MyAdhan Blog

Link: Qatar: Qtel Olympics portal wins gold for visitor numbers

Qtel’s dedicated Summer Olympics portal created for the Mozaic MOB service drew more than 20,000 visitors over the course of the Beijing Games, according to figures released today from the leading telecommunications service provider.The site, which was launched following requests from local sports enthusiasts, provided a track-side view of one of the most exciting Olympic Games in living memory, offering a mix of news, medal tallies and the latest results. Among the most popular areas on the portal were those dedicated to Qatar’s squad of 22 athletes - the largest in the country’s history - as well as the running news service. Adel Al Mutawa, Executive Director of Group Communications, Qtel, said: ‘People today use their phones for much more than conversation. This new generation of mobile phones enables people to access the latest news and entertainment, and Qtel continues to make the broadest variety of content available for our customers.’ Such a significant response for a bespoke portal service reflects both the intense interest generated by the XXIX Olympiad in Qatar, as well as the extent to which residents are now using GPRS and 3G-enabled mobile phones to access new content. A recent report from the Arab Advisors Group, ‘3G Cellular Services in the Arab World,’ positioned Qatar among the leading countries in the region for providing 3G cellular services. Reflecting the strong interest in sport in Qatar, Qtel has extended its Unlimited Live TV service for Mozaic Mobile to include the Al Kaas Qatar sports channel. Now, for as little as QR5 per day, customers can use 3G-enabled phones to access a range of English and Arabic channels, including Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English, The Cartoon Network and Al Kass. ‘One of the major areas of interest for many customers is live coverage of sporting events and with the Al Kass sports channel via Mozaic Mobile, customers can follow live games wherever they are,’ added Al Mutawa. Customers can access Live TV from their mobiles by browsing wap.mozaic.qa and navigating to the Live TV section. Alternatively, customers can simply SMS the activation command to 2973 for a variety of packages. As a special promotional offer, 3G mobile users will get their first day subscription for free. This allows customers to try the service and decide which package suits them best.

Asalaam aley koum,

In the blink of an eye Ramadhan is upon us again! If you hadn’t noticed we’ve been busy at MyAdhan.com getting new services set up in new countries along with a big marketing campaign on TV and in some of the Islamic press. Look out for follow up postings on our new TV advert, events we are supporting and other activities during Ramadhan.

Remember to check out our Guide for making the most out of Ramadhan.

Be sure to keep us in your Duaa’s and have a successful Ramadhan. More to follow soon…

Link: Zain Launches Saudi Arabian Network

Another Link: Saudi Zain to start operations

Kuwait based, Zain has announced that it will launch its mobile network in Saudi Arabia tomorrow (26th August), and connect it to the group’s borderless roaming service, One Network. At launch date, Zain’s coverage area will initially cover 53% of the population in 36 major cities and 14 highways spanning over 4,000 kms. The remaining coverage area to reach 95% of the population will be attained initially through a complimentary countrywide roaming service. The company will also introduce HSDPA services to approximately half of the Saudi population at launch. Zain’s network will be further expanded in stages to eventually cover the entire Kingdom. On this momentous occasion, Zain Group CEO Dr Saad Al Barrak said “we are delighted to have launched services in the economic powerhouse of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and we intend to fulfill our promise to offer the community world-class telecom services. The experience and resourcefulness of all 22 Zain operations are all committed to supporting the Saudi operation. Coupled with the impressive economic growth that the Kingdom is experiencing, we are confident that all our stakeholders in the Kingdom and beyond will reap excellent rewards in future years.” Zain in Saudi Arabia has committed investments of over US$1.5 billion in the development of the network. Recently the operation undertook a long testing phase with 9,000 mobile users that proved invaluable. “It gave our technical staff and customer care personnel the sufficient understanding and experience to improve and finesse many of the services that makeup our world-class network. We have invested heavily and we are now ready for the challenges ahead, confident of success. We are targeting equal market share along with the two existing operators in the years ahead”, commented Dr. Marwan Alahmadi, CEO of Zain in Saudi Arabia. From July 26, 2008 Zain offered people the opportunity to reserve a special number, with tens of thousands registering their request. On launch date, the operation will have 160 official Zain outlets, over 3,000 authorized distribution points of sales and the operation estimates that over 40,000 independent businesses will act as resellers of recharge cards. The operation currently has a 2100 strong workforce. Zain Saudi Arabia is a publically listed company on the Saudi Stock Exchange.

Link: Oman: TRA launches public consultation on mobile TV

As part of its endeavour to introduce world-class telecommunications services in the Sultanate of Oman, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced that it was in the process of developing regulations for the introduction of Digital Video Broadcasting-Handled (DVB-H). As a first step, the authority launched a public consultation on mobile television. The consultation seeks opinion on various issues related to the introduction of Mobile TV in the Sultanate. DVB-H technology is the version of Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial (DVB-T) adapted for mobile devices. It is a standard offered by the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) Project for broadcasting TV and data content to handheld devices. The major issues mentioned in the consultation paper are; reception types, business models options that would provide the best services to the society, operators’ interest, and spectrum allocation and assignment. Commenting on the consultation paper, Yousuf Bin Abdullah Al Balushi, TRA’s Senior Manager, Spectrum Management Unit, said, “The implementation of the service involves many players, including mobile operators, broadcasters, content providers, and service distributors. The TRA invites all interested parties to express their opinion on the consultation document published in the local newspapers, as well as the authority’s website. Through this public consultation the TRA seeks written comments from interested parties on the questions stated in the consultation paper. All comments will be studied carefully.” The consultation response deadline is September 22 and the full consultation document can be viewed on the TRA website www.tra.gov.om, Al Balushi added.

Link: Qatar: SMS-based service soon to ensure mail delivery

A new SMS-based, 24X7 modern postal service is likely to be introduced in Qatar by next year. George Scott-Campbell, director of IT Services at General Postal Corporation (Q-Post), told Gulf Times that the service, Q-Post24, would end the problem of people not getting mail sent to their office P O Box address. Subscribers to the service would be notified through a text message when a mail or parcel reached the post office, he said. The service would have outdoor lockers at supermarkets, petrol stations and similar places. Q-Post had already sold advertising space on the giant boxes. The boxes can be accessed by an electronic card. The parcel will have a PIN number, which will be sent through SMS. Using the card and the PIN, the locker bins can be opened and the parcel collected. Scott-Campbell said a Gulf company wanted to supply the hardware for the service, which was originally developed in Britain as a business-to-business service known as ParcelXchange. According to the manufacturers, ParcelExchange is a cost-effective and sustainable solution for the ‘last mile’ in the delivery process. l More than 2,000 delegates from 191 countries are expected to participate in the 25th congress of the Universal Postal Union, to be held in Doha in 2012. Yesterday, Qatargas offered “financial support” for the conference at a meeting attended by Ali Mohamed Ali al-Ali, chairman and general manager of the General Postal Corporation, Q-Post official Ali Kubaisi, and Qatargas chief operating officer (administration) Ghanim M al-Kuwari. The UPU congress, held once in four years, formulates strategies and policies of world postal services for the following four years. Established in 1874, the UPU has its headquarters in Berne, Switzerland. It is the primary forum for co-operation between postal-sector players and helps to ensure a universal network of up-to-date products and services. atar was elected to the UPU’s 41-member Council of Administrators (CA) at the last congress held in Geneva. It was also chosen as vice chair of the CA of Asia. Qatar would therefore be involved in formulating policies and strategies for the next four years, Scott-Campbell said. Despite the growing popularity of telecommunication and electronic media the volume of letters in Qatar was still growing by 2% to 3% annually, he said.

Link: South Sudan to stop using Ugandan country code

South Sudan will cease the use of Uganda’s national phone code +256 as of October, Uganda’s parliament has been told, based on a report published by The New Vision website. “We have been informed by the Sudanese government that in October, there will be no need for them to use our +256 telephone code,” the information and communication technology minister [for Uganda], Ham Mulira, said on Tuesday. Uganda’s parliament has long inquired on how South Sudan telecommunication network, Gemtel, got the permission to use its country code to no avail. There has been high controversy and secrecy surrounding Gemtel’s ownership, which is allegedly known to be owned by South Sudan Minister for Telecommunication and Postal Services, Gier Chuang Aluong. Aside from its mystery, many Sudanese in the Diaspora regard Gemtel as ineffective. In April this year, petitioners from Jonglei asked their governor Kuol Manyang Juuk to provide alternative network for the area because it didn’t go through after a few more weeks after setup.

Link: Pakistan: Detecting fraud sms messages

I would like to bring this to the attention of the authorities that there are many hoax calls and SMS messages being sent over networks, with some conning the recipient in sending some of their credit over to another user’s number, while the message appears from a normal subscriber number rather than the number of the telecom operator.

Here are some tips which users should consider when they receive such SMS messages:

1. See where the message is coming from. Cellular operators would either replace the 8+3 digit telephone number with a short code, or would replace it with their name. Cellular operators would not use an ordinary subscriber number to contact its subscribers.
2. Note the language used in these messages. If the message is in English, they often have poor grammar and spelling. Moreover, these messages ask you to call a specific number. Do note that if you have won a certain amount, the operators would automatically credit it to your account instead of asking you to credit it. Moreover, these numbers, when dialled or texted to, transfer credit from your account to the deceiver’s account. Please check with your operator the specific code required to transfer balance from one number to another.
3. Most of the time these messages appear from one operator’s number, while asking you to send the SMS (or dial the number) which belongs to another operator. This is the greatest giveaway.
4. Most of these messages have different characters used such as ê or ü or other variations. Telecom operators would not use these characters for professional reasons.
5. Often, these messages are written in English, but words and other constructs are in the Urdu language (often referred to as Roman Urdu). Again, companies would not employ Roman Urdu over SMS (unless it’s a phrase, which may be quoted) to contact their customers.

As far as calls are concerned, it would be wise to ask the caller their name, designation and their number. Upon failing to provide the information, they may hang up. At the same time, these unsolicited calls appear from another random number instead of a pool of numbers reserved for employees of a company. Sometimes the companies may call from their customer service numbers, which is easily recognisable (as they fall in the start of the number series). Upon visiting the websites of different cellular companies, not every company had this warning stating such fraudulent calls, however, the PTA has put up a warning. That isn’t enough to curb this menace; there ought to be a proper mechanism to block (and punish) these fraudulent callers. One operator recently started a blocking service, but that won’t be enough to finish this menace. Moreover, the authority has merely stated to be aware of these messages rather than inviting the affected to register the hoax texter/caller’s number on the PTA’s or the cellular operator’s site for immediate suspension. I would like everyone to take an initiative in this cause, and ask the parties concerned to do more rather than merely place a warning notice in a conspicuous manner, if there is any.

Link: Bangladesh’s Banglalink tops 10 mln mobile users

Egyptian Orascom Telecom’s ORTE.CA Banglalink, the No. 2 Bangladesh mobile phone carrier, said on Wednesday its subscriber numbers had passed 10 million after rising 41 percent since January. Bangladesh’s mobile phone sector has been growing rapidly, with total subscribers reaching 44.8 million million at the end of July from only 200,000 in 2001, helped by competitive tariffs and cheap handsets. Banglalink, which started Bangladesh operations in 2005 with 30,000 users, has invested more than 56 billion taka ($817 million) expanding its business, the company said. Banglalink’s competitors include Grameenphone, majority owned-by Norway’s Telenor, AKtel, majority owned-by Telekom Malaysia International, Gulf-based Warid Telecom, CityCell, a joint venture between Pacific Bangladesh Telecom and Singapore Telecommunications, and state-run Teletalk. Grameenphone, which is gearing up for a $300 million public offer, is still the main player in Bangladesh’s mobile phone market with more than 20.8 million users.

Link: Kuwaiti telco looking to raise $93mn in IPO

Kuwait’s third mobile phone operator is looking to raise 25 million dinars ($93 million) in its initial public offering (IPO) next week, a member of the company’s founding committee said on Tuesday. Kuwait Telecommunications Co, which was given final approval by Kuwait’s cabinet last month, is selling 50 percent of its capital in the IPO open only to Kuwaiti nationals that starts on Aug. 24 and closes Sept. 18. Fuad Al-Hajeri said the company expects up to 700,000 Kuwaitis to buy shares in the company, newswire Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Link: UAE: Cabs now an ‘SMS’ away

Getting a taxi in Dubai is now just an ‘SMS’ away. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Monday introduced taxi stand (rank) numbers, modelled on the Singapore taxi service system, for different locations. The passenger could send an SMS to the toll-free number 4774 mentioning the number of the taxi stand where he or she is waiting, said Abdul Aziz Malik, CEO of Dubai Taxi. The majority of taxi drivers now find it difficult to track down the locations of the passengers, ultimately resulting in long and frustrating waiting. Malik explained the ‘taxi ranks’: The authority has given rank numbers to 54 locations or taxi stands in various congested areas of the emirate; every stand will have an area code. A passenger waiting for a cab in a particular stand will have to SMS to 4774 the area code, which would be mentioned on the boards installed at each stand. “The passenger would receive an acknowledgement message from the RTA and a taxi would pick the passenger up from the exact spot within minutes. For instance, Rank No. 1 stands for Century Mall in Al Mamzar, 2 for Al Hamriya Shopping Centre in Hor Al Anz East, and 3 for Abu Hail Centre in Hor Al Anz East. Altogether, 54 areas have been earmarked as taxi stands in the emirate. Each stand will have an information board listing the rank numbers and respective areas, the SMS number and the toll-free booking numbers of all taxi companies operating in the emirate. “If a passenger does not find a cab at any of the stands, he/she can also call up any of the dispatch centres of any taxi company and give the rank number to the customer service agent. “The RTA will track the nearest taxi and give the driver the message. The GPS meter system in the taxis will have the information about all rank numbers and the locations. The driver will not have to search for a particular location and could reach the exact spot easily,” Malik said. This would drastically reduce the waiting time for the passengers, Essa Al Dossari, CEO of the Public Transport Agency, said. “The people will be informed about the rank numbers and locations through media campaigns. This is just Phase -1 and the next phase will see more areas included. “There is no fixed number of taxis for each rank. The driver, who is the nearest, would be contacted and asked to go to the particular stand. Taxis would also be waiting for passengers at some stands like in the shopping malls, hotels etc,” he said.