Gorilla mobile will also offer a full suite of digital smart solutions that is suited for current PMETs. Additionally, Singapore offers the perfect target audience for the telco’s launch, thereby offering a higher chance of success.

Customers can sign up for Gorilla mobile’s Switch25 plan on the telco’s website and in the coming months, the company is expected to unveil its new services like Global roaming travel data sim card, Digital international direct dialing, and Global Office telephony solutions.

Xanne Leo, founder, and CEO of Gorilla Mobile told the media, “A lot of PMETs are now working from home and are mostly wired or connected by Wi-Fi. So usage of mobile data has dropped a lot because nobody is going out. You can use [the tokens] to redeem other services, like international direct dialing calls or travel roaming data, or you can share it with your team members, your family members, or your friends. Typically, business users buy bigger traveling roaming data packages, but they’re not using everything. And maybe their trips are cut short and they jump to another place. So we created SwitchBack for them so that when you have unused data roaming data, we can convert it back to a digital asset.”

The blockchain-powered feature was originally launched for travelers as the telco was initially a travel SIM card company that provided connectivity in 61 countries. At present, the telco has a 15-person team in Singapore and another three employees in Thailand and plans to boost its workforce to 50-100 people across Southeast Asia.

Image credits: Gorilla Mobile

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It is of the size of a suit-case and contains a 5G network control kit, standing mount, and a 5G radio antenna. According to Singtel, the installation process of GENIE takes less than hour and it requires nothing more than a standard electrical outlet and window access.

Dennis Wong, vice president of 5G enterprise and cloud at Singtel told the media, “While many enterprises are aware of 5G, they may not fully understand how their operations can benefit from this technology. By bringing 5G right into the customers’ premises, GENIE can help enterprises to quickly validate their solutions with their partners or verify the performance of their end-to-end use cases with no installation cost. The platform is particularly useful for large enterprises which need to test 5G before deciding to invest in their own dedicated network. Seeing what 5G can do in their own premises will help more enterprises adopt 5G and speed up their digital transformation.”

In December, Singtel launched a next-generation cloud-based networking platform that combines analytics, security and multi-cloud connectivity to offer centralised control and scalability to enterprises to manage their different networks around the world.

Called Liquid-X, it is integrated with Singtel’s Managed Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD WAN) solution to provide round-the-clock performance monitoring, detection and response to any network anomalies to ensure secure cloud connectivity.

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According to CommsUpdate, the aim of reopening the auction by Indonesia was threefold: to give operators more frequencies (and to increase mobile network capacity), to improve QoS, and to speed up roll-out of infrastructure for LTE (and possibly also 5G).

Recently, it was reported that Indonesia telecom tower market accounted to $ 557.9 million in 2017. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 27.1 percent during the forecast period 2018 – 2025, to account to $3,695.5 million by 2025.

Last week, it was also reported that Qatar-based Ooredoo, which is one of Qatar’s biggest listed telecom company, is eyeing as much as 30 percent of the market share in Indonesia. The recent development follows CK Hutchison and Ooredoo started talks last year to combine their Indonesian wireless phone businesses to better compete in the Indonesian market.

Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Ooredoo’s managing director, told the media, “Hopefully we will get there by the end of this year. He added that in 2020, “Indosat managed to be the number two player in Indonesia, with market share around 17 percent. The combination with Hutch will put us as a clear number two, taking us to 27-30 percent revenue market share in Indonesia.”

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Mario Tamayo, head of technology for PLDT and Smart told the media, “Just as we have invested in providing our customers with the best mobile data experience, we are ramping up our 5G rollout and continuing to expand our LTE – both of which are powered by our fiber network – to provide our subscribers an even better experience.

“As we expand our 5G network presence across the country, we are also bringing the possibilities of 5G, such as faster speeds and lower latency for streaming high-resolution videos and playing online mobile games, closer to more Filipinos. Through this, we are also opening the doors to more possibilities of 5G that we have yet to imagine.”

Last month, it was reported that PLDT, formerly known as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, has extended its fiber infrastructure to more than 429,000 kilometres in the country. The telco also plans to invest between PHP 88 billion and PHP 92 billion this year to expand its mobile and fixed-line services and infrastructure.

This fiber infrastructure supports PLDT’s mobile unit Smart’s mobile networks, which is available in around 95 percent of the country’s cities and towns. Last year, the telco raised around $600 million in a fully-online investment roadshow. Back then, the telco revealed that it will use the funds to refinance its existing loans and also pay for network upgrades.

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Dito is set to become the third telco in the Philippines and end a duopoly in the telecom market. Currently, the telecom market in the Philippines is dominated by Globe Telecom and PLDT.

According to reports, Dito, which is a joint venture between Udenna Group and China Telecom, vowed to provide an average broadband speed of 27 megabits per second. Its network currently covers around 37 percent of the country’s population. The technical audit for Dito was conducted by independent auditor R.G. Manabat and Co. It revealed that DITO’s average broadband speed hit 507.5 Mbps for 5G, and 85.9 Mbps for 4G.

Dito is set to launch in the Philippines in March. Initially, the telco is expected to offer its services in Manilla, Cebu and Davao. Recently, it was reported that the Bacolod City government has ordered the telco to stop the construction of a cell site in Purok, Himaya, Barangay Alijis. According to them, Dito is violating section 301 of the Presidential Decree 1096 or the National Building Code of the Philippines.

With regard to Dito’s launch, Commissioner Johannes Bernabe of the Philippine Competition Commission said, “That, of course, will also require our close monitoring to ensure the allocation of a significant amount of 5G frequency given to it will also redound to the benefit of consumers, such as their commitments under the terms of reference to ensure a timely and speedy implementation of the roll-out of the telecoms services that they undertook to provide will be again complied with.”

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In this regard, Joel Agustin, Globe senior vice president for program delivery told the media, “This is just the start because Globe recognizes the value of connectivity as the rest of the country continues to cope with the demands of the new normal. Our aggressive network builds and investments in areas that matter to us, where our customers need the service they deserve, will continue in 2021. Our rollouts in previously underserved areas will set the stage for more builds as we reach out to more far-flung areas in the country.”

Last month, GCash, the mobile wallet platform of Globe Telecom, raised over $175 million in investment from private equity company Bow Wave Capital Management (Bow Wave) and shareholders. In a statement, Globe Telecom said the cash injection raised the valuation of the mobile wallet platform close to $1 billion.

The Philippines telecom sector is currently dominated by Globe Telecom and PLDT, however, the newly formed Dito Telecommunity has revealed it is planning to launch in the country by March this year. The telco also said it is confident it will pass the government technical audit which is due this year. Dito earlier planned to launch at the beginning of last year, however, the plan was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Dito is a joint venture between Udenna Group and China Telecom.

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The plunge in mobile services revenue has mainly to do with the free mobile services and extra mobile data allowances provided at no additional cost by the operators to support their subscribers amid the pandemic.

Earlier this month, it was reported that DTAC is set to deploy its 5G network in the 700MHz spectrum band to expand coverage and capacity nationwide and is partnering with Ericsson to do so.

In this regard, DTAC chief technology officer Prathet Tankuranun told the media, “DTAC sets the priority on bringing high-speed internet service to all of our customers. We never stop and are speeding up the development of our nationwide 4G and 5G networks.

“The latter is being deployed on the low-band 700MHz, which will enhance our network efficiency across Thailand, particularly the high-density downtown areas with high-rise buildings. Our customers can experience better and better services from our restless efforts to roll out networks through utilising Massive MIMO technology to increase the upload and download speed by three times. We connect everyone to every important thing in life.”

Last year, it was reported that Huawei is planning to develop a 5G ecosystem innovation centre at the Digital Economy Promotion Agency’s (DEPA) headquarters in Thailand. Huawei was to invest around ฿475 million for the development of the 5G ecosystem innovation centre in Thailand.

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Irrawaddy Green Towers has a network of almost 4000 towers across Myanmar. It is reported that the deal to buy the tower company by CVC is the second-largest deal ever involving Myanmar assets. It is also reported that Irrawaddy’s shareholders, which include Dubai-based investment firm Blu Stone Management and Lebanon-based M1 Group, had agreed to the sale.

While Standard Chartered Bank was the lead financial adviser, UBS acted as the joint financial adviser to Irrawaddy on the deal.

Irrawaddy Towers chairman Georges Makhoul, in a statement said, “Our shareholders’ early capital commitment, the support of the relevant ministries and regulators, the partnership with all the mobile operators, and the engagement with local communities have been vital for success; it has facilitated the business growth to the current leading position. With CVC as a future shareholder, the company is poised for further growth and success for the benefit of the people of Myanmar.”

Recently, Singapore-based telecom giant Singtel deployed its first 5G standalone trial network at its testing facility in Singapore.  It is reported that the telco will use 3.5 gigahertz spectrum and Ericsson’s massive MIMO technology for the trial network. The launch will give enterprises early access to Singtel’s 5G network, the telco said in a statement.

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The 5G services offered by Viettel are currently available in the Hoan Kiem District, Ba Dinh District and Hai Ba Trung District and any Viettel customer with a 5G device can access it. It is reported that Viettel will provide unlimited 5G data free of charge, enabling customers to fully experience the power of the 5G technology.

With regard to the launch of 5G commercial trial, Chairman and General Director of Viettel Group, Major General Le Dang Dung told the media, “Similarly to the previous universalisation of cell phones in Vietnam, Viettel, as Vietnam’s largest telecommunications and IT enterprise, will continue to pioneer the creation of a digital society. The cutting-edge telecommunications infrastructure is a must for Industry 4.0. Viettel Group has completed the ecosystem from digital infrastructure, digital solutions, digital finance, digital content, logistics and ecommerce, etc. so far, meeting the needs of building egovernment and developing digital economy and digital society in Vietnam.”

Last month, it was reported that Foxconn is planning to move the assembly of some of the Apple products such as the iPad and Macbook to Vietnam from China upon Apple’s request. It is also speculated that Foxconn is planning to shift its overall operation from China to other Southeast Asian countries or India.

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Called Liquid-X, it is integrated with Singtel’s Managed Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD WAN) solution to provide round-the-clock performance monitoring, detection and response to any network anomalies to ensure secure cloud connectivity.

Mr Lim Seng Kong, Managing Director, Singtel Enterprise Business at Group Enterprise told the media, “The global pandemic has driven more enterprises to rely on the cloud to host their data and solutions. For enterprises with global operations, it is a challenge to manage multiple clouds hosting their workloads as each cloud requires a separate connectivity. Liquid-X’s launch is timely in addressing enterprises’ need for an all-in-one cloud-based network solution that simplifies and secures their cloud connectivity, provides a flexible, cost-efficient way to access cloud workloads globally and gives insights into network performance.”

The telco reported a net profit of $345 million for the half-year that ended September 30, 2020, which was attributed to the 11 percent rise in pre-tax profits from regional associates such as India’s Bharti Airtel. Recently, Airtel reported its highest ever consolidated quarterly revenue of $3.46 billion.

Singtel named Anna Yip, previously the chief executive officer of Hong Kong operator SmarTone, as deputy chief executive officer of its Singapore consumer business. Yip stepped down in August after four years of handling SmarTone’s operations in Hong Kong and Macau.

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