Mena Telecom celebrates a fruitful year

"We have enjoyed a highly successful and productive year. Our need for talent is growing rapidly and we are actively recruiting the best and brightest people in the market," said Abdul Razak Jawahery, vice chairman and managing director of Mena Telecom.

Outstanding Achievements

All the efforts have paid off — throughout 2007, Mena Telecom won recognition and praise for its services. One major award the company won was the Telecoms Technology Investment of the Year award at the CommsMEA Awards ceremony in Dubai this September in recognition of the telecom company's innovative offerings. They also received the National Fixed Wireless Service (NFWS) license earlier this year, beating out severe competition from some of the biggest operators in the industry.

Another monumental achievement has been the establishment of an operating partnership with Motorola to bring Bahrain the first nationwide deployment of WiMAX technology based on the new IEEE802.16e standard. This will be embedded in PCs and other handheld devices from mid-2008 to facilitate true mobility, including WiMAX roaming in the future.

"In partnership with Motorola we are creating a new wireless service portfolio under the brand name MenaWiMAX. With this network we are looking to provide a range of fixed and nomadic telecommunications services, including broadband, telephony and a full range of business solutions.

"Mena Telecom is investing heavily in Bahrain's prosperity and economic future, by bringing the latest WiMAX technology to the kingdom based on the new IEEE802.16e standard," explained Jawahery.

But 2007 has been about more than just WiMAX. During the year, many of Mena's existing product lines have been further enhanced to satisfy customer needs. Included in this was the introduction of the new MenaTalk post-paid account for business mobile users enabling them to make affordable international calls from a post-paid account linked to their mobile phone.

Other success stories for Mena Telecom include a significant growth in the organizations business consumer base for services such as carrier pre-select (CPS), which allows Batelco fixed line customers to make international calls with 30% discount, and for their two-way satellite services which provide customers across the region with access to the internet using VSAT technology.

Expanding Network

With an aim to conduct customer-friendly business, Mena Telecom is currently working on the creation of a web-based self-service portal and payment gateway where customers can sign-up for service and subsequently manage their accounts at their own convenience through the internet.

"We are harnessing the power of the internet to provide true web-based customer self-service by creating a range of customer touch-points to meet different customer needs. This year has seen Mena Telecom mature into a tier 1 telecommunications operator and we have laid the foundations for us to provide real competition in the months and years ahead," said Jawahery.

In a bid to create an extensive telecommunications network throughout the kingdom, the company have been adding to their network of retail outlets by opening branches at Country Mall (Budaiya Highway) and KFH Automall (Sitra Highway), in addition to their existing branch at GOSI Complex. They are also planning to open two more outlets shortly at Bahrain Financial Harbour and the World Trade Centre, with additional branches being added during the first half of 2008.

"Increasing our network of retail outlets is essential to achieve our vision of providing customers with truly superior customer service and to satisfy demand for innovative, reliable and affordable telecommunication services," concluded Jawahery.