http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/telecom-iten-usCopyright 2013 Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved.Thu, 23 May 2013 03:24:00 GMT2114476http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/telecom-ithttp://www.zawya.com/images/newsletter_zawya_logo.gifhttp://www.zawya.com/story/RTS_Realtime_Systems_to_open_data_center_in_Dubai-ZAWYA20130523032428/RTS Realtime Systems Group (RTS), a leading global trading solutions provider, today announced plans to open its newest data center in Dubai, the first Middle East site in its global data center network.Thu, 23 May 2013 06:42:37 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130523032428Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Tecom_Investments_announces_new_structure-ZAWYA20130523032404/Tecom Investments, a subsidiary of Dubai Holding, has announced a new operational structure, which will allow the company to further focus on its core business of developing and operating business parks.Thu, 23 May 2013 06:39:30 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130523032404Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/IT_spending_to_rise_55_to_USD193bn_in_Mideast-ZAWYA20130523035956/The Middle East (ME) IT spending is projected to total USD 192.9 billion in 2013, a 5.5% increase from 2012, according to Gartner, the world's leading information technology research and advisory company.Thu, 23 May 2013 06:32:20 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20130523035956Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/ITS_restructures_to_face_new_business_dynamics-ZAWYA20130523053002/ITS (International Turnkey Systems) Group, a leading solution provider for both Islamic and conventional banks, yesterday announced a 'transformative' restructuring of its business focus, organization model, processes and product positioning to meet new macroeconomic realities and prepare the company to embark on a profitable growth journey from 2013 onwards.Thu, 23 May 2013 05:53:12 GMTKuwait Times ZAWYA20130523053002Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/KSA_plans_Gulf_egovt_network-ZAWYA20130523032505/The government is planning to build an electronic governance network that will link the Gulf Cooperation Council members to one another and also include a unified traffic system.Thu, 23 May 2013 05:36:15 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130523032505Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Apple_remains_No1_global_brand_for_2013_worth_USD185bn-ZAWYA20130522040105/Apple remains the BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brand for 2013, worth USD 185 billion.Wed, 22 May 2013 15:06:47 GMTEmirates 24|7 ZAWYA20130522040105Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Etisalat_wont_bid_for_Moroccan_govt_stake_in_Maroc_Telecom__CEO-ZW20130522000092/Emirates Telecommunications Corp.has ruled out buying the Moroccan government's stake in Maroc Telecom should the Abu Dhabi telco secure Vivendi SA's 53%-share in the North African operatorWed, 22 May 2013 11:33:11 GMTZawya Dow Jones News ZW20130522000092Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/VimpelCom_talks_to_sell_Djezzy_to_Algerian_govt_end_in_failure-ZW20130521000071/Talks between Russian telecommunications company VimpelCom Ltd. (VIP) and the Algerian government regarding the government's potential purchase of Algeria's biggest mobile operator Djezzy have ended in failure.Wed, 22 May 2013 06:30:43 GMTZawya Dow Jones News ZW20130521000071Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Etisalat_Nigeria_signs_USD12bn_loan_facility-GN_21052013_220551/The Nigerian operation of the UAE telecommunication services operator, Etisalat, has signed a USD 1.2 billion (Dh4.4 billion) equivalent medium-term syndicated loan facility, Etisalat said.Wed, 22 May 2013 05:05:12 GMTGulf News GN_21052013_220551Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/BMI_Iran_Telecommunications_Report_May13-pdf_210513084758/Includes 3 FREE Quarterly Updates.BMI View: Mobile subscriber numbers continue to post strong growth in Iran, with the country's young population increasingly adopting mobile technology. But accurate data about the size and scope of Iran's telecommunications data is limited - only MTN reports subscriber numbers on a regular basis, and with sanctions weighing heavily on the economy there are few incentives to invest. The government holds a tight control on the market, and as such, network development lacks investment. That said, there is considerable potential for growth, if sanctions are lifted, in both mobile and wireline technology.Key data- MTN revealed that it had 40.502mn subscribers at the end of Q412.- MTN ARPU fell to US$3.9 in the fourth quarter of 2012.- Besides MTN, there has been no new data released by the ITU or other operators, and therefore new data in our Q313 report are based on BMI estimations.- Mobile subscriber numbers saw the pace of growth decline in H213 - averaging 1.65% per quarter in Q312 and Q412 - compared to average q-o-q growth of 3.7% in H112.Risk/Reward RatingsIran plummeted to the bottom of our regional Risk/Reward Ratings this quarter, with a decline in its Industry Rewards and Country Risks score taking it to 15th out of 15 markets. In terms of Industry Risks, the data market is held back by exclusivity granted to Tamin Telecom for 3G network usage. In terms of Country Risks, continued sanctions are affecting the economy.Key Trends And DevelopmentsIn February 2013, the government granted Tamin Telecom exclusive rights to 3G network services until 2014, extending the current agreement for one year. We believe this decision will hold back investment in the data market.South Africa's MTN Group announced in February 2013 that it had been cleared of accusations that it bribed Iranian officials in a bid to gain a mobile licence for operations in the country. In April 2013, Iran's government Tue, 21 May 2013 08:41:00 GMTBusiness Monitor International Limited pdf_210513084758Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Omantel_signs_agreement_for_new_submarine_cable-ZAWYA20130519073325/Omantel announced on Saturday that it inked an agreement for another submarine cable, the 'Bay of Bengal Gateway' submarine cable system (BBG). Sun, 19 May 2013 14:57:48 GMTMuscat Daily ZAWYA20130519073325Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/BMI_Bahrain_Consumer_Electronics_Report_Apr13-pdf_190513122229/Includes 3 FREE Quarterly Updates.BMI View: Bahrain's consumer electronics market is limited by the small size of the population, which means that devices are mostly distributed via regional hubs. Despite its small size there are considerable opportunities in Bahrain due to high incomes in the country and the propensity of the local population to spend on consumer electronics equipment. In 2012 the market received an additional boost from increases in public sector salaries. This was a government response to public unrest, which we expect to benefit the market in 2013. Smartphones and tablets are the fastest-growing device categories in the market, although big-ticket items such as LED and 3G TV sets will also provide strong impetus to the market's expected expansion. While there are many positive features to Bahrain's market, it should be noted that civil unrest and the political outlook remain downside risks to our outlook.Headline Expenditure ProjectionsComputer Sales: The market will increase from US$221mn in 2012 to US$251mn in 2013. Over our forecast period to 2017 we expect that tablets and notebook hybrids will dominate the consumer market, while demand from SMEs will also support growth.AV Sales: The largest sector of the consumer electronics market will be driven by demand for flat-screenTV sets, taking the value of the overall market to US$446mn by 2017 from US$349mn in 2012. The launch of next-generation games consoles in Q4 2013 could result in a small boost to sales.Handset Sales: We predict a rise from US$97mn in 2012 to US$86mn in 2013. The smartphone market is the fastest-developing segment of Bahrain's consumer electronics market, with vendors such as Samsung and Nokia vying for supremacy while global challengers such as Apple and Huawei maintain a strong presence.Key Trends And DevelopmentsThe mobile handset market is booming and attracting the attention of a range of vendors. Since 2011 Nokia has lost its position of dominance, whicSun, 19 May 2013 12:18:00 GMTBusiness Monitor International Limited pdf_190513122229Subscriptionhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Omantel_inks_submarine_cable_linking_agreement-ZAWYA20130519044010/Omantel, the pioneer provider of total communications solutions in the Sultanate of Oman, on Saturday announced that it inked an agreement for another submarine cable, the "Bay of Bengal Gateway" submarine cable system (BBG).Sun, 19 May 2013 04:46:50 GMTTimes of Oman ZAWYA20130519044010Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Ooredoo_QNB_sponsor_programme_for_SMEs-ZAWYA20130519035112/Ooredoo, along with Qatar National Bank (QNB), is sponsoring the Small and Medium Enterprise Evolution Programme (SMEEP) Season 5 (2013), developed by Potential.com.Sun, 19 May 2013 04:15:56 GMTGulf Times ZAWYA20130519035112Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Saudi_mobile_charges_among_the_highest_worldwide-ZAWYA20130519031921/Saudi mobile call charges are among the highest in the world, at around SAR 0.35 a minute compared to the world average of SAR 0.07 a minute, according to surveys conducted by the Saudi Consumer Protection Association (CPA).Sun, 19 May 2013 03:46:32 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130519031921Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/3G_launch_delay_prompts_questions_in_Algeria-ZAWYA20130518055752/Algerians are asking many questions about the country's delay in launching high-speed 3G mobile telecommunication, which was scheduled to take place in the first quarter of this year.Sat, 18 May 2013 09:53:07 GMTMagharebia.com ZAWYA20130518055752Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Knowledge_city_project_promises_attractive_returns_to_expatriates-ZAWYA20130518050148/The sponsors of a multi-million rupee project in south India have promised attractive returns for investors among the Kerala expatriates in Saudi Arabia.Sat, 18 May 2013 06:32:39 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130518050148Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Implementation_of_free_international_roaming_service_on_the_cards_in_KSA-ZAWYA20130517050317/Sultan Al-Malik, official spokesman of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), said the Consumer Protection Association (CPA) has not caused the CITC to bear the rise in prices of telecommunication services and has not asked it to restructure.Fri, 17 May 2013 06:49:14 GMTThe Saudi Gazette ZAWYA20130517050317Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Mobile_payment_solutions_to_emerge_popular_in_the_region-GN_16052013_170538/Mobile phones are emerging as a popular tool to make effortless purchases and may just replace conventional credit or debit cards in the future.Fri, 17 May 2013 05:32:38 GMTGulf News GN_16052013_170538Open