Ericsson and Open Mobile sign Latin America's first 4G/LTE contract

Puerto Rico's leading operator Open Mobile has chosen Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) to supply, deploy and manage its nationwide network. Under the deal, Ericsson will roll out a complete 4G/LTE solution. Ericsson will assist the operation of Open Mobile newly deployed LTE network. This is Ericsson's first full-scope contract for an LTE network combined with MPLS enabled Mobile Backhaul.

Frank Bell, President of Open Mobile, commented: "Being at the forefront of broadband evolution means our customers in Puerto Rico will be the first in Latin America to benefit from this groundbreaking technology. We appreciate having a partner in Ericsson with proven experience and knowledge to deploy this first LTE network in the region. This is a key step towards bringing our customers the fastest mobile broadband network."

Sergio Quiroga, Head of Ericsson in Latin America, says: "We are in a unique position with our global LTE leadership. Having worked closely with Open Mobile to plan its LTE rollout, we are proud to bring the next generation of mobile broadband to Puerto Rico. Our world-class services and LTE network will enable Open Mobile to continue to deliver a superior end-user experience to its customers."

The contract includes radio access and core network with latest-generation multi standard radio base station, RBS 6000 series, MME and and Mobile Backhaul with MINI-LINK TN and MINI-LINK SP. The network rollout has started.

Ericsson's global experience and vision surrounding 4G LTE were significant reasons for selecting them as our key infrastructure partner. Our companies have worked closely to rapidly build a high-quality 4G LTE network said Neville Cruz, CTO, Open Mobile. "As we continue to roll out 4G LTE network in our metropolitan areas in the remainder of 2011 and early 2012, we plan to leverage Ericsson's technology leadership to bring our customers an exciting mobile broadband experience."

As of Sept 2011, LTE is available in more than 160 devices, mainly smartphones, dongles, mifis, tablets and built-in modems.

Quantum Telecom Inc. : Forumtel to Penetrate Latin America Long-Distance Communication Market | Business Wire

Quantum Telecom Inc. : Forumtel to Penetrate Latin America Long-Distance Communication Market

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Quantum Telecom Inc. d/b/a Forum Mobile (Nasdaq:QTMI) announced today that Forumtel, the MVNO for the travel industry will launch long distance communication campaign in Latin America using its innovative new overlay SIM offering and Forum Mobile back office services.

The program will be launched jointly with a large multinational Latin America retailer and media partners in a multi phase deal. The turnover for the company from the program, estimated at $5-10 Million in 2012, is already underway as Forumtel received the first PO and advance payment. The program will allow ex-pats living and working in the US to communicate with their family and friends in Latin America and vice versa.

Calls will be done directly from the user handset without any need for calling cards or access number dial. Forumtel estimate the monthly usage per user to be over 300 minutes.

Forumtel initiated its expansion into Latin American market last year partnering with AssistCard, a leading international travel insurance and Assistance Company, allowing travelers to enjoy affordable mobile communications while roaming.

"We are extremely pleased to expand our initial CALA campaign and looking to continued success in the market through our joint cooperation with large multinational partners" said Mr. Ami Segal, Forumtel Chairman and owner of the Forum Group. "We are delighted to see our investment turning fruitful and the company's focus showing promising results".

Mr. Benny Yehezkel, Exec. VP of Forum Mobile, said: "Our goal in Forum Mobile is to provide cutting edge communication solutions to the market. This is our first implementation of the new overlay SIM offering. Users will be able to enjoy simpler and straight forward communication solution."

Puerto Rico’s Open Mobile selects Bridgewater Solution for New LTE Network

Puerto Rico’s Open Mobile selects Bridgewater Solution for New LTE Network

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 5, 2011 : Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of customer experience systems, today announced that Open Mobile, a leading mobile operator in Puerto Rico, has selected Bridgewater’s advanced policy and subscriber network control solution, for its new Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

The Bridgewater solution will enable Open Mobile, a Bridgewater customer since 2007, to rapidly launch new LTE data services such as the creation of volume-based packages with pre-set quotas, real-time subscriber redirection to top-up service quotas, and roaming controls to manage data usage and prevent mobile bill shock. The solution will also allow Open Mobile to manage and monetize mobile data with real-time policy control and improve subscriber transparency with dynamic notifications when service quotas are reached.

"We selected the Bridgewater solution because of its innovative ‘control-plane-in-a-box’ approach, which bundles real-time policy control with sophisticated subscriber, device, and service management capabilities, giving us a competitive differentiation through targeted service tiers and flexible pre-purchase service packages.” said Edgar Jaen, Open Mobile’s data services engineering director. “Not only does it give us a significant time-to-market advantage, it also offers us the flexibility to continue to innovate with new LTE services that leverage dynamic metering and control."

"Open Mobile’s selection of the Amdocs Bridgewater solution for their LTE network validates our network control and monetization leadership and our unique ability to enable the transformation to LTE with integrated subscriber, service and policy control,” said David Sharpley, vice president of business and products for Amdocs’ Data Experience Solution Product Business Unit. “As Open Mobile currently deploys Bridgewater’s Service Controller and Subscriber Data Broker, extending its Bridgewater subscriber management system will enable a seamless and holistic 3G/4G data experience, providing operational synergies and improving customer satisfaction.”

Personal Argentina and Gemalto Deploy SIM-based Facebook® Service

Personal Argentina and Gemalto Deploy SIM-based Facebook® Service

Amsterdam, Oct 5, 2011 - Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, announces that Personal Argentina will go live with the Facebook for SIM software application. Personal Argentina will provide its more than 17.4 million customers with an innovative new way to access Facebook from any type of handset, and without the need for a data plan.

The software application, which is embedded inside the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM), allows you to easily access core Facebook features from the phone’s main screen, through an intuitive and interactive menu. You can receive notifications of wall posts and messages, view friend requests and status updates. To begin using the service, you simply login using your existing Facebook account credentials and it just works.

"The new Facebook for SIM by Personal allows us to continue multiplying accesses to social networks, anytime, anywhere, for millions of customers who could be connected, regardless of device they have," said Ezequiel López Alcalá, Innovation and Value Added Services Manager, Personal.

"The launch of Facebook for SIM reinforces Personal's history of delivering innovative solutions," added Guillaume Lafaix, Vice President Sales Latin America South Cone at Gemalto. "At Gemalto, we share Personal’s vision that access to Facebook should be available to everyone, including those without access to PC-based internet, smart phones, or mobile data plans."

BT to accelerate Latin-American growth

T today announced a series of investments aimed at doubling its business in key Latin American countries over the next three years. By recruiting 250 new staff, increasing its professional services capabilities , opening new centres of excellence and implementing a wide range of network and customer service improvements, BT will better support global customers investing in this region and help large Latin American companies (the “multilatinas”) expand globally. BT’s research has identified an addressable market for the company in the Latin American region of £12bn as at 31 March 2011, growing at a rapid 7% per annum.

BT already serves around 1,300 organisations in the region, including a number of global multinational companies, such as Unilever, Rhodia, BASF and Fiat. BT has this year signed a number of high profile contracts with Latin-American companies such as the £133 million contract with ECT – Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos (the state-owned Brazilian Post Office and Telegraph Company), with Caixa Economica Federal to connect its data centres with its banking correspondents and lottery outlets in Brazil, with Pão de Açúcar , the largest retail conglomerate in Brazil, with Ecopetrol, Colombia’s largest company, and with Colombia’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, where BT supports the Compartel programme to deliver internet connectivity to hundreds of schools, hospitals, council buildings, courthouses and other government institutions and contracts.

Jeff Kelly, CEO BT Global Services said, “Latin America is showing great dynamism and ability to grow in the face of a turbulent global economy. Our global customers recognise this. Right now, they are expanding and investing in the region. At BT we also understand that large Latin-American companies, the “multilatinas”, are rolling out ambitious strategies of globalisation. These powerhouse players need consistency across their global operations, in their home bases and all over the world. That is exactly what our investments allow us to deliver to them.“

As part of the new programme, BT will hire around 250 new employees in the region, including highly skilled professional services specialists to support customer needs and deliver BT’s enhanced portfolio of products and services .Through BT’s professional services capabilities, global delivery model and strong partner relationships, customers active in Latin America will benefit from industry leading expertise.

BT will also extend the coverage of its high performance networks in the region by increasing the number of its MPLS points of presence by around 20% and by launching Ethernet services in 21 new cities. By combining these with satellite capabilities which currently connect 37,000 sites, together with its recently improved data centre infrastructure, BT will offer its customers a market leading network capability in the region, capable of connecting their most remote locations to deliver business critical applications and services as efficiently as possible. Latin American companies growing globally will fully benefit from BT’s ability to provide IP VPN services in 197 countries/ territories, Ethernet VPN services in 28 countries and an Applications Performance Management service around the world.

BT will deploy three new Centres of Excellence to better support its client requirements in the region. The new centres of excellence will be in Rio de Janeiro (satellite technologies, products and services), Bogotá (security and data centre services) and Mexico City (IP telephony and contact centres).

BT will also launch more than 30 new products or services across the region. BT will increase the reach of the BT Inbound Contact services with new nodes and will be building a new extension of the BT Cloud Contact platform to give customers access to a “pay-as-you-go” cloud contact centre in the region. The BT One Video immersive video-conferencing offer will be enhanced with new video bridges. The BT One Cloud hosted unified communications service will be launched together with BT One Voice to deliver a single, consistent service, which can be deployed very quickly to customers’ operations as they expand in the region. The existing portfolio and the new launches will be supported by the BT Assure managed security services.

BT also has a wide range of industry specific solutions, including propositions customized to the financial services sector, which are currently being deployed in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and will soon be extended to the rest of the region.

BT will launch wholesale solutions tailored to the needs of other regional telecom operators, designed to help enhance and extend the range of services they provide to their own customers.

Today’s announcement is part of a wider ongoing investment programme supporting BT Global Services’ growth strategy. Previous announcements include a successful growth programme in Asia-Pacific, improvements to BT’s global portfolio and network capabilities, investments in highly skilled professional services resources, and the development of four strategic global sector teams to better serve multinational customers: banking & financial services, government & health, consumer packaged goods and manufacturing, logistics & pharmaceuticals.