Etisalat and Korea Telecom have signed a strategic partnership agreement to jointly develop innovative telecommunications solutions and collaborative services for customers. Respective administrative offices will be established in both the UAE and South Korea, as well as other points of presence, as part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU).

The key goals of the MoU are to share skill-sets, intellectual capital and industry expertise, in an effort towards developing cutting edge products and services. This collaboration will focus on global roaming on Wi-fi, machine to machine telecommunication (M2M), IPTV and managed services. The services will benefit both domestic as well as international business customers of both telecom conglomerates.

Chief marketing officer of Etisalat, Essa Al Haddad, said the two telecom providers will strategically align their infrastructural and intellectual capabilities, to provide cutting edge solutions to businesses in their respective countries.

“In addition to providing avant-garde services for our customers, this partnership will also consolidate Etisalat’s position as the region’s most forward-looking telecommunications and ICT service provider, as we continue to lead innovative developments in the ICT industry and seek to shape the technology and communications market of the future,” Al Haddad added.

Korea Telecom is listed at number 397 on the Fortune 500 List and is the leading provider in South Korea of local telephone and high-speed Internet services.

The UAE’s Du has raised AED 1 billion (US$272 million) through the completion of the company’s previously announced rights issue. The capital will be deployed to transform the operator from a high growth early stage venture to a more mature company with efficient management of future funding requirements.

A total of 571,428,571 new shares were offered to and taken up by qualifying shareholders on a pro rata basis. The founding shareholders took up their rights in full, while public shareholders oversubscribed for their portion of the rights issue. The number of Du shares in issue increases to 4,571,428,571, with trading of new shares expected to begin on June 27.

"We are very pleased with the take-up of the rights issue and the extent of the support we have received from our shareholders. This is a clear demonstration of their belief in our performance and growth strategy. Our focus remains on delivering on our plans to become the UAE‘s preferred integrated telecommunications provider," stated Osman Sultan, chief executive officer of Du.

Regional MVNO Friendi Group has announced the commercial launch of operations in Jordan.

Jordan is Friendi Group’s second country launch in the region and follows the successful launch in Q209 in Oman, where a market share of 4 per cent was achieved within one year of launch.

In Jordan Friendi Group will launch its Friendi Mobile brand with a set of innovative services and attractive prices tailored to appeal to Jordanian mobile customers, with a special focus on the many people in Jordan with friends and loved ones abroad.

In January, Friendi Group entered a strategic cooperative agreement with Zain to provide MVNO services in Jordan; approximately two years after Dubai-based company received its original licence in the country. The deal will allow Friendi to leverage capacity from Zain’s network to provide targeted services to specific customer segments under the Friendi banner.

India’s Tata Teleservices doubled its customers over the past 12 months from 35 million subscribers in May 2009 to more than 70 million in May 2010. The nations fifth largest operator recorded 2.33 million new subscriptions in the month of May.

"With the countdown on 3G services having begun, we will continue to walk the innovation path, providing our customers with differentiated products and services which will take telecom to the next level. We are working closely on the creation of such relevant products with our partners, particularly NTT DoCoMo, which is acknowledged as the world leader in telecom technology development; and look forward to the next wave in Indian telecoms," managing director of Tata Teleservices, Anil Sardana stated.

Japan’s DoCoMo holds a 26 per cent shareholding in the operator, with GSM services branded Tata DoCoMo.

According to India’s telecoms regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Tata Teleservices holds a market share of 11.29 per cent as of April 2010. The firm follows Bharti Airtel with 21.73 per cent, Reliance Communications with 17.49 per cent, Vodafone with 17.26 per cent and BSNL with 11.75 per cent.

Etihad Atheeb Telecom Co. “Go” has announced the appointment of Raed Abdul Rauf Kayyal as acting CEO, effective June 13, replacing Ahmed Sindi. Kayyal will be responsible for structuring a new strategy that adapts with the requirements of the operation.

“The board of directors has accepted Sindi’s resignation, all members of the board express their appreciation for his efforts during launch phase, and we wish him success in both his personal and professional life,” commented Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, chairman of Etihad Atheeb Telecom Co.

Outgoing CEO – Ahmed Sindi

Kayyal possesses over 15 years of experience in business management, development, telecom and IT, having worked in various major international companies including Siemens, AT & T, Lucent Technologies, and GlobTel.