PLDT expects profit to fall 6.5% in 2015
The Philippines' PLDT has reported a 4% decline in net profit for the last financial year, and revealed it is expecting a 6.4% decrease for the current year. Revenue for 2014 increased a slim 1% to 165.1 billion pesos ($3.74 billion), but rising costs as a result of stiff competition and ongoing OTT substitution impacted the bottom line. The Philippine Starquotes chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan as stating that the company expects competition to be fierce again in 2015, while the OTT threat and spending on 3G and 4G network expansions will also contribute to the anticipated profit decline.
China Unicom to offer Jasper IoT platform
China Unicom has teamed up with IoT platform provider Jasper to power IoT services for enterprise customers in China. Under the collaboration, China Unicom will offer its customers an IoT platform powered by Jasper to allow them to launch, manage and monetize IoT service businesses in China. The operator will focus on applications including connected cars, smart cities and utilities, video surveillance and health monitoring, and provide connectivity via its W-CDMA mobile network. With an estimated 50 million devices connected, China is the world's largest M2M market, recent GSMA research shows.
NBN Co, Ericsson trial TD-LTE over 3.5-GHz
NBN Co and Ericsson have completed a trial of TD-LTE over the 3.5-GHz spectrum band as part of efforts to deploy the fixed wireless portion of Australia's National Broadband Network. The trial was carried out at two sites using 20MHz block of 3.5-GHz spectrum. Peak cell throughputs met or exceeded expectations. NBN Co general manager for fixed wireless and satellite Gavin Williams said the trial demonstrates the maturation of the TD-LTE ecosystem and paves the way for the company to expand coverage and capacity by combining its existing LTE assets with new 3.5-GHz carriers.
Bayantel rehabilitation would benefit consumers: Globe
The Philippines' Globe Telecom has asserted that the proposed rehabilitation of Bayantel would be beneficial for consumers and have a positive impact on the nation's telecom industry. In a joint letter to the Court of Appeals, Globe and Bayantel made the case for the proposed turnaround plan that would involve Globe buying up Bayantel debt and converting it into equity in the company, effectively acquiring it. But rival PLDT, which previously obtained a temporary restraining order blocking the deal, is still opposing the turnaround plan. In a statement, PLDT insisted that the deal would result in “unfair” competition and raises issues related to spectrum ownership, the Inquirersaid.
Reliance Jio fined over cable deployment
An Indian municipal body has fined Reliance Jio Infocomm 10 million rupees ($161,000) for allegedly misusing its permission to lay cables in the city of Rajkot. The Rajkot Municipal Corporation claims that Reliance Jio laid cables for a local ISP in parallel with its own, even though its permission only extended to deploying a backbone for its upcoming 4G network, according to the Economic Times. The body has given Reliance Jio until March 15 to pay the fine before it takes legal action including filing a police complaint.