Pakistan, the world’s sixth most populous country, has been an alluring market for foreign telecoms players, with all but one of the six operators hailing from outside the country’s borders. However the high rate of churn, diminishing ARPUs amid a price war, and increasing demands from regulatory powers mean the mobile market is not as profitable as it once was. Michelle Mills considers the factors that are placing pressure on operator margins, and reviews the prospects for 3G

The circumstances surrounding the postponement of Pakistan’s 3G auction remain murky; with the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) originally planning a process to be completed by the end of 2008, yet no such event has yet occurred. The PTA has not issued an official statement as to why the auction has not taken place or when one might do, suggesting the process is on hold indefinitely, due to the global economic crisis lowering the potential sale price that can be achieved, as well as the risk of limited interest from bidders.

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The Mobile World Congress is as much a place to do business and catch up with the mobile industry’s biggest buzzes, as it is an opportunity to peddle ideas, and in some cases even float new ones. Comm. reports on a number of lines of communications from the show, and assesses whether what was said in some cases was actually meant

When it is communicated clearly and simply in figures, often times a picture is much clearer than the best intended explanations. In the last half of 2008, and in particular the last quarter, Motorola added its voice to the chorus of LTE evangelists more audibly than it has ever done in the past. The vendor’s official position on this increased publication relations effort around the technology, is that with LTE standards entering their final stages of ratification, and with delivery estimates realistically being set as late this year and early next, the time is now right for Motorola to communicate that it is a viable infrastructure partner for this next generation of mobile technology.

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Challenging global economic conditions will propel telepresence usage to replace 2.1 million airline seats per year by 2012, costing the travel industry US$3.5 billion annually, IT research and advisory firm Gartner predicted last month. While such forecasts may sound a little high, it does appear as if now is the perfect time for telepresence to gain momentum and achieve mass appeal. Michelle Mills reports

Telepresence solutions, such as Tandberg’s T3, emphasis the sensation of being across the same table when holding a virtual meeting

Telepresence and video conferencing has long
been heralded as a time-saving and cost-effective alternative to flying and meeting clients, while also reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Yet, many ICT executives openly admit they rarely, if ever, use the technology. However, with cost-cutting measures being implemented across the board, the investment case for companies to reconsider the merits of virtual meetings has never been as relevant as in the past three quarters.

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The desire on the part of Middle East governments to continue to generate revenue from telecoms could finally bring real opportunities for MVNOs keen to do business in the region, says Roberto Frongia of Arthur D. Little Middle EastTwo years ago there was widespread interest in the possibility of MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) business models entering the Middle East. Interest tended to focus on the superficial benefits that an MVNO can deliver: greater customer focus, more flexible customer care models, more effective distribution, environmental benefits and, of course, lower prices.

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With a recession on the cards, there is no better time than now for enterprises to harness the value of Web 2.0 in their business by capturing innovation, collaboration and social engagement, asserts Brian Armstrong, BT’s general manager for Turkey, Middle East and Africa 

Not so long ago, Web 2.0 was the new kid on the consumer technology block, and people were excitedly speculating about its potential in business. Right now, the economic climate makes excited speculation about the potential of anything a pretty rare commodity. There is an argument, however, that a downturn or recession is precisely the climate in which Web 2.0 tools will prove their worth. The key question to examine is what hidden value they can liberate from organisations during a downturn. We believe that Web 2.0 provides a route to business efficiency – and therein lies its potential as a key to unlock value.

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