Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
According to Dataxis Intelligence latest updates of the Portuguese mobile communications market, the number of net new subscriptions in the quarter to June 2010 stood at only 56,000 bringing the country’s overall mobile phone users base to over 16.7 million. This represents a 0.3% sequential growth and the smallest number of new customers hired in a 3-months period by the industry since the record low level of 24,000 registered in the second quarter of 2008.
Bringing the analysis to the market players’ level proves to be quite instructive as the country’s three mobile network operators (Portugal Telecom, Vodafone and Sonaecom) performed differently during tough times. As shows it well the pie chart below, featuring customers net additions market share, Vodafone the second largest operator grabbed 57% of the total 56,000 new registered subscribers, followed by Sonaecom with 34% while the incumbent and market leader Portugal Telecom made do with only 9%.

Source: Dataxis Intelligence
Cablemas and Conax strengthen their partnership in Mexico
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
The Mexican cable operator Cablemas and Conax have signed an agreement to optimize the operator’s digitization process. Cablemas will benefit from a higher digital TV quality and wide additional advanced services. Evolution Digital LLC will supply 200.000 Set-top Boxes, standard and high definition.
Carlos Alvarez, Managing Director of Cablemas Telecomunicaciones, said “We are very satisfied with our partnership with Conax, our content-security partner, for the deployment of the Cablemás digital platform. We are confident that our combined choice of Conax for security and Evolution Digital for DTAs, will give Cablemás the necessary added value to offer the optimal level of security, quality and functionality needed in such a competitive market as Mexico.”
According to Dataxis Intelligence, Cablemas provides triple play services to 954.000 subscribers in Mexico. Recently, Televisa was awarded a mobile license by Cofetel to provide 3G mobile services. This will allow Televisa’s cable operators, including Cablemas to propose a quadruple play offer.
Google planning YouTube On Demand Video
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
Google is currently in negotiations with major Hollywood studios for a deal that will allow it to offer pay-per-view videos through YouTube, reported the Financial Times. If the talks succeed, YouTube could start offering the new streaming service before the end of the year. The deal could add a significant value to Google TV, the company’s effort to integrate the web and television on the Android-based Google TV platform. The first Google TV device, a Sony TV, will ship this fall.
Google, that began offering full length MGM movies and TV shows on YouTube in 2008 and launched a paid video download service in 2009, is moving to compete more directly with other streaming content services such as Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand.