The Egyptian operator Mobinil is now offering its subscribers interactive advertising tailored to their personal interests via Alcatel-Lucent’s Optism mobile marketing solution...

Turkey’s market leading operator, Turkcell, has augmented its 3G networks, upgrading the HSPA architecture with dual-carrier HSPA+ technology. The dual-carrier technology can theoretically achieve peak speeds of 42Mb/s, which is double the speed of single channel HSPA+...

Vodafone Qatar has selected Alcatel-Lucent as its sole supplier in its expansion into the fixed broadband market. Already a major mobile operator, Vodafone Qatar plans to offer customers an integrated service, encompassing fixed and mobile...

Egypt’s largest mobile operator is aiming to improve its productivity and maximise return on assets by deploying Clarity’s Infrastructure Management solution...

A new in-depth look at Israel’s telecommunications market indicates that its size has nearly peaked, but that growth possibilities still remain...

Tunisia’s largest operator, Tunisiana, is now completely owned by Qtel. The Qatari operator already owned a 50% stake following a joint venture with Orascom, and the Egyptian conglomerate has now sold its stake to its partner as part of an effort to reduce its overall debt before it completes its merger with VimpelCom...

An international competitive carrier in Israel has deployed a convergent prepaid and postpaid charging solution from LogNet Systems...

A new WiMAX network is being launched in Iraq by the operator Fanoos Telecom. The billing provider Aptilo Networks is providing the complete backend of the network, including prepaid billing capabilities, using its WiMAX CSN System...

 The Kuwaiti operator Zain has accepted a preliminary offer by UAE market leader Etisalat to take a majority stake in the firm...

As regulators in Africa and the Middle East eliminate barriers in liberalized markets, VoIP opportunities emerge as lines are expected to more than triple from 2010 to 2015, growing at an outstanding CAGR of more than 28 percent, according to a new report from Pyramid Research...

 In a move seemingly aimed at clearing its name in the Middle East with regard to security concerns, BlackBerry manufacturer RIM has announced a strategic alliance with mobile operators and regulators in the UAE...

NYNEX Network Solutions, a satellite network operator headquartered in Germany, has announced that it has partnered with CETel (Central European Telecom Services) to expand its satellite IP network and introduce new broadband services on the NSS-12 satellite...

Subscribers of the Israeli broadband service provider Bezeq will soon have access to super fast Internet access at 200 megabit per second (Mbps) over existing copper cables...

With only a few days left before it was due to be instated, the UAE’s proposed ban on BlackBerries has been cancelled...

The recent news of a merger between Orascom and VimpelCom has not dampened the Algerian government’s desire to nationalise Djezzy, Orascom’s Algerian branch...

Organisations in this region should not miss out on this opportunity to implement Ipv6 technology. If they want to continue to grow their business and increase their online presence, they must now begin the migration process towards IPv6, says networking expert, Ali Ahmar, Regional Sales Manager, MENA, Brocade Communications...

Etisalat’s bid for a 46% stake in Zain could be a step closer to becoming a reality – and help has come from an unlikely source. Qatar Telecom (Qtel), a regional rival of Etisalat, has expressed an interest in purchasing Zain Saudi Arabia – a move which could facilitate Etisalat’s planned acquisition...

Having recently looked to acquire a controlling stake in its Indian joint venture, the UAE operator Etisalat has now attempted to acquire a 46% stake in Kuwait’s Zain...

General Cable Corporation has formed a joint venture with International Cable Industries LLC (ICI), a limited liability company organized in Oman...

Kuwait will soon witness the launch of new mobile broadband services from Zain, the country’s largest operator. The rollout will be enabled by the billing and charging software provider Redknee...

New Q310 information on the telecoms markets of Qatar and the UAE is now available, and the results, while mixed, indicate positive growth and a bright outlook for the future...

The UAE’s well-publicised security concerns over Research In Motion’s BlackBerry devices have threatened to develop into a crackdown that could envelop the Middle East region and spread well beyond it. However, RIM have been granted some respite by Saudi Arabia’s telecoms regulator, which has stated that it will allow the continued operation of the BlackBerry instant messaging service within the Kingdom...

Having previously threatened to do so, the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has officially banned Research In Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry smartphones, citing security concerns. There are indications that other major markets, both in the Middle East region and globally, could impose a similar ban on the devices...

 WiMAX has seen phenomenal growth throughout the MENA region since it was first launched in Algeria in 2007. The service is now offered by 26 of the 55 operators licensed to provide it, and is now commercially available in 11 countries in the Arab world...

Growth of broadband in Africa and the Middle East will be driven by mobile broadband, due largely to poor wireline services and conscientious branding from mobile operators...

Türk Telekom subsidiary TTNET, the leading broadband internet service provider in Turkey, has launched a new Web TV service across the country...

Revenue from mobile broadband in the MENA region is likely to quadruple by 2014, according to a new report from Onda Analytics. Although handset-based revenue is expected to be slow, mobile broadband will have a major impact on operators’ financials with over 20 million subscribers in the region forecast by 2014...

Vodafone Egypt’s 24.6 million subscribers are set to benefit from e-recharge services which will allow them to top-up their talk time with any value, anytime and anywhere...

Vodafone Qatar has been issued a licence by the Supreme Council of Information and Technology (ictQatar) to operate the country’s second fixed line telephone service. Initially, Vodafone Qatar will start operating at The Pearl-Qatar, after complying with ictQatar’s requirements, including changing its articles of association in the next three months and paying the licence fee of US$27,000...

To further develop its growth in key vertical markets across Saudi Arabia, Thuraya is aggressively expanding its commercial activities within the oil and gas, government and other sectors in partnership with its national service provider Farhan Commercial Company (FCC). The Saudi service provider has started a marketing campaign to roll out Thuraya’s IP solution and Thuraya XT, described as the world’s toughest satellite phone, in the Saudi Arabian market...

Mobile payment specialist Mobibucks has seen a significant increase in demand for its products in the last six months in the Middle East/ North Africa (MENA) region. Mobibucks offers “unique” payment and incentive products for making purchases using a mobile phone number...

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has chosen Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) to modernise and upgrade its 3G network. Qtel’s aim is to offer its subscribers an improved smartphone experience, including faster broadband speeds, while paving the way for next-generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. To make this happen, the operator has chosen NSN “to modernise its network and enhance capacity.”...

Maroc Telecom, the wireless and wireline telecom operator, has launched Mobi Cash, a fund-transfer system powered by Comviva, which provides mobile solutions beyond basic Value-Added Services...