Wolfgang Wemhoff, CTO of Omani service provider Nawras, discusses the company’s rollout of new fibre and wireless networks, the extent to which businesses and public bodes are utilising the benefits they offer, and laments the current lack of wireless spectrum.
Dr. Imad Hoballah, Acting Chairman and CEO of Lebanon’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, talks about major developments in the broadband industry in the MEA region over the past 12 months.
Nima Pournejatian is the chief technology officer of Iran’s MobinNET Telecom and is speaking on day one of the Broadband MEA conference, due to be held on the 27th March 2012, at the Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina, Dubai, UAE. We catch up with him to find out more about how MobinNET is changing the landscape of the broadband market in Iran.

Analysis suggests that the Middle Eastern telecoms industry is actually stronger in terms of credit health, than its European equivalent, despite the impact of the Arab Spring, says Pavle Sabic, Solutions Architect at S&P Capital IQ.
Etisalat, the largest carrier in the UAE, has launched a commercial LTE network in the country. The service will offer customers mobile LTE-based broadband using E398-LTE USB modems, which it said were available immediately from Etisalat Business Centres and other outlets.

Ayman Irshaid CEO at Areeba talks to Telecoms.com at the Middle East Telco World Summit 2011.
While Europe and the USA are struggling to come to terms with the pressures of the recent global financial downturn, for the poorest nations on the planet, such conditions have been ongoing and existential. As a response to this, back in 2000 the UN established the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were created, with the bold aims of eradicating poverty, improving education and reducing child mortality across the world. Following a call from the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to step-up its effort to meet these goals, the ITU and UNESCO set up the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in October 2011, with ensuring that broadband connectivity is high up on the international policy agendas as one of its main aims.
STC, the Saudi Arabian carrier, has added anotherLTE coverage to another five cities across the Kingdom, taking the total up to 11. The cities of Makkah, Madinah, Abha, Khamis Mushayt, Dhahran now have access to LTE, in addition to the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Jubail, Al Khobar, Al Ahsa.
Middle Eastern and African mobile operators stand to make gains from employing more women in their retail chains, including higher revenue potential through improved sales, stronger brand imaging and access to untapped markets. The findings come from a report undertaken by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, regional carrier STC and market research firm TNS.
Infrastructure vendor Nokia Siemens Networks said Tuesday that it is selling off the WiMAX equipment portfolio acquired from Motorola Solutions as part of a wider deal earlier this year. The division will be sold to messaging and infrastructure player NewNet Communication Technologies for an undisclosed sum, along with around 300 employees, as well as active customer and supplier contracts.