Batelco third quarter results surpass all similar previous achievements

Designing, developing and building Batelco's state-of-the-art new generation network has required not only a major technological shift but also a people shift according to Batelco Group Human Resources General Manager Shaikh Ahmed Al Khalifa.

"Batelco's engineers will receive training at the new lab in order to enhance their knowledge and ensure our technical and network engineering staff are among the best in the region."

"Raising the skills of our engineers from legacy to NGN IP was and is a major challenge, but we are confident that with the availability of in-house training, our comprehensive development plans will be very successful,"

added Batelco Network General Manager Ebrahim Zainal.

The Laboratory has been opened in cooperation with Huawei, the world renowned next generation telecommunication network solution providers, who are partnering Batelco in the speedy implementation of their NGN (Next Generation Network) project.

Batelco Chief Executive Officer Peter Kaliaropoulos explained that the Group's continuing success, as indicated by the announcement of strong Q3 financial results last week, would not be possible without having the right teams in place.

"Our people are without doubt the most important element in the development and support of major new technologies and we therefore invest heavily on an annual basis to ensure we provide the necessary training programmes,"

he said.

"Our business is growing despite the fiercely competitive market conditions. In spite of price reductions for products and services arising from the highly competitive nature of our markets, regulatory intervention, and migration of customers to new broadband, telephony and mobile services, Batelco continues to maintain its market leadership position in the Kingdom while growing in strength across the Middle East," Mr. Kaliaropoulos said.

"Growth continues to be driven mainly by overseas operations which now represent 36% of Batelco's revenues.

The combined Group active mobile subscribers now exceeds 4 million as Bahrain active mobile subscribers increased by 20% year on year, for a total customer base of 735k.

"We continue to deliver a greater variety of mobile, internet and voice offerings for our customers in Bahrain in spite of the combined forces of accelerated regulation and stronger competition," said Mr. Kaliaropoulos.

Significant permanent new offers from Batelco include the introduction of '122' VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls to International destinations from Batelco's fixed and mobile services.

"This means that our customers can now enjoy IDD (International Direct Dial) calls to worldwide destinations with up to 91% reduction on IDD charges to most countries in the world by just dialling 122 and the international number."

"We also recently introduced 'Batelco World Freedom', a fantastic promotion which makes Batelco the first and only operator in Bahrain to provide incoming calls from anywhere in the world free of charge for its customers, while they roam in 21 selected countries."

"Furthermore, the 3888 range of new mobile numbers was recently launched, giving all Batelco postpaid customers the opportunity to choose a new number through Batelco's website, free of charge."

For the convenience of our customers, Batelco now operates 20 shops and kiosks in Bahrain with the most recent addition at Bahrain City Centre Mall. Batelco has provided a complete 2G/3G indoor coverage solution throughout the new mall and in addition provided the complex with a mobile broadband solution capable of throughputs up to 14.4Mbit/s, making it the first site in Bahrain to have such superior capability.

"Thanks to this advanced and innovative technology, Batelco's customers are able to make and receive calls in any part of the complex including the car park, a service not available to the customers of other providers," added Mr. Kaliaropoulos.

Major New Project to Deliver Free Internet to Bahrain's Villages

"In one of the most ambitious projects we have undertaken to date, Batelco is currently in the process of providing fully equipped computer labs and free internet in several villages throughout Bahrain," explained Mr. Kaliaropoulos.

"Last week, our Chairman Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and the Governors of Bahrain's five Governorates signed an important protocol agreement that will see Batelco fund and provide fully equipped computer labs and free internet to villages throughout the Kingdom of Bahrain," he said.

"The project, Batelco Live, supports our ambition to enable internet access for the majority of Bahrain's residents. It also fully supports Batelco's philanthropic remit to assist those in the community who need it most."

Batelco is investing BD300,000 in the first phase of the project that will benefit 30 villages throughout the Kingdom of Bahrain.