July 23rd, 2021 — Miscellaneous
A consortium led by Kenya’s Safaricom continues to celebrate the award of the second telco license in Ethiopia in May for a reported bid price of US$850 million. Given all that is taking place in Ethiopia at this time, it shall require a amount of skill and determination to make this greenfield operation profitable in a reasonable time-frame, with the investment case seemingly under significant pressure.
May 15th, 2021 — Miscellaneous
The recent ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline in the US offers a sharp reminder how critical national infrastructure remains a highly prized and targeted sector for hackers, despite there having been a lull in such attacks in the Middle East in recent years.
November 3rd, 2020 — Miscellaneous
Zain Group is reported to have handed over the management of touch, the leading mobile operator in Lebanon, to a new management and board, appointed by Lebanon’s telecoms ministry on October 30, 2020. Zain, which has managed touch since June 2004, said it would reapply, if permitted, to manage one of Lebanon’s two state-owned mobile operators. A statement by Zain mentioned that a strategy to re-enter the mobile sector in Lebanon would require a clear business plan within an agreement with the ministry.
September 1st, 2020 — Miscellaneous
A series of recent cyber attacks reported to have targeted and disrupted the usual operation of the stock exchange in New Zealand (NZX) again highlight the case for proactive investment in cyber defences ahead of cyber incidences occurring or being attempted.
August 26th, 2020 — Miscellaneous
I am a huge fan of the popular TV series Border Security: Australia’s Front Line, where visitors to the country’s airports are put through their paces in a bid to prevent the importation of prohibited items.
Batelco has successfully activated 5G coverage across Bahrain, which is available in all four governorates, covering 95% of the nation’s population. The telco’s launch of the network makes Batelco the first operator to provide national 5G coverage in Bahrain.
Omantel has renewed and expanded its managed services agreement with Ericsson for a further five years, with the renewed agreement being more outcome-based and customer-centric.
South Africa-headquartered MTN Group CEO Rob Shuter will step down from his role at the end of his fixed four-year contract in March 2021, having given no explanation why he would not seek to stay on beyond that date.
Nokia CEO and president, Rajeev Suri, is set to step down from his position later this year, to be replaced by Pekka Lundmark, currently CEO and president of energy company Fortum. The move comes as Nokia struggles to keep pace with the global shift to 5G.
Following Zain Group’s regional milestone announcement in November 2019 that its operations in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia had successfully launched the first 5G roaming service across the MENA region, Bahrain telco Batelco has announced partnering with the UAE’s du to deliver 5G international roaming services in the UAE.
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