NTT DoCoMo Inc and KTF to buy 33% of U Mobile

South Korea's KT Freetel (KTF) and Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc will jointly invest USD200 million to acquire a 33% stake in U Mobile, Malaysia's newest 3G mobile operator.

The deal, subjected to Government approval, will result KTF and NTT to involve in the management of U Mobile.

P.s: scamboy is currently testing the Nokia N77 with U Mobile's DVB-H, thanks to Nokia(US). Review soon on Telco Talk Malaysia.

U Mobile set to go

I was passing by a DiGi dealer shop near the Condominium I live, guess what, this is what I saw!!!


They are offering U Mobile postpaid plan with no monthly fees!!! Users will need to buy the phone(N77) for RM1,999 and get to enjoy free data services, free calls, SMS and MMS between 018 numbers and Mobile TV.

The shop is called Datacomm Trading, its located at Jalan Prima Setapak 5 in Setapak.

According to the shop owner, U Mobile is currently doing trial on this(limited users only).

So, are you ready for this?

MiTV U Mobile Launched

Its now launched!!! Called U Mobile, it is the latest 3G/HSDPA service provider in town.

However this is a brand launch, no product or pricing details are available. U Mobile will offer Voice and Data services just like a normal 3G service provider.

It will soon offer Voice Call, Video Call, MMS, SMS, Mobile TV(DVB-H), 3G services(MiTV and Celcom network), GPRS(Celcom network).

According to the top people of MiTV Network, u mobile will offer "what consumer needs and not what we think they need" . The service is expected to launch before end of the year.

Check out http://www.u.com.my/!!

Unveiling MiTV 3G(Edited)

Here is what I just heard, MiTV"3G" will unveil its new brand name on TUESDAY....

I might attend the event, more updates soon...(My prediction was right!!!read here)

By the way, what do you think it will be called? MiTV3G ? Mi3G? 3GMiTV? Mi3GTv???

Will the service launch next month? There are already a WIDE MiTV 3G coverage in Kuala Lumpur.....

Comments are appreciated.

MiTV 3G coming soon this year

After doing some "Private Investigation", I found out that MiTV will launch 3G as soon as September and as late as October 2007.

What I can say is that it will be either one the month if things goes as planned.

Lets start the list..........DVB-H....WIDEST coverage aka Celcom Network......anymore?

Is Time aware about this? WE ARE WATCHING........

3G license on wrong hands?

Now it has been more than 2 years since 3G service has been launched. Maxis had some 380,000 3G customer as at April this year while Celcom has 270,000 3G customers. There are close to 23 million mobile users in the country.

Did 3G failed to take off?

MiTV and Time was awarded 3G license on March 2006 last year. What has been happening?

It has been for some time since DiGi and Time being speculated toward a merger, but both companies has since denied a merger talk.

The latest, DiGi.Com Bhd was responding to the queries of Bursa Malaysia as "We are continuously assessing possibilities for strategic partnerships and business development and are at all times in discussions with various parties in the market to enhance our business." DiGi also said that they are not in merger talk or has plans acquire a stake in Time dotCom.

Time dotCom in a separate statement to the queries of Bursa Malaysia said that they are not aware of any proposal by Khazanah Nasional to divest its stake to DiGi. Khazanah has a 30% direct interest and an indirect 39.9% stake via Time and the UEM Group.

Earlier, both UEM Group and Khazanah said they were open to the idea of reducing the stake or probably sell the 3G license due to the competitive 3G market in Malaysia.

We have heard that MiTV is launching its 3G soon. What about Time? Last heard, Time said that they will roll out 3G in a "most economical way" probably around next year.

Time received the 3G license on 8 November 2006 last year. The 3G license will expire on April 2018.

On August last year, Time held an HSDPA demonstration at the Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur. They even invited the Minister of Energy, Water and Communications Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik.

The Minister was quoted saying “I thank TIME dotCom for its strong commitment to the continued development of Malaysia’s communications and multimedia industry. With its extensive fibre trunk network, which is now complemented with 3G and HSDPA, TIME is in a prime position to be a key player in the industry.”

A detailed business plan on deploying the 3G services was submitted by Time to MCMC last year. What happened to it? Is Time dotCom working on 3G as planned?

After more then a year now, it clearly shows that the MCMC had made a wrong decision by giving the 3G license to the wrong company.

3G on the right hands?

There were hundred thousands of question in my mind when MiTV decided to utilize the current Celcom's 3G network. THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN A MNVO LICENSE. Last heard, Asia Telecoms(A Mobile Virtual Network Operator) is also expected to ride on the Celcom 3G network.

There were MoUs(Memorandums of Understanding) signed between NasionCom Sdn. Bhd, REDtone Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd with MiTV Corporation Sdn. Bhd to become an MVNO last year. I guess those MoUs are now buried peacefully.

One thing for sure, the MCMC has always been right in what they do. Last checked, the interference between Measat-3 and 3.5Ghz(WiMAX) band is still not solve by MCMC. DiGi was denied a 3G license last year even though it had a better technical, financial and managerial capabilities compared to MiTV and Time dotCom. DiGi was also denied a WiMAX license when those licenses were given to new and small companies.

Conclusion

MCMC did a big mistake by not giving DiGi a 3G license. A second mistake for not awarding them the WiMAX license. Probably a third,fourth,fifth mistake that DiGi will never get a license in the future. It does sounds like MCMC is asking Telenor to exit the country or reduce their stake to 49%(with remaining shares of 30% must owned by bumiputras).

So who can be the HERO? Can it be Celcom? Can it be Maxis? MiTV? Time? or maybe Green Packet?

What can the Malaysian hope from the MCMC and Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik(KTAK)? Will the Government policies change?

Where is our industry heading? How can we move forward when we still have monopoly, or when the commission is not professional in awarding a spectrum, plus the telcos bad services, misleading advertisements and so on....

What do you think? Are you a 3G user?

Comments are most welcomed.

MiTV:The Insider

MiTV is aggressively looking for new staff for its soon to-be-launch 3G services. At this point, there are focusing in expanding their contact centre.

If my sources are right, MiTV3G should be available by next month.

Note: scamboy is currently looking for a job, is MiTV reading this?

Celcom 3G RM68 package

Sounds interesting? Thats what I heard from a friend(not a close one) of mine. Sources say that Celcom MIGHT come up with something like Maxis Wireless Broadband package.

Celcom, if you are reading this, I want you to know that I will be excited to sign up for the package.

I am not sure whether the rumors are true or not, but for sure though that it has to be done in the next 2 months.

Why?

iBurst, MiTV3G and Time3G>>>>>>Internet broadband services are just around the corner......

Celcom, I don't mind signing up now, just make it fast ok?

Malaysians to get DVB-H mobile TV service

Press Release from MiTV

Global mobility leader Nokia and MiTV Corporation Sdn Bhd (MiTV) announced their collaboration to launch a commercial mobile broadcast TV service based on Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) technology in Malaysia in the second half of 2007.

Announced at Nokia Connection 2007 in Singapore, and also in conjunction with Broadcast Asia 2007, the agreement is among Nokia’s many commercial mobile TV service rollouts utilising DVB-H technology globally. Earlier last year, Vietnam became the first market in APAC to roll out commercial DVB-H services.

This recent tie-up with Nokia further demonstrates MiTV’s ongoing cooperation with industry leaders in preparation of its commercial 3G launch utilising the “018” prefix in Malaysia in the second half of 2007. The announcement today reinforces the new 3G entrant’s delivery of Malaysia’s first true mobile TV experience to the marketplace.

In the deal, Nokia Siemens Networks will provide MiTV’s 018 mobile TV service an end-to-end deployment process which includes implementation, integration, and application development services. They will also maintain MiTV’s infrastructure on a turnkey basis.

Dato IR Hj. Rosman bin Ridzwan, Chairman, MiTV Corporation said: “This latest collaboration with Nokia marks another important milestone in our preparation to launch our high speed mobile 3G service utilising the “018” prefix in the second half of this year. With strong industry players behind us in network infrastructure, coverage and other technologies, we are absolutely confident that we can deliver genuinely customer-driven products and services that we believe will bring the work-life balance back into their lives.

“With Nokia, this mobile TV experience utilising the latest DVB-H technology will be an important component in delivering this promise. Soon, MiTV’s 018 mobile TV customers will be able to watch the latest news, engage in music videos and documentaries or even catch their favourite TV series anywhere, anytime directly on their mobile devices, bringing them closer to the information and entertainment that they value most” he added.

Jawahar Kanjilal, Director, Multimedia Experiences, Nokia Multimedia Asia Pacific said: “We are delighted to be part of this great development in Malaysia with MiTV. This marks the beginning of exciting times in the Asia Pacific broadcasting industry, bringing digital television to consumers’ pockets and ushering in a new era of personal interactive entertainment. The Nokia N77 multimedia computer will be a key element of this consumer offering, and we look forward to the continuing development of broadcast mobile TV services in the region.”

Under the agreement, Nokia and MiTV are committed to implementing a true mobile TV experience based on an open DVB-H standard enabling viewers in Malaysia with an opportunity to watch DVD-like quality broadcast television ‘on the go’. With Nokia’s integrated DVB-H device the Nokia N77, the two organisations are confident of delivering a rich broadcast mobile TV solution for the enjoyment of MiTV’s 018 mobile TV customers.

Kenneth Chang, Executive Director, MiTV Networks said: “The experience will be unlike any other claimed mobile TV offerings currently available in the market. MiTV’s DVB-H service doesn’t rely on packet-based technology hence there’s no streaming and lag associated with it. You will be able to switch between channels instantaneously, and on top of that, the picture quality and reception will be better than any video streaming service available today. It will be totally revolutionary – a true mobile TV experience that we believe will delight our customers tremendously.”

Bill Chang, Country Director, Malaysia, Nokia Siemens Networks said: “We are excited to play a significant role in MiTV’s mobile entertainment strategy, through the deployment of this mobile TV service in Malaysia for the first time. This is also aligned to our vision of connecting 5 billion people globally by 2015, through broadband everywhere.”

DVB-H is a robust broadcast-to-mobile technology which provides excellent reception of the ordinary television broadcasting in digital format on mobile phones and television screens mounted on-board public and private means of transportation. DVB-H was chosen based on its merit to support mobility, efficient power management, and DVD-like quality audio and video services without disturbance.

In the Asia Pacific, Nokia has already spearheaded several mobile TV technology showcases in countries such as Singapore, India, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Taiwan, as well as conducted many trials in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America.

Nokia Siemens Networks has had experience in spearheading the complete deployment of the technology and services in different regions. This collaboration will showcase the unique proposition of this service with its successful launch, combining the technology, broadcasting & content knowledge of Nokia Siemens Networks and MiTV respectively.

MiTV Corporation Sdn Bhd, the most recent recipient of the high-speed IMT-2000 (UMTS/3G) spectrum assigned by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), will utilise the mobile number prefix “018” for its upcoming yet-to-be named mobile service planned for commercial launch in the second half of 2007. The service will be managed by MiTV Networks Sdn Bhd.

Celcom-MiTV 3G Domestic Roaming

Its true!!! Celcom (M) Bhd and MiTV Corp. Sdn Bhd has signed a MoU that will allow a nationwide domestic roaming.

The yet to be branded MiTV 018 as reported by various sources(What happened to Mi3G?) is the first of its kind of domestic roaming that allows customers to enjoy domestic roaming on 3G network at no additional cost.

“The seamless integration of networks of both companies will deliver an unparalleled level of mobile communications to the end users. " says MiTV chairman Datuk Rosman Ridzwan

“For an increasing number of mobile consumers who constantly need to stay connected, this is a much welcomed development,” he added.

MiTV 018 plans to roll out its services on second half this year.-Agencies