AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, telecommunications briefs

Source: AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesAug.self storage 28--BLACKBERRY MULLING BBM SPIN-OFF : BlackBerry is considering a plan to spin off its BBM messaging service to form a new company, the Wall Street Journal has reported. BBM, which currently has around 60 million users, is seen as BlackBerry's most valuable asset aside from its corporate email, BlackBerry Enterprise Server.APPLE TO USE 64-BIT A7 CHIPS FOR IPHONE 5S: REPORT: Apple is set debut a new A7 processor with its iPhone 5S that is expected to be announced on September 10, Fox News has reported. Expected to operate on 64-bit code, the dual-core A7 processor is running about 31 percent faster than the existing iPhone 5′s A6 processor. The 64-bit structure could be a big differentiator for Apple, as that could open up new doors for the technology. Chipmaker ARM and its licensees are currently working on 64-bit chips to work on a broader set of applications and to move the technology into web-connected data centres.OMAN SEES 10.7 PERCENT INCREASE IN FIXED-PHONE SERVICE USER BASE: According to figures released by Oman's National Centre for Statistic and Information (NCSI), the number of subscribers of the fixed phone service in the sultanate rose 10.7 percent to 337,144 at the end of June 2013 from 304,545 at the end of December 2012, Times of Oman has reported. Subscribers of billed and pre-paid GSM service also grew 2.7 percent to 5,422,101 at the end of June 2013 compared to 5,277,591 by the end of 2012. However, the number of subscribers of phone internet service at the end of June 2013 dropped 20 percent to 4,860, compared with 6,074 a year ago, the data showed.BATELCO ROLLS OUT 4G LTE SERVICE FOR PREPAID CLIENTS: Bahrain's Batelco has announced the launch of 4G LTE mobile internet for prepaid customers. 4G LTE provides download speeds up to 100Mbps that ensures instant access, streaming without buffering and an enhanced online gaming experience, in addition to fast download and upload speeds.NOKIA DOWNGRADED BY MOODY'S ON CASH-FLOW CONCERN: Moody's Investors Service has cut Nokia's debt further into junk, the latest downgrade for the company after it bought out its partner in the Nokia Siemens Networks venture for €1.7bn ($2.3bn), Bloomberg has reported. The corporate family rating was lowered one level to B1, or four levels below investment grade, with a negative outlook, Moody's said. Nokia is coping with cash-flow challenges stemming from weaker demand for its phones, it said.SAUDI DATA SEGMENT STILL OFFERS GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES: REPORT: According to a report by Al Rajhi Capital, the Saudi telecoms market looks highly saturated with penetration inching toward 200 percent, Saudi Gazette has reported. The data segment, however, still offers growth opportunities and remain the key driver for local players, the report noted. Data penetration is currently at a low 40 percent and with smartphone penetration estimated to reach 50 percent by 2016, there is significant potential for data usage over the coming years, it said.MOBILY EYEING ATHEEB STAKE: Bayanat al-Oula, wholly owned by Saudi Arabia's second-largest mobile operator, Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), has signed a memorandum of understanding with four shareholders in Etihad Atheeb to buy a controlling interest in the loss-making fixed line operator, Reuters has reported. The agreement requires regulatory approvals to be obtained and for Bayanat to complete due diligence by November 30. Batelco has a 15 percent stake in Etihad Atheeb and it is unclear whether the company plans to sell.STC EXPANDS FTTH NETWORK: Saudi Telecom Co (STC) has upgraded its FTTH network to allow more than 600 locations to connect with the 6,000km FTTH network across the kingdom, Saudi Gazette has reported. The company's existing network currently serves more than 200,000 households with FTTH services at high speeds of 1000 MB/s.FACEBOOK VOWS TO MAKE WEB ACCESS MORE AFFORDABLE: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Qualcomm Inc and four other companies have been enlisted by Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook Inc's for a project aimed at bringing internet access to people around the world who can't afford it, mirroring efforts by Google Inc. and others, Reuters has reported. The project, called internet.org, has been launched Wednesday, and will focus on enabling the next five billion people without access to come online, Zuckerberg said. "The goal of Internet.org is to make internet access available to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected and to bring the same opportunities to everyone that the connected third of the world has today," he said.STC TO PROVIDE JABAL OMAR PROJECT WITH TELECOM, IT SOLUTIONS: Saudi property developer Jabal Omar for Development has signed up Saudi Telecom Co (STC) to provide smart integrated telecom and IT services and solutions for a period of 10 years, Arab News has reported. The deal is an expansion of the basic agreement relevant to execution of the telecom network infrastructure for the development, signed in 2008. With a total area of 230,000 sq m, the Jabal Omar project is the second-biggest after the Holy Haram expansion project. It comprises 26 world-class hotels spread among 38 towers, each of which consists of between 20 and 48 storeys.SAMSUNG TO UNVEIL WATCH-LIKE PHONE ON SEPTEMBER 4: A wristwatch-like device is set for release by Samsung Electronics next month that can make phone calls, surf the web and handle e-mails, Bloomberg has reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. The Galaxy Gear will be powered by Google's Android operating system and go on sale this year to beat a po迷你倉entially competing product from Apple Inc., the people said. The device will be unveiled September 4, two days before the IFA consumer electronics show begins in Berlin, one of the people said.LG TO LAUNCH G2 SMARTPHONE IN SAUDI ARABIA BY SEPTEMBER-END: LG Electronics has said it expects high demand in Saudi Arabia for its new flagship smartphone the company launched in New York recently, Arab News has reported. "We plan to sell more than 100,000 units of the LG G2 smartphone in the kingdom," John Lee, president of LG Electronics, Saudi Arabia, told the daily. LG G2 smartphone will be launched in Saudi Arabia by end of September, he added.ADMA-OPCO TO LINK OFFSHORE FACILITIES WITH FIBRE OPTIC WAN NETWORK: Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Co (Adma-Opco), in conjunction with Zakum Development Co (Zadco), has said it's building a fibre optic wide area network (WAN) project to enhance communications between the company's offshore and onshore sites, Gulf News has reported. "The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015. It's designed to deploy a new fibre optic WAN to all the major offshore facilities in conjunction with Etisalat," Adma-Opco said.STC RECLASSIFIES INDONESIAN SUBSIDIARY AS 'ASSET HELD FOR SALE': Saudi Telecom Co (STC), which was reportedly negotiating the sale of its subsidiary PT Axis Telekom Indonesia, has said there was no new significant development to what has already been announced in a Tadawul statement in July, Arab News has reported. "In reference to the news reports that have recently been circulating in some local and foreign press, which mention that STC is seeking to restructure the loans of Axis Indonesia, where STC is the majority shareholder, STC would like to emphasise that there is no new significant development to be pointed out beyond what has already been announced earlier by STC on July 21, 2013 on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul)." The telecoms operator has reclassified its investment in the Axis as 'assets held for sale' effective June 30, 2013."OOREDOO PLEDGES 'AFFORDABLE' MOBILE ACCESS IN MYANMAR: Qatari telecoms group Ooredoo has said it plans to introduce "affordable" phone services to Myanmar next year, as it pumps $15bn into one of the world's few remaining frontier mobile markets, AFP has reported. The firm, which in June won the bid to provide mobile coverage to a nation where less than 10 percent of the population has telephone access, should be formally awarded its 15-year 3G licence by the end of this year. It will then start to roll out its mobile services, including money transfers and weather data for farmers, within six months, an Ooredoo official said.TELECOM EGYPT'S Q2 EARNINGS UP 45.5 PERCENT: Telecom Egypt has posted a 45.5 percent jump in its consolidated net profit in the second quarter, boosted by a 16.1 percent growth in revenues compared to the same period of last year, Reuters has reported. Net income stood at EGP896m ($128.2m) in the three months ending June 30, compared with EGP616m a year earlier. Consolidated revenue was EGP2.77bn, up 16 percent from a year earlier.FEATURE PHONES OUTPACED BY SMARTPHONES LAST QUARTER: Market research firm, Gartner has said global smartphone sales to end users accounted for nearly 52 percent of mobile phone sales in the second quarter, exceeding feature phones sales for the first time as a result of growth in Asian countries, PC World has reported. Smartphone sales grew by 46.5 percent to reach 225 million units, while feature phones sales dropped by 21 percent year-on-year to 210 million, said Gartner. Samsung maintained the top position in the global smartphone market, as its share climbed to 31.7 percent from 29.7 percent in the second quarter last year, while Apple came in second place with a 14.2 percent share, down from 18.8 percent a year ealier.98.2 PERCENT OF JORDANIAN HOUSEHOLDS HAVE MOBILE PHONES: Jordan's Department of Statistics (DoS) has said over two thirds of households in the country have at least two mobile phones, while only 4 percent has more than one landline telephone, Jordan Times has reported. The figures released by the government agency indicated that 72.7 percent of households have two feature mobile phones or more, while about 66.4 percent of houses have two smartphones or more. DoS said that landline telephones are becoming less popular among households in Jordan, as 98.2 percent of Jordanian households have mobile phones, while only 14.1 percent of households have landline telephones.TE DENIES SALE OF VODAFONE STAKE: Telecom Egypt (TE) has denied reports that the company had obtained its mobile licence through selling its Vodafone Egypt shares, Daily News Egypt has reported. "Telecom Egypt did not receive any legal notice regarding this subject and there are no legal obligations that forces te to sell its shares ... to get this licence," the firm said. The telecoms company owns 45 percent of Vodafone Egypt.MICROSOFT ADDS HD VIDEO CALLING TO SKYPE ON IOS 4.1: Microsoft has rolled out an updated Skype for iOS 4.1, with HD-quality video calls and other general improvements to stability, PC Magazine has reported. The update, which also includes a redesigned country code picker on the dial pad, follows a similar boost for Windows Phone 8 users released last March, when Microsoft introduced an update with high-definition video for handsets including the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC 8X, and Samsung Ativ S, which can deliver up to 720 HD video.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) Visit AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) at .ameinfo.com Distributed by MCT Information Services文件倉