LinkedIn crosses 50-million member mark in Asia Pacific

Top industries represented include IT & Services, Banking & Financial Services and Telecommunications Tech companies most followed by members in the region

Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA — 12 February 2014 — LinkedIn, the world’s largest online professional network with over 277 million members globally, today announced that it has crossed 50 million members in the Asia Pacific region.  Nine countries in the region now have over 1 million members - India (24+ million), Australia (5+ million), China (4+ million), Indonesia and the Philippines (2+ million each), Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand (1+ million each).

This 50-million member milestone represents nearly a tripling of LinkedIn’s member base in the region from May 2011, when it opened its regional centre in Singapore. In 2013, LinkedIn welcomed more than 7 million new members in India, while 2 million joined the network in Australia and New Zealand. In Southeast Asia, the number of members jumped more than 50 percent to exceed 9 million.

“The strong growth we are seeing in our member base is a great encouragement for us.  We still have much to do in terms of connecting all professionals around the world. Accordingly, we are looking to introduce more features to deliver even more value to our members and customers,” commented Hari Krishnan, MD of LinkedIn Asia Pacific and Japan.

Since 2011, LinkedIn has also added six Asian languages to its offerings to offer a more localised experience for members in these markets.  It also introduced several Asia-based influencers to enrich the professional knowledge on its platform, including top executives such as Tony Fernandes (Group CEO, AirAsia), David Thodey (CEO & Executive Director, Telstra), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (Chairman &  Managing Director, Biocon) and Nobuyuki Idei (Founder & CEO, Quantum Leaps, and Former Chairman & CEO, Sony).

As its member base continues to grow, LinkedIn was also able to help clients across the region reach out and engage with a broader audience.  These clients include Standard Chartered Bank, AirAsia, SingPost, Lenovo, University of Queensland and Van Heusen.

“Asia is a growth story. As the region increasingly consolidates its position as a key driver of the global economy, our aim is to help professionals and businesses in Asia become even more successful at what they do. Whether it’s expanding professional connections, tapping critical talent or marketing and selling to this influential audience, we’re excited to be able to help connect the dots and create economic opportunities for everyone,” Mr. Krishnan continued.

Some facts about LinkedIn’s 50 million members in Asia Pacific:

Top five companies followed   IBM Hewlett-Packard Accenture Google Tata Consultancy Services
In Singapore Google Standard Chartered Bank Hewlett-Packard Apple Shell   In Malaysia Shell Petronas AirAsia Schlumberger ExxonMobil	In Australia Google Rio Tinto Telstra Commonwealth Bank National Australia Bank   In New Zealand Air New Zealand Fonterra The University of Auckland Telecom New Zealand ANZ	In India Tata Consultancy Services IBM Accenture Hewlett-Packard Infosys In Indonesia Chevron Unilever BP TOTAL Shell	In Hong Kong HSBC Google Cathay Pacific Airways Standard Chartered Bank Apple   In Japan Google IBM DeNA Apple Microsoft

Telstra readies Australia for extreme data speeds with 4G LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation

• Telstra and Ericsson successfully demonstrated speeds up to 300 Mbps with LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation of 40 MHz over 1800 MHz band and 2600 MHz bands on Telstra's live commercial network
• Ericsson uses LTE Advanced technology to enable operators to offer higher data speeds throughout the network, improving end users mobile broadband experience through better app, browsing and media performance
• Telstra plans to deploy the technology on 700 MHz spectrum once available 

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) successfully supported Telstra, Australia's leading telecommunication operator, in further enhancing its LTE Advanced (LTE-A) commercial service network.  Telstra and Ericsson successfully demonstrated 300 Mbps downlink speeds for a data transfer across Telstra's live network. The demonstration used Ericsson's commercially released LTE Advanced software which aggregated 20 MHz bandwidth within the 1800 MHz band and 20 MHz bandwidth within the 2600 MHz band. The demonstration included downloading video content from while measuring download throughput.

Mike Wright, Telstra Executive Director Networks, said that the tests were an important foundational step towards being able to deploy Cat 6 LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation when Telstra receives access to the 700MHz spectrum freed up by the Digital Dividend.

"The trials we conducted overnight demonstrate the ability to aggregate two channels of 20 MHz spectrum on our commercial network. While the download speeds we achieved of 300 Mbps are very impressive, for Telstra the main outcome is that we will be able to build out the capacity in our network to manage the future wireless data needs of our customers and continue to deliver them the most reliable network speeds and experience," said Wright.

Operators who want to offer a superior user experience need to build networks that provide both excellent voice and data coverage so that users can run all their favorite apps, including video, on smartphones and tablets.  

LTE Advanced enables operators to deliver even higher performance mobile data transfer when customers need it. Operators will be able to provide subscribers throughout the network with twice the data speeds that they are receiving today by joining 20 MHz in one band to 20 MHz in another. In ideal conditions, with speeds of up to 300 Mbps, consumers will be able to download a large 800 MB file in approximately 21 seconds.

Thomas Norén, Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, said: "We are pleased to show with Telstra the network readiness of LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation beyond 20 MHz. The delivery of a superior mobile broadband experience remains key as smart device users depend more upon mobile broadband for everyday life. We also look forward to continuing our work with global chipset and handset manufacturers as the Carrier Aggregation ecosystem evolves further."

Ericsson is the market leader in LTE. Today, 50 percent of the world's LTE smartphone traffic is served by Ericsson networks, which is more than double the traffic of our closest competitor. Ericsson also powers the two world's first commercially launched LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation networks in South Korea.  More than 180 LTE RAN and Evolved Packet Core networks have been delivered worldwide, of which more than 110 have gone live commercially. Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets including the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada, and has been selected by nine of the top 10 LTE operators as ranked by LTE subscriptions worldwide. We expect to hold 25 percent of all essential patents in LTE, both for TDD and FDD mode, and we support common hardware and software for FDD and TDD systems, giving operators maximum flexibility in their FDD and TDD deployment.

Telstra and Ericsson conduct world's first LTE broadcast on live network

• Telstra showcased live video and large file delivery over their live LTE network 
• Ericsson's LTE Broadcast solution enables new revenue models for premium content and efficiently utilizes available LTE spectrum and network resources 
• Broadcast highlights how LTE networks can deliver the highest-quality video content to anyone, anywhere, anytime without buffering

Australia's leading telecommunications provider, Telstra, announced that it has completed the world's first LTE Broadcast session on a commercial LTE network. Ericsson's (NASDAQ:ERIC) LTE Broadcast Solution was successfully activated and tested on Telstra's live network with the transmission of concurrent video feeds and large files to enabled devices.

During the demonstration, the devices received different video feeds, including a sports match replay, sporting network news, horse racing coverage and news. Additionally, the devices received a large file using the single LTE Broadcast channel.

Mike Wright, Telstra Executive Director, Networks said: "The trial is an important step in testing this technology to see how it provides network efficiencies while providing consumers the content they want in a high-quality experience. Our goal is to ensure consumers can get the content they are looking for easily and to explore the wider benefits that might be obtained using broadcasting technology."

Thomas Norén, Vice President and Head of Project Area Radio, Ericsson says: "LTE Broadcast provides the ability to send the same content simultaneously to a very large number of devices in a target area. Mobile operators can use this ability and monetize their media and network assets for new services. Revenue generation and cost-saving opportunities are significant and provide an attractive value proposition for mobile operators."

Ericsson's LTE Broadcast solution will transform the video experience, offering the highest quality broadcast video over LTE networks and enabling service providers to optimize the use of the existing spectrum and networks, both dynamically and efficiently.

Qualcomm Labs' LTE Broadcast SDK and Middleware enabled these features on the trial devices running on Qualcomm® Snapdragon(TM) processor and integrated modem platforms.

"This is a significant milestone towards making LTE Broadcast a commercial reality," said Mazen Chmaytelli, senior director of business development, Qualcomm Labs, Inc. "We are pleased to be working closely with Telstra and Ericsson to deliver an enhanced mobile experience using Qualcomm Labs' LTE Broadcast SDK and Middleware running on Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and integrated modem platforms." Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Unique content can be delivered concurrently to a large number of subscribers, for example multiple video feeds with different angles for close-up views or replays during live sporting events. Other uses include sending updates and content to digital signage or billboards.

Consumers can also enjoy pre-loaded updates of things like software or the morning paper, so they don't need to wait for downloads in high-traffic situations.

Ericsson's Mobility Report 2013 predicts that video traffic in mobile networks will grow by around 60 percent annually until 2018. LTE Broadcast enhances LTE unicast delivery to ensure the most effective delivery of content to very large numbers of consumers in a particular area. Today, leading LTE mobile operators are trialing the technology and use cases globally to explore the business potential.

World’s first commercial LTE-Advanced call on 1800MHz and 900MHz

• Telstra and Ericsson make the world’s first call on combined 1800MHz and 900MHz spectrum bands on commercial network 
• 1800MHz and 900MHz spectrum bands are readily available to operators as they move subscribers from 2G to 3G and 4G technologies.
• Ericsson uses LTE-Advanced technology to help operators match their spectrum assets while enabling higher data speeds

Ericsson has announced that Australia’s leading telecommunications provider Telstra is the first to use the LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) Carrier Aggregation technology on 1800MHz and 900MHz spectrum bands on a commercial network. This took place on July 31, when Telstra transferred data across its live network on a number of sites in Queensland (Australia) carrying commercial traffic.

00000LTE Carrier Aggregation is the next step in the evolution of high-speed mobile broadband services, enabling operators to make the most of their existing spectrum assets by combining multiple spectrum bands to enable higher mobile broadband download speeds.

Mike Wright, Executive Director Networks, Telstra, says: “Telstra’s LTE subscriber numbers are growing dramatically, with nearly 3 million subscribers currently using the LTE network, up from 2.1 million six months ago. The capacity, higher data speeds and efficiencies provided by LTE-Advanced will help manage growth in data traffic as more customers choose our network. This will allow us to continue providing additional capacity and high-quality service, and we look forward to working with Ericsson to make this happen.”

“When we get access to 700MHz spectrum in 2015 we also intend to deploy the next-generation of LTE-Advanced by combining larger blocks of spectrum in the 700MHz and 1800MHz bands to deliver blistering peak speeds in the theoretical range of 300Mbps.”

Håkan Eriksson, Head of Ericsson Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, says: “Across the region and the globe, many operators have spectrum available in the 1800MHz and 900MHz bands as they migrate subscribers from 2G to 3G or 4G. Many operators will be watching the Australian deployment of LTE-Advanced on these spectrum bands.”

Ericsson is supporting the deployment of LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation on other spectrum bands in other countries such as South Korea. On July 18, for instance, Ericsson supported LG U+ in South Korea to commercially launch LTE-Advanced using both 2100MHz and 850MHz bands.

TM Forum and World’s Largest Communications and IT Companies Take Major Leap to Ease Digital Services Delivery

TM Forum’s Open Digital Steering Group expands membership to include eleven of world’s largest communications, digital and IT companies; first of many intensive collaborative meetings brings leaders together to solve digital services challenges

Singapore — April 24, 2013: As the digital-based economy continues to grow and evolve rapidly, global industry body TM Forum announced that its newly formed Open Digital Steering Group has now expanded to include 11 of the world’s largest service and solution providers, including Accenture, China Mobile Communications Corp., France Telecom-Orange, Huawei, IBM, Microsoft Corp., Oracle, Telecom Italia, Telefónica Digital, Telstra and Vodafone. The group recently hosted an intensive session in London to set in motion an aggressive plan to deliver essential tools necessary for profitable digital service delivery.

TM Forum, the global industry association with over 900 member companies from across the digital services ecosystem, is focused on removing roadblocks to delivering and operating all types of digital services, and supporting a vibrant open digital economy. Its expanded steering group provides executive guidance and support, including strategic direction and consultation to help shape TM Forum’s Digital Services Initiative.

The steering group members also act as representatives for the initiative within their own company and the industry as a whole, encouraging broader engagement and support.

In London, TM Forum brought the group’s members and other industry leaders together for a rapid collaboration-style ‘Hot House’ meeting where 35 participants from more than 20 companies took part in intensive collaboration to solve some of the most pressing industry challenges related specifically to digital services delivery. Over two days, the group set in motion plans to deliver early versions of the following tools in time for TM Forum’s flagship conference and expo, Management World 2013 in Nice, France:

 A digital services reference architecture to enable the standardized design of the critical architectural elements for the enablement of digital services

 Outlines of critical Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) needed for the end to end management of key capabilities, such as identity, payment, balance checking, charging and billing and more

 Definitions of B2B2X business models and their impact on service provider IT and operations to facilitate building rapid partnerships in the digital ecosystem, both for communications and other types of digital service providers such as cloud, content and information providers

Based on the success of the first Hot House meeting, the Forum plans to expand its use of intensive collaborative process to solve other business and operational challenges in order to expedite their delivery, ultimately producing much quicker results for TM Forum’s members and the industry at large.

“As growth of the digital economy continue to accelerate, the Forum’s Digital Services Initiative is putting a stake in the ground to solve the challenges of a vibrant, open digital ecosystem, and giving our members the tools to thrive in the digital world,” said Nik Willetts, chief strategy officer, TM Forum.

“Based on the success of recent meetings, we plan to introduce a wide range of agile collaborative formats throughout the Forum’s R&D program to create a fast-paced development environment that can keep pace with the world’s largest digital services companies.”

Earlier this year TM Forum named former BT executive, Phil Dance, as chairman of the Open Digital Steering Group, responsible for guiding the group’s work, goals and output. Phil is a TM Forum Ambassador and one of its Distinguished Fellows. He is also a former member of TM Forum’s Board of Directors, and as chief information officer at BT he was a key player in the design and development of BT’s 21st Century Network.

Don’t miss TM Forum in action at Management World in May. TM Forum’s Management World conferences and expos stand apart by offering outstanding quality and insights through expert keynotes, sessions, unrivaled networking opportunities, and TM Forum’s renowned Training and Certification programs. Register now for Management World and receive maximum savings.

For additional information or to join TM Forum, please visit the Membership section of our Website or email memberservices@tmforum.org and a local representative will respond.

Ericsson signs 100th Evolved Packet Core contract

• Telstra and Ericsson agree to extend strategic partnership to deliver world-class LTE experience for Telstra users and expand Telstra's LTE network across Australia
• Advanced technology trial and subsequent deployment of LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation in 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum bands
• LTE heterogeneous network trial and LTE Broadcast trial to further enhance Telstra's network

Telstra and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announced the renewal of their longstanding strategic partnership to deliver a world-class LTE experience for Telstra's users. The renewed contract, announced at the Mobile World Congress, will include an expansion of Telstra's LTE network across Australia, reaching more Australians with improved coverage, capacity and availability.

The partnership also includes the implementation of a program of advanced technology trials - of LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation, LTE heterogeneous networks and LTE Broadcast - to further enhance Telstra's network.

Nearly 1.6 million mobile subscribers have joined Telstra over the past 12 months and data usage on its Next G network is doubling each year.

David Thodey, Chief Executive Officer of Telstra, says: "Telstra is very proud of the work that we are undertaking with Ericsson to ensure Australia remains at the forefront of mobile connectivity. We believe these initiatives are a way of efficiently maintaining our high quality network and meeting sustained, growing customer demand."

By combining spectrum assets for LTE networks - such as the use of the 1800MHz and 900MHz bands - the LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation trial will pave the way for future improvements in capacity and coverage.

Ericsson's coordinated solution for small cells in heterogeneous networks ensures high-quality capacity and connectivity in even the most densely populated city areas. The Telstra trial will examine how small-cell technology can improve the future scalability and densification of its LTE network.

In the third trial for 2013, for the LTE Broadcast solution, Ericsson will deploy Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) technology into Telstra's live network. As part of the trial, premium video and file-based content will be broadcast over the LTE network to test how video and other content can be more efficiently delivered through application of dynamic offload, particularly in dense consumption scenarios.

Ericsson President and CEO Hans Vestberg says: "Under this agreement, Ericsson continues as Telstra's prime vendor of 3G and 4G RAN technology. The trials for Telstra will provide insights applicable not only on the Australian market but also globally. For example, the heterogeneous networks trial will be of interest to operators around the world who want to ensure capacity and connectivity in densely populated city areas. And the LTE Broadcast trial will show how Ericsson technology can deliver media content efficiently over LTE."

The agreement includes provision of hardware, software, customer service, construction services and the innovative technology trials.

During Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, Ericsson showcases its combined technology and services leadership for the ICT industry. Our solutions deliver superior network performance in the field, enable complete customer experience management, and simplify and automate operations workflows - thereby leading to operational excellence. We show how the Networked Society comes to life - what it will mean for the industry and how it will enable our customers to capture growth opportunities.

Ericsson and Telstra partner to enhance and expand LTE innovation

• Telstra and Ericsson agree to extend strategic partnership to deliver world-class LTE experience for Telstra users and expand Telstra's LTE network across Australia
• Advanced technology trial and subsequent deployment of LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation in 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum bands
• LTE heterogeneous network trial and LTE Broadcast trial to further enhance Telstra's network

Telstra and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announced the renewal of their longstanding strategic partnership to deliver a world-class LTE experience for Telstra's users. The renewed contract, announced at the Mobile World Congress, will include an expansion of Telstra's LTE network across Australia, reaching more Australians with improved coverage, capacity and availability.

The partnership also includes the implementation of a program of advanced technology trials - of LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation, LTE heterogeneous networks and LTE Broadcast - to further enhance Telstra's network.

Nearly 1.6 million mobile subscribers have joined Telstra over the past 12 months and data usage on its Next G network is doubling each year.

David Thodey, Chief Executive Officer of Telstra, says: "Telstra is very proud of the work that we are undertaking with Ericsson to ensure Australia remains at the forefront of mobile connectivity. We believe these initiatives are a way of efficiently maintaining our high quality network and meeting sustained, growing customer demand."

By combining spectrum assets for LTE networks - such as the use of the 1800MHz and 900MHz bands - the LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation trial will pave the way for future improvements in capacity and coverage.

Ericsson's coordinated solution for small cells in heterogeneous networks ensures high-quality capacity and connectivity in even the most densely populated city areas. The Telstra trial will examine how small-cell technology can improve the future scalability and densification of its LTE network.

In the third trial for 2013, for the LTE Broadcast solution, Ericsson will deploy Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) technology into Telstra's live network. As part of the trial, premium video and file-based content will be broadcast over the LTE network to test how video and other content can be more efficiently delivered through application of dynamic offload, particularly in dense consumption scenarios.

Ericsson President and CEO Hans Vestberg says: "Under this agreement, Ericsson continues as Telstra's prime vendor of 3G and 4G RAN technology. The trials for Telstra will provide insights applicable not only on the Australian market but also globally. For example, the heterogeneous networks trial will be of interest to operators around the world who want to ensure capacity and connectivity in densely populated city areas. And the LTE Broadcast trial will show how Ericsson technology can deliver media content efficiently over LTE."

The agreement includes provision of hardware, software, customer service, construction services and the innovative technology trials.

During Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, Ericsson showcases its combined technology and services leadership for the ICT industry. Our solutions deliver superior network performance in the field, enable complete customer experience management, and simplify and automate operations workflows - thereby leading to operational excellence. We show how the Networked Society comes to life - what it will mean for the industry and how it will enable our customers to capture growth opportunities.

Yes wins “Best new Service” in prestigious global 2011 Infovision Awards

Barely a year old, Yes earns a prodigious place amongst global leaders in the broadband industry in innovation and value

Kuala lumpur — October 3, 2011 — YTL Communications, a global frontrunner in mobile 4G, earned a prodigious place amongst global leaders in the broadband industry recently by winning the “Best New Service” in the prestigious Global 2011 InfoVision Awards with its innovative Yes 4G service – Malaysia’s fastest mobile internet with voice.

Almost a year into its operations, the win comes as a clear acknowledgement that Malaysia is at the forefront of the world when it comes to the adoption of next-generation wireless technologies, thanks to one of the most advanced and innovative 4G networks in the world – Yes 4G.
World’s best 4G service: YTL Communications received "Best New Service" at the Broadband InfoVision Awards 2011 gala dinner awards ceremony that was held at the Bateau Diamant on the river Seine in Paris recently. Receiving the award on behalf of YTL Communications is Executive Director and Deputy CEO, Jacob Yeoh (right) pictured here with Gavin Whitechurch, Director of Broadband World Forum 2011.

YTL Communications’ novel approach in operating its mobile internet platform, with the use of the Yes ID, unified communications and cloud-based offerings, won over an elite panel of judges comprising senior industry executives and experts including Dr. Zhao Huiling (Vice-President of Beijing Research Institute at China Telecom), Dr. Yoon-Young Park (Senior Vice President, Head of Technology Development Office at Korea Telecom), Daniel Brower (EVP Convergence Technology at Deutsche Telekom Group) and Amaru Chavez (Group Chief Technology Officer at Etisalat).

The Yes 4G service impressed the judges among a distinguished list of finalists including Etisalat from Saudi Arabia and telecommunications giant, Huawei, from China. With the win, YTL Communications joins an elite list of operators from around the world including, British Telecoms, Australia’s Telstra and Hong Kong’s PCCW who have all been bestowed such honour in the history of InfoVision Award.

The Yes 4G service is a mobile internet platform that facilitates rapid and continuous innovation unlike any other in the world, offering a ground breaking architecture that gives users unmatched performance, convenience and cost savings by bringing together mobile broadband, mobile telephony (voice and SMS) and cloud-based services across multiple devices, all in a single account.

“Identity-based architecture is a key Internet precept. We engineered our network to be identity driven, where every account is defined by a single user ID (the Yes ID) that comes with Internet access plus a mobile number and a set of cloud-based services such as push email, synchronised address book and content services that can be used across multiple devices. No other operator in the world offers such an innovation,” said an elated Wing K. Lee, CEO of YTL Communications.

“The award is another validation of the vision and dedication that went hand-in-hand in the creation of Yes 4G and our drive to bring positive change to Malaysia. We are honoured and humbled by this distinction at a global level. I salute my teammates at YTL Communications – amazing things happen when you say Yes!” Wing concluded.

The Broadband InfoVision Awards have long been established as the industry’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in the broadband industry. The Gala Dinner Awards ceremony was held at the Bateau Diamant on the river Seine in Paris recently.

DiGi appoints new Head of Marketing

SHAH ALAM, 29 April 2008: DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd ("DiGi") today announced the appointment of Thomas Schnitker as DiGi Head of Marketing with effect from 2 May 2008.

The previous Co-Heads of Marketing, Albern Murty and Loong Tuck Weng will take up new roles as part of the top management team, namely Head of Strategy and New Business, and Head of Regional Development respectively.

Schnitker was previously the Chief Marketing Officer for Maxis Communications Berhad and had headed the Consumer Mobiles Division at Telstra in Australia. He had also spent eight years with McKinsey, where he led a number of strategic, operational, and organizational engagements in the telecommunications, retail finance, and manufacturing sectors.

Schnitker has a Bachelor of Arts from Oxford University and Master in Business Administration from Columbia Business School.