Wireless, VoIP, Philippines, Asia-Pacific: Wireless services provider Smart Communications (SMART) has selected an international gateway solution from Nortel to provide next generation, carrier-grade wireless VoIP services to Philippines-based and international long distance customers.

Broadband, global, CLA: The worldwide movement by operators to deploy high-speed mobile broadband services based on W-CDMA and High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) standards is claimed by the GSM Association (GSMA) to be fuelling unprecedented economies of scale in the supply of equipment for carriers and handsets for consumers.

Wireless, Russia, CEE:  Golden Telecom, a Russia-based service provider, is using wireless mesh network technology from Nortel to build Moscow's first wireless mesh network.

Corporate, Acquisitions, Telephony, CLA: Two years of acquisitions in Latin America by Telefonica, Spain’s largest telephone company, have now come to an end.

Markets, Mobile, Latvia, CEE: Proof of Vodafone’s new strategy towards emerging markets (see Vodafone shakes-up, goes for the emerging markets) has come with the announcement that the company will be extending its Partner Network Agreement with the Baltic-based BITE Group.

3G, Mobile, Czech Republic, CEE: Czech mobile operator Eurotel Praha has launched the country’s first High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network.

Markets, Wireless, Broadband, Algeria, MENA: WiMAX is now commercially available in Algeria, while several operators in many Arab countries have started testing the service.

Regulation, Operators, Thailand, Asia: Norway has become concerned that draft rules to prevent foreign domination of Thai telecom operators could affect the rights and interests of foreign shareholders of Thai telecom firms.

ICT, Cable, Telephony, Global: The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) publishes a lively newsletter called APC News. The latest issue contains features which many Developing Telecoms readers may find useful in keeping up to date with some of the issues we have been reporting on over the last few months...

Networks, 3G, China, Asia: US Government sources are confident that their approaches to the Chinese Government to allow phone companies to choose their own standard for 3G operations in China have been successful.

Telephony, Nigeria, Africa: Dr Bashir Gwandu has asked Nigeria’s telecoms operators to take the initiative in introducing the latest technology into their operations...