Qualcomm and Teleepoch
Enter Into a 3G CDMA Subscriber Unit License Agreement, October
6, 2007
MTN chooses Cambridge Broadband
Networks for multi-service wireless network in Rwanda, October 6,
2007
Brazilian government to
publish 3G bidding rules soon, October 6, 2007
KTF 3G service suffers
from technical problems, October 6, 2007
Argentina’s Personal
lunches 3G service in Rosario, October 6, 2007
Russia has it's first 3G
network, October 6, 2007
AT&T could drop Alcatel-Lucent
as 3G mobile network supplier, October 6, 2007
Enea Extends License Agreement
with ZTE for 3G Handsets, October 2, 2007
LG to unveil premium handsets
in Brazil, October 2, 2007
KTF 3G subscribers doubled
in less than 3 months, October 2, 2007
3G policy in India will
be non-uniform, October 2, 2007
- previous news
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Germany to sell 3G spectrum at low price
November 29, 2003
Mobile operators in Germany could get their hands on extra 3G mobile
spectrum for only a fraction of what they paid three years ago. The German
government is expected to seize two of the six 3G licences it awarded
because Mobilcom and Quam, owners of the two license, have abandoned its
3G rollout.
mmO2 says the two blocks of spectrum are likely to be resold by the government
for as little as euro 100 million each. The six operators that were awarded
3G licenses back in 2000 paid just over euro 6 billion each at the height
of the dotcom boom.
Rudi Groeger, chief executive of O2 Germany, said the regulator would
likely keep hold of the licences but offer the spectrum to the other operators.
He believed O2 and E-Plus were unlikely to bid for the extra spectrum
but the two biggest operators in the country, Vodafone and T-Mobile, would
be. The fact that the spectrum owned by Quam and Mobilcom is worth far
less than before would force both Vodafone and T-Mobile to write down
cost of their current 3G licenses, he said. mmO2 along with E-Plus have
written down the cost of their licences.
"It could generate a problem for those of us who haven't done any
adjustment," said Mr Groeger, "We have already written-down
the value of our licence but we don't see Deutsche Telekom (owner of T-Mobile)
or Vodafone doing this."
mmO2 has decreased the valuation of its license from euro 5.4 billon
to euro 3 billion.
Vodafone and T-Mobile, insist the expected cash flow from their German
businesses justify their decisions not to have written down the carrying
value of the assets.
"We do not value the 3G licence as an individual entity, we value
the whole business because it is impossible to split things up,"
a Vodafone spokesman said. "The sale of any future spectrum by the
regulator is completely irrelevant."
mmO2 is aiming to launch a lightweight commercial 3G service in March,
inline with the CeBIT technology trade show and a full scale service in
Autumn 2004.
"The biggest problem with 3G is the handsets," said Mr Groeger,
criticising 3G handsets that are currently on the market.
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3G Motorola A920
