Telecoms & ITC

MEA lags behind developed world in broadband adoption

Despite the growing broadband opportunities across the Middle East and Africa (MEA), the region is still a far cry away from mass broadband adoption when taken as a whole, said telecoms advisory and investment company Delta Partners.

"In developed broadband markets in Middle East and Africa [MEA], the main challenge for players would be to create a compelling value proposition that will enable the previously unconnected to jump on the broadband bandwagon immediately, bypassing dial-up all together," said Javier Alvarez, partner at Delta Partners.

Oman to open doors of telecom market wider Gulf News

The rapidly expanding telecom sector in Oman will be further liberalised, according to Mohammad Bin Nasser Al Khusaibi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of National Economy and Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).

Addressing the Majlis Ashura's seventh regular session of its first annual sitting, Al Khusaibi said that setting up of TRA was part of a government initiative to liberalise and develop telecom sector in the country.

UAE telecom giant studies strategies to enter Indian market

Etisalat, the telecom giant of the UAE, has confirmed that it is studying strategies to enter the telecom market of India.

"India is a very attractive market for Etisalat and we are studying different market entry strategies to determine the most appropriate fit," the company's chairman Mohammad Omran was quoted as saying.

Arab banks spend US$1.8bn on IT solutions

Arab banks were estimated to have spent US$1.8 billion on installing advanced information technology systems and related security solutions in 2007.

Losses incurred by Arab banks in 2007 due to electronic piracy did not exceed US$1 billion, experts highlighted on the margins of the 4th Financial Technology Summit (FT 2008) organised by the World Development Forum in Dubai.

Kuwait's Noor eyes Egypt telecoms licence

Kuwait's Noor Financial Investment Co plans to buy a booklet of conditions for the sale of Egypt's second fixed-line telecoms licence.

Unnamed Kuwaiti investment sources said that a delegation from the company was in Cairo to buy the booklet sometime this week. Noor will compete for the licence.

Zain launches 'One Network' in Middle East

Zain has achieved another first by bringing its groundbreaking borderless “One Network” mobile service to four countries in the Middle East. This service, which made telecom history when it was launched in Africa, today allows Zain's 14 million customers in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan and Sudan to be part of a pan Middle East mobile community, providing them the opportunity to communicate between these countries and be treated as local customers in terms of pricing, while using their home network service.