BuddeBlog

In August 2010 Telstra using satellite-fed 3G technology connected Birdsville, which is located about 1,600km west from Brisbane, 700km south of Mt Isa (Qld) and 1,600km north from Adelaide (SA). The town and surrounding region has a steady population of about 200-300 people which often increases in the tourist season to more than 6,000. The 3G coverage will be about 30kms.

The permanent satellite equipment was supplied by Telstra with Ericsson supplying the base station equipment. Previously Telstra had only temporary towers when the Birdsville races were held.

Meanwhile Optus which has had 2G coverage in Birdsville since 2009 and also had temporary towers previously during the race season plans to have permanent 3G coverage also in 2010.

For more information on the mobile satellite services market, see separate reports:

• Australia – High-speed satellite services;
• Australia – Mobile satellite Services.
• Technology – Infrastructure – Long Distance 4 – Microwave, Satellite.

Samatel is the newest MVNO in Oman after its recent August launch. It uses the Nawras network and is the sixth mobile brand on offer in the sector. Oman has a high mobile penetration and over 4 million mobile subscribers. The MVNO share of this market is estimated to be a little less than 10%. Despite the competitive environment, Samatel hopes to become the largest contact centre in the Gulf and is planning to open further call centres in Mabel and Bid-Bid soon – in addition to the one currently operating in Ghala.

For more information see:

Oman – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband

Automated toilets have been available in Japan for many years. These automated toilets deliver warmed seats, posterior-cleansing shower jets, perfume bursts and audio effects to mask bodily noises.

However, the latest model, manufactured by market leader Toto, goes a step further, offering users an instant health check every time they flush.

The new model, dubbed Intelligence Toilet, provides urine analysis, takes the user’s blood pressure and body temperature, and measures their weight with an inbuilt floor scale.

The Intelligence Toilet can store the data of up to five different people and retails for 350,000 to 500,000 yen (A$4600-6650).

See also:

• Australia – National Broadband Network Trans-sector projects
• Digital Media – Advertising & Marketing Industry
• Digital Media – Broadcasting – Digital TV
• Digital Media – E-Education & E-Science
• Digital Media – Google & Leading Internet Media Companies
• Digital Media – Impact on the Media Industry
• Digital Media – Internet & Entertainment Services
• Digital Media – Key Elements of a Digital Economy
• Digital Media – Online Video Media
• Digital Media – Social Media Networks, Online Gaming & Virtual Worlds

Tasmania will spend $1 million to set up NBN4Business, an initiative to educate Tasmanian industry groups on the benefits and opportunities for business that will arise due to the rollout of the National Broadband Network.

The government announced its “Innovation Strategy” which targets five sectors: high-value agriculture, aquaculture and food; renewable energy; the digital economy; promotion of Tasmania built on lifestyle advantages; and tourism.

As part of the Innovation Strategy, technology will be used to provide better and more efficient government services to business and the community. It will help close the gap between rural and urban areas with services like e-health and e-education.

Digital economy initiatives under the plan include $5.85 million over two years to increase awareness, including the NBN4Business project. There will also be $3.6 million for a Digital Futures Capital Fund, to fund development and delivery of digital content, applications and services.

The Government also plans to spend up to $56 million on smartgrids and renewable energy development on Bass Strait islands; and put $500,000 towards the cost of a study into the potential for a second high-voltage DC cable across Bass Strait.

See also:

• Australia – National Broadband Network – Changing the media model
• Australia – National Broadband Network – Competition and Regulations
• Australia – National Broadband Network – Deployment Strategies
• Australia – National Broadband Network – Early Projects
• Australia – National Broadband Network – Government’s Trans-Sector Conference
• Australia – National Broadband Network – Industry at crossroads
• Australia – National Broadband Network – Municipal Networks
• Australia – National Broadband Network – NBN Co and Infrastructure
• Australia – National Broadband Network – Overview and Analysis
• Australia – National Broadband Network – Telstra
• Australia – National Broadband Network based on Trans-sector model
• Australia – National Broadband Network Trans-sector projects
• Australia – Smart Grid Market Overview
• Australia – Smart Grids – Analysis – The market in 2010
• Australia – Smart Grids – Climate Change and Photovoltaics
• Australia – Smart Grids – Major Players & Projects
• Australia – Smart Grids – Moving into 2011
• Australia – Smart Grids – Smart City-Smart Grid Project
• Australia – Smart Grids – Smart Meters
• Australia – Smart Transport Systems

Market research firm Infonetics Research released its second quarter 2G/3G Mobile Infrastructure and Subscribers market share and forecast report. The report concluded that it was a difficult year for the mobile infrastructure market due to the absence of spending in China and India.

In 2009, China spent a great deal on its massive 3G rollout. but due to a combination of bans on Chinese vendors and a delayed spectrum auction, the spending in India stopped in 2010.

Analysis of capital expenditures by the three Chinese service providers in the first half of 2010 indicated that they have spent only 12% of their planned 3G budgets

Mobile infrastructure market highlights

• In 2Q10, worldwide revenue for mobile switching subsystem (MSS) and packet core equipment grew, while radio access network (RAN) and home location register (HLR) equipment revenue declined
• The result was a stable quarter for the overall mobile infrastructure market, down 0.9% in 2Q10 from 1Q10, from $8.8 billion to $8.7 billion
• Ericsson retains the top position for overall macro RAN equipment revenue market share, although Nokia Siemens Networks and Alcatel-Lucent each gained 2 percentage points, pushing Nokia Siemens closer to Ericsson than its been all year, and pushing ALU ahead of Huawei for the first time since early 2009
• In 2Q10, the mobile infrastructure market was marked by sustainable 3G and CDMA upgrades in North America, prolonged weakness in Europe across the board, and an uptick in Africa and Latin America

For more info see: www.infonetics.com

See also:

China

India