The prognosis for the major equipment suppliers in 2009 is not good, but despite this Motorola’s Ali Amer and Noel Kirkaldy consider the vendor’s prospects for the year ahead in the Middle East and Africa positively. LTE, WiMAX and FTTx are amongst the reasons why Motorola believes its has made the right technology bets, from which it will weather the global economic storm

In his many years in the telecoms sector, Ali Amer, vice president for the Middle East and Africa for Motorola’s home and mobility business unit, has never seen a global economic slump set to have such an impact on the telecoms sector. He takes some consolation in the belief that the effects of the slowdown will be more heavily felt in North America and Europe than they will be in the Middle East and Africa region. That is not to say Amer believes the MEA region will be without its very real challenges.

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The annual GSM-3G Middle East conference brings together the region’s stakeholders in an atmosphere of honest information exchange and strategic reflection. While this year’s event was somewhat muted by the ongoing financial crisis, insights were offered into broadband, branding and the requirement to know the needs of one’s customer better at this point than at any other time in the past

Etisalat’s chief corporate affairs officer Nasser Bin Obood believes it is time for the UAE’s telecoms regulator, TRA to allow the operator to exercise greater flexibility with respect to the setting of competitive tariffs. Given Etisalat’s incumbent position in the UAE, the telco is deemed to have significant market power and as such has its pricing plans and tariffs heavily regulated by the TRA.

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At the time of going to press, Nortel had not yet officially responded to the notice it received from the New York Stock Exchange with respect to what the Canadian vendor was going to do about its depressed share price, which has traded below US$1.00 in value for several months, against NYSE rules. While some of Nortel’s problems are quite specific to the vendor, others are more general to the telecoms equipment manufacturing sector, and Comm. reviews the level of trouble for other suppliers

Nortel CEO Zafirovski is under pressure and running out of time as his options to keep the vendor afloat appear to be narrowing rapidly

Beleaguered telecoms vendor Nortel continues to fight for its survival, having been forced to review its stock market listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), given its depressed stock price. In an email to Nortel staff seen by Comm., Ronald Alepian, the vendor’s vice president of corporate communications confirmed last month that on December 10 the vendor had received notice from the NYSE that Nortel’s stock had fallen below the continued listing standards.

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When writing our predictions for 2009, there is no way of avoiding relating my predictions to the new reality that has emerged due to the international financial crisis. At Strand Consult we make a living out of viewing events objectively, but on the other hand we are also realistic, so we know that the international recession that large parts of the world is currently experiencing will also influence an industry that primarily does business by delivering a basic service like good old-fashioned telephony – we are in a commodity industry.

An editorial by Strand Consult. The company analyses mobile markets and developments, publishes reports, conducts executive workshops, and helps telecoms industry participants focus on their business strategies. Strand Consult is based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

How will the mobile market develop in 2009? There will be some main trends that will dominate the 2009 mobile market. This will be the year where almost all the world’s mobile operators will primarily focus on mobile broadband. This market will grow, but competition may be so tough that it will result in very low prices in most markets. These low prices will result in operators over time having five choices of how to continue to do business. Reduce subscriber acquisition costs; reduce customers’ consumption; launch a number of premium products; bundle services with a mobile broadband product; or launch premium billing on mobile broadband.

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When Roshan launched mobile services in Afghanistan in 2003, its goals extended beyond achieving a profit and satisfying shareholders. Today, the country’s leading GSM operator provides indirect employment to 25,000 citizens and takes a pioneering position in improving the development of economic, educational and social services. Proving it is possible to do ethically-sound business in Afghanistan and make a tangible social difference, CEO Karim Khoja shares how corporate social responsibility has not stood in the way of Roshan becoming a viable commercial operation. Michelle Mills reports

Just five years ago, if a local wanted to make a phone call in Afghanistan, he either used one of the 30,000 Thuraya satellite phones that were available and which cost US$12 per minute to use, or he walked to a neighbouring country,” recalls Roshan’s CEO Karim Khoja.

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