BY B.K. SIDHU TELECOM operators in 13 Asian countries will be investing about US$4.5bil in existing second-generation (2G) networks and for third-generation (3G) deployment over the next two years, according to Ericsson South-East Asia president Mats H. Olsson.
About US$4bil is expected to go towards upgrading and capacity enhancements in existing 2G and 2.5G infrastructure mainly, and the balance US$500,000 to new 3G deployment in 2005.And Ericsson ? the world?s largest supplier of mobile telecom infrastructure with 35%-40% market share in GSM/WCDMA (global system for mobile communications/Wideband code division multiple access) ? hoped to secure a sizeable chunk of the US$4.5bil, Olsson said.
?We have about 30% market share, but we are not necessarily satisfied with that. We will try very hard to growth this further,?? he told a press briefing at the company?s South-East Asia headquarters in Cyberjaya yesterday.
The confidence stems not only from the company's leadership position but also from the fact that Ericsson has returned to the black.
After 3 years of slowdown, the global telecoms industry is recovering and stabilising, which has prompted operators to increase investments in infrastructure.
Mats H. Olsson Although most investments in the 13 countries are expected to be for 2G expansion, Olsson expects 3G to be successively introduced and rolled-out in Asean, with Malaysia and Singapore well on their way, followed closely by Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Apart from the 10 Asean countries, the other three are Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
?The year 2004 is very promising and exciting times are ahead, as there are new licenses being issued for 3G, and increased GSM investment for coverage and capacity,?? Olsson said.
He said globally, only 21% of the population used mobile phones; every day about half a million subscribers sign up for mobile services.
There are about 1 billion mobile users globally. This will increase to 2 billion by end-2008, with 80% of the growth coming from emerging markets. In Malaysia, Telekom Malaysia Bhd, one of 2 spectrum assignees, has rolled out 3G in selected areas. Ericsson is one of the 5 vendors providing pilot trials for the telco.
The other assignee, Maxis Communications Bhd, has appointed Ericsson as its prime infrastructure partner for 3G deployment and the key supplier for 2G. Maxis expects to commercially offer 3G-based services by the year-end.
A 3rd mobile operator, DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, has opted for EDGE (enhanced data rates for global evolution), for which Ericsson is one of the 2 vendors contracted to deploy. Olsson said the drivers for 3G would be higher capacity and speed; new services; cost-efficiency, including for voice; extension of 2G with regard to roaming; and operators' ability to segmentise markets to maximise revenue streams
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