Telecoms & ITC

Qatar Telecom says it has sealed US1.8bn stake in Indosat

Qatar Telecom has completed the purchase of a 40.8 percent stake in PT Indosat from Asia Mobile Holdings Pte. Ltd. for US1.8 billion and is examining a full takeover, the company said.

Under Indonesian law companies buying at least 25 percent in an Indonesian company must launch a tender offer to buy the remaining shares. Qatar Telecom signed an agreement earlier this month to buy Indosat from Asia Mobile, which is 75-percent owned by Singapore Technologies Telemedia.

Etisalat Egypt licensed to operate submarine connectivity cable

Mohammad Emran, chief executive officer at Etisalat, unveiled that his company has been licensed to construct and operate a submarine connectivity cable and to provide international calls services by Egypt's National Telecom Regulatory Authority.

Amr Badawy, the chairman of NTRA, earlier explained that the regulators were willing to provide licenses for constructing and operating submarine cables in order to avoid the repetition of connectivity breakdown in Egypt at the end of last January.

News Analysis: Middle East set for communications revolution

The Middle East region is soon to see a revolution in mobile communications with a new breed of compact superlight ‘netbooks’ combining with high-speed Wi-MAX wireless internet networks.

US-based Intel has just launched a new breed of microchip designed to power low-cost high-performance ultra-portable computers which the giant chipmaker believes will revolutionise the communications industry in emerging markets by bridging a gaping market gap between mobile phones and laptop computers.

Mobinil invests E£3.3bn in network upgrades in 2008

The Egyptian Mobile Phone Services Company, Mobinil, will invest a total of E£3.3 billion this year to upgrade its network and to support 3G applications.

Hashem Zohair, the deputy chief executive of the company, said that Mobinil expects to increase the subscribers' base to 27 million by the end of this year. ""This will require more investments to upgrade the network's capacity,"" he added.

Qatar: The next Silicon Valley?

Global collaboration as a source for competitive advantage was the hot topic being discussed at the recent Qatar Science & Technology Park TECHtalks held in Qatar.

Industry experts, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak discussed the benefits of forming industry-university partnerships as the new business model for success. The conference entitled 'Partnership Strategies for Corporate R&D' addressed best practices in collaborative research, with experts sharing their practical experiences of how to create successful partnerships and how to best leverage innovation in the marketplace. Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) is currently at the forefront of industry-university collaboration within Qatar.

Oman Mobile investing in networks

Oman Mobile, the leading mobile operator in Oman with more than 1.6 million subscribers, is focusing on building on its network coverage.

The strategy is to upgrade and improve the efficiency of most of its network to enhance coverage and capacity so as to accommodate new subscribers as well as to launch new voice and data services. In addition, Oman Mobile is currently rolling out four mega projects to enhance coverage in remote areas, new roads and new residential areas by adding 200 sites and upgrading more than 300 currently existing sites.

Thuraya's third satellite ready

Thuraya, UAE's satellite receiver provider, announced the commercial readiness of its third satellite, Thuraya-3, earlier this month, aimed at covering the Asia-Pacific region.

Thuraya-3 and relating ground network were fully ready for starting commercial activities effectively from 9th June 2008, which heralds a new phase in the Company's expansion and growth towards Asia, said a statement from Thuraya.

BDL enters Kuwait to redefine the ICT market

In keeping with the company's ambitious expansion plans BDL, one of the region’s largest IT distribution powerhouses, has entered Kuwait - the third largest IT marketplace in the region.

BDL a leading name in the IT distribution business in the Middle East was established in 1998 in Saudi Arabia. It enhanced its business all over GCC countries and Egypt within a span of a few years. Kuwait has one of the highest revenues per customer and this attracts regional and international companies to invest in the ICT segment.

Mena to increase investments in marine cable to US$390m

Mena Marine Cables Company has increased investments in the infrastructure for constructing and operating submarine communication cables by US$130 million to US$390 million.

Nagy Anis, the managing director of Mena, said the move came as the company has embarked upon construction of a marine cable extending from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to the Gulf coast to serve Orascom's operations in Pakistan and East Asia.

Kalimat, Iraq’s first 3.5G National Telecom Network launched commercially

Kalimat, Iraq’s National 3.5G Telecom Network was launched successfully, amid much fanfare with a rewarding promotional campaign. It is the first 3.5G telecom network in the country and ushers Iraq into the most modern era of telecom.

Kalimat Telecom plans to deploy a future-proof network utilising a diverse range of networking products to its customers. With vast experience in the telecommunication industry, Kalimat is determined to deliver a robust, powerful, and efficient CDMA Rev A WLL network, combined with the latest WiMAX technology, which will enable offering its customers the state-of–the-art network in the world.