http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/telecom-iten-usCopyright 2013 Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved.Sat, 25 May 2013 12:02:51 GMT2414476http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/telecom-ithttp://www.zawya.com/images/newsletter_zawya_logo.gifhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Central_Bank_of_the_UAE_TRA_sign_MoU-WAM20130525121042203/Central Bank of the UAE represented by the Department of Information Technology and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) represented by Computer Emergency Response Team, have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure the security system of the Central Bank, clients and exchange of data and research between the two parties.Sat, 25 May 2013 12:03:45 GMTWAM (Emirates News Agency) WAM20130525121042203Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Sharif_University_satellite_to_be_launched_soon-ZAWYA20130525050439/Chancellor of Sharif University of Technology said the main model of Sharif Satellite has been constructed and will be launched into orbit soon.Sat, 25 May 2013 05:56:40 GMTIRNA ZAWYA20130525050439Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Internet_use_up_16_in_KSA-ZAWYA20130525034147/Internet usage has increased by 16% in Saudi Arabia, with a 10% growth in the number of providers expected by the end of this year.Internet providers said that modern and smart technologies are helping to increase Internet use as services are available in packages for all social sectors.Sat, 25 May 2013 05:23:44 GMTArab News ZAWYA20130525034147Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Dubais_Burj_Al_Arab_offers_24carat_iPads_to_guests-GN_24052013_250542/Burj Al Arab - one of the world’s ultra-luxury hotels, last week introduced 24-carat gold plated iPads for its in-house guests - to access services. It has also introduced iMacs in suites.Sat, 25 May 2013 04:50:19 GMTGulf News GN_24052013_250542Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/Omans_mobile_penetration_reaches_190_in_2012_Report-ZAWYA20130524052532/The mobile phone penetration rate in the sultanate reached 190.29% at the end of Q4 2012, taking Oman past most countries in the world with few exceptions like Macau (275%) and Hong Kong (230%).Fri, 24 May 2013 06:49:30 GMTMuscat Daily ZAWYA20130524052532Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/UAE_strengthens_mobile_governance-GN_23052013_240503/There are more then 14 million mobile phones in use across the UAE - and most of us actually manage to carry two of the devices, with overall market penetration being one of the highest around the world.Fri, 24 May 2013 06:25:13 GMTGulf News GN_23052013_240503Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story/BMI_Oman_Telecommunications_Report_May13-pdf_230513073456/Includes 3 FREE Quarterly Updates.BMI View: Oman is home to developed and dynamic telecoms markets, with strong growth in mobile, fixedline and internet sectors continuing throughout 2012. We attribute this to strong private consumption growth, driven by the Omani government's expansionary budget and increases in public sector wages. While there are a number of positives, the market is limited by the country's small population size and is approaching saturation for some services, notably basic voice (fixed and mobile) services. We therefore expect operators to shift their strategy towards up-selling higher-value services to existing customers in order to sustain revenue growth.Key Data- Mobile subscriptions increased by 9.7% in 2012 to reach a total of 5.278mn and penetration of 181.7%.- The latest TRA data show 3G subscriptions grew by 12.7% q-o-q Q312 to bring total growth in 9M12 to 48%.- Operator data show monthly blended mobile ARPU continued to decline, with the market average down 7.6% y-o-y to OMR8.4 in Q412.Risk/Reward RatingsOman stayed in sixth position BMI's Risk/Reward Ratings table for the Middle East and North Africa in this quarter's update with an unchanged score this quarter. Oman scores below the regional average in the industry rewards category, due to the combination of market saturation and falling mobile ARPUs. Key Trends And DevelopmentsIn February 2013 Qtel owned Nawras launched LTE services in Muscat. Nawras began offering LTE download speeds in the range of 10 to 15Mbps, depending on the tariff purchased by the user. This follows the rollout of an LTE network by incumbent and mobile market leader Omantel as both operators target the booming mobile data market. Nawras also added 3G+ services to each of its base stations, introduced new base stations and also more than doubled the amount of broadband data traffic carried at any particular time. The launch of LTE services is one part of Nawras' 'network turbochaThu, 23 May 2013 07:21:00 GMTBusiness Monitor International Limited pdf_230513073456Subscriptionhttp://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 ZAWYA20130519073325Subscriptionhttp://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 ZAWYA20130519031921Open