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3 Italia seeks Middle East investment
3 Italia, a 3G mobile phone network based in the country, has said it is in talks with interested Middle East investors and companies in the Arab world to enter into a shareholding agreement, Reuters has reported. "If a few months ago we were ready to evaluate different solutions, today it is no longer the case," Vincenzo Novari, CEO of 3 Italia said.
Ericsson eyes to launch 4G in Middle East
Ericsson has announced it is negotiating with mobile operators in the Middle East to launch the fourth generation (4G) mobile network, also known as the world's first commercial Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network in the region. LTE will enable operators to offer enhanced wireless broadband services as well as Internet TV, mobile video blogging, on-line video games and the mobile office environment.
Qtel builds on 2m mobile subscribers
Qtel has announced it is building on reaching a record of two million mobile customers in Qatar within the next two weeks, increasing its marketing campaigns for customers to sign-up for its Hala and Shahry plans. The telecoms company is banking on the new record which will mark a penetration rate of 121%.
Wataniya to reverse provisions
Kuwait's mobile phone company, which is controlled by Qatar Telecom, National Mobile Telecoms (Wataniya) has decided to reverse KD58.4m ($202.8m) in provisions after winning a court case filed by the country's Communications Ministry. The adjustment will be included in Q2 results, Wataniya has said.
One million iphone 3G S sold first weekend
Apple has announced that the company has sold one million new iPhone 3G S units its launch weekend. Additionally, over six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software in its first 5 days of release, choosing to upgrade their iPhone or iPod Touch.
Zain, Western Union to offer money transfers
Kuwaiti mobile operator Zain and Western Union have said they were teaming up to enable customers to send money to and from mobile phones around the Middle East and Africa. The new deal would allow Zain customers to use the telco's new Zap service to deposit cash with Western Union, while the recipients can choose either to pick up the cash from Western Union or have it transferred to an account tied to their mobile phone. Customers can take their cash out at Zap agents, top up airtime, transfer it to friends and family, pay bills or buy groceries at the supermarket, Zain said.
Intel, Nokia sign mobile pact
Intel and Nokia have announced a wide-ranging agreement under which the two firms will focus on developing new chip architectures and software, and a new class of Intel-based mobile computing devices. It also covers mobile applications and wireless Internet access "in a user-friendly pocketable form factor." The chipmaker's strategy now is to shrink its global-standard x86 PC chip architecture to the point where it can run efficiently in smartphones.
Orascom Telecom settles dispute with Chad
Egypt's Orascom Telecom said it had received $4.9 million from Chad in a settlement over ownership of a Chadian mobile operator, Reuters has reported. The company said Chad's telecommunications ministry had invalidated the transfer of 51% of Chadian operator TchadMobile to OT, and the regional operator suspended its operation of TchadMobile in July 2004, and took the case to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in March 2005, which ruled against Sotel Tchad, the country's fixed line operator, and the Chadian government.
Samsung unveils its first solar powered mobile phone
Samsung Gulf Electronics has announced its first solar powered mobile phone, the 'Crest Solar,' which enables its users to charge the battery anywhere the sun is shining when electricity is unavailable. The phone has the capacity to provide around 5-10 minutes of talk time with one hour of solar charging. The new handset features FM radio, MP3 ring tones, embedded games, prayer time alerts, and a torch light.
Etisalat launches online SIM replacement
UAE telecom provider Etisalat has launched its online SIM card replacement service, through Etisalat online services portal, www.etisalat.ae/online, which features home delivery of the replacement SIM card, through an authorized delivery agent, free of charge. The new service is available for prepaid (Wasel) and post paid (GSM) accounts at a cost of Dhs25.
Etisalat offers iPhone upgrade for free
Etisalat has announced the new iPhone 3G OS 3.0 software upgrade will be made available for all its iPhone subscribers in the UAE free of charge. Features of the latest upgrade include Arabic language support, Spotlight search, cut, copy and paste the texts; MMS and SMS forwarding, landscape view for Mail, Text and Notes; stereo Bluetooth, syncing Notes to the Mac and PC; shake to shuffle; and automatic login at Wi-Fi hot spots.
Etisalat ties up business with Ericsson
Etisalat has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ericsson that will establish a joint committee to collaborate both companies' common business objectives. The committee will look into international projects that will assist Etisalat bring services to new markets faster, as well as development of customized applications including hosted mobile advertising, content and media aggregation, IPTV and intelligent network / IMS end-to-end solution and strategy.
Umniah inks deals with Saudi Telecom and VIVA-Kuwait
Umniah, a telecom service provider in Jordan, has announced the renewal of its preferred roaming partnership agreement with Saudi Telecom (STC), in addition to signing a new agreement with VIVA-Kuwait. Under the agreement, Umniah has added both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the list of countries under its roaming coverage, enabling Umniah roamers to enjoy fixed and low-cost roaming rates when visiting these two countries as well as Bahrain, Egypt and the USA, whilst also allowing STC and VIVA roamers traveling to Jordan to access these special rates.
Etisalat regrets surprise cable visits
UAE-based Etisalat has extended its apologies for causing 'unintended inconvenience' to customers after sending 2,000 technicians to customers' homes unannounced to set up fibre-optic connections. 'We apologise for any inconvenience caused to customers due [to] not being able to schedule the visit with prior notification,' the company said in a statement.
Etisalat launches Calling Card
Etisalat has launched a free Etisalat Calling Card that allows customers to call numbers in the UAE and abroad, from any international destination, and as per the standard international direct dialling (IDD) rates, the calls will be charged at the same rate as if customers were calling the international destination from the UAE, from their fixed line or mobile. Subscribers also have the option to charge these calls back to either their fixed line or post-paid mobile phone bill.
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