Mozambique’s third mobile network operator Movitel has commercially launched its services, although it has been offering its prepay cards from shops for the past three weeks.

Movitel is a consortium formed between Vietnam’s Viettel and SPI, a holding company of Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party.

Movitel was granted its licence in November 2010 at a cost of US$29 million and has subsequently deployed 1,800 base stations across the country.

The company says that it has invested nearly US$120 million in its network.

Mozambique’s incumbent networks are Vodacom and M-Cel.

Mobily has signed an agreement with Ericsson for the supply of an Evolved Packet Core solution that supports 2G, 3G and 4G communications.

Evolved Packed Core is a flat, efficient, IP-based core network architecture supporting the next generation of mobile broadband. Combined with LTE access networks, Evolved Packet Core will provide a whole new experience for Saudi users, with true broadband access virtually anywhere and a rich variety of multimedia applications.

The Ericsson Evolved Packet Core is optimised to cope with the increased uptake of mobile broadband and to secure a smooth evolution to all-IP networks.

More than 300 operators in 150 countries rely on Ericsson’s Packet Core solutions to offer new, compelling and efficient multimedia services.

Etisalat Group today announced the appointment of Khalifa Al Shamsi as chief digital services officer for Etisalat Group for the newly established Etisalat Digital Services Unit.

The new division, which will focus on various industry verticals such as machine-to-machine (M2M), cloud services, commerce, digital advertisement, advanced communications, digital entertainment, and video services aims to boost the group position in the digital eco-system and drive innovation and advanced services to the group customers.

Al Shamsi joined Etisalat as a graduate trainee 19 years ago, and has since held various senior managerial positions within Etisalat UAE. Prior to his most recent appointment, Al Shamsi held the position of senior VP Technology Strategy for Etisalat Group, to which he was appointed in 2010, leading the Etisalat’s foray into the digital space.

Earlier this year Nokia Siemens Networks’ (NSN) CEO Rajeev Suri said he believed it was not sustainable for there to be five global telecom technology companies and that consolidation was inevitable at some stage. Comm. looks at whether NSN is doing enough to avoid being the victim of consolidation rather than the beneficiary of it

Rajeev Suri is leading a strategy for which NSN will look to specialise in managed services alongside mobile broadband, innovation, and quality

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Vodafone Group is reportedly mulling a re-organisation, following the departure of Michel Combes, its European CEO to join French integrated operator SFR.

According to Bloomberg, the restructure could set out the succession candidates for the top job at the group, although incumbent Vittorio Colao has not so far made any indication he plans to step down.

Among the options suggested was a split of the European region into two, integrating its more developed markets into one unit, with its emerging Turkey, Central and Eastern Europe businesses forming a second.

The report noted that Colao had identified an issue with the classification of Turkey, which while “clearly an engine for growth,” falls between the “sophisticated” western European businesses and its emerging markets operations.

Names mooted for promotion included Paolo Bertoluzzo, who runs Vodafone Italy, and Serpil Timuray, head of Vodafone Turkey.

Also in the frame is former Safaricom boss Michael Joseph, who is now director of global payments for the group.