Chinese telecommunications conglomerate ZTE has increased its market share in the US smartphone industry. Analysts have suggested that its success is down to a combination of aggressive marketing and its manufacturing of cheap and affordable devices.
Industry News
Huawei overtakes Apple in Central and Eastern Europe
ExpiredHuawei retook the number two spot from Apple in Central and Eastern Europe in Q2 2017, according to Canalys research. It shipped 1.8 million smartphones to take a 12 percent market share, beating Apple by fewer than 50,000 units. Its strength was in low-to-mid-range products, with the P10 Lite becoming its best-seller in the region.
Telstra shares plunge after announcing dividend reduction
ExpiredTelstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications company, saw its shares dive to a five-year low on August 17 after announcing it will reduce its dividend this financial year. The operator reported a 1 percent lift in its full year profits amidst tough competition, but attention quickly centered on the announced cut to its dividend from next year.
Toshiba posts shocking $8.8 billion earnings loss
ExpiredJapanese tech giant Toshiba posted a shocking $8.8 billion earnings loss on August 10 for the last fiscal year. The struggling firm posted its long-awaited results to reduce the risk that it will be delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Toshiba had postponed the release of its results for months, as it struggled to secure authorization from its auditors.
Spark NZ delivers strong results in line with transformation targets
ExpiredSpark, New Zealand’s leading telecom operator, reported an overall net earnings increase of 13 percent to $418 million, Spark Chairman Mark Verbiest announced on August 18. The results for the year ended 30 June 2017 were in line with expectations and mark further progress in Spark’s long-term digital transformation.
NTT, Intel, Ericsson, Toyota, DENSO form consortium for connected cars
ExpiredJapanese automotive manufacturer DENSO Corporation, along with Ericsson, Intel Corporation, Japanese telecom company NTT DOCOMO and Toyota announced that they have initiated the formation of the Automotive Edge Computing Consortium.
Ericsson sues smartphone maker Wiko for infringement of patents
ExpiredEricsson sued smartphone maker Wiko, in the regional courts of Düsseldorf and Mannheim in Germany, for infringement of patents essential for 2G, 3G and 4G cellular technology, as well as implementation patents. Wiko is a French smartphone manufacturing company majority-owned by Chinese technology group Tinno Mobile and its phones are manufactured in China.
Wiko has been infringing Ericsson’s intellectual property rights for six years without any license or compensation, Ericsson claims. The Swedish telecom vendor has “tried to establish a fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) license agreement with Wiko since May 2013, but has not succeeded,” it said. Ericsson has now decided to exercise its legal rights to enforce its patents against Wiko’s infringing products.
“Global sharing of technology and open standards are the force behind the smartphone revolution and have allowed new entrants, such as Wiko, to quickly build successful businesses,” said Gustav Brismark, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Ericsson.
“This ICT eco-system only works, however, if all market players respect the basic rules of FRAND licensing,” he added. “It is unfair for Wiko to benefit from our substantial R&D investment without paying a reasonable license fee for our patented technology. Our ambition has always been to reach a mutually fair and reasonable license agreement with Wiko, just as we do with all of our licensees.”
Ericsson has a large intellectual property portfolio, which includes more than 42,000 granted patents worldwide. Ericsson’s patent portfolio covers 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE technologies, and the company plays a key role in the global organizations that are developing standards for 5G technologies.
Samsung holds top sales spot in US, but loses share to Apple
ExpiredSamsung regained the top sales spot in the USA in the three month period ending in May 2017, with market share rising to 36.2 percent, according to the latest smartphone OS data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. But this represents a fall of 1.1 percent over the past year, with Apple holding 34 percent share, up 4.7 percent from the previous year.
$11.7 billion investment for China Unicom will enable operator to develop 5G technologies
ExpiredFunds generated from a share sale conducted by China Unicom is estimated to earn the operator around $11.7 billion, which it will subsequently utilize to upgrade its 4G capabilities and help accelerate its aims to develop 5G related technology.
SoftBank and bike-sharing platform team up to launch service in Japan
ExpiredChinese bike-sharing provider ofo and SoftBank Commerce & Service Corp. (SoftBank C&S) announced that the two have reached a basic agreement to collaborate on the deployment of ofo’s global bike-sharing business in Japan.