Zain Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA) released its financial results for the third quarter of 2011, which the cellco says shows continued healthy growth in operational revenues and gross profit combined with further reduction of both operating and net losses.

Revenues in Q311 grew by eight per cent to more than SAR 1.794 billion (US$ 478 million), with the cellco achieving growth in gross profit, which increased by more than 22 per cent to exceed SAR 870 million. Accordingly, operating loss (EBIT) declined by more than six per cent to reach SAR 222 million.

The period also witnessed a reduction in net losses by more than 11 per cent, with the company recording a net loss of SAR 484 million.

The results come a day after the cellco announced that its former MD, Saad Al Barrak had resigned.

Zain Group has announced that the resignation of Saad Al Barrak, managing director and CEO of Zain Saudi Arabia was approved by the board of directors of Saudi Mobile Telecommunications Co. (Zain KSA) in its meeting held on October 11.

The Zain KSA board also announced the appointment of Badr Nasser Al-Kharafi as the replacement board member and also appointed current board member Khalid Al Omar as managing director and CEO with immediate effect. The appointment of Al-Kharafi will be formally ratified at the next Zain KSA general assembly.

Al Barrak’s resignation comes after Batelco and Kingdom Holding’s failed bid to acquire a 25 per cent stake in the Saudi cellco was announced last month.

MasterCard Worldwide, in collaboration with Etisalat and Research In Motion today announced a strategic collaboration to launch Near Field Communication (NFC) technology empowered payments in the UAE. Network International and Oberthur Technologies have supported the development of this service.

This evolution in mobile payments in the UAE will bring consumers ease, security and speed when making daily payments. Consumers holding an enabled smartphone available in the UAE will be able to tap their smartphone at any MasterCard PayPass and purchase items. Currently there are 341,000 MasterCard PayPass-enabled merchant locations globally.

Transforming smartphones into virtual payment cards, the mobile payments application leverages the MasterCard PayPass platform, which uses NFC technology, to allow the enabled smartphone to securely transmit and receive information wirelessly. The enhanced smartphones, which will be available in the local market from Etisalat, will give consumers the ability to use their phone as a mobile wallet and link their PayPass enabled credit, debit or prepaid MasterCard card accounts to their mobile phone to fund mobile-initiated payments.

A combination of international and regional developments over the past 12 months has prompted unprecedented changes in the business environment in the Middle East. In a wide-ranging discussion with Comm., Ericsson’s president for Region Middle East explains why the region remains a viable ICT hub, and how the years ahead are poised for strong growth

Anders Lindblad has been president of Region Middle East for Ericsson for about 18 months, in which time he has witnessed tremendous change within as well as externally to the telecom sector

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BlackBerry users across the EMEA region have been cut off from service by a major fault at Research In Motion (RIM). The glitch was affecting online services for consumers across the region, which is reportedly served by a RIM data centre in Slough.

Users have been unable to browse the Internet or open instant messages, or access other Internet services such as email.

A RIM spokesman was not immediately available for comment. Users who are served by a corporate server appeared to be unaffected.

On one of its official Twitter feeds, however, T-Mobile UK said: “There is an issue with BlackBerry services at present. RIM is investigating this at present."