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AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, technology briefs column
(AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jan. 25--AXIOM WINS LG MOBILE ACCOUNT: LG Electronics has appointed Axiom Telecom to distribute its mobile phones in the Middle East. Axiom has more than 400 outlets in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Egypt. The LG Chocolate mobile handsets will drive sales growth in the region, according to LG Electronics MEA president K W Kim.
MUBADALA COMPLETES NIGERIAN DEAL: Abu Dhabi's investment arm Mubadala Development has completed a $400m payment for a unified telecom licence in Nigeria, Gulf News reported. The unified system allows Mubadala to offer services across areas previously restricted to the four existing GSM operators in the country.
MOBILE SHIPMENTS TO GROW 12 PERCENT: Mobile phone shipments in the Emea region will exceed 400m units in 2007, representing a year-on-year growth of 12 percent and making up more than a third of global shipments, according to IDC figures. The telecoms advisory service predicts annual shipments of more than 475m mobiles by 2010. Apple's entry into the mobile phone market will provide a boost to the industry next year, according to an IDC statement.
DU TO ANNOUNCE PRICES, PRODUCTS: The UAE's second telco Du will release details of its products and prices on 8 February before starting mobile operations later in the month, Gulf News reported. Subscribers will be able to purchase on 11 February online the phone numbers they have booked.
WIPRO, SAUDI JV: India-based Wipro Infotech, an IT systems integrator, and Saudi's Dar Al Riyadh Group have agreed to a joint venture. Under the terms of the agreement, Wipro Arabia Limited will sell IT products in Saudi Arabia.
GCC $6.8BN IT SPEND: GCC states collectively spent $6.8bn on IT in 2006, 19 percent more than in 2005, according to an IDC report cited by Arab News. Saudi held the largest share, accounting for nearly 45 percent of total spend, followed by the UAE with a 33 percent share.
OMANTEL, DU CONNECTIVITY DEAL: Telcos Omantel and Du have signed an interconnection agreement which has been endorsed by the regulatory bodies of both Oman and the UAE, according to the Oman Daily Observer. The agreement was signed at Samena Telecommunications Council's Beyond Connectivity conference in Dubai.
GOOGLE E-BOOKS PLAN: Google is working with leading world publishers to allow people to download entire books to mobile devices, the Sunday Times reports. 360m people use Google every month, and the move would boost the e-book industry and transform conventional publishing and book retail. Sony recently introduced its Reader digital book service with 10,000 titles, and Amazon is also planning an e-book service. Free, copyright expired e-books have been available for some years on sites such as Gutenberg.org.
AME INFO LATEST NEWS WIDGET: AME Info has created a free widget for Apple users to get the latest headlines from AMEInfo.com straight to their Dashboard. It is the latest addition to AME Info's range of tools, which include the AME Info Toolbar for Windows users, as well as buttons for Internet Explorer and Google Toolbar.
AWALNET GETS QUICKER: AwalNet, the Saudi Arabian ISP, has upgraded its infrastructure in collaboration with the Saudi Telecom Company. The new bandwidth of AwalNet's national network has now been boosted up to 5 Gigabit, thus helping to reduce bottlenecks and crank up browsing and downloading speeds.
GARGASH, COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM: Gargash Enterprises, the general distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, has introduced a new communications system in order to improve customer service standards. The new software programme, called RTC Connect, is now operational at the firm's Deira workshop in Dubai and will be installed in all other Gargash Enterprises showrooms by March.
ETISALAT EGYPT, CELLULAR LAUNCH: Etisalat Egypt is aiming to start its mobile services by the end of next month, according to a report in Holland's Telecom Paper and cited by Gulf News. The firm is expected to offer 2G and 3G services with both pre-paid and post-paid customers utilising the 011 prefix. Etisalat Egypt is hoping to secure around 10m subscribers by 2010.
SAUDI TO TIGHTEN UP SIM SALES: Mobile phone companies in Saudi Arabia are seeking to tighten up the sale of unregistered pre-paid SIM cards, reported Arab News. Telco outfits such as Mobily want a customer's personal details to be documented each time a SIM card is sold. The use of unregistered SIM cards is increasing and it is estimated 70 percent of the kingdom's 15m mobile subscribers are unregistered.
BSA, REGIONAL PIRACY DRIVE: The Business Software Alliance has initiated a fresh awareness and educational campaign, alongside regional authorities, in order to reduce software piracy in the Middle East. The campaign involves holding a series of training programmes, seminars and conferences to influence consumer and business behaviour and to increase awareness about the advantages of using original software products. It is estimated governments in the Mena region lost $1.6bn due to piracy in 2005.
AL FALAK, QTEL IPTV INTEGRATION: Al Falak has completed the system integration of an Internet Protocol Television triple play project for Qatar Telecom. The IPTV service will provide access to more than 125 digital TV channels offering news, movies, music, sports and entertainment. For the project, Al Falak utilised the services of several solution providers, including EVS Broadcast Equipment, TUT Systems, C-COR and Verimatrix.
TELCOS LOOK GOOD IN MIDEAST: The telecommunications sector in the Middle East looks set for a healthy year according to a report by Fitch Ratings and cited by TradeArabia. Significant growth in the mobile sector in some of the region's more established markets is unlikely but there could be expansion in Egypt and other parts of North Africa. Regional telco operators are expected to target Saudi Arabia and Qatar for expansion opportunities.
TEJARI, ETISALAT PARTNER: Tejari will offer to its SME customers Etisalat's BusinessOne broadband package, after it signed a contract with the telco. BusinessOne offers a choice of six options -- from 512k single user to 4MB multi-user packages. Customers are given their own domain name and the website is hosted by Etisalat.
BATELCO ROAMING DEAL IN SPAIN: Batelco has signed an agreement for GPRS roaming with Spain's Telefonica Moviles Espana. The deal allows Batelco's post-paid mobile subscribers with GPRS/MMS enabled handsets to use those functions while in Spain. Batelco has international roaming agreements with 309 companies.
SONY VETOES PORN ON BLU-RAY: Sony will not work with the adult film industry to put its movies on Blu-ray disc, according to Computerworld. Sony's own disc-replicating subsidiary, Sony DADC Global, will not be allowed to handle adult film titles, and other third-party replicators will lose their license if they do so. Analysts say the move means Sony could lose out on a lucrative market to the rival HD-DVD format. The adult industry was banned from Sony's Betamax format, which eventually lost out to VHS.
MOTOROLA CUTS 3,500 JOBS: Motorola, the world's second largest mobile phone maker, is cutting 3,500 jobs, the equivalent to 5 percent of its workforce, Playfuls.com reports. The aim is to return to double-digit operating margins in the second half of 2007. Motorola recently posted a 48 percent drop in Q4 profits, caused by strong competition in the mobile market pushing prices down, as well as brand competition between Motorola's Krzr and Razr phones.
To see more of AME Info, go to http://www.ameinfo.com.
Copyright (c) 2007, AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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