mobile has selected Ericsson to build its LTE network. Ericsson will upgrade, expand and perform systems integration of Softbank’s existing packet core network to evolved packet core, for its largest LTE contract in Japan.
Foxconn buys 11 per cent stake in Japanese LCD panel-maker Sharp
Australian operator Telstra has secured new operating licences in Singapore and Japan, allowing the firm to extend its reach in Asia. The company will deliver services directly to customers in both markets, rather than teaming up with local partners, as its newly acquired licences allow the carrier to own infrastructure facilities in each of the countries.
The announcement on Aug. 10 that US online-video site Hulu
was planning to make its first foray into Asia Pacific with the launch of
services in Japan did not come as a particularly big surprise, considering that
Hulu had never made a secret of its international ambitions.
With the LTE Asia conference imminent, Telecoms.com speaks to Alan Hadden, president of the Global Mobile Suppliers Association, about the spectrum challenges facing the Asian LTE market. Fragmentation is as much of an issue in Asia Pacific as it is in the rest of the world, with early movers trying to muster support for their competing strategies.
Having lived the first half of my adult life in the UK and the second half in Australia, it is little wonder that I have such a strong affinity with the underdog in a given situation, since both countries have cultures that root for the little guy to succeed over a bigger, stronger opponent.
Security vendor Gemalto has said that its LTE technology, dubbed Xi, has been selected by NTT DoComo for the Japanese carrier’s LTE roll-out.
The knock on effect of the Japan earthquake and tsunami may be felt in the telecoms industry in months to come, as the country is home to some of the world’s biggest suppliers of silicon, microchips and LCD displays.
Japan’s leading carrier, NTT DoCoMo, said Monday that it is gearing up to test LTE Advanced with an eye to racking up speeds of 1Gbps on the downlink.
Lean and MeanWith summer supposedly fast approaching, many look to trim some fat and get in shape for the sunny months. The Informer has never been a huge fan of gyms; in fact his favourite machine in the gym is the one that sells chocolate. Telefonica’s UK arm O2, is one business that is looking to get lean for the holidays, though, and this week it announced that it is to trim 3,500 UK employees.
Cross-border opportunities are there, but Telenor has work to do in BulgariaPan-European operater group Telenor is making another move into Eastern Europe, this time buying Bulgaria’s Globul. The move makes sense for several reasons, but success won’t come easy in a country with high mobile penetration and a sluggish economy.
Telecoms.com speaks with Ali Agan, who has risen through the ranks of TeliaSonera Group to become CEO of KCell in Kazakhstan. With a young population Agan is keen to deploy LTE and exploit nascent demand for data services.
Jonathan Bell, VP of Marketing at OpenCloud, discusses how policy and pricing are just two dimensions along which telecoms operators can differentiate their propositions. By adding a third dimension, the service behaviour itself, operators can define and bring true innovation to the market that surpasses the traditional approaches of the past, he says.
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Calls for consolidation in the European mobile market grow louder by the week and four-operator markets look increasingly challenged. Now, those mobile operators that have already built scale seem to be suggesting that there is no option but to expand yet further through diversification.