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AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, telecommunications briefsNov 19, 2012 (AME Info - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- HUAWEI PLANS TO BECOME THE WORLD'S THIRD-LARGEST SMARTPHONE MAKER: China-based Huawei has announced plans to ship up to 60 million smartphones this year, Gulf News has reported. "About 35 percent of this, would be consumed in China. We were number four in Android phones last year and this year, aim to be number three in the world," Shao Yang, CMO, Device at Huawei told visiting reporters from the UAE at a manufacturing facility in a recent interaction. "Our smartphone shipment was 20 million in 2011 and three million in 2010." TRA RULES OUT PLANS TO ISSUE MVNO LICENCES: The UAE Telecoms Regulatory Authority (TRA) has said there are no plans to launch mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) licences in the country, The National has reported. "We are happy with the current structure of the market," said Mohamed Al Ghanim, the director general of the TRA. The UAE mobile sector is currently a state-controlled duopoly, headed by incumbent Etisalat and Du, which was founded in 2006. VODAFONE QATAR REPORTS 18 percent GROWTH IN H1 REVENUE: Vodafone Qatar has said an 18 percent growth in revenue year-on-year, which substantially narrowed its net losses in the first six months of this year, Gulf Times has reported. Total revenue grew 18 percent to QR696m, the company said. The company saw a 57 percent rise in earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) over the same period last year. The company had 936,300 mobile customers as on September 30, up 15 percent compared with September 2011, a Vodafone Qatar spokesman said. VODAFONE RENEWS QATAR MANAGEMENT DEAL: Vodafone has renewed the agreement to manage Vodafone Qatar for a further 6 years until March 31, 2018, the Peninsula has reported. According to the renewed agreement, the fee payable to Vodafone PLC has reduced to a maximum of 3.5 percent of total annual revenue from 5 percent to reflect the increase scale of the business and the transition to a fixed mobile operation. The fee is now more closely linked to the financial performance of the business. QTEL SEEKS $1BN LOAN: Qtel is seeking proposals from banks for a syndicated loan of up to $1bn, Reuters has reported. The request is for a financing with three, four and five years maturities and includes conventional and Islamic murabaha financing options, according to bankers. The loan will be used for general corporate purposes, including refinancing, the bankers said. ___ (c)2012 AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) Visit AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) at www.ameinfo.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |