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Samsung China factory closure; SoftBank LatAm hub CEO; Singapore's fake news law

TOP NEWS

* Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. stopped producing mobile phones in China due to increased competition from local rivals such as Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and Xiaomi Corp., Reuters reported. The South Korean electronics giant closed down its last Chinese phone factory in the southern city of Huizhou, where it slashed production in June in response to weaker demand. Samsung did not disclose details about the facility's capacity and the number of staff affected by the closure.

* SoftBank Group Corp. appointed Ralf Wenzel CEO of its Latin American Tech Hub, an incubator for startups, joint ventures and strategic partnerships across the region. The Tech hub, which will partner with SoftBank-backed companies to expand their operations to Latin America, intends to create 50 joint ventures in the next five years. Before joining SoftBank, Wenzel built three companies, including food delivery business Foodpanda GmbH, e-wallet company Skrill Holdings Ltd. and early-stage venture capital firm Tocororo Ventures.

* Singapore's so-called fake news law took effect Oct. 2, following concerns from social media giants and debate by the local Parliament. The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act 2019 requires websites and print publications to add warnings or corrections alongside statements the government deems false. The bill also gives the government authority to remove comments or posts that are deemed against public interest.

JAPAN

* NTT Docomo Inc. will invest US$20 million in Tata Capital Growth Fund II LP, a fund managed by Tata Capital Growth II General Partners LLP. The Japanese mobile carrier aims to invest in India-based growth-stage startup companies through the fund.

* NTT Ltd. will bring together 28 companies and brands from over 70 countries to form a global US$11 billion technology services provider. The brands that will be combined over a phased period include Arkadin SAS, CAPSiDE SL, DTSI Group Ltd., Netmagic Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Oakton Ltd., RagingWire Data Centers Inc., Secure-24 Inc., Transatel SA and WhiteHat Security Inc.

SOUTH KOREA

* SK hynix Inc. began using high-purity hydrogen fluoride, a material used in the production of chips, from a local supplier in a bid to cut reliance on Japanese materials amid the trade dispute between Korea and Japan, Reuters reported. An official from SK hynix confirmed the news but did not reveal the name of the supplier. Local media earlier reported that SK hynix was testing high-quality liquid hydrogen fluoride supplied by Ram Technology Co. Ltd., which declined to comment on the news.

* SK Telecom Co. Ltd., KT Corp. and LG U+ agreed to jointly develop and operate a blockchain-enabled mobile driver's license service based on their smartphone identity verification application, Financial News reported. The three companies plan to launch the service in the first quarter of 2020 in cooperation with the South Korean National Police Agency.

* KT Corp. is collaborating with NAVER Corp.'s live streaming platform V LIVE to introduce V LIVE VR, a virtual reality-powered service to watch celebrity content, Chosun Biz reported. The companies will expand their cooperation in VR content by bringing together KT's VR platform capabilities and Naver's celebrity broadcasting expertise.

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

* Wang Lu, vice president of public and government relations at Baidu Inc., has left the company. According to Nikkei Asian Review, Wang resigned two to three months ago and his duties were taken over by former NetEase Inc. executive Yuan Foyu. Wang joined Baidu in September 2016 as a member of the company's top decision-making team.

* Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Star Telecom Corp. Ltd., Far EasTone Telecommunications Co. Ltd., Taiwan Mobile Co. Ltd. and Asia Pacific Telecom Co. Ltd. submitted applications to Taiwan's National Communications Commission to join the 5G spectrum auction in December, Central News Agency reported.

* The executive director of Hong Kong-based Metro News Multi Media confirmed in an internal letter to employees that the company is being acquired by a Japanese buyer, with the deal to conclude in November, Apple Daily reported. As a result, the company's distribution of free newspaper Metro Daily will stop with immediate effect.

INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA

* Spotify Technology SA launched its Premium Family plan in India, Television Post reported. Priced at 179 Indian rupees per month, the plan offers up to six individual accounts with a full premium experience, parental controls, access to personalized playlists and a single monthly bill sent to the master account.

* Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Vodafone Idea Ltd. shortened the ringer duration for outgoing calls from their networks to 25 seconds from between 35 and 40 seconds to match the ringer time of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., The Economic Times (India) reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

* Indonesia-based telco XL Axiata injected an additional US$65 million to expand its network coverage in Sumatra, Bisnis reported. The company aims to cover 90% of the total population in the region.

* MediaCorp Pte. Ltd. is transferring the ownership of Mediacorp VizPro International Pte. Ltd.'s assets to Media International Pte. Ltd., a company wholly owned by Travelite Holdings Ltd. Chairman Thang Teck Jong. Following the transfer, Media International will rebrand itself as VizPro Media International Pte. Ltd.

* Hooq Digital Pte. Ltd. announced the launch of HOOQ Media Exchange, a digital alliance with telecom and in-app gaming operators in Southeast Asia and India that offers targeted, premium advertising solutions. According to Mumbrella, the alliance includes Singtel, Bharti Airtel and gaming company POKKT.

* Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission confirmed it has paid over 3.5 billion baht in compensation to seven digital TV operators that returned their licenses as part of a government buyback scheme, Thairath reported. The country now has only 19 digital TV stations on air.

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

* Seven West Media Ltd. will shed up to 160 jobs across multiple divisions, including publicity teams in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, as part of a restructuring to reduce costs, sources told The Sydney Morning Herald. The cuts will mainly affect those in the TV division, including current affairs show "Sunday Night," which was recently axed after more than a decade on air. The company is also set to appoint three new executives, including a chief content officer, chief marketing officer and chief digital officer.

* In more Seven West Media news, the company's head of corporate affairs, Stephen Browning, has resigned. According to Mumbrella, Browning's departure is unrelated to the recent leadership changes at Seven West Media.

FEATURED NEWS

Hires and Fires: Microsoft nominates GlaxoSmithKline CEO to board; IBM adds director: Microsoft nominated GlaxoSmithKline CEO Emma Walmsley to its board of directors, while International Business Machines named former Vanguard Group CEO and Chairman F. William McNabb III to its board.

FEATURED RESEARCH

Technology: 5G survey: Deployment roadmaps stretch past 3-year horizon: Of the 56 global operators surveyed in Kagan's B2B 5G survey completed in August, only 10 (17.9%), are staking a claim to 100% 5G coverage by the end of 2022.

Nozomi Ibayashi, Myungran Ha, Emily Lai, Kevin Osmond and Patrick Tibke 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.