Chinese web services conglomerate Baidu has announced it has reached an agreement with PayPal to take its mobile wallet business global. The deal brokered between the two entities is yet another illustration of PayPal’s new strategy to expand its presence in mobile.
Chinese messaging app WeChat has reached an agreement with European (Dutch) operator KPN to launch a new European countries roaming SIM card for Chinese tourists travelling to Europe. “WeChat GO SIM card” is the first 4G prepaid SIM for tourists officially launched in cooperation with a European operator which has exclusive privilege for WeChat users.
Indian telecommunications operator Reliance believes its new smartphone start-up Jio, which has produced a ‘free’ internet-enabled device entitled the ‘JioPhone’ – will bring connectivity to millions in rural parts of India.
Australian telecom operator Optus announced a further $17.5 million commitment to improve 4G mobile coverage in the Australian island state of Tasmania. The investment will deliver improved call quality and faster download speeds for mobile customers in and around the capital Hobart, Launceston, Devonport and Tasmania’s east coast.
Thaicom Public Company Limited, one of Asia’s leading satellite operators and provider of integrated satellite communications services, announced an agreement with iSAT Africa Ltd FZC. (iSAT), a leading African telecommunications provider and a subsidiary of Wananchi Group Holdings, to provide iSAT’s key customer in East Africa with fully managed satellite telecommunications services including satellite backup of its fiber network.
The Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) consortium announced that the world’s largest submarine cable system in more than a decade has officially launched, with services commencing from Europe to the Far East.
Australia has called for the Solomon Islands to withdraw from an undersea cable project entitled ‘Project Honiara’ after the tender for the contract was awarded to Chinese telecommunications colossus Huawei. Australia and Huawei have had a checkered history and the country has cited security concerns in order to justify their calls to the Solomon Islands to withdraw from the project.
HomeGrid Forum announced China Telecom Shanghai Research Institute has become its newest promoter member. China Telecom Shanghai Research Institute is the major research organization within the China Telecom Corporation, and has worked on G.hn related projects for over three years.
Samsung Electronics announced an expanded strategic partnership with PayPal, adding PayPal as a payment method within Samsung Pay wherever Samsung Pay is accepted – in-app, online and in-store. Access to PayPal will be available for all Samsung Pay users in the United States and will expand to other countries soon. Additionally, through Braintree, a PayPal service, merchants will be able to accept Samsung Pay as a method of payment in-app and online.
China’s largest social media and gaming organization, will enter the domain of the ‘smart TV’ sector following the announcement that it has reached an agreement with TCL Corp. Tencent Holdings has agreed to allow its video content to be streamed on TCL’s ‘smart TVs’ – which will expand its content dominance from mobile phones to living rooms.
