With smaller oil reserves compared to the rest of the Arabian Gulf, Bahrain has had to rely on other industries to keep its economy in working order, but this has turned out positively for the country.
By investing heavily in banking, heavy industry, tourism and retail, the country has grown exponentially over the past decade, and is now ranked first in market freedom in the Middle East.
Lightspeed Communications (of Orange (News - Alert)-France Telecom Group) is one company that has been vastly influential to Bahrain’s recent economic success. The company has established its world-class telecommunications in the region, with the country’s first alternative fixed-line telecom operator, and dual-play Internet and voice services.
As part of Lightspeed, PortaOne (News - Alert) implemented the company’s PortaSwitch softswitch/billing platform, which has operated as the heart of Bahrain’s infrastructure since 2011.
“One of the greatest advantages of PortaSwitch is its simplicity. It’s easy to configure, which saves us time and effort,” said Alain Groleau, business development director for Lightspeed. “Moreover, PortaOne upgrades PortaSwitch frequently, which allows us to stay at the top in terms of technology and system capabilities.”
As for why PortaSwitch is such a great choice for Bahrain, Groleau has this to say: “Our commitment to our customers, combined with our unbundled lineup of services and our all-in-one voice/Internet offering, is very attractive to a wide range of Bahraini market segments. PortaSwitch and PortaCare help us meet all these different customer requirements.”
Additional services provided by PortaSwitch include postpaid and prepaid support, call waiting and voicemail features, the ability for customers to fax using their own equipment, as well as the ability to support interconnection between new carriers.
“PortaSwitch is a great all-in-one solution,” added Groleau. “Not only does it give us a comprehensive, flexible voice implementation that meets the requirements of different classes of customers, but it also lets us deliver additional high-end services that add value and profit.”
Because PortaSwitch supports a large selection of SIP Centrex services, Bahraini customers are given access to a VoIP hosted model with fax-over-IP capability. This, says Groleau, is a feature which is in demand in the region, and which has helped “increase our business significantly by adding new customers” who are looking for this offering.
In addition to PortaSwitch, Lightspeed uses PortaCare, the company’s 24/7 technical support program, so customers are promised technical assistance at all hours, as well as telecom remote monitoring and basic maintenance of all covered servers.
With the wealth of offerings Lightspeed has provided customers in Bahrain, especially those included in PortaSwitch, there’s no doubt the company will continue to grow in the region, and that Bahrain will continue to fare well among its neighboring countries in the Middle East.
Since the beginning, Lightspeed Communications has also subscribed to PortaOne's PortaCare 24/7 technical support program. In addition to technical assistance, the program gives the telecom remote monitoring and basic maintenance of covered servers.
Edited by Braden Becker