The Qtel Group announced today a commercial agreement with Internet voice services company Skype, whereby its WiMAX mobile broadband subsidiary Wi-tribe, will promote Skype and its related products over Wi-tribe’s networks in Jordan and the Philippines.

Under the agreement, Wi-tribe; a provider of wireless broadband Internet, will enable customers in the respective markets to easily download Skype software and connect with their family and friends.

Skype had 145 million average monthly connected users for the three months ended December 31, 2010 and according to TeleGeography, Skype-to-Skype calling minutes in 2010 were equivalent to approximately 20 per cent of total global international PSTN and Skype-to-Skype calling minutes.

To commence the partnership, Skype and Wi-tribe will distribute Skype credit vouchers for customers in the Philippines and in Jordan.

“We recognise the changes taking place in the market and the increasing customer demand for rich communications solutions, and so have decided to partner with Skype – one of the pioneers in the industry,” commented Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Qtel. “This is a first-of-its-kind in our Middle East region and we look forward to working closely with Skype to deliver the best possible customer experience.”

Over the past six years, Zain Group has been a significant contributing party to the corporate strategy guide for network operators in the MEA region. From its aggressive M&A activities at times, to its technology leadership and branding prowess, Zain has become a bellwether for operators across the region. Bashar Arafeh, Zain Group’s chief commercial officer gives his perspective of the main trends currently facing the sector from an operator perspective in the MEA

Arafeh’s main message to network operators is not to be myopic. He says telcos are in the telecom business not the mobile operator business and as such they should be open to new business opportunities

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Nokia and Microsoft today announced plans to form a broad strategic partnership that would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global mobile ecosystem.

Nokia and Microsoft intend to jointly create market-leading mobile products and services designed to offer consumers, operators and developers unrivalled choice and opportunity. As each company would focus on its core competencies, the partnership would create the opportunity for rapid time to market execution. Additionally, Nokia and Microsoft plan to work together to integrate key assets and create completely new service offerings, while extending established products and services to new markets.

Under the proposed partnership:

– Nokia would adopt Windows Phone as its principal smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.

– Nokia would help drive the future of Windows Phone. Nokia would contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.

– Nokia and Microsoft would closely collaborate on joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.

– Bing would power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCentre would provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.

– Nokia Maps would be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and adCentre advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience

– Nokia’s extensive operator billing agreements would make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.

– Microsoft development tools would be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem’s global reach.

– Nokia’s content and application store would be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.

The company still plans to support Symbian and MeeGo.

Symbian becomes a franchise platform, and the company still expects to sell approximately 150 million more Symbian devices in the years to come.

MeeGo becomes an open-source, mobile operating system project. MeeGo will place increased emphasis on longer-term market exploration of next-generation devices, platforms and user experiences. Nokia still plans to ship a MeeGo-related product later this year.

Microsoft’s Bing search engine will power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, while Microsoft adCentre will provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.

Batelco Group has announced that it has submitted an offer to acquire all the shares owned by Zain Group in Mobile Telecommunications Company Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA).

“Batelco Group has submitted a confidential, non-binding offer to acquire Zain Group’s 25 per cent stake in Zain KSA. Our offer is subject to due diligence and a number of terms and conditions, including approvals from regulatory authorities such as Communications & Information Technology Commission (CITC) and Capital Market Authority (CMA), Zain KSA board Directors, and other relevant parties,” commented Peter Kaliaropoulos, Batelco Group CEO.

“Our offer remains valid till February 16, 2011,” he added.

Kaliaropoulos has previously said that interest in opportunities such as the one in Saudi Arabia is part of Batelco’s strategy to explore suitable M&A opportunities outside of Bahrain

Early in October Kaliaropoulos stated that his company may be interested in Zain KSA should Zain Group be pushed to dispose of it as a result of an approach by Etisalat.

Kaliaropoulos clarified that interest in opportunities such as the one that may be presented in Saudi Arabia is part of Batelco’s strategy to explore suitable M&A opportunities outside of Bahrain.

Batelco is already present in Saudi Arabia through its investment in alternative provider Atheeb, and thus Kaliaropoulos suggested it would only be natural that should the opportunity be presented to invest further in the kingdom, Batelco explore it.

South Africa based virtual operator, Virgin Mobile has announced that its mobile network partner, Cell C is selling its 50 per cent stake in the company, although it will continue to provide the underlying network services for Virgin Mobile South Africa, which was launched in 2006.

Calico Investments of the Bahamas is acquiring a 45 per cent stake of the company, while Virgin Group is buying the remaining five per cent to take its holding to 55 per cent. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Virgin Mobile has shown consistent high subscriber growth and has significantly increased its base of higher ARPU post pay subscribers in South Africa over the last two years,” commented Steve Bailey, CEO, Virgin Mobile. “It is time for us to capitalise on this growth and bring in an additional shareholder to invest in Virgin Mobile’s further expansion, which will enable us to deliver more exciting products and services to our valued customers.