Indonesia’s tower firms make play for fibre

Indonesia’s two main tower operators – Solusi Tunas and Tower Bersama Infrastructure – have plans to expand their fibre-optic businesses to prepare to handle the country’s rapidly growing data traffic as operators roll out 4G networks.

Solusi Tunas, which has 2,400 km of fibre, expects its non-tower business (fibre and micro-cells) to account for half of its revenue within four years, up from less than 10 per cent now, the Jakarta Post said.

Rival Tower Bersama is rolling out a fibre network in greater Jakarta to connect its towers. Its fibre network currently only contributes a small amount to its total revenue.

No relief for Taiwan Mobile 4G customers
Taiwan Mobile customers who have complained about paying higher data rates for their 4G service than subscribers with rival Asia Pacific Telecom, which uses Taiwan Mobile’s network, have received no sympathy from the regulator.

The National Communications Commission said Taiwan Mobile customers, who claim to pay TWD501 ($15) more for 4G service, must fulfil the terms of their contracts and pay any penalties if they want out.

Taiwan Mobile has a network sharing partnership with Asia Pacific Telecom, which has been approved by the NCC.

Taiwan ODMs target smaller-scale handset orders
Taiwan’s handset ODMs are looking beyond well-known international brands for new orders to maintain their growth.

The suppliers are targeting firms in India and Southeast Asia that don’t offer the same scale, but the ODMs are able to turn a profit thanks to mature mobile platforms and the use of standard parts and components, which have cut production costs, DigiTimes reported.

They’re also turning to new sources since the major brands are reducing their orders per model to one to two million from three to five million as product life cycles shrink and competition increase.

AAG cable damaged off Vietnam coast
The Asia America Gateway (AAG) subsea cable has been damaged about 117 km off the coast of Vietnam and will take three to four weeks to repair.

The break on 5 January has slowed internet connectivity between Vietnam and neighbouring countries. FPT has redirected its internet traffic to mainland cables, while Viettel is operating through the TGN-Intra Asia cable and fibre cables via China Telecom and China Unicom to maintain normal operations, VietNam News reported. Viettel is also expected to increase its capacity via cables to Hong Kong and Singapore.

Vodafone India selects Huawei for network upgrade
Vodafone India has signed a INR9 billion ($142 million) contract with Huawei for the upgrade of its 2G and 3G networks across India to allow it to keep up with soaring data traffic.

Vodafone is India’s second largest mobile player with 19 per cent of the country’s 950 million mobile connections.