Omantel Lowering Rates for Mobile Calls

Saleem Ahmed Abdullatif

Omantel Mobile announced on Sunday that they will be drastically reducing their prices for local and international outgoing calls for their Mada and Hayak subscribers.

According to a press release the new rates will begin at 14.5 bz/min for local calls and for international calls the cost will be 42.5 bz/min. Those rates will apply to any four numbers the customer chooses and they add to their Family and Friends package.

More than seventy overseas locations will be included in the new rate package, including GCC countries, the Indian subcontinent, as well as many European, American, Asian and Arab countries.
Saleem Ahmed Abdullatif, the general manager of marketing at Omantel’s consumer business unit stated that:

“In the new Family and Friends offer, we addressed the needs of our subscribers who are looking for the best rates on local and international calls.

"The offer is an additional option besides the recent cuts on international calls, which provide permanent reduced rates to various countries of the world starting from 65bz for calls made from fixed lines and 85bz for calls from mobile phones."

"The new discounts provide great low rates offered by the company to its subscribers for the first time in the sultanate." He said that international calls to most countries start at 42.5bz/min while local calls for Mada-3 and prepaid Hayyak subscribers start at 14.5bz/min and 19.5bz/ per minute respectively.

"Mada postpaid and Hayyak prepaid subscribers shall enjoy the new rates immediately when they make local or international calls after selecting their four favourite numbers. Moreover, discounted rates continue all day and night.

"Hayyak prepaid customers willing to avail this offer can call 1239 and follow the instructions while Mada customers can register their family and friends list by simply sending an SMS to 90098 in the following format (A*9xxxxxxx), as for international calls, country codes need to be added before the desired number," Abdullatif stated.
 

Gartner’s Sondergaard Predicts 6.3% Rise in IT Spending in MENA in 2012

Peter Sondergaard of Gartner Analysts

Peter Sondergaard, senior vice president of Gartner Analysts announced at the Gartner CIO Leadership Forum 2012 that the MENA region can expect 6.3 percent growth in IT spending in the coming year.

Sondergaard explained during the forum, held in Dubai February 27-28 that the Middle East and Africa enterprise IT spending could climb to as much as 70 billion Euros in 2012, across all industry markets, an increase of 66 billion Euros over the 2011 figure.

"In 2011, the growth rates across the Middle East and Africa region were in double-digit figures. As a consequence, 2012 will be hampered more, and top growth rates will be limited to those countries that didn't exploit their economies last year," said Peter Sondergaard. "Four forces of technology: cloud, social media, mobile and information, will equally impact IT organizations and technology providers in the Middle East. However, we believe that the market for cloud services, the lack of skills to deal with big data and the explosion in information could limit changes in organizations in the Middle East."

"Building industrialized IT capabilities will have CIO's across the Middle East increasingly turn to outsourcing of infrastructure and application environments. We believe that there will be substantial opportunities to drive down costs of outsourcing contracts that tend to be the most expensive globally. CIO's will need to build sourcing and vendor management skills to counter ensure better prices," added Mr. Sondergaard, who is also the global head of research at Gartner.
 

Best Ever Year for Hyundai in the Middle East

Tom Lee Head of Hyundai Middle East

The world’s fastest growing car manufacturer, Hyundai Motor Company, posted its yearly sales figures for 2011, showing record growth in the Middle East region.

Compared to 2010 Hyundai experienced a 9 percent overall increase in sales during 2011, selling a record number of cars at 283,953 vehicles.

In the Levant and GCC countries Qatar showed the largest increase in sales in one country, purchasing the Korean manufacturer’s cars 93% more times than last year. Kuwait had 76% growth and Lebanon had a 35% overall increase in sales. In the UAE sales went up by 29%.

Even in Saudi Arabia, Hyandai’s biggest market, there was a significant upward movement of car purchases, by 18%, to more than 106,000 cars. Yemen and Bahrain also showed better sales than last year, while Syria, Jordan and Oman still remain Hyundai’s best markets after Saudi Arabia.

Tom Lee, Head of Hyundai Middle East’s Regional Headquarters, said: “Across the GCC and Levant countries, customers have shown their confidence in our new range of ‘Modern Premium’ cars in growing numbers. While our SUV line-up continues to perform strongly across the region, new models such as the Elantra, Sonata, Veloster and Accent, together with our flagship luxury cars, the Centennial and Genesis, are introducing the Hyundai brand into increasing numbers of homes.”

PDO Director Restucci Announces New Oil Fields in Oman

Raoul Restucci

Raoul Restucci, the managing director of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) announced at his company’s annual media briefing last week that PDO has discovered several new sources for oil and gas in Oman, in addition to those already reported in 2011.

Two areas within the northeast sector of PDO’s concession area, in Lekhwair, were discovered; Lekwhair-724 and Mazkhour-5. Restuccci said that early test results predict that these wells should be able to supply more than 2,600 barrels of oil per day.

"In the south of Oman, PDO exploration well Sakhiya-21 discovered oil in an intra-salt Ara stringer carbonate reservoir near the Harweel production station. The well sustained an oil flow of over 1,800 bpd during the production test. The eventual recoverable volumes from the field, including the use of miscible gas injection as a secondary recovery scheme, are expected to be over 35 million barrels of oil," he said.

"Overall, these discoveries of both oil and gas come from a variety of reservoirs and depths, demonstrating the significant potential that continues to be available in the PDO concession area. As a result, PDO will continue its extensive efforts to find both new oil and new gas fields," Restucci stated.

In other good news for PDO, the company also had its best year in safety statistics. Total Recordable Case Frequency (TRCF) is at an all-time high with more than 450 million kilometers without even one work related road accident fatality. In addition, PDO signed a $35 million five year contract with Al Haditha Oilfield Services Company, which agrees to provide necessary flowline replacement services.

Restucci said that the value of the contract which was signed last week also increases with the scope of the work which Al Haditha can cover. The contract with Al Haditha, Restucci added, is part of their “In Country Value” strategy, which strives to support SLCC companies as well as grow and develop services and products created by Omani-based companies.
 

UAE Among World’s Most Expensive Internet Providers

UAE Provides Expensive Internet Services


A report published on Thursday by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in the Arabic language daily newspaper Emirat Alyoum states that the UAE has one of the most expensive internet and phone services in the world; and that is despite a series of tariff cuts during the past several years.

"Telecommunications services in the UAE are far costlier than those in Europe. There is a big price gap between the UAE and Europe especially in high-speed broadband services, which could reach $1700 a month."

Internet charges also set the record for costliness among the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries. However the UAE does have one of the least expensive mobile phone services not only among the GCC but among other Arab states as well.

A second report published by the Arab Regulators Network (AREGNET) based in Cairo, a group which incorporates 15 of the region’s government telecom regulators, said that fixed-line phone services used for business in the UAE are “very costly.” The study found that residential telephone services where quite a bit less expensive.

Also stated in the report is the fact that the UAE is only one of four Arab countries that even operate high-speed broadband services within its borders.
 

Oman Tourism Minister Tours Muscat Grand Mall

Muscat Grand Mall

In order to get a first-hand look at the status of the soon-to-be opened Muscat Grand Mall, the minister of tourism Shaikh Abdulmalik bin Abdullah al Khalili visited the site on Monday.

The grand opening of the shopping complex is planned to take place in just a few weeks, but before that day arrives the minister, along with senior executives from Al Madina and Muscat Grand Mall.

Al Madina Real Estate is developing the Tilal Complex, which the Muscat Grand Mall is a part of. When the project is completed the complex will take its place as one of the largest multi-purpose integrated real estate developments in all of Oman.

The Complex will include a shopping center, business offices, apartments, and one of the largest sports and fitness centers in the country. Al Khalili also visited the office space, including the anchor Nawras office in the building.

"We are honoured to have shown the minister at the new complex particularly as we are very confident that the Tilal complex will add value to the tourism industry in the country," stated the chairman of Al Madina Group, Khamis Mubarak al Kiyumi.
 

Mobile Roaming Rates Reduced in GCC Countries

Roaming Tariffs Going Down in GCC Countries

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in conjunction with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has decided to implement a reduction in charges for all international calls made to GCC countries while roaming in those GCC countries. This decision comes in the wake of the decision by the ministerial committee of the GCC Council to introduce maximum prices.

This step will help bring down the roaming prices for voice calls in GCC countries. Consumers can expect their phone bills to be lowered for calls made back home while they are traveling, and will reduce the cost of international calls while they are roaming. This new implementation of a ceiling on rates will only apply to voice calls which are made within and between GCC countries. At this point in time data services such as mobile broadband or SMS costs are not included in the price reduction.

General Director of the TRA Mr. Mohamed Bubashait commented on this news:

"The implementation of maximum prices will bring further saving to consumers roaming between the GCC member states and will support cross-border business activities. Cost-effective and efficient telecommunications services raise the competitiveness of all economic sectors by way of providing cost reductions and convenience of access to telecommunications services. This contributes towards improving business and individual productivity and enhancing the Kingdom's and the region's attractiveness as a global investment center."

Mr. Bubashait further commented that, "This is a major achievement for TRA, which has led the development and negotiation of the GCC roaming regulation for the benefit of all GCC consumers."
 

Three New Marketing Products Released by Omantel

Omantel Logo

Three unique and innovative products were revealed during a two day program hosted by one of Oman’s leading digital marketing experts, Infocomm. The interactive workshops were held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Muscat, which gave the hand-picked group of participants a chance to get some first-hand experience with Omantel’s latest breakthrough products.

Give Your Message Impact

iMass MMS is the most recent and updated addition to an already large selection of marketing products and services available from Omantel. With iMass MMS Omantel’s customers can send their marketing messages in audio or picture format making the impact that can make a difference. Omantel is the first provider in the Gulf region offering this state-of-the-art service.

"Today's consumers are increasingly sophisticated; their expectations are high. To make an impression marketers need to give their message impact,"

said Rehan Moosa, Infocomm Digital Media Product Manager and presenter at the workshops.

Location, Location, Location

A second product launched by Omantel at the workshop is a new Location Based Service which forms a part of the iMass Filter SMS service and iMass Volume SMS.

Omantel’s manager of communication solutions and corporate development, Adel Alawadhi said about this product that,

"This extremely focused marketing tool has a level of sophistication beyond anything else that's available. Companies can reach out to existing and potential clients according to their current location. At a time when marketers are constantly sharpening their message and fine-tuning their target market, this product is a great step forward."

Easy Access

The third product introduced is the new ismartsms.net portal. This web site gives new and existing users of Omantel’s marketing services a convenient way to learn more about Omantel’s large number of products and services. All customers have to do is log in to make purchases or send requests to the company.

"The business environment today is very demanding and there is a lot of time pressure. The iSmart SMS portal has been developed to make life easier for Omantel customers," commented R Ramesh, Infocomm Operations Manager. "It's about streamlining services and allowing clients to make the most of their time — leaving them free to concentrate on their core tasks. It also recognises the importance of listening to customers with a dedicated section for feedback."

GCC Secretary General Heads to Europe to Improve Ties

The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council left for Brussels on Sunday for talks with members of the European Union to explore ways to improve relations between the six GCC nations and the European Union.

Accepts Invitation

Secretary General Abdulatif Al-Zayani is visiting Brussels in response to an invitation by the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Catherine Ashton. The invitation is part of an earlier agreement forged between the EU and the GCCdesigned to increase cooperation between the two bodies.

Catherine Ashton

“Al-Zayani, who will be traveling with top GCC officials including Saad Al-Ammar, the GCC’s deputy secretary-general for political affairs, will hold bilateral talks with Ashton on Jan. 31,” said Saleem S. A. Al-Alwi, GCC spokesman.

Iran on the Table

Also on the agenda of talks will be the latest threat from Iran. This threat is a consequence of the EU’s decision last week to enforce an oil embargo on Iran beginning this coming summer if Iran does not disclose information about its hidden nuclear program. The west is worried that Iran is developing nuclear weapons under the radar of the West’s ability to monitor and halt, if necessary the Iranian nuclear program. “Hence, the visit of Al-Zayani to Brussels, where he will also hold talks with Belgian officials besides meeting several EU officials, has added significance,” said a political analyst. He also said that the EU and the GCC will most likely also discuss inaugurating negotiations to hammer out a free trade agreement.

“Both sides still look committed to negotiations toward a free trade agreement which were initiated in 1990 and gained momentum in 2007, but later failed,” he added.

AMEI President Visits Oman to Strengthen Educational Partnerships

Simin Yazdegerdi Curtis

Simin Yazdegerdi Curtis, president and founder of the American Middle East Institute, led a delegation of members of the Institute to the Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman on Monday.

AMEI is a non-profit and independent organization, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which seeks to strengthen cultural, educational and business ties between the United States and countries of the Middle East.

Professor Amer bin Ali al Rawas greeted the AMEI delegates in his capacity as SQU deputy Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Research, along with other official representatives of the university.

During the discussions with the officials from SQU Simin Curtis explained that AMEI is in the perfect position to introduce Pittsburgh’s leading institutions and corporations to the Middle East. Due to their broad knowledge of the region, understanding of the culture and their well-forged corporate and business ties AMEI can more easily succeed at the high-profile networking events for which AMEI has earned a positive reputation.

The group of delegates considered the possibility of obtaining the support of academics from SQU to populate the intensive programs in Arabic which AMEI offers, as well as having them participate in other cultural and business connected activities which focus on the Middle East.

In a statement which urged the delegates to go forward to forge partnerships in the academic, educational and cultural spheres, Curtis said,

“We urge young professionals and business students to do business in Oman. We would like to host Omani students for the academic programs starting in the summer this year.”