Zain Bahrain subscribers are set to enjoy richer and more advanced telecom services under the region’s first Long Term Evolution contract. Nokia Siemens Networks will modernise Zain’s network and charging system...

 Cambridge Broadband Networks has won the contract to supply Saudi Arabia’s Mobily with its VectaStar point-to-multipoint, microwave backhaul platform. The platform is expected to play a significant part in Mobily’s ambitious infrastructure plans...

Iran has witnessed the privatisation of its state-monopoly Iranian Telecommunications Company. US$8 billion passed hands as a consortium dominated by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard makes its presence felt in the country’s telecoms sector...

Network access specialist Zhone has been named as Preferred Access Provider by the Lebanese-government-owned operator Ogero, which is seeking to expand IP network services nationwide. Public WiFi access throughout Beirut and ADSL2+, EFM and VDSL2 nationwide are the target...

Followers of the problems challenging the Egyptian mobile operator Mobinil and its would-be purchaser France Telecom will be aware of the coverage Developing Telecoms has given to this long-running saga...

Iraq is now the most competitive Arab cellular market. This year’s Cellular Competition Intensity Index, instituted by Arab Advisors Group, reveals that Jordan (most competitive market in 2007 and 2008) has come in second...

Statements by the CEOs of both Turkcell and Turk Telecom indicate that both believe that introducing 3G into Turkey will be achieved more cheaply by the two companies sharing the costs of infrastructure...

Azerfon, one of the fastest growing mobile operators in Azerbaijan, and Vodafone have announced a non-equity partnership to provide customers with “high quality communications services and to collaborate jointly on future technological developments”...

Industry experts connected in Abu Dhabi this week to evaluate the state of telecoms in the Middle East. An appropriate time to look at telecoms in the developing markets as a whole at a time of global economic difficulty. Michael Schwartz writes...

Despite economic hardship, Turkey’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be increasing their IT spending in the near future. This is the prediction of IDC which conducted a survey among 750 SMEs in Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir...

The long-running dispute between France Telecom and Orascom over ownership of Egypt's main mobile operator Mobinil has resulted in Orascom being forced to sell its holding to FT-Orange. But some analysts now think this may benefit Orascom in the long run...

With the advent of new operators and increased competition in 2008, cellular subscribers in 19 Arab countries reached 194.533 million. AlJawal and MobiNil sustained their top rankings inthe region with 17.8 million and 16.3 million subscribers respectively. Vodafone ended the period with 15.2 million subscribers, settling as the third largest mobile operator in the region...