Strong growth in India and Turkey has helped keep things on an even keel for mobile giant Vodafone, which has reported group revenues up 3.5 percent year-on-year at £11.6 billion (US$18.9 billion) in its fiscal first-quarter results. In cash-strapped Spain, however, revenues were down nearly 10 percent compared with a year ago. (See Vodafone Reports Fiscal Q1, Euronews: Vodafone Takes Control in India and Vodafone Deepens Ties With Verizon.)
The Iberian situation is probably also largely responsible for Spanish giant Telefónica forming a strategic partnership with Etisalat, the Middle East carrier based in the United Arab Emirates. The collaboration will cover procurement, technological standardization, research/development and cloud services, among other things. (See Telefonica Teams Up With Etisalat, Euronews: Telefonica's Layoffs Bill Shock and Telefonica Takes $3.8B Hit .)
The recent reduction in European mobile termination rates hit the first-half revenues of Colt Technology Services Group Ltd , which dipped 3.5 percent to €766.2 million ($1.1 billion). Net income fell 63 percent to €16.7 million ($24 million), though the comparison is perhaps harsh as net profit in the first half of 2010 was helped by a tax rebate. However, operating profit also fell, by nearly 25 percent to €25.7 million ($37 million). Colt is one of Light Reading's Top 20 Bridge Builders. (See Colt Reports H1 and The Top 20 Bridge Builders.)
There are plenty of unhappy bunnies among Cable & Wireless Worldwide plc (London: CW) shareholders, reports Reuters. Almost a third of them voted against the company's proposed incentive scheme, which could give returning CEO John Pluthero shares worth £2 million ($3.3 million) on top of his £675,000 ($1 million) salary. (See Pluthero Back in C&W Hot Seat and C&W Does the Splits.)
For those interested in Bill Shock, it is still on the rise in the US. In fact, 30 million Americans each year get overcharged for using their cell phone. Some get hit with excess roaming charges, while others are victim to voice, data and SMS overages. As carriers continue to put more restrictions on mobile plans, and consumers become more reliant on accessing their email, Facebook and streaming video through their smartphones, the opportunity for Bill Shock accelerates.
I have had a good experience using Telicost-Lite, a free app that gives iPhone, Android and BlackBerry users instant real-time alerts to track voice, data, SMS and roaming activity to ensure that they don’t go over their mobile plan. Go to www.anomalousnetworks.com to download the free Telicost app by Anomalous Networks. This is a must-have app when traveling for business or pleasure, and businesses of all sizes can take advantage of a more robust Telicost portal to manage their whole fleet of mobile users.
For those interested in Bill Shock, it is still on the rise in the US. In fact, 30 million Americans each year get overcharged for using their cell phone. Some get hit with excess roaming charges, while others are victim to voice, data and SMS overages. As carriers continue to put more restrictions on mobile plans, and consumers become more reliant on accessing their email, Facebook and streaming video through their smartphones, the opportunity for Bill Shock accelerates.
I have had a good experience using Telicost-Lite, a free app that gives iPhone, Android and BlackBerry users instant real-time alerts to track voice, data, SMS and roaming activity to ensure that they don’t go over their mobile plan. Go to www.anomalousnetworks.com to download the free Telicost app by Anomalous Networks. This is a must-have app when traveling for business or pleasure, and businesses of all sizes can take advantage of a more robust Telicost portal to manage their whole fleet of mobile users.
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