TeliaSonera reported a slight decline in Q313 revenues, although net profit was higher.

The telco saw revenues fall by 1.8 per cent to SEK25.38 billion (US$3.9 billion) during the quarter.

Net profits rose though by 15.1 per cent to SEK4.6 billion as operating costs fell by 5.4 per cent.

The decline in revenues was put down to the difficult economic environment in the company’s markets and lower regulated mobile termination rates.

TeliaSonera ended the quarter with 207 million customers, up on the 201.7 million a year ago.

Free cash flow increased to SEK7.31 billion, mainly explained by dividends from MegaFon net of taxes of SEK1.94 billion and positive changes in working capital.

Johan Dennelind, president and CEO commented that, "My initial observations as new CEO are that TeliaSonera has a solid asset base with a diversified product portfolio, attractive footprint, strong brands and competent people. The mix of mature and emerging markets gives us a robust foundation."

He warned though that "in recent years our position has weakened in too many of our markets and it is essential to strengthen our competitiveness going forward."

Apple’s attempt to attract more budget-conscious customers with its cheaper 5C smartphone appears to be facing some difficulty as the company has reportedly cut production orders for the cheaper model.

Apple has asked one of its largest suppliers to increase production of the top-tier 5S, which went on sale at the same time, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

Other sources told Reuters that Apple has told manufacturers it will reduce orders for the 5C smartphone in the final three months of the year.

Reports suggest that orders have been reduced by around a quarter.

Apple has long been seen as a premium brand, and its move to widen its customer base had been expected. However, the 5C was not significantly cheaper than the flagship 5S smartphone.

The slight price difference appears to have left Apple struggling to persuade customers to buy a visually cheaper product that offered a significant decline in cachet, without saving a lot of money.

Bharti Airtel has increased its stake in Wireless Business Services (WBSPL) to 93.45 per cent.

The company was established by Qualcomm to bid for BWA licences, and paid just over US$1 billion in the 2010 spectrum auction.

"As per the revised equity structure, Bharti Airtel holds 93.45 per cent and Qualcomm Asia Pacific holds 6.55 per cent equity in the company," sources told the Financial Express, citing a communication from WBSPL to India’s telecom department.

Qualcomm sold a 49 per cent stake in the holding company to Bharti Airtel for around US$165 million in May 2012. Since then the Indian telco has steadily increased its holdings, and has a long-term plan to take full ownership of the company.

The company has BWA licences that cover Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala, while Bharti has BWA licences in four circles – Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra – and 3G licences in thirteen circles in India.

Zimbabwe’s telecom regulator has sent notices to the mobile networks advising them that it wants to introduce mobile number portability (MNP) next year.

The notice warned the networks that they need to consider support for MNP in their network upgrade plans over the next year.

In the notice Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ): "The inability of subscribers to retain their respective mobile telephone numbers when they change service providers presents an obstacle to competition and an inconvenience to the customers."

The expected launch of MNP in the country is still not clear though.

BlackBerry has placed adverts in major broadsheet newspapers seeking to reassure its customers that the company will continue to provide services to them.

"To our valued customers, partners and fans, you’ve no doubt seen the headlines about BlackBerry," the letter, published as an advert starts. "You’re probably wondering what they mean for you as one of the tens of millions of users who count on BlackBerry every single day. We have one important message for you: You can continue to count on BlackBerry."

The letter adds that the company has "substantial cash on hand," "a balance sheet that is debt free," and that the restructuring or layoffs will cut expenses by 50 per cent.

The advert being placed in broadsheets is likely to be aimed more at the lucrative corporate IT managers than the consumer BBM user base.

The company is currently subject to a speculative US$4.7 billion takeover by a private equity group, although it could still be broken up by rival bidders.