Media, Entertainment and Gaming
Sony Corp. has decided to terminate the sale of its two original PlayStation 3 models in Japan and focus on the new slimmed-down version amid fierce competition from rival Nintendo Co. The companyÆs game unit said it would end shipments of PlayStation 3 with 20- and 60-gigabyte hard disk drives this month in its domestic market. Sony said it is looking to the cheaper PS3 with a 40-GB hard disk drive that was introduced in Japan in November last year to compete with Nintendo's more affordable Wii video game console. Industry observers see the move as a response to the strong demand for Wii, which was outselling the PS3 in the domestic market in 2007.
Internet
Sony has entered into a partnership with Skype, the instant message and Internet voice platform owned by eBay, to enable users of its latest slim PSP-2000 to make low-cost telephone calls and free calls around the world via the Internet. Following a system software update scheduled for late January, PlayStation Portable users will be added to SkypeÆs 260 million-member network. With a memory stick, a wireless Internet connection and a Skype-compatible audio input device, PSP players will be able to chat via instant messaging and make voice calls to other Skype users online for free and to call landlines and mobile phones anywhere in the world at low fees.
Matsushita Electric Industrial announced that it is working with Google to develop televisions that display Internet content such as photos and videos. According to Matsushita, the TVs will be launched in North America this spring. The appliance allows consumers to directly browse and access videos through YouTube, a video-sharing web site owned by Google, and view Picasa Web Albums, a free online photo-sharing service also from Google. Matsushita said it has not decided a date yet for the global launch of the new product. In a separate development, Panasonic unveiled the world's largest plasma television at the opening of the world's biggest consumer electronics trade show. The Viera brand high-definition television called Life Screen measures 150 inches, or some 12.5 feet (381 centimetres) diagonally.
Mobile/Wireless
NTT DoCoMo said the number of subscribers to its i-channel news service surpassed 15 million on January 3, 2008. DoCoMoÆs i-channel is a push service that automatically sends scrolling-text headlines to a phoneÆs standby screen. The headlines come from the i-channel site, which is arranged into five information channels: weather, news, sports & entertainment, horoscopes and recommended i-mode sites. By simply pushing the i-channel button on a compatible phone, the user can view detailed information about each headline.
Sony has released a new Close Proximity Wireless Transfer Technology that enables high speed transfer of large data files between electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, digital video cameras, computers and TVs. Using this technology, called TransferJet, data can be sent at speeds of 560Mbps. Sony described TransferJet as an extremely simple wireless technology which eliminates the need for complex setup and operation. Just touching a TV with a digital camera enables photos to be instantaneously displayed on the TV screen. The technology can also download music by touching a mobile phone to a portable audio player. TransferJet can be used as a Universal Interface among a wide variety of consumer electronics devices.
According to JapanÆs Telecommunications Carriers Association, the number of cell phone subscribers in Japan surpassed 100 million for the first time at the end of December. As of the end of 2007, new subscribers from KDDI Corp. (138,600), NTT DoCoMo (121,500) and Softbank Mobile Corp. (210,800) brought the total number of subscribers to 100.4 million. The report attributed the surge in subscriptions to the widening of the cell phone market to include children and the elderly, and with the use nearing one handset per person. According to the British business research firm Informa Telecoms and Media, Brazil, China, India, Russia and the US each topped 100 million subscribers at the end of November. Japan is the sixth nation to break the 100 million mark.
Ventures/Investments
NTT Data Corp. has transformed itelligence AG, a Germany-based systems integration and software development firm, into a subsidiary through a tender offer by its European unit. The offer was carried out by NTT Data Europe GmbH in two stages, with the shares going beyond the targeted minimum of 12.3 million, which is equal to a 50% stake in the company. itelligence is a major player in the field of systems integration using SAP AG's business software and trades on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Through the deal, NTT Data said it looks to strengthen its capacity for Japanese clients using SAP systems in Europe and North America. itelligence said it aims to widen its operations in East Asia and North America.
Korea
Media, Entertainment and Gaming
Electronic Arts (EA), the world's leading video game company, has decided to establish an online game development base in South Korea. The company said that it plans to set up a development studio within the year and create three or four new online games. EA disclosed that it aims to secure the services of South Korean game developers to build the foundation for a future advance into the Asian market. EA places its investment at approximately W20 billion ($21.3 million).
StarCite, Inc., a provider of On Demand Global Meeting Solutions, has entered into an exclusive agreement with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to launch a marketing campaign to promote meeting, incentive and group travel in South Korea. The KTO said it has selected StarCite as its destination marketing and technology provider. The deal will see KTO's traditional destination marketing campaign combined with StarCite technology. StarCite will provide its campaign enhanced marketing on the StarCite Online Marketplace, which processes more than $7 billion in meeting opportunities a year. StarCite is based in Philadelphia and its equity holders include Internet Capital Group, TPG Growth, Norwest Venture Partners, and TL Ventures.
Hardware
Solicore has entered into a partnership with BlueChip ENP for the distribution of their ultra-thin Flexion batteries in South Korea. Industry observers see this as an effort by a number of South Korean companies to comply with a mandate from the Korean FSA to increase the level of security for banking and financial transactions by adding multi-factor identity authentication applications to bankcards. Solicore is a provider of embedded power solutions such as advanced ultra-thin flexible lithium polymer batteries for powered cards, RFID and micro medical devices. BlueChip ENP is a South Korea-based electronic components distributor. Its product line features elements that enable South Korean customers to manufacture powered cards and RFID solutions with Microcrystal's ultra thin 32.768 kHz crystal plus RTC IC, Sipix Technology's black film e-paper and Solicore's thin film Flexion batteries.
Semiconductors
According to media sources, Seoul National University will transfer a technology for mass-producing uniform nano-particles to Hanwha Chemical Corp. in a deal valued at W4.3 billion ($4.5 million). The sale is the highest ever made between an academic institution and a company, the university said. Developed by Professor Hyeon Taeg-hwan of the SNU's School of Chemical Engineering and Institute of Chemical Processes, the process increases by a thousand-fold the production of para-magnetic iron oxide nano-particles, which measure one billionth of a meter, at one thousandth of the cost of the existing process. Para-magnetic iron oxide nano-particles are a multi-purpose substance that can be used for next-generation memory chips, displays, semiconductor processing abrasives and cancer detection sensors. Before this technology, companies found it impossible to commercialise the particles because there was no way to mass-produce them in uniform size.
Telecommunications
Ikanos Communications, Inc., a developer and provider of Fiber Fast broadband solutions, announced that its Fusiv processor will be used in first trial deployment of residential gateways by a major South Korean telecommunication service provider. Ikanos' Fusiv powers Mercury Corp's PHY-agnostic residential gateway, which is designed to distribute triple play services in the home. According to reports, Mercury is the only gateway vendor to successfully pass the Korean telecommunication companyÆs rigorous benchmark testing and reach field trial deployment. Mercury, formerly known as Daewoo Telecom, is one of Korea's leading companies within IT and broadband access. Mercury's major Korean customers include KT, Hanaro-Telecom, and LG Dacom. Ikanos develops, produces and sells all equipment solutions needed for the Internet market.
InterDigital has extended a contract with South Korea's SK Telecom to expand seamless roaming services between different wireless technologies. SK Telecom operates a nationwide UMTS network and has announced plans to expand its mobile network across the country, building facilities for WiBro services throughout major cities in South Korea. SK Telecom entered into an agreement with InterDigital in 2006 to develop a network interoperability solution for its UMTS and WiBro networks, based on InterDigital's leadership in next generation mobility standards. In 2007 InterDigital delivered the system design and the software solution for mobile devices to SK Telecom. Under the continued collaboration, InterDigital will make further improvements to the existing handover capabilities, adding full two-way handover between WiBro and UMTS, as well as two-way handover between WiBro and cdma2000.
Information Technology
Omega Tender has entered into a contract with ChinaÆs Ministry of Information to establish a joint venture under the name of Guo Xin Wel-Tel Technology Co in February. Under the agreement, Omega Tender will provide its patented technologies for video networking systems to the Chinese government to set up video messaging and conferencing services between mobile phones and PCs. The ministry said it will use Omega Tender's technology in providing video short-messaging service (SMS) for mobile phones in partnership with China's major telecom companies including China Telecom. No financial details of the deal were released. Omega Tender specialises in teleconference and video meeting services over the Internet. The firm has expanded its operations to China and the Philippines, exporting products and services and helping local governments to set up e-government systems.
China
Internet
Google has announced that Liu Yun, former CEO and president of SK China, will be its global vice president, responsible for the company's sales in the Greater China region. Liu will be based in Beijing and responsible for the company's sales and channel services in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. He is replacing Zhou Shaoning, who has recently resigned from Google.
Media, Entertainment and Gaming
Tencent Holdings Limited has launched Dungeon-Fighter, a game that observers say represents a new trend for Chinese online games: fighting and action. The game, which the Tencent staff is privately calling a massive multi-player online action cartoon game, is based on a console game and marks the transition of the arcade machines of the 1970s onto the Internet.
VODone Limited, a tele-media service provider in China, has entered into two agreements to establish strategic partnerships with Tencent and Baidu to jointly run the promotion program for the upcoming nation-wide casting polling show for an 80-episode TV series called Water Margin. The series is planned to be produced in mid 2008. The first alliance involves VODone's business partner, VODone Telemedia, who will provide Tencent with official video clips and other contents relating to the show for broadcasting on the Internet. The other strategic agreement was formed between another subsidiary, VODone Information Engineering, and Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing), which will jointly run the promotion campaign for the Water Margin show. The alliance will also see Baidu launch a theme web page to document all relevant news about the show and the TV series with a link to the official Water Margin web site.
Giant Interactive Group has secured an exclusive license to operate Empire of Sports, a new sports-based massively multi-player online roll-playing game (MMORPG). The license will be good until September 15, 2011. The rights to the game are owned by Empire of Sports, a joint venture founded by Infront Sports & Media and European computer game development company F4.
Mobile/Wireless
Datang Telecom and Ericsson has announced they are setting up a joint research centre for LTE/TDD technology. According to its CEO and president, Datang aims to form a closer strategic partnership with Ericsson to push forward the research and development of LTD and IMT-Advanced technology and to promote the industrialisation and marketing of TD-SCDMA. Datang said the strategy is to bring the Chinese TD-SCDMA industry into the international market. Datang Telecom has earlier signed a memorandum of understanding with SwedenÆs Ericsson on the cooperation on LTE and IMT-Advanced technology. The establishment of the joint research centre is part of this agreement.
China GrenTech Corporation Limited, a China-based wireless coverage solutions provider, has secured another wireless coverage integrated service project from Shandong Mobile, a China Mobile subsidiary. This marks GrenTechÆs 17th project win from China Mobile at the provincial level in 2007. The win also brings GrenTechÆs wireless coverage business obtained from China Mobile to five additional provincial markets in 2007 compared to that of 2006. The project is expected to bring further growth in revenues for GrenTech.
The shares of China Unicom Ltd. posted their biggest gain in six weeks in Hong Kong trading following rumours that the operator will sell its wireless networks to rivals. An analyst reported that the company is preparing for the sale of its two networks at a three-day annual working meeting. In the past six months, UnicomÆs share price has climbed 30% on speculation that China will break up the carrier by selling its networks to fixed-line operators China Telecom Corp. and China Netcom Group Corp. (Hong Kong) Ltd. to increase competition in the world's largest wireless market by users.
Dell has launched its mobile phone schedule order service for China Construction Bank (CCB). Under the agreement, CCB's credit card holders only need to dial Dell's service line to choose the goods they want and the schedules they need to settle an order. The agreement also sees Dell providing a 24-hour schedule payment service apart from the current three-schedule, six-schedule and 12-schedule payments. Dell said the cooperation with CCB has helped expand the credit card category and clientele for Dell's instalment payment plans and has also set up a model for CCB that can be used when working with other domestic Chinese IT manufacturers.
Azalea Networks, a provider of wireless mesh broadband equipment and technology, announced that it has been selected by CECT-Chinacomm as the primary equipment supplier for the Wireless Beijing project. Phase one of this project, consisting of 800 to 1,000 wireless mesh routers supplied and supported by Azalea, will provide wireless broadband access over 50 kilometres in Beijing's central business district, financial street and Olympics areas. When completed, Wireless Beijing is expected to boost the communication service level in and around Olympics venues and tourist areas alike. The Wireless Beijing project was organised by CECT-Chinacomm Communications and has the support of the Beijing municipal government.
Hardware
Chinese home appliance retailer Dazhong, has disclosed an aim to generate Rmb10 billion ($1.3 billion) in sales and to further strengthen its position in the Beijing market in 2008. Dazhong was acquired by former rival Gome in late 2007. Dazhong said it plans to open two new stores soon and denied reports that it plans to close some of its stores following the acquisition. Dazhong said it has renewed contracts with about 20 stores whose leases would have expired in the fourth quarter of 2007.
Telecommunications
ZTE Corp. has signed a deal with Libya Telecom & Technology to build Africa's first commercial WiMAX network. According to the company, the network is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2008 and will cover eight major cities in Libya. ZTE did not disclose financial details of the deal. In a separate development, Huawei Technologies, a major rival of ZTEÆs, has received an order for a commercial WiMAX network in Bulgaria from operator TransTelecom.
Taiwan
Ventures/Investments
Taiwan's largest telephone company, Chunghwa Telecom Co, is in talks to buy a stake in a Vietnamese carrier, according to industry sources. The move is seen as response to stagnant sales in its home market. The company, which generates almost all its revenues from Taiwan, has said sales and profits will remain ôabout the sameö this year. In 2007, sales went up 1.1% to NT$186.3 billion ($5.7 billion). According to an analyst at CLSA, Vietnam is an attractive market because its population is bigger than TaiwanÆs and the penetration rate remains low. In separate developments, NTT DoCoMo and Singapore Telecommunications have also expressed their interest in making investments in Vietnam.
Hardware
Integrated circuit maker Analog Devices Inc. has completed the $350 million sale of its cellular handset radio and baseband chipset operations to MediaTek Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, Taiwan-based MediaTek will get the assets related to Analog Device's Othello radio transceiver and SoftFone baseband chipset products, as well as certain cellular handset baseband support operations. In addition, the deal is expected to include a team of approximately 400 professionals and strategic intellectual property. Analog Devices expects to record a one-time gain from the transaction during the first quarter of its fiscal year 2008, which ends on February 2. Despite the sale, Analog Devices plans to continue to invest in the wireless handset market with a focus on developing high-performance analogue, micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) and programmable digital signal processing (DSP) products that enhance the audio, video, connectivity, and power efficiency capabilities in a range of wireless multimedia devices.
3M and Taiwan's Himax Technologies have announced that they will work together to commercialise LCOS mobile projectors by combining their proprietary technologies to deliver a complete mobile projection solution to consumer electronics manufacturers. Under the agreement, 3M has developed a miniature LED projection engine that incorporates the single-panel colour filter type LCOS module of Himax Display, a subsidiary of Himax. In addition, Himax provides a complete set of driving circuit and related electronics.
Hong Kong
Telecommunications
Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet have announced the launch of their operational merger and unveiled strategic plans for the joint entity. The entity will operate under its new name, Pacnet. After the merger of the two companies, Pacnet is expected to offer solutions for retail consumers and Fortune 500 companies and to service the wholesale carrier market. As part of the company's strategic plans to meet the recent surge of bandwidth demand in Asia, Pacnet said it has already embarked on its Next Generation Network upgrades which will increase network efficiency and reliability. The company said it also plans for a new Trans-Pacific cable; further expansion into key regional markets; and new partnerships to enable both organic and inorganic growth for the company. Pacnet owns and operates the region's leading pan-Asian submarine network and provides a comprehensive portfolio of city-to-city connectivity, data communications and IP-based solutions and services. The company has headquarters in Hong Kong and Singapore and local offices in all major Asian markets, the US and Europe.
Media, Entertainment and Gaming
Network CN Inc., a Chinese media and travel network company, has secured a multi-million-dollar contract with the sole outdoor advertising buying agent for McDonald's Corporation. Under the contract, Network CN will provide outdoor LED media in China for McDonald's from January 2008 to December 2009. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Network CN operates a Media Network, a Hotel Network and an e-Network. On the media side, Network CN is establishing a multi-media, multi-application advertising network in key Chinese cities, that will focus on outdoor advertising media.
Hong Kong-based Artificial Life, Inc., a leading provider of award-winning mobile 3G technology and applications, has announced the worldwide launch of its mobile game Tokio Hotel. The game is based on the band's European tour in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Moscow and Berlin. Artificial Life also announced that the game will go live with selected telecom operators and mobile resellers in several European countries such as Germany, France, Holland, Austria, the UK and Croatia and is available for download and purchase in the company's m-commerce portal.
Philippines/Singapore
Media, Entertainment and Gaming
According to industry sources, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) of the Philippines has allowed broadcasting firms to extend pilot tests on their digital television systems, whether through terrestrial or handheld services until March this year. The extension was done even as a group of cable TV providers protested. According to NTC, there is no final draft yet on the rules governing the service. The commissionÆs technical working group will recommend to the commission en banc which technology standard will be adopted for digital TV-Terrestrial/Handheld (DT-T/H) service. The members of the group will also assess the socio-economic impact of the migration from analogue to digital services. Japanese and American experts in DTT technology recently flew to the Philippines to conduct a demo broadcast of their respective technology platforms for the NTC, as AmericaÆs Advanced Television Systems Committee and JapanÆs Integrated Services Digital Broadcast are among the two technology standards that are being considered by the NTC to jumpstart the transmission of digital television service in the country.
Mobile/Wireless
ST Electronics (Info-Comm Systems) Pte. Ltd. (STEE-InfoComm) has completed the acquisition of 93.9% of Telematics Wireless Ltd (Telematics) through a deal valued at about S$116 million ($80 million). The acquisition follows the receipt of regulatory approvals and the fulfilment of other closing conditions. STEE-InfoComm is a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering. Telematics is a key player in the high-growth Machine-to-Machine (M2M) industry in which machine assets are connected through wireless info-communication infrastructures to allow wireless transmission of information for remote monitoring and control. Telematics is currently among the largest terrestrial and urban asset location system suppliers worldwide with customers from Argentina, Brazil, China, South Korea and the US.
Philippine-based wireless service provider Smart Communications Inc. and China Banking Corp. (CBC) have entered into an agreement to provide Filipino contract workers in Saudi Arabia with an affordable alternative to send remittances. Under the agreement, CBC will utilise SmartÆs mobile commerce platform, the Smart Services Hub System, which will facilitate the transfer of remittances sent through CBCÆs partner bank, the National Commercial Bank (NCB). Also known as Alahli Bank, NCB is the largest bank in Saudi Arabia. The remittances will be electronically and securely loaded within seconds to a CBC On-time Remittance-Smart Money card and may be withdrawn as cash in the Philippines using the card at any of the countryÆs 5,000 ATMs, or through Smart Wireless Centers. Both the sender and recipient will be notified via a text message that the remittance transaction has been completed.
Telecommunications
Mabuhay Satellite Corp., a unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), has entered into an agreement with Viettel Corp., a Vietnamese telecom provider, to help augment the latterÆs network. In a disclosure to the stock exchange, PLDT said the deal involves the supply of satellite bandwidth and services for the satellite-based portion of VietnamÆs fast growing cellular network. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Mabuhay is the first Philippine entity to own and operate a communications satellite. The company was set up primarily to establish, own, operate and maintain an international satellite facility and other forms of telecommunications equipment capable of international and domestic communication links to telecommunications, broadcast and public utility companies operating in the Philippines and other countries. It is also authorised to purchase, sell or lease international satellite facilities and capacity; and to manage, operate and maintain domestic and international satellite facilities owned by other companies.
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