Weekly Deal Roundup

Intel May Take Part in Wimax Spectrum Bid in India
From: GoingWimax.com
According to the Indian Business Standard newspaper, Intel wants to team up with a local operator in India for the upcoming WiMax spectrum auction there. They are willing to support their partner’s roll-out plans financially and in technology and expertise, increasing the chances of a rapid and competitive roll-out; and give Intel a strong guiding hand over the business models and services adopted. There is a strong possibility partners could be Bharti Airtel, Reliance or Tata Communications. These are some of the major cellcos that are expected to join state-owned BSNL and MTNL in rolling out WiMAX.
Intel has experience in this type of venture. The have taken part in several WiMax ventures around the world. Either by joint ventures like Clearwire or Freedom4, by purchasing spectrum directly as in Sweden, and by injections of capital or equipment into start-up providers, often in emerging markets.
The WiMAX auction will start a few days after the conclusion of the 3G sale, which is due to start on January 14. The Department of Telecom plans to auction two blocks of 2.3GHz spectrum in January. About 28 companies – including Intel Technology India, Alcatel-Lucent India, Motorola, Huawei, HCL Infosystems and TCIL – have bought tender documents.
Read the entire article.
Canadian authorities rule Globalive not qualified for spectrum license
From: RCR Wireless News
The Canadian regulatory agency ruled that newcomer Globalive Communications Corp. is not a Canadian-owned company and so cannot operate a wireless network, despite having paid $442 million CDN last year to acquire a nationwide AWS license.
What happens next is unclear; Globalive said it is reviewing its options, according to published reports. The company, which was originally awarded the spectrum by Industry Canada in March this year, has already picked Nokia Siemens Networks and Alcatel-Lucent to build out its 3G network.
Canadian telecom rules require that commercial telecom carriers be majority owned by Canadians. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ruled that Globalive is 65%-owned by Orscacom Telecommunications Holdings, an Egyption-based company. Globalive, Videotron, Dave Wireless and Public Mobile all won AWS spectrum in 2008 designed to bring more competition to Canada. The Canadian market is dominated by Telus Mobility, Bell Canada and Rogers Communications Inc. Telus filed the initial protest after Industry Canada awarded Globalive the 2 GHz spectrum.
Nortel says will delay GSM asset auction
From: Reuters
Bankrupt telecom equipment maker Nortel Networks Corp has delayed the planned auction of its GSM wireless business by 11 days.
Nortel had originally planned to sell the unit — one of the company’s few remaining assets — on Nov. 9, but said in a statement that, “after discussions with interested parties,” it would be better to schedule it for Nov. 20. Qualified bidders will have to submit offers by Nov. 16.
Nortel had previously said it planned to sell the GSM unit in an open auction. The deal will include related patents.
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Cellphone GPS Operator TeleNav Files For $75M IPO
From: The Wall Street Journal
TeleNav Inc. announced plans to sell up to an estimated $75 million in stock through an initial public offering as the provider of voice-guided navigation becomes the latest company looking to use the market’s rebound as the time to go public.
TeleNav’s service is available through U.S. carriers such as Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) and AT&T Inc. (T), as well as internationally. The company had more than 11 million paying users as of Sept. 30.
For the fiscal first quarter ending Sept. 30, Telenav earned $4.4 million on revenue of $36 million, compared with prior-year earnings of $2.6 million on revenue of $21.5 million.
TeleNav is increasingly diversifying away from Sprint, which has been losing subscribers for several years, with 55% of revenue in the latest quarter coming from Sprint. That compares with 61% in the fiscal year ended June 30 and 90% two years prior. At the same time, AT&T comprised 34% of revenue in the latest quarter.
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