In the preparation for Hong Kong’s granting of first online-only banking licenses, numerous banks, fintechs and telecom firms are lining up to get a piece of Hong Kong’s retail and small business banking market.
Ooredoo today donated three sea ambulances to Ministry of Health in the Maldives at a special ceremony held at Izzuddheen Jetty Area. The donation comes following Ooredoo’s earlier commitment to support the Government of the Maldives work to provide quality healthcare to its citizens.
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) entered into a cooperation and referrals agreement between the innovation teams of each authority. The agreement mainly echoes the commitment of both authorities to help design an environment that supports the sustainable development of financial services through emerging technology.
CERT NZ, a cybersecurity unit in the New Zealand government that supports businesses, organizations and individuals affected by cybersecurity incidents, announced it has partnered with Orange Business Services, the B2B branch of French telecom company Orange Group, to provide automated threat intelligence services.
Qualcomm Incorporated announced that it has reached a mutually agreed settlement with the Taiwan Fair Trade Commission (TFTC) resolving the TFTC’s investigation of Qualcomm and Qualcomm’s litigation challenging the TFTC’s decision alleging violations of Taiwan’s Fair Trade Act. As a result, the whole TFTC decision is replaced by the settlement terms and the decision shall be deemed revoked ab initio (from the beginning) and Qualcomm’s litigation filed in the Taiwan Intellectual Property Court is closed.
South Korean conglomerate Samsung Electronics which is the flagship subsidiary of Samsung Group has reported that it has achieved a record $14.7bn in Q1 operating profit.
In preparation for the next auction in the country, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has suggested to release more than 8,500 MHz of spectrum across nine bands, including the 3.6GHz 5G frequency. No date was assigned for the sale, but, if all goes according to plan and all lots were sold in the reserve price, it could generate up to INR 5 trillion ($ 73 billion).
At the auction, the Agency wishes to sell the 5G spectrum at INR 4.92 billion per MHz in 20 MHz bands and recommended a 100 MHz cap on the band per bidder. It was reported that the country's revised spectrum limits (a total cap of 35% and a cap of 50% on the spectrum built into the sub-1GHz bands) should be extended to the 3.6 GHz band.
The TRAI will adopt a different strategy this time in order not to repeat what happened in the auction of October 2016, when 60% of the available airwaves were unsold. So, in order to attract interest, TRAI reduced reserve prices of most of the bands. The base price of the 700 MHz spectrum was reduced by 43% to reach INR 65.7 billion per MHz. In 2016, there were no bidders for the 700 MHz band because of the high reserve price.
Analysts believe that despite price reduction, 5G and 700MHz base prices are still high by international standards and expect low interest in the bands
Mobile operators in India are facing a fierce price war after Reliance Jio entered in September 2016, with the three major players bearing heavy debt burdens and low profitability.
The Telecom Department must approve TRAI's recommendations before the Cabinet gives its final approval.
India’s government has officially confirmed that it has been subjected to a cybersecurity infiltration. India’s defense minister said that the department’s website was hacked along with the web portals of at least three other government departments believed to be interior, law and labor ministries websites.
State-owned China Tower, the world's largest operator of telecommunications towers, has raised $6.9 billion after pricing its initial public offering at the low end of the expected range. The Chinese company sold 43.1 billion shares at HK$1.26 (US$0.16) apiece.
Cambridge University has announced it has agreed to partner with Nanjing Municipal Government to create a smart cities research center which will be located in China. The collaboration will see both bodies examining how emerging technologies can support a modern 21st century city that has an integrated ecosystem that consists of IT, healthcare and building management.
