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The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) has published its 27th China Internet Development Statistics Report which shows that at the end of 2010 China had 457 million internet users (or netizens as CNNIC describes them), more than the combined population of the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Total broadband internet users reached 450 million, with penetration among fixed line internet users reaching 98.3%. China's mobile internet users numbered 303 million, up 69.3 million year-on-year. Mobile internet users accounted for 66.2% of total internet users, up from 60.8% at the end of 2009. The number of rural internet users reached 125 million, or 27.3% of total users, an increase of 16.9%.
Source: TeleGeography
3G technology will account for 82 percent of total mobile subscriptions in Puerto Rico by 2015, according to a new report from Pyramid Research.
"Puerto Rico's shrinking fixed voice market, in combination with a growing demand for data applications and contents, brings new revenue opportunities to local operators, both in the fixed and mobile segments," says Eulalia Marin-Sorribes, Research Analyst at Pyramid. "As Puerto Rico has the highest 3G penetration in Latin America, operators are now trying to make customers use the technology for services beyond SMS and MMS by promoting the use of smartphones," says Marin-Sorribes.
"Mobile applications, such as mobile banking and mobile advertising, could become rich revenue lines for local companies, particularly taking into account Puerto Rico's relatively high GDP per capita," she says. Operators are trying to encourage customers to use 3G technology for services beyond SMS and MMS by promoting the use of smartphones.
"AT&T currently offers some the most popular 3G devices in the market, including the BlackBerry and the iPhone with unlimited data contracts, as well as the iPad. The operator had announced in early 2010 it had deployed HSPA 7.2 technology across its national 3G network. The upgrade is expected to pave the way for the future deployment of LTE technology, which AT&T plans to start in 2011. A similar strategy is being followed by T-Mobile, which expected to complete its HSPA+ network across its network in 2010," Marin-Sorribes explains.
"Broadband revenues will experience a significant expansion during the forecasting period at 10.3 percent CAGR, reaching $340 million at year-end 2015," notes Marin-Sorribes. "Growth will be boosted by the increasing popularity of multiplay packages, including services, such as voice, video, or both. In fact, all the major fixed and cable operators already offer competitive combos," she adds. Over the last years, cable operators in Puerto Rico have been aggressively bundling services as a strategy to erode the Claro/PRTC's market share.
"AT&T currently offers some the most popular 3G devices in the market, including the BlackBerry and the iPhone with unlimited data contracts, as well as the iPad. The operator had announced in early 2010 it had deployed HSPA 7.2 technology across its national 3G network. The upgrade is expected to pave the way for the future deployment of LTE technology, which AT&T plans to start in 2011. A similar strategy is being followed by T-Mobile, which expected to complete its HSPA+ network across its network in 2010," Marin-Sorribes explains.
"Broadband revenues will experience a significant expansion during the forecasting period at 10.3 percent CAGR, reaching $340 million at year-end 2015," notes Marin-Sorribes. "Growth will be boosted by the increasing popularity of multiplay packages, including services, such as voice, video, or both. In fact, all the major fixed and cable operators already offer competitive combos," she adds. Over the last years, cable operators in Puerto Rico have been aggressively bundling services as a strategy to erode the Claro/PRTC's market share.
Orange Armenia chief executive officer Bruno Duthoit has told reporters that his company has now signed up 555,000 mobile subscribers, up from 306,000 at the end of September 2010. The CEOs comments are quoted by PanArmenian.Net which adds that the cellco is now looking to increase in 3G network capacity by 30% this year.
Duthoit told a news conference that the capacity increase will hopefully redress recent issues experienced by subscribers to its mobile internet services. He confirmed that whilst some users may be having technical problems, on the whole, the network is performing satisfactorily.
Source: Telecom Paper
Kenya's Safaricom has warned that an ongoing price war between the country's mobile networks "cripple the industry". Safaricom Chief Executive Bob Collymore said that the price wars would cost the industry Sh26 billion in revenue this year alone.
Telkom Kenya chief executive Mickael Ghossein had earlier in the week voiced similar concerns, saying with low profit margins, operators would not see the point in reinvesting in infrastructure to up quality.The price war was sparked by Airtel, which recently took over the former Zain network and said that it had doubled its subscriber base to 4 million in less than six months.
"We believe the industry will lose revenues of between Sh20-26 billion as a result of this," said Collymore. He said Safaricom was unlikely to follow Airtel in cutting tariffs. "That price is unsustainable, we are unlikely to move to that level because I have been charged with looking after the responsibilities of not just customers but also shareholders," Collymore said. He accused Airtel of putting Safaricom and the entire industry at risk through its strategy of offering calls at rock bottom rates.
Based on figures from last September - only a few weeks after the price cuts by Airtel - the Mobile World subscriber database reports that Safaricom is the market leader with a market share of 81% with Airtel (formerly Zain) coming in at 8.6%. Newer entrants, Econet had 7% of the market while Orange (Telecom Kenya) had 3.6% of the market.
Source: Cellular News
Spains three largest mobile network operators Telefonica Moviles Espana (Movistar), Vodafone Spain and Orange Espana are reportedly under investigation for allegedly charging rivals excessive amounts to rent space on their networks for messaging services, Reuters reports. It has been claimed that the trio set wholesale charges for both SMS and MMS a too high a rate, negatively impacting the countrys mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), as well as other rival operators that also take advantage of such services, such as Jazz Telecom. It is understood that Spains competition authority, the National Competition Commission (CNC), expects to issue a ruling on the matter within 18 months.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has commissioned the countrys first internet exchange point, aimed at reducing the cost of internet services nationwide, IT News Africa reports. Executive vice chairman of the NCC, Eugene Juwah, said that the Lagos-based Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) would save the country USD20 million in offshore internet bandwidth payments in the first year alone, by keeping domestic internet traffic within Nigeria. At IXPN, we are committed not only to the development of a national internet infrastructure, but increasingly an infrastructure that will span the entire African continent, Europe, America, Asia and the entire world, commented Chima Onyekwere, chairman of the IXPN board. Plans are reportedly underway to commission further exchange points in the countrys six geopolitical zones.
Armenian mobile operator ArmenTel has expanded its 3G network footprint to encompass the cities of Ararat, Armavir, Artashat, Ashtarak, Vardenis, Vedi, Gavar, Yeghvard, Masis, Metsamor, Hrazdan and Sevan as well as dozens of village communities, reports PanArmenian.Net. The online journal goes on to say that hand in hand with the UMTS network expansion the telco is deploying additional 3G-enabled base stations in the cities of Abovyan, Vanadzor, Gyumri, Echmiadzin and Yerevan, to improve capacity on its existing network infrastructure. As a result of the latest upgrade works, the operators 3G signal is now available to 2.5 million Armenians, equivalent to 81.1% of the population.
According to data published by Associacao Brasileira de Telecomunicacoes (Telebrasil), the total number of fixed and mobile broadband accesses in the country reached 34.2 million lines at the end of last year, up 71% year-on-year. Put another way, around 14.2 million new connections were activated last year, Telebrasil reports, with customers signing up to one or more of the available access platforms on offer i.e. fixed broadband (DSL, cable etc), or 3G mobile. Indeed, in the latter segment the association reported a massive 257% y-o-y rise in connections from four million to 14.6 million, while fixed connections increased from 11.4 million to 13.6 million.
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) was introduced in Haryana in December 2010 and thereafter will be introduced across India in January 2011, a move that is expected to further intensify competition in the already crowded mobile services market. In ICRA's opinion, with implementation of MNP, subscribers would get a wider choice and would be able to switch between service providers easily, thereby compelling service providers to offer competitive pricing plans and offer higher service quality to attract and retain subscribers.
In ICRA's view, direct fallout of implementation of MNP would be an increase in customer churn. Change in mobile number has been a major deterrent in switching service operators in the past, especially for high usage customers; however, with the implementation of MNP, customers would be able to easily switch from one service provider to another without changing their mobile number. Moreover, ICRA expects, the low porting charges (maximum of Rs. 19 per porting to be paid by the subscriber) and low porting time (7 days for all circles except Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and North East where the maximum time period for completing the porting process would be 15 days) to drive the adoption of MNP in India.
Increase in the churn is expected to increase the customer acquisition and retention costs of operators, which coupled with competitive tariff plans and falling average revenue per user (ARPUs) is expected to result in a decline in the operating margins of the telecom operators especially in the short term. Under such a scenario, telecom operators with stronger financial profile would be better placed to cope with the increasing competitive intensity.
In ICRA's view, as all telecom operators in the market quickly react to match competitor pricing, tariff may not be a differentiating factor in the choice of operator. Hence, the quality of service and customer experience will play an important role in a customer's choice for an operator rather than pricing. ICRA expects that customer retention, especially in the high paying post-paid segment, would become the focus area for operators, as these contribute significantly to revenues, even if they form a small portion of an operators overall subscriber base. Operators would have to increasingly focus on offering differentiated services and improving quality of service (in terms of better customer care and improved network and coverage) in order to attract and retain customers. Offering differentiated services like third generation (3G) services would also be important for retention of high usage high ARPU customers.
The implementation of MNP would be beneficial for mobile subscribers, as it would provide them with a wider choice (in terms of pricing plans, services, etc.), flexibility to change service operators without losing their mobile number and most likely an improvement in the quality of services offered by operators. However, for mobile service operators, the churn that invariably follows MNP implementation represents both a threat and an opportunity. Post the implementation of MNP, some carriers are likely to witness the erosion of their customer base and consequently a decline in profitability, however, for some other operators, MNP can provide an attractive opportunity to gain market share and target high ARPU customers.
Thus, MNP would result in higher competitive intensity that would be reflected in an increase in churn, pressure on ARPUs and margins in the short term and telecom operators would have to increase their focus on improving service quality and offering differentiated services in order to attract and retain subscribers in the long term. ICRA believes that, operators with superior quality of service would be the clear winners, while those with less than satisfactory service quality would stand to lose the maximum by way of subscriber churn.
In ICRA's view, as all telecom operators in the market quickly react to match competitor pricing, tariff may not be a differentiating factor in the choice of operator. Hence, the quality of service and customer experience will play an important role in a customer's choice for an operator rather than pricing. ICRA expects that customer retention, especially in the high paying post-paid segment, would become the focus area for operators, as these contribute significantly to revenues, even if they form a small portion of an operators overall subscriber base. Operators would have to increasingly focus on offering differentiated services and improving quality of service (in terms of better customer care and improved network and coverage) in order to attract and retain customers. Offering differentiated services like third generation (3G) services would also be important for retention of high usage high ARPU customers.
The implementation of MNP would be beneficial for mobile subscribers, as it would provide them with a wider choice (in terms of pricing plans, services, etc.), flexibility to change service operators without losing their mobile number and most likely an improvement in the quality of services offered by operators. However, for mobile service operators, the churn that invariably follows MNP implementation represents both a threat and an opportunity. Post the implementation of MNP, some carriers are likely to witness the erosion of their customer base and consequently a decline in profitability, however, for some other operators, MNP can provide an attractive opportunity to gain market share and target high ARPU customers.
Thus, MNP would result in higher competitive intensity that would be reflected in an increase in churn, pressure on ARPUs and margins in the short term and telecom operators would have to increase their focus on improving service quality and offering differentiated services in order to attract and retain subscribers in the long term. ICRA believes that, operators with superior quality of service would be the clear winners, while those with less than satisfactory service quality would stand to lose the maximum by way of subscriber churn.
According to data released by the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) Council Europe, Italy represents one of the largest FTTH markets in Europe, with more than 2.5 million homes passed by fibre at end-December 2010; at the same date the country reported around 348,000 fibre subscribers.
The ongoing 'Fibre for Italy' project aims to bring fibre to 20 million people in Italy's 15 largest cities by 2015, whilst Telecom Italia has committed itself to bringing FTTH/FTTB connectivity to an additional 138 cities by 2018. Further, in November 2010 seven Italian telecoms operators agreed to join forces in order to form a new company charged with overseeing the infrastructure rollout in areas where no operator has scheduled a fibre deployment thus far. The companies involved are Telecom Italia, FastWeb, Wind, Vodafone Italia, Tiscali, BT Italia and 3 Italia. The new company will have an executive committee chaired by Industry Minister Paolo Romani, and focus on avoiding duplicate installations and coordinating investments.In other news, the launch of Telecom Italia's long-awaited 'Telecom 100Mega' broadband offer has been postponed once more, due to regulatory red-tape. The delay reportedly concerns the terms of a wholesale agreement between Telecom Italia and its rivals, including FastWeb. Telecom Italia intends to offer the high-speed package in six cities: Rome, Milan, Bari, Venice, Turin and Catania, and its rivals have requested access to a wholesale offering that permits the replication of the service. The service was originally set to be launched by the end of 2010. Local news reports suggest that telecoms regulator Autorita per le Garanzie Comunicazioni (Agcom) omitted the matter from its first board meeting of 2011.
To wrap up what has been an eventful year for next-generation mobile broadband technology Long Term Evolution (LTE), Light Reading Mobile has compiled a list of the world's commercial LTE services.
It's quite short.
Verizon Wireless and TeliaSonera AB (Nasdaq: TLSN) aren't the only names on the list, however, although you would be forgiven for thinking that, considering how much attention these operators' get for their 4G (or rather, FauxG?) moves. (See Happy Birthday, LTE! .)
We count nine commercial LTE services worldwide, based on our criteria. To be included on the list, it had to be clear that a potential customer could go to an operator's shop or Website and buy a dongle (or handset in case of MetroPCS Inc. (NYSE: PCS)) and sign up to start using the services. We did not include pilot networks or user trials, where consumers or business customers may be able to use an LTE service, but do not pay for it. (See LTE Beckons in Uzbekistan .)
So here's where LTE is commercially available now at the end of 2010:
Table 1: Commercial LTE Services
Monthly Price
Equipment suppliers
NTT Docomo*
¥1,000 (US$12) for 3 GB or ¥7,980 ($95) for 5 GB
Fujitsu, Ericsson, NEC, NSN
9 U.S. cities
Ericsson, Samsung
Telekom Austria
Vienna, Austria
90 ($120) for 30GB, plus 340 ($453) for USB stick
Not available
399 Danish kroner ($71)
Ericsson, NSN
46 ($61)
Ericsson, NSN (for initial rollout)
699 Norwegian kronor ($118)
599 Swedish kronor ($88) for 10Mbit/s-80Mbit/s LTE, 3G, WiFi, and 30GB of data
Ericsson, Huawei, NSN
38 US cities
$50 for 5GB or $80 for 10GB
Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NSN (for IMS)
Vodafone Germany
rural Germany
69.99 ($94) per month for up to 50Mbit/s downlink, 10Mbit/s uplink, and 30GB of data
Ericsson, Huawei
* Service starts on December 24, 2010
Source: Light Reading
Indonesias state-owned telecoms company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) says that last year its landline customer base slumped to 8.4 million from 8.7 million in 2009, continuing the downward trend of recent years. The Jakarta Post quotes the telcos vice president of public relations, Edi Kurnia, as saying that Even though the decreasing number of customers is not really high, the use of the cable lines has shrunk significantly.
Although the official declined to confirm exact figures, Kurnia did say that revenues from landline services has been in freefall over the last few years, declining by 18% in 2008, 16% in 2009 and a further 6% in 2010. Mobile substitution has been attributed as a primary reason for the fall, although Telkom is working hard and introducing incentives, such as fixed bills and points reward programmes, to encourage people to hold on to their fixed telephone. The company also sees its broadband service Speedy as a key tool in the fight to retain customers and, as part of this, plans to launch a triple-play service in March this year.
Pakistans secretary of the Cabinet Division, Abdur Rauf Chaudhry, has said that the government is hopeful that 3G services will be available to the countrys mobile users by the end of 2011, with legislation governing the auction of 3G concessions expected to be soon presented to the government and Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) for discussion and approval. According to TradingMarkets.com, speaking at a seminar organised by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Rauf said that the local manufacturing of 3G handsets remained an important factor, adding that the government would consider recommendations made by the industry. PTA chairman Dr. Mohammed Yaseen meanwhile said that by the end of March 2011 the regulator aims to have set its own plans in motion for moving forward with the 3G sale process, once the overarching policy is approved by the government.
Airtel Kenya, the country's second largest cellco by subscribers, has announced that it has added two million subscribers to its network since August 2010, effectively doubling its active subscriber base. The mobile operator credits the latest customer additions to the reduced tariffs that it introduced in August. As previously reported in CommsUpdate, in August 2010, the cellco, then known as Zain Kenya, cut end-user call charges from KES6 to KES3 across all networks for both pre-paid and post-paid customers. CEO Rene Meza told a press conference: 'With the drop in tariffs, we have seen an increase in volumes, both in users and in minutes'. Meza added that the average monthly minutes of use (MoU) had tripled since August. Going forward, Meza announced that the cellco is poised to launch its long-awaited 3G network in March 2011, following a KES25 billion (USD296 million) rollout. 'The beginning of our data journey will start towards the end of this quarter', Meza said, adding that the operator also intends to double the number of 2G bases stations currently deployed across Kenya.
The total number of registered SIMs in Brazil reached 202.9 million at the end of last year, thanks to the net addition of 29 million phones over the twelve-month period. The net gain was the second largest annual increase ever reported by national regulator Anatel; a record 29.7 million new mobile phones were added in 2008. By 31 December 2010 cellular penetration in the country reached 104.7%, with pre-paid services accounting for the overwhelming majority of lines (167.1 million, or 82.3%) and contract customers the remainder (35.8 million, 17.7%). In addition, GSM continues to be the most popular technology, used by some 87.8% of mobile phones, although Anatel reported 20.6 million 3G connections by the year-end, an increase of 138.1% year-on-year.Vivo Participacoes retained its leading position in the market as at 31 December, with a 29.70% share of subscriptions, compared with 30.14% in September. America Movil (Claro) was the second largest player with a 25.40% market share, down slightly from 25.47% three months earlier. Third place was taken by TIM Brasil with 25.10%, up from 24.52% previously, while fourth-placed Oi had 19.40% of the market, down from 19.51% in September.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has recorded that mobile phone users in the country reached a total of 68.65 million at the end of December 2010, an annual increase of 31% according to the watchdogs calculations. Market leader GrameenPhone added 6.7 million subscribers in the year to reach a total of just under 30 million; Orascom Telecom Bangladesh (Banglalink) ended 2010 in second place with 19.3 million customers after signing up a net 5.5 million in the year; third-ranked Axiata Bangladesh (Robi) was credited with over three million new additions to give it 12.4 million network SIMs at end-December. Airtel Bangladesh (formerly known as Warid) added just under one million new subscriptions for a total of nearly four million, whilst in fifth and sixth place, CDMA-based Pacific Bangladesh Telecom (Citycell) and state-run Teletalk had respective totals of 1.8 million and 1.2 million users at end-2010. According to TeleGeography's GlobalComms Database, the overall subscriber growth rate in the mobile sector beat 21.8% in 2009 and 28.5% in 2008, although was lower than 65.2% in 2007.
The database shows that over the last few years each operators subscriber take-up rate has fluctuated depending on their level of subsidisation of handsets/SIMs to cover a heavy SIM tax in the country; GrameenPhone for instance, saw a relative slump in its level of customer sign-ups during most of 2009 prompted by a low level of subsidisation but after reintroducing full subsidies its growth rate subsequently shot up again.
Source: TelecomPaper
The number of mobile phone subscribers in China exceeded 850 million last year, according to a Chinese government report. Net additions reached a record high of more than 100 million in 2010 alone, according to the report from the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The growth boosted the country mobile penetration rate to around 60 percent of the country's estimated population of 1.4 billion for 2010.
During the January-November period in 2010, 103 million users were newly subscribed to the country's mobile phone services. The figure is estimated to have surpassed 110 million as of the end of December.
The report showed the number of fixed-line subscribers dropped 153.9 million to 298 million during the period.
In the first 11 months of last year, the Chinese telecom industry's revenue was estimated to be 819.03 billion yuan (US$123.56 billion), up 6.6 percent on-year. Sales from mobile telecom business made up 70 percent of the industry's total business revenue, while fixed-line business accounted for about 30 percent.
Vodafone Albania has launched the country's first 3G network, with coverage initially available in the capital city-Tirana and its suburbs. By starting the 3G operations initially in Tirana and soon in other cities, Vodafone will provide Internet speed of up to 14.4 Mbps.
Upon the 3G services launch, Mr. Haris Broumidis, CEO of Vodafone Albania stated: "We are pleased to offer to the inhabitants of Tirana the 3G technology experience, which will provide them fast access to internet, a number of new services and the most advantageous tariff plans. Vodafone Albania as the leading and most innovative telecommunications company in the country, believes that 3G will revolutionize the way Albanian families and businesses use their mobiles and access to internet".
After Tirana, 3G services will be extended to all current and new Vodafone customers across the country within 18 months.
Movitel, which was recently granted the third mobile operator license in Mozambique has announced that it plans to invest up to US$465 million in its network over the next five years. Of the total investment, some US$120 million will be spent in the first year to get the network launched.
Movitel is a consortium made up of Vietnamese company Viettel Telecom (70%) and Mozambique's SPI (30%), a company that is linked to the government.
Although Movitel was not the highest bidder for the license, when it offered US$28 million, the regulator said that it came highest in the technical assessment. The license was granted last November.
According to figures from the Mobile World analysts, the country ended June 2010 with around 6.77 million subscribers, representing a population penetration level of 32.7%. mCel is the dominant operator, with a market share of 65% - compared to 35% for rival, Vodacom.
Plans by the government to sell a small stake in Moçambique Celular (mCel) have been discussed in the past, but no progress has been made so far.
According to Armenias Minister of Transport and Communication, Manuk Vardanyan, the country was home to more than 2.77 million mobile users at the end of 2010, a cellular penetration rate of 86%. Cellular services are provided by the countrys three incumbent operators ArmenTel, K-Telecom (VivaCell-MTS) and Orange Armenia and have been bolstered in recent years by the introduction of 3G, he said. The minister added that 4G is currently being introduced throughout the country, and TeleGeographys GlobalComms Database notes that only last month, VivaCell-MTS launched its LTE network on a test-commercial basis. It plans a full commercial launch in February this year starting in Yerevan before expanding coverage to Armenias other regions. VivaCell-MTS paid AMD990 million (USD2.7 million) for a 4G concession in November 2010. Meanwhile, fellow operator Armentel is said to be in discussions with the Public Services Regulatory Commission of Armenia as it seeks to secure a 4G concession.In a related story, Orange Armenia has revealed that its mobile subscriber base reached 500,000 at the end of last year. The year of 2010 was important for the company, which launched full-fledged operations throughout Armenia, said Orange Armenia CEO Bruno Duthoit. This year marked a lot of innovations, new offers, extension of the coverage, construction of the customer base and investments, he added. According to TeleGeographys GlobalComms Database the cellco, which is owned by France Telecom, had 45,000 mobile broadband customers at the end of September 2010, and its 3G network provided access to 93% of the population. In December 2010 it upgraded its national network with High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and high definition (HD) voice services, employing the services of Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) to carry out the modernisation of the core and access network which will enable Orange to provide high quality voice calls and data speeds of up to 14.4Mbps in main cities.
Due to low penetration rates, an expanding economy, deploying 3G networks, and declining smartphone prices, mobile data revenue is expected to triple over the next five years in Peru, according to a new report from Pyramid Research.
The mobile market will be the main source of revenue growth and Peru's principal revenue generator throughout the forecast period. Pyramid expects mobile revenue to expand at a CAGR of 6.6 percent over the next five years, going from generating $2.2 billion in 2010 to $3.1 billion by 2015, indicates Juliana Gomez, Analyst at Pyramid Research. "Mobile data, driven by 3G deployments and higher adoption of enhanced data services, will experience a revenue increase from $355 million in 2010 to $1.07 billion in 2015," she adds.
Over the forecast period Telefonica will remain the market leader; however, the merger of America Movil-Claro and Telmex Peru this year will intensify competition. "Telmex will complement its multiplay packages with mobile services, and both companies will invest to grow their data business, particularly mobile Internet," says Gomez. In addition, America Movil's Claro continues to expand its 3G network and has gained market share by leveraging data services.
The Peruvian market has shifted to GSM as a result of Telefonica's decision to migrate from CDMA to GSM and Claro's adoption of this standard in 2006. "After launching a 3G network (UMTS/HSPA) in 2008 Claro continues the expansion of its 3G network throughout the country to further support mobile Internet services. Movistar and Nextel have followed suit launching 3G networks," she says. Pyramid expects 3G technologies and 4G technologies to represent 54 percent and 7 percent, respectively, of total mobile subscribers in 2015.
The Egyptian ministry of telecoms has said the number of mobile subscribers in the country rose 23.6% to 65.5 million in October 2010, compared to the same period last year, Zawya Dow Jones has reported. Subscribers for Vodafone Egypt reached 29.4 million for the period, while subscribers for MobiNil reached 28.6 million and Etisalat Misr reached 7.5 million subscribers, the ministry said.
Source: Ameinfo.com
Deployment of Rwandas 2,300km national fibre-optic backbone has been completed on schedule, local daily The New Times reports, citing deputy director of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Patrick Nyirishema. Physical rollout of the network, which includes cross-border fibre installation at the Uganda and Tanzania borders, was finalised by the RDBs target of 31 December 2010. Nyirishema revealed that installation of equipment in institutions that are directly connected to the fibre-optic network is ongoing, with the entire network scehduled to be fully operational by April this year.
The infrastructure will boost access to various broadband services, including government initiatives such as e-governance, e-banking, e-learning and e-health, and will also facilitate IT-based foreign direct investment (FDI) in areas such as business outsourcing. According to TeleGeographys GlobalComms Database, the Rwandan government signed a USD40 million deal with South Korean incumbent telco KT Corp in October 2008 to supply and install the national fibre-optic backbone. The network will connect 317 institutions (97 in Kigali and 220 outside the capital) in all 30 districts, and connect all nine of Rwandas borders.
Iraqi mobile operator Asiacell Communications, a consortium comprising Asiacell Iraq (30%), Qatar Telecom (Qtel, 30%) and investment group Merchant Bridge (40%), has signed network expansion agreements with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) and Ericsson, as it looks to expand its service footprint in the country. According to the cellcos chief technical and IT officer, Patson Anius, the supply contracts will allow the operator to introduce advanced services tailored to the domestic market. Next year, we will be further expanding our network coverage to include small villages and residential communities in remote areas. We look forward to breaking our own GSM deployment record in Iraq next year, he said.TeleGeographys GlobalComms Database writes that Asiacell is one of three cellcos licensed to provide national mobile services, having been awarded its concession in August 2007 at a cost of USD1.25 billion. In 2009 it deployed 1,490 base transceiver stations (BTSs) on its network, thanks to the build-out of 950 new communication towers, and improved the service capabilities of 450 other cell sites. At the end of September 2010 Asiacell had 7.917 million mobile subscribers, placing it second in the market with a share of 34.8%. It competes with Zain Iraq, Korek Telecom and SanaTel.
The Chilean government, former fixed line incumbent Entel and Swedish equipment vendor Ericsson have announced a plan to provide three million people in remote rural Chile with mobile broadband and mobile telephony by the end of 2011. The first stage of the project - Rural Internet Network: All Chile Communicated - was completed in September this year, by which time 1.7 million people had been connected. In 2009 Entel and Ericsson won a USD45 million public contract from the government to provide broadband access to between 70% and 90% of the rural population. The two-year end-to-end project includes deployment of core and radio access networks for both 2G and 3G platforms. Ericsson is building, integrating and activating 2G and 3G base stations at about 1,500 rural locations. Nicolas Brancoli, President of Ericsson Chile, said: This project marks a new milestone in public-private partnerships in Latin America because we're collaborating in the financing and the development of this connectivity plan. Research shows that a 10% increase in mobile penetration in developing countries leads to a 1.2% increase in gross domestic product. We hope this project will reduce the digital divide and help increase social and economic empowerment in Chile's developing regions.
New research from TeleGeographys GlobalComms Database shows that 14% of the global wireless subscriber base is now connected to a 3G network, with the regional figure varying between 35% in Western Europe to just 6% in Africa. At 30 September 2010 there were 694 million 3G users scattered across the world, from a grand total of 5.12 billion wireless subscriptions. According to GlobalComms, of the wireless total 48.6% of subscribers were located in the Asia-Pacific region, with Latin America accounting for the next largest share, at 10.7%, and Western Europe at 10.1%. The Middle East is the smallest in terms of subscribers, accounting for 279 million subscribers at the end of the third quarter, equivalent to 5.4% of the total.
3G subscriber growth is clearly driving the market as a whole. Subscriptions to third generation networks increased by over 40% in the twelve months ended 30 September 2010 said Tig Harvey, Research Director at TeleGeography. Compare that figure to the 15% recorded by the market as a whole, and you get some idea of just how important the UMTS platforms now are, she added. What's more, the next generation of networks are now coming on stream, just in time to provide new impetus to the industry in 2011 and onwards. According to TeleGeographys 4G Research Service there are currently 13 Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks in commercial operation, with a further nine due to be unveiled before the end of the year, including high profile launches by Verizon Wireless and Japans NTT DoCoMo. 'Since the launch of the first W-CDMA network in 2001, it has taken ten years for 3G to achieve 14% penetration of the wireless subscriber base; this is indicative of how quickly new technologies permeate the global wireless market, and is one pointer towards the future success of LTE,' Harvey added.
The Solomon Islands has confirmed previously rumoured plans to offer the country's third mobile license, just a few months after the country's second network, B-Mobile launched its services.Communications Commissioner, Nick Williams, made the announcement in Honiara this morning, noting that the licence will include an option to offer 3G services.
Mr Williams says he hopes to be able to award the licence by March next year and to see the operator begin its service within 6 months.The incumbent operator had blocked the launch of the country's second mobile network, B-Mobile for nearly ten months after its license was originally granted.
When the second license was tendered in 2009, Digicel applied for a license, but was rebuffed. Digicel had actually been granted a license in 2006, but Solomon Telekom successfully sued to block the network launch pending a review of its monopoly status.
As of 30 September 2010 France was home to a total of 20.8 million high speed and ultra-high speed internet subscriptions, an increase of about 360,000 over the previous quarter, the regulator Arcep reports. Over one year, the national growth rate was approximately 8% it said, equivalent to around 1.6 million connections.
Of the total around 20.4 million were classed as high speed subscriptions, including 19.47 million ADSL subscriptions (93% of high speed and ultra-high speed subscriptions), 960,000 for other technologies and 420,000 ultra-high speed broadband subscribers up 55,000 over the previous quarter. The watchdog counted around 100,000 FTTH or FTTB subscribers in its September 2010 total; it defines ultra-high speed services as those offering a peak downstream speed of over 50Mbps and a top upstream speed of more than 5Mbps. The remaining 320,000 were hybrid fibre-coaxial lines (HFC), up 45,000 quarter-on-quarter.
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) has completed a PHP2.8 billion (USD63.6 million) expansion of its fibre-optic network. The project began in January this year and entailed the deployment of 1,300km of new terrestrial and submarine fibre links between the Bicol region, to the south of Manila, and the central and southern regions of Visayas and Mindanao.
As a result of the expansion, PLDT has extended coverage to ten provinces, including Iloilo and Negros Oriental, providing potential expansion areas for the nations business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. PLDT vice-president and head of marketing, Eric Alberto, is quoted as saying that following the latest initiative, the telcos fibre-optic network now spans 10,050km connecting 68 nodes, with a total bandwidth capacity of 1.56Tbps.
Verizon Wireless has announced that it will launch its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network on Sunday in 39 markets and 60 airports, covering more than 110 million people. The new network will offer download speeds of up to 12Mbps more than ten times faster than current data speeds. Tony Melone, senior vice president and chief technical officer at Verizon Wireless promised that the new network would deliver superior performance.
The first devices to use the new network will be USB wireless data modems for laptops and are expected to appeal primarily to business customers and technology early adopters. However, Verizon Wireless will announce up to five new smartphones capable of running on the network at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. These handsets are expected to use the existing 3G network for voice calls and the 4G network for mobile internet access and running applications. There has also been speculation that Apple could announce an LTE version of the iPhone 4G early next year, though both Verizon and Apple have declined to comment. Initially Verizon will offer two monthly data plans USD50 for 5GB of data and USD80 for 10GB. It will charge customers USD10 for each additional 1GB used.
Osiptel, the Peruvian telecoms regulator, has warned that as many as a million mobile users face being cut off, having failed to register their details with their mobile network operators. In September this year Osiptel said registration of pre-paid mobile subscriptions would be made mandatory and the process would have to be completed by the beginning of March 2011.
The French telecoms regulator Arcep has recommended that mobile phone contracts be shortened from the 24-month tie-ins commonly offered, to allow end users to shop around for better deals. In a public consultation document setting down 30 key recommendations to improve transparency and make the market more competitive, Arcep is calling on cellcos to be required to offer contracts of either twelve or six months. Two-year contracts, the legal maximum length allowed in the country since 2008, currently offer the most competitive tariff plans, it noted. However, Arcep is concerned that under existing rules customers are locked into long-term deals often to the detriment of competition and often in a way that makes it difficult for users to switch provider. In another of its recommendations, Arcep is calling on domestic operators to make it clear how much of their monthly rental fee is set aside to repay the cost of their handset and what proportion is actually set aside for calls and other services. The watchdog is also concerned that offers such as free handset upgrades and other loyalty bonuses, effectively penalise people who wish to keep their existing phone. Earlier this year, the three main network operators Orange France, SFR and Bouygues Telecom signed up to a charter designed to simplify end-user tariffs and allow customers to unlock their phones free of charge to use a rivals SIM card. The proposals currently being put forward by Arcep make no mention of pre-paid tariff plans some of which include a valid period of as little as four days.
While mobile and broadband prices continue to fall, the increase in revenues compensated for the price drop, providing 2.5 per cent growth in one year. The large increase in mobile data traffic provided most of the growth, according to the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority's (NPT) ecom statistics for the first half of 2010."This shows change and continued growth in a mature ecom market. Customers' usage patterns are clearly changing from only voice and messages to increased data use, particularly via mobile services," says NPT Director General Willy Jensen.
Decline in SMS messages
For the first time the statistics show a decrease in the number of text messages (SMS) sent. In all, mobile customers sent more than 4.2 billion messages in the first half of 2010, which represents a decrease from 112 to 105 messages per person per month."Even though more than four billion messages is a lot, this means 82 million fewer SMS messages than in the first half of 2009. The decrease represents about NOK 50 million," says Jensen.It is difficult to find any specific reasons for the decline in the number of SMS messages."It is most likely connected with new forms of communication and social media such as Twitter and Facebook," says Jensen.
Fixed telephony drops
The number of fixed-line subscriptions fell by nearly eight per cent the last year. The decline applies to both traditional fixed-line subscriptions (PSTN and ISDN) and VoIP subscriptions. Both calls and revenues are falling."The numbers clearly show that fixed telephony calls are falling more than the number of subscriptions. This means that the fixed-line telephone is used less than before," says Jensen.On average, a residential fixed telephony customer talked 1,500 minutes the first half of 2010, against 1,600 minutes the first half of 2009.
Fibre is increasing
Data traffic over fibre and cable TV continues to increase, and there are now over 230,000 subscribers who have an Internet connection via fibre."The increase in fibre connections largely compensates for the decline in "DSL". Here, the number is now under 1 million. In all, the number of broadband subscribers grew by 5.1 per cent from the first half of 2009," Jensen says.
Latest figures from ABI Research indicates that there are currently more than 500 3G network commitments, and over 300 WiMAX and LTE announcements worldwide. This equates to more than two billion of the world's population being covered by high-speed data networks. The demand for speedy data networks continues to rise across the globe.
"While many networks in US and Europe are working towards complete coverage for 3G services, some mobile operators in other regions find themselves tangled up with government bureaucracy, which impedes progress in upgrading the network technology," comments ABI Research mobile services research practice director Neil Strother. "India has at last concluded its 3G spectrum auction after repeated delays; Thailand's attempt to catch up with 3G licensing has once again stalled due to reorganization of the telecoms regulator."
ABI Research estimates that nearly 82% of the population in Western Europe is currently covered by 3G networks, while only about 12% of Asia-Pacific's population has access to 3G services. "3G coverage in the Asia-Pacific region is set to rise dramatically in the next few years as Chinese and Indian operators such as China Unicom and Bharti Airtel begin actively rolling out new data networks," notes ABI research associate Fei Feng Seet.
Network sharing has became more common in a number of mature markets. For example, French mobile operator SFR will be sharing the rural build-out of its UMTS network with domestic rivals Orange France and Bouygues Telecom. Meanwhile, T-mobile and Orange UK have formed a new joint venture called "Everything Everywhere" in a bid to share costs and spectrum.
Millicom Rwanda, which provides mobile services under the Tigo banner, has widened its network footprint to a further ten districts, East African Business Week reports. Services are now available in Bugesera, Gatsibo, Gicumbi, Gisagara, Huye, Kamonyi, Nyaruguru, Rubavu, Rutsiro and Rwamagana. The operator has also enhanced coverage in areas already covered by its network, including Gasabo. Under the companys mobile licence awarded in November 2008 Millicom is committed to covering at least 80% of the population by the end of the year. According to TeleGeographys GlobalComms Database, Millicom became the countrys third mobile operator when it launched commercial services in November 2009. Just under a year later, at 30 September 2010 the company had signed up just over 548,000 customers, placing it second in the market behind MTN Rwanda with 2.39 million users, and just ahead of Rwandatel (535,710).
According to Bloomberg, mobile number portability (MNP) will be introduced in Serbia in March 2011, in compliance with European Union standards. Following regulatory changes this year and technical preparations that should be completed in February, an estimated 9.9 million mobile-phone users will be able to switch from one operator to another without changing their numbers, Telecommunications Minister Jasna Matic is quoted as saying. Number portability is a key element of true competition because many users are reluctant to change operators if that requires changing numbers, Matic said in a statement. She declined to estimate the likely impact on rates or on the size of the overall market, but said at least 10% of users are likely to change operators next year.The decision has been met with varying degrees of enthusiasm amongst the countrys three wireless network operators. MT:S, the mobile arm of state-owned fixed line incumbent Telekom Srbija, which claimed a 59.2% share of the subscriber base at the end of September, said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg that it accepted the change, while rival network operator Mobilkom Serbia (VIP Mobile) welcomed the move, saying it is ready to meet all technical conditions. Telenor Serbia meanwhile was quoted as saying that the change should be postponed to early June 2011, to allow more time for technical preparation, including setting up a central database station for routing ported numbers between operators.
According to a report on the first half of 2010 by the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS), the volume of mobile outgoing call minutes overtook fixed minutes for the first time in the country during the period, with cellular calls accounting for 52% of the six-month total of 21.5 billion minutes, compared to 10% a decade ago.
Furthermore, one-third, or 1.5 million, of the approximately 4.5 million broadband internet subscriptions recorded by the PTS at mid-2010, was accounted for by mobile broadband services provided by cellular network operators. Elsewhere in the report, the number of fixed telephony subscriptions continued to fall to just over five million by the end of June 2010; of these around one million were based on IP telephony (VoIP). The regulator also said that IPTV subscribers reached 429,000 by mid-2010, out of a total of five million television subscriptions in the Swedish market overall.
Now for the first time Swedes are calling more from their mobiles than from fixed telephones according to a report by the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS). According to PTS's calculations, the crossing point between mobile and fixed telephony usage occurred in early May 2010.
In total, Swedes made calls for 11 billion minutes from mobile networks and 10.3 billion minutes from fixed networks during the first half-year of 2010. This means that 52 per cent of the outgoing traffic came from mobile networks."Ten years ago the mobile networks represented less than 10 per cent of all outgoing call traffic. This growth has been rapid, and we have not yet seen the end," says Mattias Viklund, Head of Accessibility and Market Analysis at PTS.
Continuing decrease in subscriptions for fixed telephony
Ten years ago there were about as many subscriptions for fixed and mobile telephony - approximately 6 million of each. Since then the number of subscriptions for fixed telephony has reduced to 5 million, while the number of mobile subscriptions has increased to 10.5 million.
One-third of broadband is mobile
There were 4.5 million broadband subscriptions on 30 June 2010. Of these, 3 million were subscriptions for fixed broadband and 1.5 million were subscriptions for mobile broadband. On 30 June 2010, 45 per cent of this broadband had a capacity of at least 10 Mbit per second downstream.
The report is based on market statistics from telecom and Internet companies operating in Sweden. PTS sent the questionnaire for the report for the first half-year 2010 to in total 52 stakeholders.
The Australian Senate on Friday approved legislation that enables the government to roll out a 36 billion Australian dollar ($35 billion) high-speed national broadband network.
The Senate's final two-week session of the year was extended an additional day to vote on the enabling legislation that was opposed by the major opposition party. The legislation was passed 30 votes to 28.It is expected to become law on Monday when it is voted on in the House of Representatives where key Greens party and independent lawmakers have pledged their support.The fiber optic broadband network was a major campaign issue at August elections that returned Prime Minister Julia Gillard's center-left Labor Party with a minority government.
Opposition leader Tony Abbott's conservative Liberal Party had promised a smaller, slower AU$6 billion network with a range of technologies including optical fiber, wireless and DSL.
Independent lawmakers said their support for Labor's broadband plan was a major reason why they supported Labor to form government. With the support of three independents and a Greens party lawmaker, Labor commands a single seat majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives where parties form government.
India started the long-delayed rollout of mobile number portability (MNP) as the service was launched in Rohtak, Haryana by Shri Kapil Sibal, the Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology.Speaking on the occasion Shri Sibal announced that this service will be expanded to the entire country on January 20th, 2011. As continued efforts of the Government to increase competition in the market and to provide wider choice to customer, Mobile Number Portability will be an important step.
The networks in all the remaining 21 Licensed Service Areas have started migration for working in the MNP environment. For orderly technical migration of complex interconnected networks, each of the remaining service areas will be migrated one by one on alternate days. This will enable simultaneous validation of technical parameters and removal of any problems arising from migration activity to ensure successful and smooth migration of a service area. Migration activities will not take place during the festival season at the end of December, 2010.The Department of Telecommunications Secretary, Shri R. Chandrashekhar said on the occasion that this facility will intensify the competition among service providers both in respect of quantity of services and quality of service as well as in terms of tariff.
The DoT guidelines created geographical division of the country into two Number Portability Zones, each consisting of 11 licensed service areas. Subsequently, one operator in each zone was selected. Syniverse Technologies was granted licence for operating in Northern and Western India and MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions was granted licence for Eastern and Southern India.According to a Nielsen survey last year, it seems that close to one in five (18%) Indian mobile phone subscribers could change their mobile operator when Mobile Number Portability is introduced into the market.
According to Moldovas telecoms watchdog, the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI), the number of broadband subscribers totalled 244,000 at 30 September 2010. The figure represents an increase of 9.2% compared to 223,400 three months earlier, and a year-on-year rise of 48%. The regulator believes that the growth was driven by increased availability of high speed internet services, as well as lower tariffs and dial-up-to-broadband substitution.
Of the total broadband customer base at 30 September 2010, 159,400 were xDSL subscribers, while fibre-to-the-building (FTTB) and LAN customers accounted for 75,400 and cable broadband subscribers a further 7,500. In terms of subscribers, Moldtelecom leads the fixed broadband sector with a market share of 61.8% in 3Q10, followed by StarNet with 18.7%, Sun Communications (3.6%) and Orange Moldova (0.9%). Other operators accounted for the remaining 14.9% of the markets broadband subscribers in the quarter ended 30 September 2010.
ANRCETI said that revenue in the fixed internet sector totalled MDL383.1 million (USD31.6 million), an increase of 22.6% from a year earlier, mainly due to higher volume of sales generated by StarNet, which saw turnover rise 94% year-on-year to over MDL55 million, and Moldtelecom, which witnessed a 19.5% increase to MDL258.9 million.
Cellco Digicel Haiti has launched a mobile money service in cooperation with Scotiabank under the name Tcho Tcho Mobile, allowing Haitians to carry out cash withdrawals, deposits and transfers securely through their mobile phones without the need for a traditional bank account. During its first three months, the programme will offer up to 20,000 users the ability to access Tcho Tchos services which include domestic money transfer to another mobile user and phone top-up purchasing. The service will eventually expand both its user capacity and its range of services.
About 1.4 million homes in Portugal could access fibre-optic services in the third quarter, according to a survey by the national communications authority Anacom. The number of households with access via EuroDocsis 3.0 used by cable TV operators reached 3.4 million, or about 2.4 times the number with FTTx service. The total number of households with access to very high-speed internet reached 4.8 million, compared to four million at the end of 2009. The high-speed access is concentrated in the regions of Lisbon and the North.
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text:
|Neill, John
|Meyer, Richard
|Seal, Bruce
Submitted to: Virus Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/7/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Emerging or newly discovered viruses are becoming more of a threat to both human and animal health. Some of these viruses belong to the calicivirus group of viruses. Two of the caliciviruses, human enteric calicivirus (HECV) and porcine enteric calicivirus (PECV), do not grow or only grow very poorly in cell cultures. HECV causes viral food poisoning and does not grow in culture. There is evidence that PECV may be involved in diarrhea outbreaks in swine herds. PECV grows very poorly but can serve as a model for the human viral infection. To better understand the immune response against caliciviruses in general, porcine caliciviruses that will grow in the laboratory were studied. We examined portions of the virus that antibodies are made against in the host animal following an infection. We found that changes in the calicivirus coat protein are responsible for altered antibody recognition of these viruses. Further research efforts can now be directed toward understanding these changes for a clearer knowledge of how antibodies are effective in inactivation of calicivirus particles. This information will allow researchers to understand immune responses against the caliciviruses and make useful veterinary and human vaccines possible.
Technical Abstract: Vesicular exanthema of swine virus (VESV), the prototype calicivirus, is the etiologic agent of the disease of swine called vesicular exanthema of swine (VES). VES is characterized by vesicle formation on the extremities, mouth and snout and causes abortions and stillbirths if infection occurs during pregnancy. The single capsid protein gene of VESV serotype A48 was cloned and sequenced. The capsid protein open reading frame was encoded i the 3'-terminal 2724 bases of the genomic RNA. The VESV A48 capsid protein was 69% similar to the San Miguel Sea lion virus serotype 1 (SMSV 1) and 89% similar to the SMSV serotype 4 capsid proteins. The six apparently functional regions (A-F) previously identified in SMSV 1, SMSV 4, feline calicivirus and rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus capsid proteins were present in VESV A48. Two sets of PCR primers were designed which directed amplification of the N-terminus of the capsid protein gene and the hypervariable region (region E) of the capsid protein of these and 7 additional SMSV serotypes. Alignment and phylogenetic analysis of the N-terminal sequences confirmed the close relationship of these viruses. Alignment analysis of the hypervariable region of the ten viruses revealed that there is great variety of sequence in this region; however, highly conserved residues were identified which are also conserved in the feline calicivirus capsid protein gene. These conserved amino acid residues are probably necessary for a conserved function in the animal caliciviruses. Comparison of these sequences provides further evidence that the E-region of the animal caliciviruses may contain the major antigenic determinants.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Submitted by Bruce A. Dixon on
By BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon
President Obama's proposed debt ceiling deal makes drastic and ongoing cuts in social security, Medicare, Medicaid, aid to the education and local governments inevitable. It's the ultimate triumph of fake disaster capitalism. The very purpose of government from this point onward, instead of providing services to people will be the funding of imperial wars and making ordinary people pay for the multi-trillion dollar bank bailouts. Any jobs bills or other social spending from now on, has to be made up for by cuts elsewhere.
Barack's Satan Sandwich Only The First Course: Will We Re-Hire the Chef in 2012 Anyway?
By BAR managing editor Bruce
Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver pronounced the debt deal a Satan Sandwich. The CBC is conducting its own "jobs tour," without any government jobs, and the House progressive caucus is denouncing the series of rolling raids on Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security that the debt deal sets in motion. But will this, or anything stop progressives from re-hiring Chef Obama again in 2012?
Liberal talk show host Thom Hartman was a textbook picture of the confused and persistent state of denial among progressive Obamites on live TV earlier this week.
Hartman agreed with Kansas City congressman Emmanuel Cleaver that the deal following the debt hoax was "a satan sandwich," forced upon the nation by President Obama's refusal to stand with and for the tens of millions who elected him. The debt deal was sure to result in waves of further cuts, deepening poverty and greater unemployment, while safeguarding the profit margins and tax immunities of corporations and the wealthy. It was the shortest route to a new Great Depression.
Republican Speaker John Boehner, Hartman said, got 98% of what he was after. "98% of the blame," Hartman then declared, for the unfolding spectacle of hunger, want and poverty, a new Great Depression bearing down upon us belonged to the Republicans, with 2% accruing to the White House. Hartman's progressive arithmetic, which blames Republicans for what a Democratic president does and doesn't do, is the norm among a class of political progressives whose careers and livelihoods depend on the patronage of the Obama administration and the Democratic party.
The debt ceiling hoax has made a gaggle of Democratic party "progressives" nervous enough to begin to put some temporary distance between themselves and Barack Obama. The Congressional Black Caucus is holding a series of town hall meetings and job fairs around the country over the next couple weeks, including events in Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Pitifully, CBC members calling it their "Jobs Tour," though they appear to have no more than a few hundred jobs —- all from private employers — to give away nationwide. After all, their own president, from the moment he walked into the White House, has told us that only the private sector can create jobs, despite the fact that another Democrat three generations ago created hundreds of thousands of jobs as part of the New Deal.
Professional Democrats — including almost all black elected and appointed officials on local, state and federal levels, and a class of wannabees a layer below them — have tied themselves to this president, no matter what he does or doesn't do. They have become his indispensable enablers, shields and apologists. It is they who are accountable to the president, rather than the president being held to any meaningful accountability by those that elected him. Accountability, they say, is seriously overrated. After all, he's black, not white, and a Democrat, not a Republican. That's all we need to know. It's almost a foregone conclusion that the elected officials and other political figures, the Tavis Smileys and the Cornel Wests who are edging away from Barack Obama now will beg us to circle the wagons around him one more time in 2012.
Rep. Cleaver got it right….. the deal coming out of the debt hoax IS a Satan Sandwich with a side order of Satan Fries. But the master chef in that kitchen, the man who put "entitlements on the table" in the first place is President Barack Obama. The Satan Sandwich could not have been created without his willing, even enthusiastic cooperation, and it's just the first course in a loathsome banquet.
Thanks to chef Obama, a "supercommittee" of a dozen members of Congress has assumed the power to repeal decades of progressive legislation by simply cutting the funds for it. By 2012 all the prattle about "hope" and "change" will ring hollow for millions. We'll be chowing down on that second course, with a new pretend-crisis debt ceiling upon us. The progressives and Congressional Black Caucus members who are edging away from President Obama now will be reminding us that after all, he's black, not white, and a Democrat, not a Republican. Republicans are white supremacists, remember?
The progressive Democrats will be reminding us that we have no choice — not because we have no choices, but because they have already made theirs. Political progressives are, after all, married to their careers, not to the people. As long as our vision stretches no further than the next election, they almost make sense.
But if we take the view of the historic Freedom Movement we know that the next election, or the next three don't tell the whole story. Limiting our own vision to what elected officials and their consultants deem "polticially possible" is always a dead end. Fifty and fifty-five years ago all the demands of the Freedom Movement were "premature", "unrealistic" and "political suicide" for so-called progressives already in office.
It's time to get unrealistic and unreasonable again.
Bruce A. Dixon is managing editor at Black Agenda Report, and based in Marietta GA, where he serves on the state committee of the Georgia Green Party. He can be reached at[email protected].


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Canon PowerShot SX150 IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera 12X Optical Zoom Red for $129.99 @ CrunchFieldGet Deal
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Darryl Hammock
Handyman Services in Columbus Ohio - Yellow Van Handyman
About Me
Darryl has been doing handy projects all of his life. Learning electrical work from his father, he enjoys installing light fixtures and outlets. He has been on numerous mission trips rebuilding homes and churches. Darryl has a passion for people and is committed to customer service. He loves spending time with his wife and kids and coaching track and field at the local high school.
For me, a big part of living life to its fullest is being able to be flexible enough to help my members out as well as still be able to do the other things that I love too such as spending time with my wife and children, coaching track and field and preaching at the church I am planting. Because I am able to set my own hours, I am able to be flexible with my members and work with their schedule.
In addition to being a franchise owner with Yellow Van Handyman, I am also the pastor at a brand new church plant and my family and I are starting up. I am excited to add my new handyman business to my growing resume.
Because I'm going to be working on my member's biggest investment, their home, I want my members to see good service with a touch of love. I want them to feel completely comfortable with my work and I want them to be 100% satisfied. As the owner and operator of the business, I am able to give this to my members.
While I can and will do just about any task that is presented to me, I especially enjoy electrical work. I love installing new lighting fixtures and brightening up the rooms that I install them in. New lighting fixtures can totally change the look and feel of a room and provide an instant face lift.
Because I am a jack of all trades, your home will be in great and loving hands. So whether your service is needed on the interior or exterior of the home, I can do the job! My most common request is installing appliances. I also am asked to do quite a bit of drywall repair as well as minor plumbing repairs. The most unusual request I have received was to install a window air conditioner through a cement wall.
To me the biggest form of flattery is when my members refer me to their friends or family. It's such an honor to know that I provided such excellent service that they wanted their family and friends to experience the same great service.
Service Area
My Address:
4720 Harbinger Cir E
Whitehall, OH 43213
Live Member Feedback:
Will use again
Overall experience
Darryl is very helpful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Darryl and his team were great.
I am very pleased with the services received. The two gentlemen were very nice and explained everything to me.
I had motion-sensored lights wired and put on my garage, a new front porch light, and a back deck light replaced. Also, A new new screen put in my sliding door. All jobs were completed in a timely fashion and were all quality work. The genttlemen were friendly and professional and I would certainly call for them for any additional work. Highly recommended to all.
I will use Yellowman Handyman everytime I need something done in my home. Darrell was very professional and did an excellent job in everything I had him work on. I highly recommend this company, especially Darrell.
Daryl and his assistant was fantastic!! I would recommend him and his work to anyone.
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Flash No More
Dwyane Wade has long been known round these parts as Flash. It was a moniker Shaquille ONeal bestowed upon him when the Big Diesel signed with the Miami Heat in 2004. At the time, it seemed an appropriate nickname for D-Wade. He was a young, up-and-coming star in the making with lightning speed and a killer instinct. And because Shaq always fancied himself as Superman, he christened Wade Flash. Of course, he also called D-Wade that name because Shaq likes to make it known hes the man and that all others must play in his shadow. That was the reason he divorced himself from Kobe Bryant and left the Lakers, and it was the reason he left Miami in a huff because his so-called sidekick was the hero of the 2006 NBA Finals. And the Big Insecure couldnt handle that. Now that a new era of Miami Heat basketball is upon us, Wade has announced that he is no longer to be known as Flash. I want people to respect me for who I am, Wade told the media. Not some character. If he, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh bring us multiple titles, he can be called whatever he wants. D-Wade and the other two kings will host the Utah Jazz this Tuesday at the American Airlines Arena.
Tue., Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m., 2010
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Water bowl dilemma solved!
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Michigan
Posts: 366
Water bowl dilemma solved!
When preparing to bring home the new puppy, I purchased a set of beautiful black and white crock dog dishes that match my dishes. However, Mystique's favorite activity is putting her paw in the water dish and sliding (flinging) it across the floor. After constantly mopping up water, I started putting just a little bit of water in the dish. Of course, I then have to constantly give her water.
Saturday night I heard her playing with the dish and all of the sudden a loud CRASH! She had slammed the dish into the food bowl and shattered it. She wasn't hurt, thank goodness so I made a quick trip to Walmart and bought a pair of no skid dishes.
OK, so now instead of sliding it, she's tipping it and carrying it around.
I then searched on line and found a really pretty wrought iron dog dish holder that mounts on the wall. Genius! The $80 price tag is a bit much imho, so I decided to put my "McGyver" talents to use and come up with my own version. (Anyone remember that show?
First up, I ordered some bowls that hang in a crate. Next, find something to hang them on. I have the largest wire crate for Mystique and it came with a divider. Not using it so thought that might work out.
The wire divider wasn't big enough to hang on the wall with screws to hit the studs, and since I didn't want to put holes in the wall until I knew this would work, I decided to give the command hooks a try. These are the things that people use to hang Christmas decorations and pictures.
It seems to be working well. I'll even be able to raise the bowls as she grows...an added benefit! It's a little flimsy so I will secure it the wall more firmly now that I know it will work. I can actually give her a full bowl of water and not be mopping it up! Yay!
Mystique: Solid Black, 11/10/2013
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Actress Drew Barrymore will have her six tattoos removed by laser surgery, reportedly over worries that the ornamentation on her body might prevent her from eventually receiving a Jewish burial, Star magazine reported last week.
Barrymore, who achieved fame as a child star and had a period of high-profile substance abuse as a teen, recently married Jewish art consultant Will Kopelman and has since been thinking of converting to Judaism.
"It's a beautiful faith and I'm so honored to be around it," Barrymore told talk show hosts on "The View." "It's so family-oriented… the stories are so beautiful and it's incredibly enlightening. I'm really happy," she said.
Tattoos are strictly forbidden according to traditional Jewish law; some cemeteries are reputed to refuse burying people with body art.
Barrymore, 37, was self-admittedly raised as a "hippie" by actor father John Barrymore, but says she "loves" practicing Judaism.
The tattoos Barrymore hopes to remove include two angels on her back, a butterfly on her stomach, a bouquet of flowers on her hip, a Cross on her leg, and a crescent moon on her toe.


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Make one right on a purl row
Make one right on knit row
Make one left on purl row
Make one left on knit row
Make One On Right Side
The Spring/Summer 2014 season looks to two opposing directions, one heavenly and future facing, the other grounded and ancient in its appeal. We see a mix of delicate pastel lace designs, bold and beautiful stripes and inspiring colour blended stripes, rustic textures and handcrafted artisan crochet. We see inspiration taken from Moorish tile art, Antique floral lace patterns and geographical patterning that can be found in rock formations.
Rowan is showcasing three stories to reflect these major trends for the Spring/Summer 2014 season:Clarity - inspired by the delicate beauty of historic lace and Irish crochet making.Legacy - influences from ancient, worn landscapes and patterning found in rock formations.Essentials - takes a new direction this season by concentrating on another major trend - stripes, whilst still promoting the key shapes of the season.
Launched 15th January 2014, from the Rowan Spring/Summer 2014 collection.
For more information, click the link below:http://www.knitrowan.com/designs-and-patterns/magazines/rowan-knitting-c...


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On Valentine's Day, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. It has been such a busy time that I forgot, until she called me today to let me know that her hair was starting to fall out, that I wanted to make her some scarves. I have tried to look up free patterns on the net, but can't seem to get anywhere with it. Does anyone know of any free patterns out there?
I have told her to call the local cancer center tomorrow (she lives 1500 miles from me) to get one for now. I would love to make her some so I can make them personal with the fabrics that she likes when she quilts.


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MILWAUKEE -- The ball just isn't slicing the Yankees' way right now.
Geoff Jenkins ran down Derek Jeter's drive in the right-field corner for the final out, preserving the Brewers' 4-3 victory Monday night and ruining New York's first trip to Milwaukee since 1997.
"Two more inches," Jenkins marveled. "It was one of those balls where you're running all out. Luckily, I had enough Rawlings to glove it."
Junior Spivey hit a go-ahead homer off Randy Johnson, Jeff Cirillo also connected and Derrick Turnbow escaped a ninth-inning jam to send the slumping Yankees to their eighth loss in nine games.
With pressure mounting from impatient owner George Steinbrenner, the $200 million Yankees fell to 1-6 on their 12-game road trip and dipped below .500 at 28-29.
"We're certainly going to have to earn our money to turn this thing around because it's just not a lot of fun right now," manager Joe Torre said.
New York put the potential tying run on second base with none out in the ninth, but Turnbow struck out rookie Robinson Cano and got pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra on a groundout.
Jeter then sliced a drive to right that appeared headed for the corner - probably an extra-base hit that would tie the game. But Jenkins, running at full speed, reached out and made a terrific grab, leaving Jeter grimacing as he rounded first base.
Most of the crowd of 37,627 figured the game was tied, and so did Jeter.
"I don't know what he was doing over there," Jeter said, referring to Jenkins. "I guess it was good placement on his part, good coaching or scouting, whatever. But when I hit it, I thought the game was going to be tied."
Turnbow saw the ball come off Jeter's bat and, "I was just like, 'Get foul! Get foul!"' he said.
Then, he noticed Jenkins was in position to rob Jeter of the tying hit thanks to first base coach Dave Nelson, who positioned Jenkins just right.
Nelson motioned for Jenkins to take a few steps in and a couple steps toward the line so he could have a play at the plate to throw out pinch-runner Tony Womack should Jeter hit a single in front of him.
"I wasn't concerned about the double over his head," Nelson said. "And then I also felt that the way Turnbow was throwing that Jeter wasn't going to pull the ball."
Still, he thought it was all for naught when the ball left Jeter's bat.
"I just said, 'Oh shoot, that's trouble,"' Nelson said.
Because the play occurred deep in the corner at Miller Park, most of the Brewers had to watch the first base umpire, Sam Holbrook, make the call - some just watched for Jeter's reaction.
"It seems like when you're scuffling, you don't get any breaks," Jeter said. "And then when you're playing well, it seems like everything goes your way. If we had won 10 in a row, Jenkins is probably in right-center and the ball drops."
Spivey broke a 3-all tie with his fifth homer leading off the sixth, sending Johnson's first pitch over the left-field wall. It was the first hit Johnson allowed since Cirillo's solo shot in the third.
Johnson (5-5) allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out eight.
"I'm just not pitching as well as I thought I would be," Johnson said. "Unfortunately, everybody's struggling at the same time."
Cirillo doubled home Brady Clark in the first and scored on Carlos Lee's single for a 2-0 lead. Cirillo's homer in the third made it 3-0, a lead that was erased an inning later.
Jason Giambi started the comeback with a run-scoring single. Then, with the bases full and one out, first baseman Wes Helms made a diving stop of Cano's high-hopper, but instead of flipping to pitcher Doug Davis covering the bag for the second out with the pitcher on deck, he made a sidearm throw home that was off-target, allowing Jorge Posada to score the Yankees' second run.
Giambi tied it at 3 when he scored from third on Davis' wild pitch with Johnson up at bat.
Davis recovered to strike out Johnson and Jeter with runners at second and third and had to rescue himself again an inning later when he walked the bases full with nobody out before striking out Posada and inducing Giambi to hit into a double play.
The Yankees didn't get another baserunner until the ninth.
Davis (8-5), who allowed three runs and four hits with five walks and eight strikeouts, finished his up-and-down outing with a 1-2-3 sixth before giving way to Matt Wise, who pitched a perfect seventh and eighth. Turnbow earned his ninth save in 11 opportunities.
- Lee doubled in the seventh, his eighth hit in his last eight at-bats, tying a club record.
- Jeter opened the game with a single for the sixth straight time, a career best.
- With C Damian Miller expected to miss the three-game series, the Brewers designated RHP Gary Glover for assignment and purchased C Julio Mosquera's contract from Triple-A Nashville.
- Baseball commissioner Bud Selig made his first appearance at Miller Park this season, joining Mark Attanasio, who bought the team from the Selig family last winter.


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Not only do we serve up some of the freshest subs in the area, but we now serve all Angus beef hamburgers cooked to order.
At L.A. Subs, we are proud that we never import our seafood. When you purchase our delicious shrimp po'boy, you are buying real gulf shrimp. And we mean the Gulf of Mexico!
Never Frozen! Come taste the difference between our Chicken and the competitors. You will wonder why you didn't do it sooner.


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In portraying the evolution of a lab specimen gone wild, the visual effects team for mutant thriller Splice drew from a 200-page style guide dreamed up by director Vincenzo Natali.
Creepy creature Dren, the genetically modified organism concocted in the film by a pair of risk-taking bioengineers, comes alive on-screen through a mix of digital add-ons, old-fashioned prosthetics and live performances by Delphine Chanéac and child actress Abigail Chu.
"It came down to the idea that we would do as much as we could with the real actor and replace only when it's necessary," visual effects supervisor Robert Munroe told Wired.com about the process. "We didn't want Delphine and Abigail to become self-conscious about the fact that their legs were going to be replaced later or that the tail was going to be added."
Even critics who slammed Splice, which opened last week, for devolving into standard-issue horror schlock midway through would probably admit the film includes some creepy and creative visual effects. Here's a look at the making of a mutant.
(Spoiler alert: Plot points, behind-the-scenes images and many spoilery visuals ahead.)
As the movie unfolds, lab love child Dren grows rapidly from a tiny, birdlike beastie into a much more human-looking creature. The infant's "upper body was all bird references," Munroe says of Dren's early developmental stages, but the legs were based on a horse.
Munroe modeled young Dren's locomotion on his dog: "I was out one night walking my golden retriever and when he tore across the field, I noticed that as fast as those legs were going, his head and tail stayed perfectly still. I took that to the studio and made that work with baby Dren."
"When the baby Dren is going through its toddler stage, that was all CG," says Munroe. "The exception is the scene where she's on the examining table gasping for breath. It became evident that we should use a puppet, so for those shots, Dren was a fully practical model."
"In prey mode, young Dren's eyes were so far off to the side of the head that we had put a prosthetic skull cap on Abigail," Munroe says. "Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to see anything and it would have been claustrophobic. With the exception of her nose, her mouth and her chin, the young Dren was all digital."
"We took every single shot and extracted tracking data to animation channels," Munroe says. "That allowed us to move the eyes to the side." He cites The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as an inspiration for combining live performance with digital enhancements.
"Delphine wore blue stockings and blue high heels for a little extra height," Munroe says. "Fortunately she was able to run and jump in high heels no problem. We also added a thigh pad because the angle of Delphine's human thighs were about 15 degrees different from the angle of Dren's CG legs that we added later."
Oscar-winning effects designer "Howard Berger and his team created a 12-inch-long tail stump that had a little monofilament attached to it," Munroe says. "Every time we shot something with the tail in it, somebody off-camera was moving the monofilament to give it a bit of motion."
The tail extrudes a stinger whenever Dren becomes excited. "Conceptually, it was like a stingray to some extent and a rattlesnake, but because of the way it functions, we kept referring to it as 'the dog penis,'" Munroe says.
Follow us on Twitter: @hughhart and @theunderwire.


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Bouari Clinic KOP to showcase at PhillyFit bash 2011
Bouari Clinic King of Prussia Medical Weight Loss Clinic will showcase at PhillyFit bash on 11.06.2011.
The Bouari Clinic King of Prussia (KOP) prides itself on its approach to weight loss and wellness. Its proprietary supplements, medications, and methods have helped over 32,000 patients lose a great amount of weight in over 15 locations nationwide since 2007. Led by a team of PhD nutritionists and physicians, the Bouari Clinic team has developed FDA registered supplements in combination with prescription strength vitamins and natural medications that allow for the quickest and healthiest weight loss possible. Beyond the immediate effect of losing the weight, the program and staff emphasises the importance of maintaining the healthy lifestyle beyond the weight loss.
Patients lose weight when they combine the Bouari program methods with natural healthy foods found in every day grocery stores. Patients can go on the Bouari Clinic protocol from as little as 21 days to as much as 50 days, depending on how much weight the patient has to lose. During the entire program, patients receive the highest quality of vitamins (B12, B6, etc) and amino acids to aid in fat loss. At the same time, the body goes through a detoxifying process where all the "unhealthy" toxins that have accumulated through the years are flushed out of the body.
The team of physicians, nutritionists, and counselors at the Bouari Clinic KOP are always available and accessible throughout. Once patients join the clinic, they become members for life, without paying any membership fees, recurrent fees, or any hidden fees. In comparison to the various weight loss options available on the market, Bouari Clinic is the most efficient at helping patients lose weight naturally and detoxifying their bodies simultaneously. Unlike many weight loss options around, the Bouari Clinic does not offer prescription "diet pills" that are based on amphetamines and are very addictive with a history of known side effects. The Bouari Clinic does not sell prepackaged foods that are filled with preservatives and chemicals. These programs are a quick fix and do not teach the patient how to eat healthy for life. The program does not require any exercise, since many overweight people struggle to exercise to begin with. They do however encourage light walking and increased activity, but not strenuous exercise. Surgery is not an option. Although some extreme cases of obesity require surgery, it should be the very LAST resort. There are many side effects of bariatric surgery and patients do not get to enjoy food for the rest of their lives. As opposed to the Bouari protocol that allows patients to eat natural regular food once their new set weight point is achieved.
The PhillyFIT BASH will allow the Bouari Clinic to network with like minded people who appreciate natural methods of weight loss and the concept of detoxifying our bodies. The BC protocol is the most efficient, fastest, and effective way to help people lose weight naturally. The program promotes organic foods and eating healthy for the rest of your life, thus allowing patients to develop a new and better relationship with food!
Stop by our booth to talk to our physicians, nutritionists, and counselors. There will be free giveaways, product samples, free body measurements, discount coupons, and free consultations.
Bouari Clinic King of Prussia
(Across the KOP mall on rt 202 & Mall blvd)
677 West DeKalb Pike,
Second Floor,
King of Prussia, PA, 19406
# # #
The Bouari Clinic King of Prussia prides itself on its approach to weight loss and wellness. Its proprietary natural detoxifying supplements, medications, and methods have helped over 32,000 patients lose a great amount of weight nationwide since 2007.
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Shakira Set to Take the Stage at Latin Grammys
The Latin music world's biggest awards show, the Latin Grammys, just got a little more star-studded: Colombian superstar Shakira has just announced that she'll be performing.
Shakira, who will be honored as 'Person of the Year,' joins the top musical artists from the Spanish-speaking world, including Calle 13, Franco de Vita, and Marco Antonio Solis. Shaki's album 'Sale el Sol,' which spawned singles 'Loca' and 'Rabiosa,' and also featured a gorgeous cover of the xx's 'Islands,' has sold over 4 million copies worldwide.
The awards, which will take place on Nov. 7 in Las Vegas and will air live on Univision, will be hosted by Lucero, a Mexican singer and actress who has hosted in the awards in previous years. Actress Zoe Saldana has also been confirmed to give out an award.
Shaki is known for her innovative sound and show-stopping performances, so we can't wait for her performance — although, if she's an honoree for Person of the Year, you'd think that she would get to take a night off. Either way, the songbird, humanitarian, and all-around superstar is always one to watch — if only it wasn't for that pesky language barrier! Any Spanish-speaking friends want to come translate for us?


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Jackson Rathbone's "Breaking Dawn" Theater Surprise
Making for quite the pleasant surprise for a crowd of lucky theatergoers, Jackson Rathbone made an unannounced appearance at Regal LA LIVE in Los Angeles, CA last night (November 18).
The Jasper Hale heartthrob took to the local cinema to join fans as they shuffled inside to watch his just-released movie, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1".
Sounding as if Rathbone and his castmates have more pop-in visits on the way, Regal LA LIVE's Twitter page posted a message reading, "@JacksonRathbone just invaded another theatre. Will your theatre be next?"
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old and his "Twilight" co-stars have already made a splash at the box office with the vampire saga's fourth installment - as "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" raked in an estimated $73.5 million on Friday while pacing towards a $139 million opening weekend.
Enjoy the pictures of Jackson Rathbone at a local theater in Los Angeles (November 18).
Photo Credit: Getty Images