Telecompaper Headlines

(Telecompaper) The latest-generation Fire TV Stick, priced at USD 39.99, features an enhanced 1.7 GHz quad-core processor that Amazon says makes it 50 percent more powerful than the previous generation. The system delivers streaming in 1080p at 60fps with HDR compatibility while the dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi supports 5 GHz networks. The new stick also features Dolby Atmos for immersive sound with compatible content and speakers, and an Alexa Voice Remote. Finally, the device consumes 50 percent less power than the previous generation. 

(Telecompaper) Vodafone has begun talks to acquire Spain's Masmovil with the three private equity funds who have just taken it over, according to unnamed sources cited by business daily El Economista. The transaction values Masmovil at around EUR 6 billion, including EUR 2 billion in debt, and would result in Spain's third largest operator acquiring the country's fourth. Market sources consulted in the report said a consolidation of Spain's leading operators is "inevitable" in view of an increasingly crowded market that expanded to 5 nationwide domestic operators earlier this year with the launch of Euskaltel's Virgin Telco brand.

(Telecompaper) Amazon has unveiled a new cloud gaming platform called Luna, its rival to Microsoft's xCloud, Sony's PlayStation Now and Google's Stadia. The service takes the subscription model of Prime Video combined with the scale of Amazon Web Services, allowing subscribers to instantly play more than 100 Luna games on their favourite devices without lengthy downloads or updates, expensive hardware or complicated configuration. It will be available in the US from next month at an "introductory price" of USD 5.99 a month on Fire TV, PC, and Mac as well as on web apps for iPhone and iPad, with Android coming soon. Early access invites are already open.

(Telecompaper) Polish company Cyfrowy Polsat has announced a review of various strategic options regarding the potential sale of telecom infrastructure belonging to the Polsat Group and owned by Polkomtel Infrastruktura, a subsidiary of Cyfrowy Polsat. The idea behind the review is to support the Polsat Group's long-term strategy.

(Telecompaper) Orange Romania started offering Yoxo, a digital mobile subscription managed entirely through a mobile application. Yoxo comes with competitive prices in RON and customers can reconfigure their monthly subscription according to their needs, with no minimum contract period, the operator said. 

(Telecompaper) Swisscom said it has partnered with Ericsson and Qualcomm to pick start-ups to develop 5G applications through the 5G Start-up Challenge competition. The winners of the competition can test their applications in March 2021 at Swisscom's 5G laboratory or other locations and regions and even on trains, with the support of Ericsson, Qualcomm, Venturelab and Swisscom. The winners will be able to visit innovation facilities such as the Federal Institute of Technology and the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne.

(Telecompaper) A group of popular app providers has formed to lobby against unfair commercial terms on app stores. The 'Coalition for App Fairness' includes companies already fighting Apple's App Store policies, such as Spotify and Epic Games, as well as Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain.com, Deezer, the European Publishers Council, Match Group, News Media Europe, Prepear, Protonmail, Skydemon and Tile. CAF said it will advocate for legal and regulatory changes that ensure a level playing field for app and game developers that rely on app stores and other gatekeeper platforms to reach customers.

(Telecompaper) 3 UK has announced a GBP 100 million infrastructure investment agreement with SSE Enterprise Telecoms to boost connectivity across 250 UK towns and cities. The agreement will deliver 3 UK's 5G network to hundreds of locations, as well as improving the 4G service to provide increased capacity and reliability. 

(Telecompaper) The US Department of Justice has proposed legislation on behalf of the Trump administration to reform the legal immunity provided to internet platforms distributing third-party content. This follows an executive order from President Trump in May calling on regulators to look at ways to make social media companies more responsible for content on their platforms. 

(Telecompaper) Samsung is releasing a more affordable version of its flagship S20 smartphone with 5G. The new 'Fan Edition', which comes with some of the favourite features of the S20, is available for USD 699, compared to the launch price of USD 999 for the standard edition. 

(Telecompaper) The UK Government has confirmed the appointment of former BT CEO Ian Livingston as chair of the new Telecoms Diversification Task Force, which is being set up to help diversify the UK's telecoms supply chain and reduce the country's reliance on high-risk vendors.

(Telecompaper) The tablet market will return to growth this year, with an expected increase of 1 percent to 160.8 million units, Strategy Analysts predicts. The fastest growth in six years is driven by more work, learning and entertainment occurring at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

(Telecompaper) Mobile industry association GSMA has decided to reschedule the dates of its Mobile World Congress (MWC) shows in Barcelona and Shanghai to contend with the Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement, the GSMA said MWC21 Shanghai will now take place from 23 to 25 February 2021, with MWC21 Barcelona scheduled for 28 June to 01 July 2021. The aim is to hold the GSMA's biggest event – MWC21 Barcelona – as a physical event, albeit with "virtual elements to complement the overwhelming demand to convene physically," said the industry body.

(Telecompaper) Vodacom South Africa is in discussions with Remgro to acquire Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH), which owns Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa (DFA), reports MyBroadband citing sources. Remgro said it does not comment on speculation. CIVH acquired 34.9 percent of Vumatel for an undisclosed amount in June 2018 and the remaining 65.1 percent in May 2019.

(Telecompaper) AMP Capital has announced an agreement to buy a majority stake in Swedish-based VX Fiber, which has operations in South Africa and the UK, and is targeting opportunities in Belgium, Austria and Germany. VX Fiber builds and runs Fibre-To-The-Premise (FTTP) open access networks and has developed a proprietary software platform running on third parties' passive infrastructure as a fibre operator. The network is remotely run from a network operations centre (NOC) in Umea, Sweden.

(Telecompaper) Japanese operator KDDI, in cooperation with Samsung, has demonstrated network slicing in a 5G standalone network (5G SA). KDDI says this is "the world's first successful demonstration of the generation of end-to-end network slicing where the RIC defined by the O-RAN Alliance is used to control network slicing".

(Telecompaper) Over 4 in 10 Dutch multiplay subscribers now take fixed and mobile services from the same provider, according to Telecompaper's Dutch Multiplay Market report for Q2 2020. FMC's share of revenues on the multi-play market is even higher, at over 54 percent. In Q2, fixed-mobile subscriptions generated EUR 705 million in revenues, up 15 percent year-on-year.

(Telecompaper) Microsoft is expanding in the communications market with a range of new services for its Azure cloud platform. Azure Communication Services is a fully managed communication platform to help integrate calls, chat and SMS into business organisations and their applications. At its Ignite developers conference, Microsoft also introduced new IoT, satellite and edge services available with communication service providers. 

(Telecompaper) HMD Global has introduced two new Nokia smartphones for the entry-level market. The company is also expanding its product range with accessories like its own portable wireless speaker and wireless earbuds and moving into the enterprise segment with a global Sim management service for businesses. The announcements come as its long-awaited Nokia 8.3 5G phone, a premium device with a tie-in to the new James Bond film, goes on sale. 

(Telecompaper) Swisscom has confirmed a rebranding of its TV services and cinemas under the name blue. The operator announced the launch of the new TV offer 'blue TV' with its Swisscom Box. The service will also be available over the top through apps, and as a premium service on other networks, under the name blue+.