Editorial
Today’s market environment that operators must survive in is difficult at best. During such times, organizations such as SAMENA Telecommunications Council attempt to help create centers of knowledge and information-sharing, which can bring direct benefit to the participating operators, and to help draw additional focus on collaboration, on new ideas or, simply, on attaining basic business knowledge.

For the past few years, the GSM cellular business has been considered the talisman of success, with which the success of the telecom industry, globally, has been assessed. Business entities within the industry and outside have invested billions in order to procure new licenses in new objective markets. Additionally, existing operator groups as well as single-operator entities, having experienced market saturation in their original markets, have expanded their bases outwards.

Upcoming Activities

Convergence to Istanbul 2009
November 3,4,5 2009,
Istanbul, Turkey
Flyer

GPON Workshop
December 2009,
Crown Plaza,
Dubai, UAE.

Regional & Member News

• Etisalat’s new location-based services  

• Alcatel-Lucent’s 100 Gigabit Ethernet capabilities at the service provider edge  

• Nokia Siemens expands OEM agreement with Alvarion  

• Nujira achieves best ever LTE transmitter efficiency  

• Huawei unveils next-generation LTE base station  

• ZTE ranked third in LTE infrastructure  

• Fujitsu’s green IT labeling scheme  

• du’s Q2 revenue and net profits rise  

• Maroc Telecom achieves modest growth, good sub-Saharan performance  

• Turkcell, Turk Telekom in favor of sharing infrastructure  

• Android will live on, get sweeter, more social  

• Why Google Chrome OS impact  

• Zain surges again on African sale hopes  

• Paid video to overtake free video on web in 2009  

• Turkcell to bid for telecoms license in Libya  

• WiMAX beats UMTS for download speed in Italy  

• Nokia’s Android smartphone  

• US carriers face broad anti-trust review – report  

• Vodafone Germany plans to launch own e-reader – report  

• Orascom Telecom drops case against FT over Mobinil dispute  

• Telekom Austria to invest EUR 1.5 billion in broadband upgrades  

• AT&T to provide support for Oman network project  

• Etisalat to invest USD2 billion in infrastructure Nigerian mobile operator  

Regulatory Corner

• TRA-Bahrain activates search on unlicensed frequencies  

• MoC suspends ISP’s licenses  

• UAE regulator sets up telcos service center

• Illegal exchange major losses in Pakistan

• Tunisia provisionally awards 3rd mobile license

• Jordan: TRC takes new tack for 3G licensing

• SL’s tallest broadcast tower at Kokkavil

• TRA promotes protection of consumers' interest

• PTA to develop SIM information system

• Pakistan may cut SIM activation tax by 40%

• PTA awards WLL licenses for AJK, Northern Areas

• Sri Lanka: The Internet service charges are to fall by the end of the year.

Regional Performance

• SAMENA broadband subscribers 2008

• The network readiness index 2008-2009 rankings (SAMENA)

• The network readiness index 2008-2009 rankings (Global)

• VPN products that have passed VPNC’s Basic Interoperability Test

   

Top Technology Updates

Featured Articles

Open Source in Mobile
The concept of “open source in mobile” is a relatively newer one in practice, though nothing unexpected. Having developed Linux-based applications for the PC market several years ago, a shift toward creating an open source environment for mobile applications seemed inevitable. As in the case of Linux based computer applications (both PC and server based), mobile applications can too be based on an “open approach” whereby new programs can be created, adopted, copied or modified by different vendors or application designers to provide customers with a variety of customized and tailored-made mobile applications.

New Product Introduction: A Survival Tactic
Industry research evidences that the ability to rapidly introduce new products will be of utmost importance; however, operators require significant commitment for developing this new business model. Presented at the SOFNET conference, this viewpoint holds that advancing toward a content-based model requires strong top-level executive interest, focus, and time. The subscriber and the subscriber’s evolving needs have to be carefully understood, which also require a tremendous amount of time, along with network investments. The transformation of approach that the current model requires needs to heavily take into account the importance and the commitments of senior executives and industry decision makers.

Infrastructure Sharing
Elements conducive to the development of healthy competition—which is increasingly becoming services-based rather than remain facility-based—also include regulatory policy designs as well as economic incentives that can encourage telecommunications infrastructure sharing between competing players.

RF Health Corner

Radio Frequency Radiation Concerns

- - SCIENTIFIC NOTES ON RADIO FREQUENCIES

- - REPORTED HEALTH EFFECTS

- - BODIES INVOLVED WITH THIS ISSUE

...

For feedback: news@samenacouncil.org
SAMENA Insight contains information based on data and content retrieved from sources deemed trustworthy by SAMENA.Professional discretion should be used in assessing the usefulness of this information. SAMENA publishes this newsletter in both electronic and hardcopy formats. Please contact us to learn more or to contribute.Design and content by SAMENA Market Research Team.
© 2009 SAMENA Telecommunication Council
All rights reserved.