Skip to Content »

Wireless Federation » archive for 'Saudi Arabia'

Mobile Weaver ApS partners with GHRRA Telecom, enabling the access of wide range of mobile content for consumers (Denmark & Saudi Arabia)

  • December 1st, 2008
  • 8:49 am

Mobile Weaver and GHRRA Telecom have announced  their formal partnership that will enable access to a rich library of mobile content by consumers on the go. News of the partnership with GHRRA Telecom is part of a wider announcement by Mobile Weaver in which they have introduced other new partnerships with several popular content resellers, content publishers and content providers in Gulf and Asian countries. These countries include India, Bangladesh, Sirilanka, Philippines, UAE, Saudi Arabia and more.

Mobile Weaver provides its quality content catalog of entertaining software, games and multimedia titles along with a complete content delivery platform to various operators worldwide. The catalog consists of tested 20,000 titles from more than 365 mobile content developers around the globe. It also provides customized white label solutions designed specifically in the operators’ look and feel, offering applications from popular categories of utility, business & professional, entertainment, travel, health & more.

“We’re executing an aggressive plan to establish strong partnerships with popular content resellers, content aggregators and service providers in order to penetrate deeply into mobile content market and create opportunities that can benefit both the parties.” says Umar Akram, Vice President of Mobile Weaver ApS. ”Our strong ability is to provide most demanded content along with flexible content delivery platform which can easily be tailored according to the client’s requirements. Our services enable the operators to enhance their revenue growth and enhance the future of mobile communication.”

About GHRRA Telecom

GHRRA Telecom has established itself as a key player in the Saudi Market. Their core business is messaging solutions and Mobile-based value added services. In their constant efforts to become leaders in the market they have recently released their first messaging product, the SMSDirector, and aim to invest huge efforts to make this product #1 in the region. GHRRA currently operates from their head quarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

For more information please visit www.ghrratelecom.com

About Mobile Weaver ApS

Mobile Weaver ApS specializes in mobile applications distribution through its flagship product called Youpark. Their main business focus is to provide white label solutions to operators, service providers and content resellers. They provide customized storefront in the client’s look and feel which enables users to purchase different applications or games according to their choice and handset operating system like Symbian, Java, Palm OS, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry etc.

For more information please visit mobileweaver.dk

About Wireless Federation

Wireless Federation is an industry research conglomerate headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The mandate of the Wireless Federation is to provide its members and customers industry knowledge that can further enhance their understanding of the wireless industry. Wireless Federation conducts bespoke research and produces boxed reports in collabaration with Industry Bodies, Telecom Operators for Issues that revolve around ARPU, CHURN and Loyalty.
They have been associated with more than 225 mobile operators globally to set their Pricing/ Tariff Strategies, Go-To-Market Strategies for Mobile Advertising, Mobile Payments, Cutting VAS among others amongst 59 countries globally.

For more information please visit www.wirelessfederation.com

du offers free incoming calls while roaming in Saudi Arabia during Haj (UAE)

  • November 26th, 2008
  • 12:03 pm

As a special service for Haj pilgrims, du, the UAE’s integrated telecom service provider is offering the facility of free unlimited incoming calls to all its mobile postpaid and prepaid subscribers roaming in Saudi Arabia between 27 November -20 December 2008.

Congratulating the Haj pilgrims, Farid Faraidooni, EVP Commercial, du, said: “du constantly strives to provide convenience of special services to customers on important occasions. Haj pilgrimage is a special moment in the life of all Muslims and the free incoming call facility is a small gesture from us that will enable our customers to stay in touch with their loved ones during this important journey of a lifetime.”

All du mobile customers (Monthly Plan, Pay as you Go and Visitor Mobile Line subscribers) will benefit from this promotion by default while roaming with any service operator in Saudi Arabia. To make the process convenient, there is no registration or subscription involved.

While the du subscriber roaming in Saudi Arabia will not be charged for receiving calls (i.e. no international charges), the caller from outside Saudi Arabia will be charged with the regular national rates in his residence country.

du Monthly Plan subscribers can continue enjoying regular services with the regular rates to make calls, send and receive SMS and MMS, access high speed mobile internet, use BlackBerry® services and video calling while roaming in Saudi Arabia. du Pay as You Go ® and Visitor Mobile Line subscribers can make voice calls and send and receive SMS while roaming with any operator in Saudi Arabia.

Roaming du subscribers will also be able to access their Voice Mail service by calling +971 55 5678161 or du Customer Care by calling +971 55 5678155. For more information about du international roaming, du customers can go to the ‘Traveling Abroad’ page at www.du.ae

About du
du, the integrated telecom service provider in the UAE, launched mobile telecommunication services on 11 February
2007 across the UAE in addition to internet and pay TV services in some of the free zones of Dubai. Call Select, the first of du’s nationwide Fixed line services for voice telephony, was launched in July 2007.

Among du’s many firsts is its historic Number Booking Campaign for both individuals and business, Pay by the Second
billing system, Mobile TV, Mobile Payments, first of its kind ‘WoW’ recharge card (which offers customers the choice between more credit and more time) and Self Care. du business offers include Closed Business User Group and
preferred International Destinations.

du’s retail network, currently numbering 24 du shops located in strategic locations across all emirates, was launched on 25 February 2007, supporting the delivery of du services to customers.

du is 40 percent owned by the UAE Federal Government, 20 percent by Mubadala Development Company, 20 percent
by Emirates Communications & Technology Company LLC and 20 percent by public shareholders. It is listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and trades under the name du.

About Wireless Federation

Wireless Federation is an industry research conglomerate headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The mandate of the Wireless Federation is to provide its members and customers industry knowledge that can further enhance their understanding of the wireless industry. Wireless Federation conducts bespoke research and produces boxed reports in collabaration with Industry Bodies, Telecom Operators for Issues that revolve around ARPU, CHURN and Loyalty.
They have been associated with more than 225 mobile operators globally to set their Pricing/ Tariff Strategies, Go-To-Market Strategies for Mobile Advertising, Mobile Payments, Cutting VAS among others amongst 59 countries globally.

For more information please log on to www.wirelessfederation.com

   

Etisalat plans acquisitions to utilize its $3 billion cash (UAE)

  • November 17th, 2008
  • 8:00 am

Etisalat, UAE’s leading mobile operator, eyes acquisitions in order to use up its $3 billion cash in a scenario where prices are falling due to financial crunches.
Etisalat has been snapping up its assets in countries like Egypt and Paksitan.
“We are watching what’s happening in the markets. We are not holding back but waiting to see what will happen. We believe there will be a lot of opportunities in 2009,” says COO Ahmad Julfar.
“Everybody admits we have a major crisis… nobody is immune from this crisis, all sectors and economies will be affected in one way or the other,” he added.
“Out of this crisis, great opportunities will come for operators with a very good financial position for mergers and acquisitions.”
“We need to focus during this time to create value in markets like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and India. Always the telecom sector is the last and least affected during a crisis,” Julfar said.

   

Mobily offers 70% free credit on recharge of SR60 or more (Saudi Arabia)

  • October 30th, 2008
  • 7:21 am

Mobily launches a brand new offer for its pre-paid susbcribers, excluding the Rehal subscribers, which allows them to enjoy nearly 70% free credit when they recharge their subscription for SR60 or more. The offer will be available till November 9.
“Mobily aims to provide a great deal of offers to its subscribers for them to enjoy the best rates,” said David Murphy, chief marketing officer. “This offer gives prepaid subscribers the highest bonus credit in the Kingdom on their individual phone lines, with the subscribers being the primary beneficiaries of the extra credit upon recharging.”
He also says that the subscribers can utilize their extra credit to make voice and video calls, send SMS messages and surf the Internet. The extra credit should be used up within 90 days of getting it.

   

STC, Astro & SRMG in mobile content JV with a capital of $74.8 million (Saudi Arabia)

  • October 30th, 2008
  • 7:16 am

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) in association with Astro All Asia Networks of Malaysia and Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) set up a new mobile content services company. The firm reportedly has a capital of USD74.8 million, will be 51% owned by STC, with Astro holding 29% and SRMG 20%. According to STC, the firm will have a potential customer base of 70 million.

STC reports net profits of $803.7Mn in Q3′08, plans expansion (Saudi Arabia)

  • October 30th, 2008
  • 6:37 am

STC posts a fall in Q3′08 net profits driven by increased costs related to expansions in the Middle East and Asia. Net profit slipped to SAR3.01 billion ($803.7 million) from SAR3.14 billion in 2007. Operating revenues rose by 58% to SAR13.54 billion while operating profit were up by 20.5% at SAR4.2 billion.
STC  has won third mobile licence in Kuwait and also shown interests in operations in Malaysia, Indonesia and India through its 25% stake in Malaysia’s Maxis Communications. Additionally, it owns 35% of Dubai-based Oger Telecom which has telecoms operations in Turkey, South Africa, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan, and it is among the bidders for a 25% stake in Oman’s dominant wireline and wireless operator Omantel.

   

Zain posts a subscriber base of 56.3Mn in Q3′08

  • October 23rd, 2008
  • 10:19 am

Zain, Middle East and African mobile operator posts its Q3′08 results. The net profits rose to $326.6 million, up by 7%. Zain’s revenues grew to $1.887 billion, climbing 25% and EBITDA rose to $763.6 million, up by 20%. Zain had a subscriber base of 56.3 million at September end, seeing a 54% rise since September 2007.
Profits seemed a bit sluggish due to its cost to launch in Saudi Arabia, where it claimed 1 million subscribers in 2 months. Zain Kuwait contributed considerably to the profits along with Bahrain. In Iraq, Sudan and Jordan it faces a challenging market.
Looking at Africa, Zain plans to launch in Ghana by year end, in Nigeria operations are undergoing heavy investments to support growth , while Tanzania, Uganda and Madagascar are doing very well.

   

Mobily launches mobile social networking site (Saudi Arabia)

  • October 21st, 2008
  • 7:36 am

Mobily, Saudi Arabia launches all new social networking site named Khod w khal (Chit-Chat), before Ramadan. Khod w khal is an advanced mobile social networking service with picture uploads, chat rooms and friend finder features amongst others. The mobile social networking site is available in English and Arabic, based on Small Planet’s proprietary technology and service concept.
Mobily being Saudi Arabia’s leading mobile operator was chosen by Future Mobile Technologies as partner to come up with the innovative mobiel social networking site.

   

Suntel along with Transfer To launches cross border recharge service (Sri Lanka)

  • October 20th, 2008
  • 6:14 am

Suntel Ltd., Sri Lanka’s fastest growing telecommunication company, chooses Transfer To, a leading global mobile airtime network, to offer a cross border recharge service. This solution enables Suntel subscribers to receive airtime credit directly on their prepaid account from their relatives abroad.

Thanks to Transfer To, users can send small amounts of value within seconds to Sri Lanka. Senders just need to key in the amount and destination number and send it out via SMS. Credit is transmitted in real-time, both sending and receiving parties are immediately notified by text messages.

Around 80% of phone users in Sri Lanka are prepaid subscribers. There are 2.1 million Sri Lankan living overseas, half of them mainly in the Gulf region (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates). Sri Lankan government is predicting over US dollars 3 billion remittances next year. Overseas workers traditionally remit part of their earnings every month directly to the household head in Sri Lanka. However, they lack appropriate solution for sending smaller amounts to the rest of their family on special occasions. Transfer To comes as the perfect solution for giving out airtime recharge as a gift for birthdays, festivals, celebrations and so on.

Being an innovative telecommunication operator, Suntel quickly grasped this reality, offering a service truly relevant to its subscribers. ‘We believe we can bring a whole new experience to our customers, helping them to strengthen their ties with fellow Sri Lankan overseas with absolute convenience,’ says Dr. Tariq Marikar, Director Product Development and CIO, Suntel. ‘This new service reflects our dedication to unfold breakthrough solutions benefiting our customers.’

Transfer To service is distributed through multiple channels such as phone to phone, point of sales and calling cards (IVR). It is deployed at an international level in the Middle-East, Asia, Africa and Europe. ‘A global network is required to aggregate mobile operators’ airtime all over the world. Transfer To creates bridges for telecommunication operators from developed and emerging countries, positively affecting their business at a global scale,’ says Eric Barbier, Managing Director, Transfer To.

Together with Suntel as a strong prescriber for the solution, Transfer To distributors relay detailed marketing information, helping to raise awareness, educate end-users and spread the solution. Recommendation is made possible among foreign communities, from peer to peer or through convenient shops, money transfer operators and proximity centres. This gives Suntel a wide exposure for its international credit transfers.

Transfer To will be present at GITEX in Dubai from 19-23 October and will also attend AfricaCom in Cape Town, South Africa from 18-19 November.

About Suntel
Suntel is a joint venture company that brings together the resources and expertise of Swedish telecom giant Overseas Telecom AB, Metrocorp (Pvt) Ltd., Townsend Limited of Hong Kong, the National Development Bank, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) - a member of the World Bank Group. The combination of technical and operational expertise evident in Suntel, supported by a sound financial base, has helped create a company, which is committed to being Sri Lanka’s preferred telecommunication service provider, through service excellence and cost-effective delivery.

For further information on Suntel, visit http://www.suntel.lk

About Transfer To
Transfer To operates a global airtime network interconnecting the mobile operators’ prepaid services. Foreign workers may now recharge the prepaid mobile phone of their relatives back home. Airtime remittance enables migrants to send small value amounts - 200 million migrants remit $300 billion every year. The solution is distributed by mobile operators as an innovative and differentiating service for their ethnic segment - an underserved market with a high telecom usage. Transfer To is also available at point of sales: proximity retailers, calling cards distributors, money transfer operators…Prepaid roamers can also use the solution to reload their phone while travelling abroad.

About Wireless Federation
Wireless Federation is an industry research conglomerate headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The mandate of the Wireless Federation is to provide its members and customers industry knowledge that can further enhance their understanding of the wireless industry. Wireless Federation conducts bespoke research and produces boxed reports in collabaration with Industry Bodies, Telecom Operators for Issues that revolve around ARPU, CHURN and Loyalty.
They have been associated with more than 225 mobile operators globally to set their Pricing/ Tariff Strategies, Go-To-Market Strategies for Mobile Advertising, Mobile Payments, Cutting VAS among others amongst 59 countries globally.

For more information you can log on to www.wirelessfederation.com

   

Canartel expects a mobile licence by 2008 end (Sudan)

  • October 16th, 2008
  • 5:44 am

Sudan’s second fixed-line operator Canartel is positive about securing a mobile licence by the year end along with expansion of it’s fixed-line service across the nation.
According to the chief corporate affairs officer Canartel, Mohammed Bouhelal, the licence will cost hundereds of millions of dollars and now the descision lies with the higher officials and will be announced by the it’s parent company Etisalat in near future.
Canartel’s majority stakes are owned by Etisalat and the Sudanese government holds a 26% stake as well. UAE which an investor in Sudan, second to China, makes it easier for Canartel to be in a decent position for the mobile licence.

Bouhelal is confident that the telco under Etisalat’s umberella will be an advatageous position to establish itself as a mobile operator in Sudan and to offer profitable roaming deals  to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He also expects that it’s entry to the Sudanese mobile market will take the current 30% mobile penetration to 60% within two years of time.