Telecom Italia

Huawei scores in Europe with LTE

Paul Rasmussen — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:33:16 -0500

Having already registered some notable wins with European operators for LTE--Telenor being the latest--Huawei has continued to infuriate Ericsson and NSN by announcing further contract awards and trials.

Huawei said that Telecom Italia, which has already started a "pre-commercial LTE trial" in Turin, had selected the vendor as its technology partner for testing data speeds up to 140Mbit/s. The trial network involves 14 LTE base stations installed in the centre of Turin with each configured to handle three simultaneous high bandwidth voice and data connections.

The company also said that Belgacom has chosen Huawei to upgrade its mobile network, which operates under the Proximus brand. This deal is similar to the Chinese vendor's recent contract with Telenor, in that the cellco is looking to integrate its GSM, HSPA and LTE systems in the future to a converged RAN - supported by Huawei's SingleRAN platform and a unified packet core.

Proximus' incumbent RAN and core supplier is NSN, whose Flexi base station line competes head-on with SingleRAN in the mixed-radio environment. Although NSN may retain the core business at the LTE stage.

And in Greece, Vodafone has gone live with a Huawei-based HSPA+ upgrade to its network, offering a peak download rate of 28.8Mbit/s and upload rate of up to 5.8Mbit/s. HSPA+ MIMO mobile broadband services will initially be provided in selected areas of capital Athens, and then expanded to other cities.

For more on this story:
Softpedia and Rethink-Wireless

Telecom Italia to offer m-payment service in 2010

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:17:14 -0400

A plan to support mobile payments (m-payments) has been unveiled by Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) in association with the Italian Movincom Consortium. The operator said that it would launch the scheme next year to enable its subscribers to make a range of purchases from the 650 services of the Movincom Consortium - soon to be increased to over 1,500 in seven different market sectors.

According to TIM, the service will use a SIM-based application that would display specific menus to guide customers through the payment process. Orders placed for goods or services would be triggered by a text message generated automatically by the application. The text message includes the purchaser's cellphone number but no sensitive data about the selected method of payment.

"We know that security and a user-friendly purchase experience are vital to the development of mobile commerce via mobile phones. This agreement with Telecom Italia is a major step in that direction," said Enrico Sponza, deputy chairman of the Movincom Consortium. "Banks will have access to an integrated set of operational processes and be able to fast track their entry into the mobile payment business."

While TIM is one of the first operators in Europe to launch m-payments in association with a merchant consortium, others, including Google, Nokia, eBay and Facebook are keen to enter the market. However, the sector remains fragmented due to a variety of technology options, and the ongoing reluctance of mobile operators and financial institutions to co-operate - or, in truth, to share customers and revenues.

For more on this story:
Cellular News

Telecom Italia and Aria plan WiMAX deployment

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:35:28 -0400

Aria, an Italian WiMAX operator, is joining forces with Telecom Italia to deploy a WiMAX network covering the central and southern regions of Italy and the island of Sardinia. Aria will utilise Telecom Italia's 3.5GHz spectrum allocation for the service and the operator's transport network for backhaul. In return Telecom Italia will have access to Aria's nationwide wholesale services. The Italian operator acquired three regional 3.5GHz licences for 13.8 million euros but has to date not made any use of the spectrum. The deal with Aria will enable Telecom Italia to comply with its licence requirements for very little expenditure as Aria will pick up the deployment and maintenance costs of the new WiMAX network.

For more on this story:
go to Ovum

Vodafone and O2 go head-to-head to acquire German broadband operator

Paul Rasmussen — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:42:00 -0400

In an effort to shift their reliance on mobile voice revenues, Vodafone and O2 are both actively considering making a bid for the German Internet provider HanseNet. The German ISP, which has more than 2.3 million customers, has been put up for sale by its owner, Telecom Italia, which is struggling to reduce its debt and wants to withdraw from international markets.

Market analysts believe the deal would make sense for either company, giving Vodafone the opportunity to compete more effectively against Deutsche Telekom and also reduce Opex cost, while for O2 the deal would transform its standing in the German broadband market and allow it to become a real contender.

However, the bids--which need to be submitted before the end of the month--might fall well short, given the current funding climate, of the €1 billion that some market watchers believe HanseNet is wanting as a minimum price. The head of Vodafone Germany recently commented that consolidation was overdue in the German broadband market, and would only look at acquisition opportunities if the pricing made sense.

Indications that building the necessary funding for such a purchase might be troublesome came from Turkcell which had been considering an offer for HanseNet. However, the company has now declined to bid.

For more on this story:
The Telegraph

Rumour Mill: 3 Italia on the block?

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:43:25 -0500

There has been widespread speculation in the European media about the future of Hutchison Whampoa's Italian third generation mobile operation 3 Italia. A potential merger between 3 Italia and national operator Telecom Italia reportedly foundered over differences in the valuation placed on 3 Italia by its owners. If the merger had happened it was rumoured that 3 Italia would be broken up with its assets divided between Telecom Italia and Wind. 3 Italia has moved quickly to damp down media speculation concerning a possible break-up issuing a ‘categorical denial' yesterday. Other options being touted for the future direction of 3 Italia include remaining independent, being sold to an unmade Middle Eastern sovereign fund and having a non-European telecoms operator buying a 50 per cent stake. 3 Italia has around 5.5 million subscribers representing a 6.5 per cent market share.

For more on this story go to Cellular News and Total Telecom

Related articles:
3 Italia and Yahoo! co-brand mobile broadband offering
Investor urges Telefonica takeover of Telecom Italia
Merger speculation circles Telecom Italia

Rumour Mill: MTN in Telecom Italia sights

Paul Rasmussen — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:22:56 -0400

Speculation continues to swirl around Telecom Italia (TI) and its possible bids for Indian or South African mobile operators. Despite robust denials from its management, Italian newspapers claim TI is now considering an offer for Johannesburg-based MTN, which is the second largest mobile operator in South Africa claiming over 74 million subscribers in 21 markets.

The US$2 billion offer for Indian-based Unitech would appear now to be taking second place to the possible bid for MTN, which could be financed through the spin-off of TI's network operations and cell phone tower business--and by offering €5 billion of new shares to foreign investors. Rumours suggest that these new backers could be from companies based in the Arabian Gulf.

Market analysts judged TI as an unusual suitor for MTN, but the Italian company's fixed-line expertise could greatly assist the South African firm in rolling out its fibre optic cable network. Other industry watchers thought that a large African investment could serve as an alternative for TI to its Brazilian venture.

Adding further to this pot of rumours is the possibility that Libya will invest up to €4 billion to take a 10 per cent stake in TI. The North African country, which has historical ties with Italy, has a US$100 billion treasure chest bulging with oil revenues that it is looking to invest.

Attempting to scotch these rumours, TI's CEO, Franco Bernabe, stated that all mergers and acquisitions are off and the reports of potential deals were totally unfounded. The company, said Bernabe, was focused on other priorities such as reducing its €37 billion long-term debt and reversing its declining profits.

For more on this story:
- go to Cellular News and IT News Africa

Related articles:
US$50 billion Bharti Airtel/MTN deal bites the dust. MTN story
Vodafone's African ambitions threatened. Vodafone story

Rumour mill: Telecom Italia to invest in Indian mobile operator

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:35:49 -0400

Despite firm denials from Telecom Italia (TI), Indian newspapers are reporting that the telecoms company will spend US$2 billion acquiring a 49 per cent shareholding in Unitech -- an Indian mobile operator.

TI is said to have beaten the Norwegian telecoms operator Telenor and others in a race to acquire a stake in the Indian mobile market. Unitech has licences to provide mobile phone services in all of India's 22 service areas, but has yet to start operations. In July, Unitech's MD, Sanjay Chandra, said the company wanted to find a foreign partner within the next two months.

Chandra added that the Italian company's funds would be used for building the network, deploying services as well as bidding for 3G spectrum. TI and Unitech have been holding joint meetings with Nokia and HP in India to discuss equipment purchases related to the rollout of the new network.

Unitech apparently rejected bids from Telenor and the Middle Eastern telco Zain because both companies were looking for a majority shareholding. India permits foreign firms to own a maximum of 74 per cent in a telecoms firm. Unitech is reported to have hired over 200 people for this new venture and plans to roll out services by Q2 2009.

For more on this story:
- go to Economic Times

Related articles:
Investor urges Telefonica takeover of Telecom Italia. Telefonica story
Telecom Italia to cut 5,000 jobs in next two years. Telecom Italia story

NFC open to hackers, as TIM plans ticketing service

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:59:55 -0400

The Italian cell phone operator Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) has announced plans to develop an NFC-based contactless payments system that enables passengers to use their handsets to pay for journeys on public transport.

TIM has partnered with Gemalto--a leading SIM vendor, to supply applications that will be embedded into the SIM. The user will be able to purchase tickets from anywhere at anytime through their handset and validate their transport pass even when the mobile phone is off. Gemalto says the system will be the first of its kind in Italy but the vendor has worked on several similar projects in Europe.

However, a researcher from the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology has demonstrated methods whereby NFC-enabled handsets can be hacked. The two most interesting hacks, according to the researcher, involved replacing the NFC tag on a vending machine, and spoofing a URI in a Smart Poster to connect the user to somewhere other than they wished.

For more on this story:
- read The Register and Fin Extra

Related stories:
Nokia launches mobile wallet phone. Nokia NFC handset story
O2 launches mobile wallet trial. O2 story

TIM calls for cut in femtocell pricing

Mon, 12 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

While accepting that femtocells are interesting technology and could provide significant benefit to subscribers, Luigi Licciardi, the executive VP of Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM), wants to see the cost of the units become comparable to WiFi routers.

Speaking at the recent IEF2008 conference, Licciardi called for the semiconductor to work its cost reduction magic: "We appeal to the semiconductor industry to reduce the cost of the access gate if we are to use this technology. One way in which the chip industry might approach the problem is to think about putting the femtocell and the ADSL modem in a single box."

Apart from cost, Licciardi was very upbeat on femtocells. "We think femtocells are a very interesting technology", he said. "One of the most attractive solutions for our customers is to have a flat rate, a cheap rate, to use the mobile handset at home and femtocells can solve some problems like inside coverage."

For more on this story:
-read Electronics Weekly

Related stories:
ip.access wins femtocell deal with AT&T. ip.access story
Motorola, Netgear announce femtocell products. femtocell story

Apple dumps operator exclusivity deal

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

With both Telecom Italia and Vodafone now having the ability to market the iPhone in Italy, other European operators must be studying their iPhone distribution contracts given the understanding that they had a two-year exclusivity period.

This move by Apple followed the company agreeing to a 10-country distribution deal with Vodafone that will cover Italy, Australia, New Zealand, India, The Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Portugal, South Africa and Turkey.

"This is definitely a sign Apple is capitulating," Will Draper, an analyst at Execution, said. "The initial model was that Apple would give the iPhone to a network on an exclusive basis, but in Europe, where you have the likes of Nokia and Sony Ericsson selling sophisticated 3G devices, the iPhone simply isn't seen as such a premium product."

"Apple is realising that it should be making the iPhone as widespread as possible-- Vodafone having taken the view in Italy that it is not willing to share revenues for what will likely be a mediocre product," said Draper.

A comment from RBC Capital Markets' Mike Abramsky, who attended a meeting with Apple's senior management, has suggested that the company is looking to ship 14 million iPhones this year, helped by the 3G version that is expected to be announced within weeks.

For more on this story:
-read The Times and Apple Insider

Related stories:
China Mobile: Still no formal iPhone talks. China Mobile story
iPhone boosts T-Mobile data traffic by 30%. T-Mobile story