Teletimes April 2011.pdf

Tier-1 Device Manufacturer Licenses Synchronica’s
Windows Live Messenger (WLM) and Yahoo! Messenger Client
Synchronica plc, the
international provider
of next-generation mobile
messaging solutions,
has received a purchase
order from a tier-1 mobile
phone manufacturer. The
manufacturer, which shipped
more than 100 million devices
last year, is the first customer
to place a new order for this
technology since Synchronica’s
acquisition of the Neustar NGM
assets in February 2011.
Synchronica will license its
Java-based instant messaging
client providing multiheaded
access to Windows
Live Messenger (WLM) and
Yahoo! Messenger for one
of the manufacturer’s new
handsets. Synchronica receives
professional services revenues
and royalties based on device
shipments.
Synchronica signed an
agreement to acquire the
customer contracts, accounts,
intellectual property, patents
and software, and all other
associated assets from
Neustar NGM Services Ltd.
The acquisition was designed
to accelerate Synchronica’s
entry into next generation RCS
messaging, and also provide
a springboard for Synchronica
to expand its market focus to
include prospects operating in
developed markets.
Synchronica intends to continue
to support Neustar NGM’s open
standards-based IM technology
and plans to integrate key
O3b Networks
aiming to bring Broadband
to poorer countries
While satellite broadband
is seen as a
useful but flawed option for
much of the developed world,
it could be hugely beneficial
to emerging nations that
lack advanced broadband
networks. One company
aiming to bring broadband to
poorer countries is O3b Networks
(www.o3bnetworks.
com), whose name stands for
‘other 3 billion’, referring to
the number of people in the
world who don’t have regular
access to the web. In December,
2010, O3b secured $1.2bn
worth of funding to proceed
with the launch of eight satellites
in the first half of 2013.
HSBC and Google are among
the company’s shareholders.
O3b promises faster speeds
than are currently available
through satellite broadband
because its satellites’ orbits
will be four times nearer
Earth than those of existing
satellites. This will cut the
latency time users endure
when using the web via satellite.
The company says it will
offer its services to more than
150 countries spread across
Africa, Asia, Latin America
and the Middle East. O3b
says that its mission “is to
make the internet accessible
and affordable to those
who remain cut off from the
information highway. We will
enable individuals, families,
communities and nations to
enrich their quality of life
through greater interactivity
with the global community”. T
Carsten-Brinkschulte
elements of the software into
Synchronica’s award-winning
Mobile Gateway infrastructure
software. Synchronica will also
propose a roadmap to existing
customers which will see them
transition to Synchronica
Mobile Gateway, and extend
their range of services from IM
French incumbent, Orange
Group, and its partner Agility,
plan to acquire a 44% stake
in Iraq’s third mobile operator,
Korek Telecom. The two companies
have signed a binding
agreement with Korek Telecom.
Orange and Agility are to form a
46:54 joint venture that will provide
Korek Telecom with the new
capital from its 44% equity. The
closing of the deal is subject to
approval of the Iraqi Communications
and Media Commission,
and is expected to take place in
the next few weeks.
Under the terms of the agreement,
Orange is to contribute its
marketing, commercial and technical
expertise to Korek Telecom
in the already operational Kurdistan
region of Iraq while also
extending it to the rest of the
Lindsey Lee
to push Email, Synchronization
and Social Networking.
Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO of
Synchronica, comments: “We’re
pleased to have received an
order so quickly after acquiring
Neustar NGM’s assets. We
are excited about the increase
in business with device
manufacturers and the takeuprate
of our instant messaging
services resulting from preinstallation
of our products on
mass-market handsets. Our
relationship with Tier-1 handset
manufacturers demonstrates
the strengthened position of
Synchronica in this market and
provides substantial synergy
with our rapidly expanding
operator customer base.” T
Orange and Agility to buy
44% stake in Korek
The binding deal is part of the Iraqi mobile
operator’s expansion plans
country. The population of the
Kurdistan region and the rest of
the country total 5 million and
33 million respectively.
Stephane Richard, chairman
and CEO of Orange, said: “The
acquisition of this stake in
Korek Telecom is a new step in
our policy of expansion outside
Europe, and contributes to our
stated aim of doubling our revenues
in Africa and the Middle
East by 2015.” T
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