Five years after having introduced mobile services in Oman in March 2005 as the country’s second provider, Nawras has grown to become one of the most successful new entrant launches in the Middle East. Counting a subscriber base virtually on par with the incumbent and having innovated in a number of key areas, the introduction of fixed-line services and preparation for an IPO before the end of the year is likely to round off a spectacular fifth year of operation for the company

Ross Cormack has presided over the growth, development and success of Nawras over its five years of existence

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As the world’s largest mobile telecom market, China has the muscle to single-handedly create and sustain a market for products and technologies that the rest of the world may not necessarily be as enthusiastic to adopt. However, in the case of TD-LTE, China Mobile’s early investment in the technology, and its desire to see it adopted as a global standard, has created a momentum with global implications and opportunities. Comm. reports from Shanghai

Brda says Motorola needs to drive the 70 per cent re-use between WiMAX and LTE even higher in 2010

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Navteq is a leading global provider of digital maps, traffic and location data and in recent years has been ramping up its presence across the MENA region. The company’s regional GM, Ghassan Freij explains what is driving demand for location-based services and how Navteq is building local capacity in order to support the growth

Ghassan Freij is Navteq’s MENA GM

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Prior to 2004, all GCC incumbents combined were operating in only six markets outside their home countries. Today, this number stands at 78, with government policies in GCC countries stimulating this drive for corporate globalisation. As the profitability and financial strength of GCC operators have grown, so too has competition in their home markets. This created a surge in globalisation, as operators sought growth through mergers and acquisitions. The disclosed value of GCC incumbents’ cross-border M&A activity between 2004 and 2009 exceeded US$33 billion.

Mohamad Mourad is principal at Booz & Company

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This year the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona had a much more optimistic feel towards the global telecom market, a contrast to the uncertainty that gripped the event in 2009. Mobile data; the continued development of great mobile applications; the growing importance of smartphones; the rallying call around LTE ; and the need to manage costs and optimise operations were amongst the main talking points this year

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