TOP NEWS
* Netflix Inc. launched a mobile-only plan in Indonesia. Priced at 49,000 rupiah per month, it will allow subscribers to access Netflix content on mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets. The new plan is an addition to the company's existing basic, standard and premium plans in the country. The company is also testing longer subscription plans in India, which will allow new users to choose from three-month, six-month and 12-month plans, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
* Beijing ByteDance Technology Co. Ltd. is beta-testing its Spotify Technology SA-like service in India and Indonesia, Bloomberg News reports. Called Resso, the music app displays real-time lyrics and lets users post comments, generate music-accompanied graphics interchange formats and videos.
* Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG selected Nokia Corp. and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. for its 5G network build-out, amid Germany's pending security guidelines on equipment suppliers, Reuters reports. The Telefónica SA unit aims to begin infrastructure work in early 2020.
* Huawei's proprietary operating system HarmonyOS, also known as Hongmeng, is an internet of things operating system, not for phones, a spokesperson for the company told S&P Global Market Intelligence.
PAN-ASIAN
* Deltatre Ltd. appointed Michael D'Oliveiro as over-the-top commercial director for the Asia-Pacific region, Digital TV Europe reports. D'Oliveiro joins the London-based sports and entertainment technology provider from Dexecure Pte. Ltd., where he was head of growth.
JAPAN
* An official from Japan's ruling party said the government is increasing a planned tax credit for companies investing in 5G network infrastructure to 15% from 9%, Nikkei Asian Review reports. Akira Amari, chair of the Liberal Democratic Party's tax research commission, said companies will also be able to choose a 30% bonus depreciation instead of the 15% tax credit under the proposed scheme.
* Abu Dhabi's state fund Mubadala, a backer of SoftBank Vision Fund LP, remains optimistic about SoftBank Group Corp.'s technology fund, Reuters reports, citing Mubadala Ventures head Ibrahim Ajami. The executive's comments come as several of SoftBank's tech bets continue to face falling valuations, the main reason why the company posted a loss of ¥700.17 billion in the quarter ended Sept. 30.
* GungHo Online Entertainment Inc. is launching a new gaming title for Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s Switch console, according to Nikkei Asian Review. The multiplayer "Ninjala" is set for global release in spring 2020.
SOUTH KOREA
* SK Telecom Co. Ltd. collaborated with engineering automation supplier BISTel Inc. to launch the GrandView asset performance management solution, which offers global manufacturers access to data analysis tools and smart manufacturing applications.
* Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is stepping up its foundry business by cooperating with fabless companies through its Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem, Digital Daily reports. 5G, internet of things, data center and automotive are being considered as potential opportunity areas.
GREATER CHINA (MAINLAND CHINA, HONG KONG AND TAIWAN MARKETS)
* Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. acquired a 7.45% stake in Hangzhou-based cloud computing company, Harmony Cloud, for 18 million yuan.
* Tencent Holdings Ltd.-backed Beijing Kuaishou Technology Ltd. is beta-testing a short video app for teenagers that features educational content, KrASIA reports. The app offers channels for news, common knowledge, psychology and sports.
* A British Columbia judge granted the request of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou's legal defense team to gain access to documents detailing the circumstances of her arrest in Canada, Bloomberg News reports. Meng claims she needs the documents to prove that there was an abuse of process in her fight against the extradition.
* Chinese mobile content aggregator Qutoutiao Inc. denied the fake revenue accusations of Wolfpack Research LLC and said it will file a lawsuit against the New York-based financial research firm, Sina reports. According to Wolfpack, approximately 74% of Qutoutiao's 2018 revenues are fake and nearly 78% of its current cash balance is nonexistent.
* Hangzhou-based cybersecurity company Mo An received an investment of nearly 200 million yuan, 36Kr reports.
INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA
* Vodafone Idea Ltd. denied media reports that it is in talks with Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd. for the sale of its optic fiber business and data center. The company is negotiating deals to sell its 156,000-km of optic fiber assets and Navi Mumbai data center to raise funds ahead of a January 2020 deadline to pay statutory dues, according to a report from The Economic Times (India), which cited sources.
* India's Supreme Court ruled that Google LLC is not liable for defamatory content posted on its platforms after 2009, Bloomberg News reports. The verdict comes as a relief for social media companies, online retailers and service providers who are facing increasing pressure from the Indian government to regulate online content.
* Amid concerns that India's proposed privacy law will increase state surveillance, a senior government official told Reuters that allowing law enforcers to commit "authorized privacy violations" will ensure investigations are not hindered. Under the Personal Data Protection Bill, any government agency can be exempt from the law, a provision privacy advocates said would allow agencies to abuse access.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
* Indonesian entertainment companies PT Media Nusantara Citra Tbk and PT Surya Citra Media Tbk are in talks to collaborate on several projects and agreements, CNBC Indonesia reports. The partnership aims to bring a positive impact on the companies' profitability and to overcome the decline in free-to-air television in Indonesia.
* Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission is likely to approve a new monthly flat rate of 1.5 baht per mobile number, Manager Online reports. Mobile operators in the country currently pay varying rates.
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
* Australian cybersecurity company Secure Code Warrior Pty. Ltd. secured US$47.6 million from its series B funding round, which was led by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Other investors in the round include ForgePoint Capital, Cisco Investments, AirTree Ventures Pty. Ltd. and Paladin Capital Group. The company will use the funds to support its global expansion and product innovation.
* SKY Network Television Ltd. added sports and entertainment free-to-air channel Prime to its Freeview streaming service. Freeview offers 34 channels on air, 13 streaming channels and an on-demand platform combining all the content from TVNZ OnDemand, ThreeNow and Māori TV On Demand.
FEATURED NEWS
Data Dispatch: Digital health M&A in pharma reaches new high in 2019 in bid for faster tech: Digital health deals are heating up as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies look to speed up drug development processes, a notoriously lengthy and costly expedition.
FEATURED RESEARCH
Wireless Investor: Indonesian telcos keep positive earnings outlook despite 26.5% sub drop in 2018: Regulator Kemkominfo mandated the deactivation of all unregistered mobile subscriptions in April 2018, yet local telcos maintain a positive outlook on service revenue and average revenue per user as rural expansion brings in new customers and revenue streams.
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.