FASTTAKES: China Mobile, KDDI, KT, SKT, GrameenPhone, Quippo

Chinese sent 784.04 billion text messages last year, up 8.4% over 2008, according to MIIT figures. 86% were sent by China Mobile customers, China Daily reported. 

Chinese authorities have arrested three hackers and closed down a hacker training site in Hubei. Assets worth 1.7 million yuan ($249,000) were frozen. The hacker gang, called Black Hawk Safety Net, reportedly had 12,000 VIP members and 170,000 who had registered for free membership.

KDDI is reportedly negotiating to scale down its planned 38% stake in the country’s largest cable operator Jupiter Telecom to one-third, in the wake of a possible investigation into the deal by Japan's Financial Service Agency, reports the Nikkei.

A KT-affiliated research firm believes that the iPhone’s launch will create 4,900 new jobs and inject 1.9 trillion won ($1.62 billion) into South Korea’s wireless data segment,  while SK Telecom’s boss claims that iPhone’s momentum in South Korea is waning.

Bangladeshi cellcos GrameenPhone and Aktel have signed a memorandum of understanding to share network infrastructure. The deal follows a similar announcement been GrameenPhone and Banglalink last week.

 

Indian tower firm Quippo Telecom Infrastructure (QTIL) reportedly plans to spend $4 billion in capex over the next two years, doubling its number of towers to 60,000.