Welcome to This Week, the only easy to read FREE weekly summary of the top news stories on wireless communications in Australia and New Zealand. This Week is updated daily with stories drawn from the popular press, regulatory bodies, vendors and operators. To receive a free copy of This Week delivered to your mailbox each Friday, please REGISTER here. You can also visit our archive where you can see stories posted since mid-2003. Our search engine is an easy way to locate a specific topic. For those that want to know more, click through hyperlinks are embedded in each story enabling you to view the source information. Note some of these links may require you to subscribe to the publication that provides the source material.

Australia

Slow Optus credits iPhone 3G users for woes

15 August, 2008

Optus is giving "goodwill credits" to iPhone 3G customers suffering reception problems and slow data speeds, but new reports say a software fix is on the way.

SMS updates gone for Aussie twitterers

15 August, 2008

Australian and European users of Twitter can no longer receive text message updates on their mobile phones, in a temporary move designed to keep the start-up's telecom bills down.

Debt fears for users of web-phones

14 August, 2008

FINANCIAL counsellors and consumer advocates fear unwary new owners of fast web-browsing phones, such as the new Apple iPhone, will be hit with unexpectedly high debt from bills for excess data usage.

Telcos gouging Australian customers on mobile roaming fees

14 August, 2008

According to a recent KPMG report Australian mobile carriers are reaping 300 percent higher profit margins from overseas calls.

Trujillo increases pay to $13.39m

13 August, 2008

Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo has increased his annual remuneration by 13.7 per cent.

Next G boosts Telstra

13 August, 2008

Telstra profit grew 13.3 per cent in the year to June 30, on a jump in mobile phone revenue as customers took up services with the Next G network.

Telstra’s 3G iPhone users denied Olympic streaming

13 August, 2008

Telstra’s estimated 8000 3G iPhone customers will miss out on Telstra’s live and exclusive mobile video streaming coverage of the Beijing Olympic Gamesdue to a technical issue with Telstra’s choice of video streaming protocol.

QR mobiles: Last thing you do is talk

12 August, 2008

QR Codes are an initial promotion for a concept that has the potentialthat has the potential to change the whole relationship between traditional media, mobile media, and the internet.

SingTel blames currency fluctuations

12 August, 2008

OPTUS posted a flat net profit result of $122 million for the first quarter of the year and revealed $30 million in bad debt to collapsed bill payment provider Bill Express.

New Zealand

Telecom tipped as possible buyer of Perth telco

15 August, 2008

Telecom is being suggested as a possible buyer of the 50 percent stake in Perth telecommunications company Amcom being sold by Australian agribusiness and car parts supplier Futuris Corporation.

Two Marks say they remain independent

14 August, 2008

Two new candidates for Telecom's board of directors say their bid has become blurred by calls for structural separation from their sponsor - US based hedge fund Elliott International.

Telecom slide blamed on lingering profit worry

13 August, 2008

Telecom's share price slid further yesterday, attributed more to lingering concern at its profit announcement than a bid by investor Elliott International to get two independent directors on the board.

TelstraClear takes baby steps

13 August, 2008

TelstraClear has turned from a loss to a profit but it still only contributed NZ$7.5 million to its parent's AU$6.23 billion annual operating profit.

TR's Latest

Contract Engineer Job Opportunities in the U.S

We have recently been retained by a US firm to supply experienced contract engineers that will be employed on various 2G/3G network deployment/optimization projects across the United States.

Our client regards Australian engineers as amongst the best in the world and as such has approached TeleResources to identify appropriate personnel to assist them in projects already underway across the country. The assignments range in duration from a few months to a year.

For more details Click Here

Upcoming Events

Submarine Network World

18 - 20 August 2008
Singapore

The amazing race (Submarine Network edition) - Final Destination Australia. In this final segment, key cable owners and operators in Australia and the surrounding regions share with us their perspectives on ‘Impact of increasing competition and the entrance of new players into the market’, ‘Perth to Singapore’ cable project, ‘Project Runway’ and more!

For details and registration, please visit: www.terrapinn.com or email email karin.lee@terrapinn.com

LTE World

9-10 September 2008
Taipei, Taiwan

The question now that is on most telecom operators’ mind is “How do we seamlessly migrate our core networks to LTE?”

This September, LTE World 2008, the first global LTE conference held in Asia will provide all answers to your questions on LTE technology and network architecture. Drawing on case studies from Europe (one of the early adopters of LTE technology), you will receive insightful information to facilitate your decisions for LTE.

For details and registration, please visit: www.magentaglobal.com

14th India Telecoms International Summit

23 - 25 September 2008
New Delhi, India

Supported and endorsed by the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, it’s a must-attend summit addressing the strategic, financial and technical challenges facing India’s operators. Delegates will hear:

• What are the latest updates on spectrum availability and allocation?
• What incentives and subsidies are available for operators and technology providers?
• What are the current licensing issues affecting key players?
• What market opportunities exist for new entrants?

SIMposium

8 - 9 October 2008
Hong Kong

SIMalliance announces the launch of the first in a series of regional conferences: SIMposium2008 Asia.

• Debate latest trends in the convergence of mobile services and the impact of disruptive architectures and business models on the mobile services delivery value-chain
• Identify emerging and new business opportunities
• Attend live demonstrations and get explanations about the latest successful live mobile services & content implementation
• Connect with the wider SIM community in Asia Pacific

Mobile Device Management Asia

8 - 9 October 2008
Hong Kong

Strategies in increasing ARPU, promoting new services, reducing operational costs and fully controlling handset lifecycle

• Industry cooperation and efforts to standardize device management technologies
• How to seize the enterprise and end-user opportunity for MDM services
• Using MDM strategies to build loyalty, enhance user experience and create new revenue streams
• Facilitation of automatic configurations, problem diagnostics and protection of corporate data

LTE & HSPA Evolution

8 - 10 October 2008
Hong Kong

The 3rd Annual LTE & HSPA Evolution Asia is your unique opportunity to hear from the leading Asian operators about the current status of HSPA deployment and to plan for the future high speed data services.

This timely and informative conference is THE meeting place for the industry players in the mobile ecosystem to hear from top-notched Asian and international operators on the current status of HSxPA network deployments, challenges, service strategies and evolution plans towards LTE and future high speed data services.

For details and registration, please visit: www.networkevolutionvision.com