Vietnam may debut $2 charge for new SIMs
Vietnam's communications ministry may introduce a fee of at least 40,000 dong ($1.92) for mobile number registration and the allocation of a new SIM card, in its latest bid to crack down on the use of unregistered SIMs.
Hutchison Whampoa pulls bid for Partner Comm
Hutchison Whampoa has withdrawn its offer to acquire 75% in Israeli mobile operator Partner Communications' parent company, Scailex, citing factors including a 41% deterioration in Partner's second quarter results.
Foxconn lifting conditions ahead of schedule
Foxconn is ahead of schedule implementing recommended improvements to working hours and conditions at its Chinese manufacturing plants, according to an inspection by the US-based Fair Labor Association - which is monitoring the working conditions at Apple's behest.
Bharti Airtel hikes broadband prices
India's Bharti Airtel has increased its broadband line rental fees by a reported 10%, following the introduction of the 4% license fee on ISPs' gross annual revenues in July.
India leans on Twitter to censor hate speech
The Indian government has threatened to take legal action against Twitter for not complying with demands to censor objectionable and inflammatory content posted to the microblogging site, in the wake of a social media campaign of racially-motivated threats in the north-east.
Motorola Beijing staff accept improved layoff deal
Motorola Mobility has offered an improved compensation package for those Beijing workers to be laid off as part of the company's 40,000 job cuts worldwide, after employees staged a protest outside of the Beijing subsidiary. All but one of the employees have accepted the sweetened offer.
Samsung spending $4b to upgrade US chip plant
Samsung will spend $4 billion to upgrade a US plant with enhanced capabilities to mass produce logic chips for smartphones and tablets.
Solar-powered charger promises outlet speeds
A start-up has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the first production run of a solar-powered charging platform which can purportedly charge devices including handsets as quickly as if they were plugged into a power outlet.