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AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, telecommunications briefs
[October 11, 2010]

AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, telecommunications briefs


Oct 11, 2010 (AME Info - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- THURAYA SIGNS TAIWAN SERVICE PROVIDER AGREEMENT: Thuraya Telecoms has signed a service provider agreement in Taiwan with Chunghwa Telecom. According to the agreement, Chunghwa Telecom will cooperate with Thuraya to provide the mobile satellite operator's services in Taiwan and the neighbouring region. The main market segments on which Chunghwa Telecom is to focus include the disaster prevention and restoration, maritime and global travellers.



NOKIA LAUNCHES DOUBLE SIM PHONE IN QATAR: Nokia's first ever double SIM phone has been launched in Qatar by Consolidated Gulf Co (CGC). Nokia C1 comes with a standby battery time of up to six weeks, the longest ever for a Nokia phone, plus room for 500 phonebook entries and 250 text messages onboard. Additionally, the new handset features a 1.8-inch full colour screen, FM radio, 3.5mm headset jack, call divert functionality, flashlight and pre-installed games.

IRAQ TO AWARD FOURTH TELECOM LICENSE IN 2011: Iraqi minister of communication, Farouq Abdul-Qadir Abdulrahman has said the ministry aims to award a fourth mobile phone operator license in the first- quarter of 2011, Reuters has reported. Up to 15 firms including US-based Verizon Communications, South Africa's MTN, Turkcell, UAE's Etisalat, France Telecom, and Vodafone had expressed an interest so far, he said. The fourth firm, which would operate throughout Iraq, would partner with the Iraqi Telecoms and Posts Co (ITPC), which already holds the fourth license and falls under the ministry of communications. "We are looking for a partner to operate it (the license) for us ... We said we will have a condition of taking a minimum of 30 percent of the revenue as we are going to provide the infrastructure, everything," he added.


KHARAFI RECEIVES ENOUGH ZAIN SHARES TO TENDER TO ETISALAT OFFER: The National Investments Co (NIC), a unit of a major Zain shareholder, Kharafi Group has announced the group has received enough shares to tender to Etisalat's offer for a 46 percent stake in the Kuwaiti telecoms firm, Reuters has reported. "We have approvals from our clients to join the consortium ... and these approvals have taken us to the 46 percent," Hamad al-Ameeri, general manager of NIC told the news service. Ameeri said "things are going better than we expected," but it was difficult to set now a date for the closing of the deal.

UAE BLACKBERRY BAN WILL NOT GO AHEAD: The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has revealed Blackberry services in the country are to continue as normal, after a suspension of services planned for two days time was cancelled. "All Blackberry services in the UAE will continue to operate as normal and no suspension of service will occur on October 11," the TRA said in a statement. The regulator said that the Blackberry services are now in line with the UAE's telecoms regulatory famework.

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