MoC signs submarine cable deal with leading global communications company (Kuwait)
Kuwait’s Ministry of Communications (MoC) has reportedly inked a contract with a leading global communications company to install a new undersea cable linking the country to three other Gulf nations.
According to Communications Minister Mohammad Al-Busairi, the new venture is the first step towards fulfilling His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah’s vision of turning Kuwait into a regional communications hub. Although the identity of the infrastructure provider has yet to be confirmed, the cable will link Kuwait to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, replacing the existing cable, which was installed in 1995 and went into operation in 1998. It is believed that the new network line will be an STM-252 (OC-768) model, which offers transmission speeds of up to 39.8Gbps – roughly ten times faster than those speeds offered by the current cable.
He added that Ministry of Communications hope to achieve more than simply keeping up with new technology; in order to do so they have signed this contract with one of the leading specialist communications in the world.
Al-Busairi revealed that the deal includes a three-month shipping and assembly period, along with a two-year maintenance contract. He concluded by saying that this is just the first step that the ministry will be taking in order to provide better communications links between Kuwait, East Asia and Europe.
Israel sees growth with 4G and Multiplay Services
As the Israeli telecom market is more mature than other AME countries, growth will rely heavily on a combination of new services and new networks rather than on increasing penetration as growth slightly increases from $6.9 billion in 2010 to $7.1 billion in 2015, according to a new report from Pyramid Research.
According to Kerem Arsal, Analyst at Pyramid Research, over the next five years, the majority of growth in the Israeli telecom market will arise from fixed and mobile broadband, VoIP, and pay-TV. As the ability to offer multiplay services becomes more important in the Israeli market, operators look for mergers or partnerships that will allow them to expand their product ranges. Differentiation through discounted bundles and value-added services becomes vital.
Arsal indicates that with 85% of households having fixed broadband access and the proliferation of 3G networks by all mobile players, the market is ripe with opportunities for convergence and multiplay offers. As data usage gains increased importance and the IP-based networks roll out, the opportunities for convergence will be rich.
He added that recent announcements for upcoming 4G and LTE networks will provide numerous opportunities (expecting LTE subscriptions to reach around 12% in 2015). In Israel’s highly competitive market, vendors will also find lucrative opportunities to help operators who are currently considering and/or delivering attractive content, particularly multiplay offerings. New and soon-to-be-licensed MVNOs provide further opportunities to virtual network enablers. Finally, when the MoC issues mobile WiMax licenses, vendors can look forward to new WiMax rollouts.
Israeli communications minister urges antitrust regulation of cellcos
Moshe Kahlon, the Israeli communications minister, has called on Antitrust Authority Commissioner Ronit Kan to consider whether the country’s mobile network operators should face additional regulation after recent activities.
According to reports, the move was prompted by recent price hikes made by the cellcos, with Ministry of Communications (MoC) spokesperson Yechiel Shabi noting that the minister believes it is in the antitrust authority’s power to check the companies’ recent behaviour … The three mobile companies raised customer rates on about the same day and at similar rates and also approached the High Court of Justice with the same claims.
All three of Israel’s major mobile providers Cellcom, Pelephone and Partner Communications revealed last week that they would increase tariffs in light of imminent reductions in interconnection rates, and Shabi stated that should they be declared an oligopoly, the antitrust watchdog would be authorized to supervise the operators.
Cellcom asked to stop blocking VoIP by MoC (Israel)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Cellcom has been asked by Israel’s Ministry of Communications (MoC) to halt blocking internet applications including VoIP. Internet access for all online services must be allowed by Cellcom as per the license.
It was found out that the operator’s subscribers were prevented from using a number of applications, including internet telephony after the cellco’s contracts with customers that require infrastructure services and internet access were checked.
Israel’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, Cellco had 3.26 million customers at end-September 2009, of which 941,000 had signed up for third-generation services.
