Four telcos interested in buying out Taiwan Star
Four operators have expressed an interest in acquiring a controlling stake in Taiwan Star Cellular, according to reports. The mobile operator's majority shareholder Ting Hsin International Group wants to sell its 52% stake, and companies including rivals Chunghwa Telecom and Far EasTone have contacted the company about a possible sale, Focus Taiwan reported, citing market sources. Asia Pacific Telecom parent Hon Hai and Japan's KDDI have also been in talks with the conglomerate, the sources said. Ting Hsin took a major financial hit in October when one of its subsidiaries was found to be selling cooking oils with ingredients not fit for human consumption, and the scandal also led to calls to boycott Ting Hsin companies including Taiwan Star.
True Corp swings back to surprise profit
Thailand's True Corp swung to a surprise profit in 2014, recording its best performance in six years. The operator achieved a net profit of 1.4 billion baht ($43.3 million) last year after a major corporate restructuring, the Bangkok Postsaid. This compares to a 9 billion baht net loss in 2013. Service revenue grew 10% to 109 billion baht, with the company's own-branded handset generating sales of 20 billion baht. Mobile arm True Move reported a record 1 billion baht in profit in the fourth quarter, but still accrued a full-year loss of 970 million baht.
SingTel, Ericsson to trial LTE-B, Voice over Wi-Fi
SingTel has teamed up with Ericsson to trial LTE Broadcast and voice over Wi-Fi calling technologies. The companies will conduct their first trial of LTE Broadcast video delivery at the 28th South East Asian Games in Singapore in June. The goal of the trial is to demonstrate the commercial viability of the technology for businesses in Singapore. Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi calling trial will be offered to SingTel subscribers using their home Wi-Fi or public Wi-Fi services. Announcing the move, SingTel group CTO Tay Soo Meng said the trial “will also serve as a valuable pilot for future deployment in other markets that we operate in.”