Japan firms invest in network

Four Japanese mobile phone companies will together spend 1 trillion yen (R84.6 billion) during the next five years to build a next-generation cellular network with faster Internet speeds, the Nikkei newspaper reports, says Bloomberg.

NTT Docomo, Japan's largest mobile phone operator, KDDI, Softbank Mobile and Emobile will apply to the government for licences for the new standard by 7 May, the Nikkei said, without saying where it obtained the information.

The 3.9 generation cellular network will match the speeds of the fastest fixed fibre-optic networks, the newspaper said, without giving further details. The government may issue licences within months, according to the report.

Walsh Wireless Solutions, a wireless solutions provider and Sprint partner, has introduced a cellular buyback programme, writes PR-USA.net. The programme is aimed at providing businesses of all sizes with a simple and efficient way to retire their old, tired cellular phones, turning them into cash and doing right by the planet in the process.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, Americans create nearly 65 tons of waste each year from throwing away used cell phones - that's approximately 125 million phones still likely to be in good working condition that are simply discarded in a landfill.

Walsh Wireless says it makes it easy and efficient to recycle used cellular devices, offering a one-step process to generate either cash or a credit toward the purchase price of another.

The mobile tariffs in the world's cheapest telecom market are set to fall further by at least 20% to 25% during the year, more so due to the increasing number of telecom operators and infrastructure overcapacity, states Business Standard.

With call rates in India at 33 paise (5c) and STD rates at 50 paise per minute (8c) (for most mobile operators), the country has the lowest telecom tariffs in the world.

To begin with, the industry is expecting the new licensees (including Loop Telecom, Datacom Solutions and Unitech Wireless) to commence operations in this year. This coupled with the expected expansion of operations of existing players like Aircel Cellular, Idea Cellular, Tata Teleservices and Reliance Communications will have an impact on the mobile tariffs.