Turkcell, the telco that has mobile operations in eight countries and is Europe’s third largest operator in terms of subscriber base, announced it is now expanding its operations into a ninth country by initiating operations in Germany. A 100 per cent Turkcell Group subsidiary ;Turkcell Europe, headquartered in Cologne, has entered the market with the goal of creating a unique experience for its subscribers in Turkey and Germany, and is set to commence its provision of services on April 4, 2011 via 1,200 stores.

Turkcell Europe will meet the mobile communication needs of Turkish citizens living in Germany, as well as other mobile users with close ties to Turkey, through its best practices. Whether prepaid or postpaid, each Turkcell Europe subscriber with a Turkcell Europe line will benefit from offers tailored to the needs of diverse customer segments, and communicate at affordable prices, both in Turkey and Germany via flat rate offers. These offers, which enable Turkcell Europe subscribers to talk at advantageous prices while travelling from Germany to Turkey will also eliminate the need to change SIM cards or numbers during their stay in Turkey.

Batelco has announced the launch of MPLS IP VPN interconnectivity, in partnership with the UAE’s Du, which aims to further enable both parties to extend corporate VPN solutions between their respective markets. This agreement will provide end-to-end MPLS VPN services to Bahrain- and UAE-based businesses that wish to establish secure inter-office connectivity between both locations.

Signing this agreement with Batelco will allow bi-lateral data IP services to be sold between Bahrain and UAE, as well as providing one-stop-shop transit services to Batelco’s carrier partners. The partnership is in line with Batelco’s International Carrier Relations (ICR) strategy, which focuses on the interconnection of GCC regional carrier MPLS networks in order to expand the company’s IP data services reach to all major GCC countries and provide seamless MPLS VPN services.

International insurance group Hollard Insurance and independent mobile financial services enabler MFS Africa, have today launched what they consider to be the world’s first mobile money insurance service, mi-Life.

mi-Life is available through MTN’s Mobile Money in Ghana and has plans to rollout rapidly in other countries. It will provide MTN Mobile Money users with the opportunity to buy life insurance via their mobile phones. Users will also be able to initiate claims, queries and make premium payments using their handsets.

“mi-Life is a pioneering service that breaks new ground in mobile financial services. We are excited to be the first operator to offer mobile money-based life insurance to our customers,” said Bruno Akpaka, GM, Mobile Money, MTN Ghana. “We look forward to working closely with MFS Africa and Hollard Insurance in continuing to expand our service portfolio.”

Bahrain is reported to have withdrawn the licences of local telecom and Internet provider 2Connect, which was founded by an opposition politician arrested last week in a security crackdown.

Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said it had withdrawn all licences awarded to 2Connect effective March 27. The telecom regulator did not specify why it had reached this decision.

Bahrain’s commercial registry lists Ibrahim Sharif, head of opposition party Waad, as a founder and director of the firm.

Sharif was arrested last week along with several other opposition leaders, a day after Bahrain cracked down on protests in Manama.

The TRA’s decision may affect Bahrain’s status as a financial centre as some transaction platforms at Bahraini banks use 2Connect services. 2Connect customers have been given a few days to find a new provider.

"We’re hoping to minimise the disruption as much as possible. Many customers have started to move to other providers," Ahmed Aldoseri, the TRA’s director of information and communications technologies, said.

Research In Motion (RIM) will sell its forthcoming tablet device, the BlackBerry PlayBook in more than 20,000 retail outlets in the USA and Canada, commencing April 19.

"The Blackberry PlayBook is an amazing tablet that is already being widely praised as a multi-tasking powerhouse with an uncompromised web experience and an ultra-portable design," said Mike Lazaridis, president and co-CEO of RIM. "Given the high level of customer interest in the BlackBerry PlayBook, we are particularly pleased to be working with such an amazing line-up of retail partners."

The BlackBerry PlayBook with Wi-Fi will be available in three models and will feature a manufacturer’s suggested retail price starting at US$499 in the US and Canada.