The Chinese 3G market has “great promise but faces much uncertainty,” including that country’s govt. policies on the high-speed wireless technology, In-Stat said in a report. It predicted the number of mobile subscribers in China will reach 610 million by 2009, with 23-58% using 3G. “3G licenses will be issued, at the earliest, in the beginning of 2006, after an industry restructuring of wireless network operations,” In-Stat analyst Anty Zheng said: “Three 3G licenses will be issued if China Unicom and China Netcom are to be merged, and 4 licenses will be issued if no merger occurs.”
Exports to China
Venezuela finalized a deal to buy a satellite from China, the AP reported Tues. China’s Ministry of Science & Technology said the satellite will be launched from China in 2008. China will oversee the satellite’s construction with Venezuelan participation, the Ministry said.
Orson Swindle, ex-FTC, joins Progress & Freedom Foundation… Google names Johnny Chou, ex-UT Starcom, pres.-sales & development, Greater China… Steve Carson, ex-AT&T, becomes Wavesat CFO… Discovery moves Donald Baer to senior vp in charge of new New Media Group; Neville Meijers reports to him as exec. vp- business strategy & new media… New at PBS Kids Sprout, new online and TV content provider: Sandy Wax, ex- Disney Cable, as pres., effective Nov. 2; Andrew Beecham, ex-HIT Entertainment, as senior vp-programming; Diana Kerekes moves to seat on Kids Sprout board… Discovery promotes Michelle Russo to vp-corporate communications… Gregory Coker, Ky. PSC, named NARUC representative on Telecom Relay Service Advisory Council.
Akimbo planned to launch its ambitious Internet-based video- on-demand (VoD) service today (Mon.) through its website and Amazon.com, and with an eye toward forging alliances with CE manufacturers, Product Mktg. Vp James Funk said. The company has an agreement with Microsoft to be included as a service in the Windows Media 2005 operating system starting next year and will seek similar relationships with suppliers of PVRs, DVD recorders and other CE gear, Funk said. Akimbo is seeking to have CE manufacturers include its service in product platforms, he said. “We've had conversations with CE companies and at the end of the day, the fact we are aggregating content has attracted a lot of interest,” Funk said.
China’s largest TV firm has started offering HDTV programs using SeaChange digital video systems. China Central Television is transmitting a HDTV channel with sports and movies.
Broadband over power line (BPL) proceedings just begun by Industry Canada likely will produce technical standards on par with the FCC’s, giving the utility industry a much-needed spur to embrace BPL, utility executives said. But, since Canada’s broadband penetration is 3 times that in the U.S., some officials and analysts voice doubt about BPL’s potential to become the 3rd broadband platform or even the one serving rural areas. Only a single major access BPL trial has been reported in Canada. That trial is being run by PUC Telecom, an affiliate of a power utility owned by the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Some utility officials said they're banking on BPL’s internal applications, such as automatic meter reading and outage reporting, to drive power company interest.
Resignations at Path 1 Network Technologies: CEO/CFO John Zavoli and Vp David Carnevale, effective Sept. 23; replaced on interim basis by board members Frederick Cary and Robert Packer… Discovery promotes Eileen O'Neill to exec. vp-gen. mgr., Discovery Health Channel and FitTV, and Vivian Schiller to exec. vp-gen. mgr., Discovery Times Channel… New members of Mich. Broadband Development Authority: George Franklin, ex-Kellogg Co.; Frida Waara of On-Cue Productions… Anthony LeCour, ex-Sandgrain Partners, joins Bank Street Group as dir., with responsibility for communications, technology and media companies… New at MForma: Jonathan Sacks promoted to CEO, replacing Daniel Kranzler, who becomes exec. chmn.; David Oppenheimer, ex-Digital Impact, becomes senior vp- CFO… THQ Wireless names Gary Kanazawa, ex-Mobile Digital Media, vp-product development… Richard Li, ex-VCon China, becomes Radvision gen. mgr., China operations.
Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) in China will see moderate adoption near-term but take off in 2008, when Beijing hosts the Olympics, In-Stat said. The Olympics are expected to boost IPTV subscribership to 4.5 million and set top box revenue to $231.3 million in 2008, it said. More than 20 vendors such as UTStarcom and ZTE are providing IP set top boxes to Chinese carriers, In-Stat said, with nearly 90% of set top boxes sold to end users in carrier service bundles. The other 10% are moving through traditional channels, the report said. Media groups like SMEG and EastTV have deals with telecom carriers to develop specific IPTV content.
WorldSpace CEO Noah Samara outlined that firm’s international goals with strategic partner XM in its first investor call as a public company, in a briefing Wed. Likening WorldSpace’s status to that of Sirius and XM 30 months ago, Samara said the firm is focusing its 2 satellites, and eventually its ground spare, on markets in India, China and Western Europe. Samara said WorldSpace’s first goal is regulatory clearance to build terrestrial repeaters in those nations, especially India, so it can broadcast satellite radio to growing vehicular markets there.
LONDON - A European Commission (EC) plan for boosting productivity and growth may be the most practical arrangement available, but it’s unlikely to make Europe the world’s most competitive knowledge-based economy by 2010, many said here Tues. The “i2010” initiative aims to halt and reverse the Continent’s economic slide against competitors in the U.S., China and Korea by focusing on information & communications technology (ICT). But delegates at a packed U.K. Presidency/European Union conference Mon. first rejected 53%-47% and then stalemated on a motion endorsing i2010 as it stands as the best way to achieve that goal.