The mobile industry is adopting green policies in line with global initiatives to focus on sustainable and renewable power sources and lessening climatic impact on the environment. Developing markets have been quick to trial and adopt these new initiatives – both from a corporate social responsibility perspective, as well as in order to reduce OPEX associated with maintaining off-grid base stations (BTS) in challenging environments. Green Giraffe’s Michèle Scanlon reports

Markets such as India and Nigeria are often cited as examples
of the high cost of power as related to the operation of diesel-powered generators. In 2008, Indian operators used an estimated two billion litres of diesel to power their networks. OPEX splits from operators indicate that on average a third of OPEX is directly attributable to power and fuel consumption whilst in rural areas this exceeds 50 per cent of OPEX. Similar issues face most operators in developing markets. Caribbean and South Pacific operator Digicel reports it spent US$11 million on diesel in 2008 to power its Haitian network, though a generator/ battery hybrid solution has already proven to show 35 per cent savings in diesel OPEX in trials in the country.

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For essentially all organisations, increasing global influence is a reality. Even organisations that seem to operate only locally are affected deeply by the global nature of communications and commerce. This fact is apparent in the corporate world. And in the public sector, new expectations are being placed on government and educational institutions, causing tremendous pressure to execute. The rate of change in a business or organisational environment might feel like a Darwinian struggle – meaning competition for survival, is fierce. The question is, will a business adapt quickly, efficiently and effectively enough to thrive within this relentless pace of change?

Alaa Alshimy is general manager for HP Procurve Middle East

It is commonly accepted today that the right IT can be crucial in making people and processes more effective. You must always be concerned about managing complexity effectively, about the burdens associated with regulatory compliance, about embracing the applications that best support your business processes and about minimising operational costs. Less commonly understood, however, is the importance of the right network infrastructure. Too often, even IT-savvy executives make the mistake of treating a network as simply a ‘pipe’ for moving data around. In an era of fast-paced global competition, this limited approach to networking can put you an enterprise at a disadvantage.

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The desire on the part of Middle East governments to continue to generate revenue from telecoms could finally bring real opportunities for MVNOs keen to do business in the region, says Roberto Frongia of Arthur D. Little Middle EastTwo years ago there was widespread interest in the possibility of MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) business models entering the Middle East. Interest tended to focus on the superficial benefits that an MVNO can deliver: greater customer focus, more flexible customer care models, more effective distribution, environmental benefits and, of course, lower prices.

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With a recession on the cards, there is no better time than now for enterprises to harness the value of Web 2.0 in their business by capturing innovation, collaboration and social engagement, asserts Brian Armstrong, BT’s general manager for Turkey, Middle East and Africa 

Not so long ago, Web 2.0 was the new kid on the consumer technology block, and people were excitedly speculating about its potential in business. Right now, the economic climate makes excited speculation about the potential of anything a pretty rare commodity. There is an argument, however, that a downturn or recession is precisely the climate in which Web 2.0 tools will prove their worth. The key question to examine is what hidden value they can liberate from organisations during a downturn. We believe that Web 2.0 provides a route to business efficiency – and therein lies its potential as a key to unlock value.

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With value and confidence around the world going into what appears to be chronic decline at the moment, it is hard to see where board room optimism might exist in any business. However, whilst there is no doubt that the regional telecom sector has, and is being impacted to some degree, it is perhaps not all bad news; and the next 12-18 months promises some interesting prospects.

Abdullah Mutawi is partner and head of telecom at Trowers & Hamlins, Bahrain

It is of course true that some of the big regional operators have recently announced substantial drops in their 2008 fourth quarter net profits including STC (62 per cent), Wataniya (33 per cent), and Etisalat (20 per cent). In other quarters, M&A deals have visibly failed to come to market or to close including the privatisations of Batelco, Algerie Telecom and the sale of a strategic minority stake in Omantel. Orascom recently announced a share buy-back plan that has helped to shore up its flagging market value. In other cases, licences have recently been acquired at bargain prices with mobile licences in Bahrain and Iran for example being won for a fraction of the types of valuations that were common in recent years.

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