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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At the beginning of July it was officially confirmed that Siemens had sold its 50 per cent stake in Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) for €1.7 billion (US$2.2 billion) to its joint venture partner, Nokia. Siemens had long since been looking to exit the telecom technology provider, and under the sole ownership of Nokia the questions that are now likely to be raised first relate to whether NSN will be able to successfully continue along its strategic path to becoming the world’s leading mobile broadband technology specialist

Nokia interim CEO, Risto Siilasmaa is believed to have already begun internal discussions on future strategy and the implications for NSN

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At the end of June, Qatar’s Ooredoo and Norway’s Telenor were awarded licences to provide mobile telecommunications services in Myanmar (formerly Burma). The two companies beat out interest from around 100 telcos from around the globe, and though the potential for growth in the country is tantalising, it is not a forgone conclusion that it will prove a licence to print money

Myanmar, capital city Yangon, is a country of some 60 million inhabitants with a mobile penetration rate of less than 10 per cent

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At the start of February Ben Verwaayen announced his intention to step down as CEO of Alcatel-Lucent after three years at the helm. He had given himself that period of time to turn the company around, and by his own admission, had not succeeded to the degree he demanded of himself. Shortly thereafter, Michel Combes was appointed CEO effective April 1, and has since embarked on a radical programme of change that has culminated in the detailing of ‘The Shift Plan’

Michel Combes was elevated to CEO of Alcatel-Lucent effective April 1, and has since been on a quick-fire path to repositioning the company as a specialist provider of IP networking and ultra-broadband access

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Comm. has been compiling its ‘decisive dozen’ list of leading service provider executives for a number of years now, and for the first time this year has extended such a ranking to executive management from the technology suppliers’ side of the industry. We believe this inaugural ranking of technology supplier executives is timely given the closer relationships being forged between service operators and their suppliers, and the increasingly critical role telecom technology providers are playing in reducing complexity and driving growth in the industry

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