MyAdhan Blog

Link: Turkey: Telecommunication sector ready to hail 3G technology

Ensuring number portability emerges as a must to achieve competitive conditions in the telecommunication sector prior to launching third generation - 3G - technology in Turkey

Link: Kuwait: To Dr Al-Barrack, CEO, MTC

First of all, let me tell you sir how much respect we have for you and the whole team of MTC. You are a role model for all of us, from businessmen to high school students. Your success in turning MTC from a local telecommunication company to a competitive regional and global telecommunication corporation is a source of inspiration and pride for all Kuwaitis. We cheered with every new license, acquisition, and takeover. We were touched by the social responsibilities and attitudes of MTC wherever it operates. We wait for your interviews on CNBC Arabia, and are always fascinated by your views on the political economy of this country and are enlightened by your outlook for this region.

Link: Malaysia: Fed up with bank’s SMS

SINCE early this year, SITHA of Kuala Lumpur claims that she has been receiving text messages from Maybank Asset Quality Management stating: ‘Please call the nearest home branch where your loan is maintained from AQM Maybank.’ However, there was no contact number. She was surprised as she had never taken any loans from them. “I called the nearest branch to check on the status. They confirmed that there was no loan under my name and I had not been a guarantor.

MyAdhan.com has recently published its August 2007 Newsletter.

MyAdhan is proud to review its first product on our blog. QibSat is a new bit of kit that allows you to accurately pinpoint Qiblah using GPS technology. This is a quality product that we have managed to get and exclusive offer on.

MyAdhan has been busy trying to improve existing mobile phone download services. In doing this we’ve added a whole new collection of wallpapers. We’ve also teamed up with JamilArts.com to provide some exclusive wallpapers.

Finally, the new Ramadhan edition of EMEL is out and is jam packed with inspirational articles and content to keep you going through the month.

Link: Eitisalat invests USD 300m in Afghanistan

Another Link: Etisalat begins cellphone operation in Afghanistan

United Arab Emirates Telecommunications Company (Etisalat) has begun operating in Afghanistan, thus becoming the fifth mobile service. With an investment of USD 300m, Etisalat’s mobile phone network will initially cover Afghanistan’s main cities, said the company’s CEO for Afghanistan, Salem Al Kendi.

Link: Afghan Cell Phone Use Booming

About 150,000 people subscribe to cell phone service each month in Afghanistan and there’s “no end in sight” to the growth, the country’s communications minister said Tuesday.

Speaking after the launch of the nation’s fourth cell phone service provider, Amirzai Sangin predicted the telecommunication and information technology sector would “be the engine of growth for Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan’s economy is growing quickly, due mostly to the infusion of foreign aid since the downfall of the Taliban in 2001. But the country’s living standards are among the lowest in the world and it faces mounting security problems.

Link: Internet access rare in Jordan

About a third of Jordanian households have PCs, but only 16% of them are connected to the Internet, according to study by Jordan’s Department of Statistics and cited by Jordan Times. The study attributed the low penetration rate to the high cost of Internet use. The government hopes to boost penetration to 50% by 2011 by lowering the price of Internet access.

It would be interesting to see how this compares to mobile Internet in Jordan.

Link: Singapore’s investment in Pakistan reaches $2bn

Sajjad Ashraf, Pakistan High Commissioner in Singapore, has said Singaporean firms have invested almost $2 billion in Pakistan and the figure could go up to $3 billion as a result of sustained efforts in the future.

Sajjad Ashraf said firms from Singapore until now have invested in a number of sectors including telecommunication, banking and Gawadar seaport. He said Singtel had already invested $ 785 million in telecommunication and could invest more in future. He pointed out that Singtel was a big telecommunication firm having investments in India, Mauritius, and some other countries.

Link: MTC may move headquarters out of Kuwait

Mobile Telecommunications Co (MTC) is considering moving its headquarters from Kuwait to either Bahrain, Dubai or Amsterdam, the operator said in a statement yesterday. MTC, the second largest Arab telecom operator and Kuwait’s largest publicly traded company, did not say when it would make a decision. Company officials were not immediately available for comment. MTC employs around 1,100 employees in Kuwait.

Link: Pakistan: SMS asking for forgiveness flood cell phones

‘Assalam-o-Alaikum, Please forgive me prior to sunset (Maghrib) of Shaaban 14 if you were ever hurt by any of my words or deeds. Allah will also forgive both of us after you do so.’ This is a sample of a Short Message Service (SMS) some people in Karachi have been sending friends on the eve of the sacred night of ‘Shab-e-Barat’. “Shaaban is that holy month which closes the chapter of the past year on the 14th while a new account is opened on the 15th,” prominent cleric Mufti Inamul Mustafa Aazmi told Daily Times. “This month it is believed that the angels descend on earth to fix our fate till next year.” “Shab-e-barat is among the nights considered the most blessed and sacred by Muslims and it is believed that Allah forgives sins and wrongdoings of Muslims this night,” said Tauseef, a resident of North Karachi.