Batelco has selected Ericsson as the sole supplier for its LTE and WCDMA expansion plans in the country. The network will be expanded to cover new areas, and upgraded to provide faster mobile broadband connections for subscribers.

Ericsson will install LTE base stations in the new areas and upgrade the Evolved Packet Core network. Support for LTE roaming is also being introduced by means of the new Ericsson Diameter Signalling Controller.

Ericsson has been awarded a contract to deploy Iraq’s first TDD based LTE network in the country, on behalf of the Internet and communications provider, Tishknet.

The service will be launched in the north eastern Kurdistan region.

The agreement includes the Ericsson RBS 6000 family of base stations along with the company’s Evolved Packet Core network, with Evolved Packet Gateway on the SSR 8000 family of Smart Services Routers.

Tishknet is a new customer to Ericsson and both companies will work together to establish a long term plan for LTE across Iraq.

In June last year, Richard Branson’s Virgin Group tied up with pan-regional mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), Friendi Group to create Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa (VMMEA). The company had bases of operation in four countries at the time of the tie-up and recently announced winning a licence in Saudi Arabia and commencing operations in Malaysia. Richard Branson talks to Comm. regarding the scope of the MVNO opportunity in the region

Mikkel Vinter (left) and Richard Branson (right) are looking to establish VMMEA as the pre-eminent MVNO across the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia

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Egypt’s Orascom Telecom has changed its name to Global Telecom Holding.

The company was obliged to change its name as part of the Wind Telecom and VimpelCom merger, under which the company and its subsidiaries were required to cease the use of the Orascom name, designs and logos.

Ahmed Abou Doma, Group CEO of Global Telecom Holding commented: "Our new name and corporate identity are intended to provide a modern look and feel, and emphasise our specific strengths as an international telecom group. Global Telecom Holding’s new corporate identity allows our group to leverage on the goodwill, the strong growth and outstanding performance of our parent company VimpelCom and will provide our organisation with a solid platform to build upon in our upcoming endeavours and growth potential in the telecom sector."

BlackBerry’s largest single shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings has made an offer to buy the company and take it private in a deal that values the smartphone manufacturer at just US$4.7 billion – a far cry from its peak in 2009 when the company was worth US$84 billion.

BlackBerry confirmed that it has signed a letter of intent agreement under which a consortium to be led by Fairfax has offered to acquire the company – subject to due diligence.

The BlackBerry directors are recommending the offer.

The consortium is offering US$9 per share to buy the company – a premium on the share price earlier today, but below the average of US$10.60 per share the company was trading at before it announced last week’s billion dollar loss and 4,500 redundancies.

At the end of the second quarter, BlackBerry had around US$2.6 billion in cash and equivalents in the bank – so the net cost to the buyers of the company comes in at just US$2.1 billion.

Fairfax, which owns approximately 10 per cent of BlackBerry’s shares, intends to contribute its stake into the transaction.

Prem Watsa, chairman and CEO of Fairfax, said: "We believe this transaction will open an exciting new private chapter for BlackBerry, its customers, carriers and employees. We can deliver immediate value to shareholders, while we continue the execution of a long-term strategy in a private company with a focus on delivering superior and secure enterprise solutions to BlackBerry customers around the world."

The due diligence on the company is expected to be completed in early November, and the company is free to seek out competing offers from other buyers. Considering the patent pool owned by the company, and its large BBM consumer base, other handset and service providers may be keen to launch a hostile counter bid.