Mobile operator round-up: AT&T on WiFi, sales, signings and government intervention.

AT&T is reporting massive success on the WiFi front - and attributing it to smartphones. Government intervention seems to have yielded positive results in the South African mobile market. Mobile messaging from Synchronica has found its way onto the phones of another operator’s customers… and more.

AT&T reports smartphones account for half of all WiFi connections

AT&T has released some interesting metrics showing that for the first time, more people are accessing WiFi on a smartphone or other integrated device then they are on laptops. In fact, use of WiFi is growing so quickly that the number of connections made in just the third quarter 2009 is more than the entire number of connections made in 2008 - that’s a jump from 20 million in 2008 to 25.4 million in three months of 2009. AT&T is placing the credit for this WiFi explosion right with smartphones.

Government intervention works! Vodacom and MTN slash interconnection rates

In mid-October, the South African Ministry of Communications directly ordered mobile operators in the country to lower their interconnection rates. These are the rates charged to people making calls to different networks in the country. The Ministry did so because the countries regulator had failed to take any action on the matter. Well, it seems to have worked, because operators Vodacom and MTN have agreed on lower interconnection rates than previously existed. Unfortunately, other operators in the country have yet to make any moves in that direction.

Malaysia’s biggest operator wants local investment only

$5.1 billion - that’s the amount of money that Malaysia’s largest mobile operator wants to raise through share sales. Maxis Communications is planning to put over 2 billion shares up for sale next month - but it has said it will only include local operations in the sale. It may try to discourage foreign investment… because Maxis has a 40% share of the Malaysian market, and large scale foreign investment could disturb the home market.

Another African operator signs up with Synchronica

A third operator deal has popped up for the mobile messaging unit of Synchronica in Africa. Thanks to hefty non-disclosure agreements, the operator can’t be named. But Synchronica can announce it has secured a 10,000-user license for it’s messaging services, providing mobile email for extremely low end devices.

Digicel makes moves in the Bahamas

There is a drive at the moment to privatise the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), which has 100% market share in mobile comms in the Bahamas. Four bidders are currently being suggested for the bid - and Digicel is one of them. Digicel is a succesful mobile operator in Central America and the Caribbean, and is also entirely owned by one man: Dennis O’Brien, Irish entrepreneur. And while there are no shortage of foreign investors (including consortia and other mobile operators) looking to buy a 51% stake in the company, I have to admit I’d find it amusing if the entire mobile network operations for the Bahamas fell in the lap of a lone Irishman.