2007
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Syria blocks more than 100 websites
Syria has now blocked around 110 websites, including YouTube, blog platform Blogspot, Hotmail and Facebook. Most recently, Amazon.com was blocked, reports the European Journalism Centre. The human rights commission's website is also blocked, along with another independent human rights monitoring site. Elaph.com, a popular Arab news website with around 1.5 million visits a day, is also inaccessible. ISP Syria Computer Society claimed there was no censorship, citing problems with individuals' PCs.
Qatar telecom monopoly ends
Vodafone and Qatar Foundation Consortium have won the bid for the second telecom licence in Qatar, defeating Argos and Etisalat, which will end the monopoly of Qtel. The licence will be issued once closing procedures are completed. The new licensee is expected to launch services during 2008.
Optimiza signs German deal
Jordan's Optimiza has signed an agreement with Voice.Trust, a Munich based firm specialising in technology solutions and authentication through voice verification. Optimiza will represent Voice.Trust throughout the Middle East and will market its products and solutions across the region. The German firm has sold more than 1.5m licences for its voice verification solutions in the last few years.
Orascom denies sale plans
Egypt's Orascom Telecom has denied reports in the UK's Sunday Times that it is up for sale, according to Bloomberg. The firm's CEO Naguib Sawiris released a statement saying the firm was not 'on auction' and stressed that he and his family had 'no interest in exiting the telecommunications industry'. The newspaper claimed the firm was available for $17bn and Orascom had appointed bankers to look at sale options.
Axiom seeking $300m loan
The Emirates Bank and JP Morgan have underwritten a $300m revolving credit facility for the UAE based mobile phone retailer Axiom Telecom, reported the Business Weekly. General syndication for the facility is set to get underway this month and a number of lenders have shown strong interest in the facility which would be Axiom's first. Axiom is looking at regional expansion and has recently tied up with India's Pantaloon Retail.
Thuraya delays satellite launch
The UAE's Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company has delayed the launch of its Thuraya 3 satellite until January due to poor weather conditions, reported Emirates Business 24/7. Yousuf Al Sayed, the firm's CEO, said Thuraya's supply of commercial services to the Asia Pacific region will now have to be postponed until Q2 2008. The satellite's blast-off has been delayed several times already and it was originally scheduled for October.
UAE football team website
Dubai Holding has launched a new website in association with the UAE Football Association focusing on the Gulf state's national team. The site, which is only available in Arabic, will feature team rosters, news, a calendar of events and profiles of individual players. The site will also offer photo galleries and screensavers and can be accessed at www.dhfootball.com
Etisalat Hajj offer
Etisalat has launched a special promotion for Hajj pilgrims beginning today, December 9, and ending on December 22. Call rates to Saudi Arabia from mobiles have been reduced as have the roaming rates for those receiving calls in Saudi Arabia, with customers making savings of around 50% on usual charges. The discount applies 24 hours a day and all mobile customers will benefit except those already on discounted price plans.
Orascom sells out of Hutchison
Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa has bought Orascom Telecom's remaining 14.2% stake in Hutchison Telecommunications International, according to agency reports. Hutchison paid HK$11 per share in the deal which is worth around $960m. Egypt's Orascom will use the funds to acquire further licences and operators.
Qtel eyes expansion
Qatar Telecom (Qtel) wants to make further acquisitions in the Arab region and Asia as it seeks to strengthen its fixed wireless and data businesses, reported Reuters. CEO Nasser Marafih said Qtel may sell shares in Qatar, depositary receipts in London, where it has a secondary listing, or it could organise a debt sale in order to support its expansion plans. Qtel's existing $5bn debt has been dragging down quarterly profits.
Etisalat unveils '0566' prefix
Etisalat said it will soon begin allocating mobile numbers with '0566' dialling code prefix, as the current '050' code is nearing the limit of numbers that can be issued. The telecom operator has 6.3 million mobile subscribers in the UAE, attaining a 150 per cent mobile penetration in the country.
Etisalat & Nokia partner up
UAE telecom giant Etisalat and Nokia have announced a partnership to drive uptake of mobile Internet services. This partnership will offer Etisalat users with Nokia handsets access to download games, image sharing and messaging. The two companies will also work on content sharing and mobile payments using the Nokia handsets.
du aims to acquire 30% market share ahead of schedule
Dubai-based telecom operator Du said it expected to get near to a 30 per cent market share by end-2008, a year ahead of schedule. In November the company had stated that it had reached one million customers after nine months of operations, accounting for about 15 per cent of the market. "We are committed to delivering all the promises we make and so far we have been ahead of schedule in terms of attracting one million customers in just nine months," said Osman Sultan, CEO of du at a press conference. "We expect to be close to the 30 per cent market share by the end of 2008," he added.
du customers surpass one million
Osman Sultan, CEO of du announced at a press conference that the numbers of du customers surpassed one million on 11 November."By the end of the year we expect this number to further grow," said Sultan without giving an indication about that numbers the company is expecting.
KSA net users fear web transactions
More than four out of five Internet users in Saudi Arabia are reluctant to conduct transactions on the web due to fear that their credit cards will be stolen, according to Sulaiman Al-Shiddi, a Saudi researcher. He said the fears are due to a lack of awareness and lack of enforcement of laws protecting web transactions in the kingdom, reported Arab News.
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