Telstra bags new licenses in Asia

Telstra has secured new operating licenses in Singapore and Japan, enabling it to own infrastructure facilities and be directly responsible for services.

In Singapore, the company has bagged the Facilities Based Operator (FBO) license offered by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) to own and operate telecommunications infrastructure such as voice and data networks, systems and facilities locally.

In Japan, Telstra Japan KK has been approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for the registration type license. This license allows the company to own and operate large scale telecom circuits and facilities in multiple cities along with products and services delivered over those facilities and networks.

The company was recently awarded with three licenses to provide customers in India with international, long-distance, and ISP services. The company in India will start its operations in seven cities - Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune - offering customers a cost effective, flexible network meant to suit individual business needs within the next six months.

''International customers will enjoy access to a more comprehensive suite of connectivity and managed services, better network performance, complete monitoring, local contract billing capabilities, and in-country service center support,'' said Tarek Robbiati, group managing director, Telstra International Group (TIG).