Telefónica SA considers using O2 proceeds to pay for GVT
Telefónica SA is reportedly considering using proceeds from the sale of O2 UK to pay for Brazilian broadband operator GVT. Bloomberg reports that the $8.7 billion deal to purchase GVT from Vivendi SA was agreed upon in September.
Telefónica is currently in exclusive talks to sell O2 to Hutchison Whampoa for as much as $15.4 billion. The deal is expected to be complete in 2016.
Telenor offers free 3G service in Pakistan
Telenor announced that it now has 2.6 million 3G subscribers in 73 Pakistan cities. Telenor said that it is now expanding 3G services to other cities, and will offer free trials of 3G services and 50 megabytes of free data to customers in the new cities for two weeks.
MTN, fastest-growing telco company in Ghana
MTN beat Vodafone in November 2014 claiming the top telecom company spot in Ghana. MTN gained almost 200,000 new subscribers in the month, which ranked first out of carriers. MTN said that its subscriber base increased from under 13 million to more than 13.6 million. MTN now holds a more than 45% market share in Ghana.
Vodafone applies for bank permit in India
Vodafone announced that it applied for a permit to operate a payments bank in India. The permit, if approved, will be aimed at bringing basic banking services to millions of people in India. Reuters reports that Vodafone India is currently exploring partnerships for the deal.
NTT DoCoMo offers new rate plan
NTT DoCoMo announced rates for a new discount plan for mobile and fixed-line fiber-optic communications. The plan allows NTT DoCoMo customers to receive discounts on smartphones and other services. The plan will officially roll out in March.
The new plan comes after KDDI launched a similar plan, and started seeing customer growth. Softbank will reportedly also launch a discount plan.
