• Scheme designed to help international travellers
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Orange to open retail stores in countries it does not operate in
• Scheme designed to help international travellers
By James Barnes
Orange is to open retail stores in countries it does not currently operate in , to help travelling customers .
The scheme , which is part of the operator ’ s Horizons support packages , will initially launch in Portugal and South Africa , before being rolled out in other regions .
Orange said that customers will be able to benefit from “ premium ” assistance services while abroad through roaming offers such as its ‘ Go Europe ’ package . This includes the replacement of lost or stolen phones , activation of international options and assistance in choosing appropriate roaming tariffs and packages .
Orange will be present through retailer Nashua Mobile in South Africa , through stores in Johannesburg , Pretoria and Cape Town .
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SLC
Cable & Wireless Communications ( CWC ) business LIME has become the first operator to offer high-speed mobile data services in St Lucia .
The new network was turned on early to allow customers to monitor the progress of tropical storm Chantal , which passed the island on July 9 .
CWC said that access to services including instant messaging , storm-tracking apps and GPS could be essential for customers before , during and
Japanese network operator SoftBank has completed its takeover of the US ’ s third largest mobile carrier , Sprint Nextel .
The $ 21.6 billion (£ 14 billion ) deal included $ 5 billion (£ 3.2 billion ) in cash to pump up Kansas-based Sprint ’ s balance sheet and $ 16.6 billion
It will also appear in Portuguese retailer Optimus ’ s Lisbon , Porto and Faro stores .
Horizons , which launched in January , is currently available in Italy , Portugal , Germany , the Netherlands , Sweden and Denmark .
Orange said : “ These stores provide additional services
after tropical storms .
St Lucia is now the seventh CWC market to upgrade to 4G technology following Panama , the Cayman Islands , the Bahamas , Barbados , the British Virgin Islands and Monaco .
CWC has operated in St Lucia since 1924 .
LIME St Lucia general manager Chris Williams said : “ Our customers told us loud and clear they want a fast , reliable data network comparable to first-world standards , and we have responded .”
(£ 10.8 billion ) for shareholders .
The company will now be known as Sprint Corporation , dropping the Nextel name which was attached to Sprint following its failed attempt to integrate the two networks in a $ 36 billion (£ 23.5 billion ) acquisition in 2005 . to customers travelling from neighbouring countries where Orange is already present , such as Spain or Botswana , or for customers travelling from France .
“ Customers from these countries can benefit from specific support services while abroad .”
CWC offers first St Lucia 4G service
JPN
The stores will open in Portugal and South Africa initially
Brightstar boss to launch soccer franchise in Miami home market
Brightstar president , chairman and CEO Marcelo Claure is to team up with former England star David Beckham to launch a Miami-based Major League Soccer ( MLS ) team , according to recent reports .
Claure and Beckham have been linked with setting up a Miami-based MLS franchise for around eight months .
Beckham , who retired from football in May , spent six years in the MLS with LA Galaxy .
Claure , who founded Miamibased distributor Brightstar in 1997 , has made a number of public appearances with Beckham – most notably appearing court side during a televised Miami Heat basketball match in May .
Claure attempted to bring the MLS to Florida back in 2008 but the MLS league administration instead chose to launch teams in Portland and Vancouver .
If successful , it would be the first MLS team based in Miami since 2001 , after previous team Miami Fusion was disbanded after just four years .
‘ First-world ’ data service
US operator Sprint sold for £ 14bn
Sprint was forced to write off $ 29.7 billion (£ 19.4 billion ) of the Nextel purchase in 2008 , wiping out over 80 per cent of its value .
SoftBank is said to be prioritising the expansion of Sprint ’ s wireless capacity after gaining spectrum from a buyout of Clearview .
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Google to spend £ 325m promoting Motorola X
Motorola Mobility parent company Google will spend more than $ 500 million (£ 325 million ) on marketing its new flagship smartphone , the Motorola X .
According to reports in the US , the spend will eclipse the entire US mobile advertising budget for both Apple and Samsung , which stand at $ 333 million (£ 218 million ) and $ 401 million (£ 262 million ) respectively .
The device is expected to be made available to customers through all four major US wireless carriers – AT & T , Verizon ,
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Mobile wallet services ‘ to take off in Taiwan ’
Mobile payments in Taiwan are expected to “ surge ” following a global deal between Samsung and credit card giant Visa .
The increasing popularity of smartphones in the region , coupled with technological developments , could see the value of mobile payments double by 2017 , reaching more than $ 160 million (£ 106 million ), according to industry analysts Timetric .
Under the agreement , signed
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AT & T agrees exclusive Nokia Lumia 1020 deal
AT & T , the largest operator in the US , is the exclusive carrier of Nokia ’ s recently announced , Windowspowered Lumia 1020 handset after it launched on July 26 .
AT & T president and CEO Ralph de la Vega was present at the New York 1020 unveiling .
He said it will be displayed as a ‘ hero ’ device in AT & T stores and
Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile .
Features are expected to include 4G connectivity , 2GB RAM , 16GB of memory , a 1.7GHz dual-core processor , the latest Android software , a 10-megapixel rear camera and a two-megapixel front-facing camera .
According to telecoms analysts IDC , Motorola accounted for just one per cent of the global market for handsets sales during Q1 this year – selling an estimated 2.3 million devices .
The Motorola X is expected to launch in October .
earlier this year , Samsung will manufacture devices with built-in Visa payment technology with the goal of significantly accelerating the availability of the technology around the globe .
The technology will be made available in Taiwan by the end of 2013 , with early reports suggesting Taiwanese consumers will rapidly take to the system due to its convenience and security .
Government free to spy on BlackBerry users ?
Indian authorities say they are “ ready to use ” an interception system which will allow them access to BlackBerry users ’ messages and emails .
The Times of India published part of a leaked government document with details of an agreement which effectively ends a long-running dispute between authorities in India and the Canadian manufacturer .
Law enforcement agencies in India will be able to track email and attachments on a real-time basis , check whether BlackBerry Messenger chats have been ‘ delivered ’ or ‘ read ’ and monitor web browsing .
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However , officials have dropped demands to access business emails through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server .
The move follows years of bickering , with India even threatening to ban BlackBerry in 2010 as it claimed to need access to suspects ’ messages in order to prevent terrorist attacks .
In a statement , BlackBerry said : “ The lawful access capability now available to BlackBerry ’ s carrier partners meets the standard required by the government of India for all consumer messaging services offered in the Indian marketplace .”
dismissed suggestions the partnership between Nokia and AT & T is failing .
The 41-megapixel smartphone will be available on a two-year contract priced at $ 299 (£ 195 ). Pre-orders are already being taken , with the smartphone available in black , white and yellow . For full coverage of the New
York 1020 launch , see page 26 .
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