2002
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New UAE children's website
To mark the UAE National Day a new website, www.uae.kidsweb.com has been launched by Webseed Publishing. Started by a 10-year old UAE girl and her mother, the website aims to give a comprehensive overview of the UAE complete with information and photos.
Thuraya Net service, huge demand
Satellite phone company Thuraya's new Internet service has received a very good response, especially in rural areas, official told Gulf News. The dial-up access to the Net is from a dual mode handset and the service is offered at no extra charge.
Misys, Doha Bank deal
Qatar's largest private bank, Doha Bank, has signed a deal with Misys International for the development of e-banking and middleware platforms. Doha Bank has the largest ATM network in the country and will be introducing a full Internet banking service for retail and corporate customers.
Saudi confirms lower Net charges
The Saudi Arabian Internet market, potentially the largest in the Middle East, has received a huge boost with the decision to slash access charges from April 1. Internet charges will fall by 25 per cent, while mobile phone connection charges will fall by two-thirds and mobile call charges will be cut by almost half at peak hours. Saudi Telecom will also lower local call charges to become the cheapest telecoms operator in the region, said officials.
E-dirham back online
On Sunday the e-dirham payment system failed for three hours in Ras Al Khaimah, reported Gulf News. The failure caused severe crowding and delay to transactions at the Preventative Medicine Department.
Bahrain raids software pirate
The Bahrain ministry of information has raided a company using illegal software on 25 of its PCs. The action follows a raid on a computer reseller last month found selling counterfeit software. Officials form the Business Software Alliance welcomed the crackdown.
New Batelco SMS service
Info2cell.com has launched a dedicated portal for mobile phone messaging for Bahrain mobile customers in coordination with Batelco, the GSM operator in Bahrain. The new bilingual portal, www.infome.com.bh, allows customers to subscribe, customize and receive diverse information services on their mobile phones as well as send bilingual SMS messages to mobile phone customers across the globe using the portal.
STC privatization to be oversubscribed
Leading Saudi businessmen and bankers told Arab News that they expect the USD3bn initial public offering of shares in Saudi Telecoms to be oversubscribed. The sale starts on December 17 and public trading in the shares begins on January 6. A decision to sell shares to individuals and not companies has been well received, although analysts say the shares are fully priced.
Jordan-US free trade website
The Jordan-US free trade agreement website has been launched this week on www.jordanusfta.com. This website gives Jordanian companies access to thousands of trade opportunities in the USA, said its developers.
NBD, Emirates Computers deal
The National Bank of Dubai has inked a deal with Emirates Computers to completely overhaul its website, including the introduction of customer-friendly services. Officials said the NBD also intended to improve the number of visitors to the website.
23 UAE copyright lawsuits
The Dubai Police have promised to crack down on violators of the new UAE intellectual property law which protects the copyright of authors and software, reported Gulf News. Police officials said 23 lawsuits involving intellectual property had been dealt with so far this year. Twelve involved reproduction of copyright works, six a breach of author's rights and two the possession of pirate works.
Thuraya handset sales top 100,000
UAE based satellite phone company Thuraya has sold more than 100,000 handsets, advancing towards the target of 200,000 that it needs to breakeven, reported Gulf News. Chairman Mohammed Omran said Thuraya hoped to reach 120,000 sales by the end of the year. Thuraya's second satellite is due to launch early next year.
Saudi trade license for Interactive
The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority has issued a trade licence to Dubai Internet City based Interactive, a website developer. The new company, Interactive Saudi Arabia, is a joint venture. Other shareholders are Ram World, Hoshan Company, and Saudi Offsets.
UAEfoodmall.com in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi residents can now do their grocery shopping online at www.uaefoodmall.com. This website offers express delivery in 90 minutes for orders of more than USD27. The service should be extended very soon to Dubai.
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