Page 5 - Sphere No.5 (Feb 2002)

S PHERE
3
During the last quarter of 2001, Hutchison
added three new UMTS licences to its
worldwide portfolio–in Hong Kong, Denmark
and Israel–increasing its 3G footprint to
eight countries.
Hutchison 3G HK, a JV between Hutchison
(74.63%) and NTT DoCoMo, secured Block D
of the 3G spectrum on offer in Hong Kong, the
best available. The network is due to be
operational by the end of the year.
Hi3G Access, which already owns a Swedish
licence, secured a 3G licence in Denmark
through its wholly owned subsidiary Hi3G
Denmark.
In Israel, Partner Communications is
also gearing up for the launch of 3G
services following allocation by the
Israeli government of one of
three blocks of 3G
spectrum licences.
T E L E C O M S
New Licences Boost 3G Footprint
Hutchison 3G has
selected ADC and
E.piphany to supply software applications to
enhance its 3G services.
ADC, a global supplier of fibre optics,
network equipment, software and integration
services for broadband multiservice networks,
will deploy its Singl.eView Convergent Billing
System to support the company’s multimedia
voice, data, e-mail, and information services.
Earlier, E.piphany was selected to provide
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
software, which provides the intelligence that
drives the customer experience across each
touchpoint by making real-time decisions
based on analytical capabilities.
UK
Hutchison has placed a second order with NEC Corp, for over
1 million 3G wireless devices. Under the arrangement, NEC will
begin delivery of 3G “videophones” to Hutchison’s 3G operations
in the fourth quarter of this year. This is NEC’s largest agreement
for the supply of 3G devices outside of Japan.
The videophones covered under the agreement are all dual mode
(2G:GSM/GPRS and 3G:UMTS/W-CDMA), providing
maximum coverage regardless of location. As well as supporting
two-way video calls, the devices will include the most up-to-date
mobile data applications, including JAVA functions and
multimedia services.
A Million More Handsets Ordered
More Suppliers Chosen
Site Sharing Contract
Hutchison 3G has
signed an agreement
with GridCom of National Grid, to locate
radio antennas on the company’s existing
pylons. Under the agreement GridCom will
be responsible for site surveying, obtaining
permission from site owners and for the
installation of Hutchison 3G’s
telecommunications equipment. The contract
covers up to 1,000 existing pylons, primarily
located alongside key transport routes.
UK
Nokia has been chosen
to supply the core
network equipment as well as professional
services for handling traffic of 3G
Infrastructure Services, the jointly owned
infrastructure company of Hutchison
subsidiary Hi3G Access, Europolitan
Vodafone and Orange.
Nokia will also be responsible for installation,
supervision, operation and maintenance
of the equipment for a period of three years.
While the individual operators are building
their own dedicated infrastructure in
Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmoe and
Karlskrona, 3G Infrastructure Services is
set up to operate a common UMTS
infrastructure outside of Sweden’s major
urban areas.
SWEDEN
Full Funding for Italy
H3G SpA , which is
88.22% Hutchison-
owned, has secured an agreement with a
15-bank underwriting group mandating
them to provide 3.2 billion (about
US$2.8 billion) non-recourse and limited
recourse financing for the development of
its 3G network in Italy.
Major equipment vendors are to provide an
additional 1 billion on substantially the
same terms as the non-recourse portion of the
bank financing. The arrangement ensures
availability of all H3G SpA’s funding
requirements for the next ten years.
Football Sponsorship
Hi3G has become an
official sponsor of major
football competitions in Sweden.
As part of the agreement, Hi3G secures the
rights to provide football content to 3G
devices for the Allsvenskan, Damallsvenskan,
Superettan and Svenska Cupen series, the home
games of the Swedish National Team and
UEFA Cup matches played in Sweden.
Hi3G’s customers in Sweden will be able to
view clips of the matches, replays of goals
scored and access a wide range of other
football-related information over their
mobile devices.
Glasgow Nerve Centre
Hutchison 3G is to set
up its Scottish head-
quarters in Glasgow, creating more than 600
jobs over the next three years. The operation
will include a major Customer Care Centre.
UK
BBCTechnology Content Deal
BBC Technology has
been awarded a contract
by Hutchison 3G to manage the processing
of audio-visual content, including news and
entertainment, ensuring all services will be
produced and edited to the highest standards.
UK
3G LAB Joins Think Tank
3G LAB is working
with Hutchison 3G to
design and develop new concept multimedia
applications for the rollout of its 3G service,
scheduled for the second half of this year.
UK
ITALY SWEDEN
Concept Phones
Nokia to Supply Network Equipment
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