Telefonica responds to roaming challenge with €2 per day data tariff

11 May 2012
Posted in News Analysis

Telefonica has responded to the European Parliament's approval of new roaming legislation by launching a pan-EU data roaming tariff that it says is many times cheaper than the EU's mandated rate.

Carrier WiFi sales to reach $2.1 billion by 2016: Infonetics

10 May 2012
Posted in News Analysis

Sales growing but WiFi-cellular integration to bring challengers into market

Infonetics Research has forecast carrier WiFi sales will "explode" to $2.1 billion by 2016, driven by the increased operator need to complement mobile data services and overcome spectrum challenges.

The research company said that global revenue in 2011 for what it terms "carrier WiFi equipment" grew 35% from 2010, and forecast that sales would continue to grow in "high double digits" to at least 2016.

Nokia quits free London WiFi trial

10 May 2012
Posted in News Analysis

Nokia has dropped out of a three way partnership to bring free WiFi to London, using telephone boxes as sites for WLAN access points.

Last November, Nokia was one of three companies testing the use of the phone boxes to provide free, ad-sponsored, WiFi. The other two companies were Spectrum Interactive, which owns the phone boxes, and Selective Media, which is providing the location-based advertising platform.

Deutsche Telekom and Telekom Austria see mobile data growth

10 May 2012
Posted in News Analysis

Deutsche Telekom has reported that service revenues in its mobile division "did not perform satisfactorily" in the first quarter of 2012, dropping 1.8%. The carrier also lost 107,000 mobile contract customers in the quarter. As with most if its major competitors, the operator did report strong growth in mobile data usage and sales - with mobile data revenues increasing by 20%.

In Europe, 57% of all devices sold in the first three months of the current year were smartphones. DT said this was "a major factor" in an 11% increase in mobile data rates in Europe. More than half of this growth originated in the Netherlands and Austria.