Page 10 - Sphere No.14 (Jul 2005)

S PHERE 8
3G SWEDEN’S
THRILLING
RIDE
Life
in the telecom
business often
feels like a roller-
coaster ride. It
really was when
3 Sweden
launched its state-of-the art
videomail service, 3VideoSvar, at
Stockholm’s Gröna Lund amuse-
ment park. 3VideoSvar, a joint
venture between 3 and Ericsson
Global Services using a Mobeon
platform, is another first for 3
Sweden. And just as exciting as
any of the rides at Gröna Lund.
There’s a lot going on at 3
Sweden. Together with Nordic
Web Radio, they’ve just launched
the world’s first interactive 3G
radio service. T
Q1 UPDATES
Strong Start
for Hutchison
Telecom
Hutchison
Telecommunications
International has made
a flying start to 2005. Key
performance indicators for
Q1 show that the mobile
customer base has grown
to 13.3 million – up 6.2%
from the previous quarter
and a huge 35.1% rise
compared to the same
quarter in 2004.
Husky Up on
Commodity
Prices
Husky Energy Inc reported
a 51% rise in net earnings
in Q1 2005, up to C$384
million, compared with
C$255 million for the same
quarter in 2004.
Partner Buys
Back Shares
Partner Communications
Company Ltd reported first
quarter revenues of NIS 1.26
billion, up 3.4% from the
same period the previous
year. Partner also completed
a public debt offering of NIS
2.0 billion – the largest ever
in Israel – and completed
a repurchase of 18% of its
outstanding shares.
HELPING KIDS
TO HEAL
New and imagi-
native uses are being found
for 3G videophone technology
every day, it seems. Now
3 Italy has come up with the
heart-warming idea of using it
to keep sick children in touch with their families.
3 Italy has provided a leading paediatric
hospital with videophones, so that their
patients can stay in close contact with their
parents and other family members even
when visiting is impossible. Another first for
3G – and a helping hand for children strug-
gling to get well.
I T A L Y
S W E D E N
T
GLOBAL TELECOMS STRATEGY
Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited
is growing fast in Asia. It has agreed to take a 60% stake in
PT Cyber Access Communications in Indonesia, one of only
two mobile operators with a combined nation-wide 2G and 3G licence. Indonesia offers huge
opportunities: mobile penetration is still low at around 15%.
Vietnam is another market with huge demand for mobile phone services. Now it will be met
by Hutchison Telecom. A wholly owned subsidiary, Hutchison Telecommunications (Vietnam),
has formed a partnership with Hanoi Telecommunication to build, operate and develop a
mobile phone network.
In line with its strategy of
exiting markets where it has no
growth ambitions, Hutchison
Telecom has sold its mobile
operations in Paraguay to
America Movil S.A. of Mexico.
The sale will be completed
during Q3 2005. T T
T
E
White Rose
Shuttle Tanker
A naming ceremony has
been held in South Korea,
for the first of two shuttle
tankers for Husky Energy
Inc’s White Rose field off
Newfoundland and Labrador
in Canada. The tankers are
being built at Samsung
Heavy Industries’ Koje
shipyard, which also built the
SeaRose Floating Production,
Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.
With a million barrel capacity, the tankers will be used to
transport oil from White Rose to markets along the
eastern seaboard of Canada and the USA.
The SeaRose FPSO reached Canada in April 2004 and its
topsides facilities have been installed. Work is now going
on to complete the hook-ups and commission the vessel
for service. E