UAE Telecom News du still in talks for shared infrastructure (From The Business Weekly, April 20, 2008) - Discussions between the UAE's two telecom operators, Etisalat and du, on the issue of shared infrastructure, are said to be ongoing as initiated by the Government regulatory authority in charge of the telecommunications sector in the country. According to Osman Sultan, CEO of du, such discussions, should they materialise into a jointly developed endeavour, would benefit both companies as it would reduce the need for duplication of investments. He indicated that real estate developers who are currently driving the UAE's construction boom would likewise benefit from having just one telecommunications infrastructure. "I believe we have a big opportunity to build from scratch together as two telecommunications operators a shared land infrastructure," Sultan told The Business Weekly. "At least in the civil works, if not in the infrastructure of the fibre cables." Avoiding duplication "I think this will avoid duplication of investment, and this will mean better benefits for the two companies. But ultimately, it will also be better for the real estate developers who will benefit as well from one infrastructure," he added. "Talks, which are ongoing in this direction, were initiated by the authority that is regulating the telecoms market. I think this is an excellent model and I hope we will go fast on this," Sultan continued. As reported by The Business Weekly earlier, Abdulsalam Rahma Abdulla Bastaki, director, Information Technology at Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority under the Government of Dubai, suggested that a third-party company be formed that would focus only on ducting to include the necessary telecommunications infrastructure. In reaction to such a suggestion, Sultan indicated that as long as it done in accordance with the required specifications, they would not mind. However, he also indicated that both telecommunications operators already have the expertise and the know-how to do such things and that a third-party company may not be necessary. "We would not mind provided that these are built according to our specifications," Sultan said. "But then, why bring in a third party when the telecom operators know how to do this and this is their job. This is their core business." "Ultimately, we need to provide service to customers, tenants and residents in these cities," he added. UAE's Etisalat posts record Q1 profit (April 17, 2008) ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Emirates Telecommunications Corp, the largest Arab telecom firm by market value, posted record profit in the first quarter after adding more mobile phone users in the United Arab Emirates. Net income in the three months to March 31 rose 15.5 percent to 2.12 billion dirhams , or 0.35 dirhams per share, compared with 1.84 billion dirhams, or 0.31 dirhams per share, in the year-earlier period, the state-controlled company said in a statement on the Abu Dhabi bourse website. The number of mobile phone users in the UAE, the second-largest Arab economy, rose 4 percent to 6.63 million, compared with three months earlier, Etisalat said, without giving a year-earlier comparison. Chief Executive Officer Mohammed al-Qamzi told Reuters the company was adding about 1 million mobile phone users per year in the UAE, and expected foreign operations to contribute more to profit this year as the UAE home market matures. "Foreign countries will contribute more this year," Qamzi said. "Saudi Arabia will lead." Full-year profit growth will exceed the 15 percent in the first quarter, Qamzi said. Etisalat said this week it sold 43.75 million shares in Saudi affiliate Etihad Etisalat , generating returns of 2.33 billion dirhams that would be counted in the second quarter. The sale cut its stake in the second of Saudi Arabia's two mobile phone operators to 26.3 percent from 35 percent. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter whose economy is growing on a near six-fold increase in oil prices during the last six years that has filled government coffers and boosted spending. Etisalat's first-quarter results exceeded two forecasts in a Reuters survey last month of 1.9 billion dirhams and 2.03 billion dirhams. SHARES RISE Shares of the company, which are only open to ownership by UAE nationals, were up 14.1 percent this year to Wednesday's close. They fell 0.5 percent on Thursday, before the results were released. In contrast, shares of Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications Co , another Arab telecom company which is expanding abroad, are down by almost 5 percent this year. Etisalat operates in 16 countries including Egypt, Pakistan and some African nations. It is looking to enter the Indian telecom market, and has said it held talks with several companies including Spice Communications about possibly making an acquisition. Itsalat International plans to launch public offering next year (From The Gulf News, December 29, 2007) Abu Dhabi - Itsalat International (i2), the largest mobile phone distribution company in the Middle East and Africa with operations in as many as 23 countries, plans to come out with an initial public offering towards the end of 2008, one of the company's stakeholders said on Thursday. "We propose to get i2 listed on the Saudi Tadawul Exchange. Saudi Arabia's Capital Markets Authority will decide how much of the company could be sold through the IPO," Dr. Karim Al Solh, chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi-based regional private equity firm, Gulf Capital, told Gulf News. Gulf Capital, the highest capitalised investment company in the UAE, bought a 15 per cent stake in the Saudi Arabia-based i2 for $150 million in July 2006 with the aim of capitalising on the boom in the telecommunications industry, fund its expansion plans across the region and into Africa and increase its market share by pursuing other telecom-related ventures. i2's current sales of 7 billion Saudi rials makes it one of the top global players in the telecom industry. A group of five Saudi businessmen hold within themselves 85 per cent of the company. Etisalat to spend $1b on Nigeria network (September 9, 2007) NEW YORK (Bloomberg) - Etisalat plans to spend $1 billion building a network in Nigeria that will enable it to compete with rivals including MTN Group Ltd. "Nigeria has Africa's largest population, but the penetration rate is less than 20 per cent, so there's a lot of potential to expand our network there,'' Etisalat Chairman Mohammad Hassan Omran said in an interview in Dubai yesterday. State-controlled Etisalat plans to start its Nigerian unit in March and will sign contracts with “one or two'' equipment suppliers by October, Omran said, declining to name them. The company will spend $1 billion to construct its network through 2010, he added. Mubadala Development Co., the investment company owned by Abu Dhabi's government, yesterday said Etisalat will operate its 15-year renewable Nigerian phone licence. Mubadala in January agreed to pay $400 million for a licence to become Nigeria's third fixed-line and fifth mobile-phone operator, according to the west African nation's Communications Commission. Emirates Telecom says may double Pakistan stake (September 9, 2007) DUBAI (Reuters) - Emirates Telecommunications Corp. (Etisalat) said on Sunday it was considering doubling its stake in Pakistan Telecommunications Co. to 51 percent. "We are evaluating that option and once we've arrived at the decision that this is positive, we will talk to the (Pakistani) government," Chairman Mohammed Hassan Omran told Reuters. He declined to say when the decision might be made. Etisalat bought a 26 percent stake in PTCL in 2005 for $2.6 billion under an agreement that gives it management control. Omran also said he expected Etisalat to invest at least $1 billion in Nigeria in the first three years after the company bought a 40 percent stake in a new Nigerian telephone operation last week. etisalat to offer 'triple play' service soon (From Gulf News, August 20, 2007) Dubai - etisalat expects to offer 'triple play' service to more than 100,000 customers this quarter once government regulators approve its pricing scheme, its chief executive said. Triple play is a bundled service delivering fixed line and high-speed TV and internet over one cable into the home or office. It is often touted as producing cost savings to operators and customers. "Customers will be able to receive state of the art technology at very high broadband speeds," Mohammad Al Qamzi said. "This will be high-definition TV and internet will also be at very high speeds." Reduced costs The etisalat CEO said an immediate benefit to the company would be reduced costs on maintenance and equipment. "This is where the future of telecom is, where we can serve customers at a lower price and higher bandwidth." The product rollout will first be offered to subscribers of etisalat's e-vision TV service because these customers already have installed the necessary cabling into their homes. A pricing plan has already been submitted to the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. The bundling will target higher sales of each of the three services offered, including the unprofitable e-vision division. The initiative is the first step in a multi-year plan for the company, as it develops a next-generation network composed entirely of IP-based technology. After completing its core network in Dubai and Abu Dhabi last year, the telecom provider will spend the next three years installing soft switches and fibre optic cabling throughout the country, Al Qamzi said. "We are now going for the 'last mile' - deploying fibre to the customer," he said. The first recipients of this high-bandwidth, all-IP network will be 27,000 residents in Abu Dhabi after etisalat successfully replaces the first of several hundred legacy switches. The new network should debut in Abu Dhabi in two months. The project comes at a time when businesses and consumer are increasingly consuming higher data traffic, the CEO said. "Internationally, voice [revenues] are declining, but data is increasing - that's where the growth is." du's new service lets subscribers monitor homes (From Gulf News, May 29, 2007) Dubai - du broke new ground in its bid to set itself apart from competitor etisalat yesterday, unveiling a service for subscribers to remotely monitor their homes and offices via mobile phones. du's HomeCam video camera will allow subscribers to view live video feeds of their properties, in color and with audio. The service will become available at retail stores later this year and can be accessed with 3G-enabled handsets in any part of the UAE covered by du's 3G network. "This is quite innovative and adds a bit of personal touch to the service they provide," said Wa'el Zaida, a telecom analyst at EFG Hermes in Cairo. Innovate or die Zaida described an "innovate or die" scenario in which du needs to offer interesting services to differentiate itself from incumbent etisalat. "With this new service du is trying to position itself as innovative leader - they have to find a corner for themselves to stand up and shine otherwise it will become extremely difficult for them," he said "The UAE market has the highest penetration in the region, if not the world. If du can't find little edges and try to emphasize them and build market share and subscribers, then they'll be thrown into a situation where they can't swing to profitability." Waiving any registration fee, du will charge for usage by the second to pre-paid and post-paid customers. The UAE telco did not reveal the price of its HomeCam equipment and service, or when it will become available. Osman Sultan, du CEO, said in a release, "HomeCam is a service that we are very proud of at du. This service will benefit a large segment of the society, mainly working mothers and parents in general who want to keep an eye on their children's safety and well-being when left at home." "The state of the art HomeCam will also cater to shopkeepers in keeping a close check on their shop while they are out and for people to monitor their homes and garages while traveling on vacations." The HomeCam video camera can zoom in and out, and also includes a night vision modes so users can monitor their homes and shops even in the dark. etisalat home guard to rival du (From Gulf News, May 29, 2007) Dubai - Following on the heels of du, etisalat yesterday announced its home surveillance product that can be viewed though mobile phones. etisalat has announced the price of its 3G MobileCAM, at Dh799, and it is already available. The video cam service provides anytime, anywhere access to video footage and video call services to a home or office. To use MobileCAM, customers must first purchase an etisalat 3G MobileCAM device from any of the etisalat business centers or key retailers in the UAE. They must also acquire either a prepaid or postpaid 3G SIM card for the service. "We are introducing the product to provide holidaymakers and new homeowners a convenient and accessible security solution," said Eisa Al Haddad, etisalat chief marketing officer. 101 made toll-free service for all Etisalat customers (From Khaleej Times, April 7, 2007) ABU DHABI - All Etisalat customers can now enjoy free customer care from one toll-free number - 101. Earlier, this number was chargeable from mobile telephones. Starting April 8, all Etisalat customer service numbers will be combined, and will be accessible by calling 101 from Etisalat GSM or Wasel mobiles and fixed-lines. Etisalat will now also respond to callers in Urdu, Hindi and Malayalam languages, in addition to Arabic and English, when receiving call at 101. This re-designed 24-hour service, which combines 800-6100 (Internet support services), 800-5500 (E-Vision services), 800-6464 (mobile value-added services), 800-3463 (e-shop online services), and 171 (fault reporting centre), will allow callers to obtain information on Etisalat’s special offers and promotions, subscribe quickly and conveniently to the same services, discuss billing information, obtain clarifications on billed items, ask for and receive general information as well as receive technical support and report faults for mobile, landline, internet, TV products, and for Etisalat online service. However, Etisalat’s Directory Enquiries Service, 181, has not been changed and customers can continue to dial 181 to obtain contact information. Oger Telecom planning acquisitions before IPO (March 27, 2007) Dubai (Reuters) - Dubai-based Oger Telecom, which on Saturday lost its bid to enter Saudi Arabia's telecoms market, said it wants to conclude at least two acquisitions this year before restarting scrapped IPO plans as early as 2008. Oger, whose majority owner Saudi Oger is controlled by relatives of late Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, has $4-$5 billion to spend on acquisitions, which could include a bid in a privatization of Kazakhtelecom, said Chief Executive Paul Doany. The firm cancelled a $1.25 billion initial public offering in November on fears that tumbling Gulf Arab markets would hit the share price after listing in Dubai and London. "We believe it would make more sense to crack at least two of these acquisitions before the IPO," Doany said. "The shareholders will have to decide what is the right time for the IPO. I believe that the end of this year or early next year seems like the right timing for it," he said. Oger is increasingly focusing on telecom acquisitions outside the Middle East after its bids in Tunisia and Saudi Arabia fell below those of competing Gulf Arab operators. "We are looking at four specific acquisitions ... We are now bidding on one opportunity," Doany said, declining to give details. He said the firm is also prepared to bid for any tender of Kazakhstan's largest fixed-line operator Kazakhtelecom, in which the government holds a stake of around 50 per cent. Kazakhtelecom also owns 49 per cent of a mobile phone operator in the country. "We believe the privatization of Kazakhtelecom will be happening in six to nine months, and we are very very keen on that," Doany said. The company would also look at bidding for a majority stake in Albanian fixed and mobile phone operator Alba Telecom through Turk Telekom if the government issues a new tender this year, he said. 'We didn't expect such a high price' In the latest upset, Oger's $4 billion bid for Saudi Arabia's third mobile phone license came in far below the $6.1 billion winning bid of a consortium led by Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications Co. "That was absolutely the highest level we were prepared to offer. We didn't expect prices to reach that level. Even at our price it was a real stretch," Doany said. Etisalat’s Urdu, Malayalam services (From Khaleej Times, March 9, 2007) DUBAI - Etisalat will soon offer its high-end technical support services in Malayalam and Urdu to complement the existing services in Arabic and English. The services will also allow customers to access customer care and support for E-Vision services, Internet Support and Mobile Value Added Services by dialing 101. This follows Etisalat's announcement recently that it has exceeded Dh100 million in total capital investment in customer care since opening its own contact centre in 2000. Etisalat and Telkom Kenya to construct submarine cable system (From Lightwave, November 30, 2006) (Press Release) - Etisalat, telecommunications service provider in the UAE, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Telkom Kenya Ltd. to construct, operate, and maintain a high-capacity fiber-optic submarine cable system between Mombassa, Kenya, and the Emirate of Fujairah. The jointly owned cable system will be known as The East African Marine System (TEAMS) comprising of a minimum of two fiber pairs with initial capacity of 10-Gbits/sec, upgradeable to 320 Gbits/sec. The agreement ensures connectivity to inland telecommunication facilities for the purpose of connecting the cable system to respective international gateways in both the United Arab Emirates and Kenya. The two parties aim to be ready for service by November 2007, with a construction and supply contract to be awarded early in 2007. The TEAMS Cable System will strengthen ties between Kenya and the UAE, while nurturing the existing relationship between Etisalat and Telkom Kenya. Emirates to allow in-flight mobile phone service (November 8, 2006) DUBAI (AFP) - Dubai-based carrier Emirates said it will become in January the world's first airline to introduce in-flight mobile phone services after fitting its fleet with safety equipment. "Emirates will install a system that allows passengers the choice of safely using their own mobile phones to make and receive phone calls and text messages from Emirates aircraft," a statement said. It expects to launch the service on board one of its Boeing 777s as early as January 2007, "once all necessary approvals are granted." European airlines are also planning to start trial use of mobiles on board their planes from early 2007. Emirates said it was investing 27 million dollars to fit its fleet with equipment supplied by AeroMobile, a major provider of inflight mobile services. "The AeroMobile aircraft systems ensure that passenger mobile phones operate at their minimum power settings thereby allowing their safe use on the aircraft," it said. Mobile phones will only be used at cruise altitude, like in the case of other electronic devices, while cabin crew will have full control over the system. "The number of calls that may be made at any one time is also limited to a maximum of five or six calls, the same number as for the current in-seat phones used regularly by Emirates' passengers," the statement added. The service will also allow passengers to send and receive text messages, with charges in line with international roaming rates. "Our customers are already making more than 6,000 calls a month from our in-seat phones, so we will be making life easier," said Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum. Cabin crew will will advise and encourage passengers to switch their phones to silent or vibrate mode when used in the aircraft. The Middle East's fastest growing carrier is spending billions of dollars on expanding its fleet, which currently consists of 92 aircraft. UAE's Etisalat is granted third mobile license in Egypt (July 4, 2006) CAIRO (AFP) - A United Arab Emirates-Egyptian partnership was granted the third mobile telephone network license in Egypt, officials said. The offer by United Arab Emirates telecom operator Etisalat, in partnership with the Egyptian Postal Authority, the National Bank of Egypt and the Commercial International Bank (CIB), is worth 16.7 billion Egyptian pounds (2.9 billion dollars), almost eight times the minimum offer, Amr Badawi, an official from the telecommunications ministry, told reporters. "The contract will be signed next month and the network will be launched in February," Communications Minister Tarek Kamel told reporters after the announcement, adding that Etisalat would control 70 percent of the consortium and the Egyptian partners 30 percent. Two network operators, Vodaphone and Mobinil, currently operate in Egypt. The third network will see the number of mobile phone subscribers go from 15 million to 35 million in the next four or five years, according to Badawi. The consortium headed by Etisalat will gain 20 to 25 percent of the market share, he predicted. For his part, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said the tight competition between the companies was a "clear message showing international confidence in the Egyptian economy." Nazif said that the choice was made transparently, with sealed offers opened at the ministry of communication in Egypt's Smart Village, a high-tech city on the outskirts of Cairo. Revenues from the sale will go to the public treasury, said Nazif, adding that they would "support the state budget and will be invested in development projects." Mohammed Hassan Omran, chairman of Etisalat, said "the winning partnership is committed to offering high quality service on the highest levels to serve Egyptian clients." "Etisalat is focused on achieving its expansion goals to become the driving force for change in the region's telecom sector," Omran said in a statement. The winning bidders will offer GSM and third generation technology, the statement said. The third mobile network will offer "many benefits to customers ... with improved prices and choices for customers, better coverage in the country and the use of the latest technology available in the world," said Omran adding that the network will provide many job opportunities for Egyptians. Etisalat was chosen from among nine European, African, Arab, Asian and local companies that had presented bids. In May, eleven candidates, including EgyptTelecom, Telecom Italia, Kuwait's MTC, Turkcell of Turkey, South Africa's MTN and Russia's MTS all presented bids for the mobile license. The decision in May 2003 to grant a licence to a third mobile network prompted the two current operators -- Vodafone and Mobinil -- to propose a payment of 300 million dollars to EgyptTelecom to stave off the arrival of a competitor until 2007. But parliament's transport and communications committee opposed the idea, affirming the need to put an end to the existing duopoly. Rumors of a win by the Etisalat-led consortium sparked a 6.0 percent rise in shares of CIB on Tuesday, the official news agency MENA reported. At the same time, other Egyptian companies who had participated in the offer saw their shares dip between 1.5 to 4.6 percent. Etisalat heads a consortium that operates the second mobile telephone network in Saudi Arabia and has shares in several operators in Africa. In 2005, the UAE company saw a 25 percent increase in net profit to 4.3 billion dirhams (1.17 billion dollars). Etisalat positive about overseas acquisition drive (From Gulf News, June 26, 2006) Dubai - Etisalat, the UAE's leading telecom operator, is likely to secure a third license in Syria soon, while a top official expressed his optimism about securing Egypt's third license in the coming months. These developments reflect the UAE's prime telecom service provider's major expansion drive that will see the company secure at least half a dozen new licenses in Yemen, Mauritania, Russia, Greece, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Mohammad Omran, Etisalat president, told Gulf News his company planned to expand its operations in Asia, Africa and Europe by buying shares in telecommunication companies and establishing new land and mobile telephone networks in that region. "We are positive about securing Egypt's third mobile license. We will soon declare details of serious negotiations to enter new markets in West Africa," he said. "Etisalat will also soon announce the details of negotiations to acquire the third mobile license in Syria. Our meeting with the Syrian officials proved positive." Etisalat may also soon announce the results of its bid to acquire a mobile license in Yemen, the negotiations for which have entered its final stage, apart from the Mauritanian license for which talks will be concluded on July 14, he said. Another prominent Etisalat official said the company had entered the final and conclusive stage of competition with Mobile TeleSystems, and Vimpelcom, Russia's largest and second-largest mobile phone providers, to buy 90 per cent of Armentel, the Armenian telecommunication company, which is owned by OTE, a Greek telecoms provider. "We are taking part in the July 20 auction after a comprehensive study and we are happy to announce that all pointers are objective." "Etisalat is working on more than one regional and international front to enter the Uzbek and Tajik mobile markets and buy 70 per cent to 85 per cent of mobile telephone companies in the two countries," Jamal Al Jarwan, director-general of Etisalat International, told Gulf News. Etisalat has operations in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sudan and West Africa. Etisalat to bid for stake in Algerie Telecom (June 19, 2006) Algiers (Reuters) - Dubai-based Emirates Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat) plans to take part in the partial privatisation of Algerie Telecom to expand its presence in North Africa, Algerian state news agency APS said. Algeria's minister for postal services, IT and communications, Boudjemaa Haichour, received a team from the UAE company on Saturday. The team "expressed their willingness to participate concretely on the occasion of the opening of capital of Algerie Telecom", APS cited the ministry as saying in a statement. Observers said other firms including France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom are likely to bid for a stake of around 35 per cent in the Algerian operator, expected by analysts to raise around $3.5 billion. No date has been set for the sale, which is part of efforts by Algeria to end decades of economic isolation, but officials say it should take place before the end of this year. Algerie Telecom has an estimated half a million fixed-line clients and over 4 million mobile subscribers. Thuraya's 2005 profit rises sharply despite falling revenues in Iraq (From Gulf News, May 30, 2006) Abu Dhabi - Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company (Thuraya) has earned a net profit of $80 million for full year 2005 despite falling revenues from Iraq, a key market since the war, a top company official said. Yousuf Al Sayed, Chief Executive said Thuraya is bullish for 2006 as services are rolled out in Africa and Asian. "Thuraya earned net revenues of $323 million in 2005 and a net profit of $80 million compared to $26 million profits in the previous year," he told Gulf News in an interview yesterday. "Our growth is not dependent on the Iraqi market now because of declining revenues. In 2004, Iraq accounted for 60 per cent of our revenues and that came down to 40 per cent in 2005. Up to now in 2006, it has come down further to only seven per cent and it is going down," he said. However, promising markets in Africa will help build up revenues as Public Call Offices (PCOs) get operational in Libya and some other markets. Currently more than 6,000 PCOs are in operation with about 2,000 PCOs installed in Libya. "We are awaiting the signal from the authorities to start services in Libya." Plans are underway to introduce the second generation PCOs, he said. "These would be lower in cost and smaller in size and we expect to bring them into the market in the second half of this year." Significantly, Thuraya also plans to introduce higher speed data (GSL plus) within a year and a half for its portable units. Thuraya was scheduled to receive the second generation handsets in March this year but this has been delayed until July this year. Some 360,000 handsets of Thuraya are currently in the market. Meanwhile, Thuraya is in talks with insurance broker Wilis to insure the launch of Thuraya 3 and renew the in-orbit insurance of Thuraya-2 which expires this month. Communications satellite Thuraya 3 to be launched (From Gulf News, May 30, 2006) Abu Dhabi - The UAE's Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company is taking delivery of its third satellite next month and will launch it in January 2007, the company's chief told Gulf News yesterday. Yousuf Al Sayed, Chief Executive said Sea Launch Company of the US which lofted Thuraya's earlier two satellites has been selected to put into orbit Thuraya 3. "Thuraya's third satellite has been completed by Boeing Satellite Systems. The tests have been completed last week and it is now awaiting the launch. We have signed an agreement with Sea Launch Company to launch Thuraya 3," he said in an exclusive interview. The exact cost of the third satellite was not disclosed but it is estimated to be close to the cost of the earlier two satellites of $200 million and $150 million respectively. "Essentially, Thuraya 3 will replace Thuraya 1 that is currently covering south-east Asia including Korea and Indonesia. Thuraya 2 will continue to serve the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, India and some Asian markets," said Al Sayed. "Overall, once Thuraya 3 is in orbit and along with Thuraya 2, our coverage will be from the tip of Iceland to Japan." Although Thuraya has no immediate plans to enter the large US market it plans to cover the South American market, he said. "Our roll out is region by region and right now the US is not on our radar screen because there are already three to four domestic systems there similar to Thuraya. But we plan to cover South America at a later stage." Future plans Talks with Boeing for fourth satellite and plans for a secondary gateway in Dubai Thuraya is in discussions with Boeing Satellite Systems for a fourth satellite and plans to build a secondary gateway in Dubai, a top official said yesterday. "We have opened talks with Boeing for a fourth satellite. It is not decided whether it would be a clone or a new, next generation satellite," said Yousuf Al Sayed, Chief Executive of Thuraya. "We plan to build a secondary gateway to serve as a back-up for the Sharjah Primary Gateway. We are in discussions with Etisalat for a site in Dubai." He said Thuraya opened a regional office in Nairobi two weeks ago to support the growing east and central African markets. "We are awaiting approval to launch PCO's (public call offices) in Libya where nearly 2,000 PCOs are installed. Etisalat introduces another option for prepaid customers to recharge (From ameinfo.com, April 18, 2006) - Emirates Telecommunications Corporation- Etisalat- has announced the latest option available to customers to get recharge credit for their 'Wasel' accounts or access other prepaid services from Etisalat. Etisalat Electronic Vouchers, or eVouchers, are being made available at retail outlets across the UAE, and soon even neighbourhood grocery stores will be equipped with special electronic units to dispense the eVouchers. This service will be available alongside all other recharge methods. Essa Al Haddad, Executive Vice President - Marketing, Etisalat, said: 'We are very happy to bring our customers yet another easy method of recharging their Wasel or getting prepaid credit for other services. Etisalat is committed to empowering our customers with options and choices, and to making their experience in dealing with us even more convenient and hassle-free. The eVoucher service is being rolled out effectively to cover the entire UAE as soon as possible.' Customers will be able to purchase recharge credit for Wasel in the available denominations of AED 40 and AED 25, and prepaid credit for other services in the denomination of AED 20. The eVoucher dispenser will print out a voucher which will have the unique recharge code printed on it. The customer can then use the recharge code as usual. This option is added to the list of other numerous recharge methods that are already offered by the Corporation. Etisalat is not discontinuing any of its current recharge options. Currently customers can access prepaid credit through the popular scratch cards, at cash payment machines located strategically in high-traffic areas across the UAE, all Emirates Post outlets, and Etisalat Business Centres. Customers can also pay through www.e4me, or through channels offered by ten major banks in the UAE. Pakistan transfers control of telecom firm PTCL to buyer UAE Etisalat (April 14, 2006) KARACHI (AFX) - Authorities have passed management control of the country's largest telecom -- Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL) -- to United Arab Emirates Etisalat, after a bid of 2.6 bln usd in June last year, officials said. The management control of PTCL was formally transferred to Etisalat late last night in Islamabad with the induction of new directors to the board of PTCL. 'The nominees of Etisalat were formally co-opted on the PTCL board and its group of companies to complete formal handing over of the company's management to the new owner,' a spokesman of state-run Privatization Commission said. The deal had foundered in October when Etisalat failed to meet a deadline for full payment but marathon talks between Pakistan and the UAE based firm saved the sale.