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Huawei Mate 30 launch; Eros Now/Microsoft tie-up; new streaming service in Korea

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Huawei Mate 30 launch; Eros Now/Microsoft tie-up; new streaming service in Korea

TOP NEWS

* Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. unveiled its Mate 30 smartphone series at an event in Munich, Germany. Available in 4G and 5G variants, the Mate 30 handsets run on Huawei's new Kirin 990 chipset and feature wireless charging, gesture sensor, a rear quad camera and an ultra-curved screen. While the devices operate on an open-source version of Google LLC's Android, the phones will not come preinstalled with Google apps due to Huawei's inclusion on the U.S. government's Entity List, according to CNBC.

* Eros Now, an over-the-top South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros International PLC, teamed up with Microsoft Corp. to build a next-generation online video platform on Microsoft Azure. As part of the collaboration, Eros Now will use Microsoft Azure to develop the online video platform, create new voice offerings and an engine that generates personalized content recommendations for consumers.

* South Korea's CJ ENM CO. Ltd. is joining forces with local cable network JTBC Co. Ltd. to launch a streaming service in 2020, TBI Vision reported, citing a company statement. The platform will be led by CJ ENM and is an expansion of the CJ Group unit's existing Tving service, which offers shows and films from the company's portfolio of channels, along with select programs from JTBC. The new venture will expand the content offering and unveil a slate of originals.

JAPAN

* NTT Docomo Inc. will launch 5G trials in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and other big cities in Japan ahead of the commercial rollout of its 5G network in spring 2020.

* SoftBank Group Corp. is opening a New York office for its SoftBank Vision Fund LP, The Wall Street Journal reported. The fund's fifth global base, which will open shortly, will allow it to engage more deeply with New York's startup scene.

SOUTH KOREA

* Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.'s Galaxy Fold sold out on the day it was released in the U.K., Germany, France and Singapore, Korea JoongAng Daily reported. This was the second batch of countries to start selling the foldable device after Korea, where two batches of the phones have already sold out since its Sept. 6 launch.

* LG U+ is offering a savings product in partnership with a bank in its bid to improve customer retention, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. SK Telecom Co. Ltd. also released a similar savings plan in May, while KT Corp. launched a loan product in August.

GREATER CHINA (MAINLAND CHINA, HONG KONG AND TAIWAN MARKETS)

* Apple Inc. will use recycled rare earth elements in its iPhones, Reuters reported, citing Lisa Jackson, vice president of the company's environment, policy and social initiatives. The minerals will be used in the iPhone's Taptic Engine. The move comes amid efforts to reduce the United States' dependence on China, which globally dominates the processing of these specialized minerals.

* Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. are refusing to cooperate with Chinese government-backed credit scoring company Baihang's request for customer loans data, London's Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The tech giants, who had been asked to grant access to their customers' personal information and credit data, are reluctant to relinquish control over user data.

* Alibaba-owned mapping app AutoNavi Holdings Ltd. is now providing audio guides at Chinese tourist sites in a bid to expand its service offerings, KrASIA reported, citing 36Kr. The new function is triggered by user location or recommends content based on interests and will provide cultural background information of the sites.

* Tencent is investing US$150 million in online education platform VIPKid, 36Kr reported. The deal comes less than a month after it was reported that Tencent shelved plans to lead a new fundraising round for VIPKid following Beijing's new regulations targeting online education platforms.

* Xiaomi Corp. struck a partnership with China Construction Bank Corp. that will see the two companies working together in areas such as consumer finance, credit cards and insurance, China Securities reported.

* Tencent Music Entertainment Group is not rushing to bring its WeSing social karaoke app to more international markets, CNBC reported. According to Dennis Hau, group vice president of the Tencent unit, the company wants to see more sustainable success for WeSing in the countries like China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, where it is currently available before it expands into other markets.

INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA

* Google is launching an artificial intelligence lab in Bangalore that will focus on fundamental computer science and artificial intelligence research. Manish Gupta, a renowned computer scientist, will lead Google Research India. The Alphabet Inc. unit also introduced a slew of new initiatives in India, which include a tie-up with state-run telco BSNL to bring public Wi-Fi to villages in Gujarat, Bihar and Maharashtra. Google also added an array of local Indian languages to its products such as Discover, Google Lens and Bolo.

* Indian Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said technology companies must protect user privacy and prevent abuse of their platforms. According to Reuters, the minister's reminder comes at a time when the Indian government is drawing up a data privacy law that seeks to push companies to store more data locally.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

* Malaysia is open to Huawei participating in the country's 5G network rollout, Al-Ishsal Ishak, chairman of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, told Nikkei Asian Review. As a result, Huawei plans to provide 5G technologies and products to various sectors in Malaysia in partnership with the local government and telecom operator Maxis Bhd., Berita Harian reported.

* LINE Corp.'s Thailand unit formed a joint venture with local lender Kasikornbank PCL to offer money transfer, payment and deposit services via the LINE app, Bangkok Post reported.

* Plan B Media PCL will manage all advertising spaces inside 7-Eleven Inc. convenience stores in Thailand under a 10-year deal with CP ALL PCL, The Standard reported. The media agency expects to earn up to 840 million baht from the agreement.

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

* The Facebook Journalism Project announced the expansion of its Local News Accelerator program to Australia and New Zealand. The program provides training, coaching and project funding for news organizations to connect with and monetize their audiences on and off Facebook. Some of the participating publishers in Australia and New Zealand include News Corp., Australian Community Media, The Guardian, The West Australian and The New Zealand Herald.

* 5G Networks Ltd. completed its acquisition of Australian Pacific Data Centres Pty. Ltd. The acquisition announced on Sept. 12, has a transaction value of A$3.5 million at a 7x EBITDA multiple.

FEATURED NEWS

Washington Watch: Senators revisit idea of changing content moderation law that immunizes big tech: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act exempts online platforms from liability for content published by third parties. A change to the law would significantly impact how social media companies do business.

FEATURED RESEARCH

Consumer Insights: Attracting and keeping new SVOD subscribers is easier said than done: Just 20% of consumers are willing to pay for a new SVOD service to watch a show they want. These viewers could represent low-hanging fruit, but many could end up only temporarily subscribing.

Joji Sakurai, Hyegyu Park, Frances Wang, Kevin Osmond and Wil Hathaway contributed to this report. The Daily Dose has an editorial deadline of 7 a.m. Hong Kong time. Some external links may require a subscription. Links are current as of publication time, and we are not responsible if those links are unavailable later.