Nine Months Later

albarrak  
Al Barrak suggests the rebranding of Celtel will commence in the third quarter.

Nine months after the launch of its new global corporate brand, Zain Group continues to build its case to become a top 10 global telecoms operator by 2011. Market conditions are becoming all the more challenging and the emerging market halo is fast evolving into

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New Horizons

In April CDMA pioneer Qualcomm opened up its first representative offices in the Middle East in Dubai Internet City. Given the overwhelming dominance of GSM technology in the region, at first it appears a curious move. However, when looked at in the context of Qualcomm’s participation in the WCDMA market and the slowing pace of growth of the cdma2000 market, this may prove to be a timely shift in focus for the San Diego stalwart.

qualcomm
Dubai epitomises the rapid development taking place in the wider region, which Qualcomm will be keen to participate in.

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Stamp of approval

The high profile rebranding exercises implemented by leading telecoms providers such as Zain and Etisalat in the Middle East region in recent years has given rise to a closer evaluation of what the value of a brand actually is. Michelle Mills investigates how brands have evolved to become the most valuable intangible asset of an organisation, and what mistakes are sometimes made in pursuit of brand building.


Richard Branson is the ultimate brand champion for Virgin, espousing the company’s values and aspirations.

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CRM vision to reality: How to become more customer-focused

Whether it’s the global credit crunch, rocketing food and fuel prices, increasing interest rates or political instability, businesses have to navigate their way through uncertain times. Keeping revenue flowing whilst keeping an eye on ever- increasing overheads is the key to survival at times like this and it has become crucial that companies continue to bring in those all-important sales that keep the business afloat. Whether it’s services, goods or time that is being sold, the successful businesses outsmart their competitors, and while more advertising will likely bring in more sales, there is one often neglected area that really needs to be given attention when times get tough, and that is customer relationship management (CRM).

zoranZoran Vasiljev, group chief executive, Affinitiv Management & Strategy Consulting

Despite a wealth of information on the topic and no shortage of professional services to ease the way, many businesses continue to struggle with adopting and using CRM capabilities.

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The regeneration game

Nokia is in the enviable position of having a market share larger than its next three competitors combined. Despite this commanding lead, the handset manufacturer continues to look at ways to reinvigorate itself and continue to stay ahead of the industry’s development curve. Comm. speaks to Mark Selby, Nokia’s vice president of Industry Collaboration about how the company is adding value and remaining relevant in a fast evolving marketplace.

Nokia CEO Kallasvuo is keen to see the company take more risks as it bridges the convergence between mobile communications and the Internet. New products are expected to start shipping in Q3.

In a rare misstep from Nokia, the Finnish handset manufacturer missed its earnings expectations for Q108 to end-March, attributing a slowdown in the global handset market to its failure to reach its forecasted numbers.
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