Pakistan’s top cellular network Mobilink Introduces Bolo SMS
ISLAMABAD: Mobilink, the country’s market leader in cellular phone services and a part of the Orascom Telecom Group with more than 19 million subscribers countywide, today stamped its launch of an advanced voice messaging service, the ‘Bolo SMS’.
Bilal Munir Sheikh Vice President Marketing, Mobilink while expressing his comments on the launch of this unique and innovative product, said, “Mobilink’s first and foremost priority is the customer with a focus on delivering services more efficiently, now and in the future.
The ‘Bolo SMS’ is another dynamic approach of showing how important customer convenience is to us. I am hopeful this new trend in short messaging will catch up to the exciting things happening in the cellular circuit.”
Bolo SMS is a convenient service. Mobilink customers can now speak their messages. The unique feature of this service is that users can send a ‘Bolo SMS’ to anyone, it is not a handset dependant service, therefore anyone can avail this facility.
Bolo SMS can also be sent to any mobile or land line number and is received as a phone call. In addition, one can listen to an incoming ‘Bolo SMS’ by simply receiving an incoming call. And users will be able to deliver their messages in their own Voice.
“The Bolo SMS is a real treat for Mobilink customers. We have aimed this service at everyone particularly customers who use SMS regularly.
It is a convenient and fun way of communicating with friends and family, providing value to the end user. Implementing new features, enables us to deliver quality service. We are focused on maintaining and advancing our services at all times. Said, Akbar Khan, Head of Brands at Mobilink.
Its easy to access, the user has to dial 99 before the number, for example, 990300 XXXXXXX and the number, whereby the call will be diverted to an IVR menu and the user will be able to record their ‘Bolo SMS’.
However if the user cannot take a ‘Bolo SMS’ on a incoming call, they can pull the ‘bolo message’ by dialing 77 before dialing their number.
Research and analysis of the telecom market has revealed that the customer is always looking for new and innovative ways of communication.
“We are anticipating this service to make customer interaction with technology simpler especially in the rural areas where literacy levels are low and the ability to adopt technological changes might be a barrier, for the customer to fully utilize the facilities available on a handset” he added.
Mobilink Mobile Fair
Mobilink the country’s market leader in cellular services and part of the Orascom Telecom group brings the first of its kind mobile fair to the city of Peshawar.
After the successful, launch of the events in the three majors cities (Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad) last year, Mobilink is now hosting a Mobile fair in Peshawar.
“This endeavor is part of Mobilinks initiative to make its customers aware of the latest trends and inclinations in the industry. It is our continuous attempt to ensure that Mobilink, as the market leader, continues with initiatives that are interactive and provide us a chance to interact with our customers and the community”, commented Mr. Bilal Sheikh, Vice President Marketing Mobilink.
The fair will be taking place in Sher Khan Stadium from the 14th of September until the 16th of September. Haji Ghulam Ali, Nazim-e-Aala Peshawar shall perform the ribbon cutting ceremony as the Chief Guest and inaugurate the fair.
The Fair is set to provide a real treat to the residents of Peshawar, offering a variety of fun filled activities for both children and adults.
The MOBILE FAIR will be a family affair, organized especially for the people of Peshawar. It will usher a breath of fresh air for the city. The 3-day MOBILE FAIR will run everyday (between 4.00pm to 10.00pm).
Among other activities, participants will get a chance to win free connections, free handsets, and witness state of the art technologies.
Sharing his views on the mobile fair launch in Peshawar, Head of Brands Mobilink, Akbar Khan said, “It will be Mobilink’s way of walking that extra mile for our customers and to capture the essence of our ongoing commitment to the community”.
Prominent mobile manufacturers, dealers, franchises, and retailers in the cellular communication industry will be participating in this fair. Moreover, they will be offering an excellent variety of latest handsets and other communication accessories for display, as prizes and giveaways.
PCB’s Official Mobile Phone Service
And a report from Lahore says that Mobilink, the country’s leading cellular company and part of the Orascom Telecom group, has signed a three-year contract with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as the Official Mobile Service Company of the PCB.
The agreement was signed between Chairman PCB, Mr. Shaharyar M. Khan and President & CEO Mobilink, Mr. Zouhair A. Khaliq at a well-attended press conference in Lahore. A large number of cricket scribes were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Shaharyar M. Khan said that he warm-heartedly welcomed Mobilink’s partnership with PCB and expressed hope that support from the country’s premier cellular company would go a long way in promoting development and popularity of cricket in the country.
“Mobilink offers an ideal choice to fulfill the communication needs of PCB and of our national team”, he stated.
Mr. Zouhair A. Khaliq was of the opinion that, “Cricket and the people of Pakistan go hand in hand, and I am pleased to announce this strategic partnership between the Country’s favorite cellular telecom operator and Pakistan Cricket board.
Mobilink is committed to bringing people together through communication services and now we gear to bringing the nation even closer, through the sport that we all love as Pakistanis.
We are continuing with our persistent efforts to spread out our networks to every nook and corner of Pakistan and enabling maximum number of Pakistanis to enjoy the Mobilink service. We are investing a great deal in providimg unparallel coverage to more than 1,200 cities, towns and villages across Pakistan. The company continues to maintain the trust that the Nation has put in us”.
As per the agreement signed between the two organizations, Mobilink will get category exclusivity to have promotional presence in all ODI or Test Match held inside any of the PCB controlled stadiums, providing Mobilink with a distinctive status. Mobilink plans to rejuvenate the game at all levels.
It intends to achieve this by improving standards of the grounds, sponsoring the upcoming series’, ground branding and bringing more awareness of the game at the rudimentary level thus promoting the nation’s most watched game.
The agreement is signed for a period of three years and will come into effect from the 19th of September 2006.
“The strategic partnership promises to play a pivotal role in the promotion of cricket whereby the strengths of Mobilink and the vision of PCB come together to take Pakistan’s favorite sport to even greater heights,” concluded Shaharyar M. Khan.
About Mobilink
Mobilink, a part of the Orascom Telecom Group, is Pakistan’s leading cellular service provider with 55% of the total market share.
It has a customer base of more than 19 million members and provides the most extensive coverage footprint across Pakistan with more than 1200 cities, towns, and villages and countless destinations and true International Roaming in over 100 countries with more than 300 partner operators worldwide.
Mobilink achieved the number one position in terms of overall growth rate in the Asia Pacific region for 2005. Orascom Telecom, Mobilink’s parent company, has grown to become a major player in the telecommunication market in the world and is a leading mobile telecommunications company operating in seven emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia with over 41 million subscribers as of June 30, 2006.???
Source- http://www.pakistantimes.net
Technorati : Cellular, Mobile, Mobilink, Pakistan
Ice Rocket : Cellular, Mobile, Mobilink, Pakistan
Pakistan, the fastest growing Cellular Market in the World
Nearly a decade ago I can hardly think of having a GSM cell phone to afford but now where ever you go in Pakistan polyphonic ring tones will amuse your ears showing a significant increase in subscribers potential. “With subscriber base increasing every single day and mobile penetration increasing every month, the mobile cellular sector of Pakistan is likely to cross all estimates,” due to cut throat competition between Warid Telecom ,Telenor in addition to already well established Mobilink & Ufone GSM Operators.
“Timely launch of two new cellular companies, continuously improving QoS, expansion of network by a leading operator on monthly basis, reduced taxes and handset prices are all right ingredients for best possible growth pattern any mobile sector can have.”
The country’s cellular subscribers growth has also inspired the international bodies, which paint an impressive picture of Pakistan’s telecom scene. Ten years ago an ordinary person can hardly think of carrying a cell phone but now the situation has completely changed.
“Pakistan’s mobile telecommunications growth continues at an astonishing pace,” said a GSM Association report issued recently. “With six competitors in the market, declining prices, increasing affordability and the next round of competition focusing on price, quality, and enhanced services, Pakistan will continue to be among the fastest growing markets in the world in the next several years.”
Source- http://www.w2forum.com
Technorati : GSM, Mobile, Pakistan
Ice Rocket : GSM, Mobile, Pakistan
Ringtone reality check: India cellphone story long way to go
NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 18: India hopes to be a telecom major by 2020 but trends indicate it is still on the dark side of the wireless divide: rural teledensity is still at 2 per cent, roughly where it was at the time of Independence, as against 40 per cent teledensity in the urban areas.
Fresh data for 2005-06 filed by telecom regulators the world over shows that mobile phones are a much bigger story elsewhere in the world, even in the neighbourhood.
Mobile phones have now reached 8 per cent of India’s 1 billion-strong population but in March 2006 Pakistan achieved a mobile teledensity of 14 per cent, clocking an impressive 170 per cent growth rate the previous year. India’s mobile teledensity is growing at 60-65 per cent a year.
Strife-torn Sri Lanka has al so done well: it crossed the 17 per cent mobile teledensity mark in early 2006 and its mobile phones are growing at 50 per cent every year. Bangladesh too has gone places: It registered a 138 per cent mobile phone growth rate in 2005 which no one expects to falter.
Nripendra Mishra, chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, says “I think changes in rural India’s teledensity will show up in the next six or eight months – the moment we announce that the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund will be given out for cellular telephony. In addition, new technologies like WiFi and WiMax will go into rural areas sooner than the land lines or mobile phone networks, and will make a serious impact for the better.”
India’s neighbours, including or excluding China, are not just distributing phones faster. They are also competing harder for investments that global telecom firms are now ready to make. In addition, mobile teledensity improves GDP, which could make India’s telecom rivals far more successful in other ways too. Analysts are beginning to caution that the only reason why India’s teledensity looks so good is because of its sheer size.
“We are not doing as well as our neighbours in expanding connectivity, be it Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Pakistan. Though we are adding many phones in urban areas, rural teledensity is still at 2 per cent, roughly where it was when we became independent. We just keep on giving new mobile phones to those in big cities who already have land lines,” says telecom analyst Mahesh Uppal. Despite the wide contrasts in per capita income and GDP, sometimes its hard to tell who’s catching up on whom between India and its neighbours.
Even Afghanistan, where the mobile networks were built afresh in 2002 after years of wars, mobile teledensity has touched 4 per cent. This is just below the global low-income average, but Afghanistan is starting from a near-zero mobility base.
India may be a minnow before telecom heavyweights China, Taiwan, US but some of its biggest rivals are right next door. India and other Asian countries like Mongolia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand launched their mobile networks in roughly the same decades but India lags behind the rest. Mongolia achieved 20 per cent mobile teledensity in 2006, though it started in 2000 with only two per cent – that’s a 100 per cent growth rate. Malaysia had 80 per cent mobile penetration in early 2006 and its people sent nine million SMS’ in 2005 which makes them the second best performers on this front, only after Singapore.
There is a reason why India has become a big telecom success story but not the biggest. For one, the rural teledensity target in India has been pending since 1995 (at 10 per cent) although urban mobile teledensity has skyrocketed to 40 per cent. Besides, Indian companies are waiting in the wings for their big chance: A government subsidy for going rural.
Changes in rural India’s teledensity is key because as we speak, Hong Kong is achieving 125 per cent mobile teledensity, South Korea 90 per cent, Australia 95 per cent and Japan 76 per cent. Weren’t these countries our real competition when we started out in 1991, not Bhutan or Nepal (both with 2 per cent)?
Source- http://www.indianexpress.com
Vodafone, Sweden’s HIG3 join Iran’s intl. roaming network
TEHRAN – Vodafone from the UK and Sweden’s HI3G have been added to Iran’s international roaming list.
Subscribers to these mobile phone operators can use the services offered by the Mobile Company of Iran as of Monday September 18. Since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21), 16 other foreign mobile phone operators, including companies from Bulgaria, Tunisia, China, Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Luxembourg, Cyprus, and the Netherlands, joined Iran’s intl. roaming network. The list now includes more than 160 operators from 65 countries.
Source- http://www.zawya.com
Technorati : Iran, Mobile, Sweden, UK, Vodafone
Ice Rocket : Iran, Mobile, Sweden, UK, Vodafone
Orascom revenue up 36 percent as subscribers nearly double
Orascom Telecom Holdings reported revenues up 36 percent to USD 2.06 billion in the first half, compared with USD 1.51 billion in the year-earlier period. The growth is mainly due to a 93 percent increase in subscribers to 35.32 million at the end of June from 21.21 million a year earlier. The group’s GSM revenue increased to USD 1.85 billion from USD 1.32 billion, the remainder coming from other telecom and internet services. Orascom’s Algerian mobile subsidiary Djezzy accounted for 35 percent of sales, followed by Mobilink Pakistan with 24 percent, Iraqna with 13 percent and Mobinil with 10 percent. Group EBITDA grew to USD 918.66 million from USD 653.08 million, and net profit increased to USD 331.14 million from USD 295.29 million.
Source- http://www.telecompaper.com
After China, Ericsson Moves Into Indonesia and Bangladesh
An Ericsson statement said the company has signed a deal with
Indonesia’s largest cellular phone operator Telkomsel to provide a 3G/WCDMA network. Another statement said it has been given a managed services contract by Warid Telecom for a GSM/GPRS network in
Bangladesh. Under a three-year agreement signed with Telkomsel, Ericsson will deliver a 3G/WCDMA radio and core network, including HSPA, with deployment beginning immediately. The contract also includes three years of managed services, with Ericsson providing a comprehensive services offering including establishing, operating and managing the operations of Telkomsel’s 3G network. Bengt Thornberg, Country Manager of Ericsson
Indonesia, said: “We have had a longstanding cooperation with Telkomsel for more than 10 years and we are honored to be selected to deliver its 3G network in
Indonesia. Our solutions will allow Telkomsel to introduce new and advanced services in the country.”
Telkomsel is 65 percent owned by PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk and 35 percent by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.
The
Bangladesh contract covers the operation, management and maintenance of Warid Telecom’s core GSM/network, backbone transmission and real-time charging/Value Added Services (VAS). This agreement is an extension to the contract signed earlier this year where Ericsson was chosen by Warid Telecom to supply and implement the complete core and backbone transmission equipment for its nationwide GSM/GPRS network. Ericsson will now also manage Warid Telecom’s radio network in the western part of the country, covering the areas of Rajshahi,
Khulna, and
Barisal.
Muneer Farooqui, Warid Telecom CEO said: “By having Ericsson to manage and operate our network, we are able to focus our resources on building our branding, sales and marketing activities, strengthening our customer services and developing more services that meet our subscribers’ needs and expectations.”
Jan Signell, President, Ericsson South East Asia, added: “We are proud of being selected by Warid Telecom in this contract. We have enjoyed a fruitful managed services partnership with them in
Pakistan, where Warid has exceeded its own expectation. We are committed to ensure that Warid Telecom repeats similar success in
Bangladesh.” The GSM expansion contracts with China Mobile together worth $550 million were signed during the first half of 2006. They include projects in 17 regions of
China. Ericsson has already started deliveries of network equipment which it claims will be able to support nearly 200 million subscribers across the 17 regions. Under the contracts, Ericsson will provide China Mobile with core and radio networks, together with related technical support and services. It will also deploy its Mobile Softswitch Solution in the contracted regions.
Source- http://news.tmcnet.com
Technorati : Bangladesh, Ericsson, Indonesia, Mobile
Ice Rocket : Bangladesh, Ericsson, Indonesia, Mobile
Afghanistan appears dangerous place to use a mobile phone
IS AFGHANISTAN the world´s most dangerous place to use a mobile phone? A recent report in the Independent on Sunday, suggests it is.An Afghan describes the dangers of passing through Taliban checkpoints on the road to Kandahar. He said that mobile phones are checked and often any suspicious number stored on the mobile phone, will be dialed by the Taliban.
If a voice answers the phone in English, reports Besmillah, the Taliban immediately kill the phone’s owner.
The same report suggests that the Taliban themselves are keen mobile phone users.
“They are all Afghans,” the paper quotes a villager from Panjwai as saying, “But they talk to Pakistan two, three times a day on the phone.”
We wonder who’s listening. µ
Source- http://www.theinquirer.net
Technorati : Afghanistan, Mobile
Ice Rocket : Afghanistan, Mobile
Motorola’s Zander Banks on Even Thinner Phones to Gain on Nokia
Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) — Motorola Inc. Chief Executive Officer Ed Zander is betting a new generation of super-thin, low-cost phones will help him boost profitability and break the dominance of industry leader Nokia Oyj in China and India.
“This is our chance to go after them,” Zander said in an interview this month in Schaumburg, Illinois, where Motorola is based. “We know where the No. 1 gets its numbers. It’s these emerging markets, and we have to go in there and go meet them.”
Motorola, the world’s second-largest maker of mobile phones, will start shipping the 1/3-inch-thick Motofone, its thinnest product yet, next month as it seeks to build on the success of the half-inch Razr. The first of the Scpl (pronounced “scalpel”) line, Motofone uses fewer parts, multiple-function chips and more efficient software to cut manufacturing costs.
The Motofone design means as many as 15 phones roll off the production line every second, up from five a second for the Razr. Zander needs that increase in productivity to reach an operating margin of 13 percent to 15 percent, a goal he has failed to meet since taking over in 2004. He declined to say when he might hit his target.
Even after selling more than 50 million phones in the Razr line, Motorola’s 11.2 percent operating margin — or percentage of net sales left after subtracting the costs to make and sell products — lags behind Nokia’s 16.7 percent.
Toward 15 Percent
“The Scpl Motofone will be the quickest-to-manufacture product in the world,” Ron Garriques, president of Motorola’s mobile unit, said in an interview. “This platform will bring us toward that 15 percent profit number.”
Boosting profit margins and the company’s share of emerging- market business at the same time may be tough, said Inder Singh, an analyst at Prudential Equity Group Inc. who rates Motorola shares “neutral” and doesn’t own them.
“Entering emerging markets and looking for margin expansion is somewhat challenging,” said New York-based Singh. “Most new entries to emerging markets are tagged with higher initial costs, and Nokia being an entrenched competitor in many of those markets makes it harder.”
Shares of Motorola, up 4.6 percent this year, declined 17 cents to $23.63 yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Shares of Espoo, Finland-based Nokia, up 7 percent this year, slipped 2 cents to 16.53 euros in Helsinki.
While the Scpl line will have some high-priced models, it will start with an inexpensive phone to capture market share in faster-growing regions. The introduction strategy contrasts with the first Razr phones, which targeted customers willing to spend more for a camera and other features.
Working Up
“We launched the Razr platform at the $800 price point and worked our way down,” Garriques said. “With the Scpl we’re using it to work up. We’ll have more scale faster than we had on the Razr platform.” Motorola already has orders for 2 million Motofones in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, he said.
Zander said he expects to sell phones as cheap as $35 in emerging markets. Total handset sales in the Asia Pacific region gained 52 percent in the second quarter, compared with just 9.5 percent in North America, according to research firm Strategy Analytics in Milton Keynes, England. Motorola hasn’t yet priced the Motofone.
“The opportunity in this market is the unconnected,” said Zander, 59. “It’s giving billions of people the capability to make a phone call, and you eventually get to sell all this other cool stuff.”
Motorola had a 16 percent share of the Asia Pacific market in the second quarter, trailing Nokia’s 35 percent. Motorola has a 22 percent share of the global market, compared with 33 percent for Nokia, Strategy Analytics said in an Aug. 15 report.
Trimmed Costs
In the same quarter, Motorola’s profit from continuing operations rose 47 percent to $1.35 billion, and Nokia’s net income jumped 43 percent to 1.14 billion euros ($1.5 billion). Both companies were helped by demand for phones in India and China, as well as pricier models.
Garriques, 42, trimmed costs and production time for the Motofone by integrating multiple functions into each electronic component to cut the number of parts. He also increased the number of parts used across the Scpl range, allowing Motorola to command lower prices from suppliers.
The company designed new software that requires less memory, new battery technology and a one-piece casing design to keep costs down. The phones have features tailored to emerging markets including displays for bright environments and longer battery life.
Razr sales will exceed the Scpl through 2008 as Motorola develops clamshell and keyboard Scpl models and introduces new Razrs with the goal of selling 300 million to 500 million of the current generation before the end of the line, Zander said.
He said teams are already working on the successor to the Scpl, which may arrive as soon as 2010. Motorola must keep introducing products to remain ahead of competitors in the same markets who copy elements of Motorola’s most popular designs, said Prudential’s Singh.
“In a world in which it’s easy to become the victim of copycats you have to run faster than the competition,” Singh said. “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
Source- http://www.bloomberg.com
Technorati : Mobile, Motorola, Nokia
Ice Rocket : Mobile, Motorola, Nokia
Motorola to showcase future of mobile communications at GSM 3G Middle East & Gulf Congress and Exhibition
As one of the primary innovators in communications technology, Motorola is enabling supporting growth in the booming Middle East telecoms market by enabling operators to offer a range of new services to customers. The company will showcase its latest infrastructure solutions and mobile devices as well as presenting a keynote speech and seminar on how new technologies are revolutionizing mobile communications in the region.
As one of the event’s largest exhibitors, Motorola will have a dedicated area to present its latest solutions for broadband communications, including MOTOwi4 wireless broadband solutions, Motorola AXPT – the high speed access point and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). The stand will also include demonstrations of mobile solutions such a mobile TV and push-to-email.
Attendees will also be among the very first in the region to preview the latest Motorola handsets including the MOTOKRZR and MOTORIZR, successors to the best-selling MOTORAZR, as well a MOTOFONE in the low-end range.
said Noel Kirkaldy, Director of Wireless Broadband, Middle East and Africa, Motorola Networks & Enterprise.
Kirkaldy will present a keynote speech on the state of wireless broadband deployment in the region today and the benefits that these solutions are already bringing to operators in the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan.
Motorola will also present at the exhibition seminar theater to provide insight on how innovative new technologies and alternative power solutions can be used by operators to create unique services that meet the needs of the Middle East. The seminar will also discuss how the next generation of solutions and handsets will enable operators to offer tailored services to attract new mobile customers and connect the next billion mobile users.
GSM 3G Middle East & Gulf takes place at the Dubai International Convention Center on 11th and 12th September. Motorola will be exhibiting at stand number 96.
Source- http://www.ameinfo.com
Technorati : Middle East, Mobile, Motorola
Ice Rocket : Middle East, Mobile, Motorola
