MyAdhan Blog

Link: Noor Dubai On Etisalats Mobile TV 20 Popular Channels For AED 39 Per Month

In its endeavor to enhance the Mobile TV service, Etisalat has added the recently introduced channel Noor Dubai to its current Mobile TV channel list. Currently, Etisalat provides 20 different channels to its customers through Mobile TV. Etisalat Mobile TV enables customers to enjoy their favorite programs, while on the move, providing unparalleled flexibility and convenience.

“Mobile TV is becoming immensely popular in this part of the world. The increased usage and adaptation has encouraged Etisalat to add more channels and offer rich and diverse content to its customers through an innovative medium. In the future, we intend to add more channels and create exciting features for our customers, based on their content preferences ” said Khalifa Al Shamsi, Vice President Marketing / Consumer & SMB- Etisalat.

Subscription for Mobile TV service and can be done through SMS by typing “r mtv” and sending it to 1010, or by calling 125. Customers can access Mobile TV service through Weyak, Etisalat’s mobile portal and select for the various available channels.

Etisalat offers 20 most popular channels including Holly Quran, Abu Dhabi Sports, Dubai Sports, Abu Dhabi TV, Al Arabiya TV, BBC World, CNBC Arabiya, Emirates, MBC, Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera International, Sama Dubai, Sharjah channel and Kairali – a Malayalam language channel, specially for the large expat Keralite population living in the UAE, Meloday Hits, Melody Aflam, Noor Dubai, and three dedicated channels for Ramadan programs from MBC

Link: Pakistan: FIA cyber wing directed to investigate fictitious emails and sms against politicians

Interior Advisor Mr Rehman Malik has directed the cyber wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to trace out the originators of fictitious e-mails and SMS, sent to the people. Fictitious e-mails and sms, transmitted to the people are aimed at launching vilification campaign for the character assassination of the politicians and senior leaders.

It may mentioned here that people are receiving fake emails and sms as a part of sinister move against the politicians which is meant to mislead them and impair the credibility and struggle of the political parties for resurgence of democratic norms in the country.

The directive given by the Interior Advisor to the investigation agency will help initiate immediate action against the culprits, indulged in the smear campaign against the political leadership of the country.

Salaam and Eid Mubarak! Which ever day you’ve chosen! Once again the world is plunged in to confusion regarding when to do Eid. Let’s not get too hung up on the negative and focus on the positive as there are many more issues to fix in the world which have greater importance.

On a lighter note, here is an “Eid take” on a classic email that get floated around. Feel free to add your 2 cents worth in the comments.

You know it’s Eid when…

• Your more senior relatives call “back home” for an Eid chit chat which ends up lasting the whole day and costing more than the price of a flight home.
• You’ve gone to a friend or relative’s house to wish them Eid Mubarak and they are actually at your house looking for you.
• Your kids go to school and tell their teacher that after a Month of Fasting in Ramadhan it is the “Day of Eat” and you tell them it’s actually “Eat Al Fritters”.
• You get to the Mosque late for the first Eid Salaat and miss the beginning of the Kuthba and have to get the next Jamaat. Dohh! (Eid Salaat has the Kuthba at the start and prayer at the end).
• You sleep in and forget to set your alarm and have to go to the last (graveyard) Jamaat at 11am, Double Dohh!
• The person next to you in Eid Salat has put too much Itar (perfume) on.
• You forget to iron you Eid clothes the night before the early start.
• You get 1001 SMS text messages of Eid Mubarak (some which are well crafted and obviously copied from somewhere).
• Your Shalwar doesn’t have a “izar-bund” and you have to use elastic (one for the Pakistani’s).
• You wake up for the time of Sahoor by accident and go back to bed (until fajr hopefully).
• You forget the format of Eid Salaat and watch the person next to you (2 Rakats, 6 Takbeers).
• You eat way too much for lunch and end up needing a nap in the afternoon.
• You forget to give Fitrana before your Eid Salat.
• There are no more Taraweeh Prayers (obvious).
• You have to carry a lot of £5/$5 notes to give “hard cash” by younger relatives.
• You get force-fed food from “big round” cheek pinching Aunties.
• Muslims never decide to do Eid on the same day (I have a dream..).
• Someone in some remote Muslim country decides they have seen the moon even though it’s not technically possible.
• Your mum cooks too much food thinking that you have the same size stomach as before Ramadhan (be warned, don’t waste food as you’ve just fasted for 30ish days).
• Although it’s Eid someone it still fasting.
• Some Muslim youth decide to embarress the Muslim community by driving up and down major high streets hanging out of car windows and playing loud music (this is not the way to celebrate Eid).
• The Baklava/Jalaibees and are in full flow.

Eid Mubarak!

Link: Bangladesh: Telco surprises with country’s biggest-ever IPO

IPOs are scarce enough as it is in this gruesome global market. But the largest ever IPO from one of the world’s poorest countries, whose previous record deal was in 1994? That’s rarer still.

When Grameenphone lists in Bangladesh later this year, it will be a landmark. According to a statement released after its July 21 board meeting, the telco will raise $300 million, half of it in a pre-public offer private placement, and half in the flotation itself, on the Dhaka and Chittagong Stock Exchanges. Since Dealogic lists the previous record as a $28.9 million listing for Monno Fabrics in December 1994, that’s quite an increase.

Citigroup Global Markets Bangladesh is the global coordinator, issue manager and lead underwriter on the deal. Mamun Rashid, managing director and country officer for Bangladesh, reckons there’s real opportunity in the country’s markets.

Link: Kenya: Offer quality services, telecom firms told

Telecommunication operators must give quality services to their consumers, minister for Information and Communication has said.

Speaking during the launch of the consumer education programme by Communication Commission of Kenya in Nairobi, Mr Samuel Poghisio said that as the telecommunication industry expands, more users are exposed to fraud and poor services thus the need for operators to improve the quality of services.

The consumer education programme dubbed chukua hatua (take action), will create awareness on better and safe usage of various communication services to enable clients know their rights and responsibilities. The campaign is a culmination of the outcome of a consumer satisfaction and perception survey carried out in 2007 that recommended the development of the outreach programme.

“With increased uptake of communication services by Kenyans, it is important that consumers are protected from exploitation through teaching them on the available services and products,” he said. Mr Poghisio said the entry of more players in the telecommunication market is not only expected to generate stiff competition among service providers, but also offer increased consumer choice.

“The vast growth in technology comes along with a large number of users who have little or no knowledge on how to utilise it. “They have to be protected from exploitation that stems from their ignorance. The worst hit is the mobile telephony that is spread in most parts of the country,” he said.

Link: The G-phone may beat the iPhone to the UAE

Even though there have been no announcements of a G-phone launch in the UAE, the business model behind it means that several manufacturers could bring the phone into the region, according to Rich Miner, Google’s vice-president of mobile operations.

“There is no reason why you shouldn’t expect [the G-phone] to come to the Middle East,” he says. The iPhone, which was launched last year, has not announced any plans for a UAE launch, despite plans to launch the popular phone in Qatar, Egypt and Jordan.

Miner is also part of the Google team that helped develop Android, the heart of the G-Phone. Miner joined Google in 2005, when his mobile platform company, also called Android, was acquired by the internet giant in 2005. But despite the use of the name, G-phone itself is a bit of a misnomer. The handsets are being dubbed that because Google designed the operating system, but the phones themselves are made by a variety of manufacturers, all members of the Open Handset Alliance.

Open-source system
So far, only HTC, a China-based manufacturer of mobile devices, has produced a phone that uses Android. Dubbed the G1, it will be available from T-Mobile stores in the US on October 22. A UK launch is expected in November, and further launches are expected in Europe later this year. Because Android is an open-source operating system that can be used - for free - by any of the manufacturers in Open Handset Alliance, Miner says, it won’t cause problems with licensing agreements or come with complex business model. That means that any manufacture in the Alliance can produce an unlocked mobile device using Android and sell it here in the UAE.

The iPhone, which was initially launched in 2007, has never officially made it to the UAE due to Apple’s business model, which pairs the popular phone with exclusive networks. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has said it will not allow either of the two telecoms in the UAE to sign deals allowing them exclusive rights to any phones. Virtually all the iPhones in the UAE have come into the country through the grey market.

The Open Handset Alliance, which was announced last year, is an association of 34 companies in the alliance which has committed itself to producing a power mobile platform that each can use and modify to its advantage. It includes phone manufactures LG, Samsung and Motorola. Also in the alliance are a number of web telecoms and technology companies, including Intel, eBay and T-Mobile. “The goal was to build a great platform for both carriers and OEMs,” Miner says. “I think we hit both of these with this launch.”

Miner, quoting Google co-founder Larry Page, says the G1 has all the power that a desktop computer had just a few years ago. “Why shouldn’t it feel like I have a small, powerful PC in my pocket?” The G1 will retail in the US for $179, but T-mobile will be requiring a two-year contract on the phone.

Google strengthened its place in the region this month, officially opening its offices in Dubai Internet City and announcing it would be participating in Gitex, the regional IT exposition to be held in October. The company, which has held a trade licence in the UAE since May 2007, will be “trying to help business, especially Arab businesses” with web-related search opportunities and advertising, according to Joanne Kubba, Google’s communications officer for the Mena region.

The company will try to increase the regional use of its AdWords program, which allows companies to advertise on Google.com and other partner sites, and the AdSense program, which allows bloggers and other websites to place Google advertising on their own pages. The Dubai office will be a hub for Google’s operation in the region. Currently the company has two teams, one based here and the other in Egypt.

The company will also be looking at Arab content, or the lack of it.

Link: Mobile penetration zooms to 138% in Bahrain

Bahrain’s mobile penetration rate has the potential to reach 164 per cent by 2012, a penetration rate, which is already being reached in some European countries and in other parts of the Middle East.

By the end of 2007, the number of mobile subscribers in Bahrain had increased to 1.116 million, translating to a penetration rate of nearly 138 per cent.

The Kingdom’s mobile market continues to produce remarkable rates of growth, in spite of the regulator’s recent insistence that operators count only active subscribers within their reported customer totals.

This was revealed by market research major, Companies and Markets in its Bahrain Telecommunications Report Q3 2008 - Companies and Markets released yesterday.Growth in the final quarter of the year was stronger than in all three previous quarters combined. The number of mobile customers saw a 15.7 per cent surge in Q4 of 2007, with growth being mainly driven by ZainZainLoading…’s expanding prepaid customer base. ZainZainLoading…’s prepaid customer base grew by 47.4 per cent in Q4 ‘07, compared with a mere 3.1 per cent increase in the number of Bahrain Telecommunication Company (Batelco)Bahrain Telecommunication Company (Batelco)Loading… prepaid customers.

“Even with the possibility that a third mobile operator may be licensed, we continue to predict that new customer growth, over the next five years, will slow down significantly. Further growth will, however, be sustained by Bahrain’s growing population and by considerable scope for increased growth within the contract sector.”

The TRATRALoading… has indicated that a licence could be awarded by the end of 2008 with a new operator expected to launch services within 12 months. The possible arrival of a third mobile operator is expected to put considerable pressure on the sector’s existing mobile operators, particularly in terms of pricing.

“We also expect the arrival of a third operator to result in increased efforts by the existing players on increasing their ratio of postpaid customers relative to prepaid ones; such a move would help to keep ARPU levels buoyant.”

Despite the already highly saturated nature of Bahrain’s mobile market, announced in April 2008, it was reported that the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA)Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA)Loading… had invited telecoms industry players and interested parties to express interest and opinions on the planned award of a third mobile network operating licence.The regulator has asked potential applicants to give opinions regarding preferred spectrum bands and size of frequency blocks to be assigned, plus related issues including infrastructure sharing, national roaming and length of shared exclusivity period.

In separate news, reported in February 2008, it was revealed that Bahrain´s government planned to sell the majority of its shares in fixed-line incumbent BatelcoBatelcoLoading… over the next three years, as part of the country´s Second National Telecommunication Plan approved by the Parliament earlier in the same month.

The planned sale is aimed at enabling the full-service telecom company to operate with full independence from the government and make commercial decisions free of political influence.

Link: Bangladesh auctions broadband wireless access licences

State-managed Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) auctioned licences to operate broadband wireless access in the country at 2.15 billion taka ($31.38 million), officials said on Thursday. Three local firms, Bangla Lion Communications, BRAC Bdmail Network and Aguri Wireless Broadband Bangladesh jointly won the auction on Wednesday out of nine participating firms. The winning firms will run worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) technology that allows wireless data to travel long distance by various means. Telecom watchdog BTRC, the licensing authority, estimates that once WiMAX is functional by the end of 2009, the number of Internet users in the country will double to 10 million. Mobile operators in Bangladesh and their partners were barred from bidding at the auction. Six mobile phone operators so far lifted the user base to 45.4 million against 1.3 million land-line phone users in the country of nearly 150 million people. According to the licence conditions, the winning companies, having not more than 60 percent foreign investment, will have to bring the whole country under the WiMAX network within three years. The winning firms will have to be listed in the country’s two bourses and will not be allowed to transfer any share before the issuance of the initial public offering.

Link: Lebanon: MTC Touch to auction off ‘distinguished’ mobile phone numbers

MTC Touch, one of two mobile operators in Lebanon, intends to hold the first-ever auction for “distinguished” cellular numbers and all of the proceeds will be used to update and expand the existing networks, Telecommunication Minister Jebran Bassil said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, Bassil said that the auction will take place on October 3 at the Movenpick hotel. “MTC Touch will also hold another auction on its official Web site (mtctouch.com.lb) on October 8 of this year,” the minister said. The easy-to-remember cellular numbers, such as 70888888, used to be sold in the black market for hefty prices. Interested buyers must pay $200 to register for the auction, according to MTC Touch. The Telecommunication Ministry instructed the two mobile companies, which operate the cellular networks on behalf of the government, to organize the sale of the privileged numbers because in many cases they end up on the black market. “We will use all additional revenues from the auction to improve and expand the existing cellular networks,” Bassil said. Currently, Lebanon has less than 1.2 million cellular subscribers, but the revenues from the sector are the second-largest source of income for the government after the Value-Added Tax. Sources told The Daily Star that the ministry is looking for ways to modernize and expand the capacity of the cellular networks in order to increase the number of subscribers and then reduce the rates. They added that expanding and modernizing the networks would increase the value of the cellular lines and allow the government to get a better price from the privatization of the mobile companies. Nadim Khater, the commercial director of MTC Touch, expects a big turn out in the first auction. “We expect lot of people to buy the premium numbers during the auction and through the Internet based on studies conducted by our company,” Khater said. He added that some clients will buy these numbers regardless of the prices.

Cellular numbers that will be put on the block:

70600600, 70666666, 70700000, 70773777, 70777772
70666333, 70666999, 70707070, 70774777, 70777773
70666600, 70688886, 70711117, 70777111, 70777777
70666606, 70688888, 70730000, 70777177, 70777999
70666660, 70696969, 70760000, 70777747, 70787878
70666661, 70699999, 70770077, 70777757, 70888888

Look out for MyAdhan on the back cover of the the Muslim Weekly Newspaper for the next couple of weeks.

Did you see the other publications MyAdhan has been advertised in this Ramadhan?

It’s been a tough call to decide where to advertise this year and as you may have guested our focus was to try TV instead of print media. It’s really good to experiment and we hope in the coming months we can work on a few more imaginative campaigns.