Nokia Siemens Networks has announced the establishment of its fifth Global Network Operations Centre (GNOC) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This is the first GNOC in the Americas and it aims to serve a growing base of Latin American operators seeking to outsource network operations so that they can focus on core activities of their business. The GNOC will be established with an initial 15 million euro investment and host up to 300 expert technicians, responsible for managing up to 20 million subscribers. The centre will be operational from January 2011...

ITU has deployed 100 broadband satellite terminals in the flood-affected districts of Pakistan. In the aftermath of the disaster, ITU’s emergency telecommunications team has been working closely with the Pakistan administration to restore vital communication links. The satellite terminals are being deployed to restore communications and provide a platform from which telemedicine applications/services will be provided in remote areas that remain difficult to access and where medical attention is a priority in the aftermath of the disaster...

By any measure, Bangladesh is a country with one of the world’s lowest levels of access to telecommunications. And yet following a recent tour of the country which included visits to a number of cities as well as some of the most remote and inaccessible areas, it is clear that Bangladesh has, in a sense, already achieved near 100% ‘virtual’ market penetration rate for mobile communications services. So how do we reconcile this contradiction?

Advantest Corporation has announced a new high-speed interface test solution for its flagship SoC test system, the T2000. The new solution is capable of measurement at speeds up to 12.5Gbps and is enabled by the N6010A Serial Port Parametric Test Module manufactured by Agilent Technologies Inc., an industry leader in test and measurement...

 Claro Dominicana, the subsidiary of America Movil in the Dominican Republic, has launched a mobile email and synchronisation service based on Synchronica’s Mobile Gateway messaging infrastructure...

 Two of China’s largest operators have reported figures for the first three quarters of 2010 that suggest a slowing market...

ITU has deployed a hybrid of 40 broadband satellite terminals in an effort to restore vital communication links in the aftermath of a tsunami triggered by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake and a volcanic eruption that hit the Indonesian archipelago in two separate incidents...

 Companies that use Telefónica O2 in the Czech Republic for broadband Internet access now have more control and greater security over the service. The operator has chosen to deploy Nokia Siemens Networks’ security-as-a-service at a fixed monthly fee. The service helps organizations to protect their infrastructure, data and staff cost efficiently...

Kazakhstan has witnessed the launch of a live pilot LTE network by VimpelCom. The Russian operator claims that the network is “the first live 700MHz LTE market pilot in post-Soviet territory"...

Eastern European revenue growth is set to outstrip Western Europe’s over the next few years, according to ABI Research’s Enterprise Mobility Market Data...

Competition in India’s 3G market is set to increase, as the major Indian operator Bharti Airtel has declared its aim to launch 3G services by the end of 2010. If it begins 3G operations by this deadline, Bharti will become the second privately-owned operator in India to do so...

 A new framework agreement between MTN Group and Cambridge Broadband Networks is set to provide microwave backhaul and access equipment across all 21 countries covered by MTN. Cambridge Broadband Networks’ VectaStar solutions have already been successfully deployed in several of MTN’s African markets...

 The collaboration between the Mexican media company Grupo Televisa and the mobile operator NII Holdings (Nextel) has come to an abrupt end, with GT scrapping its agreement to purchase a 30% stake in Nextel...

TD-LTE has taken another step towards commercial availability in India following a video call conducted on broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum at Nokia Siemens Networks’ Bengaluru R&D facility...

Thailand’s 3G auction process has become an ongoing saga within the telecommunications industry, and a legal dispute from the state operator hasn’t improved the situation. James Barton takes a look at the delays in the context of Thailand's political situation...

 In a move seemingly aimed at clearing its name in the Middle East with regard to security concerns, BlackBerry manufacturer RIM has announced a strategic alliance with mobile operators and regulators in the UAE...

 Competition in South Africa’s mobile market is set to increase as Telkom, previously an exclusively fixed-line operator, has finally confirmed that it is launching mobile services...

 India’s burgeoning telecommunications market appears to have attracted the attention of two industry giants, with both Google and Apple reportedly looking to expand their presence in the subcontinent...

Telecom Italia’s bid to increase its stake in Telecom Argentina’s controlling company has been approved by the Argentinean regulator. TI now has full control of Sofora Telecommunications after increasing its 50% stake to a majority 58%...

A new solution aimed at providing affordable dedicated connectivity to customers in infrastructure-poor regions has been launched by Talia, an internet and voice service provider...

GTS Poland has commissioned Comarch to provide its Convergent Billing tool in order to improve its billing process and facilitate the swift launch of new services...

Satellite broadband services are set to increase in South Africa following the announcement of an agreement between SES S.A and SkyVine, a South African ICT provider, under which SES will supply its ASTRA2Connect broadband platform...

GTA TeleGuam has stated that it will invest more than $2 million over the next few months to add capacity and expand coverage of its 3G wireless network...

In anticipation of the expected explosion in the variety and volumes of products incorporating embedded 3GPP wireless modules, the Global Certification Forum (GCF) has launched a streamlined certification process for new categories of connected device...

NYNEX Network Solutions, a satellite network operator headquartered in Germany, has announced that it has partnered with CETel (Central European Telecom Services) to expand its satellite IP network and introduce new broadband services on the NSS-12 satellite...

Subscribers of the Israeli broadband service provider Bezeq will soon have access to super fast Internet access at 200 megabit per second (Mbps) over existing copper cables...

 The Chinese vendor ZTE has announced a new tablet computer powered by the Android 2.1 operating system...

Einar Lindquist, CEO of Teligent Telecom, offers his views on the problem of incompleted calls, and how a good strategy can help network operators to maximise revenues and increase subscriber stickiness.

 A new service launching in Nigeria is bridging the country’s digital divide by providing customers with any SMS-capable mobile handset access to pay-as-you-go two-way mobile email and online chat...

 China’s Zhenjiang city is set to undergo a transformation project by which it will support services such as remote healthcare, intelligent transport and e-energy solutions via wireless communications...

O3b Networks announced today that the company has signed a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal with Netcom Africa, a leading provider of satellite and wireless broadband solutions to provide low latency, high capacity broadband connectivity to ships and offshore platforms in Nigeria utilizing O3b’s Medium Earth Orbit technology...

Aito Technologies Oy, a provider of customer experience analytics, has announced a strategic partnership with Anritsu A/S, a global provider of testing, monitoring and management solutions for advanced and converged networks...

ITU welcomed new Directors of its Radiocommunication and Telecommunication Development Bureaux as François Rancy of France and Brahima Sanou of Burkina Faso were elected at the Plenipotentiary Conference taking place in Guadalajara, Mexico...

 Vodafone Ghana has outsourced the operation and management of 750 telecom towers to Eaton Towers on a ten-year contract...