The head of Lebanon’s telecommunications ministry says Israel and the UNIFIL have caused disruptions to the cellular network of southern Lebanon. Abd al-Monem Yousef met with several local officials in the Lebanese city of Khayyam to discuss the chronic problems with cellular phone reception experienced by residents across southern Lebanon, al-Manar TV reported. Yousef said he and other officials believe the ongoing disruptions in cell phone coverage are related to a 2007 incident involving Spanish forces belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). On June 24 of last year, a bomb attack targeted two vehicles transporting members of the UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, killing six Spanish peacekeepers. Cellular phone disruptions in the area reportedly increased dramatically just one day after the attack. The telecommunication ministry said he believed those disruptions were part of a broader Zionist plan to jam phone signals on the telecommunication network throughout Lebanon. During their meeting, Yousef and the local officials drew up a petition to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to protest what they said was Israel’s breach of international regulations. The petition also objects to Israel’s taking control of radio networks in border areas and jamming civilian cellular phone networks.

Qtel yesterday announced the extension of its ‘Mozaic SMS Chat’ to Egypt. The service was first launched here in February. As part of a special summer promotion, any Mozaic SMS Chat user will now automatically be entered into a weekly draw to win a Nokia N82 mobile phone. Nine N82 handsets will be awarded over the promotional period covering nine weeks. Sheikh Fahad bin Jassim Al Thani, Qtel COO, said: “Mobile chatting is a worldwide phenomenon and its popularity is due to its ease of use in connecting individuals and groups to communities of common interests. Each new community brings its special flavour and we are looking forward to the unique sense of humor of our Egyptian friends.” He added: “The promotion will make this service even more exciting by awarding customers with latest mobile handsets through the simple use of the service during July and August. Qtel is looking forward to delivering even more excitement and entertainment through Mozaic Mobile in the near future.” Mozaic SMS Chat is similar to other chat applications on the Internet where customers can register, create a nickname and start chatting with other users or join public chat rooms to discuss topics such as football and movies. It connects people with common interests in a convenient and fun-loving way via their mobile phones. The service is mainly targeted at mobile communities but customers can also connect to their Yahoo! and MSN contacts while being away from their computer using the SMS interface. It is anonymous, secure and has 200,000 registered users already chatting across Qatar, Oman and Egypt. To start chatting, one should SMS the word ‘GO’ to 2800 and follow the instructions to register one’s profile.

Related Link: Oman Issues MVNO Licenses

Oman’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced on Saturday that it has issued five mobile reseller licences as part of a move intended to further liberalise telecom services in the sultanate. The regulatory watchdog named the new licensees as Injaz International, Kalam Telecom, Majan Telecom, Mazoon Mobile and Arab Link. All five firms receive five-year licences that are extendable if they comply with their licence obligations. The five resellers will essentially piggyback on incumbent mobile operators Oman Mobile and Nawras to provide a range of basic mobile services either under the brand names of the host operators or as rebranded products. The new licencees are expected to launch their products and services only later this year after formal tie-ups with either of the host operators.

Vodafone Group’s mobile phone unit in Qatar plans to sell shares in its initial public offering in September, daily The Peninsula newspaper reported on Monday. Qatar’s second biggest mobile phone operator said in May it would sell a 40 percent stake in the firm in an IPO and 15 percent to local institutional investors, leaving Vodafone and its local partner, Qatar Foundation, with 45 percent ownership. HSBC Middle East Ltd and Qatar National Bank QNBK.QA are lead advisers for the IPO, the Peninsula said. Vodafone owns 51 percent of the new operator, which ended Qatar’s Telecommunications Co QTEL.QA monopoly. Qatar is the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas and home to about 840,000 people. In December, Vodafone beat rivals including AT&T to win the licence, ending the last Arab mobile-phone monopoly. It paid $2.12 billion for the licence, the telecom regulator said in May.

Saudi Arabia has witnessed rapid growth in mobile subscriptions in recent months, a recent report revealed. The subscriber base currently stands at 27 million, with penetration 109 per cent, according to a report by EFG-Hermes, a leading Arab investment bank. Analysts say mobile penetration is currently ten per cent higher than forecast, and subscribers will reach 33.4 million this year, implying a penetration rate of 131 per cent, up from 113 per cent in previous forecasts. “We believe the growth surprised on the upside as incumbents STC and Mobily ramped up their efforts to sign up more subscribers before the entry of the third operator, in addition to the decline in prepaid tariff levels to 0.55 Saudi riyal [a drop of a minimum 15 per cent],” a telecom analyst from EFG- Hermes told Gulf News in an e-mailed statement. Saudi mobile penetration of 2007 was above the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) average of 84 per cent but lower than that of Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE. Experts foresee that the entry of a third operator, Zain Saudi, “will stir up competition and push the penetration rate above estimated addressable market size for its first two years”. Expected to start operations in July 2008, the new operator is forecast to have 1.3 million subscribers at the end of 2008.

Saudi Arabia has witnessed rapid growth in mobile subscriptions in recent months, a recent report revealed. The subscriber base currently stands at 27 million, with penetration 109 per cent, according to a report by a leading Arab investment bank. Analysts say mobile penetration is currently ten per cent higher than forecast, and subscribers will reach 33.4 million this year, implying a penetration rate of 131 per cent, up from 113 per cent in previous forecasts. Saudi mobile penetration of 2007 was above the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) average of 84 per cent but lower than that of Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE. Experts foresee that the entry of a third operator, Zain Saudi, “will stir up competition and push the penetration rate above estimated addressable market size for its first two years”. Expected to start operations in July 2008, the new operator is forecast to have 1.3 million subscribers at the end of 2008.

The Jordanian telecommunications regulator TRC is working on creating a suitable environment for the introduction of 3G services in the kingdom, according to the CEO of TRC, Ahmad Hiasat, speaking at the Mobile Communications & 3G Services forum in Jordan. TRC is planning to grant two licenses to authorise the use of radio frequencies in the band 2GHz for delivering 3G services and will be launching a consultation process in order that all interested parties to provide input regarding the issue of introducing 3G services in the kingdom. TRC also unveiled studies performed by TRC’s consultants which clearly indicated that there is potential for further growth in the mobile sector and the possibility for new entrants through granting an additional license for radio frequencies from (G2/G3) in addition to 3G Licence through a process of a comprehensive bid to take place before the end of 2008, allowing all licensed companies as well as new ones to participate in this process.

Adding voice to the SMS takes SMS to the next generation of value. Imagine you are driving your car or rushing down the street to an appointment, and you receive a text message that requires an urgent response or imagine trying to type a response while holding onto the wheel of the car or at some point you want to share your real expression with anybody which couldn’t have done through textual message. PTCL being the largest telecom operator has been offering numerous services on its land line connections, to further facilitate its valued customer, PTCL has now decided to launch KEHDO SMS service as a value added service which will further strengthen its standard land line service and hence will ensure its commitment to its subscribers for better service. Subscribers can use this service for sharing emotions and to give important messages to others using their standard telephone landline, besides it doesn’t need any activation, user just have to dial a code followed by a recipient telephone number (with area/access code) after that system will prompt different options for the user. Your land line is not giving the quality voice only rather it is giving the innovative services and features as well.

Bangladesh’s top mobile phone carrier Grameenphone, majority owned-by Norway’s Telenor, said on Monday the number of its subscribers has passed 20 million after rising more than 21 percent since January. Grameenphone invested more than $500 million in 2007 expanding its business. “We are humbled by the trust placed on Grameenphone by more than 20 million subscribers,” said Anders Jensen, chief executive of Grameenphone. “Grameenphone’s premium brand image for providing the best quality network, innovative and useful products and services, and ensuring committed customer service are the main pillars of our success,” he added. Bangladesh’s mobile phone sector has been growing rapidly, with the number of subscribers reaching more than 42 million at the end of May from only 200,000 in 2001, helped by competitive tariffs and cheap handsets. The number is expected to pass 70 million by 2011 as competition in the sector heats up, analysts have said. Grameenphone’s competitors include Egyptian Orascom Telecom’s ORTE.CA Banglalink, AKtel, majority owned by Telekom Malaysia International, CityCell, a joint venture between Pacific Bangladesh Telecom and Singapore Telecommunications, and Gulf-based Warid Telecom and state-run Teletalk. Although nearly half of Bangladesh’s population of more than 140 million people are still below poverty line, the country has been one of world’s fastest growing cellular markets.

Private placement of Noortel will close on June 29, and 95.2 per cent out of the total capital, has already been subscribed, says Ayman Al-Bannaw, an official of the company. Affirming that the deadline for subscription will not be extended, Al-Bannan told a press conference that investors should buy a minimum of 25,000 shares and that they can be obtained at any of the KFH outlets. Al-Bannaw said Noortel will begin operations in the last quarter of 2008 and although the operations of the company are diversified, telecommunication sector remains the company’s mainstay. Noting that the Noortel is focusing on emerging markets, he said the company is exploring investment opportunities in India, China and Pakistan and added that the company is presently the largest share holder of Misssan bank, an Islamic bank in Pakistan. “We believe there are lots of investment opportunities in the region and we would like to capitalize on them as much as we can. All investment opportunities are undertaken by Noor Investment, which then presents them to the board members of Noortel for their consideration. Noortel is also looking at some investment opportunities in Kuwait,” he added. Regionally, he said, Noortel is eyeing to become a major telecom player by investing in different telecommunication domains such GSM, ISP services, telecom infrastructure, value added services, among others in addition to building synergies among telecom companies. Al-Bannaw said Noortel has invested in telecom companies in Europe, which offer cutting edge technologies with the aim of utilizing the same in the region and added that the European companies have tremendous investment potential in the region.