Tunisia’s telecoms ministry has opened the tender for a licence to operate both a fixed and mobile network across the north African country, including 3G services.

The tender process for the licence of Tunisia’s second fixed-line network and third mobile network, is expected to be completed in Q209.

The licence will be awarded by open international tender, with the deadline for bids scheduled for May 5, 2009.

According do the Arab Advisors Group, the country of 10.2 million has a fixed penetration rate of 12.4 per cent, and cellular penetration of 76.7 per cent.

Tunisia is currently served by the state-backed Tunisie Telecom, which holds a monopoly in the fixed-line market, as well as offering mobile services. The second mobile operator and market leader by a slight margin is Tunisiana, controlled by Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, and which has a market share of 50.8 per cent since introducing services in 2002.

The Ministry of Communication Technologies (MCT) states that potential bidders should comprise a telecommunications network operator, or a consortium led by an operator including other investors.

Investors interested in participating in the process must first pay a non-refundable registration fee of TND6,000 (US$4,400) and sign a confidentiality agreement.

The tender process is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2009.

The Bombay High Court has upheld a claim by India’s government to bill Vodafone US$2 billion in tax, for its acquisition of a majority stake in Hutchison Essar in May last year.

Although Vodafone’s acquisition of Hutchison Essar was made through overseas companies, India’s government insists Vodafone should pay US$2 billion in tax

Vodafone plans to make an appeal to India’s Supreme High Court, but if unsuccessful, could face an additional US$2 billion penalty if the government decides to levy a penalty.

If the court upholds the government’s claim, it could also have vast repercussions on hundreds of other foreign companies that have invested in the world’s second largest market. In the past few months, Etisalat, NTT DoCoMo and Telenor have all invested in India’s telecoms sector.

“Vodafone, based on advice received, continues to believe that the transaction is not subject to tax in India and is confident of a positive outcome ultimately,” the company said in a statement.

Vodafone paid US$11.2 billion for a 67 per cent stake in GSM operator Hutchison Essar, which is now known as Vodafone Essar. The transaction was made overseas through Vodafone International Holdings based in the Netherlands, which made the payment to a Cayman Islands-based subsidiary of Hutchison Telecommunications International, the Hong Kong-based parent company.

Vodafone maintains that the deal was made overseas, yet India’s government says that because the assets are based in-country, Vodafone should pay a tax.

Vodafone Essar had 56.7 million subscribers at the end of October, making it the country’s third largest operator, behind Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications.

Majan Telecom yesterday unveiled the strategy of its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) to be known as ‘Renna’, following the signing of a reseller partnership agreement with Oman Mobile last week.

Renna’s logo symbolises ‘talking on the move’ while the red colour reflects the company values of competitiveness and passion

Renna will resell bulk services bought from Oman Mobile and will establish its own customer service and call centre in the sultanate. It has already tied-up with several Omani and international players in order to enhance its distribution capabilities and value proposition.

“We will penetrate specific under-served market segments by offering differentiated services that are easy, efficient and economical. We are therefore focusing entirely on managing customer needs and on what matters most,” stated Niklas Nielsen, CEO of Renna. 

“Based on extensive market research, this ‘no frills’ approach will be a welcomed alternative to the available products and services in the market and one that will bode well with our target segments,” he added.

The 100 per cent-owned Omani company’s brand name is inspired by the Arabic word meaning ringtone, and emphasises the ability to talk while on the move.

“The logo expresses the journey we want our customers to experience, one of valued offerings, pleasant surprises and easy connectivity. We like to think of it as a circle of trust with our people and enable them to talk more with real confidence,” stated Nielsen. 

Renna and fellow competitor in Oman, Friendi Mobile, will be the first two MVNOs to launch services in the Middle East, with services expected to commence early in 2009.

Renna is backed by prominent Omani investors, most notably the Al Yousef Group, a diversified investment holding company with activities in telecommunications, financial services, oil and gas, real estate development, trading and services.

Bangladesh’s regulator has deferred the auction of 3G licences to March 2009 – at the time when WiMAX will be ready to launch in the country – having earlier promised to offer the licences by the end of this year.

Internet usage has been setback in Bangladesh due to only 1.32 million fixed lines, yet there are 154 million people. It is hoped 3G and WiMAX will bridge the digital divide through easy access to mobile broadband services

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said it would issue licences to use the 2,100 MHz spectrum band, following the GSM Association (GSMA) last month urging the country to issue the licences to make broadband services more widely available.

At the launch of a trial 3G network by Ericsson in August, the BTRC’s chairman Manzurul Alam estimated the value of the combined licences at US$200 million.

It has been questioned whether 3G or WiMAX will be the most effective technology to plug into Bangladesh’s untapped mobile broadband market, however, Alam believes that 3G will spread much faster than any other broadband technology. Three operators recently acquired WiMAX licences – Augere Wireless Broadband, BDMail Network and BanglaLion – and are required to launch services by March 2009.

At the end of October there were almost 43.5 million mobile subscribers in Bangladesh, and this number is forecast to grow to 70 million by 2011. However, mobile ownership contrasts strongly with the 1.32 million fixed-lines in the country, which has significantly hampered the access and growth of Internet services.

There are six mobile carriers in Bangladesh, with the market led by Telenor’s Grameenphone, which counts 20.79 million subscribers, followed by Orascom’s Banglalink and AKTEL, which is controlled by Telekom Malaysia International.

The first online Nokia Music Store in the Middle East opened today in the UAE, allowing consumers to download music files legally for as little as AED3 (US$0.82) per song or AED30 per album, which can then be transferred to mobile phones and other handheld devices.

Consumers can listen to a 30 second clip of any track on the Nokia Music Store, with international, Arabic and Bollywood tastes catered for on the UAE website.

The online store can be accessed at http://music.nokia.ae, with the UAE being the 12^th country worldwide the service has been launched in.

Nokia intends to capitalise on the digital music phenomenon as an additional revenue stream, and it is yet another example of the Finnish handset manufacturer diversifying its portfolio from hardware to Internet services and converged media offerings.

There are more than 300 million Nokia music-enabled devices sold globally and vice president sales for Middle East and North Africa, Chris Braam, believes that leveraging off the strength of Nokia’s brand in the UAE gives the company a strong advantage.

“We are very excited to be extending the Nokia Music Store to our consumers in the UAE, as the market has demonstrated that it is ready for such a service,” Braam stated. “The UAE is one of the leading regional markets in terms of digital connectivity and has one of the highest Internet penetrations in the Arab world, with an extensive 3.5G network provided by both operators. Moreover, people here are comfortable with online purchasing, and e-commerce services in general are mature.”

International, Arabic and Bollywood tastes are catered for with music provided by major international and regional labels including Universal, Sony BMG, Warner, EMI, Rotana and leading content aggregator Qanawat, as well as thousands of independent labels. A monthly subscription is available for PC streaming for AED20.

Consumers can access the Nokia Music Store via their computer using the Nokia Music for PC software, which allows users to manage their music, create playlists and synchronise their music library with their Nokia device. Users can also access the software directly from compatible devices, and listen to a 30 second clip of any track on the store before buying it.