MyAdhan Blog

MyAdhan has recently published its December 2007 Newsletter.

With the new year fast approaching (2008/1429) it makes sense to reflect on our spiritual achievements for the year that has passed and evaluate where we would like to be in the coming year. No doubt, with all things considered we would all like to get closer to Allah and we can all make a sincere intention to do our best to achieve this. To help, you could sign up for MyAdhan’s Daily Prayer and Fasting times service.

With Hajj season just finished we’d like to wish everyone a belated Eid Mubarak. We hope that Allah accepts the Hajj of all who were fortunate to visit Makkah. For all those who are still yet to perform Hajj MyAdhan is offering a chance to win one of 50 FREE Hajj and Umrah pocket guide books to help prepare you for your Hajj whenever you plan to go.

MyAdhan piloted a new Pictures and Video MMS Service with IslamChannel over Eid. This allowed IslamChannel viewers the ability to send in their Eid greetings and messages via pictures and video which were then broadcast during special TV broadcasts.

The new year also brings new partners and MyAdhan is always looking for innovative companies to partner with. MyAdhan is excited to announce a new collaboration with TijaraPages.com, an online Muslim business directory with over 6500 listings. MyAdhan now powers TijaraPages mobile services allowing you to send business listings to your mobile phone by SMS.

Link: UAE: Regional operators to enjoy new breed of Voice SMS content services as T.A. Telecom & Bubble Motion finalise integration

T.A. Telecom, the Egypt-based wireless and application service provider, and US-based voice short messaging service (voice SMS or VSMS) provider, Bubble Motion, have together launched a new breed of voice SMS content services, a first for the region, Europe and the Americas. T.A. Telecom’s regional clients can now offer their subscribers a new breed of audio content services in a simple and consumer-friendly manner. The new content services will add value to T.A. Telecom’s existing services, as they do not require any setup or activation from the user. They will also fill a mobile communications gap by offering subscribers a more personalised and language-specific alternative to traditional messaging. “The telecommunications industry in the Middle East is evolving at an incredible pace. We are establishing market leadership by bridging the gap between international companies who wish to service the region, and Middle Eastern companies who strive to provide customers with innovative products and services,” said Amr Shady, CEO of T.A. Telecom. “Our new value added services will be a revenue generator for mobile operators in the region as it’s the first of its kind in the region, Europe and the Americas and it’s also easy to use and non-intrusive for the subscriber.”

Link: Infrastructure sharing: opportunities and threats for MENA telecom operators

Booz Allen Hamilton recently published a study highlighting the importance of infrastructure sharing as a strategy for new revenue generation and cost optimization for telecom operators in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, at a time when traditional players and new entrants are under increasing pressure to maintain healthy profit margins.

The study also addresses the impact that infrastructure sharing can have on telecom sector development and how it can support the next wave of growth in the MENA telecom markets. ‘Infrastructure sharing can benefit fixed and mobile operators alike; while fixed operators are re-structuring to leverage the sharing model, as witnessed by the separation in the UK and more recently in Sweden - mobile operators are considered the sharing frontrunners,’ said Bahjat El-Darwiche, a Principal in the Communication and Technology Practice with Booz Allen Hamilton. As pressure mounts and markets maintain the growth pattern, operators should consider options to salvage profit levels, focusing on untapped revenues and cost optimization. ‘Infrastructure sharing is a form of cost optimization and can reduce capital expenditure components by as much as 40%,’ said Louay Abou Chanab, an Associate in the Communication and Technology Practice with Booz Allen Hamilton. ‘When looking at the case of two specific mobile operators in the MENA region, savings can mount to USD 250 million over a period of 3 years, should they decide to join forces in deploying their respective networks,’ added Abou Chanab.

Link: UAE: Etisalat extends Voice SMS discount offer

Another Link: Etisalat extends voice SMS discounts

Etisalat’s recently launched Voice SMS service has been a phenomenal success. This popularity of the service has prompted Etisalat to extend the introductory discount offer till February 29, 2008. Customers will only pay Dh0.18 per Voice SMS till the end of the offer period. Voice SMS service allows Etisalat customers to communicate with family and friends more frequently in a more personal manner instead of sending SMS, said an official spokesman. Mobile customers of Etisalat have found the Voice SMS facility an ideal solution to exchange their greetings, allowing them to record their personal voice clips of up to 30 seconds instead of typing text SMS and sending it to any other Etisalat mobile users, who will receive the SMS notification and the steps to follow to retrieve the Voice message. The most significant feature of this service is that since the message is recorded in the sender’s own voice, there are no language restrictions as with text SMS. This is enabling the multicultural population of the UAE to reach out and connect with their friends and family in their own language.

Link: New Media: Why do Arab Governments Remain Silent?

The mobile phone is one of the most dangerous new players in the field. In its third generation, one can now watch television broadcasts via a mobile phone to the extent that television channels have been launched specifically to offer this mobile phone service in order to benefit from the revenue of SMS text messages, some of which have exceeded the profits of commercial advertisements. Some mobile phone companies have become major players within the media, however the question that puzzles media figures is: Why have governments remained unusually silent? They are similar to people who try to keep out the water that is held by the dam with the use of one finger. The dam is about to collapse and they know that. We should also look at the financial aspect that prompts governments to remain silent and be patient regarding new media services despite the criticisms and anger expressed via SMS messages, websites and e-mails. The main reason behind the official tolerance is the large amounts [of money] that are reaped by public mobile phone companies or private companies that finance governments with funding that now represents the second [largest] source of income after oil, such as in the Gulf states.

Link: MENA Telco Review: Cheaper, faster, greener

If 2007 is a memorable year for the Middle East ICT industry for any single reason, it will be because of the sheer amount of activity in the telecoms sector. From the launch of competition in traditional monopoly markets, to the seemingly non-stop round of licence auctions and the major players increasing tendency to look outside of the region for opportunities, the sector has made headlines all year, and its growth looks set to have a fundamental impact on the Middle East in the year ahead. The Middle East telecoms markets may have slumbered for a while, but there can be no doubt that increased competition has shaken up the market. The GSM Association announced that mobile subscriptions grew by 8.5 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2007 alone. In the United Arab Emirates, new entrant du claimed a subscriber base of one million by the end of November after launching services in February, accounting for 15% of the market. The competition between du and incumbent Etisalat, which has manifested clearly in areas like promotional pricing for special occasions and deals on pre-paid cards, shows the potential benefits to subscribers in terms of value for money.

Link: Saudi mobile firm plans IPO to fund expansion

Itsalat International (i2), the largest mobile phone distribution company in the Middle East and Africa with operations in as many as 23 countries, plans to come out with an initial public offering towards the end of 2008, one of the company’s biggest stakeholders said recently. “We propose to get i2 listed on the Saudi Tadawul Exchange. Saudi Arabia’s Capital Markets Authority will decide on how much of the company could be sold through the IPO,” Dr. Karim Al Solh, chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi-based regional private equity firm, Gulf Capital, told Gulf News.

Link: Pakistan: Mobile and fixed line networks bear Benazir’s death strain

Related Links: Internet and telephone services suspended as protesters attack optical fibre cable and Riots disrupt net, wireless connectivity

Soon after the announcement of demise of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Thursday evening, almost all the mobile phone, fixed lines and Wireless Local Loop networks were virtually chocked due to unprecedented traffic load, which continued till Friday, making over 81.39 million subscribers communication tools useless. Immediately after the news about suicidal attack on the former Prime Minster and then her death the entire nation was shocked and telephone networks in Pakistan were running at near capacity as those caught up in the chaos traffic tried to call the family and friends about their safety. The surge in the number of calls being made was also an indication that many people had trouble getting through first time. According to the mobile phone companies, their networks were not down and were properly working but due to heavy traffic on the lines in the country due to worst situation almost every one was using mobile phones to enquire about their family members and friends’ safety due to which the mobile traffic is overloaded and the users were facing difficulties. “Due to the heavy volume of calls, the network is experiencing some congestion problems,” a mobile phone company spokesperson told Daily Times on Friday. Another spokesperson of a cellular company said, “a large number of people are making calls at the moment, so it is taking a while for them to get through. The volume of calls has really surged manifold,” he added. There were also rumours that the mobile network is down, possibly due to shutdown, but mobile firms denied the rumours that the government had used emergency powers to shut down the networks.

Link: UAE: Police use multimedia messaging service to issue fines

Police’s Traffic Department issued more than 3,000 traffic fines using Multimedia Messaging Service of mobile phones. Brigadier Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, director of the department, said the system of using mobile phones to issue fines electronically was launched by the Chief of Dubai Police and the system is considered a qualitative leap in providing fast electronic services and supporting traffic police’s job. The method saves time and effort compared to issuing paper fines. He said the department issued a total of 3,126 fines using mobile phones. The traffic police use mobile phones to take digital pictures or videos of offending cars, especially for offences such as jumping red signals, parking in places allocated for people with special needs and other offences.

Link: Kuwait: Arabic speakers, a dying breed in the Arab world?

Arabic is the fifth-most spoken language worldwide, with 206 million native Arabic speakers in the world and more than 20 million people speaking it as a second language. But many Arabs feel that globalization has affected their native tongue negatively. Arabic, especially classical Arabic, or fus’ha, is a fading tongue between its native speakers, or at least it is becoming less important than it once used to be. Classical Arabic, though the language of the Holy Quran and used in books and formal letters, is now left to the sophisticates.

Ali, a 22 year old Kuwaiti, thinks the reason behind the declining standard of Arabic learning is that people associate other languages such as English with better education and career prospects. “I think the Arabic language is dying because many people go for a better education abroad so they prefer to learn English instead. Also, people here measure your success by how you speak English, which is not fair,” said Ali.

English = educated, open

English is linked to openness and developed cultures, while Arabic is associated with strict rules and no freedom. So of course I would be interested in English rather than Arabic. Arabic equals Arabs equals no development, while English gives more chances to reach places other than home,” he added.

Ali, who is a graduate from a bilingual school and currently studying English literature at Kuwait University (KU) is an example for many other young Kuwaitis and Arabs who would forego their native tongue for a more global language. Though Ali talks Arabic well with a Kuwaiti dialect, he admits that he prefers to speak English among his peers.

At home, we usually talk Arabic together, but my sisters send me emails and text messages in English rather than Arabic. And I talk with my friends most of the time in English,” he said. “It sounds easier to express because we always speak it at school and university. Also, emails and text messages are in English; everything is written in English,” he added…