Subtel to make more spectrum available for LTE

Chilean regulator the Sub-Secretaria de Telecomunicaciones (Subtel) is considering auctioning frequencies in the 700MHz band for 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services, reports RCR Wireless. Subtel’s head, Jorge Atton said that use of the band would help improve connectivity in remote areas, and drive up internet penetration. Oliver Flogel, Chile’s executive secretary of digital development, added that the 700MHz band was well-suited to deploy mobile internet services over large areas.

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OVETEL Subtel to make more spectrum available for LTE

NetAmerica launches new programme to drive 700MHz LTE deployments

NetAmerica Alliance, the association of rural operators which formed last year to give smaller companies the economies of scale needed to roll out Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks within their respective operational footprints, has announced that it has launched a new programme to help mobile carriers that purchased 700MHz spectrum in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Auction 73 to meet build-out requirements; the terms associated with these licences mandate that carriers which acquired spectrum in the lower 700MHz band provide wireless service coverage in 35% of the licence's geographic area by June 2013. The programme allows 700MHz licence holders to join the Alliance as a so-called ‘Affiliate Members’, which NetAmerica says allows participating companies ‘to meet today's demand for build-out with full confidence that they are not compromising the future of their networks, the future of their customers, or eliminating themselves from a migration to high-value, revenue generating applications’. However, it is unclear how an Affiliate Member’s status differs from that of a full member.

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OVETEL NetAmerica launches new programme to drive 700MHz LTE deployments

Vodafone selects Ivrea to host ‘experimental’ LTE launch

According to local media reports Vodafone Italy has selected Ivrea, a town in the north-west of the country, as the first location to gain access to its in-deployment Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Although details on the launch remain scarce, it has been reported that the move has been enabled by the provision of an experimental licence that allows the cellco to deploy LTE services using 1800MHz spectrum usually reserved for GSM services. Previously, the company staged a series of LTE trials at a selection of the nation’s football stadia, starting with Torino’s Stadio Olimpico

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OVETEL Vodafone selects Ivrea to host ‘experimental’ LTE launch

LightSquared boss Falcone forced to step down as ‘public face’ of LTE venture

Hedge-fund manager Philip Falcone is poised to step aside as the public face of his ill-fated LightSquared venture, the Wall Street Journal reports, in a last gasp effort to stop the open-access Long Term Evolution (LTE) firm from defaulting on its debt.

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OVETEL LightSquared boss Falcone forced to step down as ‘public face’ of LTE venture

Movicel expands LTE to capital

Angolan cellco Movicel has expanded its commercial 4G LTE mobile broadband network, which it launched earlier this month in oil-producing province Cabinda, to Angola's capital city, Luanda. The wireless modem-based service, branded 'Movinet 4G', is based on a network which is being built out via contracts with Chinese equipment vendors ZTE and Huawei, under a plan to cover the country's largest cities by the end of 2012 and offer nationwide services in three years

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OVETEL Movicel expands LTE to capital

TIM Brasil reports 29.5% rise in Q1 profit

Telecom Italia’s Brazilian telecoms unit TIM Participacoes (TIM Brasil) has reported a 29.5% year-on-year rise in net profit for the three months ended 31 March 2012 to BRL276.4 million (USD146.3 million) driven by solid subscriber growth and rising revenue. TIM Brasil, the nation’s second largest carrier by subscribers, increased its mobile base by 27.2% y-o-y to 67.2 million, as gross additions topped 9.9 million lines and net additions reached 3.1 million. The carrier booked top line revenue of BRL4.50 billion (+19.1% y-o-y), while net service revenues grew 15.9% y-o-y and (gross) data revenue surged 56.1% to BRL1 billion as smartphone penetration reached 31.1% of the total base, compared to 12.6% a year earlier

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OVETEL TIM Brasil reports 29.5% rise in Q1 profit

3G subs approach 13 million

The number of third-generation (3G) subscribers in Vietnam has reached approximately 12.8 million, reports Viet Nam News, citing a spokesperson from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC). According to the ministry, mobile network operators Viettel, Vinaphone, MobiFone, Hanoi Telecom (Vietnamobile) and EVN Telecom have between them deployed around 33,700 3G base transceiver stations (BTS) across the country.

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OVETEL 3G subs approach 13 million