Nokia has received a settlement payment of USD 341.25 million following the completion of the sale of Telsim’s assets, in accordance with an arrangement with Telsim and the Turkish Savings and Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), which sold Telsim’s assets to Vodafone. This follows the settlement reached in August 2005 of Nokia’s financial claims against Telsim, subject to the successful sale of the Turkish network operator’s assets.

Nokia is pleased with the resolution of the issue with Telsim. The closing of the settlement agreement opens the way for Nokia’s continued support for Telsim’s operations, which will benefit not only Telsim’s subscribers but also the Turkish telecommunications market at large.

Nokia’s claims arose from Telsim’s default on its repayment obligations under a loan facility related to network equipment delivered in 2000. In February 2004, the Arbitral Tribunal in ZГјrich fully approved the claim against Telsim.

India is to delay its 3G rollout until the government finalises its policy for services based on the technology, according to reports.

The Hindu Business Line in Delhi reported that India’s Department of Telecommunications (DOT) has asked the privately-owned wireless proposed data services based on EVDO to delay delivery of 3G systems until the policies are complete.

The paper quotes Daryl Green, CEO of Tatas saying his organisation is ready to offer 3G services but is waiting for permission.

“We have been told verbally to put off our lunch of EVDO services till later this year,” Green said. “If we get the permission we can start services tomorrow. We can offer 3G services using the existing spectrum but the DoT feels 800 MHz is a 2G radio frequency and therefore we should wait till the 3G spectrum is released.”

The policy for 3G in India is now expected to be finalised by year-end.

3 UK’s SeeMeTV wins Mobile Innovation Award

Mobile media company 3 UK has been recognised as the Mobile Entertainment Operator of the year at the global Mobile Entertainment Awards 2006. In addition, the company was also recognised with an award for Mobile Innovation for its unique user generated content service, SeeMeTV. The Mobile Entertainment Forum’s (MEF) awards took place last night at an event hosted by Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong. The “Meffys” recognise excellence in mobile entertainment and attract entries from around the world from both the mobile and entertainment industries.

3 UK was recognised as operator of the year for its consistent innovation and success as a mobile media company – specifically for its music service which recently saw 1 million downloads in a month, and for its SeeMeTV service, which has created a new mobile content model based on user generated content. SeeMeTV’s success in generating over 1 million downloads a month prompted separate recognition as the mobile innovation of the year.

Graeme Oxby, Marketing Director, 3 UK, said: “The MEF awards are recognised as the industry benchmark for excellence in mobile entertainment. We’re delighted to have competed against the global incumbents and come away with the major award – mobile entertainment operator of the year. The innovation award for SeeMeTV recognises the impact this new service is having on the mobile industry. These awards demonstrate 3′s leadership in mobile entertainment and this is just the beginning of a really exciting time for 3.”