Batelco appoints Marco Regnier as CFO (Bahrain)
Bahrain’s leading telecom operator, Batelco Group, has appointed Marco Regnier as group chief financial officer (CFO) with immediate effect. According to reports, group chief executive Shaikh Mohamed bin Isa Al Khalifa said that they are are pleased to welcome Marco to the Group. His experience internationally and with other regional telecommunications companies in our markets of operation will further strengthen Batelco Group’s management team.
He added that it also supports efforts, at this important time, for continued market leadership in Bahrain and the group’s drive for growth across the Middle East and North Africa markets and Asia. Further, he would also like to take this opportunity to express our collective gratitude to Kataryna Stapleton for her continued dedication and professionalism over the last five years with Batelco. He said that she has added considerable value to the group and its subsidiaries and they wish her the best in her future endeavours.
Prior to this Regnier was employed with Tunisie Telecom as CFO for three years.
Batelco and Qtel sign MoU extending cooperation agreement (Middle East)
Following the successful partnership agreement signed between Batelco – the Kingdom’s leading integrated telecommunication services provider, and Qtel, Qatar’s leading telecommunications provider, in August last year, the two companies have recently signed an MoU.
This MoU complements the previous partnership agreement and is in line with Batelco’s ambitious strategy that aims to extend the company’s global reach through successful partnerships with key regional and international players.
The deal is meant to expand cooperation between Batelco and Qtel in areas that cover Products and Services including Voice, Internet, Data, Facility Management & Mobile; Application & Content Services; Business Solution Services; Sales and Marketing collaboration; Carrier Services such as Roaming, Voice & Capacity; and Facility Management Services.
Batelco General Manager Enterprise Division Adel Daylami said that such strategic bi-lateral understanding is vital for Batelco to achieve its prime goal of providing its customers in all segments with the best services wherever they are.
He added that this MoU will enable both parties to provide cutting-edge, end-to-end services to local and international business based in Bahrain and Qatar.
Daylami further said that business customers, in both Bahrain and Qatar, are now enjoying the numerous benefits resulting from the agreement signed last year between Batelco and Qtel and will enjoy more in the future thanks to this MoU.
The MoU is expected to make a difference for customers of both companies, in terms of quality and range of services to be delivered via the reliable, state-of-the-art networks of the two operators.
Ahmed Al-Derbesti Chief Wholesale & International Officer, Qtel, said that they have a partnership of long standing with Batelco, and this MoU opens the door to providing more quality products and services to our customers in Qatar. Qatar’s telecommunications needs are growing daily, in both the consumer and business markets, and agreements such as this keep them well ahead of demand and focusing on the changing needs of their customers.
Mobily and Huawei announce first commercial Service Delivery Platform (Middle East, China)
Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), Saudi Arabia’s leading mobile operator, and Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, have revealed the implementation of the Middle East’s first commercial next generation Service Delivery Platform (SDP) involving landmark advances to nearly every segment of the operator’s nationwide mobile network.
Amidst fierce competition within the Saudi telecom sector, Mobily announced in early 2011 that it would undergo a strategic business transformation that would provide more innovative services to its customers while streamlining overall operations and management processes. The technology behind the resulting SDP platform has been engineered specifically for the operator by Huawei—a leading ICT solutions provider which has successfully deployed SDP solutions across the globe and ranks first in overall market share for SDP delivery.
With the next generation SDP, Mobily will be able to more rapidly implement new multimedia services collaborating with content publishers, service providers and all other players on the value chain. The platform also allows Mobily to do things like setting up their own app store, integrating with OTT content providers, and developing cloud-oriented services—all part of opening the door to more diverse revenue streams and a healthy business ecosystem.
Khalid Al Kaf, CEO, Mobily has said that they are very proud of this cooperation between Mobily and Huawei. The Middle East’s first commercial next generation Service Delivery Platform (SDP) is part of Mobily’s initiative to enrich the telecom sector and customers’ experience.
Mobily has partnered with Huawei on numerous occasions leading up to the SDP launch, including the initiation of Mobily 4G LTE services in September 2011 which will eventually cover more than 30 cities and towns representing 85 per cent of the populated areas in KSA.
Yi Xiang, President of Middle East, Huawei, has said that this project was a fantastic opportunity to work with Mobily to build a strong operation, assurance, and optimization system that could be integrated into the pre-existing network. As legacy services, operations and networks are replaced with these software-driven frameworks, the traditionally separate IT and telecom worlds are now converging. This particular Huawei SDP solution will enable Mobily to tap into new revenue streams across the telecom, media, and Internet industries by extracting value from mobile broadband and cross-industries business.
Currently, Huawei SDP solutions are being used by more than 100 operators around the world including the top five multinational telecom operators globally.
Mobily partners with Huawei for network upgrade (Middle East, China)
Mobile operator Mobily, has partnered with Huawei for the implementation of the next generation Service Delivery Platform (SDP) in an attempt to upgrade mobile network. According to reports, the upgrade is expected to be the first of its kind in the Middle East.
As per reports, the next generation SDP, will enable Mobily to offer better multimedia services, cloud based services as well as set up its app store.
Khalid Al Kaf, CEO, Mobily said that they are very proud of this cooperation between Mobily and Huawei. The Middle East’s first commercial next generation Service Delivery Platform (SDP) is part of Mobily’s initiative to enrich the telecom sector and customers’ experience.
Yi Xiang, President of Middle East, Huawei, claims that this project was a fantastic opportunity to work with Mobily to build a strong operation, assurance, and optimization system that could be integrated into the pre-existing network. Xiang added that as legacy services, operations and networks are replaced with these software-driven frameworks, the traditionally separate IT and telecom worlds are now converging. This particular Huawei SDP solution will enable Mobily to tap into new revenue streams across the telecom, media, and Internet industries by extracting value from mobile broadband and cross-industries business.
Hutchison to buy Orange Austria for US$ 1.7 billion (Hong Kong, Austria)
Hutchison Whampoa has finalized plans to purchase Orange Austria in a bid to enhance its presence in the country. According to reports, the deal valued at US$ 1.7 billion, is an attempt by the operator to increase its market share in the European telecom sector.
As per a statement made by the company, Hutchison Whampoa will divest its assets to Telekom Austria for US$ 514 million. Further, the assets currently owned by Orange Austria include some frequencies, base station sites, intellectual property rights and Orange Austria’s local discount operator Yesss! Telekommunikation GmbH. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2012, and will be financed out of Telekom Austria’s existing cash flow.
According to sources, the deal is beneficial for France Telecom as it enables the operator to concentrate its activities on emerging markets such as Middle East and Africa.
Orange to offer free Wikipedia access in Africa and the Middle East (Europe, Africa, Middle East)
Telecommunications operator Orange has entered into an agreement with the Wikimedia Foundation to provide over 70 million Orange customers in Africa and the Middle East (AMEA) with mobile access to Wikipedia, without incurring data usage charges.
The move comes in an attempt to make knowledge more easily available to Orange mobile customers, in both remote and urban areas, throughout Africa and the Middle East. According to a company report, this new partnership will be gradually launched throughout 2012 across 20 African and Middle Eastern countries where Orange operates, with the first markets launching early in the year. The initiative is part of the Wikimedia Foundation’s mobile strategy that aims to reach the billions of people around the world who access the internet solely through mobile devices.
The report reveals that any customer with an Orange SIM and mobile internet enabled phone will be able to access the Wikipedia site either through their browser or an Orange widget. They can access the Wikipedia encyclopaedia services for as many times as they like at no extra charge as long as they stay within Wikipedia’s pages.
Sue Gardner, Executive Director, Wikimedia Foundation said that Wikipedia is an important service, a public good, and so they want people to be able to access it for free, regardless of what device they’re using. Further, this partnership with Orange will enable millions of people to read Wikipedia, who previously couldn’t.
Marc Rennard, Group Executive Vice President of Orange, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia, commented, in countries where access to information is not always readily available, they are making it simple and easy for our customers to use the world’s most comprehensive online encyclopaedia. It is the first partnership of this kind in the world where they are enabling customers to access Wikipedia without incurring any data charges; and shows Orange’s ability, once again, to innovate in Africa and the Middle East, and bring more value to their customers.
Etisalat and Mobily compete to be the first to provide LTE services in the Middle East
Mobile operators Etisalat in the UAE and Mobily in Saudi Arabia are both in an attempt to become the first operator to provide LTE services in the Middle East. According to reports, Marwan Zawaydeh, Etisalat’s CTO, said in April, that the firm was satisfied with its trials of LTE and that the market was ready for the technology, hinting at an early launch. However, based on recent news, sources claim that Etisalat may offer the service early next year.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabian operator Mobily has been facing problems with the allocation of LTE spectrum in Saudi Arabia. With the military using the 2.6 Ghz spectrum band, the operators are not allowed to launch their preferred FDD-LTE in that band. As a result, Mobily aims to launch a TD-LTE service using spectrum that it holds through a subsidiary.
3A Technology signs 10 year satellite contract with NewSat
Pakistani telecommunications company, 3A Technology has reportedly signed a ten year contract with NewSat, for $134 million. Reports suggest that the Australian satellite company NewSat, is planning to launch the satellite Jabiru-1, in 2012. This satellite will serve mobile carriers, enterprise and government clients in multiple regions having high demand within the Middle East, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Sources claim that Ali Ather, President, 3A Technology, will use the capacity to provide services to companies such as Mobilink, Pak Datacom and the Pakistan government in areas of the Middle East with previously poor coverage, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. Further, he has also said that the rapidly growing consumer, business and government markets for internet, voice and secure data in Pakistan and Afghanistan require reliable satellite communications to support their network expansions and future business growth.
NewSat has reportedly said that the capacity would also be used for cellular backhaul in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to support the roll-out of 3G and 4G networks.
