Globe names Genio as CTIO
The Philippines’ Globe Telecom has named Gil Genio as its new chief technology and information officer (CTIO). Genio, who is currently the COO for international and business markets, will continue to be the company’s chief strategy officer.

The country’s second largest operator also announced a number of other senior management appointments, which are effective from 9 November.

Alberto de Larrazabal, the company’s CFO, treasurer and chief risk officer, will take over as chief commercial officer. Rosemarie Maniego-Eala will become the acting CFO and will assume the role of treasurer and chief risk officer.

Maria Aurora Sy-Manalang will become CIO and head the information systems group, which will form part of the CTIO organisation. Most recently she was head of product management.

ZTE opens R&D centre in Tokyo
ZTE opened a new R&D Centre in Tokyo to focus on developing 5G and other next-generation network technologies.

The centre will support the company’s partnerships with operators and academic institutions in Japan. ZTE president and CEO Shi Lirong said the facility in Japan will enable it to recruit top local talent to join its research on next-generation technologies.

ZTE now operates 20 R&D centres in Asia, North America and Europe.

Wider distribution for Vietnam-made Bphone
Bphone, the first made-in-Vietnam smartphone that was previously only available online, will be sold in retail stores.

Hoang Ha Mobile, a smartphone retail store, has added Bphone’s prices to its website, Viet Nam News reported. Previously the Bphone was sold only online on the website of BKAV, which has made the phone since May.

The 16GB device is priced at VND10.9 million ($488), while the 64GB version is VND13.9 million and the 128GB gold-plated model goes for VND22.2 million. The phone has a quadcore Snapdragon 801 processor, a 5-megapixel front camera and a 13-megapixel rear camera.

Indonesia’s top operators select Ericsson for upgrades
Swedish vendor Ericsson recently announced equipment deals with Indonesia’s top two mobile players – Teklkomsel and Indosat.

The country’s number two operator, Indosat, selected Ericsson to upgrade its network in greater Jakarta to LTE. The deal covers the operator’s 2G and 3G networks as well as performance optimisation.

Market leader Telkomsel also awarded the vendor a contract to upgrade its network in the country’s Kalimantan region. The project will see the installation of Ericsson’s RBS 6320, a low-cost, main remote enclosure product, developed for tropical climates.