Bahrain began to liberalise its telecoms sector in 2002 with the establishment of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). As of December 2007, the TRA had issued 152 licences including seven fixed-line, two mobile, 15 international calls and 10 Internet licences. Despite its small population, the kingdom remains one of the most connected and competitive markets in the MENA region.
Pecentage changes in selected operator performance H108
August 31st, 2008 — Issue 3 September 2008
Research conducted by Comm. telecoms publication shows that while revenue growth for operators in the Gulf region remains in double digit figures, net profits are being squeezed significantly, with two operators on Comm.’s list of eight regional service providers actually reporting a fall in profitability between the first half of 2007 and the first half of 2008.
Prime intellectual property
July 31st, 2008 — Issue 2 July/August 2008
IMImobile is a global player in providing content and value added services (VAS) to mobile operators and is a pioneer of the managed services model in this space. Michelle Mills speaks with Vishwanath Alluri, founder and CEO of IMImobile about the exciting prospects for VAS and his company’s evolving business model
“Mobile advertising is a question of when and not if. It is at early stages right now, but advertising will definitely come in to subsidise the content delivery,” Vishwanath Alluri, IMImobile’s CEO states. “But right now, there is not a right advertisement model that is appealing to advertisers. The mobile phone is a personal device, if you are to exploit it you really need to personalise it.”
Constrained by success
July 30th, 2008 — Issue 2 July/August 2008
Jordan has one of the highest numbers of licensed communications providers per capita in the Middle East, and such a level of liberalisation has given way to its fair number of positives as well as its drawbacks. Despite its leadership position in the number of providers in the market, Jordan lags behind in the licensing and implementation of 3G services, though a process has finally commenced to rectify the situation
At the end of June a forum on mobile communications and 3G services was held in Amman, where Ahmad Hiasat, chairman of the board of commissioners and CEO of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) confirmed that the regulator is working on creating a suitable environment for the introduction of 3G services in the kingdom.
At the heart of the matter
July 26th, 2008 — Issue 2 July/August 2008
The second showing of the Middle East Communications (MECOM) exhibition and conference in Abu Dhabi at the end of May was an opportunity for the region’s telecoms sector to discuss and assess the critical issues being faced by the wider community in the region. Convergence, in all of its manifestations, was a key theme and appears likely to play a critical role in the industry’s next phase of development
MECOM was the platform upon which the GETMO Middle content delivery system was announced
One of the most exciting announcements made at MECOM 2008, epitomised the importance of convergence in the telecoms industry and beyond. Arvato Middle East Sales (AMES) and Abu Dhabi Media Company, a diversified media corporation, detailed plans to form a joint venture initiative aimed at bringing digital media solutions to the Middle East and north African regions.
