2007
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Batelco roaming in the Phillipines
Batelco has signed a mobile phone roaming agreement with Smart Communication in the Philippines. The deal allows Batelco's prepaid mobile customers to make local and international calls while in the Philippines. Batelco has roaming agreements with 309 international operators.
Samsung in WiMax rollout
Samsung Electronics has signed a two-year deal to deploy a mobile WiMax network for local telco Bayanat Al-Oula, which it claims will be the largest in the region. Bayanat Al-Oula will launch commercial services based on the network in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Mecca during 2007, and then take it nationwide.
VoIP on the mobile
Fusion Telecommunications International has come out with a service, called Mobilink, which allows access to Efonica's VoIP network from a mobile phone. No internet access or special software is needed. It will be brought to Middle Eastern countries that allow VoIP.
Saudi goes for e-government
Saudi Arabia will activate its new e-government portal at a conference on electronic transactions, Arab News reported. The portal will allow residents to gain access to government information online. Government services should be delivered faster and more efficiently through the scheme, according to one senior ministry adviser.
Toshiba email notification PC
Toshiba is bringing its Portégé R400 Windows Vista based notebook to the Middle East. Using Microsoft software, the computer can receive real-time email alerts over a 3G network. It will be available in the Middle East by Q2 2007. Price and specific model numbers will be announced at this time, Toshiba said in statement.
Batelco lures with gold
Batelco is promoting its mobile plans by offering new subscribers the chance to win 24 carat gold bars. Raffle draws will be held in February and March at Seef Mall in Bahrain. Subscribers can enter raffles by signing up to Batelco's pre-paid or post-paid mobile accounts.
Etisalat to bid for Saudi licence
Saudi mobile phone operator Etihad Etisalat will bid for the kingdom's second fixed-line licence, Arab News reported. The licence will be issued sometime in 2007, together with a third mobile licence. Saudi Telecom currently operates the only landline service in Saudi.
Etisalat yields .ae control
Etisalat will lose control of the .ae internet domain in Q2 2007, as the UAE government takes control, Gulf News reports. It represents a potential loss of millions of dollars in registration fees for the telco. There are currently over 40,000 individuals and companies with .ae web addresses.
DED more services online
Dubai Department of Economic Development
The Dubai Department of Economic Development has added nine more eServices to its website, dubaided.gov.ae. The services will help those wanting to set up a business in Dubai, owners of SMEs and public relations officers, DED said.
Tango takes on SMS spam
Ireland-based Tango Telecom is bringing its SMS anti-spam platform to the region. The company claims its Tango Anti-Spam SFG product defends against a variety of threats including denial-of-service attacks, flooding and offensive content. Tango recently won a contract to install its converged charging solutions for SMS and GPRS with a regional mobile operator, the company said in statement.
Earthquake hits UAE Internet
Internet traffic in the UAE was disrupted Saturday, reportedly due to an earthquake in the northern Pacific in the early hours of Saturday morning. Some websites were down, while others experienced slower connection speeds and reduced functions. The earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale prompted Japan to issue a tsunami warning for the eastern coast of its island of Hokkaido, news agencies reported.
Mubadala offered $400m licence
Abu Dhabi government's Mubadala Development Company has agreed to pay $400m for a unified telecommunications licence in Nigeria, Reuters reported. The package, which includes a GSM licence, is part of a bilateral agreement between Nigeria and the UAE, the Nigerian Communications Commission said in a statement. Unified system operators using the CDMA platform can offer roaming services across licenced areas, and compete with mobile firms using GSM.
Internet disruption on Saturday
Bahrain's Internet will likely be affected for 14 hours on Saturday as Batelco upgrades its network, the Bahrain Tribune reported. Lower internet speeds could be experienced from 12am to around 2pm.
Du books 750,000 numbers
Du had taken registrations for 750,000 mobile numbers from around 500,000 business and private customers at the close of its subscription campaign on Tuesday, the company said. All numbers will have a 055 prefix. The delayed launch of Du's mobile service is expected in the second half of February.
Cisco sues Apple over iPhone
Cisco is suing Apple for trademark infringement over the new iPhone, the BBC reports. Apple unveiled a multimedia communications device called iPhone on Tuesday, three weeks after Cisco's Linksys division introduced a VoIP handset called iPhone. Cisco has owned the "iphone" trademark since 2000. Apple has been negotiating with Cisco over a trademark licensing deal, but an agreement has not been reached.
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