MyAdhan Blog

Link: Omantel bidding for Iran mobile licence

Oman Telecommunications Co. (Omantel) said it had qualified for the second stage of bidding for Iran’s third mobile phone licence. A company statement said Omantel was bidding as part of a consortium of international and local partners, which it did not name, to tap a market with a mobile penetration of less than 60 percent, where about half of the population of some 70 million people are under 25 years of age. “This shows that there are huge opportunities for growth in this sector in the future,” Omantel said, adding that that the third operator would have exclusive rights to offer a full range of third-generation (3G) and second-generation (2G) services.

Iran said in August it was inviting companies to bid for the licence. The two existing operators are the state telephone company and Irancell, which is 49 percent owned by MTN Group, sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest mobile firm.

Iran’s long-running row with the West over its nuclear ambitions has led to UN and Western sanctions, deterring many companies from investing or expanding business in Iran. Dubai-based Millennium Finance Corporation, which is advising Iran in the bidding, said the process would not be over until the end of the year and that Malaysia’s TM International was in the running. Gulf Arab telecom operators have launched overseas operations after losing their monopolies at home. Nawras, the Omani affiliate of Qatar Telecommunications Co (Qtel), won a licence to set up Oman’s second fixed-line network this month, three years after ending Omantel’s mobile monopoly.

Link: UAE: Sharjah Launches SMS Service to Enhance Hajj Awareness

The Department of Islamic Affairs in Sharjah has launched an SMS service to improve people’s awareness about Haj pilgrimage. Taleb Al Mirri, Director of the department, said the new service would help all Muslims, particularly pilgrims, to be well aware of all details they wanted to know about Haj. “Those who want to know about the rituals, conditions, types and principles of Haj have to send an SMS saying MANASEK (rituals) to 6963,” Al Mirri said. Only Dh4 would be charged once for subscription to the service that would be available during the Haj season. Those who want to know more about the benefits and advantages of the first ten days of Zul Hajjah may send an SMS saying FADAEL (advantages) to 6962. The charge for this service is Dh5.

Link: Vodafone has highest bid in second Turkish 3G tender
Another Link: Vodafone loses 3G race to Turkcell

Global mobile phone operator Vodafone submitted the highest bid of 250 million euros for the second 3G wireless licence on offer in Turkey, the telecom board said on Friday. Two more 3G licences are up for grab, and Turkey’s Avea, owned by Turk Telekom, is expected to bid in those tenders. Vodafone and Turkcell, which has already made the highest bid for the top 3G licence, may also bid.

Link: Turkcell wins 3G license in Turkey
Another Link: Turkcell wins 3G licence

Turkcell, Turkey’s largest mobile phone operator, on Friday won a tender for the country’s third-generation mobile phone license. Third-generation, or 3G, operations support Web surfing, video and other services. Turkcell offered euro358 million ($462 million) for an A-type 3G mobile phone license, the highest bandwidth from a total of four that were auctioned. The company outbid rivals Vodafone and Avea. Vodafone and Avea then won licenses for lower 3G bandwidths, with offers of euro250 million and euro214 million respectively.

Turkcell said the system would become operational in Turkey by mid-2009. Turkcell is the leading cell phone operator in Turkey with more than 36 million customers. The company had won a similar tender last year, but that bid was canceled after Vodafone and Avea insisted that a deal allowing customers to change mobile phone operators without changing their phone numbers should come into effect first.

Link: Qatar offers cheapest broadband in Gulf

One of the most comprehensive studies of broadband communications ever conducted in the GCC region has revealed that Qatar offers the cheapest prices - between 10-23 percent lower than that of the average of other Gulf nations. Telecoms giant Qtel said the study, by international management consulting firm Arthur D. Little, showed the success of its “Broadband Qatar” strategy, which aims to provide affordable, high speed internet connectivity to as many people as possible in the Gulf state.

Thomas Kuruvilla, managing director, Arthur D. Little Middle East, said: “Qatar is making very important steps towards its goal of providing high speed broadband to residents and businesses at affordable rates. “Our study suggests that current pricing is as much as 23 percent less than other GCC nations.” The study results come just weeks after the chief executive of telecom firm Du, Osman Sultan, said broadband pricing in Arabic countries needed to fall to match the cost of the service in the US and Europe. He called for more competition in the region in a bid to lower the price to customers. Broadband consumers in the US pay an average of $16 per megabit per second of download speed, much lower than the $46 average in the Middle East and Africa, according to UK analyst firm Point Topic.

Adel Al Mutawa, executive director of Group Communications, Qtel, added: “The study provides important independent validation of Qtel’s success in extending broadband services across Qatar and also helps us better understand the challenges ahead.” A 2008 study by Arab Advisors Group confirmed that, by the end of 2007, fixed line broadband penetration as a percentage of the total population was the highest in Qatar for any nation in the Arab world.

Link: Etisalat debuts multiple TV channel streaming solution

Etisalat has gone live with its new solution – Broadband TV - that allows its Mobile TV subscribers to watch multiple television channels simultaneously on a computer screen. The technology was initially presented at GITEX 2008 last month, where it garnered the appreciation of visitors. Any laptop or desktop computer equipped with Etisalat’s new 3G USB modem with the SIM card having Mobile TV subscription, can be used to watch Etisalat Mobile TV live channels on their monitor.

“Etisalat has been a pioneer in launching customer centric solutions. This latest innovation is a substantiation of our core philosophy of increasing convenience, coverage and value for our customers,” said Khalifa Al Shamsi, VP of Marketing, Consumer Services, Etisalat. Etisalat does warn that simultaneous channel viewing depends on 3G coverage and up to 5 channels can active with optimum coverage. Existing Etisalat Mobile TV subscribers can avail of this service at no extra charge. For more information, visit www.etisalat.ae/mobiletv.

Link: Etisalat goes on line to boost UAE education

A deal has been struck between education chiefs in the UAE and telecoms giant Etisalat in an effort to help improve technology-related studies in local schools. The Ministry of Education and Etisalat have signed a cooperation pact to provide UAE government schools with IP/MPLS internet connectivity and technical support services.

Dr Hanif Hassan, UAE minister of education, said: “Such facilities will definitely encourage our students to develop their skills and achieve the best educational practices and enable the UAE to be a regional educational hub.” Hassan said the agreement came as part of the ministry’s initiatives to reform education, and apply educational best practices and strategies, news agency WAM reported.

Using modern technology in daily curriculums, Hassan added, would help teachers raise their efficiencies, broaden their creative thinking and encourage them to more learning and analytical thinking.

Link: Mena Telecom launches WiMAX service in Bahrain

Mena Telecom has officially launched its nationwide WiMAX network in Bahrain. The operator, a subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House (KFH), has rolled out the service to provide high

Abdulhakeem Al Khayyat, CEO and managing director of KFH (Bahrain) and chairman of Mena Telecom said: “We are pleased that the telecom market continues to open up in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This is a very proud moment for Mena Telecom, as it has introduced a new chapter in the Kingdom’s telecommunication history. Our customers will now enjoy connecting to the world easily, reliably and affordably using cutting-edge wireless technology.” Mena Telecom will offer services for both business and home users, including Mena HomeNet and Mena BusinessNet services, that will offer Internet access with a range of speeds, Mena Home and Mena Business, that offer Internet access plus telephony, including international calls up to 30% cheaper than existing operators.

Abdul Razak Jawahery, executive manager of KFH and vice chairman and managing director of Mena Telecom said: “With Mena Telecom’s WiMAX solution, customers will be able to connect to the internet in minutes using a simple Plug n’ Surf device that will not require any installation or setup, and our nation-wide wireless high-speed coverage will offer advance services for residential customers and enterprises of all sizes for great value.”

Link: Yemen, India discuss telecommunication cooperation

Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology Kamal al-Jabry discussed on Sunday with Indian ambassador in Sana’a R.M. Aggarwal telecommunication cooperation between the two countries. The meeting asserted enhancing cooperation in telecommunications and information technology and making use of Indian expertise in this field. Minister al-Jabry asserted Yemen’s keenness on going ahead towards enhancing and improving relations between the two friendly countries.

Link: The Middle East Market Expects a Surge in Wireless Broadband

The Middle East region represents one of the world’s fastest growing mobile subscription markets with a 47% year-on-year increase. Mobile penetration in the Middle East reached 56% at end 1H08, although this figure is much higher across GCC markets. We expect these more mature markets to see a surge in wireless broadband usage as operators look to develop their networks and drive an increase in data traffic levels. This superlative growth translates to a myriad of opportunities in the region. This December, Informa Telecoms & Media’s GSM_3G Middle East - Towards a Broadband World (www.comworldseries.com/me) will bring together 2500+ telco decision makers, 160 exhibitors and 65+ expert speakers for agenda setting, strategic debate. Reflecting the changing dynamics of the telco market, the congress has extended beyond mobile to focus on the opportunities presented by convergence, the evolution to 3G, broadband and beyond.

Abdulaziz Ibrahim Fakhroo, Chairman, GSM Arab World supports the expanded agenda: An annual meeting place for every kind of operator and service provider, as well as investors, technology vendors, regulatory agencies and all other players in mobile and broadband. Informa Telecoms & Media believes there will be only 650,000 mobile WiMAX subscriptions by the end of 2012, with rival mobile broadband technologies, particularly HSDPA and its successors, set to remain more popular. Despite some barriers to high take-up - a lack of equipment and spectrum availability - mobile WiMAX does have some potential, and used as a platform for convergence, it could yet exceed current expectations.

1 of the 6 conference streams and an afternoon plenary session in GSM_3G Middle East - Towards a Broadband World will be dedicated to Wireless Technology Evolution and Broadband Networks. MENA Telecom Bahrain, Zain Bahrain and Packet One Malaysia will detail their experiences of WiMAX rollout in sessions interspersed with an HSPA masterclass and case studies in CDMA and HSPA deployment. This year’s GSM_3G Middle East - Towards a Broadband World is positioned to set the Telco Agenda for the Middle East, explains Informa Telecoms & Media CEO, Ian Hemming. “With senior level attendance from 90+ operator companies, this is the de-facto one-stop shop for the region’s telcos to network, learn and do business.

The 13th annual GSM_3G Middle East - Towards a Broadband World will take place 15-16 December in the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, UAE. Attendance is free to operators and regulators and exhibition only passes are available.